Blank subframe uplink design

• US 8,879,461 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ji, Tingfang, Gaal, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US12/626,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20100135235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 370/315, 370/336, 455/296, 455/307
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

Blank subframe link design uses reduced bandwidth either explicit or derived for Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell interference mitigation, enabling a non-allowed User Equipment (UE) to co-exist with CSG cells on the same carrier. One could specify UL blank subframes to orthogonalize non-allowed UE and allowed UE transmissions on UL either via explicit UL blank subframe definition or derived from DL blank subframe definition. Scheduling can orthogonalize data transmissions. A femto cell temporarily reducing uplink bandwidth can mitigate uplink control channel residual interference from a non-allowed UE. A relay configures RACH occasion to coincide with non-blank UL subframes as much as possible. UE knowledge of RACH occasion is sufficient to start RACH and hand over procedure. RACH occasions with 10 ms periodicity are supported by assigning all odd/even uplink HARQ interlaces to relay. RACH occasions with 20 ms periodicity are supported by assigning any of the 1/4 UL HARQ interlaces to relay.

Claims

1. A method for interference mitigation in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

determining a half duplex schedule for non-simultaneous receiving and transmitting by a relay with an access node and at least one user equipment (UE), wherein the half duplex schedule includes a first set of subframes and a second set of subframes, the first set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the access node and the second set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the at least one UE;

determining a physical random access channel configuration having a random access channel occasion that coincides with the second set of subframes; and

facilitating a random access channel procedure between the at least one UE and the access node via the relay by using the physical random access channel configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a subframe occasion with a periodicity of 10 ms.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a selected one of odd and even Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) interlaces to transmit to the relay according to the half duplex schedule.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a subframe occasion with a periodicity of 20 ms.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising assigning one of four uplink HARQ interlaces to transmit to the relay.

6. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, and comprising code for causing at least one processor to:

determine a half duplex schedule for non-simultaneous receiving and transmitting by a relay with an access node and at least one user equipment (UE), wherein the half duplex schedule includes a first set of subframes and a second set of subframes, the first set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the access node and the second set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the at least one UE;

determine a physical random access channel configuration having a random access channel occasion that coincides with the second set of subframes; and

facilitate a random access channel procedure between the at least one UE and the access node via the relay by using the physical random access channel configuration.

7. An apparatus for interference mitigation in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining a half duplex schedule for non-simultaneous receiving and transmitting by a relay with an access node and at least one user equipment (UE), wherein the half duplex schedule includes a first set of subframes and a second set of subframes, the first set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the access node and the second set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the at least one UE;

means for determining a physical random access channel configuration having a random access channel occasion that coincides with the second set of subframes; and

means for facilitating a random access channel procedure between the at least one UE and the access node via the relay by using the physical random access channel configuration.

8. An apparatus for interference mitigation in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a memory;

at least one processor coupled to said memory, the at least one processor configured to;

determine a half duplex schedule for non-simultaneous receiving and transmitting by a relay with an access node and at least one user equipment (UE), wherein the half duplex schedule includes a first set of subframes and a second set of subframes, the first set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the access node and the second set of subframes being allocated for communication between the relay and the at least one UE, and

determine a physical random access channel configuration having a random access channel occasion that coincides with the second set of subframes; and

a transmitter and a receiver configured to facilitate a random access channel procedure between the at least one UE and the access node via the relay by using the physical random access channel configuration.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a subframe occasion with a periodicity of 10 ms.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to assign a selected one of odd and even Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) interlaces to transmit to the relay according to the half duplex schedule.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a subframe occasion with a periodicity of 20 ms.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to assign one of four uplink HARQ interlaces to transmit to the relay.