Method and apparatus for multiplexing control and data channel

• US 8,102,896 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pajukoski, Kari, Tiirola, Esa
• Primary Examiner(s): HA, DAC V
• Application Number:
  US11/867,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 375/141, 375/146, 375/260, 375/267, 375/295, 375/299, 370/203, 370/204, 370/211, 370/321, 370/326, 370/347, 370/442, 370/474, 370/478
• US Class Current: 375/146
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/0003 Code application, i.e. aspects relating to how codes are applied to form multiplexed channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/0044 OVSF [orthogonal variable spreading factor]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/00 Time-division multiplex systems H04J14/00 takes precedence; relay systems H04B7/14; selecting techniques H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0026 Division using four or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

An approach is provided for performing control signaling. Data and control information are received. The control information is orthogonalized using block-level spreading. The data and the orthogonalized control information are multiplexed at a symbol-level.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a data signal and a control signal;

orthogonalizing channels for the control signal; and

multiplexing, at a symbol-level, the data signal and the control signal to output a multiplexed signal,

wherein the step of orthogonalizing includes spreading, at a block level, the control signal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein different orthogonal block spreading codes are allocated to different multiple input multiple output (MIMO) user equipment or to different antennas of one MIMO user equipment.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein Hadamard sequences are used to generate the orthogonal channels for the control signal.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein assignment of the block level spreading code is based on existing dynamic signaling used for resource allocation.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is a data-non-associated control signal that includes acknowledgement signaling information, channel quality information, or MIMO feedback (FB).

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the multiplexing between the control signal and the data signal is time-division multiplexing (TDM)-based.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transforming the multiplexed information according to a transform function;

applying an inverse of the transform function to the transformed multiplexed information to generate an output signal; and

transmitting the output signal over a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel to a base station.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the MIMO channel is an uplink of a radio network that has an architecture according to universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) long term evolution.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a spreading module configured to receive a data signal and a control signal and to orthogonalize channels for the control signal; and

a multiplexer configured to multiplex, at a symbol-level, the data signal and the control signal to output a multiplexed signal,

wherein the spreading module is configured to spread, at a block level, the control signal.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein different orthogonal block spreading codes are allocated to different multiple input multiple output (MIMO) user equipment or to different antennas of one MIMO user equipment.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein Hadamard sequences are used to generate the orthogonal channels for the control signal.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein assignment of the block level spreading code is based on existing dynamic signaling used for resource allocation.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control signal is a data-non-associated control signal that includes acknowledgement signaling information, channel quality information, or MIMO feedback (FB).

14. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the multiplexing between the control signal and the data signal is time-division multiplexing (TDM)-based.

15. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a transform module configured to transform the multiplexed information according to a transform function;

an inverse transform module configured to apply an inverse of the transform function to the transformed multiplexed information to generate an output signal; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the multiplexed information over a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel to a base station.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the MIMO channel is an uplink of a radio network that has an architecture according to universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) long term evolution.

17. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is a handset.

18. A system comprising:

a block-level spreading module configured to spread a modulated and encoded control symbol to output an orthogonalized control symbol;

a multiplexer configured to multiplex a data symbol and the orthogonalized control symbol;

a transform module configured to transform the multiplexed symbol using a transform function; and

an inverse transform module configured to apply an inverse of the transform function to the transformed multiplexed symbol to output a transmission signal.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the spreading is performed according to a Hadamard-type function.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein the orthogonalized control symbol is among a plurality of orthogonalized control symbols representing transport format information or error control information.

21. A system according to claim 18, wherein the multiplexing is time-division multiplexing (TDM)-based.

22. A system according to claim 18, further comprising:

a cyclic prefix module configured to insert cyclic prefix information to the transmission signal; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the transmission signal having the cyclic prefix information over a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel.

23. A system according to claim 18, wherein the channel is an uplink of a radio network that has an architecture according to universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) long term evolution.