User equipments, base stations and methods

• US 10,085,158 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nogami, Toshizo, Yin, Zhanping
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Application Number:
  US15/152,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20160337880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes a higher layer processor configured to receive an RRC message for enhanced resource element group (EREG) configuration. The UE also includes a physical downlink control channel receiver configured to monitor an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) on the basis of a first EREG structure if the EREG configuration is not established, and to monitor the EPDCCH on the basis of a second EREG structure if the EREG configuration is established. All resource elements (REs) with number i in a physical resource block (PRB) pair comprise EREG number i.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a higher layer processor configured to receive an RRC message for enhanced resource element group (EREG) configuration; and

a physical downlink control channel receiver configured to monitor an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) on the basis of a first EREG structure if the EREG configuration is not established, and to monitor the EPDCCH on the basis of a second EREG structure if the EREG configuration is established;

wherein all resource elements (REs) with number i in a physical resource block (PRB) pair comprise EREG number i, wherein i is an integer number, and wherein

in the first EREG structure, the EREG number i is based on numbering all resource elements, except for resource elements carrying demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), in the PRB pair cyclically from an index set in an increasing order of first frequency and then time, and

in the second EREG structure, the EREG number i is based on numbering all resource elements, except for resource elements carrying demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), on a set of consecutive OFDM symbols within the PRB pair cyclically from a subset of the index set in an increasing order of first frequency and then time.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein:

a single subframe comprises a first slot and a second slot in time domain,

in the first EREG structure, each EREG includes both REs belonging to the first slot and REs belonging to the second slot, and

in the second EREG structure, each EREG includes either the REs belonging to the first slot or the REs belonging to the second slot.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein a single enhanced control channel element (ECCE) comprises a plurality of EREGs that have REs belonging to the same set of consecutive OFDM symbols within the PRB pair.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the EPDCCH comprises a plurality of ECCEs that have REs belonging to the same set of consecutive OFDM symbols within the PRB pair.

5. An evolved NodeB (eNB), comprising:

a higher layer processor configured to send an RRC message for enhanced resource element group (EREG) configuration; and

a physical downlink control channel transmitter configured to transmit an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) on the basis of a first EREG structure if the EREG configuration is not established, and to transmit the EPDCCH on the basis of a second EREG structure if the EREG configuration is established;

wherein all resource elements (REs) with number i in a physical resource block pair (PRB pair) comprise EREG number i, wherein i is an integer number, and wherein

in the first EREG structure, the EREG number i is based on numbering all resource elements, except for resource elements carrying demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), in the PRB pair cyclically from an index set in an increasing order of first frequency and then time, and

in the second EREG structure, the EREG number i is based on numbering all resource elements, except for resource elements carrying demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), on a set of consecutive OFDM symbols within the PRB pair cyclically from a subset of the index set in an increasing order of first frequency, then time.

6. The eNB of claim 5, wherein:

a single subframe comprises a first slot and a second slot in time domain,

in the first EREG structure, each EREG includes both REs belonging to the first slot and REs belonging to the second slot, and

in the second EREG structure, each EREG includes either the REs belonging to the first slot or the REs belonging to the second slot.

7. The eNB of claim 5, wherein a single enhanced control channel element (ECCE) comprises a plurality of EREGs that have REs belonging to the same set of consecutive OFDM symbols within the PRB pair.

8. The eNB of claim 7, wherein the EPDCCH comprises a plurality of ECCEs that have REs belonging to the same set of consecutive OFDM symbols within the PRB pair.