Method for managing communication channels in mobile telecommunications system and radiotelephone system for use therein

• US 5,815,816 A
• Filed: 05/29/1996
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MTU Motoren- und Turbinen-Union Friedrichshafen GmbH (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Isumi, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US08/654,808
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/445, 455/422, 455/426, 455/458, 455/550, 455/560, 455/567, 455/527, 455/528
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1307 Call setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13216 Code signals, frame structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13251 Restricted service, class of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13353 Routing table, map memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13522 traffic management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13532 mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13561 congestion - inc. overflow
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

When a base station of a digital radiotelephone system receives, through a circuit interface unit of the base station, a call setup message for a radio subordinate unit from a radio control station, an incoming call signal is transmitted to the radio subordinate unit through a radio interface unit of the base station, under control of a control unit of the base station, without performing an acquisition of a circuit communication channel between the radio control station and the base station. Thereafter, when a radio link setup message, an incoming call response, a call proceeding message or an authentication response message is provided by the radio subordinate unit, it is known that the radio subordinate unit is present in a radio area of the base station, and the circuit communication channel is acquired under the management of a communication channel management of the base station. Therefore, even when many incoming call signals are concentrated at the base station, a circuit communication channel can be reliably and efficiently acquired.

Claims

1. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system, comprising the steps of:

transmitting an incoming call signal to a called radio subordinate unit through a radio transmission/reception portion of a radio interface unit by use of a control unit of a base station without performing an acquisition of a digital wire circuit communication channel between a radio control station and the base station when the base station receives a call setup message sent from the radio control station for the called radio subordinate unit through a circuit-control-channel control portion of a circuit interface unit, the call setup message passing through a digital wire circuit;

acquiring the digital wire circuit communication channel between the radio control station and the base station by use of a communication channel management unit, at a moment at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in a radio area of the base station; and

connecting the base station and the called radio subordinate unit through a radio communication channel after the acquisition of the digital wire circuit communication channel.

2. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 1, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which a radio link setup request message is issued from the called radio subordinate unit to establish a communication channel for transmitting a logical message on the radio communication channel.

3. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 1, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which an incoming call response is issued from the called radio subordinate unit in response to the incoming call signal.

4. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 1, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which a call proceeding message is issued from the called radio subordinate unit to the base station for performing a call setup after the base station receives an incoming call response message.

5. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 1, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which an authentication response message is issued from the called radio subordinate unit to the base station for performing a call setup, after the base station receives an incoming call response message and an authentication request message is transmitted from the base station to the called radio subordinate unit.

6. A method for managing a digital telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring the digital wire circuit communication channel comprises the steps of:

judging s number of idle circuit communication channels among digital wire circuit communication channels in the communication channel management unit when the base receives the call setup message, and

acquiring the digital wire circuit communication channel when the communication channel management unit judges that a ratio of the number of idle circuit communication channels to the number of the digital wire circuit communication channels is larger than a prescribed ratio.

7. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system, comprising the steps of:

temporarily acquiring a particular digital wire circuit communication channel among a plurality of digital wire circuit communication channels between a radio control station and a base station during a temporary acquisition period when the base station receives a call setup message sent from the radio control station for a called radio subordinate unit through a circuit-control-channel control portion of a circuit interface unit, the call setup message passing through the particular digital wire circuit communication channel;

transmitting an incoming call signal from the base station to the called radio subordinate unit through a radio transmission/reception portion of a radio interface unit during an incoming call maintaining period when the base station receives the call setup message, the temporary acquisition period being shorter than the an incoming call maintaining period;

releasing the particular digital wire circuit communication channel temporarily acquired in cases where it is not known within the temporary acquisition period whether or not the called radio subordinate unit is present in a radio area of the base station; and

fixedly acquiring the temporarily acquired particular digital wire circuit communication channel through a communication channel management unit at a moment at which it is known within the temporary acquisition period that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station.

8. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 7, wherein the step of temporarily acquiring a particular digital wire circuit communication channel further comprises the step of:

setting the priority of the called radio subordinate unit to a high priority or a low priority; and

temporarily acquiring the particular digital wire circuit communication channel in cases where the call setup message is sent for the called radio subordinate unit of which the priority is set to the high priority.

10. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 7, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which a radio link setup message is issued from the called radio subordinate unit for establishing a communication channel to transmit a logical message on the radio communication channel.

11. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 7, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which an incoming call response is issued from the called radio subordinate unit as a logical response to the incoming call signal.

12. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 7, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which a call proceeding message is issued from the called radio subordinate unit to the base station for performing a call setup after the base station receives an incoming call response message.

13. A method for managing a digital radiotelephone system according to claim 7, wherein the moment, at which it is known that the called radio subordinate unit is present in the radio area of the base station, is a moment at which an authentication response message is issued from the called radio subordinate unit to the base station for the purpose of performing a call setup after the base station receives an incoming call response message and an authentication request message is transmitted from the base station to the called radio subordinate unit.

9. A digital radiotelephone system comprising:

a circuit interface unit having a circuit-control-channel control portion for transmitting and receiving pieces of control data to/from a radio control station through a control channel of a digital wire circuit under control of the circuit-control-channel control portion and transmitting and receiving pieces of voice data to/from the radio control station through a digital wire circuit communication channel of the digital wire circuit;

a radio interface unit having a radio control channel control portion and a radio transmission/reception portion for transmitting pieces of voice data and pieces of control data as radio waves from the radio transmission/reception portion to a radio subordinate unit through a control channel and a radio communication channel of a radio circuit, receiving pieces of voice data and pieces of control data sent from the radio subordinate unit to the radio transmission/reception portion as electric signals through the control channel and the radio communication channel of the radio circuit, and controlling the control data transmitted on the control channel of the radio circuit between the radio subordinate unit and the radio transmission/reception portion in the radio control channel control portion;

a time switch unit for performing a switching operation for the digital wire circuit communication channel and the radio communication channel to perform an up-stream communication from the radio interface unit to the circuit interface unit or a downstream communication from the circuit interface unit to the radio interface unit;

a control unit for controlling the circuit interface unit according to the control data transmitted or received under control of the circuit-control-channel control portion, for controlling the radio interface unit according to the control data transmitted or received under control of the radio control channel control portion and for controlling the time switch unit to control transmission of a call to the radio subordinate unit and reception of a call from the radio subordinate unit, and for controlling the radio control channel control portion of the radio interference unit to connect the radio subordinate unit and the radio transmission/reception portion through the radio communication channel after acquisition of the digital wire circuit communication channel; and

a communication channel management unit for managing the digital wire circuit communication channel by transmitting an incoming call signal to the radio subordinate unit through the radio transmission/reception portion of the radio interface unit without performing an acquisition of the digital wire circuit communication channel when receiving a call setup message sent from the radio control station for the radio subordinate unit through the circuit-control-channel control portion of the circuit interface unit, and by acquiring the digital wire circuit communication channel at a moment at which it is known, according to control data transmitted from the radio subordinate unit to the radio interface unit, that the called radio subordinate unit is present in a radio communication area.

14. In a digital radiotelephone system including a digital wire circuit including control channels and communication channels, a radio circuit including control channels and communication channels for signals transmitted in radio waves, a radio control station, a base station and a radio subordinate means, the base station communicating with the radio control station via the wire circuit and communicating with the radio subordinate means via the radio circuit, the improvement comprising:

circuit interface means, including a wire control-channel control means for transmitting control data to and from the radio control station through a control channel of the digital wire circuit, and for transmitting voice data to and from the radio control station through a communication channel of the digital wire circuit;

radio interface means, including a radio control-channel control means and a radio transmission means for transmitting voice data and control data as radio waves from and to the radio transmission means to and from the radio subordinate means, through a control channel and a radio communication channel of the radio circuit, wherein the radio control-channel control means controls the control data transmitted on the control channel of the radio circuit between the radio subordinate means and the radio transmission means;

time switch means for performing a switching operation for the digital wire circuit communication channel and the radio communication channel to provide an up-stream communication from the radio interface means to the circuit interface means and a down-stream communication from the circuit interface means to the radio interface means;

further control means for controlling the circuit interface means according to the control data transmitted or received under control of the circuit-control-channel control means, for controlling the radio interface means according to the control data transmitted or received under control of the radio control channel control means and for controlling the time switch means to control transmission and reception of a call to and from the radio subordinate means and for controlling the radio interface means to connect the radio subordinate means and the radio transmission means of the radio interface means through the radio communication channel of the radio circuit after acquisition of the digital wire circuit communication channel; and

a communication channel management means for managing the digital wire circuit communication channel by transmitting an incoming call signal to the radio subordinate means through the radio transmission means of the radio interface means without performing an acquisition of the digital wire circuit communication channel when receiving, via a control channel of the digital wire circuit, a call setup message sent for the radio subordinate unit from the radio control station by the wire control-channel control means of the circuit interface means, and by acquiring the digital wire circuit communication channel at a moment at which it is known, according to control data transmitted from the radio subordinate means to the radio interface means, that the called radio subordinate means is present in a radio communication area.