Dynamic channel quality measurement procedure implemented in a wireless digital communication system to prioritize the forwarding of downlink data

• US 9,686,803 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2016
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dick, Stephen G., Miller, James M., Terry, Stephen E., Zeira, Eldad M., Zeira, Ariela
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): Van, Jenkey
• Application Number:
  US15/012,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20160150551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/24 with feedback of measurements to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/382 for resource allocation, admission control or handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0027 Scheduling of signalling, e.g. occurrence thereof
• 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 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria

Abstract

A wireless digital communication system includes a base station in communication with a plurality of user equipment mobile terminals (UEs). The system prioritizes the forwarding of blocks of downlink data to designated ones of the UEs. The system employs adaptive modulation and coding (AM&C) to achieve improved radio resource utilization and provides optimum data rates for user services. Blocks of downlink (DL) data are received by the base station which requests downlink (DL) channel quality measurements only from those mobile terminals (UEs) with pending downlink transmissions. The UEs respond to the request by measuring and reporting DL channel quality to the base station, which then allocates resources such that the UEs will make best use of radio resources. The base station notifies the UEs of the physical channel allocation indicating the modulation/coding rate and allocated slots followed by transmission of blocks of downlink data which are transmitted to the UEs.

Claims

1. A receiver and transmitter of a User Equipment (UE) for use in a wireless digital communication system, wherein the receiver and transmitter of the UE comprise:

the receiver of the UE operable using radio resources of the wireless digital communication system to receive non-periodic requests from a base station operating within the wireless digital communication system, the requests to provide channel quality information (CQI) regarding specific radio resources as a subset of the radio resources, wherein the requests are to be received via the receiver of the UE from the base station;

the transmitter of the UE configured to transmit the channel quality information (CQI) with respect to the specific radio resources of the wireless digital communication system that are the subset of the radio resources in response to the non-periodic requests from the base station;

the receiver of the UE being further operable to receive a coding rate and an allocation of the radio resources from the base station operating within the wireless digital communication system, wherein the coding rate is based on the channel quality information (CQI), and wherein the allocation of radio resources is based on a prioritization of UEs based on the channel quality information (CQI) received from the UEs; and

wherein the receiver of the UE is further operable to receive downlink data via the subset of radio resources based on the coding rate and the allocation of the radio resources received from the base station operating within the wireless digital communication system, wherein UEs with a higher channel quality receive the downlink data before UEs with lower channel quality.

2. The receiver and transmitter of the User Equipment (UE) of claim 1, wherein the receiver and transmitter are embedded within the User Equipment (UE) to enable wireless digital communications by the User Equipment (UE) within the wireless digital communication system.

3. The receiver and transmitter of the User Equipment (UE) of claim 1, wherein the allocation of the radio resources from the base station operating within the wireless digital communication system further includes a modulation type and an allocated time slot.

4. The receiver and transmitter of the User Equipment (UE) of claim 1, wherein each request to provide CQ measurement reports is transmitted over a common control channel or a dedicated control channel of the wireless digital communication system.

5. The receiver and transmitter of the User Equipment (UE) of claim 1, wherein the receiver is operable to receive downlink transmission parameters associated with the downlink data.

6. The receiver and transmitter of the User Equipment (UE) of claim 1, wherein the receiver is operable to receive a request to provide one of a number of types of channel quality information.

7. The receiver and transmitter of the User Equipment (UE) of claim 6, wherein a first type of channel quality information comprises the channel quality information regarding the subset of the radio resources.

8. The receiver and transmitter of the User Equipment (UE) of claim 7, wherein a second type of channel quality information comprises channel quality information regarding the entire radio resources.

9. A receiver and transmitter of a base station operating within a wireless digital communication system, the receiver and transmitter of the base station comprising:

the transmitter of the base station configured to use radio resources of the wireless digital communication system to output a first type of non-periodic requests from the base station for a downlink channel quality measurement report regarding specified radio resources as a subset of the radio resources, wherein non-periodic requests are to be transmitted to a User Equipment (UE) to establish a downlink channel from the base station to the user equipment (UE);

the receiver of the base station to receive the requested downlink channel quality measurement report regarding the specified radio resources that are the subset of the radio resources in response to the non-periodic requests;

the transmitter of the base station being further operable to output a coding rate and an allocation of the radio resources to the UE, wherein the coding rate is based on the requested downlink channel quality measurement report regarding the specified radio resources, and wherein the allocation of radio resources is based on a prioritization of UEs based on the requested downlink channel quality measurement report regarding the specified radio resources as received at the base station from the UE; and

the transmitter of the base station being further operable to establish the downlink channel with the user equipment (UE) in response to the received downlink channel quality measurement report based on the coding rate and the allocation of the radio resources outputted from the base station, wherein user equipment (UE) with a higher channel quality receive downlink data before UEs with lower channel quality.

10. The receiver and transmitter of the base station of claim 9, wherein the receiver and transmitter are embedded within the base station to enable wireless digital communications by the base station within the wireless digital communication system with a plurality of UEs operating with the wireless digital communications system.

11. The receiver and transmitter of the base station of claim 9, wherein the first type of non-periodic requests are associated with the subset of the specified radio resources.

12. The receiver and transmitter of the base station of claim 9, wherein a first type of channel quality information comprises channel quality information regarding the subset of the specified radio resources and further wherein a second type of channel quality information comprises channel quality information regarding an entirety of the radio resources.

13. The receiver and transmitter of the base station of claim 9, wherein the transmitter of the base station, responsive to the receiver receiving the downlink channel quality measurement report, is operable to output a downlink physical channel allocation of radio resources for transmission to the user equipment (UE) for use in receiving downlink data via the downlink channel.

14. The receiver and transmitter of the base station of claim 9, wherein the downlink physical channel allocation of radio resources specifies the coding rate, a modulation type, and allocated timeslot(s).

15. Non-transitory processing means having instructions for transmitting and receiving by a user equipment (UE) operating within a wireless digital communication system to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform operations comprising:

operating using radio resources of the wireless digital communication system;

receiving via a receiver of the user equipment (UE) non-periodic requests from a base station operating within the wireless digital communication system to provide channel quality information (CQI) regarding specific radio resources as a subset of the radio resources, wherein the request are to be received via the receiver of the UE from the base station;

transmitting via a transmitter of the user equipment (UE) the channel quality information (CQI) with respect to the specific radio resources of the wireless digital communication system that are the subset of the radio resources in response to the non-periodic requests from the base station;

receiving via the receiver of the user equipment (UE), a coding rate and an allocation of the radio resources from the base station operating within the wireless digital communication system, wherein the coding rate is based on the channel quality information (CQI), and wherein the allocation of radio resources is based on a prioritization of UEs based on the channel quality information (CQI) received from the UEs; and

receiving via the receiver of the user equipment (UE), downlink data via the subset of radio resources based on the coding rate and the allocation of the radio resources received from the base station operating within the wireless digital communication system, wherein UEs with a higher channel quality receive the downlink data before UEs with lower channel quality.

16. The non-transitory processing means of claim 15, wherein the processing means, the receiver, and the transmitter, are embedded within the User Equipment (UE) to enable wireless digital communications by the User Equipment (UE) within the wireless digital communication system.

17. The non-transitory processing means of claim 15, wherein the allocation of the radio resources from the base station operating within the wireless digital communication system further includes a modulation type and an allocated time slot.

18. The non-transitory processing means of claim 15, wherein each request to provide CQ measurement reports is transmitted over a common control channel or a dedicated control channel of the wireless digital communication system.

19. The non-transitory processing means of claim 15, wherein the receiver is operable to receive downlink transmission parameters associated with the downlink data.

20. The non-transitory processing means of claim 15:

wherein the receiver is operable to receive a request to provide one of a number of types of channel quality information;

wherein a first type of channel quality information comprises the channel quality information regarding the subset of the radio resources; and

wherein a second type of channel quality information comprises channel quality information regarding the entire radio resources.