PUCCH REGION DETERMINATION AND USAGE FOR MTC

• US 20180220412A1
• Filed: 08/12/2015
• Published: 08/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhang, Yuantao, Yao, Chunhai, Ratasuk, Rapeepat
• Application Number:
  US15/747,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20180220412A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

A method includes allocating only a single PUCCH region in each subframe of multiple subframes to be used by UEs for uplink control information transmission. Information is signaled, where the information is defined to configure a UE that is equipped for machine type communication to be able to determine PUCCH regions to be used for uplink control information transmission for data received at the UE. The uplink control information is received, over the plurality of subframes, from the UE in the single PUCCH region per subframe. A UE that is configured for machine type communication receives the signaled information and determines, using the signaled information, a single PUCCH region to use for each subframe to transmit the uplink control information for received data and transmits, over the multiple subframes, the uplink control information from in the determined single PUCCH region per subframe. Apparatus, software, and computer program products are also disclosed.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code, the one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

receive, at a user equipment that is equipped for machine type communication, signaling comprising information defined to configure the user equipment to be able to determine physical uplink control channel regions to be used for transmitting uplink control information for received data, wherein only a single physical uplink control channel region is to be used to transmit the uplink control information in each subframe of a plurality of subframes;

determine, using the signaled information, a single physical uplink control channel region to use for each subframe to transmit the uplink control information for received data; and

transmit, over the plurality of subframes, the uplink control information from the user equipment in the determined single physical uplink control channel region per subframe.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the signaled information enables the user equipment to determine one of a plurality of configured physical uplink channel control channel regions to use for each of the subframes for one or more frames.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the information comprises one or more of the following:

a configured subframe offset between the configured first physical uplink control channel region and a reference subframe;

a system frame number of a subframe for a physical uplink control channel transmission;

a number of consecutive physical control channel subframes in each configured physical uplink control channel region;

a subframe index of a subframe for the physical uplink control channel transmission;

or

a number of the configured physical uplink control channel regions.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the signaled information comprises a starting subframe for the one configured physical uplink channel control channel region and/or a number of subframes to be used for the one specific physical uplink channel control channel region, and wherein the user equipment is expected to determine a starting subframe and/or a number of subframes to be used for other ones of the configured physical uplink control channel regions.

30. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein configuration based on the signaled information is specific to a cell or is specific to a single user equipment.

31. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the signaling comprises broadcasting signaling received in a system information block in response to the information being cell-specific, or the signaling is received in a random access response message during initial access of a network by the user equipment in response to the information being user equipment-specific.

32. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the signaled information enables the user equipment to determine a starting region of a plurality of configured physical uplink channel control channel regions to use for each of the subframes for a frame and also to determine a starting subframe within the starting region.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the signaled information comprises one or more of the following:

a configured subframe offset between the configured first physical uplink control channel region and a reference subframe,

a system frame number of a first subframe for a physical uplink control channel transmission;

a number of consecutive physical control channel subframes in each configured physical uplink control channel region;

a subframe index of the first subframe for physical uplink control channel transmission;

or

a number of the configured physical uplink control channel regions.

34. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the signaled information also comprises one or more indications of subframes to be used for hopping and not for uplink control information for the user equipment.

35. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code, the one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

allocate only a single physical uplink control channel region in each subframe of a plurality of subframes to be used by one or more user equipments for uplink control information transmission;

signal information defined to configure a user equipment that is equipped for machine type communication to be able to determine physical uplink control channel regions to be used for uplink control information transmission for data received at the user equipment; and

receive, over the plurality of subframes, the uplink control information from the user equipment in the single physical uplink control channel region per subframe.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the signaled information enables the user equipment to determine one of a plurality of configured physical uplink channel control channel regions to use for each of the subframes for one or more frames.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the information comprises one or more of the following:

a configured subframe offset between the configured first physical uplink control channel region and a reference subframe;

a system frame number of a subframe for a physical uplink control channel transmission;

a number of consecutive physical control channel subframes in each configured physical uplink control channel region;

a subframe index of a subframe for the physical uplink control channel transmission;

or

a number of the configured physical uplink control channel regions.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the signaled information comprises a starting subframe for the one configured physical uplink channel control channel region and/or a number of subframes to be used for the one specific physical uplink channel control channel region, and wherein the user equipment is expected to determine a starting subframe and/or a number of subframes to be used for other ones of the configured physical uplink control channel regions.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein configuration based on the signaled information is specific to a cell or is specific to a single user equipment.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the signaling uses broadcasting signaling in a system information block in response to the information being cell-specific, or the signaling is sent in a random access response message during initial access of a network by the user equipment in response to the information being user equipment-specific.

41. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the signaled information enables the user equipment to determine a starting region of a plurality of configured physical uplink channel control channel regions to use for each of the subframes for a frame and also to determine a starting subframe within the starting region.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the signaled information comprises one or more of the following:

a configured subframe offset between the configured first physical uplink control channel region and a reference subframe;

a system frame number of a first subframe for a physical uplink control channel transmission;

a number of consecutive physical control channel subframes in each configured physical uplink control channel region;

a subframe index of the first subframe for physical uplink control channel transmission;

or

a number of the configured physical uplink control channel regions.

43. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein:

the signaling information is performed for first and second user equipments, and wherein the signaling information for the first and second user equipments is defined so that both the first and second user equipments use at least one same subframe in at least one same physical uplink control channel region to send uplink control information; and

receiving further comprises receiving the uplink control information from the first and second user equipments in the at least one same subframe in the at least one same physical uplink control channel region.

44. A method, comprising:

allocating only a single physical uplink control channel region in each subframe of a plurality of subframes to be used by one or more user equipments for uplink control information transmission;

signaling information defined to configure a user equipment that is equipped for machine type communication to be able to determine physical uplink control channel regions to be used for uplink control information transmission for data received at the user equipment; and

receiving, over the plurality of subframes, the uplink control information from the user equipment in the single physical uplink control channel region per subframe.

45. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment that is equipped for machine type communication, signaling comprising information defined to configure the user equipment to be able to determine physical uplink control channel regions to be used for transmitting uplink control information for received data, wherein only a single physical uplink control channel region is to be used to transmit the uplink control information in each subframe of a plurality of subframes;

determining, using the signaled information, a single physical uplink control channel region to use for each subframe to transmit the uplink control information for received data; and

transmitting, over the plurality of subframes, the uplink control information from the user equipment in the determined single physical uplink control channel region per subframe.