HK1130600A - Frame structures for wireless communication systems - Google Patents

Description

Frame structure for wireless communication system

Cross-referencing

The present application claims the benefit of the following patent applications: filed 24.10.2006, entitled "FRAME STRUCTURES FOR WIRELESS communications SYSTEMS", U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/862,641, and U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/862,744, filed 24.10.2006. The entire contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The following description relates to wireless communications; for example, to frame structures for wireless communication systems.

Background

Wireless communication systems have become a primary communication means by which most people worldwide have the ability to communicate. Wireless communication devices are becoming smaller and more powerful to meet consumer needs and to increase portability and convenience. The increase in processing power in mobile devices, such as cellular telephones, has led to an increase in demand for wireless network transmission systems. Such systems are typically not as easily updated as the cellular devices that communicate thereon. As mobile device capabilities expand, it can be difficult to maintain an old wireless network system in a manner that leverages new and increased wireless device capabilities.

Generally, a wireless communication system generates transmission resources in the form of channels using different methods. These systems may be Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) systems, Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) systems, and Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) systems. One commonly used variant of FDM is Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), which effectively partitions the overall system bandwidth into multiple orthogonal subcarriers. These subcarriers may also be referred to as tones, frequency bins, and frequency channels. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. With time division based techniques, each subcarrier may comprise a portion of consecutive time slices or time slots. Each user may be provided with one or more time slot and subcarrier combinations for transmitting and receiving information during a defined burst or frame. The hopping scheme can be generally a symbol rate scheme or a block hopping scheme.

Code division based techniques typically transmit data over several frequencies available at any time within a certain range. In general, data is digitized and spread over available bandwidth, wherein multiple users may overlap on a channel, and each user may be assigned a unique sequence code. Users may transmit in the same chunk of wideband spectrum, with each user's signal distributed over the entire bandwidth by its respective unique spreading code. The techniques may support sharing, where one or more users may transmit and receive simultaneously. This sharing can be achieved by spread spectrum digital modulation, where the user's bit stream is encoded and distributed in a pseudo-random manner over a wide channel. In order to collect the bits of a particular user in a consistent manner, the receiver is designed to recognize the associated unique sequence code and undo the randomization.

A typical wireless communication network (e.g., using frequency, time, and/or code division techniques) includes one or more base stations that provide a coverage area and one or more mobile (e.g., wireless) terminals that can transmit and receive data within the coverage area. A typical base station can simultaneously transmit multiple data streams for broadcast, multicast, and/or unicast services, wherein a data stream may be a stream of data that can be of independent reception interest to a mobile terminal. A mobile terminal within the coverage area of that base station can be interested in receiving one, more than one, or all the data streams transmitted from the base station. Likewise, a mobile terminal may transmit data to a base station or another mobile terminal. In these systems, a scheduler is utilized to allocate bandwidth and other system resources.

For the case of large deployment bandwidths, the channel often becomes dispersive and the frequency response varies across the bandwidth.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview and is intended to neither identify key/critical elements nor delineate the scope of such embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with one or more embodiments and corresponding disclosure thereof, various aspects are described in connection with a superframe structure presented that can provide improved acquisition performance. The superframe structure may also allow for efficient determination of flexible parameters for determining the preamble structure. The superframe structure may also facilitate rapid paging capacity scaling with bandwidth.

One aspect relates to a method of transmitting information in a wireless communication system. The method includes generating a first acquisition pilot carrying system determination information and transmitting the first acquisition pilot to a terminal within the wireless communication system. The superframe preamble may include a first acquisition pilot. The first acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble.

Another aspect is a wireless communications apparatus that includes at least one processor and a memory. The at least one processor is configured to create a first acquisition pilot carrying system determination information and to send the first acquisition pilot. The memory is coupled to the at least one processor.

Another aspect relates to a wireless communications apparatus that communicates superframe preamble information. The wireless communications apparatus can include means for generating a first acquisition pilot that carries system determination information. The apparatus further includes means for transmitting the first acquisition pilot. The first acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble.

A related aspect is a computer program product that includes a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can comprise code for causing at least one computer to create a first acquisition pilot carrying system determination information. The computer-readable medium can further comprise code for causing the at least one computer to transmit a first acquisition pilot to a terminal within the wireless communication system. The first acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble.

Another aspect relates to a wireless communications apparatus that includes a processor. The processor can be configured to generate a first acquisition pilot carrying system determination information and transmit the first acquisition pilot to a terminal in the wireless communication system. There is also a memory coupled to the processor.

A related aspect is a method for receiving information in a wireless communication environment. The method includes detecting a first acquisition pilot and utilizing the first acquisition pilot to obtain system determination information. The first acquisition pilot may include system determination information.

A further aspect relates to a wireless communications apparatus that includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The processor can be configured to detect a first acquisition pilot and utilize the first acquisition pilot to obtain system determination information. The first acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble.

Another related aspect is a wireless communications apparatus that receives superframe preamble information. The apparatus includes means for detecting a first acquisition pilot. The apparatus can also include means for utilizing the first acquisition pilot to obtain system determination information.

Yet another aspect relates to a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can comprise code for causing at least one computer to discover a first acquisition pilot. The computer-readable medium can further comprise code for causing the at least one computer to obtain system determination information by analyzing the first acquisition pilot. The first acquisition pilot may indicate whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized, whether half-duplex operation is utilized, whether frequency reuse is utilized by a superframe, or a combination thereof.

Yet another aspect relates to a wireless communications apparatus that includes a processor. The processor can be configured to detect a first acquisition pilot that includes system determination information and interpret system determinations included in the first acquisition pilot. A memory may be coupled to the processor.

For the purposes of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more embodiments include the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects and are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various embodiments may be employed. Other benefits and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings and the disclosed embodiments are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a multiple access wireless communication system that may utilize the frame structures disclosed herein.

Fig. 2 illustrates aspects of a superframe structure for a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) multiple access wireless communication system.

Fig. 3 illustrates aspects of a superframe structure of a Time Division Duplex (TDD) multiple access wireless communication system.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example system that facilitates communicating in a wireless communication environment utilizing the disclosed frame structure.

Fig. 5 illustrates a system that facilitates receiving the disclosed frame structure for communication in a wireless communication environment.

Fig. 6 illustrates a method of transmitting information in a wireless communication system.

Fig. 7 illustrates a method for receiving an acquisition pilot that includes system determination information.

Fig. 8 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a transmitter system and a receiver system.

Fig. 9 illustrates a system that communicates information in a wireless communication environment.

Fig. 10 illustrates a system that receives information in a wireless communication environment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, various embodiments are described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. It may be evident, however, that such embodiment(s) may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing these embodiments.

As used in this application, the terms "component," "system," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to: a process running on a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. For ease of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and the computing device itself can be a component. A process and/or thread of execution may have one or more components, and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate by way of local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the internet with other systems by way of the signal).

Moreover, various embodiments are described herein with respect to a wireless terminal. A wireless terminal refers to a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to a user. A wireless terminal can also be called a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile device, remote station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, user device, or user equipment. A wireless terminal may be a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wireless connection capability, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. Furthermore, various embodiments described herein relate to a base station. A base station may be utilized for communicating with wireless terminal(s) and may also be referred to as an access point, node B, or some other terminology.

Various embodiments will be described in terms of systems that may include devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. Combinations of these approaches may also be used.

Fig. 1 illustrates a multiple access wireless communication system 100 that utilizes the frame structure disclosed herein. In more detail, the multiple access wireless communication system 100 includes a plurality of cells, such as cells 102, 104, and 106. In the embodiment of fig. 1, each cell 102, 104, and 106 may include an access point 108, 110, 112 that includes multiple sectors. Multiple sectors are formed by groups of antennas, each of which is responsible for communication with access terminals in a portion of the cell. In cell 102, antenna groups 114, 116, and 118 each correspond to a different sector. In cell 104, antenna groups 120, 122, and 124 each correspond to a different sector. In cell 106, antenna groups 126, 128, and 130 each correspond to a different sector.

Each cell includes a number of access terminals that communicate with one or more sectors of each access point. For example, access terminals 132, 134, 136, and 138 are in communication base station 108, access terminals 140, 142, and 144 are in communication with access point 110, and access terminals 146, 148, and 150 are in communication with access point 112.

For example, as shown in cell 104, each access terminal 140, 142, and 144 is located in a different portion of its respective cell than other access terminals in the same cell. Further, each access terminal 140, 142, and 144 can have a different distance from the corresponding antenna group with which it is communicating. These factors, as well as environmental and other conditions within the cell, cause different channel conditions to exist between each access terminal and the antenna group with which it is communicating.

A controller 152 is coupled to each cell 102, 104, and 106. The controller 152 may include one or more connections to multiple networks, such as the internet, other packet-based networks, or circuit-switched voice networks, that provide information to and from access terminals in communication with the cells of the multiple access wireless communication system 100. The controller 152 includes, or is coupled to, a scheduler that schedules transmissions to and from the access terminals. In some embodiments, the scheduler may reside in each individual cell, in each sector of a cell, or a combination thereof.

Each sector may operate with one or more of a number of carriers. Each carrier is a portion of a larger bandwidth in which the system may operate or be available for communication. A single sector utilizing one or more carriers may have multiple access terminals scheduled on each different carrier at any given time interval (e.g., frame or superframe). Further, one or more access terminals may be scheduled on multiple carriers at substantially the same time.

An access terminal may be scheduled on a carrier or more than one carrier depending on its capabilities. These capabilities may be part of session information that is generated when the access terminal attempts to acquire a communication or that has been previously negotiated, may be part of identification information transmitted by the access terminal, or may be established according to other methods. In certain aspects, the session information may include a session identification token, which is generated by querying the access terminal or by determining its capabilities from its transmissions.

Further, according to some aspects, for any given superframe, acquisition pilots, which may be included in a superframe preamble, may be provided on only one carrier or a portion of one carrier. According to other aspects, only a portion of the superframe preamble (e.g., pilot or acquisition pilot) may have a bandwidth less than the carrier, while other portions of the superframe preamble have a larger bandwidth.

As used herein, an access point may be a fixed station used for communicating with the terminals and may also be referred to as, and include some or all the functionality described above. An access terminal may also be referred to as, and include some or all the functionality of, a User Equipment (UE), a wireless communication device, terminal, mobile station, etc.

It should be noted that although fig. 1 shows physical sectors (e.g., having different antenna groups for different sectors), other approaches may also be utilized. For example, using a plurality of fixed "beams," where each beam covers a different area of a cell in frequency space, may be used instead of, or in combination with, a physical sector.

For a complete understanding of the various disclosed aspects, a superframe structure for a multiple access wireless communication system will be discussed. Fig. 2 illustrates some aspects of a superframe structure 200 of a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) multiple access wireless communication system. Fig. 3 illustrates some aspects of a superframe structure 300 of a Time Division Duplex (TDD) multiple access wireless communication system. According to certain aspects, the superframe preamble or a portion thereof may span one carrier or less than one carrier. Further, according to certain aspects, the center subcarrier of a given carrier may be the center subcarrier or substantially the subcarriers of a superframe preamble.

The forward link transmission is divided into units of superframes 200, 300, which may include a superframe preamble 204, 304 followed by a series of physical layer frames, some of which are labeled at 206, 208, 306, and 308. In FDD system 200, the reverse link and forward link transmissions may occupy different frequency bandwidths, such that the transmissions on these links do not overlap, or for the most part do not overlap, on any frequency subcarriers. In TDD system 300, N forward link frames and M reverse link frames define the number of sequential forward link and reverse link frames that can be transmitted in succession before transmission of the opposite type of frame is permitted. It should be noted that the numbers N and M may vary within a given superframe or between superframes.

In some embodiments, the superframe preamble 204, 304 includes acquisition pilots that may help the terminal acquire enough information to connect to and utilize the wireless communication system. The preamble may also include one or more of the following control channels: a forward link primary broadcast control channel (F-PBCCH), a forward link secondary broadcast control channel (F-SBCCH), and a forward quick paging channel (F-QPCH). These control channels carry configuration information for the forward link waveform and/or quick paging information for idle mode users. The physical layer frames may carry data and other control channels than those carried by the preambles 204, 304.

In addition, the pilot channel may include pilots that may be used by the access terminal for channel estimation and/or a broadcast channel that includes configuration information that may be used by the access terminal for demodulating information contained in the forward link frame. Further acquisition information, such as timing information or other information sufficient for an access terminal to communicate on one of the carriers, basic power control or offset information may also be included within the superframe preamble 204, 304. In other cases, only some of the above and/or other information may be included within the superframe preamble 204, 304. Additionally, interference and paging information for other sectors may be carried within the superframe preamble 204, 304. The structure of the superframe preamble 204, 304 and the duration between superframe preambles (e.g., between preamble 204 and preamble 210) depend on one or more flexible parameters.

The system bandwidth may include a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size and one or more guard subcarriers. According to one aspect, paging information may occupy multiple segments of fixed bandwidth, depending on the deployment.

The preamble structure may contain a similar number of bits in the F-QPCH for all bandwidth allocations and may maintain the same link arrangement for all bandwidth allocations. For power-unlimited deployments, paging capacity may scale with bandwidth. The number of segments of the F-QPCH may be specified by a bit in the F-PBCCH. For example, the paging channel may occupy multiple segments of a particular bandwidth (e.g., 5MHz each), thereby allowing k segments when the available bandwidth is at least (512 x k-128) subcarriers. Thus, according to one aspect, a 10MHz deployment may have two F-QPCH segments, a 15MHz deployment may have three F-QPCH segments, and so on. The number of paging segments may be specified by bits in the broadcast channel or by other means. All of these segments need not be centered at the center frequency. In addition, the broadcast or other information should specify the exact boundaries that allow the transition to be made. According to some aspects, the F-PBCCH may be repeated in each F-QPCH segment. The selection of 128 guard sub-carriers corresponds to three 5MHz carrier DO deployments.

In accordance with some aspects, the acquisition pilot bandwidth is limited to 512 subcarriers and is located at or near the center of the carrier center frequency. According to one aspect, the acquisition bandwidth is fixed and does not change (e.g., no preamble hopping). This provides the benefit of simplifying the search operation and reducing acquisition time, since the searching means (e.g. terminal) can look in the same location in each superframe. Further, in accordance with some aspects, fixed bandwidths and bandwidth locations of acquisition pilots, in terms of subcarriers, may be used for handoff and active set management to provide accurate carrier-to-interference ratios (C/I), or similar estimates may be used by access terminals for these purposes (e.g., signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), signal-to-interference-and-noise ratios (SINRs), interference, etc.).

It should be noted that in the above aspect, there is no hopping preamble. In the hopping preamble scheme, the interference seen by each sector varies from superframe to superframe. Since the acquisition performance is of high quality at 5MHz, any improvement due to hopping is offset by the loss in handover management and system determination performance. Thus, the above aspects do not utilize preamble hopping.

According to another aspect, the cyclic prefix used by the symbols in the superframe preamble, or the acquisition pilot only, may be the same as the cyclic prefix used by the symbols in the respective frames. In accordance with one aspect, the access terminal can determine the length of the cyclic prefix based on the cyclic prefix or by decoding the second of the three acquisition pilots. This allows for system-wide variation of cyclic prefix length in one or more portions of a given deployment. The cyclic prefix may be carried in the acquisition pilot and therefore need not be limited to a constant value.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the superframe preamble 204, 304 is followed by a sequence of frames. Each frame may include the same or a different number of OFDM symbols, which may include several subcarriers that may be simultaneously utilized for transmission during certain defined periods. Further, each frame may operate according to a symbol rate hopping mode, in which one or more non-contiguous OFDM symbols are assigned to users on the forward link or reverse link, or a block hopping mode, in which users hop within a block of OFDM symbols. The actual blocks or OFDM symbols may or may not hop between frames.

According to some aspects, the F-PBCCH and the F-SBCCH may be carried in the first five OFDM symbols. The F-PBCCH is carried in all superframes, and the F-SBCCH and the F-QPCH alternate with each other. For example, F-SBCCH is carried in odd superframes and F-QPCH is carried in even superframes. Thus, the F-SBCCH and the F-QPCH alternate. The F-PBCCH, F-SBCCH, and F-QPCH share a common pilot in odd and even superframes. The F-SBCCH and the F-QPCH may be encoded on a single superframe. The F-PBCCH is jointly encoded over 16 superframes because the F-PBCCH carries static deployment-wide information (e.g., information common to various sectors).

In addition, the architecture may be different for synchronous and asynchronous systems. In asynchronous systems, even superframes are scrambled using a sector PilotPN (pilot PN), and in synchronous systems, they are scrambled using a PilotPhase. PilotPN is a 9-bit sector identifier for Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB). The PilotPhase is given by PilotPN + superframe index mod 512 (PilotPhase changes for each superframe). Even superframes may be scrambled using SFNID to support Single Frequency Network (SFN) quick paging operations. According to some aspects, SFNID may be equal to PilotPN. The sectors participating in the SFN transmit the same waveform and thus appear as a single sector transmitting with higher energy to the terminals receiving the waveform. The techniques may mitigate interference caused by one sector to another sector and may result in increased received energy at the terminal. SFN operation between a group of sectors (e.g., sectors of the same cell) may be accomplished by assigning the same SFNID to these sectors.

According to some aspects, the F-PBCCH may occupy the first OFDM symbol in the superframe preamble and the F-SBCCH/F-QPCH may occupy the next four OFDM symbols. Allocating the bandwidth worth one OFDM symbol to the PBCCH can achieve sufficient processing gain even in low bandwidth (e.g., 1.25MHz) deployments. An additional benefit may be that terminals in idle mode may use the OFDM symbol for Automatic Gain Control (AGC) convergence. For example, as such, there is no or only minimal performance degradation of the F-QPCH performance. This is possible because the F-PBCCH carries deployment specific information known to idle mode terminals. Therefore, the terminal does not need to demodulate the OFDM symbol, but uses the energy received during the symbol period as a reference to set it by Automatic Gain Control (AGC), and uses the duration of the OFDM symbol as a guard time to allow AGC convergence.

The superframe preamble structure may include eight OFDM symbols, the first five symbols may be used to carry the control channel and the last three symbols may carry the acquisition pilot. The acquisition pilot in the superframe preamble may include three pilot signals separated in time, frequency, or both. Further information about the pilot signals included in the superframe preamble will be described below.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example system 400 that facilitates communicating in a wireless communication environment utilizing the disclosed frame structure. System 400 can be used to modify a superframe preamble, which can include system determination information. The system 400 includes a transmitter 402 in wireless communication with a receiver 404. The transmitter 402 may be a base station and the receiver 404 may be a communication device, for example. It should be understood that system 400 may include one or more transmitters 402 and one or more receivers 404. However, for simplicity, only one receiver and one transmitter are shown.

To convey information to the receiver 404, the transmitter 402 includes a first pilot acquisition generator 404 that can be used to create a first acquisition pilot. According to some aspects, the first acquisition pilot is referred to as TDM 3. In accordance with some aspects, the first acquisition pilot is orthogonal to a Walsh code carrying system determination information. In accordance with some aspects, the first acquisition pilot can be further scrambled by the content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish different respective sectors. In accordance with some aspects, the system 400 can use this differentiation for differentiated transmission of the forward link other sector information signal (F-OSICH), which can also be part of the superframe preamble and used by the receiver 404 to determine the sector to which OSICH information applies.

The first acquisition pilot may carry 9 bits of information. In accordance with one aspect, the first acquisition pilot can comprise a bit that indicates whether a sector or access point is part of a synchronous or asynchronous deployment. Two bits indicating cyclic prefix duration, one bit indicating that half-duplex operation is enabled, and four bits that may be used to indicate the Least Significant Bits (LSBs) of system time in an asynchronous deployment may also be included. These four bits may be used to determine the superframe in which the broadcast transmission begins and/or to determine the superframe carrying the Extended Channel Information (ECI). According to one aspect, the ECI carries reverse link configuration information, as well as all bits of system time. According to other aspects, the four bits may also be used for seed information for an algorithm, such as hopping/scrambling at the receiver 404 (e.g., access terminal).

According to aspects of synchronous deployment, LSBs may be used to carry TDD digital (numerology) information (e.g., split between forward and reverse links). Further, one of four bits may be reserved for indicating FDD operation. In accordance with some aspects, one bit may be used to indicate frequency reuse on a superframe channel (e.g., use of multiple access points or sectors of the same bandwidth). According to another aspect, for the case of a 5MHz FFT design, one or more bits may roughly define the number of guard carriers used.

Also included in the transmitter 402 is a second pilot acquisition generator 408 that can be used to create a second acquisition pilot. According to some aspects, the second acquisition pilot may be referred to as TDM 2. According to one aspect, the second acquisition pilot is orthogonal to a Walsh code that depends on PilotPN in the case of asynchronous sectors and PilotPhase in the case of synchronous sectors. According to one aspect, the phase offset may be defined as PilotPN + SuperframeIndex mod 512. PilotPhase is used in the synchronization sector to allow acquisition pilots to vary from superframe to superframe, thereby supporting processing gain across superframes.

Transmitter 402 can also include a third pilot acquisition generator 408 that can be utilized to create a third acquisition pilot. According to some aspects, the third acquisition pilot may be referred to as (TDM 1). According to one aspect, the third acquisition pilot carries a unique sequence, which may be independent of PilotPN. In accordance with some aspects, the third acquisition pilot spans subcarriers of 5MHz bandwidth. According to some aspects, a third acquisition pilot with a bandwidth below 5MHz may be generated by eliminating some guard carriers, thereby having a suitable bandwidth. In accordance with one aspect, the third acquisition pilot can be utilized for synchronization.

According to some aspects, the third acquisition pilot sequence may be independent of sector identity, but may rely on some bits of system information (e.g., FFT size utilized by the system and cyclic prefix length utilized by the system). In accordance with some aspects, 12 different sequences (approximately 4 bits of information) may be used to transmit the third acquisition pilot. According to other aspects, the third acquisition pilot sequence may be unique (e.g., no information bits are transmitted using the sequence). This may slow the acquisition complexity, as correlating with each of the third acquisition pilot sequences in a real-time manner constitutes a major portion of the complexity of the acquisition process.

In accordance with some aspects, the third acquisition pilot carries a time/frequency synchronization pilot that may be independent of PilotPN. 4 GCL sequences may be used to specify the Cyclic Prefix (CP) duration. The GCL sequence may be based on an FFT size of 128, 256, or 512 tones. A pilot waveform with FFT size greater than 512 tones is the same as 512 tones. The GCL sequence may be mapped to every nth subcarrier, where N is greater than 1, to provide N repetitions in the time domain. Repetition can be used for initial detection of the sequence and/or frequency correction.

It should be noted that the first, second, and third acquisition pilots need not be consecutive OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble. However, in accordance with some aspects, the first, second, and third acquisition pilots may be consecutive OFDM symbols. The acquisition pilot may comprise any set of sequences including, but not limited to, orthogonal sequences. The third acquisition pilot GCL sequences are not necessarily orthogonal to each other.

The transmitter 402 also includes a communication device 412 that can be employed to transmit the first (TDM3), second (TDM2), and third (TDM1) acquisition pilots to the receiver 404. In accordance with some aspects, the first, second, and/or third acquisition pilots may be carried within a superframe preamble. The receiver 404 can utilize this information to improve acquisition performance.

System 400 can include a processor 414 operatively coupled to transmitter 402 (and/or memory 416) to execute instructions related to generating an acquisition pilot and transmitting the acquisition pilot to receiver 404. Acquisition pilots may be carried within the superframe preamble. Processor 414 can also execute instructions related to including acquisition pilots within a superframe preamble. Processor 414 can also be a processor that controls one or more components of system 400, and/or a processor that both analyzes and generates information received by transmitter 402 and controls one or more components of system 400.

Memory 416 can store information related to acquisition pilots and/or superframe preambles generated by processor 414, as well as other suitable information related to communicating information in a wireless communication network. The memory 416 also stores protocols associated with taking actions to control communications between the transmitter 402 and the receiver 404, such that the system 400 can employ the stored protocols and/or algorithms to implement various aspects disclosed herein.

It will be appreciated that the data store (e.g., memories) described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. By way of example, and not limitation, volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can include Random Access Memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of example and not limitation, RAM is available in a variety of forms such as synchronous RAM (dram), dynamic RAM (dram), synchronous dram (sdram), double data rate sdram (ddr sdram), enhanced sdram (esdram), synclink dram (sldram), and direct memory bus (Rambus) RAM (drram). The memory 210 of the disclosed embodiments is intended to comprise, without being limited to, these and other suitable types of memory.

Fig. 5 illustrates a system 500 that facilitates receiving a disclosed frame structure for communication in a wireless communication environment. System 500 can be configured to receive a superframe preamble including system determination information. System 500 may include one or more transmitters 502 in wireless communication with one or more receivers 504.

Receiver 504 may include a first acquisition pilot detector 506 that may be used to discover a first acquisition pilot (TDM 3). The first acquisition pilot may include system determination information. For example, the system determination information may indicate whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized, whether half-duplex operation is utilized, whether frequency reuse is utilized, or a combination thereof. The first acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble comprising at least three OFDM symbols.

Also included in the receiver 504 is a comparison means 508 that can be used to correlate the second acquisition pilot (TMD2) with the sector hypothesis. The comparison means 508 can use the FHT to correlate with all sector hypotheses. According to some aspects, the FFT for 1.25MHz and 2.5MHz may utilize different time hypotheses due to symbol repetition.

The associating means 510 can be configured to correlate the first acquisition pilot (TDM3) with information included in the second acquisition pilot. The associating means 510 may first descramble the TDM3 with PilotPN (e.g., asynchronous) or PilotPhase (e.g., synchronous) included in the TDM 2. The information carried on TDM3 may facilitate demodulation of the F-PBCCH and F-SBCCH, which may carry configuration information that facilitates demodulation of forward link data by receiver 504. For example, each F-PBCCH carries the size of the FFT and the number of guard subcarriers. The F-PBCCH may also carry 9 LSBs of system time to enable receiver 504 to convert PilotPhase to PilotPN for the synchronous system.

In accordance with some aspects, the receiver 504 can also be configured to detect a third acquisition pilot (TDM1) over a bandwidth of 1.25 MHz. Since the bandwidth may be one of 5MHz, 2.5MHz, or 1.25MHz, using the smallest supported bandwidth (1.25MHz) to find TDM1 is able to detect out-of-band interference. According to some aspects, the TDM1 waveforms for all bandwidths appear the same over this frequency (1.25MHz) range. According to other aspects, different sequences may be utilized for TDM1 depending on bandwidth. According to certain aspects, where there are 3 different sequences for bandwidth and 4 different sequences for FFT size, the receiver may correlate with 12 different sequences.

The system 500 may include a processor 512 operatively connected to the receiver 504 (and/or the memory 514) to execute instructions related to: the method includes discovering a first acquisition pilot, correlating a second acquisition pilot with the first acquisition pilot, and correlating a third acquisition pilot using information included in the second acquisition pilot. Processor 512 may also be a processor that controls one or more components of system 500 and/or a processor that both analyzes and generates information obtained by receiver 504 and controls one or more components of system 500.

Memory 514 can store information related to discovering acquisition pilots and/or correlating acquisition pilots generated by processor 512, as well as suitable other information related to communicating information in a wireless communication network. Memory 514 also stores protocols associated with taking actions to control communications between transmitter 502 and receiver 504 such that system 500 can employ stored protocols and/or algorithms to implement various aspects disclosed herein.

In view of the exemplary systems shown and described above, methodologies that may be implemented in accordance with the disclosed claimed subject matter will be better appreciated with reference to the flow charts of fig. 6 and 7. However, for simplicity of explanation, methodologies are shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the number or order of blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methodologies described hereinafter. It is to be understood that the functionality associated with the blocks may be implemented in software, hardware, a combination thereof or in any suitable manner (e.g., device, system, process, component). Further, it should be further appreciated that the methodologies disclosed hereinafter and throughout this specification are capable of being stored on an article of manufacture to facilitate transporting or transferring such methodologies to various devices. Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram.

Referring now to fig. 6, illustrated is a methodology 600 for transmitting information in a wireless communication system. The transmitted information may include acquisition pilots, which may provide improved acquisition performance. The acquisition pilot also enables efficient determination of flexible parameters that determine the preamble structure. Acquisition pilots also help to scale the quick paging capacity with bandwidth.

Methodology 600 begins at 602, a first acquisition pilot signal is generated. The first acquisition pilot may be referred to as TDM 3. In accordance with some aspects, the first acquisition pilot carries system determination information. The first acquisition pilot may indicate a cyclic prefix length used in the transmitted data, whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized, whether half-duplex operation is utilized, whether frequency reuse is utilized, or a combination thereof. At 604, a first acquisition pilot is transmitted to a terminal in a wireless communication environment.

In accordance with some aspects, a second and/or third acquisition pilot may be created and transmitted. In accordance with one aspect, at 606, a second acquisition pilot signal is generated, which can be referred to as TDM 2. The second acquisition pilot signal may comprise a sequence dependent on the sector identity. The second acquisition pilot sum may be generated using one or more aspects as previously illustrated. The first acquisition pilot signal may be scrambled by the content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish different sectors.

At 608, a third acquisition pilot signal (sometimes referred to as TDM1) is generated. The third acquisition pilot may comprise a sequence of cyclic prefixes and a bandwidth that depends on the operation. The third acquisition pilot may carry a unique sequence and may be generated using one or more of the aspects disclosed above.

At 604, any combination of the first, second, or third acquisition pilots are transmitted. In accordance with some aspects, the first, second, or third acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble. The acquisition pilot signal may be a continuous OFDM symbol or a discontinuous OFDM symbol.

In accordance with some aspects, the orthogonal sequences of the acquisition pilot signals are different. In accordance with some aspects, the orthogonal sequences are different for the second (TDM2) and first (TDM3) acquisition pilot signals based on Walsh codes. In accordance with some aspects, the three acquisition pilot signals comprise any set of sequences and are not limited to orthogonal sequences. Additionally or alternatively, the center subcarriers of the acquisition pilots are approximated as the center subcarriers of the acquisition pilots.

Fig. 7 illustrates a methodology 700 for receiving an acquisition pilot that includes system determination information. At 702, the access terminal attempts to detect a first acquisition pilot (TDM 3). The first acquisition pilot may include system determination information. For example, the system determination information may indicate whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized, whether half-duplex operation is utilized, whether frequency reuse is utilized, or a combination thereof. The first acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble comprising at least three OFDM symbols. At 704, information included in the first acquisition pilot is used to obtain system determination information.

In accordance with some aspects, at 706, method 700 further comprises correlating the second acquisition pilot using different sector hypotheses. The second acquisition pilot may be referred to as TDM 2. In accordance with one aspect, an access terminal can efficiently utilize all sector hypotheses for correlation processing using FHT. According to some aspects, TDM2 may be used with symbol repetition including different sized bandwidth deployments or FFT sizes (e.g., 1.25MHz and 2.5MHz FFTs).

Using the TDM2 information, the access terminal performs correlation processing using TD3 (first acquisition pilot) at 708, using FHT or other methods. According to one aspect, this may be facilitated by descrambling with a PN sequence or using phase scrambling as used on TDM 2. In general, the broadcast, power control, and other channels (e.g., F-PBCCH and F-SBCCH) are demodulated with information carried on TDM 3. These channels carry configuration information that enables the terminal to demodulate the forward link data (e.g., the F-PBCCH carries the exact FFT size and number of guard subcarriers deployed, or the number being used). According to an aspect, the F-PBCCH may also carry 9 LSBs of system time to enable the terminal to convert PilotPhase to PilotPN for the synchronous system.

In accordance with some aspects, methodology 700 continues at 710 when a third acquisition pilot is detected. This third acquisition pilot may be referred to as TDM 1. The detection may be over a portion of the bandwidth or substantially the entire bandwidth. According to one aspect, an access terminal looks for TDM1 over a 1.25MHz bandwidth. It should be noted that, according to some aspects, the TDM1 waveforms for all bandwidths appear the same over this frequency range. According to some aspects, the bandwidth is selected (e.g., 1.25MHz) to be the minimum supported bandwidth, thereby ensuring that no out-of-band interference affects the detection.

Referring to fig. 8, a block diagram of an embodiment of a transmitter system 810 and a receiver system 850 in a MIMO system 800 is shown. At the transmitter system 810, traffic data for a number of data streams is provided from a data source 812 to Transmit (TX) data processor 814. In one embodiment, each data stream is transmitted over a respective transmit antenna. TX data processor 814 formats, codes, and interleaves the traffic data for each data stream based on a particular coding scheme selected for that data stream to provide coded data.

The coded data for each data stream is multiplexed with pilot data using OFDM techniques. The pilot data is typically a known data pattern that is processed in a known manner and can be used at the receiver system to estimate the channel response. The multiplexed pilot and coded data for each data stream can then be modulated (e.g., mapped symbols) based on a particular modulation scheme (e.g., BPSK, QPSK, M-PSK, or MQAM) selected for that data stream to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding, and modulation for each data stream can be determined by instructions performed or provided by processor 830.

The modulation symbols for all data streams are then provided to a TX processor 820, which may further process the modulation symbols (e.g., for OFDM). TX processor 820 then provides NT modulation symbol streams to NT transmitters (TMTR)822a through 822 t. Each transmitter 822 receives and processes a respective symbol stream to provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g., amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide a modulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. NT modulated signals from transmitters 822a through 822t are then transmitted from NT antennas 824a through 824t, respectively.

At receiver system 850, the transmitted modulated signals are received by NR antennas 852a through 852r and the received signal from each antenna 852 is provided to a respective receiver (RCVR) 854. Each receiver 854 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, and downconverts) a respective received signal, digitizes the conditioned signal to provide samples, and further processes the samples to provide a corresponding "received" symbol stream.

An RX data processor 860 can then receive and process the NR received symbol streams from NR receivers 854 based on a particular receiver processing technique to provide NT "detected" symbol streams. The processing by RX data processor 860 is described in detail below. Each detected symbol stream includes symbols that are estimates of the modulation symbols transmitted for the corresponding data stream. RX data processor 860 then demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes each detected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the data stream. The processing by RX data processor 818 is complementary to that performed by TX processor 820 and TX data processor 814 at transmitter system 810.

The channel response estimate generated by RX processor 860 may be used for space, space/time processing at the receiver, adjusting power levels, changing modulation rates or schemes, and so forth. RX processor 860 may further estimate the signal-to-noise-and-interference ratios (SNRs) of the detected symbol streams, and possibly other channel characteristics, and provides these quantities to a processor 870. RX data processor 860 or processor 870 can also derive an estimate of the "operating" SNR for the system. Processor 870 then provides Channel State Information (CSI), which may comprise various information regarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. For example, the CSI may comprise only the operating SNR. The CSI is then processed by a TX data processor 878, modulated by a modulator 880, conditioned by transmitters 854a through 854r, and transmitted back to transmitter system 810.

At transmitter system 810, the modulated signals from receiver system 850 are received by antennas 824, conditioned by receivers 822, demodulated by a demodulator 840, and processed by a RX data processor 842 to recover the CSI reported by the receiver system. The reported CSI is then provided to processor 830 for use in (1) determining the data rates and coding and modulation schemes for the data streams, and (2) generating various controls for TX data processor 814 and TX processor 820. Alternatively, the CSI may be used by processor 870 to determine the modulation scheme and/or coding rate for the transmission, as well as other information. The CSI can then be provided to a transmitter that uses the information, which can be quantized for subsequent transmission to a receiver.

Processors 830 and 870 direct the operation of the transmitter and receiver systems, respectively. Memories 832 and 872 provide storage spaces for program codes and data used by processors 830 and 870, respectively.

At the receiver, the received NR signals may be processed using various processing techniques to detect the NT transmitted symbol streams. These receiver processing techniques can be divided into two main categories: (i) spatial and space-time receiver processing techniques (also known as equalization techniques); and (ii) "successive nulling/equalization and interference cancellation" receiver processing techniques (also referred to as "successive interference cancellation" or "successive cancellation" receiver processing techniques).

As used herein, the terms broadcast and multicast may apply to the same transmission. That is, the broadcast need not be transmitted to all terminals of the access point or sector.

The transmission techniques described herein may be implemented in various ways. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the processing units at the transmitter may be implemented within one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. The processing elements at the receiver may also be implemented in one or more ASICs, DSPs, processors, and the like.

For a software implementation, the transmission techniques may be implemented with instructions (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that may be used to perform the functions described herein. The instructions may be stored in a memory (e.g., memory 830, 872x, or 872y in fig. 8) or other computer program product and executed by a processor (e.g., processor 832, 870x, or 870 y). The memory may be implemented within the processor or external to the processor.

It should be noted that the concept of a channel herein refers to information or transmission types that may be transmitted by an access point or an access terminal. It does not require or utilize fixed or predetermined blocks of subcarriers, time periods, or other resources dedicated to such transmissions.

Fig. 9 illustrates a system 900 that communicates information in a wireless communication environment. System 900 can reside at least partially within a base station. It is to be appreciated that system 900 is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware).

System 900 includes a logical grouping 902 of electrical components that can act separately or in conjunction. Logical grouping 902 can include an electrical component for generating a first acquisition pilot (which can also be referred to as TDM3) 904. The first acquisition pilot may include system determination information. The second acquisition pilot may indicate a cyclic prefix length used in the transmitted data, whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized, whether half-duplex operation is utilized, whether frequency reuse is utilized by the superframe, or a combination thereof.

Also included in logical grouping 902 is an electrical component for transmitting a first acquisition pilot 908. In accordance with some aspects, the first acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble.

In accordance with some aspects, an electrical component 908 for generating a second acquisition pilot is included in logical grouping 902. The second acquisition pilot is sometimes referred to as TDM 2. The second acquisition pilot may comprise a sequence that depends on the identity of the sector. The second acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble.

In accordance with other aspects, logical grouping 902 can further comprise an electrical component for creating a third acquisition pilot 908. The third acquisition pilot may also be referred to as TDM 1. The third acquisition pilot may comprise a sequence of cyclic prefixes and a bandwidth that depends on the operation. In accordance with some aspects, the third acquisition pilot may be carried within a superframe preamble.

Alternatively or additionally, electrical component 906 can include one or more of the first, second, and third acquisition pilots in a superframe preamble transmitted by electrical component 908. The first, second, and third acquisition pilots may comprise any set of sequences. According to some aspects, if orthogonal sequences are utilized, the orthogonal sequences are different for the first (TDM3) and second (TDM2) acquisition pilots based on Walsh codes. The GCL sequences of the third acquisition pilot are not orthogonal to each other. The first acquisition pilot may be scrambled by the content of the second acquisition pilot. Further, the center subcarriers of the acquisition pilots are approximated as the center subcarriers of the acquisition pilots.

The first, second, and third orthogonal sequences may be non-consecutive OFDM symbols, or a combination thereof. According to some aspects, there are at least 3 OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble.

Additionally, system 900 can include a memory 914 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with electrical components 904, 906, 908, 910, and 912 or other components. While shown as being external to memory 914, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components 904, 906, 908, 910, and 912 can exist within memory 914.

Fig. 10 illustrates a system 1000 that receives information in a wireless communication environment. System 1000 can reside at least partially within a terminal. It is to be appreciated that system 1000 is represented as functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware).

System 1000 includes a logical grouping 1002 of electrical components that can act separately or in conjunction. Logical grouping 1002 can include an electrical component for detecting a first acquisition pilot 1004. The first acquisition pilot may be carried within the superframe preamble and may be referred to as TDM 3. There are at least three OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble. Logical grouping 1002 can further include an electrical component for utilizing the first acquisition pilot to obtain system determination information 1006. The first acquisition pilot can indicate whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized, whether half-duplex operation is utilized, whether frequency reuse is utilized, or a combination thereof.

Additionally or alternatively, logical grouping 1002 can include an electrical component for correlating the second acquisition pilot 1008 using sector hypotheses. The second acquisition pilot may be referred to as TDM 2. Also included in logical grouping 1002 is an electrical component for correlating the first acquisition pilot 1010. The first acquisition pilot (TDM3) may be correlated with information included in the second acquisition pilot (TDM 1). Correlating the first acquisition pilot can comprise correlating using an FHT. In accordance with some aspects, correlating the first acquisition pilot comprises correlating using a PN sequence or phase offset obtained from the second acquisition pilot.

According to some aspects, logical grouping 1002 can also include an electrical component for detecting a third acquisition pilot (which can be referred to as TDM 1). The third acquisition pilot may indicate a cyclic prefix length used in the transmitted data. In accordance with some aspects, the first acquisition pilot is scrambled by the content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish sectors. The first, second and third sequences may be non-consecutive OFDM symbols or consecutive OFDM symbols, or a combination thereof.

Additionally, system 1000 can include a memory 1012 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with electrical components 1004, 1006, 1008, and 1010 or other components. While shown as being external to memory 1012, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components 1004, 1006, 1008, and 1010 can exist within memory 1012.

It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes disclosed is an example of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

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 components, blocks, modules, circuits, and 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 disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with 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 thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose 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.

The steps of a method or algorithm 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. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Of course, 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 spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

For a software implementation, the techniques described herein may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored in memory units and executed by processors. The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art.

Moreover, various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer-readable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROM, card, stick, key drive, etc.). In addition, various storage media described herein can represent one or more devices and/or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and/or carrying instruction(s) and/or data.

What has been described above includes examples of one or more embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the aforementioned embodiments, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of various embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments described herein are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term "includes" is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, any use of the term "or" in the specification of the claims is intended to mean a "non-exclusive or".

Claims (86)

1. A method of transmitting information in a wireless communication system, comprising:

generating a first acquisition pilot frequency carrying system determination information; and

transmitting the first acquisition pilot to a terminal within the wireless communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on a sector identity, wherein the second acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on an operating bandwidth and a cyclic prefix, wherein the second acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on a sector identity; and

generating a third acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on an operating bandwidth and a cyclic prefix, wherein the first, second, and third acquisition pilots are carried within a superframe preamble.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the third acquisition pilot is scrambled by contents of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish sectors.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are non-contiguous OFDM symbols.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are consecutive OFDM symbols.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first acquisition pilot is generated using one of a set of orthogonal sequences.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the set of orthogonal sequences is a set of Walsh codes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a center subcarrier of the acquisition pilot is approximately a center subcarrier of the plurality of acquisition pilots.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates a cyclic prefix length used in transmitted data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether half-duplex operation is utilized.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether a superframe utilizes frequency reuse.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein there are at least three OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble.

17. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to create a first acquisition pilot carrying system determination information and transmit the first acquisition pilot; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

18. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein first acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

19. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generating a second acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on a sector identity,

wherein the second acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

20. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generating a second acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on an operating bandwidth and a cyclic prefix,

wherein the second acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

21. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generating a second acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on a sector identity; and

generating a third acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on an operating bandwidth and a cyclic prefix,

wherein the second and third acquisition pilots are carried within the superframe preamble.

22. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first acquisition pilot is scrambled by content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish sectors.

23. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are non-consecutive OFDM symbols.

24. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are consecutive OFDM symbols.

25. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first acquisition pilot is generated utilizing one of a set of orthogonal sequences.

26. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the set of orthogonal sequences is a set of Walsh codes.

27. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein a center subcarrier of the acquisition pilot is approximately a center subcarrier of the plurality of acquisition pilots.

28. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates a cyclic prefix length utilized in transmitted data.

29. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized.

30. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether half-duplex operation is utilized.

31. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether a superframe utilizes frequency reuse.

32. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein there are at least three OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble.

33. A wireless communications apparatus that communicates superframe preamble information, comprising:

means for generating a first acquisition pilot carrying system determination information; and

means for transmitting the first acquisition pilot to a terminal within the wireless communication system, wherein the superframe preamble includes the first acquisition pilot.

34. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein first acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

35. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:

means for generating a second acquisition pilot comprising a sequence dependent on a sector identity; and

means for generating a third acquisition pilot comprising a sequence that depends on an operating bandwidth and a cyclic prefix, wherein the first, second, and third acquisition pilots are carried within a superframe preamble.

36. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 34, wherein the third acquisition pilot is scrambled by content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish sectors.

37. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 34, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are non-contiguous OFDM symbols.

38. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 34, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are consecutive OFDM symbols.

39. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first acquisition pilot is generated utilizing one of a set of orthogonal sequences.

40. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 39, wherein the set of orthogonal sequences is a set of Walsh codes.

41. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein a center subcarrier of the acquisition pilot is approximately a center subcarrier of the plurality of acquisition pilots.

42. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates a cyclic prefix length utilized in transmitted data.

43. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether synchronous or asynchronous operation is utilized.

44. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether half-duplex operation is utilized.

45. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates whether a superframe utilizes frequency reuse.

46. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 33, wherein there are at least three OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble.

47. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising:

code for causing at least one computer to create a first acquisition pilot carrying system determination information; and

code for causing the at least one computer to transmit the first acquisition pilot to a terminal within the wireless communication system.

48. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

a processor to:

generating a first acquisition pilot frequency carrying system determination information; and

transmitting the first acquisition pilot to a terminal within the wireless communication system; and a memory coupled to the processor.

49. A method of receiving information in a wireless communication environment, comprising:

detecting a first acquisition pilot; and

acquiring system determination information using the first acquisition pilot.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the first acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the first acquisition pilot comprises:

the system determines the information.

52. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

correlating the second acquisition pilot using the sector hypothesis; and

correlating the first acquisition pilot using information included within the second acquisition pilot.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein correlating the first acquisition pilot comprises correlating using an FHT.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein correlating the first acquisition pilot comprises:

correlating using a PN sequence or phase offset obtained from the second acquisition pilot.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein the first acquisition pilot is scrambled by content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish sectors.

56. The method of claim 52, further comprising:

detecting a third acquisition pilot, wherein the third acquisition pilot indicates a cyclic prefix length used in transmitted data.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are non-contiguous OFDM symbols.

58. The method of claim 52, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are consecutive OFDM symbols.

59. The method of claim 49, wherein there are at least three OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble.

60. The method of claim 49, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates one of:

using synchronous or asynchronous operation;

whether half duplex operation is utilized;

whether the superframe utilizes frequency reuse; or

Any combination of the above.

61. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to detect a first acquisition pilot and utilize the first acquisition pilot to obtain system determination information; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

62. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 61, wherein first acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

63. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 61, wherein the first acquisition pilot comprises:

the system determines the information.

64. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 61, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

correlating the second acquisition pilot using the sector hypothesis; and

correlating the first acquisition pilot using information included in the second acquisition pilot.

65. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 64, wherein correlating the first acquisition pilot comprises correlating using an FHT.

66. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 64, wherein correlating the first acquisition pilot comprises:

correlating using a PN sequence or phase offset obtained from the second acquisition pilot.

67. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 64, wherein the first acquisition pilot is scrambled by content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish sectors.

68. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 64, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

detecting a third acquisition pilot, wherein the third acquisition pilot indicates a cyclic prefix length used in transmitted data.

69. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 68, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are non-consecutive OFDM symbols.

70. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 68, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are consecutive OFDM symbols.

71. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 61, wherein there are at least three OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble.

72. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 61, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates one of:

using synchronous or asynchronous operation;

whether half duplex operation is utilized;

whether the superframe utilizes frequency reuse; or

Any combination of the above.

73. A wireless communications apparatus that receives superframe preamble information, comprising:

means for detecting a first acquisition pilot; and

means for utilizing the first acquisition pilot to obtain system determination information.

74. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 73, wherein first acquisition pilot is carried within a superframe preamble.

75. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 73, wherein the first acquisition pilot comprises:

the system determines the information.

76. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 73, further comprising:

means for correlating the second acquisition pilot using sector hypotheses; and

means for correlating the first acquisition pilot using information included within the second acquisition pilot.

77. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 76, wherein correlating the first acquisition pilot comprises correlating using an FHT.

78. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 76, wherein correlating the first acquisition pilot comprises:

correlating using a PN sequence or phase offset obtained from the second acquisition pilot.

79. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 76, wherein the first acquisition pilot is scrambled by content of the second acquisition pilot to distinguish sectors.

80. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 76, further comprising:

detecting a third acquisition pilot, wherein the third acquisition pilot indicates a cyclic prefix length used in transmitted data.

81. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 80, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are non-contiguous OFDM symbols.

82. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 80, wherein the first, second, and third sequences are consecutive OFDM symbols.

83. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 73, wherein there are at least three OFDM symbols in the superframe preamble.

84. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 73, wherein the first acquisition pilot indicates one of:

using synchronous or asynchronous operation;

whether half duplex operation is utilized;

whether the superframe utilizes frequency reuse; or

Any combination of the above.

85. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising:

code for causing at least one computer to discover a first acquisition pilot; and

code for causing the at least one computer to acquire system determination information using the first acquisition pilot, wherein the first acquisition pilot is indicative of one of:

using synchronous or asynchronous operation;

whether half duplex operation is utilized;

whether the superframe utilizes frequency reuse; or

Any combination of the above.

86. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

a processor to:

detecting a first acquisition pilot comprising system determination information;

interpreting the system determination included in the first acquisition pilot, and a memory coupled to the processor.