METHOD AND APPARATUS WITH ENHANCED CONTROL MESSAGES AND SEARCH SPACE

• US 20130114528A1
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Runhua, Chandrasekhar, Vikram, Ekpenyong, Anthony Edet, Bendlin, Ralf Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 11,239,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals

Abstract

A method of mapping control information in a wireless communication system is disclosed (FIG. 5). The method includes forming a subframe (FIG. 3) having a bandwidth and having plural regions (302-306). A base station (eNB) determines a communication mode with a remote user equipment. The base station maps control information specific to the user equipment into a first region of the subframe (508). The base station also maps control information common to plural user equipments into a second region of the subframe (512). The subframe is transmitted to the plural user equipments (412, FIG. 4).

Claims

1. A method of mapping control information in a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

forming a subframe having a bandwidth and having plural regions;

determining a communication mode with a remote user equipment (UE1);

mapping control information specific to UE1 into a first region of the subframe;

mapping control information common to UE1 and at least another user equipment (UE2) into a second region of the subframe; and

transmitting the subframe to UE1 and UE2.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the first region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), and wherein the second region is a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the first region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), and wherein the second region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH).

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of mapping control information common to UE1 and at least another user equipment (UE2) into a second region of the subframe is determined in response to a type of control information.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the type of control information is transmit power control (TPC) information, and wherein the second region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH).

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the subframe comprises a plurality of Physical Resource Block (PRB) pairs, and wherein a location of the first region and a location of the second region is indicated by a bitmap.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein the bitmap has a length at least equal a total number of PRB pairs in the subframe.

8. A method of receiving control information by a user equipment (UE1) in a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

determining a communication mode with a remote base station (eNB);

receiving a configuration of a subframe having plural regions from the eNB;

blind decoding a first region the subframe to receive control information specific to the UE1; and

blind decoding a second region of the subframe to receive control information common to the UE1 and at least another user equipment (UE2).

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein the first region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), and wherein the second region is a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

10. A method as in claim 8, wherein the first region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), and wherein the second region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH).

11. A method as in claim 8, wherein the step of mapping control information common to UE1 and at least another user equipment (UE2) into a second region of the subframe is determined in response to a type of control information.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the type of control information is transmit power control (TPC) information, and wherein the second region is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH).

13. A method as in claim 8, wherein the subframe comprises a plurality of Physical Resource Block (PRB) pairs, wherein the step of receiving a configuration comprises receiving a bitmap, and wherein a location of the first region and a location of the second region is indicated by a bitmap.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein the bitmap indicates whether a PRB pair is for UE1.

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein the bitmap indicates whether a subframe is for UE1.

16. A method of communication between a base station and a plurality of user equipments (UE), comprising the steps of

the base station forming a subframe having a first region and a second region;

generating a first Downlink Control Indicator (DCI) comprising control information specific to a first UE (UE1);

generating a second Downlink Control Indicator (DCI) comprising control information common to UE1 and at least a second user equipment (UE2);

mapping the first DCI into the first region of the subframe, wherein the first region is configured for an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH);

mapping the second DCI into the second region of the subframe; and

transmitting the subframe to UE1 and UE2.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the subframe comprises a plurality of Physical Resource Block (PRB) pairs, and wherein a location of the first region is indicated by a bitmap having a length at least equal a total number of PRB pairs in the subframe.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the total number of PRB pairs is a function of a communication bandwidth between the base station and the plurality of user equipments.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the second region is configured for a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the second region is configured for an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH).

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the subframe comprises a plurality of Physical Resource Block (PRB) pairs, and wherein a location of the second region is indicated by a bitmap having a length at least equal to a total number of PRB pairs in the subframe.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the total number of PRB pairs is a function of a communication bandwidth between the base station and the plurality of user equipments.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the subframe comprises a third region, configured for a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and comprising the step of mapping the second DCI into one of the second region or the third region of the subframe, wherein the mapping is determined by a format and a scrambling of the second DCI.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the subframe comprises a plurality of Physical Resource Block (PRB) pairs, and wherein a location of the third region is indicated by a bitmap having a length at least equal to a total number of PRB pairs in the subframe.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the total number of PRB pairs is a function of a communication bandwidth between the base station and the plurality of user equipments.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the second DCI has a format 3 or 3A and is scrambled by TPC-RNTI (Transmit Power Control Radio Network Temporary Identifier).

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the second DCI has a format 1A scrambled by one of SI-RNTI (System Information Radio Network Temporary Identifier), P-RNTI (Paging Radio Network Temporary Identifier), or RA-RNTI (Radio Network Temporary Identifier).

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the second DCI has a format 0 or 1A and is scrambled by a Temporary C-RNTI.