Network control single radio handover method and device between heterogeneous wireless networks

A method in which a handover controller operates, the handover controller connected to both an information server that manages access information about each wireless network and a mobile terminal that performs single radio handover, the method comprising:

• at the handover controller, acquiring multi Radio Access Technology (RAT) access information including access information about a network to which the mobile terminal is accessible at its current location;
• at the handover controller, transmitting a single radio scan request message to the mobile terminal, wherein the single radio scan request message includes the multi RAT access information and requests the mobile terminal to measure the quality of the network;
• at the handover controller, receiving the result of the quality measurement from the mobile terminal, wherein the result of the quality measurement has been obtained based on the multi RAT access information included in the single radio scan request;
• and
• deciding a target network based on the result of the quality measurement.

A mobile terminal comprising:

• an interface unit configured to include a plurality of wireless interfaces through which the mobile terminal accesses a plurality of heterogeneous wireless networks, wherein the mobile terminal accesses a first network through a first interface which is one of the plurality of wireless interfaces;
• a network quality measuring unit configured to measure, if receiving a single radio scan request message including multi Radio Access Technology (RAT) access information that is used to access a wireless network adjacent to a current location of the mobile terminal from a handover controller through the first interface, the quality of at least one of the heterogeneous wireless networks using the multi RAT access information, and to transmit the result of the quality measurement to the handover controller through the first interface;
• and
• a handover performing unit configured to perform, if receiving, from the handover controller, a message that includes access information about a target network and instructs the mobile terminal to be handed over to the target network, handovers to the target network in response to the message.

A method in which a mobile terminal operates, the mobile terminal connected to a handover controller connected to an information server that manages access information for each wireless network, the method comprising:

• at the mobile terminal, receiving a single radio scan request message from the handover controller through a first interface which is one of a plurality of wireless interfaces, wherein the single radio scan request message includes multi Radio Access Technology (RAT) access information that is used to access a wireless network adjacent to a current location of the mobile terminal;
• at the mobile terminal, measuring the quality of the wireless network using the multi RAT access information;
• at the mobile terminal, transmitting the result of the quality measurement to the handover controller through the first interface;
• and
• at the mobile terminal, performing, if receiving a message including access information about a target network and instructing the mobile terminal to perform handover from the handover controller, handover to the target network.

A method in which a system for performing network-controlled single radio handover operates, the system including a mobile terminal that performs single radio handover, an information server that manages access information about each network, and a handover controller connected to both the mobile terminal and the information server, the method comprising:

• at the information server, receiving a network access information request message from the handover controller and transmitting multi Radio Access Technology (RAT) access information to the handover controller in response to the network access information request message, wherein the multi RAT access information includes access information about a network to which the mobile terminal is accessible at its current location;
• at the handover controller, transmitting a single radio scan request message to the mobile terminal in response to the multi RAT access information, wherein the single radio scan request message includes the multi RAT access information and requests the mobile terminal to measure the quality of the network using the multi RAT access information;
• at the mobile terminal, measuring the quality of the network using the multi RAT access information and transmitting the result of the quality measurement to the handover controller;
• at the handover controller, deciding a target network based on the result of the quality measurement;
• and
• at the handover controller, transmitting a message for instructing the mobile terminal to be handed over to the target network to the mobile terminal.