Abstract:
The present invention discloses a method for allocating an uplink sounding region dynamically to obtain downlink channel quality information (CQI) about a downlink channel. The method comprises receiving a downlink transmission request and retrieving an identification information from the downlink transmission request, searching one or more databases using the retrieved identification information as a key, identifying the CQI about the downlink channel from the one or more databases, wherein the uplink sounding region needs not to be allocated when the CQI corresponding to the downlink transmission request is identified in the databases.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. 60/874,071, which was filed on Dec. 11, 2006. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     In wireless and mobile communications systems, channel quality information (CQI) about an uplink channel is estimated based on training or pilot signals sent to a base transceiver station (BTS) by a mobile station (MS) or a customer premise equipment (CPE). CQI includes the carrier-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (CINR), beamforming weighting vectors for multiple antennas, Doppler frequency, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), etc. 
     A downlink burst (from a BTS to a CPE) is a group of symbols carrying data and/or pilot signals. Because modulation, coding and transmission power assigned to a downlink burst are determined based on downlink CQI, it is essential that the downlink CQI should be available before a downlink burst is transmitted. 
     Because of the reciprocal nature of downlink and uplink channels in a wireless communications network employing time-division-duplex (TDD), downlink CQI (e.g. beamforming weighting vectors for a BTS equipped with multiple antennas) can be estimated using uplink training symbols. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrates the allocation of a sounding region for sending training symbols in a wireless communications network employing TDD. A TDD frame comprises a downlink sub-frame  102  and an uplink sub-frame  104 . A sounding region  106 , which is part of an uplink sub-frame  104 , is allocated on demand.  FIG. 1  shows three consecutive frames. 
     A region in an uplink sub-frame is identified as a dedicated sounding region where an MS sends uplink training symbols to a BTS. A dedicated sounding region can be allocated in one of the two ways. The first way is to allocate a sounding region periodically. More specifically, a sounding region is allocated every k frames to an MS or for a service flow, denoted as connection identification (CID). A frame is defined according to the design of a wireless communications network. The length of a frame should be small enough to guarantee that downlink CQI is available for each downlink burst transmission request. The second way is to allocate a sounding region on demand. When there is a request to send a downlink burst, a sounding region is allocated by the BTS. 
     Transmitting training symbols in a dedicated sounding region incurs overhead, which consumes valuable radio resources such as bandwidth, power, etc. Consequently, the utilization rate of the wireless communication network decreases. 
     As such, it is essential for a wireless communications network to obtain sufficient CQI information while minimizing the overhead of transmitting training symbols. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention discloses a method for allocating an uplink sounding region dynamically to obtain downlink channel quality information (CQI) about a downlink channel. The method comprises receiving a downlink transmission request and retrieving an identification information from the downlink transmission request, searching one or more databases using the retrieved identification information as a key, identifying the CQI about the downlink channel from the one or more databases, wherein the uplink sounding region needs not to be allocated when the CQI corresponding to the downlink transmission request is identified in the databases. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, the key is selected from either a connection identification (CID) or a mobile station identification (MSID). According to another aspect of the present invention, the one or more databases include a scheduling database and a channel database. 
     The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification are included to depict certain aspects of the invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the description presented herein. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating the allocation of a sounding region for sending training symbols in a wireless communications network employing TDD. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram illustrating a dynamic allocation of a sounding region according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating the logic flow of a sounding allocation according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. The description includes exemplary embodiments, not excluding other embodiments, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     The present invention discloses a method for allocating dynamically a sounding region for a downlink burst to an associated mobile station (MS). The method minimizes the overhead of transmitting training symbols. It is applicable to a variety of wireless communications networks employing a variety of multiple access methods, including cellular networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless personal area network (WPANs), and sensor networks. The variety of multiple access method includes time-division-multiple-access (TDMA), frequency-division -multiple-access (FDMA), code-division-multiple-access (CDMA), wave-division-multiple-access (WDMA), and orthogonal-frequency-division-multiple-access (OFDMA). 
     The following description of the invention is illustrated with a wireless communications network employing TDD multiple access. In a wireless communications system, downlink CQI must be available before a downlink burst is transmitted. If a sounding region is allocated periodically regardless of whether there is a request to send a downlink burst, the CQI derived from sounding symbols may be of no use. In other words, some radio resources are wasted. 
     If a BTS identifies an uplink burst associated with a downlink burst in a near future while processing a downlink transmission request, it can estimate downlink CQI based on training symbols carried in the associated uplink burst without having to allocate a dedicated sounding region for an MS to transmit training symbols. 
     If the downlink CQI estimated previously is still available and channel conditions are not expected to change, the BTS can continue to use the existing CQI without the need to allocate a dedicated sounding region to the MS for transmitting training symbols. The method disclosed in the present invention takes advantage of the observations described above and thus reduces the consumption of radio resources. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. Downlink and uplink bursts are identified by an associated service flow identification (ID)—either a connection ID (CID) or a mobile station ID (MSID). 
     Upon receiving a downlink transmission request the BTS retrieves an associated CID or MSID therein (step  210 ). Using the CID or MSID as a search key, the BTS searches a scheduling database containing information about uplink transmissions in the near future or a channel database containing downlink CQI information and mobility information about the MS (step  220 ). 
     Step  230  represents three different results from the search. If the search of the scheduling database yields a match, the BTS obtains downlink CQI by using the uplink burst and transmits downlink bursts in the succeeding frame, which is the frame that follows the one that carries the uplink bursts. If the search of the channel database yields a match, the BTS transmits a downlink burst in the succeeding frame using the CQI retrieved from the channel database. On the other hand, if neither the search of the scheduling database nor that of the channel database yields a match, the BTS allocates a sounding region in the succeeding frame to the MS for sending sounding signals. The BTS uses the sounding signals sent by the MS to obtain downlink CQI and transmits downlink burst in a frame succeeding the frame carrying the sounding signals. 
     One embodiment of the method disclosed in the present invention is that a sounding region is allocated when no information about downlink CQI is available or a change in downlink CQI is expected in the immediate past and the immediate future. As such, it provides higher efficiency than conventional methods. 
       FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating the logic flow of the sounding allocation procedure. The procedure includes the following modules of judgment: 
     (1) At the beginning time of frame n at  300 , say time t illustrated at  301 , if a service flow with CID X has downlink (DL) information to transmit, i.e., CID X has DL bandwidth request, go to  302  to check whether there is uplink (UL) burst allocation for CID X. 
     (2) When checking UL allocation, if there is UL burst allocation for CID X in frame n and frame n+1, there is no sounding allocation for CID X and the DL burst for CID X is allocation after or in frame n. Otherwise, go to  303  to check whether CQI is available and whether CID X is at high mobility status. 
     (3) When checking CQI&#39; s availability and high mobility status, if CQI is unavailable or CID X is at high mobility status (which can be estimated based on CQI obtained in previous frames), then at  306  allocate sounding for CID X in the UL of the frame n+1. Therefore, at  307  BTS can obtain DL CQI for CID X at the beginning of frame n+2 relying on this sounding and allocate DL burst for CID X in frame n+2. Otherwise, at  304  there is no sounding allocation for CID X and at  305  the DL burst for CID X is allocation after or in frame n. 
     The procedure at  308 , loops back to the beginning time of frame at  300  when it is processing the next CID. 
     The reason that sounding can be allocated in frame n+1 rather than frame n is that there is a constraint that the sounding allocation control message should be sent in DL from BTS one frame ahead of sounding allocation frame. If there is no such constraint, control message and sounding allocation can be shift one frame ahead. 
     Since the new sounding allocation procedure depends on extra conditions, the probability of actually allocated sounding is less than those of existing methods. Therefore, the new procedure can achieve better spectral efficiency. 
     The above illustration provides many different embodiments or embodiments for implementing different features of the invention. Specific embodiments of components and processes are described to help clarify the invention. These are, of course, merely embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention from that described in the claims. 
     Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in one or more specific examples, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.