MOBILE TERMINAL AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20120289230A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanauchi, Masashi, Uno, Nobukazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,938,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Even when the mobile terminal (UE) redirected from the UMTS cell to the LTE cell by the redirecting technology cannot start the communication with the LTE system, the communication with the UMTS system can be started. A mobile terminal (UE) according to the present invention is instructed to be redirected from a UMTS cell to an LTE cell by a radio control apparatus (RNC), in an overlapped area between the UMTS cell in which communication with a UMTS system is available and the LTE cell in which communication with an LTE system is available, by transmitting a connection request signal including an LTE supported identifier for indicating that the LTE system is supported to the radio control apparatus (RNC) of the UMTS system. Moreover, the mobile terminal (UE) includes a connection setting process unit which executes a connection setting process with the radio control apparatus (RNC) while being turned into a state of not supporting the LTE system, when receiving a location registration failure signal for indicating that location registration to the tracking area of the LTE system is ended in failure.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal instructed to be redirected from a first cell to a second cell by a first wireless access apparatus, in an overlapped area between the first cell in which communication with a first system is available and the second cell in which communication with a second system is available, by transmitting a connection request signal including a supported identifier for indicating that the second system is supported to the first wireless access apparatus of the first system, the mobile terminal comprising:

a connection setting process unit configured to execute a connection setting process with the first wireless access apparatus while being turned into a state of not supporting the second system, when receiving a location registration failure signal for indicating that location registration to the second location registered area of the second system is ended in failure.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the connection setting process unit

transmits a connection request signal not including the supported identifier to the first wireless access apparatus, and

transmits a connection setting completion signal including a not-supported identifier which indicates not supporting the second system and a handover not-supported identifier which indicates not supporting a handover between systems from the first system to the second system to the first wireless access apparatus, after setting a connection with the first wireless access apparatus in response to the connection setting signal received from the first wireless access apparatus, and

thereby the connection setting process is executed while being turned into the state of not supporting the second system.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein when other public land mobile networks (PLMN) are selected, or when an electronic power supply of the mobile terminal is turned ON, the connection setting process unit executes the connection setting process while being turned into a state of supporting the second system.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 further comprising a storage unit configured to store a supporting state identifier for indicating to be turned into the state of supporting the second system when an electronic power supply of the mobile terminal is turned OFF, wherein

the connection setting process unit executes the connection setting process while being turned into the state of supporting the second system, in response to the supporting state identifier stored in the storage unit, when the electronic power supply of the mobile terminal is turned ON.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the connection setting process unit transmits a connection request signal including the supported identifier to the first wireless access apparatus, and thereby the connection setting process is executed while being turned into the state of supporting the second system.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 further comprising a location registration process unit configured to transmit a location registration request signal not including associated information which indicates that the second system is supported to a switching apparatus of the first system when the location registration failure signal is received, and thereby a location registration process to a first location registered area of the first system is executed while being turned into the state of not supporting the second system.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the location registration process unit transmits the location registration request signal including the associated information to the switching apparatus of the first system when other public land mobile networks (PLMN) are selected, or when an electronic power supply of the mobile terminal is turned ON, and thereby the location registration process is executed while being turned into the state of supporting the second system.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 7 further comprising a storage unit configured to store a supporting state identifier for indicating to be turned into the state of supporting the second system when the electronic power supply of the mobile terminal is turned OFF, wherein

the location registration process unit transmits the location registration request signal including the associated information to the switching apparatus of the first system in response to the supporting state identifier stored in the storage unit, when the electronic power supply of the mobile terminal is turned ON, and thereby the location registration process is executed while being turned into the state of supporting the second system.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the location registration failure signal indicates that the location registration to the second location registered area is ended in failure because there is no suitable second cell in the second location registered area.

10. A mobile communication method, wherein a mobile terminal is instructed to be redirected from a first cell to a second cell by a first wireless access apparatus, in an overlapped area between the first cell in which communication with a first system is available and the second cell in which communication with a second system is available, by transmitting a connection request signal including a supported identifier for indicating that the second system is supported from the mobile terminal to the first wireless access apparatus of the first system, the mobile communication method comprising:

executing a connection setting process with the first wireless access apparatus while being turned into a state of not supporting the second system, when receiving a location registration failure signal for indicating that location registration to the second location registered area of the second system is ended in failure.