Channel allocation notifying method, communication method, and communication apparatus

• US 8,942,198 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• 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): Pan, Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAKRABORTY, RAJARSHI
• Application Number:
  US13/441,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20120202547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 455/513, 370/330, 370/329, 370/208
• 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. 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. 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.

Claims

1. A channel allocation notifying method with which a communication apparatus in a communication system allocates a communication channel to a terminal belonging to the communication apparatus and notifies the communication channel to the terminal, the channel allocation notifying method comprising:

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

a channel allocating step 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

an allocation information generating step including

generating allocation information for notifying an allocated communication channel to the terminal based on a virtual channel that is set in advance as a unit of channel by combining a plurality of consecutive communication channels, and

transmitting the allocation information to the terminal,

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, and

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

the allocation information generating step 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.

4. The channel allocation notifying method according to claim 1, wherein

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

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

7. The channel allocation notifying method according to claim 1, further comprising:

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

the allocation information generating step further includes

dividing, when the channel bit exceeds the 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.

8. The channel allocation notifying method according to claim 7, wherein

the allocation information generating step 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 step from among pieces of the allocation information to the terminal based on the transmission condition.

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

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, and

the allocation information generating step further includes

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

10. The channel allocation notifying method according to claim 9, 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.

2. A channel allocation notifying method with which a communication apparatus in a communication system allocates a communication channel to a terminal belonging to the communication apparatus and notifies the communication channel to the terminal, the channel allocation notifying method comprising:

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

a channel allocating step 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

an allocation information generating step including

generating allocation information for notifying an allocated communication channel to the terminal based on a virtual channel that is set in advance as a unit of channel by combining a plurality of consecutive communication channels, and

transmitting the allocation information to the terminal,

wherein the allocation information includes

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

a channel bit that 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

the allocation information generating step further includes

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

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, and

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

5. The channel allocation notifying 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 step further includes shifting a communication channel corresponding to the channel bit by a number indicated by the offset bit.

3. A channel allocation notifying method with which a communication apparatus in a communication system allocates a communication channel to a terminal belonging to the communication apparatus and notifies the communication channel to the terminal, the channel allocation notifying method comprising:

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

a channel allocating step 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

an allocation information generating step including

generating allocation information for notifying an allocated communication channel to the terminal based on a virtual channel that is set in advance as a unit of channel by combining a plurality of consecutive communication channels, and

transmitting the allocation information to the terminal, 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 step in each virtual channel,

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

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

the allocation information generating step further includes

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

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

setting a value indicating which of the communication channels is allocated to the determining bit.

6. The channel allocation notifying 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 step further includes shifting a communication channel corresponding to the channel bit by a number indicated by the offset bit.

11. 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:

a number-of-channel calculating step 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;

a channel allocating step 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 calculated number of communication channels is one, and the communication apparatus 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;

an allocation information generating step including the communication apparatus generating allocation information for notifying an allocated communication channel to the terminal based on a virtual channel that is set in advance as a unit of channel by combining a plurality of consecutive communication channels, and the communication apparatus transmitting the allocation information to the terminal; and

an allocated channel calculating step 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.

12. 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 channel allocating unit that calculates number of communication channels necessary for a communication with the terminal by using type and volume of data to be transmitted, when 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 channels to the terminal based on the quality information; and

an allocation information generating unit that generates allocation information for notifying an allocated communication channel to the terminal based on a virtual channel that is set in advance as a unit of channel by combining a plurality of consecutive communication channels.