Method and Apparatus to Improve the Robustness of a Wireless Communication Link

Abstract

A method and apparatus to improve the robustness of a wireless communication link between a base station and a mobile communication device. The method increases power selectively on portions of an uplink communication signal transmitted from the mobile communication device to the base station. The method monitors a quality metric value at the mobile communication device and sets the transmit power level of the first portion of an uplink communication signal to the first power level, if the monitored quality metric value is in a first range of quality values, or sets the transmit power level of the first portion of the uplink communication signal to a second power level, if the monitored quality metric value is in a second range of quality values. The first portion of the uplink communication signal includes control signals used by a base station to maintain connection of the wireless communication link.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A method, comprising:
 determining a quality metric value for a communication between a mobile device and a base station;   determining a transmit power level setting for an uplink communication based on the quality metric value, wherein the transmit power level setting is determined to be a first value when the quality metric value is within a first range of values and the transmit power level setting is determined to be a second value when the quality metric value is within a second range of values, wherein the second value is a higher power level than the first value.