Communication system and method

• US 6,094,575 A
• Filed: 03/04/1996
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omnipoint Corp. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lindsay, Charles L., Jensen, Ryan N., Anderson, Gary B., Gavette, Sherman
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WYCHE, MYRON
• Application Number:
  US08/610,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/415, 455/434, 455/452, 455/453, 370/348, 370/263, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/012 Comfort noise or silence coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0805 with single receiver and antenna switching H04B7/0822 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2618 using hybrid code-time division multiple access [CDMA-TDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2668 Arrangements for Wireless Code-Division Multiple Access [CDMA] System Synchronisation, for code acquisition H04B1/7075, for code tracking H04B1/7085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1838 for semi-reliable protocols, e.g. for less sensitive applications such as streaming video buffer level management for video bitstream receiver H04N21/44004
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/522 Dynamic queue service slot or variable bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/08 Closed loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/36 with a discrete range or set of values, e.g. step size, ramping or offsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/362 Aspects of the step size
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 : Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/40 : during macro-diversity or soft handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 : User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A mobile communication system having a layered architecture communicates user and signaling data among components of the communication system in the form of information elements which are encapsulated within packets and which may be passed across one or more system interfaces. The mobile communication system comprises mobile user stations, base stations, and base station controllers and operates as a transparent data pipeline between application end users, such as a telephone service, connected at base station controllers and mobile user stations. In a particular embodiment, the interface between the base station and the user stations is a TDMA interface, and signaling traffic between the base station and each of the user stations is conducted in either a fast control traffic mode or a slow control traffic mode. In the fast control traffic mode, signaling messages are exchanged between the base station and a user station in a plurality of time slots within a timespan of a single time frame; in the slow control traffic mode, signaling messages are exchanged between the base station and a user station in no more than a single time slot within a timespan of a single time frame.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising

a base station, said base station comprising a base station transceiver, a dual access memory;

a line card controller, and an over the air controller;

a plurality of user stations, said user stations comprising a user station transceiver capable of receiving signals from said base station transceiver, said base station and said user station comprising circuitry for establishing a time frame comprising a plurality of time slots;

said dual access memory comprising a first input and a second input, said first input coupled to said line card controller and said second input coupled to said over the air controller;

said base station comprising a fast traffic control mode and a slow traffic control mode;

said fast traffic control mode comprising transmission of control traffic signals between said base station transceiver and said user station transceiver in one or more time slots within a single time frame and said slow traffic control mode comprising transmission of control traffic signals between said base station transceiver and said user station transceiver a maximum of once per time frame and wherein said base station sets the rate of exchange of control traffic signals over time frames in said slow traffic control mode said transmission of control traffic signals between said base station transceiver and said user station transceiver in said slow traffic control mode need not occur in every successive timeframe.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said control traffic signals comprise information directing said user station to exchange signals in said slow traffic control mode.

3. The communication system of claim 2 wherein a user station control traffic transmission comprises a signaling message comprising information requesting said base station to exchange signals in said slow traffic control mode.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said control traffic signals comprise a message including information setting the rate of said exchange of signaling messages over a number of consecutive time frames.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said control traffic signals comprises information for determining the quality and position of time slots to be used for said exchange of signaling messages in said fast traffic control mode.

6. A communication system comprising

a base station,

a first user station wherein said first user station and said base station periodically exchange traffic control information using a periodic time frame, said periodic time frame comprising one or more time slots,

said periodic exchange of traffic control information at times occurring in a single time slot within a time frame, and

at times occurring at a rate of once every other time frame.

7. The communication system of claim 6 wherein said periodic exchange of traffic control information comprises a base station transmission comprising information for adjusting said rate of said exchange of traffic control information.

8. The communication system of claim 6 further comprising

a second user station which periodically exchanges traffic control information with said base station, wherein

said periodic exchange of traffic control information between said base station and said second user station occurs in the same time slot as said time slot used by said first user station and said base station, and wherein

said periodic exchange of traffic control information between said base station and said second user station occurs in a periodic time frame different from said periodic time frame wherein said periodic exchange of traffic control information between said base station and said first user station occurs.

9. The communication system of claim 6 wherein the number of consecutive time frames in which said periodic exchange of traffic control information does not occur is not greater than thirty-one.

10. A communication system comprising

a base station, and

a plurality of user stations, wherein

each of said user stations exchanges control signals with said base station in a single time slot within a periodic time frame, and wherein

said exchange of control signals between said base station and each respective user station occurs no more frequently than every other periodic time frame.

11. The communication system of claim 10 wherein at least two of said users stations alternately exchange control signals with said base station using the same time slot in a different time frame.

12. The communication system of claim 11 wherein the number of said user stations exceeds the number of available time slots within said periodic time frame.

13. A communication system for dynamically varying the transmission of signaling information, comprising

a base station,

a user station, and

a signaling link between said base station and said user station, said signaling link comprising

a first exchange of signaling information between said base station and said user station in a plurality of time slots in a first periodic time frame, wherein

said first exchange of signaling information comprises a base station transmission comprising information data for determining the number and position of time slots to be used in a second time frame for a second exchange of signaling information.

14. The communication system of claim 13 further comprising

a second exchange of signaling information between said base station and said user station in a second time frame using said time slots determined by said information data in said base station transmission in said first time frame.

15. The communication system of claim 14 wherein said number of said time slots used for said second exchange of signaling information in said second time frame is greater than the number of said time slots used for said first exchange of signaling information in said first time frame.

16. A method for establishing a low rate continuous signaling link between a base station and a user station in a communication system, comprising the steps of

transmitting in one or more time slots within a periodic time frame a first transmission from said base station to said user station, said transmission comprising a signaling message comprising both a command for said user station to acknowledge entry into said signaling link and data specifying the rate of exchange of signaling messages over a fixed number of time frames in said signaling link,

receiving said first base station transmission at said user station,

transmitting from said user station in one or more time slots within said time frame a user transmission comprising an acknowledgement of said command by said base station,

receiving said user station transmission at said base station, and

exchanging signaling messages periodically between said base station and said user station over the course of a plurality of time frames, said periodic exchange of said signaling messages occurring at said rate specified by said base station.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of transmitting from said base station within a time frame during said signaling link a signaling message which varies said rate of said periodic exchange of said signaling messages in said signaling link, said rate-varying signaling message comprising information specifying a new rate.

18. A method for establishing a low rate continuous signaling link between a base station and a user station in a communication system comprising

transmitting in one or more time slots within a periodic time frame a first transmission from said base station to said user station, said transmission comprising a signaling message comprising both a command for said user station to acknowledge entry into said signaling link and data specifying the rate of exchange of signaling messages over a fixed number of time frames in said signaling link,

receiving said first base station transmission at said user station,

transmitting from said user station in one or more time slots within said time frame a user transmission comprising an acknowledgement of said command by said base station,

receiving said user station transmission at said base station,

exchanging signaling messages periodically between said base station and said user station over the course of a plurality of time frames, said periodic exchange of said signaling message occurring at said rate specified by said base station, and

transmitting from said base station within a time frame during said signaling link a signaling message which varies the slot position used by said base station and said user station for said exchange of signaling messages in said signaling link, said slot-position varying signaling message comprising information specifying a new slot position.

19. A method for accelerating signaling information over a communication interface, said interface comprising a plurality of control messages transmitted and received by a base station and a user station in one or more time slots within a periodic time frame,

comprising the steps of

exchanging control messages between said base station and said user station in one or more slot positions in a first time frame,

during said exchange in said first time frame, transmitting from said base station a control message comprising information for designating a plurality of available slot positions to be used for a second exchange in a succeeding time frame, and

exchanging control messages between said base station and said user station in said designated slot positions in said succeeding time frame.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the quantity of said designated plurality of slot positions in said subsequent time frame is greater than quantity of said one or more slot positions in said first frame.