Communication method, base station and terminal apparatus

• US 6,381,234 B2
• Filed: 11/07/1997
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakoda, Kazuyuki, Suzuki, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): YAO, KWANG BIN
• Application Number:
  US08/965,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20010043583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 370/321, 370/322, 370/324, 370/326, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/336, 370/337, 370/345, 370/347, 370/348, 370/350, 370/458, 370/462, 370/465, 370/470, 370/471
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2615 using hybrid frequency-time division multiple access [FDMA-TDMA]

Abstract

An access request to a base station or the like can be preferably performed in time division access wherein one transmission band of communication such as a wireless telephone system or the like is divided into time slots. The period of a time slot of a channel for acquiring an access right among up link channels from a terminal apparatus to a base station is made longer than the period of a time slot of other channels.

Claims

1. A communication method of carrying out communication using a time slot length as a unit, comprising the steps of:

communicating within a first time slot having a first time length when information of a first kind is communicated; and

communicating within a second time slot having a second time length longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception when communication control information is communicated.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein said information of said first kind is generation information and said information of said second kind is communication control information.

3. A communication method of communicating information between a base station and a subscriber station in a cellular system using a time slot length as a unit, comprising the steps of:

communicating within a first time slot having a first time length when general information is communicated; and

communicating within a second time slot having a second time length longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception when communication control information is communicated.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein said communication control information is an access priority request signal from said subscriber station to said base station.

5. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein the second time length is N times (where N is an integer) as long as the first time length.

6. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein the second time length is set by said base station in said cellular system and information about said set second time length is transmitted from said base station to said subscriber station.

7. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein time alignment processing is not carried out when said communication control information is communicated and wherein time alignment processing is carried out when said general information is communicated.

8. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein said communicating steps employ a multi-carrier signal in which a plurality of sub-carriers are allocated in a predetermined frequency interval.

9. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein said communicating steps employ a multi-carrier signal in which a plurality of continuous sub-carriers in a predetermined frequency interval are allocated as a unit.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein said communication control information is an access priority request signal from said subscriber station to said base station.

11. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein the second time length is N times (where N is an integer) as long as a length of the first time length.

12. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein the second time length is set by said base station in said cellular system and information about of said set second time length is transmitted from said base station to said subscriber station.

13. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein time alignment processing is not carried out when said communication control information is communicated and wherein time alignment processing is carried out when said general information is communicated.

14. A base station in a cellular system using a time slot length as a unit for communication to a subscriber station, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a reception signal from said subscriber station;

reception processing means for carrying out a processing of said reception signal using said time slot length having a first time length when general information is communicated and for carrying out a processing using said time slot length having a second time length, said second time length being longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception, when communication control information is communicated;

signal generating means for generating a transmission signal to be transmitted to said subscriber station; and

transmitting means for transmitting said transmission signal generated by said signal generating means to said subscriber station.

15. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 14, wherein said communication control information is an access priority request signal from said subscriber station to said base station.

16. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 14, wherein the second time length is N times (where N is an integer) as long as the first time length.

17. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 14, wherein the second time length is set by the reception processing means and information about said set second time length is transmitted from said transmitting means to said subscriber station.

18. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 14, wherein said transmitting means transmits time alignment information to said subscriber station when said reception processing means processes said general information and does not transmit said time alignment information to said subscriber station when said reception processing means processes said communication control information.

19. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 14, wherein said reception signal and said transmission signal comprise a multi-carrier signal in which a plurality of sub-carriers are allocated in a predetermined frequency interval.

20. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 14, wherein said reception signal and said transmission signal comprise a multi-carrier signal in which a plurality of continuous sub-carriers in a predetermined frequency interval are allocated as a unit.

21. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 20, wherein said communication control information is an access priority request signal from said subscriber station to said base station.

22. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 20, wherein the second time length is N times (where N is an integer) as long as the first time length.

23. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 20, wherein said second time length is set by said reception processing means and information about said set second time length is transmitted from said transmitting means to said subscriber station.

24. The base station in said cellular system according to claim 20, wherein said transmitting means transmits time alignment information to said subscriber station when said reception processing means processes said general information and does not transmit said time alignment information to said subscriber station when said reception processing means processes said communication control information.

25. A subscriber station in a cellular system using a time slot length as a unit for communication to a base station, comprising:

reception means for receiving a transmission signal from said base station;

reception processing means for processing said transmission signal received by said reception means;

signal generating means for generating a return signal formed with said time slot length having a first time length when general information is communicated and for generating said return signal formed with said time slot length having a second time length, said second time length being longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception, when communication control information is communicated; and

transmitting means for transmitting said return signal generated by said signal generating means to said base station.

26. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 25, wherein said communication control information is an access priority request signal from said subscriber station to said base station.

27. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 25, wherein the second time length is N times (where N is an integer) as long as the first time length.

28. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 25, wherein said second time length is set by said base station and information about said set second time length is received by said reception means from said base station, and said signal generating means generates said return signal based on said received information about said second time length.

29. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 25, wherein said signal generating means generates said return signal based on time alignment information from said base station when said general information is generated and does not generate said return signal based on said time alignment information from said base station when said communication control information is generated.

30. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 25, wherein said transmission signal and said return signal comprise a multi-carrier signal in which a plurality of sub-carriers are allocated in a predetermined frequency interval.

31. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 25, wherein said transmission signal and said return signal comprise a multi-carrier signal in which a plurality of continuous sub-carriers in a predetermined frequency interval are allocated as a unit.

32. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 31, wherein said communication control information is an access priority request signal from said subscriber station to said base station.

33. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 31, wherein the second time length is N times (where N is an integer) as long as the first time length.

34. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 31, wherein said second time length is set by said base station and information about said set second time length is received by said reception means from said base station, and said signal generating means generates said return signal based on said received information about said second time length.

35. The subscriber station in said cellular system according to claim 31, wherein said signal generating means generates said return signal based on time alignment information from said base station when said general information is generated and does not generate said return signal based on said time alignment information from said base station when said communication control information is generated.

36. A communication method of carrying out communication using a time slot length as a unit, comprising the steps of:

communicating within a first time slot having a first time length when information of a first kind is communicated; and

communicating within a second time slot having a second time length of a fixed duration longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception when communication control information is communicated.

37. A communication method of communicating information between a base station and a subscriber station in a cellular system using a time slot length as a unit, comprising the steps of:

communicating within a first time slot having a first time length when general information is communicated; and

communicating within a second time slot having a second time length of a fixed duration longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception when communication control information is communicated.

38. A base station in a cellular system using a time slot length as a unit for communication to a subscriber station, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a reception signal from said subscriber station;

reception processing means for carrying out a processing of said reception signal using said time slot length having a first time length when general information is communicated and for carrying out a processing using said time slot length having a second time length, said second time length being of a fixed duration longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception, when communication control information is communicated;

signal generating means for generating a transmission signal to be transmitted to said subscriber station; and

transmitting means for transmitting said transmission signal generated by said signal generating means to said subscriber station.

39. A subscriber station in a cellular system using a time slot length as a unit for communication to a base station, comprising:

reception means for receiving a transmission signal from said base station;

reception processing means for processing said transmission signal received by said reception means;

signal generating means for generating a return signal formed with said time slot length having a first time length when general information is communicated and for generating said return signal formed with said time slot length having a second time length, said second time length being of a fixed duration longer than said first time length and longer than a period of a burst signal for transmission or reception, when communication control information is communicated; and

transmitting means for transmitting said return signal generated by said signal generating means to said base station.