UL ACK/NACK for inter-radio access technology carrier aggregation

• US 8,837,358 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lunttila, Timo Erkki, Tiirola, Esa Tapani, Pirskanen, Juho
• Primary Examiner(s): LAMONT, BENJAMIN S
• Application Number:
  US12/906,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20120093073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-329
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0096 Channel splitting in point-to-point links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0057 Physical resource allocation for CQI
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method is disclosed that includes, for each of a multiplicity of subframes to be communicated using a first radio access technology, determining a first number of bits used for first feedback information corresponding to a first communication effected using the first radio access technology and a second number of bits used for second feedback information corresponding to a second communication effected using a second radio access technology. The method further includes, using only the first radio access technology, communicating the multiplicity of subframes, wherein for each of the multiplicity of subframes, included in the subframe are the first feedback information using the determined first number of bits and the second feedback information using the determined second number of bits. Apparatus, program products, and computer programs are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

for each of a plurality of subframes to be communicated using a first radio access technology, determining a first number of bits used for first feedback information corresponding to a first communication effected using the first radio access technology and a second number of bits used for second feedback information corresponding to a second communication effected using a second radio access technology; and

using only the first radio access technology, communicating the plurality of subframes, wherein for each of the plurality of subframes, included in the subframe are the first feedback information using the determined first number of bits and the second feedback information using the determined second number of bits,

wherein determining further comprises;

determining whether the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero or is non-zero for a second pair of subframes;

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is non-zero; and

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is zero.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication is received by using the first radio access technology, the second communication is received by using the second radio access technology, and communicating the plurality of subframes comprises transmitting the plurality of subframes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting uses a physical uplink control channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further comprises determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information is not zero for a first of a pair of subframes and is zero for the second of the pair of subframes, and wherein determining further comprises determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is a fixed, non-zero number for both the first and second of the pair of subframes, and wherein the method further comprises including, for the second of the pair of subframes, only the first feedback information using the determined first number of bits.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further comprises determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information is a same number for a first of a pair of subframes and for a second of the pair of subframes, wherein determining further comprises determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is a fixed, non-zero number for both the first and second of the pair of subframes, and wherein the method further comprises including the second feedback information in the first of the pair of subframes and repeating the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each of the plurality of subframes, jointly coding the corresponding first and second feedback information and including in the subframe the jointly coded corresponding first and second feedback information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further comprises using a received configured signaling strategy to determine the first number of bits used for first feedback information and to determine the second number of bits used for the second feedback information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further comprises:

determining the first number of bits of the first feedback information based at least on a number of component carriers and transmission modes for each of the component carriers for the first communication effected using the first radio access technology; and

determining the second number of bits of the second feedback information based on a number of component carriers and transmission modes for each of the component carriers for the second communication effected using the second radio access technology.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio access technology uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access for the first communication, the second radio access technology uses wideband code division multiple access for the second communication, and communicating the plurality of subframes further comprises using single carrier, frequency division multiple access of the first radio access technology to communicate the plurality of subframes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one component carrier of the first radio access technology is considered as a primary cell and at least one component carrier of the second radio access technology is considered as a secondary cell.

11. The method of claim 1, where the first feedback information corresponds to acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement corresponding to the first radio access technology and the second feedback information corresponds to acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement corresponding to the second radio access technology.

12. The method of claim 1, where the first radio access technology is a long term evolution radio access technology.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein coupling between acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement and channel quality indicator of the second radio access technology is removed when signaling acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement and channel quality indicator feedback using only the first radio access technology.

14. An apparatus comprising:

at least one transceiver configured to transmit and receive using a first radio access technology and configured to receive using a second radio access technology;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

for each of a plurality of subframes to be communicated using a first radio access technology, determining a first number of bits used for first feedback information corresponding to a first communication effected using the first radio access technology and a second number of bits used for second feedback information corresponding to a second communication effected using the second radio access technology; and

using only the first radio access technology, communicating the plurality of subframes, wherein for each of the plurality of subframes, included in the subframe are the first feedback information using the determined first number of bits and the second feedback information using the determined second number of bits,

wherein determining further comprises;

determining whether the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero or is zero for a second of a pair of subframes;

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is non-zero; and

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is zero.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein determining further comprises determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information is not zero for a first of a pair of subframes and is zero for the second of the pair of subframes, and wherein determining further comprises determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is a fixed, non-zero number for both the first and second of the pair of subframes, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least including, for the second of the pair of subframes, only the first feedback information using the determined first number of bits.

16. A method comprising:

transmitting a first communication effected using a first radio access technology and a second communication effected using a second radio access technology; and

using only the first radio access technology, receiving a plurality of subframes, wherein for each of the plurality of subframes, included in the subframe are a first feedback information using a first number of bits and a second feedback information using a second number of bits,

where the first feedback information corresponds to the first communication and the second feedback information corresponds to the second communication,

and further comprising;

determining whether the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero or is zero for a second of a pair of subframes;

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is non-zero; and

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is zero.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, for each of the plurality of subframes, decoding jointly coded corresponding first and second feedback information to determine the first feedback information and the second feedback information per subframe, retransmitting a portion of the first communication using the first radio access technology if required by the first feedback information, and retransmitting a portion of the second communication using the second radio access technology if required by the second feedback information.

18. An apparatus comprising:

at least one transceiver configured to transmit and receive using a first radio access technology and configured to transmit using a second radio access technology;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

transmitting a first communication effected using a first radio access technology and a second communication effected using a second radio access technology; and

using only the first radio access technology, receiving a plurality of subframes, wherein for each of the plurality of subframes, included in the subframe are a first feedback information using a first number of bits and a second feedback information using a second number of bits,

where the first feedback information corresponds to the first communication and the second feedback information corresponds to the second communication,

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform;

determining whether the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero or is zero for a second of a pair of subframes;

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is non-zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is non-zero; and

in response to determining the first number of bits used for the first feedback information is zero for the second of the pair of subframes, determining the second number of bits used for the second feedback information in the second of the pair of subframes is zero.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform for each of the plurality of subframes, decoding jointly coded corresponding first and second feedback information to determine the first feedback information and the second feedback information per subframe, retransmitting a portion of the first communication using the first radio access technology if required by the first feedback information, and retransmitting a portion of the second communication using the second radio access technology if required by the second feedback information.