Adaptive preamble length for continuous connectivity transmission

• US 20070189237A1
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Bertinelli, Massimo, Ranta-Aho, Karri, Jaatinen, Jussi
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0006 by adapting the transmission format
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0226 sounding signals per se
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2613 Structure of the reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0085 when channel conditions change
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/58 Format of the TPC bits

Abstract

The specification and drawings present a new method, system, apparatus and software product for defining an adaptive preamble length of a preamble for a continuous connectivity transmission using a control channel, e.g., a UL (uplink) dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH), for transmitting the preamble. Such a preamble would reduce the accuracy requirement for the initial power setting after a transmission gap and also help the channel estimation and the synchronization of a data channel, e.g., an enhanced dedicated channel (E-DCH). The preamble length can be optimized and defined using a predetermined criterion depending on: a) a degree of fading of a multipath channel which is used for transmitting data on the data channel and/or b) a throughput relative to a nominal throughput in the data channel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a data signal on a data channel and a control signal on a control channel in a communication system adapted for continuously connected users;

defining a preamble length of a preamble using a predetermined criterion, said preamble length depends on at least one of;

a degree of fading of a multipath channel which is used for transmitting said data signal,

a throughput relative to a nominal throughput in said data signal, and

a transmission gap length in said control signal or in said data signal; and

transmitting said control signal comprising said preamble.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said throughput relative to a nominal throughput is classified by K levels, wherein K is an integer of at least a value of two.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said degree of fading is classified by N levels, wherein N is an integer of at least a value of two.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said control channel is an uplink dedicated physical control channel transmitting said power control preamble from a user equipment to a network element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said network element is a Node B and the network element and the user equipment are configured for wireless communications.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said user equipment is a wireless device, a portable device, a mobile communication device or a mobile phone.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said defining is provided by said network element.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said defining is provided by said user equipment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said data channel is an enhanced dedicated channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein before said transmitting said preamble, the method comprises:

defining a preamble power time dependence using a further predetermined criterion.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the preamble length further depends on a length of a transmission timing interval of said data signal.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein during said defining, said preamble length is changed by a pre-selected value using said predetermined criterion depending on a change in said transmission gap length.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said preamble length is non-zero only if said transmission gap exceeds a pre-defined threshold value.

14. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage structure embodying computer program code thereon for execution by a computer processor with said computer program code, wherein said computer program code comprises instructions for performing the method of claim 1, indicated as being performed by any component or a combination of components of a user equipment or a network.

15. A user equipment, comprising:

an uplink scheduling and signal generating module, for providing a data signal on a data channel and a control signal on a control channel, wherein a preamble length of a preamble is defined adaptively using a predetermined criterion, and said preamble length depends on at least one of;

a degree of fading of a multipath channel which is used for transmitting said data signal,

a throughput relative to a nominal throughput in said data signal, and

a transmission gap length in said control signal or in said data signal; and

a module configured to transmit said control signal comprising said preamble.

16. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said throughput relative to a nominal throughput is classified by K levels, wherein K is an integer of at least a value of two.

17. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said degree of fading is classified by N levels, wherein N is an integer of at least a value of two.

18. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said control channel is an uplink dedicated physical control channel transmitting said power control preamble from the user equipment to a network element.

19. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said defining is provided by said network element.

20. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said uplink scheduling and signal generating module is configured to define said preamble length.

21. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said data channel is an enhanced dedicated channel.

22. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the preamble length further depends on a length of a transmission timing interval of said data signal.

23. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein during said defining said preamble length is changed by a pre-selected value using said predetermined criterion depending on a change in said transmission gap length.

24. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein said preamble length is non-zero only if said transmission gap exceeds a pre-defined threshold value.

25. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein said transmission gap length is variable.

26. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said preamble has a dynamic length varied during transmission of said data signal.

27. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein an integrated circuit comprises the uplink scheduling and signal generating module and the module configured to transmit.

28. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein said control channel and said data channel are combined such that said control signal and said data signal are transmitted on one combined channel.

29. A communication system, comprising:

a user equipment, for providing a data signal on a data channel and a control signal on a control channel in said communication system adapted for continuously connected users, wherein a preamble length of a preamble is defined using a predetermined criterion, said preamble depends on at least one of;

a degree of fading of a multipath channel which is used for transmitting said data signal,

a throughput relative to a nominal throughput in said data signal, and

a transmission gap length in said control signal or in said data signal, and for transmitting said power control preamble on said control channel; and

a network element, responsive to said control signal comprising said preamble.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said throughput relative to a nominal throughput is classified by K levels, wherein K is an integer of at least a value of two.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the preamble length further depends on a length of a transmission timing interval (TTI) of said data signal.

32. A user equipment, comprising:

signal generation means, for providing a data signal on a data channel and a control signal on a control channel, wherein a preamble length of a preamble is defined adaptively using a predetermined criterion, and said preamble length depends on at least one of;

a degree of fading of a multipath channel which is used for transmitting said data signal,

a throughput relative to a nominal throughput in said data signal, and

a transmission gap length in said control signal or in said data signal; and

means for receiving and transmitting, for transmitting said control signal comprising said preamble.

33. The user equipment of claim 32, wherein the signal generation means is an uplink scheduling and signal generating module.

34. A network element, comprising:

a receiver, for receiving a data signal on a data channel and a control signal on a control channel from a user equipment;

a downlink scheduling and signal generating module, for adaptively defining a preamble length of a preamble, wherein said preamble length depends, using a predetermined criterion, on at least one of;

a degree of fading of a multipath channel which is used for transmitting said data signal,

a throughput relative to a nominal throughput in said data signal, and

a transmission gap length in said control signal or in said data signal; and

transmitter, for transmitting said preamble to the user equipment.

35. The network element of claim 34, wherein the preamble length further depends on a length of a transmission timing interval of said data signal.