Signal exchange equipment and method for time division duplex and frequency division duplex carrier aggregation in wireless communication system

• US 10,313,004 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hee-Kwang, Kwon, Il-Won, Maeng, Seung-Joo, Jeon, Jae-Ho, Choi, Jung-Ah
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Yaotang
• Application Number:
  US15/129,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20170117956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2615 using hybrid frequency-time division multiple access [FDMA-TDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An apparatus for a terminal in a wireless communication system includes a receiver configured to receive frame configuration information used by a second carrier which is operated using a Time Division Duplex (TDD) scheme and receive downlink data through downlink TDD-Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) Carrier Aggregation (CA) using a first carrier and the second carrier operated using an FDD scheme and a transmitter configured to transmit uplink data via the first carrier. The downlink data received via the second carrier is received through a downlink subframe identified by the frame configuration information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a terminal in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

transmit, to a base station, through a first carrier for a primary cell, a first message, notifying that the terminal supports time division duplex (TDD) frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier aggregation (CA) using the first carrier based on the FDD and a second carrier based on the TDD, wherein the first message comprises information regarding a supportable combination of frequency bands including a first band among frequency bands used for FDD and a second band among frequency bands used for TDD, and

if the base station determines to configure the terminal to perform the TDD-FDD CA based on the first message, receive, from the base station, through the first carrier, a second message for indicating to add a secondary cell at the second carrier, wherein the second message comprises an index of the secondary cell and frame configuration information for the second carrier; and

at least one processor configured to;

identify at least one uplink subframe for the second carrier based on the frame configuration information, and

perform the TDD-FDD CA to communicate with the base station without estimating downlink channel on the at least one uplink subframe based on the frame configuration information of the second carrier,

wherein the first carrier is used to perform downlink communications and uplink communications based on the FDD,

wherein the second carrier is used to perform downlink communications without uplink communications according to the frame configuration information, and

wherein downlink data received through the second carrier is received through at least one downlink subframe identified by the frame configuration information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame configuration information comprises at least one of:

a rate of downlink subframes and uplink subframes,

an arrangement of the downlink subframes and the uplink subframes, or

an identification indicating the rate or the arrangement among predefined rates or predefined arrangement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the base station, through the first carrier, a third message for inquiring information regarding a capability associated with the CA, before transmitting the first message.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify at least one subframe not carrying common reference signals (CRS) based on the frame configuration information for the second carrier.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

receive, from the base station, through the first carrier, a fourth message for requesting information to identify addition information of the secondary cell, the fourth message including a configuration for measurement of the secondary cell, and

transmit, to the base station, through the first carrier, a fifth message including information about whether to add the secondary cell, the fifth message including measurement report for the secondary cell.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

receive, from the base station, a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for activating the secondary cell.

7. A method for operating a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting, to a base station, through a first carrier for a primary cell, a first message including, information notifying that the terminal supports time division duplex (TDD), frequency division duplex (FDD), carrier aggregation (CA), using the first carrier based on the FDD and a second carrier based on the TDD, wherein the first message comprises information regarding a supportable combination of frequency bands including a first band among frequency bands used for FDD and a second band among frequency bands used for TDD;

if the base station determines to configure the terminal to perform the TDD-FDD CA based on the first message, receiving, from the base station, through the first carrier, a second message for indicating to add a secondary cell at the second carrier, wherein the second message comprises an index of the secondary cell and frame configuration information for the second carrier;

identifying at least one uplink subframe for the second carrier based on the frame configuration information; and

performing the TDD-FDD CA to communicate with the base station without estimating downlink channel on the identified at least one uplink subframe based on the frame configuration information of the second carrier,

wherein the first carrier is used to perform downlink communications and uplink communications based on the FDD,

wherein the second carrier is used to perform downlink communications without uplink communications according to the frame configuration information, and

wherein the downlink data received through the second carrier is received through at least one downlink subframe identified by the frame configuration information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the frame configuration information comprises at least one of:

a rate of downlink subframes and uplink subframes,

an arrangement of the downlink subframes and the uplink subframes, or

an identification indicating the rate or the arrangement among predefined rates or predefined arrangement.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the base station, through the first carrier, a third message for inquiring information regarding a capability associated with the CA, before transmitting the first message.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying of the at least one uplink subframe comprises:

identifying at least one subframe not carrying common reference signals (CRS) based on the frame configuration information for the second carrier.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the base station, through the first carrier, a fourth message for requesting information to identify addition information of the secondary cell, the fourth message including a configuration for measurement of the secondary cell; and

transmitting, to the base station, through the first carrier, a fifth message including information about whether to add the secondary cell, the fifth message including measurement report for the secondary cell.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receive, from the base station, a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for activating the secondary cell.

13. An apparatus for a base station in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive, from a terminal, through a first carrier for a primary cell, a first message notifying that the terminal supports time division duplex (TDD)-frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier aggregation (CA) using the first carrier based on the FDD and a second carrier based on the TDD, wherein the first message comprises information regarding a supportable combination of frequency bands including a first band among frequency bands used for FDD and a second band among frequency bands used for TDD,

if the base station determines to configure the terminal to perform the TDD-FDD CA based on the first message, transmit, to the terminal, through the first carrier, a second message for indicating to add a secondary cell at the second carrier, wherein the second message comprises an index of the secondary cell and frame configuration information for the second carrier; and

at least one processor configured to perform the TDD-FDD CA to communicate with the terminal that performs the TDD-FDD CA to communicate with the base station without estimating downlink channel on at least one uplink subframe for the second carrier based on the frame configuration information for the second carrier

wherein the at least one uplink subframe is identified based on the frame configuration information,

wherein the first carrier is used to perform downlink communications and uplink communications based on the FDD,

wherein the second carrier is used to perform downlink communications without uplink communications according to the frame configuration information, and

wherein the downlink data transmitted through the second carrier is transmitted through at least one downlink subframe identified by the frame configuration information.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the frame configuration information comprises at least one of:

a rate of downlink subframes and uplink subframes,

an arrangement of the downlink subframes and the uplink subframes, or

an identification indicating the rate or the arrangement among predefined rates or predefined arrangement.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the terminal, through the first carrier, a third message for inquiring information regarding a capability associated with the CA, before receiving the first message.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

transmit, to the terminal, through the first carrier, a fourth message for requesting information to identify addition information of the secondary cell, the fourth message including a configuration for measurement of the secondary cell, and

receive, from the terminal, through the first carrier, a fifth message including information about whether to add the secondary cell, the fifth message including measurement report for the secondary cell.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

transmit, to the terminal, a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for activating the secondary cell.