AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100190459A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jovicic, Aleksandar, Wang, Ying, Richardson, Thomas, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 8,238,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/234.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3078 Circuits generating control signals for digitally modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3089 Control of digital or coded signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/383 power control in peer-to-peer links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

Techniques for performing automatic gain control (AGC) at a terminal in a wireless communication network are described. In an aspect, the terminal may use different receiver gain settings to receive different types of signals in different time intervals. The terminal may determine a receiver gain setting for each signal type and may use the receiver gain setting to receive signals of that signal type. In another aspect, the terminal may determine a receiver gain setting for a future time interval based on received power levels for peer terminals expected to transmit in that time interval. The terminal may measure received power levels of signals received from a plurality of terminals. The terminal may determine a set of terminals expected to transmit in the future time interval and may determine the receiver gain setting for the future time interval based on the measured received power levels for the set of terminals.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

determining a first receiver gain setting for a first signal type;

using the first receiver gain setting to receive signals of the first signal type in a first time interval;

determining a second receiver gain setting for a second signal type; and

using the second receiver gain setting to receive signals of the second signal type in a second time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signals of the first signal type comprise peer discovery signals and the signals of the second signal type comprise paging signals.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting for peer discovery signals in the first time interval to discover peer terminals; and

detecting for paging signals from previously discovered terminals in the second time interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first receiver gain setting comprises

measuring received power levels of the signals of the first signal type in at least one prior time interval, and

determining the first receiver gain setting based on the measured received power levels and a target power level for the signals of the first signal type.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring total received power for the signals of the first signal type during the first time interval; and

adjusting receiver gain during the first time interval based on the total received power for the signals of the first signal type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the second receiver gain setting comprises selecting different receiver gain settings in different time intervals for the second signal type based on a predetermined pattern comprising multiple receiver gain settings.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the first time interval for the first signal type based on current time and a first periodic pattern for the first signal type; and

determining the second time interval for the second signal type based on the current time and a second periodic pattern for the second signal type.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a third receiver gain setting for a third signal type; and

using the third receiver gain setting to receive signals of the third signal type in a third time interval.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

obtaining timing information from the signals of the third signal type; and

determining the first and second time intervals for the first and second signal types, respectively, based on the timing information.

10. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to determine a first receiver gain setting for a first signal type, to use the first receiver gain setting to receive signals of the first signal type in a first time interval, to determine a second receiver gain setting for a second signal type, and to use the second receiver gain setting to receive signals of the second signal type in a second time interval.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the signals of the first signal type comprise peer discovery signals and the signals of the second signal type comprise paging signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to measure received power levels of the signals of the first signal type in at least one prior time interval, and to determine the first receiver gain setting based on the measured received power levels and a target power level for the signals of the first signal type.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select different receiver gain settings in different time intervals for the second signal type based on a predetermined pattern comprising multiple receiver gain settings.

14. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

measuring received power levels for a set of terminals in at least one prior time interval;

determining a predicted received power level for the set of terminals in a future time interval based on the measured received power levels for the set of terminals;

determining a receiver gain setting for the future time interval based on the predicted received power level; and

using the receiver gain setting to receive signals from the set of terminals in the future time interval.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving signals from a plurality of terminals in at least one frame, each frame comprising multiple time intervals, each terminal transmitting in different time intervals in different frames, the different time intervals being selected based on a hopping function; and

determining the set of terminals from among the plurality of terminals based on the hopping function and information on current time, the set of terminals being expected to be received in the future time interval.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving signals from a plurality of terminals in at least one frame, each frame comprising a plurality of resource blocks formed with multiple subcarrier sets in multiple time intervals, each terminal transmitting on different resource blocks in different frames, the different resource blocks being selected based on a hopping function; and

determining the set of terminals from among the plurality of terminals based on the hopping function and information on current time, the set of terminals being expected to be received on resource blocks in the future time interval.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

filtering measured received power levels for each terminal in the set across multiple time intervals to obtain a filtered received power level for the terminal, and

wherein the predicted received power level for the set of terminals is determined based on filtered received power levels for the set of terminals

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the using the receiver gain setting comprises

setting a receiver gain based on the receiver gain setting,

scaling a received signal in accordance with the receiver gain to obtain a scaled signal, and

adjusting the receiver gain to maintain the scaled signal within a predetermined range.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the receiver gain setting comprises determining the receiver gain setting for the future time interval based further on a target power level.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

measuring total received power for the set of terminals during the future time interval; and

adjusting receiver gain during the future time interval based on the total received power for the set of terminals.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the using the receiver gain setting comprises using the receiver gain setting to receive peer discovery signals from the set of terminals in the future time interval.

22. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to measure received power levels for a set of terminals in at least one prior time interval, to determine a predicted received power level for the set of terminals in a future time interval based on the measured received power levels for the set of terminals, to determine a receiver gain setting for the future time interval based on the predicted received power level, and to use the receiver gain setting to receive signals from the set of terminals in the future time interval.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive signals from a plurality of terminals in at least one frame, each frame comprising a plurality of resource blocks formed with multiple subcarrier sets in multiple time intervals, each terminal transmitting on different resource blocks in different frames, the different resource blocks being selected based on a hopping function, and to determine the set of terminals from among the plurality of terminals based on the hopping function and information on current time, the set of terminals being expected to be received on resource blocks in the future time interval.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to set a receiver gain based on the receiver gain setting, to scale a received signal in accordance with the receiver gain to obtain a scaled signal, and to adjust the receiver gain to maintain the scaled signal within a predetermined range.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to use the receiver gain setting to receive peer discovery signals from the set of terminals in the future time interval.

26. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for measuring received power levels for a set of terminals in at least one prior time interval;

means for determining a predicted received power level for the set of terminals in a future time interval based on the measured received power levels for the set of terminals;

means for determining a receiver gain setting for the future time interval based on the predicted received power level; and

means for using the receiver gain setting to receive signals from the set of terminals in the future time interval.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

means for receiving signals from a plurality of terminals in at least one frame, each frame comprising a plurality of resource blocks formed with multiple subcarrier sets in multiple time intervals, each terminal transmitting on different resource blocks in different frames, the different resource blocks being selected based on a hopping function; and

means for determining the set of terminals from among the plurality of terminals based on the hopping function and information on current time, the set of terminals being expected to be received on resource blocks in the future time interval.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for using the receiver gain setting comprises

means for setting a receiver gain based on the receiver gain setting,

means for scaling a received signal in accordance with the receiver gain to obtain a scaled signal, and

means for adjusting the receiver gain to maintain the scaled signal within a predetermined range.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for using the receiver gain setting comprises means for using the receiver gain setting to receive peer discovery signals from the set of terminals in the future time interval.

30. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to measure received power levels for a set of terminals in at least one prior time interval,

code for causing the at least one computer to determine a predicted received power level for the set of terminals in a future time interval based on the measured received power levels for the set of terminals,

code for causing the at least one computer to determine a receiver gain setting for the future time interval based on the predicted received power level, and

code for causing the at least one computer to use the receiver gain setting to receive signals from the set of terminals in the future time interval.