Dynamical time division duplex uplink and downlink configuration in a communications network

• US 9,591,653 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: He, Hong, Fwu, Jong-Kae, Khoryaev, Alexey, Heo, Youn Hyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Mered, Habte
• Application Number:
  US14/247,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20150029910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/00 Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system means for positioning H01Q1/125
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0632 Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0686 Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and simultaneous transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0023 Interference mitigation or co-ordination direct sequence spread spectrum [DSSS] systems H04B1/7097; frequency hopping H04B1/713; allocation criteria for ingress interference avoidance H04L5/0062; frequency allocation criteria for requirements on out-of-channel emissions H04L5/0066; arrangements for removing intersymbol interference or baseband equalisers H04L25/03006; peak power aspects in multicarrier modulation H04L27/2614; power management H04W52/00; traffic scheduling H04W72/54, H04W72/541
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0083 Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 : in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• 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 72/541 : using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 : Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• 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 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A technology is disclosed for a user equipment (UE) that is operable to dynamically change an uplink/downlink (UL/DL) configuration in a communications network. A radio resource control (RRC) connection can be requested with an enhanced node B (eNode B). A UE Capability Information information element (IE) can be communicated to the eNode B to indicate an enhanced interference mitigation and traffic adaptation (eIMTA) capability of the UE to support an eIMTA time duplex domain (TDD) UL/DL reconfiguration functionality. An eIMTA configuration information can be received at the UE information within a RRCConnectionSetup message or a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) operable to dynamically change an uplink/downlink (UL/DL) configuration in a communications network, the UE comprising one or more processors and memory configured to:

request a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an enhanced node B (eNode B);

communicate, to the eNode B, a UE Capability Information information element (IE) to indicate an enhanced interference mitigation and traffic adaptation (eIMTA) capability of the UE to support an eIMTA time duplex domain (TDD) UL/DL reconfiguration functionality;

receive, at the UE, eIMTA configuration information within a RRCConnectionSetup message or a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, wherein the RRCConnectionSetup message or the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message includes an eIMTA Radio-Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) and an UL/DL configuration indicator field index within an UL/DL reconfiguration physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with a serving cell; and

decode, at the UE, the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by the eIMTA-RNTI.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the RRCConnectionSetup message or the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message includes:

a 2-bit or 3-bit UL/DL configuration indicator field index within the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors and memory are further configured to:

determine UL/DL configuration information from a decoded UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH based on the assigned indicator field index.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors and memory are further configured to monitor one common search space (CSS) on a Primary Cell (PCell) to receive the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH with CRC scrambled by the eIMTA-RNTI assigned for the UE.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors and memory are further configured to monitor one common search space (CSS) on a Primary Cell (PCell) to receive the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCHs with CRCs scrambled by multiple different eIMTA-RNTIs separately, wherein each eIMTA-RNTI has a one-to-one mapping with a serving cell index.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors and memory are further configured to monitor a common search space (CSS) on each eIMTA-enabled serving cell to receive the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCHs with CRC scrambled by one eIMTA-RNTI assigned for the UE.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors and memory are further configured to monitor a UE-group-common search space on a PDCCH on a Primary Cell (PCell) or each eIMTA-enabled serving cell to receive the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCHs with CRC scrambled by different eIMTA-RNTIs assigned for the UE for each serving cell, wherein the control channel elements (CCEs) corresponding to PDCCH candidate m of the UE-group-common search space S_k^(L) are determined using:

L{(Y_k+m′

)mod └

N_CCE,k/L┘

}+i,

where aggregation level Lε

{1,2,4,8} is defined by a set of PDCCH candidates and, Y_k is determined using;

Y_k=(A·

Y<sub>k−

1</sub>)mod D

where Y<sub>−

1</sub>=n_RNTI≠

0, A=39827, D=65537 and k=└

n_s/2┘

, n_s is a slot number within a radio frame, and the RNTI value used for n_RNTI is the eIMTA-RNTI assigned for UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH transmission.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein m′

=m when the monitoring UE is not configured with a carrier indicator field.

9. The UE of claim 7, wherein

m′

=m+M^(L)·

n_CI, where n_CI is a carrier indicator field value,

m=0, . . . , M^(L)−

1, M^(L) is a number of PDCCH candidates to monitor in a UE specific search space for aggregation level L, N_CCE,k is a total number of CCEs in a control region of subframe k, and i=0, . . . , L−

1 is a CCE index within a aggregation level L.

10. The UE of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors and memeory are further configured to monitor the UE-group-common search space on an enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH) on a PCell only when cross-carrier scheduling is configured or on each eIMTA-enabled serving cell when cross-carrier scheduling is not configured, to receive the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCHs with CRC scrambled by multiple different eIMTA-RNTIs assigned for the UE, wherein enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs) corresponding to EPDCCH candidate m of a search space ES_k^(L) are given by:

11. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH includes N TDD UL/DL Configuration Indicator (TCI) fields, where N is configured by the eNode B within an RRC signaling message for each eIMTA capable UE or N is determined using

12. The UE of claim 11, wherein the selected functionalities include Transmit Power Control (TPC) commands for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission on flexible subframes.

13. The UE of claim 11, wherein zero-padding information bits are appended to TDD UL/DL configuration indicator fields until a UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH size is equal to a format Y size mapped onto the common search space.

14. An enhanced node B (eNode B) operable to dynamically change a time duplex domain (TDD) uplink/downlink (UL/DL) configuration in a communications network, the eNode B comprising one or more processors and memory configured to:

establish a radio resource control connection with a user equipment (UE);

receive, from the UE, a UE Capability Information information element (IE) to indicate an enhanced interference mitigation and traffic adaptation (eIMTA) capability of the UE;

determine support of eIMTA functionality by the UE based on the UE Capability Information IE; and

configure radio resource control (RRC) parameters for performing an eIMTA UL/DL reconfiguration of the UE, wherein the RRC parameters include an eIMTA Radio-Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) and an UL/DL configuration indicator field index within an UL/DL reconfiguration physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with a serving cell, and the UE is configured to decode the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by the eIMTA-RNTI.

15. The eNode B of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors and memory are further configured to communicate, to the UE, eIMTA parameters associated with a secondary cell (SCell) of the eNode B.

16. The eNode B of claim 14, wherein the RRC parameters include an eIMTA radio network temporary identity (RNTI) of the UE and an indicator index.

17. A method for dynamically changing an uplink /downlink (UL/DL) ratio in a communications network, comprising:

requesting a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an enhanced node B (eNode B);

communicating, to the eNode B, a user equipment (UE) Capability Information message to indicate an enhanced interference mitigation and traffic adaptation (eIMTA) capability of the UE to support an eIMTA time duplex domain (TDD) UL/DL reconfiguration functionality; and

receiving, at the UE, eIMTA configuration information within a RRCConnectionSetup message or a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, wherein the RRCConnectionSetup message or the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message includes an eIMTA Radio-Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) and an UL/DL configuration indicator field index within an UL/DL reconfiguration physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with a serving cell.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the RRCConnectionSetup message or the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message includes:

a 2-bit or 3-bit UL/DL configuration indicator field index within the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a UL/DL reconfiguration physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) includes N TCI fields, where N is configured by the eNode B within an RRC signaling message for each eIMTA capable UE or N is determined using

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the existing DCI format Y mapped onto the common search space is a DCI format 1C.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the existing DCI format Y mapped onto the common search space is a DCI format 0/1A/3/3A.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the TCI code word size of M is 3 bits and each TCI code word is a different UL/DL configuration.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH mapped onto the common search space is configured to enable independent UL/DL configurations for each serving cell in a single carrier scenario, a coordinated multiple point (CoMP) scenario 3, a CoMP scenario 4, a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, and a combination of a CA and CoMP scenario.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, at the UE, eIMTA configuration parameters and an indicator index associated with a secondary cell (SCell) of the UE; and

determining a UL/DL configuration for the SCell based on a received indicator index within a received UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein a UL/DL configuration indicator field within a UL/DL reconfiguration PDCCH is 2 bits or 3 bits.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting the DCI format on all system information block 1 (SIB

     1) DL subframes; and

determining, at a discontinuous reception (DRX) UE, an UL/DL configuration when the DRX UE is in a flexible subframe.