Wireless systems, methods and devices employing forward- and/or return-link carriers having different numbers of sub-band carriers

• US 20050041619A1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Karabinis, Peter D., Dutta, Santanu
• Application Number:
  US10/914,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20050041619A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/208 Frequency-division multiple access [FDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/143 for modulated signals H04L5/1469 takes precedence

Abstract

Wireless Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) systems and methods include forward and return link carriers comprising numbers of sub-band carrier groupings that are not identical. A return link carrier may consist of fewer sub-band carriers than a forward link carrier and the return link carrier also may consist of a single sub-band carrier.

Claims

1. A wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) system including forward and/or return link carriers comprising sub-band carrier groupings that are not identical in number of sub-band carriers.

2. A wireless system according to claim 1 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

3. A wireless system according to claim 2 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of a single sub-band carrier.

4. A wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) method comprising wirelessly transporting information over forward and/or return link carriers comprising sub-band carrier groupings that are not identical in number.

5. A wireless method according to claim 4 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

6. A wireless method according to claim 5 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of a single sub-band carrier.

7. A wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) system comprising:

a forward link carrier consisting of a forward link sub-band carrier grouping; and

a return link carrier consisting of a return link sub-band carrier grouping that is not identical in number of sub-band carriers to the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

8. A wireless system according to claim 7 wherein the return link carrier consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the forward link carrier.

9. A wireless system according to claim 8 wherein the return link carrier consists of a single sub-band carrier.

10. A wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) system device comprising a transceiver that is configured to radiate a forward link carrier that transports information to at least one wireless user device over a sub-band carrier grouping comprising a number of sub-band carriers and is also configured to receive a return link carrier that transports information from at least one wireless user device to the system device over a sub-band carrier grouping comprising a number of sub-band carriers that is not identical to the number of sub-band carriers of the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

11. A wireless system device according to claim 10 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

12. A wireless system device according to claim 11 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of a single sub-band carrier.

13. A wireless system device according to claim 10 wherein the wireless FDM/FDMA system device comprises a wireless Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) system device.

14. A wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) user device comprising a transceiver that is configured to receive a forward link carrier that transports information from at least one wireless system device to the wireless user device over a sub-band carrier grouping comprising a number of sub-band carriers and is also configured to transmit a return link carrier that transports information from at least one wireless user device to the at least one system device over a sub-band carrier grouping comprising a number of sub-band carriers that is not identical to the number of sub-band carriers of the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

15. A wireless user device according to claim 14 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

16. A wireless user device according to claim 15 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of a single sub-band carrier.

17. A wireless user device according to claim 14 wherein the FDM/FDMA wireless user device comprises a wireless Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) user device.

18. A method of operating a wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) system device comprising:

wirelessly transporting user information from the wireless system device to at least one wireless user device over a forward link carrier consisting of a sub-band carrier grouping; and

wirelessly transporting user information to the wireless system device from at least one wireless user device over a return link carrier consisting of a sub-band carrier grouping that is not identical in number of sub-band carriers to the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of a single sub-band carrier.

21. A method according to claim 18 wherein the wireless FDM/FDMA system device comprises a wireless Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) system device.

22. A method of operating a wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) user device comprising:

wirelessly transporting user information to the wireless user device from at least one wireless system device over a forward link carrier consisting of a sub-band carrier grouping; and

wirelessly transporting user information from the wireless user device to at least one wireless system device over a return link carrier consisting of a sub-band carrier grouping that is not identical in number of sub-band carriers to the forward link sub-band carrier grouping.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of a single sub-band carrier.

25. A method according to claim 22 wherein the wireless FDM/FDMA user device comprises a wireless Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) user device.

26. A wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) system comprising wireless user devices and wireless system devices that communicate using a plurality of forward- and/or return-link carriers comprising sub-band carrier groupings that differ in number of sub-band carriers.

27. A wireless system according to claim 26 wherein a first return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than a second return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

28. A wireless system according to claim 26 wherein a first forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than a second forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

29. A wireless system according to claim 26 wherein a wireless system device is configured to receive a first and/or a second return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping where the first return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the second return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

30. A wireless system according to claim 29 wherein a wireless system device is configured to transmit a first and/or a second forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping where the first forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the second forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

31. A wireless system according to claim 26 wherein a wireless user device is configured to receive a first and/or a second forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping where the first forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the second forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

32. A wireless system according to claim 31 wherein the wireless user device is configured to transmit a first and/or a second return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping where the first return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than the second return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

33. A wireless Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDM/FDMA) and/or wireless Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM/OFDMA) and/or a Time-Frequency Division Multiplexing and/or Time-Frequency Division Multiple Access (T-FDM/T-FDMA) method comprising wirelessly transporting information over a plurality of forward- and/or return-link carriers comprising sub-band carrier groupings that differ in number of sub-band carriers.

34. A wireless method according to claim 33 wherein a first return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than a second return link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.

35. A wireless method according to claim 33 wherein a first forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping consists of fewer sub-band carriers than a second forward link carrier sub-band carrier grouping.