Base site selection apparatus and method

• US 5,335,360 A
• Filed: 06/25/1991
• Issued: 08/02/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wadin, Craig P., Marko, Paul D., Lobel, Gary S., Patsiokas, Stelios J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Charouel, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US07/720,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 455/33.1, 455/9, 455/15, 455/24, 455/34.2, 455/56.1, 455/54.2, 455/254, 455/33.2, 379/59, 379/61, 379/63, 379/58
• US Class Current: 455/524
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A base site circuit (38) for operating in a communication system (10) having a plurality of base sites capable of allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit (16) in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit. The base site circuit includes a receiver (34) that operates in a low sensitivity mode when there are no communication channel requests received, and that operates in a high sensitivity mode which is activated by a control signal. The base site further includes a transmitter (34) which is activated by the control signal and a control circuit (32) coupled to both the receiver and the transmitter, for controlling the receiver and the transmitter. The control circuit (32) provides the control signal to the transmitter and to the receiver, in response to a communication channel request.

Claims

1. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, a base site comprising:

receiver means, operating in a low sensitivity mode when there are no communication channel requests received, and operating in a high sensitivity mode, the high sensitivity mode being activated by a control signal;

transmitter means, activated by the control signal; and

control means coupled to the receiver means and to the transmitter means for controlling the receiver means and the transmitter means, the control means providing the control signal to the transmitter and to the receiver means, in response to the communication channel request.

2. The base site of claim 1, further comprising:

attenuator means, for attenuating signals received by the receiver means when there are no communication channel requests received, the attenuator means being deactivated in response to the control signal.

3. The base site of claim 2, further comprising antenna means, and wherein the attenuator means comprises:

a resistive network for attenuating signals; and

switching means for coupling the resistive network between the receiver means and the antenna means when there are no communication channel requests received, and for directly coupling the receiver means and the antenna means in response to the control signal.

6. The base site of claim 1, wherein the receiver means comprises a scanning receiver for scanning a plurality of communication channels to receive the communication channel request.

7. The base site of claim 6, wherein the scanning receiver means operates to scan the plurality of communication channels in accordance with a time division multiplex protocol to receive the communication channel request.

4. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, a method facilitating the use of one of the plurality of base sites comprising the base site steps of:

(a) scanning for the communication channel request at a low receiver sensitivity;

(b) receiving the communication channel request; and

(c) allocating the communication channel to the communication unit requesting the communication channel and operating at a high sensitivity mode in response to allocating the communication channel.

5. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, each base site comprising a receiver, a transmitter, an attenuator circuit, an antenna coupled to the receiver and to the transmitter, and a control circuit, for controlling the receiver and the transmitter, the attenuator circuit comprising:

resistor means for attenuating signals; and

switching means for coupling the resistor means between the receiver and the antenna when there are no communication channel requests received, and for directly coupling the receiver to the antenna in response to a control signal provided by the control circuit when the communication channel request is received by the base site.

8. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, wherein at least some of the plurality of base sites include a receiver having a selectable receiving range, a method for operating at least one of the plurality of base sites comprising the steps of:

reducing the receiving range of the receiver;

receiving the communication channel request; and

allocating the communication channel to the communication unit requesting the communication channel and increasing the receiving range of the receiver in response receiving the communication channel request.

9. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, wherein at least some of the plurality of base sites comprise:

a receiver for receiving the communication channel request, including receiver range reducing circuitry being selectively active prior to the receiver'"'"'s reception of the communication channel request; and

control circuitry coupled to the receiver range reducing circuitry for deactivating the receiver range reducing circuitry in response receiving the communication channel request.

10. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, wherein at least some of the plurality of base sites include a receiver having a selectable attenuator for attenuating received signals, wherein each of the received signals have a respective received signal level, a method for operating at least one of the plurality of base sites comprising the steps of:

attenuating each of the received signals to be processed by the receiver to a level below their respective received signal levels until the communication channel request is received;

allocating the communication channel to the communication unit requesting the communication channel and operating the receiver to process each of the received signals at their respective received signal levels after receiving the communication channel request.

11. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, wherein at least some of the plurality of base sites include a receiver having a selectable sensitivity, a method for operating at least one of the plurality of base sites comprising the steps of:

reducing the sensitivity of the receiver until the communication channel request is received; and

increasing the sensitivity of the receiver in response receiving the communication channel request and communicating with the communication unit requesting the communication channel.

12. In a communication system having a plurality of base sites for allocating a communication channel for use by a communication unit in response to a communication channel request from the communication unit, wherein at least some of the plurality of base sites comprise:

a receiver for receiving the communication channel request, including receiver sensitivity reducing circuitry being selectively active until the communication channel request is received by the receiver; and

control circuitry coupled to the receiver sensitivity reducing circuitry for increasing the sensitivity of the receiver in response to receiving the communication channel request.

13. A communication system, comprising:

at least one communication unit for transmitting communication channel requests;

a plurality of base sites, at least one base site comprising;

a transmitter for communicating with the at least one communication unit within an operating range of the at least one base site;

a scanning receiver for scanning communication channels to receive communications from the at least one communication unit within the operating range of the at least one base site, including receiving the communication channel requests; and

receiver sensitivity reducing circuitry being selectively active when the scanning receiver is scanning the communication channels to receive the communication channel requests and selectively inactive when the scanning receiver is communicating with the at least one communication unit.

14. A communication system, comprising:

at least one communication unit for operating in accordance with a time division multiplex communication protocol having provision for transmitting communication channel requests;

a plurality of base sites, at least one base site comprising;

a transmitter for operating in accordance with the time division multiplex communication protocol for communicating with the at least one communication unit within an operating range of the at least one base site;

a scanning receiver for operating in accordance with the time division multiplex communication protocol and for scanning communication channels to receive communications from the at least one communication unit within the operating range of the at least one base site, including receiving the communication channel requests; and

receiver sensitivity reducing circuitry being selectively active when the scanning receiver is scanning the communication channels to receive the communication channel requests and selectively inactive when the scanning receiver is communicating with the at least one communication unit.