Channel allocation notifying method, communication method, and communication apparatus

• US 8,165,082 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Fukui, Noriyuki, Tani, Shigenori, Ishizu, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutkowski, Jeffrey M
• Application Number:
  US12/377,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20100165933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 370/322, 370329-337, 370/341, 370/348, 370/431, 370/437, 370/441, 370/442, 370/443, 709/225, 455/450, 455/455, 455/464, 455/509, 455/516
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

The number of communication channels necessary for communication with a terminal is calculated by using type and volume of data to be transmitted (Step S13). When calculated number of communication channels is one, a single communication channel is allocated based on quality information of a communication line to the terminal and, when calculated number of communication channels is more than one, then more than one communication channels are allocated based on the quality information (Step S14). Allocation information used for notifying of allocated communication channels is generated based on virtual channels, which are defined in advance as channel units having a combination of a plurality of consecutive communication channels, and the allocation information is transmitted to the terminal (Steps S15 and S16).

Claims

1. A method of allocating a communication channel to a terminal belonging to a communication apparatus and notifying the communication channel to the terminal, the method comprising:

number-of-channel calculating including calculating number of communication channels necessary for a communication with the terminal by using type and volume of data to be transmitted;

channel allocating including

allocating a single communication channel to the terminal based on quality information of a communication line between the communication apparatus and the terminal when calculated number of communication channels is one, and

allocating more than one communication channels to the terminal based on the quality information when the calculated number of communication channels is more than one; and

allocation information generating including

generating allocation information based on a virtual channel that is set in advance and that represents a plurality of consecutive communication channels, the allocation information indicating an allocated communication channel to the terminal, and

transmitting the allocation information to the terminal,

dividing usable communication channels into channel groups each including a plurality of communication channels, wherein

the allocation information includes

a group bit for identifying the channel groups, and

a channel bit that indicates an allocation status of a communication channel in each virtual channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the allocation information includes

a channel unit notifying bit that indicates a virtual channel order that is number of communication channels in a virtual channel,

the allocation information generating further includes

determining, when a channel allocation is performed to all communication channels in a virtual channel, that the virtual channel is allocated with a communication channel, and

setting a value indicating an allocation of a communication channel to the channel bit of the virtual channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the allocation information includes

a notification type identification bit that indicates a notification type between a notification by a communication channel number and a notification using the virtual channel, and

the channel bit that also indicates a value corresponding to a communication channel number when the notification type is the notification by the communication channel number, and an allocation status of a communication channel in each virtual channel when the notification type is the notification by the virtual channel, and

wherein the allocation information generating further includes

setting the notification type identification bit based on the number of the communication channels allocated at the channel allocating,

setting, when the notification type is the notification by the communication channel number, a value corresponding to the communication channel number as the channel bit,

determining, when the notification type is the notification by the virtual channel and when a channel allocation is performed to all communication channels in the virtual channel, that the virtual channel is allocated with a communication channel.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein

the allocation information further includes an offset bit that indicates an amount of offset, and

the allocation information generating further includes shifting the channel bit, corresponding to a communication channel, by a number indicated by the offset bit.

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

setting the virtual channel by combining two consecutive communication channels, wherein

the allocation information includes

an allocation channel count identification bit that indicates the number of communication channels allocated at the channel allocating in each virtual channel,

a determining bit that indicates which of the two communication channels is allocated, and

the allocation information generating further includes

determining, when the number of communication channels allocated at the channel allocating is one, that a virtual channel including the communication channel is allocated with a communication channel,

setting a value indicating which of the communication channels is indicated by the determining bit.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the allocation information further includes an offset bit that indicates an amount of offset, and

the allocation information generating further includes shifting the channel bit, corresponding to a communication channel, by a number indicated by the offset bit.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the allocation information further includes an offset bit that indicates an amount of offset, and

the allocation information generating further includes shifting the channel bit, corresponding to a communication channel, by a number indicated by the offset bit.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the allocation information generating further includes

dividing, when the channel bit exceeds a predetermined bit count, the channel bit into the predetermined bit count, and

generating the allocation information by adding a channel unit notifying bit to each divided channel bit.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

the allocation information generating further includes

setting different transmission conditions in time, frequency, or space to allocation information units generated for each divided channel bit, and

transmitting allocation information including the communication channel allocated at the channel allocating from among pieces of the allocation information to the terminal based on the transmission condition.

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

fixing a bit count of the channel bit in the allocation information to a predetermined bit count.

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

defining a bit count to be used for information regarding the channel unit and the channel group based on a combination of number of channel units and number of channel groups.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the allocation information generating further includes generating, when the number of communication channels allocated at the channel allocating is one, allocation information of a channel group including the communication channel.

13. A communication method between a communication apparatus in a communication system and a terminal belonging to the communication apparatus when the communication apparatus allocates a communication channel to the terminal and notifies the communication channel to the terminal, the communication method comprising:

number-of-channel calculating including the communication apparatus calculating number of communication channels necessary for a communication with the terminal by using type and volume of data to be transmitted;

channel allocating including

the communication apparatus allocating a single communication channel to the terminal based on quality information of a communication line between the communication apparatus and the terminal when a calculated number of communication channels is one, and

the communication apparatus allocating more than one communication channel to the terminal based on the quality information when the calculated number of communication channels is more than one;

allocation information generating including

the communication apparatus generating allocation information based on a virtual channel that is set in advance and that represents a plurality of consecutive communication channels, the allocation information indicating an allocated communication channel to the terminal, and

the communication apparatus transmitting the allocation information to the terminal;

an allocated channel calculating including the terminal obtaining a communication channel allocated to the terminal by performing a reverse procedure to an allocation information generating process on received allocation information; and

dividing usable communication channels into channel groups each including a plurality of communication channels, wherein

the allocation information includes

a group bit for identifying the channel groups, and

a channel bit that indicates an allocation status of a communication channel in each virtual channel.

14. A communication apparatus that builds a communication system with a terminal belonging to the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus allocating a communication channel to the terminal, the communication apparatus comprising:

a microprocessor;

a channel allocating unit, executed by the microprocessor, that calculates a number of communication channels necessary for a communication with the terminal by using type and volume of data to be transmitted, when the calculated number of communication channels is one, allocates a single communication channel to the terminal based on quality information of a communication line between the communication apparatus and the terminal, and when the calculated number of communication channels is more than one, allocates more than one communication channel to the terminal based on the quality information;

an allocation information generating unit, executed by the microprocessor, that generates allocation information based on a virtual channel that is set in advance and that represents a plurality of consecutive communication channels, the allocation information indicating an allocated communication channel to the terminal; and

a dividing unit that divides usable communication channels into channel groups each including a plurality of communication channels, wherein

the allocation information includes

a group bit for identifying the channel groups, and

a channel bit that indicates an allocation status of a communication channel in each virtual channel.