FLEXIBLE ADJUSTMENT OF UPLINK AND DOWNLINK RATIO CONFIGURATION

• US 20140010213A1
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Ping, Fwu, Jong-Kae, Niu, Huaning
• Granted Patent: US 9,794,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0486 taking channel rank into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0632 Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03426 transmission using multiple-input and multiple-output channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03802 Signalling on the reverse channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0204 of multiple channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0226 sounding signals per se
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0328 with interference cancellation circuitry adaptations for interference cancellation within a sequence estimator H04L25/03305; interference related aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum H04B1/7097; interference related aspects of frequency hopping spread spectrum H04B1/715; see also H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03343 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0082 at predetermined intervals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0087 when data requirements change
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 : Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0096 : Indication of changes in allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 : using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 : Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 : Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 : Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 : Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 : using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 : using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 : using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 : where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 : Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 : TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 : Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 : Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 : between access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for flexible adjustment of the up-link-downlink ratio configuration for each enhanced node B (eNodeB) within a wireless communications network is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a given eNodeB is configured to determine a current or subsequent up-link-downlink ratio configuration for a pre-determined time period. The determined current or subsequent uplink-downlink ratio configuration is encoded into a special physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the special PDCCH included in at least one radio frame according to the pre-determined time period. The radio frame including the special PDCCH is transmitted to user equipment served by the given eNodeB.

Claims

1. A method for changing an uplink and downlink ratio configuration, the method comprising:

determining, at a base station, the uplink and downlink ratio configuration according to a pre-determined time period;

generating configuration information for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to be included in a first subframe of at least a radio frame, the PDCCH representative of the determined uplink and downlink ratio configuration; and

transmitting the first subframe that includes the PDCCH.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the uplink and downlink ratio configuration is based on user traffic pattern in a cell served by the base station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink and downlink ratio configuration comprises a current or subsequent uplink and downlink ratio configuration for a cell served by the base station.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the current or subsequent uplink and downlink ratio configuration comprises a different configuration from an operating uplink and downlink ratio configuration of the base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the configuration information for the PDCCH comprises selecting a bit pattern corresponding to the uplink and downlink ratio configuration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the configuration information for the PDCCH comprises a PDCCH masked with a downlink-uplink-radio network temporary identifier (DU-RNTI) value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the DU-RNTI comprises a RNTI value between FFF4-FFFC.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the first subframe comprises transmitting the first subframe including the PDCCH to a plurality of user equipment (UE).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the configuration information for the PDCCH comprises generating the configuration information according to the pre-determined time period.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined time period comprises a radio frame time period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined time period comprises a monitoring period that is periodic and has a longer time length than a radio frame time period.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined time period comprises an adjustment period that is non-periodic, and the adjustment period is provided to the user equipment (UE) prior to commencement of the adjustment period.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically changing to the determined uplink and downlink ratio configuration at the base station and user equipment (UE) in accordance with the PDCCH.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station comprises an enhanced node B (eNodeB) configured to operate in accordance with a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) network, and the radio frame comprises an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) frame configured for time division duplex (TDD) operations.

15. An enhanced node B (eNodeB) included in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a processor configured to generate configuration information for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indicative of a new uplink and downlink ratio configuration for a first carrier frequency according to a pre-determined time period; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor, the transceiver configured to transmit at least a radio frame including the PDCCH according to the pre-determined time period, wherein the new uplink and downlink ratio configuration is associated with a scheduling change of an operating uplink and downlink ratio configuration of the eNodeB.

16. The eNodeB of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to include the PDCCH in a first subframe of the radio frame for transmission.

17. The eNodeB of claim 15, wherein the PDCCH includes a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) value selected from FFF4-FFFC.

18. The eNodeB of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to generate configuration information for a second PDCCH indicative of the new uplink and downlink ratio configuration for a second carrier frequency according to the pre-determined time period.

19. The eNodeB of claim 15, wherein the pre-determined time period comprises one of a radio frame time period, a monitoring period comprising a periodic time period that is longer than the radio frame time period, and an adjustment period comprising a non-periodic time period.

20. The eNodeB of claim 15, wherein the eNodeB is configured for operation in accordance with a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE)-time division duplex (TDD) network.

21. An enhanced node B (eNodeB), comprising:

a processor configured to generate configuration information for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indicative of a new uplink and downlink ratio configuration according to a pre-determined time period; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor, the transceiver including a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna and the transceiver configured to transmit the PDCCH according to the pre-determined time period,

wherein the new uplink and downlink ratio configuration is associated with a scheduling change of an operating uplink and downlink ratio configuration of the eNodeB, and the new uplink and downlink ratio configuration is configured for operation within a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) network.

22. The eNodeB of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to include the PDCCH in a first subframe of the radio frame, the radio frame comprising an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) frame configured for time division duplex (TDD) operations.

23. The eNodeB of claim 21, wherein the PDCCH includes a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) value selected from FFF4-FFFC.

24. The eNodeB of claim 21, wherein the pre-determined time period comprises one of a radio frame time period, a monitoring period comprising a periodic time period that is longer than the radio frame time period, and an adjustment period comprising a non-periodic time period.

25. The eNodeB of claim 21, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit a radio resource control (RRC) signaling indicative of the pre-determined time period to a plurality of user equipment (UE) served by the eNodeB.