Method for transmitting control information on the forward link of a wireless network
AssigneeAlcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
InventorsSuman Das, Shirish Nagaraj, Subramanian Vasudevan, Harish Viswanathan
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Abstract
A signaling method is provided that can improve the efficiency of forward-link control signaling in OFDM systems. The method involves using a set of forward-link subcarriers that are dedicated for control information, and are shared by a set of two or more users. The control information destined for each user is spread using a respective spreading code, thereby to provide a spread control message. The spread control messages destined for the various users are summed together prior to transmission.
Claims10
A method, comprising:
- generating messages that are respectively destined for two or more users;
- spreading each message using a spreading code that is respectively associated with one of the users;
- summing the spread messages, thereby to form a composite message;
- mapping the composite message to a plurality of subcarriers, thereby to at least partially define one or more OFDM symbols spanned by the plurality of subcarriers, wherein the plurality of subcarriers constitutes a common subchannel for signaling to the users;
- and
- transmitting the OFDM symbol or symbols.
A method to be performed at a user terminal, comprising:
- receiving an OFDM message from a base station on a common plurality of subcarriers used by a base station for signalling to users;
- despreading the message using a despreading code effective for removing from a composite message such messages as are destined for other users;
- and
- decoding the despread message.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.