Radio terminal, radio station, and method thereof

• US 10,306,478 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Futaki, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US15/523,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20170318473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 455454, 455450, 455509, 4555521, 455436, 4554351, 4554352, 4554521, 455446, 455447
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation

Abstract

A radio terminal (3) operates to perform a predetermined process regarding a first cell (Cell #2) on an unlicensed frequency (F2) based on a predetermined relationship between a frame timing of a first serving cell (Cell #1) using a licensed frequency (F1) and a frame timing of the first cell (Cell #2) using the unlicensed frequency (F2). This contributes, for example, to enabling a radio terminal to differentiate among two or more cells when these cells use the same cell identifier.

Claims

1. A radio terminal configured to perform Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) using a primary cell operating in licensed frequency and a secondary cell operating in unlicensed frequency, the radio terminal comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to perform a predetermined process regarding the secondary cell on the unlicensed frequency based at least on considering a timing of a first symbol in a subframe of the primary cell being aligned with a timing of a first symbol in a subframe of the secondary cell, wherein

the predetermined process regarding the secondary cell on the unlicensed frequency is Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements on the unlicensed frequency, and

the at least one processor is configured to receive, via a transceiver, from a radio station of the primary cell, an offset value to indicate the subframe of the secondary cell.

2. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process further includes at least one of cell search, cell selection, cell reselection, detection of proximity to a cell, reporting of proximity to a cell, terminal measurement, reporting of a terminal measurement result, radio quality measurement, reporting of a radio quality measurement result, channel state measurement, reporting of a channel state measurement result, and sensing.

3. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein the timing of the first symbol in the subframe of the primary cell is (a) a time when the radio terminal receives a beginning of the first symbol, or (b) a time when one or a plurality of radio stations transmits the beginning of the first symbol.

4. A method performed by a radio terminal comprising:

performing a predetermined process regarding a secondary cell on an unlicensed frequency based at least on considering a timing of a first symbol in a subframe of a primary cell using a licensed frequency being aligned with a timing of a first symbol in a subframe of the secondary cell using the unlicensed frequency; and

performing Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) using the primary cell operating in the licensed frequency and the secondary cell operating in the unlicensed frequency, wherein

the predetermined process regarding the secondary cell on the unlicensed frequency is Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements on the unlicensed frequency, and

the method further comprises receiving, via a transceiver, from a radio station of the primary cell, an offset value to indicate the subframe of the secondary cell.