CONTROL CHANNEL CONFIGURATION FOR STAND-ALONE NEW CARRIER TYPE

• US 20150280881A1
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gao, Chunyan, Zeng, Erlin, Tan, Shuang, Wei, Na, Hong, Wei, Sun, Pengfei, Bai, Wei, Zhang, Lili
• Application Number:
  US14/434,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20150280881A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A user equipment UE determines at least one first set SI of physical resource blocks PRBs, and detects downlink signaling within search spaces of set(s) SI. Through that downlink signaling the UE obtains a configuration for a downlink control channel, and that configuration indicates at least one second set S2 of PRBs and at least one search space specific for the UE which lies within S2. The UE utilizes the obtained configuration to monitor at least some of the search spaces of SI and the at least one search space specific for the UE of S2 for further downlink control signaling. Multiple implementations are detailed for how the UE gets SI. This invention is particularly useful for a configurable ePDCCH region in a stand-alone carrier where the UE is not able to get the new configuration from some other carrier such as a PCell whose configuration does not change.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining by a user equipment at least one first set of physical resource blocks;

within search spaces of the determined at least one first set, detecting downlink signaling through which is obtained a configuration for a downlink control channel, wherein the configuration indicates at least one second set of physical resource blocks and at least one search space specific for the user equipment which lies within the at least one second set; and

utilizing the obtained configuration to monitor at least some of the search spaces of the determined at least one first set and the at least one search space specific for the user equipment of the at least one second set for further downlink control signaling.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first set of physical resource blocks is predefined in a published specification for a radio access technology.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first set of physical resource blocks is determined from at least one of a cell identifier, a system frame number, a synchronization signal and a broadcast channel.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first set of physical resource blocks is determined from signaling received on a control channel located in a predefined radio resource.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein

the control channel located in the predefined resource is an enhanced PCFICH channel indicating a resource for an enhanced PDCCH channel.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the search spaces of the determined at least one first set comprise common search spaces and at least one temporary search space that is specific for the user equipment;

the said at least some of the search spaces of the determined at least one first set which are monitored comprise the common search spaces and exclude the temporary search spaces; and

each of the first and second sets of physical resource blocks, and the detected downlink signaling, and the downlink control channel, are within a bandwidth of one carrier.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the downlink signaling has a lower aggregation level if detected in any of the at least one temporary search space as compared to being detected in any of the common search spaces.

8. The method according to claim 7, the method further comprising initial steps of the user equipment reporting channel state information during initial access, wherein an aggregation level used for the downlink signaling in the at least one temporary search space or the common search spaces depends on the reported channel state information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration for the downlink control channel is configuration for an enhanced physical downlink control channel ePDCCH, and the configuration is received on a downlink physical shared channel PDSCH which is scheduled for the user equipment in the detected downlink signaling which is an ePDCCH.

10. An apparatus for controlling a user equipment, comprising at least one processor;

and

a memory storing a set of computer instructions,

wherein the at least one processor is arranged with the memory storing the instructions to cause the user equipment at least to;

determine at least one first set of physical resource blocks;

within starch spaces of the determined at least one first set, detect downlink signaling through which is obtained a configuration for a downlink control channel, wherein the configuration indicates at least one second set of physical resource blocks and at least one search space specific for the user equipment which lies within the at least one second set; and

utilize the obtained configuration to monitor at least some of the search spaces of the determined at least one first set and the at least one search space specific for the user equipment of the at least one second set for further downlink control signaling.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the at least one first set of physical resource blocks is predefined in a published specification for a radio access technology.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the at least one first set of physical resource blocks is determined from at least one of a cell identifier, a system frame number, a synchronization signal and a broadcast channel.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the at least one first set of physical resource blocks is determined from signaling received on a control channel located in a predefined radio resource.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the control channel located in the predefined resource is an enhanced PCFICH channel indicating a resource for an enhanced PDCCH channel.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the search spaces of the determined at least one first set comprise common search spaces and at least one temporary search space that is specific for the user equipment;

the said at least some of the search spaces of the determined at least one first set which are monitored comprise the common search spaces and exclude the temporary search spaces; and

each of the first and second sets of physical resource blocks, and the detected downlink signaling, and the downlink control channel, are within a bandwidth of one carrier.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the downlink signaling has a lower aggregation level if detected in any of the at least one temporary search space as compared to being detected in any of the common search spaces,

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is arranged with the memory storing the instructions to cause the user equipment, prior to the determining, to report channel state information during initial access, wherein an aggregation level used for the downlink signaling in the at least one temporary search space or the common search spaces depends on the reported channel state information.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the configuration for the downlink control channel is configuration for an enhanced physical downlink control channel ePDCCH, and the configuration is received on a downlink physical shared channel PDSCH which is scheduled for the user equipment in the detected downlink signaling which is an ePDCCH.

19. A computer readable memory tangibly storing a set of instructions which, when executed on a user equipment, causes the user equipment to at least:

determine at least one first set of physical resource blocks;

within search spaces of the determined at least one first set, detect downlink signaling through which is obtained a configuration for a downlink control channel, wherein the configuration indicates at least one second set of physical resource blocks and at least one search space specific for the user equipment which lies within the at least one second set; and

utilize the obtained configuration to monitor at least some of the search spaces of the determined at least one first set and the at least one search space specific for the user equipment of the at least one second set for further downlink control signaling.

20. The computer readable memory according to claim 19, wherein:

the at least one first set of physical resource blocks is predefined in a published specification for a radio access technology.

21-27. -27. (canceled)