Method and apparatus for reducing co-channel interference in a frame-synchronized wireless communication system

• US 6,707,798 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Zarbana Digital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ensemble Communications Inc (Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.))
• Inventors: Klein, Israel Jay, Hadar, Rami, Gilbert, Sheldon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Molinari, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US09/539,851
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 455/446, 455/447, 455/448, 455/450, 455/63, 455/422, 370/277, 370/281, 370/296, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/337, 370/347, 370/436, 370/478, 370/280
• US Class Current: 370/280
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/34 Amplitude- and phase-modulated carrier systems, e.g. quadrature-amplitude modulated carrier systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/143 for modulated signals H04L5/1469 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for reducing co-channel interference. The present invention includes a powerful means for eliminating co-channel interference from base stations in a wireless communication system. The present co-channel interference reducing method and apparatus utilizes frame synchronization between selected time frames (e.g., odd and even time frames) to reduce co-channel interference. Advantageously, the present invention reduces co-channel interference and, thus, allows robust modulation schemes to operate even at worst case line-of-sight (LoS) interference scenarios of 100%. The present invention can also use an uplink/downlink ratio formula to further improve system capacity (i.e., reduce co-channel interference) in ATDD systems. The present inventive method and apparatus can be used in any type of frame based and frame synchronized communication system.

Claims

1. A method of reducing co-channel interference in a frame-based broadband wireless communication system, wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of base stations and a plurality of terminal stations, wherein each terminal station is associated with at least one base station, and wherein each base station has an associated and corresponding cell, wherein each cell includes a plurality of associated and corresponding sectors, and wherein the plurality of base stations use frame-synchronized communication, and wherein the communication system comprises an uplink and a downlink, and wherein the uplink comprises an uplink signal divided into a plurality of time frames, and wherein each time frame has an associated and corresponding frame number, the method comprising the steps of:

a) determining a set of terminal stations that may potentially interfere with a selected base station;

b) determining a geographically diagonal subset of the set of terminal stations, wherein the diagonal subset communicates with a first set of associated and corresponding base stations that are approximately diagonal to the selected base station;

c) determining a geographically non-diagonal subset of the set of terminal stations, wherein the non-diagonal subset communicates with a second set of associated and corresponding base stations that are not approximately diagonal to the selected base station;

d) allocating a first set of time frames for the first set of base stations;

e) allocating a second set of time frames for the second set of base stations;

f) transmitting uplink information from terminal stations associated with the first set of base stations during the first set of time frames; and

g) transmitting up link information from terminal stations associated with the second set of base stations during the second set of time frames.

2. The method of reducing co-channel interference in a frame-based broadband wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication system is a half-duplex frequency-division duplexed (FDD) system.

3. The method of reducing co-channel interference in a frame-based broadband wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication system is a time-division duplexed (TDD) system.

4. The method of reducing co-channel interference in a frame-based broadband wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first set of time frames comprises odd-numbered time frames.

5. The method of reducing co-channel interference in a frame-based broadband wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the second set of time frames comprises even-numbered time frames.

6. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein a net uplink/downlink ratio comprises a 1/N ratio, wherein N is a positive number.

7. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 6, wherein the net uplink/downlink ratio is determined from a downlink average spectrum efficiency and an uplink average spectrum efficiency.

8. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 6, wherein the net uplink/downlink ratio is determined from an R_d value and an R_u value, and wherein the R_d value comprises a first fractional part of a time frame that is dedicated for the downlink and the R_u value comprises a second fractional part of a time frame that is dedicated for the uplink.

9. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 8, wherein the R_d value is calculated in accordance with the following formula:

10. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 9, wherein the R_u value is calculated in accordance with the following formula:

11. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 8, wherein the R_d value is calculated in accordance with the following formula:

12. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises an Adaptive Time Division Duplexing (ATDD) communication system.

13. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step (a) of determining a set of terminal stations comprises the sub-steps of:

i) determining an operating property set for a selected sector of the selected base station; and

ii) determining a set of terminal stations that comprise the operating property set of the selected sector.

14. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 13, wherein the operating property set comprises a polarization, a frequency and a base station antenna direction.

15. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 13, wherein the set of terminal stations includes terminal stations that are associated with sectors of at least one base station.

16. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step (a) of determining a set of terminal stations comprises the sub-steps of:

i) determining a polarization and a frequency of a communication signal and determining an antenna direction for a selected sector of the selected base station; and

ii) determining a set of terminal stations that include polarizations and frequencies of the communication signal similar to those determined in sub-step (i) and that also include a similar antenna direction for the selected sector as that determined in sub-step (i).

17. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communication system includes a communication re-use scheme having a frequency re-use factor of 2, a 2-frequency set and having a 4 sectors-per-cell configuration.

18. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communication system includes a communication re-use scheme having a frequency re-use factor of 2, a 1-frequency set and having a 4 sectors-per-cell configuration.

19. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communication system includes a communication re-use scheme using a frequency re-use factor of 2, a 3-frequency set and having a 6 sectors-per-cell configuration.

20. The method of reducing co-channel interference as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communication system includes a communication re-use scheme using a frequency re-use factor of 3/2, a 4-frequency set and having a 6 sectors-per-cell configuration.

21. An apparatus for reducing co-channel interference in a frame-based broadband wireless communication system, wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of base stations and a plurality of terminal stations, wherein each terminal station is associated with at least one base station, and wherein each base station has an associated and corresponding cell, wherein each cell includes a plurality of associated and corresponding sectors, and wherein the plurality of base stations use frame-synchronized communication, and wherein the communication system comprises an uplink and a downlink, and wherein the uplink comprises an uplink signal divided into a plurality of time frames, and wherein each time frame has an associated and corresponding frame number, comprising:

a) a set determining means for determining a set of terminal stations that may potentially interfere with a selected base station;

b) a diagonal subset determining means for determining a geographically diagonal subset of the set of terminal stations, wherein the diagonal subset communicates with a first set of associated and corresponding base stations that are approximately diagonal to the selected base station;

c) a non-diagonal subset determining means for determining a geographically non-diagonal subset of the set of terminal stations, wherein the non-diagonal subset communicates with a second set of associated and corresponding base stations that are not approximately diagonal to the selected base station;

d) a first allocating means for allocating a first set of time frames for the first set of base stations;

e) a second allocating means for allocating a second set of time frames for the second set of base stations;

f) a first transmitting means for transmitting uplink information from terminal stations associated with the first set of base stations during the first set of time frames; and

a second transmitting means for transmitting uplink information from terminal stations associated with the second set of base stations during the second set of time frames.

22. A frame-based broadband wireless communication system for reducing co-channel interference, comprising:

a) a plurality of base stations for transmitting and receiving communication signals within a cell;

b) a base station controller, operatively coupled to the plurality of base stations, for controlling the plurality of base stations;

c) a general purpose computer, operatively connected to the base station controller, for;

i)determining a set of terminal stations that may potentially interfere with a selected base station;

ii) determining a geographically diagonal subset of the set of terminal stations, wherein the diagonal subset communicates with a first set of associated and corresponding base stations that are approximately diagonal to the selected base station;

iii) determining a geographically non-diagonal subset of the set of terminal stations, wherein the non-diagonal subset communicates with a second set of associated and corresponding base stations that are not approximately diagonal to the selected base station;

iv) allocating a first set of time frames for the first set of base stations;

v) allocating a second set of time frames for the second set of base stations; and

d) a plurality of terminal stations, communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of base stations, for transmitting and receiving communication signals within the cell.