Supporting random access and paging procedures for reduced capability WTRUs in an LTE system

• US 10,306,680 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stern-Berkowitz, Janet A., Lee, Moon-il, Sadeghi, Pouriya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US15/504,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20170280481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may transmit a preamble using a physical random access channel (PRACH) and determine a location of a random access response (RAR) based on a parameter of the PRACH. The location may include a subframe and/or a frequency resource on which the RAR is transmitted. The RAR may be received at the location. A device may receive a preamble using a PRACH associated with a coverage enhancement (CE) level and/or a CE mode of a WTRU. The device may determine a location of an RAR based on a parameter of the PRACH. The location may include a subframe and/or a frequency resource on which the RAR is to be transmitted. The device may determine a number of repetitions of the RAR to transmit based on the CE level or CE mode. The RAR may be transmitted at the location with the determined number of repetitions.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order, the PDCCH order indicating that the WTRU should initiate a random access procedure, the PDCCH order further indicating a coverage enhancement (CE) level to be used for the random access procedure;

transmitting a preamble using a physical random access channel (PRACH) resource based on the received PDCCH order;

and

repeating the preamble, wherein the number of repetitions of the preamble is based on the CE level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a PRACH resource based on the CE level.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a random access response (RAR) within a response window wherein at least one parameter of the response window is determined as a function of the CE level.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a length of the response window.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a location to start monitoring a PDCCH for a random access response (RAR) based on the CE level, the location comprising at least one of a subframe or a frequency resource.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determined location is three subframes after a subframe of a last repetition of the preamble.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising starting to monitor the PDCCH for the RAR at the determined location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a downlink control information (DCI) format for the PDCCH order comprises the CE level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the CE level is a starting CE level.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a PRACH resource based on the CE level, transmitting the preamble using the selected PRACH resource, and repeating the preamble transmission based on the CE level.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a configuration that provides the relationship between the CE level and a parameter of a response window within which a random access response (RAR) is received.

12. The method of claim 11, the configuration being received in system information.

13. A method for providing communication in a network, the method comprising:

receiving a preamble using a physical random access channel (PRACH) resource associated with a first coverage enhancement (CE) level of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) from which the preamble is received;

determining the first CE level of the WTRU based on at least one of the preamble or the PRACH resource; and

providing CE information regarding the WTRU to a mobility management entity (MME) device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving CE information from the MME device.

15. The method of claim 13, the CE information comprising at least one of the first CE level, a second CE level, a CE mode of the WTRU, or a capability of the WTRU to support a CE mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first CE level or the second CE level comprises a number of repetitions.

17. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor to execute instructions to cause the WTRU to

receive a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order, the PDCCH order indicating that the WTRU should initiate a random access procedure, and the PDCCH order further indicating a coverage enhancement (CE) level to be used for the random access procedure;

transmit a preamble using a physical random access channel (PRACH) resource based on the received PDCCH order; and

repeat the preamble, wherein the number of repetitions of the preamble is based on the CE level.

18. The WTRU of claim 17, the processor configured to select a PRACH resource based on the CE level.

19. The WTRU of claim 17, the processor configured to receive a random access response (RAR) within a response window, wherein at least one parameter of the response window is determined as a function of the CE level, the at least one parameter comprising a length of the response window.

20. The WTRU of claim 17, the processor configured to determine a location to start monitoring a PDCCH for a random access response (RAR) based on the CE level, the location comprising at least one of a subframe or a frequency resource.

21. The WTRU of claim 20, wherein the determined location is three subframes after a subframe of a last repetition of the preamble.

22. The WTRU of claim 20, the processor configured to start to monitor the PDCCH for the RAR at the determined location.

23. An evolved node B (eNB) device comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor to execute instructions to cause the eNB device to

receive a preamble using a physical random access channel (PRACH) resource associated with a first coverage enhancement (CE) level of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) from which the preamble is received;

determine the first CE level based on at least one of the preamble or the PRACH resource; and

provide CE information regarding the WTRU to a mobility management entity (MME) device.

24. The eNB device of claim 23, the processor configured to cause the transceiver to receive CE information from the MME device.

25. The eNB device of claim 23, the CE information comprising at least one of the first CE level, a second CE level, a CE mode of the WTRU, or a capability of the WTRU to support a CE mode.