Multi-carrier communications with adaptive cluster configuration and switching

• US 7,650,152 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adaptix, Inc. (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Adaptix, Inc. (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Xiaodong, Zhang, Wenzhong, Liu, Hui, Li, Kemin
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US11/931,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20080219363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.1, 455/447, 455/450, 455/452.2, 455/453, 370/343, 370/347, 375/276
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/336 Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/00 Orthogonal multiplex systems, e.g. using WALSH codesH04J13/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/003 at the transmitter transmission to multiple receive units in multiple input multiple output [MIMO] H04B7/0452; transmit antenna weighting H04B7/0615
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/005 of intercell interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0005 applied to payload information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0011 applied to payload information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0079 Formats for control data H04L1/16 takes precedence; training sequences H04L25/00 and H04L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/04 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0226 sounding signals per se
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0228 with direct estimation from sounding signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 : Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 : Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0042 : intra-user or intra-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0046 : Determination of how many bits are transmitted on different sub-channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 : Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 : of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 : Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 : Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 : Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0082 : at predetermined intervals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 : Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 : Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 : using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 : using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 : Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

A method and apparatus for allocating subcarriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises allocating at least one diversity cluster of subcarriers to a first subscriber and allocating at least one coherence cluster to a second subscriber.

Claims

1. A method performed by a Base Station for allocating subcarriers in an OFDMA system, the method comprising:

determining a subscriber location within a cell; and

selecting either a coherence cluster or a diversity cluster for the subscriber based on the subscriber'"'"'s location within the cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the subscriber is located closer to a base station or closer to boundaries of the cell.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the coherence cluster if the subscriber is located closer to the base station.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the diversity cluster if the subscriber is located closer to the boundaries of the cell.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

periodically redetermining the subscriber'"'"'s location with the cell; and

in response to the redetermining, periodically reselecting either a coherence cluster or a diversity cluster for the subscriber based on the subscriber'"'"'s location within the cell.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining the subscriber'"'"'s location based on processing one or more location indicative signals.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining comprises determining the subscriber'"'"'s location based on processing interference variation.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining comprises determining the subscriber'"'"'s location based on a signal strength of the one or more location indicative signals.

9. A base station configured for OFDMA communication, the base station comprising:

processing logic configured;

to determine a location of a subscriber located within the base station'"'"'s cell; and

to select either a coherence cluster or a diversity cluster for the subscriber based on the subscriber'"'"'s location within the cell.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein the processing logic is configured to select the coherence cluster if the subscriber is located closer to the base station than the boundaries of the cell.

11. The base station of claim 9, wherein the processing logic is configured to select the diversity cluster if the subscriber is located closer to the boundaries of the cell than the base station.

12. The base station of claim 9, wherein the first processing logic comprises hardware logic.

13. The base station of claim 9, wherein the processing logic is configured to determine the location based on a location-indicative signal.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the location-indicative signal is not generated by the base station.

15. The base station of claim 13, wherein the location-indicative signal is based on interference variation within the cell.

16. A method performed by a mobile device for determining an SINR value for a cluster of subcarriers in an OFDMA system, the method comprising:

measuring an SINR value for each subcarrier in the cluster;

determining the SINR value for the cluster based on one or more of the SINR values for the subcarrier; and

reporting the SINR value for the cluster to a base station.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining the SINR value for the cluster comprises selecting the worst SINR value amongst the STNR values for the subcarriers as the SINR value for the cluster.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining the SINR value for the cluster comprises performing a weighted average of the SINR values for the subcarriers in the cluster.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the cluster comprises a diversity cluster and wherein the performing the weighted average comprises assigning unique weighting values to each of the subcarriers in the diversity cluster.