Random access in networks with carrier aggregation

• US 8,982,852 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ofinno Technologies, LLC (Ofinno, LLC)
• Inventors: Dinan, Esmael Hejazi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohebbi, Kouroush
• Application Number:
  US13/749,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20130188616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2011/0096 Network synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2692 with preamble design, i.e. with negotiation of the synchronisation sequence with transmitter or sequence linked to the algorithm used at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/32 Carrier systems characterised by combinations of two or more of the types covered by groups H04L27/02, H04L27/10, H04L27/18 or H04L27/26
• 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 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/00 Network traffic management; Network resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/14 Separate analysis of uplink or downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/242 taking into account path loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/248 where transmission power control commands are generated based on a path parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 : Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 : compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 : in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 : Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 : Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 : Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless device configures a deactivation timer for a secondary cell in a secondary cell group. The wireless device may receive a control command initiating a random access process for the secondary cell. The wireless device may transmit a random access preamble on random access resources of the secondary cell in response to receiving the control command. The wireless device may abort the random access process on the secondary cell if the secondary cell is deactivated before the wireless device receives, on the primary cell, a random access response for the random access preamble transmission.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) receiving, by a wireless device, at least one first control message from a base station, said at least one first control message causing in said wireless device;

i) configuration of a plurality of cells comprising a primary cell and at least one secondary cell;

ii) configuration of a deactivation timer for each secondary cell in said at least one secondary cell, said deactivation timer corresponding to a secondary cell restarting in response to a packet transmission on said secondary cell, said corresponding secondary cell being deactivated in said wireless device in response to said deactivation timer expiring; and

iii) assignment of each of said at least one secondary cell to a cell group in a plurality of cell groups, said plurality of cell groups comprising;

(1) a primary cell group comprising a first subset of said plurality of cells, said first subset comprising said primary cell, uplink transmissions by said wireless device in said primary cell group employing a first synchronization signal transmitted on said primary cell as a primary timing reference; and

(2) a secondary cell group comprising a second subset of said at least one secondary cell; and

b) receiving, by said wireless device, a control command initiating a random access process for a secondary cell in said secondary cell group in said wireless device;

c) transmitting, by said wireless device, a random access preamble on random access resources of said secondary cell in response to receiving said control command; and

d) aborting, by said wireless device, said random access process on said secondary cell if said secondary cell is deactivated before said wireless device receives a random access response for said random access preamble transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one first control message further causes in said wireless device configuration of a time alignment timer for said secondary cell group, said time alignment timer starting or restarting in response to said wireless device receiving a timing advance command to adjust uplink transmission timing on said secondary cell group.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising restarting said deactivation timer associated with said secondary cell in response to said wireless device receiving said control command.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising restarting a deactivation timer associated with a cell carrying said control command if said cell is one of said at least one secondary cell.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising restarting, by said wireless device, said deactivation timer associated with said secondary cell if a random access response with an uplink grant for transmission on said secondary cell is received by said wireless device from said base station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a downlink control channel of said primary cell for said random access response after transmitting said random access preamble.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said control command comprises:

a) a mask index; and

b) said random access preamble identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said random access response comprises an identifier of said random access preamble.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a random access response on said primary cell, said random access response comprising a timing advance command for said secondary cell group.

10. A wireless device comprising:

a) one or more communication interfaces;

b) one or more processors; and

c) memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause said wireless device to;

i) receive at least one first control message from a base station, said at least one first control message causing in said wireless device;

(1) configuration of a plurality of cells comprising a primary cell and at least one secondary cell;

(2) configuration of a deactivation timer for each secondary cell in said at least one secondary cell, said deactivation timer corresponding to a secondary cell restarting in response to a packet transmission on said secondary cell, said corresponding secondary cell being deactivated in said wireless device in response to said deactivation timer expiring; and

(3) assignment of each of said at least one secondary cell to a cell group in a plurality of cell groups, said plurality of cell groups comprising a secondary cell group comprising a second subset of said at least one secondary cell; and

ii) receive a control command initiating a random access process for a secondary cell in said secondary cell group in said wireless device;

iii) transmit a random access preamble on random access resources of said secondary cell in response to receiving said control command; and

iv) abort said random access process on said secondary cell if said secondary cell is deactivated before said wireless device receives, on said primary cell, a random access response for said random access preamble transmission.

11. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein said at least one first control message further causes in said wireless device configuration of a time alignment timer for said secondary cell group, said time alignment timer starting or restarting in response to said wireless device receiving a timing advance command to adjust uplink transmission timing on said secondary cell group.

12. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein said instructions cause said wireless device to monitor a downlink control channel of said primary cell for said random access response after transmitting said random access preamble.

13. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein said control command comprises:

d) a mask index; and

e) said random access preamble identifier.

14. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein said random access response comprises an identifier of said random access preamble.

15. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein said instructions further cause said wireless device to receive a random access response on said primary cell, said random access response comprising a timing advance command for said secondary cell group.

16. A method comprising:

a) transmitting, by a base station, at least one first control message to a wireless device, said at least one first control message configured to cause in said wireless device;

i) configuration of a plurality of cells comprising a primary cell and at least one secondary cell;

ii) configuration of a deactivation timer for each secondary cell in said at least one secondary cell, said deactivation timer corresponding to a secondary cell restarting in response to a packet transmission on said secondary cell, said corresponding secondary cell being deactivated in said wireless device in response to said deactivation timer expiring; and

iii) assignment of each of said at least one secondary cell to a cell group in a plurality of cell groups, said plurality of cell groups comprising a secondary cell group comprising a second subset of said at least one secondary cell; and

b) transmitting, by said base station, a control command initiating a random access process for a secondary cell in said secondary cell group, said control command configured to cause said wireless device to transmit a random access preamble on random access resources of said secondary cell; and

c) aborting, by said base station, said random access process on said secondary cell if said secondary cell is deactivated before said base station receives said random access preamble on said random access resources.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one first control message comprises a plurality of common parameters for said secondary cell, said plurality of common parameters comprising:

a) a plurality of random access resource parameters identifying said random access resources; and

b) a plurality of power control parameters.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

a) receiving, by said base station, said random access preamble from said wireless device;

b) transmitting, by said base station, a random access response comprising an uplink grant to said wireless device; and

c) aborting, by said base station, said random access process if said secondary cell is deactivated before said base station receives an uplink packet from said wireless device in response to said uplink grant.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one control message comprises a plurality of random access resource parameters, said plurality of random access resource parameters comprise:

an index;

a frequency offset; and

a plurality of sequence parameters.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one first control message comprises a plurality of media access control dedicated parameters comprising a plurality of time alignment timer values, each time alignment timer value associated with a unique cell group in said wireless device.