METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PERFORM ANTENNA MANAGEMENT

• US 20110149886A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Creasy, Timothy, Eamshaw, Mark, Li, Jun, Xu, Hua, Heo, Youn Hyoung, Fong, Mo-Han, Cai, Zhijun
• Granted Patent: US 8,687,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0628 Diversity capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to perform antenna management are described herein. One example method of establishing communication between user equipment and a network includes receiving a control channel message, decoding the control channel message, and sending an indication of whether interoperability of receiving signals from a first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment. Other examples are shown and described.

Claims

1. A method of establishing communication between user equipment and a network comprising:

receiving a control channel message;

decoding the control channel message; and

sending an indication of whether interoperability of receiving signals from a first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control channel message is encoded to indicate antenna capability of the network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control channel message is sent using two antennas and the encoding indicates that the network is capable of using four transmit antennas.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving signaling through radio resource control that the network is capable of using four transmit antennas.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the indication of whether interoperability of receiving signals from the first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment comprises sending the indication as part of a feature group indicator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein if the indication specifies that interoperability of the first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment, a second number of antennas are used for communication on control channels and the first number of antennas are used for communication on a user equipment-specific physical downlink shared channel.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising grouping physical hybrid ARQ channels (PHICH) with a same antenna configuration in a PHICH group.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising grouping physical hybrid ARQ channels (PHICH) with different antenna configurations in a PHICH group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if the indication specifies that interoperability of the first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment, a second number of antennas are used for communication on common control channels and the first number of antennas are used for communication on user equipment-specific channels.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein if the indication specifies that interoperability of the first number of antennas is not certified for the user equipment, a second number of antennas are used for communication on all channels.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein if the indication specifies that interoperability of the first number of antennas is not certified by the user equipment, the first number of antennas are used for communication on control channels and a second number of antennas are used for communication on a user equipment-specific physical downlink shared channel.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein if the indication specifies that interoperability of the first number of antennas is not certified by the user equipment, the first number of antennas are used for communication on user equipment-specific control channels and the first number of antennas and a second number of antennas are used for communication on a user equipment-specific physical downlink shared channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first number of antennas and the second number of antennas transmit using one of transmit diversity and spatial multiplexing.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein if the indication specifies that interoperability of the first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment, the first number of antennas are used for communication on all channels.

15. A method of establishing communication between user equipment and a network comprising:

encoding a control channel message;

sending the encoded control channel message; and

receiving an indication of whether interoperability of receiving signals from a first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the encoded control channel message indicates antenna capability of the network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the encoded control channel message is sent using two antennas and the encoding indicates that the network is capable of using four transmit antennas.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending signaling through radio resource control that the network is capable of using four transmit antennas.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the indication of whether interoperability of receiving signals from the first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment comprises receiving the indication as part of a feature group indicator.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein if the indication specifies that interoperability of the first number of antennas is certified for the user equipment, a second number of antennas are used for communication on control channels and the first number of antennas are used for communication on a user equipment-specific physical downlink shared channel.

21-56. -56. (canceled)