Downlink Inter-Cell Interference Cancellation with Cell Aggregation Coordinated Multi-Point

• US 20130196701A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: TIIROLA, Esa Tapani, PAJUKOSKI, Kari Pekka, LUNTTILA, Timo Erkki, TIRKKONEN, Olav, KIISKI, Matti Tapani
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/501
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0026 of multi-user interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0059 Out-of-cell user aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management

Abstract

A method includes receiving at a user equipment from a network access node a temporary identifier associated with an interference cancellation group to which the user equipment is assigned; decoding a control channel using the temporary identifier to determine a downlink resource allocation for the user equipment and to determine a downlink resource allocation for at least one other user equipment assigned to the same interference cancellation group; and receiving a downlink signal in accordance with the determined downlink resource allocation for the user equipment while canceling interference from the downlink signal that is associated with the at least one other user equipment by using the determined downlink resource allocation for the at least one other user equipment. Apparatus for performing the method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a user equipment from a network access node a temporary identifier associated with an interference cancellation group to which the user equipment is assigned;

decoding a control channel using the temporary identifier to determine a downlink resource allocation for the user equipment and to determine a downlink resource allocation for at least one other user equipment assigned to the same interference cancellation group; and

receiving a downlink signal in accordance with the determined downlink resource allocation for the user equipment while canceling interference from the downlink signal that is associated with the at least one other user equipment by using the determined downlink resource allocation for the at least one other user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, where decoding the control channel decodes downlink control information, and where a first downlink control information comprises an identification of the user equipment that is associated with the downlink resource allocation for the user equipment, and where a second downlink control information comprises an identification of the at least one other user equipment that is associated with the downlink resource allocation for the at least one other user equipment.

3. The method as in claim 1, where the control channel is one of a physical downlink control channel and an enhanced physical downlink control channel.

4. The method as in claim 1, where the user equipment is operated in either a multi-point to single point mode or in a multi-point to multi-point mode.

5. The method as in claim 1, where the user equipment is operated in a mode configured to cancel multi-user interference originating from at least one of an own-cell of the user equipment and from another cell or cells.

6. The method as in claim 1, where canceling the interference is performed by the user equipment for a case where the determined downlink resource allocation of another user equipment in the same interference cancellation group overlaps the determined downlink resource allocation of the user equipment.

7. The method of claim 2, where the user equipment after successfully decoding a first downlink control channel information continues to attempt to decode one or more additional control channel information.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that contains software program instructions, where execution of the software program instructions by at least one data processor results in performance of operations that comprise execution of the method of claim 1.

11. The apparatus as in claim 1, where the control channel is one of a physical downlink control channel and an enhanced physical downlink control channel.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including computer program code, where the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive at a user equipment from a network access node a temporary identifier associated with an interference cancellation group to which the user equipment is assigned;

to decode a control channel using the temporary identifier to determine a downlink resource allocation for the user equipment and to determine a downlink resource allocation for at least one other user equipment assigned to the same interference cancellation group; and

to receive a downlink signal in accordance with the determined downlink resource allocation for the user equipment and to cancel interference from the downlink signal that is associated with the at least one other user equipment by using the determined downlink resource allocation for the at least one other user equipment.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9, where decoding the control channel decodes downlink control information, and where a first downlink control information comprises an identification of the user equipment that is associated with the downlink resource allocation for the user equipment, and where a second downlink control information comprises an identification of the at least one other user equipment that is associated with the downlink resource allocation for the at least one other user equipment.

12. The apparatus as in claim 9, where the user equipment is operated in either a multi-point to single point mode or in a multi-point to multi-point mode.

13. The apparatus as in claim 9, where the user equipment is operated in a mode configured to cancel multi-user interference originating from at least one of an own-cell of the user equipment and from another cell or cells.

14. The apparatus as in claim 9, where canceling the interference is performed by the user equipment for a case where the determined downlink resource allocation of another user equipment in the same interference cancellation group overlaps the determined downlink resource allocation of the user equipment.

15. The apparatus as in claim 10, where the user equipment after successfully decoding a first downlink control channel information continues to attempt to decode one or more additional control channel information.

16. A method, comprising:

assigning a plurality of user equipment to an interference cancellation group having an associated temporary identifier;

informing the user equipment of the interference cancellation group of the temporary identifier;

transmitting on a control channel a plurality of downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of user equipment assigned to the interference cancellation group, each downlink control information containing a unique identifier of one of the plurality of user equipment and at least a downlink resource allocation grant for the user equipment, where transmitting encodes the plurality of downlink control information using the associated temporary identifier.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising also informing each user equipment of the unique identification of the user equipment within the interference cancellation group.

18. The method of claim 16, where the control channel is one of a physical downlink control channel and an enhanced physical downlink control channel.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that contains software program instructions, where execution of the software program instructions by at least one data processor results in performance of operations that comprise execution of the method of claim 16.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including computer program code, where the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to assign a plurality of user equipment to an interference cancellation group having an associated temporary identifier;

to inform the user equipment of the interference cancellation group of the temporary identifier; and

to transmit on a control channel a plurality of downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of user equipment assigned to the interference cancellation group, each downlink control information containing a unique identifier of one of the plurality of user equipment and at least a downlink resource allocation grant for the user equipment, where transmitting encodes the plurality of downlink control information using the associated temporary identifier.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, where said processor also informs each user equipment of the unique identification of the user equipment within the interference cancellation group.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, where the control channel is one of a physical downlink control channel and an enhanced physical downlink control channel.

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)