Duplex operation in a cellular communication system

• US 9,774,439 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Beale, Martin Warwick, Jones, Alan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILE, FEBEN
• Application Number:
  US13/946,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20130301485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 370276-277, 370280-282, 370294-296, 370328-331
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1438 Negotiation of transmission parameters prior to communication modified according to link quality H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A cellular communication system comprises a first base station serving at least a first user equipment. The base station comprises functionality for transmitting a base station duplex capability message to user equipments using a transmission format which is common to a plurality of duplex modes. A first user equipment comprises a transceiver which receives the base station duplex capability message. A RACH characteristics processor determines at least one transmit characteristic for an access message in response to the base station duplex capability message and a RACH transmit controller controls the transmission of an access message to the first base station in response to the at least one transmit characteristic.

Claims

1. A method of operation in a cellular communication system comprising one or more base stations supporting at least one user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving base station duplex capability information regarding which of a plurality of duplex modes are supported by one of the one or more base stations, said base station duplex capability information being sent from said one of the one or more base stations using a signal structure that is common to a plurality of duplex modes, wherein the plurality of duplex modes comprises a frequency division duplex mode (FDD) and a time division duplex mode (TDD);

transmitting an initial access message from one of the at least one user equipment on a carrier frequency depending on a duplex mode if there is a match between user equipment duplex capability information and the base station duplex capability information;

transmitting the user equipment duplex capability information; and

receiving uplink resource and/or downlink resource allocation to said one of the at least one user equipment based on the user equipment duplex capability.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one transmit characteristic for the initial access message in response to the base station duplex capability information; and

transmitting the initial access message to said one of the one or more base stations using the at least one transmit characteristic.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining an uplink carrier frequency for the initial access message as a carrier frequency of the transmitted base station duplex capability information if the base station duplex capability information indicates that said one of the one or more base stations supports only an unpaired spectrum duplex mode operation, and

determining the uplink carrier frequency as a frequency paired to the carrier frequency of the transmitted base station duplex capability information if the transmitted base station duplex capability information indicates that said one of the one or more base stations supports a paired spectrum duplex mode operation.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a duplex capability of said one of the one or more base stations in response to the transmitted base station duplex capability information; and

evaluating a match criterion between a duplex capability of said one of the at least one user equipment and the duplex capability of said one of the one or more base stations;

wherein said one of the at least one user equipment is arranged to transmit the initial access message to said one of the one or more base stations only if the match criterion is met.

5. The method according to claim 1, arranged to support communications in accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project Technical Specifications.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one of the one or more base stations is operable to receive the initial access message from said one of the at least one user equipment on a carrier frequency which is dependent on the base station duplex capability information.

7. A user equipment for use in a cellular communication system comprising one or more base stations supporting user equipment, the user equipment comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive a base station duplex capability information regarding which of a plurality of duplex modes are supported by one of the one or more base stations, the base station duplex capability information being broadcast from said one of the one or more base stations using a signal structure that is common to the plurality of duplex modes, wherein the plurality of duplex modes comprises a frequency division duplex mode (FDD) and a time division duplex mode (TDD);

transmit a user equipment duplex capability information to said one of the one or more base stations;

transmit an initial access message to said one of the one or more base stations on a carrier frequency depending on a duplex mode if there is a match between the user equipment duplex capability information and the base station duplex capability information; and

receive an allocation of uplink resource and/or downlink resource from said one of the one or more base stations based on the user equipment duplex capability.

8. A user equipment according to claim 7, wherein the signal structure that is common to the plurality of duplex modes comprises one or more common transmission parameters selected from the group comprising:

a) a broadcast bandwidth;

b) a coding rate;

c) a modulation scheme;

d) an interleaving scheme;

e) a coding scheme; and

f) a timing.

9. A method of operation for a user equipment of a cellular communication system comprising one or more base stations supporting at least one user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving a base station duplex capability information regarding which of a plurality of duplex modes are supported by one of the one or more base stations, the base station duplex capability information being broadcast from said one of the one or more base stations using a signal structure that is common to the plurality of duplex modes, wherein the plurality of duplex modes comprises a frequency division duplex mode (FDD) and a time division duplex mode (TDD);

transmitting a user equipment duplex capability information to said one of the one or more base stations;

transmitting an initial access message to said one of the one or more base stations on a carrier frequency depending on a duplex mode if there is a match between user equipment duplex capability information and the base station duplex capability information; and

receiving an allocation of uplink resource and/or downlink resource from said one of the one or more base stations based on the user equipment duplex capability.

10. A method of operation in a cellular communication system comprising one or more base stations supporting at least one user equipment, the method comprising:

transmitting base station duplex capability information regarding which of a plurality of duplex modes are supported by one of the one or more base stations to one of said at least one user equipment using a signal structure that is common to a plurality of duplex modes, wherein the plurality of duplex modes comprises a frequency division duplex mode (FDD) and a time division duplex mode (TDD);

receiving user equipment duplex capability information from said one of said at least one user equipment;

receiving an initial access message from said one of said at least one user equipment on a carrier frequency depending on a duplex mode if there is a match between the user equipment duplex capability information and the base station duplex capability information; and

allocating uplink resource and/or downlink resource to said one of said at least one user equipment based on the user equipment duplex capability.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining a duplex capability of said one of the one or more base stations in response to the base station duplex capability information; and

evaluating a match criterion between a duplex capability of said one of said at least one user equipment and the duplex capability of said one of the one or more base stations;

wherein said one of said at least one user equipment is arranged to transmit an access message only if the match criterion is met.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising transmitting a user equipment duplex capability characteristic to said one of the one or more base stations.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the cellular communication system operates in accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project Technical Specifications.

14. A base station serving at least one user equipment, the base station comprising:

circuitry configured to

transmit base station duplex capability information regarding which of a plurality of duplex modes are supported by the base station to one of said at least one user equipment using a signal structure that is common to a plurality of duplex modes, wherein the plurality of duplex modes comprises a frequency division duplex mode, FDD, and a time division duplex mode, TDD; and

receive user equipment duplex capability information from said one of said at least one user equipment;

receive an initial access message from said one of said at least one user equipment on a carrier frequency depending on a duplex mode if there is a match between the user equipment duplex capability information and the base station duplex capability information, and

allocate uplink resource and/or downlink resource to said one of said at least one user equipment based on the user equipment duplex capability.