Communication method and apparatus

摘要

Methods and apparatus for communicating between a first node and a plurality of second nodes in a network, including a first uplink mode in which a first message is transmitted from multiple second nodes in sequence, and a second uplink mode in which a second message is sent from only a subset of nodes. A first receiving node evaluates communication path information based on messages received in the first uplink mode and returns this information via an acknowledgement to allow the subset to be selected. The first message from multiple nodes includes sequence information to allow the first node to acknowledge at an appropriate point in time. This is particularly applicable where multiple spatially separated antennas offer a receiver several observations of the same signal in an antenna diversity scheme.

主权项

1. A method of communicating between a first node and a plurality of second nodes in a network, the method comprising:
in a first uplink mode, transmitting a first message from all of the plurality of second nodes in sequence, across a corresponding plurality of communication paths, over a first transmission period; receiving at one or more of said second nodes, during a first reception period, a first acknowledgement message from said first node in response to said first message, said first acknowledgement message including communication path evaluation information; and in a second uplink mode, transmitting a second message from a subset of the plurality of second nodes, said subset selected on the basis of the received path evaluation information, over a second transmission period.