Radio terminal equipment

A mobile station in a mobile communication system, comprising:

• a channel control unit for determining from at least one downlink signal of a plurality of downlink signals received from a plurality of base stations in a soft handoff mode with the mobile station, a channel control timing for controlling the transmit timing from the mobile station,
• a controller for determining a window of time based upon the determined channel control timing, said window of time prior to sending a next uplink signal and processing received transmit power control data from downlink signals received during said window of time,
• a measuring unit for measuring a respective value of signal quality from one or more of a received plurality of downlink signals, and
• a generating unit for generating the transmit power control data to be included in a next uplink signal according to the measured value of signal quality of only respective downlink signals received a predetermined time prior to the timing of sending the next uplink signal according to the channel control,
• wherein said controller controlling the transmit power of the next uplink signal according to transmit power control data included in downlink signals from the plurality of base stations having a receive timing during the window of time.

A radio terminal equipment comprising:

• a receiving unit for receiving substantially in parallel a plurality of radio waves which may reach the receiving unit at deviating points in time, through a radio transmission path;
• a channel controlling unit for processing only radio waves of said plurality of radio waves received by said receiving unit during a period of time according to a channel controlling procedure even if at least one of the plurality of radio waves is received after said period of time;
• and
• a transmission unit for transmitting to said radio transmission path a transmission wave signifying a response to any radio wave which is an object of said processing by said channel controlling unit;
• wherein
• said period of time ends a predetermined time prior to the sending of the response, said predetermined time is a period allowing for a length of time needed for executing processes required for said channel controlling procedure including controlling transmit power of the next uplink wave according to radio waves received during said period of time.

A base station in a mobile communication system, for receiving an uplink signal from a mobile terminal in the communication system, comprising:

• a receiving unit for receiving a transmit power control data generated by a mobile station according to a quality of one or more of a plurality of downlink signals received at said mobile station until a time which is a predetermined period earlier than a timing of sending the transmit power control signal from the mobile station even if the mobile station does not receive at least one of the plurality of downlink signals, thereby limiting the generation of the transmit power control data for a next uplink signal to downlink signals received prior to the predetermined period, and
• a transmit power control unit for controlling a transmit power control according to said transmit power control data, wherein
• the mobile station generates the transmit power control signal by receiving a plurality of radio waves from a plurality of base stations in a soft handoff mode with the mobile station which may reach the radio terminal equipment at deviating points in time, through a radio transmission path, the mobile station processing only radio waves of said plurality of radio waves having a deviation less than a window of time for receiving the downlink signals from the plurality of base stations, the window of time determined based upon timing for sending an uplink signal to maintain the channel control procedure, and transmitting to said radio transmission path a transmission wave signifying a response to only the radio waves which are an object of said processing, thereby limiting the a response to include only information processed from radio waves received during said window of time.

In a mobile radio terminal where transmit and receive timing is controlled by a channel control procedure, a method of transmitting a response to a received plurality of radio waves, comprising the steps of:

• receiving substantially in parallel the plurality of radio waves which may reach the radio terminal equipment at deviating points in time, through a radio transmission path;
• processing only radio waves of said plurality of radio waves having a deviation less than a window of time for receiving downlink signals from the plurality of base stations, the window of time determined based upon timing for sending an uplink signal to maintain the channel control procedure;
• and
• transmitting to said radio transmission path a transmission wave signifying a response to only the radio waves which are an object of said processing, thereby limiting the a response to include only information processed from radio waves received during said window of time.

A method of processing a plurality of downlink signals in a wireless communications system where each downlink signal of said plurality comprises sequential frames and where transmit and receive timing is controlled by a channel control procedure, comprising the steps of:

• receiving in parallel the plurality of radio waves which frames may reach the radio terminal equipment at deviating times, through a wireless communication channel from base stations in a soft handoff mode with the radio terminal equipment;
• processing only frames of said plurality of radio waves having a deviation less than a window of time for receiving downlink signals from the plurality of base stations, the window of time determined based upon timing for sending an uplink signal in time to maintain the channel control procedure even if at least one of the plurality of radio waves has not yet been received;
• and
• transmitting through a wireless communication channel an uplink signal signifying a response to said frame(s) which is an object of said processing, thereby limiting the response to include only information processed from radio waves received during said window of time.

A method of controlling transmission powers in a wireless mobile communication system where a mobile station is simultaneously connected with a plurality of base stations via a plurality of radio channels and where the mobile station provides transmit power control data useful in controlling the transmit power of the base stations and the base stations provide transmit power control data useful in controlling the transmit power of the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a plurality of downlink signals from a plurality of base stations in a soft handoff mode with the mobile station;
• determining, based upon a received downlink signal of the plurality of downlink signals, timing for sending of an uplink signal;
• determining a window of time for receiving downlink signals from the plurality of base stations, said controller determining the window of time based upon the determined timing for sending an uplink signal and said controller controlling the transmission power of an uplink signal based upon only downlink signals from the plurality of base stations having a receive timing during the window of time;
• determining a minimum processing period for processing a downlink frame to provide transmit power control data to the base stations in a next uplink frame while maintaining channel timing control,
• measuring a value of signal quality for one or more of the plurality of radio channels, and
• generating transmit power control data to be included in the next frame, from only the measured value of signal quality of respective radio channels received before the minimum processing period even if at least one of the plurality of downlink signals is not received prior to the start of the minimum processing period thereby limiting the generation of the transmit power control data.

A method of controlling a transmission power of a base station of a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

• receiving in the base station an uplink signal containing transmission power control data,
• determining from the transmission power control data a transmission power of a next downlink signal, and
• transmitting the next downlink signal at a power level responsive to the determining step, wherein
• generating the transmission power control data in a mobile terminal includes the steps of:
• receiving a downlink signal in a terminal;
• determining from the downlink signal an uplink signal timing required to maintain channel control when generating and transmitting an uplink signal;
• determining a window of time which ends a predetermined time prior to sending the next uplink signal;
• processing the downlink signal to provide a processing result when said downlink signal has a receive timing during the window of time;
• measuring of a respective value of signal quality for one or more of a plurality of downlink signals;
• generating transmit power control data to be included in the next uplink signal from only the downlink signals having their respective value of signal quality measured during a predetermined period of time even if at least one of the plurality of downlink signals is not received during the period of time during which the measuring must occur;
• and
• generating an uplink signal to be transmitted according the determined uplink signal timing including the transmit power control data, the uplink signal transmit power controlled according to the downlink signal having a receive timing during the window of time.

A method of signal processing in a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

• transmitting a downlink signal from a base station;
• receiving a downlink signal in a terminal;
• determining from the downlink signal an uplink signal timing required to maintain channel control when generating and transmitting an uplink signal;
• determining a window of time which ends a predetermined time prior to sending a next uplink signal;
• processing the downlink signal to provide a processing result when said downlink signal has a receive liming during the window of time;
• and
• generating an uplink signal to be transmitted according the determined uplink signal timing, the uplink signal controlled according to the processing result from the downlink signal having a receive timing during the window of time.

A method of signal processing in a wireless communication system having a plurality of base stations in a soft handoff mode with a terminal, comprising the steps of:

• transmitting a downlink signal from each base station of said plurality of base stations in said soft handoff mode;
• receiving the transmitted downlink signals in the terminal;
• determining from at least one of the downlink signals an uplink signal timing required to maintain channel control when generating and transmitting an uplink signal;
• determining a window of time which ends a predetermined time prior to sending the next uplink signal;
• processing one or more of the downlink signals having a receive timing during the window of time to provide a processing result for each downlink signal;
• and
• generating an uplink signal, the uplink signal controlled according to the processing result from the downlink signals received during the window of time.