Patent ID: 6418137
Filing Date: 2002-07-09
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
A method of producing power control bits at a first station for use in controlling power of a signal transmitted by a second station and received at the first station, comprising the steps of:determining a signal quality parameter of the signal received at the first station; in response to the determined signal quality parameter exceeding an upper threshold by an upper threshold margin, producing a power control bit with a first binary value and increasing the upper threshold margin; in response to the determined signal quality parameter being below a lower threshold by a lower threshold margin, producing a power control bit with a second binary value and increasing the lower threshold margin; and in response to the determined signal quality parameter not exceeding the upper threshold by the upper threshold margin and not being below the lower threshold by the lower threshold margin, producing a power control bit with a binary value opposite to the binary value of the preceding power control bit and setting the upper and lower threshold margins to predetermined values; in response to successive ones of the power control bits, producing a variable which is incremented in a first direction in response to each power control bit having the first binary value and in a second, opposite, direction in response to each power control bit having the second binary value; in response to the variable being incremented in the first direction to exceed a first threshold, decreasing the power of the signal transmitted by the second station by a predetermined power change step size and changing the variable in the second direction; and in response to the variable being incremented in the second direction to exceed a second threshold, increasing the power of the signal transmitted by the second station by a predetermined power change step size and changing the variable in the direction.