Switching from dedicated to common channels when radio resources are controlled by drift radio network

• US 6,829,482 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Van Lieshout, Gert-Jan, Rune, Göran
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOX, BRYAN J
• Application Number:
  US09/854,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20020025815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/438, 455/439, 455/442, 455/525, 455/524, 455/560, 370/331, 370/349, 370/352, 370/395.5, 370/522
• US Class Current: 455/442
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A serving radio network controller (SRNC) of a radio access network assigns one or both of an appropriate temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and radio resources to a connection which is switched from a dedicated channel to a common channel in a cell handled by a drift radio network controller (DRNC). In one embodiment, the appropriate temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and the radio resources are obtained by the serving radio network controller (SRNC) upon execution of a channel switching process (e.g., when it has been determined that a connection should be switched from a dedicated channel to a common channel). In another embodiment of the invention, the serving radio network controller (SRNC) can obtain the appropriate temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and the radio resources prior to an actual channel switch operation. In both embodiments, the obtaining of the temporary identifier and/or radio resources can be part of a Common Transport Channel Resources Initialization procedure.

Claims

1. A method of performing, for a telecommunications service, a channel switch operation whereby a connection is switched from a dedicated channel to a common channel, the connection being with a user equipment unit (UE) located in a cell controlled by a drift radio network controller (DRNC), the method comprising:

a serving radio network controller (SRNC) which controls the connection requesting a temporary identifier for the connection from the drift radio network controller (DRNC);

the serving radio network controller (SRNC) signaling the user equipment unit (UE) to switch from the dedicated connection to the common channel connection; and

the serving radio network controller (SRNC) supplying the user equipment unit (UE) with the temporary identifier for the connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the serving radio network controller (SRNC) supplying the user equipment unit (UE) with information regarding radio resources.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information regarding radio resources specifies a particular cell to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information regarding radio resources comprises specific channel(s) to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requesting information regarding radio resources to be allocated by the drift radio network controller (DRNC) to the connection after the channel switch operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the temporary identifier as part of a Common Transport Channel Resources Initialization procedure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the temporary identifier as part of a channel switching process when a determination has been made that a channel switch should occur.

8. A radio access network comprising:

a serving radio network controller (SRNC);

a drift radio network controller (DRNC);

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) executes a process to obtain from the drift radio network controller (DRNC) a temporary identifier for a connection involved in a channel switch operation, the connection being with a user equipment unit (UE);

wherein the serving radio networks controller (SRNC) supplies the user equipment unit (UE) with the temporary identifier for the connection; and

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the temporary identifier as part of a Common Transport Channel Resources Initialization procedure.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) also supplies the user equipment unit (UE) with information regarding radio resources.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information regarding radio resources comprises specific channel(s) to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the process executed by the serving radio network controller (SRNC) also obtains from the drift radio network controller (DRNC) information regarding radio resources to be allocated by the drift radio network controller (DRNC) to the connection after the channel switch operation.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information regarding radio resources specifies a particular cell to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the temporary identifier as part of a channel switching process when a determination has been made that a channel switch should occur.

14. A radio access network comprising:

a serving radio network controller (SRNC);

a drift radio network controller (DRNC);

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) executes a process to obtain from the drift radio network controller (DRNC) a temporary identifier for a connection involved in a channel switch operation, the connection being with a user equipment unit (UE);

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) supplies the user equipment unit (UE) with the temporary identifier for the connection; and

wherein the channel switch is from a dedicated channel to a common channel.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) also supplies the user equipment unit (UE) with information regarding radio resources.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information regarding radio resources comprises specific channel(s) to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the process executed by the serving radio network controller (SRNC) also obtains from the drift radio network controller (DRNC) information regarding radio resources to be allocated by the drift radio network controller (DRNC) to the connection after the channel switch operation.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information regarding radio resources specifies a particular cell to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the temporary identifier as part of a channel switching process when a determination has been made that a channel switch should occur.

20. A method of performing, for a telecommunications service, a channel switch operation whereby a connection is switched from a dedicated channel to a common channel, the connection being with a user equipment unit (UE) located in a cell controlled by a drift radio network controller (DRNC), the method comprising:

a serving radio network controller (SRNC) which controls the connection requesting information regarding radio resources to be allocated by the drift radio network controller (DRNC) to the connection after the channel switch operation;

the serving radio network controller (SRNC) supplying the user equipment unit (UE) with the information regarding radio resources.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the information regarding radio resources comprises specific channel(s) to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the information regarding radio resources specifies a particular cell to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the information regarding radio resources as part of a Common Transport Channel Resources Initialization procedure.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the information regarding radio resources as part of a channel switching process when a determination has been made that a channel switch should occur.

25. A radio access network comprising:

a serving radio network controller (SRNC);

a drift radio network controller (DRNC);

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) executes a process to assign radio resources to be allocated by the drift radio network controller (DRNC) to a connection with a user equipment unit (UE) after a channel switch operation, the connection being with a user equipment unit (UE);

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) supplies the user equipment unit (UE) with information regarding the assigned radio resources; and

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the information regarding the radio resources as part of a Common Transport Channel Resources Initialization procedure.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the formation regarding the radio resources specifies a particular cell to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the information regarding the radio resources comprises specific channel(s) to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the information regarding the radio resources as part of a channel switching process when a determination has been made that a channel switch should occur.

29. A radio access network comprising:

a serving radio network controller (SRNC);

a drift radio network controller (DRNC);

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) executes a process to assign radio resources to be allocated by the drift radio network controller (DRNC) to a connection with a user equipment unit (UE) after a channel switch operation, the connection being with a user equipment unit (UE);

wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) supplies the user equipment unit (UE) with information regarding the assigned radio resources; and

wherein the channel switch is from a dedicated channel to a common channel.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the information regarding the radio resources comprises specific channel(s) to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the information regarding the radio resources specifies a particular cell to be utilized by the connection with the user equipment unit (UE) after the channel switch operation.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the serving radio network controller (SRNC) requests the information regarding the radio resources as part of a channel switching process when a determination has been made that a channel switch should occur.