Inserting virtual carrier in conventional OFDM host carrier in communications system

• US 10,070,440 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCA IPLA Holdings Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: SCA IPLA Holdings Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: McNamara, Darren, Lillie, Andrew, Darwood, Peter, Beale, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US15/279,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20170019900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 4554321-4361, 455447-4521, 370312, 370329-330, 370336-338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0039 Frequency-contiguous, i.e. with no allocation of frequencies for one user or terminal between the frequencies allocated to another
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a mobile communications system and method for communicating data to and/or from mobile communications devices. The method includes receiving, by a mobile terminal, a signal on a downlink from a base station, detecting a virtual carrier on the downlink, and receiving downlink communications via the virtual carrier, wherein the virtual carrier is configured to provide a first set of resource elements within first frequency resources that are within and smaller than second frequency resources that are used by a host carrier to provide a second set of resource elements, wherein the virtual carrier is provided in the first frequency resources in a first sub-frame, wherein the virtual carrier is provided in third frequency resources in a second sub-frame after the first sub-frame, and wherein the third frequency resources are within and smaller than the first frequency resources.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data in a mobile communications system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile terminal, a signal on a downlink from a base station;

detecting a virtual carrier on the downlink; and

receiving downlink communications via the virtual carrier,

wherein the virtual carrier is configured to provide a first set of resource elements within first frequency resources that are within and smaller than second frequency resources that are used by a host carrier to provide a second set of resource elements,

wherein the virtual carrier is provided in the first frequency resources in a first sub-frame,

wherein the virtual carrier is provided in third frequency resources in a second sub-frame after the first sub-frame, and

wherein the third frequency resources are within and smaller than the first frequency resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decoding the first set of resource elements; and

obtaining network configuration information from the decoded first set of resource elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the virtual carrier includes scanning the first frequency resources for the virtual carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a receiver to receive communications transmitted in the first frequency resources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of resource elements includes a virtual carrier indicator that is configured to indicate a presence of the virtual carrier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual carrier indicator is configured to indicate a location of the virtual carrier.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual carrier indicator is configured to indicate a bandwidth of the virtual carrier.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual carrier indicator is provided in a physical broadcast channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual carrier has a bandwidth size of at least one resource block and of fewer than one hundred resource blocks.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual carrier has a bandwidth size of six resource blocks.

11. A mobile terminal, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

receive a signal on a downlink from a base station;

detect a virtual carrier on the downlink; and

receive downlink communications via the virtual carrier,

wherein the virtual carrier is configured to provide a first set of resource elements within first frequency resources that are within and smaller than second frequency resources that are used by a host carrier to provide a second set of resource elements,

wherein the virtual carrier is provided in the first frequency resources in a first sub-frame,

wherein the virtual carrier is provided in third frequency resources in a second sub-frame after the first sub-frame, and

wherein the third frequency resources are within and smaller than the first frequency resources.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

decode the first set of resource elements; and

obtain network configuration information from the decoded first set of resource elements.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further configured to scan the first frequency resources for the virtual carrier.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further configured to configure a receiver to receive communications transmitted in the first frequency resources.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the first set of resource elements includes a virtual carrier indicator that is configured to indicate a presence of the virtual carrier.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the virtual carrier indicator is configured to indicate a location of the virtual carrier.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the virtual carrier indicator is configured to indicate a bandwidth of the virtual carrier.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the virtual carrier indicator is provided in a physical broadcast channel.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the virtual carrier has a bandwidth size of at least one resource block and of fewer than one hundred resource blocks.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the virtual carrier has a bandwidth size of six resource blocks.