Apparatus, method, and computer program product providing improved uplink pilot transmission schemes

• US 7,860,150 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tiirola, Esa, Pajukoski, Kari
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US11/789,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20070248147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 375/132, 375/133, 375/135, 370/491, 370/500
• US Class Current: 375/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7143 Arrangements for generation of hop patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/7154 with means for preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/00 Code division multiplex systems for frequency hopping H04B1/713

Abstract

In one non-limiting aspect thereof, the exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a user equipment that includes a data processor; and a wireless transceiver configured to transmit uplink pilot signals during sub-bands and slots, wherein at least three blocks (LB1, LB2 and LB3) are reserved for pilot signals. LB1 and LB2 include in-band pilot signals transmitted using a dedicated pilot code. The wireless transceiver is further configured to transmit LB3 using a frequency hopping pattern and pilot code allocation that are based on a slot and a sub-band in which a first LB3 is transmitted. Thus, the code and hopping pattern of a scheduled user equipment are resource-specific (defined by an allocated resource), as opposed to being user equipment-specific.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

composing, by a data processor, first uplink pilot signals and a second uplink pilot signal;

transmitting, by at least one transmitter, the first uplink pilot signals during sub-bands and slots of a time-frequency resource space, wherein at least three first portions of the time-frequency resource space (a first long block 1 (LB1), a first long block 2 (LB2) and a first long block 3 (LB3)) are reserved for the first uplink pilot signals, wherein the first LB1 and the first LB2 comprise in-band pilot signals transmitted using a dedicated pilot code; and

transmitting, by the at least one transmitter, the second uplink pilot signal during a second portion of the time-frequency resource space (a second long block 3 (LB3)) using a frequency hopping pattern and a pilot code allocation that are based on a slot and a sub-band in which the first LB3 is transmitted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency hopping pattern for the second LB3 is based on parameters comprising:

L=length of the hopping pattern and y=hopping pattern index (1 . . . L), wherein z=slot index (1 . . . L), and wherein the hopping pattern (z)=rem(z−

1+(y−

1),L)+1.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency hopping pattern (X) for the second LB3 meets the following criterion:

X(R)=B,

where

B=first active sub-band; and

R=first active slot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dedicated pilot code comprises a code in a code list.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein codes in the code list comprise cyclic shifts of a constant amplitude zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink comprises a universal terrestrial radio access network-long term evolution (UTRAN-LTE) uplink, and wherein a channel quality indication rate for at least the second uplink pilot signal is constrained.

7. A tangible computer-readable medium that stores program instructions, execution of the program instructions by a processor resulting in operations comprising:

composing first uplink pilot signals and a second uplink pilot signal;

transmitting the first uplink pilot signals during sub-bands and slots of a time-frequency resource space, wherein at least three first portions of the time-frequency resource space (a first long block 1 (LB1), a first long block 2 (LB2) and a first long block 3 (LB3)) are reserved for the first uplink pilot signals, wherein the first LB1 and the first LB2 comprise in-band pilot signals transmitted using a dedicated pilot code; and

transmitting the second uplink pilot signal during a second portion of the time-frequency resource space (a second long block 3 (LB3)) using a frequency hopping pattern and a pilot code allocation that are based on a slot and a sub-band in which the first LB3 is transmitted.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the frequency hopping pattern for the second LB3 is based on parameters comprising:

L=length of the hopping pattern and y=hopping pattern index (1 . . . L), wherein z=slot index (1 . . . L), and wherein the hopping pattern (z)=rem(z−

1+(y−

1),L)+1.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the frequency hopping pattern (X) for the second LB3 meets the following criterion:

X(R)=B,

where

B=first active sub-band; and

R=first active slot.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the dedicated pilot code comprises a code in a code list.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein codes in the code list comprise cyclic shifts of a constant amplitude zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) code.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the uplink comprises a universal terrestrial radio access network-long term evolution (UTRAN-LTE) uplink, and wherein a channel quality indication rate for at least the second uplink pilot signal is constrained.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a data processor configured to compose first uplink pilot signals and a second uplink pilot signal; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the first uplink pilot signals during sub-bands and slots of a time-frequency resource space, wherein at least three portions of the time-frequency resource space (a first long block 1 (LB1), a first long block 2 (LB2) and a first long block 3 (LB3)) are reserved for the first uplink pilot signals, wherein the first LB1 and the first LB2 comprise in-band pilot signals transmitted using a dedicated pilot code, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit a the second uplink pilot signal during a second portion of the time-frequency resource space (a second long block 3 (LB3)) using a frequency hopping pattern and a pilot code allocation that are based on a slot and a sub-band in which the first LB3 is transmitted.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the frequency hopping pattern for the second LB3 is based on parameters comprising:

L=length of the hopping pattern and y=hopping pattern index (1 . . . L), wherein z=slot index (1 . . . L), and wherein the hopping pattern (z)=rem(z−

1+(y−

1),L)+1.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the frequency hopping pattern (X) for the second LB3 meets the following criterion:

X(R)=B,

where

B=first active sub-band; and

R=first active slot.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the dedicated pilot code comprises a code in a code list.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein codes in the code list comprise cyclic shifts of a constant amplitude zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) code.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the uplink comprises a universal terrestrial radio access network-long term evolution (UTRAN-LTE) uplink, and wherein a channel quality indication rate for at least the second uplink pilot signal is constrained.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile phone.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, embodied at least partially in an integrated circuit.

21. An apparatus comprising:

processing means for composing first uplink pilot signals and a second uplink pilot signal; and

transmitting means for transmitting the first uplink pilot signals during sub-bands and slots of a time-frequency resource space, wherein at least three portions of the time-frequency resource space (a first long block 1 (LB1), a first long block 2 (LB2) and a first long block 3 (LB3)) are reserved for the first uplink pilot signals, wherein the first LB1 and the first LB2 comprise in-band pilot signals transmitted using a dedicated pilot code, wherein the transmitting means is further for transmitting the second uplink pilot signal during a second portion of the time-frequency resource space (a second long block 3 (LB3)) using a frequency hopping pattern and a pilot code allocation that are based on a slot and a sub-band in which the first LB3 is transmitted.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processing means comprises a data processor and the transmitting means comprises at least one transmitter or at least one transceiver.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the frequency hopping pattern for the second LB3 is based on parameters comprising:

L=length of the hopping pattern and y=hopping pattern index (1 . . . L), wherein z=slot index (1 . . . L), and wherein the hopping pattern (z)=rem(z−

1+(y−

1),L)+1.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the frequency hopping pattern (X) for the second LB3 meets the following criterion:

X(R)=B,

where

B=first active sub-band; and

R=first active slot.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the dedicated pilot code comprises a code in a code list, wherein codes in the code list comprise cyclic shifts of a constant amplitude zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) code.