Maintaining a maintenance channel in a reverse link of a wireless communications system

• US 8,582,552 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IPR Licensing Incorporated (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IPR Licensing Incorporated (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Proctor, James A. Jr., Nelson, George Rodney Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMS, MATTHEW C
• Application Number:
  US13/367,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20120134341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/522, 370335-337, 370/342, 370/345, 370347-350
• US Class Current: 370/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/12 Outer and inner loops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 when the channel is in stand-by
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/325 Power control of control or pilot channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a reverse link of a wireless CDMA communication system, a method of maintaining an idling mode connection between a field unit and a base transceiver station is provided using various techniques to maintain the idle mode connection at a reduced power level. A preferred embodiment computes a time slot or frame offset based on modulo function using a field unit identifier in order to distribute field unit maintenance transmissions among available slots or offsets. An alternate embodiment detects explicit signaling states changes at the physical layer and causes power target changes. A further embodiment transmits maintenance data during predetermined time intervals, coordinated between the field units and BTS, allowing power levels to be adjusted accordingly.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a request signal using a first reverse link channel, the method comprising:

establishing a connection with a wireless network utilizing an access channel;

receiving by a field unit, assignment information and deriving a value associated with an offset from the assignment information;

applying a modulo function to at least the value to compute a series of periodic time intervals, each time interval including at least one time slot in the first reverse link channel for transmitting a request signal;

wherein the request signal indicates that the field unit is requesting to transmit packet data to a base transceiver station (BTS); and

transmitting the request signal using the first reverse link channel to the BTS in the computed time interval;

wherein the request signal is transmitted using the first reverse link channel on a condition that the connection is established and the field unit is not allocated a second reverse link channel to transmit packet data;

wherein the first reverse link channel is not an access channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a different modulo is applied to different field units.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer time slot is one of the 128 slots defined by I-CDMA.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the assignment information includes an identifier that is a medium access control layer identifier MAC_ID.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the modulo function based on how many time division multiplexed time intervals are defined.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one other field unit applies a different modulo.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted request signal is derived from at least a PN code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one other field unit transmits in a same time interval as the time interval computed to transmit the request signal.

9. A field unit for transmitting a request signal using a first reverse link channel, the field unit comprising:

a circuit configured to establish a connection with a wireless network utilizing an access channel;

the circuit is further configured to receive assignment information and to derive a value associated with an offset from the assignment information;

the circuit is further configured to apply a modulo function to at least the value to compute a series of periodic time intervals in the first reverse link channel for transmitting a request signal;

wherein each time interval includes at least one time slot;

wherein the request signal indicates that the field unit is requesting to transmit packet data to a base transceiver station (BTS); and

the circuit is further configured to transmit the request signal using the first reverse link channel to the BTS in the computed time interval;

wherein the request signal is transmitted using the first reverse link channel on a condition that the connection is established and the field unit is not allocated a second reverse link channel to transmit packet data;

wherein the first reverse link channel is not an access channel.

10. The field unit of claim 9, wherein at least one other field unit applies a different modulo.

11. The field unit of claim 9, wherein the transmitted request signal is derived from at least a PN code.

12. The field unit of claim 9, wherein at least one other field unit transmits in a same time interval as the time interval computed to transmit the request signal.

13. A base station for receiving a request signal using a first reverse link channel, the base station comprising:

a circuit configured to establish a connection with a field unit utilizing an access channel;

the circuit is further configured to transmit assignment information;

wherein the assignment information is used by the field unit to derive a value associated with an offset from the assignment information;

the circuit is further configured to apply a modulo function to at least the value to compute a series of periodic time intervals in the first reverse link channel for receiving a request signal from the field unit;

wherein each time interval includes at least one time slot;

wherein the request signal indicates that the filed unit is requesting to transmit packet data to the base station; and

the circuit is further configured to receive the request signal using the first reverse link channel in the computed time interval;

wherein the request signal is received using the first reverse link channel on a condition that the connection is established and the field unit is not allocated a second reverse link channel to transmit packet data;

wherein the first reverse link channel is not an access channel.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the circuit is further configured to receive a request signal from at least one other field unit in a time interval derived using a different modulo.

15. The base station of claim 13, wherein the received request signal was derived from at least a PN code.

16. The base station of claim 13, wherein the circuit is further configured to receive a request signal from at least one other field unit in a same time interval as the time interval computed to receive the request signal from the field unit.