Automatic gain control gain adjustment

• US 9,844,012 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Rui, Tang, Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US15/186,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3078 Circuits generating control signals for digitally modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]

Abstract

A method of Automatic Gain Control (AGC) gain adjustment by a wireless device, including receiving a reference signal and data from a secondary cell operating in unlicensed spectrum; and adjusting the AGC gain for the secondary cell based on the reference signal, which is received in a same measurement timing configuration period as the data. Further, a method of AGC gain adjustment including receiving a primary reference signal from a primary cell operating in licensed spectrum; and adjusting the AGC gain for a secondary cell operating in unlicensed spectrum based on the primary reference signal and at least one of a transmission power difference, a reception power difference, and a propagation path loss difference between the primary cell and the secondary cell.

Claims

1. A method of Automatic Gain Control (AGC) gain adjustment by a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving a primary reference signal from a primary cell operating in licensed spectrum;

determining whether a signal from a secondary cell operating in unlicensed spectrum is received; and

in response to a determination that the signal from the secondary cell is not received, adjusting the AGC gain for the secondary cell based on the primary reference signal and at least one of a transmission power difference, a reception power difference, and a propagation path loss difference between the primary cell and the secondary cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary reference signal is received in a same measurement timing configuration period as data received from the secondary cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary reference signal is received in a previous measurement timing configuration period as compared with data received from the secondary cell.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if a signal from the secondary cell is received, adjusting the AGC gain for the secondary cell based on a secondary reference signal received from of the secondary cell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondary reference signal is received in a same measurement timing configuration period as data received from the secondary cell.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondary reference signal is received in a previous measurement timing configuration period as compared with data received from the secondary cell.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondary reference signal is received before data is received from the secondary cell.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data is encoded based on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device operates in the licensed and unlicensed spectrums using License Assisted Access (LAA).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission power difference, the reception power difference, and the propagation path loss difference are indicated by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is a Discovery Reference Signal (DRS), and the measurement timing configuration period is a DRS Measurement Timing Configuration (DMTC).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device operates in accordance with Long Term Evolution (LTE).

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the signal is received from the secondary cell comprises a Listen Before Talk (LBT) operation.

14. The wireless communication device configured to perform the method of claim 1.

15. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a tuner configured to receive a primary reference signal from a primary cell operating in licensed spectrum;

a circuit configured to determine whether a signal from a secondary cell operating in unlicensed spectrum is received; and

an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit configured to, in response to a determination that the signal from the secondary cell is not received, adjusting the AGC gain for the secondary cell based on the primary reference signal and at least one of a transmission power difference, a reception power difference, and a propagation path loss difference between the primary cell and the secondary cell.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein if a signal from the secondary cell is received, adjusting the AGC gain for the secondary cell based on a secondary reference signal received from of the secondary cell.