Methods and apparatuses for fast power control of signals transmitted on a multiple access channel

A method for controlling the transmission of signals from two or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising the steps of:

• (A) transmitting a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel;
• (B) receiving the power control information packet at a first mobile station and a second mobile station;
• and
• (C) simultaneously transmitting messages from the first mobile station and the second mobile station to the base station on a first access channel, wherein the messages from the first and second mobile stations are transmitted on the first access channel at power levels that are determined in response to only a first power control bit in the power control information packet, wherein the first power control bit is located in a first position in the power control information packet, and the first position is mapped to the first access channel.

A method for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on one or more of a plurality of multiple access channels, comprising the steps of:

• (A) transmitting a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein the power control bits in the power control information packet are transmitted using a modulation that permits each of the power control bits to assume one of first, second and third different states;
• (B) receiving the power control information packet at a first mobile station;
• (C) identifying, at the first mobile station, a state of a first power control bit associated with a first access channel;
• (D) performing one of first, second or third operations with said first mobile station if said state of said first power control bit corresponds to said first state;
• wherein said first operation corresponds to initiating the transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel, the second operation corresponds to inhibiting the initiation of transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel;
• and the third operation corresponds to ceasing the transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel;
• (E) increasing an output power level of the first mobile station on the first access channel if the state of the first power control bit corresponds to said second state;
• and
• (F) decreasing the output power level of the first mobile station on the first access channel if the state of the first power control bit corresponds to said third state.

A method for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising the steps of:

• (A) transmitting a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a time offset within the selected access channel;
• (B) determining at the base station whether a mobile station accessed a first access channel during a time interval corresponding to a first time offset;
• (C) if a mobile station accessed the first access channel during the time interval corresponding to the first time offset, then mapping a first power control bit having a first position within the power control information packet to the first access channel and the first time offset;
• and
• (D) if a mobile station failed to access the first access channel during the time interval corresponding to the first time offset, then mapping the first power control bit having the first position within the power control information packet to the first access channel and a second time offset associated with the first access channel.

In a mobile radio telephone system having a plurality of cells, each of the cells having at least one base station transmitter associated therewith, a method of performing an access channel handoff for a mobile radio unit as the mobile radio unit moves from a first of said cells to a second of said cells, comprising the steps of:

• (A) transmitting a first power control information packet including at least one power control bit from a first base station associated with the first cell to the mobile radio unit, wherein the at least one power control bit from the first base station is transmitted at a first time interval that corresponds to a first access channel;
• (B) transmitting a second power control information packet including at least one power control bit from a second base station associated with the second cell to the mobile radio unit, wherein the at least one power control bit from the second base station is associated with the first access channel and with the second base station, wherein each of the power control bits in the first and second power control information packets have a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a base station associated with the selected access channel;
• (C) receiving at the mobile radio unit the first and second power control information packets, determining a state of the at least one power control bit from the first base station and a state of the at least one power control bit from the second base station, and determining an output power adjustment level in response to the state of the at least one power control bit from the first base station and the state of the at least one power control bit from the second base station;
• (D) transmitting a message from the mobile radio unit to the first base station and the second base station on the first access channel during the handoff, wherein said message is transmitted from the mobile radio unit in accordance with the output power adjustment level determined in step (C).

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) a base station transmitter that transmits a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a time offset within the selected access channel;
• (B) a receiver at a first mobile station that receives the power control information packet;
• (C) a transmitter at the first mobile station, wherein the transmitter at the first mobile station transmits a message from the first mobile station to the base station on a first access channel and at a first time offset associated with the first access channel, wherein said message is transmitted from the first mobile station at a power level;
• and
• (D) a controller at the first mobile station that determines said power level in response to a first power control bit in the power control information packet, the first power control bit being located in a first position in the power control information packet, and the first position being mapped to the first access channel and the first time offset.

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from two or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) a base station transmitter that transmits a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel;
• (B) a receiver at a first mobile station that receives the power control information packet;
• (C) a receiver at a second mobile station that receives the power control information packet;
• and
• (D) first and second transmitters at the first and second mobile stations, the first and second transmitters simultaneously transmitting messages from the first mobile station and the second mobile station to the base station on a first access channel, wherein the messages from the first and second mobile stations are transmitted on the first access channel at power levels that are determined in response to only a first power control bit in the power control information packet, wherein the first power control bit is located in a first position in the power control information packet, and the first position is mapped to the first access channel.

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on one or more of a plurality of multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) a base station transmitter that transmits a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein the power control bits in the power control information packet are transmitted by the base station transmitter using a modulation that permits each of the power control bits to assume one of first, second and third different states;
• (B) a receiver at the first mobile station that receives the power control information packet;
• (C) a controller at the first mobile station that identifies a state of a first power control bit associated with a first access channel;
• (D) a transmitter at the first mobile station, coupled to the controller, the transmitter at the first mobile station performing one of first, second or third operations if said state of said first power control bit corresponds to said first state;
• wherein said first operation corresponds to initiating the transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel, the second operation corresponds to inhibiting the initiation of transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel;
• and the third operation corresponds to ceasing the transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel;
• (E) said controller increasing an output power level of the first mobile station on the first access channel if the state of the first power control bit corresponds to said second state;
• and
• (F) said controller decreasing the output power level of the first mobile station on the first access channel if the state of the first power control bit corresponds to said third state.

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) a base station transmitter that transmits a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a time offset within the selected access channel;
• (B) a controller at the base station that determines whether a mobile station accessed a first access channel during a time interval corresponding to a first time offset;
• (C) said controller mapping a first power control bit having a first position within the power control information packet to the first access channel and the first time offset if a mobile station accessed the first access channel during the time interval corresponding to the first time offset;
• and
• (D) said controller mapping the first power control bit having the first position within the power control information packet to the first access channel and a second time offset associated with the first access channel if a mobile station failed to access the first access channel during the time interval corresponding to the first time offset.

In a mobile radio telephone system having a plurality of cells, each of the cells having at least one base station transmitter associated therewith, an apparatus for performing an access channel handoff for a mobile radio unit as the mobile radio unit moves from a first of said cells to a second of said cells, comprising:

• (A) a first base station transmitter that transmits a first power control information packet including at least one power control bit from a first base station associated with the first cell to the mobile radio unit, wherein the at least one power control bit from the first base station is transmitted at a first time interval that corresponds to a first access channel;
• (B) a second base station transmitter that transmits a second power control information packet including at least one power control bit from a second base station associated with the second cell to the mobile radio unit, wherein the at least one power control bit from the second base station is associated with the first access channel and with the second base station, wherein each of the power control bits in the first and second power control information packets have a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a base station associated with the selected access channel;
• (C) a receiver at the mobile radio unit that receives the first and second power control information packets;
• (D) a controller at the mobile radio unit that determines a state of the at least one power control bit from the first base station, a state of the at least one power control bit from the second base station, the controller also determining an output power adjustment level in response to the state of the at least one power control bit from the first base station and the state of the at least one power control bit from the second base station;
• and
• (E) a transmitter in the mobile radio unit that transmits a message from the mobile radio unit to the first base station and the second base station on the first access channel during the handoff, wherein said message is transmitted from the mobile radio unit in accordance with the output power adjustment level determined by the controller.

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) means for transmitting a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a time offset within the selected access channel;
• (B) means for receiving the power control information packet at a first mobile station;
• and
• (C) means for transmitting a message from the first mobile station to the base station on a first access channel and at a first time offset associated with the first access channel, wherein said message is transmitted from the first mobile station at a power level determined in response to a first power control bit in the power control information packet, the first power control bit is located in a first position in the power control information packet, and the first position is mapped to the first access channel and the first time offset.

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from two or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) means for transmitting a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel;
• (B) means for receiving the power control information packet at a first mobile station and a second mobile station;
• and
• (C) means for simultaneously transmitting messages from the first mobile station and the second mobile station to the base station on a first access channel, wherein the messages from the first and second mobile stations are transmitted on the first access channel at power levels that are determined in response to only a first power control bit in the power control information packet, wherein the first power control bit is located in a first position in the power control information packet, and the first position is mapped to the first access channel.

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on one or more of a plurality of multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) means for transmitting a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein the power control bits in the power control information packet are transmitted using a modulation that permits each of the power control bits to assume one of first, second and third different states;
• (B) means for receiving the power control information packet at a first mobile station;
• (C) means for identifying, at the first mobile station, a state of a first power control bit associated with a first access channel;
• (D) means for performing one of first, second or third operations with said first mobile station if said state of said first power control bit corresponds to said first state;
• wherein said first operation corresponds to initiating the transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel, the second operation corresponds to inhibiting the initiation of transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel;
• and the third operation corresponds to ceasing the transmission of message information from the first mobile station to the base station on the first access channel;
• (E) means for increasing an output power level of the first mobile station on the first access channel if the state of the first power control bit corresponds to said second state;
• and
• (F) means for decreasing the output power level of the first mobile station on the first access channel if the state of the first power control bit corresponds to said third state.

An apparatus for controlling the transmission of signals from one or more of a plurality of mobile stations to a base station on a plurality of M multiple access channels, comprising:

• (A) means for transmitting a power control information packet formed from a plurality of power control bits from the base station to said one or more mobile stations, wherein each of the power control bits in the power control information packet has a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a time offset within the selected access channel;
• (B) means for determining at the base station whether a mobile station accessed a first access channel during a time interval corresponding to a first time offset;
• (C) means for mapping a first power control bit having a first position within the power control information packet to the first access channel and the first time offset if a mobile station accessed the first access channel during the time interval corresponding to the first time offset;
• and
• (D) means for mapping the first power control bit having the first position within the power control information packet to the first access channel and a second time offset associated with the first access channel if a mobile station failed to access the first access channel during the time interval corresponding to the first time offset.

In a mobile radio telephone system having a plurality of cells, each of the cells having at least one base station transmitter associated therewith, an apparatus for performing an access channel handoff for a mobile radio unit as the mobile radio unit moves from a first of said cells to a second of said cells, comprising:

• (A) means for transmitting a first power control information packet including at least one power control bit from a first base station associated with the first cell to the mobile radio unit, wherein the at least one power control bit from the first base station is transmitted at a first time interval that corresponds to a first access channel;
• (B) means for transmitting a second power control information packet including at least one power control bit from a second base station associated with the second cell to the mobile radio unit, wherein the at least one power control bit from the second base station is associated with the first access channel and with the second base station, wherein each of the power control bits in the first and second power control information packets have a position that is mapped to a selected access channel and to a base station associated with the selected access channel;
• (C) means for receiving at the mobile radio unit the first and second power control information packets, determining a state of the at least one power control bit from the first base station and a state of the at least one power control bit from the second base station, and determining an output power adjustment level in response to the state of the at least one power control bit from the first base station and the state of the at least one power control bit from the second base station;
• (D) means for transmitting a message from the mobile radio unit to the first base station and the second base station on the first access channel during the handoff, wherein said message is transmitted from the mobile radio unit in accordance with the output power adjustment level.