Channel structure for communication systems

• US 6,377,809 B1
• Filed: 09/16/1997
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rezaiifar, Ramin, Tiedemann, Edward G. Jr., Jou, Yu-Cheun
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Application Number:
  US08/931,535
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/455, 455/62, 455/442, 455/522, 455/452, 455/509, 455/511, 455/513, 455/515, 455/516, 455/69, 455/67.1, 455/67.3, 370/318, 370/331-334, 370/347, 370/332, 370/320, 370/335, 370/342, 370/437, 370/438, 370/441, 370/337, 375/130
• US Class Current: 455/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/264 for data rate control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An improved channel structure for use in communication systems is disclosed. The channel structure utilizes two sets of physical channels, one for the forward link and another for the reverse link. The physical channels include data channels and control channels, and the data channels are further divided into fundamental channels and supplemental channels. Fundamental channels are used to transmit voice traffic, data traffic, high speed data, and other overhead information, and supplemental channels are used to transmit high speed data. The fundamental channels may be released when the remote stations are idle to more fully utilized the available capacity. The control channels are used to transmit paging and control messages and scheduling information. This abstract appears solely to satisfy requirements of 37 CFR 1.72 and is therefore not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system in which spread spectrum techniques are used, and in which a channel structure supports a paging channel, wherein each paging channel is for transmitting paging messages to a plurality of remote stations, and in which the channel structure supports a supplemental channel, wherein each supplemental channel is for transmitting high speed data traffic, the channel structure comprising:

a fundamental channel for exchanging voice traffic and data traffic between a remote station of said plurality of remote stations and another base station, wherein said fundamental channel can be used only when said remote station is in a traffic state, and wherein said remote station is in said traffic state only when said remote station is not monitoring the paging channel; and

a control channel for exchanging signaling information between said remote station and said another station, said control channel comprising control frames, wherein the length of each of said control frames is a fraction of the length of a traffic channel frame, and wherein said control channel can be used only when said remote station is in said traffic state, wherein a reverse link is used to transmit data from a remote station to a base station, and wherein a forward link is used to transmit data from a base station to a remote station, wherein control frames in the reverse link direction comprise one or more reverse link messages comprising;

erasure indication bits (EIBs) for informing said base station whether frames received on the forward link fundamental and supplemental channels were received as erasures;

inter-cell power level measurements for informing said base station of the pilot in said remote station'"'"'s active set that was received with the highest energy-per-chip-to-interference ratio, and for identifying to said base station all pilots in said remote station'"'"'s active set whose energy-per-chip-to-interference ratio are within a predetermined power level of the pilot received with said highest energy-per-chip-to-interference ratio;

inter-carrier power level measurements for informing said base station of the varying strength of pilots received by said remote station on different carrier frequencies; and

a reverse link data request for requesting a supplemental channel for the transmission of high speed data traffic, wherein said reverse link data request contains a queue size associated with the amount of data ready for transmission on the reverse link, and wherein said reverse link data request contains a power headroom associated with the amount of remaining power that said remote station has available for transmission.

2. The channel structure of claim 1, further comprising a reverse link update message, wherein the reverse link update message comprises:

said erasure indication bits;

said inter-cell power level measurements;

said inter-carrier power level measurements; and

said reverse link data request.

3. The channel structure of claim 2, when said reverse link update message is 30 bits in length, wherein said reverse link update message comprises:

a single bit indicating whether an erasure was received on the forward link of said fundamental channel;

a single bit indicating whether an erasure was received on the forward link of said supplemental channel;

8 bits indicating said inter-cell power level measurements;

12 bits indicating said inter-carrier power level measurements; and

8 bits representing the fields associated with said reverse link data request.

4. The channel structure of claim 3, wherein said fields associated with said reverse link data request are contained in an 8 bit reverse link data request message, wherein said reverse link data request message comprises:

4 bits indicating said queue size; and

4 bits indicating said power headroom.

5. In a telecommunications system in which spread spectrum techniques are used, and in which a channel structure supports a paging channel, wherein each paging channel is for transmitting paging messages to a plurality of remote stations, and in which the channel structure supports a supplemental channel, wherein each supplemental channel is for transmitting high speed data traffic, the channel structure comprising:

a fundamental channel for exchanging voice traffic and data traffic between a remote station of said plurality of remote stations and another base station, wherein said fundamental channel can be used only when said remote station is in a traffic state, and wherein said remote station is in said traffic state only when said remote station is not monitoring the paging channel; and

a control channel for exchanging signaling information between said remote station and said another station, said control channel comprising control frames, wherein the length of each of said control frames is a fraction of the length of a traffic channel frame, and wherein said control channel can be used only when said remote station is in said traffic state, wherein said control frames in the forward link direction contain one or more forward link messages comprising;

forward link scheduling information for informing said remote station that said base station will be assigning a forward link supplemental channel to said remote station at a first data rate for a first duration;

reverse link scheduling information for informing said remote station that said base station will be assigning a reverse link supplemental channel to said remote station at a particular data rate for a particular duration;

supplemental channel base station assignment information for informing said remote station which base stations, from said remote station'"'"'s active pilot set, will begin transmitting high speed data to said remote station on a supplemental channel;

erasure indication bits (EIBs) for informing said remote station whether frames received on the reverse link fundamental and supplemental channels were received as erasures; and

a process fundamental channel indication for indicating whether said remote station should demodulate said fundamental channel for information.

6. The channel structure of claim 5, when said forward link scheduling information is contained in a 10 bit forward link schedule message, wherein said forward link schedule message comprises:

2 bits indicating that the frame is a forward link schedule message;

4 bits indicating the assigned forward link rate of said supplemental channel; and

4 bits indicating the duration for which said supplemental channel is assigned said forward link rate.

7. The channel structure of claim 5, when said reverse link scheduling information is contained in an 18 bit reverse link schedule message, wherein said reverse link schedule message comprises:

2 bits indicating that the frame is a reverse link schedule message;

4 bits indicating the granted reverse link rate of said supplemental channel; and

12 bits indicating the duration for which said supplemental channel is granted said reverse link rate, wherein each subset of 4 bits represents a single carrier.

8. The channel structure of claim 5, when said supplemental channel base station assignment information is contained in an 8 bit base station assignment message, wherein said base station assignment message comprises:

2 bits indicating that the frame is a base station assignment message; and

6 bits comprising a bit-map, wherein a one in position in the i-th position of said bit map indicates that said supplemental channel is transmitted from the i-th base station.

9. The channel structure of claim 5, when said erasure indication bits and said process fundamental channel indication are contained in a 5 bit process fundamental message, wherein said process fundamental message comprises:

2 bits indicating that the frame is a process fundamental message;

a single bit indicating whether an erasure was received on the reverse link of said fundamental channel;

a single bit indicating whether an erasure was received on the reverse link of said supplemental channel; and

a single bit indicating whether said remote station should demodulate said fundamental channel.

10. In a telecommunications system in which spread spectrum techniques are used, and in which a channel structure supports a paging channel, wherein each paging channel is for transmitting paging messages to a plurality of remote stations, and in which the channel structure supports a supplemental channel, wherein each supplemental channel is for transmitting high speed data traffic, the channel structure comprising:

a fundamental channel for exchanging voice traffic and data traffic between a remote station of said plurality of remote stations and another base station, wherein said fundamental channel can be used only when said remote station is in a traffic state, and wherein said remote station is in said traffic state only when said remote station is not monitoring the paging channel, wherein said fundamental channel can be operated in two modes comprising a dedicated mode and a shared mode, and wherein when said fundamental channel is in the shared mode, the forward link of the fundamental channel is used for communications between two or more remote stations of said plurality of remote stations and base station; and

a control channel for exchanging signaling information between said remote station and said another station, wherein said control channel can be used only when said remote station is in said traffic state, wherein each remote station in said plurality of remote stations is sent an indication on said control channel indicating when the remote station should demodulate said fundamental channel in the shared mode.

11. The channel structure of claim 10, wherein said fundamental channel in the shared mode is demodulated by all remote stations of said plurality of remote stations when a broadcast message is sent on said control channel indicating that said fundamental channel in the shared mode should be demodulated.

12. In a telecommunications system in which spread spectrum techniques are used, and in which a channel structure supports a paging channel, wherein each paging channel is for transmitting paging messages to a plurality of remote stations, and in which the channel structure supports a supplemental channel, wherein each supplemental channel is for transmitting high speed data traffic, the channel structure comprising:

a fundamental channel for exchanging voice traffic and data traffic between a remote station of said plurality of remote stations and another base station, wherein said fundamental channel can be used only when said remote station is in a traffic state, and wherein said remote station is in said traffic state only when said remote station is not monitoring the paging channel; and

a control channel for exchanging signaling information between said remote station and said another station, wherein said control channel can be used only when said remote station is in said traffic state, wherein when said remote station exits said traffic state, said remote station and said base station enter a suspended mode wherein information associated with the prior traffic state session is stored in said remote station and said base station, and wherein said remote station can quickly reenter said traffic state after receiving a channel assignment message from said base station by utilizing the stored information.

13. The channel structure of claim 12, wherein said stored information comprises a Radio Link Protocol (RLP) state, a traffic channel configuration, and encryption variables.

14. In a telecommunications system in which spread spectrum techniques are used, a forward link channel structure comprising:

a fundamental channel for sending fundamental channel traffic from at least one base station to a remote station; and

at least one supplemental channel for sending high speed data traffic from one of the at least one base station to the remote station,

wherein said fundamental channel can be operated in two modes, comprising a dedicated mode and a shared mode, wherein when said fundamental channel is in the dedicated mode, said fundamental channel is used solely for communications between said remote station and said base station, wherein when said fundamental channel is in the shared mode, the forward link of said fundamental channel is used for communications between two or more remote stations of said plurality of remote station and said base station, and wherein each remote station in said plurality of remote stations is sent an indication on a control channel indicating when the remote station should demodulate said fundamental channel in a shared mode.

15. The channel structure of claim 14, wherein said fundamental channel in the shared mode is demodulated by all remote stations of said plurality of remote stations when a broadcast message is sent on said control channel indicating that said fundamental channel in the shared mode should be demodulated.