NETWORK ELEMENT AND METHOD OF COMMUNICATING USING A PLURALITY OF CONTROLS CHANNELS MODULES

• US 20160255626A1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KOULAKIOTIS, Dimitris, WAKABAYASHI, Hideji, WEBB, Matthew William
• Granted Patent: US 10,321,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/02 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/06 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A network element forming a mobile communications network, and configured to provide a wireless access interface to one or more communications devices and to transmit downlink data to and receive uplink data from the communications devices via the wireless access interface. The downlink resources extend across a predetermined bandwidth and are time divided into plural timeframes. The network element includes a transmitter, and controller configured to control the transmitter to transmit control data to the communications devices in resources of a control channel formed from plural control channel modules formed from only part of the predetermined bandwidth and mutually exclusive from parts of the predetermined bandwidth from which the other control channel modules are formed. The plural control channel modules allow the control channel to be varied in bandwidth and adapted to the structure of the communications network, the communications devices being served and traffic conditions in the communications network.

Claims

1. A network element for forming a mobile communications network, the network element comprising

a transmitter configured to transmit signals via a wireless access interface to one or more communications devices,

a receiver configured to receive signals from the one or more communications devices via the wireless access interface, and

a controller configured to control the transmitter and the receiver to form the wireless access interface, the wireless access interface including downlink resources extending across a predetermined bandwidth and being divided in time into a plurality of frames, and to control the transmitter

to transmit control data to the communications devices in resources of a control channel, wherein the control channel is formed from a plurality of control channel modules, each control channel module being formed from a part of the predetermined bandwidth, the part of the predetermined bandwidth of each control channel module being less than the predetermined bandwidth and mutually exclusive from the parts of the predetermined bandwidths from which the other control channel modules are formed.

2. A network element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of control channel modules each have a substantially equal time duration within the frame.

3. A network element as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of control channel modules has a time duration unequal to at least one other of the plurality of the control channel modules within the frame.

4. A network element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network element is configured to provide the wireless access interface to communication devices within a first geographical area, and the controller is configured to control the transmitter to transmit the control data to the communications devices within the first geographical area in a control channel module from the plurality of control channel modules.

5. A network element as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bandwidth occupied by the plurality of control channel modules is less than the predetermined bandwidth, such that a difference in the bandwidth occupied by the plurality of control channel modules and the predetermined bandwidth provides a bandwidth gap, wherein the controller is configured to control the transmitter to provide a narrowband virtual carrier in the bandwidth gap.

6. A network element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to allocate each of the control channel modules to communications devices in dependence upon an identity of each of the communications devices.

7. A network element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the transmitter to provide in a predetermined one of the plurality of control modules an indication of the bandwidth and the location of each of the plurality of the other control channel modules.

8. A communications device for communicating with a network element of a communications network, the network element configured to provide a wireless access interface to the communications device, the communications device comprising

a transmitter configured to transmit uplink signals to the network element via the wireless access interface,

a receiver configured to receive downlink signals from the network element via the wireless access interface via downlink resources of the wireless access interface, the wireless access extending across a predetermined bandwidth and being divided in time into a plurality of frames, and

a controller configured to control the receiver

to detect control data transmitted by the network element in a control channel of the wireless access interface, wherein the control channel is formed from a plurality of control channel modules, each control channel module being formed from a part of the predetermined bandwidth, the part of the predetermined bandwidth of each control channel module being less than the predetermined bandwidth and mutually exclusive from the parts of the predetermined bandwidths from which the other control channel modules are formed.

9. A communications device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a predetermined control channel module provides an indication of the bandwidth and the location of each of the plurality of the other control channel modules and the controller is configured to control the receiver to detect the indication from the predetermined control channel and to detect the control data from another control channel module of the plurality of control channel modules based on the indication.

10. A communications system comprising a mobile communications network and a communications device for communicating via the mobile communications network, the mobile communications network including

a network element configured to transmit signals using a transmitter via a wireless access interface to the communications device, to receive signals using a receiver from the communications device via the wireless access interface, and to control the transmitter and the receiver to form the wireless access interface, the wireless access interface including downlink resources extending across a predetermined bandwidth and being divided in time into a plurality of frames, and to control the transmitter

to transmit control data to the communications device in resources of a control channel, wherein the control channel is formed from f a plurality of control channel modules, each control channel module being formed from a part of the predetermined bandwidth, the part of the predetermined bandwidth of each control channel module being less than the predetermined bandwidth and mutually exclusive from the parts of the predetermined bandwidths from which the other control channel modules are formed.

11. A communications system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plurality of control channel modules each have a substantially equal time duration within the frame.

12. A communications system as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of control channel modules has a time duration unequal to at least one other of the plurality of the control channel modules within the frame.

13. A communications system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the network element is configured to provide the wireless access interface to the communication device within a first area, and the controller is configured to control the transmitter to transmit the control data to the communications device within the first area in the control channel module from the plurality of control channel modules.

14. A communications system as claimed in claim 10, wherein a bandwidth occupied by the plurality of control channel modules is less than the predetermined bandwidth, such that a difference in the bandwidth occupied by the plurality of control channel modules and the predetermined bandwidth provides a bandwidth gap during the predetermined time period, wherein the controller is configured to control the transmitter to provide a narrowband virtual carrier within the bandwidth gap.

15. A method of communicating via a mobile communications network, comprising

transmitting signals via a wireless access interface to one or more communications devices,

receiving signals from the one or more communications devices via the wireless access interface, and

controlling the transmitting and the receiving to form the wireless access interface, the wireless access interface including downlink resources extending across a predetermined bandwidth and being divided in time into a plurality of timeframes, and the control the transmitting includes

transmitting control data to the communications devices in resources of a control channel, wherein the control channel is formed from a plurality of control channel modules, each control channel module being formed from a part of the predetermined bandwidth, the part of the predetermined bandwidth of each control channel module being less than the predetermined bandwidth and mutually exclusive from the parts of the predetermined bandwidths from which the other control channel modules are formed.

16. Circuitry for a network element for forming a mobile communications network, the circuitry comprising

transmitter circuitry configured to transmit signals via a wireless access interface to one or more communications devices,

receiver circuitry configured to receive signals from the one or more communications devices via the wireless access interface, and

controller circuitry configured to control the transmitter and the receiver to form the wireless access interface, the wireless access interface including downlink resources extending across a predetermined bandwidth and being divided in time into a plurality of frames, and to control the transmitter circuitry

to transmit control data to the communications devices in resources of a control channel, wherein the control channel is formed from a plurality of control channel modules, each control channel module being formed from a part of the predetermined bandwidth, the part of the predetermined bandwidth of each control channel module being less than the predetermined bandwidth and mutually exclusive from the parts of the predetermined bandwidths from which the other control channel modules are formed.

17. Circuitry for communicating with a network element of a communications network, the network element configured to provide a wireless access interface to the communications device, the circuitry comprising

transmitter circuitry configured to transmit uplink signals to the network element via the wireless access interface,

receiver circuitry configured to receive downlink signals from the network element via the wireless access interface via downlink resources of the wireless access interface, the wireless access extending across a predetermined bandwidth and being divided in time into a plurality of frames, and

controller circuitry configured to control the receiver circuitry

to detect control data transmitted by the network element in a control channel of the wireless access interface, wherein the control channel is formed from a plurality of control channel modules, each control channel module being formed from a part of the predetermined bandwidth, the part of the predetermined bandwidth of each control channel module being less than the predetermined bandwidth and mutually exclusive from the parts of the predetermined bandwidths from which the other control channel modules are formed.