Methods and devices for transmission of control data to a user equipment

• US 9,520,975 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hoymann, Christian, Jngren, George, Lindborn, Lars, Parkvall, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Renner, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belur, Deepa
• Application Number:
  US14/114,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20140086188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 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 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• 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 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A method for transmission of control data to a user equipment in a mobile telecommunication system, wherein the method comprises sending control data to the user equipment in a data transmission, and performing, by the user equipment, a blind decoding of transmission elements within the data transmission in order to detect the control data in a data region in the data transmission.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of control data to a user equipment in a mobile telecommunication system, wherein the method comprises:

sending control data to the user equipment in a data transmission, wherein the data transmission has a first control data region and a second control data region, wherein the second control data region is located in a data region of the data transmission, wherein the first control data region is located in a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the first control data region comprises common control data for different user equipments, and wherein the second control data region comprises user-equipment-specific control data for said user equipment; and

performing, by the user equipment, a blind decoding of transmission elements within the data transmission in order to detect the control data in the control region and in the data region in the data transmission;

wherein said user equipment is configured with one or more common search spaces in the first control data region and with one or more user-equipment-specific search spaces in the first control data region, and wherein said performing the blind decoding comprises monitoring the one or more common search spaces in first control data region and at least one search space in the second control data region, but not monitoring the one or more user-equipment-specific search spaces in the first control data region.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a position of a plurality of transmission elements that are potential bearers of the control data;

sending control information to the user equipment in order to select transmission elements among the configured transmission elements;

monitoring the selected transmission elements, by the user equipment, for the blind decoding.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmission comprises a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the control region is free of control data specifically associated with the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the user equipment is capable of deriving control data from the data region of the data transmission; and

upon determining that the user equipment is capable of deriving control data from the data region, sending the user-equipment-specific control data for said user equipment in the data region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmission comprises a first section in the time-frequency domain and comprises a distinct second section in the time-frequency domain, wherein the first section comprises a first control region and a first data region, and wherein the second section comprises a second data region, wherein at least one of the first data region and the second data region comprises at least a part of the control data.

6. A user equipment for a mobile telecommunication system, wherein control data is to be transmitted to the user equipment in the mobile telecommunication system, wherein the user equipment comprises:

a receiver adapted to receive control data in a data transmission, wherein the data transmission has a first control data region and a second control data region, wherein the second control data region is located in a data region of the data transmission, wherein the first control data region is located in a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the first control data region comprises common control data for different user equipments, and wherein the second control data region comprises user-equipment-specific control data for said user equipment;

a decoder for performing a blind decoding of transmission elements in the control region and in the data region within the data transmission in order to detect the control data in the data transmission; and

a controller adapted to be control the decoder to perform the blind decoding such that performing the blind decoding comprises monitoring one or more common search spaces in first control data region and at least one search space in the second control data region, but not monitoring one or more configured user-equipment-specific search spaces in the first control data region.

7. The user equipment of claim 6,

wherein a position of a plurality of transmission elements is configured, which transmission elements are potential bearers of the control data, wherein the user equipment is adapted to receive control information in order to select transmission elements among the configured transmission elements which the user equipment monitors for the blind decoding;

wherein the controller is further adapted to specify selected transmission elements among the configured transmission elements and to control the decoder so that blind decoding is restricted to the selected transmission elements.

8. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the user equipment is adapted for monitoring control data regions associated with two options of sending Downlink Control Information messages based on the detected control data.

9. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the user equipment is configured with a control data region of a second type, the second type relating to user-equipment-specific control data regions for said user equipment.

10. The user equipment of claim 9, wherein the control data region of the second type is divided into two sets, wherein a first set is associated with reception of downlink assignments and another set is associated with reception of uplink grants.

11. The user equipment of claim 9, wherein the control information instructs the user equipment to only monitor a subset of sets of control data regions of a specific type.

12. A control node for a mobile telecommunication system, wherein the control node comprises

a transmitter configured to send control data to a user equipment in a data transmission, wherein the data transmission has a first control data region and has a second control data region, wherein the second control data region is located in a data region of the data transmission, wherein the first control data region is located in a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the first control data region comprises common control data for different user equipments, and wherein the second control data region comprises user-equipment-specific control data for said user equipment;

an encoder configured to encode transmission elements within the data transmission in order to enable the user equipment to detect the control data in the control region and in the data region in the data transmission by a blind decoding of the transmission elements;

wherein the transmitter is configured to send the data transmission via a multi-carrier transmission, such that the first control data region is carried in a control data region of a first component carrier of the multi-carrier transmission, a corresponding data region of the first component carrier being free of control data, and such that the second control data region is carried in a data region of a second component carrier of the multi-carrier data region.

13. The control node of claim 12,

wherein a position of a plurality of transmission elements is configured, which transmission elements are potential bearers of the control data, wherein control information is sent to the user equipment in order to select transmission elements among the configured transmission elements which the user equipment monitors for the blind decoding;

wherein the control node comprises a controller for specifying selected transmission elements among the configured transmission elements and for indicating the selected transmission elements to the user equipment.

14. A mobile telecommunication system for transmission of control data, wherein the mobile telecommunication system comprises

a user equipment, the user equipment comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive control data in a data transmission, wherein the data transmission has a first control data region and a second control data region, wherein the second control data region is located in a data region of the data transmission, wherein the first control data region is located in a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the first control data region comprises common control data for different user equipments, and wherein the second control data region comprises user-equipment-specific control data for said user equipment; and

a decoder for performing a blind decoding of transmission elements in the control region and in the data region within the data transmission in order to detect the control data in the data transmission;

a controller adapted to be control the decoder to perform the blind decoding such that performing the blind decoding comprises monitoring one or more common search spaces in first control data region and at least one search space in the second control data region, but not monitoring one or more configured user-equipment-specific search spaces in the first control data region, and

a control node, the control node comprising;

a transmitter for sending control data to a user equipment in the data transmission; and

an encoder for encoding of transmission elements within the data transmission in order to enable the user equipment to detect the control data in the control region and in the data region in the data transmission by a blind decoding of the transmission elements,

wherein the control data is to be transmitted from the control node to the user equipment.

15. A method of operating a user equipment for a mobile telecommunication system, the method comprising:

receiving control data in a data transmission, wherein the data transmission has a first control data region and has a second control data region, wherein the second control data region is located in a data region of the data transmission, wherein the first control data region is located in a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the first control data region comprises common control data for different user equipments, and wherein the second control data region comprises user-equipment-specific control data for said user equipment; and

performing a blind decoding of transmission elements in the control region and in the data region within the data transmission in order to detect the control data in the data transmission, wherein said user equipment is configured with one or more common search spaces in the first control data region and with one or more user-equipment-specific search spaces in the first control data region, and wherein said performing the blind decoding comprises monitoring the one or more common search spaces in first control data region and at least one search space in the second control data region, but not monitoring the one or more user-equipment-specific search spaces in the first control data region.

16. A method of operating a control node for a mobile telecommunication system, wherein the method comprises:

sending control data to a user equipment in a data transmission, wherein the data transmission has a first control data region and has a second control data region, wherein the second control data region is located in a data region of the data transmission, wherein the first control data region is located in a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the first control data region comprises common control data for different user equipments, and wherein the second control data region comprises user equipment specific control data for said user equipment; and

encoding transmission elements within the data transmission in order to enable the user equipment to detect the control data in the control region and in the data region in the data transmission by a blind decoding of the transmission elements

wherein sending the control data to the user equipment in the data transmission comprises sending the data transmission via a multi-carrier transmission, such that the first control data region is carried in a control data region of a first component carrier of the multi-carrier transmission, a corresponding data region of the first component carrier being free of control data, and such that the second control data region is carried in a data region of a second component carrier of the multi-carrier transmission.

17. A method for transmission of control data to a user equipment in a mobile telecommunication system, wherein the method comprises:

sending control data to the user equipment in a data transmission, wherein the data transmission has a first control data region and a second control data region, wherein the second control data region is located in a data region of the data transmission, wherein the first control data region is located in a control region in the data transmission preceding the data region, wherein the first control data region comprises common control data for different user equipments, and wherein the second control data region comprises user-equipment-specific control data for said user equipment; and

performing, by the user equipment, a blind decoding of transmission elements within the data transmission in order to detect the control data in the control region and in the data region in the data transmission;

wherein sending the control data to the user equipment in the data transmission comprises sending the data transmission via a multi-carrier transmission, such that the first control data region is carried in a control data region of a first component carrier of the multi-carrier transmission, a corresponding data region of the first component carrier being free of control data, and such that the second control data region is carried in a data region of a second component carrier of the multi-carrier transmission.