US 8,285,318 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for controlling transmission power while in soft handoff

AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated

InventorsTao Chen, Jack M. Holtzman, Leonid Razoumov, Shimman Patel, Keith Saints, Edward G. Tiedemann, Jr.

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Abstract

Method and apparatus for adjusting the transmission power of base stations in simultaneous communication with a mobile station. The methods described provide for the transmission power of the base stations to be aligned. In the first exemplary embodiment, the transmitters are attached to a separate control unit through communication links. The control unit then derives the most likely command stream and send that to the base stations. In the second exemplary embodiment, the control unit periodically receives the final or average transmit level in a period and an aggregate quality measure for the feedback during a period from each of the transmitters. The control unit determines the aligned power level and transmits a message indicative of the aligned power level to the transmitters.

Claims42

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving a first transmission power message for determining a power level of a transmission of a forward link signal between a mobile station and a first base station;
receiving a second transmission power message for determining a power level of transmission of a redundant version of said forward link signal between said mobile station and a second base station;
generating an aligned power control command based, at least in part, on said first and second transmission power messages, and first and second indications of quality of one or more reverse link signals received from said mobile station by said first and second base stations, respectively;
and
sending said aligned power control command to said first base station and sending said aligned power control command to said second base station, wherein said aligned power control command is for producing correlating patterns of power control adjustments at said first base station for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station, and at said second base station for transmissions of said redundant version of said forward link signal from said second base station to said mobile station.

2 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

means for determining a power level of a transmission of a forward link signal between a mobile station and a first base station based, at least in part, on a first transmission power message;
means for determining a power level of transmission of a redundant version of said forward link signal between said mobile station and a second base station based, at least in part, on a second transmission power message;
and
means for generating an aligned power control command based, at least in part, on said first and second transmission power messages, and first and second indications of quality of one or more reverse link signals received from said mobile station by said first and second base stations, respectively;
means for sending said aligned power control command to said first base station;
and means for sending said aligned power control command to said second base station, wherein said aligned power control command is for producing correlating patterns of power control adjustment at said first base station for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station, and at said second base station for transmissions of said redundant version of said forward link signal from said second base station to said mobile station.

3 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive a first transmission power message for determining a power level of a transmission of a forward link signal between a first base station and a mobile station, and a second transmission power message for determining a power level of transmission of a redundant version of said forward link signal between said mobile station and a second base station;
a processor to generate an aligned power control command based, at least in part, on said first and second transmission power messages, and first and second indications of quality of one or more reverse link signals received from said mobile station by said first and second base stations, respectively, and wherein said aligned power control command is for producing correlating patterns of power control adjustments at said first base station for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station, and at said second base station for transmissions of said redundant version of said forward link signal from said second base station to said mobile station;
and
a transmitter to send said aligned power control command to said first base station and said second base station.

1 more element

A method comprising:

transmitting a first transmission power message for determining a power level of a transmission of a forward link signal between a mobile station and a first base station;
receiving an aligned power control command, said aligned power control command being based, at least in part, on said first transmission power message, a second transmission power message for determining a power level of transmission of a redundant version of said forward link signal between said mobile station and a second base station, and first and second indications of quality of one or more reverse link signals received from said mobile station by said first and second base stations, respectively;
and
in response to said aligned power control command, affecting a power control adjustment for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station, wherein said aligned power control command is for producing correlating patterns of power control adjustments at said first base station for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station, and at said second base station for transmissions of said redundant version of said forward link signal from said second base station to said mobile station.

1 more element

An apparatus for use in a first base station comprising:

means for transmitting a first transmission power message for determining a power level of a transmission of a forward link signal between a mobile station and said first base station;
means for receiving an aligned power control command, said aligned power control command being based, at least in part, on said first transmission power message, a second transmission power message for determining a power level of transmission of a redundant version of said forward link signal between said mobile station and a second base station, and first and second indications of quality of one or more reverse link signals received from said mobile station by said first and second base stations, respectively;
and
means for affecting a power control adjustment for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station in response to said aligned power control command, and wherein said aligned power control command is for producing correlating patterns of power control adjustments at said first base station for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station, and at said second base station for transmissions of said redundant version of said forward link signal from said second base station to said mobile station.

1 more element

An apparatus for use in a first base station, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver to:
transmit a first transmission power message to a base station controller, said first transmission power message for determining a power level of a transmission of a forward link signal between a mobile station and said first base station, and receive an aligned power control command from said base station controller, said aligned power control command being based, at least in part, on said first transmission power message, a second transmission power message for determining a power level of transmission of a redundant version of said forward link signal between said mobile station and a second base station, and first and second indications of quality of one or more reverse link signals received from said mobile station by said first and second base stations, respectively;
and
a processor to affect a power control adjustment for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station in response to said aligned power control command, and wherein said aligned power control command is for producing correlating patterns of power control adjustments at said first base station for transmissions of said forward link signal from said first base station to said mobile station, and at said second base station for transmissions of said redundant version of said forward link signal from said second base station to said mobile station.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/968,788Filed 18 Oct 2004 · continuation
Priority: 3 Dec 1998
Published: US 2005/0054366 A110 Mar 2005
Granted: 9 Oct 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H04W 52/362
With a discrete range or set of values, e.g. step size, ramping or offsets: aspects of the step size
H04W 52/40
TPC being performed in particular situations: during macro-diversity or soft handoff
H04W 52/12
TPC algorithms: outer and inner loops
H04W
Wireless communication networks

Family

Application09/204,803Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Dec 1998
Application10/286,285Parent of this continuation · filed 1 Nov 2002
US 6,512,925 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Jan 2003
US 2005/0054366 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Mar 2005
US 6,810,255 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2003/0054825 A1Published application
US 8,285,318 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.