Apparatus and method for prioritized apportionment of transmission power in a multi-carrier terminal

• US 7,411,930 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhushan, Naga, Black, Peter John, Montojo, Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moutaouakil; Mounir
• Application Number:
  US10/739,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20050135312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 370/335, 370/336, 370/320, 370/342, 370/441, 370/345, 370/498, 455/91, 455/115.1, 455/125, 455/127.1, 455/127.2
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2614 Peak power aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2637 with direct modulation of individual subcarriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/281 taking into account user or data type priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/30 using constraints in the total amount of available transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

In a multi-carrier access terminal having a transmitter with a single power amplifier, maximum transmission power available for a multi-carrier signal transmitted by the terminal is apportioned among a plurality of carriers on a priority basis. Following apportionment, the carriers are combined into a multi-carrier signal, amplified by the power amplifier and transmitted.

Claims

1. A transmitter for a multi-carrier terminal, comprising:

a first transmission circuit for providing a first carrier for a first channel;

at least a second transmission circuit for providing at least a second carrier for a second channel;

a combiner connected to the transmission circuits for combining the first carrier and at least the second carrier into a multi-carrier signal;

a power amplifier connected to the combiner for amplifying the multi-carrier signal; and

a processor connected to a power detector and to the transmission circuits for apportioning power available for the amplified multi-carrier signal between the first and second carriers according to a carrier priority, wherein the carrier priority allocates to the first carrier a first carrier portion of the transmission power, and allocates to the second carrier a second carrier portion of the transmission power, the second carrier portion being based on the power available for the multi-carrier signal reduced by the first carrier portion.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the processor has an input for receiving an operational mode signal indicating whether or not the first channel is in an active state, wherein the carrier priority allocates the first carrier portion if the first channel is in an active state.

3. The transmitter of claim 2, wherein the carrier priority further allocates the first carrier portion if the first channel is in a connection setup state.

4. The transmitter of claim 3, wherein the power available for the multi-carrier signal is limited to a maximum value by a terminal emission constraint.

5. A transmitter for a multi-carrier terminal, comprising:

a voice transmission circuit for providing a voice carrier for a voice channel;

at least one data transmission circuit for providing a at least one data carrier for a data channel;

a combiner connected to the voice transmission circuit and the at least one data transmission circuit for combining the voice carrier and at least the one data carrier into a multi-carrier signal;

a power amplifier connected to the combiner;

a power detector connected to the power amplifier for measuring a power level of an amplified multi-carrier signal produced by the power amplifier; and

a processor connected to the power detector, the voice transmission circuit, and the at least one data transmission circuit for apportioning a maximum amount of transmission power available for the multi-carrier signal between the voice carrier and the one data carrier in a first operational mode of the terminal by first allocating a voice carrier portion of the transmission power to the voice carrier and then allocating a data carrier portion of the transmission power by;

MaxDataPower=[MaxTxPowerAnalog−

TxAnalogPower]+[TxPilotPower*T2P(rate)]−

MarginForVoice

where;

MaxDataPower is maximum power allocated to the one data carrier;

MaxTxPowerAnalog is a maximum level of power available to the voice carrier;

TxAnalogPower is the power level of an amplified multi-carrier signal power measured by the power detector;

TxPilotPower is the power level of a pilot signal of the data channel;

T2P(rate) is a gain to translate the power of the pilot signal to overall signal power; and

MarginForVoice is a margin of power reserved for the voice carrier.

6. The transmitter of claim 5, wherein the voice channel and the data channel are both active in the first operational mode, and the processor is further for apportioning the maximum amount of transmission power available for the multi-carrier signal between the voice carrier and the one data carrier according to a second operational mode of the terminal by:

MaxDataPower=[MaxTxPowerAnalog−

TxAnalogPower]−

MarginForVoice

where the voice channel is in an active state and the data channel is in a connection setup state in the second operational mode.

7. The transmitter of claim 6, the processor is further for apportioning the maximum amount of transmission power available for the multi-carrier signal between the voice carrier and the one data carrier according to a third operational mode of the terminal in which the data channel is the active state by:

MaxDataPower=[MaxTxPowerAnalog−

TxAnalogPower]+[TxPilotPower*T2P(rate)]−

MarginForVoice

where MarginForVoice is set to zero while the voice channel is in an idle state, and is set to a maximum value when the voice channel is in the connection setup state.

8. The transmitter of claim 7, wherein MaxTxPowerAnalog has a maximum value based on a spectral emission constraint.

9. A method of operating a multi-carrier access terminal for a wide area network, comprising:

providing a maximum amount of transmission power for a multi-carrier signal to be transmitted by the terminal;

providing a first carrier for transmitting first information;

providing at least a second carrier for transmitting second information;

combining the first carrier and at least the second carrier into a multi-carrier signal;

apportioning the transmission power for the multi-carrier signal between the first and second carriers according to a carrier priority; and

transmitting the multi-carrier signal at a power no greater then the maximum amount, wherein the carrier priority allocates to the first carrier a first carrier portion of the transmission power, and allocates to the second carrier a second carrier portion of the transmission power, the second carrier portion being based on the power available for the multi-carrier signal reduced by the first carrier portion.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the terminal has an operational mode indicating whether or not the first carrier is in an active state, wherein the carrier priority allocates the first carrier portion if the first carrier is in an active state.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the carrier priority further allocates the second carrier portion if the second carrier is in an active state.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the power available for the multi-carrier signal is limited to a maximum value by a terminal emission constraint.

13. A method for controlling transmission power in a multi-carrier terminal, comprising:

providing a voice carrier for a voice channel;

providing a at least one data carrier for a data channel;

combining the voice carrier and at least the one data carrier into a multi-carrier signal;

amplifying the multi-channel carrier signal;

measuring a power level of the amplified multi-carrier signal; and

apportioning a maximum amount of transmission power available for the multi-carrier signal between the voice carrier and the one data carrier in a first operational mode of the terminal by first allocating a voice carrier portion of the transmission power to the voice carrier and then allocating a data carrier portion of the transmission power by;

MaxDataPower=[MaxTxPowerAnalog−

TxAnalogPower]+[TxPilotPower*T2P(rate)]−

MarginForVoice

where;

MaxDataPower is maximum power allocated to the one data carrier;

MaxTxPowerAnalog is a maximum level of power available to the voice carrier;

TxAnalogPower is the measured power level of an amplified multi-carrier signal power;

TxPilotPower is the power level of a pilot signal of the data channel;

T2P(rate) is a gain to translate the power of the pilot signal to overall signal; and

MarginForVoice is a margin of power reserved for the voice carrier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the voice channel and the data channel are both active in the first operational mode, further including apportioning the maximum amount of transmission power available for the multi-carrier signal between the voice carrier and the one data carrier according to a second operational mode of the terminal by:

MaxDataPower=[MaxTxPowerAnalog−

TxAnalogPower]−

MarginForVoice

where the voice channel is in an active state and the data channel is in a connection setup state in the second operational mode.

15. The method of claim 14, further including apportioning the maximum amount of transmission power available for the multi-carrier signal between the voice carrier and the one data carrier according to a third operational mode of the terminal in which the data channel is the active state by:

MaxDataPower=[MaxTxPowerAnalog−

TxAnalogPower]+[TxPilotPower*T2P(rate)]−

MarginForVoice

where MarginForVoice is set to zero while the voice channel is in an idle state, and is set to a maximum value when the voice channel is in the connection setup state.

16. The transmitter of claim 15, wherein MaxTxPowerAnalog has a maximum value based on a spectral emission constraint.

17. A method of operating a transmitter having a power amplifier, comprising:

providing a maximum amount of transmission power for a multi-carrier signal to be transmitted by the transmitter;

providing a plurality of carriers for transmitting information;

apportioning the transmission power for a multi-carrier signal between the carriers according to a carrier priority;

combining carriers of the plurality of carriers into a multi-carrier signal;

amplifying the multi-carrier signal with the power amplifier; and

transmitting the multi-carrier signal at a power no greater then the maximum amount, wherein the maximum amount of transmission power (MaxTxPower) is apportioned to a carrier y of the plurality of carriers according to;

18. A transmitter for a multi-carrier terminal, comprising:

means for providing a maximum amount of transmission power for a multi-carrier signal to be transmitted by the terminal;

means for providing a first carrier for transmitting first information;

means for providing at least a second carrier for transmitting second information;

means for combining the first carrier and at least the second carrier into a multi-carrier signal;

means for apportioning the transmission power for the multi-carrier signal between the first and second carriers according to a carrier priority; and

means for transmitting the multi-carrier signal at a power no greater than the maximum amount, wherein the carrier priority allocates to the first carrier a first carrier portion of the transmission power, and allocates to the second carrier a second carrier portion of the transmission power, the second carrier portion being based on the power available for the multi-carrier signal reduced by the first carrier portion.

19. The transmitter of claim 18, wherein the terminal has an operational mode indicating whether or not the first carrier is in an active state, wherein the carrier priority includes means for allocating the first carrier portion if the first carrier is in an active state.

20. The transmitter of claim 19, wherein the carrier priority further includes means for allocating the second carrier portion if the second carrier is in an active state.

21. The transmitter of claim 20, further comprising means for limiting the power available for the multi-carrier signal to a maximum value.