A home (e)NodeB, a small-sized plug-and-play (e)NodeB deployed in a home, a group, a company, a school and other private places as resources dedicated to private users, is capable of providing users a higher service rate, reducing the cost on using a high-rate service, and making up for the disadvantages in the coverage of an existing distributed cellular radio communication system.
A user of a home (e)NodeB is connected to a core network via a Home (e)NodeB Access Network (H(e)NB AN). FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network layout of a home (e)NodeB in the architecture of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), as shown in FIG. 1, the H(e)NB AN consists of a home (e)NodeB and a Home (e)NodeB Gateway (H(e)NB GW), wherein the home (e)NodeB and the home (e)NodeB gateway are connected with each other via an Iuh interface, and the home (e)NodeB gateway and the core network are connected with each other via an Iu interface. Here, the H(e)NB GW mainly functions to validate the security of the home (e)NodeB, process the registration and the de-registration of the home (e)NodeB, perform access control on the home (e)NodeB, maintain and manage the running of the home (e)NodeB, configure and control the home (e)NodeB according to requirements of an operator, and take charge of the data exchange between the core network and the home (e)NodeB. An evolved home (e)NodeB may be directly connected to the core network, needing no home eNodeB gateway. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network layout of a home eNodeB in the architecture of a Long-Term Evolution (LTE), as shown in FIG. 2, a home eNodeB and a home eNodeB gateway are connected with each other via an S1 interface, and the home eNodeB gateway and a core network are also connected with each other via the S1 interface.
The home (e)NodeB is deployed in a home, a company, a school and other private locations as resources dedicated to private users, and cells covered by the home (e)NodeB form a home (e)NodeB coverage area. A cell covered by a macro (e)NodeB is referred to as a macro cell, a cell covered by a home (e)NodeB is referred to as a home (e)NodeB cell, and each home (e)NodeB has its own home (e)NodeB identifier. Currently, there are totally three access modes available for the home (e)NodeB: an open mode, a closed mode and a hybrid mode, wherein in the open mode, a home (e)NodeB allows the access of all users, and a corresponding home (e)NodeB cell is referred to as an open home (e)NodeB cell; in the closed mode, a home (e)NodeB only allows the access of an authorized user, such as an authorized family member and a group user and the like, such authorized users form a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), an authorized user is referred to as a member user, that is, a member use of the CSG, and correspondingly, a cell covered by a home (e)NodeB in the closed mode is referred to as a closed home (e)NodeB cell (CSG cell for short); and in the hybrid mode, a home (e)NodeB also has a CSG and allows the access of a member user as well as a nonmember user, that is, a user who does not belong to the CSG if not being authorized, wherein the member user has priority in service quality guarantee and resource allocation and can enjoy a discount in fee, and a cell covered by a home (e)NodeB in the hybrid mode is referred to as a hybrid home (e)NodeB cell.
A closed home (e)NodeB cell and a hybrid home (e)NodeB cell each have a Cell Global Identifier (CGI) and a Closed Subscriber Group Identifier (CSG ID), wherein the CGI is used for uniquely identifying a home (e)NodeB in a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). When a home (e)NodeB is powered on and registered, a home (e)NodeB gateway can obtain the CGI, the access mode and the CSG ID of a cell covered by the home (e)NodeB, and when a home eNodeB is directly connected with a core network, the core network can obtain the CGI, the access mode and the CSG ID of a cell covered by the directly-connected home eNodeB. A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) of a User Equipment (UE) stores an allowed CSG list of the UE, in which all the CSG IDs accessible to the UE are recorded. If the allowed CSG list is empty, that is, there is no CSG ID information in the allowed CSG list, it is indicated that the UE has subscribed no any CSG. The UE determines whether the UE is a member user of a closed home (e)NodeB cell or a hybrid home (e)NodeB cell according to the allowed CSG list information and the CSG ID information of the closed home (e)NodeB cell or the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell stored in the USIM. The core network stores the allowed CSG list information of each UE and can also determine whether the UE is a member user of a closed home (e)NodeB cell or a hybrid home (e)NodeB cell according to the allowed CSG list information of each UE and the CSG ID information of the closed home (e)NodeB cell or the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell. In the UMTS, a home (e)NodeB gateway stores International Mobile Subscriber Identification number (IMSI) information of each UE, which is allowed to access a home (e)NodeB belonging to the home (e)NodeB gateway, and the home (e)NodeB identifier of each home (e)NodeB. In the LTE system, a home eNodeB gateway can also acquire allowed CSG list information of a UE from a core network, therefore, a home eNodeB gateway may also determine whether a UE is a member user of a closed home eNodeB cell or a hybrid home eNodeB cell according to the IMSI information or the allowed CSG list information of the UE as well as the CSG ID information or the home eNodeB identifier of the closed home eNodeB cell or the hybrid home eNodeB cell.
Indoor coverage is of the highest importance in the construction of a radio network system, an appropriate indoor coverage solution can, on one hand, maximize the effect of a network system to create greater value for an operator, and on the other hand, can lower the network construction cost of the operator to achieve a high return at a low cost, the home (e)NodeB is just developed to meet this demand. After the home (e)NodeB is introduced, in order to guarantee the continuity of services and meet a demand on mobility, a handover between a macro cell and a home (e)NodeB cell or a handover between home (e)NodeB cells is inevitable if the quality of a serving cell in a connected state is lowered, or there is a more appropriate neighbor home (e)NodeB cell whose signal quality meets a given condition, or a load balance is needed at a network side. As described above, the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell allows the access of both a member user and a nonmember user on a premise of guaranteeing the priority of a member user in service quality and resource allocation, for instance, if the load of a hybrid home (e)NodeB cell is almost saturated and there are two UEs, a member user and a nonmember user of a home (e)NodeB, desiring to be handed over to the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell while only the access of one UE is allowed, then the home (e)NodeB allows the handover of the member user to the home (e)NodeB cell and declines the handover request of the nonmember user; similarly, when the load of a hybrid home (e)NodeB cell is almost saturated, in order to guarantee the successful access of other member users, the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell can hand over the accessed nonmember user to another cell or decreases resources scheduled to the nonmember user ahead.
In conclusion, whether the network attempts to hand over a UE from a macro cell to a hybrid home (e)NodeB cell or hand over a UE from a home (e)NodeB cell in other mode to the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell, the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell must be informed of the user access mode (that is, as a member user or a nonmember user) of the UE so as to guarantee the prior access of a member user, therefore, it is necessary to inform the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell of the user access mode so that the hybrid home (e)NodeB cell can guarantee the prior access of a member user according to the user access mode. However, there has been proposed no scheme to inform of a user access mode.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds