Methods and Devices for Using Unlicensed Carrier Resource

• US 20180035311A1
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Published: 02/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xi'An Zhongxing New Software Co., Ltd. (ZTE Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: YANG, Li, GOU, Wei, ZHAO, Yajun, ZUO, Zhisong
• Granted Patent: US 10,425,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and devices for using an unlicensed carrier resource are provided. In a method for using an unlicensed carrier resource, an eNode B (eNB) receives indication information reported by a User Equipment (UE), where the indication information is used for indicating that a local Secondary Cell (Scell) of the UE is idle; upon a trigger of the indication information, the eNB detects whether a local Scell of the eNB is idle or not; and the eNB judges, according to a detection result, whether or not to use an unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE.

Claims

1. A method for using an unlicensed carrier resource, comprising:

receiving, by an eNode B (eNB), indication information reported by a User Equipment (UE), wherein the indication information is used for indicating that a local Secondary Cell (Scell) of the UE is idle;

detecting, by the eNB upon a trigger of the indication information, whether a local Scell of the eNB is idle or not; and

judging, by the eNB according to a detection result of detecting whether the local Scell of the eNB is idle or not, whether or not to use an unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein receiving, by the eNB, the indication information reported by the UE comprises at least one of:

receiving, by the eNB, specified Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource information reported by the UE, wherein the specified PUCCH resource information carries the indication information;

receiving, by the eNB, Channel State Information (CSI) reported by the UE, wherein, when the CSI is a preset value, the preset value serves as the indication information; and

receiving, by the eNB, a pseudo Acknowledgement (ACK) sequence, reported by the UE, of a Downlink (DL) pseudo data block of the Scell of the UE, wherein the pseudo ACK sequence carries the indication information.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein receiving, by the eNB, the specified PUCCH resource information reported by the UE comprises:

receiving, by the eNB, Uplink Control Information (UCI) reported by the UE, wherein the UCI comprises a control domain byte dedicated to carrying the indication information.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein judging, by the eNB according to the detection result of detecting whether the local Scell of the eNB is idle or not, whether or not to use the unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE comprises:

when the detection result of detecting whether the local Scell of the eNB is idle or not indicates that the local Scell of the eNB is idle, judging that the UE continues occupying the unlicensed carrier resource; and

when the detection result of detecting whether the local Scell of the eNB is idle or not indicates that the local Scell of the eNB is not idle, judging that the UE releases the unlicensed carrier resource which the UE previously occupies.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, after judging that the UE releases the unlicensed carrier resource which the UE previously occupies, further comprising:

sending, by the eNB, Downlink Control Information (DCI) carrying a dedicated control domain byte to the UE, wherein the UE releases, under indication of the DCI carrying the dedicated control domain byte, the unlicensed carrier resource which the UE previously occupies.

6. A method for using an unlicensed carrier resource, comprising:

when a local Secondary Cell (Scell) of a User Equipment (UE) is idle, sending, by the UE, indication information for indicating that the local Scell of the UE is idle to an eNode B (eNB); and

after the eNB judges, according to the indication information, whether or not to use an unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE, receiving, by the UE, control information transmitted by the eNB, wherein the control information is used for controlling whether or not the UE uses the unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein sending, by the UE, the indication information to the eNB comprises at least one of:

sending, by the UE, specified Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource information to the eNB, wherein the specified PUCCH resource information carries the indication information;

sending, by the UE, Channel State Information (CSI) to the eNB, wherein, when the CSI is a preset value, the preset value serves as the indication information; and

sending, by the UE, a pseudo Acknowledgement (ACK) sequence of a Downlink (DL) pseudo data block of the Scell of the UE to the eNB, wherein the pseudo AC sequence carries the indication information.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein sending, by the UE, the specified PUCCH resource information to the eNB comprises:

sending, by the UE, Uplink Control Information (UCI) to the eNB, wherein the UCI comprises a control domain byte dedicated to carrying the indication information.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, when sending, by the UE, the indication information for indicating that the local Scell of the UE is idle to the eNB, the method further comprising:

sending, by the UE, a reserve signal, wherein the reserve signal indicates that the UE is currently occupying the unlicensed carrier resource.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

sending in the local Scell of the UE, by the UE, a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data block which is controlled by no Uplink (UL) scheduling information of the eNB, wherein demodulation information used for the eNB to demodulate the PUSCH data block is fed back to the eNB through a PUCCH of a licensed carrier.

11. A device for using an unlicensed carrier resource, applied to an eNode B (eNB) and comprising a hardware processor configured to execute program modules comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive indication information reported by a User Equipment (UE), wherein the indication information is used for indicating that a local Secondary Cell (Scell) of the UE is idle;

a detection module, configured to, upon a trigger of the indication information, detect whether a local Scell of the eNB is idle or not; and

a judgment module, configured to judge, according to a detection result of detecting whether the local Scell of the eNB is idle or not, whether or not to use an unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the receiving module is further configured to execute at least one of followings:

receive specified Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource information reported by the UE, wherein the specified PUCCH resource information carries the indication information;

receive Channel State Information (CSI) reported by the UE, wherein, when the CSI is a preset value, the preset value serves as the indication information;

receive a pseudo Acknowledgement (ACK) sequence, reported by the UE, of a Downlink (DL) pseudo data block of the Scell of the UE, wherein the pseudo ACK sequence carries the indication information.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the receiving module is further configured to receive Uplink Control Information (UCI) reported by the UE, wherein the UCI comprises a control domain byte dedicated to carrying the indication information.

14. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the judgment module comprises:

a first judgment unit, configured to, when the detection result of detecting whether the local Scell of the eNB is idle or not indicates that the local Scell of the eNB is idle, judge that the UE continues occupying the unlicensed carrier resource; and

a second judgment unit, configured to, when the detection result of detecting whether the local Scell of the eNB is idle or not indicates that the local Scell of the eNB is not idle, judge that the UE releases the unlicensed carrier resource which the UE previously occupies.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second judgment unit comprises:

a sending subunit, configured to send Downlink Control Information (DCI) carrying a dedicated control domain byte to the UE, wherein the UE releases, under indication of the DCI carrying the dedicated control domain byte, the unlicensed carrier resource which the UE previously occupies.

16. A device for using an unlicensed carrier resource, applied to a User Equipment (UE) and comprising a hardware processor configured to execute program modules comprising:

a sending module, configured to, when a local Secondary Cell (Scell) of the UE is idle, send indication information for indicating that the local Scell of the UE is idle to an eNode B (eNB); and

a receiving module, configured to, after the eNB judges;

according to the indication information, whether or not to use an unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE, receive control information transmitted by the eNB, wherein the control information is used for controlling whether or not the UE uses the unlicensed carrier resource which has been occupied by the UE.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the sending module is configured to execute at least one of followings:

send specified Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource information to the eNB, wherein the specified PUCCH resource information carries the indication information;

send Channel State Information (CSI) to the eNB, wherein, when the CSI is a preset value, the preset value serves as the indication information;

send a pseudo Acknowledgement (ACK) sequence of a Downlink (DL) pseudo data block of the Scell of the UE to the eNB, wherein the pseudo AC sequence carries the indication information.

18. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the sending module is further configured to send Uplink Control Information (UCI) to the eNB, wherein the UCI comprises a control domain byte dedicated to carrying the indication information.

19. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to, when the sending module sends the indication information for indicating that the local Scell of the UE is idle to the eNB, send a reserve signal, wherein the reserve signal indicates that the UE is currently occupying the unlicensed carrier resource.

20. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

send in the local Scell of the UE a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data block which is controlled by no Uplink (UL) scheduling information of the eNB, wherein demodulation information used for the eNB to demodulate the PUSCH data block is fed back to the eNB through a PUCCH of a licensed carrier.