Multi-carrier communications with adaptive cluster configuration and switching

• US 8,934,445 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adaptix, Inc. (Acacia Research Corporation), Kaon Systems, Inc. (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Adaptix, Inc. (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Xiaodong, Liu, Hui, Zhang, Wenzhong, Li, Kemin
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/286,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 235 Days
• Field of Search: 370206-210, 370328-339
• US Class Current: 370/329
• 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 sets of subcarriers, each of the sets of subcarriers including a plurality of subcarriers, by a base station which communicates with a plurality of subscribers using an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) system, the method comprising:

allocating to a first subscriber a first set of subcarriers to be used for a first data transmission to the first subscriber, the allocated first set of subcarriers including a plurality of subcarriers at least one subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers being disjoint in frequency from another subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers to obtain frequency diversity; and

allocating to a second subscriber a second set of subcarriers to be used for a second data transmission to the second subscriber, the second data transmission to occur simultaneously with the first data transmission to the first subscriber using the allocated first set of subcarriers, the allocated second subcarriers including only consecutive subcarriers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation of the first set of subcarriers is identified by a first identification provided from the base station to the first subscriber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first identification includes a modulation and coding format to be used by the first subscriber for the first data transmission to the first subscriber.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation of the second set of subcarriers is identified by a second identification provided from the base station to the second subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated first set of subcarriers includes two or more subcarriers spread farther apart than a coherence bandwidth of a respective channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated first set of subcarriers is specified by a cluster index.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data transmission to the first subscriber includes channel coding across the plurality of subcarriers of the allocated first set of subcarriers.

8. A base station that communicates with a plurality of subscribers and allocates sets of subcarriers, each of the sets of subcarriers including a plurality of subcarriers, using an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) system, the base station comprising:

a controller configured to;

allocate to a first subscriber a first set of subcarriers to be used for a first data transmission to a first subscriber, an allocated first set of subcarriers including a plurality of subcarriers at least one subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers being disjoint in frequency from another subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers to obtain frequency diversity; and

allocate to a second subscriber a second set of subcarriers to be used for a second data transmission to a second subscriber, the second data transmission to occur simultaneously with the first data transmission to the first subscriber using the allocated first set of subcarriers, an allocated second set of subcarriers including only consecutive subcarriers.

9. The base station of claim 8, further comprising:

receive/transmit circuitry configured to;

provide the first subscriber with a first identification identifying the allocated first set of subcarriers.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein the first identification includes a modulation and coding format to be used by the first subscriber for the first data transmission to the first subscriber.

11. The base station of claim 8, further comprising:

receive/transmit circuitry configured to;

provide the second subscriber with a second identification identifying the allocated second set of subcarriers.

12. The base station of claim 8, wherein the allocated first set of subcarriers includes two or more subcarriers spread farther apart than a coherence bandwidth of a respective channel.

13. The base station of claim 8, wherein the allocated first set of subcarriers is specified by a cluster index.

14. The base station of claim 8, wherein the first data transmission to the first subscriber includes channel coding across the plurality of subcarriers of the allocated first set of sub carriers.

15. A method of allocating a plurality of sets of subcarriers, each of which includes a plurality of subcarriers, from a base station to a plurality of subscribers using an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) system, the method comprising:

allocating a first set of subcarriers to be used for a first data transmission by providing a first identification identifying the first set of subcarriers to be allocated to a first subscriber in each of a first time slot and a second time slot, at least one subcarrier of the first set of subcarriers allocated in the second time slot being different from all subcarriers belonging to the first set of subcarriers allocated in the first time slot, at least two subcarriers of the first set of subcarriers allocated in the first time slot being disjoint and at least two subcarriers of the first set of subcarriers allocated in the second time slot being disjoint; and

allocating a second subscriber a second set of subcarriers to be used for a second data transmission, the allocated second set of subcarriers including only consecutive subcarriers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second set of subcarriers is identified by a second identification provided from the base station to the second subscriber.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the allocated first set of subcarriers includes two or more subcarriers spread farther apart than a coherence bandwidth of a respective channel.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first identification includes a modulation and coding format to be used by the first subscriber for the first data transmission to the first subscriber.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the allocated first set of subcarriers is specified by a cluster index.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first data transmission to the first subscriber includes channel coding across the allocated first set of subcarriers.

21. A base station that allocates a plurality of sets of subcarriers, each of which includes a plurality of subcarriers, to a plurality of subscribers using an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) system, the base station comprising:

a controller configured to;

allocate a first set of subcarriers to be used for a first data transmission by providing a first identification identifying the first set of subcarriers to be allocated to a first subscriber in each of a first time slot and a second time slot, at least one subcarrier of the first set of subcarriers allocated in the second time slot being different from all subcarriers belonging to the first set of subcarriers allocated in the first time slot, at least two subcarriers of the first set of subcarriers allocated in the first time slot being disjoint and at least two subcarriers of the first set of subcarriers allocated in the second time slot being disjoint; and

allocate a second subscriber a second set of subcarriers to be used for a second data transmission, an allocated second set of subcarriers including only consecutive subcarriers.

22. The base station of claim 21, which provides a second identification to the second subscriber for identifying the second set of subcarriers.

23. The base station of claim 21, wherein an allocated first set of subcarriers includes two or more subcarriers spread farther apart than a coherence bandwidth of a respective channel.

24. The base station of claim 21, wherein the first identification includes a modulation and coding format to be used by the first subscriber for the first data transmission to the first subscriber.

25. The base station of claim 21, wherein an allocated first set of subcarriers is specified by a cluster index.

26. The base station of claim 21, wherein the first data transmission to the first subscriber includes channel coding across an allocated first set of subcarriers.