DOWNLINK CONTROL IN HETEROGENEOUS NETWORKS

• US 20120106465A1
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haghighat, Afshin, Adjakple, Pascal M., Bass, David S., Watfa, Mahmoud, Beluri, Mihaela C., Zhang, Guodong
• Application Number:
  US13/098,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20120106465A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1829 Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

Embodiments contemplate a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that may operate in a heterogeneous wireless communication network (HetNet). The WTRU may detect the presence of an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH) and may decode a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) upon detecting the E-PDCCH. The WTRU may obtain scheduling information of the E-PDCCH on a physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) from the decoded PDCCH. The WTRU may also determine control information for the WTRU from the E-PDCCH using the scheduling information of the E-PDCCH. The HetNet may further include a first eNB and a second eNB and the WTRU may receive the E-PDCCH from the first eNB and another E-PDCCH from the second eNB. The other E-PDCCH may be coordinated with the E-PDCCH such that the interference between the other E-PDCCH and the E-PDCCH from the perspective of the WTRU may be reduced relative to no coordination.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured, at least in part, to:

detect the presence of an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH);

decode a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) upon detecting the E-PDCCH;

obtain scheduling information of the E-PDCCH on a physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) from the decoded PDCCH; and

determine control information for the WTRU from the E-PDCCH using the scheduling information of the E-PDCCH.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU operates in a heterogeneous wireless communication network (HetNet).

7. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU is further configured to detect the presence of E-PDCCH by determining a master information block (MIB) bit corresponding to the E-PDCCH.

8. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU is further configured to detect the presence of E-PDCCH by determining a system information block (SIB) bit corresponding to the E-PDCCH.

9. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the scheduling information of the E-PDCCH is obtained by decoding downlink control information (DCI) from the decoded PDCCH.

10. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the decoded DCI includes the scheduling information, the scheduling information including at least one of an Nstart, Nend, or resource block (RB) assignment information.

11. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the decoding of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is blind.

12. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the control information for the WTRU includes at least one of common control information or WTRU specific control information.

3. The WTRU of claim 3, wherein the HetNet further includes a first evolved-Node B (first eNB) and a second evolved-Node B (second eNB), both the first eNB and the second eNB being within wireless communication range of the WTRU.

4. The WTRU of claim 3, wherein the WTRU receives the E-PDCCH from the first eNB and receives another E-PDCCH from the second eNB, the other E-PDCCH coordinated with the E-PDCCH such that the interference between the other E-PDCCH and the E-PDCCH from the perspective of the WTRU is reduced relative to no coordination of the E-PDCCH and the other E-PDCCH.

5. The WTRU of claim 4, wherein the first eNB is a macro base station (MeNB) and the second eNB is a home base station (HeNB).

6. The WTRU of claim 5, wherein at least one of the E-PDCCH or the PDCCH is provided by the MeNB.

13. A method performed by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

detecting the presence of an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH);

decoding a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) upon detecting the E-PDCCH;

obtaining scheduling information of the E-PDCCH on a physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) from the decoded PDCCH; and

determining control information for the WTRU from the E-PDCCH using the scheduling information of the E-PDCCH.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the WTRU operates in a heterogeneous wireless communication network (HetNet), and the HetNet further includes a first evolved-Node B (first eNB) and a second evolved-Node B (second eNB), both the first eNB and the second eNB being within wireless communication range of the WTRU, and the method further including:

receiving the E-PDCCH from the first eNB and receiving another E-PDCCH from the second eNB, the other E-PDCCH coordinated with the E-PDCCH such that the interference between the other E-PDCCH and the E-PDCCH from the perspective of the WTRU is reduced relative to no coordination of the E-PDCCH and the other E-PDCCH.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the detecting the presence of E-PDCCH includes determining a master information block (MIB) bit corresponding to the E-PDCCH.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the detecting the presence of E-PDCCH includes determining a system information block (SIB) bit corresponding to the E-PDCCH.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the scheduling information of the E-PDCCH is obtained by decoding downlink control information (DCI) from the decoded PDCCH.

18. An evolved-Node B (eNB) configured, at least in part to:

provide an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH);

provide the E-PDCCH on a physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH); and

provide scheduling information for the E-PDCCH on the PDSCH on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

19. The eNB of claim 18, wherein the PDCCH includes downlink control information (DCI) that indicates the scheduling information of the E-PDCCH on the PDSCH, the scheduling information including at least one of an Nstart, Nend, or resource block (RB) assignment information.

20. The eNB of claim 18, wherein the eNB is further configured to coordinate scheduling of one or more physical downlink control channels with another evolved-Node (eNB), the eNB and the other eNB having respective coverage areas that overlap, at least in part.