Communication terminal and radio communication method

• US 20020159414A1
• Filed: 11/27/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Osamu, Kanemoto, Hideki
• Application Number:
  US09/979,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20020159414A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7115 Constructive combining of multi-path signals, i.e. RAKE receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Spectral efficiency is improved by assigning only a small number of subcarriers to an access channel as compared with a traffic channel to which a large number of subcarriers are assigned. Also, by grouping users and assigning the access channel of each group to an individual subcarrier, the reception band is reduced and processing involved in reception decreased, and power consumption is reduced, thus saving battery power.

Claims

1. A communication terminal apparatus comprising:

assigning means for assigning a plurality of subcarriers to a traffic channel and assigning a smaller number of subcarriers than said plurality of subcarriers to a control channel; and

transmitting means for transmitting to a base station apparatus a multicarrier signal including subcarriers assigned by said assigning means.

2. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said assigning means assigns said control channel to a subcarrier corresponding to a group in which said base station is grouped.

3. A communication terminal apparatus comprising:

assigning means for assigning a plurality of spreading codes to a traffic channel and assigning a smaller number of spreading codes than said plurality of spreading codes to a control channel; and

transmitting means for transmitting to a base station apparatus a multicode signal that has undergone spreading modulation processing using a spreading code assigned by said assigning means.

4. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said assigning means assigns to said control channel a spreading code corresponding to a group in which said base station is grouped.

5. A communication terminal apparatus comprising:

assigning means for assigning a spreading code with a small spreading factor to a traffic channel and assigning a spreading code with a larger spreading factor than said plurality of spreading codes to a control channel; and

transmitting means for transmitting to a base station apparatus a signal that has undergone spreading modulation processing using a spreading code assigned by said assigning means.

6. A communication terminal apparatus comprising:

assigning means for assigning greater radio resources determined by a combination of number of subcarriers, number of spreading codes, and spreading factor, to a traffic channel, and assigning fewer radio resources than said plurality of spreading codes to a control channel; and

transmitting means for transmitting to a base station apparatus a signal that has undergone modulation processing using radio resources assigned by said assigning means.

7. A base station apparatus characterized by performing radio communication with a communication terminal apparatus, said communication terminal apparatus comprising:

assigning means for assigning a plurality of subcarriers to a traffic channel and assigning a smaller number of subcarriers than said plurality of subcarriers to a control channel; and

transmitting means for transmitting to a base station apparatus a multicarrier signal including subcarriers assigned by said assigning means.

8. A radio communication method comprising:

an assigning step of assigning a plurality of subcarriers to a traffic channel and assigning a smaller number of subcarriers than said plurality of subcarriers to a control channel;

a transmitting step of transmitting to a base station apparatus a multicarrier signal including subcarriers assigned in said assigning step; and

a receiving step of receiving a control channel signal assigned to a subcarrier corresponding to the group to which a station itself belongs, included in said multicarrier signal.

9. A radio communication method comprising:

an assigning step of assigning a plurality of spreading codes to a traffic channel and assigning a smaller number of spreading codes than said plurality of spreading codes to a control channel;

a transmitting step of transmitting to a base station apparatus a multicode signal that has undergone spreading modulation processing using a spreading code assigned in said assigning step; and

a receiving step of receiving a control channel signal that has undergone spreading modulation processing using a spreading code corresponding to the group to which a station itself belongs, included in said multicode signal.