Providing a downlink control structure in a first carrier to indicate control information in a second, different carrier

• US 9,485,755 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tee, Lai-King, Song, Yi, Li, Jun, Tang, Yuqiang, Wang, Neng
• Primary Examiner(s): Elpenord, Candal
• Application Number:
  US13/974,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20130343311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• 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 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile station receives a downlink control structure in a first carrier, where the downlink control structure indicates that control information for the mobile station is on a second, different carrier. The mobile station decodes the control information in the second carrier, where the control information specifies resource allocation of a wireless link for the mobile station. More specifically, according to some implementations, the control channel in the first carrier specifies the resource allocation for an extended control channel in the second carrier, where the extended control channel specifies the resource allocation for traffic data of a wireless link for the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile station, higher layer signaling indicating resource allocation among a plurality of carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises a first carrier and a second, different carrier;

receiving, by the mobile station, control information in the first carrier, wherein the control information indicates that information for the mobile station is on the second carrier, and wherein the control information indicates a location and size of the information in the second carrier;

decoding, by the mobile station, the information in the second carrier based on the control information; and

performing communication, by the mobile station, with the base station using both the first carrier and the second carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating comprises the mobile station receiving data from the base station using both the first carrier and the second carrier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, by the mobile station, with the base station to establish carrier aggregation of the plurality of carriers for the mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the control information indicates an identifier of the second carrier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second carriers are non-contiguous.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information in the second carrier comprises control information, wherein the control information specifies resource allocation for data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control information is specified in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the first carrier.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile station, a downlink control structure that indicates that the control information is on the first carrier;

wherein said receiving the control information is based on the downlink control structure.

9. A mobile station, comprising:

wireless communication circuitry, configured to perform wireless communication with at least a base station; and

processing hardware coupled to the wireless communication circuitry, wherein the processing hardware is configured to operate with the wireless communication circuitry to;

receive higher layer signaling indicating resource allocation among a plurality of carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises a first carrier and a second, different carrier;

receive control information in the first carrier, wherein the control information indicates that information for the mobile station is on the second carrier, and wherein the control information indicates a location and size of the information in the second carrier;

decode the information in the second carrier based on the control information; and

perform communication with the base station using both the first carrier and the second carrier.

10. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein communicating comprises receiving data from the base station using both the first carrier and the second carrier.

11. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the processing hardware is further configured to operate with the wireless communication circuitry to:

communicate with the base station to establish carrier aggregation of the plurality of carriers for the mobile station.

12. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the control information indicates an identifier of the second carrier.

13. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the first and second carriers are non-contiguous.

14. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the information in the second carrier comprises control information, wherein the control information specifies resource allocation for data.

15. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the processing hardware is further configured to operate with the wireless communication circuitry to:

receive a downlink control structure that indicates that the control information is on the first carrier;

wherein receiving the control information is based on the downlink control structure.

16. A non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium storing program instructions executable by a processor of a mobile station to:

receive higher layer signaling indicating resource allocation among a plurality of carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises a first carrier and a second, different carrier;

receive control information in the first carrier, wherein the control information indicates that information for the mobile station is on the second carrier, and wherein the control information indicates a location and size of the information in the second carrier;

decode the information in the second carrier based on the control information; and

perform communication with the base station using both the first carrier and the second carrier.

17. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 16, wherein communicating comprises receiving data from the base station using both the first carrier and the second carrier.

18. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 16, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

communicate with the base station to establish carrier aggregation of the plurality of carriers for the mobile station.

19. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 16, wherein the control information indicates an identifier of the second carrier.

20. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 16, wherein the information in the second carrier comprises control information, wherein the control information specifies resource allocation for data.