Method and Apparatus for Enhancing Downlink Control Information Transmission

• US 20130003604A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Blankenship, Yufei Wu, Buckley, Michael Eoin, Cai, Zhijun, Xu, Hua, Vrzic, Sophie, Gao, Shiwei, Heo, Youn Hyoung
• Application Number:
  US13/174,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20130003604A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals

Abstract

A method is provided for transmitting an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH). The method comprises transmitting control information in at least one time-frequency resource unit that would otherwise be used to carry a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The E-PDCCH and at least one PDSCH are multiplexed in a transmission time interval. A first set of configuration of the E-PDCCH is semi-statically signaled and a second set of configuration of the E-PDCCH is dynamically signaled.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH), comprising:

transmitting control information in at least one time-frequency resource unit that would otherwise be used to carry a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), wherein the E-PDCCH and at least one PDSCH are multiplexed in a transmission time interval, and wherein a first set of configuration of the E-PDCCH is semi-statically signaled and a second set of configuration of the E-PDCCH is dynamically signaled.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of configuration comprises at least one of:

modulation level;

downlink control information (DCI) format;

UE association;

grouping of UEs;

transmission mode;

CCE aggregation level;

E-PDCCH search space; and

transmission point (TP) association.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of configuration comprises at least one of:

modulation level;

DCI format;

UE association;

grouping of UEs;

transmission mode;

CCE aggregation level;

E-PDCCH search space; and

TP association.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the E-PDCCH and at least one PDSCH are multiplexed in a transmission time interval using frequency division multiplexing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the E-PDCCH uses a downlink control information (DCI) format where the DCI format belongs to a specified set of DCI types.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a different power level is assigned to the at least one time-frequency resource unit used for the E-PDCCH compared to a lower power level assigned to resource blocks that carry the at least one PDSCH, and wherein the at least one resource block of the E-PDCCH and the resource blocks of the PDSCH share a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a cell-specific hopping pattern is defined for the resource blocks (RBs) carrying the E-PDCCH in a cell, and wherein a different hopping pattern is used in a neighbor cell.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the hopping pattern defines RB hopping within a transmission time interval.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the hopping pattern defines RB hopping between transmission time intervals.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein information regarding coordination of the hopping is sent to a neighbor cell via an interface between access points.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein downlink control information (DCI) carried by another downlink control channel is defined to indicate the presence and/or configuration of the E-PDCCH.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein radio resource control signaling is used to indicate the presence and/or configuration of the E-PDCCH.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a plurality of E-PDCCH regions in the same transmission time interval.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the E-PDCCH regions is configured for a specific downlink control information (DCI) format, and wherein user equipment (UEs) configured to use the specific DCI format are allocated downlink grants in an associated E-PDCCH region.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein a UE-specific search space is expanded to include one or more of the E-PDCCH regions.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a common search space is expanded to include one or more of the E-PDCCH regions.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein configuration of the E-PDCCH of one cell is coordinated with another cell.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a demodulation reference signal is transmitted together with the E-PDCCH.

19. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a first configuration receiving circuitry configured to receive a first set of configuration of an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH) via semi-static signaling;

a second configuration receiving circuitry configured to receive a second set of configuration of the E-PDCCH via dynamic signaling; and

a control information receiving circuitry configured to receive the E-PDCCH using the first and the second set of configurations in at least one time-frequency resource unit that would otherwise be used to carry a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

20. The UE of claim 19, wherein the first set of configuration comprises at least one of:

modulation level;

downlink control information (DCI) format;

UE association;

grouping of UEs;

transmission mode;

aggregation level;

search space; and

transmission point (TP) association.

21. The UE of claim 19, wherein the second set of configuration comprises at least one of:

modulation level;

downlink control information (DCI) format;

UE association;

grouping of UEs;

transmission mode;

aggregation level;

search space; and

TP association.

22. The UE of claim 19, wherein the E-PDCCH uses a downlink control information (DCI) format where the DCI format belongs to a specified set of DCI types.

23. The UE of claim 19, wherein a different power level is assigned to the at least one time-frequency unit used for the E-PDCCH compared to a lower power level assigned the time-frequency units that carry a PDSCH, and wherein the at least one time-frequency unit of the E-PDCCH and the time-frequency units of the PDSCH share a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols.

24. The UE of claim 19, wherein a cell-specific hopping pattern is defined for resource blocks (RBs) carrying the E-PDCCH in a cell, and wherein a different hopping pattern is used in a neighbor cell.

25. The UE of claim 24, wherein the hopping pattern defines RB hopping within a transmission time interval.

26. The UE of claim 24, wherein the hopping pattern defines RB hopping between transmission time intervals.

27. The UE of claim 24, wherein information regarding coordination of the hopping is sent to a neighbor cell via an interface between access points.

28. The UE of claim 19, wherein downlink control information (DCI) carried by another downlink control channel is defined to indicate the presence and/or configuration of the E-PDCCH.

29. The UE of claim 19, wherein radio resource control signaling is used to indicate the presence and/or configuration of the E-PDCCH.

30. The UE of claim 19, wherein a plurality of E-PDCCH regions are configured in the same transmission time interval.

31. The UE of claim 30, wherein at least one of the E-PDCCH regions is configured for a specific DCI format, and wherein the UE is configured to use the specific DCI format and is allocated a downlink grant in an associated E-PDCCH region.

32. The UE of claim 30, wherein a UE-specific search space is expanded to include one or more of the E-PDCCH regions.

33. The UE of claim 30, wherein a common search space is expanded to include one or more of the E-PDCCH regions.

34. An access node, comprising:

a first configuration circuitry configured to determine a first set of configuration of an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH) and provide the first set of configuration to a user equipment (UE) via semi-static signaling;

a second configuration circuitry configured to determine a second set of configuration of the E-PDCCH and provide the second set of configuration to the UE via dynamic signaling; and

a transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the E-PDCCH in at least one time-frequency resource unit that would otherwise be used by a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

35. The access node of claim 34, wherein the E-PDCCH uses a downlink control information (DCI) format where the DCI belongs to a specified set of DCI types.

36. The access node of claim 34, wherein a different power level is assigned to at least one resource block used for the E-PDCCH compared to a lower power level assigned to resource blocks that carry a PDSCH, and wherein the at least one resource block of the E-PDCCH and the resource blocks of the PDSCH share a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols.

37. The access node of claim 34, wherein a cell-specific hopping pattern is defined for resource blocks carrying the E-PDCCH in a cell, and wherein a different hopping pattern is used in a neighbor cell.

38. The access node of claim 37, wherein information regarding coordination of the hopping is sent to a neighbor cell via an interface between access points.

39. The access node of claim 34, wherein downlink control information (DCI) carried by another downlink control channel is defined to indicate the presence and/or configuration of the E-PDCCH.

40. The access node of claim 34, wherein radio resource control signaling is used to indicate the presence and/or configuration of the E-PDCCH.

41. The access node of claim 34, wherein a plurality of E-PDCCH regions are configured in a same transmission time interval.

42. The access node of claim 41, wherein at least one of the E-PDCCH regions is configured for a specific downlink control information format, and wherein user equipment (UEs) configured to use the specific downlink control information format are allocated downlink grants in an associated E-PDCCH region.

43. The access node of claim 41, wherein a UE-specific search space is expanded to include one or more of the E-PDCCH regions.

44. The access node of claim 34, wherein the configuration of the E-PDCCH is shared between two neighbor cells.