Power control method for a GERAN system to increase GERAN network capacity

• US 8,867,382 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Zhi-Zhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chuong M
• Application Number:
  US12/993,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,191 Days
• Field of Search: 370/294, 370310-350, 370431-463, 370/498, 455450-522, 714/704, 375/341
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/247 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter sent by another terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/362 Aspects of the step size

Abstract

The present patent application comprises means, instructions and steps for controlling signal power by allowing a small bit error rate during burst processing comprising setting a transmit signal power granularity to be less than a current level (1210), tracking a power measurement report of at least one remote stations (1220), determining if at least one signal quality indicator has reached an upper threshold (1230), decreasing a downlink signal power if the at least one signal quality indicator reaches an upper threshold (1240), and stopping the decreasing of the downlink signal power (1260) when the at least one quality indicator reaches a lower threshold (1250).

Claims

1. A method for controlling GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) power operable at a base station, comprising:

setting a transmit signal power granularity to be less than a current level;

tracking a power measurement report of at least one remote station, the power measurement report comprising at least one signal quality indicator representing a bit error rate on a burst processing level, wherein the at least one remote station comprises a downlink advanced receiver performance (DARP) remote station and a non-DARP remote station;

determining if the at least one signal quality indicator has reached a first threshold;

decreasing a downlink signal power if said at least one signal quality indicator reaches the first threshold; and

stopping said decreasing of said downlink signal power when said at least one signal quality indicator reaches a second threshold lower than the first threshold,

wherein the bit error rate corresponding to the second threshold is higher than that of the first threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said granularity is adjustable in 0.5 dB increments.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one signal quality indicator comprises a received signal quality or a bit error probability, further comprising:

tracking the received signal quality or the bit error probability in dedicated mode.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first threshold corresponds to a received signal quality=0.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first threshold corresponds to a mean bit error probability>

29 and a coefficient of variance bit error probability>

5.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising damping a variation of said downlink signal power.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second threshold corresponds to a received signal quality=1.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second threshold corresponds to a mean bit error probability=29 and a coefficient of variance bit error probability=5.

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

setting up a new connection;

selecting an unused time slot on a channel frequency for said new connection to share with an existing connection;

selecting a first training sequence for said new connection, different from a second training sequence for the existing connection; and

using both said training sequences in the same time slot on the same channel frequency by a base station.

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

generating first data and second data;

generating a first training sequence and a second training sequence;

combining the first training sequence with the first data to produce a first combined data and combining the second training sequence with the second data to produce a second combined data;

modulating and transmitting both said first combined data and said second combined data using a same carrier frequency and a same time slot to produce first and second transmitted signals; and

using both said training sequences in the same time slot on the same carrier frequency by a base station.

32. The method according to claim 1, wherein the downlink signal power is controlled such that the bit error rate is maintained at an amount recoverable with forward error correction.

11. A base station for controlling GERAN power, comprising:

means for setting a transmit signal power granularity to be less than a current level;

means for tracking a power measurement report of at least one remote station, the power measurement report comprising at least one signal quality indicator representing a bit error rate on a burst processing level, wherein the at least one remote station comprises a downlink advanced receiver performance (DARP) remote station and a non-DARP remote station;

means for determining if the at least one signal quality indicator has reached a first threshold;

means for decreasing a downlink signal power if said at least one signal quality indicator reaches the first threshold; and

means for stopping said decreasing of said downlink signal power when said at least one signal quality indicator reaches a second threshold lower than the first threshold,

wherein the bit error rate corresponding to the second threshold is higher than that of the first threshold.

12. The base station according to claim 11, wherein said granularity is adjustable in 0.5 dB increments.

13. The base station according to claim 11,

wherein the at least one signal quality indicator comprises a received signal quality or a bit error probability, further comprising:

means for tracking the received signal quality or the bit error probability in dedicated mode.

14. The base station according to claim 11, wherein said first threshold corresponds to a received signal quality=0.

15. The base station according to claim 11, wherein said first threshold corresponds to a mean bit error probability>

=29 and a coefficient of variance bit error probability>

5.

16. The base station according to claim 11, further comprising means for damping a variation of said downlink signal power.

17. The base station according to claim 11, wherein said second threshold corresponds to a received signal quality=1.

18. The base station according to claim 11, wherein said second threshold corresponds to a mean bit error probability=29 and a coefficient of variance bit error probability=5.

19. The base station according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for setting up a new connection;

means for selecting an unused time slot on a channel frequency for said new connection to share with an existing connection;

means for selecting a first training sequence for said new connection, different from a second training sequence for the existing connection; and

means for using both said training sequences in the same time slot on the same channel frequency by a base station.

20. The base station according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for generating a first data and a second data;

means for generating a first training sequence and a second training sequence;

means for combining the first training sequence with the first data to produce a first combined data and combining the second training sequence with the second data to produce a second combined data;

means for modulating and transmitting both said first combined data and said second combined data using a same channel frequency and a same time slot to produce first and second transmitted signals; and

means for using both said training sequences in the same time slot on the same channel frequency by a base station.

33. The base station according to claim 11, wherein the downlink signal power is controlled such that the bit error rate is maintained at an amount recoverable with forward error correction.

21. A base station, comprising:

a controller processor;

a memory operably connected to the controller processor;

an antenna;

a duplexer switch operably connected to said antenna;

a receiver front end operably connected to said duplexer switch;

a receiver demodulator operably connected to said receiver front end;

a channel decoder and de-interleaver operably connected to said receiver demodulator and said controller processor;

a base station controller interface operably connected to said controller processor;

a coder and interleaver operably connected to said controller processor;

a transmitter modulator operably connected to said coder and interleaver;

a transmitter front end operably connected to said transmitter modulator and operably connected to said duplexer switch;

a data bus operably connected between said controller processor and said channel decoder and de-interleaver, said receiver demodulator, said receiver front end, said transmitter modulator and said transmitter front end; and

software stored in said memory, wherein said software comprises instructions to;

set a transmit signal power granularity to be less than a current level;

track a power measurement report of at least one remote station, the power measurement report comprising at least one signal quality indicator representing a bit error rate on a burst processing level, wherein the at least one remote station comprises a downlink advanced receiver performance (DARP) remote station and a non-DARP remote station;

determine if the at least one signal quality indicator has reached a first threshold;

decrease a downlink signal power if said at least one signal quality indicator reaches the first threshold; and

stop said decreasing of said downlink signal power when said at least signal one quality indicator reaches a second threshold lower than the first threshold,

wherein the bit error rate corresponding to the second threshold is higher than that of the first threshold.

22. The base station according to claim 21, wherein said granularity is adjustable in 0.5 dB increments.

23. The base station according to claim 21,

wherein the at least one signal quality indicator comprises a received signal quality or a bit error probability, and

wherein said software further comprises instructions to:

track the received signal quality or the bit error probability in dedicated mode.

24. The base station according to claim 21, wherein the first threshold corresponds to a received signal quality=0.

25. The base station according to claim 21, wherein the first threshold corresponds to a mean bit error probability>

=29 and a coefficient of variance bit error probability>

5.

26. The base station according to claim 21, wherein said software further comprises instructions to:

damp a variation of said downlink signal power.

27. The base station according to claim 21, wherein the second threshold corresponds to a received signal quality=1.

28. The base station according to claim 21, wherein the second threshold corresponds to a mean bit error probability=29 and a coefficient of variance bit error probability=5.

29. The base station according to claim 21, wherein said software further comprises instructions to:

set up a new connection;

select an unused time slot for said new connection to share with an existing connection;

select a first training sequence for said new connection, different from a second training sequence for said existing connection; and

use both said training sequences in the same time slot on the same carrier frequency by a base station.

30. The base station according to claim 21, wherein said software further comprises instructions to produce first and second signals which share a channel, comprising:

generate a first data and a second data;

generate a first training sequence and a second training sequence;

combine the first training sequence with the first data to produce a first combined data;

combine the second training sequence with the second data to produce a second combined data;

modulate and transmit both said first combined data and said second combined data using a same carrier frequency and a same time slot to produce first and second transmitted signals; and

use both said training sequences in the same time slot on the same carrier frequency by a base station.

34. The base station according to claim 21, wherein the downlink signal power is controlled such that the bit error rate is maintained at an amount recoverable with forward error correction.

31. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to control signal power by allowing a small bit error rate during burst processing, comprising instructions to;

set a transmit signal power granularity to be less than a current level,

track a power measurement report of at least one remote station, the power measurement report comprising at least one signal quality indicator representing a bit error rate on a burst processing level, wherein the at least one remote station comprises a downlink advanced receiver performance (DARP) remote station and a non-DARP remote station;

determine if at least one signal quality indicator has reached a first threshold;

decrease a downlink signal power if said at least one signal quality indicator reaches the first threshold; and

stop said decreasing of said downlink signal power when said at least one signal quality indicator reaches a second threshold lower than the first threshold,

wherein the bit error rate corresponding to the second threshold is higher than that of the first threshold.

35. The computer program product according to claim 31, wherein the downlink signal power is controlled such that the bit error rate is maintained at an amount recoverable with forward error correction.