Method and apparatus for wireless communication

• US 10,219,173 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yi, Yunjung, Ahn, Joonkui, Yang, Suckchel, Lee, Seungmin
• Primary Examiner(s): Holland, Jenee
• Application Number:
  US15/021,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20160227602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Operations of a UE and eNB are provided when there is a cell which can perform cell on/off. In this case, the UE may performs receiving signal on downlink channel and processing with the signal on the downlink channel. In addition, the signal on the downlink channel may includes a discovery signal when the cell is off-state, and the discovery signal is a signal used for cell identification and/or measurement.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a small cell, which supports an on-state and an off-state, and a macro cell in a wireless system, the method performed by a user equipment (UE) and comprising:

receiving, from the small cell, a discovery signal including an identification which indicates whether the small cell is in the on-state or the off-state;

determining whether the small cell is in the on-state or the off-state based on the identification; and

performing a discontinuous reception (DRX) operation based on the determined state of the small cell,

wherein when the identification indicates that the small cell is in the on-state, the UE performs measurement using a cell specific reference signal (CRS), and

wherein when the identification indicates that the small cell is in the off-state, the UE only receives the discovery signal, performs measurement using the discovery signal, and performs the DRX operation by aligning a cycle of the DRX operation with a cycle of the on-state of the small cell and the off-state of the small cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the small cell is deactivated, the small cell is in the off-state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE determines that the small cell is in the on-state when the UE receives multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) from the small cell.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE further receives supporting information being information supporting a radio resource control (RRC) connection of the UE, and

wherein the supporting information includes information for the DRX operation.

5. A user equipment (UE) communicating with a small cell, which supports an on-state and an off-state, and a macro cell in a wireless system, the UE comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver that transmits and receives a signal; and

a processor, operatively coupled to the RF transceiver, that;

controls the RF transceiver to receive, from the small cell, a discovery signal including an identification which indicates whether the small cell is in the on-state or the off-state,

determines whether the small cell is in the on-state or the off-state based on the identification, and

performs a discontinuous reception (DRX) operation based on the determined state of the small cell,

wherein when the identification indicates that the small cell is in the on-state, the UE performs measurement using a cell specific reference signal (CRS), and

wherein when the identification indicates that the small cell is in the off-state, the UE only receives the discovery signal, performs measurement using the discovery signal, and performs the DRX operation by aligning a cycle of the DRX operation with a cycle of the on-state of the small cell and the off-state of the small cell.

6. The UE of claim 5, wherein when the small cell is deactivated, the small cell is in the off-state.

7. The UE of claim 5, wherein whether the small cell is in the on-state or the off-state is determined by the processor based on explicit signaling or higher layer signaling.

8. The UE of claim 5, wherein the processor determines that the small cell is in the on-state when the RF transceiver receives multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) from the small cell.

9. The UE of claim 5, wherein the processor further controls the RF transceiver to receive supporting information being information supporting a radio resource control (RRC) connection of the UE, and

wherein the supporting information includes information for the DRX operation.