Multiband mobile communication system and transmitter used therein

• US 20060063543A1
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshino, Hitoshi, Shirakabe, Masashige, Sugiyama, Takatoshi, Matoba, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0071 Use of interleaving interleaving per se H03M13/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/04 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A transmitter used in the multiband environment includes a frequency allocation unit (106) configured to select and allocate a frequency band that satisfies a user QoS from among multiple separate frequency bands currently available for the user, a parameter determination unit (111) configured to determine a transmission parameter required for signal transmission based on the allocated frequency band, and a multi-user scheduling control unit (110) configured to determine a transmission schedule for multiple users taking into account the frequency bands allocated to the multiple users.

Claims

1. A transmitter comprising:

a frequency allocation unit configured to select and allocate a frequency band that satisfies a user QoS from among multiple separate frequency bands currently available for the user;

a parameter determination unit configured to determine a transmission parameter required for signal transmission based on the allocated frequency band; and

a multi-user scheduling control unit configured to determine a transmission schedule for multiple users taking into account the frequency bands allocated to the multiple users.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein:

the frequency allocation unit allocates two or more frequency bands to the user if there is not a single frequency band that satisfies the user QoS; and

the transmission parameter determination unit determines the transmission parameter depending on an interval between the allocated frequency bands.

3. The transmitter of claim 2, wherein the transmission parameter determination unit regulates an optimum transmission parameter independently for each of the allocated frequency bands if the interval between the allocated frequency bands is greater than a prescribed interval, and regulates the optimum transmission parameter collectively for the allocated frequency bands if the interval between the allocated frequency bands is smaller than the prescribed interval.

4. The transmitter of claim 2, wherein;

the transmission parameter includes an interleave size, and

the transmission parameter determination unit sets the interleave size smaller if the interval between the allocated frequency bands is greater than the prescribed interval, and sets the interleave size greater if the interval is less than the prescribed interval.

5. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein:

the frequency allocation unit allocates two or more separate frequency bands to the user if there is not a single frequency band that satisfies the user QoS; and

the multi-user scheduling control unit determines the transmission schedule for the multiple users depending on the interval between the allocated frequency bands.

6. The transmitter of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal processing unit configured to perform user data processing and transmission scheduling based on the determined transmission parameter and the transmission schedule, and to output the processed data; and

a multiband RF unit configured to convert the processed data into an RF signal suitable to the allocated frequency band, and to transmit the RF signal according to the transmission schedule.

7. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein:

the signal processing unit performs adaptive coding and modulation; and

if multiple fragmented frequency bands are allocated to the user by the frequency allocation unit, the transmission parameter determination unit sets adaptive coding and modulation parameters independently for each of the allocated frequency bands if an interval between the allocated frequency bands is greater than the prescribed interval, and sets adaptive coding and modulation parameters in common for the allocated frequency bands if the interval between the allocated frequency bands is less than the prescribed interval.

8. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein:

the multiband RE unit has RF devices corresponding to available multiple separate frequency bands, and switches the RF devices according to the frequency band allocated by the frequency allocation unit.

9. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein:

the multiband RF unit has a single RF device, and performs signal transmission in the allocated frequency band selected from multiple separate frequency bands by overwriting software.

10. A multiband mobile communication system including a mobile station and a base station, in which multiple separate frequency bands are available for communications and at least one of the mobile station and the base station is furnished with a transmitter capable of allocation of the multiple separate frequency bands, wherein the transmitter comprises:

a frequency allocation unit configured to select and allocate a frequency band that satisfies a user QoS from among multiple separate frequency bands currently available for the user;

a parameter determination unit configured to determine a transmission parameter required for signal transmission based on the allocated frequency band; and

a multi-user scheduling control unit configured to determine a transmission schedule for multiple users taking into account the frequency bands allocated to the multiple users.