Fine-Grain and Backward-Compliant Resource Allocation

• US 20110151913A1
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Forster, Josef, Goldberg, Martin, Rehfuess, Ulrich, Roessel, Sabine
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

There is provided fine-grain and backward-compliant resource allocation, including allocating, to a control channel, one of a first plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a first radio access standard, and allocating, to a data channel, one of a second plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a second radio access standard, the second bandwidths plurality exceeding the first bandwidths plurality in terms of at least one of granularity and range. The thus disclosed resource allocation may exemplarily be applied on a downlink.

Claims

1. A method, comprising

allocating, to a control channel, one of a first plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a first radio access standard, and

allocating, to a data channel, one of a second plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a second radio access standard,

the second bandwidths plurality exceeding the first bandwidths plurality in terms of at least one of granularity and range.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

scheduling a terminal to a bandwidth area of the allocated data channel,

wherein a terminal complying with the first radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard, and a terminal complying with the second radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data channel allocation comprises

adjusting said one allocated bandwidth of the second plurality of bandwidths to an available bandwidth spectrum.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data channel allocation comprises

including control information being specific for a terminal to be scheduled at least into the allocated control channel within a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the control information inclusion for a terminal complying with the first radio access standard or a terminal complying with the second radio access standard and fitting into a resource allocation control scheme according to the first radio access standard comprises

inserting, into the allocated control channel, the control information for resource allocation in the allocated data channel within a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the control information inclusion for a terminal complying with the second radio access standard and not fitting into a resource allocation control scheme according to the first radio access standard comprises

inserting, into the allocated control channel, the control information for resource allocation in the allocated data channel within a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the control information inclusion for a terminal complying with the second radio access standard and not fitting into a resource allocation control scheme according to the first radio access standard comprises

inserting, at least into the allocated control channel and the allocated data channel, the control information for resource allocation in the allocated data channel within a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, if the control information requires more resources than are available in the allocated control channel,

a first part of the control information serving as an anchor is inserted into the control channel, and

a second part of the control information serving as a supplement, to which the anchor refers, is inserted into the data channel.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second part of the control information is inserted in a first modulation symbol of the data channel, which directly follows the control channel.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the scheduling is based on the included control information and further comprising scheduling a terminal to a bandwidth area of the allocated data channel,

wherein a terminal complying with the first radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard, and a terminal complying with the second radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is operable in an evolved radio access network.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first radio access standard is in accordance with release 8 of a long-term evolution specification, and/or the second radio access standard is in accordance with release 9 or advanced of a long-term evolution specification.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control channel is a downlink control channel, and the data channel is a downlink data channel.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control channel is at least one of a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical hybrid indicator channel PHICH, and a physical control format indicator channel PCFICH, and wherein the data channel is at least one of a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH and a physical multicast channel PMCH.

29. A computer program product comprising program code means being arranged, when run on a processor of an apparatus, to perform the method according to claim 1.

15. An apparatus, comprising

a control channel resource allocator configured to allocate, to a control channel, one of a first plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a first radio access standard, and

a data channel resource allocator configured to allocate, to a data channel, one of a second plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a second radio access standard,

the second bandwidths plurality exceeding the first bandwidths plurality in terms of at least one of granularity and range.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising

a scheduler configured to schedule a terminal to a bandwidth area of the allocated data channel,

wherein the scheduler is configured such that a terminal complying with the first radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard, and a terminal complying with the second radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data channel allocator comprises

an adjuster configured to adjust said one allocated bandwidth of the second plurality of bandwidths to an available bandwidth spectrum.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data channel allocator comprises

an includer configured to include control information being specific for a terminal to be scheduled at least into the allocated control channel within a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the includer comprises a first inserter configured to insert, for a terminal complying with the first radio access standard or a terminal complying with the second radio access standard and fitting into a resource allocation control scheme according to the first radio access standard, into the allocated control channel, the control information for resource allocation in the allocated data channel within a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the includer comprises a second inserter configured to insert, for a terminal complying with the second radio access standard and not fitting into a resource allocation control scheme according to the first radio access standard, into the allocated control channel, the control information for resource allocation in the allocated data channel within a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the includer comprises a third inserter configured to insert, for a terminal complying with the second radio access standard and not fitting into a resource allocation control scheme according to the first radio access standard, into the allocated control channel and the allocated data channel, the control information for resource allocation in the allocated data channel within a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, if the control information requires more resources than are available in the allocated control channel, the third inserter is configured to

insert a first part of the control information serving as an anchor into the control channel, and

insert a second part of the control information serving as a supplement, to which the anchor refers, into the data channel.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the third inserter is configured to insert the second part of the control information in a first modulation symbol of the data channel, which directly follows the control channel.

24. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the scheduler is configured to perform the scheduling on the basis of the included control information and further comprising

a scheduler configured to schedule a terminal to a bandwidth area of the allocated data channel,

wherein the scheduler is configured such that a terminal complying with the first radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard, and a terminal complying with the second radio access standard is scheduled to a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard.

25. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of a base station and an evolved radio access node in an evolved radio access network.

26. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first radio access standard is in accordance with release 8 of a long-term evolution specification, and/or the second radio access standard is in accordance with release 9 or advanced of a long-term evolution specification.

27. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control channel is a downlink control channel, and the data channel is a downlink data channel.

28. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control channel is at least one of a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical hybrid indicator channel PHICH, and a physical control format indicator channel PCFICH, and wherein the data channel is at least one of a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH and a physical multicast channel PMCH.

30. A method comprising

receiving a control channel having allocated one of a first plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a first radio access standard,

identifying, in the received control channel, a data channel allocation on a data channel, the data channel having allocated one of a second plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a second radio access standard, the second bandwidths plurality exceeding the first bandwidths plurality in terms of at least one of granularity and range, and

controlling a data transmission operation on the data channel in accordance with the identified data channel allocation.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the data channel allocation identification comprises

acquiring control information at least in the received control channel within a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard.

32. The method according to claim 31, if the acquired control information is located in the control channel, comprising

determining the data channel allocation on the basis of the acquired control information in the control channel.

33. The method according to claim 31, if a first part of the acquired control information serving as an anchor is located in the control channel and a second part of the control information serving as a supplement, to which the anchor refers, is located in the data channel, comprising

determining a partial data channel allocation in a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard on the basis of the acquired first part of the control information in the control channel, and

determining a complete data channel allocation in a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard on the basis of the acquired second part of the control information in the data channel.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the second part of the control information is inserted in a first modulation symbol of the data channel, which directly follows the control channel.

35. The method according to claim 30, wherein the method is operable in an evolved radio access network.

36. The method according to claim 30, wherein the first radio access standard is in accordance with release 8 of a long-term evolution specification, and/or the second radio access standard is in accordance with release 9 or advanced of a long-term evolution specification.

37. The method according to claim 30, wherein the control channel is a downlink control channel, and the data channel is a downlink data channel.

38. The method according to claim 30, wherein the control channel is at least one of a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical hybrid indicator channel PHICH, and a physical control format indicator channel PCFICH, and wherein the data channel is at least one of a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH and a physical multicast channel PMCH.

47. A computer program product comprising program code means being arranged, when run on a processor of an apparatus, to perform the method according to claim 30.

39. An apparatus comprising

a receiver configured to receive a control channel having allocated one of a first plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a first radio access standard,

an identifier configured to identify, in the received control channel, a data channel allocation on a data channel, the data channel having allocated one of a second plurality of bandwidths being standardized for a second radio access standard, the second bandwidths plurality exceeding the first bandwidths plurality in terms of at least one of granularity and range, and

a controller configured to control a data transmission operation of the apparatus on the data channel in accordance with the identified data channel allocation.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the identifier comprises

an acquirer configured to acquire control information at least in the received control channel within a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard.

41. The apparatus according to claim 40, further comprising a first determiner configured to determine the data channel allocation on the basis of the acquired control information,

the first determiner being configured, if the acquired control information is located in the control channel, to determine the data channel allocation on the basis of the acquired control information in the control channel.

42. The apparatus according to claim 40, further comprising a second determiner configured to determine the data channel allocation on the basis of the acquired control information,

the second determiner being configured, if a first part of the acquired control information serving as an anchor is located in the control channel and a second part of the control information serving as a supplement, to which the anchor refers, is located in the data channel, to determine a partial data channel allocation in a bandwidth area of the first bandwidths plurality being supported by the first radio access standard on the basis of the acquired first part of the control information in the control channel, and to determine a complete data channel allocation in a bandwidth area of the second bandwidths plurality being supported by the second radio access standard on the basis of the acquired second part of the control information in the data channel.

43. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of a mobile station and an evolved user equipment in an evolved radio access network.

44. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the first radio access standard is in accordance with release 8 of a long-term evolution specification, and/or the second radio access standard is in accordance with release 9 or advanced of a long-term evolution specification.

45. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the control channel is a downlink control channel, and the data channel is a downlink data channel.

46. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the control channel is at least one of a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical hybrid indicator channel PHICH, and a physical control format indicator channel PCFICH, and wherein the data channel is at least one of a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH and a physical multicast channel PMCH.