Channel assignment method in mobile communications system

• US 6,041,238 A
• Filed: 06/29/1998
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tanoue, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/106,258
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/451, 455/452, 455/464, 455/513, 455/517, 455/67.3, 370/329, 370/330, 370/337, 370/336, 370/252, 370/280
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/563 of the wireless resources

Abstract

A communication channel is dynamically assigned to a mobile station in autonomous decentralized channel assignment in TDMA/TDD communications system. An interference detection criterion is determined depending on a signal strength of a call request signal. It is determined whether interference occurs in a transmitting time slot relative to the interference detection criterion in a selected channel, and further determined whether interference occurs in a receiving time slot relative to a predetermined interference detection criterion in the selected channel. When it is determined that no interference occurs in the selected transmitting and receiving time slots, the selected channel is assigned to the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically assigning a communication channel to a mobile station in each base station of TDMA/TDD (Time Division Multiple Access/Time Division Duplex) communications system, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a control signal from the mobile station;

b) determining an interference detection criterion depending on a signal strength of the control signal;

c) selecting a channel from a plurality of predetermined channels;

d) determining whether interference occurs in a selected transmitting time slot relative to the interference detection criterion in a selected channel;

e) determining whether interference occurs in a selected receiving time slot relative to a predetermined interference detection criterion in the selected channel; and

f) assigning the selected channel as a communication channel to the mobile station when it is determined that no interference occurs in the selected transmitting and receiving time slots.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the predetermined channels has a priority value and, in the step c), a channel having a highest priority value is selected, wherein a priority value of the selected channel is decreased when it is determined that interference occurs in at least one of the selected transmitting and receiving time slots and is increased when communication is started in the selected channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when it is determined that interference occurs in at least one of the selected transmitting and receiving time slots, another channel is selected in the step c).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the step d) comprises the steps of:

detecting an interference level in the selected transmitting time slot a predetermined number of times; and

determining whether each interference level in the selected transmitting time slot is smaller than the interference detection criterion, and

the step e) comprises the steps of;

detecting an interference level in the selected receiving time slots the predetermined number of times; and

determining whether each interference level in the receiving time slot is smaller than a predetermined interference detection criterion.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

at the mobile station,

g) determining whether interference occurs in a receiving time slot of the mobile station relative to a predetermined interference detection criterion in the assigned channel, the receiving time slot of the mobile station corresponding to the transmitting time slot of the base station;

h) starting communication with the base station in the assigned channel when it is determined that no interference occurs; and

i) transmitting the control signal to the base station when it is determined that interference occurs.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step b) comprises the steps of:

storing a conversion table containing a plurality of signal strength ranges each corresponding to a different interference detection criterion; and

searching the conversion tables for the signal strength of the control signal to determine the interference detection criterion corresponding to the signal strength of the control signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the interference detection criterion becomes higher with the signal strength of the control signal.

8. A system for dynamically assigning a communication channel to a mobile station in each base station of TDMA/TDD (Time Division Multiple Access/Time Division Duplex) communications system, comprising:

a first detector for detecting a strength of a control signal received from the mobile station;

a second detector for detecting an interference level in a selected transmitting and receiving time slots;

a criteria table for storing a plurality of signal strength ranges each corresponding to a different interference detection criterion; and

a processor for searching the criteria table for the signal strength of the control signal to determine an interference detection criterion corresponding to the signal strength of the control signal, determining whether interference occurs in a selected transmitting time slot relative to the interference detection criterion in a selected channel, determining whether interference occurs in a selected receiving time slot relative to a predetermined interference detection criterion in the selected channel, and assigning the selected channel as a communication channel to the mobile station when it is determined that no interference occurs in the selected transmitting and receiving time slots.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a priority table for storing priority values corresponding to the predetermined channels, respectively,

wherein the processor searches the priority table for a channel having a highest priority value, decreases a priority value of the selected channel when it is determined that interference occurs in at least one of the selected transmitting and receiving time slots, and increases the priority value of the selected channel when communication is started in the selected channel.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, when it is determined that interference occurs in at least one of the selected transmitting and receiving time slots, the processor searches the priority table for another channel having a second highest priority.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processor controls the second detector so as to detect an interference level in the selected transmitting time slot a predetermined number of times and an interference level in the selected receiving time slots the predetermined number of times, and determines whether each interference level in the selected transmitting time slot is smaller than the interference detection criterion and each interference level in the receiving time slot is smaller than a predetermined interference detection criterion.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the mobile station determines whether interference occurs in a receiving time slot of the mobile station relative to a predetermined interference detection criterion in the assigned channel, the receiving time slot of the mobile station corresponding to the transmitting time slot of the base station, starts communication with the base station in the assigned channel when it is determined that no interference occurs, and transmits the control signal to the base station when it is determined that interference occurs.

13. A carrier sensing method in a base station of autonomous decentralized TDMA/TDD (Time Division Multiple Access/Time Division Duplex) communications system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call request signal from a mobile station;

determining an interference detection criterion depending on a signal strength of the call request signal;

selecting a channel from a plurality of predetermined channels;

sensing interference in a selected transmitting time slot relative to the interference detection criterion in a selected channel;

sensing interference in a selected receiving time slot relative to a predetermined interference detection criterion in the selected channel,

wherein the selected channel is assigned to the mobile station when no interference is sensed in both selected transmitting and receiving time slots.

14. The carrier sensing method according to claim 13, wherein the interference detection criterion becomes higher with the signal strength of the control signal.