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PILOT GROUPING AND ROUTE PROTOCOLS IN MULTI-
CARRIER COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
BACKGROUND
[0001] This application is a divisional of Canadian Patent
Application No. 2,622,463
filed September 22, 2006.
Field
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to wireless communications.
More
specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to pilot grouping and
reporting, route
protocols, and scheduling in multi -carrier communication systems.
Background
[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide
various types
of communication (e.g., voice, data, etc.) to multiple users. Such systems may
be based on
code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA),
frequency
division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access
(OFDMA),
or other multiple access techniques. A communication system may be designed to
implement
one or more standards, such as IS-95, cdma2000, IS-856, W- CDMA, TD-SCDMA, and
other
standards.
[0004] As the demand for multimedia and high-rate data services
rapidly grows,
multi- carrier modulation has been attracted considerable attention in
wireless communication
systems. There lies a challenge to provide efficient and robust multi-carrier
communication
systems.
Summary of the Invention
[0004a] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method in
a multi-carrier communication system, comprising: grouping a plurality of
pilot signals into
one or more pilot groups, each pilot group being identified by a plurality of
parameters; and
selecting a representative pilot signal from each pilot group for pilot
strength reporting.
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[0004b] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an
apparatus adapted for multi-carrier communications, comprising: means for
grouping a
plurality of pilot signals into one or more pilot groups, each pilot group
being identified by a
plurality of parameters; and means for selecting a representative pilot signal
from each pilot
group for pilot strength reporting.
[0004e] According to still another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a
computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable
instructions
that when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations for
multi-carrier
communications, the computer-readable storage medium comprising: computer
executable
instructions for grouping a plurality of pilot signals into one or more pilot
groups, each pilot
group being identified by a plurality of parameters; and computer executable
instructions for
selecting a representative pilot signal from each pilot group for pilot
strength reporting.
[0004d] According to yet another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided an
apparatus adapted for multi-carrier communications, comprising: a grouping
unit configured
to group a plurality of pilot signals into one or more pilot groups, each
pilot group being
identified by a plurality of parameters; and a selecting unit configured to
select a
representative pilot signal from each pilot group for pilot strength
reporting.
[0004e] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a
method in a multi-carrier communication system, comprising: receiving a
message by an
access terminal indicating a plurality of forward link channels and for each
of the plurality of
forward link channels carrying reverse link-related information for each of
reverse link
channels associated with an access terminal; and assigning one of the reverse
link channels to
carry forward link-related information associated with at least one of the
forward link
channels.
100041] According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an
apparatus adapted for multi-carrier communications, comprising: means for
receiving a
message by an access terminal indicating a plurality of forward link channels
and for each of
the plurality of forward link channels carrying reverse link-related
information for each of
reverse link channels associated with an access terminal; and means for
assigning one of the
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reverse link channels to carry forward link-related information associated
with at least one of
the forward link channels.
[0004g] According to still a further aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a
method in a multi-carrier communication system, comprising: grouping a
plurality of pilot
signals into one or more scheduler groups in accordance with sequence numbers
of the pilot
signals, the pilot signals characterized by a plurality of frequencies; and
associating each
scheduler group with a transmission queue.
[0004h] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an
apparatus adapted for multi-carrier communications, comprising: means for
grouping a
plurality of pilot signals into one or more scheduler groups in accordance
with sequence
numbers of the pilot signals, the pilot signals characterized by a plurality
of frequencies; and
means for associating each scheduler group with a transmission queue.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a multi-carrier
communication system;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a cell having multiple
sectors in a multi-
carrier communication system;
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of several sectors and
associated pilot signals
in a multi-carrier communication system;
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of pilot grouping in a multi-
carrier
communication system;
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates a section of the embodiment of FIG. 4;
[0010] FIGs. 6A-6C illustrate an embodiment of set management in a
multi-carrier
communication system;
[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of traffic channel assignment
in a multi-carrier
communication system;
[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of scheduling in a multi-
carrier communication
system;
[0013] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart of a process, which may be used
in an
embodiment to implement pilot grouping and reporting in a multi-carrier
communication system;
[0014] FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of a process, which may be used
in connection
with traffic channel assignment in a multi-carrier communication system;
[0015] FIG. 11 illustrates a flow chart of a process, which may be used
in connection
with scheduling in a multi-carrier communication system;
[0016] FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus, in which
some disclosed
embodiments may be implemented;
[0017] FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus, in which
some disclosed
embodiments may be implemented; and
[0018] FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus, in which
some disclosed
embodiments may be implemented.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for
pilot grouping
and reporting, route protocols, and scheduling in multi-carrier communication
systems.
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a multi-carrier communication
system 100.
By way of example, various access terminals (ATs) 110, including ATs 110a-
110c, are
dispersed throughout the system. Each AT 110 may communicate with an access
network (AN) 120 via one or more channels at different frequencies on a
forward link
and/or a reverse link at a given moment, as illustrated by double-sided arrows
130. For
illustration and clarity, two double-sided arrows 130 are shown for each AT
110. There
may be any number of channels (or frequencies) on the forward link or reverse
link in a
communication system. Further, the number of frequencies on the forward link
(or
"forward link frequencies") need not be the same as the number of frequencies
on
reverse link (or "reverse link frequencies").
[0021] AN 120 may further be in communication with a core network, such
as a packet
data network via a packet data serving node (PDSN) 140. In an embodiment,
system
100 may be configured to support one or more standards, e.g., IS-95, cdma2000,
IS-856,
W-CDMA, TD-SCDMA, other multi-carrier standards, or a combination thereof.
[0022] An AN described herein may refer to the portion of a
communication system
configured to interface with a core network (e.g., a packet data network via
PDSN 140
in FIG. 1) and route data between ATs and the core network, perform various
radio
access and link maintenance functions, control radio transmitters and
receivers, and so
on. An AN may include and/or implement the functions of a base station
controller
(BSC) (such as found in a 2nd , 3rd, or 4`11 generation wireless network), a
base-station
transceiver system (BTS), an access point (AP), a modem pool transceiver
(MPT), a
Node B (e.g., in a W-CDMA type system), etc.
[0023] An AT described herein may refer to various types of devices,
including (but not
limited to) a wireless phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a wireless
communication personal computer (PC) card, a personal digital assistant (PDA),
an
external or internal modem, etc. An AT may be any data device that
communicates
through a wireless channel and/or through a wired channel (e.g., by way of
fiber optic or
coaxial cables). An AT may have various names, such as access unit, subscriber
unit,
mobile station, mobile device, mobile unit, mobile phone, mobile, remote
station,
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remote terminal, remote unit, user device, user equipment, handheld device,
etc.
Different ATs may be incorporated into a system. ATs may be mobile or
stationary,
and may be dispersed throughout a communication system. An AT may communicate
with one or more ANs on a forward link and/or a reverse link at a given.
moment. The
forward link (or downlink) refers to transmission from an AN to an AT. The
reverse
link (or uplink) refers to transmission from the AT to the AN.
[0024] A multi-carrier communication system described herein may
include a
frequency division multiplexing system, an orthogonal frequency division
multiplexing
system, or other multi-carrier modulation systems, where each carrier
corresponds to a
frequency range.
[0025] A cell may refer to a coverage area serviced by an AN. A
cell may be divided
into one or more sectors. One or more frequencies may be assigned to cover a
cell.
FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a cell 200 in a multi-carrier
communication system.
By way of example, cell 200 is shown to be divided into three sectors 210,
220, 230.
Three frequencies, f1, f2, f3, are assigned to cover cell 200. For
illustration and clarity,
cell 200 is shown as a cylinder, whose cross-section area corresponds with
cell 200's
coverage area, and whose height along an axis 240 corresponds with the
frequency
dimension of cell 200. As such, each wedge of the cylinder (across all
frequencies)
constitutes a sector. In other embodiments, cells may have different shapes,
and may
have any number of sectors. There may also be any number of frequencies
allocated to
a cell. For example, in some situations, multiple frequencies may be allocated
to a cell
covering a large coverage area, such as shown in FIG. 2. In other situations,
one
frequency may be allocated to a cell covering a small dense area (e.g., a "hot
spot").
[0026] A pilot signal (or "pilot") described herein may be
characterized (or specified)
by a set of parameters, e.g., denoted as <PN offset, channel> (or <channel, PN
offset>),
where "channel" may refer to the frequency of the pilot signal. The term
"channel" may
be used herein interchangeably with the term "frequency." Further, a "coverage
area"
of a pilot signal may refer to a "strength vs. distance" profile of the pilot
signal.
[0027] In a single-carrier communication system, an AT is required
to report the
strengths of all the pilot signals received, as the pilot signals become
strong or weak in
strength. In a multi-carrier communication system, there may be multiple pilot
signals
associated with a sector, as shown in FIG. 2. If an AT were to report the
strength of
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each pilot signal received (as in the single-carrier system), such would cause
too many
triggers for a pilot strength report (e.g., a route update message in an IS-
856 type
system) because there are more pilots signals and each of which may cross the
reporting
thresholds independently due to short-term fading; and each report would also
be larger
because there are more pilot signals to report. Further, many of these pilot
signals may
have comparable coverage areas and reporting one of them may provide
sufficient
information to the AN with regard to the set of pilot signals the AT is
receiving. A
need, therefore, exists for efficient management of pilot signals in multi-
carrier
communication systems.
[0028] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for pilot
grouping
and reporting, route protocols, and scheduling in multi-carrier communication
systems.
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of several sectors and associated
pilot signals
in a multi-carrier communication system 300. System 300 may generally include
any
number of sectors, each associated with one or more pilot signals having
distinct
frequencies. For illustration and clarity, three sectors 310, 320, 330 are
explicitly
shown. Also shown by way of example are pilot signals 311, 312 associated with
sector
310, pilot signals 321-324 associated with sector 320, and pilot signals 331,
332
associated with sector 330. These pilot signals are shown in reference to a
frequency
axis 340, indicating that pilot signals associated with a given sector have
different
frequencies.
[0030] FIG. 3 further illustrates a strength vs. distance profile 350
presenting the
coverage area of pilot signal 321 or 322, and a strength vs. distance profile
355
presenting the coverage area of pilot signal 323 or 324.
[0031] In an embodiment, an AN (not explicitly shown) serving sector 320
may assign
a group identifier (or ID) to each of pilot signals 321-324 based on their
coverage areas,
such that the pilot signals having the substantially same coverage area share
a common
group ID. PN offset may be used as the group ID in one embodiment. For
example,
pilot signals 321, 322 may share a common group ID (or PN offset); pilot
signals 323,
324 may also share a common group ID (or PN offset). The AN may then transmit
pilot
signals 321-324 with the corresponding group IDs. Upon receiving pilot signals
321-
324, an AT 360 may group pilot signals 321, 322 into a first pilot group and
pilot
signals 323, 324 into a second pilot group in accordance with their group IDs.
AT 360
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may select one pilot signal from each pilot group as a representative pilot
signal for the
group: e.g., pilot signal 321 may be selected as the representative pilot
signal for the
first pilot group, and pilot signal 324 may be selected as the representative
pilot signal
for the second pilot group. AT 360 may measure the strength of each received
pilot
signal, or at least one pilot signal from each pilot group (such as the
representative pilot
signal). AT 360 may include only the representative pilot signal (as opposed
to the
entire pilot group) in a pilot strength report, as further described below.
[0032] In FIG. 3, two pilot strength thresholds, "pilot-add" and "pilot-
drop", are marked
on profiles 350, 355. These thresholds may be used to determine to which one
of AT
360's candidate set and neighbor set each received pilot signal belong. For
example, if
the strength of a pilot signal received by AT 360 exceeds the pilot-add
threshold, the
pilot signal may potentially be added to AT 360's candidate set, as further
described
below. If the strength of a pilot signal received by AT 360 falls below the
pilot-drop
threshold, the pilot signal may be removed from AT 360's active set or
candidate set.
[0033] In one embodiment, as AT 360 moves away from sector 320, it may
first detect
that the strengths of pilot signals 323, 324 in the second pilot group fall
below the pilot-
drop threshold, and later those of pilot signals 321, 322 in the first pilot
group. (Such
may be due to that pilot signals 321, 322 do not have counterparts in
neighboring
sectors 310, 330, hence being subject to less interference.) As a result, AT
360 may
first send a pilot strength report for the representative pilot signal
associated with the
second pilot group and later a pilot strength report for the representative
pilot associated
with the first pilot group to the AN, in connection with these two events. The
pilot
strength report may include, e.g., the strength, the PN offset, and the
frequency of the
corresponding representative pilot signal. In another embodiment, as AT 360
moves
closer to sector 320, AT 360 may first send a pilot strength report for the
representative
pilot signal associated with the first pilot group and later a pilot strength
report for the
representative pilot associated with the second pilot group to the AN (in
connection
with the sequential rise of the strengths of the pilot signals in these two
groups).
[0034] Further, pilot signals in sectors 310, 330 may also be grouped in a
similar
manner. For example, pilot signals 311, 312 in sector 310 may form a pilot
group.
Pilot signals 331, 332 in sector 330 may also form a pilot group. In an
embodiment,
sector 320 (or the AN servicing it) may select one pilot signal from each
pilot group in
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neighbor sectors 310, 330, e.g., pilot signal 311 and pilot signal 332, and
advertise only
the selected pilot signals from its neighbor sectors.
[00351 The pilot grouping and reporting thus described allows ATs to
communicate
effectively with an AN in a multi-carrier communication system, while avoiding
excessive use of network resources. It further allows an AT to perform set
management
effectively, as further described below.
[0036] In some
embodiments, a pilot group may be identified by a set of parameters,
<PN offset, GroupID>, where GroupID denotes a group ID, and the pilot signals
having substantially the same coverage area fall within the same pilot group.
An AT
may further select a single pilot from each pilot group as the representative
pilot for the
group, and send a pilot strength report (e.g., a route update message) only
for the
representative pilot. By grouping the pilots in this manner, the AT need not
send
multiple reports for the pilots having substantially the same coverage area.
[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of pilot grouping in a multi-
carrier
communication system. For illustration and clarity, each pilot is represented
by a box
labeled with <frequency, PN offset>; further, the area of each box is shown to
be in
relation (e.g., proportional) to the coverage area of the associated pilot.
For example,
pilot <f), PN=b> is shown to have a larger coverage area than pilot <fli PN=b>
associated with the same sector, due to no adjacent channel interference.
[0038] By way
of example, GrouplD = x and GroupID = y are shown to be associated
- with the
pilots illustrated in FIG. 4. The sector associated with pilot 41, PN=a> may
advertise pilots <fi, PN=b, GrouplD=x> and <f2, PN=b, Group1D=y> as neighbors.
As
such, the pilot grouping thus described allows the AN to get separate pilot
strength
reports from the AT when the coverage areas of the co-located pilots are
different and to
use the same pilot PN planning in the overlaid frequency.
[0039] In an embodiment, to take advantage of the additional coverage
of pilot <f),
PN=b>, the AT may be allowed to point its data source control (DSC) channel to
different cells (e.g., those in its active set) on different frequencies, such
as DSC_ f1 and
DSC_ f2 illustrated in FIG. 5. For example, if the AT is allowed to point its
DSC only
to the cell with PN=a, then it may get only the single carrier coverage as
there is no
coverage on frequency f2. On the other hand, if the AT is allowed to point its
DSC only
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to the sector with PN=b on frequency f1, it may get a bad coverage associated
with pilot
<fli PN=b>, because it is closer to pilot <fi., PN=a>.
[0040] FIGs. 6A-6C illustrate an embodiment of set management in a
multi-carrier
communication system. For clarity and illustration, each pilot signal is
specified by
<"PN offsetiGroupID", frequency>. By way of example, FIG. 6A shows that an AT
(not explicitly shown) may initially have an active set 610 including a first
pilot group
and a second pilot group. The first pilot group includes two pilot signals
specified by
<x, fl> and <x, f2>, and the second pilot group includes two pilots specified
by <y,
and <y, f2>. The AT may also have a candidate set 620, which may initially
include, a
third pilot group having one pilot specified by <z, f2>.
[0041] FIG. 6B illustrates one example, where a pilot specified by <z,
fi> is added to
active set 610. As a result, a pilot specified by <z, f2> is removed from
candidate set
620, because both would belong to the same pilot group.
[0042] FIG. 6C illustrates another example, where a pilot specified by
<x, f2> is
removed from active set 610 and is not added to candidate set 620. This is
because
there remains another pilot specified by <x, fl> belonging to the first pilot
group in
active set 610.
[0043] The pilot grouping disclosed herein allows for efficient set
management in a
multi-carrier system. There may be other embodiments of set management.
[0044] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of how information may be
conveyed in the
traffic channel assignment in a multi-carrier communication system. A traffic
channel
assignment (TCA) message from an AN to an AT may carry various types of
information, including (but not limited to):
= Pilots in the AT' s active set.
= Frequencies on which the AT may transmit.
= <FeefbackMultiplexingIndex, RL
frequencies>, where
"FeebackMultiplexingIndex" indicates how the following information
related to multiple forward link (FL) channels may be multiplexed into a
single reverse link (RI) channel: information such as cell selection, hybrid
automatic repeat request (ARQ) acknowledgement (ACK), signal-to-noise-
and-interference ratio (C/I) feedback, etc.
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= Data rate control (DRC) cover and DSC for each sector/cell in the AT' s
active set. .
[0045] For example, one or more FL channels associated with a plurality (or
first set) of
frequencies, including FL channel 710 at FL_frequency_a, FL channel 720 at
FL_frequency_b, FL channel 730 at FL_frequency_c, and FL channel 740 at
FL_frequency_d, are to be transmitted from an AN to an AT (both not explicitly
shown). One or more RL channels associated with a second set of frequencies,
including RL channel 750 at RL_frequency_x, RL channel 760 at RL_frequency_y,
and
RL channel 770 at RL_frequency_z, are assigned to the AT. In an embodiment,
the AN
may assign a subset of the FL channels each to carry RL-related information
(e.g., a
reverse power control (RPC) bit stream) for each of the RL channels assigned
to the AT.
For example, FL channel 720 may be assigned to carry the RPC bit stream for RL
channel 750, FL channel 730 may be assigned to carry the RPC bit stream for RL
channel 760, and FL channel 740 may be assigned to carry the RPC bit stream
for RL
channel 770, such as illustrated in FIG. 7. Note, in this assignment, each
pair of FL and
RL channels need not have the same frequency.
[0046] In an embodiment, the AN may select one of the FL channels, e.g., FL
channel
720, as the "primary FL channel," and inform the AT to monitor the control
channel
carried by the primary FL channel (e.g., for supervision and other purposes).
In this
way, the AT may ignore other FL channels insofar as monitoring the control
channel is
concerned.
[0047] In some embodiments, an RL channel may also carry FL-related
information for
one or more FL channels. For example, as illustrated by dashed lines in FIG.
7, RL
channel 750 may carry FL-related information for each of FL channels 710, 720,
730,
which may include (but is not limited to) cell selection, sector selection,
hybrid ARQ
ACK, C/I feedback, etc.
[0048] FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of scheduler groups in a multi-
carrier
communication system. If a plurality of pilots belong to the same scheduler
group, they
may for example share the same sequence number (e.g., ARQ or "QuickNAK"
sequence number) in multi-link radio link protocol (RLP), where the sequence
number
may be associated with detecting gap(s) in the data packet received through a
single
carrier. By way of example, pilots 810, 820, 830, 840 (shown with solid
shading) may
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belong to the same scheduler group and share BTS queue 850 in the same
scheduling, as
shown on the left hand side of the figure.
[0049] In some embodiments, a plurality of pilots may belong to the same
scheduler
group under any of the following conditions:
= The scheduler tags associated with the pilots are the same (such as
illustrated
in FIG. 8).
= The pilots are in the same sub-active set of the AT (which may include
potential sectors to which the AT may point its DRC cover) and belong to
the sectors (e.g., sectors B and C) that are in softer handoff with each other
(such as identified in the TCA message).
[0050] In some instances, if the TCA message does not specify the scheduler
tag for a
pilot in the active set of the AT, then the scheduler tag associated with that
pilot may be
assumed to be a number different from other scheduler tag(s) specified in the
message.
[0051] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 900, which may be
used in an
embodiment to implement pilot grouping and reporting in a multi-carrier
communication system. Step 910 groups a plurality of pilot signals into one or
more
pilot groups, each pilot group being identified by a plurality of parameters
(e.g., PN
offset and GrouplD, such as described above). Step 920 selects a
representative pilot
signal from each pilot group for pilot strength reporting (such as described
above).
Process 900 may further include measuring the strength of the representative
pilot
signal, as shown in step 930.
[0052] FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 1000, which may be
used in
connection with traffic channel assignment in a multi-carrier communication
system.
Step 1010 receive a message (e.g., a TCA message such as described above)
indicating
a plurality of forward link channels each carrying RL-related information for
each of
reverse link channels associated with an access terminal. Step 1020 assigns
one of the
reverse link channels to carry FL-related information associated with at least
one of the
forward link channels (such as described above).
[0053] FIG. 11 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 1100, which may be
used in
connection with scheduling in a multi-carrier communication system. Step 1110
groups
a plurality of pilot signals into one or more scheduler groups in accordance
with the
sequence numbers of the pilot signals, wherein the pilot signals are
characterized by a
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plurality of frequencies. Step 1120 associates each scheduler group with a
transmission
queue (such as described above).
[0054] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1200, which may be
used to
implement some disclosed embodiments (such as described above). By way of
example, apparatus 1200 may include a receiving unit (or module) 1210
configured to
receive a plurality of pilot signals characterized by a plurality of
frequencies; a grouping
unit 1220 configured to group the pilot signals into one or more pilot groups,
each pilot
group identified by a plurality of parameters (e.g., PN offset and GroupID,
such as
descried above); and a selecting unit 1230 configured to select a
representative pilot
signal from each pilot group for pilot strength reporting. Apparatus 1200 may
further
include a measuring unit 1240 configured to measure the strengths of the pilot
signals
(e.g., the strength of the representative pilot signal associated with each
pilot group),
and a reporting unit 1250 configured to configured to report the strength of
the
representative pilot signal for each pilot group to an AN (e.g., as the
strengths of the
pilot signals in the pilot group exceed the pilot-add threshold, or fall below
the pilot-
drop threshold, such as described above). Apparatus 1200 may also include a
DSC unit
1260 configured to determine/point the DSC associated with an AT to each of a
plurality of cells on different frequencies (such as described above).
[0055] In apparatus 1200, receiving unit 1210, grouping unit 1220,
selecting unit 1230,
measuring unit 1240, reporting unit 1250, and DSC unit 1260 may be coupled to
a
communication bus 1270. A processing unit 1280 and a memory unit 1290 may also
be
coupled to communication bus 1270. Processing unit 1280 may be configured to
control and/or coordinate the operations of various units. Memory unit 1290
may
embody instructions to be executed by processing unit 1280. In some
embodiments,
memory unit 1290 may also store an AT's active set, candidate set, and
neighbor set
(such as described above).
[0056] FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus 1300, which
may be used to
implement some disclosed embodiments (such as described above). By way of
example, apparatus 1300 may include a receiving unit (or module) 1310
configured to
receive a message (e.g., a TCA message described above) indicating a plurality
of
forward link channels each carrying RL-related information for each of reverse
link
channels associated with an access terminal; and a channel-assignment unit
1320
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configured to assign one of the reverse link channels to carry FL-related
information
associated with at least one of the forward link channels (such as described
above).
Apparatus 1300 may further include a monitoring unit 1330 configured to
monitor the
control channel carried by one of the forward link channels (e.g., the primary
FL
channel described above).
[0057] In apparatus 1300, receiving unit 1310, channel-assignment unit
1320, and
monitoring unit 1330 may be coupled to a communication bus 1340. A processing
unit
1350 and a memory unit 1360 may also be coupled to communication bus 1340.
Processing unit 1350 may be configured to control and/or coordinate the
operations of
various .units. Memory unit 1360 may embody instructions to be executed by
processing unit 1350. Apparatus 1300 may for example be implemented in an AT,
or
other communication devices.
[0058] FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus 1400, which may
be used to
implement some disclosed embodiments (such as described above). By way of
example, apparatus 1400 may include a grouping unit 1410 configured to group a
plurality of pilot signals into one or more scheduler groups (e.g., in
accordance with the
sequence numbers of the pilot signals); and a scheduling unit 1420 configured
to
associate each scheduler group with a transmission queue (such as described
above).
[0059] In apparatus 1400, grouping unit 1410 and scheduling unit 1420 may
be coupled
to a communication bus. 1430. A processing unit 1440 and a memory unit 1450
may
also be coupled to communication bus 1430. Processing unit 1440 may be
configured
to control and/or coordinate the operations of various units. Memory unit 1450
may
embody instructions to be executed by processing unit 1440. Apparatus 1400 may
for
example be implemented in an AN, or other network elements.
[0060] Embodiments disclosed herein provide some embodiments of pilot
signal
grouping and reporting, set management, route protocols, and scheduling in a
multi-
carrier communication system. There are other embodiments and implementations.
[0061] Various units/modules in FIGs. 12-14 and other embodiments may be
implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In a
hardware
implementation, various units may be implemented within one or more
application
specific integrated circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors (DSP), digital
signal
processing devices (DSPDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), processors,
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microprocessors, controllers, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices
(PLD),
other electronic units, or any combination thereof. In a software
implementation,
various units may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions,
and so on)
that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored
in a
memory unit and executed by a processor (or processing unit). The memory unit
may
be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which
case it can
be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means known in the
art.
[0062] Various disclosed embodiments may be implemented in an AN, an AT,
and
other elements in multi-carrier communication systems.
[0063] Those of skill in the art would understand that information and
signals may be
represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques.
For
example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols,
and chips
that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by
voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,
optical fields or
particles, or any combination thereof.
[0064] Those of skill would further appreciate that the various
illustrative logical
blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with
the
embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware,
computer
software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this
interchangeability of
hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,
circuits, and
steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality.
Whether such
functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the
particular
application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled
artisans may
implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular
application,
but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a
departure from
the scope of the present invention.
[0065] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits
described in
connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or
performed
with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an
Application
Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or
other
programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete
hardware
components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions
described
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14
herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the
alternative, the
processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or
state machine. A
processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g.,
a
combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one
or more
microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such
configuration.
[0066] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection
with the
embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a
software module
executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may
reside in
Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically
Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM),
registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage
medium
known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such
the
processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage
medium. In the
alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The
processor and the
storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in an AT. In the
alternative,
the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in an
AT.
[0067] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is
provided to enable
any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various
modifications to
these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and
the generic
principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without
departing from the
scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be
limited to the
embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent
with the
principles and novel features disclosed herein.
[0068] WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
