Power control in a wireless communication system

A method of power control in a wireless communication system wherein blocks of a transport channel are transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver via a wireless transmission channel, there being a period of time where no data blocks are transmitted for that transport channel, the method comprising comparing a target signal quality value with a received signal quality value and providing the results of the comparing step to the transmitter to adjust transmit power based on the comparing step, wherein the target signal quality value is set by the following steps:

• determining an initial target value;
• detecting if a data block has been received, said detecting generating detection error events in said period of time which appear as fail blocks;
• detecting if received blocks have been successfully decoded, and identifying the received blocks as pass or fail blocks;
• and
• decreasing the target value when pass blocks are received and increasing the target value when fail blocks are received subject to monitoring a period of inactivity on the transport channel in which no blocks and fail blocks are identified and where the period of inactivity exceeds a threshold reducing a current target value to a value determined by the target value at commencement of the period of inactivity.

A receiver for a wireless communications system, the receiver comprising:

• means for detecting blocks of a transport channel transmitted from a transmitter to the receiver via a wireless transmission channel, there being a period of time where no data blocks are transmitted for that transport channel, said detecting generating detection error events in said period of time which appear as fail blocks;
• means for detecting if blocks have been successfully decoded and identifying blocks as pass or fail;
• means for generating a target signal quality value by decreasing the target value when pass blocks are received and increasing the value when fail blocks are received;
• means for comparing the target signal quality value with a received signal quality value and providing the result of the comparing step to the transmitter to adjust transmit power based on the comparing step;
• and
• means for monitoring a period of inactivity on the transport channel in which no blocks and fail blocks are identified and means operable to adjust the target value so that where the period of inactivity exceeds a threshold, the current target value is reduced to a value determined by the target value at commencement of the period of inactivity.

A receiver for a wireless communications system, the receiver comprising:

• a component arranged to detect blocks of a transport channel transmitted from a transmitter to the receiver via a wireless transmission channel, there being a period of time where no data blocks are transmitted for that transport channel, said detecting generating detection error events in said period of time which appear as fail blocks;
• a component arranged to detect if blocks have been successfully decoded and identifying blocks as pass or fail;
• a component arranged to generate a target signal quality value by decreasing the target value when pass blocks are received and increasing the value when fail blocks are received;
• a component arranged to compare the target signal quality value with a received signal quality value and providing the result of the comparing step to the transmitter to adjust transmit power based on the comparing step;
• and
• a component arranged to monitor a period of inactivity on the transport channel in which no blocks and fail blocks are identified and a component operable to adjust the target value so that where the period of inactivity exceeds a threshold, the current target value is reduced to a value determined by the target value at commencement of the period of inactivity.