Clustered OFDM communication system

A multicarrier communication system for wireless transmission of blocks of data, each said block having a plurality of digital data symbols, said system comprising:

• means for distributing said plurality of digital data symbols in each block over a plurality of clusters, each of said plurality of clusters capable of receiving one or more digital data symbols;
• means for encoding said one or more digital data symbols in each of said plurality of clusters;
• means for modulating said encoded one or more digital data symbols to produce a modulated signal capable of being transmitted over sub-channels associated with each respective cluster;
• and
• a transmitter for transmitting said modulated signal over said sub-channels;
• means for measuring frequency response characteristics of each sub-channel of said plurality of clusters, said means for measuring frequency response characteristic including means for providing feedback representing said frequency response characteristic of each transmission sub-channel to said transmitter;
• and,
• means for switching each said one or more symbols to be transmitted to an optimum transmission sub-channel according to said frequency response of said optimum transmission sub-channel.

A multicarrier communication system for wireless transmission of blocks of data, each said block having a plurality of digital data symbols, said system comprising:

• means for distributing said plurality of digital data symbols in each block over a plurality of clusters, each of said plurality of clusters capable of receiving one or more digital data symbols;
• means for encoding said one or more digital data symbols in each of said plurality of clusters;
• means for modulating said encoded one or more digital data symbols to produce a modulated signal capable of being transmitted over sub-channels associated with each respective cluster;
• and,
• a transmitter for transmitting said modulated signal over said sub-channels;
• and,
• means for synchronizing data for simultaneous transmission over all said sub-channels of said plurality of clusters to effect simultaneous transmission of data over an entire transmission bandwidth.

A method for wireless transmission of data represented as one or more blocks containing a plurality of digital data symbols in each block, which are distributed over a plurality of clusters, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) measuring a frequency response characteristic of each transmission sub-channel of said plurality of clusters:
• and providing feedback representing said frequency response characteristic of each transmission sub-channel to a transmitter;
• b) distributing said plurality of digital data symbols over a plurality of clusters, each cluster capable of transmitting one or more digital data symbols, and switching each said one or more digital data symbols to be transmitted to an optimum transmission sub-channel according to said frequency response of said optimum transmission sub-channel;
• c) encoding said one or more digital data symbols in each of said plurality of clusters.;
• d) modulating said encoded one or more digital data symbols distributed to each cluster to produce a modulated signal for transmission over sub-channels associated with each said plurality of clusters;
• and,
• e) transmitting said modulated signal over each sub-channel of said plurality of clusters for receipt by a receiver.

A multicarrier communication system for wireless transmission of blocks of data between a transmitter and a receiver, each said block having a quantity NM of digital data symbols, said system comprising:

• means for distributing said NM digital data symbols in each block over M clusters, each said M clusters capable of receiving N digital data symbols;
• means for encoding said N digital data symbols in each of said M clusters, said means for encoding said N digital data symbols in each of said M clusters including means for applying non-linear coding to reduce a peak-to-average power ratio in each sub-channel;
• means located in each said cluster for providing OFDM modulation of said encoded N digital data symbols and to produce an OFDM signal capable of being transmitted over transmission sub-channels associate d with each respective cluster;
• and
• means for transmitting said OFDM signal over said sub-channels.