Coexistence between LCTS and NCTS

• US 9,253,782 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Xu, Hao, Chen, Wanshi, Gaal, Peter, Ji, Tingfang, Luo, Tao, Wei, Yongbin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hanh N
• Application Number:
  US13/890,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20130301565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370203-210, 370/319, 370/344, 370/360, 370/377, 370/468, 370/395.21, 370/431
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/00 Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path
• 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 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer

Abstract

A method of wireless communication occurs in a frequency band having a first set of resources associated with a first carrier type and a second set of resources associated with a second carrier type. In one configuration, the first carrier type is a NCT (NCT) and the second carrier type is a LCT (LCT). LCT UEs may only receive signals from the second carrier type. However, NCT UEs may receive signals from both the first carrier type and the second carrier type. Therefore, to provide backward compatibility while supporting NCT UEs, an eNodeB may signal support of the first carrier type to a NCT UE while maintaining signaling with LCT UEs.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

transmitting a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

signaling support of the first set of reference signal resources to at least one first carrier type UE while maintaining signaling to support the second set of reference signal resources with second carrier type UEs.

2. The method of claim 1, in which signaling the support of the first set of reference signal resources comprises:

defining a same primary synchronization signal (PSS) location for the first set of reference signal resources and the second set of reference signal resources;

defining a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for the first set of reference signal resources; and

duplicating the SSS for the second set of reference signal resources.

3. The method of claim 2, in which two sets of the PSS and the SSS are mapped to a same physical cell identifier (PCI).

4. The method of claim 2, in which a first set of the PSS and the SSS for the first set of reference signal resources are mapped to a first physical cell identifier (PCI) and a second set of the PSS and the SSS for the second set of reference signal resources are mapped to a second PCI.

5. The method of claim 1, in which signaling the support of the first set of reference signal resources comprises signaling a reserved bit in a master information block (MIB) or a system information block (SIB) to indicate support of the first set of reference signal resources.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the first carrier type is a new carrier type and the second carrier type is a legacy carrier type.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the first set of reference signal resources and the second set of reference signal resources comprise orthogonal subframes or sub-bands.

8. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

determining whether an eNodeB supports at least the first set of reference signal resources, the second set of reference signal resources, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 8, in which the determining comprises blind decoding candidates for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to determine whether the eNodeB supports the first set of reference signal resources or the second set of reference signal resources.

10. The method of claim 9, in which the first set of reference signal resources is determined from a new PBCH format.

11. The method of claim 9, in which the determining comprises determining that the eNodeB supports the first set of reference signal resources or the second set of reference signal resources based on a common reference signal (CRS) port for the PBCH.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising reporting a reference signal received power from one or more of the first set of reference signal resources, the second set of reference signal resources, or a combination thereof, in which the determining further comprises receiving an assignment for the first set of reference signal resources when the reference signal received power is reported for both the first set of reference signal resources and the second set of reference signal resources.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting a random access channel (RACH) message to indicate support of the first set of reference signal resources.

14. The method of claim 8, in which the first carrier type is a new carrier type and the second carrier type is a legacy carrier type.

15. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a memory; and

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

to transmit a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

to signal support of the first set of reference signal resources to at least one first carrier type UE while maintaining signaling to support the second set of reference signal resources with second carrier type UEs.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one processor is further configured:

to define a same primary synchronization signal (PSS) location for the first set of reference signal resources and the second set of reference signal resources;

to define a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for the first set of reference signal resources; and

to duplicate the SSS for the second set of reference signal resources.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, in which two sets of the PSS and the SSS are mapped to a same physical cell identifier (PCI).

18. The apparatus of claim 16, in which a first set of the PSS and the SSS for the first set of reference signal resources are mapped to a first physical cell identifier (PCI) and a second set of the PSS and the SSS for the second set of reference signal resources are mapped to a second PCI.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one processor is further configured to signal a reserved bit in a master information block (MIB) or a system information block (SIB) to indicate support of the first set of reference signal resources.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the first carrier type is a new carrier type and the second carrier type is a legacy carrier type.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the first set of reference signal resources and the second set of reference signal resources comprise orthogonal subframes or sub-bands.

22. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a memory; and

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

to receive a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

to determine whether an eNodeB supports at least the first set of reference signal resources, the second set of reference signal resources, or a combination thereof.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, in which the at least one processor is further configured to blind decode candidates for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to determine whether the eNodeB supports the first set of reference signal resources or the second set of reference signal resources.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, in which the first set of reference signal resources is determined from a new PBCH format.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, in which the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the eNodeB supports the first set of reference signal resources or the second set of reference signal resources based on a common reference signal (CRS) port for the PBCH.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, in which the at least one processor is further configured:

to report reference signal received power from one or more of the first set of reference signal resources, the second set of reference signal resources, or a combination thereof,

to receive an assignment for the first set of reference signal resources when the reference signal received power is reported for both the first set of reference signal resources and the second set of reference signal resources.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, in which the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a random access channel (RACH) message to indicate support of the first set of reference signal resources.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, in which the first carrier type is a new carrier type and the second carrier type is a legacy carrier type.

29. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a transmitting module for transmitting a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

a signaling module for signaling support of the first set of reference signal resources to at least one first carrier type UE while maintaining signaling to support the second set of reference signal resources with second carrier type UEs.

30. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a receiving module for receiving a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

a determining module for determining whether an eNodeB supports at least the first set of reference signal resources, the second set of reference signal resources, or a combination thereof.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising:

program code to transmit a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

program code to signal support of the first set of reference signal resources to at least one first carrier type UE while maintaining signaling to support the second set of reference signal resources with second carrier type UEs.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising:

program code to receive a first set of reference signal resources and a second set of reference signal resources on a carrier, the first set of reference signal resources associated with a first carrier type and the second set of reference signal resources associated with a second carrier type; and

program code to determine whether an eNodeB supports at least the first set of reference signal resources, the second set of reference signal resources, or a combination thereof.