Servicing multiple high speed data users in shared packets of a high speed wireless channel

• US 20020012334A1
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Tong, Wen, Strawczynski, Leo L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,917,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7075 with code phase acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0059 Convolutional codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0066 Parallel concatenated codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A slot structure carries data/control for a plurality of user terminals on a high speed forward channel. The slot structure includes a preamble that identifies the plurality of user terminals and a data rate of the slot structure. In one embodiment, the data rate is indicated via an Explicit Data Rate Indicator (EDRI) that is (8,4,4) code. Further, the preamble includes a plurality of 32-ary Walsh functions, each of which corresponds to an identified user terminal. According to a particular embodiment, the slot structure services four user terminals, with a first set of two user terminals identified by 32-ary Walsh functions transmitted on an in-phase portion of a carrier during the preamble and a second set of two user terminals identified by 32-ary Walsh functions transmitted on a quadrature portion of the carrier during the preamble. In such embodiment, the EDRI code is also carried on the quadrature portion of the carrier during the preamble.

Claims

1. A method of operating a base station to wirelessly transmit data communications to a plurality of user terminals on a carrier, the method comprising:

repeatedly and sequentially wirelessly transmitting time division multiplexed slots to the plurality of user terminals on the carrier, wherein at least one of the time division multiplied slots carries data/control intended for the plurality of user terminals, and wherein the time division multiplexed slots each include a preamble;

wherein the preamble includes an indication of the data rate of the data/control carried by the time division multiplexed slots; and

wherein the preamble includes a plurality of a user identifiers that identify the plurality of user terminals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein Walsh functions are employed as the plurality of user identifiers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

a first plurality of Walsh functions is modulated on an in-phase portion of the carrier to identify a first plurality of user terminals; and

a second plurality of Walsh functions is modulated on a quadrature portion of the carrier to identify a second plurality of user terminals.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication of the data rate comprises an (8,4,4) code that is modulated on the quadrature portion of the carrier.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the first plurality of Walsh functions are modulated on the in-phase portion of the carrier in a time division manner; and

the second plurality of Walsh functions are modulated on the quadrature portion of the carrier in a time division manner.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the first plurality of Walsh functions are concurrently modulated on the in-phase portion of the carrier; and

the second plurality of Walsh functions are concurrently modulated on the quadrature portion of the carrier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data/control is contained in a plurality of segments of the slot.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the slot further carries a pilot channel and a Medium Access Control (MAC) channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the slot further carries a pilot channel and a Medium Access Control (MAC) channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein Walsh functions are employed as the plurality of user identifiers.

11. A time division multiplexed slot embodied on a carrier that carries data intended for a plurality of user terminals, the slot comprising:

a preamble that includes an indication of a data rate of data carried by the time division multiplexed slot and that includes a plurality user identifiers that identify the plurality of user terminals;

at least one data segment that carries the data;

at least one pilot signal segment; and

at least one Medium Access Control (MAC) segment.

12. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 11, wherein Walsh functions are employed in the preamble as the plurality of user identifiers.

13. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 12, wherein:

a first plurality of Walsh functions is modulated on an in-phase portion of the carrier during the preamble to identify a first plurality of user terminals; and

a second plurality of Walsh functions is modulated on a quadrature portion of the carrier during the preamble to identify a second plurality of user terminals.

14. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 13, wherein the indication of the data rate comprises an (8,4,4) code that is modulated on the quadrature portion of the carrier.

15. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 13, wherein:

the first plurality of Walsh functions are modulated on the in-phase portion of the carrier during the preamble in a time division manner; and

the second plurality of Walsh functions are modulated on the quadrature portion of the carrier during the preamble in a time division manner.

16. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 13, wherein:

the first plurality of Walsh functions are concurrently modulated on the in-phase portion of the carrier; and

the second plurality of Walsh functions are concurrently modulated on the quadrature portion of the carrier.

17. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 11, wherein the data is contained in a plurality of segments of the slot.

18. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 17, wherein the slot further carries a pilot channel and a Medium Access Control (MAC) channel.

19. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 11, wherein the slot further carries a pilot channel and a Medium Access Control (MAC) channel.

20. The time division multiplexed slot of claim 19, wherein Walsh functions are employed as the plurality of user identifiers.