Multiple point transmissions

• US 9,674,831 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lin, Bo, Zhou, Yongxing, Wang, Yu, Bi, Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Warner
• Application Number:
  US14/656,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20150189638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0466 the resource being a scrambling code
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal

Abstract

A communication method, a base station, a radio communication node, and a user equipment are provided. A base station determines first resource configuration information, where the first resource configuration information is used for indicating N radio resource sets that are used when N radio communication nodes separately perform communication with a user equipment UE, and the radio resource includes a time domain resource and/or a frequency domain resource. The base station sends the first resource configuration information to the UE, where the UE communicates with a corresponding transmission point by using respective radio resource sets of transmission points, and the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points do not intersect. Therefore, a base station does not need to schedule a radio resource, thereby lowering a delay requirement on a backhaul link and eliminating interference.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method comprising:

determining, by a base station, first resource configuration information, wherein the first resource configuration information indicates N radio resource sets that are used when N radio communication nodes separately perform communication with a user equipment (UE), N is a positive integer and is equal to or greater than 1, a radio resource in each radio resource set among the N radio resource sets is used for a radio communication node corresponding to each radio resource set to schedule the UE, and the radio resource comprises a time domain resource and/or a frequency domain resource;

sending the first resource configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE communicates with a corresponding transmission point by using respective radio resource sets of transmission points, the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points do not intersect, the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points comprise the N radio resource sets, and the transmission points comprise the N radio communication nodes; and

sending, by the base station, to the UE at least one piece of the following information;

first identifier information, instruction information, second identifier information, third identifier information, and information about scrambling code parameter configuration, wherein

the first identifier information indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and reference signals used by the N radio communication nodes, the instruction information instructs the UE to receive a corresponding control channel according to a type of a control channel of the base station or a radio communication node, the second identifier information indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and one or more of transmission channels, radio bearers, or evolved packet switch (EPS) bearers, the third identifier information indicates identifiers of the base station and the N radio communication nodes, the information about scrambling code parameter configuration instructs the UE to descramble a downlink reference signal or a downlink physical channel separately, and/or to scramble an uplink reference signal or an uplink physical channel; and

the downlink reference signal, the downlink physical channel, the uplink reference signal, and the uplink physical channel belong to the base station and/or the N radio communication nodes.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission points further comprise the base station, and the radio resource set used by the UE further comprises a radio resource set used for communication between the UE and the base station.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first identifier information further identifies a correspondence between the base station and a reference signal used by the base station, and the second identifier information further indicates a correspondence between the base station and the transmission channel, the radio bearer or the EPS bearer.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein after determining the first resource configuration information, the method further comprises:

sending, by the base station, corresponding information about a first configuration parameter to each radio communication node among the N radio communication nodes, wherein the first configuration parameter comprises at least one of the following;

the radio resource set corresponding to each radio communication node, configuration of a reference signal, configuration of a control channel, a correspondence between the radio resource and a radio bearer, a correspondence between the radio resource and an evolved packet switch EPS bearer, scrambling code parameter configuration, and a node identifier corresponding to each radio communication node.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the base station, configuration information of corresponding radio resource sets among the N radio resource sets to the N radio communication nodes separately.

6. A communication method, the method comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment (UE), first resource configuration information sent by a base station, wherein the first resource configuration information indicates N radio resource sets that are used when N radio communication nodes separately perform communication with the user equipment UE, N is a positive integer and is equal to or greater than 1, a radio resource in each radio resource set among the N radio resource sets is used for a radio communication node corresponding to each radio resource set to schedule the UE, and the radio resource comprises at least one of a time domain resource and/or a frequency domain resource;

receiving, by the UE and from the base station, at least one piece of the following information;

first identifier information, instruction information, second identifier information, third identifier information, and information about scrambling code parameter configuration, wherein

the first identifier information indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and reference signals used by the N radio communication nodes;

the instruction information instructs the UE to receive a corresponding control channel according to a type of a control channel of the base station or a radio communication node, the second identifier information indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and one or more of transmission channels, radio bearers, or evolved packet switch (EPS) bearers, the third identifier information indicates identifiers of the base station and the N radio communication nodes, the information about scrambling code parameter configuration instructs the UE to descramble a downlink reference signal or a downlink physical channel separately, and/or to scramble an uplink reference signal or an uplink physical channel; and

the downlink reference signal, the downlink physical channel, the uplink reference signal, and the uplink physical channel belong to the base station and/or the N radio communication nodes; and

communicating, by the UE, with a corresponding transmission point by using a radio resource in respective radio resource sets of transmission points, wherein the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points do not intersect, the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points comprise the N radio resource sets, and the transmission points comprise the N radio communication nodes.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the transmission points further comprise the base station, and the radio resource set used by the UE further comprises a radio resource set used for communication between the UE and the base station.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

identifying the correspondences between the N radio resource sets and reference signals used by the N radio communication nodes according to the first identifier information; and

at least one of;

measuring a downlink reference signal on a corresponding downlink radio resource or sending a corresponding uplink reference signal on a corresponding uplink radio resource according to the correspondences;

or

performing channel instruction measurement according to the reference signals, and separately sending a measurement result to the N radio communication nodes on corresponding radio resources according to the correspondences;

or

performing channel estimation on the corresponding radio resources separately by using the reference signals according to the correspondences, and performing decoding on the corresponding radio resources according to a channel estimation result.

9. A base station, comprising:

a processor, configured to determine first resource configuration information, wherein the first resource configuration information indicates N radio resource sets that are used when N radio communication nodes separately perform communication with a user equipment (UE), N is a positive integer and is equal to or greater than 1, a radio resource in each radio resource set among the N radio resource sets is used for a radio communication node corresponding to each radio resource set to schedule the UE, and the radio resource comprises a time domain resource and/or a frequency domain resource; and

a transmitter, configured to;

send the first resource configuration information determined by the processor to the UE, wherein the UE communicates with a corresponding transmission point by using respective radio resource sets of transmission points, the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points do not intersect, the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points comprise the N radio resource sets, and the transmission points comprise the N radio communication nodes; and

send to the UE at least one piece of the following information;

first identifier information, instruction information, second identifier information, third identifier information and information about scrambling code parameter configuration, wherein

the first identifier information indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and reference signals used by the N radio communication nodes, the instruction information instructs the UE to receive a corresponding control channel according to a type of a control channel of the base station or a radio communication node, the second identifier information is indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and one or more of transmission channels, radio bearers, or evolved packet switch (EPS) bearers indicates identifiers of the base station and the N radio communication nodes, the information about scrambling code parameter configuration instructs the UE to descramble a downlink reference signal or a downlink physical channel, and/or to scramble an uplink reference signal or an uplink physical channel; and

the downlink reference signal, the downlink physical channel, the uplink reference signal, and the uplink physical channel belong to the base station and/or the N radio communication nodes.

10. The base station according to claim 9, wherein

the processor is further configured to control the transmitter to communicate with the UE, wherein the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points further comprise a radio resource set used for communication between the UE and the base station.

11. The base station according to claim 9, wherein the first identifier information further identifies a correspondence between the base station and a reference signal used by the base station, and the second identifier information further indicates a correspondence between the base station and the transmission channel, the radio bearer or the EPS bearer.

12. The base station according to claim 9, wherein the transmitter is further configured to:

send corresponding information about a first configuration parameter to each radio communication node among the N radio communication nodes, wherein the first configuration parameter comprises at least one of the following;

the radio resource set corresponding to each radio communication node, configuration of a reference signal, configuration of a control channel, a correspondence between the radio resource and a radio bearer, a correspondence between the radio resource and an EPS bearer, scrambling code parameter configuration, and a node identifier corresponding to each radio communication node.

13. The base station according to claim 9, wherein the transmitter is further configured to send configuration information of corresponding radio resource sets among the N radio resource sets to the N radio communication nodes separately.

14. A user equipment, comprising:

a receiver, configured to;

receive first resource configuration information from a base station; and

receive at least one piece of the following information;

first identifier information, instruction information, second identifier information, third identifier information, and information about scrambling code parameter configuration, wherein

the first identifier information indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and reference signals used by the N radio communication nodes;

the instruction information instructs the UE to receive a corresponding control channel according to a type of a control channel of the base station or a radio communication node, the second identifier information indicates correspondences between the N radio resource sets and one or more of transmission channels, radio bearers, or evolved packet switch (EPS) bearers, the third identifier information indicates identifiers of the base station and the N radio communication nodes, the information about scrambling code parameter configuration instructs the UE to descramble a downlink reference signal or a downlink physical channel separately, and/or to scramble an uplink reference signal or an uplink physical channel; and

the downlink reference signal, the downlink physical channel, the uplink reference signal, and the uplink physical channel belong to the base station and/or the N radio communication nodes; and

a processor, configured to;

acquire the first resource configuration information received by the receiver, wherein the first resource configuration information indicates N radio resource sets that are used when N radio communication nodes separately perform communication with a user equipment UE, N is a positive integer and is equal to or greater than 1, a radio resource in each radio resource set among the N radio resource sets is used for a radio communication node corresponding to each radio resource set to schedule the UE, and the radio resource comprises a time domain resource and/or a frequency domain resource; and

control the receiver to communicate with a transmission point by using a radio resource in respective radio resource set of transmission points, wherein the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points do not intersect, the respective radio resource sets of the transmission points comprise the N radio resource sets, and the transmission points comprise the N radio communication nodes.

15. The user equipment according to claim 14, wherein

the transmission points further comprise the base station, and the radio resource set used by the UE further comprises a radio resource set used for communication between the UE and the base station.

16. The user equipment according to claim 14, wherein

the processor is further configured to at least one of:

measure a downlink reference signal on a corresponding downlink radio resource or control a transmitter to send a corresponding uplink reference signal on a corresponding uplink radio resource according to the correspondences;

or

perform channel instruction measurement according to the reference signals, and control the transmitter to separately send a measurement result to the N radio communication nodes on corresponding radio resources according to the correspondences;

or

perform channel estimation on the corresponding radio resources separately by using the reference signals according to the correspondences, and perform decoding on the corresponding radio resources according to a channel estimation result.