Interaction between EPCFICH and EPDCCH in LTE

• US 9,723,602 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Wanshi, Gaal, Peter, Xu, Hao, Luo, Tao
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Voltaire, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US13/943,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20140036802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 370328, 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. In one configuration, the apparatus may be a UE. The apparatus may receive a message (e.g., via an ePCFICH) from an eNB and may process an ePDCCH using the message. The apparatus may receive a message via an ePCFICH indicating resources for ePDCCH, the ePDCCH being a localized ePDCCH and/or a distributed ePDCCH and process the ePDCCH using the message. The apparatus may receive an ePCFICH from an eNB, where the ePCFICH is a function of at least a PCI or a virtual cell identifier. The apparatus may process an ePDCCH using a default set of resources when an ePCFICH is not detected. The apparatus may receive an ePCFICH value and may determine either a starting symbol index for an ePDCCH or one or more ePDCCH resource sets based at least on the ePCFICH value.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

receiving, at the UE, a message via an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) indicating resources for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH),

the message comprising at least one ePCFICH value indicating resources reserved for a localized ePDCCH and resources reserved for a distributed ePDCCH;

splitting, at the UE, a search space between the localized ePDCCH and distributed ePDCCH based on the at least one ePCFICH value; and

processing, at the UE, the ePDCCH using the message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) value; and

splitting a search space between a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the ePDCCH based on the at least one PCFICH value and the at least one ePCFICH value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ePCFICH is based on a function of at least a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a virtual cell identifier, wherein the virtual cell identifier is not based on the PCI.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH) using a default set of resources when an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) is not detected.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the default set of resources correspond to a set of resources specified for a common search space for ePDCCH.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the UE, either a starting symbol index for the ePDCCH or one or more ePDCCH resource sets based at least on the received at least one ePCFICH value; and

determining, at the UE, whether an ePDCCH transmission mode for at least one ePDCCH resource set comprises a localized ePDCCH transmission mode or a distributed ePDCCH transmission mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a value of the starting symbol index is further determined based on whether a carrier is of a legacy type or a new type.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a value of the starting symbol index is further determined based on a subframe index.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the starting symbol index for ePDCCH is different from a starting symbol index for the ePCFICH.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a number of ePDCCH resource sets.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a size of at least one ePDCCH resource set.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a location of at least one ePDCCH resource.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one ePCFICH value comprises a first bit that indicates the resources for the localized ePDCCH and a second bit that indicates the resources for the distributed ePDCCH.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

means for receiving, at the UE, a message via an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) indicating resources for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH),

the message comprising at least one ePCFICH value indicating resources reserved for a localized ePDCCH and resources reserved for a distributed ePDCCH;

means for splitting, at the UE, a search space between the localized ePDCCH and distributed ePDCCH based on the at least one ePCFICH value; and

means for processing, at the UE, the ePDCCH using the message.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for receiving at least one physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) value; and

means for splitting a search space between a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the ePDCCH based on the at least one PCFICH value and the at least one ePCFICH value.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the ePCFICH is based on a function of at least a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a virtual cell identifier, wherein the virtual cell identifier is not based on the PCI.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for processing an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH) using a default set of resources when an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) is not detected.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the default set of resources correspond to a set of resources specified for a common search space for ePDCCH.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for determining, at the UE, either a starting symbol index for the ePDCCH or one or more ePDCCH resource sets based at least on the received at least one ePCFICH value; and

means for determining, at the UE, whether an ePDCCH transmission mode for at least one ePDCCH resource set comprises a localized ePDCCH transmission mode or a distributed ePDCCH transmission mode.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a value of the starting symbol index is further determined based on whether a carrier is of a legacy type or a new type.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a value of the starting symbol index is further determined based on a subframe index.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the starting symbol index for ePDCCH is different from a starting symbol index for the ePCFICH.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for determining a number of ePDCCH resource sets.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for determining a size of at least one ePDCCH resource set.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for determining a location of at least one ePDCCH resource.

25. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

a processing system configured to;

receive, at the UE, a message via an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) indicating resources for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH),

the message comprising at least one ePCFICH value indicating resources reserved for a localized ePDCCH and resources reserved for a distributed ePDCCH;

split, at the UE, a search space between the localized ePDCCH and distributed ePDCCH based on the at least one ePCFICH value; and

process, at the UE, the ePDCCH using the message.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

receive at least one physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) value; and

split a search space between a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the ePDCCH based on the at least one PCFICH value and the at least one ePCFICH value.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the ePCFICH is based on a function of at least a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a virtual cell identifier, wherein the virtual cell identifier is not based on the PCI.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

process an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH) using a default set of resources when an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) is not detected.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the default set of resources correspond to a set of resources specified for a common search space for ePDCCH.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine, at the UE, either a starting symbol index for the ePDCCH or one or more ePDCCH resource sets based at least on the received at least one ePCFICH value; and

determine, at the UE, whether an ePDCCH transmission mode for at least one ePDCCH resource set comprises a localized ePDCCH transmission mode or a distributed ePDCCH transmission mode.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein a value of the starting symbol index is further determined based on whether a carrier is of a legacy type or a new type.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein a value of the starting symbol index is further determined based on a subframe index.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the starting symbol index for ePDCCH is different from a starting symbol index for the ePCFICH.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, the processing system further configured to determine a number of ePDCCH resource sets.

35. The apparatus of claim 30, the processing system further configured to determine a size of at least one ePDCCH resource set.

36. The apparatus of claim 30, the processing system further configured to determine a location of at least one ePDCCH resource.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising code for:

receiving, at the UE, a message via an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) indicating resources for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH),

the message comprising at least one ePCFICH value indicating resources reserved for a localized ePDCCH and resources reserved for a distributed ePDCCH;

splitting, at the UE, a search space between the localized ePDCCH and distributed ePDCCH based on the at least one ePCFICH value; and

processing, at the UE, the ePDCCH using the message.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the ePCFICH is based on a function of at least a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a virtual cell identifier, wherein the virtual cell identifier is not based on the PCI.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, further comprising code for:

processing an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH) using a default set of resources when an enhanced physical control format indicator channel (ePCFICH) is not detected.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37, further comprising code for:

determining, at the UE, either a starting symbol index for the or one or more ePDCCH resource sets based at least on the received at least one ePCFICH value; and

determining, at the UE, whether an ePDCCH transmission mode for at least one ePDCCH resource set comprises a localized ePDCCH transmission mode or a distributed ePDCCH transmission mode.