Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-22
2001-08-21
Trost, William (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S439000, C370S331000, C370S332000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278879
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to wireless communication systems, and, more particularly, to a method for determining a transmit power of a base station in a cellular communication system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical wireless communication system such as a cellular radio frequency (RF) radiotelephone system, a base station having a controller, a plurality of transmitters and receivers and one or more antennae, communicates with a switching center and with a mobile communication unit, or mobile station, operating within an area served by the base station.
Multiple access wireless communication between the base station and the mobile station occurs via RF channels which provide paths over which communication signals such as voice, data and video are transmitted. Base-to-mobile station communications are said to occur on a forward- or down-link channel, while mobile-to-base station communications are referred to as being on a reverse- or up-link channel. Time division multiple access (TDMA) is one example of a well-known channelization technique. A communication system using TDMA channelization is described in detail in Recommendation documents for the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), as well as in other standards documents such as Interim Standard (IS) 54 and IS-136, promulgated by the Telecommunications Industry Association, Washington, D.C. GSM recommendation documents, IS-54 and IS-136 describe the services and/or features of a TDMA system to users of such a system as well as performance and equipment specifications for network and portable radiotelephones operating within such a system, and are each incorporated herein by reference.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, external path loss
20
, caused by signal fading, among other things, contributes to total path loss
16
. In addition, a down-link internal path loss
10
, that is, the difference between actual power radiated from base station transmitter
12
and power radiated from antenna
14
, contributes to the total path loss
16
seen by mobile communication unit
18
. Down-link internal path loss
10
may be caused, among other things, by normal operation RF cabling, combiners, power amplifiers and other devices, as well as by defects in such devices.
Down-link internal path loss
10
is typically measured by hardware (not shown), such as a test mobile station, located at a fixed position near base station transmitter
12
. Such hardware is generally expensive to implement and maintain throughout a multi-cellular communication system having many base stations.
There is therefore a need for a method for determining a transmit power of a base station, and thus the down-link internal path loss associated with the base station, without using dedicated test hardware.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of the present invention, the foregoing needs are addressed by a method for determining a transmit power of a base station in a cellular communication system, the base station responsive to an antenna, which includes: at the base station, receiving a handover indication associated with a first mobile communication unit; based on the handover indication, determining a desired handover power level for the first mobile communication unit; based on the desired handover power level, establishing a communication link with the first mobile communication unit at an actual power level; calculating a difference between the desired handover power level and the actual power level; and based on the difference, determining a transmit power of the base station.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for determining a transmit power of a base station in a cellular communication system includes: transmitting, by a mobile communication unit to a first base station, a received signal strength associated with a second base station; in response to the received signal strength, receiving by the mobile communication unit a handover indication, the handover indication comprising a desired handover power level; based on the desired handover power level, the mobile communication unit establishing a communication link with the second base station at an actual power level; calculating a difference between the desired handover power level and the actual power level; and based on the difference, determining a transmit power of the base station.
Advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiment(s) of the invention which have been shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its details are capable of modifications in various respects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.
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Gilliland Dennis
Orda Florentino
Western Gary E.
Motorola Inc.
Tran Congvan
Trost William
Williams Lalita P.
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