Sending method and apparatus for enhanced physical downlink control channel

• US 9,942,888 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yijian, Dai, Bo, Zuo, Zhisong
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferris, Derrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rangel, Manuel
• Application Number:
  US14/358,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0028 Formatting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0036 arrangements specific to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2613 Structure of the reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• 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

Disclosed in the present disclosure are a sending method and apparatus for enhanced physical downlink control channel. The method comprises: a start position of the ePDCCH in a subframe is determined according to a high-level signaling and/or preset rule; and a pilot signal for ePDCCH and data carried on the ePDCCH are sent. By applying the present disclosure, the interference between the ePDCCH and the downlink control channel is reduced, and the efficiency of downlink transmission is improved.

Claims

1. A sending method for enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (ePDCCH), comprising:

determining, by a base station, a start position of the ePDCCH in a subframe according to at least one of a high-level signaling and a preset rule, wherein the high-level signalling or the preset rule comprises one of;

(i) if the ePDCCH is only in a second time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is a first Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the second time slot,

(ii) if the ePDCCH is only in a first time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is a same as a start position of a first component carrier of a specific Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for a first User Equipment (UE), wherein the first component carrier is a component carrier where the ePDCCH is and the first UE is a UE corresponding to the ePDCCH,

(iii) if the ePDCCH is in the first time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained according to a first high-level signalling, and

(iv) if the ePDCCH is in the first time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained according to a first high-level signalling when a first predetermined condition is satisfied, and the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained according to a second high level signalling when a second predetermined condition is satisfied; and

sending, by the base station, a pilot signal for the ePDCCH and data carried on the ePDCCH,

wherein the first predetermined condition and the second predetermined condition comprise one of the following;

the first predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH does not perform, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, an operation of detecting a control area bearing a physical downlink control channel and the second predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH performs, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, the operation of detecting the control area bearing the physical downlink control channel,

the first predetermined condition being that no control area bearing the physical downlink control channel is on the component carrier where the ePDCCH is and the second predetermined condition being that a control area bearing the physical downlink control channel is on the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, and

the first predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH does not perform, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, an operation of detecting a physical control format indication channel, and the second predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH performs, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, the operation of detecting a physical control format indication channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein before sending, by the base station, the pilot signal for the ePDCCH, the method further comprises:

determining, by the base station, the pilot signal for the ePDCCH according to at least one of the following;

a transmission scheme of the ePDCCH and a type of the subframe where the ePDCCH is, wherein the transmission scheme comprises;

a transmit diversity scheme, and a single-antenna port or multi-antenna port transmission scheme.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein determining the pilot signal for the ePDCCH according to the at least one of the following:

the transmission scheme of the ePDCCH and the type of the subframe where the ePDCCH is comprises at least one of the following;

if the transmission scheme of the ePDCCH is the transmit diversity scheme, determining, by the base station, a cell-specific reference signal as the pilot signal for the ePDCCH;

if the transmission scheme of the ePDCCH is the single-antenna port or multi-antenna port transmission scheme, determining, by the base station, a UE-specific reference signal as the pilot signal for the ePDCCH;

if the type of the subframe where the ePDCCH is an Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe, determining, by the base station, the UE-specific reference signal as the pilot signal for the ePDCCH;

if the type of the subframe where the ePDCCH is a predetermined subframe, determining, by the base station, the cell-specific reference signal as the pilot signal for the ePDCCH, wherein the predetermined subframe comprises;

a non-MBSFN subframe and non-special subframe;

if the transmission scheme of the ePDCCH is the transmit diversity scheme and the ePDCCH is transmitted on the predetermined subframe on a compatible component carrier, determining, by the base station, the cell-specific reference signal as the pilot signal for the ePDCCH;

if the transmission scheme of the ePDCCH is the transmit diversity scheme and the ePDCCH is transmitted on a non-compatible carrier subframe having no cell-specific reference signal, determining, by the base station, the UE-specific reference signal as the pilot signal for the ePDCCH; and

if the transmission scheme of the ePDCCH is the transmit diversity scheme and the ePDCCH is transmitted on MBSFN subframes on a compatible component carrier, determining, by the base station, the UE-specific reference signal as the pilot signal for the ePDCCH.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the UE-specific reference signal is one of the following:

a reference signal supporting a two-antenna port, a reference signal supporting a four-antenna port, a shortened cell-specific reference signal, wherein the shortened cell-specific reference signal is the cell-specific reference signal contained in at least one physical resource block where the ePDCCH is when sending the cell-specific reference signal.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein an initial scrambling code value generated by sequences of the UE-specific reference signal is a predetermined value or is configured according to a high-level signaling.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein before sending, by the base station, data carried on the ePDCCH, the method further comprises:

configuring, by the base station, data power on at least one sub-carrier element at an antenna port.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein configuring, by the base station, the data power on the at least one sub-carrier element at the antenna port comprises one of the following:

configuring, by the base station, a ratio of the data power on the at least one sub-carrier element at the antenna port to pilot power, which is corresponding to the antenna port, on the at least one sub-carrier element to be h1, wherein the value of h1 is configured by a high-level signaling;

if the ePDCCH is in the single-antenna port or multi-antenna port transmission scheme, configuring, by the base station, the ratio of the data power on the at least one sub-carrier element at the antenna port to the pilot power, which is corresponding to the antenna port, on the at least one sub-carrier element, to be h1, wherein h1 is a predetermined value;

configuring, by the base station, the data power on the at least one sub-carrier element at the antenna port to be equal to the pilot power, which is corresponding to the antenna port, on the sub-carrier element, if the following conditions are satisfied;

the ePDCCH is in the transmit diversity scheme, the UE-specific reference signal is a shortened cell-specific reference signal, the subframe, where the ePDCCH is, is the MBSFN subframe, and the cell-specific reference signal exists on the first two Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of the MBSFN subframe;

if the following conditions are satisfied, configuring, by the base station, the ratio of the data power on the sub-carrier element at the antenna port to the pilot power, which is corresponding to the antenna port, on the sub-carrier element to be h1, and configuring power of the shortened cell-specific reference signal and power of a corresponding cell-specific reference signal to be h2, wherein h1/h2 represent a power ratio and h1 and h2 are configured by one of the following means;

h1 and h2 being configured by a signaling;

h1 being the predetermined value, h2 being configured by a high-level signaling; and

h1 being configured by a signaling, and h2 being a predefined value;

configuring, by the base station, the ratio of the data power on the sub-carrier element at the antenna port to the pilot power, which is corresponding to the antenna port, on the sub-carrier element to be h1, which is a predefined value or is configured by the high-level signaling, if the following conditions are satisfied;

the ePDCCH is in the transmit diversity scheme, the UE-specific reference signal is a shortened cell-specific reference signal, and no cell-specific reference signal is on the subframe where the ePDCCH is.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the value of the first high-level signaling comprises:

if a system bandwidth of the component carrier is smaller than or equal to 10 physical resource blocks, the value of the high-level signaling is one of the following;

#0, #1, #2, #3;

#0, #2, #3, #4;

or #1, #2, #3, #4; and

if the system bandwidth of the component carrier is greater than 10 physical resource blocks, the value of the high-level signaling is;

#0, #1, #2, or #3, wherein # represents a number.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the value of the second high-level signaling comprises:

if the system bandwidth of the component carrier is smaller than or equal to 10 physical resource blocks, the high-level signaling indicates the start position of the ePDCCH to be #2, #3, #4, or the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained via control format indication information carried by a physical downlink control format indication channel; and

if the system bandwidth of the component carrier is greater than 10 physical resource blocks, the high-level signaling indicates the start position of the ePDCCH to be #1, #2, #3, or the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained via control format indication information carried by the physical downlink control format indication channel, wherein # represents a number.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the ePDCCH is in the first time slot, an end position of the ePDCCH is the last OFDM symbol in the first time slot or the last OFDM symbol in the second time slot.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the ePDCCH is only in the second time slot, an end position of the ePDCCH is the last OFDM symbol of the second time slot.

12. A sending apparatus for enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), comprising:

a hardware processor configured with a memory;

a plurality of program modules stored in the memory, executable by the hardware processor, wherein the program modules comprise;

a first determination module configured to determine a start position of the ePDCCH in a subframe according to at least one of high-level signaling and a preset rule, wherein the high-level signalling or the preset rule comprises one of;

(i) if the ePDCCH is only in a second time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is a first Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol of the second time slot,

(ii) if the ePDCCH is only in a first time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is a same as a start position of a first component carrier of a specific Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for a first User Equipment (UE), wherein the first component carrier is a component carrier where the ePDCCH is and the first UE is a UE corresponding to the ePDCCH,

(iii) if the ePDCCH is in the first time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained according to a first high-level signalling, and

(iv) if the ePDCCH is in the first time slot, the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained according to a first high-level signalling when a first predetermined condition is satisfied, and the start position of the ePDCCH is obtained according to a second high level signalling when a second predetermined condition is satisfied; and

a sending module configured to send a pilot signal for the ePDCCH and data carried on the ePDCCH,

wherein the first predetermined condition and the second predetermined condition comprise one of the following;

the first predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH does not perform, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, an operation of detecting a control area bearing a physical downlink control channel and the second predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH performs, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, the operation of detecting the control area bearing the physical downlink control channel,

the first predetermined condition being that no control area bearing the physical downlink control channel is on the component carrier where the ePDCCH is and the second predetermined condition being that a control area bearing the physical downlink control channel is on the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, and

the first predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH does not perform, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, an operation of detecting a physical control format indication channel, and the second predetermined condition being that the UE corresponding to the ePDCCH performs, in the component carrier where the ePDCCH is, the operation of detecting a physical control format indication channel.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the program modules further comprise:

a second determination module configured to determine the pilot signal for the ePDCCH according to at least one of the following;

a transmission scheme of the ePDCCH and a type of the subframe where the ePDCCH is, wherein the transmission scheme comprises;

a transmit diversity scheme and a single-antenna port or multi-antenna port transmission scheme.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the program modules further comprise:

a configuration module configured to configure a data power on at least one sub-carrier element at the antenna port.