JP2010068183A - Compact base station - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a small base station capable of improving user convenience by notifying a user whether or not a mobile communication terminal is located within a communication range of the small base station.
A femtocell base station (1) is a small base station capable of wireless communication with a mobile phone (8) and connected to a core network (3) via a wired communication line (6). Is determined in the femtocell base station 1 communication range, and a notification unit 13 that notifies the determination result by the determination unit 15.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a small base station, and more particularly to a small base station of a femtocell.

  Since communication using a mobile phone uses radio waves, communication using a mobile phone becomes impossible even in a communication service area in an insensitive area where the radio waves do not reach, such as indoors or underground. Therefore, construction of a communication system using a small base station is being studied in order to enable communication using a mobile phone even in a radio wave insensitive area.

  In this communication system, a small base station (femtocell base station) having an extremely small cell (femtocell) with a radius of about several tens of meters as a communication area is installed in a radio wave insensitive area. The femtocell base station is connected to the core network of the mobile phone using a wired communication line. Therefore, the mobile phone in the radio wave insensitive area is connected to the core network via the femtocell base station and the wired communication line. As a result, communication using a mobile phone is possible even in a radio wave insensitive area.

  By introducing the femtocell, the mobile phone operator can reduce the load on the core network of the mobile phone and can reduce the equipment cost for adding an outdoor base station. For this reason, services that reduce the benefits gained by the introduction of femtocells from operators to users, such as setting a lower communication fee for communication via femtocell base stations compared to normal communication via outdoor base stations, are expected. ing.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a communication system including a radio base station installed in a subscriber premises for optical communication. In this communication system, a signal from a mobile phone used in a subscriber premises is transmitted from a wireless base station in the premises to an accommodation station via an optical communication cable, and the accommodation station transmits an IP network, a general telephone switching network, or a mobile It is transmitted to various networks such as a communication exchange network.

JP 2004-15103 A

  As described above, in a communication system including a femtocell base station, a service is expected in which a communication fee for communication via a femtocell base station is set lower than communication via an outdoor base station. However, it is impossible for the user to determine whether the current communication or the communication to be performed is a low-price communication via the femtocell base station or a high-price communication via the outdoor base station.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a small size that can improve the convenience of the user by notifying the user whether or not the mobile communication terminal is located within the communication range of the small base station. The purpose is to obtain a base station.

  The small base station according to the first aspect of the present invention is a small base station capable of wireless communication with a mobile communication terminal and connected to a core network via a wired communication line, the mobile station It is characterized by comprising determination means for determining whether or not a communication terminal is located within the communication area of the small base station, and notification means for notifying the result of determination by the determination means.

  According to the small base station according to the first aspect, it is determined by the determining means whether or not the mobile communication terminal is located within the communication range of the small base station, and the result of determination by the determining means is notified to the user by the notifying means. Is done. Therefore, the user can determine whether the communication currently being performed or the communication to be performed is communication via a small base station, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

  The small base station according to the second aspect of the present invention is the small base station according to the first aspect, in particular, the notification means includes a light emitting element, and the mobile communication terminal is within communication range of the small base station. The operation of the light emitting element is controlled based on whether or not it is positioned.

  According to the small base station according to the second aspect, the user can easily and reliably determine whether the communication is communication via the small base station by checking the state of the light emitting element. it can.

  The small base station according to a third aspect of the present invention is the small base station according to the first aspect, in particular, the notification means has a display screen, and the mobile communication terminal is within communication range of the small base station. Predetermined characters, images, or videos indicating the position are displayed on the display screen.

  According to the small base station according to the third aspect, the user can easily and reliably determine whether or not the communication is communication via the small base station by confirming the display content on the display screen. be able to.

  The small base station according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the small base station according to the first aspect, in particular, the notification means includes a voice output means, and the mobile communication terminal is within communication range of the small base station. A predetermined voice message or sound effect indicating that it is located at is output from the voice output means.

  According to the small base station according to the fourth aspect, the user confirms the voice message or sound effect output from the voice output means, thereby determining whether the communication is communication via the small base station. A simple and reliable judgment can be made.

  The small base station according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the small base station according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in particular, the determination means is a predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile communication terminal. , It is detected that the mobile communication terminal is located within the communication area of the small base station.

  According to the small base station according to the fifth aspect, the determining means receives the predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile communication terminal, so that the mobile communication terminal is located within the communication range of the small base station. It can be detected easily and reliably.

  The small base station according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the small base station according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, in particular, the determination means is a predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile communication terminal. Is not continuously received for a predetermined time or more, it is detected that the mobile communication terminal is not located within the communication range of the small base station.

  According to the small base station according to the sixth aspect, the determination means has not received the predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile communication terminal for a predetermined time or longer, so that the mobile communication terminal It can be detected easily and reliably that it is not located within the communication range.

  The small base station according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the small base station according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in particular, the determination means manages position information of the mobile communication terminal. Determining whether or not the mobile communication terminal is located within a communication range of the small base station by inquiring the management device for current location information of the mobile communication terminal via the wired communication line; To do.

  According to the small base station according to the seventh aspect, the determination means inquires of the management apparatus about the current position information of the mobile communication terminal, thereby determining whether or not the mobile communication terminal is located within the communication range of the small base station. Simple and reliable determination can be made.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a user's convenience can be improved by alert | reporting to a user whether a mobile communication terminal is located in the communication range of a small base station.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the element which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in different drawing shall show the same or corresponding element.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a communication system including a femtocell base station (small base station) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a femtocell base station 1, an IP network 2, a core network 3, and an outdoor base station 4.

  The femtocell base station 1 is installed in a building 7. The building 7 is a user's home, for example, and is a radio wave insensitive area where radio waves from the outdoor base station 4 are difficult to reach (or do not reach). The femtocell base station 1 is connected to an IP (Internet Protocol) network 2 via a wired communication line 6 such as an optical fiber or a metal cable. The IP network 2 is connected to the core network 3 of the mobile phone operator, and the core network 3 is connected to the outdoor base station 4. The core network 3 includes an HLR (Home Location Register) 5. In the HLR 5, the current location information of the mobile phone held by the subscriber is registered together with various subscriber information. That is, the HLR 5 functions as a management device that manages location information of the mobile communication terminal.

  The mobile phone 8 is a mobile communication terminal that the user has. When the user holding the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the outdoor base station 4, wireless signal transmission / reception is performed between the antenna 8 </ b> A of the mobile phone 8 and the antenna 4 </ b> A of the outdoor base station 4. On the other hand, when the user holding the mobile phone 8 is located in the building 7 (that is, within the communication area of the femtocell base station 1), between the antenna 8A of the mobile phone 8 and the antenna 1A of the femtocell base station 1 Wireless signal transmission / reception is performed. A mobile phone 8 in the building 7 is connected to the core network 3 via the femtocell base station 1, the wired communication line 6, and the IP network 2. As a result, the user can communicate with the mobile phone 8 even in the building 7 which is a radio wave insensitive area.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the femtocell base station 1. The femtocell base station 1 includes an RF (Radio Frequency) processing unit 11, a signal processing unit 12, and a notification unit 13. The RF processing unit 11 is connected to the antenna 1A. The signal processing unit 12 is connected to the RF processing unit 11 and the notification unit 13. The signal processing unit 12 is connected to a wired communication line 6. The signal processing unit 12 includes a protocol conversion unit 14 and a determination unit 15.

  The RF processing unit 11 performs various processes such as frequency conversion, AD (Analog-to-Digital) conversion, and DA (Digital-to-Analog) conversion on the signal input from the antenna 1A or the signal processing unit 12. I do. The protocol conversion unit 14 mutually converts the protocol of the mobile phone and the protocol of the IP network 2 with respect to the signal input from the RF processing unit 11 or the wired communication line 6. That is, the protocol conversion unit 14 converts the signal input from the RF processing unit 11 into a protocol corresponding to the IP network 2, and converts the signal input from the IP network 2 via the wired communication line 6 to the mobile phone 8. Convert to a protocol corresponding to.

  The determination unit 15 determines whether or not the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1. Details of the determination process in the determination unit 15 will be described later. The notification unit 13 notifies the result of determination by the determination unit 15 to the user.

  FIG. 3 is a front view showing a first example of the appearance of the femtocell base station 1. As a first example of the notification unit 13, a light emitting element 20 such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is provided on the front surface of the housing of the femtocell base station 1 illustrated in FIG. 3. Light emission / non-light emission of the light emitting element 20 is controlled based on the result of determination by the determination unit 15. When the mobile phone 8 is not located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, the light emitting element 20 is in a non-light emitting state as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, the light emitting element 20 is in a light emitting state as shown in FIG. Instead of switching between light emission / non-light emission of the light emitting element 20, the light emission color may be switched. For example, when the mobile phone 8 is not located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, the red light emitting element emits light, while the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1. In this case, the green light emitting element is caused to emit light.

  FIG. 4 is a front view showing a second example of the appearance of the femtocell base station 1. As a second example of the notification unit 13, a display screen 21 such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is provided on the front surface of the housing of the femtocell base station 1 illustrated in FIG. 4. The display content on the display screen 21 is controlled based on the result of determination by the determination unit 15. When the mobile phone 8 is not located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, nothing is displayed on the display screen 21 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, the mobile phone 8 is displayed on the display screen 21 as shown in FIG. A predetermined text message suggesting that the user is located within the communication range is displayed. A predetermined image or video may be displayed on the display screen 21 instead of the text message.

  FIG. 5 is a front view showing a third example of the appearance of the femtocell base station 1. As a third example of the notification unit 13, a speaker (sound output unit) 22 is provided on the front surface of the housing of the femtocell base station 1 illustrated in FIG. 5. The sound output from the speaker 22 is controlled based on the result of determination by the determination unit 15. When the mobile phone 8 is not located within the communication area of the femtocell base station 1, nothing is output from the speaker 22 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, a sound effect such as a predetermined melody is output from the speaker 22 as shown in FIG. . Instead of the sound effect, a predetermined voice message indicating that the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1 may be output from the speaker 22. In addition, since it is troublesome for the user if sound effects and voice messages are continuously output from the speaker 22, a predetermined time (after the determination unit 15 detects the mobile phone 8 that has newly entered the communication area of the femtocell base station 1 ( For example, sound effects and the like may be output from the speaker 22 only within a period until several tens of seconds elapse.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a first example of determination processing in the determination unit 15. A predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile phone 8 and received by the femtocell base station 1 is input to the determination unit 15 as the signal S1. The predetermined control message is, for example, a message (Location Updating Request) periodically transmitted from the mobile phone 8 for location registration.

  When the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, the signal S1 is periodically input to the determination unit 15. In other words, the determination unit 15 can detect that the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication area of the femtocell base station 1 by periodically inputting the signal S1. On the other hand, the determination unit 15 can detect that the mobile phone 8 is not located within the communication area of the femtocell base station 1 by not receiving the signal S1. Further, the determination unit 15 is configured so that the signal S1 that has not been input until then is periodically input at a certain point in time, so that the mobile phone located outside the communication range of the femtocell base station 1 is used. It can be detected that the telephone 8 has entered the communication area. On the contrary, the determination unit 15 determines that the cell phone 8 that is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1 because the signal S1 that has been periodically input is not input after a certain point in time. However, it can be detected that the user has left the communication range.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the signal ST related to the predetermined time T is input to the determination unit 15. As the predetermined time T, a time longer than the transmission cycle of the control message from the mobile phone 8 is set. The determination unit 15 counts the elapsed time using the timer 30 and confirms that the mobile phone 8 is not located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1 because the signal S1 is not continuously input for a predetermined time T or longer. To detect.

  In this way, the determination unit 15 can determine whether or not the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, and the result of the determination is input to the notification unit 13 as a signal S2. Is done. The operation | movement of the alerting | reporting part 13 is controlled as shown to FIGS. 3-5 based on signal S2.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a second example of determination processing in the determination unit 15. The determination unit 15 receives a signal SN related to the identification information N of the mobile phone 8 and a signal SP related to the paging area number P. Here, in the femtocell base station 1, a paging area (paging area number P) of the femtocell alone that does not overlap with the cell of the outdoor base station 4 is set.

  The location information of the mobile phone 8 is registered in the HLR 5 in units of paging areas by location registration processing. Therefore, when the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication area of the femtocell base station 1 (that is, within the femtocell), the paging area number P corresponding to the femtocell is set as the current location information of the mobile phone 8 as the HLR 5. It is registered in. On the other hand, when the mobile phone 8 is located in the cell of the outdoor base station 4, the paging area number corresponding to the cell of the outdoor base station 4 is registered in the HLR 5 as the location information of the mobile phone 8. .

  Referring to FIG. 7, determination unit 15 periodically inquires HLR 5 about the current position of mobile phone 8. Specifically, the determination unit 15 transmits the position information request signal S3 including the identification information N of the mobile phone 8 to the HLR 5 of the core network 3 via the wired communication line 6 and the IP network 2 in this order. The HLR 5 that has received the position information request signal S3 returns the paging area number currently registered for the mobile phone 8 as the signal S4 to the determination unit 15 via the IP network 2 and the wired communication line 6 in this order. The determination unit 15 compares the paging area number represented by the signal S4 with the paging area number P represented by the signal SP. As a result, when the two match, the determination unit 15 determines that the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, while when the two do not match, the mobile phone 8 Is determined not to be located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1.

  In this way, the determination unit 15 can determine whether or not the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1, and the result of the determination is input to the notification unit 13 as a signal S2. Is done. The operation | movement of the alerting | reporting part 13 is controlled as shown to FIGS. 3-5 based on signal S2.

  As described above, according to the femtocell base station 1 according to the present embodiment, whether or not the mobile phone 8 is located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1 is determined by the determination unit 15. The result of the determination is notified to the user by the notification unit 13. Therefore, the user can determine whether the communication currently being performed or the communication to be performed is communication via the femtocell base station 1, so that the convenience for the user can be improved.

  Further, according to the first example of the notification unit 13 illustrated in FIG. 3, the user confirms the state of the light emitting element 20 to determine whether the communication is communication via the femtocell base station 1. Simple and reliable judgment can be made.

  Further, according to the second example of the notification unit 13 illustrated in FIG. 4, the user confirms the display content on the display screen 21, thereby determining whether the communication is communication via the femtocell base station 1. Can be easily and reliably determined.

  Further, according to the third example of the notification unit 13 illustrated in FIG. 5, the user confirms the voice message or sound effect output from the speaker 22, so that the communication is performed via the femtocell base station 1. It is possible to easily and reliably determine whether or not.

  Further, according to the first example of the determination process in the determination unit 15 illustrated in FIG. 6, the determination unit 15 receives the predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile phone 8, so that the mobile phone 8 It can be easily and reliably detected that the femtocell base station 1 is located within the communication range. Further, the determination unit 15 does not continuously receive the predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile phone 8 for a predetermined time T or more, so that the mobile phone 8 is not located within the communication range of the femtocell base station 1. This can be detected easily and reliably.

  Further, according to the second example of the determination process in the determination unit 15 illustrated in FIG. 7, the determination unit 15 inquires the HLR 5 about the current position information of the mobile phone 8, so that the mobile phone 8 can It is possible to easily and reliably determine whether or not the user is located within the communication range.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-mentioned meaning but by the scope of claims for patent, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

It is a figure which shows schematically the whole structure of a communication system provided with the femtocell base station which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a femtocell base station roughly. It is a front view which shows the 1st example of the external appearance of a femtocell base station. It is a front view which shows the 2nd example of the external appearance of a femtocell base station. It is a front view which shows the 3rd example of the external appearance of a femtocell base station. It is a block diagram which shows the 1st example of the determination process in a determination part. It is a block diagram which shows the 2nd example of the determination process in a determination part.

Explanation of symbols

1 Femtocell base station 2 IP network 3 Core network 5 HLR
6 Wired communication line 8 Mobile phone 13 Notification unit 15 Determination unit 20 Light emitting element 21 Display screen 22 Speaker

Claims (7)

A small base station capable of wireless communication with a mobile communication terminal and connected to a core network via a wired communication line,
Determining means for determining whether or not the mobile communication terminal is located within a communication range of the small base station;
A small base station comprising notification means for notifying a result of determination by the determination means. The notification means has a light emitting element,
The small base station according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the light emitting element is controlled based on whether or not the mobile communication terminal is located within a communication range of the small base station. The notification means has a display screen,
The small base station according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined character, image, or video indicating that the mobile communication terminal is located within a communication range of the small base station is displayed on the display screen. The informing means has an audio output means,
2. The small base station according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined voice message or sound effect indicating that the mobile communication terminal is located within a communication range of the small base station is output from the voice output means.   The determination means detects that the mobile communication terminal is located within a communication range of the small base station by receiving a predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile communication terminal. The small base station as described in any one of -4.   The determination means that the mobile communication terminal is not located within the communication area of the small base station by not continuously receiving the predetermined control message transmitted from the mobile communication terminal for a predetermined time or more. The small base station according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is detected.   The determination means inquires the management device managing the location information of the mobile communication terminal about the current location information of the mobile communication terminal via the wired communication line, so that the mobile communication terminal makes the small base station The small base station as described in any one of Claims 1-4 which determines whether it is located in the communication range of.

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