Methods, apparatus and systems for performing multi-radio access technology carrier aggregation

• US 9,271,290 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelletier, Ghyslain, Marinier, Paul, Pani, Diana
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, CHANDRAHAS B
• Application Number:
  US13/304,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20120140743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/328, 455/436, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• 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 52/38 TPC being performed in particular situations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method of managing carrier aggregation for a multi-radio access technology (RAT) wireless transmitter/receiver unit (WTRU) is disclosed. The method may include: receiving, by the WRTU over a primary channel associated with a RAT of a first type, provisioning information for provisioning a supplementary channel associated with a RAT of a second type; establishing the supplementary channel associated with the RAT of the second type based on the received provisioning information; and wirelessly exchanging, by the WRTU, first data associated with a communication over the primary channel via the RAT of the first type, while wireless exchanging second data associated with the communication over the supplementary channel via the RAT of the second type.

Claims

1. A method of managing carrier aggregation for a multi-radio access technology (RAT) wireless transmitter/receiver unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

configuring, by the WTRU, a single radio resource control (RRC) connection associated to a first state machine for managing a first radio connection that uses a RAT of a first type;

associating, by the WTRU, the single RRC connection to a second state machine that manages a second radio connection that uses a RAT of a second type;

receiving, by the WTRU over a primary channel associated with the RAT of the first type, provisioning information for provisioning a supplementary channel associated with the RAT of the second type;

configuring the supplementary channel associated with the RAT of the second type based on the received provisioning information;

maintaining, by the WTRU with a network entity, a communication of information using the single RRC connection via both the first and second radio connections; and

sending, by the WTRU, a notification over the single RRC connection on condition that the second state machine has changed state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the provisioning information includes receiving via the primary channel associated with the RAT of the first type control information for the primary channel and control information for the supplementary channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first type of RAT is one of;

(1) a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) RAT;

(2) a high speed packet access (HSPA) RAT;

(3) a high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) RAT;

(4) a high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) RAT;

or (5) a long term evolution (LTE) RAT; and

the second type of RAT is a different one of;

(1) the WCDMA RAT;

(2) the HSPA RAT;

(3) the HSDPA RAT;

(4) the HSUPA RAT;

(5) the LTE RAT;

(6) a non-cellular RAT;

or (7) a WiFi RAT.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a common status indicator communicated via the RAT of the first type to time align reception of one or more channels on the RAT of the second type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring of the supplementary channel associated with the RAT of the second type includes:

determining, from the received provisioning information, one or more component carriers associated with the RAT of the second type to be provisioned for wirelessly receiving a portion of data packets of a data communication over the supplementary channel; and

provisioning the supplementary channel using the determined one or more component carriers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving, by the WTRU, the provisioning information, establishing the primary channel associated with the RAT of the first type,

wherein the configuring of the supplementary channel associated with the RAT of the second type includes configuring the supplementary channel using the single RRC connection to control radio resources of the RATs of the first and second types.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising concurrently and wirelessly receiving or sending, by the WTRU, a communication of data packets, the data packets being divided between or among portions including a first portion for communication via the first radio connection that uses the RAT of the first type and a second portion for communication via the second radio connection that uses the RAT of the second type, the first portion of the data packets being communicated over the primary channel concurrently with the second portion of the data packets, which is communicated over the supplementary channel.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising segmenting, the first portion of the data packets of the communication to be sent over the primary channel and the second portion of the data packets of the communication to be sent over the supplementary channel.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

maintaining the first and second radio connections that are applicable to different sets of one or more component carriers,

wherein the receiving of the first portion of the data packets over the primary channel via the RAT of the first type and the second portion of the data packets over the supplementary channel via the RAT of the second type includes receiving respective portions of the data packets of the communication over different ones of the radio connections via the different sets of component carriers.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first portion of the data packets communicated via the RAT of the first type is concurrently communicated with the second portion via the RAT of the second type without handing over between the RAT of the first type to the RAT of the second type.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAT of the first type is a 3GPP RAT and the RAT of the second type is a WiFi RAT.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving of the provisioning information includes configuring a 3GPP RRC connection via a 3GPP access point and providing parameters for accessing a WiFi network associated with the WiFi RAT.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the providing of the parameters for accessing the WiFi network includes:

providing at least one of;

(1) a frequency band of the WiFi network;

(2) a specific channel for the WiFi network;

(3) an operation mode for the WiFi network, (4) a Serving Set Identifier (SSID) of the WiFi network;

(5) a Basic SSID (BSSID) of a WiFi access point associated with the WiFi network;

(6) a set of one or more security parameters;

or (7) an indication to activate a WiFi transceiver in the WTRU.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the change of state associated with the second state machine is associated with a radio link of the second radio connection.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining, by the WTRU with the network entity, the communication of information using the single RRC connection includes:

communicating the information associated with the first type of RAT over the single RRC connection via the first radio connection; and

communicating the information associated with the second type of RAT over the single RRC connection via the second radio connection.

16. A method for performing wireless communications in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) supporting multi-radio access technology (RAT) carrier aggregation (CA), the method comprising:

configuring a first medium access control (MAC) entity in the WTRU that is associated with a first RAT;

provisioning a primary channel associated with the first MAC entity;

configuring a second medium access control (MAC) entity in the WTRU that is associated with a second RAT;

provisioning a supplementary channel associated with the second MAC entity using the primary channel including

determining a timing between the primary channel and a supplementary channel, and

establishing an activation time or a deactivation time of the supplementary channel according to the determined timing;

selectively activating or deactivating the second MAC entity associated with the second RAT using information communicated over the first RAT and the established activation or deactivation time; and

on condition that the supplementary channel is activated, aggregating a first portion of data of a communication sent via the primary channel and processed via the first MAC entity with a second portion of the data of the communication concurrently sent via the supplementary channel and processed via the second MAC entity or segmenting the first portion of the data of the communication to be sent via the primary channel and to be processed via the first MAC entity from the second portion of the data of the communication to be concurrently sent via the supplementary channel and to be processed via the second MAC entity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first RAT is a long term evolution (LTE) RAT, and the second RAT is one of:

(1) a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) RAT;

(2) a high speed packet access (HSPA) RAT;

(3) a high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) RAT;

(4) a high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) RAT;

(5) a non-cellular RAT;

or (6) a WiFi RAT.

18. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:

a processor configured to establish a single radio resource control (RRC) connection associated to a first state machine for managing a first radio connection that uses a RAT of a first type and to associate the single RRC connection to a second state machine that manages a second radio connection that uses a RAT of a second type; and

a transmit/receive unit configured to receive over a primary channel associated with the RAT of the first type, provisioning information for provisioning a supplementary channel associated with the RAT of the second type,

wherein;

the processor is configured to establish the supplementary channel associated with the RAT of the second type based on the received provisioning information, and

the transmit/receive unit is configured to;

maintain a communication of information using the single RRC connection via both the first and second radio connections, and

send a notification over the single RRC connection on condition that the second state machine has changed state.

19. The WTRU of claim 18, wherein the transmit/receive unit wirelessly receives, via the primary channel associated with the RAT of the first type, control information for the primary channel and control information for the supplementary channel.

20. The WTRU of claim 18, wherein the transmit/receive unit wirelessly receives or sends:

a first portion of data packets of a data communication using one of;

(1) a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA);

(2) a high speed packet access (HSPA);

(3) a high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA);

(4) a high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA);

or (5) long term evolution;

(LTE) access; and

a second portion of the data packets of the data communication, during a communication of the first portion of the data, using at least a different one of;

(1) the WCDMA;

(2) the HSPA;

(3) the HSDPA;

(4) the HSUPA;

(5) the LTE access;

(6) a non- cellular access;

or (7) a WiFi access.

21. The WTRU of claim 20, wherein the processor determines from the received provisioning information one or more component carriers associated with the RAT of the second type to be provisioned for wirelessly communicating the second portion of the data packets over the supplementary channel;

and provisions the supplementary channel using the determined one or more component carriers.

22. The WTRU of claim 18, wherein the transmit/receive unit is configured to concurrently and wirelessly receive or send a communication of data packets, the data packets being divided between or among portions including a first portion for communication via the first radio connection that uses the RAT of the first type and a second portion for communication via the second radio connection that uses the RAT of the second type, the first portion of the data packets being communicated over the primary channel concurrently with the second portion of the data packets, which is communicated over the supplementary channel.

23. The WTRU of claim 18, wherein the change of state associated with the second state machine is associated with a radio link of the second radio connection.

24. The WTRU of claim 18, wherein the transmit/receive unit configured to:

communicate information associated with the first type of RAT over the single RRC connection via the first radio connection; and

communicate information associated with the second type of RAT over the single RRC connection via the second radio connection.

25. A multi-mode wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) for performing wireless communications and configured to support simultaneous or near- simultaneous operation using component carriers (CCs) associated with a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs), comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a timing between a first CC associated with a first RAT and a second CC associated a second RAT,

establish an activation time or a deactivation time of the first CC according to the determined timing, and

selectively activate or deactivate the first CC associated with the first RAT using provisioning information sent over the second CC associated with the second RAT and the established activation or deactivation time; and

a transmit/receive unit configured to communicate a first portion of data of a communication via the first CC and to concurrently communicate a second portion of the data of the communication via the second CC,

wherein the processor is configured to aggregate or to segment the first and second portions of the data of the communication for communication via the first and second CCs, on condition that the first CC is activated.

26. A method for performing wireless communications using a multi-mode wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that is configured for concurrent operation using component carriers (CCs) associated with a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs), the method comprising:

determining a timing between a first CC associated with a first RAT and a second CC associated with a second RAT;

establishing an activation time or a deactivation time of the first CC according to the determined timing;

selectively activating or deactivating the first CC associated with the first RAT using information communicated using the second CC and the established activation or deactivation time;

on condition that the supplementary channel is activated;

communicating a first portion of data of a communication using the second CC associated with the second RAT,

concurrently communicating a second portion of the data of the communication using the first CC associated with the first RAT, and

aggregating or segmenting the first and second portions of the data of the communication communicated via the first and second CCs.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

configuring one of;

(1) a single radio resource connection to maintain the communication of the first and second portions of the data on the first and second CCs;

(2) a radio resource connection for each CC used to maintain the communication of the first and second portions of the data on the first and second CCs;

or (3) a radio resource connection for each RAT used to maintain the communication of the first and second portions of the data on the first and second CCs.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

sending, by the WTRU, a block acknowledgment associated with the first CC on the second CC to provide a block acknowledgment/non-acknowledgement indication associated with information communicated on the first CC.