RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, RADIO BASE STATION APPARATUS, USER TERMINAL AND COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150110032A1
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagata, Satoshi, Takeda, Kazuaki, Kishiyama, Yoshihisa, Liu, Liu, Jiang, Yu, Yun, Xiang, Chen, Lan
• Application Number:
  US14/399,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20150110032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

The present invention is designed to realize signaling of cell index information that is suitable for CoMP transmission/reception techniques. The radio base station apparatus of a special cell generates downlink control information, in which the indices of CoMP sets are incorporated in a physical downlink control channel that is shared between the multiple cells that carry out joint transmission, based on a table in which indices to represent individual coordinated cells that serve as transmission points in CoMP transmission and indices of CoMP sets to represent combinations of multiple cells that carry out joint transmission in CoMP transmission are mapped to bit data.

Claims

1. A radio communication system comprising a plurality of radio base station apparatuses that each form a cell, and a user terminal that connects with each radio base station apparatus through a radio link, wherein:

the radio communication system supports a transmission mode, in which the plurality of radio base station apparatuses serve as transmission points and carry out CoMP transmission to the user terminal, a radio base station apparatus of a special cell transmits physical downlink control channels of multiple cells, and also all the radio base station apparatuses that carry out CoMP transmission transmit a physical downlink shared data channel of each cell;

the radio base station apparatus of the special cell comprises;

a generating section that, based on a table in which indices to represent individual coordinated cells that serve as transmission points in CoMP transmission and indices of CoMP sets to represent combinations of multiple cells that carry out joint transmission in CoMP transmission are mapped to bit data, generates downlink control information, in which the indices of CoMP sets are incorporated in a physical downlink control channel that is shared between the multiple cells that carry out joint transmission; and

a transmission section that transmits the physical downlink control channel of each cell, including the downlink control information generated; and

the user terminal comprises;

a receiving section that, when the transmission mode is applied, receives the physical downlink control channels of the multiple cells from the radio base station apparatus of the special cell, and also receives a physical downlink shared data channel from all the radio base station apparatuses that carry out coordinated multi-point transmission; and

a determining section that analyzes the indices of CoMP sets incorporated in the downlink control information included in the physical downlink control channels received, using a table of the same content as in the radio base station apparatus of the special cell, and specifies a CoMP set.

2. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the radio communication system defines a carrier indicator field, in which cell identification information of the physical downlink control channels is written, in the downlink control information of the physical downlink control channels; and

the radio base station apparatus of the special cell writes the bit data to represent the indices of the coordinated cells or the CoMP sets in the carrier indicator field.

3. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein, in the table, the CoMP sets to be mapped to the bit data are limited so as not to include a CoMP set formed with a combination of cells where communication quality does not fulfill a quality requirement.

4. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein, in the table, the coordinated cells or CoMP sets including the coordinated cells to be mapped to the bit data are limited so as not to include part or all of the coordinated cells where communication quality does not fulfill a quality requirement.

5. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein, in the table, the coordinated cells to be mapped to the bit data are limited so as not to include part or all of the coordinated cells when a bit size of the downlink control information of the physical downlink control channels of multiple cells scheduled in one subframe varies.

6. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein, in the table, indices combining the individual coordinated cells that serve as transmission points in CoMP transmission and subframe numbers that serve as transmission intervals of the physical downlink shared data channel, and indices combining CoMP sets and the subframe numbers that serve as transmission intervals of the physical downlink shared data channel are mapped to the bit data.

7. A radio base station apparatus to which a user terminal connects through a radio link, the radio base station apparatus comprising:

a scheduler that schedules CoMP transmission in which, with other radio base station apparatuses, the radio base station apparatus serves as a transmission point and carries out coordinated multi-point transmission to the user terminal;

a generating section that, when, in CoMP transmission, physical downlink control channels of multiple cells are transmitted from a special cell, generates downlink control information, based on a table in which indices to represent individual coordinated cells that serve as transmission points and indices of CoMP sets to represent combinations of multiple cells that carry out joint transmission are mapped to bit data, where, in the downlink control information, the indices of CoMP sets are incorporated in a physical downlink control channel that is shared between the multiple cells that carry out joint transmission; and

a transmission section that transmits the physical downlink control channel of each cell, including the downlink control information generated, from the special cell.

8. A user terminal that connects with a plurality of radio base station apparatuses that each form a cell, through a radio link, the user terminal comprising:

a receiving section that, when, in CoMP transmission in which the plurality of radio base station apparatuses carry out coordinated multi-point transmission, a special cell transmits physical downlink control channels of multiple cells, receives the physical downlink control channels of the multiple cells from the radio base station apparatus of the special cell, and also receives a physical downlink shared data channel from all the radio base station apparatuses that carry out coordinated multi-point transmission; and

a detection section that analyzes the indices of coordinated cells or CoMP sets incorporated in the downlink control information included in the physical downlink control channel of each cell received, using a table that is prepared in advance, and specifies coordinated cells or a CoMP set,

wherein, in the table, indices to represent individual coordinated cells that serve as transmission points in CoMP transmission and indices of CoMP sets to represent combinations of multiple cells that carry out joint transmission in CoMP transmission are mapped to bit data.

9. A communication control method in a radio communication system comprising a plurality of radio base station apparatuses that each form a cell, and a user terminal that connects with each radio base station apparatus through a radio link, the communication control method comprising:

scheduling CoMP transmission in which the plurality of radio base station apparatuses serve as transmission points and carry out coordinated multi-point transmission to the user terminal; and

when, in CoMP transmission, physical downlink control channels of multiple cells are transmitted from a special cell, generating downlink control information, based on a table in which indices to represent individual coordinated cells that serve as transmission points and indices of CoMP sets to represent combinations of multiple cells that carry out joint transmission are mapped to bit data, where, in the downlink control information, the indices of CoMP sets are incorporated in a physical downlink control channel that is shared between the multiple cells that carry out joint transmission; and

transmitting the physical downlink control channel of each cell, including the downlink control information generated, from the special cell.

10. A communication control method in a radio communication system comprising a plurality of radio base station apparatuses that each form a cell, and a user terminal that connects with each radio base station apparatus through a radio link, the communication control method comprising:

when, in CoMP transmission in which the plurality of radio base station apparatuses carry out coordinated multi-point transmission, a special cell transmits physical downlink control channels of multiple cells, receiving the physical downlink control channels of the multiple cells from the radio base station apparatus of the special cell, and also receiving a physical downlink shared data channel from all the radio base station apparatuses that carry out coordinated multi-point transmission; and

analyzing the indices of coordinated cells or CoMP sets incorporated in the downlink control information included in the physical downlink control channel of each cell received, using a table that is prepared in advance, and specifying coordinated cells or a CoMP set,

wherein, in the table, indices to represent individual coordinated cells that serve as transmission points in CoMP transmission and indices of CoMP sets to represent combinations of multiple cells that carry out joint transmission in CoMP transmission are mapped to bit data.