Coverage extension level for coverage limited device

• US 10,305,574 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Xiong, Gang, Fwu, Jong-Kae, Han, Seunghee
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Detse, Kokou R
• Application Number:
  US15/186,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 370315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Generally discussed herein are systems, apparatuses, and methods that can provide a coverage enhancement to a coverage limited device. According to an example a method can include repeating a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) data transmission multiple times over multiple sub-frames to a coverage limited Machine Type Communication (MTC) User Equipment (UE), or repeating the PBCH data transmission two or three times within one sub-frame to the coverage limited MTC UE.

Claims

1. An apparatus of an enhanced node B (eNB), the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

processing circuitry, configured to;

encode transmission symbols with a master information block (MIB), for transmission of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the MIB comprising information pertaining to a cell;

map the transmission symbols to resource elements (REs) of a plurality of consecutive radio frames for a single transmission of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames;

when the cell is configured for repetition of the PBCH, map the transmission symbols to additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with a predetermined mapping for additional transmissions of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames; and

configure transceiver circuitry to transmit the PBCH in the REs of the consecutive radio frames, including the additional REs of the consecutive radio frames for repetition of the PBCH, wherein the predetermined mapping indicates a frame offset, a slot number and symbol number for each repetition of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames,

wherein when configured for time division duplexed (TDD) operation, the additional number of times is at most 5, and when configured for frequency division duplexed (FDD), the additional number of times is at most 4.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to refrain from mapping the transmission symbols for repetition of the PBCH in REs already used for transmission of cell-specific reference signals (CRS).

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to refrain from mapping the transmission symbols to the additional REs for transmission of the PBCH more than once in a radio frame when the cell is not configured for repetition of the PBCH.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the radio frames are FDD radio frames, and

wherein the transmission symbols are mapped to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping to transmit the PBCH an additional three or four times in each of the radio frames.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the radio frames are TDD radio frames, and

wherein the transmission symbols are mapped to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping to transmit the PBCH an additional three, four or five times in each of the radio frames.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is to configure the cell for repetition of the PBCH to provide coverage enhancement for user equipment (UE) with poor channel conditions.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is to configure the cell for repetition of the PBCH to provide coverage enhancement for machine-type communication (MTC) user equipments (UE) (MTC-UEs).

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to map synchronization signals, including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) to REs for transmission within each of the consecutive radio frames, the PSS and SSS configured for use in decoding the PBCH.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the cell is configured for repetition of the PBCH, based on the predetermined mapping the PBCH is repeated:

four times in a first radio frame of the consecutive radio frames,

four times in a second radio frame of the consecutive radio frames,

four times in a third radio frame of the consecutive radio frames, and

three times in a fourth radio frame of the consecutive radio frames.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises the transceiver circuitry.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of an enhanced node B (eNB), the processing circuitry configured by the instructions to:

encode transmission symbols with a master information block (MIB), for transmission of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the MIB comprising information pertaining to a cell;

map the transmission symbols to resource elements (REs) of a plurality of consecutive radio frames for a single transmission of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames;

when the cell is configured for repetition of the PBCH, map the transmission symbols to additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with a predetermined mapping for additional transmissions of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames;

configure transceiver circuitry to transmit the PBCH in the REs of the consecutive radio frames, including the additional REs of the consecutive radio frames for repetition of the PBCH, wherein the predetermined mapping indicates a frame offset, a slot number and symbol number for each repetition of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames,

wherein the transmission symbols are mapped to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping to transmit the PBCH an additional number of times in each of the radio frames, and

wherein when configured for time division duplexed (TDD) operation, the additional number of times is at most 5, and when configured for frequency division duplexed (FDD), the additional number of times is at most 4.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to refrain from mapping the transmission symbols for repetition of the PBCH in REs already used for transmission of cell-specific reference signals (CRS).

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to refrain from mapping the transmission symbols to the additional REs for transmission of the PBCH more than once in a radio frame when the cell is not configured for repetition of the PBCH.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

when the radio frames are FDD radio frames, the transmission symbols are mapped to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping to transmit the PBCH an additional three or four times in each of the radio frames, and

when the radio frames are TDD radio frames, the transmission symbols are mapped to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping to transmit the PBCH an additional three, four or five times in each of the radio frames.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is to configure the cell for repetition of the PBCH to provide coverage enhancement for user equipment (UE) with poor channel conditions.

16. An apparatus of an enhanced node B (eNB), the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

processing circuitry, configured to;

encode transmission symbols with a master information block (MIB), for transmission of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the MIB comprising information pertaining to a cell;

map the transmission symbols to resource elements (REs) of a plurality of consecutive radio frames for a single transmission of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames;

map the transmission symbols to additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with a predetermined mapping for additional transmissions of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames;

configure transceiver circuitry to transmit the PBCH in the REs of the consecutive radio frames, including the additional REs of the consecutive radio frames for repetition of the PBCH; and

refrain from mapping the transmission symbols for repetition of the PBCH in REs already used for transmission of cell-specific reference signals (CRS),

wherein the transmission symbols are mapped to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping to transmit the PBCH an additional number of times in each of the radio frames, and

wherein when configured for time division duplexed (TDD) operation, the additional number of times is at most 5, and when configured for frequency division duplexed (FDD), the additional number of times is at most 4.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the predetermined mapping indicates a frame offset, a slot number and symbol number for each repetition of the PBCH in each of the consecutive radio frames.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map the transmission symbols to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping when the cell is configured for repetition of the PBCH.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to refrain from mapping the transmission symbols to the additional REs of each of the consecutive radio frames in accordance with the predetermined mapping when the cell is not configured for repetition of the PBCH.