Multi-carrier CQI feedback method and apparatus

• US 9,585,042 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Parkvall, Stefan, Dahlman, Erik, Gransson, Bo, Bergstrm, Joakim
• Primary Examiner(s): PASIA, REDENTOR M
• Application Number:
  US14/884,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20160037369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0029 Reduction of the amount of signalling, e.g. retention of useful signalling or differential signalling power control H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A radio base station transmits data symbols to a mobile terminal on multiple frequency carriers, e.g., in accordance with the MC-WCDMA or cdma2000 3× air interface protocols. The radio base station instructs the mobile terminal to report channel quality measurements obtained by the terminal for the multiple carriers over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals. According to one embodiment, the mobile terminal reports channel quality by receiving data symbols transmitted on a plurality of frequency carriers in a multi-carrier CDMA environment and measuring channel quality for the different frequency carriers. The mobile terminal reports individual ones of the channel quality measurements over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile terminal for reporting channel quality, the method comprising:

receiving data symbols transmitted on a plurality of frequency carriers in a multi-carrier CDMA environment;

measuring channel quality for the different frequency carriers;

reporting individual ones of the channel quality measurements over a same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals by;

mapping a best channel quality measurement of the individual ones of the channel quality measurements to a channel quality indicator index,

determining a delta from the channel quality indicator index for one or more of remaining frequency carriers based on its corresponding channel quality measurement, and

reporting the channel quality indicator index and individual deltas over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals;

receiving a physical layer or MAC layer signaling message from a radio base station directing the mobile terminal to stop reporting one or more channel quality measurements of one or more frequency carriers for one or more reporting intervals over the same uplink channel; and

stopping, responsive to said physical layer or MAC layer signaling message, reporting one or more channel quality measurements for one or more frequency carriers for one or more reporting intervals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting individual ones of the channel quality measurements over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises reporting only the channel quality measurements that satisfy a threshold criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting individual ones of the channel quality measurements over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises reporting individual ones of the channel quality measurements during consecutive reporting intervals.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising skipping one or more reporting intervals before revised channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported over the same uplink channel during consecutive reporting intervals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting individual ones of the channel quality measurements over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises skipping one or more consecutive reporting intervals between successively reported channel quality measurements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting individual ones of the channel quality measurements over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises:

ranking the channel quality measurements; and

reporting the channel quality measurements in order based on rank.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising reporting a frequency carrier identity associated with each reported channel quality measurement.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein stopping the reporting of the one or more channel quality measurements over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises stopping the reporting for one or more reporting intervals until channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported over the same uplink channel during consecutive reporting intervals.

8. A mobile terminal comprising a baseband processor configured to:

process received data symbols transmitted on a plurality of frequency carriers in a multi-carrier CDMA environment;

measure channel quality for the different frequency carriers;

report individual ones of the channel quality measurements over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals by;

mapping a best channel quality measurement of the individual ones of the channel quality measurements to a channel quality indicator index,

determining a delta from the channel quality indicator index for one or more of remaining frequency carriers based on its corresponding channel quality measurement, and

reporting the channel quality indicator index and individual deltas over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals;

receive a physical layer or MAC layer signaling message from a radio base station directing the mobile terminal to stop reporting one or more channel quality measurements of one or more frequency carriers for one or more reporting intervals over the same uplink channel; and

stop, responsive to said physical layer or MAC layer signaling message, reporting one or more channel quality measurements for one or more frequency carriers for one or more reporting intervals.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the baseband processor is configured to report only the channel quality measurements that satisfy a threshold criteria.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the baseband processor is configured to report individual ones of the channel quality measurements during consecutive reporting intervals.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor is configured to skip one or more reporting intervals before revised channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported over the same uplink channel during consecutive reporting intervals.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the baseband processor is configured to skip one or more consecutive reporting intervals between successively reported channel quality measurements.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to rank the channel quality measurements and report the channel quality measurements in order based on rank.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to report a frequency carrier identity associated with each reported channel quality measurement.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the baseband processor is configured to stop the reporting of one or more channel quality measurements for one or more frequency carriers for one or more reporting intervals until channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported over the same uplink channel during consecutive reporting intervals.

15. A method of allocating radio resources, comprising:

transmitting data symbols to a mobile terminal on a plurality of frequency carriers in a multi-carrier CDMA environment;

directing the mobile terminal to report individual channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals, the mobile terminal to report the individual channel quality measurements by;

mapping a best channel quality measurement of the individual ones of the channel quality measurements to a channel quality indicator index,

determining a delta from the channel quality indicator index for one or more of remaining frequency carriers based on its corresponding channel quality measurement, and

reporting the channel quality indicator index and individual deltas over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals;

directing the mobile terminal, via a physical layer or MAC layer signaling message, to stop reporting channel quality measurements for one or more reporting intervals for one or more frequency carriers over the same uplink channel; and

adjusting radio resource allocation based at least in part on channel quality reports received from the mobile terminal over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein directing the mobile terminal to report individual channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises directing the mobile terminal to report only the channel quality measurements that satisfy a threshold criteria.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein directing the mobile terminal to report individual channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises directing the mobile terminal to report individual ones of the channel quality measurements during consecutive reporting intervals.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising directing the mobile terminal to skip one or more reporting intervals before revised channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported by the mobile terminal over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein directing the mobile terminal to report individual channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises directing the mobile terminal to skip one or more consecutive reporting intervals between successively reported channel quality measurements.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein directing the mobile terminal to report individual channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals comprises directing the mobile terminal to rank the channel quality measurements and report the channel quality measurements in order based on rank.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising directing the mobile terminal to report a frequency carrier identity associated with each reported channel quality measurement.

31. The method of claim 15, wherein directing the mobile terminal to stop reporting channel quality measurements comprises directing the mobile terminal to stop reporting the one or more channel quality measurements for the one or more frequency carriers for the one or more reporting intervals until channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported over the same uplink channel during consecutive reporting intervals.

22. A radio access network comprising a base station configured to:

transmit data symbols to a mobile terminal on a plurality of frequency carriers in a multi-carrier CDMA environment;

direct the mobile terminal to report individual channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals, the mobile terminal to report the individual channel quality measurements by;

mapping a best channel quality measurement of the individual ones of the channel quality measurements to a channel quality indicator index,

determining a delta from the channel quality indicator index for one or more of remaining frequency carriers based on its corresponding channel quality measurement, and

reporting the channel quality indicator index and individual deltas over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals;

direct the mobile terminal, via a physical layer or MAC layer signaling message, to stop reporting channel quality measurements for one or more reporting intervals for one or more frequency carriers over the same uplink channel; and

adjust radio resource allocation based at least in part on channel quality reports received from the mobile terminal over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals.

23. The radio access network of claim 22, wherein the base station is configured to direct the mobile terminal to report only the channel quality measurements that satisfy a threshold criteria.

24. The radio access network of claim 22, wherein the base station is configured to direct the mobile terminal to report individual ones of the channel quality measurements during consecutive reporting intervals.

25. The radio access network of claim 24, wherein the base station is configured to direct the mobile terminal to skip one or more reporting intervals before revised channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported by the mobile terminal over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals.

26. The radio access network of claim 22, wherein the base station is configured to direct the mobile terminal to skip one or more consecutive reporting intervals between successively reported channel quality measurements.

27. The radio access network of claim 22, wherein the base station is configured to direct the mobile terminal to rank the channel quality measurements and report the channel quality measurements in order based on rank.

28. The radio access network of claim 27, wherein the base station is further configured to direct the mobile terminal to report a frequency carrier identity associated with each reported channel quality measurement.

32. The radio access network of claim 22, wherein the base station is configured to direct the mobile terminal to stop reporting channel quality measurements for one or more reporting intervals for one or more frequency carriers over the same uplink channel until channel quality measurements for the different frequency carriers are subsequently reported by the mobile terminal over the same uplink channel during successive reporting intervals.