Apparatus and method for transmitting ACK/NACK messages in a wireless communication system

• US 8,139,550 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Khan, Farooq, Tsai, Jiann-An
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TIMOTHY X
• Application Number:
  US11/646,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20070253370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/337
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/04 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path

Abstract

A base station for use in wireless network that communicates with subscriber stations according to a multicarrier protocol. The base station receives an uplink subframe comprising a plurality of blocks. Each of the blocks comprises up to N subcarriers transmitted by the subscriber stations. The base station receives a first acknowledgment signal transmitted by a first subscriber station in the uplink subframe. The first acknowledgment signal is carried on at least one selected subcarrier in a first block of the uplink subframe and on at least one selected subcarrier in a second block of the uplink subframe.

Claims

1. For use in a wireless network, a base station that communicates with a plurality of subscriber stations according to a multicarrier protocol, wherein the base station is configured to receive an uplink subframe comprising a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks comprising up to N subcarriers transmitted by the plurality of subscriber stations, and receive, from the plurality of subscriber stations, acknowledgement (ACK) signals carried on subcarriers that are substantially at edges of a bandwidth of the N subcarriers such that in a first block of the subframe, a first ACK signal is carried on a first subcarrier that is substantially at a first edge of the bandwidth while a second ACK signal is carried on a subcarrier that is substantially on a second edge of the bandwidth, and such that in a second block of the subframe, the first ACK signal is carried on the second subcarrier while the second ACK signal is carried on the first subcarrier.

2. The base station as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of blocks comprises six long blocks and two short blocks, and each ACK signal is carried in at least four long blocks.

3. The base station as set forth in claim 1, wherein the base station is further configured to receive a first pilot signal associated with the first ACK signal and a second pilot signal associated with the second ACK signal.

4. The base station as set forth in claim 3, wherein the first pilot signal is carried on at least the first subcarrier in a first short block, and the second pilot signal is carried on at least the second subcarrier in a second short block.

5. The base station as set forth in claim 3, wherein each pilot signal is carried on at least one subcarrier that is adjacent to the corresponding ACK signal in at least one long block.

6. The base station as set forth in claim 1, wherein each ACK signal is not received on a same carrier in consecutive long blocks.

7. The base station as set forth in claim 1, wherein the base station is further configured to receive data between the first and second subcarriers.

8. A communication device that transmits a first message in a forward channel to at least one other communication device and receives multicarrier signals in a reverse channel from the other communication devices, the reverse channel comprising a plurality of transmission slots, each of the transmission slots comprising up to N subcarriers transmitted by the other communication devices, and receive, from the at least one other communication device, acknowledgement (ACK) signals carried on subcarriers that are substantially at edges of a bandwidth of the N subcarriers such that in a first transmission slot of the reverse channel, a first ACK signal is carried on a first subcarrier that is substantially at a first edge of the bandwidth while a second ACK signal is carried on a subcarrier that is substantially on a second edge of the bandwidth, and such that in a second transmission slot of the reverse channel, the first ACK signal is carried on the second subcarrier while the second ACK signal is carried on the first subcarrier.

9. The communication device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the plurality of transmission slots comprises six long transmission slots and two short transmission slots, and each ACK signal is carried in at least four long transmission slots.

10. The communication device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the communication device is further configured to receive a first pilot signal associated with the first ACK signal and a second pilot signal associated with the second ACK signal.

11. The communication device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the first pilot signal is carried on at least the first subcarrier in a first short transmission slot, and the second pilot signal is carried on at least the second subcarrier in a second short transmission slot.

12. The communication device as set forth in claim 10, wherein each pilot signal is carried on at least one subcarrier that is adjacent to the corresponding ACK signal in at least one long transmission slot.

13. The communication device as set forth in claim 8, wherein each ACK signal is not received on a same carrier in consecutive long transmission slots.

14. The communication device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the communication device is further configured to receive data between the first and second subcarriers.

15. For use in a wireless network that communicates with a plurality of subscriber stations according to an orthogonal frequency multiple access (OFDMA) protocol, a base station configured to transmit a message to from at least one subscriber station in a downlink channel, receive in an uplink channel an uplink subframe comprising OFDMA subcarriers transmitted by the plurality of subscriber stations, wherein the uplink subframe comprises a plurality of long time slots and a plurality of short time slots, each of the long time slots comprising up to N OFDMA subcarriers transmitted by the plurality of subscriber stations, and receive, from the at least one subscriber station, acknowledgement (ACK) signals carried on subcarriers that are substantially at edges of a bandwidth of the N subcarriers such that in a first long time slot of the uplink subframe, a first ACK signal is carried on a first subcarrier that is substantially at a first edge of the bandwidth while a second ACK signal is carried on a subcarrier that is substantially on a second edge of the bandwidth, and such that in a second long time slot of the uplink subframe, the first ACK signal is carried on the second subcarrier while the second ACK signal is carried on the first subcarrier.

16. The base station as set forth in claim 15, wherein each ACK signal is carried in at least four long time slots.

17. The base station as set forth in claim 15, wherein the base station is further configured to receive a first pilot signal associated with the first ACK signal and a second pilot signal associated with the second ACK signal.

18. The base station as set forth in claim 17, wherein the first pilot signal is carried on at least the first subcarrier in a first short time slot, and the second pilot signal is carried on at least the second subcarrier in a second short time slot.

19. The base station as set forth in claim 17, wherein each pilot signal is carried on at least one subcarrier that is adjacent to the corresponding ACK signal in at least one long time slot.

20. The base station as set forth in claim 15, wherein each ACK signal is not received on a same carrier in consecutive long time slots.

21. The base station as set forth in claim 15, wherein the base station is further configured to receive data between the first and second subcarriers.

22. For use in wireless network capable of communicating with a plurality of subscriber stations according to a multicarrier protocol, a method of a base station communicating with selected ones of the subscriber stations, the method comprising:

transmitting a first message in a downlink channel from the base station to at least one subscriber station;

receiving by the base station an uplink subframe comprising a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks comprising up to N subcarriers transmitted by the plurality of subscriber stations; and

receiving, from the at least one subscriber station, acknowledgement (ACK) signals carried on subcarriers that are substantially at edges of a bandwidth of the N subcarriers such that in a first block of the uplink subframe, a first ACK signal is carried on a first subcarrier that is substantially at a first edge of the bandwidth while a second ACK signal is carried on a subcarrier that is substantially on a second edge of the bandwidth, and such that in a second block of the uplink subframe, the first ACK signal is carried on the second subcarrier while the second ACK signal is carried on the first subcarrier.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22, wherein the plurality of blocks comprises six long blocks and two short blocks, and each ACK signal is carried in at least four long blocks.

24. The method as set forth in claim 22, further comprising receiving a first pilot signal associated with the first ACK signal and a second pilot signal associated with the second ACK signal.

25. A method of communicating between a communication device and at least one other communication device according to a multicarrier protocol, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the communication device, a first message in a forward channel to a the at least one other communication device;

receiving, by the communication device, multicarrier signals in a reverse channel from a plurality of other communication devices, the reverse channel comprising a plurality of transmission slots, each of the transmission slots comprising up to N subcarriers transmitted by the other communication devices; and

receiving, from the at least one other communication device, acknowledgement (ACK) signals carried on subcarriers that are substantially at edges of a bandwidth of the N subcarriers such that in a first transmission slot of the reverse channel, a first ACK signal is carried on a first subcarrier that is substantially at a first edge of the bandwidth while a second ACK signal is carried on a subcarrier that is substantially on a second edge of the bandwidth, and such that in a second transmission slot of the reverse channel, the first ACK signal is carried on the second subcarrier while the second ACK signal is carried on the first subcarrier.

26. The method of communicating as set forth in claim 25, wherein the plurality of transmission blocks comprises six long transmission blocks and two short transmission blocks, and each ACK signal is carried in at least four long transmission blocks.

27. The method of communicating as set forth in claim 25, further comprising receiving a first pilot signal associated with the first ACK signal and a second pilot signal associated with the second ACK signal.

28. For use in a base station of a wireless network capable of communicating with a plurality of subscriber stations according to an orthogonal frequency multiple access (OFDMA) protocol, a method of communicating with selected ones of the subscriber stations, the method comprising:

transmitting a message from the base station to the selected ones of the subscriber stations in a downlink channel;

receiving by the base station an uplink subframe comprising OFDMA subcarriers transmitted by the plurality of subscriber stations, wherein the uplink subframe comprises a plurality of long time slots and a plurality of short time slots, each of the long time slots comprising up to N OFDMA subcarrier transmitted by the plurality of subscriber stations; and

receiving, from the selected ones of the subscriber stations, acknowledgement (ACK) signals carried on subcarriers that are substantially at edges of a bandwidth of the N subcarriers such that in a first long time slot of the uplink subframe, a first ACK signal is carried on a first subcarrier that is substantially at a first edge of the bandwidth while a second ACK signal is carried on a subcarrier that is substantially on a second edge of the bandwidth, and such that in a second long time slot of the uplink subframe, the first ACK signal is carried on the second subcarrier while the second ACK signal is carried on the first subcarrier.

29. The method as set forth in claim 28, wherein each ACK signal is carried in at least four long time slots.

30. The method as set forth in claim 28, further comprising receiving a first pilot signal associated with the first ACK signal and a second pilot signal associated with the second ACK signal.

31. A subscriber station for use in wireless network capable of communicating according to a multicarrier protocol, wherein the subscriber station is configured to receive from a first base station in a downlink channel a first message, and in response to receipt of the first message, transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) signal to the first base station in an uplink subframe comprising a plurality of blocks, wherein the subscriber station transmits a first part of the ACK signal on a first subcarrier in a first block of the uplink subframe and transmits a second part of the ACK signal on a second subcarrier in a second block of the uplink subframe, the first subcarrier is substantially at a first edge of a bandwidth of the block, and the second subcarrier is substantially at a second edge of the bandwidth.

32. The subscriber station as set forth in claim 31, wherein the plurality of blocks comprises six long blocks and two short blocks, and each ACK signal is carried in at least four long blocks.

33. The subscriber station as set forth in claim 31, wherein the subscriber station is further configured to transmit a pilot signal associated with the ACK signal on the uplink subframe.

34. The subscriber station as set forth in claim 33, wherein the pilot signal is carried on at least the first subcarrier in a first short block.

35. The subscriber station as set forth in claim 31, wherein the pilot signal is carried on at least one subcarrier that is adjacent to the ACK signal in at least one long block.

36. The subscriber station as set forth in claim 31, wherein the subscriber station is further configured to transmit data between the first and second subcarriers.