Method for establishing a communication link between a user equipment and a radio network

• US 7,433,334 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vialen, Jukka, Marjelund, Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US09/947,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20020071480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,588 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/338, 370352-355, 370/432, 370/442, 370/458, 370/477, 370/498, 370/436, 370/437
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method for improving the performance of random access when establishing a communication link between a user equipment (UE) and a radio network (UTRAN) the method includes transmitting a random access message (RAM) from the user equipment (UE) to the radio network (UTRAN), wherein the radio random access message (RAM) contains information describing a functional capability (UB_CAPABILITY) of the user equipment (UE). Thereby, the network knows the capabilities of the terminal as early as possible and can thus optimize all functions performed by the network to be in conformity with the terminal capabilities.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a random access message that includes a layer 3 classmark information message from a user equipment to a radio network, wherein said random access message also contains information describing a functional capability of said user equipment, wherein the functional capability is different from the classmark information,

wherein the functional capability information is sent before a communication link between the user equipment and the radio network has been established,

wherein the user equipment is a communication link originating user equipment, and

wherein said random access message is transmitted on a random access channel representing a transport channel of a medium access control protocol.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing a preprocessing before transmitting said random access message, wherein said preprocessing comprises

acquiring synchronization to a cell of said network, and

listening to the broadcast control channel of said cell to obtain the information relating to said random access channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said preprocessing further comprises

selecting at least preamble spreading code/message scrambling code, a spreading factor for a message part,

estimating a downlink path loss and determining the required uplink transmit power,

selecting an access slot and signature from available access slots and signatures,

transmitting a preamble, and

detecting an acquisition indicator.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said information describing functional capabilities of said user equipment consist of at least one of the following parameters

output power,

downlink multi-code capability,

fluplink multi-code capability,

multi-code service multiplexing capability,

maximum number of dedicated channels,

carrier raster,

frequency bands,

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access mode capability,

multi-mode support,

variable duplex distance,

chip rate,

spreading factor,

channel coding and interleaving,

number of radio links in macro diversity,

transport channels,

inter system handover capability,

revision level,

supported ciphering algorithm,

user equipment short message capability,

user equipment multicast service capability,

user equipment group call capability, and

a short message service field indicating the time needed for the mobile station to switch from one radio channel to another, perform a neigbor cell power measurement, and switch from that radio channel to another channel.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting said information describing functional capabilities of said user equipment included in said random access message.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said selecting comprises preselecting said information describing functional capabilities upon manufacturing said user equipment.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said selecting comprises selecting said information describing functional capabilities by an operator of said user equipment, depending on respectively favored functional features.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein said selecting comprises automatically selecting said information describing functional capabilities according to information received by said terminal device via a broadcast control channel of a cell of said radio network.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting a random access message including information describing a functional capability to a radio network;

means for forwarding classmark information from the apparatus to the radio network before a communication link to the radio access network is established, wherein the functional capability is different from the classmark information; and

inserting means for inserting an information describing a functional capability of said apparatus into said random access message,

wherein the functional capability information is inserted and transmitted before the communication link has been established,

wherein the apparatus is a communication link originating user equipment, and

wherein said random access message is transmitted on the random access channel representing a transport channel of a medium access control protocol.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a random access message, wherein the random access message includes information describing a functional capability, and a classmark information message from a user equipment, wherein the functional capacity is different from the classinark information; and

extracting means for extracting an information describing a functional capability of said user equipment from said random access message, wherein the functional capability information is extracted before a communication link to the user equipment has been established and the user equipment is communication link user equipment, and wherein said random access message is received on the random access channel representing a transport channel of a medium access control protocol.

11. A system comprising:

at least one user equipment comprising transmitting means for transmitting a random access message including a classmark information message to a radio network, and inserting means for inserting information describing a functional capability of said user equipment, which is different from the classmark information, into said random access message; and

at least one radio network control device comprising receiving means for receiving said classmark information message from said user equipment, and extracting means for extracting said capability information of said user equipment from said random access message,

wherein the capability information is sent before the communication link has been established,

wherein the user equipment is a communication link originating user equipment, and

wherein said random access message is transmitted on a random access channel representing a transport channel of the medium access control protocol.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a random access message to a radio network;

a forwarding unit configured to forward classmark information from the apparatus to the radio network before a communication link to the radio network is established; and

an inserting unit configured to insert an information describing a functional capability of said apparatus, which is different from the classmark information, into said random access message,

wherein the functional capability information is inserted and transmitted before the communication link has been established,

wherein the apparatus is a communication link originating user equipment, and

wherein said random access message is transmitted on the random access channel representing a transport channel of a medium access control protocol.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a random access message and a classmark information message from said user equipment; and

an extracting unit configured to extract an information describing a functional capability of said user equipment, which is different from the classmark information, from said random access message, wherein the functional capability information is extracted before the communication link has been established and the user equipment is communication link user equipment, and wherein said random access message is received on the random access channel representing a transport channel of a medium access control protocol.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said extracting unit is further configured to read said capability information and to establish said communication link using said capability information contained in said random access message.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein said information describing functional capabilities of said user equipment consist of at least one of the following parameters,

output power,

downlink multi-code capability,

uplink multi-code capability,

multi-code service multiplexing capability,

maximum number of dedicated channels,

carrier raster,

frequency bands,

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access mode capability,

multi-mode support,

variable duplex distance,

spreading factor,

channel coding and interleaving,

number of radio links in macro diversity,

transport channels,

inter system handover capability,

revision level,

supported ciphering algorithm,

user equipment short message capability,

user equipment multicast service capability,

user equipment group call capability, and

a short message service field indicating the time needed for the mobile station to switch from one radio channel to another, perform a neighbor cell power measurement, and switch from that radio channel to another channel.