Flexible spectrum support in cellular wireless communications

• US 10,554,374 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Koorapaty, Havish, Bergljung, Christian, Cheng, Jung-Fu, Larsson, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Weibin
• Application Number:
  US15/899,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20180175995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

Systems and methods for flexible spectrum, or bandwidth, support in a cellular communications network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a base station for a cellular communications network is configured to transmit a non-standardized bandwidth carrier and information that identifies a standardized bandwidth and additional information that, together with the information that identifies the standardized bandwidth, defines a non-standardized bandwidth of the non-standardized bandwidth carrier. In one embodiment, the additional information defines a bandwidth adjustment for the standardized bandwidth that defines the non-standardized bandwidth. In one embodiment, the bandwidth adjustment is a symmetric bandwidth restriction. In another embodiment, the bandwidth adjustment is an asymmetric bandwidth restriction. In yet another embodiment, the bandwidth adjustment is a symmetric bandwidth expansion. In yet another embodiment, the bandwidth adjustment is an asymmetric bandwidth expansion.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a base station in a cellular communications network, comprising:

receiving a random access transmission from a wireless device, the random access transmission comprising information that is indicative of non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the wireless device;

selecting a system bandwidth for the wireless device based on the non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the wireless device;

transmitting control information to the wireless device, the control information being indicative of the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device;

transmitting a carrier such that the carrier appears to the wireless device to have a bandwidth equal to the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device;

receiving a second random access transmission from a second wireless device via a radio subsystem, the second random access transmission comprising information that is indicative of non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the second wireless device;

selecting a system bandwidth for the second wireless device based on the non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the second wireless device, the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device being different than the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device;

transmitting the control information to the second wireless device via the radio subsystem, the control information being indicative of the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device; and

transmitting the carrier such that the carrier appears to the wireless device to have a bandwidth equal to the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device and appears to the second wireless device to have a bandwidth equal to the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to receiving the random access transmission from the wireless device, transmitting a Master Information Block, MIB.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the MIB does not contain a system bandwidth information field.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the MIB comprises an initial standard bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the random access transmission comprises receiving the random access transmission in a predetermined time-frequency region in relation to at least one of the group consisting of:

a primary synchronization signal transmitted by the base station and a secondary synchronization signal transmitted by the base station.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the information that is indicative of the non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the wireless device is signaled by at least one of the group consisting of:

a selection of a certain preamble sequence;

an indication in random access message 3;

signaling a certain wireless device capability or groups of capabilities; and

by the wireless device categories the wireless device signals that it supports.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device is the non-standardized bandwidth such that the carrier appears to the wireless device as a non-standardized bandwidth carrier, and the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device is a standardized bandwidth such that the carrier appears to the second wireless device as a standardized bandwidth carrier.

8. A base station for a cellular communications network, comprising:

a radio subsystem; and

a processing subsystem associated with the radio subsystem and configured to;

receive a random access transmission from a wireless device via the radio subsystem, the random access transmission comprising information that is indicative of non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the wireless device;

select a system bandwidth for the wireless device based on the non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the wireless device;

transmit control information to the wireless device via the radio subsystem, the control information being indicative of the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device;

transmit a carrier via the radio subsystem such that the carrier appears to the wireless device to have a bandwidth equal to the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device;

receive a second random access transmission from a second wireless device via the radio subsystem, the second random access transmission comprising information that is indicative of non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the second wireless device;

select a system bandwidth for the second wireless device based on the non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the second wireless device, the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device being different than the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device;

transmit the control information to the second wireless device via the radio subsystem, the control information being indicative of the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device; and

transmit the carrier such that the carrier appears to the wireless device to have a bandwidth equal to the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device and appears to the second wireless device to have a bandwidth equal to the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device.

9. The base station of claim 8 wherein the processing subsystem is further configured to:

prior to receiving the random access transmission from the wireless device, transmitting a Master Information Block, MIB.

10. The base station of claim 9 wherein the MIB does not contain a system bandwidth information field.

11. The base station of claim 9 wherein the MIB comprises an initial standard bandwidth.

12. The base station of claim 8 wherein receiving the random access transmission comprises being configured to receive the random access transmission in a predetermined time-frequency region in relation to at least one of the group consisting of:

a primary synchronization signal transmitted by the base station and a secondary synchronization signal transmitted by the base station.

13. The base station of claim 8 wherein the information that is indicative of the non-standardized bandwidth capabilities of the wireless device is signaled by at least one of the group consisting of:

a selection of a certain preamble sequence;

an indication in random access message 3;

signaling a certain wireless device capability or groups of capabilities; and

by the wireless device categories the wireless device signals that it supports.

14. The base station of claim 8 wherein the system bandwidth selected for the wireless device is a non-standardized bandwidth such that the carrier appears to the wireless device as a non-standardized bandwidth carrier, and the system bandwidth selected for the second wireless device is a standardized bandwidth such that the carrier appears to the second wireless device as a standardized bandwidth carrier.