Narrowband time-division duplex frame structure for narrowband communications

• US 10,524,258 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2017
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Somichetty, Gowrisankar, Bhattad, Kapil, Rico Alvarino, Alberto, Wang, Xiao feng, Chandrasekar, Manikandan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ambaye, Mewale A
• Application Number:
  US15/724,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20180234229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1819 with retransmission of additional or different redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may determine a narrowband TDD frame structure of a group of narrowband TDD frame structures for narrowband communications. The apparatus may transmit a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure. In one aspect, a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions may be transmitted in one or more first sets of downlink subframes using a first scrambling sequence. In one aspect, a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions may be transmitted in one or more second sets of downlink subframes using a second scrambling sequence.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communications for a base station, comprising:

determining a narrowband time-division duplex (TDD) frame structure of a group of narrowband TDD frame structures for narrowband communications;

determining a first subframe group associated with a first set of downlink subframes and a first scrambling sequence, the first set of downlink subframes including a first downlink subframe and a predetermined first number of following subframes;

determining a second subframe group associated with a second set of downlink subframes and a second scrambling sequence, the second set of downlink subframes including a second downlink subframe and a predetermined second number of following subframes, and wherein the first subframe group and the second subframe group do not overlap; and

transmitting a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure,

wherein a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in the first set of downlink subframes using the first scrambling sequence; and

wherein a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in the second set of downlink subframes using the second scrambling sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first set of downlink subframes includes a same number of subframes as the second set of downlink subframes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

grouping a plurality of subframes into a plurality of subframe groups, each of the plurality of subframe groups being associated with a particular scrambling sequence, and each subframe group being determined based on a downlink subframe and a predetermined number of following subframes, and wherein none of the subframe groups have overlapping subframes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of downlink subframes includes a different number of subframes than the second set of downlink subframes.

5. An apparatus for wireless communications for a base station, comprising:

means for determining a narrowband time-division duplex (TDD) frame structure of a group of narrowband TDD frame structures for narrowband communications;

means for determining a first subframe group associated with a first set of downlink subframes and a first scrambling sequence, the first set of downlink subframes including a first downlink subframe and a predetermined first number of following subframes;

means for determining a second subframe group associated with a second set of downlink subframes and a second scrambling sequence, the second set of downlink subframes including a second downlink subframe and a predetermined second number of following subframes, and wherein the first subframe group and the second subframe group do not overlap; and

means for transmitting a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure,

wherein a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in the first set of downlink subframes using the first scrambling sequence; and

wherein a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in the second set of downlink subframes using the second scrambling sequence.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the first set of downlink subframes includes a same number of subframes as the second set of downlink subframes.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

means for grouping a plurality of subframes into a plurality of subframe groups, each of the plurality of subframe groups being associated with a particular scrambling sequence, and each subframe group being determined based on a downlink subframe and a predetermined number of following subframes, and wherein none of the subframe groups have overlapping subframes.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first set of downlink subframes includes a different number of subframes than the second set of downlink subframes.

9. An apparatus for wireless communications for a base station, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

determine a narrowband time-division duplex (TDD) frame structure of a group of narrowband TDD frame structures for narrowband communications;

determine a first subframe group associated with a first set of downlink subframes and a first scrambling sequence, the first set of downlink subframes including a first downlink subframe and a predetermined first number of following subframes;

determine a second subframe group associated with a second set of downlink subframes and a second scrambling sequence, the second set of downlink subframes including a second downlink subframe and a predetermined second number of following subframes, and wherein the first subframe group and the second subframe group do not overlap; and

transmit a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure,

wherein a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in the first set of downlink subframes using the first scrambling sequence; and

wherein a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in the second set of downlink subframes using the second scrambling sequence.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the first set of downlink subframes includes a same number of subframes as the second set of downlink subframes.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

group a plurality of subframes into a plurality of subframe groups, each of the plurality of subframe groups being associated with a particular scrambling sequence, and each subframe group being determined based on a downlink subframe and a predetermined number of following subframes, and wherein none of the subframe groups have overlapping subframes.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first set of downlink subframes includes a different number of subframes than the second set of downlink subframes.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for a base station, the code when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

determine a narrowband time-division duplex (TDD) frame structure of a group of narrowband TDD frame structures for narrowband communications;

determine a first subframe group associated with a first set of downlink subframes and a first scrambling sequence, the first set of downlink subframes including a first downlink subframe and a predetermined first number of following subframes;

determine a second subframe group associated with a second set of downlink subframes and a second scrambling sequence, the second set of downlink subframes including a second downlink subframe and a predetermined second number of following subframes, and wherein the first subframe group and the second subframe group do not overlap; and

transmit a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure,

wherein a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in one or more first sets of downlink subframes using the first scrambling sequence; and

wherein a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions is transmitted in one or more second sets of downlink subframes using the second scrambling sequence.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

each of the one or more first sets of downlink subframes includes a same number of subframes,

each of the one or more second sets of downlink subframes includes the same number of subframes, and

each of the one or more first sets of downlink subframes includes a same number of subframes as each of the one or more second sets of downlink subframes.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising code to:

group a plurality of subframes into a plurality of subframe groups, each of the plurality of subframe groups being associated with a particular scrambling sequence, and each subframe group being determined based on a downlink subframe and a predetermined number of following subframes, and wherein none of the subframe groups have overlapping subframes.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first set of downlink subframes includes a different number of subframes than the second set of downlink subframes.