Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein address the need in the art for efficient management of grant, acknowledgement, and rate control channels. In one aspect, a list associated with a first station is generated or stored, the list comprising zero or more identifiers, each identifier identifying one of a plurality of second stations for sending a message to the first station. In another aspect, sets of lists for one or more first stations are generated or stored. In yet another aspect, the messages may be acknowledgements, rate control commands, or grants. In yet another aspect, messages comprising one or more identifiers in the list are generated. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of reduced overhead while managing grant, acknowledgment and rate control messaging for one or more remote stations.

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: A base station (BS) (110) in a wireless network (100) establishes power levels for transmitting messages acknowledging receipt of packet data from a mobile communications device (MCD) (114). In one implementation, the BS infers whether the MCD received a given acknowledgement message by considering whether (306, 316) the next communication from the MCD comprises new packet data, and whether (310, 320) that data comprises re-transmitted data. The BS adjusts (312, 314, 322, 324) transmit power level for future acknowledgement messages according to whether the MCD received past acknowledgement messages. In a different implementation, actual/estimated transmit power from a serving base station to a given MCD is averaged (404), and increased (406) by a prescribed amount to yield a target level. Whenever the non-serving base station transmits messages acknowledging receipt of packet data from the MCD, the non-serving base station transmits (408) at the target level.

Abstract: Systems and methods for evaluating packets and frames in a wireless communication system having multiple reverse-link channels including a spontaneous, burst oriented transmission channel and its corresponding rate indicator channel. One embodiment comprises a base station monitoring the rate indicator channel, decoding the rate indicator channel using a maximum likelihood decoder and detecting the presence of a packet on the rate indicator channel by comparing a likelihood with a threshold, and analyzing the validity of a frame on the burst oriented channel based on the presence and content of packets received on the rate indicator channel.

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 comprises 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: Methods and apparatus are presented for acknowledging broadcast transmissions. An acknowledgment channel is designed for acknowledging the success or failure of a transmission on a dedicated channel and on a broadcast channel. Acknowledgments are generated based on whether a new orthogonal space is sent to a remote station or not. Moreover, an acknowledgment to the broadcast transmission is generated when an acknowledgment is needed for a dedicated transmission. The two acknowledgments are combined and sent to a base station.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented to select optimal transmission formats for transmissions to a single user or simultaneous transmissions to multiple users. Priority information and channel state information associated with each user are used to determine the optimal transmit formats. In particular, said information is used to maximize a given revenue function that enhances system throughput while maintaining fairness among users. Once transmit formats are determined, any unallocated system resources, such as unused Walsh codes or transmission power, can be evenly or proportionately distributed among the users.

Abstract: In a wireless communication system, a method for estimating a transmitted signal is disclosed. A wireless signal is received that includes a pilot channel and at least one other channel. A transmitted signal is estimated using an equalizer and the received wireless signal. The equalizer includes a filter with a plurality of taps that are adapted through use of an adaptive algorithm that uses an estimated pilot estimated from the received wireless signal. The pilot channel is transmitted in the wireless signal that included the at least one other channel. The estimated pilot is extracted and provided to the adaptive algorithm.

Abstract: Techniques for power control of serving and non-serving base stations are disclosed. In one aspect, power control commands for a plurality of base stations are combined to form a single command to control the plurality of base control. In another aspect, an “Or-of-up” rule is used to combine the power control commands. In yet another aspect, a channel quality indicator is used to power control a serving base station. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of providing efficient power control between a mobile station and both serving and non-serving base stations, thus avoiding excessive interference and increasing capacity.

Abstract: In a wireless communication system, a method for estimating a transmitted signal is disclosed. A wireless signal is received that includes a pilot channel and at least one other channel. A transmitted signal is estimated using an equalizer and the received wireless signal. Taps of a filter of the equalizer are adapted through use of a channel estimate. The channel estimate is calculated from the pilot channel. The pilot channel and the at least one other channel are separated.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for communications wherein a data packet is transmitted over at least one time slot from a transmission site, a value is computed from an initial value and information, the initial value being a function of the number of time slots of the data packet transmission, the value and the information is transmitted from the transmission site, the transmitted value and the information is received at a receiving site, the value from the received information is recalculated, and the number of time slots of the data packet transmission is determined from the calculated and recalculated values.

Abstract: A method for estimating a transmitted signal. A wireless signal is received that includes a pilot channel and at least one other channel. The wireless signal is processed using a rake receiver front end to provide a plurality of front end output. Channel estimation is performed on the plurality of front end outputs to obtain a plurality of channel estimates. The channel estimates are then used to combine the plurality of front end outputs into a combined signal. A transmitted signal is estimated using an equalizer and the combined signal. The equalizer includes a filter with a plurality of taps that are adapted through use of an adaptive algorithm that uses an estimated pilot estimated from the received wireless signal. The pilot channel is transmitted in the wireless signal that included the at least one other channel. The estimated pilot is extracted and provided to the adaptive algorithm.

Abstract: A method for improving channel estimation in a wireless communication system is disclosed. A wireless signal that includes a plurality of multipath components is received. N channel estimates are then obtained, where N is any positive integer greater than one. Each channel estimate of the N channel estimates corresponds to a different multipath component of the plurality of multipath components. The effects of interference between the plurality of multipath components on the N channel estimates is then reduced.

Abstract: In a communication system, a method for estimating a transmitted signal is disclosed. A communication signal is received. A delay-power analyzer analyzes the communication signal. A delay spread is then estimated from information obtained from the delay-power analyzer. A new equalizer filter length is determined based on the estimated delay spread. An equalizer is configured to use the new equalizer filter length.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling power in a wireless communication system having multiple reverse-link channels. One embodiment comprises adjusting power levels of a first set of channels and a corresponding pilot channel while maintaining a set traffic-to-pilot (T/P) ratio between them, and adjusting T/P ratios for one or more remaining channels independently of the power level of the pilot channel. A base station determines whether frames received on the first set of channels contain errors and sends messages to a mobile station to increment or decrement the power levels, respectively, if the frames do or do not contain errors. T/P ratios of the additional channels are adjusted by determining whether frames received on the additional channels contain errors, incrementing or decrementing the T/P ratios appropriately, and transmitting the T/P ratios to the mobile station, which controls the transmission parameters for the respective channels in accordance with the received T/P ratios.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented for implementing an improved Control-Hold Mode that reduces the load of the reverse link and reduces the battery consumption of remote stations. While a remote station is in the improved Control-Hold Mode, the circuitry that monitors the forward packet data channels and the associated control channels are turned off. Since the forward packet data channels and their associated control channels are not monitored, the operations of the reverse channels can be gated off to predetermined duty cycles, or set on intermittent transmission modes, or shut down completely. Transitions from the Control-Hold Mode to the Active Mode can be initiated by the remote station or by a base station. When a transition is initiated by a remote station, the remote station transmits a signaling message to a serving base station and then starts operating the feedback channels before actually receiving forward link signals.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for code assignments in a spread-spectrum wireless communication system incorporating a Large Area Synchronized-Code Division Multiple Access (LAS-CDMA) protocol. The method determines a set of LS codes based on an interference free window size. An arborescence structure provides the correspondence between the interference free window size and the set of LS codes. Subsets of the LS codes are formed having null cross-correlation within the interference free window. The subsets are assigned to neighboring cells in the system to reduce interference between neighbors. In one embodiment, a controller determines the subsets and makes the assignments to cells within the system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented to select optimal transmission formats for transmissions to a single user or simultaneous transmissions to multiple users. Priority information and channel state information associated with each user are used to determine the optimal transmit formats. In particular, said formation is used to maximize a given revenue function that enhances system throughput while maintaining fairness among users. Once transmit formats are determined, any unallocated system resources, such as unused Walsh codes or transmission power, can be evenly or proportionately distributed among the users.

Abstract: A group of data frames from a plurality of communication channels is received. At least one idle frame including a sequence number of a last frame in the group of data frames is then received. A delay period of time is allowed to elapse after receiving the idle frame before sending a negative acknowledgement message, if at least one data frame is missing.

Abstract: An outer encoder and an inner encoder encode subsets of information to be transmitted, to improve protection by adding redundancy. The redundancy permits decoding of the information from less than a complete encoded block of information. The use of a combiner at an outer decoder enables better outer decoding of symbols.