Patent ID: 8761123

Claim:
A mobile communication system in which a first relay node and a first radio base station are connected via a radio bearer, a second relay node and a second radio base station are connected via a radio bearer, and the first radio base station and the second radio base station are connected via a bearer, wherein the first relay node and the second relay node each comprise: as a radio bearer function between the first radio base station and the second radio base station, a physical layer function; an MAC (Media Access Control) layer function provided as an upper layer function of the physical layer function; an RLC (Radio Link Control) layer function provided as an upper layer function of the MAC layer function; and a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer function provided as an upper layer function of the RLC layer function, the first relay node and the second relay node comprise: an IP (Internet Protocol) layer function as an upper layer function of the radio bearer function; an SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) layer function provided as an upper layer function of the IP layer function; and an X2AP (X2 Application Protocol) layer function provided as an upper layer function of the SCTP layer function, and the first radio base station and the second radio base station each comprise: as a radio bearer function between the first relay node and the second relay node, a physical layer function; an MAC layer function provided as an upper layer function of the physical layer function; and an RLC layer function provided as an upper layer function of the MAC layer function; a PDCP layer function provided as an upper layer function of the RLC layer function, the first radio base station and the second radio base station comprise: an IP layer function as an upper layer function of the radio bearer function; an SCTP layer function provided as an upper layer function of the IP layer function; and an X2AP layer function provided as an upper layer function of the SCTP layer function, a control signal relating to a handover process is configured to terminate between the X2AP layer function of the first relay node and the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station and between the X2AP layer function of the second relay node and the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station; and the SCTP layer function of the relay node and the SCTP layer function of the first radio base station are configured to perform keep-alive processes for the radio bearer.