HK1084265A - Method and system for code combining in a communication system - Google Patents

Description

Method and system for code combining in a communication system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to broadcast or multicast communication, also known as point-to-multipoint communication, in a wired or wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for code combining data from different base stations in a broadcast or multicast communication system.

Background

Communication systems have been developed to allow information signals to be transmitted from an originating station to a physically different destination station. In transmitting an information signal over a communication channel by an originating station, the information signal is first converted into a form suitable for efficient transmission over the communication channel. The conversion or modulation of the information signal involves varying a parameter of the carrier in accordance with the information signal in such a way as to limit the spectrum of the resulting modulated carrier to within the communication channel bandwidth. At the destination station, the original information signal is replicated from the modulated carrier wave received over the communication channel. Such replication is typically accomplished by using the inverse of the modulation process used by the origination station.

Modulation also facilitates multiple access, such as simultaneous transmission and/or reception, of multiple signals over a common communication channel. Multiple-access communication systems typically include a plurality of subscriber stations that request intermittent service rather than continuous access to a common communication channel for a relatively short duration. Several multiple access techniques are known in the art, such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and amplitude modulation multiple Access (AM). Another multiple access technique IS a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) spread spectrum system that complies with the "mobile station-base station compatibility standard for TIA/EIA/IS-95 dual-mode wideband spread spectrum cellular systems," hereinafter the IS-95 standard. In U.S. patent No.4,901,307, entitled "spread spectrum multiple access communication system using satellite or terrestrial repeaters," and U.S. patent No.5,103,459, entitled "system and method for generating waveforms in a CDMA cellular telephone system," assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the use of CDMA techniques in multiple access communication systems is disclosed,

multiple access communication systems may be wireless or wired and may transmit voice and/or data. An example of a communication system that transmits voice and data IS a system in accordance with the IS-95 standard that specifies transmitting voice and data over a communication channel. In U.S. patent No.5,504,773, entitled "method and apparatus for formatting transmitted data", assigned to the assignee of the present invention, a method of transmitting data in fixed size code channel frames is described. According to the IS-95 standard, data or speech IS segmented into code channel frames that are 20 milliseconds wide and have a data rate of 14.4 Kbps. Another example of a communication system for transmitting voice and data includes a communication system that conforms to the physical layer standard, release C, of the "3 rd generation partnership project" (3GPP) or "TR-45.5 cdma2000 spread spectrum system. The former is embodied in a series of files including files 3G TS 25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS 25.213, 3G TS 25.214(W-CDMA standard), and the latter is known as 1xEV-DV proposal.

An example of a data-only communication system IS a High Data Rate (HDR) communication system that conforms to the TIA/EIA/IS-856 industry standard, hereinafter referred to as the IS-856 standard. This HDR system is based on the communication system disclosed in co-pending application serial No. 08/963,386 entitled "method and apparatus for high rate packet data transmission," filed on 3.11/1997, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The HDR communication system defines a series of data rates, ranging from 38.4Kbps to 2.4Mbps, AT which an Access Point (AP) can transmit data to a subscriber station (access terminal, AT). Because the AP is base station-like, the terminology with respect to cells and sectors is the same as for voice systems.

In a multiple access communication system, communication between users is conducted through one or more base stations. A first user at one subscriber station communicates with a second user at a second subscriber station by transmitting data to a base station over a reverse link. A base station receives data and may forward the data to another base station. Data is transmitted to a second subscriber station via a forward link (forward link) of the same or other base station. The forward link refers to transmissions from the base station to the subscriber station, and the reverse link refers to transmissions from the subscriber station to the base station. Similarly, communication may be between a first user at a user station and a second user at a land transportation station. The base station receives data from the subscriber on the reverse link and forwards the data to the second subscriber through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). In many communication systems, such as IS-95, W-CDMA, IS-2000, different frequencies are allocated for the forward link and reverse link.

The wireless communication service is an example of a point-to-point communication service. In contrast, broadcast or multicast services provide point-to-multipoint communication services. The basic model of a broadcast or multicast system consists of a network of broadcast or multicast subscribers served by one or more central stations which transmit information of fixed content, such as news, movies, sports programs, etc., to the subscribers. The subscriber station of each broadcast or multicast network subscriber listens for a common broadcast or multicast forward link signal. Because the central station fixedly decides on the content, the user typically does not communicate back. Common examples of broadcast or multicast service communication systems are television broadcasts, push-to-talk over radio group calls, and the like. These communication systems are typically highly specialized communication systems. Recently with the advancement of wireless cellular telephone systems, there has been an interest in applying the existing low-level infrastructure of the main point-to-point cellular telephone system to broadcast or multicast services. (As used herein, the term "cellular" system includes communication systems that utilize both cellular and PCS frequencies)

Information signals to be exchanged between terminals of a communication system are typically organized into a plurality of packets. For descriptive purposes, a packet is a set of bytes that includes data (payload) and control elements arranged in a particular format. The control element comprises e.g. a header and a quality indicator. Quality indicators include, for example, Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), parity bits, and other indicator types known to those skilled in the art. The packet is typically formatted into a message according to a communication channel structure. Messages that are appropriately modulated and transmitted between a sending terminal and a destination terminal are affected by characteristics of the communication channel, such as signal-to-noise ratio, fading, time-varying, and other characteristics. These characteristics have different effects on the modulated signal in different communication channels. As a result, transmission of modulated signals over wireless communication channels requires different considerations than transmission of modulated signals over wired communication channels, such as coaxial cables or fiber optic cables.

In addition to selecting the appropriate modulation for a particular communication channel, other methods for protecting the information signal have been devised. These methods include, for example, coding, symbol repetition, interleaving, and other methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. However, these methods increase overhead. Thus, an engineering compromise must be made between the reliability of the communication of the message and the size of the overhead. Even with the information protection discussed above, the condition of the communication channel may degrade to the point that the destination station may not be able to decode (drop) some packets containing the message. In a data-only communication system, the solution is to retransmit the packet to be decoded to the transmitting station using an automatic repeat request (ARQ) generated by the destination station. However, as discussed, the user does not communicate back to the base station. Furthermore, even if the user is allowed to transmit ARQ, this communication may overload the communication system. As a result, other means of information protection are required.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments disclosed herein address the above stated needs by providing a system and method for code combining data from different base stations in a communication system.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of a high speed broadcast or multicast service (HSBSMS) communication system.

Fig. 2 illustrates the physical and logical channel concept of the HSBS.

Fig. 3 shows a prior art encoding according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram representing encoding, combining, and decoding of data, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a representation of a combining process applied to one embodiment of an example.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a code combining method in a communication system according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

Definition of

The term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

The term point-to-point communication is used herein to mean communication between two subscriber stations over a dedicated communication channel.

The terms broadcast or multicast communication or point-to-multipoint communication are used herein to denote a communication means in which a plurality of subscriber stations receive communications from a source.

The term packet is used herein to mean a group of bits, including data (payload) and control elements, arranged in a particular format. The control elements include, for example, a header and a quality indicator, and other types known to those skilled in the art. Quality indicators include, for example, Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), parity bits, and other indicators known to those skilled in the art.

The term access network is used herein to mean the combination of a Base Station (BS) and one or more base station controllers. An access network transports data packets between a plurality of subscriber stations. The access network may be further connected to networks other than the access network, such as an enterprise intranet or the internet, and may transport data packets between each access terminal and these outside networks.

The term base station is used herein to refer to the hardware with which subscriber stations communicate. A Cell (Cell) refers to hardware or a geographical coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. A Sector (Sector) is a portion of a cell. Since a sector contains the properties of a cell, it is easy to extend the description described in the term cell to sectors.

Subscriber station is used herein to mean the hardware used by the access network to communicate. The subscriber station may be mobile or stationary. A subscriber station may be any data device that communicates through a wireless channel or through a wired channel, for example using fiber optic or coaxial cables. The subscriber station may further be any of a variety of devices including, but not limited to, a PC card, compact flash, external or internal modem, or wireless or wireline phone. A subscriber station that is in the process of establishing an active traffic channel connection with a base station is said to be in a connection setup state. A subscriber station that has established an active traffic channel connection with a base station is referred to as an active subscriber station and is said to be in a traffic state.

The term physical channel is used herein to denote a communication channel in which signals described in terms of modulation characteristics and coding are transmitted.

The term logical channel is used herein to mean a communication channel in the protocol layer of a base station or a subscriber station.

The term communication channel/link is used herein to mean either a physical channel or a logical channel depending on the context.

The term reverse channel/link is used herein to refer to the communication channel/link through which a subscriber station sends signals to a base station.

A forward channel/link is used herein to refer to a communication channel/link through which a base station transmits signals to a subscriber station.

The term erasure is used herein to mean failure to identify a message.

The term dedicated channel is used herein to mean a channel modulated by information specific to an individual subscriber station.

The term common channel is used herein to mean a channel modulated by information shared by all subscriber stations.

The term F-PDCH is used herein to represent the forward data packet channel.

The term F-PDCCH is used herein to represent the forward data packet control channel.

The term subset is defined as a set contained within a set.

Description of the invention

The basic model of a broadcast or multicast system comprises a network of broadcast or multicast subscribers served by one or more central stations transmitting fixed content to the subscribers, such as news, movies, sports programs, etc., each subscriber station of a subscriber of the broadcast or multicast network listening to a common broadcast or multicast forward link signal. Fig. 1 illustrates a conceptual block diagram of a communication system 100 that may implement high speed broadcast or multicast services (HSBSMS) in accordance with one embodiment.

Broadcast or multicast content is sourced at a Content Server (CS) 102. The content server may be located within a carrier network (not shown) or external to the Internet (IP) 104. The content is delivered in packets to a broadcast or multicast packet data service node (BPDSN) 106. The term BPDSN is used because although the BPDSN may be physically co-located or the same as a conventional PDSN (not shown), the BPDSN may be logically different from the conventional PDSN. The BPDSN106 delivers the packet to a Packet Control Function (PCF)108 based on the packet's destination. The PCF is a control entity that controls the functions of the base station 110 for the HSBS as a base station controller for conventional voice and data services. To illustrate the relationship of the high-end concept of HSBS to the physical access network, fig. 1 shows a PCF that is physically co-located or even identical, but logically different from a Base Station Controller (BSC). The BSC/PCF108 provides the packets to the base station 114.

Communication system 100 enables high speed broadcast or multicast service (HSBSMS) by introducing a high data rate forward broadcast or multicast shared channel (F-BSMSCH)112 that can be received by a large number of subscriber stations 114. The term forward broadcast or multicast shared channel is used herein to mean a single forward link physical channel that carries broadcast or multicast traffic. A single F-BSMSCH may carry one or more HSBSMS channels multiplexed in TDM fashion within the single F-BSMSCH, where the term HSBSMS channel is used to denote a single logical HSBSMS broadcast or multicast subscription defined by the broadcast or multicast content of the subscription. Each subscription is defined by time-varying broadcast or multicast content; e.g., 7 am news, 8 am weather, 9 am movie, etc. Fig. 2 illustrates the discussed physical and logical channel concepts of an HSBS according to an embodiment.

As shown in fig. 2, at two frequencies f_x，f_yThe HSBS is provided on the transmitted F-BSCHs 202. Thus, for example, in the cdma2000 communication system described above, such a physical channel may comprise, for example, a forward supplemental channel (F-SCH), a forward broadcast control channel (F-BCCH), a forward common control channel (F-CCCH), other common and dedicated channels, and combinations of channels. Co-pending U.S. patent application serial No.10/113,098 entitled "method and apparatus for channel management for point-to-multipoint services in a communication system," filed on 28/3/2002, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses common and dedicated channels for information broadcast. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other communication systems use channels that perform similar functions; thus, the present description is applicable to other communication systems.

The F-BSMSCHs202 carry broadcast or multicast traffic, which may include one or more broadcast or multicast subscriptions. The F-BSCH1 carries two HSMSBS channels 204a, 204b multiplexed on the F-BCCH 1202 a. The F-BSCH 2202 b carries one HSBSMS channel 204 c. The contents of the HSBSMS channel are formatted into packets containing a payload 206 and a header 208.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the HSBSMS broadcast or multicast service configuration shown in fig. 2 is for educational purposes. Thus, in a given sector, the HSBSMS broadcast or multicast service may be configured in a number of ways depending on the features supported by the devices of a particular communication system. The device characteristics include, for example, the number of HSBSMS reservations supported, the number of frequency allocations, the number of broadcast or multicast physical channels supported, and other device characteristics known to those skilled in the art. Thus, for example, more than two frequencies of F-BSMSCHs may be configured in a sector. Further, a single HSBSMS channel may be multiplexed onto more than one broadcast or multicast channel in a sector, serving users on these frequencies on different frequencies.

As discussed, communication systems typically transmit information in frames or blocks, which are protected by coding to prevent adverse conditions affecting the communication channel. Examples of such systems include cdma2000, WCDMA, UMTS systems. As shown in fig. 3, a bit stream 302 of information to be transmitted, generated from a higher layer, is provided to an encoder 304 on the physical layer. The encoder accepts a block of bits of length S, which typically includes some overhead such as tail bits for the encoder, a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), and other overhead information known to those skilled in the art. These overhead information helps the decoder at the receiving end to confirm the decoding success or failure. The encoder then encodes the S bits using a specified code, resulting in a coded block of length P ═ S + R, where R denotes the number of redundant bits.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that while the embodiments are illustrated in a layered model, this is for pedagogical purposes and that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the physical layer may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Thus, for example, an implementation or implementation of encoder 304 may use: a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of such devices designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose functional processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram representing encoding, combining, and decoding of data according to an embodiment. Assume that a 1k information bit stream is provided to 1/2 rate encoder 412 and then 2k bits are output from encoder 412. According to an embodiment, the encoder is located in the base station controller 410. According to another embodiment, the encoder 412 is disposed in a base station. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in one embodiment different ratios of encoder and decoder may be used.

According to one embodiment, the 2k bits are partitioned by a divider 414, such that a subset of the 2k bits is transmitted to each of the plurality of base stations. In one embodiment, the splitter 414 is located in the base station controller 410. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the splitter 414 may be located separately from the base station controller 410. A subset is defined as a set contained in a set. The subset may contain the same number of members as the set, i.e. the subset is equal to the set. A subset may be an empty set. The subsets sent to the multiple base stations may or may not intersect.

For teaching purposes, fig. 4 shows only a subset of bits sent to the first base station 420 and the nth base station 430. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in a regression case there may be only one base station. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that when N > 1, there may be any number of base stations N. For example, a subset containing the previous 1k bits of the 2k bits is transmitted to the first base station 420, and a subset containing the last 1.5k bits of the 2k bits is transmitted to the second base station N430.

Each base station 420, 430 includes a modulator 422, 432 that modulates the base station input signal. After modulation, each base station transmits its modulated signal to the mobile station 440. The mobile station 440 includes a demodulator 442 that demodulates the modulated signals from the plurality of base stations.

The output of the demodulator 442 is provided to a combiner 446. In one embodiment, the combiner 446 combines bits from multiple base stations using the parameters required by the combining process 448. The parameters show the positions of the bits to be combined relative to their corresponding positions in the 2k bit stream of information originally output by the encoder 412. The parameters are transmitted by multiple base stations by signaling them to the mobile station 440. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the combiner 446 may use any combining scheme known in the art that improves the reliability of the combined bits.

FIG. 5 shows a combined process representation of an exemplary embodiment. A first bit stream 502A is transmitted from a first base station to a subscriber station and a second bit stream 502B is transmitted from a second base station to the subscriber station. The first bit stream 502A is demodulated and the demodulated bit stream 504A is provided to the combiner 446. The second bit stream 502B is demodulated and the demodulated bit stream 504B is provided to a combiner 446. The combiner 446 combines the demodulated bit streams 504A, 504B to thereby produce a combined bit stream 506. The bit stream denoted by reference numeral 508 shows the intersection between the demodulated bit stream 504A and the demodulated bit stream 504B.

Referring to the example of fig. 4, the combined 2k bit stream is provided to the 1/2 rate decoder 450. The 1/2 rate decoder 450 decodes the combined 2k bit stream and outputs 1k decoded bits.

The combiner 446 may operate at any data level. In one embodiment, the combiner 446 may operate at the bit level. In one embodiment, the combiner 446 may operate at the frame level. In one embodiment, the combiner 446 may operate at the symbol level. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the combiner 446 may operate on any combination of data known in the art.

Fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for code combining in a communication system in an embodiment. In step 602, the information is encoded at the control center, thereby generating encoded symbols. In one embodiment, the control center includes a base station controller. In one embodiment, the control center includes a base station.

For teaching purposes, the code combining method is shown in connection with the first base station 420 and the base station N430. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in a regression case there may be only one base station, and as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, there may be any number of base stations N when N > 1.

According to an embodiment, a subset of the encoded symbols is distributed to a plurality of base stations. In step 604, a portion or all of the encoded symbols are distributed to the first base station 420. Also, in step 606, some or all of the encoded symbols are distributed to base station N430, where N is the base station number distributed to the encoded symbols.

In step 608, the coded symbols received by the first base station 420 are modulated according to the available resources of the first base station 420. Also, in step 610, the coded symbols received by base station N430 are modulated according to the available resources of base station N430. In one embodiment, the available resources include available energy resources for a given base station. In one embodiment, the available resources include the number of Walsh codes (Walsh codes) available for a given base station. In an embodiment, the available resources include transmission durations.

In step 612, the modulated symbols from the first base station 420 are transmitted on the F-PDCH for the first base station 420 (from step 608). Likewise, in step 614, the modulated symbols from base station N430 are transmitted on the F-PDCH for base station N430 (from step 610).

In step 616, the modulated symbols from the first base station 420 are received by the mobile station. Also in step 618, the mobile station receives the modulated symbols from base station N430.

In step 620, the mobile station 440 obtains the control information necessary to receive the modulated symbols transmitted on the F-PDCH for the first base station 420. Also, in step 622, the mobile station 440 obtains the control information necessary to receive the modulated symbols transmitted on the F-PDCH for base station N430.

In step 624, the mobile station 440 receives the modulated signal from the first base station 420 (from step 612) using the control information necessary to receive the modulated symbols transmitted on the F-PDCH for the first base station 420. Similarly, in step 626, the mobile station 440 receives the modulated signal from base station N430 (from step 614) using the control information necessary to receive the modulated symbols transmitted on the F-PDCH for base station N430.

In step 628, the modulated symbols received from the multiple base stations are combined to produce a combined signal, i.e., the combined symbols placed in the decoder buffer.

In step 630, the combined signal is decoded.

In one embodiment, the information blocks are encoded at a control center, such as a BSC. The encoded symbols are then distributed to a plurality of base stations. Each base station may transmit a portion or all of the encoded symbols.

In one embodiment, one BSC distributes all encoded symbols to each base station. Each base station then determines whether to transmit some or all of the symbols based on its available communication resources (power, walsh codes, duration), modulates the selected symbols and transmits them. In this case, there is no cooperation between the base stations.

In another embodiment, each base station periodically reports its available communication resources (power, walsh codes, duration) to a BSC. The BSC then determines which base station will transmit what portion of the encoded symbols. The BSC operates to reduce the intersection of the transmissions to be made by different base stations and to reduce the occurrence of multiple base stations transmitting the same encoded symbols. Thus, some cooperation occurs in the base station. As a result of cooperation, the effective code rate may be reduced.

In one embodiment, at the receiver, the subscriber station determines how to combine symbols received from different base stations. Based on information in the F-PDCCH associated with the F-PDCH, the subscriber station can determine how many binary symbols each base station transmits. However, other information is still needed to combine symbols from different base stations.

In one embodiment, a rule is defined in advance indicating which base station transmits which symbol. In one embodiment, each base station has a default starting point in the bit stream for transmitting symbols, and these default starting points are known to the subscriber station. In another embodiment, the first base station always transmits symbols from the beginning of the bit stream and the second base station always transmits symbols from the end of the bit stream and works backwards along the bit stream.

In one embodiment, explicit signaling is used. Each base station transmits to the subscriber station which symbols are being transmitted from the base station. The signaling may be a description of a range of selected symbols. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there are other ways of signaling to the subscriber station which indicates what symbols are being transmitted from each base station.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The implementation or execution of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be used to: a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of such devices designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose functional processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The algorithms or method steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the patent and trademark office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

Claims (13)

1. A method of combining, comprising the steps of:

encoding a set of bits;

distributing a first subset of the encoded bits to a first station;

distributing a second subset of the encoded bits to a second station;

modulating the first subset of bits, the modulating step producing a modulated first subset of bits;

modulating the second subset of bits, the modulating step producing a modulated second subset of bits;

transmitting the modulated first subset of bits to a third station;

transmitting the modulated second subset of bits to a third station;

demodulating the modulated first subset of bits, the demodulating step producing a demodulated first subset of bits;

demodulating the modulated second subset of bits, the demodulating producing a demodulated second subset of bits;

the demodulated first subset of bits and the demodulated second subset of bits are combined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first station and the second station are base stations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the third station is a subscriber station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining step is performed based on a specification that indicates a first subset of bits and a second subset of bits a priori,

5. the method of claim 1, wherein the combining step is performed based on signaling from the first station and the second station to the third station. The signaling from the first station indicates a first subset of bits and the signaling from the second station indicates a second subset of bits.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first station transmits the modulated first subset of bits to the third station based on a communication resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the communication resource is an energy source.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said communication resource is a plurality of Walsh codes (Walsh codes) available for transmission.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the communication resource is an available transmission time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the first subset of bits and the second subset of bits based on communication resources available to the first station and communication resources available to the second station.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising reporting available communication resources of the first station and the second station to a fourth station, wherein the fourth station determines the first subset of bits and the second subset of bits.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmitting is performed on a forward data packet channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the third station determines how many bits were transmitted from the first station based on information on a forward data packet control channel from the first station, and determines how many bits were transmitted from the second station based on information on a forward data packet control channel from the second station.