US 11,924,736 B2
Wireless communication unit and wireless network system using the same
Katsuhiko Sato, Tokyo (JP); Yusuke Egawa, Tokyo (JP); Kunimitsu Arai, Tokyo (JP); Satoshi Maeda, Tokyo (JP); and Sadayuki Katsumata, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Japan Radio Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/611,014
Filed by Japan Radio Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Dec. 23, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/050427
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 12, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/230355, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 19, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-091671 (JP), filed on May 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0232451 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 40/22 (2009.01); H04W 76/11 (2018.01)
CPC H04W 40/22 (2013.01) [H04W 76/11 (2018.02)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wireless communication unit that performs wireless network commun- ication with a mobile terminal in accordance with a communication protocol stack defined in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the wireless communication unit comprising:
a wireless base station portion to which the mobile terminal is connectable via a terminal wireless bearer;
an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) function portion connected by wire to the wireless base station portion and functions as an upper network control portion for the wireless base station portion; and
a relay wireless communication portion connected by wire to the EPC function portion, and is also connectable to a wireless base station portion (hereinafter referred to as an upstream wireless base station portion) of an upstream unit that is another first wireless communication unit via an upstream inter-unit wireless bearer,
wherein the wireless base station portion is connectable to a downstream relay wireless communication portion of a downstream unit that is another second wireless communication unit via a downstream inter-unit wireless bearer,
the EPC function portion transmits a downstream inter-unit wireless bearer setting request to the wireless base station portion, and the wireless base station portion constructs the downstream inter-unit wireless bearer together with the downstream relay wireless communication portion according to conditions indicated by the downstream inter-unit wireless bearer setting request,
the EPC function portion transmits a terminal wireless bearer setting request to the wireless base station portion, and the wireless base station portion constructs the terminal wireless bearer together with the mobile terminal according to conditions indicated by the terminal wireless bearer setting request,
the relay wireless communication portion receives an upstream inter-unit wireless bearer setting request issued by an upstream EPC function portion of the upstream unit, and constructs the upstream inter-unit wireless bearer together with the upstream wireless base station portion according to conditions indicated by the upstream inter-unit wireless bearer setting request, and
the EPC function portion
includes a connected terminal node registration section in which, with respect to a plurality of the mobile terminals connected to the wireless base station portion via the terminal wireless bearer in a communication area of the wireless base station portion, pieces of node identification information of the connected mobile terminals are registered, and
performs control of collating a transmission destination node of an IP packet transferred from the wireless base station portion with registered content of the connected terminal node registration section, transferring, when the transmission destination node indicates a mobile terminal corresponding to any of the pieces of node identification information registered in the connected terminal node registration section, the IP packet to the mobile terminal in a form of returning the IP packet at the wireless base station portion, and transferring, when the transmission destination node indicates a node that is not registered in the connected terminal node registration section, the IP packet to a transmission destination outside the wireless communication unit from at least one of the relay wireless communication portion and the wireless base station portion.