Method and arrangement for establishing a connection between a base station and mobile station

• US 6,804,212 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2000
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Jokinen, Harri, Vallström, Jari, Vihriälä, Jaakko
• Primary Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US09/585,130
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/341, 370/331
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and arrangement for establishing a connection between a base station and mobile station. The invention is especially applicable to digital TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) cellular systems which use extended cell operating ranges. An idea of the invention is that when establishing a connection a mobile station transmits access bursts using a preferably extended timing advance different from zero. In one embodiment, different timing advance values are used until a timing advance is found with which the burst falls on a CCCH channel time slot at the base station. The mobile station preferably transmits the first bursts using the normal timing advance, the next bursts using a second timing advance, the corresponding timing advance parameter value being the normal timing advance parameter maximum value+1, and the subsequent bursts using a timing advance of 2×the second timing advance, etc. This goes on until a response message arrives from the base station or until the mobile station has gone through the whole legal timing advance range. Using the solution according to the invention, extended cells can be realized without substantially reducing the data transmission capacity of cells.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a connection between a mobile station and base station where extended timing advance is used in traffic data transmission and where the mobile station transmits to the base station an access burst (CHANNEL REQUEST, HANDOVER ACCESS), characterized in that

the access burst is transmitted using a first timing advance value,

transmission from the base station is monitored in order to identify a response message (IMMEDIATE ASSIGNMENT, PHYSICAL INFORMATION), and

if no response message is received from the base station the access burst is transmitted using a second timing advance value, whereby said first and second timing advance values are different from each other and at least one of said two timing advance values differs from zero.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the access burst is transmitted using an extended timing advance value corresponding to a range extending outside a normal operating range of a cell of the base station.

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the number of access bursts transmitted using one and the same timing advance is a predetermined number (M) which equals the maximum number of access bursts indicated by the base station.

4. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the difference (N) of the timing advance parameters corresponding to the first and second timing advance values equals the maximum timing advance parameter value according to the normal operating range plus one.

5. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the timing advance parameter value of the access burst is increased until a response (IMMEDIATE ASSIGNMENT, PHYSICAL INFORMATION) is received from the base station or until the maximum timing advance allowed by the system has been reached.

6. The method of claim 5, characterized in that the step of increase (N) equals the maximum timing advance parameter value according to the normal operating range plus one.

7. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the base station transmits to the mobile station a message (System Information) including information about whether the base station supports the extended operating range.

8. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the connection between the base station and mobile station is established for an ensuing data transmission connection.

9. The method of claim 8, characterized in that the access burst comprises a CHANNEL REQUEST message.

10. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the connection between the base station and mobile station is established for a handover.

11. The method of claim 10, characterized in that he access burst comprises a HANDOVER ACCESS message.

12. The method of claim 10, characterized in that the timing advance selected for the access burst is an estimate produced on the basis of system information rounded to a lower value divisible by N, where N is the number of different timing advance parameters according to the normal operating range.

13. The method of claim 10, characterized in that the handover is carried out using the call re-establishment procedure.

14. The method of claim 10, characterized in that the serving base station transmits a handover command (HANDOVER COMMAND) comprising information about the possibility of using the extended cell feature in the new serving base station.

15. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the timing advance selected for the access burst is an estimate produced on the basis of system information and/or measurements.

16. A cellular system comprising processing, memory and signaling means for changing a serving base station in a time-division cellular network where extended timing advance is used in the traffic data transmission between the base station and mobile station and where the system comprises means for receiving an access burst (CHANNEL REQUEST, HANDOVER ACCESS) from the mobile station, characterized in that the base station comprises means for receiving an access burst that has a timing advance value different from zero.

17. The cellular system of claim 16, characterized in that the base station comprises means for transmitting a system info message to the mobile station, which system info message includes information about whether the base station supports the extended cell feature.

18. The cellular system of claim 16, characterized in that it comprises means for transmitting a message to the mobile station, which message indicates whether the mobile station is allowed to use an extended timing advance.

19. The cellular system of claim 16, where the base station comprises means for transmitting a timing advance parameter value to the mobile station, characterized in that the base station comprises means for receiving from the mobile station a parameter corresponding to the extended timing advance and means for producing timing advance parameter values to be indicated to the mobile station for the timing advance parameter range corresponding to the timing advance parameter value received from the mobile station.

20. The time-division cellular system of claim 16, characterized in that it comprises means for arranging channels in such a manner that the time slot following the time slot used by the common control channel (CCCH) is allocated for a traffic channel only when the other time slots are reserved.

21. A mobile station comprising means for establishing a connection between the mobile station and base station in a cellular network, where extended timing advance is used in the traffic data transmission between the base station and mobile station and where the mobile station comprises means for transmitting an access burst (CHANNEL REQUEST, HANDOVER ACCESS) to the base station, characterized in that the mobile station comprises means for transmitting an access burst that has a timing advance value different from zero, means for receiving from the base station a response message for an access burst and means for changing the value of the timing advance of the access burst if it does not receive a response message from the base station.

22. The mobile station of claim 21, characterized in that the mobile station comprises means for transmitting access bursts using at least two timing advance values.

23. The mobile station of claim 21, characterized in that it comprises means for calculating the extended timing advance value used in the actual data transmission on the basis of the timing advance value used in the access burst and a timing advance correction value received from the base station.

24. The mobile station of claim 21, characterized in that it comprises means for indicating the extended timing advance value to the base station.