Method and apparatus for organizing and recovering information communicated in a radio communication system

• US 5,644,568 A
• Filed: 03/15/1995
• Issued: 07/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ayerst, Douglas Irvin, Khan, Malik J., Rudowicz, Michael James
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, HUY DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/404,698
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 370/83, 370/82, 370/92, 370/93, 370/94.1, 370/99, 370/110.1, 370/110.4, 370/13, 370/17, 340/825.47, 340/825.48, 340/825.52, 340/825.53, 340/825.44, 455/343
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/187 using digital or pulse address codes

Abstract

A system controller (102) generates and transmits a radio signal having long messages in data frames (370), and short and long messages in control frames (360). A set of selective call radio addresses is included at the beginning of a control frame (360), each selective call radio address including a subvector which indicates the starting position of a short message or a vector packet within the control frame (360). Vector packets indicate starting positions of long messages within the control frame (360), within other control frames (360), and within data frames (370). A selective call radio (106) receives the radio signal and recovers and processes the short and long messages, using the subvectors and vectors to identify the positions of the short and long messages.

Claims

1. A method used in a selective call radio for receiving a radio signal transmitted on a first radio channel having short and long messages included in a plurality of control frames and data frames, each of the short and long messages having an address signal and related message information,

wherein each control frame comprises an address field and an information field, and

wherein the address field of a control frame has a set of address signals, and wherein each of the set of address signals includes a subvector and an address indicating, respectively, a position of a data packet within the control frame and one of a plurality of selective call radios associated with the data packet, and

wherein the information field follows the address field and has a set of data packets, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets has the position of the data packet indicated by at least one subvector within the control frame, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets is one of a vector packet and a short message packet, and wherein vector packets indicate starting positions of long messages within the plurality of control frames and data frames, and

wherein the plurality of control frames and data frames are transmitted periodically at predetermined times, and wherein the selective call radio has a normal power mode for receiving radio signals and a low power mode during which radio signals cannot be received, and

wherein the first data packet has a data packet length and the first long message has a long message length, and wherein the method comprises the steps of:

receiving the radio signal;

determining a presence of a first address within the address field in the control frame received in the radio signal, when the first address matches an embedded address assigned to the selective call radio;

determining a first subvector included with the first address;

decoding a starting position of a first data packet indicated by a value of the first subvector;

recovering the first data packet at the starting position of the first data packet;

decoding a starting position of a first long message when the first data packet is a vector packet;

processing the first long message beginning at the starting position of the first long message;

switching to the normal power mode at a beginning of a predetermined control frame, wherein the predetermined control frame includes the address of the selective call radio in the address field when the first long message is scheduled to be transmitted within a predetermined period;

switching to the low power mode when an address present in the address field of the predetermined control frame is determined to match the embedded address;

switching to the low power mode after the address field is received when no address present in the address field of the predetermined control frame is determined to match the embedded address;

switching to the normal power mode at the starting position of the first long message;

switching to the normal power mode at the starting position of the first data packet;

switching to the low power mode after a duration equivalent to the data packet length; and

switching to the low power mode after a duration equivalent to the long message length.

2. A method used in a selective call radio for receiving a radio signal transmitted on a first radio channel having short and long messages included in a plurality of control frames and data frames, each of the short and long messages having an address signal and related message information,

wherein each control frame comprises an address field and an information field, and

wherein the address field of a control frame has a set of address signals, and wherein each of the set of address signals includes a subvector and an address indicating, respectively, a position of a data packet within the control frame and one of a plurality of selective call radios associated with the data packet, and

wherein the information field follows the address field and has a set of data packets, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets has the position of the data packet indicated by at least one subvector within the control frame, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets is one of a vector packet and a short message packet, and wherein vector packets indicate starting positions of long messages within the plurality of control frames and data frames, and

wherein the selective call radio is for receiving radio signals on a plurality of radio channels, and wherein the control frame which includes the first data packet is transmitted on a first radio channel, and wherein a frame including the first long message is transmitted on a second radio channel, and wherein the method comprises the steps of:

receiving the radio signal;

determining a presence of a first address within the address field in the control frame received in the radio signal, when the first address matches an embedded address assigned to the selective call radio;

determining a first subvector included with the first address;

decoding a starting position of a first data packet indicated by a value of the first subvector;

recovering the first data packet at the starting position of the first data packet;

decoding a starting position of a first long message when the first data packet is a vector packet;

processing the first long message beginning at the starting position of the first long message; and

switching from the first radio channel to the second radio channel prior to the step of processing the first long message.

3. A selective call radio for receiving a radio signal transmitted on a first radio channel, wherein the radio signal has short and long messages included in a plurality of control frames and data frames, each of the short and long messages having an address signal and related message information,

wherein each control frame comprises an address field and an information field, and

wherein the address field of a control frame has a set of address signals, and wherein each of the set of address signals includes a subvector and an address indicating, respectively, a starting position of a data packet within the control frame and one of a plurality of selective call radios associated with the data packet, and

wherein the information field follows the address field and has a set of data packets, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets has the starting position of the data packet indicated by a value of at least one subvector within the control frame, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets is one of a vector packet and a short message packet, and wherein vector packets indicate starting positions of long messages within the plurality of control frames and data frames, and wherein the plurality of control frames and data frames are transmitted periodically at predetermined times, said selective call radio comprising:

a receiver for receiving the radio signal;

an address decoder coupled to said receiver for determining a presence of a first address within the address field in a control frame received in the radio signal when the first address matches an embedded address assigned to the selective call radio;

a subvector element coupled to said receiver and said address decoder for determining a first subvector included with the first address;

a data packet position decoder coupled to said subvector element for decoding a starting position of a first data packet indicated by the first subvector;

a data packet buffer coupled to said receiver and said data packet position decoder for recovering the first data packet at the starting position of the data packet;

a protocol position decoder coupled to said data packet buffer for decoding a starting position of a first long message when the first data packet is a vector packet;

a long message processor coupled to said receiver and said protocol position decoder for processing the first long message at the starting position of the first long message;

a power mode controller for setting the power mode into a normal power mode for receiving radio signals and a low power mode during which radio signals cannot be received, said power mode controller comprising

a control frame identifier element coupled to said receiver for setting the power mode to the normal power mode at a beginning of a predetermined control frame, wherein the predetermined control frame includes the address of the selective call radio in the address field when the first long message intended for the selective call radio is scheduled to be transmitted within a predetermined period,

an address switch coupled to said address decoder for setting the power mode to the low power mode when an address present in the address field of the predetermined control frame is determined to match the embedded address,

an address field switch coupled to said receiver and said address element for setting the power mode to the low power mode after the address field is received when no address present in the address field of the predetermined control frame is determined to match the embedded address, and

a message switch coupled to said receiver, said protocol position decoder, and said data packet position decoder for setting the power mode to the normal power mode at the starting position of the first long message, wherein the first data packet has a data packet length and the first long message has a long message length, and wherein said message switch is also for switching to the normal power mode at the starting position of the first data packet, switching to the low power mode after a duration equivalent to the data packet length, and switching to the low power mode after a duration equivalent to the long message length of the first long message.

4. A selective call radio for receiving a radio signal transmitted on a first radio channel, wherein the radio signal has short and long messages included in a plurality of control frames and data frames, each of the short and long messages having an address signal and related message information,

wherein each control frame comprises an address field and an information field, and

wherein the address field of a control frame has a set of address signals, and wherein each of the set of address signals includes a subvector and an address indicating, respectively, a starting position of a data packet within the control frame and one of a plurality of selective call radios associated with the data packet, and

wherein the information field follows the address field and has a set of data packets, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets has the starting position of the data packet indicated by a value of at least one subvector within the control frame, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets is one of a vector packet and a short message packet, and wherein vector packets indicate starting positions of long messages within the plurality of control frames and data frames, and

wherein the selective call radio is for receiving radio signals on a plurality of radio channels, and wherein the control frame which includes the first data packet is transmitted on a first radio channel, and wherein a frame including the first long message is transmitted on a second radio channel, said selective call radio comprising:

a receiver for receiving the radio signal;

an address decoder coupled to said receiver for determining a presence of a first address within the address field in a control frame received in the radio signal when the first address matches an embedded address assigned to the selective call radio;

a subvector element coupled to said receiver and said address decoder for determining a first subvector included with the first address;

a data packet position decoder coupled to said subvector element for decoding a starting position of a first data packet indicated by the first subvector;

a data packet buffer coupled to said receiver and said data packet position decoder for recovering the first data packet at the starting position of the data packet;

a protocol position decoder coupled to said data packet buffer for decoding a starting position of a first long message when the first data packet is a vector packet;

a long message processor coupled to said receiver and said protocol position decoder for processing the first long message at the starting position of the first long message; and

a channel selector for switching from the first radio channel to the second radio channel before receiving the first long message.

5. A method used in a system controller for generating a radio signal transmitted on a first radio channel, wherein the radio signal has short and long messages included in a plurality of control frames and data frames, each of the short and long messages having an address signal and related message information, and wherein a set of radio channels are used to transmit the radio signal, the method comprising the steps of:

generating an address field of a control frame having a set of address signals, wherein each of the set of address signals includes an address and a subvector values of which indicate, respectively, a selective call radio for which one of the short and long messages is intended, and a starting position of a data packet within the control frame;

generating an information field following the address field and having a set of data packets, wherein each data packet in the set of data packets has the starting position of the data packet indicated at least one subvector within the control frame, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets is one of a vector packet and a short message packet, and wherein vector packets indicate starting positions of long messages within the plurality of control frames and data frames;

assembling each control frame comprising an address field and an information field;

assembling each data frame comprising a set of long messages, wherein each long message in the set of long messages has a starting position indicated by at least one vector packet in a control frame; and

transferring the control frames and data frames to a transmitter for radio transmission;

identifying from the set of radio channels a radio channel used for transmitting each control frame and each data frame; and

wherein in said step of generating an information field, an identification of the radio channel used for transmitting a data frame which includes a long message is included in the starting position of the long message.

6. A system controller for generating a radio signal transmitted on a first radio channel, wherein the radio signal has short and long messages included in a plurality of control frames and data frames, each of the short and long messages having an address signal and related message information, the system controller comprising:

a control frame element for assembling each control frame comprising an address field and an information field;

an address field element, coupled to an outbound message memory which stores the short and long messages, and coupled to said control frame element, for generating an address field of a control frame having a set of address signals, wherein each of the set of address signals includes an address and a subvector, values of which indicate, respectively, a selective call radio for which one of the short and long messages is intended, and a starting position of a data packet within the control frame;

an information field element, coupled to said outbound message memory, said address field element, and said control frame element, for generating an information field following the address field and having a set of data packets, wherein each data packet in the set of data packets has the starting position of the data packet indicated by at least one subvector within the control frame, and wherein each data packet in the set of data packets is one of a vector packet and a short message packet, and wherein vector packets indicate starting positions of long messages within the plurality of control frames and data frames;

a data frame element, coupled to said information field element, for assembling each data frame comprising a set of long messages, wherein each long message in the set of long messages has a starting position indicated by at least one vector packet in a control frame; and

a cell site controller, coupled to said data frame element and said control frame element, for transferring the control frames and data frames to a transmitter for radio transmission; and

a channel assignment element, coupled to said address field element and said data frame element, for identifying one of a plurality of radio channels associated with each control frame and data frame, and wherein said information field element includes an identification of the one of the plurality of radio channels associated with the long message in the starting position of each long message.