Method of handling uplink synchronization and related communication device

• US 9,426,765 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2011
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Chun-Yen, Chen, Chun-Chia, Lin, Shiang-Jiun
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KIET G
• Application Number:
  US12/987,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20110170535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,052 Days
• Field of Search: 370/350, 370/336, 370/329, 370/330, 455/436
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time

Abstract

A method of handling uplink synchronization for a mobile device capable of receiving and transmitting on a plurality of component carriers in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method comprises performing a first random access procedure on a first component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the first component carrier, and performing a second random access procedure on at least a component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the at least a component carrier.

Claims

1. A method of handling uplink synchronization for a mobile device capable of receiving and transmitting on a plurality of component carriers in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

performing a first random access procedure on a first component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the first component carrier; and

performing a second random access procedure on at least a component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the at least a component carrier, which comprises;

receiving at least a random access preamble assigned by a network of the wireless communication system for the at least a component carrier;

sending at least a random access preamble message including the at least a random access preamble to the network; and

receiving a random access response message on the first component carrier corresponding to the at least a random access preamble message from the network, wherein the random access response message includes at least a timing advance value determined by the network according to the at least a random access preamble message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least a random access preamble for the at least a component carrier from the network of the wireless communication system comprises:

receiving the at least a random access preamble in a contention resolution message of the first random access procedure from the network through at least a component carrier;

or

receiving the at least a random access preamble in at least a first message dedicated for random access preamble assignment from the network through the at least a component carrier;

or

receiving a second message aggregated with the at least a first message from the network through one of the plurality of component carriers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least a random access response message corresponding to the at least a random access preamble message from the network comprises:

receiving a third message aggregated with the at least a random access response message from the network through one of the plurality of component carriers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the second random access procedure on the at least a component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the at least a component carrier comprises:

receiving one random access preamble assigned by a network of the wireless communication system for one of the at least a component carrier;

sending a random access preamble message including the random access preamble to the network; and

receiving at least a random access response message corresponding to the random access preamble message from the network, wherein the at least a random access response message includes at least a timing advance determined by the network according to the random access preamble message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving one random access preamble for one of the at least a component carrier from the network of the wireless communication system comprises:

receiving the one random access preamble in a contention resolution message of the first random access procedure from the network through one of the plurality of component carriers;

or

receiving the one random access preamble in a first message dedicated for random access preamble assignment from the network through one of the at least a component carrier.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the at least a random access response message corresponding to the random access preamble message from the network comprises:

receiving a second message aggregated with the at least a random access response message from the network through one of the plurality of component carriers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the first random access procedure on the first component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the first component carrier comprises:

receiving no contention resolution message of the first random access procedure; and

determining the first random access procedure is successful performed when a random access preamble of the second random access procedure is received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein performing a second random access procedure on the at least a component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the at least a component carrier comprises:

performing the second random access procedure on the at least a component carrier before the first random access procedure is completely performed.

9. A mobile device of a wireless communication system for handling uplink synchronization, the mobile device capable of receiving and transmitting on a plurality of component carriers, the mobile device comprising:

a processor for executing a program; and

a storage unit coupled to the processor for storing the program;

wherein the program instructs the processor to perform the following steps;

performing a first random access procedure on a first component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the first component carrier; and

performing a second random access procedure on at least a component carrier of the plurality of component carriers to establish uplink synchronization on the at least a component carrier, which comprises;

receiving at least a random access preamble assigned by a network of the wireless communication system for the at least a component carrier;

sending at least a random access preamble message including the at least a random access preamble to the network; and

receiving a random access response message on the first component carrier corresponding to the at least a random access preamble message from the network, wherein the random access response message includes at least a timing advance value determined by the network according to the at least a random access preamble message.

10. A method of handling uplink synchronization for a mobile device capable of receiving and transmitting on a plurality of component carriers in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

performing a random access procedure on a first component carrier of component carriers with the same timing advance value to obtain a timing advance value; and

managing a plurality of time alignment timers each corresponding to some of the plurality of component carriers for indicating a synchronization state on the component carriers with the same timing advance value, wherein the managing step comprises;

starting or restarting the time alignment timer when a timing advance command in a random access response message of the random access procedure is received for the first component carrier, and a random access preamble of the random access procedure is not selected by the mobile device or the time alignment timer is not running.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein managing the plurality of time alignment timers each corresponding to the component carrier of the plurality of component carriers for indicating the synchronization state on the component carrier comprises:

starting or restarting a first time alignment timer of the plurality of time alignment timers when a timing advance command in a medium access control (MAC) control element is received from the corresponding component carrier of the plurality of component carriers;

or

starting or restarting the first time alignment timer when the timing advance command in a random access response message of a random access procedure is received from the corresponding component carrier, and a random access preamble of the random access procedure is not selected by the mobile device or the first time alignment timer is not running.

12. A mobile device of a wireless communication system for handling uplink synchronization, the mobile device capable of receiving and transmitting on a plurality of component carriers, the mobile device comprising:

a processor for executing a program; and

a storage unit coupled to the processor for storing the program;

wherein the program instructs the processor to perform the following steps;

performing a random access procedure on a first component carrier of component carriers with the same timing advance value to obtain the timing advance value; and

managing a plurality of time alignment timers each corresponding to some of the plurality of component carriers for indicating a synchronization state on the component carriers with the same timing advance value, wherein the managing step comprises;

starting or restarting the time alignment timer when a timing advance command in a random access response message of the random access procedure is received for the first component carrier, and a random access preamble of the random access procedure is not selected by the mobile device or the time alignment timer is not running.