Cellular communication system with voice channel usage biasing
First Claim
1. In a cellular communication system which includes land stations, each of said land stations having a cell associated therewith, and which manages a plurality of voice channels that are assigned to calls as call requests arise, a method of biasing voice channel usage comprising the steps of:
- a) determining a channel-to-cell assignment pattern in which subsets of said voice channels are allocated to said land stations;
b) predicting a figure of merit value for each of said allocated voice channels, said predicted figure of merit value characterizing a potential voice quality for said each of said allocated voice channels;
c) assigning said subsets of said voice channels to said land stations in response to said channel-to-cell assignment pattern when said figure of merit values exceed a predetermined minimum figure of merit threshold value;
d) distinguishing, prior to receipt of said call requests and for each of said subsets, ones of said voice channels having potentially higher voice quality from ones of said voice channels having potentially lower voice quality in response to said predicted figure of merit values; and
e) assigning said voice channels having potentially higher voice quality to said calls as said call requests arise at said land stations before assigning said voice channels having potentially lower voice quality to said calls.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cellular communication system (10) includes any number of land stations (12), each of which controls a cell (14). When channels are assigned to cells (14), a figure of merit which predicts potential voice quality, such as C/I, is determined (34) for each channel/cell assignment. The assigned channels and associated figures of merit are distributed to corresponding land stations (14) to make channel-to-cell assignments. When a call arises in a cell (14) a channel is selected for assignment to the call. The channel is selected from channels assigned during the channel-to-cell assignment phase. A channel assignment algorithm (68) ensures that potentially lower quality channels (20) are the least used channels at the cell (14). When potentially lower quality channels (20) are assigned to calls, the calls are handed off to potentially higher quality channels (18) as soon as potentially higher quality channels (18) become available.
73 Citations
21 Claims
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1. In a cellular communication system which includes land stations, each of said land stations having a cell associated therewith, and which manages a plurality of voice channels that are assigned to calls as call requests arise, a method of biasing voice channel usage comprising the steps of:
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a) determining a channel-to-cell assignment pattern in which subsets of said voice channels are allocated to said land stations; b) predicting a figure of merit value for each of said allocated voice channels, said predicted figure of merit value characterizing a potential voice quality for said each of said allocated voice channels; c) assigning said subsets of said voice channels to said land stations in response to said channel-to-cell assignment pattern when said figure of merit values exceed a predetermined minimum figure of merit threshold value; d) distinguishing, prior to receipt of said call requests and for each of said subsets, ones of said voice channels having potentially higher voice quality from ones of said voice channels having potentially lower voice quality in response to said predicted figure of merit values; and e) assigning said voice channels having potentially higher voice quality to said calls as said call requests arise at said land stations before assigning said voice channels having potentially lower voice quality to said calls. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. In a cellular communication system which includes land stations, each of said land stations having a cell associated therewith, and which manages a plurality of voice channels that are assigned to calls as call requests arise, a method of biasing voice channel usage comprising the steps of:
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a) determining a channel-to-cell assignment pattern in which subsets of said voice channels are allocated to said land stations; b) simulating a situation in which said voice channels are in use at all of said land stations to which said voice channels have been allocated; c) predicting a carrier-to-interference (C/I) ratio value for each of said allocated voice channels in response to said step b), said predicted C/I ratio value instantiating a potential voice quality for said each of said allocated voice channels; d) assigning said subsets of said voice channels to said land stations in response to said channel-to-cell assignment pattern when each said predicted C/I ratio value exceeds a predetermined minimum C/I ratio threshold value; e) distinguishing, prior to receipt of said call requests and for each of said subsets, ones of said voice channels having potentially higher voice quality from ones of said voice channels having potentially lower voice quality in response to said each predicted C/I ratio value; and f) assigning said voice channels having said potentially lower voice quality to said calls as said call requests arise at said land stations when all of said voice channels having said potentially higher voice quality are already assigned to calls at the instant step g) is performed. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. In a cellular communication system which includes land stations, each of said land stations having a cell associated therewith, and which manages a plurality of voice channels that are assigned to calls as call requests arise, a channel-to-cell assignment method for biased usage of said voice channels comprising the steps of:
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a) determining a channel-to-cell assignment hypothesis in which subsets of said voice channels are allocated to said land stations; b) predicting a figure of merit value for each of said allocated voice channels, said predicted figure of merit value characterizing a potential voice quality for said each of said allocated voice channels; c) verifying that each said predicted figure of merit value exceeds a predetermined minimum figure of merit threshold value; d) establishing an intermediate threshold value, said intermediate threshold value being greater than said predetermined minimum figure of merit threshold value; e) distinguishing, for each of said subsets, those of said voice channels having said figure of merit value that exceeds said intermediate threshold value as being potentially higher voice quality channels from others of said voice channels having said figure of merit value that is below said intermediate threshold value as being potentially lower voice quality channels; g) associating said predicted figure of merit value with a corresponding one of said allocated voice channels; and h) distributing said allocated subsets of said voice channels with said associated predicted figure of merit values to said land stations. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification