PROTECTION OF BROADCAST SIGNALS IN HETEROGENEOUS NETWORKS

• US 20110149894A1
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Luo, Tao, Montojo, Juan, Chen, Wanshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning

Abstract

Certain aspects of the disclosure provide for the protection of broadcast signals in heterogeneous networks. As described herein, a first set of resources used for downlink transmission in a first cell may overlap with a second set of resources used for broadcast signals in a second cell. The broadcast signals may be protected by allocating a third set of resources for the downlink transmission in the first cell, wherein the third set of resources is based, at least in part, on the overlapping set of resources.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications in wireless communications network, comprising:

determining a first set of resources for downlink transmission to one or more first user equipments (UEs) in a first cell;

determining a second set of resources for use in transmitting broadcast signals to one or more second UEs in a second cell, where the first and the second set of resources comprise an overlapping set of resources that at least partially overlap in time and frequency; and

allocating a third set of resources for the downlink transmission in the first cell, wherein the third set of resources is based, at least in part, on the overlapping set of resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast signals comprise at least one of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a common reference signal (CRS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the third set of resources comprises a subset of the first set of resources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein resources in the first set of resources that are not used for the downlink transmission comprise all or a subset of the overlapping set of resources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein demodulation of the downlink transmission is based on a common reference signal (CRS).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein resources in the first set of resources that are not used for the downlink transmission comprise all the overlapping set of resources and at least one additional resource within the first set of resources.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one additional resource is in a same set of resource blocks as the overlapping set of resources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless communications network comprises a heterogeneous network; and

the first cell and second cell are of different power class types.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink transmission utilizes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein mapping of modulated and coded symbols of the PDSCH does not utilize resources which are in the first set of resources but not in the third set of resources.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

mapping of modulated and coded symbols of the downlink transmission utilize resources in the first set of resources; and

transmission utilizing the resources in the first set but not resources in the third set of resources is performed with zero-power.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising exchanging information regarding at least one of resources in the first or second set of resources over a backhaul connection between the first and the second cells.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink transmission in the first cell comprises at least one of a common reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink transmission in the first cell is transmitted in an almost blank subframe (ABSF).

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a carrier of the first cell comprises at least one of a carrier segment or an extension carrier that is not backward compatible with Long Term Evolution, Release 9 or earlier releases.

16. An apparatus for wireless communications in wireless communications network, comprising:

means for determining a first set of resources for downlink transmission to one or more first user equipments (UEs) in a first cell;

means for determining a second set of resources for use in transmitting broadcast signals to one or more second UEs in a second cell, where the first and the second set of resources comprise an overlapping set of resources that at least partially overlap in time and frequency; and

means for allocating a third set of resources for the downlink transmission in the first cell, wherein the third set of resources is based, at least in part, on the overlapping set of resources.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the broadcast signals comprise at least one of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a common reference signal (CRS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the third set of resources comprises a subset of the first set of resources.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein resources in the first set of resources that are not used for the downlink transmission comprise all or a subset of the overlapping set of resources.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein demodulation of the downlink transmission is based on a common reference signal (CRS).

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein resources in the first set of resources that are not used for the downlink transmission comprise all the overlapping set of resources and at least one additional resource within the first set of resources.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one additional resource is in a same set of resource blocks as the overlapping set of resources.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the wireless communications network comprises a heterogeneous network; and

the first cell and second cell are of different power class types.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the downlink transmission utilizes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein mapping of modulated and coded symbols of the PDSCH does not utilize resources which are in the first set of resources but not in the third set of resources.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein:

mapping of modulated and coded symbols of the downlink transmission utilize resources in the first set of resources; and

transmission utilizing the resources in the first set but not resources in the third set of resources is performed with zero-power.

27. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for exchanging information regarding at least one of resources in the first or second set of resources over a backhaul connection between the first and the second cells.

28. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the downlink transmission in the first cell comprises at least one of a common reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or a combination thereof.

29. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the downlink transmission in the first cell is transmitted in an almost blank subframe (ABSF).

30. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a carrier of the first cell comprises at least one of a carrier segment or an extension carrier that is not backward compatible with Long Term Evolution, Release 9 or earlier releases.

31. An apparatus for wireless communications in wireless communications network, comprising:

at least one processor configured to,

determine a first set of resources for downlink transmission to one or more first user equipments (UEs) in a first cell, determine a second set of resources for use in transmitting broadcast signals to one or more second UEs in a second cell, where the first and the second set of resources comprise an overlapping set of resources that at least partially overlap in time and frequency, and allocate a third set of resources for the downlink transmission in the first cell, wherein the third set of resources is based, at least in part, on the overlapping set of resources; and

a memory coupled with the at least one processor.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the broadcast signals comprise at least one of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a common reference signal (CRS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the third set of resources comprises a subset of the first set of resources.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein resources in the first set of resources that are not used for the downlink transmission comprise all or a subset of the overlapping set of resources.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein demodulation of the downlink transmission is based on a common reference signal (CRS).

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein resources in the first set of resources that are not used for the downlink transmission comprise all the overlapping set of resources and at least one additional resource within the first set of resources.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the at least one additional resource is in a same set of resource blocks as the overlapping set of resources.

38. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein:

the wireless communications network comprises a heterogeneous network; and

the first cell and second cell are of different power class types.

39. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the downlink transmission utilizes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein mapping of modulated and coded symbols of the PDSCH does not utilize resources which are in the first set of resources but not in the third set of resources.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein:

mapping of modulated and coded symbols of the downlink transmission utilize resources in the first set of resources; and

transmission utilizing the resources in the first set but not resources in the third set of resources is performed with zero-power.

42. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to exchange information regarding at least one of resources in the first or second set of resources over a backhaul connection between the first and the second cells.

43. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the downlink transmission in the first cell comprises at least one of a common reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or a combination thereof.

44. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the downlink transmission in the first cell is transmitted in an almost blank subframe (ABSF).

45. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein a carrier of the first cell comprises at least one of a carrier segment or an extension carrier that is not backward compatible with Long Term Evolution, Release 9 or earlier releases.

46. A computer-program product for wireless communications comprising a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions executable by a processor for:

determining a first set of resources for downlink transmission to one or more first user equipments (UEs) in a first cell;

determining a second set of resources for use in transmitting broadcast signals to one or more second UEs in a second cell, where the first and the second set of resources comprise an overlapping set of resources that at least partially overlap in time and frequency; and

allocating a third set of resources for the downlink transmission in the first cell, wherein the third set of resources is based, at least in part, on the overlapping set of resources.