Core network apparatus, radio base station, mobile terminal, mobile communication system, and operation control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9451621-B2
Application number	US-201214232826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2012
Priority date	Jul 27, 2011
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A core network apparatus ( 1 ) in a mobile communication system, includes a control unit ( 101 ) that, when a resource utilization rate of the own apparatus falls below a predetermined threshold, makes a transition to an MME utilization promotion state and transmits, to a radio base station ( 2 ), an MME promotion start message ( 111 ) for encouraging a terminal ( 3 ) to perform a communication. When the network utilization rate is low, it is possible to improve the utilization rate by transmitting the MME promotion start message, which is a utilization promotion message.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A core network apparatus in a mobile communication system, comprising:
a unit configured to, when a resource utilization rate of the core network apparatus falls below a predetermined threshold, make a transition to a core network utilization promotion state and transmit, to a radio base station, a utilization promotion message for encouraging a mobile terminal to perform a communication; and
a unit configured to, when the resource utilization rate of the core network apparatus exceeds the predetermined threshold, make a transition from the core network utilization promotion state to a core network non-utilization promotion state and transmit a utilization promotion stop message to the radio base station, wherein
either when the radio base station receives the utilization promotion stop message transmitted from the core network apparatus, the core network apparatus having made a transition from the core network utilization promotion state to the core network non-utilization promotion state when the resource utilization rate of the core network apparatus exceeds the predetermined threshold, or when the resource utilization rate of the radio base station exceeds the predetermined threshold, the radio base station makes a transition from a radio base station utilization promotion state to a radio base station non-utilization promotion state and stops transmitting a radio base station utilization promotion message,
and the mobile terminal, if, after receiving the radio base station utilization promotion message, the radio base station utilization promotion message is not received again over a predetermined period, makes a transition from a terminal utilization promotion state to a terminal non-utilization promotion state.

2. The core network apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the unit incorporates core network determination information into the utilization promotion message, the core network determination information being used to determine whether to accept a connection request received from the mobile terminal through the radio base station, the mobile terminal having made a transition to a terminal utilization promotion state in response to receiving the utilization promotion message through the radio base station, and transmits the resulting message, further comprising
a determination unit configured to determine, when the core network apparatus in the core network utilization promotion state receives a connection request from the mobile terminal in the terminal utilization promotion state through the radio base station, whether to accept the connection request on the basis of the core network determination information in the connection request.

3. An operation control method for a core network apparatus in a mobile communication system, comprising:
when a resource utilization rate of the core network apparatus falls below a predetermined threshold, making a transition to a core network utilization promotion state and transmitting, to a radio base station, a utilization promotion message for encouraging a mobile terminal to perform a communication,
when the resource utilization rate of the core network apparatus exceeds the predetermined threshold, making a transition from the core network utilization promotion state to a core network non-utilization promotion state and transmitting a utilization promotion stop message to the radio base station,
either when the radio base station receives the utilization promotion stop message transmitted from the core network apparatus, the core network having made a transition from the core network utilization promotion state to a core network non-utilization promotion state when the resource utilization rate of the core network apparatus exceeds the predetermined threshold, or when the resource utilization rate of the radio base station exceeds the predetermined threshold, the radio base station making a transition from a radio base station utilization promotion state to a radio base station non-utilization promotion state and stopping transmitting a radio base station utilization promotion message, and
if, after receiving the radio base station utilization promotion message, a radio base station utilization promotion message is not received again over a predetermined period, the mobile terminal making a transition from a terminal utilization promotion state to a terminal non-utilization promotion state.

4. A radio base station in a mobile communication system, comprising a unit configured to, if a resource utilization rate of the radio base station falls below a predetermined threshold when the radio base station receives a core network utilization promotion message transmitted from a core network, the core network having made a transition to a core network utilization promotion state when a resource utilization rate of the core network falls below a predetermined threshold, the core network utilization promotion message being intended to encourage a mobile terminal to perform a communication, make a transition to a radio base station utilization promotion state and transmit, to the mobile terminal, a radio base station utilization promotion message for encouraging the mobile terminal to perform a communication,
wherein the unit, either when a core network utilization promotion stop message transmitted by the core network is received, the core network having made a transition from the core network utilization promotion state to a core network non-utilization promotion state when the resource utilization rate of the core network exceeds the predetermined threshold, or when the resource utilization rate of the radio base station exceeds the predetermined threshold, makes a transition from the radio base station utilization to a radio base station non-utilization promotion state and stops transmitting the radio base station utilization promotion message,
and the mobile terminal, if, after receiving the radio base station utilization promotion message, the radio base station utilization promotion message is not received again over a predetermined period, makes a transition from a terminal utilization promotion state to a terminal non-utilization promotion state.

5. An operation control method for a radio base station in a mobile communication system, comprising:
if a resource utilization rate of the radio base station falls below a predetermined threshold when the radio base station receives a core network utilization promotion message transmitted from a core network, the core network having made a transition to a core network utilization promotion state when a resource utilization rate of the core network falls below a predetermined threshold, the core network utilization promotion message being intended to encourage a mobile terminal to perform a communication, making a transition to a radio base station utilization promotion state and transmitting, to the mobile terminal, a radio base station utilization promotion message for encouraging the mobile terminal to perform a communication, and
either when a core network utilization promotion stop message transmitted by the core network is received, the core network having made a transition from the core network utilization promotion state to a core network non-utilization promotion state when the resource utilization rate of the core network exceeds the predetermined threshold, or when the resource utilization rate of the radio base station exceeds the predetermined threshold, making a transition from the radio base station utilization to a radio base station non-utilization promotion state and stopping transmitting the radio base station utilization promotion message,
if, after receiving the radio base station utilization promotion message, the radio base station utilization promotion message is not receiv

Assignees

• Nishina Hirotaka
• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Nishina Hirotaka

Classifications

• H04W72/53 Primary

  based on regulatory allocation policies · CPC title

• H04W4/24

  Accounting or billing · CPC title

• H04M15/83

  Notification aspects · CPC title

• H04M2215/0192

  Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods · CPC title

• H04W28/16 Primary

  Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service] · CPC title