Time-slotted data packets with a preamble

• US 9,398,120 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2015
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Proctor, James A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCELO, MELVIN C
• Application Number:
  US14/695,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20150229743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

A method and apparatus are used to support the transmission of data to a user over multiple allocated data channels. Data packets are transmitted in timeslots of the allocated data channels to corresponding target receivers without the need for explicitly assigning particular time-slots to a target user well in advance of transmitting any data packets in the time-slots. Instead, each data packet transmitted in a time-slot includes a header label or preamble indicating to which of multiple possible receivers a data packet is directed. The preamble also preferably includes decoding information indicating how a corresponding data payload of the data packet is to be processed for recapturing transmitted raw data.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a transceiver to receive, on a forward code division multiple access (CDMA) channel, a first packet in a first number of time slot(s) at a first data rate, wherein the first packet is to comprise a first control field and a first data payload; and

receive, on the forward CDMA channel, a second packet in a second number of time slot(s) at a second data rate which is different from the first data rate, wherein the second packet is to comprise a second control field and a second data payload; and

a control module to detect whether the first packet is directed to the UE at least in part based on an address code in the first control field of the first packet and demodulate the first packet if the first packet is directed to the UE.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first control field is further to comprise a first spreading factor corresponding to the first data rate.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first control field is further to comprise an indication of the first number of time slot(s).

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the second control field is further to comprise a second spreading factor corresponding to the second data rate.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the second control field is further to comprise an indication of the second number of time slot(s).

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the control module is further to demodulate the first packet further based on a modulation type, a code rate and/or data rate in the first control field of the first packet.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the modulation type is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK).

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the control module is further to detect whether the second packet is directed to the UE at least in part based on an address code in the second control field of the second packet, and to demodulate the second packet if the second packet is directed to the UE.

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the control module is to demodulate the second packet further based on a modulation type, a code rate and/or data rate in the second control field of the second packet.

10. The UE of claim 9, wherein the modulation type is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK).

11. The UE of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is to receive synchronization information at a same time as receiving the first packet.

12. The UE of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is to receive synchronization information at a same time as receiving the second packet.

13. A base station, comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver, coupled to the processor, to transmit on a forward code division multiple access (CDMA) channel, a first packet in a first number of time slot(s) at a first data rate, wherein the first packet is to comprise a first control field and a first data payload, and the first control field is to comprise an address code indicating whether the first packet is directed to a user equipment (UE); and

transmit on the forward CDMA channel, a second packet in a second number of time slot(s) at a second data rate which is different from the first data rate, wherein the second packet is to comprise a second control field and a second data payload.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the first control field is further to comprise a first spreading factor corresponding to the first data rate.

15. The base station of claim 13, wherein the first control field is further to comprise an indication of the first number of time slot(s).

16. The base station of claim 13, wherein the second control field is further to comprise a second spreading factor corresponding to the second data rate.

17. The base station of claim 13, wherein the second control field is further to comprise an indication of the second number of time slot(s).

18. The base station of claim 13, wherein the first control field of the first packet is further to comprise a modulation type, a code rate and/or a data rate.

19. The base station of claim 18, wherein the modulation type is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK).

20. The base station of claim 13, wherein the second control field of the second packet is further to comprise an address code indicating whether the second packet is directed to the UE.

21. The base station of claim 13, wherein the second control field of the second packet is further to comprise a modulation type, a code rate and/or a data rate.

22. The base station of claim 21, wherein the modulation type is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK).