Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for transmitting information units over a plurality of constant bit rate communication channel. The techniques include encoding the information units, thereby creating a plurality of data packets. The encoding is constrained such that the data packet sizes match physical layer packet sizes of the communication channel. The information units may include a variable bit rate data stream, multimedia data, video data, and audio data. The communication channels include CMDA channels, WCDMA, GSM channels, GPRS channels, and EDGE channels.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein address the need in the art for reduced overhead control with the ability to adjust transmission rates as necessary. In one aspect, a first signal indicates an acknowledgement of a decoded subpacket and whether or not a rate control command is generated, and a second signal conditionally indicates the rate control command when one is generated. In another aspect, a grant may be generated concurrently with the acknowledgement. In yet another aspect, a mobile station monitors the first signal, conditionally monitors the second signal as indicated by the first signal, and may monitor a third signal comprising a grant. In yet another aspect, one or more base stations transmit one or more of the various signals. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of providing the flexibility of grant-based control while utilizing lower overhead when rate control commands are used, thus increasing system utilization, increasing capacity and throughput.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein address the need in the art for reduced overhead control with the ability to adjust transmission rates as necessary. In one aspect, a first signal indicates an acknowledgement of a decoded subpacket and whether or not a rate control command is generated, and a second signal conditionally indicates the rate control command when one is generated. In another aspect, a grant may be generated concurrently with the acknowledgement. In yet another aspect, a mobile station monitors the first signal, conditionally monitors the second signal as indicated by the first signal, and may monitor a third signal comprising a grant. In yet another aspect, one or more base stations transmit one or more of the various signals. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of providing the flexibility of grant-based control while utilizing lower overhead when rate control commands are used, thus increasing system utilization, increasing capacity and throughput.

Abstract: First and second transmission links are established with a remote station. An information signal is encoded to provide an encoded information signal having more bits than the information signal. First and second transmission signals are provided wherein each transmission signal has bits selected from the encoded information signal. Each of the first and second transmission signals is transmitted to the remote station by way of a respective one of the first and second transmission links. The remote station receives and combines the first and second transmission signals transmitted by the remote station to provide a combined encoded signal. The combined encoded signal is decoded by the remote station to provide the information signal. The first and second transmission links can be formed between the remote station and a single base station or between the remote station and two separate base stations.

Abstract: In a disclosed embodiment, a “voice noise power” is added to an aggregate voice power which is the total voice power used by all users in a cell. The voice noise power is transmitted in addition to the aggregate voice power in order to maintain the total of the aggregate voice power and voice noise power at a pre-determined voice power limit. In one embodiment, the voice power limit can be increased or decreased to further improve control over power consumption during voice and data transmission. Further, in order to maintain the power consumed by data transmission at a desired level, data noise is transmitted after transmission of a data burst, or in between data bursts, by inserting a pre-determined amount of artificial data into the gaps in data transmission. The data noise is transmitted in addition to the data bursts in order to maintain the total power consumed during data transmission at a desired level.

Abstract: Multipath RAKE receiver structure that allows for the concurrent demodulation of multipath signals that arrive at the receiver at arbitrarily low arrival time differences. The fingers are set to be a fixed offset from one another. One finger tracks the shift in the peak of the multipath component and the additional fixed offset fingers follow the tracking.

Abstract: First and second transmission links are established with a remote station. An information signal is encoded to provide an encoded information signal having more bits than the information signal. First and second transmission signals are provided wherein each transmission signal has bits selected from the encoded information signal. Each of the first and second transmission signals is transmitted to the remote station by way of a respective one of the first and second transmission links. The remote station receives and combines the first and second transmission signals transmitted by the remote station to provide a combined encoded signal. The combined encoded signal is decoded by the remote station to provide the information signal. The first and second transmission links can be formed between the remote station and a single base station or between the remote station and two separate base stations.

Abstract: Systems and methods for demodulating and decoding signals on a multi-path data channel using a pilot signal and at least one additional signal as a demodulation reference. One embodiment includes a method in which a pilot signal is used to demodulate and decode an additional signal, and then both the pilot signal and the additional signal are used to demodulate and decode a data traffic signal. A receiver receives a data traffic signal, a rate indicator signal and a pilot signal. The pilot signal is used as a demodulation reference for the rate indicator signal. After the rate indicator signal is demodulated and decoded, this signal is re-encoded and compared to the received rate indicator signal and used in combination with the pilot signal as a demodulation reference for the demodulation and decoding of the data traffic signal and to estimate SNR for power control purposes.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling the power level for a mobile station during periods when no data is being transmitted by the mobile station. In one embodiment, data is intermittently transmitted from a mobile station to a base station on a reverse-link traffic channel. When data is being transmitted on the traffic channel, the transmitted data is used by the base station to perform power control operations (e.g., incrementing or decrementing the mobile station's power level, based upon comparison of a received SNR to a target SNR). When no data is being transmitted on the traffic channel, a “zero-rate indicator” is transmitted on the rate indicator channel. The zero-rate indicator is used by the base station to perform power control. Power control based on the zero-rate indicator may use velocity profiles, reliability metrics or other techniques to control adjustment of the power level.

Abstract: Techniques for reporting channel quality indicators (CQIs) are described. Data activity at a receiver may be determined, and CQI reporting by the receiver may be adjusted based on the determined data activity. In one design, CQI reporting may be enabled for a time window around each expected packet arrival for a periodic or quasi-periodic transmission and may be suspended outside of the time window. In another design, CQI reporting may be varied based on ACK/NACK feedback. In yet another design, CQIs may be sent at a first rate when data activity is not detected and at a second rate faster than the first rate when data activity is detected. In yet another design, CQIs may be sent only during discontinuous transmission (DTX) ON periods when data activity is not detected and may be sent during both DTX ON and OFF periods when data activity is detected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for maximizing the use of available capacity in a communication system. The forward link in the mobile radio system includes a plurality of traffic streams sent on at least one channel from the base station to the mobile stations. A first output power level associated with simultaneously transmitting a first set of traffic streams from the base station to the mobile stations on the forward link is initially determined. Next, the first output power level is compared to the maximum power ceiling. In response to the comparing step, at least one time frame in the forward link having available capacity for transmitting a portion of at least one further traffic stream is identified. The first set of traffic streams and the portion of the at least one further traffic stream are then transmitted simultaneously during the at least one frame on the forward link.

Abstract: A method for wireless communications where a control packet is not transmitted for all transmissions of a new data packet. A control packet is only sent with a retransmission of a data packet where the previously transmitted data packet is not completely received. The control packet contains information related to a previously transmitted data packet. The previously transmitted data packet and the retransmission data packet are derived from common data. The common data is derived based on the information related to the previously transmitted data packet, wherein the previously transmitted data packet and the retransmission data packet are associated with a series of data packets.

Abstract: In accordance with a method for increasing the capacity of a channel in a communications system, characteristics of a channel may be evaluated. The channel may include a plurality of slots, and the slots may have a slot format among a set of slot formats. A slot format among the set of slot formats may be selected. The selection may be based on the evaluated characteristics of the channel. Selecting the slot format may include selecting the position of a signal within each of the plurality of slots. The position of the signal may be different for each of the slot formats. The signal may be transmitted in each of the plurality of slots over the channel.

Abstract: Techniques for puncturing symbols in a communications system. S symbols are received for a frame having a capacity of N symbols, with S being greater than N. P symbols need to be punctured so that remaining symbols fit into the frame. A number of puncture distances, D1 through DN, are computed based on S and P. A particular number of symbol punctures is determined for each computed puncture distance. P1 through PN symbol punctures are then performed at the distances of D1 through DN, respectively. For a more even distribution of the symbol punctures, each of the distances D1 through DN can be selected to be greater than or equal to a minimum puncture distance Dmin defined as Dmin=?S/P?, where ? ? denotes a floor operator. The symbol punctures at each computed distance can be performed together or distributed with symbol punctures at other distances.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for forming a frame of interleaved information bits in a communication system, where the decoding of the frame of interleaved information bits may begin before all of the bits in the frame are received. An exemplary interleaved frame is formed by receiving a frame of N information bits within the communication system; encoding the information bits at a code rate R to provide encoded bits; and arranging the encoded bits into a frame of N/R coded bits, wherein a plurality of puncturing patterns pi are applied to the frame of N/R coded bits such that a code rate of R/ai is produced for each of the plurality of puncturing pattern pi. The arrangement of encoded bits involves applying a puncturing pattern pj to the encoded bits; and applying a permutation function to the punctured encoded bits to generate a fractional section of the frame of N/R coded bits. The fractional section of the frame of N/R coded bits comprises N/R*aj bits.

Abstract: The invention is a method for limiting the peak transmit power in a CDMA communication system. At least one of first and second high transmit power regions are separated into a plurality of high transmit power subregions. The high transmit power subregions of the plurality of high subregions are shifted by time offsets of differing durations to provide a plurality of time offset subregions. First and second low transmit power regions are also provided. At least one of the first and second low transmit power regions is also separated into a plurality of transmit power subregions and the low transmit power subregions are shifted by time offsets of differing time durations. The subregions can be time offset by a predetermined time duration or by a random time duration.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein address the need in the art for an extended acknowledgment/rate control channel. In one aspect, an acknowledgment command and a rate control command are combined to form a combined command. In another aspect, the combined command is generated in accordance with a constellation of points, each point corresponding to a pair consisting of a rate control command and an acknowledgment command. In yet another aspect, the points of the constellation are designed to provide the desired probability of error for the respective command pairs. In yet another aspect, a common rate control command is transmitted along with a combined or dedicated rate control command. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of reduced overhead while providing acknowledgment and rate control to single remote stations and/or groups of remote stations.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented for improving the feedback of channel information to a serving base station, which allows a reduction in the reverse link load while allowing the base station to improve the forward link data throughput. Over a channel quality indicator channel, a carrier-to-interference (C/I) symbol is transmitted over multiple slots at a reduced rate, which increases the likelihood that the base station can decode said symbol. The reduced rate mode can be selectively triggered by a high velocity condition or other unfavorable channel condition. The C/I symbol is used to determine transmission formats, power levels, and data rates of forward link transmissions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides for efficient data rate control and power control processes by transmitting a primary and a secondary pilot channel associated with a data channel. The primary and secondary pilot channels are used for decoding the data. A ratio of power levels of the primary and secondary pilot channels is based on at least one of the data rate and payload size of the data channel. The power level of the primary pilot channel is maintained independent of at least one of data rate and payload size of the data channel. The power level of the secondary pilot channel may be adjusted based on at least one of data rate and payload size of the data channel.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling the power level for a mobile station during periods when no data is being transmitted by the mobile station. In one embodiment, data is intermittently transmitted from a mobile station to a base station on a reverse-link traffic channel. When data is being transmitted on the traffic channel, the transmitted data is used by the base station to perform power control operations (e.g., incrementing or decrementing the mobile station's power level, based upon comparison of a received SNR to a target SNR). When no data is being transmitted on the traffic channel, a “zero-rate indicator” is transmitted on the rate indicator channel. The zero-rate indicator is used by the base station to perform power control. Power control based on the zero-rate indicator may use velocity profiles, reliability metrics or other techniques to control adjustment of the power level.