Assignment acknowledgement for a wireless communication system

• US 20070211667A1
• Filed: 03/07/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aamod Khandekar, Alexei Gorokhov, Avneesh Agrawal
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gorokhov, Alexei, Agrawal, Avneesh, Khandekar, Aamod
• Granted Patent: US 8,879,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and channel structure for acknowledging assignment messages is provided. The method and apparatus allow for efficient signaling based upon the resources.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to determine a message type for a message that is being acknowledged, assigning a channel identification based upon the message type, and map the acknowledgment to resources for a signaling channel that puncture traffic channels based upon the channel identification; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein processor is configured to assign a highest available channel identification to acknowledgements of assignment messages.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein processor is configured to assign a lowest available channel identification to acknowledgments of data messages.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to spread the acknowledgment with a spreading code, and to map the spread acknowledgment to the resources for the acknowledgment channel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to map an acknowledgment message to resources comprising multiple time-frequency segments.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the multiple time-frequency segments cover different frequency subcarriers.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the resources comprise time-frequency segment that each comprise multiple clusters, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to map an acknowledgment message to a cluster in each of multiple time-frequency segments.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the resources for the acknowledgment channel based on a frequency hopping pattern.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgment channel equally punctures the traffic channels.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the traffic channels are defined by a channel tree, and wherein each node in the channel tree is associated with specific resources in the acknowledgment channel and wherein acknowledgments for assignment messages are assigned the highest available node.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols carrying the mapped signaling.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols carrying the mapped signaling.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the assignment message is a supplemental assignment message.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the assignment message is a decremental assignment message.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the assignment message may be a forward link assignment or a reverse link assignment.

16. A method comprising:

determining a type of message being acknowledged;

assigning a channel identification based upon the type;

generating the acknowledgment for transmission via a communication channel; and

mapping the acknowledgment to resources based upon the channel type for a channel that punctures traffic channels.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

spreading the acknowledgment with a spreading code, and wherein the spread signaling is mapped to the resources for the signaling channel.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein mapping comprises mapping a signaling message to multiple time-frequency segments.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein assigning comprises assigning a highest channel identification to acknowledgements of assignment messages.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the assignment messages comprise supplemental assignment messages.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the assignment messages comprise supplemental assignment messages.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the assignment message may be a forward link assignment or a reverse link assignment.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein assigning comprises assigning a lowest channel identification to acknowledgements to data messages.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining a type of message being acknowledged;

means for assigning a channel identification based upon the type;

means for generating the acknowledgment for transmission via a communication channel; and

means for mapping the acknowledgment to resources based upon the channel type for a channel that punctures traffic channels.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for assigning comprises means for assigning a highest channel identification to acknowledgements of assignment messages.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the assignment messages comprise supplemental assignment messages.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the assignment messages comprise a forward link assignment or a reverse link assignment.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the assignment messages comprise supplemental assignment messages.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for assigning comprises means for assigning a lowest channel identification to acknowledgements to data messages.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for mapping comprises means for mapping the acknowledgement to multiple time-frequency segments.