Communication apparatus and communication method

• US 10,375,692 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2018
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Patent Trust
• Original Assignee: Sun Patent Trust
• Inventors: Oizumi, Toru, Imamura, Daichi, Nishio, Akihiko, Suzuki, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Solinsky, Peter G
• Application Number:
  US16/109,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20180368143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 349 Days
• Field of Search: 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0085 when channel conditions change
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to inhibit an increase in the amount of A/N resources, without changing the timing at which the error detection result of an SCell is notified when UL-DL configurations to be configured for each of the unit bands are different, from the timing at which the error detection result is notified when just a single unit band is configured. A control unit transmits, using a first unit band, a response signal including error detection results about data received with both the first unit band and a second unit band. In a first composition pattern set for the first unit band, an uplink communication subframe is set to be the same timing as at least an uplink communication subframe of a second composition pattern set for the second unit band.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmitter which, in operation, transmits downlink data on a plurality of component carriers including a first component carrier and a second component carrier, wherein a first frame configuration pattern of the first component carrier and a second frame configuration pattern of the second component carrier are respectively selected from a plurality of frame configuration patterns, each frame configuration pattern defines transmission timings of one or more uplink subframes, one or more downlink subframes and one or more special subframes, and when the first frame configuration pattern of the first component carrier is different from the second frame configuration pattern of the second component carrier, the first frame configuration pattern defines transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes that are all inclusive of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined in the second frame configuration pattern, and the first frame configuration pattern defines at least one more uplink subframe than defined in the second frame configuration pattern; and

a receiver which, in operation, receives from a communication partner apparatus a response signal for the first component carrier and the second component carrier on an uplink subframe of the first component carrier, wherein the response signal is generated at the communication partner apparatus and indicates error detection results for the downlink data transmitted on the first component carrier and the second component carrier, said uplink subframe of the first component carrier on which the response signal is received is defined at the same timing as one of the transmission timing(s) of the one or more uplink subframes defined in the second frame configuration pattern, and said uplink subframe of the first component carrier on which the response signal is received is located at a position at least four subframes after a downlink subframe for which the response signal is generated.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern of the third component carrier defines transmission timing(s) of at least one uplink subframe at a timing different from any one of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined in the first frame configuration pattern; and

the response signal further indicates an error detection result for the downlink data transmitted on the third component carrier.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern of the third component carrier defines transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes that are all inclusive of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined in the first frame configuration pattern; and

the response signal further indicates an error detection result for the downlink data transmitted on the third component carrier.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first frame configuration pattern and the second frame configuration pattern share at least one common transmission timing of an uplink subframe.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first component carrier is a Primary Cell and the second component carrier is a Secondary Cell.

6. A communication method comprising:

transmitting downlink data on a plurality of component carriers including a first component carrier and a second component carrier, wherein a first frame configuration pattern of the first component carrier and a second frame configuration pattern of the second component carrier are respectively selected from a plurality of frame configuration patterns, each frame configuration pattern defines transmission timings of one or more uplink subframes, one or more downlink subframes, and one or more special subframes, and when the first configuration pattern of the first component carrier is different from the second frame configuration pattern of the second component carrier, the first frame configuration pattern defines transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes that are all inclusive of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined in the second frame configuration pattern, and the first frame configuration pattern defines at least one more uplink subframe than defined in the second frame configuration pattern; and

receiving from a communication partner apparatus a response signal for the first component carrier and the second component carrier on an uplink subframe of the first component carrier, wherein the response signal is generated at the communication partner apparatus and indicates error detection results for the downlink data transmitted on the first component carrier and the second component carrier, said uplink subframe of the first component carrier on which the response signal is received is defined at the same timing as one of the transmission timing(s) of the one or more uplink subframes defined in the second frame configuration pattern, and said uplink subframe of the first component carrier on which the response signal is received is located at a position at least four subframes after a downlink subframe for which the response signal is generated.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern for the third component carrier defines transmission timing(s) of at least one uplink subframe at a timing different from any one of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined in the first frame configuration pattern; and

the response signal further indicates an error detection result for the downlink data transmitted on the third component carrier.

8. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein

the plurality of component carriers further include a third component carrier;

a third frame configuration pattern of the third component carrier defines transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes that are all inclusive of transmission timing(s) of one or more uplink subframes defined in the first configuration pattern; and

the response signal further indicates an error detection result for the downlink data transmitted on the third component carrier.

9. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein the first frame configuration pattern and the second frame configuration pattern share at least one common transmission timing of an uplink subframe.

10. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein the first component carrier is a Primary Cell and the second component carrier is a Secondary Cell.