Wireless base station, wireless communication system, and base station allocation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10880832-B2
Application number	US-201515532361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2015
Priority date	Dec 15, 2014
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A wireless base station extracts a connection base station from a plurality of other wireless base stations, as a candidate of a wireless base station which communicates user data with a wireless communication terminal, based on positional information of the wireless communication terminal, information of a wireless communication method capable of being employed by the wireless communication terminal, information of ranges in which the other wireless base stations are able to communicate, and information of wireless communication methods capable of being employed by the other wireless base stations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heterogeneous network system, comprising:
a macrocell base station;
first small cell base stations under control of the macrocell base station;
a wireless communication terminal under control of the macrocell base station; and
second small cell base stations not under control of the macrocell base station, wherein
the macrocell base station includes:
a receiver configured to receive a connection request regarding the wireless communication terminal, and to receive, from the wireless communication terminal, control data including positional information and wireless communication method information of the wireless communication terminal, wherein the wireless communication method information indicates a wireless communication method usable by the wireless communication terminal;
a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to:
select a first connection base station candidate, which performs communication of user data with the wireless communication terminal, from the first small cell base stations, based on the positional information and the wireless communication method information of the wireless communication terminal, positional information of the first small cell base stations, and information of wireless communication methods usable by the first small cell base stations,
store, in a memory device, frequency usage history indicative of frequencies respectively used by the first small cell base stations for communicating user data,
in reference to the frequency usage history, determine a first frequency candidate for use in the communication of the user data between the wireless communication terminal and the first connection base station candidate; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit information regarding the first frequency candidate to the first connection base station candidate, and to transmit information regarding the first connection base station candidate and the first frequency candidate to the wireless communication terminal,
wherein the receiver is configured to receive, from the first connection base station candidate, information regarding the frequency used for the communication of the user data between the first connection base station candidate and the wireless communication terminal, and the processor is configured to update the frequency usage history based on the received information regarding the frequency,
wherein the first connection base station candidate, when no wireless resource is available in the first frequency candidate, selects a second frequency candidate, performs the communication with the wireless communication terminal using the second frequency candidate, and transmits to the macrocell base station information regarding the second frequency candidate as the frequency used for the communication,
wherein the first connection base station candidate, when no wireless resource is available in the first frequency candidate and no second frequency candidate is available, transmits to the macrocell base station a request to change a connection base station candidate,
in response to the request to change a connection base station candidate, the processor of the macrocell base station searches for a second connection base station candidate, which performs communication of the user data with the wireless communication terminal and which is other than the first connection base station candidate, from among the first small cell base stations, and
in response to the second connection base station candidate being found, the receiver of the macrocell base station receives, from the second connection base station candidate, information regarding a third frequency candidate used for the communication of the user data between the second connection base station candidate and the wireless communication terminal, and the processor of the macrocell base station updates the frequency usage history based on the received information regarding the third frequency candidate.

2. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the first connection base station candidate based on a request for high-speed communication received from the wireless communication terminal.

3. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the first connection base station candidate based on a type of the user data.

4. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the first connection base station candidate based on a communication speed of the first connection base station candidate.

5. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the first connection base station candidate based on a wireless communication standard type included in the control data received from the wireless communication terminal.

6. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the first connection base station candidate based on communication content of the wireless communication terminal, which is included in the control data received from the wireless communication terminal.

7. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the first connection base station candidate based on a moving speed of the wireless communication terminal.

8. The wireless base station heterogeneous network system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the macrocell base station itself as the first connection base station candidate in response to determining that the wireless communication terminal moves more frequently than a defined threshold and/or that an amount of the user data is less than a defined amount.

9. A base station allocation method executed in a heterogeneous network system including a macrocell base station, first small cell base stations under control of the macrocell base station, and second small cell base stations not under control of the macrocell base station, the method comprising:
the macrocell base station receiving a connection request regarding a wireless communication terminal under control of the macrocell base station;
the macrocell base station receiving, from the wireless communication terminal, control data including positional information and wireless communication method information of the wireless communication terminal, wherein the wireless communication method information indicates a wireless communication method usable by the wireless communication terminal;
the macrocell base station selecting a first connection base station candidate, which performs communication of user data with the wireless communication terminal, from the first small cell base stations, based on the positional information and the wireless communication method information of the wireless communication terminal, positional information of the first small cell base stations, and information of wireless communication methods usable by the first small cell base stations;
the macrocell base station storing, in a memory device, frequency usage history indicative of frequencies respectively used by the first small cell base stations for communicating user data;
the macrocell base station, in reference to the frequency usage history, determining a first frequency candidate for use in the communication of the user data between the wireless communication terminal and the first connection base station candidate;
the macrocell base station transmitting information regarding the first frequency candidate to the first connection base station candidate;
the macrocell base station transmitting information regarding the first connection base station candidate and the first frequency c

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kato Osamu

Classifications

• H04W72/51

  based on terminal or device properties · CPC title

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04W48/14

  using user query {or user detection} · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W52/0225 Primary

  using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal · CPC title