Estimating quality of a signal in mobile wireless communication systems

• US 8,730,827 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2010
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Niu, Huaning, Hsuan, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US12/958,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20120140713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/328, 455/296, 455/375
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/26 using historical data, averaging values or statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports

Abstract

A mobile station (MS) to determine signal quality values is disclosed. The MS may include a transmitter and a receiver and the receiver may determine a signal power value, a noise power value, and an interference power value of a signal received from antennas. The receiver may determine the signal power value and the interference value using a second preamble included in a super-frame of the signal, wherein the second preamble includes cell information. The receiver may determine a noise power value of the signal received from the plurality of antennas using unoccupied orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) tones of a first preamble included in the super-frame of the signal, wherein the first preamble includes carrier information. The receiver may also use the fractional frequency reuse (FFR) and MIMO features to determine signal quality values using the signal power value, the noise power value, and the interference power value.

Claims

1. A method to determine signal quality values in a wireless network, comprising:

determining a signal power value of a signal received from a plurality of antennas using a second preamble included in a super-frame of the signal, wherein the second preamble includes cell information;

determining a noise power value of the signal received from the plurality of antennas using a first preamble included in the super-frame of the signal, wherein the first preamble includes carrier information;

determining an interference power value of each sector within a cell using the second preamble, the interference power value of at least one sector of the cell determined using both unoccupied and occupied tones;

applying fractional frequency reuse power boosting to the interference power in each sector within the cell using an average power for each of multiple cells; and

determining a carrier to interference-plus-noise ratio (CINR) for the signal using the power-boosted interference powers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second preamble further comprises segment identifier values and cell identifier values, which is used to determine the signal power value and the interference power value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first preamble further comprises bandwidth information of a wireless apparatus determining the signal quality values, wherein the carrier information and the bandwidth information is used to determine the noise power value.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprises partitioning the segment identifier values and the cell identifier values to support one or more base stations.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprises using one or more occupied frequency partitions in the second preamble to determine the signal power value.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprises using un-occupied frequency partitions in the first preamble to determine the noise power value.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprise using both un-occupied frequency partitions and occupied frequency partitions in the second preamble to determine the interference power value.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprises determining a mean and a variance value of a carrier to interference plus noise ratio value using the signal power value, the noise power value, and the interference power value.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprises determining a mean value of a signal to interference ratio value using the signal power value and the interference power value.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprises determining a mean value and variance value of a downlink noise and interference ratio value using the noise power value and the interference power value.

11. A mobile station to determine signal quality values in a wireless network, comprising:

a host device;

a transmitter coupled to a plurality of antennas and the host; and

a receiver coupled to the plurality of antennas and the host device, wherein the receiver is to;

determine a signal power value of a signal received from a plurality of antennas using a second preamble included in a super-frame of the signal, wherein the second preamble includes cell information;

determine a noise power value of the signal received from the plurality of antennas using unoccupied orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) tones of a first preamble included in the super-frame of the signal, wherein the first preamble includes carrier information;

determine an interference power value of each sector within a cell using the second preamble, the interference power value of at least one sector of the cell determined using both unoccupied and occupied tones;

apply fractional frequency reuse power boosting to the interference power in each sector within the cell using an average power for each of multiple cells; and

determine a carrier to interference-plus-noise ratio (CINR) for the signal using the power-boosted interference powers.

12. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the receiver is to use segment identifier values and cell identifier values of the second preamble to determine the signal power value and the interference power value.

13. The mobile station of claim 12, wherein the segment identifier values and the cell identifier values are partitioned to support one or more base stations.

14. The mobile station of claim 12, wherein the receiver is to use one or more occupied tones in the second preamble to determine the signal power value.

15. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the receiver is to use bandwidth information and the carrier information to determine the noise power value.

16. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the receiver is to use un-occupied tones in the first preamble to determine the noise power value.

17. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the receiver is to use both un-occupied tones and occupied tones in the second preamble to determine the interference power value.

18. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the receiver further comprises a carrier to interference plus noise ratio estimation block, wherein the carrier to interference plus noise ratio estimation block is to determine a mean and a variance value of a carrier to interference plus noise ratio value using the signal power value, the noise power value, and the interference power value.

19. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the receiver further comprises a signal to interference ratio estimation block, wherein the signal to interference ratio estimation block is to determine a mean value of a signal to interference ratio value using the signal power value and the interference power value.

20. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the receiver further comprises a downlink noise and interference estimation block, wherein the downlink noise and interference estimation block is to determine a mean value and variance value of a downlink noise and interference ratio value using the noise power value and the interference power value.