Forward error correction (FEC) for pseudo-carriers in digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) ultra-low energy (ULE) networks

Abstract

The invention provides a method, a device and a system for wireless communication. The present implementation more particularly relates to packet design that supports forward error correction (FEC) coding for digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) ultra-low energy (ULE) pseudocarriers. In some aspects, the "enhanced" dummy carrier may include an S-field, an A-field, and a B-field followed by one or more parity bits. The S-field carries a packet preamble and synchronization information marking the start of DECT packet transmission. The A field carries control information associated with the DECT base station or network. The B field carries control information associated with a ULE operation mode by the base station. The parity bits may be combined with one or more fields (or sub-fields) of the dummy carrier to produce an FEC codeword that can be decoded according to an FEC coding scheme.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present implementations relate generally to wireless communications, and in particular to forward error correction (FEC) for pseudo bearers in Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) Ultra Low Energy (ULE) networks. Background Art

[0002] Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) Ultra Low Energy (ULE) is a wireless communication standard that can be used to implement home automation, security, and climate control in residential and business environments. The basic building block of a ULE system is a home automation network (HAN) consisting of a fixed part (FP) and at least one portable part (PP). A DECT ULE PP can be any portable device used in home automation, security, or climate control applications. Examples of suitable portable devices include sensors (such as smoke detectors or motion detectors), thermostats, and power control elements, among others. A DECT ULE FP is a base station or access point that bridges the connection between a portable device and a local network (or the Internet). The base station communicates with the portable device over the DECT air interface. Each over-the-air (OTA) connection between a base station and a respective portable device is referred to as a wireless communication "link."

[0003] Base stations periodically transmit or broadcast "pseudo-bearers" (also known as "beacons") to enable any portable device within the wireless communication range of the base station to establish or maintain a communication link with the base station or the network. For example, a base station may transmit a pseudo-bearer every 10 milliseconds. Pseudo-bearers are network packets that carry control information that portable devices can use to identify and synchronize with the base station. Pseudo-bearers may also carry paging information that portable devices can use to receive incoming messages or connections from the base station.

[0004] Imperfect channel conditions over the DECT air interface can result in data loss during the transmission of a pseudo bearer. In existing DECT ULE networks, a portable device that receives incomplete (or incorrect) pseudo bearer information may be unable to use the received information to recover the pseudo bearer. Consequently, the portable device discards the received pseudo bearer information and waits for the base station to broadcast another pseudo bearer, resulting in a waste of the portable device's resources (including memory, power, and processing resources). Therefore, there is a need to improve the ability of portable devices to receive pseudo bearers from a base station under imperfect channel conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] One innovative aspect of the subject matter of the present disclosure can be implemented in a wireless communication method performed by a wireless communication device. The method includes: receiving, over a wireless communication channel, at least a portion of a dummy carrier comprising a B field followed by one or more first parity bits, the B field carrying control information associated with an ultra-low energy (ULE) mode of operation performed by a digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) base station; constructing a first codeword comprising at least a portion of the B field and the one or more first parity bits; and recovering the control information based on the first codeword and a forward error correction (FEC) code associated with the first codeword.

[0007] Another innovative aspect of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented in a wireless communication device comprising a processing system and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the wireless communication device to: receive, over a wireless communication channel, at least a portion of a dummy carrier comprising a B field followed by one or more first parity bits, the B field carrying control information associated with a ULE mode of operation performed by a DECT base station; construct a first codeword comprising at least a portion of the B field and the one or more first parity bits; and recover the control information based on the first codeword and an FEC code associated with the first codeword. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The present implementations are illustrated by way of example and are not intended to be limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 An example pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown.

[0011] Figure 3 A block diagram of an example communication system supporting forward error correction (FEC) coding is shown.

[0012] Figure 4 An enhanced pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0013] Figure 5 Another enhanced pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0014] Figure 6A and Figure 6B A timing diagram depicting example communications between a base station and several portable devices is shown, according to some implementations.

[0015] Figure 7 Another enhanced pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0016] Figure 8A Another enhanced pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0017] Figure 8B Another enhanced pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0018] Figure 8C Another enhanced pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0019] Figure 8D Another enhanced pseudo bearer that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0020] Figure 9 A block diagram of an example wireless communication apparatus is shown in accordance with some implementations.

[0021] Figure 10 An illustrative flow diagram is shown depicting example operations for wireless communications in accordance with some implementations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In the following description, many specific details, such as examples of specific components, circuits, and processes, are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term "coupled" means directly connected to or connected through one or more intermediate components or circuits. The terms "electronic system" and "electronic device" can be used interchangeably to refer to any system capable of electronically processing information. Moreover, in the following description and for the purpose of explanation, specific terms are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of aspects of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details may not be required to practice the example embodiments. In other instances, well-known circuits and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid making the present disclosure difficult to understand. Subsequent portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of the operations on the data bits in the computer memory.

[0023] These descriptions and representations are the means by which those skilled in the art of data processing are used to most effectively convey the essence of their work to other persons skilled in the art. In the present disclosure, procedures, logic blocks, processes, etc. are considered to be the self-consistent sequences of steps or instructions that cause desired results. Described steps are those steps that require the physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computer system. However, it should be remembered that all of these terms and similar terms are associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels that are applied to these quantities.

[0024] Unless otherwise specifically stated, as will be apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout this application, discussions utilizing terms such as "access," "receive," "send," "use," "select," "determine," "normalize," "multiply," "average," "monitor," "compare," "apply," "update," "measure," "derive," etc., refer to the actions and processes of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system's memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0025] In the accompanying drawings, a single block may be described as performing one or more functions; however, in actual practice, the one or more functions performed by the block may be performed in a single component or across multiple components, and / or may be performed using hardware, using software, or using a combination of hardware and software. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described below generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Technicians can implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure. Moreover, the example input device may include components other than those shown, including well-known components such as processors, memories, etc.

[0026] Unless the techniques described herein are specifically described as being implemented in a particular manner, the techniques may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Any features described as modules or components may also be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may be implemented at least in part by a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, perform one or more of the methods described above. The non-transitory processor-readable data storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials.

[0027] Non-transitory processor-readable storage media may include random access memory (RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, other known storage media, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the technology may be at least partially implemented by a processor-readable communication medium that carries or communicates code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed, read, and / or executed by a computer or other processor.

[0028] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and instructions described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be executed by one or more processors (or processing systems). As used herein, the term "processor" may refer to any general-purpose processor, special-purpose processor, conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, and / or state machine capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in memory.

[0029] As described above, base stations in a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) Ultra Low Energy (ULE) network periodically transmit or broadcast "pseudo-bearers" (also referred to as "beacons") to enable any portable device within wireless communication range to establish or maintain a communication link with the base station or network. However, imperfect channel conditions on the DECT air interface can result in data loss during the transmission of the pseudo-bearers. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that forward error correction (FEC) codes (also referred to as "error correction codes") can compensate for the inherent unreliability of information transfer in wireless communication systems by introducing redundancy into the data stream. Example suitable FEC codes include Reed-Solomon codes, Turbo codes, and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, among other examples. Existing versions of the DECT ULE standard do not support FEC decoding for pseudo-bearers. Thus, a new packet design is needed to enable FEC decoding for the transmission and reception of pseudo-bearers in DECT ULE networks.

[0030] Various aspects relate generally to DECT ULE networks and, more particularly, to packet designs that support FEC decoding for DECT ULE pseudo bearers. In some aspects, an "enhanced" pseudo bearer may include an S field, an A field, and a B field followed by one or more parity bits. The S field carries a packet preamble and synchronization information that marks the start of a DECT packet transmission. The A field carries control information associated with a DECT base station or network (such as the identity of the base station, one or more capabilities of the base station, whether the base station currently supports new subscriptions, and paging messages indicating incoming connections). The B field carries control information associated with the ULE operating mode performed by the base station (such as channel selection information and paging messages indicating incoming connections). The parity bits may be combined with one or more fields (or subfields) of the pseudo bearer to produce an FEC codeword that can be decoded according to an FEC decoding scheme.

[0031] In some aspects, a portable device can recover or reproduce portions of a pseudo carrier lost during transmission (such as erased or altered bits) based on the decoded FEC codeword. In some implementations, parity bits can be associated with the B field of the pseudo carrier. In such implementations, the parity bits can be used to recover control information carried in the B field. In some other implementations, the parity bits can be associated with the A field of the pseudo carrier. In such implementations, the parity bits can be used to recover control information carried in the A field. Still further, in some implementations, the parity bits can include one or more first parity bits associated with the B field followed by one or more second parity bits associated with the A field. In such implementations, the first parity bits can be used to recover control information carried in the B field, and the second parity bits can be used independently of the first parity bits to recover control information carried in the A field.

[0032] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. By adding FEC decoding to the DECT ULE pseudo bearer, aspects of the present disclosure can improve the robustness of the pseudo bearer to imperfect channel conditions on the DECT air interface. For example, adding parity bits to the pseudo bearer allows a portable device to recover control information that would otherwise be lost during transmission. As a result, the portable device can save memory, power, and processing resources that would otherwise be used to receive another transmission of the pseudo bearer. By adding the parity bits to the end of the pseudo bearer (after the A and B fields), the packet format of the present disclosure can be backward compatible with legacy devices. As used herein, the term "legacy" device refers to any portable device (or base station) that conforms to the current version of the DECT ULE standard and does not support FEC decoding of the pseudo bearer. Once the A or B fields have been received, the legacy device can terminate reception of the pseudo bearer and thus does not receive the parity bits.

[0033] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network 100 is shown. In some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an example of a home automation network (HAN) that complies with the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) Ultra Low Energy (ULE) wireless communication standard. The network 100 includes a gateway 110 and a portable device 120. Although in Figure 1 A single portable device 120 is shown in the example of FIG. 1 (for simplicity), but the network 100 may include any number of portable devices.

[0034] Gateway 110 includes a host processor 112 and a base station 114. Base station 114 (also referred to as a "root node") represents the fixed part (FP) of network 100. More specifically, base station 114 enables host processor 112 to communicate with portable devices in network 100, such as portable device 120, over a DECT air interface. For example, base station 114 can transmit downlink messages to portable device 120 over the DECT air interface on behalf of host processor 112. Base station 114 can also receive uplink messages from portable device 120 over the DECT air interface and provide the received messages to host processor 112.

[0035] Portable devices 120 (also referred to as "leaves") represent the portable part (PP) of network 100. In some implementations, portable devices 120 may support the ULE mode of operation defined by the DECT ULE standard. Portable devices that support the ULE mode are referred to herein as "ULE devices." A ULE device can be any portable device used in home automation, security, or climate control applications. Example suitable portable devices may include sensors (such as smoke detectors or motion sensors), thermostats, and power control elements, among other examples. In some other implementations, portable devices 120 may not support the ULE mode of operation. Portable devices that do not support the ULE mode may be referred to herein as "DECT devices."

[0036] Base station 114 periodically transmits or broadcasts a pseudo bearer 102 (also known as a "beacon") over the DECT air interface. For example, current versions of the DECT ULE standard require each base station to broadcast a pseudo bearer every 10 ms. Pseudo bearers 102 are network packets that carry control information that can be used by any portable device (such as portable device 120) within wireless communication range of base station 114 to identify and synchronize with base station 114. Pseudo bearers 102 can also carry paging information that can be used by portable devices synchronized with base station 114 to receive incoming messages or connections from base station 114.

[0037] Figure 2 An example pseudo bearer 200 is shown that may be used for wireless communications between a base station and a portable device. More specifically, the pseudo bearer 200 conforms to the packet format defined by existing versions of the DECT ULE standard (also referred to as the "legacy" pseudo bearer packet format).

[0038] The pseudo bearer 200 includes an S field 210, an A field 220, a B field 230, an X field 240, and a Z field 250. The S field 210 carries a packet preamble and synchronization information that marks the start of a DECT packet transmission. All portable devices (including DECT devices and ULE devices) receive the S field 210 of at least one pseudo bearer broadcast by the base station (such as during an initial subscription or service invocation procedure, among other examples) to prepare or configure the portable device's receiver to receive the remainder of the pseudo bearer 200 (such as by adjusting the receiver frequency or recovering signal timing information). Unlike DECT devices, which receive the S field 210 of each pseudo bearer 200 transmitted by the base station, ULE devices may ignore the S field 210 of subsequent pseudo bearers 200 received during "normal" operation (such as for incoming connection notifications).

[0039] The A field 220 carries control information associated with the base station or network (such as the identity of the base station, one or more capabilities of the base station, whether the base station currently supports new subscriptions, and paging messages indicating incoming connections). All portable devices (including DECT devices and ULE devices) also receive the A field 220 of at least one pseudo bearer broadcast by the base station (such as during the initial subscription or service invocation procedure, among other examples) to collect current network information (such as available time slots for transmission or information about incoming connections). Unlike DECT devices, which receive the A field 220 of each pseudo bearer 200 transmitted by the base station, ULE devices can ignore the A field 220 of subsequent pseudo bearers 200 received during "normal" operation (such as for incoming connection notifications).

[0040] The B field 230 carries control information associated with the ULE mode of operation performed by the base station. Thus, only ULE devices can receive or interpret the B field 230 of the pseudo bearer 200, while DECT devices can terminate their reception of the pseudo bearer 200 after receiving the A field 220. According to existing versions of the DECT ULE standard, the B field 230 is subdivided into four subfields. The first subfield (subfield 0) signals the start of the B field 230 and can include information identifying the base station. The remaining subfields (subfield 1, subfield 2, and subfield 3) carry control information related to ULE operation (such as channel selection information and paging messages indicating incoming connections).

[0041] The ULE device can use the information in subfield 0 to prepare or configure the ULE device's receiver to receive the remainder of the dummy bearer 200 and verify that the dummy bearer 200 is associated with the desired base station (such as by adjusting the receiver frequency or recovering signal timing information). Thus, during normal operation, the ULE device can begin receiving the dummy bearer 200 starting from the B-field 230 (such as by detecting subfield 0). The ULE device can further use the control information carried in subfields 1-3 to set up a connection for ULE data transfer and verify against an incoming connection.

[0042] The X field 240 carries cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information generated on a portion of the B field 230, and the Z field 250 is a copy of the X field 240. Portable devices (such as DECT devices and ULE devices) can use the CRC information in the X field 240 to determine whether the B field 230 contains any errors and can use the Z field 250 to detect interference at the end of the dummy carrier 200. However, many DECT devices completely ignore the B field 230 and, therefore, may also ignore the X field 240 and Z field 250. In addition, existing versions of the DECT ULE standard do not support a mechanism for notifying a base station of any detected interference. As a result, some ULE devices also ignore the Z field 250.

[0043] Imperfect channel conditions on the DECT air interface may result in data loss during the transmission of the pseudo bearer. For example, when the pseudo bearer 200 arrives at a portable device such as Figure 1 When a portable device 120 is received by a base station, one or more bits of the dummy carrier 200 may be erased or altered. Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that forward error correction (FEC) codes (also referred to as "error correction codes") can compensate for the inherent unreliability of information transfer in wireless communication systems by introducing redundancy into the data stream. In some aspects, the base station may encode at least a portion of the dummy carrier according to an FEC decoding scheme. The portable device may correct errors in the received data by decoding the dummy carrier according to the FEC decoding scheme.

[0044] Figure 3 A block diagram of an example communication system 300 supporting FEC decoding is shown. The communication system 300 includes an FEC encoder 310, a channel 320, and an FEC decoder 330. The FEC encoder 310 may be included in or correspond to a transmitting device. In some implementations, the transmitting device may be Figure 1 The decoder 320 may be included in or correspond to a receiving device. In some implementations, the receiving device may be Figure 1 An example of a portable device 120.

[0045] Channel 320 may include any communication link between encoder 310 and decoder 330. In some implementations, channel 320 may be a wireless communication medium (such as a DECT air interface). Imperfections in channel 320 may introduce channel distortions (such as linear distortion, multipath effects, additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), etc.). To compensate for channel imperfections, encoder 310 may encode (TX) data 301 to be transmitted via channel 320 so that error correction may be performed by decoder 330 to recover (RX) data 302.

[0046] In some implementations, FEC encoder 310 may use one or more FEC codes to encode TX data 301 into one or more TX codewords (CWs) 312. Example suitable FEC codes include Reed-Solomon codes, Turbo codes, and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, among others. FEC decoder 330 may use the same FEC code to decode one or more RX codewords (CWs) 322 received via channel 320 and recover RX data 302. If channel 320 introduces errors (such as erased or altered bits) into TX codewords 312, decoder 330 may detect and correct such errors in RX codewords 322 according to the FEC code so that RX data 302 matches TX data 301.

[0047] The FEC encoding operation adds one or more parity bits to the TX data 301 (such that each TX codeword 312 includes the TX data 301 plus one or more parity bits). In some implementations, the TX data 301 may include a dummy carrier (such as Figure 2 However, the existing version of the DECT ULE standard does not support FEC decoding for the pseudo bearer. Therefore, a new packet design is required to enable FEC decoding for the transmission and reception of the pseudo bearer in the DECT ULE network.

[0048] Figure 4 FIG. 4 shows an enhanced pseudo carrier 400 that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device according to some implementations. In some implementations, the enhanced pseudo carrier 400 may be Figure 1 An example of a pseudo carrier 102.

[0049] The enhanced dummy carrier 400 includes an S field 410, an A field 420, a B field 430, an X field 440, a Z field 450, and parity information 432. In some implementations, the S field 410, the A field 420, and the B field 430 may be Figure 2 4. The S field 410, A field 420, and B field 430 of FIG. 4 show examples of the S field 210, A field 220, and B field 230 of FIG. 4. For example, the S field 410 may carry a packet preamble and synchronization information marking the start of a DECT packet transmission; the A field 420 may carry control information associated with a base station or network; and the B field 430 may carry control information associated with a ULE mode of operation performed by the base station. In some implementations, the X field 440 may carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 430, and the Z field 450 may be a copy of the X field 440.

[0050] In some aspects, the parity information 432 can be used to correct errors in the enhanced pseudo carrier 400 according to an FEC decoding scheme. For example, the parity information 432 can be combined with one or more portions of the enhanced pseudo carrier 400 to produce an FEC codeword that can be decoded using an FEC decoding scheme to recover bits that were erased or altered during transmission over the DECT air interface (such as reference codewords). Figure 3 4. The parity information 432 may be used to recover the control information carried in the B field 430. In some other implementations, the parity information 432 may be used to recover the control information carried in the A field 420. Still further, in some implementations, the parity information 432 may be used to recover any of the control information carried in the A field 420 or the B field 430.

[0051] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that some DECT networks may include legacy portable devices (including DECT devices and legacy ULE devices) that do not support FEC decoding for pseudo bearers. Thus, in some implementations, parity information 432 may be added after the B field 430 so that the enhanced pseudo bearer 400 may be backward compatible with legacy portable devices. For example, the parity information 432 may be included in an extended B field payload that conforms to an existing DECT packet format (such as a DECT long slot format). For example, referring to Figure 2 , the first three fields 410-430 of the enhanced pseudo bearer 400 are identical to the first three fields 210-230 of the pseudo bearer 200. Thus, the DECT device may terminate reception of the enhanced pseudo bearer 400 after receiving the A field 420, and the legacy ULE device 430 may terminate reception of the enhanced pseudo bearer 400 after receiving the B field 430.

[0052] Figure 5 Another enhanced pseudo carrier 500 that can be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the enhanced pseudo carrier 500 can be Figure 4 An example of an enhanced pseudo carrier 400.

[0053] The enhanced pseudo carrier 500 includes an S field 510, an A field 520, a B field 530, a first X field 540, a first Z field 550, a second X field 560, a second Z field 570, one or more parity bits 532 associated with the B field 530 (also referred to as "B" parity bits), and one or more parity bits 522 associated with the A field 520 (also referred to as "A" parity bits). Figure 4, the S field 510, the A field 520, the B field 530, the second X field 560, and the second Z field 570 may be examples of the S field 410, the A field 420, the B field 430, the X field 440, and the Z field 450, respectively, of the enhanced pseudo carrier 400. For example, the S field 510 may carry a packet preamble and synchronization information marking the start of a DECT packet transmission; the A field 520 may carry control information associated with a base station or network; the B field 530 may carry control information associated with a ULE mode of operation performed by the base station; the X field 560 may carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 530; and the Z field 570 may be a copy of the X field 560.

[0054] In some implementations, the first X field 540 and the first Z field 550 may provide backward compatibility with legacy devices. Figure 2 , the first five fields 510-550 of the enhanced pseudo carrier 500 match the first five fields 210-250 of the pseudo carrier 200, which is consistent with the existing DEC TULE standard. In such an implementation, the X field 540 can carry CRC information generated on part of the B field 530, and the Z field 550 can be a copy of the X field 540. However, as shown in reference Figure 2 As described above, many conventional portable devices ignore the X field 240 or the Z field 250. Thus, in some other implementations, at least one of the first X field 540 or the first Z field 550 may be repurposed to carry other information (such as signaling information of the enhanced pseudo carrier 500).

[0055] B parity bit 532 and A parity bit 522 may be Figure 4 532 can be combined with one or more portions of the B field 530 to produce one or more FEC codewords 502 that are decodable according to an FEC decoding scheme, and the A parity bits 522 can be combined with one or more portions of the A field 520 to produce one or more FEC codewords 504 that are decodable according to the same (or different) FEC decoding scheme. Example suitable FEC codes include Reed-Solomon codes, Turbo codes, and LDPC codes, among other examples. Reference Figure 3 , each of FEC codewords 502 and 504 may be an example of TX codeword 312 (or RX codeword 322). More specifically, A parity bits 522 may be used to recover the control information carried in A field 520, and B parity bits 532 may be used to recover the control information carried in B field 530.

[0056] In some implementations, the B parity bits 532 may also be used to recover information carried in the first X field 540 or the first Z field 550. For example, the FEC codeword formed by the B parity bits 532 may include the first X field 540 or the first Z field 550 (in addition to one or more portions of the B field 530). In some other implementations, the B parity bits 532 may not be used to recover any information carried in the first X field 540 or the first Z field 550 (such as to improve FEC decoding for the B field 530). For example, referring to Figure 2 , the first subfield (subfield 0) of the B-field 530 remains the same or constant across all pseudo bearers broadcast by the same base station. Thus, when receiving the enhanced pseudo bearer 500 during normal operation, the portable device already knows the information carried in subfield 0. In some implementations, subfield 0 of the B-field 530 may not be encoded (or decoded) using FEC coding. In other words, the B-parity bits 532 may not be used to recover any of the information in subfield 0.

[0057] like Figure 5 As shown in FIG, B parity bit 532 is transmitted (and received) immediately after Z field 550, and A parity bit 522 is transmitted (and received) immediately after B parity bit 532. The example arrangement of parity bit 532 and parity bit 522 may allow a ULE device to minimize its reception time for enhanced dummy carrier 500 during normal operation. Figure 2 As described, during normal operation, a ULE device may begin receiving the enhanced dummy carrier 500 starting at the B field 530, thereby ignoring the A field 520. By inserting the B parity bits 532 into the enhanced dummy carrier 500 before the A parity bits 522, aspects of the present disclosure may allow the ULE device to use the B parity bits 532 to correct errors in the B field 530 (if necessary) and terminate reception of the enhanced dummy carrier 500 before receiving the A parity bits 522.

[0058] Figure 6A A timing diagram 600 depicts example communications between a base station 602 and several portable devices 604-608 according to some implementations. In some implementations, the base station 602 may be Figure 1 114 , and each of the portable devices 604 - 608 may be an example of the portable device 120 .

[0059] The base station 602 broadcasts a pseudo bearer 601 between time t0 and time t4, and the pseudo bearer 601 is received by the DECT device 604, the legacy ULE device 606, and the ULE device 608. In some implementations, the pseudo bearer 601 may be Figure 5The enhanced dummy carrier 500 is an example of the embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, the dummy carrier 601 includes an S field, an A field, a B field, a first X field, a first Z field, one or more B parity bits following the first Z field, one or more A parity bits following the B parity bits, a second X field following the A parity bits, and a second Z field following the second X field.

[0060] The DECT device 604 does not support the ULE mode of operation performed by the base station 602. Figure 6A , the DECT device 604 receives only the S field and the A field of the pseudo bearer 601. In other words, the DECT device 604 may terminate its reception of the pseudo bearer 601 at time t1 before receiving the B field. To save power, a portable device (such as any of the portable devices 604, 606, or 608) may turn off or otherwise deactivate one or more of its wireless radios upon completing or terminating reception of the pseudo bearer 601.

[0061] The legacy ULE device 606 supports the ULE mode of operation but does not support FEC decoding for the pseudo bearer. Figure 6A In the example of FIG, the legacy ULE device 606 receives the pseudo bearer 601 during the initial subscription or service invocation procedure. Thus, the legacy ULE device 606 receives the S field, the A field, and the B field of the pseudo bearer 601. In some implementations, the legacy ULE device 606 may terminate its reception of the pseudo bearer 601 at time t2 before receiving the first X field (e.g., Figure 6A ). In some other implementations, the legacy ULE device 606 may terminate its reception of the pseudo bearer 601 at time t1 before receiving the B field (such as during initial subscription). Still further, in some implementations, the legacy ULE device 606 may receive the first X field and the first Z field before terminating its reception of the pseudo bearer 601.

[0062] The ULE device 608 supports the ULE mode of operation and also supports FEC decoding for pseudo bearers. Figure 6A In the example of FIG, the ULE device 608 receives the dummy carrier 601 during the initial subscription or service invocation procedure. Thus, the ULE device 608 receives the S field, the A field, and the B field of the dummy carrier 601. In some implementations, the ULE device 608 may further receive the first X field, the first Z field, the B parity bit, and the A parity bit of the dummy carrier 601 (e.g., Figure 6A). In some other implementations, the ULE device 608 may terminate its reception of the dummy carrier 601 before receiving the B parity bit or the A parity bit (such as when the CRC information carried in the A field, the B field, or the X field indicates that the received data does not contain any errors).

[0063] In some implementations, the ULE device 608 may terminate its reception of the dummy bearer 601 at time t3 before receiving the second X field (e.g., Figure 6A ). In some other implementations, the ULE device 608 may receive the dummy bearer 601 in its entirety (including the second X field and the second Z field). In some other implementations, the ULE device 608 may terminate its reception of the dummy bearer 601 at time t2 before receiving the first X field (such as when the CRC information carried in the B field indicates that the received data does not contain any errors). Still further, in some implementations, the ULE device 608 may terminate its reception of the dummy bearer 601 at time t1 before receiving the B field (such as during an initial subscription).

[0064] Figure 6B FIGURE 1 depicts a diagram illustrating a method for transmitting data between a base station 602 and a Figure 6A Another timing diagram 610 of example communications between portable devices 604-608. Figure 6B In the example of the conventional ULE device 606 and the ULE device 608, the conventional ULE device 606 and the ULE device 608 are configured to complete the reference Figure 6A The initial subscription or service invocation procedure described thereafter operates in normal mode.

[0065] The base station 602 retransmits the dummy bearer 601 between time t5 and time t9, and the dummy bearer 601 is received by the DECT device 604, the legacy ULE device 606, and the ULE device 608. In some implementations, the dummy bearer 601 may be Figure 5 The enhanced dummy carrier 500 is an example of the embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, the dummy carrier 601 includes an S field, an A field, a B field, a first X field, a first Z field, one or more B parity bits following the first Z field, one or more A parity bits following the B parity bits, a second X field following the A parity bits, and a second Z field following the second X field.

[0066] exist Figure 6BIn the example shown in FIG, the DECT device 604 receives only the S field and the A field of the pseudo bearer 601, and the legacy ULE device 606 receives only the B field of the pseudo bearer 601. In other words, the DECT device 604 may terminate its reception of the pseudo bearer 601 at time t6 before receiving the B field, while the legacy ULE device 606 may not start receiving the pseudo bearer 601 before time t6. In some implementations, the legacy ULE device 606 may terminate its reception of the pseudo bearer 601 at time t7 before receiving the first X field (e.g., FIG. Figure 6B In some other implementations, the legacy ULE device 606 may receive the first X field and the first Z field before terminating its reception of the dummy bearer 601 .

[0067] The ULE device 608 also receives the dummy carrier 601 starting with the B field at time t6. In some implementations, the ULE device 608 may further receive the first X field, the first Z field, and the B parity bit (e.g., Figure 6B Since the ULE device 608 ignores the A field of the dummy carrier 601, the ULE device 608 may also ignore the A parity bit. Therefore, the ULE device 608 may terminate its reception of the dummy carrier 601 at time t8 before receiving the A parity bit (as shown in FIG. Figure 6B ). In some other implementations, the ULE device 608 may terminate its reception of the dummy carrier 601 at time t7 before receiving the X field or the B parity bit (such as when the CRC information carried in the B field or the X field indicates that the received data does not contain any errors).

[0068] Aspects of the present disclosure recognize that, depending on the FEC decoding scheme used to encode the A field or the B field, the total number of parity bits added to the enhanced pseudo carrier (such as the A parity bits plus the B parity bits) can be less than the additional overhead provided by the DECT long slot format (or other DECT packet formats used to support additional parity information). As a result, after the parity bits are added, some enhanced pseudo carriers can have one or more spare or unused bits remaining. In some implementations, at least some of the spare bits in the enhanced pseudo carrier can be repurposed to carry other information (such as signaling information for the enhanced pseudo carrier).

[0069] Figure 7 Another enhanced pseudo carrier 700 that can be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the enhanced pseudo carrier 700 can be Figure 4 An example of an enhanced pseudo carrier 400.

[0070] The enhanced dummy carrier 700 includes an S field 710, an A field 720, a B field 730, a first X field 740, a first Z field 750, a second X field 760, a second Z field 770, one or more "B" parity bits 732, one or more "A" parity bits 722, and one or more additional bits 780. Figure 4 , the S field 710, the A field 720, the B field 730, the second X field 760, and the second Z field 770 may be examples of the S field 410, the A field 420, the B field 430, the X field 440, and the Z field 450, respectively, of the enhanced pseudo carrier 400. For example, the S field 710 may carry a packet preamble and synchronization information marking the start of a DECT packet transmission; the A field 720 may carry control information associated with a base station or network; the B field 730 may carry control information associated with a ULE mode of operation performed by the base station; the X field 760 may carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 730; and the Z field 770 may be a copy of the X field 760.

[0071] In some implementations, the first X field 740 and the first Z field 750 may provide backward compatibility with legacy devices. Figure 2 , the first five fields 710-750 of the enhanced pseudo carrier 700 match the first five fields 210-250 of the pseudo carrier 200, which is consistent with the existing DECT ULE standard. In such an implementation, the X field 740 can carry CRC information generated on part of the B field 730, and the Z field 750 can be a copy of the X field 740. However, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As described above, many conventional portable devices ignore the X field 240 or the Z field 250. Thus, in some other implementations, at least one of the first X field 740 or the first Z field 750 may be repurposed to carry other information (such as signaling information of the enhanced pseudo carrier 700).

[0072] B parity bit 732 and A parity bit 722 may be Figure 4 704. In some implementations, the B parity bits 732 can be combined with one or more portions of the B field 730 to produce one or more FEC codewords 702 that are decodable according to an FEC decoding scheme, and the A parity bits 722 can be combined with one or more portions of the A field 720 to produce one or more FEC codewords 704 that are decodable according to the same (or different) FEC decoding scheme. Figure 3, each of FEC codewords 702 and 704 may be an example of TX codeword 312 (or RX codeword 322). More specifically, A parity bits 722 may be used to recover control information carried in A field 720, and B parity bits 732 may be used to recover control information carried in B field 730. In some implementations, B parity bits 732 may not be used to recover information carried in at least one of the subfields of B field 730 (such as subfield 0).

[0073] In some aspects, the additional bits 780 may carry signaling information associated with the enhanced pseudo carrier 700. Figure 7 , the additional bits 780 are transmitted (and received) immediately after the Z field 750, the B parity bits 732 are transmitted (and received) immediately after the additional bits 780, and the A parity bits 722 are transmitted (and received) immediately after the B parity bits 732. In some implementations, the additional bits 780 may be merged or combined with at least one of the first X field 740 or the first Z field 750 to carry additional signaling information (such as by repurposing the first X field 740 or the first Z field 750 to carry signaling information instead of CRC information).

[0074] In some implementations, the B parity bits 732 may also be used to recover information carried in the first X field 740, the first Z field 750, or the additional bits 780. For example, the FEC codeword formed by the B parity bits 732 may include the first X field 740, the first Z field 750, or the additional bits 780 (in addition to one or more portions of the B field 730). In some other implementations, the B parity bits 732 may not be used to recover any of the information carried in the first X field 740, the first Z field 750, or the additional bits 780.

[0075] Figure 8A Another enhanced pseudo carrier 800 that can be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the enhanced pseudo carrier 800 can be Figure 4 An example of an enhanced pseudo carrier 400.

[0076] The enhanced dummy carrier 800 includes an S field 801, an A field 802, one or more "A" parity bits 803, a B field 804, one or more "B" parity bits 805, and X and Z fields 806. Figure 4 , S field 801, A field 802, and B field 804 may be examples of S field 410, A field 420, and B field 430, respectively, of enhanced pseudo carrier 400. X and Z fields 806 may be examples of X field 440 and Z field 450 (for simplicity, in Figure 8A 806 may carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 804.

[0077] A parity bit 803 and B parity bit 805 can be Figure 4 804 to produce one or more FEC codewords 807 that are decodable according to an FEC decoding scheme, and the A parity bits 803 can be combined with one or more portions of the A field 802 to produce one or more FEC codewords 808 that are decodable according to the same (or different) FEC decoding scheme. Example suitable FEC codes include Reed-Solomon codes, Turbo codes, and LDPC codes, among other examples. Reference Figure 3 , each of FEC codewords 807 and 808 may be an example of TX codeword 312 (or RX codeword 322). More specifically, A parity bits 803 may be used to recover control information carried in A field 802, and B parity bits 805 may be used to recover control information carried in B field 804. In some implementations, B parity bits 805 may not be used to recover information carried in at least one of the subfields of B field 804 (such as subfield 0).

[0078] like Figure 8A As shown in FIG, the A parity bit 803 is transmitted (and received) immediately after the A field 802, the B field 804 is transmitted (and received) immediately after the A parity bit 803, and the B parity bit 805 is transmitted (and received) immediately after the B field 804. Figure 5-7 Compared to the enhanced pseudo carriers 500, 601, and 700 described above, the example arrangement of parity bits 803 and 805 allows A field 802 to be decoded and errors therein corrected earlier (such as before B field 804). However, since A field 802 can be ignored by ULE devices operating in normal mode, the benefit of such early decoding of A field 802 may be limited. Furthermore, since A parity bit 803 is inserted between A field 802 and B field 804, enhanced pseudo carrier 800 is not backward compatible with legacy portable devices.

[0079] Figure 8BAnother enhanced pseudo carrier 810 that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the enhanced pseudo carrier 810 may be Figure 4 An example of an enhanced pseudo carrier 400.

[0080] The enhanced dummy carrier 810 includes an S field 811, an A field 812, a B field 813, a first X and Z field 814, one or more "A" parity bits 815, one or more "B" parity bits 816, and a second X and Z field 817. Figure 4 , the S field 811, the A field 812, and the B field 813 may be examples of the S field 410, the A field 420, and the B field 430, respectively, of the enhanced pseudo carrier 400. The second X and Z field 817 may be examples of the X field 440 and the Z field 450 (for simplicity, in Figure 8B 814. Thus, the S field 811 may carry a packet preamble and synchronization information marking the start of a DECT packet transmission; the A field 812 may carry control information associated with the base station or network; the B field 813 may carry control information associated with a ULE mode of operation by the base station; and the second X and Z field 817 may carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 813.

[0081] A parity bit 815 and B parity bit 816 may be Figure 4 813. In some implementations, the A parity bits 815 can be combined with one or more portions of the A field 812 to produce one or more FEC codewords 818 that are decodable according to an FEC decoding scheme, and the B parity bits 816 can be combined with one or more portions of the B field 813 to produce one or more FEC codewords 819 that are decodable according to the same (or different) FEC decoding scheme. Figure 3 , each of FEC codewords 818 and 819 may be an example of TX codeword 312 (or RX codeword 322). More specifically, A parity bits 815 may be used to recover control information carried in A field 812, and B parity bits 816 may be used to recover control information carried in B field 813. In some implementations, B parity bits 816 may not be used to recover information carried in at least one of the subfields of B field 813 (such as subfield 0).

[0082] In some implementations, the first X and Z fields 814 may provide backward compatibility with legacy devices. Figure 2, the first five fields 811-814 of the enhanced pseudo carrier 810 match the first five fields 210-250 of the pseudo carrier 200, which is consistent with the existing DECT ULE standard. In such an implementation, the first X and Z field 814 can carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 813. In some other implementations, the first X and Z field 814 can be repurposed to carry other information (such as signaling information of the enhanced pseudo carrier 810). In some implementations, the A parity bit 815 or the B parity bit 816 can also be used to recover the information carried in the first X and Z field 814. In such an implementation, the FEC codeword 818 or 819 can include the first X and Z field 814 (in addition to one or more portions of the A field 812 or the B field 813, respectively).

[0083] like Figure 8B As shown in FIG, the A parity bit 815 is transmitted (and received) immediately after the first X and Z fields 814, and the B parity bit 816 is transmitted (and received) immediately after the A parity bit 815. Figure 5-7 Compared to the enhanced pseudo carriers 500, 601, and 700 described above, the example arrangement of parity bits 815 and 816 allows the A field 812 to be decoded and errors therein corrected earlier (such as before the B field 813) while maintaining backward compatibility with legacy portable devices. However, since the A field 812 can be ignored by ULE devices operating in normal mode, the benefits of such early decoding of the A field 812 may be limited.

[0084] Figure 8C Another enhanced pseudo carrier 820 that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the enhanced pseudo carrier 820 may be Figure 4 An example of an enhanced pseudo carrier 400.

[0085] The enhanced dummy carrier 820 includes an S field 821, an A field 822, a B field 823, a first X and Z field 824, one or more parity bits 825, and a second X and Z field 826. Figure 4 , the S field 821, the A field 822, and the B field 823 may be examples of the S field 410, the A field 420, and the B field 430, respectively, of the enhanced pseudo carrier 400. The second X and Z field 826 may be examples of the X field 440 and the Z field 450 (for simplicity, in Figure 8C826 may carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 823.

[0086] In some implementations, the first X and Z fields 824 may provide backward compatibility with legacy devices. Figure 2 , the first five fields 821-824 of the enhanced pseudo bearer 820 match the first five fields 210-250 of the pseudo bearer 200, which is consistent with the existing DECT ULE standard. In such an implementation, the first X and Z fields 824 can carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 823. In some other implementations, the first X and Z fields 824 can be repurposed to carry other information (such as signaling information of the enhanced pseudo bearer 820).

[0087] Parity bit 825 can be Figure 4 In some implementations, the parity bits 825 can be combined with the A field 822, the B field 823, and the first X and Z fields 824 to produce one or more FEC codewords 827 that can be decoded according to an FEC decoding scheme. Figure 3 , FEC codeword 827 may be an example of TX codeword 312 (or RX codeword 322). More specifically, parity bits 825 may be used to recover the control information carried in A field 822 and B field 823 and the CRC (or signaling) information carried in first X and Z fields 824.

[0088] like Figure 8C As shown in , parity bits 825 can be used to decode the A field 822 and the B field 823 together and correct any errors therein. This allows a single FEC decoding operation to be used to encode (and decode) most of the enhanced pseudo carrier 820. Thus, compared to reference Figure 5-7 The enhanced pseudo carrier 820 can be implemented more simply than the described enhanced pseudo carriers 500, 601, and 700. However, because the A field 822 and the B field 823 are required for FEC decoding, a ULE device cannot begin receiving the enhanced pseudo carrier 820 starting at the B field 823 or terminate its reception of the enhanced pseudo carrier 820 before receiving all parity bits 825 (without sacrificing the use of the parity bits 825).

[0089] Figure 8DAnother enhanced pseudo carrier 830 that may be used for wireless communication between a base station and a portable device according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the enhanced pseudo carrier 830 may be Figure 4 An example of an enhanced pseudo carrier 400.

[0090] The enhanced dummy carrier 830 includes an S field 831, an A field 832, a B field 833, a first X and Z field 824, one or more "B" parity bits 835, and a second X and Z field 836. Figure 4 , the S field 831, the A field 832, and the B field 833 may be examples of the S field 410, the A field 420, and the B field 430, respectively, of the enhanced pseudo carrier 400. The second X and Z field 836 may be examples of the X field 440 and the Z field 450 (for simplicity, in Figure 8D 836.) Thus, the S field 831 may carry a packet preamble and synchronization information marking the start of a DECT packet transmission; the A field 832 may carry control information associated with the base station or network; the B field 833 may carry control information associated with a ULE mode of operation by the base station; and the second X and Z field 836 may carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 833.

[0091] B parity bit 835 can be Figure 4 In some implementations, the B parity bits 835 can be combined with one or more portions of the B field 833 to produce one or more FEC codewords 837 that can be decoded according to an FEC decoding scheme. Figure 3 , FEC codeword 837 may be an example of TX codeword 312 (or RX codeword 322). More specifically, B parity bits 835 may be used to recover control information carried in B field 833. In some implementations, B parity bits 835 may not be used to recover information carried in at least one of the subfields of B field 833 (such as subfield 0).

[0092] In some implementations, the first X and Z fields 834 may provide backward compatibility with legacy devices. Figure 2, the first five fields 831-834 of the enhanced pseudo carrier 830 match the first five fields 210-250 of the pseudo carrier 200, which is consistent with the existing DECT ULE standard. In such an implementation, the first X and Z field 834 can carry CRC information generated on a portion of the B field 833. In some other implementations, the first X and Z field 834 can be repurposed to carry other information (such as signaling information of the enhanced pseudo carrier 830). In some implementations, the B parity bit 835 can also be used to recover the information carried in the first X and Z field 834. In such an implementation, the FEC codeword 837 can include the first X and Z field 834 (in addition to one or more portions of the B field 833).

[0093] like Figure 8D As shown in FIG, the enhanced pseudo carrier 830 does not support FEC encoding of the A field 832. Figure 5-7 Compared to the enhanced pseudo carriers 500, 601, and 700 described above, more parity information can be allocated for FEC encoding of the B field 833 of the enhanced pseudo carrier 830. In other words, the enhanced pseudo carrier 830 can include a greater number of B parity bits than any of the enhanced pseudo carriers 500, 601, or 700. This can improve the performance of FEC decoding for the B field 833 while being simpler to implement. However, because the enhanced pseudo carrier 830 does not include any "A" parity bits, the ULE device cannot perform error correction (or FEC decoding) on the A field 832 during the subscription or service invocation procedure.

[0094] Aspects of the present disclosure further recognize that data interleaving (such as reordering the sequence of bits in a packet) can further improve the reference Figure 5-8D FEC decoding of any of the enhanced pseudo bearers 500, 601, 700, and 800-830 described above is performed. However, existing versions of the DECT ULE standard do not support data interleaving for pseudo bearers. As such, enhanced pseudo bearers with interleaved data may not be backward compatible with legacy devices. Furthermore, because data interleaving changes the order of bits in a packet, a portable device may need to receive the interleaved pseudo bearer in its entirety to recover all data for any one field. As a result, the portable device may be unable to prematurely terminate reception of the pseudo bearer (such as before the end of the packet) or delay the start of pseudo bearer reception (such as after the start of the packet).

[0095] Figure 9 FIG2 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device 900 according to some implementations. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 900 may be a portable device (such as a DECT ULE network or HAN) associated with a DECT ULE network (or HAN). Figure 1The portable device 120 or Figure 6A and Figure 6B For example, refer to Figure 1 , the portable device may be configured to communicate with a base station via a wireless communication channel, such as a DECT air interface.

[0096] The wireless communication device 900 includes a communication interface 910, a processing system 920, and a memory 930. The communication interface 910 is configured to communicate with a base station via a wireless communication channel. In some implementations, the communication interface 910 can receive at least a portion of a dummy carrier including a B field followed by one or more parity bits via the wireless communication channel, wherein the B field carries control information associated with a ULE mode of operation performed by a DECT base station.

[0097] The memory 930 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium (including one or more non-volatile memory elements such as EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or hard drive, among other examples) that can store at least the following software (SW) modules: A CW construction SW module 932 to construct a codeword comprising at least part of a B field and one or more parity bits; and • FEC decoding SW module 934 to recover control information based on the codeword and the FEC code associated with the codeword. Each software module includes instructions that, when executed by processing system 920 , cause wireless communication device 900 to perform corresponding functions.

[0098] The processing system 920 may include any suitable one or more processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the wireless communication device 900, such as in the memory 930. For example, the processing system 920 may execute the CW construction SW module 932 to construct a codeword including at least a portion of the B field and one or more parity bits. The processing system 920 may further execute the FEC decoding SW module 934 to recover control information based on the codeword and the FEC code associated with the codeword.

[0099] Figure 10 An illustrative flow chart depicting example operations 1000 for wireless communication according to some implementations is shown. In some implementations, the example operations 1000 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as Figure 1 portable device 120, Figure 6A and Figure 6B ULE device 608 or Figure 9 The wireless communication device 900) is executed.

[0100] A wireless communication device receives, over a wireless communication channel, at least a portion of a dummy carrier comprising a B field followed by one or more first parity bits, wherein the B field carries control information associated with a ULE mode of operation performed by a DECT base station (1010). The wireless communication device constructs a first codeword comprising at least a portion of the B field and the one or more first parity bits (1020). In some implementations, the first codeword may exclude a first subfield of the B field, wherein the first subfield signals the beginning of the B field. The wireless communication device recovers the control information based on the first codeword and an FEC code associated with the first codeword (1030).

[0101] In some aspects, the dummy carrier may further include X and Z fields following the B field and preceding the one or more first parity bits. In some implementations, the X and Z fields may carry CRC information associated with the B field. In some other implementations, the X and Z fields may carry signaling information associated with the dummy carrier. In some implementations, the first codeword may further include X and Z fields.

[0102] In some aspects, the one or more first parity bits may be received immediately after the Z field. In some other aspects, the dummy carrier may further include one or more non-parity bits between the Z field and the one or more first parity bits. In some implementations, the one or more non-parity bits may carry signaling information associated with the dummy carrier.

[0103] In some aspects, the dummy bearer may further include an A field carrying legacy control information associated with the DECT base station and one or more second parity bits following the A field. In some implementations, the one or more second parity bits may be received after the one or more first parity bits. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may further construct a second codeword including at least a portion of the A field and the one or more second parity bits and recover the legacy control information based on the second codeword and an FEC code associated with the second codeword.

[0104] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a wide 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.

[0105] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Technicians can implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0106] The methods, sequences, or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a 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 so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative embodiment, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor.

[0107] In the foregoing description, the embodiments have been described with reference to specific examples thereof. However, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, comprising: receiving, over a wireless communication channel, at least a portion of a dummy carrier comprising a B field followed by one or more first parity bits, the B field carrying control information associated with an ultra-low energy (ULE) mode of operation by a digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) base station; constructing a first codeword comprising at least a portion of the B field and the one or more first parity bits; as well as The control information is recovered based on the first codeword and a forward error correction (FEC) code associated with the first codeword.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first codeword excludes a first subfield of the B-field, which signals the start of the B-field.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The dummy carrier further includes X and Z fields following the B field and preceding the one or more first parity bits.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The X and Z fields carry cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information associated with the B field.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein The X and Z fields carry signaling information associated with the dummy bearer.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The first codeword also includes the X and Z fields.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The one or more first parity bits are received immediately after the Z field.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The dummy carrier further includes one or more non-parity bits between the Z field and the one or more first parity bits.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The one or more non-parity bits carry signaling information associated with the dummy bearer.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein The dummy carrier further includes an A field carrying legacy control information associated with the DECT base station and one or more second parity bits following the A field.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more second parity bits are received after the one or more first parity bits.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: constructing a second codeword comprising at least a portion of the A field and the one or more second parity bits; as well as The legacy control information is recovered based on the second codeword and an FEC code associated with the second codeword.

13. A wireless communication device, comprising: processing systems; as well as a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the wireless communication device to: receiving, over a wireless communication channel, at least a portion of a dummy carrier comprising a B field followed by one or more first parity bits, the B field carrying control information associated with an ultra-low energy (ULE) mode of operation by a digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) base station; constructing a first codeword comprising at least a portion of the B field and the one or more first parity bits; as well as The control information is recovered based on the first codeword and a forward error correction (FEC) code associated with the first codeword.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 13, wherein: The first codeword excludes a first subfield of the B-field, which signals the start of the B-field.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 13, wherein: The dummy carrier further includes X and Z fields following the B field and preceding the one or more first parity bits. The wireless communication device according to claim 15 , wherein: The X and Z fields carry cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information associated with the B field.

17. The wireless communication device according to claim 15, wherein: The X and Z fields carry signaling information associated with the dummy bearer.

18. The wireless communication device according to claim 15, wherein: The first codeword also includes the X and Z fields.

19. The wireless communication device according to claim 15, wherein The dummy bearer further includes one or more non-parity bits between the Z field and the one or more first parity bits, the one or more non-parity bits carrying signaling information associated with the dummy bearer.

20. The wireless communication device according to claim 13, wherein The dummy carrier further includes an A field carrying legacy control information associated with the DECT base station and one or more second parity bits following the A field, and execution of the instructions further causes the wireless communication device to: constructing a second codeword comprising at least a portion of the A field and the one or more second parity bits; and The legacy control information is recovered based on the second codeword and an FEC code associated with the second codeword.

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