Encoding Information In Beacon Signals

• US 20080101447A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Richardson, Thomas, Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 9,025,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/222
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate transmitting at least two different types of information in a single signal, whereby the different types of information can be encoded and decoded independently. Thus, changes to one type of information does not affect a second type of information.

Claims

1. A method that uses a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols for transmitting information, comprising:

designating at least some frequency tones and some time symbols as a block, wherein a block comprises a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols;

partitioning the designated block into at least two subgroups, each subgroup includes a subset of frequency tones in a subset of time symbols;

dividing each of the at least two subgroups into micro blocks, each micro block including at least one frequency tone in one time symbol; and

selecting one of the micro blocks for transmitting information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting one of the at least two subgroups as a function of a first information stream; and

selecting the one of the micro blocks as a function of a second information stream.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a mapping based on the first and the second information streams are mutually exclusive on the frequency tones and the time symbols.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the information in the selected micro block at high energy as compared to non-selected micro blocks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the designation of the block and the selection of the micro block conveys information that is included in the transmitted information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a first subcomponent of the information to be transmitted without affecting a second subcomponent of the information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two subgroups are next to each other.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two subgroups are disjoint from each other.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the micro blocks are not equally spaced.

10. A wireless communications apparatus that selectively uses a portion of frequency tones in a portion of time symbols to transmit information comprising:

a memory that retains instructions related to separating a block that represents frequency tones and time symbols into two or more subgroups, dividing each of the two or more subgroups into at least one frequency tone in one time symbol that represents a micro block, and selecting one micro block in which to transmit a signal; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, configured to execute the instructions retained in the memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the memory further retains instructions for selecting one of the two or more subgroups as a function of a first information stream and selecting the micro block in which to transmit a signal as a function of a second information stream.

12. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein a mapping based on the first information stream and the second information are mutually exclusive on the frequency tone and the time symbol.

13. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein a change to the first information stream does not change the second information stream and vice versa.

14. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, the memory further retains instructions for combining the first information stream and the second information stream before transmitting a high-energy signal that includes both streams.

15. A wireless communications apparatus that enables transmission of information using a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols, comprising:

means for choosing a block that includes a set of frequency tones and a set of time symbols;

means for separating the block into two or more subgroups as a function of a first information stream;

means for segmenting each of the two or more subgroups into micro blocks as a function of a second information stream, each of the micro blocks includes one or more frequency tones in one time symbol; and

means for choosing a micro block in which to transmit information as a high-energy beacon.

16. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 15, wherein changes to the first information stream does not change the second information stream.

17. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 15, wherein a mapping based on the first and the second information streams are mutually exclusive on the frequency tones and the time symbols.

18. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 15, wherein the micro blocks are not equally spaced.

19. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 15, separating the block and segmenting each of the two or more subgroups is performed in a predetermined manner.

20. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-executable instructions for:

choosing some frequency tones and some time symbols as a block,

separating the block into at least two subgroups, each subgroup includes a subset of frequency tones in a subset of time symbols;

dividing each of the at least two subgroups into micro blocks, each micro block includes at least one frequency tone in one time symbol; and

choosing one of the micro blocks for transmitting information.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein separating the block into at least two subgroups is a function of a first information stream and choosing one of the micro blocks is a function of a second information stream.

22. In a wireless communication system, an apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

assign some frequency tones and some time symbols to represent a block, wherein a block comprises a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols;

separate the chosen block into two or more subgroups, each subgroup includes a subset of frequency tones in a subset of time symbols;

divide each of the two or more subgroups into micro blocks, each micro block includes at least one frequency tone in one time symbol; and

select one of the micro blocks to transmit information.

23. A method that facilitates receiving information within a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols, comprising:

receiving information in a micro block that comprises at least one frequency tone in one time symbol;

determining a subgroup from at least two subgroups in which the micro block belongs; and

identifying a block that contains the at least two subgroups, the block comprises a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising receiving the information in the selected micro block at high energy as compared to other received micro blocks.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the determination of the subgroup and the received micro block conveys information, the subgroup is a function of a first information stream and the micro block is a function of a second information stream.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein a mapping based on the first and the second information streams are mutually exclusive on the frequency tone and the time symbol.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising decoding the first information stream without affecting a decoding of the second information stream.

28. A wireless communications apparatus that receives information that includes a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols, comprising:

a memory that retains instructions related to receiving a signal that includes a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols, ascertaining a micro block in which the signal was received, determining a subgroup from at least two subgroups that contains the micro block and identifying a block that includes the at least two subgroups; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, configured to execute the instructions retained in the memory.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the subgroup was selected as a function of a first information stream and the micro block was selected as a function of a second information stream.

30. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 29, wherein a mapping based on the first information stream and the second information are mutually exclusive on the frequency tones and the time symbols.

31. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 29, wherein a change to the first information stream does not change the second information stream and vice versa.

32. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 28, the memory retains instructions related to analyzing the first information stream utilizing the equation {circumflex over (X)}_i=floor(Z_i/L).

33. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 28, the memory retains instructions related to analyzing the second information stream utilizing the equation Ŷ

_i=mod(Z_i, L).

34. A wireless communications apparatus that receives information during a frequency portion and a time portion, comprising:

means for receiving a high-energy beacon symbol that represents a micro block that includes at least one frequency tone in one time symbol;

means for determining a subgroup from at least two subgroups from which the micro block was chosen, each subgroup includes a subset of frequency tones in a subset of time symbols; and

means for analyzing information contained in the high-energy beacon to determine a block from which the subgroup was chosen, the block comprises a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols.

35. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 34, wherein changes to a frequency portion and a time portion do not affect each other.

36. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 34, wherein the subgroup was chosen as a function of a first information stream and the micro block was chosen as a function of a second information stream.

37. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 36, further comprising means for analyzing the first information stream utilizing the equation {circumflex over (X)}_i=floor(Z_i/L).

38. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 36, further comprising means for analyzing the second information stream utilizing the equation Ŷ

_i=mod(Z_i, L).

39. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-executable instructions for:

receiving information within a micro block that includes at least one frequency tone in one time symbol;

determining a subgroup from which the micro block was chosen, the subgroup includes a subset of frequency tones in a subset of time symbols;

ascertaining a block from which the subgroup was chosen, the block includes a set of frequency tones in a set of time symbols, the subgroup was chosen as a function of a first information stream and the micro block was chosen as a function of a second information stream; and

decoding the first information stream and the second information stream for information included thereon.

40. The machine-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the micro block is received at a high energy as compared to other received micro blocks.

41. The machine-readable medium of claim 39, the decoding of the first information stream and the second information stream are performed independently.

42. The machine-readable medium of claim 39, decoding the first information stream includes utilizing the equation {circumflex over (X)}_i=floor(Z_i/L).

43. The machine-readable medium of claim 39, decoding the second information stream includes utilizing the equation Ŷ

_i=mod(Z_i, L).

44. In a wireless communication system, an apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a micro block that includes information,

determine a subgroup from at least two subgroups that contains the micro block and a block that contains the least two subgroups, the subgroup was chosen as a function of a first information stream and the micro block was chosen as a function of a second information stream; and

decode the first information stream and the second information stream into its corresponding frequency tones and time symbols.