Base station radio resource management

• US 9,497,756 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Dinan, Esmael Hejazi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, WILL W
• Application Number:
  US13/850,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20130250882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/392, 370/252, 370/336
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A first base station may transmit a first physical downlink channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the first base station, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is transmitted in fewer than all subframes of a frame and begins in time at a first symbol number in a series of symbols of a subframe. A second base station may transmit a second physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station. Second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel may be configured based on the first symbol number of the first physical downlink control channel to manage overlap with first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a first base station, a first physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the first base station, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is transmitted in fewer than all subframes of a frame and begins in time at a first symbol number in a series of symbols of a subframe; and

transmitting, by a second base station, a second physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station,

wherein second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel are configured based on the first symbol number of the first physical downlink control channel to manage overlap with first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the second base station and from the first base station, a bitmap indicating the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is a first enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), and the method further comprises transmitting first scheduling packets via the first ePDCCH, the first scheduling packets comprising scheduling information for a first physical downlink data channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is a second enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH).

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting, via the second ePDCCH, scheduling packets for the one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the first base station and to the second base station, at least one message indicating the first symbol number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel that are configured based on the first symbol number to manage overlap with the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel are configured based on the first symbol number to reduce overlap or avoid overlap with the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

8. A system comprising:

a first base station comprising;

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, cause the first base station to transmit a first physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the first base station, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is transmitted in fewer than all subframes of a frame and begins in time at a first symbol number in a series of symbols of a subframe; and

a second base station comprising;

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the second base station, cause the second base station to transmit a second physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station,

wherein second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel are configured based on the first symbol number of the first physical downlink control channel to manage overlap with first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more memories of the second base station further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the second base station, cause the second base station to receive, from the first base station, a bitmap indicating the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is a first enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), and wherein the one or more memories of the first base station further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, cause the first base station to transmit first scheduling packets via the first ePDCCH, the first scheduling packets comprising scheduling information for a first physical downlink data channel.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is a second enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH).

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more memories of the first base station further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, cause the first base station to transmit, to the second base station, at least one message indicating the first symbol number.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more memories of the second base station further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the second base station, cause the second base station to manage the second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel to reduce overlap or avoid overlap with the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

14. A method comprising:

determining, by a second base station, a symbol number of a starting symbol in time of first radio resources of a first physical downlink control channel transmitted by a first base station;

determining, by the second base station and based on the symbol number of the starting symbol in time, second radio resources of a second physical downlink control channel of the second base station to manage overlap with the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel; and

transmitting, by the second base station, the second physical downlink control channel using the determined second radio resources.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first physical downlink control channel occurs in fewer than all subframes of a frame.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH).

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel of the second base station to manage overlap with first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel further comprises at least one of reducing overlap or avoiding overlap between the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel of the first base station and the second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel of the second base station.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the symbol number of the starting symbol in time comprises receiving, by the second base station and from the first base station, at least one message indicating the symbol number of the starting symbol in time.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first physical downlink control channel occurs in fewer than all subframes of a frame, and the method further comprises receiving, by the second base station and from the first base station, a bitmap indicating the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

20. A second base station comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the second base station to perform the following;

determine a symbol number of a starting symbol in time of first radio resources of a first physical downlink control channel transmitted by a first base station;

determine, based on the symbol number of the starting symbol in time, second radio resources of a second physical downlink control channel of the second base station to manage overlap with the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel; and

transmit the second physical downlink control channel using the determined second radio resources.

21. The second base station of claim 20, wherein the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel comprise fewer than all subframes of a frame.

22. The second base station of claim 20, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH).

23. The second base station of claim 20, wherein the instructions that cause the second base station to determine the second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel of the second base station to manage overlap with first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel further cause the second base station to reduce overlap or avoid overlap between the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel of the first base station and the second radio resources of the second physical downlink control channel of the second base station.

24. The second base station of claim 20, wherein the instructions that cause the second base station to determine the symbol number of the starting symbol in time cause the second base station to receive, from the first base station, at least one message indicating the symbol number of the starting symbol in time.

25. The second base station of claim 20, wherein the first physical downlink control channel comprises fewer than all subframes of a frame, and the one or more memories further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the second base station to receive, from the first base station, a bitmap indicating the first radio resources of the first physical downlink control channel.

26. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a first base station, a first physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the first base station, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is transmitted in fewer than all subframes of a frame and is transmitted employing a first beamforming codeword; and

transmitting, by a second base station, a second physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is transmitted in fewer than all subframes of a frame and is transmitted employing a second beamforming codeword,

wherein at least one of the first beamforming codeword or the second beamforming codeword is configured to manage inter-cell interference between the first physical downlink control channel and the second physical downlink control channel.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one of the first beamforming codeword or the second beamforming codeword is configured to reduce inter-cell interference or avoid inter-cell interference between the first physical downlink control channel and the second physical downlink control channel.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is a first enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), and the method further comprises transmitting first scheduling packets via the first ePDCCH, the first scheduling packets comprising scheduling information for a first physical downlink data channel.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is a second enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH).

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising transmitting, via the second ePDCCH, scheduling packets for the one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting, by the first base station and to the second base station, at least one message indicating the first beamforming codeword.

32. A system comprising:

a first base station comprising;

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, cause the first base station to transmit a first physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the first base station, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is transmitted in fewer than all subframes of a frame and is transmitted employing a first beamforming codeword; and

a second base station comprising;

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the second base station, cause the second base station to transmit a second physical downlink control channel associated with one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is transmitted in fewer than all subframes of a frame and is transmitted employing a second beamforming codeword,

wherein at least one of the first beamforming codeword or the second beamforming codeword is configured to manage inter-cell interference between the first physical downlink control channel and the second physical downlink control channel.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the at least one of the first beamforming codeword or the second beamforming codeword is configured to reduce inter-cell interference or avoid inter-cell interference between the first physical downlink control channel and the second physical downlink control channel.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is a first enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), and the one or more memories of the first base station further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, cause the first base station to transmit first scheduling packets via the first ePDCCH, the first scheduling packets comprising scheduling information for a first physical downlink data channel.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the second physical downlink control channel is a second enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH).

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the one or more memories of the second base station further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the second base station, cause the second base station to transmit, via the second ePDCCH, scheduling packets for the one or more wireless devices in communication with the second base station.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the one or more memories of the first base station further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, cause the first base station to transmit, to the second base station, at least one message indicating the first beamforming codeword.