Radio communication system with power saving disablement prior to call handling processes

A radio communication system comprising:

• a base station for transmitting a power saving signal and an information signal at periodic intervals;
• a plurality of repeater stations operating alternately between a preset interval and an active interval for relaying said power saving and information signals, each of said repeater stations including power saving means responsive to said power saving signal to cut off power supplies to major power consumptive components thereof during said preset interval, and power saving disabling means;
• a plurality of terminal stations operating alternately between said preset interval and said active interval for communicating through said repeater station with said base station, each of said terminal stations including power saving means responsive to said power saving signal relayed by an associated one of said repeater stations to cut off power supplies to major power consumptive components thereof during said preset interval, and power saving disabling means for transmitting a power saving disabling signal to said associated repeater station during said active interval in response to a request for a call and for disabling the power saving means thereof for the duration of said preset interval,
• the power saying disabling means of each of said repeater stations being responsive to said power saving disabling signal from the terminal stations for disabling the power saving means thereof for the duration of said preset interval to thereby permit said information signal to be relayed to the terminal station which has transmitted said power saving disabling signal,
• each of said terminal stations including means responsive to said relayed information signal for transmitting a call request signal to the associated repeater station to thereby permit said call request signal to be relayed by the associated repeater station during the preset interval immediately following the transmission of said power saving disabling signal.

A power saving method for a radio communication system, wherein the system comprises a base station connected to a telecommunication switching system, a repeater station for relaying said signals, and a plurality of terminal stations for communicating through said repeater station with said base station,

• transmitting from said base station a power saving signal and an information signal so that said signals are relayed by said repeater station to said terminal stations;
• effecting a power saving operation by cutting off power supplies to major power consumptive components of said repeater station and said terminal stations in response to said power saving signal during a preset interval which alternates with an active interval;
• transmitting from one of said terminal stations a power saving disabling signal to the repeater station during said active interval in response to a request for call;
• disabling said power saving operation of said one terminal station and said repeater station for the duration of said preset interval to thereby permit said information signal to be relayed to said one terminal station;
• and
• detecting the information signal relayed by the repeater station to said one terminal station and transmitting therefrom a call request signal to said repeater station to permit the call request signal to be relayed to said base station and processed during the preset interval which follows the transmission of said power saving disabling signal.