PDCCH initialization suitable for MTC devices

• US 10,536,970 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2016
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Bergman, Johan, Blankenship, Yufei
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Agureyev, Vladislav Y
• Application Number:
  US14/915,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20160360551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• 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 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• 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 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns radio communication. More particularly, the present disclosure inter alia introduces techniques to allow low-complexity UEs 120a-j, e.g. Rel-13 MTC devices, to operate in a legacy LTE system with maintained, or improved, performance.

Claims

1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, having a reduced UE bandwidth as compared with regular UEs, the method comprising:

receiving, from a network node, a system information block which is configured for UEs having said reduced UE bandwidth, the system information block comprising information related to a configuration of a low-complexity physical downlink control channel, LC-PDCCH, common search space;

receiving, within the LC-PDCCH common search space, a first unicast LC-PDCCH, the received LC-PDCCH being associated with a unicast physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, carrying a dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) message;

receiving the unicast PDSCH carrying the dedicated RRC message, the dedicated RRC message comprising information related to a configuration of a LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space; and

receiving, within the LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space, a second unicast LC-PDCCH.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth is a Rel-13 low-complexity UE and regular UEs are UEs of earlier releases.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the system information block is a low-complexity system information block, LC-SIB.

4. A User Equipment, UE, having a reduced UE bandwidth as compared with regular UEs, the UE comprising:

a processor operable to;

receive, from a network node, a system information block which is configured for UEs having said reduced UE bandwidth, the system information block comprising information related to a configuration of a low-complexity physical downlink control channel, LC-PDCCH, common search space;

receive, within the LC-PDCCH common search space, a first unicast LC-PDCCH, the received LC-PDCCH being associated with a unicast physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, carrying a dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) message;

receive the unicast PDSCH carrying the dedicated RRC message, the dedicated RRC message comprising information related to a configuration of a LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space; and

receive, within the LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space, a second unicast LC-PDCCH.

5. The UE according to claim 4, wherein the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth is a Rel-13 low-complexity UE and regular UEs are UEs of earlier releases.

6. The UE according to claim 4, wherein the system information block is a low-complexity system information block, LC-SIB.

7. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising:

transmitting, to one or several UEs, a system information block which is configured for UEs having a reduced UE bandwidth as compared with regular UEs, the system information block comprising information related to a configuration of a low-complexity physical downlink control channel, LC-PDCCH, common search space;

transmitting, within the LC-PDCCH common search space, a first unicast LC-PDCCH to a UE having the reduced UE bandwidth, the transmitted LC-PDCCH being associated with a unicast physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, carrying a dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) message;

transmitting, to the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth, the unicast PDSCH carrying the dedicated RRC message, the dedicated RRC message comprising information related to a configuration of a LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space; and

transmitting, to the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth, within the LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space, a second unicast LC-PDCCH.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth is a Rel-13 low-complexity UE and regular UEs are UEs of earlier releases.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the system information block is a low-complexity system information block, LC-SIB.

10. A network node comprising:

a processor operable to;

transmit, to one or several UEs, a system information block which is configured for UEs having a reduced UE bandwidth as compared with regular UEs, the system information block comprising information related to a configuration of a low-complexity physical downlink control channel, LC-PDCCH, common search space;

transmit, within the LC-PDCCH common search space, a first unicast LC-PDCCH to a UE having the reduced UE bandwidth, the transmitted LC-PDCCH being associated with a unicast physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, carrying a dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) message;

transmit, to the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth, the unicast PDSCH carrying the dedicated RRC message, the dedicated RRC message comprising information related to a configuration of a LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space; and

transmit, to the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth, within the LC-PDCCH UE-specific search space, a second unicast LC-PDCCH.

11. The network node according to claim 10, wherein the UE having the reduced UE bandwidth is a Rel-13 low-complexity UE and regular UEs are UEs of earlier releases.

12. The network node according to claim 10, wherein the system information block is a low-complexity system information block, LC-SIB.