CELL SWITCHING FOR DISCONTINUOUS TRANSMISSION (DTX) IN SHARED SPECTRUM

• US 20170332288A1
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Published: 11/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ahmed Kamel Sadek, Mohammad Naghshvar, Peng Cheng, Qualcomm, Inc., Tamer Adel Kadous
• Inventors: SADEK, Ahmed Kamel, KADOUS, Tamer Adel, CHENG, Peng, VALLIAPPAN, Nachiappan, NAGHSHVAR, Mohammad
• Granted Patent: US 10,993,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques for co-existence between wireless Radio Access Technologies (RATs) are disclosed. During an active period of a Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) communication pattern, a first signal may be transmitted during a first subframe and a second signal may be transmitted during a second subframe, while during an inactive period the first signal may be transmitted during the first subframe and the second signal may be omitted during the second subframe. Retransmission of one or more packets may take place over a subset of less than all retransmission opportunities based on the DTX communication pattern. A Secondary Cell (SCell) may be reconfigured as the Primary Cell (PCell) and the PCell may be reconfigured as the SCell for one or more access terminals based on a load balancing condition or a channel selection condition.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

exchanging data and control signaling over a communication medium via a Primary Cell (PCell) provided by an access point on a first component carrier;

exchanging data signaling over the communication medium via a Secondary Cell (SCell) provided by the access point on a second component carrier; and

reconfiguring the SCell as the PCell and the PCell as the SCell for one or more access terminals based on a load balancing condition or a channel selection condition.

2. The method of claim 1, the reconfiguring comprising:

sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation; and

switching PCell operation to the second component carrier.

3. The method of claim 1, the reconfiguring comprising switching the reconfigured PCell to a third component carrier.

4. The method of claim 3, the reconfiguring comprising:

sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation;

switching PCell operation to the second component carrier;

sending via the second component carrier a handover command;

receiving via the third component carrier a handover confirmation; and

switching PCell operation to the third component carrier.

5. The method of claim 4, the reconfiguring further comprising:

vacating the first component carrier in response to receiving the handover confirmation; and

occupying the third component carrier in response to the vacating of the first component carrier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the load balancing condition based on a traffic imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

triggering the reconfiguring in response to the determining.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the channel selection condition based on a signal quality imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

triggering the reconfiguring in response to the determining.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting one or more cell reselection parameters to bias cell reselection in favor of a target PCell; and

signaling the one or more adjusted cell reselection parameters to an idle mode access terminal to trigger a cell reselection of the target PCell.

9. A communication apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver configured to exchange data and control signaling over a communication medium via a Primary Cell (PCell) provided by an access point on a first component carrier, and to exchange data signaling over the communication medium via a Secondary Cell (SCell) provided by the access point on a second component carrier;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being configured to direct the transceiver to reconfigure the SCell as the PCell and the PCell as the SCell for one or more access terminals based on a load balancing condition or a channel selection condition.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being configured to direct the transceiver to perform the reconfiguring by:

sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation; and

switching PCell operation to the second component carrier.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being configured to direct the transceiver to perform the reconfiguring by switching the reconfigured PCell to a third component carrier.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being configured to direct the transceiver to perform the reconfiguring by:

sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation;

switching PCell operation to the second component carrier;

sending via the second component carrier a handover command;

receiving via the third component carrier a handover confirmation; and

switching PCell operation to the third component carrier.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being further configured to direct the transceiver to perform the reconfiguring by:

vacating the first component carrier in response to receiving the handover confirmation; and

occupying the third component carrier in response to the vacating of the first component carrier.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being further configured to:

determine the load balancing condition based on a traffic imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

trigger the reconfiguring in response to the determining.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being further configured to:

determine the channel selection condition based on a signal quality imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

trigger the reconfiguring in response to the determining.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being further configured to:

adjust one or more cell reselection parameters to bias cell reselection in favor of a target PCell; and

direct the transceiver to signal the one or more adjusted cell reselection parameters to an idle mode access terminal to trigger a cell reselection of the target PCell.

17. A communication apparatus, comprising:

means for exchanging data and control signaling over a communication medium via a Primary Cell (PCell) provided by an access point on a first component carrier;

means for exchanging data signaling over the communication medium via a Secondary Cell (SCell) provided by the access point on a second component carrier; and

means for reconfiguring the SCell as the PCell and the PCell as the SCell for one or more access terminals based on a load balancing condition or a channel selection condition.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the means for reconfiguring comprising:

means for sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

means for receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation; and

means for switching PCell operation to the second component carrier.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, the means for reconfiguring comprising means for switching the reconfigured PCell to a third component carrier.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, the means for reconfiguring comprising:

means for sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

means for receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation;

means for switching PCell operation to the second component carrier;

means for sending via the second component carrier a handover command;

means for receiving via the third component carrier a handover confirmation; and

means for switching PCell operation to the third component carrier.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, the means for reconfiguring further comprising:

means for vacating the first component carrier in response to receiving the handover confirmation; and

means for occupying the third component carrier in response to the vacating of the first component carrier.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

means for determining the load balancing condition based on a traffic imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

means for triggering the reconfiguring in response to the determining.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

means for determining the channel selection condition based on a signal quality imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

means for triggering the reconfiguring in response to the determining.

24. A computer-readable medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations for communication, the computer-readable medium comprising:

code for exchanging data and control signaling over a communication medium via a Primary Cell (PCell) provided by an access point on a first component carrier;

code for exchanging data signaling over the communication medium via a Secondary Cell (SCell) provided by the access point on a second component carrier; and

code for reconfiguring the SCell as the PCell and the PCell as the SCell for one or more access terminals based on a load balancing condition or a channel selection condition.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, the code for reconfiguring comprising:

code for sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

code for receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation; and

code for switching PCell operation to the second component carrier.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, the code for reconfiguring comprising code for switching the reconfigured PCell to a third component carrier.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, the code for reconfiguring comprising:

code for sending via the first component carrier a handover command;

code for receiving via the second component carrier a handover confirmation;

code for switching PCell operation to the second component carrier;

code for sending via the second component carrier a handover command;

code for receiving via the third component carrier a handover confirmation; and

code for switching PCell operation to the third component carrier.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, the code for reconfiguring further comprising:

code for vacating the first component carrier in response to receiving the handover confirmation; and

code for occupying the third component carrier in response to the vacating of the first component carrier.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising:

code for determining the load balancing condition based on a traffic imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

code for triggering the reconfiguring in response to the determining

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising:

code for determining the channel selection condition based on a signal quality imbalance between the first component carrier and one or more other component carriers that is above a threshold; and

code for triggering the reconfiguring in response to the determining