Mobile communication systems

• US 20020173277A1
• Filed: 05/14/2002
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Lan, Umeda, Narumi, Takao, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/04 Traffic adaptive resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/563 of the wireless resources

Abstract

A mobile communication system includes a base station connected to a backbone network, and a mobile station configured to communicate with the base station using a radio frequency. The system has a first communication mode, in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink; a second communication mode, in which the first radio frequency is used for the uplink, and the second radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink; a third communication mode, in which the second radio frequency is used for the downlink, and the first radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink; and a mode switcher configured to switch the first through third communication modes in accordance with data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system including a base station and a mobile station configured to communicate with the base station, the system having:

a first communication mode in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink;

a second communication mode in which the first radio frequency is used for the uplink, and the second radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink;

a third communication mode in which the first radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink and the second radio frequency is used for the downlink; and

,

a mode switcher configured to switch a communication mode among the first, second, and third communication modes in accordance with data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the base station has a signal processing unit configured to receive a remote monitoring control signal supplied from a backbone network to which the base station is connected, and the mode switcher switches the communication modes based on the remote monitoring control signal.

3. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the mode switcher stores a time schedule for switching the communication modes, and switches the communication modes automatically based on the time schedule.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the base station has a signal processing unit configured to measure and compare the data transfer volumes of the uplink and the downlink, and the mode switcher switches the communication modes based on the comparison result.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 4, wherein the signal processing unit has a communication volume monitoring unit configured to measure the data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink, and a comparator configured to compare the measuring results.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein either the first or the second frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink at a predetermined allocation ratio of time slots, and the base station has a signal processing unit configured to adjust the allocation ratio of the time slots.

7. The mobile communication system according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cells, each cell including the base station, wherein the mode switcher switches the communication mode after at least two neighborhood base stations are synchronized with each other.

8. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cells, each cell including the base station, wherein uplink communication and downlink communication are switched at either the first or the second frequency at a predetermined time interval after at least two neighborhood base stations are synchronized with each other.

9. A mobile communication system including a base station and a mobile station configured to communicate with the base station, the system having:

a first communication mode in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink;

a second communication mode in which the first radio frequency is used for the uplink, and the second radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink; and

a mode switcher configured to switch the first and second communication modes in accordance with data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink.

10. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein the base station has a signal processing unit configured to receive a remote monitoring control signal supplied from a backbone network to which the base station is connected, and the mode switcher switches the first and the second communication modes based on the remote monitoring control signal.

11. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein the mode switcher stores a time schedule for switching the communication modes, and switches between the first and second communication modes automatically based on the time schedule.

12. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein the base station has a signal processing unit configured to measure and compare the data transfer volumes of the uplink and the downlink, and the mode switcher switches the first and the second communication modes based on the comparison result.

13. The mobile communication system according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing unit has a communication volume monitoring unit configured to measure the data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink, and a comparator configured to compare the measuring results.

14. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein either the first or the second frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink at a predetermined allocation ratio of time slots, and the base station has a signal processing unit configured to adjust the allocation ratio of the time slots.

15. The mobile communication system according to claim 9 further comprising a plurality of cells, each cell including the base station, wherein the mode switcher switches the communication mode after at least two neighborhood base stations are synchronized with each other.

16. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of cells, each cell including the base station, wherein uplink communication and downlink communication are switched at either the first or the second frequency at a predetermined time interval after at least two neighborhood base stations are synchronized with each other.

18. The mobile communication system according to claim 17, wherein the base station has a signal processing unit configured to receive a remote monitoring control signal supplied from a backbone network to which the base station is connected, and the mode switcher switches the first and the second communication modes based on the remote monitoring control signal.

19. The mobile communication system according to claim 17, wherein the mode switcher stores a time schedule for switching the communication modes, and switches between the first and second communication modes automatically based on the time schedule.

20. The mobile communication system according to claim 17, wherein the base station has a signal processing unit configured to measure and compare the data transfer volumes of the uplink and the downlink, and the mode switcher switches the first and the second communication modes based on the comparison result.

21. The mobile communication system according to claim 20, wherein the signal processing unit has a communication volume monitoring unit configured to measure the data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink, and a comparator configured to compare the measuring results.

22. The mobile communication system according to claim 17, wherein either the first or the second frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink at a predetermined allocation ratio of time slots, and the base station has a signal processing unit configured to adjust the allocation ratio of the time slots.

23. The mobile communication system according to claim 17, further comprising a plurality of cells, each cell including the base station, wherein the mode switcher switches the communication mode after at least two neighborhood base stations are synchronized with each other.

24. The mobile communication system according to claim 17, further comprising a plurality of cells, each cell including the base station, wherein uplink communication and downlink communication are switched at either the first or the second frequency at a predetermined time interval after at least two neighborhood base stations are synchronized with each other.

26. The base station according to claim 25, wherein the signal processing unit having:

a remote monitoring controller configured to receive a monitoring control signal representing data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink from a backbone network to which the base station is connected; and

a control signal generator configured to produce the control signal based on the monitoring control signal supplied from the remote monitoring controller.

27. The base station according to claim 25, wherein the signal processing unit having:

a communication volume monitoring unit configured to measure data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink;

a comparator configured to compare the data transfer volumes of the uplink and the downlink; and

a control signal generator configured to receive a comparison result from the comparator and produce the control signal based on the comparison result.

17. A mobile communication system including a base station and a mobile station configured to communicate with the base station, the system having:

a first communication mode in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink;

a second communication mode in which the first radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink and the second radio frequency is used for the downlink; and

a mode switcher configured to switch the first and second communication modes in accordance with data transfer volumes on the uplink and the downlink.

25. A base station configured to communicate with a mobile terminal in a prescribed geographical area using at least two modes of:

a first communication mode in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink;

a second communication mode in which the first radio frequency is used for the uplink, and the second radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink; and

a third communication mode in which the first radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink and the second radio frequency is used for the downlink, the base station comprising;

a signal processing unit configured to produce a control signal for designating one of the communication modes; and

a switching controller configured to receive the control signal and change the communication mode based on the control signal.

28. A base station configured to communicate with a mobile terminal in a prescribed geographical area using at least two modes of:

a first communication mode in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink;

a second communication mode in which the first radio frequency is used for the uplink, and the second radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink; and

a third communication mode in which the first radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink and the second radio frequency is used for the downlink, the base station comprising;

a switching controller having a time schedule table indicating a time-based suitable communication mode and configured to change the communication mode according to the time schedule table.

29. A mobile terminal configured to communicate with a base station in a prescribed geographical area using at least two modes of:

a first communication mode in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink;

a second communication mode in which the first radio frequency is used for the uplink, and the second radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink; and

a third communication mode in which the first radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink and the second radio frequency is used for the downlink, the mobile terminal comprising;

a switching controller configured to receive a control signal designating a suitable communication mode from the base station and change the communication mode based on the control signal.

30. A mobile terminal configured to communicate with a base station in a prescribed geographical area using at least two modes of:

a first communication mode in which a first radio frequency is used for an uplink and a second radio frequency is used for a downlink;

a second communication mode in which the first radio frequency is used for the uplink, and the second radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink; and

a third communication mode in which the first radio frequency is shared by the uplink and the downlink and the second radio frequency is used for the downlink, the mobile terminal comprising;

a switching controller having a time schedule table indicating a time-based suitable communication mode and change the communication mode according to the time schedule table.