Method and apparatus for signaling beacons in a communication system

• US 20080013479A1
• 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, Leonidov, Alexander, Parizhisky, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/261 Details of reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for improved beacon signaling in a wireless communication system are described. Information is encoded in the tone position of the beacon tone. The information encoded may include sector type, sector index and slope index, as well as some time index. The information is coded in the tone position so that any few of several beacons can be decoded in order to decode the information. The methods and apparatus described in the invention improve the robustness against frequency selective fading and do not require wireless terminals to establish synchronization for reliable base station detection.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting a beacon in a frequency division multiplexing communication system, the method comprising:

identifying available tones for communicating in the communication system;

identifying a first beacon subset of the available tones, the first beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones;

transmitting, on a first beacon tone of the first beacon subset of the available tones, with at least 10 dB greater power than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a first time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon subset of available tones includes only non-contiguous tones.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a tone separation between each tone in the beacon subset from each other tone in the beacon subset is at least two tones.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coding at least a first portion of a plurality of communication system parameters into a first beacon tone index, the first beacon tone index corresponding to the first beacon tone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a first communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a slope hopping index.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a second communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a sector type.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying a second beacon subset of the available tones, the second beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones; and

transmitting, on a second beacon tone of the second beacon subset of the available tones, with a second transmission power at least 10 dB greater than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a second time period.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

coding at least a second portion of the plurality of communication system parameters into a second beacon tone index, the second beacon tone index corresponding to the second beacon tone, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one non-common tone is in the first beacon tone subset but is not in the second beacon tone subset.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first beacon tone subset and the second beacon tone subset do not have any tones in common.

11. A computer readable medium embodying instructions for performing a method of broadcasting a beacon in a frequency division multiplexing communication system, the method comprising:

identifying available tones for communicating in the communication system;

identifying a first beacon subset of the available tones, the first beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones;

transmitting, on a first beacon tone of the first beacon subset of the available tones, with at least 10 dB greater power than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a first time period.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the beacon subset of available tones includes only non-contiguous tones.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein a tone separation between each tone in the beacon subset from each other tone in the beacon subset is at least two tones.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

coding at least a first portion of a plurality of communication system parameters into a first beacon tone index, the first beacon tone index corresponding to the first beacon tone.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein a first communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a slope hopping index.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein a second communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a sector type.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a second beacon subset of the available tones, the second beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones;

transmitting, on a second beacon tone of the second beacon subset of the available tones, with a second transmission power at least 10 dB greater than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a second time period.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

coding at least a second portion of the plurality of communication system parameters into a second beacon tone index, the second beacon tone index corresponding to the second beacon tone, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein at least one non-common tone is in the first beacon tone subset but is not in the second beacon tone subset.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first beacon tone subset and the second beacon tone subset do not have any tones in common.

21. A wireless communication device for broadcasting a beacon in a frequency division multiplexing communication system, the device comprising:

means for identifying available tones for communicating in the communication system;

means for identifying a first beacon subset of the available tones, the first beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones;

means for transmitting, on a first beacon tone of the first beacon subset of the available tones, with at least 10 dB greater power than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a first time period.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the beacon subset of available tones includes only non-contiguous tones.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein a tone separation between each tone in the beacon subset from each other tone in the beacon subset is at least two tones.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for coding at least a first portion of a plurality of communication system parameters into a first beacon tone index, the first beacon tone index corresponding to the first beacon tone.

25. The wireless communication device of claim 24, wherein a first communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a slope hopping index.

26. The wireless communication device of claim 24, wherein a second communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a sector type.

27. The wireless communication device of claim 24, further comprising:

means for identifying a second beacon subset of the available tones, the second beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones; and

means for transmitting, on a second beacon tone of the second beacon subset of the available tones, with a second transmission power at least 10 dB greater than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a second time period.

28. The wireless communication device of claim 27, further comprising:

means for coding at least a second portion of the plurality of communication system parameters into a second beacon tone index, the second beacon tone index corresponding to the second beacon tone, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion.

29. The wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein at least one non-common tone is in the first beacon tone subset but is not in the second beacon tone subset.

30. The wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein the first beacon tone subset and the second beacon tone subset do not have any tones in common.

31. A wireless communication device for broadcasting a beacon in a frequency division multiplexing communication system, the wireless communication device comprising:

a processor configured to perform a method, the method comprising;

identifying available tones for communicating in the communication system; and

identifying a first beacon subset of the available tones, the first beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones; and

a transmitter connected to the processor and configured to transmit, on a first beacon tone of the first beacon subset of the available tones, with at least 10 dB greater power than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a first time period.

32. The wireless communication device of claim 31, wherein the beacon subset of available tones includes only non-contiguous tones.

33. The wireless communication device of claim 31, wherein a tone separation between each tone in the beacon subset from each other tone in the beacon subset is at least two tones.

34. The wireless communication device of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises:

coding at least a first portion of a plurality of communication system parameters into a first beacon tone index, the first beacon tone index corresponding to the first beacon tone.

35. The wireless communication device of claim 34, wherein a first communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a slope hopping index.

36. The wireless communication device of claim 34, wherein a second communication system parameter of the plurality of communication system parameters is a sector type.

37. The wireless communication device of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a second beacon subset of the available tones, the second beacon subset consisting of less than all of the available tones; and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit, on a second beacon tone of the second beacon subset of the available tones, with a second transmission power at least 10 dB greater than an average per tone transmission power of the available tones during a second time period.

38. The wireless communication device of claim 37, wherein the method further comprises:

coding at least a second portion of the plurality of communication system parameters into a second beacon tone index, the second beacon tone index corresponding to the second beacon tone, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion.

39. The wireless communication device of claim 37, wherein at least one non-common tone is in the first beacon tone subset but is not in the second beacon tone subset.

40. The wireless communication device of claim 37, wherein the first beacon tone subset and the second beacon tone subset do not have any tones in common.