METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

• US 20090279493A1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Montojo, Juan, Gaal, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate resource allocation and management in a wireless communication system. As described herein, a resource grid structure can be utilized to allocate resources for respective users corresponding to a given channel (e.g., a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)). The resource grid can be constructed using one or more cyclic shifts and a set of four orthogonal covers to provide improved efficiency in resource usage. Further, slots in the resource grid can be allocated to respective users based on user indexes via one or more resource allocation functions. For example, a resource allocation function can step along a first orthogonal cover at increasing cyclic shifts, alternate between second and fourth orthogonal covers at increasing cyclic shifts upon exhaustion of the first orthogonal cover, and step through a third orthogonal cover at increasing cyclic shifts upon exhaustion of the second and fourth orthogonal covers.

Claims

1. A method for resource allocation in a wireless communication system, comprising:

identifying a set of acknowledgement (ACK)/negative acknowledgement (NACK) resources;

generating a resource grid corresponding to the set of ACK/NACK resources, wherein the resource grid has a first dimension corresponding to one or more cyclic shifts and a second dimension corresponding to four orthogonal covers; and

multiplexing one or more users onto the identified set of ACK/NACK resources at least in part by allocating resources corresponding to respective positions in the resource grid to respective users in the one or more users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of ACK/NACK resources corresponds to a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of ACK/NACK resources corresponds to a resource block comprising a plurality of data symbols and a plurality of reference signal symbols and the orthogonal covers correspond to orthogonal sequences applied to respective signals transmitted over the data symbols.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the orthogonal covers comprise Walsh codes.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of data symbols comprises 4 data symbols.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cyclic shifts comprise 12 cyclic shifts.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

mapping the cyclic shifts to respective angles corresponding to a unit circle; and

assigning a cyclic shift corresponding to a position in the resource grid that a user has been allocated at least in part by scheduling an ACK/NACK transmission by the user on the allocated resources at a time delay corresponding to the angle mapped to the assigned cyclic shift.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplexing comprises allocating resources to respective users using the resource grid based at least in part on a resource allocation function.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multiplexing further comprises:

assigning resource indexes to respective users to be allocated resources; and

allocating resources to the respective users via the resource allocation function in increasing order based on the resource indexes corresponding to the users.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the allocating resources to the respective users via the resource allocation function comprises:

allocating increasing cyclic shifts to respective users on the first orthogonal cover;

allocating increasing cyclic shifts to respective users alternating between the second and fourth orthogonal covers upon exhaustion of the first orthogonal cover; and

allocating increasing cyclic shifts to respective users on the third orthogonal cover upon exhaustion of the second and fourth orthogonal covers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the allocating resources to the respective users via the resource allocation function further comprises increasing cyclic shifts allocated for respective adjacently indexed users according to a shift increment value.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising shifting the resource grid in time by an amount determined as a function of a cell identifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the shifting comprises determining the amount for the shifting as a pseudorandom value that is generated as a function of the cell identifier.

14. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

a memory that stores data relating to acknowledgement (ACK) channel resources, a set of user equipments (UEs) to be allocated ACK channel resources, and a set of four orthogonal covers; and

a processor configured to generate a grid for the ACK channel resources having a first dimension corresponding to one or more cyclic shifts and a second dimension corresponding to the four orthogonal covers and to allocate ACK channel resources corresponding to respective slots in the resource grid to respective UEs.

15. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ACK channel resources correspond to a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

16. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ACK channel resources comprise a resource block, the resource block comprising a plurality of data symbols and a plurality of pilot symbols.

17. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 14, wherein the orthogonal covers comprise Walsh codes applied to respective signals transmitted over the plurality of data symbols in the resource block.

18. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the one or more cyclic shifts in terms of angles on a unit circle.

19. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 14, wherein the memory further stores data relating to resource indexes respectively associated with the set of UEs to be allocated ACK channel resources and a resource allocation function and the processor is further configured to allocate resources to respective UEs using the resource allocation function in increasing order of the resource indexes respectively associated with the UEs.

20. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to utilize the resource allocation function at least in part by allocating resources for respective UEs associated with cyclic shifts for the first orthogonal cover, cyclic shifts alternating between the second and fourth orthogonal covers upon exhaustion of the first orthogonal cover, and cyclic shifts for the third orthogonal cover upon exhaustion of the second and fourth orthogonal covers in increasing order of the resource indexes respectively associated with the UEs.

21. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 20, wherein the memory further stores data relating to an increment parameter and the processor is further configured to increment a cyclic shift allocation for respectively indexed UEs by the increment parameter.

22. An apparatus that facilitates resource allocation in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a set of acknowledgement (ACK)/negative acknowledgement (NACK) resources; and

means for generating a resource grid structure for allocation of the identified ACK/NACK resources, wherein the resource grid structure is defined with respect to at least one cyclic shift and four orthogonal covers.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the set of ACK/NACK resources corresponds to a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the set of ACK/NACK resources corresponds to a resource block comprising a plurality of data symbols and a plurality of demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) symbols and the orthogonal covers correspond to orthogonal sequences used for transmission over the plurality of data symbols.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for generating the at least one cyclic shift in terms of respective angles on a unit circle.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for indexing respective users to be allocated ACK/NACK resources; and

means for allocating ACK/NACK resources to the indexed users according to their respective indexes.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for allocating ACK/NACK resources comprises means for allocating resource slots in the resource grid structure to respective indexed users, wherein resources allocated to respective users correspond to cyclic shifts for the first orthogonal cover, cyclic shifts alternating between the second and fourth orthogonal covers upon exhaustion of the first orthogonal cover, and cyclic shifts for the third orthogonal cover upon exhaustion of the second and fourth orthogonal covers.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for allocating ACK/NACK resources further comprises means for incrementing a cyclic shift allocation for respectively indexed users by a preconfigured increment parameter.

29. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium, comprising;

code for causing a computer to generate a resource grid for a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) at least in part by defining a first dimension of the resource grid in terms of at least one cyclic shift and defining a second dimension of the resource grid in terms of four orthogonal covers; and

code for causing a computer to allocate slots in the resource grid to respective terminals to which PUCCH resources are to be assigned.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing a computer to index the respective terminals to which PUCCH resources are to be assigned, and the code for causing a computer to allocate comprises code for causing a computer to allocate slots in the resource grid to respective terminals as a function of respective indexes associated with the terminals.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the code for causing a computer to allocate further comprises code for causing a computer to allocate slots in the resource grid associated with the first orthogonal cover, slots in the resource grid alternating between the second orthogonal cover and the fourth orthogonal cover upon exhaustion of the slots in the resource grid corresponding to the first orthogonal cover, and slots in the resource grid associated with the third orthogonal cover upon exhaustion of the slots in the resource grid corresponding to the second orthogonal cover and the fourth orthogonal cover to respective terminals as a function of the indexes respectively associated with the terminals.

32. A method used in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

generating a resource grid corresponding to Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources, wherein a first dimension of the resource grid is defined by twelve cyclic shifts in time and a second dimension of the resource grid is defined by four orthogonal covers in code;

identifying a shift increment parameter;

assigning increasing resource indexes to respective user equipments (UEs) to be allocated PUCCH resources; and

allocating PUCCH resources to the indexed UEs at least in part by allocating respective slots in the resource grid to respective UEs according to at least one resource allocation function that steps along a first orthogonal cover in the resource grid at increasing cyclic shifts as a function of the shift increment parameter, alternates between second and fourth orthogonal covers at increasing cyclic shifts in the resource grid as a function of the shift increment parameter upon exhaustion of the first orthogonal cover, and steps through a third orthogonal cover in the resource grid at increasing cyclic shifts as a function of the shift increment parameter upon exhaustion of the second and fourth orthogonal covers.