Multi-carrier communications with adaptive cluster configuration and switching

• US 8,743,717 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• 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, Liu, Hui, Zhang, Wenzhong, Li, Kemin
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/053,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20110222420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 455/69, 455/447, 455/448, 455/450, 455/452.1, 370/203, 370/208, 370/210, 370/252, 370278-279, 370/282, 370/320, 370/329, 370/335, 370/343
• US Class Current: 370/252
• 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 of allocating clusters, each of the clusters comprising a plurality of subcarriers, by a base station which communicates with a plurality of subscriber stations using multiple access technology in a cell, the method comprising:

receiving signal to interference noise information regarding at least one cluster from a first subscriber station;

analyzing a variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the first subscriber station;

allocating to the first subscriber station a diversity cluster based on the variation of the received signal to interference noise information analyzed from the first subscriber station to be used for a first data transmission to the first subscriber station by providing a first cluster identification, the diversity cluster allocated to the first subscriber station including a plurality of disjoint subcarriers;

receiving signal to interference noise information regarding at least one cluster from a second subscriber station;

analyzing a variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the second subscriber station; and

allocating to the second subscriber station a coherence cluster based on the variation of the received signal to interference noise information analyzed from the second subscriber station to be used for a second data transmission to the second subscriber station by providing a second cluster identification, the second data transmission to occur simultaneously with the first data transmission to the first subscriber station using the allocated diversity cluster, the coherence cluster allocated to the second subscriber station including only consecutive subcarriers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzed variation of the received signal to interference noise information of the allocated diversity cluster is higher than the analyzed variation of the received signal to interference noise information of the allocated coherence cluster.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the first subscriber station occurs over a moving window of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the second subscriber station occurs over a moving window of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated diversity cluster includes a first set of subcarriers at a first time slot and a second set of subcarriers at a second time slot, the second time slot being immediately subsequent to the first time slot, the first set of the subcarriers at the first time slot being different than the second set of the subcarriers at the second time slot.

6. A base station that communicates with a plurality of subscriber stations using multiple access technology in a cell and allocates clusters, each of the clusters comprising a plurality of subcarriers, the base station comprising:

a channel/interference variation detector configured to;

receive signal to interference noise information regarding at least one cluster from a first subscriber station;

analyze a variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the first subscriber station;

receive signal to interference noise information regarding at least one cluster from a second subscriber station; and

analyze a variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the second subscriber station;

a controller configured to;

allocate to the first subscriber station a diversity cluster based on the variation of the received signal to interference noise information analyzed from the first subscriber station to be used for a first data transmission to the first subscriber station by providing a first cluster identification, the diversity cluster allocated to the first subscriber station including a plurality of disjoint subcarriers; and

allocate to the second subscriber station a coherence cluster based on the variation of the received signal to interference noise information analyzed from the second subscriber station to be used for a second data transmission to the second subscriber station by providing a second cluster identification, the second data transmission to occur simultaneously with the first data transmission to the first subscriber station using the allocated diversity cluster, the coherence cluster allocated to the second subscriber station including only consecutive subcarriers; and

receive/transmit circuitry configured to;

provide the first and the second subscriber stations with the respective first and second cluster identifications for the respective allocated diversity and coherence clusters.

7. The base station of claim 6, wherein the analyzed variation of the received signal to interference noise information of the allocated diversity cluster is higher than the analyzed variation of the received signal to interference noise information of the allocated coherence cluster.

8. The base station of claim 6, wherein the analysis of the variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the first subscriber station occurs over a moving window of time.

9. The base station of claim 6, wherein the analysis of the variation of the signal to interference noise information regarding the at least one cluster received from the second subscriber station occurs over a moving window of time.

10. The base station of claim 6, wherein the allocated diversity cluster includes a first set of subcarriers at a first time slot and a second set of subcarriers at a second time slot, the second time slot being immediately subsequent to the first time slot, the first set of the subcarriers at the first time slot being different than the second set of the subcarriers at the second time slot.