Method of establishing a radio chain in a radiocommunications network

• US 6,304,745 B1
• Filed: 04/17/1998
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mönch, Egon
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Application Number:
  US09/062,054
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/8, 455/9, 455/10, 455/445, 455/13.1, 455/431, 455/11.1, 455/455
• US Class Current: 455/13.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W

Abstract

A method of establishing a radio chain between a calling radio station and a called radio station in a radiocommunications network, including first steps (110 to 140) in which a list (L) is created for the calling radio station (2) containing information (S=2, R=4; 6) on radio links to neighboring stations (4, 6), and also including steps (151 to 160) in which the list (L, L′, L″) is extended step by step by adding information (S=6, R=7; 8; 9) on radio links to the radio stations (7; 8; 9) adjacent to the neighboring radio stations (6) until information (S=8; R=1) on a radio link leading to the called radio station (1) is entered in the list (L″). The list (L″) contains no superfluous information, but only information required to establish the shortest possible radio chain. Also disclosed are a corresponding radio station and a radiocommunications network, which can be a single-channel system. The invention can be used in the field of wireless office communication.

Claims

1. A method (100) of establishing a radio chain (RC), consisting of at least two radio links, between a calling radio station (2) and a called radio station (1) in a radiocommunications network (RN), each radio link consisting of two radio stations, the radio chain consisting of an ordered sequence of radio links in which each radio link in a pair of consecutive radio links in the ordered sequence includes one common radio station, the method comprising first steps (110 to 140) in which a list (L) is created for the calling radio station (2) when a call is to be placed from the calling station to the called station, the list containing information (S=2, R=4;

6) on radio links beginning with the calling station and leading to neighboring radio stations (4, 6), characterized by further steps (151 to 160) in which the list (L, L′

, L″

) is extended generation by generation, based in information provided to the calling station by the neighboring stations and subsequent stations, the extending being performed, only one generation at a time from a previous generation to a next generation, a generation consisting of radio stations directly reachable from all stations of the preceding generation except for radio stations already indicated on the list, (L, L′

, L″

), the extending being continued only until the called radio station (1) is entered on the list (L″

), thereby ensuring that the list (L′

, L″

) as extended contains at least one radio chain (RC) having the smallest possible number of radio links required to link the calling radio station to the called radio station and contains no radio chain (RC) having a larger number of links.

2. A method (100) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that in a subsequent step (170), a shortened list (LR) is formed from the extended list (L″

) by shortening the extended list (L″

) to that information (S=2, R=6;

S=6, R=8;

S=8, R=1) which specifies a shortest radio chain (RC) from the calling radio station (2) to the called radio station (1), wherein the shortened list (LR) is formed by tracing link by link in the extended list (L′

;

L″

) backward from the called radio station (1) to the calling radio station (2) and including in the shortened list only each link determined by the backward tracing.

3. A method (100) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the list (L) contains a first column (S) and a second column (R), and that the information on the radio links is entered in the list (L) row by row, with information on the sending radio station (S=2) being entered in the first column (S) and information on the receiving radio station (R=3) being entered in the second column (R).

4. A method (100) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the information includes identifications which are assigned to the radio stations (1 to 10).

8. A method (100) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the information includes identifications which are assigned to the radio stations (1 to 10).

5. A radiocommunications network (RN) comprising a number of radio stations (1 to 10), including a calling radio station and a called radio station, wherein, to establish a radio chain (RC) consisting of at least two radio links to the called radio station (3), wherein each radio link consists of two radio stations and the radio chain consists of an ordered sequence of radio links in which each radio link in a pair of consecutive radio links in the ordered sequence includes one common radio station, the calling radio station (2) accesses a memory which holds a list (L) for the calling radio station (2) created when the call is to be placed from the calling station to the called station containing information (S=2, R=4;

6) on radio links to neighboring radio stations (4, 6), characterized in that the memory also contains information (S=6, R=7;

8;

9) on radio links to radio stations (7;

8;

9) adjacent to the neighboring radio stations (6), by addition of which information the list (L, L′

, L″

) is extended generation by generation, from the calling station based on information provided to the calling station by the neighboring stations and subsequent stations, the extending being performed, only one generation at a time from a previous generation to a next generation, a generation consisting of radio stations directly reached from all stations of the preceding generation except for radio stations links already indicated on the list (L, L′

, L″

), the extending being continued only until the called radio station (1) is entered on the list (L″

), thereby ensuring that the list (L′

, L″

) as extended contains at least one radio chain (RC) having the smallest possible number of radio links required to link the calling radio station to the called radio station and contains no radio chain (RC) having a larger number of links.

6. A radiocommunications network (RN) as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the radiocommunications network is a decentralized wireless network (RN), and that the radio stations (1 to 10) exchange the information contained in the lists.

7. A radio station (2) wherein, in order to establish a radio chain (RC) consisting of at least two radio links to a called radio station (1) from a calling station, each radio link consisting of two radio stations, accesses a memory which holds a list (L) created when the call is to be placed from the calling station to the called station containing information (S=2, R=4;

6) on radio links to neighboring radio stations (4, 6), characterized in that the memory also contains information (S=6, R=7;

8;

9) on radio links to radio stations (7;

8;

9) adjacent to the neighboring radio stations (6), by addition of which information the list (L, L′

, L″

) is extended generation by generation based on information provided to the calling station by the neighboring stations and subsequent stations, the extending being performed, only one generation at a time from a previous generation to a next generation, a generation consisting of radio stations directly reacheable from all stations of the preceding generation except for radio stations already indicated on the list (L, L′

, L″

) the extending being continued only until the called radio station (1) is entered on the list, thereby ensuring that the list (L′

, L″

) as extended contains at least one radio chain (RC) having the smallest possible number of radio links required to link the radio station to the called radio station and contains no radio chain (RC) having a larger number of links, wherein the radio chain consists of an ordered sequence of radio links in which each radio link in a pair of consecutive radio links in the ordered sequence includes one common radio station.

9. A method (100) of establishing a radio chain (RC), consisting of at least two radio links, between a calling radio station (2) and a called radio station (1) in a radiocommunications network (RN), each radio link consisting of two radio stations, the radio chain consisting of an ordered sequence of radio links beginning with the calling station in which each radio link in a pair of consecutive radio links in the ordered sequence includes one common radio station, the method comprising the steps of:

a) having the calling station (2) create a list (L) containing information (S=2, R=4;

6) on radio links to neighboring radio stations (4, 6);

b) having the calling station extend the list (L) generation by generation, based on information the calling station (L) receives from the neighboring radio stations (4, 6), to create an extended list (L′

, L″

) bases on information provided to the calling station by the neighboring stations and subsequent stations, the extending being from a previous generation to a next generation, a generation consisting of radio stations directly reachable from all stations of the preceding generation except for radio stations already indicated on the list (L, L′

, L″

), the extending being only until the called radio station (1) is entered on the list (L, L′

, L″

), thereby ensuring that the list (L′

, L″

) as extended contains at least one radio chain (RC) having the smallest possible number of radio links required to link the calling radio station to the called radio station and contains no radio chain (RC) having a larger number of links; and

c) having the calling station (L) create from the extended list (L″

) a shortened list (LR) by shortening the extended list (L″

) to the information (S=2, R=6;

S=6, R=8;

S=8, R=1) that specifies a shortest radio chain (RC) from the calling radio station (2) to the called radio station (1), wherein the shortened list (LR) is created by tracing link by link in the extended list (L″

) backward from the called radio station (1) to the calling radio station (2) and including in the shortened list only each link determined by the backward tracing.