Patent ID: 8780861

Claim:
A handover method in which, when a first relay node and a first radio base station are connected via a radio bearer, when a second relay node and a second radio base station are connected via a radio bearer, and when the first radio base station and the second radio base station are connected via a bearer, and when a signal involved in a handover process is terminated between an X2AP layer function of the first relay node and an X2AP layer function of the first radio base station, between the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station and an X2AP layer function of the second radio base station, and between the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station and the X2AP layer function of the second relay node, a mobile station is switched from a first state where the radio bearer is established with the first relay node in order to communicate via the first relay node and the first radio base station to a second state wherein a radio bearer is established with the second relay node in order to communicate via the second relay node and the second radio base station, the handover method comprising the steps of: transmitting, from the X2AP layer function of the first relay node to the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station, a first handover request signal; transmitting, from the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station to the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station, a second handover request signal, when the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station receives the first handover request signal; transmitting, from the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station to the X2AP layer function of the second relay node, a third handover request signal, when the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station receives the second handover request signal; transmitting, from the X2AP layer function of the second relay node to the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station, a first handover request confirmation signal, when the X2AP layer function of the second relay node receives the third handover request signal; transmitting, from the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station to the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station, a second handover request confirmation signal, when the X2AP layer function of the second radio base station receives the first handover request confirmation signal; transmitting, from the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station to the X2AP layer function of the first relay node, a third handover request confirmation signal, when the X2AP layer function of the first radio base station receives the second handover request confirmation signal; and transmitting, from the first relay node to the mobile station, a handover instruction signal to instruct to hand over to the second relay node, when the first relay node receives the third handover request confirmation signal.