Communication apparatus and communication method

• US 10,085,257 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Patent Trust
• Original Assignee: Sun Patent Trust
• Inventors: Oizumi, Toru, Imamura, Daichi, Nishio, Akihiko, Suzuki, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yeung, Mang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Solinsky, Peter G
• Application Number:
  US15/592,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0085 when channel conditions change
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to inhibit an increase in the amount of A/N resources, without changing the timing at which the error detection result of an SCell is notified when UL-DL configurations to be configured for each of the unit bands are different, from the timing at which the error detection result is notified when just a single unit band is configured. A control unit transmits, using a first unit band, a response signal including error detection results about data received with both the first unit band and a second unit band. In a first composition pattern set for the first unit band, an uplink communication subframe is set to be the same timing as at least an uplink communication subframe of a second composition pattern set for the second unit band.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a receiver which, in operation, receives downlink data transmitted on a plurality of component carriers including a first component carrier and a second component carrier, wherein the first and second component carriers have first and second frame configuration patterns respectively selected from a plurality of frame configuration patterns, each frame configuration pattern defining transmission timings of one or more uplink subframes, one or more downlink subframes and one or more special subframes, and wherein the first frame configuration pattern includes transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes which include all transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes in the second frame configuration pattern;

a controller which, in operation,

performs error detection of the downlink data for each of the first component carrier and the second component carrier and generates a response signal indicating error detection results of the downlink data, and

determines an uplink subframe of the first component carrier, which is at the same timing as one of the transmission timing(s) of the one or more uplink subframes in the second frame configuration pattern and is defined at least four subframes after a downlink subframe for which the response signal is generated; and

a transmitter which, in operation, transmits the response signal of the first component carrier and the second component carrier on the determined uplink subframe of the first component carrier.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern for the third component carrier defines at least one transmission timing of an uplink subframe which is different from any one of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes in the first frame configuration pattern; and

the transmitter transmits a response signal indicating error detection results of the downlink data, which is received on the third component carrier, on the third component carrier.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern for the third component carrier defines transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes at the same transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined by the first frame configuration pattern; and

the transmitter transmits a response signal indicating error detection results of the downlink data, which is received on the third component carrier, on the third component carrier.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first component carrier is a Primary Cell and the second component carrier is a Secondary Cell.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first frame configuration pattern for the first component carrier is different from the second frame configuration pattern for the second component carrier and includes at least one additional transmission timing of an uplink subframe that is not included in the second frame configuration pattern.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first frame configuration pattern is the same as the second frame configuration pattern.

7. A communication method comprising:

receiving downlink data transmitted on a plurality of component carriers including a first component carrier and a second component carrier, wherein the first and second component carriers have first and second frame configuration patterns respectively selected from a plurality of frame configuration patterns, each frame configuration pattern defining transmission timings of one or more uplink subframes, one or more downlink subframes and one or more special subframes, and wherein the first frame configuration pattern includes transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes which include all transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes in the second frame configuration pattern;

performing error detection of the downlink data for each of the first component carrier and the second component carrier and generating a response signal indicating error detection results of the downlink data;

determining an uplink subframe of the first component carrier, which is at the same timing as one of the transmission timing(s) of the one or more uplink subframes in the second frame configuration pattern and is defined at least four subframes after a downlink subframe for which the response signal is generated; and

transmitting the response signal of the first component carrier and the second component carrier on the determined uplink subframe of the first component carrier.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern for the third component carrier defines at least one transmission timing of an uplink subframe which is different from any one of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes in the first frame configuration pattern; and

the method comprises transmitting a response signal indicating error detection results of the downlink data, which is received on the third component carrier, on the third component carrier.

9. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern for the third component carrier defines transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes at the same transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined by the first frame configuration pattern; and

the method comprises transmitting a response signal indicating error detection results of the downlink data, which is received on the third component carrier, on the third component carrier.

10. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein the first component carrier is a Primary Cell and the second component carrier is a Secondary Cell.

11. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein the first frame configuration pattern for the first component carrier is different from the second frame configuration pattern for the second component carrier and includes at least one additional transmission timing of an uplink subframe that is not included in the second frame configuration pattern.

12. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein the first frame configuration pattern is the same as the second frame configuration pattern.