System and Method for Mapping Data Symbols

• US 20120281636A1
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Xiao, Weimin, Liu, Deping
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated

Abstract

A system and method for mapping data symbols are provided. A method for communications device operations includes transmitting resource element utilization information to a communications device, and mapping symbols intended for the communications device to the plurality of resource elements. The resource element utilization information includes utilization information for a subset of resource elements out of a plurality of resource elements, the subset of resource elements corresponds to other resource elements of at least one other cell within a cooperating set, and the other resource elements are carrying specified signals. The mapping is based on the resource element utilization, and the mapping is performed by at least one cell within the cooperating set.

Claims

1. A method for cell operations, the method comprising:

transmitting resource element utilization information to a communications device, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises utilization information for a subset of resource elements out of a plurality of resource elements, wherein the subset of resource elements corresponds to other resource elements of at least one other cell within a cooperating set, and wherein the other resource elements are carrying specified signals; and

mapping symbols intended for the communications device to the plurality of resource elements, wherein the mapping is based on the resource element utilization, and wherein the mapping is performed by at least one cell within the cooperating set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified signals comprises cell-specific reference signals, a physical broadcast channel, a sync channel, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the resource element utilization information comprises transmitting an indication of the resource element utilization information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication comprises information indicating that the subset of resource elements carries data symbols, data symbols with precoding information different from precoding information associated with data symbols mapped to resource elements in the plurality of resource elements but not in the subset of resource elements, data symbols based on a first reference signal different from a second reference signal used by the cell, null symbols, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication comprises a field in a message, and wherein the field contains the information or a representation of the information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the field comprises a newly defined field, a previously defined field, a portion of at least one previously defined field, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication comprises a previously defined information set.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the previously defined information set comprises a set of transmission modes, a set of CoMP modes, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the indication comprises transmitting the indication on a physical layer channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a Physical Downlink Control Channel, a Relay-Physical Downlink Control Channel, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the indication comprises transmitting the indication on a higher layer message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the higher layer message comprises a Radio Resource Control message.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbols comprise data symbols, reference signals, data symbols with precoding information different from precoding information associated with data symbols mapped to resource elements in the plurality of resource elements but not in the subset of resource elements, null symbols, or combinations thereof.

14. A cell comprising:

an information generator, the information generator configured to generate resource element utilization information, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises utilization information for a subset of resource elements out of a plurality of resource elements, wherein the subset of resource elements corresponds to other resource elements of at least one other cell within a cooperating set, and wherein the other resource elements are carrying specified signals;

a mapper coupled to the information generator, the mapper configured to map symbols intended for a communications device to a plurality of resource elements, wherein the mapper maps the symbols based on the resource element utilization information, and wherein the mapping is performed by a cell that is part of a cooperating set; and

a transmitter coupled to the information generator and to the mapper, the transmitter configured to transmit the resource element utilization information to the communications device.

15. The cell of claim 14, further comprising an indicator generator coupled to the information generator, the indicator generator configured to generate an indicator for the resource element utilization information.

16. The cell of claim 15, wherein the indication comprises a previously defined information set.

17. The cell of claim 16, wherein the previously defined information set comprises a set of transmission modes, a set of CoMP modes, or a combination thereof.

18. The cell of claim 15, wherein the indication comprises a field in a message, wherein the field contains the information or a representation of the information.

19. The cell of claim 18, wherein the field comprises a newly defined field, a previously defined field, a portion of at least one previously defined field, or a combination thereof.

20. The cell of claim 14, wherein the transmitter transmits the resource element utilization information on a physical layer channel.

21. The cell of claim 20, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a Physical Downlink Control Channel, a Relay-Physical Downlink Control Channel, or a combination thereof.

22. The cell of claim 14, wherein the transmitter transmits the resource element utilization information on a higher layer message.

23. The cell of claim 22, wherein the higher layer message comprises a Radio Resource Control message.

24. The cell of claim 14, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises information that the subset of resource elements carries data symbols, data symbols with precoding information different from precoding information associated with data symbols mapped to resource elements in the plurality of resource elements but not in the subset of resource elements, data symbols based on a first reference signal different from a second reference signal used by the cell, null symbols, or combinations thereof.

25. A method of communications device operations, the method comprising:

receiving resource element utilization information for a cell in a cooperating set, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises utilization information for a subset of resource elements out of a plurality of resource elements, wherein the subset of resource elements corresponds to other resource elements of at least one other cell within the cooperating set, and wherein the other resource elements are carrying specified signals;

receiving signals; and

decoding the signals based on the resource element utilization information.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises information that the subset of resource elements carries data symbols, data symbols with precoding information different from precoding information associated with data symbols mapped to resource elements in the plurality of resource elements but not in the subset of resource elements, data symbols based on a first reference signal different from a second reference signal used by the cell, null symbols, or combinations thereof, and wherein decoding the signals comprises not decoding the signals carried by the subset of resource elements.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises information that the subset of resource elements carries data symbols, data symbols with precoding information different from precoding information associated with data symbols mapped to resource elements in the plurality of resource elements but not in the subset of resource elements, data symbols based on a first reference signal different from a second reference signal used by the cell, null symbols, or combinations thereof, and wherein decoding the signals comprises decoding the signals carried by the subset of resource elements.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving resource element utilization information comprises receiving the resource element utilization information over a physical layer channel.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving resource element utilization information comprises receiving the resource element utilization information over a higher layer message.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving resource element utilization information comprises receiving an indication of the resource element utilization information.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the indication comprises a field in a message, wherein the field contains the information or a representation of the information.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the field comprises a newly defined field, a previously defined field, a portion of at least one previously defined field, or a combination thereof.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the indication comprises a previously defined information set.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the previously defined information set comprises a set of transmission modes, a set of CoMP modes, or a combination thereof.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving resource element utilization information comprises receiving the resource element utilization information on a physical layer channel.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a Physical Downlink Control Channel, a Relay-Physical Downlink Control Channel, or a combination thereof.

37. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving resource element utilization information comprises receiving the resource element utilization information on a higher layer message.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the higher layer message comprises a Radio Resource Control message.

39. A communications device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive resource element utilization information for a cell in a cooperating set and to receive signals, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises utilization information for a subset of resource elements out of a plurality of resource elements, wherein the subset of resource elements corresponds to other resource elements of at least one other cell within the cooperating set, and wherein the other resource elements are carrying specified signals;

an information processor coupled to the receiver, the information processor configured to process the resource element utilization information to extract information about the plurality of resource elements; and

a decoder coupled to the receiver and to the information processor, the decoder configured to decode the received signals based on the resource element utilization information.

40. The communications device of claim 39, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises information that the subset of resource elements carries data symbols, data symbols with precoding information different from precoding information associated with data symbols mapped to resource elements in the plurality of resource elements but not in the subset of resource elements, data symbols based on a first reference signal different from a second reference signal used by the cell, null symbols, or combinations thereof, and wherein the decoder does not decode the signals carried by the subset of resource elements.

41. The communications device of claim 39, wherein the resource element utilization information comprises information that the subset of resource elements carries data symbols, data symbols with precoding information different from precoding information associated with data symbols mapped to resource elements in the plurality of resource elements but not in the subset of resource elements, data symbols based on a first reference signal different from a second reference signal used by the cell, null symbols, or combinations thereof, and wherein the decoder decode the signals carried by the subset of resource elements.

42. The communications device of claim 39, wherein the receiver receives the resource element utilization information over a physical layer channel.

43. The communications device of claim 39, wherein the receiver receives the resource element utilization information over a higher layer message.