Frequency Hopping In License-Exempt/Shared Bands

• US 20120307744A1
• Filed: 06/02/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Renesas Mobile Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Charbit, Gilles, Chen, Tao
• Granted Patent: US 8,675,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2211/001 using small cells within macro cells, e.g. femto, pico or microcells
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2211/005 Long term evolution [LTE]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling

Abstract

RRC signaling is used to configure a user device for N secondary cells SCells on license-exempt channels w_i in a frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} where i=1, 2, . . . N. Then cross-carrier scheduling is sent on a primary cell PCell to schedule a frequency hopping FH resource block h_i on the i^th license-exempt channel w_i. Based on measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device, parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted. The FH resource block contains M physical resource blocks, scheduled for the SCell during a FH time interval T_u*L+j by a resource grants sent on a PDCCH of the PCell. In an embodiment the RRC signaling is sent by a micro access node/HeNB on the PCell, the cross carrier scheduling is sent also by the micro access node/HeNB on the PCell, and the PCell lies within a LTE licensed frequency band.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processing system comprising at least one processor and a memory storing a set of computer instructions, in which the processing system is arranged to;

utilize radio resource control signaling to configure a user device for N secondary cells on license-exempt channels w_i in a frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} where i=1, 2, . . . N, in which N is an integer at least equal to one;

utilize cross-carrier scheduling on a primary cell to schedule a frequency hopping resource block h_i on the i^th license-exempt channel w_i on at least one of the N secondary cells; and

adapt parameters for the frequency hopping based on measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which:

the frequency hopping resource block h_i contains M physical resource blocks, scheduled for the at least one of the N secondary cells during a frequency hopping time interval T_u*L+j by a downlink resource grant and an uplink resource grant sent on a physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the primary cell, in which M is an integer at least equal to one, u identifies one pattern for the frequency hopping, and j indicates a j^th frequency hopping time interval within the pattern.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the radio resource control signaling to configure the N secondary cells on the license-exempt channels is sent by a micro access node on the primary cell by means of cross carrier scheduling, and the primary cell lies within a licensed frequency band.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which there are a total of K license-exempt channels parsed into a frequency hopping channel set size N;

and further

for the case that N=K, each SCell occupies only one of the license-exempt channels w_i; and

for the case that N<

K, at least one SCell occupies more than one of the license-exempt channels w_i.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the radio resource control signaling further comprises an indication of a frequency hopping time interval T which is an integer multiple of subframes or radio frames used in the primary cell.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which at least one of:

the measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device comprise measurement reports received via radio resource control signaling, and the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing a number M of physical resource blocks allocated to an i^th frequency hopping resource block h_i based on whether the received measurement reports indicate a weak beacon, a strong beacon, or no beacon; and

the measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device comprise acknowledgements/negative acknowledgements received via at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i, and the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing a number M of physical resource blocks allocated to an i^th frequency hopping resource block h_i based on whether a rate of the received acknowledgements/negative acknowledgements indicate poor channel quality, good channel quality or average channel quality.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, in which the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing the number of license-exempt channels w_i in the frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} by:

explicitly updating the license-exempt channels w_i in the frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} for all user devices configured on the at least one of the N secondary cells, for the case that multiple reports are received which indicate a strong beacon from another access point.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, in which the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing the number of license-exempt channels w_i in the frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} by:

implicitly disabling for the user device the i^th license-exempt channel w_i by not further scheduling uplink or downlink grants for the user device on the i^th license-exempt channel w_i, for the case that the user device reports a strong beacon on an i^th license-exempt channel w_i.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the apparatus comprises a micro eNB operating on the primary cell in a LTE system and on the N secondary cells in a WLAN system.

10. A method, comprising:

utilizing radio resource control signaling to configure a user device for N secondary cells on license-exempt channels w_i in a frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} where i=1, 2, . . . N, in which N is an integer at least equal to one;

utilizing cross-carrier scheduling on a primary cell to schedule a frequency hopping resource block h_i on the i^th license-exempt channel w_i on at least one of the N secondary cells; and

adapting parameters for the frequency hopping based on measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device.

11. The method according to claim 10, in which:

the frequency hopping resource block h_i contains M physical resource blocks, scheduled for the at least one of the N secondary cells during a frequency hopping time interval T_u*L+j by a downlink resource grant and an uplink resource grant sent on a physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the primary cell, in which M is an integer at least equal to one, u identifies one pattern for the frequency hopping, and j indicates a j^th frequency hopping time interval within the pattern.

12. The method according to claim 10, in which the radio resource control signaling to configure the N secondary cells on the license-exempt channels is sent by a micro access node by means of cross carrier scheduling, and the primary cell lies within a licensed frequency band.

13. The method according to claim 10, in which there are a total of K license-exempt channels parsed into a frequency hopping channel set size N;

and further

for the case that N=K, each SCell occupies only one of the license-exempt channels w_i; and

for the case that N<

K, at least one SCell occupies more than one of the license-exempt channels w_i.

14. The method according to claim 10, in which the radio resource control signaling further comprises an indication of a frequency hopping time interval T which is an integer multiple of subframes or radio frames used in the primary cell.

15. The method according to claim 10, in which at least one of:

the measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device comprise measurement reports received via radio resource control signaling, and the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing a number M of physical resource blocks allocated to an i^th frequency hopping resource block h_i based on whether the received measurement reports indicate a weak beacon, a strong beacon, or no beacon; and

the measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device comprise acknowledgements/negative acknowledgements received via at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i, and the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing a number M of physical resource blocks allocated to an i^th frequency hopping resource block h_i based on whether a rate of the received acknowledgements/negative acknowledgements indicate poor channel quality, good channel quality or average channel quality.

16. The method according to claim 15, in which the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing the number of license-exempt channels w_i in the frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} by:

explicitly updating the license-exempt channels w_i in the frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} for all user devices configured on the at least one of the N secondary cells, for the case that multiple reports are received which indicate a strong beacon from another access point.

17. The method according to claim 15, in which the parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted by changing the number of license-exempt channels w_i in the frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} by:

implicitly disabling for the user device the i^th license-exempt channel w_i by not further scheduling uplink or downlink grants for the user device on the i^th license-exempt channel w_i, for the case that the user device reports a strong beacon on an i^th license-exempt channel w_i.

18. The method according to claim 10, in which the method is executed by a micro eNB operating on the primary cell in a LTE system and on the N secondary cells in a WLAN system.

19. A computer readable memory storing a set of instructions, which when executed by an apparatus causes the apparatus to:

utilize radio resource control signaling to configure a user device for N secondary cells on license-exempt channels w_i in a frequency hopping channel set W={w_i} where i=1, 2, . . . N, in which N is an integer at least equal to one;

utilize cross-carrier scheduling on a primary cell to schedule a frequency hopping resource block h_i on the i^th license-exempt channel w_i on at least one of the N secondary cells; and

adapt parameters for the frequency hopping based on measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels w_i received from at least the user device.

20. The computer readable memory according to claim 19, in which:

the frequency hopping resource block h_i contains M physical resource blocks, scheduled for the at least one of the N secondary cells during a frequency hopping time interval T_u*L+j by a downlink resource grant and an uplink resource grant sent on a physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the primary cell, in which M is an integer at least equal to one, u identifies one pattern for the frequency hopping, and j indicates a j^th frequency hopping time interval within the pattern.