Adaptive allocation of communications link channels to I- or Q-subchannel

• US 20030202492A1
• Filed: 04/01/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Hui, Yan, Akella, Ramakrishna
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/18 Phase-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using phase-shift keying H04L27/32 takes precedence

Abstract

System and method for adaptively allocating channels to subchannels and maintain balance on the subchannels. A preferred embodiment comprises an assignment unit (for example, assignment algorithm unit 717) that receives call/connection requests from a call/connection processing unit (for example, call/connection processing unit 712). The assignment unit may use a lookup table or channel metrics to determine an allocation for the call/connection to maintain a balance across the subchannels. The assignment unit may allocate only the call/connection in the request or it may allocate the call/connection in the request plus the calls/connections that are already allocated to achieve balance.

Claims

1. A method for channel allocation on a link comprising:

receiving a request for a channel;

selecting a channel allocation for the channel;

sending information about the channel allocation of the channel; and

initiating the channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel is part of a plurality of channels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of channels make up a call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel allocation is for a wireless communications network, wherein a reverse link is a link from a mobile station to a base station, and wherein the channel is a channel on the reverse link.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the reverse link comprises two subchannels, and wherein the channel is allocated onto one of the two subchannels.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless communications network is a Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless communications network is a CDMA2000 wireless network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless communications network is a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) wireless network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of active channels comprises allocated channels on the link, and wherein the selecting comprises determining a channel allocation based on the set of active channels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the channel allocation is determined by a lookup table.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the lookup table is indexed by the set of active channels.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the lookup table is indexed by the set of active channels and the channel in the request.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the channel allocation is determined by a state of a single channel in the link.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the channel allocation is determined by a channel metric.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the channel metric is channel data rate utilization.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the channel metric is a number of available spreading codes.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the channel metric is a number of channels already allocated.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising conveying the request to a base station after the receiving.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the sending comprises sending information to both a source and a destination of the channel, and wherein the selecting and the sending occurs in the base station.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending comprises sending information to both a source and a destination of the channel, and wherein the receiving, the selecting, and the sending occurs in a mobile station.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending occurs via a control message.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel allocation specifies a subchannel and a spreading code, and wherein the channel allocation specifies a subchannel and a spreading code for the channel in the request.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel allocation specifies a subchannel and a spreading code, and wherein the channel allocation specifies a subchannel and a spreading code for the channel in the request and each of the other allocated channels on the link.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving occurs at a source of the channel, and the method further comprising forwarding the request to a destination of the channel after receiving the request.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the selecting is performed at both the source and the destination of the channel.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the selecting is done using a lookup table.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the selecting is done based on the state of a communications channel.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the initiating occurs at the source of the channel.

29. A channel control unit comprising:

a call/connection unit containing circuitry to process call/connection requests and to maintain active calls/connections; and

a channel controller coupled to the call/connection unit, the channel controller containing circuitry to allocate calls/connections based on call/connection requests provided by the call/connection unit and assign spread codes.

30. The channel control unit of claim 29, wherein the channel controller comprises:

an assignment unit containing circuitry to assign calls/connections to specific subchannels; and

a spread code controller coupled to the assignment unit, the spread code controller containing circuitry to provide a spreading code to a multiplier used to spread data that is to be transmitted on the assigned call/connection.

31. The channel controller of claim 29, wherein the channel controller further comprises a channel gain controller coupled to the spread code controller, the channel gain controller containing circuitry to provide gain compensation for data that is to be transmitted on the assigned call/connection.

32. The channel control unit of claim 29, wherein the channel controller can readjust the allocation of previously allocated calls/connections.

33. The channel control unit of claim 29, wherein the channel controller uses a lookup table to allocate the call/connection in the call/connection request.

34. The channel control unit of claim 29, wherein the channel controller uses channel metrics to allocate the call/connection in the call/connection request.

35. A wireless communications device comprising:

an applications unit containing circuitry to support the execution of application programs;

a channel control unit coupled to the applications unit, the channel control unit containing circuitry to process call/connection requests, maintain active calls/connections, and allocate calls/connections; and

an encoding unit coupled to the channel control unit, the encoding unit containing circuitry to spread, gain control, sum, and filter user data to be transmitted on allocated calls/connections.

36. The wireless communications device of claim 35, wherein the channel control unit comprises:

a call/connection unit containing circuitry to process call/connection requests and to maintain active calls/connections; and

a channel controller coupled to the call/connection unit, the channel controller containing circuitry to allocate calls/connections based on call/connection requests provided by the call/connection unit and assign spread codes.

37. The wireless communications device of claim 36, wherein the channel controller comprises:

an assignment unit containing circuitry to assign calls/connections to specific subchannels; and

a spread code controller coupled to the assignment unit, the spread code controller containing circuitry to provide a spreading code to a multiplier used to spread data that is to be transmitted on the assigned call/connection.

38. The wireless communications device of claim 35, wherein the wireless communications device is a base station in a wireless communications network.

39. The wireless communications device of claim 35, wherein the wireless communications device is a mobile station in a wireless communications network.

40. The wireless communications device of claim 35, wherein the wireless communications device operates in a Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless network.

41. The wireless communications device of claim 40, wherein the wireless communications device operates in a CDMA2000 wireless network.

42. The wireless communications device of claim 40, wherein the wireless communications device operates in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) wireless network.