MITIGATION OF CONTROL CHANNEL INTERFERENCE

• US 20120320855A1
• Filed: 02/09/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Tesanovic, Milos, Moulsley, Timothy James
• Granted Patent: US 9,276,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0062 Avoidance of ingress interference, e.g. ham radio channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for operating a network comprising a first primary station and a second primary station, wherein the first primary station serves a first cell including at least one first secondary station communicating with the first primary station and wherein the second primary station serves a second cell including at least one second secondary station communicating with the second primary station, the method comprising the steps of (a) the first primary station and the second primary station transmitting payloads in a synchronous manner on at least one set of resources, (b) the first and the second primary stations transmitting control data on the at least one set of resources respectively to the first secondary station and to the second secondary station, wherein the method further comprises (c) at least the first primary station rendering the transmission of control data to the first secondary station orthogonal to the transmission of control data from the second primary station.

Claims

1. A method for operating a network comprising a first primary station and a second primary station, wherein the first primary station serves a first cell including at least one first secondary station communicating with the first primary station and. wherein the second primary station serves a second, cell including at least one second secondary station communicating with the second primary station,

the method comprising the steps of

(a) the first primary station and the second primary station transmitting payloads in a synchronous manner on at least one set of resources,

(b) the first and the second primary stations transmitting control data on at least one subset of the at least one set of resources respectively to the first secondary station and to the second secondary station,

wherein the method further comprises (c) at least the first primary station rendering the transmission of control data to the first secondary station orthogonal to the transmission of control data from the second primary station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first primary station and the second primary station are included in a single base station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first secondary station and the second secondary station are a single secondary station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) comprises rendering the transmission of at least part of the control data to the first secondary station orthogonal in the frequency domain to the transmission of control data to the second secondary station.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step (c) comprises the first primary station preventing from transmitting on a first subset of a set of resources, such that the second, primary station may use the first subset of resources for transmitting the control data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of resources consists of a plurality of Resource Blocks, and wherein the step (c) comprises the first primary station preventing from transmitting on a first subset of Resource Blocks, such that the second primary station may use the first subset of Resource Blocks for transmitting the control data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first subset consists of one resource block every M Resource Blocks of the set of resources, where M is an integer.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of resources consists of a plurality of subcarriers, and wherein the step (c) comprises the first primary station preventing from transmitting on a first subset of subcarriers, such that the second primary station may use the first subset of subcarriers for transmitting the control data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first subset consists of one subcarrier every M subcarriers of the set of resources, where M is an integer.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein M equals 3 or 6.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the first subset is determined by an identity of the first cell

12. The method of claim 5 to 11, wherein an indication of the first subset is signaled by the first primary station to the second primary station.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein an indication of the first subset is signaled by the first primary station to the first secondary station.

14. The method of claim 4, comprising the first secondary station searching for the control data by decoding all the messages potentially included in a first search space and the second secondary station searching for the control data by decoding all the messages potentially included in a second search space, wherein the step (c) comprises the first primary station configuring the first search space such that at least one piece of resource of the first search space is not included in the second search space.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first search space is determined by an identity of the first cell.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein an indication of the first search space is signaled by the first primary station to the second primary station.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein an indication of the first search space is signaled by the first primary station to the first secondary station.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) comprises the first primary station applying a first spreading code to the transmission of control data from the first primary station, said spreading code being orthogonal to a second spreading code applied to the transmission of control data from the second primary station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first spreading code is determined by an identity of the first cell.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein an indication of the first spreading code is signaled by the first primary station to the second primary station.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein an indication of the first spreading code is signaled by the first primary station to the first secondary station.

23. A secondary station being adapted to implement the method of any of the claims 1, the secondary station comprising means for adapting reception of control data from a primary station according to at least one of:

the first subset

the first search space

the first spreading code.

22. A primary station comprising means for operating a network comprising a primary station and a further primary station, wherein the primary station serves a first cell including at least one first secondary station communicating with the primary station and wherein the further primary station serves a second cell including at least, one second secondary station communicating with the second primary station,

the primary station comprising

means for transmitting payload synchronously with the further primary station on at least one set of resources, wherein the means for transmitting are arranged, for transmitting control data on at least one subset of the at least one set of resources to the first secondary station, wherein the primary station is arranged, for rendering the transmission of at least part of the control data to the first secondary station orthogonal to transmission of control data from the further primary station.