Rf channel switching in broadcast ofdm systems

This application is the benefit of US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 721,504, filed September 27, 2005, entitled "RF CHANNEL SWITCHING IN BROADCAST OFDM SYSTEMS," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Is to insist.

The following description relates generally to wireless communication, and more specifically to monitoring and exchanging radio frequency channels in a wireless communication environment.

Wireless communication systems are a common means by which most people around the world have come to communicate. Wireless communication devices have become smaller and more powerful to meet consumer needs and improve portability and convenience. The increase in processing power in mobile devices such as mobile phones has led to an increase in demand for wireless network communication systems. Such systems are generally not updated as easily as mobile devices that communicate on them. As the capabilities of mobile devices expand, it can be difficult to maintain the old wireless network system in a way that facilitates the full utilization of new and improved wireless device capabilities.

A typical wireless network (using, for example, frequency division technology, time division technology, and code division technology) has one or more base stations that provide a coverage area and data within the coverage area. Includes one or more mobile (eg, wireless) terminals that can send and receive. A typical base station can send multiple data streams simultaneously for broadcast services, multicast services, and / or unicast services, and the data streams are of interest to receive independently for mobile terminals. A stream of data that can be. Mobile terminals within the coverage area of the base station may be interested in receiving one data stream, two or more data streams, or all data streams carried by the composite stream. In addition, the mobile terminal can transmit data to the base station or another mobile terminal. Such communication between the base station and the mobile terminal or between the mobile terminals can be degraded by variations in channel deviation and / or interfering power.

Currently, forward-link-only (FLO) signals can be transmitted to user equipment, for example, on radio frequency (RF) channels that occupy a 6MHz bandwidth portion within the lower 700MHz frequency band. Is. The FLO signal can reside in more than one RF channel, for example to accommodate multiple streams of content. However, conventional wireless systems do not realize monitoring of multiple RF channels, including FLO signals, and / or exchange between them. Therefore, there is a need in the art for systems and / or methods of improving throughput in such wireless network systems.

The following provides a brief overview of such embodiments to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments. This overview is not an extensive overview of all intended embodiments, but is intended to identify key or important elements of all embodiments or to depict the scope of any or all embodiments. Not. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a concise form as an introduction to a more detailed description presented later.

According to one or more embodiments and their corresponding disclosures, RF channels in a radio communication environment are monitored to determine if one or more channels contain forward only (FLO) signals. Various aspects are described in this regard. The receiver can receive the first RF channel with the FLO signal and can monitor one or more other RF channels with respect to the FLO signal. When the monitored RF channel decides to contain the FLO signal, the receiver facilitates the realization of seamless reception of the FLO signal that can be superframe synchronized between the RF channels. Therefore, it is possible to switch between the first RF channel and the monitored RF channel. FLO signal detection includes wide-area identification channel energy detection protocol and wide-area overhead information. It can be performed using one or more of the symbol decoding error detection protocol).

According to one aspect, the method of detecting a forward only (FLO) signal within radio frequency (RF) in a wireless communication environment is to determine if a monitoring condition exists and the FLO signal is present therein. It may include monitoring at least one new RF channel to determine if it does. The monitoring condition may be a loss-of-lock event and / or a monitoring event initiated by the application. In addition, monitoring of at least one new RF channel may be performed according to a predetermined continuous and / or periodic schedule. Methods may include zeroing the counter to detect a TDM pilot, attempting to detect a time division multiplexing (TDM) pilot, incrementing the counter, and determining if a TDM pilot has been detected. It may further include doing. If no pilot is detected, the counter can be incremented further. If it is determined that a pilot has been detected, it is possible to compare the counter value with the value associated with the pilot to assess whether the counter value is greater than the pilot value. If the counter value is determined to be greater than the pilot value, it is possible to draw the conclusion that the FLO signal is not present in the new RF channel. The method may further include assessing the energy level associated with the Wide Area Identification (WID) channel to determine if the WID channel energy level is greater than a predetermined threshold level, in which case the FLO signal is a new RF channel. It is possible to draw the conclusion that it exists within. In the presence of the FLO signal, the exchange between the current channel and the new RF channel can be initiated.

According to a related aspect, the method may include determining if a decoding error occurs during decoding of the Wide Area Overhead Information Symbol (WOIS) if the WID energy level is greater than the threshold level. The method further comprises concluding that the FLO signal is not in the new RF channel if there is a decoding error, or that the FLO signal is in the new RF channel if there is no decoding error. It's fine. In the presence of the FLO signal, the exchange between the current channel and the new RF channel can be initiated. It will be appreciated that according to one or more aspects, the method may include one or both of the WID energy analysis protocol and the WOIS decoding error detection protocol.

Another aspect is the reception of FLO signals on current RF channels with respect to wireless communication devices that facilitate the detection of forward link only (FLO) signals within radio frequency (RF) channels monitored in a wireless communication environment. A receiver that monitors at least one new RF channel in the meantime, a memory that stores information about the RF channel, and the current RF channel if at least one new RF channel is determined to contain duplicate FLO signals. Includes a memory-coupled processor that swaps between at least one new RF channel. The receiver has an FLO signal monitor that detects the flow signal in the new RF channel at at least one of the unlock event and the application-initiated FLO detection event, and whether the FLO signal is present in it. It also includes a background monitor that monitors at least one new RF channel to determine. The background monitor receives a list of new RF channels via the control channel and continuously performs RF channel monitoring. In addition and / or as an alternative, the background monitor can periodically attempt to detect the FLO signal in at least one new RF channel at least once per superframe. The receiver can determine if the widespread identification channel energy level is higher than a predetermined threshold level to determine if the FLO signal is present in at least one new RF channel. The receiver can further determine if a decoding error occurred during decoding of the wide area overhead information symbol to determine if the FLO signal is present in at least one new RF channel.

Yet another aspect is the means for receiving the current RF channel containing the FLO signal, the means for monitoring the new RF channel, and determining if the FLO signal is within the new RF channel. It relates to a radio communication device including means and means for exchanging between the current RF channel and the new RF channel if it is determined that the FLO signal is within the new RF channel. The instrument performs a means to perform RF channel monitoring at at least one of the unlocks on the current RF channel and the monitoring initiated by the application on the new RF channel, and background monitoring of the new RF channel. A new RF channel may be selected from the list of available RF channels received via the control channel. The instrument is a means for assessing the widespread identification (WID) channel energy level for a new RF channel and for comparing the WID channel energy level to a threshold level to determine if the new RF channel contains an FLO signal. Means and may be further included. In addition or as an alternative, the device determines if a wide area information overhead symbol (WOIS) decoding error has occurred in order to assess whether the new RF channel contains FLO signals for the purpose of facilitating the above. The FLO signals on the current RF channel and on the new RF channel can be superframe synchronized.

Yet another aspect is to receive the first RF channel containing the FLO signal and monitor at least one other RF channel to determine if the FLO signal is present within at least one other RF channel. If it is determined that the FLO signal is in at least one other RF channel, a computer program containing computer-executable instructions for exchanging between the first RF channel and at least one other RF channel. Regarding computer-readable media that it has. The computer-readable medium is an instruction to perform RF channel monitoring at least one of the unlocks on the current RF channel and at least one of the monitoring initiated by the application on at least one other RF channel. It may further include instructions for performing background monitoring of other RF channels, at least one other RF channel being selected from the list of available RF channels received via the control channel. In addition, the instruction evaluates the widespread identification (WID) channel energy level for at least one other RF channel and determines whether at least one other RF channel contains the FLO signal. May include comparing with the threshold level. In addition and / or as an alternative, the instruction may include determining if a wide area information overhead symbol (WOIS) decoding error has occurred to assess whether at least one other RF channel contains the FLO signal. .. FLO signals on the first RF channel and at least one other RF channel can be superframe synchronized.

A further aspect provides a processor that executes instructions to increase throughput in a wireless communication environment, where the instructions receive a first RF channel containing an FLO signal, monitor a second RF channel, FLO. Determining if the signal is in the second RF channel, and if it is determined that the FLO signal is in the second RF channel, between the first and second RF channels Including exchanging. The instruction monitors the RF channel at least one of the unlocks on the current RF channel and the monitoring initiated by the application on the new RF channel, and / or background monitoring of the second RF channel. Further including performing, the second RF channel is selected from the list of available RF channels received via the control channel. The instruction evaluates the widespread identification (WID) channel energy level for the second RF channel and compares the WID channel energy level with the threshold level to determine if the second RF channel contains an FLO signal. It may further include that. In addition or as an alternative, the instruction may include determining if a wide area information overhead symbol (WOIS) code error has occurred to assess whether the second RF channel contains an FLO signal. The FLO signals on the first and second RF channels are superframed to facilitate exchange between the first and second RF channels when the FLO signals are present in both RF channels. It is possible to synchronize.

Yet another aspect is a means for initializing the timer, a means for detecting the pilot and incrementing the counter associated with the timer, and a means for comparing the counter value with the value associated with the pilot. And, if the pilot is not detected, the means to run the delayed pilot detection algorithm and the energy level for the wide area identification channel associated with the pilot to determine if the FLO signal presents a radio frequency channel containing the pilot. It relates to a wireless communication device including means for comparing with an energy level of a predetermined threshold.

To achieve the aforementioned and related objectives, one or more embodiments include features that are fully described below and specifically pointed out in the claims. The following description and accompanying drawings detail some exemplary embodiments of one or more embodiments. However, these embodiments show only a few of the various methods in which the principles of the various embodiments can be used, and the embodiments described are intended to include all such embodiments and their equivalents. To.

Next, various embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, through which similar reference numerals are used to refer to similar elements. In the following description, a number of specific details are provided for the purposes of the description to provide a complete understanding of one or more embodiments. However, it will be clear that such (one or more) embodiments can be realized without these particular details. In other cases, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to facilitate the description of one or more embodiments.

As used in this application, the terms "component", "system", etc. refer to computer-related entities: hardware, software, running software, firmware, middleware, microcode, and / Or intended to refer to a combination thereof. For example, components can be, but are not limited to, processes, processors, objects, executables, threads of execution, programs, and / or computers that run on the processor. .. One or more components may reside within a thread of process and / or execution, and the components may be localized on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. .. In addition, these components may be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored on the components. A component interacts with another component through a network such as the Internet with one or more data packets (eg, within a local system, within a distributed system, and / or with other systems via signals1). It is possible to communicate by local and / or remote processing, such as according to a signal with data from one component). In addition, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the components of the system described herein have been rearranged to facilitate the achievement of the various aspects, goals, benefits, etc. described therein. It can be complemented by and / or additional components and is not limited to the exact configuration described in a given drawing.

In addition, various embodiments with respect to the subscriber station are described herein. The subscriber station may also be referred to as a system, subscriber device, mobile station, mobile, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user device. Subscriber stations have mobile communications phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, mobile information terminals (PDAs), and wireless connectivity. It may be a handheld device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

In addition, the various aspects or features described herein can be implemented as methods, devices, or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. As used herein, the term "product" is intended to cover computer programs accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer readable media can be magnetic storage devices (eg, hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips). strips) ...), optical disk (for example, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD) ...), the scan smart cards, and flash memory devices (eg, card, stick, key drive ...) It may include, but is not limited to. In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine readable medium" may include wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, including, and / or carrying instructions and / or data (s), but these. Not limited to.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, the wireless network communication system 100 according to various embodiments presented in the present specification is illustrated. System 100 includes one or more base stations 102 in one or more sectors that receive, transmit, relay, etc., wireless communication signals to and / or to one or more mobile devices 104. It's fine. Each base station 102 may include a transmitter chain and a receiver chain, each of which, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, each include a plurality of components (eg, processor, modulator, multiplexing) associated with signal transmission and reception. Equipment, demodulators, demultiplexers, antennas, etc.) may be included. The mobile device 104 is, for example, an arbitrary for communicating on a mobile communication telephone, a smart telephone, a laptop, a handheld communication device, a handheld computing device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a PDA, and / or a wireless network 100. It may be any other suitable device. System 100 relates to the various aspects described herein in order to facilitate monitoring and / or exchange between forward-only (FLO) channels in a wireless communication environment, as described with respect to subsequent drawings. It can be used.

For example, base station 102 can transmit FLO signals on a plurality of different RF channels, and each base station 102 can use one or more RF channels. In addition and / or as an alternative, the same RF channel can be utilized by more than one base station 102. User equipment 104 (one or more) is then capable of monitoring multiple RF channels being used to broadcast FLO signals (eg, processors, computer-executable instructions, computer-readable memory, etc.). One or more algorithms and / or methods can be used (via ...) between RF channels to improve communication throughput between one or more base stations 102 and user equipment 104. It can be replaced.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the multiple access wireless communication system 200 according to one or more embodiments is illustrated. System 200 is presented for exemplary purposes and is available for various aspects described below. The three-sector base station 202 includes a plurality of antenna groups. That is, one group contains the antennas 204 and 206, the other group contains the antennas 208 and 210, and the third group contains the antennas 212 and 214. Although the figure shows only two antennas for each antenna group, more or less antennas may be utilized for each antenna group. The mobile device 216 is communicating with the antennas 212 and 214, which transmit information to the mobile device 216 on the forward link 220 and receive information from the mobile device 216 on the reverse link 218. To do. The mobile device 222 is communicating with the antennas 204 and 206, which transmit information to the mobile device 222 on the forward link 226 and receive information from the mobile device 222 on the reverse link 224. To do.

Each group of antennas and / or the area in which the antennas are designated for communication is often referred to as the sector of base station 202. In one embodiment, each antenna group is designed to communicate with a mobile device within a sector of the area covered by base station 202. In communication over forward links 220 and 226, the transmitting antenna of base station 202 can utilize beam forming techniques to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of forward links for different mobile devices 216 and 222. .. In addition, a base station that uses beam formation to transmit to a mobile device that is randomly scattered over its receivable range will be sent to all mobile devices within its receivable range via a single antenna. Causes less interference with mobile devices in adjacent cells / sectors than the transmitting base station. A base station may be a fixed station used to communicate with a terminal and may be referred to by access point, node B, or some other terminology. Mobile devices may be referred to by mobile stations, user devices (UEs), wireless communication devices, terminals, access terminals, user devices, or some other terminology.

According to one or more aspects, a user device such as user device 216 can monitor multiple RF channels containing FLO signals (eg, transmitted over forward link 220, ...). And can be exchanged between such channels to optimize reception at user equipment 216. The FLO signal is typically targeted to occupy a channel with a bandwidth of approximately 6MHz within the lower 700MHz frequency band of the communication system. Investigate the challenges of monitoring, acquiring, and switching to different RF channels when the FLO signal is within two or more radio frequency (RF) channels to accommodate more flow of content. May be desired. There are several scenarios in which a receiver (eg, in a user device) can start monitoring and switching to a new FLO RF channel. For example, the receiver can initiate channel monitoring and / or exchange in the event of a serious failure, such as unlocking in a reacquisition situation that can occur on the current FLO RF channel. According to another example, FLO at the start of the application layer It may be desirable to start and / or monitor RF channels. Another example relates to monitoring and / or exchanging new RF channels during receiver idle mode. Yet another example is for background monitoring of new RF channels (eg, periodic, reception quality dependent, ...).

Before starting to monitor a new channel, the receiver may be provided with a list of RF channels in which the receiver can search for the FLO signal. This initial list can be obtained from the FLO network by decrypting control channel messages. The network can broadcast RF explanatory messages to FLO receivers over the control channel according to a given schedule (eg, once per superframe, ...). Multiple information fields may be defined and / or populated to facilitate the provision of such information to the FLO receiver. For example, the "RF Channel Count" field may include several RF channels with FLO broadcasts. The fields for RF channel ID, frequency, and channel plan may each contain information about the channel identifier, center frequency, and channel bandwidth of the RF channel displayed in the RF channel count. The receiver can search for FLO signals on these RF channel candidates and determine if the FLO broadcast is actually available or can be decoded on such channel.

With reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, a method related to FLO signal detection is illustrated. For example, the method may relate to monitoring, detection, and / or exchange between FLO RF channels in an FDMA environment, an OFDM environment, a CDMA environment, a WCDMA environment, a TDMA environment, an SDMA environment, or any other suitable wireless environment. There is. For simplicity, the method is shown and described as a series of actions, but according to one or more embodiments, some actions are shown and described herein. Please understand and recognize that the method is not limited by the order of the actions, as they may occur in a different order and / or at the same time as other actions. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand and recognize that alternative methods may be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state block diagram. Moreover, according to one or more embodiments, not all of the illustrated actions may be required to perform the method.

According to such a method, monitoring of a new RF channel can be initiated after a series of failures in FLO operation, such as unlocking in the context of reacquisition on the current RF channel. For example, the receiver can attempt to reacquire reception on the original RF channel (eg, the lost channel). If no signal lock is acquired within the reacquisition timeout range for the original channel, the receiver can begin monitoring the new RF channel for the candidate list retrieved from the control channel message. Since the lock on the original channel has already been lost, it remembers the block's key parameters such as data channel (DC), automatic gain control (AGC), automatic frequency control (AFC), and timing of the original FLO channel. And there is no need to recover. The receiver can switch to a new RF channel and resume detection of the FLO signal.

FIG. 3 is an example of a method 300 for performing FLO signal detection in various aspects presented herein. It is possible to initiate FLO detection to determine if the FLO service is available on the RF channel, at 302, the time division multiplexing (TDM) pilot detection timer is the first TDM pilot (TDM1). Can be tried to detect, where C_TDM1The timer count can start at 0 with respect to. At 304, TDM1 may be detected, counter C_TDM1Can be incremented.

At 306, it is possible to determine if the counter value is greater than the value of the pilot being pursued. For example, if the pilot being pursued is TDM1 and the counter is incremented from 0 to 1 at 304, the counter value may not exceed the pilot value being pursued (eg, the values are equal in this example). Will be decided and the method will be the detection of pilot TDM1<u style="single">Attempt (307), if not detected</u>It is possible to return to 304.<u style="single">307</u>So the pilot can decide whether or not it was successfully detected. If the decision is negative, the method can return to 304 as well and the pilot detection can be attempted again. If a pilot is detected, the method can proceed to 308, where the comparison between the counter value and the pilot value is re-evaluated. For example, if the counter value is 3 for a particular iteration of method 300 and the pilot being pursued is TDM2 (second TDM pilot), then the counter is ahead of the value of the pilot being pursued and the method Can proceed to 316, where an indication that the FLO signal is not detected is generated. If the value of the pilot being pursued is less than or equal to the counter value, the method can proceed to 310. A reassessment of the counter-to-pilot comparison at 308 is determined that the counter value is greater than the value associated with the pilot being pursued at 306 and does not need to be performed if the pilot is not detected at 306. The point will be understood. Rather, in such cases, the method can proceed directly to 310.

At 310, it can be determined whether a delayed pilot detection algorithm (eg, TDM1_LATE_DETECT) should be used. The delay detection algorithm is a predetermined time T_TDM1It may be asserted after (eg, TDM1 pilot detection timeout), at which time the method can return to 304 for pilot detection. If no delay detection algorithm is used, it is possible to see the energy level for the transmission-related widespread distinctiveness (WID) channel being analyzed and compare it to a predetermined threshold energy level at 312. If the detected WID energy does not exceed a predetermined threshold level, no FLO signal is detected at 316. If the detected WID energy is greater than the threshold, at 314, the FLO signal is detected. It will be appreciated that Method 300 is repetitive and can be performed repeatedly and / or continuously, for example, by a user device communicating in a wireless communication environment to facilitate FLO signal detection.

FIG. 4 is an example of a method 400 for detecting an FLO signal in a wireless communication environment in various aspects. It is possible to initiate FLO detection, at 402, the TDM pilot detection timer can attempt to detect the TDM pilot (TDM1), where C_TDM1The timer count is started for and can be set to 0. At 404 it is possible to try to detect TDM1 and counter C_TDM1Can be incremented. At 406, it is possible to determine if the counter value is greater than the value of the pilot being pursued. For example, if the pilot being pursued is TDM1 and the counter is incremented from 0 to 1 at 404, then at 406 it is possible to determine that the counter value is not greater than the value of the pilot being pursued. The method is to detect pilot TDM1<u style="single">Attempt (407), if not detected</u>You can go back to 404.<u style="single">407</u>So it can be determined as to whether the pilot was actually successfully detected. If the decision is negative, the method also returns to 404, where it is possible to try pilot detection again. If the decision is positive, the method can proceed to 408, where the comparison of counter and pilot values can be reassessed. For example, if the counter value is 3 for a particular iteration of method 400 and the pilot being pursued is TDM2 (second TDM pilot), then the counter is ahead of the value of the pilot being pursued and the method Can proceed to 416, where an indication that the FLO signal is not detected can be generated. If the value of the pilot being pursued is less than or equal to the counter value, the method can proceed to 410. A reassessment of the counter value to pilot value comparison at 408 must be performed at 406 if the counter value is determined to be greater than the value associated with the pilot being pursued and the pilot is not detected at 406. It will be understood that there is no point. Rather, in such cases, the method can proceed directly to 410.

It is possible to determine at 410 whether the delayed pilot detection algorithm (eg, TDM1_LATE_DETECT) should be used. The delay detection algorithm is a predetermined time T_TDM1It can be asserted after (eg, TDM1 pilot detection timeout), at which time the method can return to 404 for pilot detection. If no delay detection algorithm is used, in 412 regarding whether there was an error during the decoding of the wide area overhead information symbol (WOIS) during the transmission being analyzed (eg, when detecting the WID associated with the transmission). It is possible to judge. If an error occurs, at 416, no FLO signal is detected. At 414, the FLO signal is detected if no errors have occurred during WOIS decoding. It will be appreciated that Method 400 is repetitive and can be performed repeatedly and / or continuously, for example, by a user device communicating in a wireless communication environment to facilitate FLO signal detection.

FIG. 5 is an example of a method 500 for detecting an FLO signal in various aspects. At the start of FLO signal detection, it is possible to start the TDM1 detection timer, where the TDM pilot detection timer can attempt to detect the TDM pilot (TDM1), where C_TDM1The timer count is started for and can be set to 0 at 502. At 504, it is possible to try TDM1 detection, counter C_TDM1Can be incremented. At 506, it can be determined whether the counter value is greater than the value of the pilot being pursued. For example, if the pilot being pursued is TDM1 and the counter is incremented from 0 to 1 at 504, then at 506 it is possible to determine that the counter value is less than the value of the pilot being pursued. The method is to detect pilot TDM1<u style="single">Attempt (507), if not detected</u>You can go back to 504.<u style="single">507</u>So it can be determined as to whether the pilot was actually successfully detected. If it is determined that no pilot is detected, the method can return to 504 as well, where it is possible to try pilot detection again. If the decision indicates that the pilot detection was successful, the method can proceed to 508, where the comparison of the counter value with the pilot value can be re-evaluated. For example, if the counter value is 2 for a particular iteration of method 500 and the pilot being pursued is TDM1 (first TDM pilot), then the counter is ahead of the value of the pilot being pursued and the method Can proceed to 516, where an indication that the FLO signal is not detected can be generated. If the value of the pilot being pursued is less than or equal to the counter value, the method can proceed to 510. A reassessment of the counter-to-pilot comparison at 508 is determined to be greater than the value associated with the pilot being pursued at 506 and must be performed if the pilot is not detected at 506. It will be understood that there is no point. Rather, in such cases, the method can proceed directly to 510.

At 510, it can be determined whether the delayed pilot detection algorithm (eg, TDM1_LATE_DETECT) should be used. The delay detection algorithm is a predetermined time T_TDM1It may be asserted after (eg, TDM1 pilot detection timeout), at which time the method can return to 504 for pilot detection. If no delay detection algorithm is used, at 512 it is possible to check the energy level for the wide area distinctiveness (WID) channel associated with the transmission being analyzed and compare it to a predetermined threshold energy level. At 516, it is possible to conclude that the FLO signal is not detected if the detected WID energy is not greater than a given threshold level. If the detected WID energy is greater than the threshold, at 514 it is possible to determine if there was an error during the decoding of WOIS in the transmission being analyzed (eg, when detecting the WID associated with the transmission). Is. If an error occurs, at 516 it can be concluded that the FLO signal is not detected. If no errors occur during WOIS decoding, it is possible to draw the conclusion that the FLO signal was detected at 518. It will be appreciated that Method 500 is repetitive and can be performed repeatedly and / or continuously, for example, by a user device communicating in a wireless communication environment to facilitate FLO signal detection.

Therefore, according to one or more of methods 300, 400, and / or 500, it may be performed to determine if the FLO service is available on the other RF channel. All methods first attempt to detect TDM Pilot 1 (TDM1). If TDM pilot 1 detection fails, or for a given period of time T_TDM1If TDM1_LATE_DETECT is asserted after (TDM pilot 1 detection timeout), it can be determined that the FLO service is not available on the RF channel under investigation. T_TDM1The choice of depends on the monitoring mode.

With respect to WID detection, if TDM pilot 1 is successfully detected, FLO signal search method 300 compares the most probable hypothetical energy with a given threshold. If the WID energy is above the threshold, the FLO service is considered available. In the case of the FLO search method 400, after the WID is detected, the receiver proceeds to decrypt the WOIS packet. For example, WOIS turbo decoding PER may be used as a criterion to determine the presence of FLO. If the FCS (Frame Check Sequence) does not detect any false packets for WOIS in the turbo decoder output, the FLO service is declared available for the RF channel. The FLO search method 500 is a combination of methods 300 and 400. After TDM pilot 1 detection, if WID detection returns energy weaker than the threshold, it is possible to declare that the FLO signal is not available on the new channel. Instead, if the detected WID energy is higher than the threshold, the receiver continues decoding WOIS and uses the turbo decoding PER as the detection criterion.

A received signal strength indicator (RSSI) on the new channel may be used as an early termination condition to save receiver power consumption. For example, after switching to a new channel and acquiring DC (DC) and automatic gain control (AGC), the receiver first turns to a digital variable gain amplifier (DVGA) loop accumulator and AGC gain state information. Calculate the RSSI of the new channel based on it. If the RSSI is higher than a predetermined threshold, the receiver can proceed to perform one of the three search procedures (eg, method 300, 400, or 500). Otherwise, the FLO may be declared not available on the new channel.

It will be appreciated that according to one or more aspects described herein, inferences can be made regarding channel monitoring, FLO signal detection, RF channel exchange, and the like. As used herein, the term "guessing" or "reasoning" generally refers to a system, environment, and / or user from a set of considerations captured via events and / or data. Refers to the inference process or inference state. Inference can be used to identify a particular context or action, or, for example, can generate a probability distribution with respect to a state. Inference can be the calculation of probability, that is, the probability distribution for the state based on data and event considerations. Inference may also refer to techniques used to create higher level events from events and / or sets of data. Such an inference is that events are close temporal. Proximity) or not, and whether the event and data come from one event and data source or from several event and data sources, as a result , Generate a new event or action composition from the observed event and / or set of stored event data.

According to one embodiment, the one or method presented above may include making inferences as to whether to switch between RF channel frequencies based on extrinsic information such as signal strength. For example, the power level associated with the current RF channel can be monitored continuously and / or periodically. Determines that the power level increases (eg, by receiver, processor, ...) as the user device travels through a sector or region of the wireless communication system (eg, as the user device moves toward the source of RF transmission). It is possible, in which case it can be inferred that channel exchange is not currently necessary. According to a related embodiment, an evaluation of the RF channel power level can show that the channel power decreases as the user equipment advances the receivable range (eg, the user equipment moves away from the source of the RF transmission). If so, it is possible to infer that switching to a new RF channel will be urgently desired and the associated operation can be initiated. Such an inference may be based, for example, on comparing the detected power level to a predetermined threshold power level to assess whether channel exchange is desired. In addition and / or as an alternative, each successive power level assessment is with one or more previous power levels to provide power level trend information as the user device advances one or more receivable ranges. May be compared. The aforementioned examples are exemplary in nature and are intended to limit the number of inferences that can be made or the methods by which such inferences are made with respect to the various embodiments and / or methods described herein. It will be understood that it is not.

FIG. 6 is an example of a timeline 600 of unlock-based monitoring methods using the proposed FLO search method and monitoring methods initiated by the application layer, in one or more embodiments. According to the figure, DC acquisition 602 can occur after a period of RF exchange and settling time that can be triggered by unlocking or user initiation. The AGC acquisition block 604 follows the DC acquisition 602, which can then be determined as to whether the RSSI energy is below a predetermined threshold. If the decision is positive, it can be concluded that the FLO signal is not detected.

Then, during WID channel (WIC) 608 transmission, FLO signal detection can be evaluated, period T for TDM pilot 1 detection._TDM1TDM1 block 606 representing is exemplified. T_TDM1If the detection fails at the end of, such a display may occur. Local Area ID Channel (LIC) block 610 follows WIC block 608, in the meantime, where various actions and / or assessments can be performed depending on the particular FLO signal detection scheme. For example, with respect to method 300, it is possible to determine whether the detected WID energy is above a predetermined threshold level, in which case it can be concluded that the FLO signal was successfully detected. According to a related embodiment, for Method 500, WOIS decoding and analysis can be performed if the WID energy is determined to be above a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, if the WID energy is determined to be below the threshold, it can be determined that the FLO signal is not detected.

The TDM2 block is then indicated by 612, which defines the detection period for TDM pilot 2, where widespread transition pilot channel 614 can be evaluated at 616 to facilitate channel estimation with respect to WOIS decoding. For methods 400 and 500, it can be determined whether the WOIS turbo packet error rate (PER) is equal to zero. If so, the FLO signal was successfully detected. Otherwise, it can be concluded that the FLO signal is not successfully detected.

FIG. 7 illustrates a high level state transition block diagram 700 for FLO channel monitoring in one or more embodiments. At 702, the original RF channel can be decrypted. At 704, FLO signal search may be initiated for a new RF channel during an unlocking or monitoring initiated by the application layer. Further instructions may await at 706 when new channel monitoring is complete. According to another aspect, at 706, decoding of the first channel on which the FLO signal is detected can begin.

With respect to the previous figure, for unlock-based monitoring, all FLO signal search techniques can be applied. In the meantime, two OFDM symbols may be used for the acquisition of DC and AGC blocks for the new channel, following the period in which the RF circuit is replaced with the new channel. If the search method determines that the FLO service is available, demodulation of the new FLO signal may be initiated. The RF exchange and settling time is, for example, approximately 5 ms, which is negligible compared to the 1 second superframe period. If the FLO signal is available on the new channel, the wait time for the next occurrence of TDM pilot 1 can be up to 1 second, and therefore the TDM pilot 1 detection timeout T._TDM1Can be predetermined as about 1 second.

Monitoring of new channels can also be initiated by the application layer. For example, the software can issue instructions to monitor the new RF channel, and decryption and / or video playback of the original channel can be terminated as a result. As with unlock-based monitoring, the key parameters for the original FLO channel do not need to be restored and any of the FLO signal retrieval methods 300, 400, and / or 500 may be used. The considerations made for unlock-based monitoring are also applicable in this scenario.

Figures 8-10 relate to background monitoring of RF channels associated with one or more FLO signal detection methods presented herein. For example, the receiver can monitor the new channel in the background with respect to the list received from the control channel without interfering with the decoding of the current RF channel. According to the embodiment, it can be assumed that the FLO signals on different RF channels are superframe synchronized. In such cases, the receiver can immediately have knowledge of the next expected TDM pilot 1 on the new RF channel, so that the receiver can replace the RF circuit with a new frequency at the appropriate time. Can be done. Decoding on the original channel should not be adversely affected, so the TDM pilot 1 detection timeout T should suppress the affecting multi-level coded section (MLC) near the beginning of frame 1._TDM1The size can be kept within a predetermined size range. For example, if TDM Pilot 1 is not detected at the expected time, the pursued FLO signal will be declared unavailable and the receiver will be able to quickly switch back to the original channel._TDM1May be set to zero. To accommodate the residual timing offset (for example, about 100 microseconds) of different RF channels, T_TDM1May be chosen to be one OFDM symbol period.

The RF circuit is approximately T before the next expected TDM pilot 1._Settle+ T_DCAcq+ T_AGCAcqCan be exchanged at, T_SettleIs the RF settling time, T_DCAcqIs one OFDM symbol period for DC acquisition, T_AGCAcqIs one OFDM symbol period for AGC acquisition. For the original channel, any MLC scheduled during the time the receiver operates on the new RF channel will not be received (the "black-out" time for the original channel). This will only affect MLCs near the end of frame 4. The minimum period of the "blackout" period is given by the sum of the RF exchange / settling time and the two OFDM symbol periods (eg, acquisition of DC and AGC). For a nominal period of 5 ms for RF replacement and settling time, the minimum "blackout" period is approximately 8 OFDM symbol periods. Under good channel conditions, affected code blocks can still be accurately decoded based on packets received from frames 1, 2, and 3, for example, by performing a Reed-Solomon external code. It is possible. Therefore, non-extreme channel conditions and code blocks scheduled near the end of the frame. Based on block), the receiver performance will not be adversely affected. The effect of the "blackout" period of approximately eight symbols also depends on the number of PPC (Positioning Pilot Channel) symbols placed at the end of the superframe. For non-zero PPC symbols, such as 6, 10, 14, any negative impact associated with the "blackout" period at the end of frame 4 can be further reduced.

Background monitoring can be initiated by the application layer. On the other hand, its initiation may depend on the reception quality. For example, the receiver may initiate background monitoring of a new RF channel if the reception for the original channel is of poor quality (eg, below a predetermined threshold level, ...). The reception quality can be determined to be low if the RSSI is below a certain threshold, the packet erasure rate is higher than a certain threshold, and so on. Periodically, the list of RF channels with FLO services determined by background monitoring is returned to the software, which in turn can initiate a switch to one of the new channels. To save receiver power consumption, it is possible to stop the digital baseband block following the Σ-Δ A / D during RF circuit replacement and settling time. The rate at which the receiver monitors the new RF channel may be variable. The maximum speed may be such that one new channel is monitored for each superframe in frame 4. To further protect the power consumption of the receiver, background monitoring may occur once every few superframes. Monitoring of the new channel may also be initiated if the FLO receiver is in idle mode (does not decode any FLO signals) similar to unlock-based monitoring or monitoring initiated by the application layer. Therefore, the considerations made for those scenarios are applicable.

FIG. 8 illustrates a timeline 800 for performing background monitoring using a WID energy-based FLO signal detection method in one or more embodiments. For example, the timeline 800 can be seen in connection with the method 300 described above. During the "register storage" period block 802, the registers associated with the original RF channel may be stored. After RF channel exchange and settling (eg, approximately 5ms), DC acquisition block 804 is exemplified in which the DC components associated with the new RF channel can be removed in the meantime. DC acquisition block 804 is followed by AGC acquisition block 806 from which gain control information can be evaluated. TDM1 block 808 can attempt to detect the first pilot (TDM pilot 1) in the meantime T_TDM1To define. During this period, it is possible to determine if the RSSI is below a predetermined threshold for a particular RF channel. If so, it can be concluded that the FLO signal is not present in the RF channel. After TDM1 block 808, in the meantime, T_TDM1If no pilot is detected during, the WIC block 810 can be followed in time to conclude that the FLO signal is not present in the RF channel. During LIC block 812, an assessment of the WID energy detected during block 810 can be performed. If the WID energy is determined to be above a predetermined threshold, the FLO signal will be successfully detected. Otherwise, it can be assumed that no FLO signal is detected in the current RF channel. After another RF exchange and rescheduling, at block 814 the registers can be restored and operation can be resumed. Resuming operation may include, for example, resuming communication on the RF channel in which the FLO signal is detected, performing another iteration of FLO signal detection if no FLO signal is detected, and so on. ..

FIG. 9 illustrates a timeline 900 for performing background monitoring using a WOIS-PER based FLO signal detection method in one or more embodiments. For example, the timeline 900 can be seen in connection with the method 400 described above. In it, a "register storage" period block 902 is shown in which the registers associated with the original RF channel can be stored. In the meantime, after a period of RF channel exchange and settling (eg, approximately 5 ms), DC acquisition block 904 is exemplified in which the DC components associated with the new RF channel can be removed. DC acquisition block 904 is followed by AGC acquisition block 906 from which gain control information can be assessed and / or evaluated. During that time, TDM1 block 908 can attempt to detect the pilot (TDM pilot 1)._TDM1Corresponds to. During this period, it is possible to determine if the RSSI is below a predetermined threshold for a particular RF channel. If so, it is determined that the FLO signal is not present in the current RF channel. After TDM1 block 908, in the meantime, the pilot T_TDM1If not detected during, WIC block 910 can be followed by the conclusion that the FLO signal is not present in the RF channel.

WIC block 910 may be followed by LIC block 912, TDM2 block 914, WTPC block 916, and WOIS block 918 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to FIG. At the end of the WOIS block, it is possible to determine if the WOIS turbo PER is equal to zero, in which case the FLO signal will be detected. If WOIS PER is not equal to zero, no FLO signal is detected. After another RF exchange and rescheduling, at block 920, registers can be restored and another operation can be resumed. Resuming operation may include, for example, resuming communication on the RF channel in which the FLO signal is detected, performing another iteration of FLO signal detection if no FLO signal is detected, and so on. ..

FIG. 10 illustrates a timeline 1000 for performing background monitoring using combined WID energy-based and WOIS-PER-based FLO signal detection methods in one or more embodiments. For example, the timeline 1000 can be seen in connection with the method 500 described above. In the meantime, a "register storage" period block 1002 is shown in which the registers associated with the original RF channel can be stored. In the meantime, after a period of time during which RF channel exchange and settling occurs (eg, approximately 5 ms), DC acquisition block 1004 is exemplified in which DC components associated with the new RF channel can be removed. DC acquisition block 1004 is followed by AGC acquisition block 906 from which gain control information can be retrieved and / or evaluated. In the meantime, the period during which it is possible to attempt to detect the pilot (TDM pilot 1) T_TDM1The corresponding TDM1 block 1008 follows the AGC acquisition block. Period T_TDM1During that time, it is possible to evaluate the RSSI to assess whether it is below a given threshold for a particular RF channel. If so, it is determined that the FLO signal is not present in the current RF channel. After TDM1 block 1008, in the meantime, T_TDM1During that time, if no pilot is detected, WIC block 1010 can be followed by the conclusion that the FLO signal is not present in the RF channel.

The WIC block 1010 may be followed by a LIC block 1012 in which the WID energy can be assessed to determine if the WID energy detected during the WIC block 1010 is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. If the determination indicates that the WID energy is above a predetermined threshold, the FLO signal is detected. If the detected WID energy level is below a given threshold, the FLO signal will not be detected within the current RF channel. The LIC block is followed by TDM2 block 1014, WTPC block 1016, which facilitates channel estimation for WOIS decoding, and WOIS block 1018, in a manner similar to that described above for FIG. At the end of WOIS block 1018, it is possible to determine if the WOIS turbo PER is equal to zero, and if so, the FLO signal is detected. WOIS If the PER is not equal to zero, no FLO signal is detected. After another RF exchange and rescheduling, at block 1020 the registers can be restored and operation can be resumed. Resuming operation is, for example, resuming communication on the RF channel in which the FLO signal is detected, performing another iteration of FLO signal detection if no FLO signal is detected, or any other It will be appreciated that it may include the proper behavior of.

FIG. 11 is an example of a user apparatus 1100 that facilitates FLO channel monitoring and / or FLO channel exchange in a wireless communication environment, according to one or more aspects described herein. The user apparatus 1100 includes, for example, a receiver 1102 that receives a signal from a receiving antenna (not shown), where it performs typical actions (eg, filtering, amplification, downconverting, etc.) on the received signal and samples. Digitize the conditioned signal to obtain. The demodulator 1104 can demodulate the received pilot signal and provide it to processor 1106 for channel estimation. Processor 1106 is a dedicated processor that analyzes information received by receiver 1102 and / or generates information for transmission by transmitter 1116, a processor that controls one or more components of user equipment 1100. , And / or may be a processor that analyzes information received by receiver 1102, generates information for transmission by transmitter 1116, and controls one or more components of user equipment 1100.

User equipment 1100 is operably coupled to processor 1106 and contains information about RF channel distinctiveness, associated TDM pilot information, TDM pilot counter adjustments, and associated information (s). Stores look-up tables and any other appropriate information to support RF channel monitoring and / or exchange to provide users with a seamless display of information in the wireless communication systems described herein. Memory 1108 may be included. Memory 1108 additionally provides an RF channel monitoring protocol, an RF channel, so that the user equipment 1100 can use the stored protocol and / or algorithm to perform the various methods described herein. The exchange protocol and the like may be stored.

It is understood that the data storage (eg, memory) components described herein may be volatile or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Will be. By way of example, but not by limitation, non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electronically programmable ROM (EPROM), electronically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash. May include memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) that acts as an external cache memory. As an example, but not limited to, RAM includes synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), extended SDRAM (ESDRAM), and synclink ( Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus (direct) It can be used in many forms such as Rambus) RAM (DRRAM). Memory 1108 of the system and method of interest is intended to include these and any other suitable type of memory without limitation.

Receiver 1102 may further include, for example, the FLO channel monitor 1110, which facilitates the initiation of monitoring of new FLO RF channels in the event of an unlock, as described above. In addition and / or as an alternative, the FLO channel monitor 1110 may perform application-initiated FLO channel monitoring, also as described with respect to the previous figure. Receiver 1102 may further include a background monitor 1112 that performs various operations related to background monitoring of one or more RF channels. For example, the background monitor 1112 exercises some constraints on the DC block, AGC block, AFC block, and timing block to restore receiver operation with respect to the original channel when the RF frequency is switched back. Good.

For example, for a DC block, before replacing it with a new RF channel, coarse and dense (coarse and) associated with the current RF channel. fine) Loop accumulators (and / or registers) can be stored in memory 1108. Such a loop accumulator can be recovered after switching back to the original channel. The AGC block, AGC gain state, and DVGA loop accumulator values for the current channel are stored prior to the exchange and can be recovered on return. For AFC blocks, the external loop frequency accumulator can be frozen (eg, stored) after switching to a new channel and before returning to the original channel. The external loop update can be associated with a temperature-compensated voltage-controlled crystal oscillator (TCVCXO) when operating on a new channel, as the RF exchanges only temporarily to search for the FLO signal, and the internal loop , For example, can be used to track missed frequency errors and Dopplers for new channels. The frequency accumulator of the inner loop may be stored in memory 1108 before switching to a new channel and can be recovered after switching back to the original channel, at which point the outer loop is on the original channel. Can be updated again to facilitate the resumption of operation. In the case of timing blocks, and in view of the fact that the FLO search method described above detects TDM pilot 1 on a new channel, for example, 4625-Old sample counter before TDM1 + New sample counter after TDM1 The TDM pilot 1 counter adjustment value, which can be expressed as, can be stored in memory 1108 after TDM pilot 1 is detected on a new channel and can be undone before the channel switches back to its original frequency. it can. Whether using the WOIS PER method or the combined WID / WOIS method for FLO signal search, TDM pilot 2 on the new channel adjusts the TDM pilot 2 counter on the new channel before switching back to the original channel. It is always processed so that the value can be stored and canceled. In this way, receiver 1102 performs multiple RF channel monitoring functions in connection with FLO signal discovery and / or exchange for improved user experience and seamless reception of streaming data, etc. Can be done.

FIG. 12 is an example of a system 1200 that facilitates the provision of multiple RF channels in a wireless communication environment in various aspects. System 1200 includes receiver 1210, which receives signals (s) from one or more user devices 1204 via multiple receiving antennas 1206, and one or more user devices via transmitting antenna 1208. Includes base station 1202 with transmitter 1222 transmitting to 1204. The receiver 1210 can operate in connection with the demodulator 1212, which receives information from the receiving antenna 1206 and demodulates the received information. The demodulated symbols are similar to the processor described above with respect to FIG. 11, in terms of user identity, RF channel frequency, data transmitted over RF channels, lookup tables for such data, and / or herein. Analyzed by processor 1214 coupled to memory 1216, which stores any other suitable information related to performing the various actions and functions described. Processor 1214 is an FLO that synchronizes superframe transmissions on multiple RF channels, which can facilitate RF channel exchange by user equipment 1204 (s) as described in the previous figure. Further bound to the channel governor 1218. Modulator 1220 is capable of multiplexing signals for transmission by transmitter 1222 via transmit antenna 1208 to user equipment 1204 (s). In this way, base station 1202 can interact with user equipment 1204 (s) to enable RF channel exchange, FLO signal detection, channel monitoring, and so on.

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary wireless communication system 1300. The wireless communication system 1300 refers to one base station and one terminal for the sake of brevity. However, the system may include two or more base stations and / or two or more terminals, the additional base stations and / or terminals being substantially the same as the exemplary base stations and terminals described below. It will be understood that it may or may not be different. In addition, base stations and / or terminals are the systems (FIGS. 1, 2, and 6-13) and / or methods (FIGS. 3-5) described herein to facilitate wireless communication between them. ) Can be used.

Then, referring to FIG. 13, at access point 1305 on the downlink, transmit (TX) data processor 1310 receives, formats, encodes, interleaves, and modulates (or symbolically maps) the traffic data to the modulation symbol. ("Data symbol") is provided. Symbol modulator 1315 receives and processes data and pilot symbols to provide a stream of symbols. The symbol modulator 1320 multiplexes the data and pilot symbols and provides them to the transmitter device (TMTR) 1320. Each transmit symbol may be a data symbol, a pilot symbol, or a signal value of zero. Pilot symbols may be transmitted simultaneously within each symbol period. The pilot symbol may be frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), or code division multiplexing (CDM).

The TMTR1320 receives a stream of symbols, converts them into one or more analog signals, and further conditions the analog signals to produce a downlink signal suitable for transmission over a radio channel (eg, amplification, Filtering and frequency up-conversion). The downlink signal is then transmitted to the terminal via antenna 1325. At terminal 1330, antenna 1335 receives the downlink signal and provides the received signal to receiver unit (RCVR) 1340. The receiver device 1340 conditioned the received signal (eg, filtered, amplified, and frequency down-converted) to digitize the conditioned signal for sampling. Symbol demodulator 1345 demodulates the received pilot signal and provides it to processor 1350 for channel estimation. Symbol demodulator 1345 further receives frequency response estimates for downlink from processor 1350 and performs data demodulation on the received data symbols to obtain the data symbol estimates (which are estimates of the transmitted data symbols). The data symbol estimation is then provided to the RX data processor 1355 to demote (ie, symbol demap), deinterleave, and decode the data symbol estimation in order to recover the transmitted traffic data. The processing by the symbol demodulator 1345 and the RX data processor 1355 is complementary to the processing by the symbol modulator 1315 and the TX data processor 1310 on the access point 1305, respectively.

On the uplink, the TX data processor 1360 processes traffic data to provide data symbols. Symbol modulator 1365 receives and multiplexes data symbols with pilot symbols to perform modulation and provide a stream of symbols. Transmitter 1370 then receives and processes a stream of symbols to generate an uplink signal transmitted by antenna 1335 to access point 1305.

At access point 1305, the uplink signal from terminal 1330 is received by antenna 1325 and processed by receiver device 1375 to take a sample. The symbol demodulator 1380 then processes the sample to provide the pilot symbol estimates and data symbol estimates received for the uplink. RX data processor 1385 processes data symbol estimation to recover the traffic data transmitted by terminal 1330. Processor 1390 performs channel estimation for each active terminal transmission on the uplink. Multiple terminals can simultaneously transmit pilots on the uplink with respect to their assigned set of pilot subbands, and the set of pilot subbands can be interlaced.

Processors 1390 and 1350 direct operations (eg, control, coordination, management, etc.) on access points 1305 and terminal 1330, respectively. Each processor 1390 and 1350 may be associated with a memory device (not shown) that stores program code and program data. Processors 1390 and 1350 can also perform calculations to derive frequency and impulse response estimates for the uplink and downlink, respectively.

In the case of a multiple access system (eg, FDMA, OFDMA, CDMA, TDMA, etc.), multiple terminals can transmit simultaneously over the uplink. For such systems, the pilot subband can be shared between different terminals. Channel estimation techniques can be used when the pilot sub-band for each terminal (possibly excluding the band edge) spans the entire operating band. Such a pilot subband structure would be desired to acquire frequency diversity for each terminal. The techniques described herein may be implemented by a variety of means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In hardware implementation, the processing equipment used for channel estimation is application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing equipment (DSPDs), programmable logic elements (PLDs), and fields. Programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, macro controllers, microprocessors, other electronic devices designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. It's okay. In the case of software, implementation may be via modules (eg, procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. The software code may be stored in memory and executed by processors 1390 and 1350.

FIG. 14 is an example of a device 1400 that facilitates the execution of FLO signal detection in various aspects presented herein. FLO detection can be initiated to determine if the FLO service is available on the RF channel, and means 1402 for initializing the timer, such as a time division multiplexing (TDM) pilot detection timer, , Can be activated to attempt detection of the first TDM pilot (TDM1), where C_TDM1It is possible to start the timer count for 0 at 0. The means 1402 for initializing the timer is also counter C._TDM1May be operably coupled to means 1404 for detecting pilots (eg, TDM1), which can also be incremented. Means for comparison 1406 C to determine if the counter value is greater than the value of the pilot being pursued._TDM1It is possible to compare the counter value associated with with the value associated with the pilot being pursued. For example, if the pilot being pursued is TDM1 and the counter is incremented from 0 to 1 by means 404 for detecting the pilot, means 1406 for comparison is the value of the pilot for which the counter value is being pursued. It can be determined that it is not greater than (eg, in this example, the values are equal). In such a case, means 1404 for detection can start another trial with pilot detection and increment the counter again. In addition, the means for detection can be determined as to whether the pilot was successfully detected. If the decision is negative, means 1408 for executing the delayed pilot detection protocol can be activated and pilot detection can be retried by means for detection 1404. Means 1408 for executing the delayed pilot detection protocol is a predetermined time T_TDM1After (eg, TDM1 pilot detection timeout), the delay detection algorithm can be asserted, at which time means 1404 for pilot detection can attempt to detect the pilot again.

If no delay detection algorithm is used, a means for comparing wide area distinctiveness (WID) energies can compare the energy level for the WID channel associated with the transmission being analyzed with a predetermined threshold energy level. .. If the detected WID energy is not greater than a given threshold level, the FLO signal will not be detected. If the detected WID energy is greater than the threshold, the FLO signal is detected. It is understood that the various means of device 1400 may be repeatedly and / or continuously performed and / or included, for example, by a user device communicating in a wireless communication environment to facilitate FLO signal detection. Will.

In the case of software implementation, the techniques described herein may be performed by modules (eg, procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. The software code may be stored in a memory device and executed by a processor. The memory device may be implemented within the processor or outside the processor, in which case it may be communicably coupled to the processor by various means known in the art.

What has been described above includes examples of one or more embodiments. Although it is of course impossible to describe all possible combinations of components or methods for the purposes of describing the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art will be able to make many additional combinations and substitutions of the various embodiments. It is possible to understand. Accordingly, the embodiments described are intended to include all such modifications, modifications, and modifications that are in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Further, as long as the term "contains" is used in a detailed description or claim, it is similar to the term "contains" so that the term "contains" is interpreted when used as a transitional term in the claims. It is intended to be comprehensive in this way.<u style="single">The following description is substantially the same as the content described in the claims at the time of filing.</u><u style="single"> [1]</u><u style="single"> A method of detecting forward-only (FLO) signals within radio frequency (RF) in a wireless communication environment.</u><u style="single"> Determining if monitoring conditions exist, and</u><u style="single"> Monitor at least one new RF channel to determine if an FLO signal is present in it</u><u style="single"> How to include.</u><u style="single"> [2]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [1], wherein the monitoring condition is at least one of an unlocking event and an application-initiated monitoring event.</u><u style="single"> [3]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [1], wherein background monitoring of the at least one new RF channel is performed according to a predetermined schedule, which is at least one of continuous and periodic.</u><u style="single"> [4]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [1], further comprising attempting to detect a time division multiplexing (TDM) pilot.</u><u style="single"> [5]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [4], further comprising zeroing the counter to detect the TDM pilot.</u><u style="single"> [6]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [5], further comprising incrementing the counter.</u><u style="single"> [7]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [6], further comprising determining if the TDM pilot is detected.</u><u style="single"> [8]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [7], further comprising incrementing the counter further if the TDM pilot is not detected.</u><u style="single"> [9]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [7], further comprising determining if the TDM pilot is detected, whether the counter value is greater than the value associated with the TDM pilot.</u><u style="single"> [10]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [9], further comprising concluding that the FLO signal is not present in the new RF channel if the counter value is greater than the TDM pilot value.</u><u style="single"> [11]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [9], further comprising determining whether a delay detection attempt should be initiated if the counter value is not greater than the TDM pilot value.</u><u style="single"> [12]</u><u style="single"> The method of [11], further comprising re-incrementing the counter and attempting to detect the TDM pilot when a delay detection attempt is initiated.</u><u style="single"> [13]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [11], further comprising assessing the energy level associated with a wide area identification (WID) channel and comparing the WID channel energy level to a predetermined threshold if a delay detection attempt is not initiated. ..</u><u style="single"> [14]</u><u style="single"> The method of [13], further comprising determining if the WID channel energy level is greater than a predetermined threshold level.</u><u style="single"> [15]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [14], further comprising concluding that the FLO signal is not present within the new RF channel if the WID channel energy level is not greater than the threshold level.</u><u style="single"> [16]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [14], further comprising concluding that the FLO signal is within the new RF channel if the WID channel energy level is greater than the threshold level.</u><u style="single"> [17]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [16], further comprising enabling channel exchange from the current RF channel to the new RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [18]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [14], further comprising determining if a decoding error has occurred during decoding of the wide area overhead information symbol (WOIS) if the WID energy level is greater than the threshold level.</u><u style="single"> [19]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [18], further comprising concluding that the FLO signal is not present within the new RF channel in the event of a decoding error.</u><u style="single"> [20]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [18], further comprising concluding that the FLO signal is within the new RF channel if no decoding error occurs.</u><u style="single"> [21]</u><u style="single"> The method according to [20], further comprising enabling channel exchange from the current RF channel to the new RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [22]</u><u style="single"> The method of [11], further comprising determining if a decoding error has occurred during WOIS decoding if the delay detection attempt is not initiated.</u><u style="single"> [23]</u><u style="single"> 22. The method of [22], further comprising concluding that the FLO signal is not present within the new RF channel in the event of a decoding error.</u><u style="single"> [24]</u><u style="single"> 22. The method of [22], further comprising concluding that the FLO signal is within the new RF channel if no decoding error occurs.</u><u style="single"> [25]</u><u style="single"> 24. The method of [24], further comprising enabling channel exchange from the current RF channel to the new RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [26]</u><u style="single"> A device that facilitates the detection of forward-only (FLO) signals within a radio frequency (RF) channel monitored in a wireless communication environment.</u><u style="single"> A receiver that monitors at least one new RF channel while receiving an FLO signal on the current RF channel,</u><u style="single"> A memory for storing information related to the RF channel and</u><u style="single"> With the memory-coupled processor to be exchanged between the current RF channel and the at least one new RF channel if it is determined that the at least one new RF channel contains a replica of the FLO signal.</u><u style="single"> Equipment including.</u><u style="single"> [27]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [26], wherein the receiver further comprises an FLO signal monitor that detects a flow signal within the new RF channel at at least one of an unlocked event and an application-initiated FLO detection event. ..</u><u style="single"> [28]</u><u style="single"> 26. A device according to [26], wherein the receiver further comprises a background monitor that monitors the at least one new RF channel to determine if an FLO signal is present therein.</u><u style="single"> [29]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [28], wherein the background monitor receives a list of new RF channels via a control channel.</u><u style="single"> [30]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [28], wherein the background monitor continuously performs RF channel monitoring.</u><u style="single"> [31]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [28], wherein the background monitor periodically attempts to detect an FLO signal in the at least one new RF channel at least once per superframe.</u><u style="single"> [32]</u><u style="single"> 26. The receiver determines if the widespread identification channel energy level is higher than a predetermined threshold level in order to determine if the FLO signal is within the at least one new RF channel. apparatus.</u><u style="single"> [33]</u><u style="single"> [26], wherein the receiver determines if a decoding error has occurred during decoding of the wide area overhead information symbol to determine if the FLO signal is present in the at least one new RF channel. Equipment.</u><u style="single"> [34]</u><u style="single"> It s a wireless communication device,</u><u style="single"> Means for receiving current RF channels, including FLO signals,</u><u style="single"> Means for monitoring new RF channels,</u><u style="single"> A means for determining whether the FLO signal is in the new RF channel and</u><u style="single"> If it is determined that the FLO signal is within the new RF channel, then with means for exchanging between the current RF channel and the new RF channel.</u><u style="single"> Equipment including.</u><u style="single"> [35]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [34], further comprising means for performing RF channel monitoring at least one of the unlocking on the current RF channel and the monitoring initiated by the application of the new RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [36]</u><u style="single"> [34], which further comprises means for performing background monitoring of the new RF channel, wherein the new RF channel is selected from a list of available RF channels received via the control channel. apparatus.</u><u style="single"> [37]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [34], further comprising means for assessing wide area identification (WID) channel energy levels with respect to the new RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [38]</u><u style="single"> 37. The apparatus of [37], further comprising means for comparing the WID channel energy level to a threshold level to determine if the new RF channel contains an FLO signal.</u><u style="single"> [39]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [34], further comprising means for determining whether a wide area information overhead symbol (WOIS) code error has occurred to assess whether the new RF channel contains an FLO signal.</u><u style="single"> [40]</u><u style="single"> The device according to [34], wherein the FLO signals on the current RF channel and on the new RF channel are superframe synchronized.</u><u style="single"> [41]</u><u style="single"> Receives the first RF channel containing the FLO signal,</u><u style="single"> Monitor at least one other RF channel and</u><u style="single"> Determine if the FLO signal is present in at least one of the other RF channels.</u><u style="single"> If it is determined that the FLO signal is within the at least one other RF channel, it is exchanged between the first RF channel and the at least one other RF channel.</u><u style="single"> A computer-readable medium having a computer program containing computer executable instructions for.</u><u style="single"> [42]</u><u style="single"> [41], further comprising instructions for performing RF channel monitoring at least one of the unlocks on the current RF channel and the monitoring initiated by the application of at least one other RF channel. Computer-readable medium.</u><u style="single"> [43]</u><u style="single"> The instruction to perform background monitoring of the at least one other RF channel is further included, and the at least one other RF channel is selected from the list of available RF channels received via the control channel. , The computer-readable medium described in [41].</u><u style="single"> [44]</u><u style="single"> The computer-readable medium according to [41], further comprising instructions for assessing wide area identification (WID) channel energy levels with respect to the at least one other RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [45]</u><u style="single"> The computer-readable medium according to [44], further comprising an instruction to compare the WID channel energy level with a threshold level to determine if at least one other RF channel contains an FLO signal.</u><u style="single"> [46]</u><u style="single"> The computer according to [41], further comprising an instruction to determine if a wide area information overhead symbol (WOIS) decoding error has occurred to assess whether the at least one other RF channel contains an FLO signal. Readable medium.</u><u style="single"> [47]</u><u style="single"> The computer-readable medium according to [41], wherein the FLO signals on the first RF channel and at least one other RF channel are superframe synchronized.</u><u style="single"> [48]</u><u style="single"> A processor that executes instructions to increase throughput in a wireless communication environment.</u><u style="single"> Receiving the first RF channel containing the FLO signal,</u><u style="single"> Monitoring the second RF channel,</u><u style="single"> Determining if the FLO signal is in the second RF channel, and</u><u style="single"> If it is determined that the FLO signal is within the second RF channel, it should be exchanged between the first RF channel and the second RF channel.</u><u style="single"> Processor including.</u><u style="single"> [49]</u><u style="single"> The processor according to [48], wherein the instruction further comprises performing RF channel monitoring at at least one of unlocking on the current RF channel and monitoring initiated by the application of the new RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [50]</u><u style="single"> The instruction further comprises performing background monitoring of the second RF channel, the second RF channel being selected from the list of available RF channels received via the control channel. The processor described in [48].</u><u style="single"> [51]</u><u style="single"> The processor according to [48], wherein the instruction further comprises assessing a wide area identification (WID) channel energy level with respect to the second RF channel.</u><u style="single"> [52]</u><u style="single"> The processor according to [51], wherein the instruction further comprises comparing the WID channel energy level with a threshold level to determine if the second RF channel contains an FLO signal.</u><u style="single"> [53]</u><u style="single"> The processor according to [48], wherein the instruction further comprises determining whether a wide area information overhead symbol (WOIS) decoding error has occurred in order to assess whether the second RF channel contains an FLO signal. ..</u><u style="single"> [54]</u><u style="single"> The processor according to [48], wherein the FLO signals on the first RF channel and the second RF channel are superframe synchronized.</u><u style="single"> [55]</u><u style="single"> It s a wireless communication device,</u><u style="single"> Means for initializing the timer and</u><u style="single"> A means for detecting a pilot and incrementing a counter associated with the timer, and</u><u style="single"> Means for comparing the counter value with the value associated with the pilot, and</u><u style="single"> If the pilot is not detected, the means for executing the late pilot detection algorithm and</u><u style="single"> As a means for comparing the energy level of the wide area identification channel associated with the pilot with the energy level of a predetermined threshold to determine if the FLO signal is within the radio frequency channel containing the pilot.</u><u style="single"> Equipment including.</u>

<figref num="1">The figure which illustrates the wireless network communication system by various embodiments presented in this specification.</figref><figref num="2">The figure which illustrates the multiple access wireless communication system by one or more embodiments.</figref><figref num="3">The figure which illustrates the method for performing FLO signal detection by various aspects presented herein.</figref><figref num="4">The figure which illustrates the method for detecting the FLO signal in a wireless communication environment by various aspects.</figref><figref num="5">The figure which illustrates the method for detecting the FLO signal by various aspects.</figref><figref num="6">The figure which illustrates the timeline of the unlock base using the proposed FLO search method and the monitoring method initiated by the application layer in one or more aspects.</figref><figref num="7">High-level state transition block diagram for FLO channel monitoring in one or more embodiments.</figref><figref num="8">The figure which illustrates the timeline for performing background monitoring using the WID energy-based FLO signal detection method in one or more aspects.</figref><figref num="9">FIG. 5 illustrates a timeline for performing background monitoring using a WOIS-PER based FLO signal detection method in one or more embodiments.</figref><figref num="10">FIG. 5 illustrates a timeline for performing background monitoring using combined WID energy-based and WOIS-PER-based FLO signal detection methods in one or more embodiments.</figref><figref num="11">FIG. 5 illustrates a user device that facilitates FLO channel monitoring and / or FLO channel exchange in a wireless communication environment, according to one or more aspects described herein.</figref><figref num="12">The figure which illustrates the system which facilitates the provision of a plurality of RF channels in a wireless communication environment by various aspects.</figref><figref num="13">The figure which illustrates the wireless network environment which can be used with respect to the various systems and methods described herein.</figref><figref num="14">The figure which illustrates the apparatus which facilitates the execution of FLO signal detection by various aspects presented herein.</figref>