Importance

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Abstract

An adaptive power control used on a radio network and a method for adaptively controlling the transmit power level of member stations on the network. An exemplary network (12) includes a plurality of member stations (10a through 10f) between which radio signal propagation conditions are subject to change. Each member station includes a transceiver (21) having a transmitter (26) and a receiver (28) section. The transmit power level of the transmitter is controlled by a variable gain circuit (48) in response to a variable gain signal produced by a control (34). A member station uses a transmit power level determined by reference to a database in which signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data defining the quality of each communication link and the transmit power levels last used for communication between each pair of member stations of the network are stored. If a response to a transmission in an initial frame is not received in the next frame, a controlling member station (server) incrementally increases its transmit power level by P.sub.D in successive frames, until either a response is received or the member station has failed to respond to a transmission at a maximum transmit power level, P.sub.max. If the response indicates that the signal is received with an SNR in excess of a predetermined margin, the server reduces its transmit power level to ensure that the minimum transmit power is used.

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First Claim