METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RELIABLE TRANSMISSION OF CONTROL INFORMATION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20110235584A1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Luo, Tao, Chen, Wanshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/008 where the control data relates to payload of a different packet

Abstract

Techniques for reliably transmitting and receiving control information in a wireless network are described. A cell may typically send control information on a control channel and associated data (e.g., system information) on a data channel in the same subframe. This subframe may have strong interference from other cells. For cross-subframe signaling, the cell may transmit the control information in a first subframe and the associated data in a second subframe. The first subframe may be a usable subframe for the cell and may have less interference from other cells. A UE may not know the location of the first subframe and may perform window-based decoding. The UE may decode the control channel in at least one subframe within a decoding window covering the first subframe to obtain the control information. The UE may then decode the data channel in the second subframe based on the control information to obtain the data.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

decoding a control channel in at least one subframe within a decoding window covering a plurality of subframes to obtain control information sent on the control channel; and

decoding a data channel in a subframe at or after an end of the decoding window, based on the control information, to obtain data sent on the data channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding the control channel comprises decoding the control channel in one subframe within the decoding window at a time, starting with an earliest subframe within the decoding window, until the control information is obtained from the control channel or all subframes within the decoding window have been considered.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding window covers at least one usable subframe for a cell transmitting the control information on the control channel, each usable subframe having less interference than remaining subframes within the decoding window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein usable subframes are allocated to the cell with a particular periodicity, and wherein the decoding window has a size determined based on the periodicity of the usable subframes for the cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding window has a configurable size.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data sent on the data channel comprises system information, or paging information, or both.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data sent on the data channel comprises system information block type 1 (SIB1) carrying scheduling information for system information blocks of at least one other type.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decoding the control channel in the subframe in which the data channel is decoded to obtain the control information sent on the control channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the control channel comprises a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the data channel comprises a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

10. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for decoding a control channel in at least one subframe within a decoding window covering a plurality of subframes to obtain control information sent on the control channel; and

means for decoding a data channel in a subframe at or after an end of the decoding window, based on the control information, to obtain data sent on the data channel.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for decoding the control channel comprises means for decoding the control channel in one subframe within the decoding window at a time, starting with an earliest subframe within the decoding window, until the control information is obtained from the control channel or all subframes within the decoding window have been considered.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the decoding window covers at least one usable subframe for a cell transmitting the control information on the control channel, each usable subframe having less interference than remaining subframes within the decoding window.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to decode a control channel in at least one subframe within a decoding window covering a plurality of subframes to obtain control information sent on the control channel, and to decode a data channel in a subframe at or after an end of the decoding window, based on the control information, to obtain data sent on the data channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to decode the control channel in one subframe within the decoding window at a time, starting with an earliest subframe within the decoding window, until the control information is obtained from the control channel or all subframes within the decoding window have been considered.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the decoding window covers at least one usable subframe for a cell transmitting the control information on the control channel, each usable subframe having less interference than remaining subframes within the decoding window.

16. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to decode a control channel in at least one subframe within a decoding window covering a plurality of subframes to obtain control information sent on the control channel, and

code for causing the at least one computer to decode a data channel in a subframe at or after an end of the decoding window, based on the control information, to obtain data sent on the data channel.

17. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

sending control information on a control channel in a first subframe within a decoding window covering a plurality of subframes; and

sending data on a data channel in a second subframe after the first subframe, the control information comprising at least one parameter used to decode the data channel.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining at least one usable subframe for a cell within the decoding window, each usable subframe having less interference than remaining subframes within the decoding window; and

selecting one of the at least one usable subframe within the decoding window as the first subframe in which to send the control information on the control channel.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the data sent on the data channel comprises system information, or paging information, or both.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the data sent on the data channel comprises system information block type 1 (SIB1) carrying scheduling information for system information blocks of at least one other type.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the control channel comprises a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the data channel comprises a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

22. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for sending control information on a control channel in a first subframe within a decoding window covering a plurality of subframes; and

means for sending data on a data channel in a second subframe after the first subframe, the control information comprising at least one parameter used to decode the data channel.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining at least one usable subframe for a cell within the decoding window, each usable subframe having less interference than remaining subframes within the decoding window; and

means for selecting one of the at least one usable subframe within the decoding window as the first subframe in which to send the control information on the control channel.

24. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

determining a first subframe based on first information available to a user equipment (UE) for a cell;

decoding a control channel in the first subframe to obtain control information sent on the control channel by the cell; and

decoding a data channel in a second subframe after the first subframe based on the control information to obtain system information sent on the data channel by the cell.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

obtaining the first information based on at least one synchronization signal from the cell.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the first information comprises a cell identity (ID) of the cell.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the determining the first subframe comprises

determining a group of cell IDs including the cell ID of the cell,

determining a set of subframes associated with the group of cell IDs, and

identifying the first subframe from the set of subframes.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the control channel comprises a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the data channel comprises a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

29. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for determining a first subframe based on first information available to a user equipment (UE) for a cell;

means for decoding a control channel in the first subframe to obtain control information sent on the control channel by the cell; and

means for decoding a data channel in a second subframe after the first subframe based on the control information to obtain system information sent on the data channel by the cell.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first information comprises a cell identity (ID) of the cell.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for determining the first subframe comprises

means for determining a group of cell IDs including the cell ID of the cell,

means for determining a set of subframes associated with the group of cell IDs, and

means for identifying the first subframe from the set of subframes.

32. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

determining a first subframe based on first information for a cell;

sending control information on a control channel in the first subframe; and

sending system information on a data channel in a second subframe after the first subframe, the control information comprising at least one parameter used to decode the data channel.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

sending at least one synchronization signal comprising the first information.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the first information comprises a cell identity (ID) of the cell.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the determining the first subframe comprises

determining a group of cell IDs including the cell ID of the cell,

determining a set of subframes associated with the group of cell IDs, and

selecting the first subframe from the set of subframes.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

sending the control information on the control channel in the second subframe.

37. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for determining a first subframe based on first information for a cell;

means for sending control information on a control channel in the first subframe; and

means for sending system information on a data channel in a second subframe after the first subframe, the control information comprising at least one parameter used to decode the data channel.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the first information comprises a cell identity (ID) of the cell.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the means for determining the first subframe comprises

means for determining a group of cell IDs including the cell ID of the cell,

means for determining a set of subframes associated with the group of cell IDs, and

means for selecting the first subframe from the set of subframes.