Monitoring and adjusting transmit power level(s) in a communications system

• US 7,970,428 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2010
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Shanks, Wesley L., Lin, Wen-Pin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan H
• Application Number:
  US12/757,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20100197340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/67.14, 455/69, 455/115.1, 455/115.3, 455/423, 455/424, 455/452.2, 455/522, 370/241, 370/246, 370/252, 375/213
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/08 Closed loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/247 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter sent by another terminal

Abstract

A method and an apparatus is provided for monitoring and adjusting a power level of a transmitting component. The method comprises receiving a request from a remote unit to provide a power level associated with a transmitting component, wherein the request is transmitted over a communications protocol. The method includes measuring a power level of a signal provided by the transmitting component in response to receiving the request from the remote unit, and providing the measured power level to the remote unit over the communications protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a base station from a mobile switching center, a request to provide a power level of a signal generated by a transmitting component of the base station for a cellular network communications system;

measuring, at the base station, the power level of the signal generated by the transmitting component in response to receiving the request from the mobile switching center; and

providing, from the base station to the mobile switching center, the measured power level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communication between the base station and the mobile switching center comprises High-level Data Link Control (HDLC);

wherein the base station comprises at least one power monitor and adjustment (PMA) module adapted to handle one or more requests from the remote unit, wherein the power monitor and adjustment module comprises a switch adapted to toggle at least one input port between a calibration mode of operation and a normal mode of operation, wherein the power monitor and adjustment module is adapted to provide a signal to a power measuring module adapted to measure power;

wherein measuring the power level comprises measuring the power level of at least two communication channels; and

further determining if the measured power level is within an acceptable range, wherein determining comprises at least one of comparing the measured power level to a pre-defined value at the power monitor adjustment module, comparing, at the power monitor adjustment module, the measured power level to a range of acceptable values provided by the remote unit, and comparing the measured power level to a value at the remote unit.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a request from the mobile switching center to adjust a power level of an output signal provided by the transmitting component in response to determining that the measured power level is outside the acceptable range.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising adjusting the power level of an output signal provided by the transmitting component in response to determining that the measured power level is outside the acceptable range.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the power level comprises attenuating the output signal provided by the transmitting component by a pre-selected amount in response to determining that the measured power level is higher than desired.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the power level comprises decreasing an amount of attenuation applied to the output signal provided by the transmitting component by a pre-selected amount in response to determining that the measured power level is lower than desired.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting component is a baseband radio and wherein signal provided by the baseband radio is deliverable to one of an antenna port and a power meter, and wherein measuring the power level comprises directing the signal provided by the baseband radio to the power meter in response to receiving the request from the mobile switching center.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting component is a baseband radio, and wherein measuring the power level comprises measuring the power level of at least one of a paging channel, synchronization channel, access channel, traffic channel, and pilot channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications protocol is a high-level data link control protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the base station comprises at least a second transmitting component, wherein measuring the power level comprises deactivating the second transmitting component before measuring the power level.

11. An article comprising one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that when executed enable a processor to:

receive, at a base station, a request from a mobile switching center to indicate a power level of a signal provided by a transmitting component of the base station;

measure, at the base station, a power level of the signal in response to receiving the request from the mobile switching center;

determine, at the base station, if the measured power level is at an acceptable level; and

adjust, at the base station, a power level of an output signal provided by the transmitting component by a pre-selected level in response to determining that the measured power level is not at the acceptable level.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to increase the power of the output signal by decreasing an amount of attenuation that is applied to the output signal.

13. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to decrease the power of the output signal by attenuating the output signal by a pre-selected amount.

14. The article of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to receive the request over a communications protocol from a mobile services switching station associated with the base station.

15. The article of claim 11, wherein the transmitting component is a baseband radio and wherein a signal provided by the baseband radio is deliverable to one of an antenna port and a power meter, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to direct the signal provided by the baseband radio to the power meter in response to receiving the request from the mobile switching center.

16. An apparatus, comprising a base station, the apparatus comprising:

an interface adapted to receive a request from a mobile switching center to provide a transmit power level of a first component of the base station; and

a control unit communicatively coupled to the interface, the control unit adapted to;

determine a power level of an output signal of the first component in response to the request; and

provide the determined power level of the output signal of the first component to the mobile switching center.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output signal comprises at least one of a paging channel, synchronization signal, traffic channel, access channel, and pilot channel, and wherein the control unit is further adapted to determine if the measured power level is at an acceptable level.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control is further adapted to adjust a power level of an output signal provided by the transmitting component by a pre-selected level in response to determining that the measured power level is not at the acceptable level.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control unit is adapted to adjust the power level by adjusting an amount of attenuation that is applied to the output signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a power meter, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide the output signal of the first component to the power meter.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a switch device adapted to receive the output signal from the first component and adapted to provide the output signal to at least one of an antenna port and the power meter in response to receiving a signal from the control unit.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the base station comprises a second component, and wherein the control unit is adapted to deactivate the second component of the base station before determining the power level of the output signal of the first component.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first component is a baseband radio associated with an alpha sector of a first carrier and the second component is a baseband radio associated with the alpha sector of a second carrier.

24. A communications system, comprising:

a mobile switching center adapted to provide a request to calibrate a transmit power level;

a base station for a cellular communications system communicatively coupled to the mobile switching center, the base station adapted to;

receive the request;

measure a power level of a signal provided by a transmitting component;

determine if the measured power level is at an acceptable level; and

adjust a power level of an output signal provided by the transmitting component by a pre-selected level in response to determining that the measured power level is not at the acceptable level.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the base station is adapted to provide a three-carrier, three-sector coverage.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the base station is adapted to provide a six-carrier, six-sector coverage.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the base station is associated with at least one of a local area network and a cordless communications system.

28. An apparatus, comprising a base station, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at the base station, a request from a mobile switching center to provide a power level associated with a transmitting component, wherein the request is transmitted over a communications protocol;

means for measuring, at the base station, a power level of a signal provided by the transmitting component in response to receiving the request from the mobile switching center; and

means for providing, from the base station, the measured power level to the mobile switching center over the communications protocol.