Carrier indication in a bandwidth aggregated wireless communications systems

• US 8,767,641 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Runhua, Ekpenyong, Anthony, Onggosanusi, Eko N.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAN, CLEMENCE S
• Application Number:
  US12/947,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0042 intra-user or intra-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

In this invention wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, includes a first unit transmitting on a first component carrier a grant control signal the other unit specifying a second component carrier different to transmit the typically via a carrier indication field of 3 bits. The carrier indication field can be a one-to-one mapping to each possible second component carrier of a component carrier offset from an anchor carrier, which could be the first component carrier.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said carrier indication field includes an encoding specifying a component carrier offset from an anchor carrier; and

said other unit transmitting said data to said first unit on said second component carrier.

2. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said carrier indication field includes an encoding specifying a component carrier offset from an anchor carrier;

a positive carrier indication field specifies a component carrier having a frequency higher than a frequency of said anchor carrier; and

a negative carrier indication field specifies a component carrier having a frequency lower than said frequency of said anchor carrier; and

said other unit transmitting said data to said first unit on said second component carrier.

3. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said carrier indication field includes an encoding specifying a component carrier offset from said first component carrier; and

said other unit transmitting said data to said first unit on said second component carrier.

4. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said carrier indication field includes an encoding specifying a component carrier offset from said first component carrier as;

mod(n+CC_offset,N_max)

where;

n is the index of the first component carrier;

CC_offset is an offset indicated by said component carrier offset; and

N_max is the maximum number of aggregated carriers; and

said other unit transmitting said data to said first unit on said second component carrier.

5. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said carrier indication field includes an encoding specifying a component carrier offset from said first component carrier as;

mod(n+CC_offset,N_DL)

for data transmission from said base station to said user equipment, and

mod(n+CC_offset,N_UL)

for data transmission from said user equipment to said base station, where;

n is the index of the first component carrier;

CC_offset is an offset indicated by said component carrier offset;

N_DL is a user equipment specific number of component carriers devoted to downlink communication; and

N_UL is a user equipment specific number of component carriers devoted to uplink communication; and

said other unit transmitting said data to said first unit on said second component carrier.

6. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said first unit transmits said carrier indication field via physical downlink control channel; and

if said carrier indication field erroneously indicates an inaccessible component carrier, said other unit aborts data transmission.

7. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said first unit transmits said carrier indication field via physical downlink control channel; and

if said carrier indication field erroneously indicates an inaccessible component carrier, said other unit transmits data on a default second component carrier.

8. A method of wireless communication of data between a user equipment and a base station including bandwidth aggregation of a plurality of component carriers, comprising the steps of:

a first unit of the user equipment or the base station transmitting in a first component carrier to the other unit of the user equipment or the base station a grant control signal indicating grant of schedule to transmit data from said other unit to said first unit,

said grant control signal specifying a second component carrier different from said first component carrier to transmit said data;

said first unit transmits a carrier indication field indicating said second component carrier;

said first unit transmits said carrier indication field via physical downlink control channel; and

if said carrier indication field erroneously indicates an inaccessible component carrier, said other unit transmits data on a default second component carrier having a default offset from an anchor carrier.