Method and apparatus for cooperative diversity

• US 6,665,521 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2000
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sibecas, Salvador, Gorday, Robert Mark, Gorday, Paul Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/640,515
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518, 455/403, 455/422, 455/426, 455/432, 455/445, 455/456, 455/11.1, 455/500, 455/517, 455/550, 455/552, 455/67.1, 370/315, 340/7.2, 340/7.21, 340/7.24, 340/7.27
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/026 Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices

Abstract

The wireless communication system (100) uses a method of improving diversity gain by utilizing a first network (10) operating with a first protocol and at least a second network (20) formed from a plurality of cooperative wireless devices (22, 24, 26, 28, and 29) operating with a second protocol and at least the,first protocol. The method includes the step (302) of receiving a signal using the first protocol at one or more of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices intended for a targeted member of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices and the step (308) of processing the signal cooperatively among the plurality of cooperative wireless devices in order to increase diversity gain of the signal to the targeted member.

Claims

1. A method of providing diversity gain in a wireless communication system having at least a first network operating with a first protocol and at least a second network formed from a plurality of cooperative wireless devices operating with a second protocol and at least the first protocol, comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal using the first protocol at one or more of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices intended for a targeted member of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices; and

processing the signal cooperatively among the plurality of cooperative wireless devices in order to provide diversity gain of the signal to the targeted member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing the signal cooperatively comprises the step of maintaining a list of potential partners among the plurality of cooperative wireless devices that operate within the first network and within range of the second network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of selecting an active group of partners among the plurality of cooperative wireless devices based on criteria selected from the group consisting of partner availability, primary transceiver status, current processing capacity, current memory capacity, first protocol link quality, second protocol link quality, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing step further comprises the step of receiving the signal intended for the targeted member by the plurality of cooperative wireless devices and then automatically relaying information extracted from the signal by the plurality of cooperative devices to the targeted member via the second protocol for diversity combining.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing step further comprises the step of receiving the signal intended for the targeted member by the plurality of cooperative wireless devices and then relaying information extracted from the signal by the plurality of cooperative devices to the targeted member via the second protocol for diversity combining at the request of the targeted member.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of having each member of the plurality of cooperative devices use the second protocol to communicate their respective first protocol link quality and availability to a remaining group of the plurality of cooperative devices which is used to determine which members will participate in a diversity reception of information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of having each member of the plurality of cooperative devices use the second protocol to communicate their respective access information for the first protocol to enable diversity reception.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the respective access information is selected from the group consisting of address, frame number, collapse value, time slot, channel frequency, or spreading code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal sent by the wireless communication system is an all points bulletin system message to locate the targeted member who has not responded to a registration request and wherein the step of processing further comprises the step at any of the cooperative wireless devices having an active connection with the targeted member using the second protocol of responding to the wireless communication system using the first protocol and indicating that it has an active connection to the targeted member and await further instructions such as relaying a message to the targeted member.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal sent by the wireless communication system is an all points bulletin system message to locate the targeted member who has not responded to a registration request and wherein the step of processing further comprises the step at any of the cooperative wireless devices having an active connection with the targeted member using the second protocol of contacting the targeted member using the second protocol and informing it that the wireless communication system is looking for it and await further instructions from the targeted member such as relaying a response to the wireless communication system.

11. A method of providing diversity gain in a wireless communication system having at least a first network operating with a first protocol and at least a second network formed from a plurality of cooperative wireless devices operating with a second protocol and at least the first protocol, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a signal using the second protocol from one of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices to at least another one of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices, wherein such signal is intended for eventual transmission via the first protocol to the wireless communication system; and

processing the signal cooperatively among the plurality of cooperative wireless devices in order to provide diversity gain of the signal transmitted to the wireless communication system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of determining a preferred member among the plurality of cooperative wireless devices which will transmit the signal to the wireless communication system using the first protocol.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the preferred member is determined by a link quality using the first protocol for each of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the preferred member is determined by a link quality using the second protocol for each of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the preferred member is determined by a link quality using the first protocol and/or second protocol for each of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of transmitting simultaneously the signal to, the wireless communication system by at least two or more of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of using the second protocol by at least two or more of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices to provide a reference for synchronizing the devices prior to any simultaneous transmission by the devices to the wireless communication system using the first protocol.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of using the second protocol by at least two or more of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices to exchange information concerning timing information related to the first protocol such that members of the plurality of cooperative wireless devices out of range of the first protocol can maintain synchronization on the first protocol.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of having each member of the plurality of cooperative devices communicate their respective access information for the first protocol to enable diversity transmission.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of cooperative wireless devices on the second network are self-organizing.