Simultaneous narrowband transmission/reception in enhanced machine type communications

• US 10,491,343 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rico Alvarino, Alberto, Xu, Hao, Gaal, Peter, Chen, Wanshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maglo, Emmanuel K
• Application Number:
  US15/094,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20160301503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0012 Hopping in multicarrier systems for frequency hopping in spread spectrum systems H04B1/713
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/362 Conditional handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications, and more specifically to narrowband retuning for simultaneous transmission and reception (e.g., broadcast-broadcast or broadcast-unicast) in enhanced machine type communications (eMTC). An example method that can be performed by a base station (BS) generally includes transmitting a first type of signal in a first set of narrowband resources for a first duration and transmitting a second type of signal in a second set of narrowband resources for a second duration. A user equipment (UE) can monitoring for the first type of signal in the first set of narrowband resources for the first duration and tune-away to the second set of narrowband resources to monitor for the second type of signal for the second duration.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications by a base station (BS), comprising:

transmitting a first broadcast signal to a user equipment (UE) in a first set of narrowband resources for a first duration;

transmitting a unicast transmission to the UE in a second set of narrowband resources, different than the first set of narrowband resources, for a second duration, wherein at least a portion of the first duration and the second duration overlap; and

providing the UE with a first discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle based on a bundling size of the unicast transmission to tune-away from the first set of narrowband resources to the second set of narrowband resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first broadcast signal or the unicast transmission comprises a bundled transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first broadcast signal or the unicast transmission comprises a frequency hopped transmission.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first broadcast signal comprises at least one of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) transmission, a system information block (SIB) transmission, a paging transmission, or a random access response (RAR) transmission; and

the unicast transmission comprises a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the paging transmission comprises a RAR message; and

the method further comprises receiving an uplink random access channel (RACH) message from the UE in a third set of narrowband resources for a third duration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first duration or the second duration comprises a duration agreed upon between the UE and the BS.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the agreed upon duration is based on a bundling size of at least one of the first broadcast signal or the unicast transmission.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first duration is based on a second DRX cycle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first DRX cycle does not overlap the second DRX cycle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first DRX cycle at least partially overlaps the second DRX cycle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first duration includes the second duration.

12. A method for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

monitoring for a first broadcast signal from a base station (BS) in a first set of narrowband resources for a first duration; and

tuning-away during a first discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle, to a second set of narrowband resources, different than the first set of narrowband resources, to monitor for a unicast transmission from the BS for a second duration, wherein the first DRX cycle is based on a bundling size of the unicast transmission.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first broadcast signal comprises at least one of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) transmission, a system information block (SIB) transmission, a paging transmission, or a random access response (RAR) transmission; and

the unicast transmission comprises a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the paging transmission comprises a RAR message; and

the method further comprises transmitting an uplink random access channel (RACH) message to the BS in a third set of narrowband resources for a third duration.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first duration or the second duration comprises a duration agreed upon between the UE and the BS.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the agreed upon duration is based on a bundling size of at least one of the first broadcast signal or the unicast transmission.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first duration is based on a second DRX.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first DRX cycle does not overlap the second DRX cycle.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first DRX cycle at least partially overlaps the second DRX cycle.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first set of narrowband resources and the second set of narrowband resources comprise a plurality of narrowband regions; and

the monitoring comprises monitoring a narrowband in the first or second set of narrowband resources based on a frequency hopping.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising re-tuning to a different narrowband region of the first or second set of narrowband resources to monitor for the first broadcast signal or the unicast transmission.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first duration comprises a duration until the first broadcast signal is successfully decoded; and

the second duration comprises a duration until the unicast transmission is successfully decoded.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

decoding the first broadcast signal on a first portion of the first set of narrowband resources, and

monitoring a second portion of the first set of narrowband resources for the unicast transmission once the first broadcast signal is successfully decoded.

24. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

tuning-away to a fourth set of narrowband resources to monitor for the first broadcast signal, a second broadcast signal, or the unicast transmission for a fourth duration.

25. An apparatus for wireless communications by a base station (BS), comprising:

at least one processor configured to cause the apparatus to;

transmit a first broadcast signal to a user equipment (UE) in a first set of narrowband resources for a first duration; and

transmit a unicast transmission to the UE in a second set of narrowband resources, different than the first set of narrowband resources, for a second duration, wherein at least a portion of the first duration and the second duration overlap; and

provide the UE with a first discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle based on a bundling size of the unicast transmission to tune-away from the first set of narrowband resources to the second set of narrowband resources; and

a memory coupled with the at least one processor.

26. An apparatus for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

at least one processor configured to cause the apparatus to;

monitor for a first broadcast signal from a base station (BS) in a first set of narrowband resources for a first duration; and

tune-away during a first discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle, to a second set of narrowband resources, different than the first set of narrowband resources, to monitor for a unicast transmission from the BS for a second duration, wherein the first DRX cycle is based on a bundling size of the unicast transmission; and

a memory coupled with the at least one processor.