Power economising in multiple user radio systems
First Claim
1. A method of economizing power in a multiple user radio system which includes a primary station and a plurality of secondary stations, the primary and secondary stations each including respective transceiving means for communicating between the primary and secondary stations, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) in a primary station, making available a number, n, of time slots in a framing protocol;
b) transmitting by the primary station, following expiration of a last time slot of a preceding frame, an indication of a number, n, of time slots available to secondary stations in a following frame of time slots;
c) choosing, in any secondary station, one of said n time slots at random;
d) transmitting by such secondary station a request for access to the system in the one time slot;
e) in one secondary station, deriving a time period from said indication; and
f) in the one secondary station, switching off at least the transceiving means during said time period, to economize power when the one secondary station does not need access to the system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multiple user radio system comprising at least one primary station and a plurality of secondary stations by way of a control channel. The primary station in use sets a value, in a transmitted message from which a secondary station wanting to economise on power can derive a period during which it can switch-off at least its radio section. The radio system may comprise a radiopaging system or a radio trunking system using an Aloha protocol. In the case of a radio trunking system using an Aloha protocol, the value comprises the Aloha number.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of economizing power in a multiple user radio system which includes a primary station and a plurality of secondary stations, the primary and secondary stations each including respective transceiving means for communicating between the primary and secondary stations, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) in a primary station, making available a number, n, of time slots in a framing protocol; b) transmitting by the primary station, following expiration of a last time slot of a preceding frame, an indication of a number, n, of time slots available to secondary stations in a following frame of time slots; c) choosing, in any secondary station, one of said n time slots at random; d) transmitting by such secondary station a request for access to the system in the one time slot; e) in one secondary station, deriving a time period from said indication; and f) in the one secondary station, switching off at least the transceiving means during said time period, to economize power when the one secondary station does not need access to the system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A multiple user radio system comprising
a) a plurality of secondary stations, each including i) a respective radio section; - and
ii) a respective control section; b) a primary station including transmitting means for transmitting an indication of the length of a frame including a number, n, of time slots which the primary station is making available for secondary stations wanting to transmit to make random access;
said transmitting means transmitting the indication after expiration of a last time slot of a preceding frame;c) at least one of the secondary stations including i) means for receiving said indication; ii) means for deriving a time period from said indication; and iii) means for switching off the respective radio section during a substantial portion of said time period as a power economy measure. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A multiple user radio system comprising
a plurality of secondary stations, divided into at least two subsets, each secondary station having a respective radio section and a respective control section; -
a control channel between the secondary stations; at least two respective primary stations, a respective one for each of the subsets, sharing the control channel between the subsets so that only one of the primary stations is transmitting at any one time, wherein each primary station has respective means for signalling to its subset a period of time that primary station will be non-transmitting, at least one of the secondary stations in each subset has means responsive to said signalling from the respective primary station for switching off at least the radio section of the at least one of the secondary stations for at least a substantial portion of the period of time, each primary station has respective means for transmitting an indication of a number of time slots which that primary station is making available for secondary stations wishing to transmit to make random acces, and at least one of the secondary stations in each subset has means for receiving said indication and for deriving a second time period from said indication, and means for switching-off at least the respective radio section of the at least one secondary station during a substantial portion of said second time period as a power economy measure. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification