Multi-subcarrier system with multiple numerologies

• US 9,820,281 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2017
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Werner, Karl, He, Ning, Baldemair, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US15/446,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 258 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2604 Multiresolution systems by means of multiresolution subcarriers H04L27/183, H04L27/3488
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• 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 of operating a wireless communication device or a radio access node comprises addressing multi-subcarrier system resources using at least one of multiple different numerologies available within a single carrier, wherein the multiple different numerologies comprise a first numerology having resource blocks with a first bandwidth and a first subcarrier spacing, Δf1, and a second numerology having RBs with a second bandwidth and a second subcarrier spacing, Δf2, which is different from Δf1, and wherein the first numerology is aligned in the frequency domain relative to a frequency reference, Fref, according to m*Δf1+Fref and the second numerology is aligned in the frequency domain relative to the frequency reference, Fref, according to n*Δf2+Fref, where m and n are integers. The method further comprises transmitting and/or receiving information within the single carrier according to the at least one of the multiple different numerologies.

Claims

1. A method of operating a user equipment, comprising:

addressing multi-subcarrier system resources using at least one of a first numerology and a second numerology of multiple different numerologies available within a single carrier, the first numerology having resource blocks (RBs) with a first bandwidth and a first subcarrier spacing, Δ

f1, and the second numerology having RBs with a second bandwidth and a second subcarrier spacing, Δ

f2, which is different from Δ

f1, and wherein the first numerology is aligned in the frequency domain relative to a frequency reference, Fref, according to m*Δ

f1+Fref and the second numerology is aligned in the frequency domain relative to the frequency reference, Fref, according to n*Δ

f2+Fref, where m and n are integers; and

transmitting and/or receiving information within the single carrier according to the at least one of the first numerology and the second numerology of multiple different numerologies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein subcarriers of allocated RBs of the first numerology are separated from subcarriers of allocated RBs of the second numerology by a frequency gap having a size that is a function of Δ

f1 or Δ

f2.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subcarrier spacing, Δ

f1, is related to the second subcarrier spacing Δ

f2 by an integer scaling factor N such that Δ

f2=N*Δ

f1.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein Δ

f1=15 kHz and Δ

f2=60 kHz.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the single carrier has a bandwidth of approximately 10 MHz or 20 MHz.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-subcarrier system is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the multi-subcarrier system is a pre-coded multi-subcarrier system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the precoded multi-subcarrier system is a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFTS-OFDM) system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the multiple different numerologies comprises a plurality of different numerologies.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting or receiving first and second integers B and D indicating a start frequency relative to a frequency reference and width of a first numerology among the multiple different numerologies, wherein the start frequency is defined according to B*K1*Δ

f, and the bandwidth of the first numerology is defined according to D*K1*Δ

f, wherein K1 denotes a bandwidth of a smallest addressable unit of the first numerology, expressed in units of a smallest subcarrier spacing of numerologies of the single carrier, and wherein Δ

f denotes the smallest subcarrier spacing.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting or receiving third and fourth integers A and C indicating a start frequency relative to a frequency reference and width of a second numerology among the multiple different numerologies, wherein the start frequency of the second numerology is defined according to A*K2*Δ

f, and the bandwidth of the second numerology is defined according to C*K2*Δ

f, wherein K2 denotes a bandwidth of a smallest addressable unit of the second numerology, expressed in units of the smallest subcarrier spacing of numerologies of the single carrier.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first through fourth integers are transmitted or received in downlink control information (DCI).

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting or receiving a bitmap indicating a resource allocation of each of the at least one of the multiple different numerologies.

14. A user equipment, comprising:

processing circuitry and memory collectively configured to address multi-subcarrier system resources using at least one of a first numerology and a second numerology of multiple different numerologies available within a single carrier, the first numerology having resource blocks (RBs) with a first bandwidth and a first subcarrier spacing, Δ

f1, and the second numerology having RBs with a second bandwidth and a second subcarrier spacing, Δ

f2, which is different from Δ

f1, and wherein the first numerology is aligned in the frequency domain relative to a frequency reference, Fref, according to m*Δ

f1+Fref and the second numerology is aligned in the frequency domain relative to the frequency reference, Fref, according to n*Δ

f2+Fref, where m and n are integers; and

at least one transmitter and/or receiver configured to transmit and/or receive information within the single carrier according to the at least one of the first numerology and the second numerology of multiple different numerologies.

15. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein subcarriers of allocated RBs of the first numerology are separated from subcarriers of allocated RBs of the second numerology by a frequency gap having a size that is a function of Δ

f1 or Δ

f2.

16. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the first subcarrier spacing, Δ

f1, is related to the second subcarrier spacing Δ

f2 by an integer scaling factor N such that Δ

f2=N*Δ

f1.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein Δ

f1=15 kHz and Δ

f2=60 kHz.

18. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the single carrier has a bandwidth of approximately 10 MHz or 20 MHz.

19. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the multi-subcarrier system is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the multi-subcarrier system is a precoded multi-subcarrier system.

21. The user equipment of claim 20, wherein the precoded multi-subcarrier system is a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFTS-OFDM) system.

22. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the multiple different numerologies comprises a plurality of different numerologies.

23. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the at least one transmitter and/or receiver is further configured to transmit and/or receive first and second integers B and D indicating a start frequency relative to a frequency reference and width of a first numerology among the multiple different numerologies, wherein the start frequency is defined according to B*K1*Δ

f, and the bandwidth of the first numerology is defined according to D*K1*Δ

f, wherein K1 denotes a bandwidth of a smallest addressable unit of the first numerology, expressed in units of a smallest subcarrier spacing of numerologies of the single carrier, and wherein Δ

f denotes the smallest subcarrier spacing.

24. The user equipment of claim 23, wherein the at least one transmitter and/or receiver is further configured to transmit and/or receive third and fourth integers A and C indicating a start frequency relative to a frequency reference and width of a second numerology among the multiple different numerologies, wherein the start frequency of the second numerology is defined according to A*K2*Δ

f, and the bandwidth of the second numerology is defined according to C*K2*Δ

f, wherein K2 denotes a bandwidth of a smallest addressable unit of the second numerology, expressed in units of the smallest subcarrier spacing of numerologies of the single carrier.

25. The user equipment of claim 23, wherein the first through fourth integers are transmitted or received in downlink control information (DCI).

26. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the at least one transmitter and/or receiver is further configured to transmit or receive a bitmap indicating a resource allocation of each of the at least one of the multiple different numerologies.