Method and apparatus for providing control information

• US 8,964,684 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jinmin, Yu, Takki, Moon, Sungho
• Primary Examiner(s): HAN, CLEMENCE S
• Application Number:
  US13/885,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20130242924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for a macro base station transmitting control information, comprising the following steps: transmitting to a pico base station assignment information regarding a first set of subframes with limited downlink signal transmission; transmitting to the pico base station assignment information regarding a second set of subframes which belong to a first set of subframes; and transmitting the control information by means of the first set of subframes, wherein the control information for the macro base station is transmitted from subframes in the first set of subframes which do not belong to the second set of subframes, and the control information for the pico base station is transmitted from the subframes in the first set of subframes which belong to the second set of subframes.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a control information, which is transmitted by a macro base station in a wireless communication system including the macro base station and a pico base station, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting an assignment information regarding a subframe of a 1^st set, which is limited to transmit a downlink signal, to the pico base station;

transmitting an assignment information regarding a subframe of a 2^nd set belonging to the subframe of the 1^st set to the pico base station; and

transmitting a control information via the subframe of the 1^st set,

wherein the control information for the macro base station is transmitted in the subframe not corresponding to the subframe of the 2^nd set among the subframe of the 1^st set and wherein the control information for the pico base station is transmitted in the subframe corresponding to the subframe of the 2^nd set among the subframe of the 1^st set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subframe of the 1^st set is an ABS (almost blank subframe).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assignment information regarding the subframe of the 1^st _set comprises a 40-bit bitmap and wherein each bit of the bitmap is set to indicate the ABS or a non-ABS by a corresponding subframe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the assignment information regarding the subframe of the 2^nd set is provided using a bitmap of identical size with the bitmap used to indicate the assignment information regarding the subframe of the 1^st set.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the subframe of the 1^st set is indicated using an N bit bitmap, wherein the subframe of the 2^nd set is indicated using an M bit bitmap, and wherein the M is provided by the number of bit indicating the subframe limited to transmit the downlink signal among the N bit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control information for the pico base station comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a cell ID (identity), a CP (cyclic prefix) length, a PCFICH (physical control format indicator channel), an antenna configuration, a PHICH (physical HARQ indicator channel) configuration, and a frame number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the subframe of the 2^nd set is assigned on a 1^st carrier resource, the control information related to a 2^nd carrier resource of the pico base station is transmitted in the subframe of the 2^nd set and wherein the 1^st carrier resource and the 2^nd carrier resource are different from each other.

8. A communication device, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit; and

a processor,

the processor configured to transmit an assignment information regarding a subframe of a 1^st set, which is limited to transmit a downlink signal, to the pico base station, the processor configured to transmit an assignment information regarding a subframe of a 2^nd set belonging to the subframe of the 1^st set to the pico base station, the processor configured to transmit a control information via the subframe of the 1^st set.

wherein the control information for the macro base station is transmitted in the subframe not corresponding to the subframe of the 2^nd set among the subframe of the 1^st set and wherein the control information for the pico base station is transmitted in the subframe corresponding to the subframe of the 2^nd set among the subframe of the 1^st set.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the subframe of the 1^st set is an ABS (almost blank subframe).

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the assignment information regarding the subframe of the 1^st set comprises a 40-bit bitmap and wherein each bit of the bitmap is set to indicate the ABS or a non-ABS by a corresponding subframe.

11. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the assignment information regarding the subframe of the 2^nd set is provided using a bitmap of identical size with the bitmap used to indicate the assignment information regarding the subframe of the 1^st set.

12. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the subframe of the 1^st set is indicated using an N bit bitmap, wherein the subframe of the 2^nd set is indicated using an M bit bitmap, and wherein the M is provided by the number of bit indicating the subframe limited to transmit the downlink signal among the N bit.

13. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the control information for the pico base station comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a cell ID (identity), a CP (cyclic prefix) length, a PCFICH (physical control format indicator channel), an antenna configuration, a PHICH (physical HARQ indicator channel) configuration, and a frame number.

14. The communication device of claim 8, wherein if the subframe of the 2^nd set is assigned on a 1^st carrier resource, the control information related to a 2^nd carrier resource of the pico base station is transmitted in the subframe of the 2^nd set and wherein the 1^st carrier resource and the 2^nd carrier resource are different from each other.