Providing enhanced CSI coverage by reporting the same measure in multiple sub-frames

• US 9,414,249 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2012
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hooli, Kari Juhani, Lunttila, Timo Erkki, Pajukoski, Kari Pekka, Tiirola, Esa Tapani
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Shailendra
• Application Number:
  US14/352,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20140301231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0027 Scheduling of signalling, e.g. occurrence thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0028 Formatting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0064 Concatenated codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports

Abstract

The application relates to channel state feedback reporting in wireless communication networks and in particular to modifications of the procedure for reporting CSI as specified by section 7.2 of 3GPP TS 36.213 V10.3.0. and the corresponding RRC protocol as specified by 3GPP TS 36.331 V10.2.0. The current cycle for CSI measurement and reporting is such that the UE performs separate CSI measurements for each report. However, the coverage area of CSI measurement reporting is lower than other uplink reporting such as e.g. ACK/NACK on PUCCH which supports subframe repetition, leading to an imbalance. Therefore, it is rather clear that it is highly beneficial to support coverage extension for CSI reports. The issue then arises as to how to realize the CSI coverage enhancement on top of existing/evolving CSI reporting framework. The application proposes to realize said CSI coverage enhancement by reporting (450) the same CSI report multiple times from the UE (110) to an eNB (220).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

performing, at a user equipment, one or more channel state information measurements on selected ones of a plurality of downlink subframes; and

reporting from the user equipment to a base station a single channel state information report in multiple uplink subframes, the single channel state information report corresponding to the one or more channel state information measurements of the selected ones of plurality of downlink subframes,

wherein the method further comprises receiving at the user equipment from the base station a first indication allowing the user equipment to determine the number of selected downlink subframes and a second indication allowing the user equipment to determine how many times the user equipment should report the single channel state information from the user equipment to the base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and reporting further comprises reporting the single channel state information report on multiple physical uplink control channels on consecutive uplink subframes.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, prior to reporting, receiving using radio resource control signaling a parameter indicating how many times the channel state information report should be repeated, wherein a number of consecutive uplink subframes is determined by the user equipment using the parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting is performed on a schedule for aperiodic channel state information reporting and reporting further comprises reporting the single channel state information report on each of a set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes does not have uplink shared channel data and the reporting uses a control data area on each of the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes has uplink shared channel data and the reporting uses a control data area on each of the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and reporting further comprises in response to a scheduled channel state information report colliding with a first uplink subframe of a set of uplink subframes to be bundled on a physical uplink shared channel, multiplexing the channel state information report and data together on an uplink shared channel on the set of uplink subframes bundled on the physical uplink shared channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and reporting further comprises in response to a scheduled channel state information report colliding with a particular uplink subframe other than a first uplink subframe of a set of subframes to be bundled on a physical uplink shared channel, omitting the channel state information report for the set of uplink subframes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and reporting further comprises in response to a scheduled channel state information report colliding with a particular uplink subframe other than a first uplink subframe of a set of uplink subframes to be bundled on a physical uplink shared channel, advancing reporting of the channel state information report from the particular uplink subframe to the first uplink subframe in the set of uplink subframes to be bundled on the physical uplink shared channel, and multiplexing the channel state information report and data together on an uplink shared channel on the set of uplink subframes bundled on the physical uplink shared channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting further comprises reporting a same single channel state information report in each of the multiple subframes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the single channel state information report comprises a packet and reporting further comprises using a different version of the packet for each of the multiple subframes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting further comprises splitting the single channel state information report in a predetermined way among each of the multiple subframes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting further comprises subjecting the single channel state information report to concatenated coding, where an inner code is restricted to each of the plurality of subframes while an outer code is spread over all subframes in the plurality of subframes.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of selected downlink subframes is less than all of the plurality of downlink subframes and the number of selected downlink subframes is one.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of downlink subframes is a set of downlink subframes, and wherein performing and reporting are repeated by the user equipment for multiple sets of downlink subframes.

35. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code embodied thereon, the program code executable by a device to cause the device to perform the method according to claim 1.

16. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code, the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

performing, at a user equipment, one or more channel state information measurements on selected ones of a plurality of downlink subframes;

reporting from the user equipment to a base station a single channel state information report in multiple uplink subframes, the single channel state information report corresponding to the one or more channel state information measurements of the selected ones of plurality of downlink subframes; and

receiving at the user equipment from the base station a first indication allowing the user equipment to determine the number of selected downlink subframes and a second indication allowing the user equipment to determine how many times the user equipment should report the single channel state information from the user equipment to the base station.

17. A method, comprising:

signaling from a base station to a user equipment information the user equipment uses to perform one or more channel state information measurements on selected ones of a plurality of downlink subframes; and

receiving at the base station from the user equipment a single channel state information report in multiple uplink subframes, the single channel state information report corresponding to the one or more channel state information measurements on the selected ones of plurality of downlink subframes;

wherein the method further comprises sending from the base station to the user equipment a first indication allowing the user equipment to determine the number of selected downlink subframes and a second indication allowing the user equipment to determine how many times the user equipment should report the single channel state information from the user equipment to the base station.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and receiving further comprises receiving the single channel state information report on multiple physical uplink control channels on consecutive uplink subframes.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein signaling further comprises sending, from the base station to the user equipment and using radio resource control signaling, a parameter indicating how many times the channel state information report should be repeated, wherein a number of consecutive uplink subframes may be determined by the user equipment using the parameter.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving is performed on a schedule for aperiodic channel state information reporting and receiving further comprises receiving the single channel state information report on each of a set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes does not have uplink shared channel data and the receiving uses a control data area on each of the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes has uplink shared channel data and the receiving uses a control data area on each of the set of multiple, bundled physical uplink channel subframes.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and receiving further comprises in response to a scheduled channel state information report colliding with a first uplink subframe of a set of uplink subframes bundled on a physical uplink shared channel, receiving the channel state information report multiplexed with data together on an uplink shared channel on the first uplink subframe of the physical uplink shared channel.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and receiving further comprises, in response to a scheduled channel state information report colliding with a particular uplink subframe other than the first uplink subframe of a set of subframes bundled on a physical uplink shared channel, determining the channel state information report has been omitted for the set of uplink subframes on the physical uplink shared channel.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and receiving further comprises in response to a scheduled channel state information report colliding with a particular uplink subframe other than the first uplink subframe of a set of uplink subframes bundled on a physical uplink shared channel, receiving the channel state information report in the first uplink subframe instead of in the particular uplink subframe in the set of uplink subframes on the physical uplink shared channel.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving further comprises receiving a same single channel state information report in each of the multiple uplink subframes.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the single channel state information report comprises a packet and receiving further comprises receiving a different version of the packet for each of the multiple uplink subframes.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving further comprises receiving the single channel state information report that is split in a predetermined way among each of the multiple uplink subframes.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the single channel state information report was subjected to concatenated coding prior to transmission, where an inner code is restricted to each of the plurality of uplink subframes while an outer code is spread over all uplink subframes in the plurality of uplink subframes, and the method further comprises decoding the single channel state information from the plurality of uplink subframes based on the concatenated coding.

30. The method of claim 17, where a number of selected downlink subframes is less than all of the plurality of downlink subframes.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the number of selected downlink subframes is one.

32. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of downlink subframes is a set of downlink subframes, and wherein signaling and receiving are repeated, by the user equipment for multiple sets of downlink subframes.

33. The method of claim 17, further comprising combining, at the base station, the channel state information reports received in the multiple uplink subframes to determine a combined channel state information.

34. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories including computer program code, the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

signaling from a base station to a user equipment information the user equipment uses to perform one or more channel state information measurements on selected ones of a plurality of downlink subframes;

receiving at the base station from the user equipment a single channel state information report in multiple uplink subframes, the single channel state information report corresponding to the one or more channel state information measurements on the selected ones of plurality of downlink subframes; and

sending from the base station to the user equipment a first indication allowing the user equipment to determine the number of selected downlink subframes and a second indication allowing the user equipment to determine how many times the user equipment should report the single channel state information from the user equipment to the base station.

36. A method, comprising:

performing, at a user equipment, one or more channel state information measurements on selected ones of a plurality of downlink subframes;

receiving using radio resource control signaling a parameter indicating how many times a single channel state information report should be repeated, wherein a number of consecutive uplink subframes is determined by the user equipment using the parameter; and

reporting from the user equipment to a base station the single channel state information report on multiple physical uplink control channels on the consecutive uplink subframes, the single channel state information report corresponding to the one or more channel state information measurements of the selected ones of plurality of downlink subframes,

wherein reporting is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting.

37. A method, comprising:

signaling from a base station to a user equipment information the user equipment uses to perform one or more channel state information measurements on selected ones of a plurality of downlink subframes;

receiving at the base station from the user equipment a single channel state information report in multiple uplink subframes, the single channel state information report corresponding to the one or more channel state information measurements on the selected ones of plurality of downlink subframes;

wherein the receiving is performed on a schedule for periodic channel state information reporting and the receiving further comprises receiving the single channel state information report on multiple physical uplink control channels on consecutive uplink subframes, and wherein the signaling further comprises sending, from the base station to the user equipment and using radio resource control signaling, a parameter indicating how many times the channel state information report should be repeated, wherein a number of consecutive uplink subframes may be determined by the user equipment using the parameter.