Multiplex communications – Communication over free space
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-19
2001-07-03
Ton, Dang (Department: 2662)
Multiplex communications
Communication over free space
C370S216000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256297
ABSTRACT:
The Present invention relates to a method for transmitting information in a universal transmission network in which both functions that are specific for mobile radio and functions that are specific for fixed networks are carried out, in a particularized fashion for mobile communications.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Universal transmission networks (UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, FPLMTS Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunications System) are known from the article “Mobilkommunikation auf Expansionskurs” [Mobile communication on an expanding market] in telcom report 18 (1995), Issue 2, pages 52 to 55, in which different networks and network services are combined to form personal mobile telecommunication. For the network subscribers—irrespective of whether they are mobile radio subscribers or fixed network subscribers—this results in universal access to a transmission network in which functions related to mobile radio networks and functions related to fixed networks are carried out for voice, data and video communications.
As is known, the same information can be transmitted on a plurality of redundant transmission paths by, such transmission paths are set up in parallel via a radio transmission interface from the network to the radio subscriber station a or from the radio subscriber station to the transmission network (macro diversity a) in order to achieve transmission quality which in as good as possible. This means that the signalling and/or wanted information which is normally inserted into one or more transmission frames is received by a plurality of radio devices; for example a base transmitting/receiving stations in the transmission network. The information transmission via parallel redundant transmission paths is used, for example, in a radio transmission interface which employs the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) access method in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,501. The redundant transmission paths can be met up and cleared dow dynamically while the radio subscriber station changes its location. Operation in this transmission mode (macro diversity) is also possible over a relatively long time period in the case of a fixed-position radio subscriber station.
In an ATM network which uses a radio interface for transmitting information from and to a mobile station, it is known from EP-A-0 679 042 for improved transmission quality to be achieved by the mobile station setting up redundant paths. The greater transmission capacity required for this purpose an for the transmission of ATM cells in the access network between base stations to which the mobile station is connected by radio and a mobile network interface unit a is reduced in that subnetworks are formed in the access network and redundant paths are combined and split in the interfaces of these networks (subnetwork interfaces).
The information which is transmitted from the radio subscriber station in the transmission frame on different transmission paths can be combined in the transmission network at combination points at such combination points two transmission paths are combined to form a single transmission path in one transmission direction (uplink), and the single transmission path is split into two transmission paths in the other transmission direction (downlink). The number and distribution of the combination points between network elements in the transmission network changes dynamically with the addition or removal of redundant transmission paths which can additionally be met up and cleared down again by the radio subscriber station.
To achieve the best possible utilization of the network elements in the universal transmission network, it is necessary to define an interworking point at which information encoded specifically for mobile radio must be converted into information coded specifically for fixed networks. Since the interworking point terminates all the functions specific for mobile radio, conversion cannot be carried out until after all the combination points when a plurality of redundant transmission paths are present in the transmission network. The dynamic addition and removal of redundant transmission paths result in changes in the number and distribution of the combination points and a thus a in the definition of the interworking point in the transmission network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the present invention to specify a method by which the interworking point in the transmission network can be defined in a flexible manner when redundant transmission paths are being set up and cleared down dynamically (macro diversity).
As a result of the fact that the radio subscriber station knows the number of parallel transmission paths, which number changes dynamically, information about the total number of combination points required in the transmission network is entered by said station in the transmission frame in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The number of combination points which the incoming transmission frames have passed through is in each case determined at the combination points in the transmission network, and information about this is also transmitted in the outgoing transmission frame. The combination point at which the total number of combination points in reached is selected in a dynamic and flexible manner, at each combination point, as the interworking point in the transmission network such is complished by virtue of the knowledge of the total number of the combination points and the number of combination points which have already been passed through.
The interworking point for conversion of the information encoded specifically for mobile radio networks into information encoded specifically for fixed networks is also localized by the method according to the present invention, when redundant transmission paths are set up and cleared down dynamically (macro diversity), wherever a combination point combines the last two transmission paths. In this case, the method according to the present invention also has the advantage that no additional signalling complexity in the form of signalling messages is required to define the optimum interworking point when using the “macro diversity” transmission mode. It is sufficient if the interworking point is selected on the basis of the new information which is also transmitted in each case. Despite redundant transmission paths being set up and cleared down dynamically on the radio transmission interface, this ensures that the interworking point is located in a network element in a transmission network which—from the point of view of the various network levels in a network—is as “close” as possible to a radio subscriber station.
According to a development of the present invention, the information about the number of combination points which have already been passed through is entered in the outgoing transmission frame until the total number of combination points is reached.
According to another development of the present invention, a combination point counter is inserted in the transmission frame in order to determine the number of combination points which have passed through, such that the current counts of the combination point counters which are contained in the incoming transmission frames can be added at each combination point. The count resulting from the addition is incremented by one in the respective combination point and the result compared for correspondence with the total number of combination points entered in the transmission frame. As soon as the resultant count of the combination point counter at a combination point reaches the value for the total number of combination points, all the combinations of redundant transmission paths in the transmission network have been carried out. The conversion of the information encoded specifically for mobile radio networks into information encoded specifically for fixed networks can thus be carried out at this combination point and by the corresponding network element. Additional features and advantages of the present inve
Ernst Detlef
Haferbeck Ralf
Bell Boyd & Lloyd LLC
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Ton Dang
LandOfFree
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