Method and apparatus for multicarrier communication in wireless systems

• US 8,036,702 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Etemad, Kamran
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US11/748,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20080287068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• Field of Search: 455/524, 455/525, 455/562.1, 455/560, 455/561, 455/453, 455/550.1, 455/168.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1
• US Class Current: 455/553.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0087 when data requirements change
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

Multicarrier techniques for wireless communications system are described. An apparatus may comprise a carrier management module to define a primary carrier for use by a multicarrier communications system to communicate control information, and a secondary carrier for use by the multicarrier communications system to communicate media information, with the secondary carrier having a communication parameter and technology that is potentially different from the primary carrier. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a carrier management module to define a primary carrier for use by a multicarrier communications system to communicate primarily control information and limited media information, and one or more secondary carriers for use by the multicarrier communications system to communicate primarily media information and limited control information, with the secondary carrier having a communication parameter different from the primary carrier, the carrier management module to define the primary carrier with a first portion of a radio frequency spectrum and the secondary carrier with a second portion of the radio frequency spectrum and to increase effective bandwidth for the multicarrier communications system by aggregating the information communicated on the primary carrier and the secondary carrier, wherein the control information comprises data representing commands, instructions or control words meant for an automated system and the media information comprises data representing content meant for a user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the communication parameter representing a channel bandwidth, duplexing mode, spectrum allocation, or downlink-to-uplink ratio value.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the carrier management module to define multiple secondary carriers for the primary carrier.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the carrier management module to define multiple primary carriers for the secondary carrier.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the carrier management module to dynamically modify a communication parameter for the primary carrier or the secondary carrier based on a system performance parameter, the system performance parameter representing a system load value, a system peak rate value, a priority value or a quality of service value.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the radio frequency spectrum and second portion of the radio frequency spectrum comprise contiguous radio frequency spectrum.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the radio frequency spectrum and second portion of the radio frequency spectrum comprise non-contiguous radio frequency spectrum.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the node comprising a wireless transceiver to communicate control information over the primary carrier and media information over the secondary carrier.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the node comprising a wireless transceiver to communicate control information over the primary carrier and media information over the secondary carrier using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, the node comprising a first radio to communicate control information over the primary carrier, and a second radio to communicate media information over the secondary carrier, the first radio and the second radio using different protocols.

11. A system, comprising:

a node to increase effective bandwidth for a multicarrier communications system by performing data aggregation across multiple carriers to provide variable bandwidth for the multicarrier communications system, the node comprising;

an antenna array;

a first radio to connect to the antenna array; and

a carrier management module to connect to the radio, the carrier management module to define a primary carrier to communicate primarily control information and limited media information, and a secondary carrier to communicate primarily media information and limited control information, with the primary carrier using a different portion of radio-frequency spectrum than the secondary carrier, wherein the control information comprises data representing commands, instructions or control words meant for an automated system and the media information comprises data representing content meant for a user.

12. The system of claim 11, the first radio to communicate control information using the primary carrier and media information using the secondary carrier.

13. The system of claim 11, the node comprising a second radio to connect with the antenna array, with the first radio to communicate control information over the primary carrier, and the second radio to communicate media information over the secondary carrier.

14. The system of claim 11, the primary carrier using a different non-contiguous portion of radio-frequency spectrum than the secondary carrier.

15. The system of claim 11, the carrier management module to define multiple secondary carriers for the primary carrier.

16. The system of claim 11, the carrier management module to define multiple primary carriers for the secondary carrier.

17. The system of claim 11, the carrier management module to dynamically modify bandwidth provided by the primary carrier or the secondary carrier based on a system performance parameter, the system performance parameter representing a system load value, a system peak rate value, a priority value or a quality of service value.

18. The system of claim 11, comprising a wireless client device having an antenna array and at least one radio to connect to the antenna array, the radio to receive control information over the primary carrier and media information over the secondary carrier.

19. A method, comprising:

defining a primary carrier and a secondary carrier for use by a multicarrier communications system, the secondary carrier having a communication parameter different from the primary carrier and the primary carrier using a first portion of a radio frequency spectrum and the secondary carrier using a second portion of the radio frequency spectrum;

communicating primarily control information and limited media information using the primary carrier and primarily media information and limited control information using the secondary carrier, wherein the control information comprises data representing commands, instructions or control words meant for an automated system and the media information comprises data representing content meant for a user; and

increasing effective bandwidth for the multicarrier communications system by aggregating the information communicated on the primary carrier and the secondary carrier.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising communicating control information using the secondary carrier and media information using the primary carrier.

21. The method of claim 19, comprising defining multiple secondary carriers for the primary carrier.

22. The method of claim 19, comprising defining multiple primary carriers for the secondary carrier.

23. The method of claim 19, comprising dynamically modifying a communication parameter for the primary carrier or the secondary carrier based on a system performance parameter, the system performance parameter representing a system load value, a system peak rate value, a priority value or a quality of service value.

24. An article comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed by a processor enable a system to:

define at least one primary carrier and at least one secondary carrier for use by a multicarrier communications system, with the primary carrier using a different portion of radio-frequency spectrum than the secondary carrier and the primary carrier using a first portion of a radio frequency spectrum and the secondary carrier using a second portion of the radio frequency spectrum; and

communicate primarily control information and limited media information using the primary carrier and primarily media information and limited control information using the secondary carrier, wherein the control information comprises data representing commands, instructions or control words meant for an automated system and the media information comprises data representing content meant for a user; and

increase effective bandwidth for the multicarrier communications system by aggregating the information communicated on the primary carrier and the secondary carrier.

25. The article of claim 24, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to communicate control information using the secondary carrier and media information using the primary carrier.

26. The article of claim 24, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to define multiple secondary carriers for the primary carrier or multiple primary carriers for the secondary carrier.

27. The article of claim 24, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to instantaneously modify a bandwidth provided by the primary carrier or the secondary carrier based on a system performance parameter, the system performance parameter representing a system load value, a system peak rate value, a priority value or a quality of service value.

28. The article of claim 24, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to communicate control information using the primary carrier with a first radio, and media information using the secondary carrier with a second radio.

29. The article of claim 24, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to allow substantially simultaneous aggregation of multiple carriers for a first class of client devices, and switching between primary and secondary carriers for a second class of client devices.

30. The article of claim 24, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to communicate an enhanced broadcast channel configuration message to define a multicarrier channel configuration for one or more wireless client devices.