Abstract: A multi building block architecture may be configured to generate a waveform (a “target wideband signal”) for use in a wireless communication system, where the waveform supports a variety of baseband signals. The task of generating a target wideband signal can be divided into several tasks, each task relating to the generating of one of a plurality of sub-carrier bands. Each of the sub-carrier bands (sub-bands) may be generated by one of the sub-band building units included in the sub-band building blocks of the architecture. Several sub-bands may be formed, by a sub-band group building block, into a sub-band group. Multiple sub-band groups may be formed, by a wideband building block, into the target wideband signal.

Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include methods and systems for communication in a wireless communication system. A method comprises receiving a signal corresponding to a plurality of modulated signals, each of the plurality of modulated signals corresponding to a unique electronic device. The method comprises filtering the received signal with a plurality of filters, each of which is matched to a corresponding filter in a respective electronic device to obtain a filtered signal for the respective electronic device. The method comprises performing a fast Fourier transform (FFT) operation on the filtered signal to obtain demodulated data corresponding to the respective electronic device.

Abstract: A bit-level operation may be implemented prior to modulation and resource element (RE) mapping in order to generate a NoMA transmission using standard (QAM, QPSK, BPSK, etc.) modulators. In this way, the bit-level operation is exploited to achieve the benefits of NoMA (e.g., improved spectral efficiency, reduced overhead, etc.) at significantly less signal processing and hardware implementation complexity. The bit-level operation is specifically designed to produce an output bit-stream that is longer than the input bit-stream, and that includes output bit-values that are computed as a function of the input bit-values such that when the output bit-stream is subjected to modulation (e.g., m-ary QAM, QPSK, BPSK), the resulting symbols emulate a spreading operation that would otherwise have been generated from the input bit-stream, either by a NoMA-specific modulator or by a symbol-domain spreading operation.

Abstract: A method for determining synchronization of uplink timing in a machine type communication (MTC) system comprising a machine type communication device (MTCD) and a network element is disclosed that takes advantage of the MTCD being at a fixed location relative to the network element. The method includes receiving at the MTCD an uplink timing adjustment value from the network element and storing the uplink timing adjustment value at the MTCD. The MTCD then uses the stored uplink timing adjustment value from a previous uplink transmission for synchronizing uplink timing for a subsequent uplink transmission from the MTCD to the network element even following a period of inactivity of the MTCD, or expiration of any existing maximum uplink timing alignment period permitted for use of the timing adjustment value by the MTCD, or MTCD clock drift.

Abstract: A two-phase approach to machine-type communications is provided. In a first phase, for activity detection, at least one symbol is transmitted using a long signature. During a second phase, for data transmission, information-carrying symbols are transmitted using a short spreading signature. Activity detection performance is enhanced through the use of a longer spreading signature.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided for enabling flexible and reliable UE-to-UE based relay. The embodiments include using fountain codes for combining signals at a suitable network layer higher than a media access control (MAC) sub-layer and using a MAC sub-layer hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmission scheme. When a relay UE in a UE group for joint reception receives, from a network access point, a data packet intended for a destination UE in the UE group and including fountain code at the higher network layer, the relay UE sends the data packet to the destination UE and returns a HARQ ACK message at the MAC sub-layer to the access point. The destination UE then receives and decodes the data packet. Subsequently, upon receiving the entire data, the destination UE sends an ACK message at the higher network layer to the access point.

Abstract: In some embodiments of the invention, OFDM symbols are transmitted as a plurality of clusters. A cluster includes a plurality of OFDM sub-carriers in frequency, over a plurality of OFDM symbol durations in time. Each cluster includes data as well as pilot information as a reference signal for channel estimation. In some embodiments, a plurality of clusters collectively occupy the available sub-carrier set in the frequency domain that is used for transmission. In some embodiments of the invention data and/or pilots are spread within each cluster using code division multiplexing (CDM). In some embodiments pilots and data are separated by distributing data on a particular number of the plurality of OFDM symbol durations and pilots on a remainder of the OFDM symbol durations. CDM spreading can be performed in time and/or frequency directions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for reducing the number of pilot symbols within a MIMO-OFDM communication system, and for improving channel estimation within such a system. For each transmitting antenna in an OFDM transmitter, pilot symbols are encoded so as to be unique to the transmitting antenna. The encoded pilot symbols are then inserted into an OFDM frame to form a diamond lattice, the diamond lattices for the different transmitting antennae using the same frequencies but being offset from each other by a single symbol in the time domain. At the OFDM receiver, a channel response is estimated for a symbol central to each diamond of the diamond lattice using a two-dimensional interpolation. The estimated channel responses are smoothed in the frequency domain. The channel responses of remaining symbols are then estimated by interpolation in the frequency domain.

Abstract: A method for operating a device includes determining adaptation criteria for a waveform to be transmitted by a transmitting device over a communications channel towards a receiving device, and adjusting a generalized multi-carrier multiplexing parameter (GMMP) of the waveform in accordance with the adaptation criteria. The method also includes transmitting an indicator of the adjusted GMMP to at least one of the transmitting device and the receiving device.

Abstract: The present application relates to a filtering scheme with low complexity. The method includes: dividing an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal into a first sideband signal, a first signal, and a second sideband signal; sampling the first sideband signal by using a first sampling rate; sampling the first signal by using a second sampling rate; sampling the second sideband signal by using a third sampling rate; and separately performing filtering processing of a third spectral mask, upsampling processing, and digital frequency conversion processing to generate a first filtered-OFDM (f-OFDM) signal, a second f-OFDM signal and a third f-OFDM signal; and superposing the first f-OFDM signal, the second f-OFDM signal, and the third f-OFDM signal to obtain an f-OFDM signal, where the first sampling rate and the third sampling rate are both less than the second sampling rate.

Abstract: Systems and methods for OFDM channelization are provided that allow for the coexistence of sub-band channels and diversity channels. Methods of defining diversity sub-channels and sub-band sub-channels are provided and systematic channel definition and labeling schemes are provided.

Abstract: The present invention employs a pilot scheme for frequency division multiple access (FDM) communication systems, such as single carrier FDM communication systems. A given transmit time interval will include numerous traffic symbols and two or more short pilot symbols, which are spaced apart from one another by at least one traffic symbol and will have a Fourier transform length that is less than the Fourier transform length of any given traffic symbol. Multiple transmitters will generate pilot information and modulate the pilot information onto sub-carriers of the short pilot symbols in an orthogonal manner. Each transmitter may use different sub-carriers within the time and frequency domain, which is encompassed by the short pilot symbols within the transmit time interval. Alternatively, each transmitter may uniquely encode the pilot information using a unique code division multiplexed code and modulate the encoded pilot information onto common sub-carriers of the short pilot symbols.

Abstract: Methods and devices are disclosed for decoding multiple sparsely encoded data sequences in a wireless communications network. A received signal carrying multiple sparsely encoded data sequences is decoded by selecting a first plurality of the data sequences and performing multi-user decoding on the received signal to decode the first plurality of data sequences. Other data sequences are treated as noise. The plurality of data sequences is selected to meet a collision threshold for the multi-user decoding. Data sequences may be selected based on a collision contribution and signal quality metrics. A modified received signal is generated to remove signals associated with the multiple sparsely encoded data sequences which have been successfully decoded. The method may be performed for additional iterations to select a new plurality of data sequences, and perform the multi-user decoding on the modified received signal to decode additional data sequences, until a stopping condition is met.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for reducing the number of pilot symbols within a MIMO-OFDM communication system, and for improving channel estimation within such a system. For each transmitting antenna in an OFDM transmitter, pilot symbols are encoded so as to be unique to the transmitting antenna. The encoded pilot symbols are then inserted into an OFDM frame to form a diamond lattice, the diamond lattices for the different transmitting antennae using the same frequencies but being offset from each other by a single symbol in the time domain. At the OFDM receiver, a channel response is estimated for a symbol central to each diamond of the diamond lattice using a two-dimensional interpolation. The estimated channel responses are smoothed in the frequency domain. The channel responses of remaining symbols are then estimated by interpolation in the frequency domain.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided for channel sounding in a frequency division duplex (FDD) system. The embodiments enable a transmission point (TP) to determine channel information about a downlink channel from an uplink channel sounding signal received on the downlink channel frequency band during a time window reserved for uplink channel sounding on the downlink channel frequency band. In an embodiment, a method in a controller includes determining with the controller a schedule for an uplink sounding window in a downlink frequency band, wherein the uplink sounding window comprises a transmission window in at least a partial downlink frequency band that is reserved for uplink channel sounding, instructing a TP to signal the schedule to at least one wireless device in a coverage area of the TP, receiving a channel sounding signal in the downlink frequency band, and obtaining downlink channel state information from the channel sounding signal.

Abstract: A method includes generating, by a transmitter, an original OFDM signal having at least one OFDM symbol, the at least one OFDM symbol having an associated time domain tail; truncating, by the transmitter, at least a portion of the time domain tail to produce a truncated OFDM signal; and transmitting, by the transmitter, the truncated OFDM signal.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for supporting variable sub-carrier spacing and symbol duration for transmitting OFDM or other waveform symbols and associated cyclic prefixes. The symbol duration includes the useful symbol length and its associated cyclic prefix length. The variable sub-carrier spacing and symbol duration is determined via parameters indicating the sub-carrier spacing, useful symbol length, and cyclic prefix length. An embodiment method, by a network or a network controller, includes establishing a plurality of multiple access block (MAB) types defining different combinations of sub-carrier spacing and symbol duration for waveform transmissions. The method further includes partitioning a frequency and time plane of a carrier spectrum band into a plurality of MAB regions comprising frequency-time slots for the waveform transmissions. The MAB types are then selected for the MAB regions, wherein one MAB type is assigned to one corresponding MAB region.

Abstract: A method of transmitting includes categorizing a transmission between the first device and a second device as one of a plurality of transmission types, and selecting an air interface from a plurality of air interface candidates in accordance with the transmission as categorized. The method also includes sending the transmission to the second device using the selected air interface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for performing acquisition, synchronization and cell selection within an MIMO-OFDM communication system. A coarse synchronization is performed to determine a searching window. A fine synchronization is then performed by measuring correlations between subsets of signal samples, whose first signal sample lies within the searching window, and known values. The correlations are performed in the frequency domain of the received signal. In a multiple-output OFDM system, each antenna of the OFDM transmitter has a unique known value. The known value is transmitted as pairs of consecutive pilot symbols, each pair of pilot symbols being transmitted at the same subset of sub-carrier frequencies within the OFDM frame.

Abstract: A method of transmitting includes categorizing a transmission between the first device and a second device as one of a plurality of transmission types, and selecting an air interface from a plurality of air interface candidates in accordance with the transmission as categorized. The method also includes sending the transmission to the second device using the selected air interface.