JP2011049783A - Signal repeater - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a signal repeater which does not press the band of a relay radio line. <P>SOLUTION: In a portable radio communication system using a relay radio network for an access line, the signal repeater is arranged in the relay radio network, connects a portable core network 1 and a signal relay network and connects a portable base station 7 and the signal relay network, and includes a control signal connection establishing part 24 for establishing a control signal connection between the portable core network 1 and the portable base station 7 with the other signal repeater arranged within the relay radio network, a message transmission/reception part 20 for transmitting and receiving signals other than health check signals between the portable core network 1 and the portable base station 7 by utilizing the control signal connection, and a health check response part 23 for performing health check with the connected portable core network 1 or portable base station 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a signal relay apparatus when a relay radio line is used as an access line in a portable radio communication system.

  Conventionally, in a mobile radio communication system, a radio base station having a base station control device function is connected to a core network via a wired line. The wireless base station establishes a control signal connection with the core network after activation, and the connection is completed by transmitting and receiving an activation confirmation signal between both devices. In addition, after the connection is established, the health check signal is transmitted and received from both sides to confirm the operation status of the counterpart device.

  Specifically, the radio base station transmits a Reset signal after activation, and after receiving a Reset Ack signal from the core network, starts transmitting a health check signal. Similarly, the core network also transmits a Reset signal after establishing a control signal connection with the radio base station, and starts transmitting a health check signal after receiving the Reset Ack signal from the radio base station. Both devices can return a response signal to the health check signal from the other device, and can continue the operation periodically to check the operation state of the counterpart device. Such a technique is disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 below.

3GPP TS 25.413 3.4.0 “UTRAN Iu Interface PANAP signaling”

  However, according to the above conventional technique, it is assumed that the control signal connection between the radio base station and the core network is fixedly set. Therefore, for example, when the control signal connection between the radio base station and the core network is configured by a relay radio channel, the relay radio channel is a variable rate, and the radio band of the relay channel is managed on the relay radio network side However, there was a problem that the bandwidth of the relay radio line was compressed by health check traffic.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a signal relay device that does not compress the bandwidth of a relay radio line when a relay radio line is used as an access line in a portable radio communication system. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a mobile radio communication system using a relay radio network for an access line, and is arranged in the relay radio network, and includes a mobile core network and a signal relay network. A signal relay device to be connected, and a signal relay device to connect a mobile base station and a signal relay network, between the mobile core network and another signal relay device arranged in the relay radio network Control signal connection establishment means for establishing a control signal connection between the mobile base station and a signal other than a health check signal between the mobile core network and the mobile base station using the control signal connection. Transmission / reception means for transmitting and receiving, and health check response means for performing a health check with the mobile core network or the mobile base station to be connected are provided.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the band of the relay radio line is not compressed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a mobile radio communication system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the connection device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a signal relay device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portable radio communication system (hereinafter referred to as a radio communication system) using a signal relay device according to the present invention. The wireless communication system includes a mobile core network 1, a connection device 2, a relay wireless core network 3, a relay wireless master station 4, a plurality of relay wireless slave stations 5, a plurality of adapters 6, a plurality of mobile base stations 7, and a plurality of mobile phones. A mobile device (hereinafter referred to as a mobile device) 8 is included. The mobile radio network is composed of the mobile core network 1, a plurality of mobile base stations 7, and an access line connecting them. The relay radio master station 4 and the relay radio slave station 5 communicate via a relay radio line. In addition, the mobile base station 7 and the mobile device 8 communicate via a mobile wireless line.

  In the wireless communication system configured as described above, the mobile core network 1 performs location management of the mobile device 8 and call admission control for the mobile device 8. The relay radio network is used as an access line for the mobile radio network, and is located between the mobile base station 7 and the mobile core network 1. That is, the relay radio network includes the adapter 6, the relay radio slave station 5, the relay radio master station 4, the relay radio core network 3, and the connection device 2. A signal directed from the mobile core network 1 to the mobile device 8 is sent to the relay radio core network 3 via the connection device 2 and further transmitted to the relay radio master station 4 via a wired line. The data is transmitted to the slave station 5 via a relay radio line. The relay wireless slave station 5 and the mobile base station 7 are connected to each other via an adapter 6 corresponding to the signal relay device according to the present invention, and the mobile core network 1 received by the relay wireless slave station 5 via the relay wireless line. Is transmitted to the mobile base station 7 via the adapter 6 and transmitted to the mobile device 8 via the mobile radio line. On the contrary, a signal from the mobile device 8 to the mobile core network 1 is transmitted to the mobile base station 7 via the mobile radio line, and sent from the mobile base station 7 to the relay radio slave station 5 via the adapter 6. Further, it is transmitted from the relay radio slave station 5 to the relay radio master station 4 via the relay radio line and sent to the mobile core network 1 via the relay radio core network 3 and the connection device 2.

  Whether or not the relay radio channel connection between the relay radio slave station 5 and the relay radio master station 4 can be set and the management of the radio band are managed in the relay radio network. For this reason, it can be said that the mobile radio network and the relay radio network are radio communication systems that operate independently.

  Next, the configuration of the connection device 2 and the adapter 6 corresponding to the signal relay device, which is a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment, will be described. Here, the connection device 2 and the adapter 6 have the same configuration. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the connection device 2 as an example. The connection device 2 includes a message transmission / reception unit 20, a message extraction unit 21, a message transfer unit 22, a health check response unit 23, and a control signal connection establishment unit 24.

  The message transmission / reception unit 20 transmits / receives a control signal from the mobile core network 1 to / from the mobile device 8 or the mobile base station 7 via the relay radio line. In addition, a control signal from the mobile device 8 or the mobile base station 7 is transmitted / received to / from the mobile core network 1 via the relay radio line. The message extraction unit 21 extracts signals other than the health check signal and the activation signal when establishing a connection. The message transfer unit 22 performs control to transfer the extracted message. The health check response unit 23 transmits and receives a health check signal to and from the mobile core network 1. In the case of the adapter 6, a health check signal is transmitted to and received from the mobile base station 7. The control signal connection establishment unit 24 establishes a control signal connection when receiving an activation signal when establishing a control signal connection.

  Next, operations until a connection is established in the wireless communication system will be described. First, when the mobile base station 7 receives a connection request from the mobile device 8, it transmits a mobile base station activation signal to the adapter 6. In the adapter 6, when the message transmitting / receiving unit 20 receives the mobile base station activation signal, the adapter 6 transmits a packet channel setting request signal to the relay wireless slave station 5 under the control of the control signal connection establishing unit 24.

  The relay radio slave station 5 requests the relay radio core network 3 to set the packet channel via the relay radio master station 4, and the relay radio core network 3 sets the packet channel in response to the request. At this time, a connection to the connection device 2 and the mobile core network 1 connected to the relay wireless core network 3 by wire is also generated. Thereby, the control signal connection between the mobile base station 7 and the mobile core network 1 is set by the packet channel. When the packet channel is set, the adapter 6 is ready to start transferring signals from the mobile base station 7 to the mobile core network 1 and signals from the mobile core network 1 to the mobile base station 7.

  After the connection of the control signal is established, when the adapter 6 receives a signal from the mobile base station 7, the message transmitting / receiving unit 20 determines the signal type, and the signal other than the health check signal is sent to the message extracting unit 21 and the message transferring unit 22. And starts transmission to the connection device 2 via the control signal connection. The connection device 2 transmits the signal received from the control signal connection to the mobile core network 1. Also in the connection device 2, when receiving a signal from the mobile core network 1, the message transmission / reception unit 20 determines the signal type, and signals other than the health check signal are transmitted via the message extraction unit 21 and the message transfer unit 22. Then, transmission to the adapter 6 is started via the control signal connection. The adapter 6 transmits the signal received from the control signal connection to the mobile base station 7.

  Next, a health check performed by the connection device 2 and the adapter 6 will be described. Generally, in a mobile radio network, a health check signal is transmitted and received between the mobile core network 1 and the mobile base station 7. In the present embodiment, in the connection device 2, the health check response unit 23 transmits and receives a health check signal to and from the mobile core network 1, thereby confirming both operation states. Similarly, in the adapter 6, the health check response unit 23 transmits and receives a health check signal to and from the mobile base station 7, thereby confirming the operation state of both.

  Here, in the connection device 2, when the health check response unit 23 detects an abnormality in the health check between the mobile core network 1 and the connection device 2, it transmits an abnormality detection signal to the adapter 6. In the adapter 6 that has received the abnormality detection signal, the health check response unit 23 stops the health check with the mobile base station 7. In the connection device 2, the health check response unit 23 checks the continuity of the control signal connection between the connection device 2 and the adapter 6 (for the health check performed by the connection device 2 and the adapter 6). The continuity confirmation signal is transmitted only when there is no data transmission for a period sufficiently longer than the period). In the adapter 6 that has received the continuity confirmation signal, the health check response unit 23 replies to the received conduction confirmation signal. The connection device 2 can confirm the continuity by receiving the signal returned in response to the conduction confirmation signal. Similarly, when the adapter 6 detects an abnormality in the health check between the mobile base station 7 and the adapter 6, it transmits and returns a continuity confirmation signal with the connection device 2.

  As described above, the health check in the mobile wireless network is performed by the connecting device 2 for checking the health check with the mobile core network 1 and by the adapter 6 for checking the health check with the mobile base station 7. This can be implemented without causing a health check signal to flow into the relay wireless network.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when a relay wireless network is used for an access line of a portable wireless network, a connection device and an adapter are arranged between the portable wireless network and the relay wireless network, and the portable core The health check with the network is performed by the connecting device, and the health check with the mobile base station is performed by the adapter. As a result, traffic due to the health check does not flow into the relay wireless line, so that the bandwidth of the relay wireless line can be reduced.

  As described above, the signal relay device according to the present invention is useful for a portable wireless communication system, and is particularly suitable when a relay wireless line is used as an access line.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile core network 2 Connection apparatus 3 Relay radio | wireless core network 4 Relay radio | wireless master station 5 Relay radio | wireless slave station 6 Adapter 7 Mobile base station 8 Portable mobile device (mobile device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Message transmission / reception part 21 Message extraction part 22 Message transfer part 23 Health check response part 24 Control signal connection establishment part

Claims (5)

In a portable radio communication system that uses a relay radio network for an access line, a signal relay device that is arranged in the relay radio network and connects the mobile core network and the signal relay network, and connects the mobile base station and the signal relay network A signal relay device,
Control signal connection establishing means for establishing a control signal connection between the mobile core network and the mobile base station with another signal relay device arranged in the relay radio network;
Transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving signals other than health check signals between the mobile core network and the mobile base station using the control signal connection;
Health check response means for performing a health check with the mobile core network or the mobile base station to be connected;
A signal relay device comprising: The health check response means includes
When an abnormality is detected by the health check, an abnormality detection signal is transmitted to another signal relay device at the end of the control signal connection.
The signal relay device according to claim 1. The health check response means includes
When an abnormality detection signal is received from the other signal relay device, the health check is stopped.
The signal relay device according to claim 1, wherein The health check response means includes
If an abnormality is detected by the health check and no signal is received by the control signal connection for a predetermined time, the continuity of the control signal connection is confirmed with another signal relay device at the end of the control signal connection.
The signal relay device according to claim 2 or 3, The predetermined time is a time sufficiently longer than an interval for performing a health check,
The signal relay device according to claim 4.

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