Methods and apparatus for enabling further L1 enhancements in LTE heterogeneous networks

• US 9,544,880 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Song, Yi, Bontu, Chandra Sekhar, Cai, Zhijun
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchau Ba
• Application Number:
  US13/842,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 370/280, 370/252, 370/329, 370/278, 370/281, 370/336, 370/350, 370/468, 455/515
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0016 involving special memory structures, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0077 Cooperative coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/00 Baseband systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0069 Allocation based on distance or geographical location allocation based on terminal or device properties in general, H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0278 using buffer status reports dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 : Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1268 : of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1273 : of downlink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A network element in a first cell in a wireless telecommunication network is provided. The network element comprises a processor configured such that the network element provides uplink and downlink grants in the first cell, wherein the first cell is a low-power cell within the coverage area of a second, high-power cell, and wherein the first cell acts as a secondary cell and the second cell acts as a primary cell in a carrier aggregation mode, and wherein at least one uplink control signal is received by one of only the first cell or both the first cell and the second cell.

Claims

1. A network element in a first cell in a wireless telecommunication network, the network element comprising:

at least one storage device; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the at least one storage device such that when executed, the network element provides uplink and downlink grants in the first cell, wherein the first cell is a low-power cell within the coverage area of a second, high-power cell, and wherein the first cell acts as a secondary cell and the second cell acts as a primary cell in a carrier aggregation mode, wherein the network element schedules the uplink and downlink grants based on information received from the second cell via an X2 interface between the first and second cells, and wherein at least one uplink control signal is received by one of only the first cell or both the first cell and the second cell,

wherein the network element receives a buffer status report independently from a buffer status report sent to the second cell, wherein, when dynamic TDD with slow adaptation is used in the first cell, the network element notifies the second cell about the actual TDD configuration used in the first cell, and when dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is used in the first cell, the network element notifies the second cell that dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is used in the first cell.

2. The network element of claim 1, wherein the uplink and downlink grants are for data transmissions on both the first cell and the second cell.

3. The network element of claim 1, wherein the network element receives a scheduling request independently from a scheduling request sent to the second cell.

4. The network element of claim 1, wherein dynamic time division duplexing (TDD) with fast adaptation is used in the first cell, and wherein the RadioResourceConfigCommonSCell information element in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 36.331 is modified to indicate to a user equipment (UE) that dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is in use in the first cell.

5. The network element of claim 1, wherein the network element assigns a first cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) to a user equipment (UE), and wherein the first C-RNTI is different from a second C-RNTI that the second cell assigns to the UE.

6. The network element of claim 1, wherein the network element in the first cell reserves at least one C-RNTI for the second cell to assign to at least one UE configured to maintain dual connectivity with the first cell and the second cell, and wherein the network element notifies the second cell about the at least one reserved C-RNTI.

7. The network element of claim 1, wherein the network element receives all data transmitted from a UE from which the at least one uplink control signal is received, the at least one uplink control signal comprising at least one acknowledgement (ACK) signal, negative acknowledgement (NACK) signal and/or channel state information (CSI) signal.

8. The network element of claim 1, wherein different duplex modes are used in the first cell and the second cell.

9. A method for communication in a wireless telecommunication network, the method comprising:

providing, by a network element in a first cell in the network, uplink and downlink grants in the first cell, wherein the first cell is a low-power cell within the coverage area of a second, high-power cell, and wherein the first cell acts as a secondary cell and the second cell acts as a primary cell in a carrier aggregation mode, wherein the network element schedules the uplink and downlink grants based on information received from the second cell via an X2 interface between the first and second cells, and wherein at least one uplink control signal is received by one of only the first cell or both the first cell and the second cell; and

receiving, by the network element in the first cell, a buffer status report independently from a buffer status report sent to the second cell, wherein, when dynamic TDD with slow adaptation is used in the first cell, the network element notifies the second cell about the actual TDD configuration used in the first cell, and when dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is used in the first cell, the network element notifies the second cell that dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is used in the first cell.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the uplink and downlink grants are for data transmissions on both the first cell and the second cell.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the network element receives a scheduling request independently from a scheduling request sent to the second cell.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein dynamic time division duplexing (TDD) with fast adaptation is used in the first cell, and wherein the RadioResourceConfigCommonSCell information element in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 36.331 is modified to indicate to a user equipment (UE) in the first cell that dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is in use in the first cell.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the network element assigns a first cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) to a user equipment (UE), and wherein the first C-RNTI is different from a second C-RNTI that the second cell assigns to the UE.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the network element reserves at least one C-RNTI for the second cell to assign to at least one UE configured to maintain dual connectivity with the first cell and the second cell, and wherein the network element notifies the second cell about the at least one reserved C-RNTI.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the network element receives all data transmitted from a UE from which the at least one uplink control signal is received, the at least one uplink control signal comprising at least one acknowledgement (ACK) signal, negative acknowledgement (NACK) signal and/or channel state information (CSI) signal.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein different duplex modes are used in the first cell and the second cell.