System and method for multi-carrier network operation

• US 10,631,324 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fong, Mo-Han, Heo, Youn Hyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Qin, Zhiren
• Application Number:
  US15/436,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• 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
• 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 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for multi-carrier network operation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of pairing and linking carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a downlink carrier, a first uplink carrier, and a second uplink carrier between a base station and a user equipment (“UE”), comprises receiving a Radio Resource Control (“RRC”) signaling; pairing the first uplink carrier with the downlink carrier using information in the RRC signaling, wherein the information includes the pairing of the downlink carrier with the first uplink carrier; and linking the second uplink carrier with the downlink carrier using information in the RRC signaling, wherein the information includes the linking of the downlink carrier with the second uplink carrier.

Claims

1. An apparatus for pairing carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network provides the apparatus with an anchor downlink carrier, one or more secondary downlink carriers, and one or more uplink carriers, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the programming instructions instruct the one or more processors to;

receive a Radio Resource Control (“

RRC”

) signaling;

pair each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the pairing of each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers;

determine using information in the RRC signaling, whether downlink control information (DCI) on a particular secondary downlink carrier includes a carrier indication field (CIF), wherein the CIF indicates a carrier over which data is transported; and

in response to determining that the DCI does not include the CIF;

receive an uplink grant on the particular secondary downlink carrier; and

transmit on uplink resources on a corresponding paired uplink carrier of the particular secondary downlink carrier based on information in the uplink grant.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the paired secondary downlink carrier and uplink carrier form a cell.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a quantity of the one or more secondary downlink carriers is at least one or two, and a quantity of the one or more uplink carriers is at least one or two.

4. An apparatus for linking carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network provides the apparatus with a first downlink carrier, a second downlink carrier, and a third downlink carrier, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the programming instructions instruct the one or more processors to;

receive a Radio Resource Control (“

RRC”

) signaling;

link the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the linking of the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier; and

link the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the linking of the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier;

determine using information in the RRC signaling, whether downlink control information (DCI) on the first downlink carrier includes a carrier indication field (CIF); and

in response to determining that the DCI includes the CIF;

receive a downlink assignment on the first downlink carrier including the CIF indicating the second downlink carrier; and

access downlink resources on the second downlink carrier based on information in the downlink assignment.

5. An apparatus for assigning a carrier group in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers between a base station and a user equipment (“

UE”

), comprising;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the programming instructions instruct the one or more processors to;

group the one or more downlink carriers and the one or more uplink carriers having similar propagation metric including at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay to form one or more carrier groups;

pair each carrier of one or more downlink carriers in the carrier group with one of one or more uplink carriers in the carrier group;

assign a carrier group index to the carrier group; and

send, to the UE, a Timing Advance Command Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) including the carrier group index.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the programming instructions further instruct the one or more processors to pair each carrier of one or more downlink carriers in the carrier group with one of one or more uplink carriers in the carrier group.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the paired downlink carrier and uplink carrier form a cell.

8. An apparatus for performing a random access (“

RA”

) procedure in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a plurality of carrier groups associated with a base station and the apparatus, wherein each carrier group includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the programming instructions instruct the one or more processors to;

receive a set of RA parameters for each of the plurality of carrier groups assigned to the UE, wherein each of the plurality of carrier groups are grouped based on a similar propagation metric including at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay;

determine a transmit power based on a path loss estimation performed on a first downlink carrier in a particular carrier group of the plurality of the carrier groups;

transmit an RA preamble signal on at least one uplink carrier in the particular carrier group using the corresponding set of RA parameters and the determined transmit power, wherein the RA preamble signal is transmitted using an uplink transmission timing determined based on a downlink reception timing of a second downlink carrier in the particular carrier group; and

receive an RA response signal on a downlink carrier that indicated the corresponding set of RA parameters used for transmitting the RA preamble signal, wherein said RA response signal corresponds to said RA preamble signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more downlink carriers and one of the one or more uplink carriers is a cell.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, the programming instructions further instruct the one or more processors to transmit only one RA preamble signal at any one time on the uplink carrier.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers is paired with at least one of the one or more downlink carriers.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers includes a Physical Random Access Channel (“

PRACH”

).

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said set of RA parameters includes at least one of a timer parameter, a counter parameter, and a transmit power parameter.

14. An apparatus for performing a random access (“

RA”

) procedure in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a plurality of carrier groups associated with a base station and a user equipment (UE), wherein each carrier group includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the programming instructions instruct the one or more processors to;

transmit a set of RA parameters for each of the plurality of carrier groups assigned to the UE, wherein each of the plurality of carrier groups are grouped based on a similar propagation metric including at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay;

receive an RA preamble signal on at least one uplink carrier in a particular carrier group using the corresponding set of RA parameters, wherein the base station orders the UE to transmit the RA preamble signal, a transmit power of the RA preamble is determined based on a path loss estimation performed on a first downlink carrier in the particular carrier group, and an uplink transmission timing of the RA preamble is determined based on a downlink reception timing of a second downlink carrier in the particular carrier group; and

transmit an RA response signal on a downlink carrier that indicated the corresponding set of RA parameters used for transmitting the RA preamble signal, wherein said RA response signal corresponds to said RA preamble signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier in the particular carrier group are a same carrier or different carriers.