Mobile station link supervision utilizing digital voice color codes

摘要

A method and apparatus are disclosed for supervising a communication link in a cellular mobile radio system between a base station and a mobile station on a digital voice channel by utilizing digital voice color codes. The base station transmits bursts of communication data, which have an associated digital voice color code, to the mobile station. The mobile station, upon receiving the bursts and decoding the digital voice color code, compares the digital voice color code with a reference digital voice color code received during a call setup or handoff operation. A timer is initiated to time out the communication link after a predetermined period of time in response to the reference digital voice color code not being equivalent to a first predetermined number of the digital voice color codes received with the bursts. The timer is reset and deactuated in response to the reference digital voice color code being equivalent to the first predetermined number of consecutively received digital voice color codes of the bursts received by the mobile station. The communication link is disconnected when the reference digital voice color code is not equivalent to the first predetermined number of consecutive digital voice color codes received during the predetermined period of time clocked by the timer. After the timer is reset and deactivated, the received digital voice color codes are again compared with the stored digital voice color code. In the event that a second predetermined number of consecutively received digital voice color codes are not equivalent to the stored digital voice color code, the timer will be initiated again to possibly time out the communication link as described above.