Method and system for operating a radio network controller in a wireless communication system

A radio network controller (RNC) for operating in a wireless communication system that comprises a plurality of transmitting subscriber units communicating with a plurality of receivers, the RNC comprising:

• a wireline transceiver operated to communicate with the plurality of receivers;
• a memory operated to maintain a group database comprising a plurality of transmitting groups, each transmitting group including one or more substantially simultaneously transmitting subscriber units from the plurality of transmitting subscriber units, wherein the plurality of receivers are able to receive transmissions from each of the one or more transmitting subscriber units within each transmitting group such that a resultant Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio SINR) associated with the substantially simultaneous transmissions received from each of the one or more transmitting subscriber units within each transmitting group meets a pre-defined SINR threshold at at least one of the plurality of receivers;
• and
• a processor coupled to the wireline transceiver and the memory, the processor configured to:
• receive, via the wireline transceiver, signal quality metrics (SQMs) associated with a new transmitting subscriber unit measured at one or more of the plurality of receivers in response to the new transmitting subscriber unit requesting to be a member of a transmitting group;
• step through the plurality of transmitting groups in the group database and test the received SQMs associated with the new transmitting subscriber unit with the resultant SINR associated with each of the plurality of transmitting groups to determine if the new transmitting subscriber unit could be added to at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups without reducing a resultant SINR associated with the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups below the pre-defined SINR threshold;
• assign the new transmitting subscriber unit to the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups, on the determination that the new transmitting subscriber unit could be added to the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups without reducing the resultant SINR associated with the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups below the pre-defined SINR threshold.

A wireless communication system comprising:

• a plurality of receivers;
• a plurality of transmitting subscriber units in communication with the plurality of receivers;
• and
• a radio network controller (RNC) in communication with the plurality of receivers, the RNC configured to:
• store a group database comprising a plurality of transmitting groups, each transmitting group including one or more substantially simultaneously transmitting subscriber units from the plurality of transmitting subscriber units, wherein the plurality of receivers are able to receive transmissions from each of the one or more transmitting subscriber units within each transmitting group such that a resultant Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) associated with the substantially simultaneous transmissions received from each of the one or more transmitting subscriber units within each transmitting group meets a pre-defined SINR threshold at at least one of the plurality of receivers;
• in response to a new transmitting subscriber unit requesting to be a member of a transmitting group, receive, by the RNC, signal quality metrics (SQMs) associated with the new transmitting subscriber unit measured at one or more of the plurality of receivers;
• step through the plurality of transmitting groups in the group database and test the received SQMs associated with the new transmitting subscriber unit with the resultant SINR associated with each of the plurality of transmitting groups to determine if the new transmitting subscriber unit could be added to at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups without reducing a resultant SINR associated with the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups below the pre-defined SINR threshold;
• assign the new transmitting subscriber unit to the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups, on the determination that the new transmitting subscriber unit could be added to the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups without reducing the resultant SINR associated with the at least one of the plurality of transmitting groups below the pre-defined SINR threshold.