Digital control channels having logical channels for multiple access radiocommunication

• US 6,212,176 B1
• Filed: 01/21/1997
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Diachina, John Walter, Sammarco, Anthony J., Andersson, H.ang.kan Clas, Raith, Alex Krister, Sawyer, Francois, Persson, Bengt
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US08/785,773
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/314, 370/321, 370/329, 370/337, 370/341, 370/347, 370/348, 370/431, 370/442, 370/328, 370/319, 455/466, 455/422
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0041 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0057 Block codes H04L1/0061, H04L1/0064 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0059 Convolutional codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1614 using bitmaps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 : Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communications system in which information is transmitted in successive time slots grouped into a plurality of superframes which are, in turn, grouped into a plurality of hyperframes. A remote station is assigned to one of the time slots in each of the superframes for paging the remote station, each hyperframe including at least two superframes, and the information sent in the assigned time slot in one superframe in each hyperfame is repeated in the assigned time slot in the other superframe(s) in each hyperframe. Each superframe can include a plurality of time slots used for sending paging messages to remote stations, grouped into a plurality of successive paging frames, and the time slot to which the remote station is assigned is included once in every paging frame. Also, each superframe may include time slots comprising a logical channel for broadcast control information and time slots comprising a logical paging channel. Information sent in the assigned time slot may direct the remote station to read the broadcast control information, and the information may have been encoded according to an error correcting code and include a plurality of bits having polarities that are inverses of cyclic redundancy check bits produced by the encoding. Also, the broadcast control information may comprise special messages that are included in respective time slots comprising a logical special message channel, the time slots of the special message channel may be grouped in successive SMS frames, and the SMS frames may be synchronized to start with a start of a superframe.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information to a remote station comprising the steps of:

grouping the information into a plurality of successive time slots on a radio carrier signal;

grouping the time slots into a plurality of successive superframes; and

grouping the successive superframes into a plurality of successive hyperframes, wherein at least two successive superframes are grouped into each hyperframe;

wherein each superframe includes at least one time slot comprising a logical channel for broadcast control information and at least one time slot comprising a logical paging channel, wherein the logical channel for broadcast control information also includes a logical special message channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one time slot of the special message channel are grouped in successive short message service (SMS) frames, and the SMS frames are synchronized with respective hyperframes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each SMS frame corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of SMS sub-channels.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a special message spans at least two SMS frames of a respective SMS sub-channel.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the special messages included in the time slots of a first one of the SMS sub-channels are encrypted according to a first encryption method and the special messages included in the time slots of at least one other SMS sub-channel are encrypted according to another encryption method.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein each special message is encrypted according to a respective encryption method.

7. A method of communicating information to a remote station comprising the steps of:

grouping the information into a plurality of time slots;

grouping the time slots into a plurality of superframes; and

sending, in each slot in each superframe, superframe phase information for identifying a position of the slot in the superframe, wherein the superframe phase information is twelve bits in length encoded from eight bit phase information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the superframe phase information is a count indicating a time of next occurrence of a slot including overhead information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the count is encoded according to a predetermined error correcting code, polarities of a plurality of cyclic redundancy check bits produced by encoding the count are inverted, and the bits having inverted polarities are included in the respective slot.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the eight bits include five bits of superframe phase information and three other bits.

11. A method of communicating information to a remote station comprising the steps of:

grouping the information into a plurality of time slots;

grouping the time slots into a plurality of superframes; and

sending, in each slot in each superframe, a count for identifying a position of the slot in the superframe, wherein the count is encoded according to a predetermined error correcting code, polarities of a plurality of cyclic redundancy check bits produced by encoding the count are inverted, and the bits having inverted polarities are included in the respective slot.

12. A method of communicating overhead information to a remote station comprising the steps of:

grouping the overhead information into a plurality of time slots on a radio carrier signal;

grouping other information into another plurality of time slots;

successively transmitting the time slots having overhead information and the time slots having other information; and

indicating in each time slot the respective time slot'"'"'s temporal position with respect to a start of the next transmission of time slots having overhead information, wherein a time interval between successive transmissions of the time slots having overhead information is at least an order of magnitude greater than a duration of each time slot.

13. A method of communicating overhead information to a remote station comprising the steps of:

grouping the overhead information into a plurality of time slots on a radio carrier signal;

grouping other information into another plurality of time slots;

successively transmitting the time slots having overhead information and the time slots having other information; and

indicating in each time slot the respective time slot'"'"'s temporal position with respect to a start of the next transmission of time slots having overhead information, wherein the time slots including the overhead information comprise a logical channel for broadcast control information and the time slots including the other information comprises special messages that are included in other time slots comprising a logical special message channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the time slots of the special message channel are grouped in successive SMS frames.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each SMS frame corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of SMS sub-channels.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a special message spans at least two SMS frames of a respective SMS sub-channel.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the special messages included in the time slots of a first one of the SMS sub-channels are encrypted according to a first encryption method and the special messages included in the time slots of at least one other SMS sub-channel are encrypted according to another encryption method.

18. The method of claims 15, wherein each special message is encrypted according to a respective encryption method.

19. A remote station for receiving information sent in a plurality of successive time slots on a radio carrier signal comprising:

a receiver for receiving the radio carrier signal;

means for processing the information in the time slots on the received radio carrier signal, wherein the processing means reads, in each time slot in a superframe, a count indicating a next time of occurrence of a slot including overhead information, wherein the count is eight bits which has been encoded to a twelve bit field.

20. The remote station of claim 19, wherein the count is encoded according to a predetermined error correcting code, polarities of a plurality of cyclic redundancy check bits produced by encoding the counts are inverted and the bits having inverted polarities are included in the respective slot.

21. A base station comprising:

a processor for;

(a) grouping the information into a plurality of successive time slots on a radio carrier signal;

(b) grouping the time slots into a plurality of successive superframes; and

(c) grouping the successive superframes into a plurality of successive hyperframes, wherein at least two successive superframes are grouped into each hyperframe;

wherein each superframe includes at least one time slot comprising a logical channel for broadcast control information and at least one time slot comprising a logical paging channel, wherein the logical channel for broadcast control information also includes a logical special message channel; and

a transceiver for transmitting said hyperframes as a control channel.

22. The base station of claim 21, wherein at least one time slot of the logical special message channel are grouped in successive short message service (SMS) frames, and the SMS frames are synchronized with respective hyperframes.

23. The base station of claim 22, wherein each SMS frame corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of SMS sub-channels.

24. The base station of claim 23, wherein a special message spans at least two SMS frames of a respective SMS sub-channel.

25. The base station of claim 23, wherein the special messages included in the time slots of a first one of the SMS sub-channels are encrypted according to a first encryption method and the special messages included in the time slots of at least one other SMS sub-channel are encrypted according to another encryption method.

26. The base station of claim 23, wherein each special message is encrypted according to a respective encryption method.

27. A base station comprising:

a processor for;

(a) grouping information into a plurality of time slots; and

(b) grouping the time slots into a plurality of superframes; and

a transceiver for sending, in each slot in each superframe, a count for identifying a position of the slot in the superframe, wherein the count is encoded according to a predetermined error correcting code, polarities of a plurality of cyclic redundancy check bits produced by encoding the count are inverted, and the bits having inverted polarities are included in the respective slot.

28. A base station comprising:

a processor for;

(a) grouping overhead information into a plurality of time slots on a radio carrier signal; and

(b) grouping other information into another plurality of time slots; and

a transceiver for successively transmitting the time slots having overhead information and the time slots having other information, wherein in each time slot the respective time slot'"'"'s temporal position is indicated with respect to a start of the next transmission of time slots having overhead information, wherein a time interval between successive transmissions of the time slots having overhead information is at least an order of magnitude greater than a duration of each time slot.

29. A base station comprising:

a processor for;

(a) grouping overhead information into a plurality of time slots on a radio carrier signal; and

(b) grouping other information into another plurality of time slots; and

a transceiver for successively transmitting the time slots having overhead information and the time slots having other information, wherein in each time slot the respective time slot'"'"'s temporal position is indicated with respect to a start of the next transmission of time slots having overhead information, wherein the time slots including the overhead information comprise a logical channel for broadcast control information and the time slots including the other information comprises special messages that are included in other time slots comprising a logical special message channel.

30. The base station 23, wherein the time slots of the special message channel are grouped in successive SMS frames.

31. The base station of claim 30, wherein each SMS frame corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of SMS sub-channels.

32. The base station of claim 31, wherein a special message spans at least two SMS frames of a respective SMS sub-channel.

33. The base station of claim 31, wherein the special messages included in the time slots of a first one of the SMS sub-channels are encrypted according to a first encryption method and the special messages included in the time slots of at least one other SMS sub-channel are encrypted according to another encryption method.

34. The base station of claim 31, wherein each special message is encrypted according to a respective encryption method.