Base station signaling in a wireless network

• US 9,867,178 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Dinan, Esmael Hejazi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mui, Gary
• Application Number:
  US14/941,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A serving base station transmits to a target base station a first message comprising a parameter indicating whether a wireless device supports an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH). The serving base station receives from the target base station a second message comprising parameters indicating: a configuration of a subset of subframes in which first radio resources of a first ePDCCH are configured; and a starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH in the subset of subframes. The serving base station transmits a third message to the wireless device comprising the configuration information of the first ePDCCH.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a first base station and to a second base station, a first message indicating that a wireless device supports an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH);

receiving, from the second base station, one or more configuration parameters that indicate;

a configuration of a first ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of a frame of a carrier supported by the second base station; and

a starting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the first ePDCCH; and

transmitting, to the wireless device, a second message comprising an indication of the configuration of the first ePDCCH and the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate that radio resources of a first data channel start from the starting OFDM symbol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate a frequency allocation for the first ePDCCH in terms of resource blocks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message further comprises configuration information for physical channels for the wireless device, and is configured to cause the wireless device to set up or modify at least one radio bearer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the first ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of the frame of the carrier supported by the second base station matches a configuration of a second ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of a frame of a carrier supported by the first base station;

and

the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH matches a starting OFDM symbol of the second ePDCCH.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, by a second base station and from a first base station, a first message indicating that a wireless device supports an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH);

transmitting, by the second base station and to the first base station, one or more configuration parameters that indicate;

a configuration of a first ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of a carrier supported by the second base station; and

a starting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the first ePDCCH; and

communicating by the second base station and with the wireless device in accordance with the configuration of the first ePDCCH and the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the first message further comprises an indication of a starting OFDM symbol of a second ePDCCH used by the first base station to communicate with the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising configuring, based on the starting OFDM symbol of the second ePDCCH, the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the second base station and from the first base station, one or more configuration parameters that indicate a configuration of a second ePDCCH used by the first base station to communicate with the wireless device; and

configuring the first ePDCCH based on the configuration of the second ePDCCH.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting, by the first base station and to the wireless device, an indication of the configuration of the first ePDCCH and the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

configuring, by the second base station, the first ePDCCH based on the indication that the wireless device supports an ePDCCH.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate that radio resources of a first data channel start from the starting OFDM symbol.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate a frequency allocation for the first ePDCCH in terms of resource blocks.

14. A system comprising:

a first base station comprising;

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, cause the first base station to;

transmit, to a second base station, a first message indicating that a wireless device supports an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH);

receive, from the second base station, one or more configuration parameters that indicate;

a configuration of a first ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of a frame of a carrier supported by the second base station; and

a starting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the first ePDCCH; and

transmit, to the wireless device, a second message comprising an indication of the configuration of the first ePDCCH and the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH; and

the second base station comprising;

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the second base station, cause the second base station to;

receive the first message;

transmit the one or more configuration parameters to the first base station; and

communicate with the wireless device via the first ePDCCH.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH is a starting OFDM symbol of a second ePDCCH via which with the first base station communicated with the wireless device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions stored in the memory of the first base station, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, further cause the first base station to transmit, to the second base station, one or more configuration parameters indicating a frequency allocation for the first ePDCCH in terms of resource blocks.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions stored in the memory of the first base station, when executed by the one or more processors of the first base station, further cause the first base station to cause the wireless device to set up or modify a radio bearer in response to the second message.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more configuration parameters that indicate the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH comprise information indicating a starting time in a subframe in terms of a number of symbols.

19. A first base station comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first base station to;

transmit, to a second base station, a first message indicating that a wireless device supports an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH);

receive, from the second base station, one or more configuration parameters that indicate;

a configuration of a first ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of a frame of a carrier supported by the second base station; and

a starting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the first ePDCCH; and

transmit, to the wireless device, a second message comprising an indication of the configuration of the first ePDCCH and the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH.

20. The first base station of claim 19, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate that radio resources of a first data channel start from the starting OFDM symbol.

21. The first base station of claim 19, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate a frequency allocation for the first ePDCCH in terms of resource blocks.

22. The first base station of claim 19, wherein the second message further comprises configuration information for physical channels for the wireless device, and is configured to cause the wireless device to set up or modify at least one radio bearer.

23. The first base station of claim 19, wherein the configuration of the first ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of the frame of the carrier supported by the second base station matches a configuration of a second ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of a frame of a carrier supported by the first base station;

and

the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH matches a starting OFDM symbol of the second ePDCCH.

24. A second base station comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the second base station to;

receive, from a first base station, a first message indicating that a wireless device supports an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH);

transmit, to the first base station, one or more configuration parameters that indicate;

a configuration of a first ePDCCH occurring in one or more, but less than all, subframes of a carrier supported by the second base station; and

a starting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the first ePDCCH; and

communicate with the wireless device in accordance with the configuration of the first ePDCCH and the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH.

25. The second base station of claim 24, wherein the first message further comprises an indication of a starting OFDM symbol of a second ePDCCH used by the first base station to communicate with the wireless device.

26. The second base station of claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the second base station to configure, based on the starting OFDM symbol of the second ePDCCH, the starting OFDM symbol of the first ePDCCH.

27. The second base station of claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the second base station to:

receive, from the first base station, one or more configuration parameters that indicate a configuration of a second ePDCCH used by the first base station to communicate with the wireless device; and

configure the first ePDCCH based on the configuration of the second ePDCCH.

28. The second base station of claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the second base station to:

configure the first ePDCCH based on the indication that the wireless device supports an ePDCCH.

29. The second base station of claim 24, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate that radio resources of a first data channel start from the starting OFDM symbol.

30. The second base station of claim 24, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate a frequency allocation for the first ePDCCH in terms of resource blocks.