METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUBFRAME INTERLACING IN HETEROGENEOUS NETWORKS

• US 20110188481A1
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Damnjanovic, Aleksandar, Wei, Yongbin, Barany, Peter A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,942,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0079 Acquisition of downlink reference signals, e.g. detection of cell-ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2211/005 Long term evolution [LTE]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0057 Physical resource allocation for CQI
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• 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 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing wireless communications using subframe partitioning are disclosed. Two or more base stations may be allocated subframes in a radio frame. All or part of the subframe allocation may be provided to the associated user equipment (UEs), which may use it to determine signal metrics during assigned subframes for an associated base station.

Claims

1. A method for wireless signal transmission, the method comprising:

storing, in a base station, a subframe partition configuration including an allocation of a first downlink (DL) resource to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource; and

transmitting, from the base station, a first signal consistent with the first DL resource allocation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the base station, a second signal consistent with a second DL resource allocation, the second DL resource being allocated by the subframe partition configuration to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first DL resource is a semi-static resource and the second DL resource is a dynamic resource.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first DL resource and the second DL resource are time-division multiplexed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first DL resource is orthogonal to a second DL resource allocated to a second base station, the second DL resource being allocated by the subframe partition configuration to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subframe partition configuration further includes an allocation of at least one unassigned resource.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

negotiating, at least in part in conjunction with a second base station, a subframe resource allocation configuration; and

determining, based on the negotiation, the subframe resource allocation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a request to a core network for subframe partitioning;

and

receiving the subframe partition configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the subframe partition configuration is determined at the core network at least in part based on information associated with a second base station.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, responsive to the first signal, from a user equipment (UE) associated with the base station, a signal metric measuring a communications resource allocation.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising allocating the communications resource based at least in part on the signal metric.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first DL resource is orthogonal to a second DL resource allocated to a second base station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal metric is a radio link monitoring (RLM) metric.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the RLM metric is determined during a semi-static subframe.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the semi-static subframe is signaled to the UE prior to the transmitting.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station is one of a macrocell base station, a femtocell base station, or a picocell base station.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium including codes for causing a computer to:

store, in a base station, a subframe partition configuration including an allocation of a first downlink (DL) resource to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource; and

send, from the base station, a first signal consistent with the first DL resource allocation.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the codes further include codes for causing the computer to send, from the base station, a second signal consistent with a second DL resource allocation, the second DL resource being allocated by the subframe partition configuration to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the first DL resource is a semi-static resource and the second DL resource is a dynamic resource.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the wherein the first DL resource is orthogonal to a second DL resource allocated to a second base station, the second DL resource being allocated by the subframe partition configuration to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the codes further include codes for causing the computer to negotiate, at least in part in conjunction with a second base station, a subframe resource allocation configuration, and determine, based on the negotiation, the subframe resource allocation.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the codes further include codes for sending a request to a core network for subframe partitioning and receiving the subframe partition configuration.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the codes further include codes for causing the computer to receive, responsive to the first signal, from a user equipment (UE) associated with the base station, a signal metric usable for allocating a communications resource.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the codes further include codes for causing the computer to allocate the communications resource based at least in part on the signal metric.

25. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the signal metric is an RLM metric.

26. A communications device, comprising:

a memory configured to store, in a base station, a subframe partition configuration including an allocation of a first downlink (DL) resource to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource; and

a transmitter module configured to transmit, from the base station, a first signal consistent with the first DL resource allocation.

27. The communications device of claim 26, wherein the transmitter module is further configured to send, from the base station, a second signal consistent with a second DL resource allocation, the second DL resource being allocated by the subframe partition configuration to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource.

28. The communications device of claim 27, wherein the first DL resource is a semi-static resource and the second DL resource is a dynamic resource.

29. The communications device of claim 26, wherein the first DL resource is orthogonal to a second DL resource allocated to a second base station, the second DL resource being allocated by the subframe partition configuration to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource.

30. The communications device of claim 26, further including a processor module configured to negotiate, at least in part in conjunction with a second base station, a subframe resource allocation configuration and determine, based on the negotiation, the subframe resource allocation.

31. The communications device of claim 26, further including a processor module configured to generate and send a request to a core network for subframe partitioning, and a receiver module configured to receive the subframe partition configuration.

32. The communications device of claim 26, further including a receiver module configured to receive, from a user equipment (UE) associated with the base station, a signal metric usable for allocating a communications resource.

33. The communications device of claim 32, further including a processor module configured to allocate a communications resource based at least in part on the signal metric.

34. The communications device of claim 26, wherein the signal metric is an RLM metric.

35. A communications device, comprising:

means for storing, in base station, a subframe partition configuration including an allocation of a first downlink (DL) resource to be one of a semi-static resource or dynamic resource; and

means for sending, from the base station, a first signal consistent with the first DL resource allocation.

36. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

receiving, at a UE, information relating to a predetermined subframe resource allocation;

receiving, during a time interval associated with the resource allocation, a first signal; and

determining a signal metric associated with the first signal.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the signal metric is a Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) metric, and further comprising determining whether to declare Radio Link Failure (RLF) based on the signal metric.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the information further includes Radio Resource Management (RRM) control information and further comprising transmit the signal metric to a base station.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the information further includes channel feedback information.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the information further includes channel quality indication (CQI) information.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein the base station is associated with a first cell and the first signal is transmitted from a node associated with a second cell.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the first cell is a macrocell and the second cell is a picocell or femtocell.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the first cell is a picocell or femtocell and the second cell is a macrocell.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein the first signal comprises a reference signal.

45. The method of claim 36, wherein the resource allocation is a semi-static resource allocation.

46. The method of claim 36, wherein the time interval is a portion of the semi-static resource allocation.

47. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium including codes for causing a computer to:

receive, at a UE, information relating to a predetermined subframe resource allocation;

receive, during a time interval associated with the resource allocation, a first signal; and

determine a signal metric associated with the first signal.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the signal metric is an RLM metric, and the computer-readable medium further includes codes for causing a computer to determine whether to declare Radio Link Failure (RLF) based on the signal metric.

49. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the information includes one or more of channel feedback information, channel quality indication (CQI) information, and Radio Resource Management (RRM) control information and the computer-readable medium further includes codes for causing a computer to transmit the signal metric to a base station.

50. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the base station is associated with a first cell and the first signal is transmitted from a node associated with a second cell.

51. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the first signal comprises a reference signal.

52. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the resource allocation is a semi-static resource allocation.

53. A wireless communications device, comprising:

a receiver module configured to;

receive, at a UE, information relating to a predetermined subframe resource allocation; and

receive, during a time interval associated with the resource allocation, a first signal; and

a processor module configured to determine a signal metric associated with the first signal.

54. The device of claim 53, wherein the signal metric is a Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) metric;

and wherein the processor module is further configured to determine whether to declare Radio Link Failure (RLF) based on the signal metric.

55. The device of claim 53, wherein the information includes one or more of channel feedback information, channel quality indication (CQI) information, and Radio Resource Management (RRM) control information, and further comprising a transmit module configured to transmit the signal metric to a base station.

56. The device of claim 53, wherein the base station is associated with a first cell and the first signal is transmitted from a node associated with a second cell.

57. The device of claim 53, wherein the first signal comprises a reference signal.

58. The device of claim 53, wherein the resource allocation is a semi-static resource allocation.

59. A device for wireless communications, comprising:

means for receiving, at a UE, information relating to a predetermined subframe resource allocation;

means for receiving, during a time interval associated with the resource allocation, a first signal; and

means for determining a signal metric associated with the first signal.