Apparatus and method for configuring a data channel for symmetric/asymmetric data transmission

• US 5,963,548 A
• Filed: 01/21/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Virtanen, Sami
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): KWOH, JASPER C
• Application Number:
  US08/787,498
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/253, 370/465, 370/468, 370/474, 370/335, 370/342, 370/277-281, 370/294, 455/67.1, 455/67.3, 455/422
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/0048 Walsh
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/18 Allocation of orthogonal codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

A system for configuring signaling messages in a telecommunications system when setting up the data transmission rates on the forward and reverse links for data transmission on a variable rate symmetric/asymmetric data channel, so as to shorten the time and signal length required in the connection setup of such a system and to reduce the demand on processing resources and processing time in both the mobile and the base stations. An information record contained in a signaling message, such as a Service Request Message, a Service Response Message, a Service Connect, or a Status Response Message, that is used to to setup the forward and reverse links of the data channel, is provided with an ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES bit field. In the case when both forward and reverse links are indicated in a service type message to use the same rate configuration, i.e., the same link setup parameters, the ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES bit, i.e., the bit in the ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES field in the signaling message, is set to one binary value, e.g., `0`, to indicate that the same rate configuration is used for both directions. Then only one rate configuration is encoded in the service type message and the message is considerably shortened saving time and reducing complexity. The ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES bit field may be used to advantage in other message applications.

Claims

1. A system for shortening the time and signal length of signal messages, having a plurality of informational message fields used in the connection setup for a high speed data rate service in a CDMA cellular network having forward and reverse links with encoded rate configurations, comprising:

means for determining if both forward and reverse links are to use the same rate configuration and for producing an indication when said rate configurations are determined to be the same; and

means, responsive to said indication, for modifying the signal messages by reducing the number of separate informational message fields therein through eliminating the encoding of the rate configuration for the reverse link.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of informational message fields includes an ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES bit field comprising a binary bit and said modifying means comprises means for setting the binary bit in the ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES field in the signal message to a binary value selected to indicate that both forward and reverse links are to use the same rate configuration.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of informational message fields comprise fields for:

ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES;

FOR_-- RATE_-- SET;

REV_-- RATE_-- SET;

FOR_-- MUX_-- OPTION;

REV_-- MUX_-- OPTION;

SERVICE_-- TYPE;

FOR_-- SUB_-- RATE_-- N;

REV_-- SUB_-- RATE_-- N;

FOR_-- PREF_-- MAX_-- RATE;

REV_-- PREF_-- MAX_-- RATE;

FOR_-- ACCEPT_-- MAX_-- RATE;

REV_-- ACCEPT_-- MAX_-- RATE;

FOR_-- CURRENT_-- RATE;

REV_-- CURRENT_-- RATE;

MOV_-- STATIONARY; and

NUM_-- CON_-- REC.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said NUM_-- CON_-- REC occurrences comprise the following record fields:

RECORD_-- LEN;

CON_-- REF;

SERVICE_-- OPTION;

FOR_-- TRAFFIC;

REV_-- TRAFFIC;

SERVICE_-- QUALITY.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said informational message fields comprise additional fields for an Extended Handoff Direction Message, said additional fields comprising:

RATES_-- INCLUDED;

ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES;

FOR_-- CURRENT_-- RATE;

REV_-- CURRENT_-- RATE;

NUMBER_-- OF_-- PILOTS; and

the "number of pilots" occurrences of the following field;

NUM_-- CODE_-- CHAN.

6. In a telecommunications system having a plurality of transceiving devices, wherein communications between a pair of transceiving devices are carried on one of a plurality of data channels, each with a first link and a second link, an apparatus for configuring a data channel comprising:

a transceiving device for transmitting on the first link and receiving on the second link of a data channel, said transceiving device comprising;

first means for determining a rate configuration for each of said first link and said second link for a call on said data channel;

second means for determining whether said rate configuration for said first link and the rate configuration for said second link, determined in said first means, are equal and indicating a positive or negative result;

means for transmitting, in response to an indication of a positive result by said second means, a first message on said data channel including a first rate configuration field indicating both said rate configuration for said first link and said rate configuration for said second link; and

means for transmitting, in response to an indication of a negative result by said second means, a second message on said data channel including a second rate configuration field indicating said rate configuration for said first link and a third rate configuration field indicating said rate configuration for said second link.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said telecommunications system comprises a cellular telecommunications system and said transceiving device comprises a mobile station.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said telecommunications system comprises a cellular telecommunications system and said transceiving device comprises a base station.

9. A method for shortening the time and signal length of signal messages, having informational message fields used in the connection setup for high speed data (HSD) rate service calls in a cellular system, having forward and reverse links with encoded rate configurations, operating between a mobile station (MS) and a base station (BS), comprising the steps of:

determining if both forward and reverse links are to use the same rate configuration; and

if so, modifying the signal messages by reducing the number of separate informational message fields required therein by eliminating the encoding of the rate configuration for the reverse link.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said informational message fields include an ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES bit field comprising a binary bit and said modifying step comprises selecting the setting of the binary bit in the ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES field in the signal message to indicate that both forward and reverse links are to use the same rate configuration.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the exchange of signal messages for the connection setup with service negotiation for completing an MS originated HSD call to the BS comprises the following exchange of message steps:

sending a Service Request (propose rate configuration) signal message from an MS to the BS;

if the BS accepts the requested rate configuration, then;

sending a Service Connect (accept) signal message to the MS from the BS; and

sending a Service Connect Completion signal message from the MS to the BS;

whereupon the HSD call connection initiated by the MS is completed.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, when the BS cannot provide the requested rate, the BS proposes a lower rate ($ acceptable maximum rate) by the following message steps:

sending a Service Response (propose a lower rate) signal message to the MS from the BS; and

sending a Service Request (accept or reject) signal message from the MS to the BS;

if the MS accepts the proposed rate, then;

sending a Service Connect signal message to the MS from the BS; and

sending a Service Connect Completion signal message from the MS to the BS;

whereupon the HSD call connection initiated by the MS is completed.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the exchange of messages for the connection setup with service negotiation for completing an MS terminated HSD call from a BS comprises the following exchange of message steps:

sending a Service Request (propose rate configuration) signal message to the MS from the BS;

if the MS accepts the requested rate, then;

sending a Service Response (accept) signal message from the MS to the BS;

sending a Service Connect signal message to the MS from the BS; and

sending a Service Connect Completion signal message from the MS to the BS;

whereupon the HSD call connection initiated by the BS is completed.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of an MS originating rate re-negotiation during an HSD call by the following message exchange:

sending a Current Rate Modify Request signal message from the MS to the BS;

if the BS accepts the request, then;

sending a Current Rate Modify signal message to the MS from the BS; and

sending a Current Rate Modify Completion signal message from the MS to the BS;

if the rate change is not possible, then;

sending a Current Rate Modify Rejected signal message to the MS from the BS.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein, if the newly agreed data rates resulting from said exchange of Current Rate Modify messages require changes in the assigned Walsh channels, then further comprising the steps of using the Current Rate Modify and the Current Rate Modify Completion signal messages to facilitate the additional assignment or partial release of the Walsh codes with an exchange as follows:

sending a Current Rate Modify (new rate and code channels) signal message to the MS from the BS; and

sending a Current Rate Modify Completion signal message from the MS to the BS.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein said plurality of informational message fields comprise fields for:

ASYMMETRIC_-- RATES;

FOR_-- RATE_-- SET;

REV_-- RATE_-- SET;

FOR_-- MUX_-- OPTION;

REV_-- MUX_-- OPTION;

SERVICE_-- TYPE;

FOR_-- SUB_-- RATE_-- N;

REV_-- SUB_-- RATE_-- N;

FOR_-- PREF_-- MAX_-- RATE;

REV_-- PREF_-- MAX_-- RATE;

FOR_-- ACCEPT_-- MAX_-- RATE;

REV_-- ACCEPT_-- MAX_-- RATE;

FOR_-- CURRENT_-- RATE;

REV_-- CURRENT_-- RATE;

MOV_-- STATIONARY; and

NUM_-- CON_-- REC.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said NUM_-- CON_-- REC occurrences comprise the following record fields:

RECORD_-- LEN;

CON_-- REF;

SERVICE_-- OPTION;

FOR_-- TRAFFIC;

REV_-- TRAFFIC;

SERVICE_-- QUALITY.

18. In a telecommunications system having a first and a second transceiving device communicating over a data channel with a first link for communications from the first transceiving device to the second transceiving device and a second link for communications from the second transceiving device to the first transceiving device, a method of configuring the data channel comprising the steps of:

determining, in the first transceiving device, a rate configuration for each of the first link and the second link for a selected communications application;

determining whether said rate configuration for the first link and the rate configuration for the second link determined in said step of determining a rate configuration are equal, and,

if it is determined that they are equal, then, transmitting a first message from the first transceiving device to the second transceiving device, said first message including a first rate configuration field indicating both said rate configuration for the first link and said rate configuration for the second link; and

if it is determined that they are not equal, then, transmitting a second message from the first transceiving device to the second transceiving device, said second message including a second rate configuration field indicating said rate configuration for the first link and a third rate configuration field indicating said rate configuration for the second link.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said first and second messages each comprise a setup message requesting setup of the selected communications application between the first and second transceiving devices on the data channel.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said first and second messages each comprise a status message indicating a current rate configuration for each of the first and second links to the second transceiving device.