Communication method for active and non-active carriers using carrier aggregation and an apparatus therefore

• US 9,209,953 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yang, Suck Chel, Seo, Dong Youn, Kim, Min Gyu, Ahn, Joon Kui, Lee, Jung Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowlin, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/619,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20130039311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/241, 370/252, 370/311, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/331, 370/332, 370/335, 370/338, 455/450, 455/436, 455/434, 455/509, 455/67.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0057 Physical resource allocation for CQI
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for 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 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a wireless communication system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus of controlling uplink transmission at a user equipment in a wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment is connected to multiple component carriers, which includes receiving configuration information for transmitting an uplink signal from a base station; and identifying a time for transmitting the uplink signal to the base station on a corresponding uplink component carrier in use of the configuration information, wherein if the corresponding uplink component carrier is in a non-available state at the time for transmitting the uplink signal, the uplink signal is not transmitted.

Claims

1. A method of controlling uplink transmission at a user equipment in a wireless communications system, wherein the user equipment is configured with multiple downlink component carriers including a first downlink component carrier and a second downlink component carrier, the method comprising:

receiving, from a base station, Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration information for a channel status report, the RRC configuration information including information for periodically transmitting the channel status report to the base station; and

performing a procedure for periodically transmitting channel status information for a downlink component carrier of the multiple downlink component carriers to the base station in use of the RRC configuration information,

wherein, for the downlink component carrier in an active state at a time for transmitting the channel status information, the channel status information is transmitted at the time for transmitting the channel status information,

wherein, for the downlink component carrier in a non-active state at a time for transmitting the channel status information, the channel status information is not transmitted at the time for transmitting the channel status information,

wherein the first downlink component carrier is paired with a first uplink component carrier, and the first downlink and uplink component carriers are always in the active state, and

wherein the active/non-active states of the second downlink component carrier are controlled by using Layer 2 (L2) control signaling.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel status information for the downlink component carrier is transmitted on a specific uplink component carrier, the specific uplink component carrier being an uplink component carrier configured for channel status reports of all configured downlink component carriers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specific uplink component carrier is not configured as a non-available state regardless of states of the configured downlink component carriers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein whether or not a corresponding uplink component carrier is in a non-available state is identified by using a state of the downlink component carrier linked to the corresponding uplink component carrier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel status information includes a CQI (Channel Quality Indicator).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel status information is transmitted via a primary uplink component carrier.

6. A user equipment configured to communicate with a base station using downlink multiple component carriers including a first downlink component carrier and a second downlink component carrier in a wireless communications system, the user equipment comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit configured to transmit and receive wireless signals to and from the base station;

a memory configured to store information being transmitted and received to and from the base station and parameters required for performing operations of the user equipment; and

a processor configured to be connected to the RF unit and the memory, and configured to control the RF unit and the memory, so as to operate the user equipment,

wherein the processor is configured to receive, from the base station, Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration information for channel status information, the RRC configuration information including information for periodically transmitting a channel status report to the base station, and the processor is configured to perform a procedure for periodically transmitting the channel status information for a downlink component carrier of the multiple downlink component carriers to the base station in use of the RRC configuration information,

wherein, for the downlink component carrier in an active state at a time for transmitting the channel status information, the channel status information is transmitted at the time for transmitting the channel status information,

wherein, for the downlink component carrier in a non-active state at a time for transmitting the channel status information, the channel status information is not transmitted at the time for transmitting the channel status information,

wherein the first downlink component carrier is paired with a first uplink component carrier, and the first downlink and uplink component carriers are always in the active state, and

wherein the first downlink component carrier is always in the active state, and the active/non-active states of the second downlink component carrier are controlled by using Layer 2 (L2) control signaling.

7. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the channel status information for the downlink component carrier is transmitted on a specific uplink component carrier, the specific uplink component carrier being an uplink component carrier configured for channel status reports of all configured downlink component carriers.

8. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the specific uplink component carrier is not configured as a non-available state regardless of states of the configured downlink component carriers.

9. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein whether or not a corresponding uplink component carrier is in a non-available state is identified by using a state of the downlink component carrier linked to the corresponding uplink component carrier.

10. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the channel status information includes a CQI (Channel Quality Indicator).

12. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the channel status information is transmitted via a primary uplink component carrier.