NARROWBAND CONTROL CHANNEL DECODING

• US 20160127097A1
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Wanshi, Xu, Hao, Gaal, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 10,560,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A user equipment (UE) may establish a connection with another wireless node, such as a base station or another UE. The connection may include a narrowband control region of a wideband system. The UE may identify a set of resources, which may include a set of subframes that have the same precoding or a set of resource blocks that have the same precoding, during which to monitor a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for decoding a control channel within the narrowband. The UE may then decode the control channel using the DM-RS or a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), or both DM-RS and CRS. The UE may exclude resources of the narrowband region that include a control region for broadband communications.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

identifying a plurality of subframes during which to monitor a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for decoding a control channel associated with a node, wherein the control channel comprises a narrowband region of a wideband system, and wherein the plurality of subframes have a same precoding for the DM-RS; and

decoding the control channel based at least in part on the DM-RS.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying two or more resource blocks (RBs) that have the same precoding within the narrowband region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding resources of the narrowband region that comprise a control region for broadband communications from the control channel.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a message indicating the resources of the narrowband region that comprise the control region for broadband communications; and

determining the resources of the narrowband region that comprise the control region for the broadband communications based at least in part on the message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control channel comprises a control channel element (CCE) that comprises a set of resource element groups (REGs).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each REG of the set of REGs is distributed in time and frequency during the plurality of subframes within the narrowband region.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each REG of the set of REGs excludes resource elements that comprise DM-RS.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each REG of the set of REGs excludes resource elements that comprise a cell-specific reference signal (CRS).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a single precoder is applied for each physical resource block pair of the control channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more precoders are applied to resources with each physical resource block pair of the control channel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the control channel is decoded based at least in part on a cell-specific reference signal (CRS).

12. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to;

identify a plurality of subframes during which to monitor a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for decoding a control channel associated with a node, wherein the control channel comprises a narrowband region of a wideband system, and wherein the plurality of subframes have a same precoding for the DM-RS; and

decode the control channel based at least in part on the DM-RS.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the processor to:

identify two or more resource blocks (RBs) that have the same precoding within the narrowband region.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the processor to:

exclude resources of the narrowband region that comprise a control region for broadband communications from the control channel.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the processor to:

receive a message indicating the resources of the narrowband region that comprise the control region for broadband communications; and

determine the resources of the narrowband region that comprise the control region for the broadband communications based at least in part on the message.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control channel comprises a control channel element (CCE) that comprises a set of resource element groups (REGs).

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each REG of the set of REGs is distributed in time and frequency during the plurality of subframes within the narrowband region.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a single precoder is applied for each physical resource block pair of the control channel.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein two or more precoders are applied to resources with each physical resource block pair of the control channel.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control channel is decoded based at least in part on a cell-specific reference signal (CRS).

21. An apparatus for wireless communication comprising:

means for identifying a plurality of subframes during which to monitor a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for decoding a control channel associated with a node, wherein the control channel comprises a narrowband region of a wideband system, and wherein the plurality of subframes have a same precoding for the DM-RS; and

means for decoding the control channel based at least in part on the DM-RS.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for identifying two or more resource blocks (RBs) that have the same precoding within the narrowband region.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for excluding resources of the narrowband region that comprise a control region for broadband communications from the control channel.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

means for receiving a message indicating the resources of the narrowband region that comprise the control region for broadband communications; and

means for determining the resources of the narrowband region that comprise the control region for the broadband communications based at least in part on the message.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control channel comprises a control channel element (CCE) that comprises a set of resource element groups (REGs).

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each REG of the set of REGs excludes resource elements that comprise DM-RS.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a single precoder is applied for each physical resource block pair of the control channel.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein two or more precoders are applied to resources with each physical resource block pair of the control channel.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control channel is decoded based at least in part on a cell-specific reference signal (CRS).

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable to:

identify a plurality of subframes during which to monitor a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for decoding a control channel associated with a node, wherein the control channel comprises a narrowband region of a wideband system, and wherein the plurality of subframes have a same precoding for the DM-RS; and

decode the control channel based at least in part on the DM-RS.