Mobile communication system

• US 8,953,523 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Mitsuru, Maeda, Miho, Saegusa, Taiga, Iwane, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAN, SAI MING
• Application Number:
  US13/264,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20120044870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0033 each allocating device acting autonomously, i.e. without negotiation with other allocating devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile communication system having a coordinated communication mode in which radio communication is performed between a user equipment and a plurality of base stations in a coordinated manner and an uncoordinated communication mode in which radio communication is performed between a user equipment and a base station without coordinating with another base station, in which radio communication is performed by selectively using any of the coordinated communication mode and the uncoordinated communication mode. The coordinated communication in which radio communication is performed between a user equipment and a plurality of base stations in a coordinated manner and the uncoordinated communication in which radio communication is performed between a user equipment and a base station without coordinating with another base station are selectively used in an appropriate manner, with the result that a mobile communication system capable of exerting its performance in accordance with a situation can be provided.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system, comprising:

a plurality of base stations; and

a user equipment which receives data from one or more of the plurality of base stations,

wherein the plurality of base stations are configured to operate in a coordinated communication mode in which radio communication is performed between the user equipment and the plurality of base stations in a coordinated manner such that the user equipment receives a same data over a same downlink shared channel from the plurality of base stations and an uncoordinated communication mode in which radio communication is performed between the user equipment and one of the base stations without coordinating with another base station,

wherein radio communication is performed by selectively using any of said coordinated communication mode and said uncoordinated communication mode,

wherein the coordinated communication mode is used when a type of logical channel mapped to the downlink shared channel for transmitting the data to the user is a dedicated logical channel for the user equipment, and the uncoordinated communication mode is used when a type of logical channel mapped to the downlink shared channel for transmitting the data to the user is a logical channel for broadcast to a plurality of user equipment.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein radio communication is performed by selectively using any of said coordinated communication mode and said uncoordinated communication mode in accordance with a type of information transmitted in radio communication.

3. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein radio communication is performed by selectively using any of said coordinated communication mode and said uncoordinated communication mode in accordance with an operation state of said user equipment.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein radio communication is performed by selectively using any of said coordinated communication mode and said uncoordinated communication mode for each of base stations.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein radio communication is performed by selectively using any of said coordinated communication mode and said uncoordinated communication mode in accordance with a situation of a communication load.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a plurality of base stations receive an uplink data signal transmitted from said user equipment in a coordinated manner using said coordinated communication mode, at least one base station included in said plurality of base stations transmits, to said user equipment, a common downlink control signal related to the uplink data signal transmitted to said plurality of base stations from said user equipment.

7. The mobile communication system according to claim 6, wherein said downlink control signal is a notification signal for notifying a common radio resource for transmitting the uplink data signal from said user equipment to said plurality of base stations.

8. The mobile communication system according to claim 6, wherein said downlink control signal is a response signal transmitted in response to the uplink data signal transmitted from said user equipment to said plurality of base stations.

9. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a plurality of base stations receive the uplink data signal transmitted from said user equipment in a coordinated manner using said coordinated communication mode, a plurality of downlink control signals related to the uplink data signal transmitted from said user equipment to said plurality of base stations are dedicatedly transmitted from said plurality of base stations to said user equipment, to thereby derive one downlink control signal based on the plurality of downlink control signals received by said user equipment.

10. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein frequency hopping is allowed in a case where radio communication is performed using said uncoordinated communication mode and frequency hopping is prohibited in a case where radio communication is performed using said coordinated communication mode.

11. A mobile communication method, implemented by a mobile communication system including a plurality of base stations and a user equipment which receives data from one or more of the plurality of base stations, the method comprising:

selectively operating the plurality of base stations between a coordinated communication mode in which radio communication is performed between the user equipment and the plurality of base stations in a coordinated manner such that the user equipment receives a same data over a same downlink shared channel from the plurality of base stations and an uncoordinated communication mode in which radio communication is performed between the user equipment and one of the base stations without coordinating with another base station,

wherein the coordinated communication mode is used when a type of logical channel mapped to the downlink shared channel for transmitting the data to the user is a dedicated logical channel for the user equipment, and the uncoordinated communication mode is used when a type of logical channel mapped to the downlink shared channel for transmitting the data to the user is a logical channel for broadcast to a plurality of user equipment.