Signaling of virtual cell ID

• US 9,854,570 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Luo, Tao, Chen, Wanshi, Wei, Yongbin
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US13/910,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20130329657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0038 Blind format detection for detection of modulation format H04L27/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• 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: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

The present disclosure provides techniques for signaling sets of virtual cell IDs available for use in communicating with UEs. Such knowledge may allow a UE to enhance processing its own downlink channels when similar downlink channels for other UEs are multiplexed within the same physical resource block (PRB).

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

determining a subset of virtual cell IDs available for use by one or more other UEs, the subset selected from a larger set of virtual cell IDs; and

using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in a physical resource block (PRB).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in the PRB comprises:

performing noise estimation when processing the at least one downlink channel using the subset of virtual cell IDs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in the PRB comprises:

canceling interference from one or more downlink channels intended for one or more of the other UEs using the subset of virtual cell IDs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink channel comprises a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink channel comprises a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the downlink channel comprises an enhanced PDCCH (ePDCCH) occupying only a fraction of the PRB; and

a plurality of ePDCCHs for multiple UEs are multiplexed in the PRB.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) sequences based on the subset of virtual cell IDs; and

performing at least one of blind detection or blind decoding to detect corresponding DM-RS sequences in the PRB.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving signaling indicating whether or not the use of virtual cell IDs is enabled.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the subset of virtual cell IDs comprises:

receiving a broadcast of one or more sets of virtual cell IDs the UE and the one or more other UEs may use.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more sets of virtual cell IDs comprise:

a first set for use in transmitting physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs); and

a second set for use in transmitting physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the subset of virtual cell IDs comprises:

deriving virtual cell IDs in the subset based on a physical cell ID.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing comprises:

using the subset of virtual cell IDs to detect channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS).

13. The method of claim 1, wherein using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing comprises:

using the subset of virtual cell IDs to perform at least one of blind detection or blind decoding to detect transmissions within the PRB intended for other UEs.

14. An apparatus for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

means for determining a subset of virtual cell IDs available for use by one or more other UEs, the subset selected from a larger set of virtual cell IDs; and

means for using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in a physical resource block (PRB).

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in the PRB comprises:

means for performing noise estimation when processing the at least one downlink channel using the subset of virtual cell IDs.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in the PRB comprises:

means for canceling interference from one or more downlink channels intended for one or more of the other UEs using the subset of virtual cell IDs.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the downlink channel comprises a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the downlink channel comprises a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

the downlink channel comprises an enhanced PDCCH (ePDCCH) occupying only a fraction of the PRB; and

a plurality of ePDCCHs for multiple UEs are multiplexed in the PRB.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

means for generating demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) sequences based on the subset of virtual cell IDs; and

means for performing at least one of blind detection or blind decoding to detect corresponding DM-RS sequences in the PRB.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

means for receiving signaling indicating whether or not the use of virtual cell IDs is enabled.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for determining the subset of virtual cell IDs comprises:

means for receiving a broadcast of one or more sets of virtual cell IDs the UE and the other UEs may use.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the one or more sets of virtual cell IDs comprise:

a first set for use in transmitting physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs); and

a second set for use in transmitting physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs).

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for determining the subset of virtual cell IDs comprises:

means for deriving virtual cell IDs in the subset based on a physical cell ID.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing comprises:

means for using the subset of virtual cell IDs to detect channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS).

26. An apparatus for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

at least one processor configured to determine a subset of virtual cell IDs available for use by one or more other UEs, the subset selected from a larger set of virtual cell IDs, and use the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in a physical resource block (PRB); and

a memory coupled with the at least one processor.

27. A computer program product for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for:

determining a subset of virtual cell IDs available for use by one or more other UEs, the subset selected from a larger set of virtual cell IDs; and

using the subset of virtual cell IDs to enhance processing of at least one downlink channel transmitted to the UE in a physical resource block (PRB).