Radio terminal, radio station, radio communication system, and methods implemented therein

• US 9,781,618 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Futaki, Hisashi, Aminaka, Hiroaki, Sugahara, Hiroto, Kakura, Yoshikazu, Muraoka, Kazushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dsouza, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US15/199,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/24 with feedback of measurements to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/382 for resource allocation, admission control or handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• 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 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• 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 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A radio terminal (2) is provided that can be used in a radio communication system (100) and can communicate with a radio station (1). The radio terminal (2) includes a measurement unit (20). The measurement unit (20) operates to perform, using a terminal measurement procedure for executing a first terminal measurement corresponding to radio access technology applied to the radio communication system (100), a second terminal measurement of a shared frequency shared by a plurality of radio systems including the radio communication system (100).

Claims

1. A radio terminal supporting Carrier Aggregation using a primary cell and at least one secondary cell operated in an unlicensed frequency, the radio terminal comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, in the primary cell, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Reconfiguration message including a first measurement configuration to measure at least one of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) for reference signals transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency and a second measurement configuration to measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) on the unlicensed frequency; and

a transmitter configured to transmit, in the primary cell, a first measurement report of at least one of a value of the RSRP and a value of the RSRQ and a second measurement report of a value of the RSSI,

wherein the first measurement configuration includes information indicating a reference signal duration in which the reference signals are scheduled to be transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency, and

the second measurement configuration includes information indicating a measurement duration, which is configured independently from the reference signal duration, in which the RSSI measurement is to be performed.

2. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein the reference signal duration is configured per frequency for which the first measurement configuration is received.

3. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein the reference signals include at least one of a common reference signal (CRS), and a synchronization signal, and

the first measurement configuration is allowed to include the configuration of a Channel State Information (CSI) reference signal as one of the reference signals.

4. A radio station communicating with a radio terminal supporting Carrier Aggregation using a primary cell and at least one secondary cell operated in an unlicensed frequency, the radio station comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, in the primary cell, to the radio terminal a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Reconfiguration message including a first measurement configuration to measure at least one of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) of reference signals transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency and a second measurement configuration to measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) on the unlicensed frequency; and

a receiver configured to receive from the radio terminal, in the primary cell, a first measurement report of at least one of a value of the RSRP and a value of the RSRQ and a second measurement report of a value of the RSSI,

wherein the first measurement configuration includes information indicating a reference signal duration in which the reference signals are scheduled to be transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency, and

the second measurement configuration includes information indicating a measurement duration, which is configured independently from the reference signal duration, in which the RSSI measurement is to be performed.

5. The radio station according to claim 4, wherein the reference signal duration is configured per frequency for which the first measurement configuration is received.

6. The radio terminal according to claim 4, wherein the reference signals include at least one of a Common Reference Signal (CRS) and a Synchronization Signal, and

the first measurement configuration is allowed to include the configuration of a Channel State Information (CSI) reference signal as one of the reference signals.

7. A method of a radio terminal supporting Carrier Aggregation using a primary cell and at least one secondary cell operated in an unlicensed frequency, the method comprising:

receiving, in the primary cell, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Reconfiguration message including a first measurement configuration to measure at least one of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) of reference signals transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency and a second measurement configuration to measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) on the unlicensed frequency; and

transmitting, in the primary cell, a first measurement report of at least one of a value of the RSRP and a value of the RSRQ and a second measurement report of a value of the RSSI,

wherein the first measurement configuration includes information indicating a reference signal duration in which the reference signals are scheduled to be transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency, and

the second measurement configuration includes information indicating a measurement duration, which is configured independently from the reference signal duration, in which the RSSI measurement is to be performed.

8. A method of a radio station communicating with a radio terminal supporting Carrier Aggregation using a primary cell and at least one secondary cell operated in an unlicensed frequency, the method comprising:

transmitting, in the primary cell, to the radio terminal a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Reconfiguration message including a first measurement configuration to measure at least one of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) of reference signals transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency and a second measurement configuration to measure Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) on the unlicensed frequency; and

receiving from the radio terminal, in the primary cell, a first measurement report of at least one of a value of the RSRP and a value of the RSRQ and a second measurement report of a value of the RSSI,

wherein the first measurement configuration includes information indicating a reference signal duration in which the reference signals are scheduled to be transmitted in the secondary cell operated in the unlicensed frequency, and

the second measurement configuration includes information indicating a measurement duration, which is configured independently from the reference signal duration, in which the RSSI measurement is to be performed.