Supporting different LTE-TDD configurations in neighboring regions and/or adjacent carriers

• US 9,585,156 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhattad, Kapil, Gore, Dhananjay Ashok, Kadous, Tamer Adel, Mantravadi, Ashok, Sadek, Ahmed, Kumar, Raj
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chau, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/672,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20130121189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1484 operating bytewise
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

When communications of a single radio access technology (RAT), or different radio access technologies in a proximate communication spectrum are operating at the same time, potential interference between devices may occur. To reduce the interference, the time division duplex (TDD) configuration of one or more conflicting device may be altered. For example, at the edge of a communication region, TDD configurations used by edge base stations to communicate with mobile devices may be set to reduce interference. As another example, communications of a first device may be altered so the first device schedules uplink communications when a second device also has uplink communications scheduled. Other configurations may also be implemented.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication at a base station, comprising:

determining, at the base station, when downlink time division duplex (TDD) communications of a first user equipment (UE) experience interference from uplink TDD communications of a second UE when communication frames of the first UE and second UE are aligned, the first UE being assigned a first TDD configuration and the second UE being assigned a second TDD configuration;

scheduling, at the base station, communications by at least scheduling the first UE with a new TDD configuration that is different from the first TDD configuration and the second TDD configuration to reduce the interference; and

instructing, at the base station, the first UE to use the new TDD configuration while the base station operates with the first TDD configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the scheduling comprises scheduling uplink communications of the second UE only on subframes when the first UE is engaged in uplink communications.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the new TDD configuration is different from a TDD configuration for other UEs served by the base station serving the first UE.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the scheduling comprises scheduling the first UE with TDD configuration 0.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the second UE causing the interference.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the first UE experiencing the interference.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the scheduling comprises scheduling uplink communications of the second UE to avoid at least one edge resource block on a frequency closest to a frequency used by the first UE.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the scheduling comprises prioritizing scheduling uplink resources of potential aggressor UEs to avoid at least one edge resource block of a subframe that would cause the interference.

9. The method of claim 8, in which the potential aggressor UEs comprises UEs transmitting at a high power and/or UEs allocated a large number of resource blocks.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the scheduling comprises scheduling uplink communications of the second UE to avoid at least one edge resource block of a subframe that would cause the interference.

11. The method of claim 1, in which the scheduling comprises the second UE scheduling its communications to avoid the interference to the first UE.

12. The method of claim 1, in which the second UE performs the determining and the method further comprises sending a report of interference to the base station.

13. The method of claim 1, in which the scheduling comprises reducing a resource allocation to the second UE.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising advertising different TDD configurations to different UEs.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising:

means for determining when downlink time division duplex (TDD) communications of a first user equipment (UE) experience interference from uplink TDD communications of a second UE when communication frames of the first UE and second UE are aligned, the first UE being assigned a first TDD configuration and the second UE being assigned a second TDD configuration;

means for scheduling communications by at least scheduling the first UE with a new TDD configuration that is different from the first TDD configuration and the second TDD configuration to reduce the interference; and

means for instructing the first UE to use the new TDD configuration while the base station operates with the first TDD configuration.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon at a base station, the non-transitory program code comprising:

program code, at the base station, to determine when downlink time division duplex (TDD) communications of a first user equipment (UE) experience interference from uplink TDD communications of a second UE when communication frames of the first UE and second UE are aligned, the first UE being assigned a first TDD configuration and the second UE being assigned a second TDD configuration;

program code, at the base station, to schedule communications by at least scheduling the first UE with a new TDD configuration that is different from the first TDD configuration and the second TDD configuration to reduce the interference; and

program code, at the base station, to instruct the first UE to use the new TDD configuration while the base station operates with the first TDD configuration.

17. A base station configured for wireless communications, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured;

to determine when downlink time division duplex (TDD) communications of a first user equipment (UE) experience interference from uplink TDD communications of a second UE when communication frames of the first UE and second UE are aligned, the first UE being assigned a first TDD configuration and the second UE being assigned a second TDD configuration;

to schedule communications by at least scheduling the first UE with a new TDD configuration that is different from the first TDD configuration and the second TDD configuration to reduce the interference; and

to instruct the first UE to use the new TDD configuration while the base station operates with the first TDD configuration.

18. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to schedule uplink communications of the second UE only on subframes when the first UE is engaged in uplink communications.

19. The base station of claim 17 in which the new TDD configuration is different from a TDD configuration for other UEs served by the base station serving the first UE.

20. The base station of claim 17 in which the at least one processor is further configured to schedule the first UE with TDD configuration 0.

21. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to detect an aggressor UE causing user equipment to user equipment interference.

22. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to detect a victim UE experiencing user equipment to user equipment interference.

23. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to schedule uplink communications of the second UE to avoid at least one edge resource block on a frequency closest to a frequency used by the first UE.

24. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to schedule by prioritizing scheduling of uplink resources of potential aggressor UEs to avoid at least one edge resource block of a subframe that would cause the interference.

25. The base station of claim 24, in which the potential aggressor UEs comprises UEs transmitting at a high power and/or UEs allocated a large number of resource blocks.

26. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to schedule by scheduling uplink communications of the second UE to avoid at least one edge resource block of a subframe that would cause the interference.

27. The base station of claim 17, in which the second UE comprises the at least one processor and the at least one processor is further configured to schedule communications of the second UE to avoid interference to the first UE.

28. The base station of claim 17, in which the second UE comprises the at least one processor and the at least one processor is further configured to report interference to the base station.

29. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to reduce a resource allocation to the second UE.

30. The base station of claim 17, in which the at least one processor is further configured to advertise different TDD configurations to different UEs.