Method of connecting priority call in wireless communication system and apparatus for achieving method

• US 6,760,594 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Murasawa, Shunichi, Ishibashi, Ryoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria, Sharad
• Application Number:
  US09/605,515
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 455/453, 455/452.1, 455/450, 455/442, 455/527, 455/528, 455/424, 455/452.2, 455/512, 370/335, 370/437
• US Class Current: 455/512
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/281 taking into account user or data type priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 when the channel is in stand-by

Abstract

A method of connection of a priority call in a wireless communication system able to assign channels making full utilization of system resources and to thereby prevent failure of connection (call loss) of an emergency call or other priority call, which sets a maximum threshold Th.III between a critical threshold Th.IV constituting an upper limit, in terms of hardware, on the number of calls able to be assigned channels in a wireless section, and a design threshold Th.II constituting an upper limit, in terms of software design. It assigns a priority call a channel and connects the call to the exchange side even if the total number of calls exceeds the design threshold Th.II, but if it determines that it is smaller than the maximum threshold Th.III, performs breathing when the total number of calls exceeds the design threshold Th.II, and sends a standby instruction message to the terminal side when it determines that the total number of calls has exceeded the maximum threshold Th.III.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a priority call in a wireless communication system using code division multiple access (CDMA) by determining whether a total number of calls is smaller than a predetermined threshold each time a call is generated from a terminal side, assigning one of a plurality of channels in a wireless section when it is smaller than the threshold, and then connecting the related call to an exchange side, comprising:

presenting a maximum threshold placed between a critical threshold constituting an upper limit of the number of calls, in terms of hardware, to which calls the channels can be assigned in said wireless section and a design threshold constituting an upper limit of the number of calls, in terms of circuit design, to which calls the channels can be assigned in said wireless section, wherein said design threshold is determined as a function of a number of channels which are required to maintain a wireless communication at a predetermined quality of service; and

even if said total number of calls reaches said design threshold or more, assigning a channel to a priority call and connecting it to the exchange side when determining that the generated call is a priority call and determining that the total number of calls is smaller than said maximum threshold.

2. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 1, further comprising adding 1 to said total number of calls when assigning a channel to said priority call and connecting the priority call to the exchange side and executing breathing when determining that the total number of calls has reached said design threshold or more.

3. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

sending a standby instruction message to said terminal generating the related priority call when determining that the total number of calls has reached the maximum threshold or more and

then, when determining that said total number of calls has become smaller than said maximum threshold, preferentially assigning a channel to the related priority call and connecting it to the exchange side.

4. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 1, further comprising determining said total number of calls by a sum of basic calls constituting calls set at the start of communication and soft hand-off calls constituting calls newly entered by soft hand-off.

5. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 4, further comprising, when a priority call is generated as said basic call,

assigning a channel to the related priority call and connecting it to the exchange side even if it determines that the total number of said basic calls able to be assigned channels in said wireless section has reached a design basic call threshold constituting the upper limit, in terms of circuit design, or more, when it determines that said total number of calls is smaller than said design threshold.

6. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 4, further comprising, when a priority call is generated as said basic call,

determining whether said total number of calls is smaller than said maximum threshold when it is determined that the total number of said basic calls able to be assigned channels in said wireless section is smaller than the design basic call threshold constituting the upper limit, in terms of circuit design, and said total number of calls has reached said design threshold or more.

7. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 4, further comprising, when a priority call is generated as said basic call,

determining whether said total number of calls is smaller than said maximum threshold when it determines that the total number of said basic calls able to be assigned channels in said wireless section has reached the design basic call threshold constituting the upper limit, in terms of circuit design, or more and said total number of calls has reached said design threshold or more.

8. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 4, further comprising, when a priority call is generated as said soft hand-off call, determining whether said total number of calls is smaller than said maximum threshold when determining that said total number of calls has reached said design threshold or more.

9. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wireless communication system includes at least one of a wireless local loop system and a cellular system.

10. A method of connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 9, further comprising, when said wireless communication system is a cellular system, determining whether said generated call is a priority call based on discrimination information, transferred from said exchange side, of a priority call or ordinary call.

11. An apparatus for connecting a priority call in a wireless communication system using code division multiple access (CDMA) by determining whether a total number of calls is smaller than a predetermined threshold each time a call is generated from a terminal side, assigning one of a plurality of channels in a wireless section when it is smaller than the threshold, and then connecting the related call to an exchange side, comprising:

a maximum threshold value storage unit for storing a preset maximum threshold placed between a critical threshold constituting an upper limit of the number of calls, in terms of hardware to which calls the channels can be assigned in said wireless section and a design threshold constituting an upper limit of the number of calls, in terms of circuit design, to which calls the channels can be assigned in said wireless section, wherein said design threshold is determined as a function of a number of channels which are required to maintain a wireless communication at a predetermined quality of service;

a call discrimination value storage unit for storing a call discrimination value for determining whether a generated call is a priority call,

a call connection decision unit provided with a decision function of determining whether said total number of calls is smaller than said maximum threshold even if said total number of calls reaches said design threshold or more when said generated call is a priority call, and

a call processing unit for assigning a channel to said priority call under said decision function and connecting the priority call to an exchange side.

12. An apparatus for connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a design threshold value storage unit for storing the design threshold constituting an upper limit, in terms of circuit design, on the number of calls able to be assigned channels in said wireless section.

13. An apparatus of connecting priority call as set forth in claim 12 further comprising:

a design basic call threshold value storage unit for storing the design basic call threshold constituting the upper limit, in terms of circuit design, on the total number of said basic calls able to be assigned channels in said wireless section,

a basic call number storage unit for storing the total number of said basic calls changed according to connection or disconnection of a basic call, and

a soft hand-off number storage unit for storing the total number of soft hand-off calls changed according to the connection or disconnection of a soft hand-off call.

14. An apparatus for connecting a priority call as set forth in claim 11 further comprising a breathing unit for control of transmission power to said terminal side based on the decision by said call connection decision unit.

15. An apparatus of connecting priority call as set forth in claim 11 wherein said call processing unit further has a function of transmitting a standby message based on the decision by said call connection decision unit.

16. An apparatus of connecting priority call as set forth in claim 11 wherein said priority call connection apparatus is integrally formed with a base station transceiver subsystem.