DATA AND CONTROL MULTIPLEXING IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20110110296A1
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Malladi, Durga Prasad, Montojo, Juan, Damnjanovic, Jelena M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,622,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate defining a new control region over resources allocated for communicating general non-control data in a legacy network specification. The new control region can comprise multiple control channels, which can be multiplexed together and/or with general data channels. Devices can receive control data over the new control region as well as information regarding the region, such as location of the region, location of specific resources, multiplexing schemes, frequency hopping patterns, and/or the like to appropriately decode relevant control data. This allows for expanded control resources to support multicarrier assignments, large numbers of devices being addressed, special operation modes, new downlink control information (DCI) formats, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal from an access point over resources reserved for general data communication in a legacy network specification;

determining a location of control data within the resources; and

decoding control data from a portion of the signal received at the location within the resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information regarding a control region defined within the resources, wherein the determining location of the control data is based at least in part on the information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the information includes determining the information according to a wireless network specification.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the information includes receiving the information from the access point.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the information includes receiving a location of the control region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the decoding control data includes blindly decoding one or more portions of the control region to locate relevant control data.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the information includes receiving the information in a dedicated signal and the information comprises specific location or search space for the control data.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the information includes receiving a multiplexing scheme for the control region.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving the multiplexing scheme includes receiving the multiplexing scheme that indicates that the control data corresponding to a control channel is multiplexed with general data within a single resource block.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving the multiplexing scheme includes receiving the multiplexing scheme that indicates that the control data precedes the general data within the single resource block.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving the multiplexing scheme includes receiving the multiplexing scheme that indicates that the control data is multiplexed with disparate control data over one or more resource blocks.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the multiplexing scheme includes receiving the multiplexing scheme that indicates that general data is further multiplexed with the control data or disparate control data in a last resource block of the one or more resource blocks.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the information includes receiving a frequency hopping scheme for the control region.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the legacy network specification is a third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) specification, and the resources are reserved for physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH) in the 3GPP LTE specification.

15. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a signal from an access point over resources allocated for general data communications in a legacy network specification; and

discern a location of control data in the resources based at least in part on a disparate network specification; and

decode the control data from a portion of the signal received over the resources based at least in part on the location; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

16. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive information regarding a control region defined in the resources, and the at least one processor discerns location of the control data based at least in part on the information.

17. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor receives the information from a wireless network specification.

18. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor receives the information from the access point.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a signal from an access point over resources defined in a legacy network specification for general data communication;

means for locating a portion of the resources over which control data is received in the signal; and

means for decoding control data from the portion of the resources.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for locating the portion of the resources locates the portion of the resources based at least in part on a wireless network specification.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for receiving the signal receives location information from the access point, and the means for locating the portion of the resources locates the portion of the resources based at least in part on the received location information.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for receiving the signal further receives information from the access point regarding a control region within the resources, and the means for locating the portion of the resources locates based at least in part on the information.

23. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive a signal from an access point over resources reserved for general data communication in a legacy network specification;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine location of control data within the resources; and

code for causing the at least one computer to decode control data from a portion of the signal received at the location within the resources.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to receive information regarding a control region defined within the resources, and the code for causing the at least one computer to determine a location of the control data determines the location based at least in part on the information.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to receive the information determines the information from a wireless network specification.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to receive the information receives the information from the access point.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiving component that receives a signal from an access point over resources defined in a legacy network specification for general data communication;

a control region determining component that locates a portion of the resources over which control data is received in the signal; and

a control data decoding component that decodes control data from the portion of the resources.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the control region determining component locates the portion of the resources based at least in part on a wireless network specification.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the receiving component obtains location information from the access point, and the control region determining component locates the portion of the resources based at least in part on the received location information.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the receiving component further receives information from the access point regarding a control region within the resources, and the control region determining component locates the portion of the resources based at least in part on the information.

31. A method, comprising:

communicating in a wireless network according to a legacy network specification;

defining a control region over resources reserved for general data communication in the legacy network specification; and

transmitting control data in the control region to one or more wireless devices.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising transmitting information regarding the control region to the one or more wireless devices.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the transmitting information includes transmitting a system information block (SIB) indicating location of the control region.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the transmitting information includes transmitting a dedicated signal to the one or more wireless devices explicitly identifying location of control data or a search space relevant to the one or more wireless devices.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising multiplexing the control data with general data related to the one or more wireless devices or disparate control data in a single resource block.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising transmitting multiplexing scheme information related to the multiplexing to the one or more wireless devices.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising multiplexing the control data with disparate control over contiguous resource blocks.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising multiplexing general data with the control data or disparate control data in a last resource block of the contiguous resource blocks.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising implementing frequency hopping for subsequent control data transmissions to provide interference mitigation.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the legacy network specification is a third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) specification and the resources are reserved for physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) communication.

41. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

communicate with one or more legacy devices in a wireless network using a legacy network specification;

create a control region for transmitting control data in resources allocated for communication general data according to the legacy network specification; and

transmit control data in the control region to one or more wireless devices; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

42. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit information regarding the control region to the one or more wireless devices.

43. An apparatus, comprising:

means for communicating in a wireless network according to a legacy network specification; and

means for defining a control region over resources reserved for general data communication in the legacy network specification, wherein the means for communicating in the wireless network transmits control data in the control region to one or more wireless devices.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising means for generating information regarding the control region, wherein the means for communicating in the wireless network transmits the information to the one or more wireless devices.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the means for generating the information creates a system information block (SIB) comprising a location of the control region within the resources.

46. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the means for generating the information creates a dedicated signal for the one or more wireless devices that specifies a location of control data relevant to the one or more wireless devices.

47. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to communicate in a wireless network according to a legacy network specification;

code for causing the at least one computer to define a control region over resources reserved for general data communication in the legacy network specification; and

code for causing the at least one computer to transmit control data in the control region to one or more wireless devices.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to transmit information regarding the control region to the one or more wireless devices.

49. An apparatus, comprising:

a transmitting component that communicates in a wireless network according to a legacy network specification; and

a control region defining component that creates a control region over resources reserved for general data communication in the legacy network specification, wherein the transmitting component provides control data in the control region to one or more wireless devices.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a control region indicating component that generates information regarding the control region, wherein the transmitting component provides the information to the one or more wireless devices.