Method and Apparatus For Receiving A Control Channel

• US 20140036747A1
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nory, Ravikiran, Kuchibhotla, Ravi, Love, Robert T., Nangia, Vijay, Narasimha, Murali, Nimbalker, Ajit
• Granted Patent: US 8,761,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access

Abstract

Various methods and apparatuses for receiving a control channel involve a communication device monitoring a first control and receiving information from a network regarding the configuration of a second control channel. The communication device receives an uplink grant from the network; transmits a message to the network, in which the message indicates to the network that the communication device is capable of monitoring the second control channel. The communication device monitors the second control channel based on the configuration information receiving via the first control channel.

Claims

1. A method in a communication device, the method comprising:

monitoring a first control channel;

receiving information from the network regarding a configuration of a second control channel;

during a random access procedure between the communication device and the network;

receiving an uplink grant from the network, and

transmitting a message to the network, the message including an indication that the communication device is capable of monitoring a second control channel;

monitoring the second control channel based on the received configuration information.

2. The method in claim 1 wherein receiving an uplink grant from the network comprises:

transmitting a random access preamble to the network; and

receiving the uplink grant from the network in response to the random access preamble transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the uplink grant comprises being granted resources that are usable by the communication device to transmit messages to the network, and wherein the step of transmitting message to the network comprises transmitting the message using the granted resources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the granted resources include one or more resource blocks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device is in a first mode for receiving downlink data, the method further comprising:

receiving, via the first control channel, an identification of a second mode for receiving downlink data; and

receiving downlink data using the second mode.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving downlink control information via the second control channel, and using the downlink control information to decode data received on a data channel from the network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the second control channel comprises

attempting to decode downlink control information on a set of time-frequency resources received on a sub-frame from the network and, if the attempt is successful, reading the control information contained in the decoded time-frequency resource.

8. A method in a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission from a network;

determining whether to use a first default transmission mode or a second default transmission mode based on the received transmission, wherein the first default transmission mode is associated with a first type of reference signal and the second default transmission mode is associated with a second type of reference signal;

receiving data according to the determined first or second default transmission mode using the associated first or second type of reference signal.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

determining, based on the received transmission, whether to operate according to a first carrier type or a second carrier type; and

receiving data according to the first default transmission mode if operating according to the first carrier type and according to the second default transmission mode if operating according to the second carrier type.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the received transmission is a broadcast transmission.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the received transmission is one or more of a synchronisation signal, a broadcast channel, a Master Information Block, and a System Information Block.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first type of reference signal is a common reference signal and the second type of reference signal is a communication device specific reference signal.

13. A method for a communication device, the method comprising:

requesting access to the network via a random access channel;

receiving, in response to the request, an identifier to be used to identify the communication device to the network;

determining whether the identifier falls into a recognized range;

if, based on the determining step, the identifier falls within the recognized range, responding to the receipt of the identifier with a message, the message including an indication that the communication device is capable of monitoring a control channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control channel is an enhanced control channel, wherein the responding step comprises responding to the receipt of the identifier with a message including an indication that the communication device is capable of monitoring the enhanced control channel, the method further comprising:

if, based on the determining step, the identifier does not fall within the recognized range, monitoring transmissions from the network using a legacy control channel; and

if, based on the determining step, the identifier falls within the recognized range, monitoring transmissions from the network using the enhanced control channel.

15. A method for a communication device to handover from a first cell to a second cell, the method comprising:

receiving a handover message indicating that the communication device is to handover from the first cell to the second cell, the first and second cells operating on the same carrier frequency, wherein the handover message includes information regarding one or more of;

information regarding time-frequency resources of a control channel of the second cell, wherein the frequency span of the time-frequency resources is smaller than the transmission bandwidth configuration of the second cell,

an identification of a set of antenna ports to be used to communicate via a control channel of the second cell, and

information regarding the energy per resource element of a control channel of the second cell;

performing a handover from the first cell to the second cell; and

receiving, via the said control channel, indication of resources for at least one of downlink and uplink transmissions.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein information regarding time-frequency resources of the control channel of the second cell comprises information regarding a set of resource blocks corresponding to the control channel of the second cell and the frequency span of the set of resource blocks is smaller than the transmission bandwidth configuration of the second cell.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising,

monitoring the control channel of the second cell using the information included in the handover message.

18. A method for a communication device to transfer from a first cell to a second cell, the method comprising:

monitoring a first type of control channel of the first cell;

monitoring a second type of control channel of the first cell;

receiving a handover message;

in response to receiving the handover message, monitoring the first type of control channel of the second cell,

wherein the handover message includes an indication of whether the communication device should monitor the second type of control channel of the second cell; and

monitoring the second type of control channel of the second cell based on the indication.

19. A method for a communication device to monitor control channels in a wireless network, the method comprising:

during a first time interval, monitoring a first and a second control channel;

receiving a scheduling message during the first time interval on either the first or the second control channel;

if the scheduling message is received via the first control channel, monitoring the first control channel and not the second control channel for a second time interval,

if the scheduling message is received via the second control channel, monitoring the second control channel and not the first control channel for the second time interval;

wherein the first and second time intervals do not overlap.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first time interval is a recurring time interval, and wherein the start of successive first time intervals is predefined.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first time interval occurs at the start of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first time interval is a first time interval spanning one or more subframes and the second time interval is a second time interval spanning one or more subframes.

23. A communication device comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver,

wherein the processor and the transceiver cooperate to perform steps comprising;

monitoring a first control channel;

receiving information from the network regarding a configuration of a second control channel;

during a random access procedure between the communication device and the network;

receiving an uplink grant from the network, and

transmitting a message to the network, the message including an indication that the communication device is capable of monitoring a second control channel;

monitoring the second control channel based on the received configuration information.

24. A communication device comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver,

wherein the processor and the transceiver cooperate to perform steps comprising;

transmitting a random access preamble to the network; and

receiving the uplink grant from the network in response to the random access preamble transmission.

25. A communication device comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver,

wherein the processor and the transceiver cooperate to perform steps comprising;

receiving a transmission from a network;

determining whether to use a first default transmission mode or a second default transmission mode based on the received transmission, wherein the first transmission mode is associated with a first type of reference signal and the second default transmission mode is associated with a second type of reference signal;

receiving data according to the determined first or second default transmission mode using the associated first or second type of reference signal.