METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

• US 20090046663A1
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Corson, M. Scott, Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 10,015,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00692 using simultaneous multiple data streams, e.g. cooperative multipoint [CoMP], carrier aggregation [CA] or multiple input multiple output [MIMO] allocation of physical resources in CoMP or in CA H04L5/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/185 using make before break
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/40 during macro-diversity or soft handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus which allow a wireless terminal (302) to simultaneously maintain connections with multiple base stations (304, 306) are described. Each wireless terminal (302) is capable of supporting multiple separate timing and/or other control loops one, for each base station connection thereby allowing the connections to operate independently and in parallel. Different control signals and/or data are transmitted on each connection that is established with a base station (302, 306). In this manner base stations (302, 306) receive different data allowing for asynchronous data transmission. The data received by the base stations (302, 306) can be supplied to a wired asynchronous network (308) without the need to combine the received data prior to supplying it to the wired network (308). The communications techniques of the invention can be used to implement soft handoffs without the need to duplicate data transmissions to multiple base stations.

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A wireless terminal for communicating with a plurality of base stations, comprising:

a processor; and

circuitry coupled to said processor configured to establish a first connection between the wireless terminal and a first base station, establish a second connection between the wireless terminal and a second base station, perform first synchronization operations for the first connection, and perform second synchronization operations for the second connection, wherein the first base station is not synchronized with the second base station, and wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed in parallel.

33. The wireless terminal of claim 32, wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed independently.

34. The wireless terminal of claim 32, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise frequency synchronization operations.

35. The wireless terminal of claim 32, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise symbol timing synchronization operations.

36. The wireless terminal of claim 32, wherein the circuitry is further configured to finish transmission of a first data packet to the first base station in parallel with starting transmission of a second data packet to the second base station, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet comprise different data.

37. The wireless terminal of claim 36, wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine that wireless channel conditions for the second base station are better than wireless channel conditions for the first base station, and wherein the transmission of the second data packet to the second base station is started in response to making this determination.

38. The wireless terminal of claim 36, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet comprise different parts of a single data file.

39. The wireless terminal of claim 36, wherein the circuitry is further configured to use different symbol transmission start times when transmitting symbols representing at least portions of the first and second data packets to the first and second base stations.

40. The wireless terminal of claim 36, wherein the circuitry is further configured to discontinue transmitting data to the first base station after transmission of the first data packet is complete.

41. The wireless terminal of claim 32, wherein the circuitry is further configured to separate received signals corresponding to different base stations.

42. A method for communicating with a plurality of base stations, the method being implemented by a wireless terminal, the method comprising:

establishing a first connection between the wireless terminal and a first base station;

establishing a second connection between the wireless terminal and a second base station, wherein the first base station is not synchronized with the second base station;

performing first synchronization operations for the first connection; and

performing second synchronization operations for the second connection, wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed in parallel.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed independently.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise frequency synchronization operations.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise symbol timing synchronization operations.

46. The method of claim 42, further comprising finishing transmission of a first data packet to the first base station in parallel with starting transmission of a second data packet to the second base station.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising determining that wireless channel conditions for the second base station are better than wireless channel conditions for the first base station, and wherein the transmission of the second data packet to the second base station is started in response to making this determination.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet comprise different parts of a single data file.

49. The method of claim 46, further comprising using different symbol transmission start times when transmitting symbols representing at least portions of the first and second data packets to the first and second base stations.

50. The method of claim 46, further comprising discontinuing transmitting data to the first base station after transmission of the first data packet is complete.

51. The method of claim 42, further comprising separating received signals corresponding to different base stations.

52. A wireless terminal for communicating with a plurality of base stations, comprising:

means for establishing a first connection between the wireless terminal and a first base station;

means for establishing a second connection between the wireless terminal and a second base station, wherein the first base station is not synchronized with the second base station;

means for performing first synchronization operations for the first connection; and

means for performing second synchronization operations for the second connection, wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed in parallel.

53. The wireless terminal of claim 52, wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed independently.

54. The wireless terminal of claim 52, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise frequency synchronization operations.

55. The wireless terminal of claim 52, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise symbol timing synchronization operations.

56. The wireless terminal of claim 52, further comprising means for finishing transmission of a first data packet to the first base station in parallel with starting transmission of a second data packet to the second base station.

57. The wireless terminal of claim 56, further comprising means for determining that wireless channel conditions for the second base station are better than wireless channel conditions for the first base station, and wherein the transmission of the second data packet to the second base station is started in response to making this determination.

58. The wireless terminal of claim 56, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet comprise different parts of a single data file.

59. The wireless terminal of claim 56, further comprising means for using different symbol transmission start times when transmitting symbols representing at least portions of the first and second data packets to the first and second base stations.

60. The wireless terminal of claim 56, further comprising means for discontinuing transmitting data to the first base station after transmission of the first data packet is complete.

61. The wireless terminal of claim 52, further comprising means for separating received signals corresponding to different base stations.

62. A computer-program product for facilitating communication between a wireless terminal and a plurality of base stations, the computer-program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions thereon, the instructions comprising:

code for establishing a first connection between the wireless terminal and a first base station;

code for establishing a second connection between the wireless terminal and a second base station, wherein the first base station is not synchronized with the second base station;

code for performing first synchronization operations for the first connection; and

code for performing second synchronization operations for the second connection, wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed in parallel.

63. The computer-program product of claim 62, wherein the first and second synchronization operations are performed independently.

64. The computer-program product of claim 62, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise frequency synchronization operations.

65. The computer-program product of claim 62, wherein the first and second synchronization operations comprise symbol timing synchronization operations.