Abstract: Time filtering channel estimates in a wireless communication system, such as an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) system, can be used to improve the quality of channel estimates. The characteristics of an optimal channel estimate time filter can depend on the manner in which the channel estimate is determined as well as the time correlation of channel estimates. A receiver can implement an adaptive time filter for channel estimates in which the time filter response can vary based on channel estimate parameters. The channel estimate parameters can include the manner of determining channel estimates, a time correlation of channel estimates, and an estimated Doppler frequency. The time filter response can be varied continuously over a range of responses or can be varied discretely over a predetermined number of time filter responses.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a mobile communication device that may receive wireless broadcast signals from a number of different base stations or transmitters. As the location of the device moves relative to the transmitters, one transmitter will likely be identified as the transmitter broadcast the strongest, or highest quality, signal. When that determination is made, the user of the mobile device is presented the opportunity to switch to receiving that transmitters signal. Based on the user's reply, the device may remain with the current transmitter, even though it does not have the strongest signal, or the device may be configured to acquire and start receiving the new transmitter's signal. The measuring of the quality of a transmitter's signal may be based on a composite score that combines a number of individual measurements made over a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for determining and applying timing corrections in a digital communications system. In an aspect, a timing correction method is provided for a multi-carrier system. This includes aligning two or more symbols with respect to each other from a symbol subset in order to account for timing differences between the symbols. The symbol alignment is first carried out to generate channel estimates for data demodulation. The channel estimates, thus generated, along with the timing alignment information are in turn used for determining timing corrections to be applied to future symbols.

Abstract: A method for determining a communication channel location is disclosed. A first subset of a plurality of channel impulse responses is averaged over a first time period to produce a first filtered channel impulse response, and a second subset of the plurality of channel impulse responses is averaged over a second time period to produce a second filtered channel impulse response. The second time period is different from the first time period, and the second subset is different from the first subset. The communication channel location is determined using the first filtered channel impulse response and the second filtered channel impulse response.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for communication in a system employing differing transmission protocols. It is determined whether a first time slot of one transmission protocol is adjacent to a second time slot of another transmission protocol, and if a first symbol within the first time slot is adjacent to a second symbol of the second time slot. A pilot power and/or a number of pilot sub-carriers or tones of the first symbol is increased and channel estimation is performed on the first symbol.

Abstract: Frame structures and transmission techniques for a wireless communication system are described. In one frame structure, a super-frame includes multiple outer-frames, and each outer-frame includes multiple frames, and each frame includes multiple time slots. The time slots in each super-frame are allocated for downlink and uplink and for different radio technologies (e.g., W-CDMA and OFDM) based on loading. Each physical channel is allocated at least one time slot in at least one frame of each outer-frame in the super-frame. An OFDM waveform is generated for each downlink OFDM slot and multiplexed onto the slot. A W-CDMA waveform is generated for each downlink W-CDMA slot and multiplexed onto the slot. A modulated signal is generated for the multiplexed W-CDMA and OFDM waveforms and transmitted on the downlink. Each physical channel is transmitted in bursts. The slot allocation and coding and modulation for each physical channel can change for each super-frame.

Abstract: To transmit overhead information for broadcast and multicast services in a system that utilizes multiple radio technologies, time slots used for OFDM in a super-frame are initially ascertained. Overhead information for multiple streams to be sent in the time slots used for OFDM is generated. The overhead information conveys the time slots and the coding and modulation used for the streams and may be given in various forms. Multiple records may be formed for the overhead information for the streams. The overhead information for the streams is processed and time division multiplexed with the data for the streams in the super-frame. Information indicating the time slots used for OFDM in the super-frame may be sent separately or included in the overhead information. An indicator may also be appended to each stream to indicate whether there is any change in the overhead information for the stream in the next super-frame.

Abstract: Techniques to transmit data with cyclic delay diversity and pilot staggering are described. For cyclic delay diversity, OFDM symbols having different cyclic delay durations are generated. The cyclic delay durations for the OFDM symbols may be selected to be time varying with respect to the cyclic delay durations for OFDM symbols transmitted by a neighboring base station. An FDM pilot is generated and multiplexed on multiple sets of subbands in different symbol periods. Waveforms for a second radio technology (e.g., W-CDMA) may be generated for data to be transmitted with this radio technology. The OFDM symbols are multiplexed onto time slots used for OFDM, and the waveforms for the second radio technology are multiplexed onto time slots used for this radio technology. One or multiple modulated signals may be generated based on the multiplexed OFDM symbols and waveforms. Each modulated signal is transmitted from a respective antenna.

Abstract: Techniques for transmitting data in a wireless communication system are described. Physical channels to be sent in a super-frame are identified and allocated time slots in the super-frame. The coding and modulation for each physical channel are selected based on its capacity. The data for each physical channel is selectively encoded based on an outer code rate, e.g., for a Reed-Solomon code, and further encoded based on an inner code rate, e.g., for a Turbo code. The encoded data for each physical channel is mapped to modulation symbols based on a selected modulation scheme. The modulation symbols for each physical channel are further processed (e.g., OFDM modulated) and multiplexed onto the time slots allocated to the physical channel. Data to be sent using another radio technology (e.g., W-CDMA) is also processed and multiplexed onto time slots allocated for this radio technology.

Abstract: To transmit data in a manner to mitigate the deleterious effects of delay spread, the expected coverage areas for multiple transmissions to be sent in multiple time slots are initially determined. Cyclic prefix lengths for these transmissions are selected based on the expected coverage areas. The cyclic prefix length for each transmission may be selected from among a set of allowed cyclic prefix lengths based on the expected coverage area for that transmission, the pilot staggering used for the transmission, and so on. For example, a shorter cyclic prefix length may be selected for each local transmission, and a longer cyclic prefix length may be selected for each wide-area transmission. The selected cyclic prefix lengths may be signaled to the terminals. The transmissions are processed (e.g., OFDM modulated) based on the selected cyclic prefix lengths. The cyclic prefix lengths may be selected periodically, e.g., in each super-frame.

Abstract: To allow a receiving entity to derive a longer channel estimate while limiting overhead, a transmitting entity transmits a pilot on different groups of subbands in different time intervals. N subbands in the system are arranged into M non-overlapping groups. Each group includes P=N/M subbands that are uniformly distributed across the N subbands. The transmitting entity transmits the pilot on a different subband group in each time interval, and selects all M subband groups in M time intervals based on a pilot staggering pattern. The receiving entity derives (1) an initial impulse response estimate with P channel taps based on the pilot received on one subband group and (2) two longer impulse response estimates with different lengths used for data detection and time tracking. Each longer impulse response estimate may be derived by filtering initial impulse response estimates for a sufficient number of subband groups using a time-domain filter.

Abstract: To recover multiple data streams transmitted simultaneously, a first channel estimate is derived for a wireless channel based on received pilot symbols. Detection is performed on received data symbols using the first channel estimate to obtain detected symbols for a first data stream. These detected symbols are decoded to obtain a decoded first data stream, which is re-encoded to obtain remodulated symbols. A second channel estimate is derived based on the remodulated symbols. The first and second channel estimates are combined to obtain a third channel estimate having higher quality. Interference due to the first data stream is estimated using the third channel estimate and canceled from the received data symbols. Detection is performed on interference-canceled symbols using the third channel estimate to obtain detected symbols for a second data stream. These detected symbols are further decoded to obtain a decoded second data stream.

Abstract: Pilot transmission and channel estimation techniques for an OFDM system with excess delay spread are described. To mitigate the deleterious effects of excess delay spread, time filtering is utilized. Time filtering is utilized to combat excess delay spread effects in channel estimation. The time filtering is performed in the presence of staggered pilots and helps in improving the channel estimate in the presence of excess delay spread.

Abstract: Accordingly, a method and apparatus are provided to convert received content into a first stream and a second stream, to transmit said first stream using a first tone and to transmit said second stream using an orthogonal scheme. A layering scheme is used to transmit the base stream covering a smaller area and an enhanced stream is used to cover a large utilizing orthogonal scheme.

Abstract: For channel estimation in a spectrally shaped wireless communication system, an initial frequency response estimate is obtained for a first set of P uniformly spaced subbands (1) based on pilot symbols received on a second set of subbands used for pilot transmission and (2) using extrapolation and/or interpolation, where P is a power of two. A channel impulse response estimate is obtained by performing a P-point IFFT on the initial frequency response estimate. A final frequency response estimate for N total subbands is derived by (1) setting low quality taps for the channel impulse response estimate to zero, (2) zero-padding the channel impulse response estimate to length N, and (3) performing an N-point FFT on the zero-padded channel impulse response estimate. The channel frequency/impulse response estimate may be filtered to obtain a higher quality channel estimate.

Abstract: To broadcast different types of transmission having different tiers of coverage in a wireless broadcast network, each base station processes data for a wide-area transmission in accordance with a first mode (or coding and modulation scheme) to generate data symbols for the wide-area transmission and processes data for a local transmission in accordance with a second mode to generate data symbols for the local transmission. The first and second modes are selected based on the desired coverage for wide-area and local transmissions, respectively. The base station also generates pilots and overhead information for local and wide-area transmissions. The data, pilots, and overhead information for local and wide-area transmissions are multiplexed onto their transmission spans, which may be different sets of frequency subbands, different time segments, or different groups of subbands in different time segments. More than two different types of transmission may also be multiplexed and broadcast.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for performing hierarchical coding in a multi-antenna communication system (e.g., a SIMO, MISO, or MIMO system). At a transmitter, a base stream and an enhancement stream are coded and modulated separately to obtain first and second data symbol streams, respectively. The first data symbol stream is processed in accordance with a first spatial processing scheme (e.g., a transmit diversity or a spatial multiplexing scheme) to obtain a first set of symbol substreams. The second data symbol stream is processed in accordance with a second spatial processing scheme (e.g., transmit diversity or spatial multiplexing) to obtain a second set of symbol substreams. The first set of symbol substreams is combined (e.g., using time division multiplexing or superposition) with the second set of symbol substreams to obtain multiple transmit symbol streams for transmission from multiple transmit antennas. A receiver performs complementary processing to recover the base stream and enhancement stream.