System and method for data transmission from multiple wireless base transceiver stations to a subscriber unit

• US 6,567,387 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Mishra, Partho, Kasturia, Sanjay, Dulin, David R., Peters, Matthew S., Paulraj, Arogyaswami J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sam, Phirin
• Application Number:
  US09/708,170
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/335, 370/336, 370/337, 370/338, 370/341, 370/342, 370/347, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/356, 370/395.1, 370/437, 370/442, 370/469, 370/474, 370/476, 370/345, 370/350
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/006 using known positions of transmitter and receiver

Abstract

The invention includes an apparatus and a method for scheduling wireless transmission of data blocks between multiple base transceiver stations and multiple receiver (subscriber) units. A scheduler unit receives the protocol data units from a network and sub-divides the protocol data units into sub-protocol data units. A plurality of base transceiver stations receive the sub-protocol data units, and wirelessly transmit the sub-protocol data units to a subscriber unit. The scheduler unit determines a schedule protocol for transmission of the sub-protocol data units by the plurality of base transceiver stations. The invention can include a base controller station that includes the scheduler unit. The invention can include a home base transceiver station that include the scheduler unit. A standard network interconnection can provide a transfer path of the sub-protocol data units between the base controller station and the base transceiver stations, or the home base transceiver station and the base transceiver stations. The sub-protocol data units can be encapsulated within standard data units that correspond with the standard network interconnection. The standard network connection can be an ATM network connection and the standard data units can be ATM cells. Alternatively, the standard network connection can be an IP network connection and the standard data units can be IP cells.

Claims

1. A cellular wireless communication system comprising:

a scheduler unit, to receive protocol data units from a network and sub-divide the protocol data units into sub-protocol data units;

a plurality of synchronized base transceiver stations to receive the sub-protocol data units, and to wirelessly transmit the sub-protocol data units to a subscriber unit;

wherein

the scheduler unit determines a schedule protocol for timed transmission of the sub-protocol data units by the plurality of base transceiver stations to the subscriber unit, the transmission including at least one of spatial multiplexing and diversity transmission; and

wherein the sub-protocol data units are transmitted between the base transceiver stations and the subscriber unit in data blocks, wherein a number of sub-protocol data units that are within a data block is dependent upon transmission link quality information of transmission links between the base transceiver stations and the subscriber unit, and wherein the scheduler unit determines how many data blocks are transmitted from each base transceiver station to the subscriber unit during a frame unit of time, based upon the transmission link quality information.

2. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising a base controller station, the base controller station comprising the scheduler unit.

3. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 2, further comprising a standard network interconnection for providing a sub-protocol data units transfer path between the base controller station and the base transceiver stations.

4. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 3, wherein the sub-protocol data units are encapsulated within standard data units that corresponds to the standard network interconnection.

5. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 4, wherein the standard network connection is an ATM network connection and the standard data units are ATM cells.

6. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 4, wherein the standard network connection is an IP network connection and the standard data units are IP cells.

7. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of base transceiver stations comprise a home base transceiver station, the home base transceiver station comprising the scheduler unit.

8. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the home base transceiver station is the base transceiver station that has a highest quality transmission link with the subscriber unit.

9. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 7, further comprising a standard network interconnection for providing a sub-protocol data units transfer path between the home base transceiver station and the base transceiver stations.

10. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein the sub-protocol data units are encapsulated within standard data units that corresponds to the standard network interconnection.

11. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 10, wherein the standard network connection is an ATM network connection and the standard data units are ATM cells.

12. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 10, wherein the standard network connection is an IP network connection and the standard data units are IP cells.

13. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the scheduler generates a map that depicts when the data blocks are transmitted from the base transceiver stations to the subscriber unit.

14. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 13, wherein the map is generated once per a frame unit of time.

15. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 14, wherein there are a predetermined number of data blocks transmitted per frame unit of time.

16. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 14, wherein the map is transmitted to the subscriber unit once per frame unit of time.

17. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 13, wherein a plurality of maps are generated per frame.

18. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the scheduler unit maintains transmission link quality information between each the plurality of base transceiver stations and the subscriber unit.

19. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the transmission link quality information is periodically updated.

20. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the transmission link quality information is included within a transmission link quality look-up-table.

21. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the transmission link quality information is determined at each base transceiver station by sending predetermined patterns of information within the sub-protocol data units.

22. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the transmission link quality information is transmitted from the subscriber unit back to the scheduler unit.

23. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein sub-protocol data units are also transmitted from the subscriber unit to at least one of base transceiver stations.

24. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 23, wherein the sub-protocol data units are transmitted between the subscriber unit and the base transceiver stations in data blocks, in which the data blocks are defined by a frequency block and time slot.

25. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 24, wherein the scheduler generates a map that determines when the data blocks are transmitted from the subscriber unit to the base transceiver stations.

26. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein a number of protocol data units that are within a data block is dependent upon a quality of transmission links between the subscriber unit and the base transceiver stations.

27. A method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system, the method comprising:

receiving protocol data units from a network;

sub-dividing the protocol data units into sub-protocol data units;

scheduling transmission of the sub-protocol data units from a plurality of synchronized base transceiver stations to a subscriber unit;

transmitting the sub-protocol data units according to the scheduling, the transmission being timed, the transmission including at least one of spatial multiplexing and diversity transmission;

wherein the sub-protocol data units are transmitted between the base transceiver stations and the subscriber unit in data blocks, wherein a number of sub-protocol data units that are within a data block is dependent upon transmission link quality information of transmission links between the base transceiver stations and the subscriber unit, and wherein the scheduler unit determines how many data blocks are transmitted from each base transceiver station to the subscriber unit during a frame unit of time, based upon the transmission link quality information.

28. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 27, wherein a base controller station does the sub-dividing and scheduling.

29. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 28, further comprising:

transferring the sub-protocol units from the base controller station to the base transceiver stations.

30. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 29, wherein transferring the sub-protocol units from the base controller station to the base transceiver stations comprises:

encapsulating the sub-protocol data units within a standard network interconnection protocol cell.

31. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 30, wherein the standard network interconnection protocol cell is an ATM cell.

32. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 30, wherein the standard network interconnection protocol cell is an IP cell.

33. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 27, wherein a home base transceiver station does the sub-dividing and scheduling.

34. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 33, further comprising:

transferring the sub-protocol units from the home base transceiver station to the base transceiver stations.

35. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 34, wherein transferring the sub-protocol units from the home base transceiver station to the base transceiver stations comprises:

encapsulating the sub-protocol data units within a standard network interconnection protocol cell.

36. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 35, wherein the standard network interconnection protocol cell is an ATM cell.

37. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 35, wherein the standard network interconnection protocol cell is an IP cell.

38. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting sub-protocol data units from the subscriber unit to at least one of base transceiver stations.

39. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 27, wherein the sub-protocol data units are transmitted from the subscriber units in data blocks, the data blocks being defined by a frequency block and time slot.

40. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 39, wherein the scheduler generates a map that determines when the data blocks are transmitted from the subscriber unit to the base transceiver stations.

41. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 40, wherein the map is transmitted to the subscriber unit once per frame unit of time.

42. The method of transmitting within a cellular wireless system of claim 39, wherein there are a predetermined number of data blocks transmitted per frame unit of time.