Apparatus for controlling transmission power over a digital radio communication channel

Claim 1

Apparatus for controlling the transmission power of a transmitting station which transmits digital signals to a receiving station over a radio communication channel, the receiving station also transmitting digital signals to the transmitting station over a return radio communication channel; such apparatus comprising: (a) in the receiving station a first threshold device adapted to measure the level of a received signal relative to a predetermined minimum threshold value, and to produce an information signal corresponding to such measured level of the received signal; a second threshold device adapted to measure the quality of a received signal by comparing the error rate thereof with a predetermined maximum threshold value, and to produce an information signal corresponding to such measured quality of the received signal; means for transmitting said level information signal and said quality information signal over said return channel to the transmitting station; (b) in the transmitting station means for receiving the level information and quality information signals from the receiving station; transmission power control means for increasing or decreasing the transmission power of the transmitting station over a dynamic adjustment range; information processing means connected to said receiving means and adapted to produce a control signal derived from a combination of the level information signal and the quality information signal, and to apply such control signal to said transmission power control means; such control signal causing said transmission power control means to effect an increase or decrease of the transmission power of the transmitting station over a first part of said dynamic adjustment range solely in accordance with said level information signal, and to effect an increase or decrease of the transmisson power of the transmitting station over a second part of said dynamic adjustment range in accordance with a combination of said level information signal and signal quality information signal.