Process for switching between IS-95 forward power control and fast forward power control

• US 5,963,870 A
• Filed: 09/17/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Chheda, Ashvin, Jalali, Ahmad, Feeney, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US08/932,254
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 455/69, 455/441, 455/522, 455/422, 455/432, 455/436, 455/437, 455/439, 370/335, 370/342, 370/331, 370/465
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/12 Outer and inner loops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/282 taking into account the speed of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/40 during macro-diversity or soft handoff

Abstract

The power control process switches between IS-95 forward power control and fast forward power control using either speed or hand-off status information from the mobile radiotelephone. If the received information indicates either a slower speed or the number of communication links is less than a predetermined number, the fast forward power control process is used. If the received information indicates either a fast speed or the number of links is greater than or equal to the predetermined number (the radiotelephone is in a hand-off situation), the forward power control process is used.

Claims

1. A method for switching between forward power control and fast forward power control in a radiotelephone system comprising a plurality of base stations communicating with a radiotelephone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving speed information from the radiotelephone;

if the speed information is above a predetermined threshold, using the forward power control; and

if the speed information is below the predetermined threshold, using the fast forward power control.

2. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of determining the speed information using a global positioning system receiver.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the radiotelephone transmits the speed information over a reverse power control channel.

4. A method for switching between forward power control and fast forward power control in a radiotelephone system comprising a plurality of base stations communicating with a radiotelephone over communication links, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a hand-off status of the radiotelephone;

if the hand-off status indicates that the number of communication links is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, using the forward power control; and

if the hand-off status indicates that the number of communication links is less than the predetermined threshold, using the fast forward power control.

5. A method for switching between a forward power control process and a fast forward power control process in a radiotelephone system comprising a plurality of base stations communicating with a radiotelephone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving information from the radiotelephone;

if the received information is hand-off status indicating that the number of communication links is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, using the forward power control;

if the received information is location information indicating that the number of communication links is less than the predetermined threshold, using the fast forward power control;

if the received information is speed information indicating a speed greater than a predetermined speed threshold, using the forward power control process; and

if the received information is speed information indicating a speed less than the predetermined speed threshold, using the fast forward power control process.