System and Method for Allocating Network Resources for a Communications Link

• US 20110268056A1
• Filed: 04/04/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sartori, Philippe, Soong, Anthony C.K., Li, Zhongfeng, Classon, Brian, Gu, Rongting
• Granted Patent: US 8,675,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A system and method for a system and method for allocating network resources for a communications link are provided. A method for communications controller operations includes allocating network resources to a communications link. The communications link includes an uplink (UL) part and a downlink (DL) part. The method also includes if a type of the allocated network resources is not equal in the DL part and the UL part, transmitting a first indication of the allocated network resources for one part of either the UL part or the DL part and a second indication of the allocated network resources for a remaining part of either the UL part or the DL part. The first indication and the second indication are based on an amount of network resources allocated. The method further includes if the type of the allocated network resources is equal in the DL part and the UL part, transmitting an indication of the allocated network resources for one part of either the UL part or the DL part. The indication is based on an amount of network resources allocated.

Claims

1. A method for communications system operations, the method comprising:

allocating network resources to a communications link, wherein the communications link comprises an uplink (UL) part and a downlink (DL) part;

if a type of the allocated network resources is not equal in the DL part and the UL part, transmitting a first indication of the allocated network resources for one part of either the UL part or the DL part and a second indication of the allocated network resources for a remaining part of either the UL part or the DL part, wherein the first indication and the second indication are based on an amount of network resources allocated; and

if the type of the allocated network resources is equal in the DL part and the UL part, transmitting an indication of the allocated network resources for one part of either the UL part or the DL part, wherein the indication is based on an amount of network resources allocated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises an N-bit long bitmap with each bit in the N-bit long bitmap representing a network resource unit, a pattern of network resource units, a subset of network resource units, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein an indicator of the type of the allocated network resources is also transmitted in response to determining that a network resource allocation is equal in the DL part and the UL part.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication and the indicator of the type of the allocated network resources is transmitted in a single message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication comprises an N-bit long bitmap with each bit in the N-bit long bitmap representing a network resource unit, a pattern of network resource units, a subset of network resource units, or combinations thereof, where N is an integer value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second indication comprises an M-bit long bitmap with each bit in the M-bit long bitmap representing a network resource unit, a pattern of network resource units, a subset of network resource units, or combinations thereof, where M is an integer value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein M is less than or equal to N.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting an indication further comprises transmitting a blank indication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication and the second indication are transmitted in a single message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication is transmitted in a first message and the second indication is transmitted in a second message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first message has a different format than the second message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a first indication further comprises transmitting an indicator of the type of the allocated network resources.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second indication comprises information related to allocated network resources in a network resource allocation for remaining part but not in a network resource allocation for the one part.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second indication comprises information related to allocated network resources in a network resource allocation for the one part but not in a network resource allocation for the remaining part.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication, the first indication, and the second indication each comprises only information related to network resources that are allocatable to the communications link.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is transmitted using radio resource control signaling or the first indication and the second indication are transmitted using radio resource control signaling.

17. A method for communications device operations, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of allocated network resources for a communications link, wherein the communications link comprises an uplink (UL) part and a downlink (DL) part, wherein the indication is based on an amount of network resources allocated, and a type of network resources allocation, and wherein the type of network resource allocation comprises either an equal allocation or an unequal allocation;

determining the allocated network resources from the indication; and

utilizing a subset of the allocated network resources to communicate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication indicates allocated network resources of one part of either the UL part or the DL part, and wherein determining the allocated network resources comprises:

determining the allocated network resources for the one part according to the indication; and

determining the allocated network resources for a remaining part based on the allocated network resources for the one part.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication comprises a first indication of allocated network resources of one part of either the UL part or the DL part and a second indication of the type of network resource allocation, and wherein the type of network resource allocation is an equal network resource allocation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining the allocated network resources comprises:

determining the allocated network resources for the one part according to the first indication; and

determining the allocated network resources for a remaining part of either the UL part or the DL part based on the allocated network resources for the one part.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the allocated network resources for a remaining part of either the UL part or the DL part comprises adding an offset to each allocated network resource in the allocated network resources for the one part modulo a network resource period, where the offset and the network resource period are communications system specific values.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication comprises a third indication of a network resource allocation for one part of either the UL part or the DL part and a fourth indication of a network resource allocation for a remaining part of either the UL part or the DL part, and wherein determining the allocated network resources comprises:

determining the allocated network resources for the one part based on the third indication; and

determining the allocated network resources for the remaining part based on the fourth indication.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the allocated network resources for the remaining part are also determined based on the third indication.

24. A communications system comprising:

a resource allocator configured to allocate network resources to a communications link, wherein the communications link comprises an uplink (UL) part and a downlink (DL) part;

an indication generator coupled to the resource allocator, the indication generator configured

to generate an indication of the allocated network resources for one part of either the UL part or the DL part in response to determining that a network resource allocation is equal in the DL part and the UL part, or

to generate a first indication of the allocated network resources for one part of either the UL part or the DL part and a second indication of the allocated network resources for a remaining part of either the UL part or the DL part in response to determining that the network resource allocation is not equal in the DL part and the UL part,

wherein the indication, the first indication, and the second indication are based on an amount of network resources allocated; and

a transmitter coupled to the indication generator, the transmitter configured to transmit the indication or to transmit the first indication and the second indication to a communications device.

25. The communications system of claim 24, wherein the network resource allocation is an equal allocation, and wherein the transmitter transmits the indication comprises the transmitter transmitting an indication of either the allocated network resources for the UL part or the allocated network resources for the DL part to the communications device and a blank indicator to the communications device.

26. The communications system of claim 24, wherein the network resources allocation is an unequal allocation, wherein the transmitter transmits the first indication and the second indication to the communications device, and wherein the second indication comprises network resources allocated in the network resource allocation for remaining part but not in the network resource allocation for the one part.

27. The communications system of claim 24, wherein the network resources allocation is an unequal allocation, wherein the transmitter transmits the first indication and the second indication to the communications device, and wherein the second indication comprises network resources allocated in the network resource allocation for the one part but not in the network resource allocation for the remaining part.

28. The communications system of claim 24, wherein the indication, the first indication, and the second indication each comprises only information related to network resources that are allocatable to the communications link.