Hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledge resource allocation for enhanced physical downlink control channel

• US 9,877,230 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Runhua, Ekpenyong, Anthony E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEFAUW, THAD N
• Application Number:
  US15/230,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20160345201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/06 using space diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus of wireless communication between a base station and at least one user equipment. The method includes: transmitting an enhanced physical downlink control channel from the base station to the at least one user equipment using a demodulation reference signal antenna port; transmitting message from the base station to the at least one user equipment which is scheduled by the enhanced physical downlink control channel; receiving the message at the at least one user equipment; determining at the at least one user equipment whether the message was correctly received; and transmitting an ACK/NAK signal on an ACK/NAK resource determined from the enhanced physical downlink control channel from the at least one user equipment to the base station indicating whether the message was correctly received by the at least one user.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising:

a transceiver;

a data processor connected to said transceiver; and

a memory connected to said digital data processor storing data and at least one application program controlling operation of said data processor, said at least one application program operable to control said data processor to

receive a control message on an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH);

receive a second message indicated by the control message;

receive a demodulation reference signal on the same antenna port as the associated EPDCCH physical resource;

transmit an ACK/NAK signal on an ACK/NAK resource determined from the EPDCCH indicating whether the second message was correctly received by the user equipment;

transmit the ACK/NACK using physical uplink control channel format 1a or 1b wherein the PUCCH resource is determined for at least one EPDCCH physical resource block set according to;

n_PUCCH⁽¹⁾=n_index+N_PUCCH⁽¹⁾+g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾)

where n_index is the respective lowest indexed physical resource block or lowest indexed control channel element;

N_PUCCH⁽¹⁾ is the cell-specific offset;

N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ is determined from a resource offset field corresponding to the EPDCCH, and g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾) is a function of N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein:

said at least one application program is further operable to control said data processor to receive a signal to determine the selection of ACK/NAK resources for transmission of the ACK/NAK signal.

3. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein:

said at least one application program enables said data processor to receive a signal employing a physical uplink control channel downlink control indicator format 1a or 1b or 3 resource for semi-static configuration including semi-statically configuring the user equipment with a set of four physical uplink control channel resources and indicating a currently assigned physical uplink control channel resource using a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledge resource indicator.

4. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein:

said N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ is determined using a downlink control information (DCI) field.

5. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein:

g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾)=N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾) is a function N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ and the control channel elements configured in certain subframes.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the data processor is a digital data processor.

8. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the digital data processor is programmable.

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

receiving a control message on an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH);

receiving a second message indicated by the control message;

receiving a demodulation reference signal associated with the EPDCCH;

transmitting an ACK/NAK signal on an ACK/NAK resource determined from the EPDCCH indicating whether the second message was correctly received by the user equipment;

transmitting the ACK/NACK using physical uplink control channel format 1a or 1b wherein the PUCCH resource is determined for at least one EPDCCH physical resource block set according to;

n_PUCCH⁽¹⁾=n_index+N_PUCCH⁽¹⁾+g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾)

where n_index is the respective lowest indexed physical resource block or lowest indexed control channel element;

N_PUCCH⁽¹⁾ is the cell-specific offset;

N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ is determined from a resource offset field corresponding to the EPDCCH, and g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾) is a function of N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a signal for determining the selection of ACK/NAK resources for transmission of the ACK/NAK signal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a signal employing a physical uplink control channel downlink control indicator format 1a or 1b or 3 resource for semi-static configuration including semi-statically configuring the user equipment with a set of four physical uplink control channel resources and indicating a currently assigned physical uplink control channel resource using a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledge resource indicator.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

said N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ is determined using a downlink control information (DCI) field.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein:

g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾)=N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾) is a function N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ and the control channel elements configured in certain subframes.

15. A user equipment, comprising:

circuitry for receiving a control message on an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH);

circuitry for receiving a second message indicated by the control message;

circuitry for receiving a demodulation reference signal on a same antenna port as the associated EPDCCH physical resource;

circuitry for transmitting an ACK/NAK signal on an ACK/NAK resource determined from the EPDCCH indicating whether the second message was correctly received by the user equipment; and

circuitry for transmitting the ACK/NACK using physical uplink control channel format 1a or 1b wherein the PUCCH resource is determined for at least one EPDCCH physical resource block set according to;

n_PUCCH⁽¹⁾=n_index+N_PUCCH⁽¹⁾+g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾)

where n_index is the respective lowest indexed physical resource block or lowest indexed control channel element;

N_PUCCH⁽¹⁾ is the cell-specific offset;

N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ is determined from a resource offset field corresponding to the EPDCCH, and g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾) is a function of N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾.

16. The user equipment of claim 15, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving a signal for determining the selection of ACK/NAK resources for transmission of the ACK/NAK signal.

17. The user equipment of claim 15, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving a signal employing a physical uplink control channel downlink control indicator format 1a or 1b or 3 resource for semi-static configuration including semi-statically configuring the user equipment with a set of four physical uplink control channel resources and indicating a currently assigned physical uplink control channel resource using a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledge resource indicator.

18. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein:

said N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ is determined using a downlink control information (DCI) field.

19. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein:

g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾=N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾.

20. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein g(N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾) is a function N_PUCCH,e⁽¹⁾ and the control channel elements configured in certain subframes.