Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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INTER-CELL INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION FRAMEWORK
This application is a divisional of Canadian National Phase Patent Application
Serial No. 2,730,027 filed May 26, 2009.
[0001] The present Application for Patent claims priority to
Provisional Application
Number 61/080,051 entitled "Systems and Methods for Uplink Inter-cell
Interference
Cancellation Using Hybrid Automatic Repeat (HARQ) Retransmissions," filed July
11, 2008.
BACKGROUND
Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless
communications, and more
specifically but not exclusively to various electronic circuitry or algorithms
for interference
management in a wireless network.
Background
[0003] Wireless networks are widely deployed to provide various
services to consumers,
such as telephony, data, video, audio, messaging, broadcasts, etc. Wireless
networks enable
broadband communications over a regional, nationwide, or even global region.
Such networks are
sometimes referred as Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs). One common example
of a
WWAN is a cellular network that supports CDMA2000, a telecommunications
standard that uses
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to send voice, data, and signaling
between mobile
subscribers. Another example of a WWAN is a cellular network that provides
broadband Internet
access to mobile subscribers, such as Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) or
Ultra Mobile
Broadband (UMB), both of which are part of the CDMA2000 family of air
interface standards.
Other examples include WCDMA, HSPA, LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE-
Advanced.
These cellular networks generally provide coverage over multiple cellular
regions, with a fixed-
site base station located in each cell to serve mobile subscribers.
[0004] In one particular exemplary use in a network, a terminal may
communicate with a
serving base station on the forward and/or reverse link. On the forward link,
the terminal may
observe high interference from an interfering base station. On the reverse
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link, the serving base station may observe high interference from an
interfering
terminal. The interference on each link may degrade performance of data
transmission
sent on that link. In future revisions of wireless standards such as LIE,
there is a need
to support base stations of different powers (e.g., high-powered macrocells
and lower-
powered picocells). Additionally, there may be some cells (henceforth referred
to as
femtocells) that operate under "restricted association," or Closed Subscriber
Group
(CSG) i.e., they only allow some user terminals (UEs) to connect to them. For
example,
these UEs may belong to users who subscribe to a special access plan offered
by the
operator.
[0005] In a traditional homogeneous deployment, an UE typically connects
to the
cell with the highest geometry (i.e., signal to noise ratio). However, in some
cases such
as disjoint links, it could connect to a weaker cell as the strongest forward
link geometry
cell may not be the same as the strongest reverse link cell (or vice versa).
Moreover, in a
heterogeneous deployment, there are benefits in allowing the UE to connect to
a weaker
base station. For example, an UE may connect to the cell with the lowest path
loss to
minimize interference caused to the network, even though its geometry is
lower.
Similarly, in the case of restricted association, an UE may be forced to
connect to a
weaker geometry base station as it may not have permission to access the
strongest
geometry base station.
SUMMARY
[0006] The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a
basic
understanding of some aspects of the disclosed aspects. This summary is not an
extensive overview and is intended to neither identify key or critical
elements nor
delineate the scope of such aspects. Its purpose is to present some concepts
of the
described features in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed
description that
is presented later.
[0007] In accordance with one or more aspects and corresponding disclosure
thereof, various aspects are described in connection with canceling an
interfering
channel by use of an identifier that was used to encode the interfering
channel. A
network entity (e.g., serving base station and/or interfering base station)
makes
transmission adjustments that affect a signal to interfering noise ratio
(SINR) of one of
the channels to enhance cancellation of interference.
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[0008] In one aspect, a method is provided for network facilitating
wireless inter-
cell interference cancellation at a served user equipment (UE) by transmitting
a first link
encoded with a first identifier to a served UE that also receives an
interfering second
link from an interfering base station encoded with a second identifier;
transmitting the
second identifier to the UE, receiving feedback from the served UE indicative
of the
ability to cancel one of the first and second links from a received signal at
the served
UE; and causing an adjustment in transmission for a relative change in signal
to the
interfering noise ratio (SINR) of one of the first and second links responsive
to the
feedback, wherein the served UE performs cancellation of the second link when
received at a higher SINR by decoding the second link with the second
identifier, re-
encoding the second link with the second identifier, canceling the second link
from the
received signal, and decoding the first link from the received signal by
channel
estimation.
100091 In another aspect, at least one processor is provided for network
facilitating
wireless inter-cell interference cancellation at a served UE. A first module
transmits a
first link encoded with a first identifier to a served UE that also receives
an interfering
second link from an interfering base station encoded with a second identifier.
A second
module transmits the second identifier to the UE and receives feedback from
the served
UE indicative of the ability to cancel one of the first and second links from
a received
signal at the served UE. A third module causes an adjustment in transmission
for a
relative change in signal to interfering noise ratio (SINR) of one of the
first and second
links responsive to the feedback. The served UE performs cancellation of the
second
link when received at a higher SINR by decoding the second link with the
second
identifier, re-encoding the second link with the second identifier, canceling
the second
link from the received signal, and decoding the first link from the received
signal by
channel estimation.
[0010] In an additional aspect, a computer program product is provided for
network
facilitating wireless inter-cell interference cancellation at a served UE. A
computer-
readable storage medium comprises a first set of codes for causing a computer
to
transmit a first link encoded with a first identifier to a served UE that also
receives an
interfering second link from an interfering base station encoded with a second
identifier.
A second set of codes causes the computer to transmit the second identifier to
the UE
and to receive feedback from the served UE indicative of ability to cancel one
of the
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first and second links from a received signal at the served UE. A third set of
codes
causes the computer to cause an adjustment in transmission for a relative
change in
signal to interfering noise ratio (SINR) of one of the first and second links
responsive to
the feedback. The served UE performs cancellation of the second link when
received at
a higher SINR by decoding the second link with the second identifier, re-
encoding the
second link with the second identifier, canceling the second link from the
received
signal, and decoding the first link from the received signal by channel
estimation.
[0011] In another additional aspect, an apparatus is provided for network
facilitating
wireless inter-cell interference cancellation at a served UE. Means are
provided for
transmitting a first link encoded with a first identifier to a served UE that
also receives
an interfering second link from an interfering base station encoded with a
second
identifier. Means are provided for transmitting the second identifier to the
UE and for
receiving feedback from the served UE indicative of ability to cancel one of
the first and
second links from a received signal at the served UE. Means are provided for
causing
an adjustment in transmission for a relative change in signal to interfering
noise ratio
(SINR) of one of the first and second links responsive to the feedback. The
served UE
performs cancellation of the second link when received at a higher SlNR by
decoding
the second link with the second identifier, re-encoding the second link with
the second
identifier, canceling the second link from the received signal, and decoding
the first link
from the received signal by channel estimation.
10012] In a further aspect, an apparatus is provided for network
facilitating wireless
inter-cell interference cancellation at a served UE. A transmitter transmits a
first link
encoded with a first identifier to a served UE that also receives an
interfering second
link from an interfering base station encoded with a second identifier. The
transmitter
also transmits the second identifier to the served UE. A receiver at either
the transmitter
of the first link or the interfering base station receives feedback from the
served UE
indicative of ability to cancel one of the first and second links from a
received signal at
the served UE. A computing platform causes an adjustment in transmission for a
relative change in signal to interfering noise ratio (SINR) of one of the
first and second
links responsive to the feedback. The served UE performs cancellation of the
second
link when received at a higher SINR by decoding the second link with the
second
identifier, re-encoding the second link with the second identifier, canceling
the second
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link from the received signal, and decoding the first link from the received
signal by channel
estimation.
[0013] In yet another aspect, there is provided a method for
facilitating wireless
inter-cell interference cancellation by a user equipment (UE), the method
comprising:
5 transmitting, by an apparatus, a second link encoded with a second
identifier that interferes
with a first link encoded with a first identifier between a serving base
station and the UE;
receiving, by the apparatus, communication from the serving base station
indicating that the
interfering second link requires interference cancellation by the UE;
transmitting, by the
apparatus, the second identifier directly or indirectly to the UE; and
adjusting, by the
apparatus, transmission of the interfering second link to facilitate
interference cancellation by
the UE.
[0014] In yet another aspect, there is provided a computer-readable
storage medium
having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by
a processor of
an apparatus, cause the apparatus to: transmit a second link encoded with a
second identifier
that interferes with a first link encoded with a first identifier between a
serving base station
and a user equipment (UE); receive communication from the serving base station
indicating
that the interfering second link requires interference cancellation by the UE;
transmit the
second identifier directly or indirectly to the UE; and adjust transmission of
the interfering
second link to facilitate interference cancellation by the UE.
[0015] In yet an additional aspect, there is provided an apparatus for
facilitating
wireless inter-cell interference cancellation by a user equipment (UE), the
apparatus
comprising: means for transmitting a second link encoded with a second
identifier by a base
station that interferes with a first link encoded with a first identifier
between a serving base
station and the UE; means for receiving communication from the serving base
station
indicating that the interfering second link requires interference cancellation
by the UE; means
for transmitting the second identifier directly or indirectly to the UE; and
means for adjusting
transmission of the interfering second link to facilitate interference
cancellation by the UE.
[0016] In yet a further aspect, there is provided an apparatus for
facilitating wireless
inter-cell interference cancellation by a user equipment (UE), the apparatus
comprising:
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a transmitter for transmitting a second link encoded with a second identifier
by a base station
that interferes with a first link encoded with a first identifier between a
serving base station
and the UE; a receiver for receiving communication from the serving base
station indicating
that the interfering second link requires interference cancellation by the UE;
the transmitter is
further for transmitting the second identifier directly or indirectly to the
UE; and a computing
platform for adjusting transmission of the interfering second link to
facilitate interference
cancellation by the UE.
[0017] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, one
or more aspects
comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out
in the claims.
The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain
illustrative
aspects and are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the
principles of the
aspects may be employed. Other advantages and novel features will become
apparent from
the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the
drawings and the
disclosed aspects are intended to include all such aspects and their
equivalents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The features, nature, and advantages of the present disclosure
will become
more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in
conjunction with
the drawings in which like reference characters identify correspondingly
throughout and
wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a wireless communication system
with user
equipment (UE) communicating with a base station in the presence of an
interfering base
station.
[0020] FIGS. 2-3 depict a timing diagram of a methodology or sequence
of operations
for performing pilot, control and traffic integration cancellation.
[0021] FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of a communication system of user
equipment
(UE) communicating with respective base stations and subject to interference
from the other
respective base station.
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[0022] FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of a base station and served
user equipment
(UE) each having a computing platform for performing methods for performing
wireless
interference cancellation.
[0023] FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of a system having a logical
grouping of
electrical components for performing wireless interference cancellation.
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[0024] FIG. 7 depicts a block diagram of a system having a logical
grouping of
electrical components for enhancing performance of wireless interference
cancellation.
[0025] FIG. 8 depicts a block diagram of an apparatus having means for
wireless
inter-cell interference cancellation.
[0026] FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram of an apparatus having means for
network
facilitation of inter-cell interference cancellation.
[0027] FIG. 10 depicts a block diagram of an apparatus having means for
network
facilitation of inter-cell interference cancellation at a non-served UE.
[0028] FIG. 11 depicts a block diagram of a system having a logical
grouping of
electrical components for enhancing performance of wireless interference
cancellation
at a non-served UE.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] Communication techniques enable efficient communication to an UE
(User
Equipment) that is subject to a dominant interference signal that is
transmitted by a
different base station. It is helpful to assume a synchronous system, meaning
that the
femtocells and picocells have access to a synchronizing source such as the
Global
Positioning System (GPS). Disclosed interference cancellation techniques, both
UE-
centric and network-centric, are suitable to this situation. These techniques
are
particularly advantageous when it is undesirable or difficult to introduce
changes in the
physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers at the existing base
stations.
UE-centric ("backward-compatible") framework refers to an approach largely
implemented by UEs to include pico or femto cells. Network-centric framework
closed-
loop coordination between base stations and UEs achieves interference
mitigation
thereby improving network performance. In particular, an interfering base-
station can
help a "victim" UE by adjusting downlink pilot and control power and adjusting
traffic
data rates responsive to information that the "victim" UEs provide, including
information about the interfering link and the performance of the cancellation
itself
(e.g., pre-cancellation CQI (channel quality indication) and ACK
(acknowledgement)).
This feedback information can be sent over the air or using the backhaul.
[0030] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example,
instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is
not
necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other
embodiments. The
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disclosed embodiments may be applied to any one or combinations of the
following
technologies: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Multiple-Carrier
CDMA (MC-CDMA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access
(HSPA, HSPA+), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency
Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiple
Access (OFDMA) systems, or other multiple access techniques. A wireless
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.
[0031] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the
appended
drawings is intended as a description of various configurations of the
invention and is
not intended to represent the only configurations in which the invention may
be
practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose
of providing
a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to
those skilled
in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details.
In some
instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram
form in
order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the invention.
[0032] Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1, a wireless communication
system
100 facilitates an inter-cell interference cancellation framework 101
performed by an
interference mitigating UE (UEB) 102 in order to effectively communicate with
an
interference mitigating evolved base station (eNBB) 104 in the presence of a
stronger
interfering eNBA 106 that communicates with a second UEA 108.
[0033] In one aspect of the present innovation, interference cancellation
by a
computing platform 110 at the UEB 102 is used to allow the decoding of a
signal that is
subject to strong interference. In one aspect, the interference cancellation
can be
applied to a pilot channel ("pilots") 112, control channel 114 and traffic
channel 116.
Because the interference is created by a different base station eNBA 106, some
extra
information can be used in this cancellation process. For example, estimating
of the
interference can be done by decoding the interference and its identifier and
re-encoding
the interference with the corresponding identifier. It may also done by
estimating the
transmitted modulation symbols via soft estimation, iterative estimation or
some other
techniques.
[0034] In one aspect, Pilot Interference Cancellation (PIC) component 118
of the
computing platform 110 of the UEB 102 cancels the pilots 112 from the stronger
eNBA
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106 from a received signal (i.e., combined downlink 120 from eNBB 104 and
downlink
122 from eNBA 106) and then attempts to retrieve the downlink 120 transmitted
by the
weaker eNBB 104. PIC component 118 may be advantageous even if traffic
interference cancellation is not used. In some interference avoidance schemes,
eNBA
106 yields downlink resources for eNBB 104. Even in this case, the eNBA 106
might
transmit RS (i.e., reference signals, an alternate name for pilots) for legacy
reasons. If
the RS of eNBA 106 and the RS of eNBB 104 overlap, then PIC is necessary or
advantageous to enable a better estimation of the channel of eNBB 104. If the
RS of
eNBA 106 overlap with the traffic channel of eNBB 104, then the UEB 102 can
either
zero out the LLRs or try to cancel the pilots of eNBA 106 from its signal. The
interference cancellation on the pilots 112 requires the UEB 102 to know the
identifier
(ID) of each cell 104, 106 as depicted at 124.
[0035] In another aspect, a Control Interference Cancellation (CIC)
component 126
of the computing platform 110 of the UEB 102 performs interference
cancellation on the
control channels 114 which requires the UEB 102 to know MAC_IDs 127 of users
(e.g.,
UEA 108) to which the interfering control channel is transmitted.
[0036] In an additional aspect, a Traffic interference Cancellation (TIC)
component
128 of the computing platform 110 of the UEB 102 performs interference
cancellation
on the traffic channels 116 without extra actions from the interfering base
station eNBA
106. The traffic interference cancellation requires the UEB 102 to know
control
information (i.e., assignments and ACKs) 130 that is relevant to the
interfering traffic
116. Communication from the base station eNBB 104 to UEB 102 that performs
interference cancellation is more efficient if some extra information about
the
interfering link (downlink 122) and the performance of the cancellation itself
is
provided to the base station eNBB 104 as pre-cancellation feedback 132 (CQI
and
ACK).
[0037] Alternatively or in addition, network entities such as the eNBB 104
and/or
the eNBA 106 can be part of the part of inter-cell interference cancellation
framework
101, enhancing the ability of the UEB 102. In one aspect, a computing platform
134 of
the eNBB 104 can comprise a PIC component 136, a CIC component 138, and a TIC
component 140 that can operate as described below. Further, the interfering
eNBA 106
can cooperate with interference mitigation by use of a pilot power adjustment
component 142, a control channel power adjustment component 144, and a traffic
data
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rate adjustment component 146. This cooperation is responsive to relevant
information
(e.g., CQIA, CQIB, ACKA, ACKB) 148 sent over a backhaul network or radio link
(RL)
control channel 150.
[0038] In FIG. 2, a methodology or sequence of operations 200 are provided
for
UE-centric inter-cell interference cancellation performed by an interference
mitigating
UE (UEB) 202 in order to effectively communicate with an interference
mitigating
evolved base station (eNBB) 204 in the presence of a stronger interfering eNBA
206 that
communicates with a second UEA 208.
[0039] In one aspect, Pilot Interference Cancellation (PIC) is performed
by a
communication 200 as depicted at 210 wherein the pilots sent by the two eNBs
204, 206
overlap as depicted respectively at 212, 214. The pilots sent by each eNB 204,
206 are
cell-specific and they are determined by an eNB_ID (e.g., cellID, sectorID).
For PIC
210, UEB 202 retrieves the eNB _IDs of both eNBs, depicted respectively at
216, 218.
UEB 202 uses the received pilots to estimate the channel of the stronger eNB
and
cancels the contribution of this eNB from the received pilot sequence (block
220). Then
in block 222, UEB 202 uses the second eNB_ID to estimate the channel for the
second
eNBA 206.
100401 Alternatively or in addition as depicted at 222, a network-centric
Pilot
Interference Cancellation (PIC) enhances efforts by the UEB 202 to cancel the
pilots
from the stronger eNBA 208 from the received signal and then attempts to
retrieve the
signal transmitted by the weaker eNBB 204. In particular, the network-centric
PIC
scheme 222 enables eNBA 206 to control the power of the pilots such that the
15E-
centric PIC 210 in the UEB 202 (e.g., femto-cells) is more efficient (block
223). In
general, this can be particularly suitable to scenarios where dedicated pilots
are used and
thus an eventual power boost has a limited effect on the whole system.
[0041] In another aspect, Control Interference Cancellation (CIC) is
performed as
depicted at 224. In block 225, the retrieval of the control information sent
by the
interfering eNBA 206 is necessary. UEB 202 decodes the control channel of one
eNBA
206 (block 226), re-encodes it (block 227), and cancels it out of the received
signal
(block 228).
[0042] In an illustrative implementation for LTE, the control channelA is
scrambled
with the MAC _ID of the intended user UEA 208 as depicted at block 230 and
sent
unicast from the eNBA 206 (block 232). In the case of LTE, the MAC _ID may be
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referred to as Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (c-RNTI). Thus, it is
advantageous for the UE to know the MAC_IDs that are used to scramble the
control
channel that: (a) occupies the same PHY resources as the control channel from
eNBB
204 to UEB 202; (b) carries assignments for the traffic channel (traffic from
eNBA 206)
that interferes with the traffic from eNBB 204. It should be appreciated that
the cases
(a) and (b) are not necessary mutually exclusive. The MAC IDs that are used to
scramble the controlA can be revealed to the UEB 202: (i) over the air, using
PDCCHA
(physical downlink control channel), as depicted at 234, possibly using a
special coding
scheme; or (b) over the backhaul as depicted at 236.
[0043] Upon knowledge of the MAC IDs, the UE can choose the PDCCH decoding
method that allows the decoding of both PDCCHB and PDCCHA (as needed) (block
238). If CIC 224 is performed, the UEB 202 decodes first the PDCCH that is
received at
higher SINR (Signal to Interference-plus-Noise Ratio) (block 239).
[0044] In another additional aspect depicted at 240, network-centric
Control
Interference Cancellation (CIC) procedure enhances the ability of UEB 202 to
decode
the control channel (PDCCH) of one eNBA 206, re-encodes it and cancels it out
of the
received signal. In particular, the CIC can be performed more efficiently if
the
transmission of PDCCHB is adapted to this situation. Assume that the
transmission rate
on PDCCHB is much lower than the one on PDCCHA (block 242). In this situation,
eNBB 204 might choose an encoding scheme for PDCCHB that maximizes the SINR at
which the PDCCHA is received, thus enabling better decoding of this channel
and better
CIC (block 244).
[0045] Alternatively or in addition, the CIC can be performed more
efficiently if the
transmissions of PDCCHA are adapted to this situation. Assume that cell A is
larger and
cell B is inside cell A (block 245). In this situation eNBA 206 might want to
boost the
power of PDCCHA such that this channel can be decoded correctly by the UEs
close to
eNBB 204. Also, eNBA 206 might want to do this selectively; in this case, eNBB
204 can
convey some relevant information (cell size and position, the traffic
assignments of its
users) to eNBA 206 on the backhaul (block 246) that eNBA 206 uses to boost the
power
of the PDCCHA (block 248). As an alternative or in addition to CIC, control
orthogonalization may be used. In such a case, the control channels of the
serving and
interfering cells use different resources.
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[0046] Continuing in FIG. 3, in an additional aspect, UE-centric
("backward-
compatible") Traffic Interference Cancellation (TIC) is depicted at 249
wherein the
traffic sent by eNBA 206 (the interfering traffic) as depicted at 250 can be
decoded by
the UEB 202 without any action (power control, rate adjustment) from eNBA 206
or
eNBB 204. In this instance traffic power A is greater than traffic power B.
The decoding
of the traffic from eNBA 206 as depicted at is done by treating the traffic
from eNBB
204 as noise (block 251). This might be possible, if, for example, the traffic
sent by
eNBA 206 is intended for a user that is at the cell edge, and thus is received
by the UEB
202 of interest at high power. The UEB 202 decodes the control information
relevant to
the traffic sent by eNBA 206 (block 252).
[0047] The post-cancellation of SINR (Signal to Interference Noise Ratio)
of the
traffic from eNB8 204 can be substantially higher than the SINR that considers
the
traffic from eNBA 206 as interference as depicted 254. In this situation, it
is useful for
the UEB 202 to report to eNBB 204: (1) the (pre-TIC) CQI (channel quality
indication)
for link A, denoted as CQIA at 256; (la) the ACK for the traffic on link A,
denoted as
DL ACKA at 260; and (2) the (post TIC) CQI for link B, denoted as CQIB as
depicted at
264. The UEB 202 uses the CQIA and ACKA to adjust the rate on the link B
(block
266). This adjustment can be done in two illustrative ways: (1) assure that
the UEB 202
can perform UE-centric TIC (block 268) or (2) adjust the transmission on the
traffic of
link B such that the UEB 202 decodes it without doing UE-centric TIC first
(block 270).
[0048] In an additional aspect depicted at 272, network-centric Traffic
Interference
Cancellation (TIC) can provide the additional SINR required for the UE8 202 in
some
instances to decode the interfering traffic (the traffic from eNBA 206)
without extra help
from eNBA 204. In the UE-centric TIC procedure 272, the extra actions required
to
enable correct decoding of the traffic channel on link B 273 were performed
(mainly) by
the UE8 202 and eNBB 204. In an illustrative implementation, the UEB 202 sends
CQIA, ACKA, ACKB and CQIB to eNBB 204 as depicted at 274. The UEB 202 sends
the
same information (CQIA, CQIB, ACKA, ACK8) to eNBA 206 (e.g. over the backhaul
or
using the radio link (RL) control channel) (block 276). In one aspect, eNBB
204 and
eNBA 206 negotiate the rates using the backhaul/RL control channel (block
278). The
eNBA 206 adjusts the rate of the data that is transmitted on the link A 256
such that the
UEB 202 can perform interference cancellation (block 280). The rate adjustment
can be
done in different ways. For example, if cell B is inside cell A, then eNBA 206
might
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schedule on link A users that (i) are at cell edge (have lower geometries)
thus their
signal is received at higher power inside the cell, which creates the
situation of UE-
centric TIC (block 282); (ii) have low data rate (e.g., VoIP users) (block
284). UE-
centric TIC can be performed then as described above 249. As depicted at 285,
the
serving eNB changes its power to improve the SNR for the interfering eNB. This
in turn
enables the UE to estimate the interfering link better, which it can then
cancel. It then
gets better SINR from the serving cell.
[0049] In information
theory, a scenario in which a pair of users communicates with
a pair of base stations is referred to as the interference channel. In the
previous
scenarios, the presence of the UEA 208 that is supposed to receive the traffic
on link A
is not considered explicitly when the traffic on link B does not really affect
the
reception at UEA 208. However, in some instances there is a non-dominant
interferer
situation in which link B is also causing interference for UEA (block 286). In
this
situation, the rate adjustment (in fact, rate reduction) on the interfering
link that is
mentioned before comes at the expense of UEA 208. The eNBA 206 and eNBB 204
might negotiate a rate pair (RA, RB) that is suitable for both links A and B
(block 288).
One illustrative method to achieve a wide range of rate pairs is by resource
sharing
between two different interference cancellation schemes (block 290). In one
exemplary
scheme, UEA 208 cancels the signal received on link B (i.e., the signal
intended for UEB
202) (block 292) while UEB 202 is decoding its signal treating the signal of
link A as
noise (block 294). In the other exemplary scheme, UEB 202 is doing the
interference
cancellation (block 296) while UEA 208 treats the signal from eNBB 204 as
noise (block
appar
[0050] FIG. 4 is an
illustration of a wireless multiple-access communication system
400 in accordance with various aspects. In one example, the wireless multiple-
access
communication system 400 includes multiple base stations 410 and multiple
terminals
420. Further, one or more base stations 410 can communicate with one or more
terminals 420. By way of non-limiting example, a base station 410 can be an
access
point, a Node B, and/or another appropriate network entity. Each base station
410
provides communication coverage for a particular geographic area 402a-c. As
used
herein and generally in the art, the term "cell" can refer to a base station
410 and/or its
coverage area 402a-c depending on the context in which the term is used.
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[0051] To improve system capacity, the coverage area 402a, 402b, or 402c
corresponding to a base station,410 can be partitioned into multiple smaller
areas (e.g.,
areas 404a, 404b, and 404c). Each of the smaller areas 404a, 404b, and 404c
can be
served by a respective base transceiver subsystem (BTS, not shown). As used
herein
and generally in the art, the term "sector" can refer to a BTS and/or its
coverage area
depending on the context in which the term is used. In one example, sectors
404a, 404b,
404c in a cell 402a, 402b, 402c can be formed by groups of antennas (not
shown) at
base station 410, where each group of antennas is responsible for
communication with
terminals 420 in a portion of the cell 402a, 402b, or 402c. For example, a
base station
410 serving cell 402a can have a first antenna group corresponding to sector
404a, a
second antenna group corresponding to sector 404b, and a third antenna group
corresponding to sector 404c. However, it should be appreciated that the
various aspects
disclosed herein can be used in a system having sectorized and/or unsectorized
cells.
Further, it should be appreciated that all suitable wireless communication
networks
having any number of sectorized and/or unsectorized cells are intended to fall
within the
scope of the hereto appended claims. For simplicity, the term "base station"
as used
herein can refer both to a station that serves a sector as well as a station
that serves a
cell. It should be appreciated that as used herein, a downlink sector in a
disjoint link
scenario is a neighbor sector. While the following description generally
relates to a
system in which each terminal communicates with one serving access point for
simplicity, it should be appreciated that terminals can communicate with any
number of
serving access points.
[0052] In accordance with one aspect, terminals 420 can be dispersed
throughout
the system 400. Each terminal 420 can be stationary or mobile. By way of non-
limiting
example, a terminal 420 can be an access terminal (AT), a mobile station, user
equipment, a subscriber station, and/or another appropriate network entity. A
terminal
420 can be a wireless device, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), a
wireless modem, a handheld device, or another appropriate device. Further, a
terminal
420 can communicate with any number of base stations 410 or no base stations
410 at
any given moment.
[0053] In another example, the system 400 can utilize a centralized
architecture by
employing a system controller 430 that can be coupled to one or more base
stations 410
and provide coordination and control for the base stations 410. In accordance
with
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alternative aspects, system controller 430 can be a single network entity or a
collection
of network entities. Additionally, the system 400 can utilize a distributed
architecture to
allow the base stations 410 to communicate with each other as needed. Backhaul
network communication 434 can facilitate point-to-point communication between
base
stations employing such a distributed architecture. In one example, system
controller
430 can additionally contain one or more connections to multiple networks.
These
networks can include the Internet, other packet based networks, and/or circuit
switched
voice networks that can provide information to and/or from terminals 420 in
communication with one or more base stations 410 in system 400. In another
example,
system controller 430 can include or be coupled with a scheduler (not shown)
that can
schedule transmissions to and/or from terminals 420. Alternatively, the
scheduler can
reside in each individual cell 402, each sector 404, or a combination thereof.
[0054] In an example, system 400 can utilize one or more multiple-access
schemes,
such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and/or
other suitable multiple-access schemes. TDMA utilizes time division
multiplexing
(TDM), wherein transmissions for different terminals 420 are orthogonalized by
transmitting in different time intervals. FDMA utilizes frequency division
multiplexing
(FDM), wherein transmissions for different terminals 420 are orthogonalized by
transmitting in different frequency subcarriers. In one example, TDMA and FDMA
systems can also use code division multiplexing (CDM), wherein transmissions
for
multiple terminals can be orthogonalized using different orthogonal codes
(e.g., Walsh
codes) even though they are sent in the same time interval or frequency sub-
carrier.
OFDMA utilizes Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and SC-
FDMA utilizes Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM). OFDM
and
SC-FDM can partition the system bandwidth into multiple orthogonal subcarriers
(e.g.,
tones, bins, ...), each of which can be modulated with data. Typically,
modulation
symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with
SC-
FDM. Additionally and/or alternatively, the system bandwidth can be divided
into one
or more frequency carriers, each of which can contain one or more subcarriers.
System
400 can also utilize a combination of multiple-access schemes, such as OFDMA
and
CDMA. While the power control techniques provided herein are generally
described for
an OFDMA system, it should be appreciated that the techniques described herein
can
similarly be applied to any wireless communication system.
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[0055] In another example, base stations 410 and terminals 420 in system
400 can
communicate data using one of more data channels and signaling using one or
more
control channels. Data channels utilized by system 400 can be assigned to
active
terminals 420 such that each data channel is used by only one terminal at any
given
time. Alternatively, data channels can be assigned to multiple terminals 420,
which can
be superimposed or orthogonally scheduled on a data channel. To conserve
system
resources, control channels utilized by system 400 can also be shared among
multiple
terminals 420 using, for example, code division multiplexing. In one example,
data
channels orthogonally multiplexed only in frequency and time (e.g., data
channels not
multiplexed using CDM) can be less susceptible to loss in orthogonality due to
channel
conditions and receiver imperfections than corresponding control channels.
[0056] In FIG. 5, a serving radio access network (RAN), depicted as an
evolved
base node (eNB) 500, has a computing platform 502 that provides means such as
sets of
codes for causing a computer to facilitate wireless inter-cell interference
cancellation as
either the serving base station or interfering base station. In particular,
the computing
platform 502 includes a computer readable storage medium (e.g., memory) 504
that
stores a plurality of modules 506-510 executed by a processor(s) 520. A
modulator 522
controlled by the processor 520 prepares a downlink signal for modulation by a
transmitter 524, radiated by antenna(s) 526. A receiver 528 receives uplink
signals
from the antenna(s) 526 that are demodulated by a demodulator 530 and provided
to the
processor 520 for decoding. In particular, means (e.g., module, set of codes)
506 are
provided for transmitting a first link encoded with a first identifier to a
served UE that
also receives an interfering second link from an interfering base station
encoded with a
second identifier. Means (e.g., module, set of codes) 508 are provided for
transmitting
the second identifier to the UE and for receiving feedback from the UE
indicative of
ability to cancel one of the first and second links from a received signal at
the UE.
Means (e.g., module, set of codes) 510 are provided for causing an adjustment
in
transmission for a relative change in signal to interfering noise ratio (SINR)
of one of
the first and second links responsive to the feedback. Thereby, the UE is
enhanced in
performing cancellation of the second link when received at a higher SINR by
decoding
the second link with the second identifier, re-encoding the second link with
the second
identifier, canceling the second link from the received signal, and decoding
the first link
from the received signal by channel estimation. Advantageously a transmit (Tx)
power
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component 532 can adjust transmission power. A received signal indicator (RSI)
534
can measure signal strength.
[0057] With continued reference to FIG. 5, the mobile station or user
equipment
(UE) 550 has a computing platform 552 that provides means such as sets of
codes for
causing a computer to perform wireless inter-cell interference cancellation.
In
particular, the computing platform 552 includes a computer readable storage
medium
(e.g., memory) 554 that stores a plurality of modules 556-560 executed by a
processor(s) 570. A modulator 572 controlled by the processor 570 prepares an
uplink
signal for modulation by a transmitter 574, radiated by antenna(s) 576 as
depicted at
577 to the eNB 500. A receiver 576 receives downlink signals from the eNB 500
from
the antenna(s) 576 that are demodulated by a demodulator 560 and provided to
the
processor 570 for decoding. In particular, means (e.g., module, set of codes)
556 are for
accessing a first identifier used by the serving base station to encode a
first link. Means
(e.g., module, set of codes) 557 are for accessing a second identifier used by
the
interfering base station to encode a second link. Means (e.g., module, set of
codes) 558
are for receiving a signal containing the first and second links. Means (e.g.,
module, set
of codes) 559 are for canceling the second link by estimating the second link
with the
corresponding identifier and canceling the second link from the received
signal. Means
(e.g., module, set of codes) 560 are for decoding the first link from the
received signal
by channel estimation.
[0058] With reference to FIG. 6, illustrated is a system 600 that performs
wireless
inter-cell interference cancellation. For example, system 600 can reside at
least partially
within user equipment (UE). It is to be appreciated that system 600 is
represented as
including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent
functions
implemented by a computing platform, processor, software, or combination
thereof
(e.g., firmware). System 600 includes a logical grouping 602 of electrical
components
that can act in conjunction. For instance, logical grouping 602 can include an
electrical
component for accessing a first identifier used by the serving base station to
encode a
first link 604. Moreover, logical grouping 602 can include an electrical
component for
accessing a second identifier used by the interfering base station to encode a
second link
606. Further, logical grouping 602 can include an electrical component for
receiving a
signal containing the first and second links 608. Logical grouping 602 can
include an
electrical component for canceling the second link by estimating the second
link with
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the corresponding identifier and canceling the second link from the received
signal 610.
Logical grouping 602 can include an electrical component for decoding the
first link
from the received signal by channel estimation 612. Additionally, system 600
can
include a memory 614 that retains instructions for executing functions
associated with
electrical components 604 - 612. While shown as being external to memory 614,
it is to
be understood that one or more of electrical components 604 - 612 can exist
within
memory 614.
[0059] With reference to FIG. 7, illustrated is a system 700 that enhances
wireless
inter-cell interference cancellation. For example, system 700 can reside at
least partially
within a base station. It is to be appreciated that system 700 is represented
as including
functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions
implemented
by a computing platform, processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g.,
firmware).
System 700 includes a logical grouping 702 of electrical components that can
act in
conjunction. For instance, logical grouping 702 can include an electrical
component for
transmitting a first link encoded with a first identifier to a UE that also
receives an
interfering second link from an interfering base station encoded with a second
identifier
704. Moreover, logical grouping 702 can include an electrical component for
transmitting the second identifier to the UE and for receiving feedback from
the UE
indicative of ability to cancel one of the first and second links from a
received signal at
the UE 706. Further, logical grouping 702 can include an electrical component
for
causing an adjustment in transmission for a relative change in signal to
interfering noise
ratio (SINR) of one of the first and second links responsive to the feedback,
wherein the
UE performs cancellation of the second link when received at a higher SINR by
decoding the second link with the second identifier, re-encoding the second
link with
the second identifier, canceling the second link from the received signal, and
decoding
the first link from the received signal by channel estimation 708.
Additionally, system
700 can include a memory 714 that retains instructions for executing functions
associated with electrical components 704 - 708. While shown as being external
to
memory 714, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components
704 - 708
can exist within memory 714.
[0060] In FIG. 8, an apparatus 802 is provided for wireless inter-cell
interference
cancellation. A means 804 is provided for accessing a first identifier used by
the
serving base station to encode a first link. A means 806 is provided for
accessing a
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second identifier used by the interfering base station to encode a second
link. A means
808 is provided for receiving a signal containing the first and second links.
A means
810 is provided for canceling the second link by estimating the second link
with the
corresponding identifier, and canceling the second link from the received
signal. A
means 812 is provided for decoding the first link from the received signal by
channel
estimation.
[0061] In FIG. 9, an apparatus 902 is provided for network facilitated
wireless
inter-cell interference cancellation. A means 904 is provided for transmitting
a first link
encoded with a first identifier to a node that also receives an interfering
second link
from an interfering base station encoded with a second identifier. A means 906
is
provided for receiving feedback from the node indicative of ability to cancel
one of the
first and second links from a received signal at the node. A means 908 is
provided for
causing an adjustment in transmission for a relative change in signal to
interfering noise
ratio (SINR) of one of the first and second links responsive to the feedback,
wherein the
node performs cancellation of the second link when received at a higher SINR
by
decoding the second link with the second identifier, re-encoding the second
link with
the second identifier, canceling the second link from the received signal, and
decoding
the first link from the received signal by channel estimation.
[0062] In FIG. 10, an apparatus 1002 is provided for facilitating wireless
inter-cell
interference cancellation by a non-served UE. Means 1004 are provided for
transmitting an interfering second link encoded with a second identifier while
a serving
base station transmits a first link encoded with a first identifier to a non-
served node.
Means 1006 are provided for receiving communication from the serving base
station
indicating that the interfering second link requires interference cancellation
by the non-
served node. Means 1008 are provided for transmitting the second identifier
directly or
indirectly to the non-served UE. Means 1010 are provided for adjusting
transmission of
the interfering second link to facilitate interference cancellation by the non-
served node.
[0063] While the specification describes particular examples of the present
invention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the present
invention without
departing from the inventive concept. For example, the teachings herein refer
to circuit-
switched network elements but are equally applicable to packet-switched domain
network elements.
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[0064] With reference to FIG. 11, illustrated is a system 1100 that
enhances
wireless inter-cell interferencesancellation. For example, system 1100 can
reside at
least partially within a base station. It is to be appreciated that system
1100 is
represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks
that
represent functions implemented by a computing platform, processor, software,
or
combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1100 includes a logical grouping
1102 of
electrical components that can act in conjunction. For instance, logical
grouping 1102
can include an electrical component for transmitting an interfering second
link encoded
with a second identifier while a serving base station transmits a first link
encoded with a
first identifier to a non-served UE 1104. Moreover, logical grouping 1102 can
include
an electrical component for receiving communication from the serving base
station
indicating that the interfering second link requires interference cancellation
by the non-
served UE 1106. In addition, logical grouping 1102 can include an electrical
component for transmitting the second identifier directly or indirectly to the
non-served
UE 1108. Further, logical grouping 1102 can include an electrical component
for
adjusting transmission of the interfering second link to facilitate
interference
cancellation by the non-served UE 1110. Additionally, system 1100 can include
a
memory 1114 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with
electrical
components 1104 - 1110. While shown as being external to memory 1114, it is to
be
understood that one or more of electrical components 1104 - 1110 can exist
within
memory 1114.
[0065] By virtue of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that in one
aspect, a UE
that is receiving interference can benefit from receiving the identifier that
encoded the
interference. Receipt of the identifier, such as a MAC ID or c-RNTI can
advantageously be tunneled from an interfering base station to the serving
base station
to the UE. This transmission can be prompted by a request initiated by the UE
or
serving base station.
[0066] In another aspect, Pilot Interference Cancellation for OFDMA
systems can
be supported. For example, the UE can cancel the reference signal or can use a
different
interference estimate for resource elements containing the cancelled Reference
Signal
(RS).
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[00671 In an additional aspect, Control Interference Cancellation can be
supported.
For example, the UE can decode the PDCCH of interfering sector, which can be
based
on received c-RNTI. Further, the UE can cancel the PDCCH after decoding it.
[0068] In another additional aspect, Inter-Cell Interference Coordination
(ICIC) can
be performed based on decoded PDCCH assignment.
[00691 In a further aspect, Traffic Interference Cancellation can be
supported in
situations such as (1) restricted association, (2) range expansion (lower
geometry cell,
and (3) disjoint links. For example, the UE performs ICIC in each situation.
As another
example, the serving base station can determine post-cancellation SINR, either
director
or by receiving information from the UE, and that the UE could handover to the
interfering base station.
100701 In yet another aspect, CQI based on post-cancellation SINR can be
supported. UE feeds back CQI based on post-cancellation SINR. In some
instances,
the UE also feeds pre-cancellation CQI. The serving eNB schedules can be based
on
post-cancellation ICIC. In another instance, pre-cancellation CQI is provided
when
HARQ fails.
[0071] In yet an additional aspect, feedback of control channels is
supported. The
UE feeds back CQI / ACK corresponding to interfering sectors. The serving base
station tunnels the CQI / ACK to the interfering base station. The interfering
base
station receives the CQI / ACK feedback either directly or over a backhaul
connection.
In one example, the CQI/ACK can pertain to data. In another example, the
CQI/ACK
can pertain to PDCCH. In an additional example, the CQI/ACK can pertain to
Reference Signal (RS). The serving base station can change (e.g., reduce) its
power to
aid its UE in ICIC (e.g., based on feedback). The interfering base station can
change
(e.g., increase) its power to aid a non-served neighbor UE (e.g., based on
feedback).
[00721 In yet another additional aspect, an interfering base station can
control the
rate to enable ICIC. In one instance, this rate control can pertain to PDCCH.
In another
aspect, the rate control can pertain to PDSCH. The UE can provide feedback and
then
perform ICIC. The interfering base station provides a rate which enables a non-
served
UE to decode. (e.g., based on feedback).
[0073] For example, the exemplary aspects discussed above can be
implemented
with nodes that can reciprocate in playing the role of a transmitting node in
one instance
and then playing the role of an interfering node in another. Further, fairness
can be
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meted out in relation to receptivity of a node to favorably respond to a
reduced transmit
power request. Alternatively, a node can only be provisioned to act as a
selected one of
a transmitting node and an interfering node.
[0074] Those skilled in the art will 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.
[0075] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various
illustrative
logical blocks, modules, circuits, methods and algorithms described in
connection with
the examples 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,
methods and algorithms 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.
[00761 As used in this application, the terms "component," "module,"
"system" and
the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such as but not
limited to
hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or
software in
execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a
process
running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of
execution, a
program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application
running on a
computing device and the computing device can be a component. One or more
components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a
component
may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more
computers.
In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media
having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate
by
way of local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal
having one or
more data packets, such as data from one component interacting with another
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component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such
as the
Internet with other systems by way of the signal.
[0077] Furthermore, various aspects are described herein in connection
with a
terminal, which can be a wired terminal or a wireless terminal. A terminal can
also be
called a system, device, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station,
mobile,
mobile device, remote station, remote terminal, access terminal, user
terminal, terminal,
communication device, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). A
wireless
terminal may be a cellular telephone, a satellite phone, a cordless telephone,
a Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a
personal digital
assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wireless connection capability, a
computing
device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. Moreover,
various
aspects are described herein in connection with a base station. A base station
may be
utilized for communicating with wireless terminal(s) and may also be referred
to as an
access point, a Node B, or some other terminology.
[0078] Moreover, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or"
rather than an
exclusive "or." That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the
context, the phrase
"X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive
permutations.
That is, the phrase "X employs A or B" is satisfied by any of the following
instances: X
employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles
"a" and
"an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be
construed
to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to
be
directed to a singular form.
[0079] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless
communication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and
other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used
interchangeably. A
CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial
Radio
Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and
other variants of CDMA. Further, cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856
standards. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Global
System
for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement a radio
technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE
802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM , etc. UTRA and
E.-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP
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Long Term Evolution (LYE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA, which employs
OFDMA on the downlink and. SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS,
LTE and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd
Generation
Partnership Project" (3GPP). Additionally, cdma2000 and UMB are described in
documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2"
(3GPP2). Further, such wireless communication systems may additionally include
peer-
to-peer (e.g., mobile-to-mobile) ad hoc network systems often using unpaired
unlicensed spectrums, 802.xx wireless LAN, BLUETOOTH and any other short- or
long- range, wireless communication techniques.
[00801 Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems
that may
include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be
understood
and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices,
components,
modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules
etc.
discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches
may also
be used.
[00811 The various illustrative logics, 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
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. Additionally, at least one processor may comprise
one or
more modules operable to perform one or more of the steps and/or actions
described
above.
[00821 Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm
described in
connection with the aspects 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 RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory,
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EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any
other
form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be
coupled to the processor, such that 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. Further, in some aspects, the processor and the
storage
medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a user
terminal.
In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as
discrete
components in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or
actions
of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes
and/or
instructions on a machine readable medium and/or computer readable medium,
which
may be incorporated into a computer program product.
[0083] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented
in
hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in
software,
the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code
on a
computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer
storage
media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer
of a
computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any
available
media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not
limitation, such
computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other
optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,
or any
other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the
form of
instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also,
any
connection may be termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software
is
transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial
cable, fiber
optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless
technologies such as
infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,
twisted pair,
DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are
included in
the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc
(CD),
laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-
ray disc where
disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs usually reproduce data
optically
with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the
scope of
computer-readable media.
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26
100841 While the foregoing disclosure discusses illustrative aspects
and/or
embodiments, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could
be made
herein without departing from the scope of the described aspects and/or
embodiments as
defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, although elements of the
described
aspects and/or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the
plural is
contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.
Additionally, all or a
portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may be utilized with all or a portion
of any
other aspect and/or embodiment, unless stated otherwise.
