Carrier aggregation management and related device and system

• US 9,131,363 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Vujcic, Dragan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Quan M
• Application Number:
  US13/885,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20130237208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• 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 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0087 when data requirements change
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Method for managing activation or deactivation of a secondary serving cell, SCell, for a base station (310) of a radiocommunication network and a User Equipment (320), UE, initially using a primary serving cell, PCell, and supporting Carrier Aggregation so as to aggregate SCell to PCell, the method comprising: —the UE obtaining information suggesting that an activation/deactivation command to activate/deactivate an SCell is likely to be received by the UE from the base station, said information obtaining taking place before said activation/deactivation command is actually received; —activating/deactivating an SCell as early as possible after said activation/deactivation command is received by the UE from the base station.

Claims

1. A method for managing activation or deactivation of a secondary serving cell SCell) for a base station of a radio communication network and a User Equipment (UE) initially using a primary serving cell (PCell) and supporting Carrier Aggregation to aggregate the SCell to the PCell, the method comprising:

identifying whether a first information is obtained in a first subframe, the first information being information related to the PCell and has a first value, the first value being compared to a threshold value;

receiving an activation command from the base station in a second subframe, the first frame being a previous frame of the second frame; and

activating the SCell based on the activation command, the SCell being activated in a third subframe if the first information is not obtained in the first subframe, the SCell being activated in a fourth subframe if the first information is obtained in the first subframe and the first value is greater than or equal to the threshold, the fourth frame being a previous frame of the third frame.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information is information relating to a traffic load on the PCell.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information is information relating to an interference level on the PCell.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information is information relating to an amount of resource already granted to the UE compared to an amount of resource requested by the UE.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information is information relating to a data rate available on the PCell compared to a data rate expected by the UE.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information is obtained at least in part by signalling from the base station to the UE.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information is obtained at least in part by determination made by the UE itself.

8. A User Equipment (UE) initially using a primary serving cell (PCell) with a base station of a radio communication network and supporting Carrier Aggregation to aggregate a secondary serving cell (SCell) to the PCell, the UE comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit

a memory; and

a processor configured to;

identify whether a first information is obtained in a first subframe, the first information being information related to the PCell and having a first value, the first value being compared to a threshold value;

receive an activation command from the base station in a second subframe, the first frame being a previous frame of the second frame; and

activate the SCell based on the activation command, the SCell being activated in a third subframe if the first information is not obtained in the first subframe, the SCell being activated in a fourth subframe if the first information is obtained in the first subframe and the first value is greater than or equal to the threshold, the fourth frame being a previous frame of the third frame.

9. A system including a base station of a radio communication network and a User Equipment (UE) initially using a primary serving cell (PCell) and supporting Carrier Aggregation to aggregate a secondary serving cell (SCell) to the PCell, the system being arranged for managing activation or deactivation of a secondary serving cell for the base station of a radio communication network and the UE, wherein the UE comprises a processor configured to perform a method comprising:

identifying whether a first information is obtained in a first subframe, the first information being information related to the PCell and has a first value, the first value being compared to a threshold value;

receiving an activation command from the base station in a second subframe, the first frame being a previous frame of the second frame; and

activating the SCell based on the activation command, the SCell being activated in a third subframe if the first information is not obtained in the first subframe, the SCell being activated in a fourth subframe if the first information is obtained in the first subframe and the first value is greater than or equal to the threshold, the fourth frame being a previous frame of the third frame.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the base station comprises a processor, a RF unit and a memory and is arranged for signaling to the UE information from which the UE can derive the first information.