Method and apparatus for pilot signal transmission

• US 20070041311A1
• Filed: 08/18/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nangia, Vijay, Classon, Brian, Baum, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 7,508,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0226 sounding signals per se
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver

Abstract

A method and apparatus for pilot signal transmission is disclosed herein. In particular, a pilot transmission scheme is utilized where pilot sub-carrier bandwidth differs from data sub-carrier bandwidth. Because some user'"'"'s data sub-carriers will no longer have the user'"'"'s pilot sub-carriers adjacent to them, the set, or pattern of sub-carriers used by the pilot blocks changes at least once in a burst. Changing the pilot block pattern (the set of occupied pilot block sub-carriers) at least once in the burst serves to increase the frequency proximity of occupied data sub-carriers to occupied pilot sub-carriers in the burst.

Claims

1. A method for pilot transmission, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a plurality of data symbols over a first plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier within the first plurality of sub-carriers having a first bandwidth;

transmitting first pilot symbols at a first time for a user, the first pilot symbols transmitted in a first pattern over a second plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier from the second plurality of sub-carriers having a second bandwidth; and

transmitting second pilot symbols for the user at a second time, the second pilot symbols transmitted in a second pattern over a third plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier from the third plurality of sub-carriers having a third bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the third bandwidth and the second bandwidth are the same.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the third bandwidth and the first bandwidth are the same.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first pattern differs from the second pattern.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the first pattern differs from the second pattern in that the first and the second pattern are offset in frequency.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the first pattern places the second plurality of sub-carriers within a predetermined frequency from a subset of the first plurality of sub-carriers, and the second pattern places the third plurality of sub-carriers within a predetermined frequency from a second subset of the first plurality of sub-carriers.

7. A method for pilot reception, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of data symbols over a first plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier within the first plurality of sub-carriers having a first bandwidth;

receiving first pilot symbols at a first time for a user, the first pilot symbols received in a first pattern over a second plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier from the second plurality of sub-carriers having a second bandwidth; and

receiving second pilot symbols for the user at a second time, the second pilot symbols received in a second pattern over a third plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier from the third plurality of sub-carriers having a third bandwidth.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the third bandwidth and the second bandwidth are the same.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the third bandwidth and the first bandwidth are the same.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the first pattern differs from the second pattern.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first pattern differs from the second pattern in that the first and the second pattern are offset in frequency.

12. An apparatus comprising:

transmission circuitry transmitting a plurality of data symbols over a first plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier within the first plurality of sub-carriers having a first bandwidth, the transmission circuitry additionally transmitting first pilot symbols at a first time for a user, the first pilot symbols transmitted in a first pattern over a second plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier from the second plurality of sub-carriers having a second bandwidth and transmitting second pilot symbols for the user at a second time, the second pilot symbols transmitted in a second pattern over a third plurality of sub-carriers, each sub-carrier from the third plurality of sub-carriers having a third bandwidth.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the third bandwidth and the second bandwidth are the same.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the third bandwidth and the first bandwidth are the same.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first pilot symbols for the user in the first pattern differ from the second pilot symbols for the user in the second pattern.

16. A method for pilot transmission, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a plurality of data symbols over a first plurality of subcarriers, each subcarrier within the plurality of subcarriers having a first bandwidth;

transmitting pilot symbols at a first time for a user in a first pattern over a second plurality of subcarriers, each subcarrier from the second plurality of subcarriers having a second bandwidth;

determining, whether to transmit pilot symbols or data symbols at a second time for the user over a third plurality of subcarriers, each subcarrier from the third plurality of subcarriers having a third bandwidth;

wherein the first the second, and the third bandwidths are not all equal; and

if the determination is made to transmit data symbols, transmitting a plurality of data symbols at the second time over the third plurality of subcarriers, or

if the determination is made to transmit pilot symbols, transmitting pilot symbols for a user in a second pattern at the second time over the third plurality of subcarriers.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the third bandwidth is equal to the first bandwidth.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the determination is based on a channel condition.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the channel condition comprises a Doppler frequency.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the determination is based on a number of antennas used for transmitting data symbols.