CELL ACCESS CONTROL METHOD AND USER EQUIPMENT

• US 20100099407A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Qiu, Yong
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0077 of access information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A cell access control method and a user terminal are provided, the method includes: obtaining, by a user equipment (UE), cell access information through a pilot channel and/or a synchronization channel; determining a current cell is a macro base station cell or an HNB cell according to the cell access information; determining, when the current cell is an HNB cell, whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell according to HNB information of the cell access information, if the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell, performing the access processing, if the UE is not allowed to access the HNB, abandoning the access. A UE is provided accordingly.

Claims

1. A cell access control method, comprising:

obtaining, by a user equipment (UE), cell access information through a pilot channel or a synchronization channel;

determining whether a current cell is a macro base station cell or a home eNodeB (HNB) cell according to the cell access information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell access information comprises:

frequency information obtained from the pilot channel or cell identifier information obtained from the synchronization channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, if the current cell is an HNB cell, whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell according to the cell access information; and

performing the access processing if the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell according to the cell access information comprises:

determining, by the UE, whether HNB information stored in the UE corresponds to or is consistent with the cell access information;

determining to be allowed to access the HNB cell if the HNB information stored in the UE corresponds to or is consistent with the cell access information.

5. The method of claim 4, before determining by the UE whether the HNB information stored in the UE corresponds to or is consistent with the cell access information, further comprising:

obtaining, by the UE, subscription information through non access stratum (NAS) message or a subscriber identification module (SIM) card;

reading information of the HNB that allows to be accessed from the obtained subscription information; and

storing the read information of the HNB that allows to be accessed in the UE;

or

inputting the information of the HNB that allows to be accessed to the UE through an input device; and

storing the information of the HNB that allows to be accessed in the UE.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

abandoning the access processing if the UE is not allowed to access the HNB cell.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the access processing according to a preset rule if the current cell is a macro base station cell.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the access processing according to a preset rule if the current cell is a macro base station cell.

8. A cell access control method, comprising:

obtaining, by a user equipment (UE), cell access information through a system broadcast message or measurement control message;

determining whether a current cell is a macro base station cell or a home eNodeB (HNB) cell according to a cell ownership identifier of the cell access information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, if the current cell is an HNB cell, whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell according to the cell access information; and

performing the access processing if the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

abandoning the access processing if the UE is not allowed to access the HNB cell.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell according to the cell access information comprises:

determining, by the UE, whether HNB information stored in the UE corresponds to or is consistent with the cell access information;

determining to be allowed to access the HNB cell if the HNB information stored in the UE corresponds to or is consistent with the cell access information.

13. The method of claim 12, before determining by the UE whether the HNB information stored in the UE corresponds to or is consistent with the cell access information, further comprising:

obtaining, by the UE, subscription information through non access stratum (NAS) message or a subscriber identification module (SIM) card;

reading information of the HNB that allows to be accessed from the obtained subscription information; and

storing the read information of the HNB that allows to be accessed in the UE;

or

inputting the information of the HNB that allows to be accessed to the UE through an input device; and

storing the information of the HNB that allows to be accessed in the UE.

14. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

an obtaining unit adapted to obtain cell access information through a pilot channel or a synchronization channel;

a cell attribute determining unit adapted to inform an access determining unit when current cell is determined as a home eNodeB (HNB) cell according to the cell access information;

the access determining unit adapted to determine whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell according to HNB information of the cell access information, and inform an access processing unit of the determination result; and

the access processing unit adapted to perform the access processing when it is determined that the current HNB cell allows to be accessed; and

abandon the access when it is determined that the current HNB cell does not allow to be accessed.

15. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the access processing unit comprises a measurement module and/or a residence request module;

wherein the measurement module is adapted to measure the HNB cell when the UE is active, and report the measurement result to the HNB; and

wherein the residence request module is adapted to send a residence request to the HNB when the UE is idle.

16. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the UE further comprises an access control unit;

wherein the cell attribute determining unit is further adapted to inform the access control unit when the current cell is determined as a macro base station cell according to the cell access information; and

wherein the access control unit is adapted to access the current macro base station cell according to a preset accessing rule.