Uplink timing control signal

• US 20080013478A1
• Filed: 07/14/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Junyi, Rangan, Sundeep
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2655 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0075 based on arrival time vs. expected arrival time

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to systems and methodologies for synchronizing timing between a base station and a wireless terminal. For example; a set of non-contiguous tones may be assigned to the terminal, and may be equally spaced apart from each other across a spectrum of all available tones. A set of contiguous tones may also be assigned to the terminal, which may transmit a timing control signal during a specified transmit time. A base station may receive the signal, which comprises information related to the non-contiguous and contiguous tone sets, and may determine a distance of the terminal to the base station based on measured and anticipated arrival time of the signal. The base station may transmit a timing correction command signal to the terminal based on such information.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a wireless terminal with a base station in an OFDM wireless communication environment, comprising:

receiving a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal wherein the tone spacing between any adjacent two tones is not equal;

determining an arrival time of the signal;

comparing the arrival time of the signal to a target arrival time window; and

transmitting a timing correction command that is generated as a function of the comparison of the arrival time to the target arrival time window, to the wireless terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising assigning a transmit time for the wireless terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

7. An apparatus that facilitates performing timing synchronization between a wireless terminal and a base station, comprising:

a receiver in a base station that receives a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal, wherein the tone spacing between any two adjacent tones is unequal;

a processor that determines an arrival time of the signal and compares the arrival time of the signal to a target arrival time; and

a transmitter that sends a timing correction command to the wireless terminal, wherein the processor generates the timing correction command as a function of the comparison of the arrival time to the target arrival time window.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor assigns a transmit time for the wireless terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

13. An apparatus that facilitates synchronizing a wireless terminal and a base station, comprising:

means for receiving a signal from a wireless terminal, the signal comprising a set of tones, wherein adjacent tones are unequally spaced;

means for determining an arrival time of the signal at the base station;

means for comparing the arrival time to a target arrival time;

means for generating a timing correction command signal that synchronizes the base station and the wireless terminal; and

means for transmitting the timing correction command signal to the wireless terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for assigning assigns a transmit time for the wireless terminal.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

19. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions, the instructions comprising:

receiving a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal, wherein adjacent tones are not equally spaced;

analyzing the signal to determine an arrival time of the signal;

comparing the arrival time of the signal to a target arrival time window; and

transmitting a timing correction command that is generated as a function of the comparison of the arrival time to the target arrival time window, to the wireless terminal.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, the instructions further comprising assigning a transmit time for the wireless terminal.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

25. A processor that executes instructions for synchronizing a wireless terminal and a base station in a wireless communication environment, the instructions comprising:

receiving a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal, wherein tones that are adjacent to each other are unequally spaced apart;

analyzing the signal to determine an arrival time of the signal;

comparing the arrival time of the signal to a target arrival time; and

transmitting a timing correction command that is generated as a function of the comparison of the arrival time to the target arrival time window, to the wireless terminal.

26. The processor of claim 25, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

27. The processor of claim 26, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

28. The processor of claim 27, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

29. The processor of claim 28, the instructions further comprising assigning a transmit time for the wireless terminal.

30. The processor of claim 25, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

31. A method of synchronizing a wireless terminal to a base station in a communication environment, comprising:

transmitting a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal wherein the tone spacing between any adjacent two tones is not equal;

receiving a timing control command that is a function of a comparison of the arrival time of the signal as determined from the set of tones and an expected arrival time of the signal; and

adjusting timing control for the wireless terminal based on the timing control command.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the transmission of the signal occurs during an assigned transmit time.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

37. An apparatus that facilitates synchronizing a wireless terminal to a base station in a wireless communication environment, comprising:

a receiver that receives a tone set assignment comprising a first subset of non-contiguous tones and a second subset of contiguous tones, and a transmission time assignment defining a time at which the wireless terminal is to transmit a signal;

a processor that generates a signal comprising information related to the tone set; and

a transmitter that transmits the signal at the assigned transmission time to a base station;

wherein the receiver receives a timing control command that is generated as a function of the transmitted signal.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

42. An apparatus that facilitates synchronizing a wireless terminal to a base station in a wireless communication environment, comprising:

means for transmitting a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal wherein the tone spacing between any adjacent two tones is not equal;

means for receiving a timing control command that is a function of a comparison of the arrival time of the signal as determined from the set of tones and an expected arrival time of the signal; and

means for adjusting timing control for the wireless terminal based on the timing control command.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the set of tones comprises a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for transmitting transmits during an assigned transmit time.

47. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

48. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for:

transmitting a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal wherein the tone spacing between any adjacent two tones is not equal;

receiving a timing control command that is a function of a comparison of the arrival time of the signal as determined from the set of tones and an expected arrival time of the signal; and

adjusting timing control for the wireless terminal based on the timing control command.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, further comprising instructions for transmitting during an assigned transmit time.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.

54. A processor that executes computer-executable instructions for synchronizing a base station and a wireless terminal, the instructions comprising:

transmitting a signal comprising a set of tones from a wireless terminal wherein the tone spacing between any adjacent two tones is not equal;

receiving a timing control command that is a function of a comparison of the arrival time of the signal as determined from the set of tones and an expected arrival time of the signal; and

adjusting timing control for the wireless terminal based on the timing control command.

55. The processor of claim 54, wherein the set of tones includes a first subset of tones and a second subset of tones, the first subset of tones are equally spaced and any adjacent two tones are at least one tone apart, and the second subset of tones are contiguous.

56. The processor of claim 55, wherein the first and the second subsets have the same number of tones.

57. The processor of claim 56, wherein each of the first and the second subsets have 8 tones.

58. The processor of claim 57, the instructions further comprising transmitting during an assigned transmit time.

59. The processor of claim 54, wherein the duration of the signal is one symbol period.