Methods and apparatus for making transmitter and/or receiver communications decisions

• US 8,520,524 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Junyi, Laroia, Rajiv, Tavildar, Saurabh, Wu, Xinzhou
• Primary Examiner(s): MURPHY, RHONDA L
• Application Number:
  US12/267,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20100118701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for making communications decisions are described. In some embodiments, a method includes recovering a quality of service level from a transmission request response signal and making a decision whether or not to transmit traffic data based on the recovered quality of service level. In other embodiments a method includes recovering a first quality of service level from a first transmission request response signal which is in response to a first traffic transmission request signal, and making a decision, based on the recovered first quality of service level, whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal in response to a second traffic transmission request signal. In some embodiments, the phase of the transmission request response signal is used to communicate the quality of service level. The device transmitting the transmission request response may also transmit pilots which can be used as phase reference signals.

Claims

1. A method of operating a first communications device, comprising:

recovering a quality of service level from a transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the transmission request response signal being a response to a traffic transmission request from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit;

making a decision whether or not to transmit traffic data based on the recovered quality of service level;

receiving a pilot signal from the access router; and

generating an estimate of a channel between said access router and said first communications device;

wherein said recovering the quality of service level includes using the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received transmission request response signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said recovering the quality of service level includes recovering the quality of service level from a phase of the transmission request response signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said traffic transmission request is a signal which is transmitted from the second communications device to said access router.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality of service level is a transmission priority level between the second communications device and the access router.

5. A method of operating a first communications device, comprising:

recovering a quality of service level from a transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the transmission request response signal being a response to a traffic transmission request from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit; and

making a decision whether or not to transmit traffic data based on the recovered quality of service level, wherein said making the decision whether or not to transmit includes comparing the recovered quality of service level to a quality of service level corresponding to said traffic data; and

deciding, when the quality of service level of the traffic data to be transmitted is higher than the recovered quality of service level, to transmit irrespective of the received power level of the transmission request response signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said making the decision whether or not to transmit further includes:

deciding, when the quality of service level of the traffic data to be transmitted is lower than the recovered quality of service level, whether or not to transmit based on the received power level of the transmission request response signal and based on an interference cost estimate.

7. A method of operating a first communications device, comprising:

recovering a quality of service level from a transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the transmission request response signal being a response to a traffic transmission request from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit; and

making a decision whether or not to transmit traffic data based on the recovered quality of service level;

wherein the transmission request response signal is a single tone signal, the method further comprising;

making multiple decisions whether or not to transmit traffic data in different transmission time slots.

8. A first communications device, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

recover a quality of service level from a transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the transmission request response signal being a response to a traffic transmission request from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit;

make a decision whether or not to transmit traffic data based on the recovered quality of service level;

receive a pilot signal from the access router;

generate an estimate of a channel between said access router and said first communications device; and

use the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received transmission request response signal; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

9. The first communications device of claim 8, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

recover said quality of service level from a phase of the transmission request response signal.

10. The first communications device of claim 8, wherein said traffic transmission request is a signal which is transmitted from the second communications device to said access router.

11. The first communications device of claim 8, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

compare the recovered quality of service level to a quality of service level corresponding to said traffic data.

12. A first communications device, comprising:

means for recovering a quality of service level from a transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the transmission request response signal being a response to a traffic transmission request from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit;

means for making a decision whether or not to transmit traffic data based on the recovered quality of service level;

means for receiving a pilot signal from the access router; and

means for generating an estimate of a channel between said access router and said first communications device;

wherein said means for recovering the quality of service level includes means for using the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received first transmission request response signal.

13. The first communications device of claim 12, wherein said means for recovering the quality of service level includes means for recovering the quality of service level from a phase of the transmission request response signal.

14. The first communications device of claim 12, wherein said traffic transmission request is a signal which is transmitted from the second communications device to said access router.

15. A non-transitory computer program product for use in a first communications device, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to recover a quality of service level from a transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the transmission request response signal being a response to a traffic transmission request from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit; and

code for causing the at least one computer to make a decision whether or not to transmit traffic data based on the recovered quality of service level;

code for receiving a pilot signal from the access router; and

code for generating an estimate of a channel between said access router and said first communications device;

wherein said recovering the quality of service level includes using the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received transmission request response signal.

16. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to recover the quality of service level includes code for causing the at least one computer to recover the quality of service level from a phase of the transmission request response signal.

17. A method of operating a first communications device, comprising:

recovering a first quality of service level from a first transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the first transmission request response signal being a response to a first traffic transmission request signal from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit; and

making a decision, based on the recovered first quality of service level, whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal in response to a second traffic transmission request signal requesting permission to transmit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said first traffic transmission request signal is transmitted from the second communications device to said access router.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a pilot signal from the access router;

generating, based on said pilot signal, an estimate of a channel between said access router and said first communications device; and

wherein said recovering a first quality of service level includes using the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received first transmission request response signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first transmission request response signal is a single tone signal, the method further comprising:

making multiple decisions whether or not to transmit a transmission request response signal in different transmission time slots.

21. The method of claim 17,

wherein said second traffic transmission request signal is from a fourth communications device;

and

wherein said making a decision whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal comprises comparing the recovered first quality of service level to a second quality of service level, said second quality of service level corresponding to a connection between said first communications device and said fourth communications device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein making a decision whether or not to transmit further includes:

deciding to transmit when the second quality of service level corresponding to the connection between said first communications device and said fourth communications device is higher than the recovered first quality of service level.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said making a decision whether or not to transmit further includes:

generating a channel quality estimate based on a received power of the second traffic transmission request signal based on a received power of the first traffic transmission request signal; and

deciding, when the second quality of service level corresponding to the connection between said first communications device and the fourth communications device is lower than the recovered first quality of service level, whether or not to transmit based on the generated channel quality estimate.

24. A first communications device, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

recover a first quality of service level from a first transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the first transmission request response signal being a response to a first traffic transmission request signal from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit; and

make a decision, based on the recovered first quality of service level, whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal in response to a second traffic transmission request signal requesting permission to transmit; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

25. The first communications device of claim 24, wherein said first traffic transmission request signal is transmitted from the second communications device to said access router.

26. The first communications device of claim 25, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a pilot signal from the access router;

generate, based on said pilot signal, an estimate of the channel between said access router and said first communications device; and

use the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received first transmission request response signal.

27. The first communications device of claim 24, wherein said second traffic transmission request is from a fourth communications device;

and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to;

compare, when making a decision whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal, the recovered first quality of service level to a second quality of service level, said second quality of service level corresponding to a connection between said first communications device and said fourth communications device.

28. The first communications device of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to decide to transmit when the second quality of service level corresponding to the connection between said fourth communications device and said first communication device is higher than the recovered first quality of service level.

29. A first communications device, comprising:

means for recovering a first quality of service level from a first transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the first transmission request response signal being a response to a first traffic transmission request signal from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit; and

means for making a decision, based on the recovered first quality of service level, whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal in response to a second traffic transmission request signal requesting permission to transmit.

30. The first communications device of claim 29, wherein said first traffic transmission request signal is transmitted from the second communications device to said access router.

31. The first communications device of claim 30, further comprising:

means for receiving a pilot signal from the access router;

means for generating, based on said pilot signal, an estimate of the channel between said access router and said first communications device; and

wherein said means for recovering the first quality of service level comprises means for using the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received first transmission request response signal, said phase of the received first transmission request response signal being used to communicate the first quality of service level.

32. The first communications device of claim 29, wherein said second traffic transmission request is from a fourth communications device;

and

wherein said means for making the decision whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal comprises means for comparing the recovered first quality of service level to a second quality of service level, said second quality of service level corresponding to a connection between said first communications device and said fourth communications device.

33. A non-transitory computer program product for use in a first communications device, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to recover a first quality of service level from a first transmission request response signal transmitted from an access router to a second communications device, the first transmission request response signal being a response to a first traffic transmission request signal from the second communications device requesting permission to transmit; and

code for causing the at least one computer to make a decision, based on the recovered first quality of service level, whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal in response to a second traffic transmission request signal requesting permission to transmit.

34. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 33,

wherein said first traffic transmission request signal is transmitted from the second communications device to said access router.

35. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the at least one computer to receive a pilot signal from the access router;

code for causing the at least one computer to generate, based on said pilot signal, an estimate of the channel between said access router and said first communications device; and

wherein said code for causing the at least one computer to recover the first quality of service level comprises code for causing the at least one computer to use the generated channel estimate to interpret a phase of the received first transmission request response signal.

36. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 33, wherein said second traffic transmission request is from a fourth communications device;

and

wherein said code for causing the at least one computer to make a decision whether or not to transmit a second transmission request response signal comprises code for causing the at least one computer to compare the recovered first quality of service level to a second quality of service level, said second quality of service level corresponding to a connection between said first communications device and said fourth communications device.