Communication method

Abstract

For lack of a unique, specific and detailed specification for information on status of a mobile station to be notified by a mobile station to a fixed station, an operation may be varied from one mobile station to another in a communication system, thereby posing a problem for an efficient uplink scheduling. A communication method includes a transmission process multiplexing a transport channel for transmitting data from a high-order layer on a physical data channel and transmitting the multiplexed result to the fixed station, a status notification process notifying status information containing information on a transmission power headroom used for scheduling, and a transmission control process receiving the scheduling result and controlling the transmission process. The status information notification process includes notifying an index attached to each predetermined transmission power headroom level classified between upper and lower limit values of the transmission power headroom as the status information.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A communication method comprising:
 sending, from a mobile station to a base station, mobile station transmission power headroom information reflecting headroom quantity of transmission power in the mobile station; 
 indicating uplink radio resources from said base station to said mobile station on a basis of said mobile transmission power headroom information; and 
 sending data from said mobile station to said base station according to said indication of said uplink radio resources by said base station, 
 wherein a selected one of a first signaling value reflecting that headroom quantity of mobile station transmission power is contained within a first range having a predetermined first lower limit quantity and a predetermined upper limit quantity, and a second signaling value reflecting that headroom quantity of said mobile station transmission power is contained within a second range having a predetermined second lower limit quantity, is sent as said mobile station transmission power headroom information in the step of sending said mobile station transmission power headroom information. 
 
     
     
       2. The communication method of  claim 1 , wherein said second lower limit quantity is equal to or greater than said upper limit quantity. 
     
     
       3. A method comprising:
 sending, from a mobile station to a base station, information indicating mobile station transmission power headroom, wherein the information is selected from (i) a first signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a first range having a predetermined first lower limit quantity and a predetermined upper limit quantity, and (ii) a second signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a second range having a predetermined second lower limit quantity;   receiving, at said mobile station from said base station, an indication of uplink radio resources;   and sending, from said mobile station to said base station, data according to said indication of said uplink radio resources.   
     
     
       4. The method of claim 3, wherein said second lower limit quantity is equal to or greater than said upper limit quantity. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 3, wherein the information indicating mobile station transmission power headroom is scheduling information. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 3, wherein the second signaling value is 31. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 3, wherein the uplink radio resources are enhanced dedicated channel resources. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 3, wherein the second lower limit quantity is based on an indication received from the base station using radio resource control signaling. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication of uplink radio resources is received from the base station using an enhanced absolute grant channel. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 3, wherein the information indicating mobile station transmission power headroom is a ratio between a maximum total transmission power and a power of a dedicated physical control channel. 
     
     
       11. The method of claim 10, wherein the maximum total transmission power is determined based on a capability of the mobile station. 
     
     
       12. The method of claim 3 further comprising:
 determining a buffer amount based on a data amount not yet transmitted on at least one data buffer in the mobile station;   and sending, from said mobile station to said base station, an indication of the buffer amount.   
     
     
       13. A method comprising:
 receiving, at a base station from a mobile station, information indicating mobile station transmission power headroom, wherein the information is selected from (i) a first signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a first range having a predetermined first lower limit quantity and a predetermined upper limit quantity, and (ii) a second signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a second range having a predetermined second lower limit quantity;   sending, from said base station to said mobile station, an indication of uplink radio resources on a basis of said mobile transmission power headroom information;   and receiving, at said base station from said mobile station, data according to said indication of said uplink radio resources by said base station.   
     
     
       14. The method of claim 13, wherein said second lower limit quantity is equal to or greater than said upper limit quantity. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 13, wherein the information indicating mobile station transmission power headroom is scheduling information. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 13, wherein the second signaling value is 31. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 13, wherein the uplink radio resources are enhanced dedicated channel resources. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 13, wherein the second lower limit quantity is based on an indication transmitted from the base station using radio resource control signaling. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 13, wherein the indication of uplink radio resources is sent to the mobile station using the enhanced absolute grant channel. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 13, wherein the information indicating mobile station transmission power headroom is a ratio between a maximum total transmission power and a power of a dedicated physical control channel. 
     
     
       21. The method of claim 20, wherein the maximum total transmission power is determined based on a capability of the mobile station. 
     
     
       22. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving an indication of a buffer amount from said mobile station to said base station, wherein the buffer amount is based on a data amount not yet transmitted on at least one data buffer in the mobile station. 
     
     
       23. A mobile station configured to:
 send mobile station transmission power headroom information, wherein the information is selected from (i) a first signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a first range having a predetermined first lower limit quantity and a predetermined upper limit quantity, and (ii) a second signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a second range having a predetermined second lower limit quantity;   receive an indication of uplink radio resources from said base station;   and send data according to said indication of said uplink radio resources to said base station.   
     
     
       24. The mobile station of claim 23, wherein said second lower limit quantity is equal to or greater than said upper limit quantity. 
     
     
       25. The mobile station of claim 23, wherein the mobile station transmission power headroom information is scheduling information. 
     
     
       26. The mobile station of claim 23, wherein the second signaling value is 31. 
     
     
       27. The mobile station of claim 23, wherein the uplink radio resources are Enhanced Dedicated Channel resources. 
     
     
       28. The mobile station of claim 23, wherein the second lower limit quantity is based on an indication received from the base station using radio resource control signaling. 
     
     
       29. The mobile station of claim 23, wherein the indication of uplink radio resources is received from the base station using the enhanced absolute grant channel. 
     
     
       30. The mobile station of claim 23, wherein the mobile station transmission power headroom information is a ratio between a maximum total transmission power and a power of a dedicated physical control channel. 
     
     
       31. The mobile station of claim 30 further configured to determine the maximum total transmission power based on a capability of the mobile station. 
     
     
       32. The mobile station of claim 23 further configured to:
 determine a buffer amount based on a data amount not yet transmitted on at least one data buffer in the mobile station;   and send an indication of the buffer amount to said base station.   
     
     
       33. A base station configured to:
 receive mobile station transmission power headroom information, wherein the information is selected from (i) a first signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a first range having a predetermined first lower limit quantity and a predetermined upper limit quantity, and (ii) a second signaling value reflecting that mobile station transmission power headroom is within a second range having a predetermined second lower limit quantity;   transmit an indication of uplink radio resources to said mobile station on a basis of said mobile transmission power headroom information;   and receive data from said mobile station according to said indicated uplink radio resources.   
     
     
       34. The base station of claim 33, wherein said second lower limit quantity is equal to or greater than said upper limit quantity. 
     
     
       35. The base station of claim 33, wherein the mobile station transmission power headroom information is scheduling information. 
     
     
       36. The base station of claim 33, wherein the second signaling value is binary 31. 
     
     
       37. The base station of claim 33, wherein the uplink radio resources are enhanced dedicated channel resources. 
     
     
       38. The base station of claim 33, wherein the second lower limit quantity is based on an indication transmitted from the base station using radio resource control signaling. 
     
     
       39. The base station of claim 33, wherein the indication of uplink radio resources is transmitted to the mobile station using an enhanced absolute grant channel. 
     
     
       40. The base station of claim 33, wherein the mobile station transmission power headroom information is a ratio between a maximum total transmission power and a power of the dedicated physical control channel. 
     
     
       41. The base station of claim 40, wherein the maximum total transmission power is determined based on a capability of the mobile station. 
     
     
       42. The base station of claim 33 further configured to receive an indication of a buffer amount from said mobile station, wherein the buffer amount is based on a data amount not yet transmitted on at least one data buffer in the mobile station.