ENHANCING UPLINK COVERAGE IN INTERFERENCE SCENARIOS

• US 20110255468A1
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Damnjanovic, Aleksandar, Ji, Tingfang, Vajapeyam, Madhavan Srinivasan
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0086 Unequal error protection H04L27/00 and H04L1/004 take precedence for layer 1/2 aspects, e.g. bit loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/06 using space diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A method for wireless communication in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network includes transmitting a request, from a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) of the LTE network to a second eNodeB of the LTE network, for the second eNodeB to yield a bundles of non-consecutive subframes. The method also includes configuring a User Equipment (UE), which is associated with the first eNodeB and experiencing interference from the second eNodeB, for uplink transmission in the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, comprising:

transmitting a request, from a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) of the LTE network to a second eNodeB of the LTE network, for the second eNodeB to yield a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes; and

configuring a User Equipment (UE), which is associated with the first eNodeB and experiencing interference from the second eNodeB, for uplink transmission in the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes comprises only a portion of resource blocks within each subframe of the bundles.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising indicating to the second eNodeB, the portion of resource blocks within each subframe of the bundles.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the configuring comprises transmitting to the UE an indication of a size and a subframe offset for each bundle of subframes.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the configuring provides that a retransmission from the UE starts at subframe n2=n1+8*N, where n1 is a subframe in a first bundle of subframes previous to a second bundle of subframes that includes n2, and wherein N is the smallest integer such that n2>

n_PHICH+4, where n_PHICH is a subframe in which a Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indicator Channel (PHICH) was sent on a downlink to the UE.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the first and second eNodeBs each receive transmissions on protected, unprotected and common subframes, and wherein transmitting the request comprises:

negotiating for at least one of;

use of at least one resource block in a common subframe of the second eNodeB, and use of at least one resource block in a protected subframe of the second eNodeB.

7. A method for wireless communication in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, comprising:

associating a User Equipment (UE) with a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) while experiencing interference from a second eNodeB; and

receiving signaling configuring the UE for uplink transmission in a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

8. The method of claim 7, in which the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes comprises only a portion of resource blocks within each subframe of the bundles.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving control signaling for the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes on a protected subframe before a start of bundled uplink transmission.

10. The method of claim 9, in which the control signaling is received four milliseconds (ms) before the start of the bundled uplink transmission.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) feedback four ms after an end of the bundled uplink transmission.

12. The method of claim 7, in which the signaling configures the UE for uplink transmission in only a portion of resource blocks in the plurality of bundles of subframes.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, comprising:

means for transmitting a request, from a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) of the LTE network to a second eNodeB of the LTE network, for the second eNodeB to yield a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes; and

means for configuring a User Equipment (UE), which is associated with the first eNodeB and experiencing interference from the second eNodeB, for uplink transmission in the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

14. An apparatus for wireless communication in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, comprising:

means for associating a User Equipment (UE) with a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) while experiencing interference from a second eNodeB; and

means for receiving signaling configuring the UE for uplink transmission in a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured;

to transmit a request, from a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) of the LTE network to a second eNodeB of the LTE network, for the second eNodeB to yield a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes; and

to configure a User Equipment (UE), which is associated with the first eNodeB and experiencing interference from the second eNodeB, for uplink transmission in the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes comprises only a portion of resource blocks within each subframe of the bundles.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the processor is further configured to indicate to the second eNodeB, the portion of resource blocks within each subframe of the bundles.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the processor configures the UE with an indication of a size and a subframe offset for each bundle of subframes.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the configuring the UE provides that a retransmission from the UE starts at subframe n2=n1+8*N, where n1 is a subframe in a first bundle of subframes previous to a second bundle of subframes that includes n2, and wherein N is the smallest integer such that n2>

n_PHICH+4, where n_PHICH is a subframe in which a Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indicator Channel (PHICH) was sent on a downlink to the UE.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the first and second eNodeBs each receive transmissions on protected, unprotected and common subframes, and wherein the processor is configured to transmit the request by:

negotiating for at least one of;

use of at least one resource block in a common subframe of the second eNodeB, and use of at least one resource block in a protected subframe of the second eNodeB.

21. An apparatus for power control in a long term evolution (LTE) network, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured;

to associate a User Equipment (UE) with a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) while experiencing interference from a second eNodeB; and

to receive signaling configuring the UE for uplink transmission in a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, in which the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes comprises only a portion of resource blocks within each subframe of the bundles.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, in which the processor is further configured to receive control signaling for the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes on a protected subframe before a start of bundled uplink transmission.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, in which the control signaling is received four ms before the start of the bundled uplink transmission.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, in which the processor is further configured to transmit hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) feedback four ms after an end of the bundled uplink transmission.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, in which the signaling configures the UE for uplink transmission in only a portion of resource blocks in the plurality of bundles of subframes.

27. A computer program product for wireless communications in a wireless network, comprising:

a computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising;

program code to transmit a request, from a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) of the LTE network to a second eNodeB of the LTE network, for the second eNodeB to yield a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes; and

program code to configure a User Equipment (UE), which is associated with the first eNodeB and experiencing interference from the second eNodeB, for uplink transmission in the plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.

28. A computer program product for wireless communications in a wireless network, comprising:

a computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising;

program code to associate a User Equipment (UE) with a first evolved Node B (eNodeB) while experiencing interference from a second eNodeB; and

program code to receiving signaling configuring the UE for uplink transmission in a plurality of bundles of non-consecutive subframes.