Multi-user time slots for TDMA
View Patent ↗A method of transmitting speech frames in a TDMA network in which at least one time-slot of the TDMA frame is allocated to at least two users. The method comprises encoding user data from the at least two users into a single RLC/MAC block, allocating at least one time slot to the RLC/MAC block, and transmitting at least a portion of the encoded RLC/MAC block in the time-slot.
1. A method of transmitting speech frames in a TDMA packet switched network, the method comprising:
providing speech user data from at least two users having the same data rate requirement;
encoding said speech user data from the at least two users into a single RLC/MAC block;
allocating at least one time slot of a TDMA frame to the RLC/MAC block; and
transmitting at least a portion of the encoded RLC/MAC block in the allocated at least one time-slot such that it carries speech data from each of the at least two users.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the encoded RLC/MAC block in a plurality of time-slots, wherein the plurality includes the at least one time slot.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting step includes a step of interleaving the RLC/MAC block such that the at least one time-slot carries at least a part of the user data from each of the two users.
4. The method of claim 1 in which the at least one time-slot carries at least a part of the user data from each of the two users.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein:
the network is an EDGE packet switched network;
the user data is speech; and
the transmitting step comprises transmitting the RLC/MAC block in four of the plurality of time-slots.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein each time slot carries a quarter of the encoded user data for each user.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step includes a step of interleaving the RLC/MAC block such that in each TDMA frame the at least one time slot carries at least a part of the user data from only one of the two users.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein in each TDMA frame the at least one time-slot carries at least a part of the user data from one of the two users.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein an encoded speech frame from each of the two users is carried over an alternative ones of a plurality of time slots, wherein the plurality of time slots include the at least one time slot.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein
the network is an EDGE packet switched network;
the user data is speech; and
the transmitting step comprises transmitting the RLC/MAC block in four of the plurality of time-slots.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein alternate time slots carry half of the encoded user data for each user.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the user data comprises speech.
13. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the network is a wireless network; and
the speech frames are transmitted on the down-link of the network.
14. The method of claim 7 , wherein:
the network is a wireless network; and
user data is transmitted on the up-link of the network.
15. The method of claim 1 in which the at least one time-slot simultaneously carries at least a part of the user data from each of the two users.