METHOD AND APPARATUS TO FACILITATE AVOIDING CONTROL SIGNALING CONFLICTS WHEN USING HSARED WIRELESS CARRIER RESOURCES

• US 20100113040A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tzavidas, Stavros, Han, Guang
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A base station (500) can determine (201) which resource blocks a second base station (503) will utilize to transmit control signaling as corresponds to that second base station. The base station can then prevent (202) itself from transmitting control signaling (which control signaling corresponds to a plurality of wireless carrier resources as correspond to the base station) using resource blocks that will coincide with the resource blocks the second base station will utilize to transmit its control signaling. These teachings also provide for having the base station then transmit (203) a signal that comprises an indication that the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources will be transmitted using the alternative resource blocks as compared to at least one ordinarily expected resource block.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a base station transceiver configured to selectively allocate any of a plurality of wireless carrier resources, wherein at least some of the plurality of wireless carrier resources are shared with a second base station transceiver and wherein the base station transceiver is ordinarily expected to transmit control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources using particular resource blocks;

a controller operably coupled to the base station transceiver, wherein the controller is configured to;

determine the resource blocks the second base station transceiver will utilize to transmit control signaling as corresponds to the second base station transceiver;

prevent the base station transceiver from transmitting the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources using resource blocks that will coincide with the resource blocks the second base station transceiver will use to transmit its control signaling as corresponds to the second base station transceiver;

cause the base station transceiver to transmit a signal comprising an indication that the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources will be transmitted using alternative resource blocks as compared to the ordinarily expected particular resource blocks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the particular resource blocks that the base station transceiver is expected to utilize to transmit the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources is determined with respect to a transmission of a protected identification channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the controller is configured to cause the base station transceiver to transmit a signal comprising an indication that the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources will be transmitted using alternative resource blocks as compared to the ordinarily expected particular resource blocks by transmitting the indication in the protected identification channel.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the indication comprises, at least in part, at least one of:

a particularly selected protected identification sequence;

a particularly selected subset of protected identification channel content patterns.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the particular resource blocks that the base station transceiver is expected to utilize to transmit the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources are pre-agreed between the base station and its end users.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein pre-agreed particular resource blocks comprise multiple alternative selections of resource blocks that are used to transmit the control signaling.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base station transceiver is further configured to adjust its frame timing with respect to that of the second base station transceiver to avoid transmitting the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources using resource blocks that will coincide with the resource blocks the second base station transceiver will use to transmit its control signaling as corresponds to the second base station transceiver.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base station transceiver does not schedule any transmission using the resource blocks that the second base station transceiver will use to transmit its control signaling as corresponds to the second base station transceiver.

9. A method comprising:

at a base station;

determining the resource blocks a second base station will utilize to transmit control signaling as corresponds to the second base station;

preventing the base station from transmitting the control signaling as corresponds to a plurality of wireless carrier resources as correspond to the base station using resource blocks that will coincide with the resource blocks the second base station will utilize to transmit its control signaling as corresponds to the second base station;

causing the base station to transmit a signal comprising an indication that the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources as correspond to the base station will be transmitted using alternative resource blocks as compared to ordinarily expected resource blocks.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one alternative resource block is determined with respect to a transmission of a protected identification channel.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein causing the base station to transmit a signal comprising an indication that the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources will be transmitted using alternative resource blocks as compared to ordinarily expected resource blocks comprises transmitting the indication in the protected identification channel.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the indication comprises, at least in part, at least one of:

a particularly selected protected identification sequence;

a particularly selected subset of protected identification channel content patterns.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the particular resource blocks that the base station transceiver is expected to utilize to transmit the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources are pre-agreed between the base station and its end users.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the base station and its end users pre-agree on multiple alternative selections of resource blocks that are used to transmit the control signaling.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the base station adjusts its frame timing with respect to that of the second base station to avoid transmitting the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources using resource blocks that will coincide with the resource blocks the second base station transceiver will use to transmit its control signaling as corresponds to the second base station transceiver.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the base station does not schedule any transmission using the resource blocks that the second base station transceiver will use to transmit its control signaling as corresponds to the second base station transceiver.

17. A method comprising:

at a wireless end user platform;

receiving from a base station a wirelessly transmitted indication that control signaling as corresponds to a plurality of wireless carrier resources as corresponds to the base station will be transmitted using alternative resource blocks as compared to ordinarily expected resource blocks;

receiving, using alternative resource blocks, the control signaling as transmitted by the base station.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein receiving from a base station a wirelessly transmitted indication comprises receiving a protected identification channel that includes the indication.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein receiving the control signal from a base station comprises using pre-agreed resource blocks.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the wireless end user platform searches every alternative selection of the pre-agreed resource blocks to locate the control signal from the base station.