Physical Resource Block Allocation Of Physical Downlink Control And Data Channels

• US 20170111152A1
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Blankenship, Yufei, Bergman, Johan, Grvlen, Asbjrn
• Granted Patent: US 11,316,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2603 Signal structure ensuring backward compatibility with legacy system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for enabling a narrowband MTC device to operate in a legacy LTE system having a wider system bandwidth. The physical downlink control channel for a narrow-band MTC device, also referred to as low-complexity physical downlink control channel (LC-PDCCH), has reduced bandwidth resource and can support no more than 6 physical resource blocks. The present application discloses how to allocate physical resource blocks (PRBs) for LC-PDCCH and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The PRB allocation methods disclosed herein allow the MTC devices to derive the frequency location of the PDSCH PRBs from the frequency location of the LC-PDCCH PRBs and to soft-combine LC-PDCCH transmissions and PDSCH transmissions for performance improvement.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method, performed by a base station, for scheduling data transmission to a wireless device and for transmitting data to the wireless device, the method comprising:

allocating a first physical resource block (PRB) group for a physical downlink control channel;

signaling, to the wireless device, an indication of a frequency location of the first PRB group for the physical downlink control channel;

transmitting the physical downlink control channel in the allocated first PRB group to the wireless device; and

transmitting a physical downlink shared channel in a second PRB group that is allocated for the physical downlink shared channel to the wireless device.

26. The method of claim 25:

wherein the indication indicates a set of PRB of groups;

further comprising allocating in a deterministic way which PRB group out of the set is the first PRB group.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the frequency location of the first PRB group indicates the frequency location of the second PRB group.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein signaling the indication comprises using radio resource control signaling.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the transmitting the physical downlink control channel and the transmitting the physical downlink shared channel are separated by a guard period.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the guard period is a subframe.

31. A method for receiving, by a wireless device, transmissions from a base station, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a frequency location of a first physical resource block (PRB) group from the base station;

receiving a physical downlink control channel transmitted in the first PRB group from the base station; and

receiving a physical downlink shared channel transmitted in a second PRB group from the base station.

32. The method of claim 31:

wherein the indication indicates a set of PRB groups;

further comprising selecting, by the wireless device in a deterministic way, which PRB group is the first PRB group.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the frequency location of the first PRB group indicates the frequency location of the second PRB group.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the receiving the indication comprises receiving the indication using radio resource control signaling.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the receiving the physical downlink control channel and the receiving the physical downlink shared channel are separated by a guard period.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the guard period is a subframe.

37. A base station for scheduling data transmission for a wireless device and transmitting data to the wireless device, the base station comprising:

processing circuitry configured to allocate a first physical resource block (PRB) group for a physical downlink control channel;

a transceiver configured to;

signal an indication of a frequency location of the first PRB group for the physical downlink control channel to the wireless device;

transmit the physical downlink control channel in the allocated first PRB group to the wireless device; and

transmit a physical downlink shared channel in a second PRB group that is allocated for the physical downlink shared channel to the wireless device.

38. The base station of claim 37:

wherein the indication indicates a set of PRB of groups; and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to allocate in a deterministic way which PRB group out of the set is the first PRB group.

39. The base station of claim 37, wherein the frequency location of the first PRB group indicates the frequency location of the second PRB group.

40. The base station of claim 37, wherein the transceiver is configured to signal the indication using radio resource control signaling.

41. The base station of claim 37, wherein the transceiver is configured to separate the transmitting the physical downlink control channel and transmitting the physical downlink shared channel by a guard period.

42. The base station of claim 41, wherein the guard period is a subframe.

43. A wireless device for receiving transmissions from a base station, comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive an indication of a frequency location of a first physical resource block (PRB) from the base station;

receive a physical downlink control channel transmitted in the first PRB group from the base station; and

receive a physical downlink shared channel transmitted in a second PRB group from the base station.

44. The wireless device of claim 43:

wherein the indication indicates a set of PRB groups; and

wherein the wireless device further comprises processing circuitry configured to select in a deterministic way which PRB group is the first PRB group.

45. The wireless device of claim 43, wherein the frequency location of the first PRB group indicates the frequency location of the second PRB group.

46. The wireless device of claim 43, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive the indication using radio resource control signaling.

47. The wireless device of claim 43, wherein the reception of the physical downlink control channel and the reception of the physical downlink shared channel are separated by a guard period.

48. The wireless device of claim 47, wherein the guard period is a subframe.