Method, system, access point and computer program product for enhancing the usable bandwidth between of a telecommunications network and a user equipment

• US 9,985,757 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Klatt, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Pasia, Redentor
• Application Number:
  US14/243,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20140211672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method for enhancing usable bandwidth between an access point of a radio access network of a telecommunications network and a User Equipment of a subscriber of the telecommunications network, in which the User Equipment and the access point are configured to mutually communicate based on a standardized mobile communication technology using carrier aggregation of at least a first communication carrier having a first carrier frequency and a second communication carrier having a second carrier frequency. The first carrier frequency is a standardized and licensed frequency and is related to the standardized mobile communication technology. The second carrier frequency is an unlicensed frequency.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing usable bandwidth between an access point of a radio access network of a telecommunications network and a User Equipment of a subscriber of the telecommunications network, comprising:

during communications between the User Equipment and the access point based on a standardized mobile communication technology, performing, by the User Equipment and the access point, carrier aggregation with respect to at least a first communication carrier and a second communication carrier;

wherein the first communication carrier has a first carrier frequency and wherein the second communication carrier has a second carrier frequency;

wherein the first carrier frequency is a standardized and licensed frequency and related to the mobile communication technology;

wherein the second carrier frequency is an unlicensed frequency; and

wherein the carrier aggregation includes;

a first communication technology on the first carrier frequency being defined as a Primary Cell (PCell), and

at least one Secondary Cell (SCell) being used, at least temporarily, in addition to the PCell, wherein both the first communication technology and a second communication technology are definable as the at least one SCell;

wherein allocation of resources for the at least one SCell is controlled by the PCell based on resource allocation control information from the PCell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second carrier frequency is a frequency in a frequency range out of the following:

from 6.765 to 6.795 MHz,

from 13.553 to 13.567 MHz,

from 26.957 to 27.283 MHz,

from 40.66 to 40.70 MHz,

from 433.05 to 434.79 MHz,

from 902 to 928 MHz,

from 2.400 to 2.500 GHz,

from 5.725 to 5.875 GHz,

from 24.00 GHz to 24.25 GHz,

from 61.0 GHz to 61.5 GHz,

from 122 GHz to 123 GHz and

from 244 GHz to 246 GHz.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second carrier frequency is a frequency of the Industrial Scientific and Medical radio frequency band (ISM-radio frequency band).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first carrier frequency is assigned to be used by the telecommunications network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein carrier aggregation between the PCell operating on the first carrier frequency and the at least one SCell operating on the second carrier frequency is performed where the PCell and the at least one SCell are operated in the same mode of operation, wherein the mode of operation of the PCell and the at least one SCell is Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) or Time Division Duplexing (TDD).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein carrier aggregation between the PCell operating on the first carrier frequency and the at least one SCell operating on the second carrier frequency is performed where the PCell and the at least one SCell are operated in the different modes of operation;

wherein the mode of operation of the PCell is one of the group consisting of;

Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) or Time Division Duplexing (TDD); and

the mode of operation of the SCell is the other of the group consisting of FDD and TDD.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein carrier aggregation between the PCell operating on the first carrier frequency and the at least one SCell operating on the second carrier frequency is performed where the at least one SCell is operated in a configuration mode which allocates all resources to be used in the Downlink direction only.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein carrier aggregation between the PCell operating on the first carrier frequency and the at least one SCell operating on the second carrier frequency is performed where the at least one SCell is operated in a configuration mode which allocates uplink and downlink resources in a Time Division Duplexing (TDD) frame structure where at some time instances the allocation is in the uplink while in other time instances the allocation is in the downlink.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second communication carrier on the second carrier frequency, while providing the SCell functionality, utilizes alternating time intervals respectively corresponding to the first communication technology and the second communication technology.

10. A system for enhancing usable bandwidth between an access point of a radio access network of a telecommunications network and a User Equipment of a subscriber of the telecommunications network, comprising the access point and the user equipment, wherein:

the User Equipment and the access point are configured to communicate based on a standardized mobile communication technology using carrier aggregation of at least a first communication carrier and a second communication carrier;

the first communication carrier has a first carrier frequency;

the second communication carrier has a second carrier frequency;

the first carrier frequency is a standardized and licensed frequency and related to the mobile communication technology;

the second carrier frequency is an unlicensed frequency; and

wherein the carrier aggregation includes;

a first communication technology on the first carrier frequency being defined as a Primary Cell (PCell), and

at least one Secondary Cell (SCell) being used, at least temporarily, in addition to the PCell, wherein both the first communication technology and a second communication technology are definable as the at least one SCell;

wherein allocation of resources for the at least one SCell is controlled by the PCell based on resource allocation control information from the PCell.

11. An access point of a radio access network of a telecommunications network for enhancing usable bandwidth between the access point and a User Equipment of a subscriber of the telecommunications network, comprising a processor and a non-transitory processor-readable medium, the access point being configured to:

communicate with the User Equipment based on a standardized mobile communication technology using carrier aggregation of at least a first communication carrier and a second communication carrier;

wherein the first communication carrier has a first carrier frequency;

wherein the second communication carrier has a second carrier frequency;

wherein the first carrier frequency is a standardized and licensed frequency and related to the mobile communication technology;

the second carrier frequency is an unlicensed frequency; and

wherein the carrier aggregation includes;

a first communication technology on the first carrier frequency being defined as a Primary Cell (PCell), and

at least one Secondary Cell (SCell) being used, at least temporarily, in addition to the PCell, wherein both the first communication technology and a second communication technology are definable as the at least one SCell;

wherein allocation of resources for the at least one SCell is controlled by the PCell based on resource allocation control information from the PCell.

12. A User Equipment of a subscriber of the telecommunications network for enhancing the usable bandwidth between an access point of a radio access network of the telecommunications network and the User Equipment, comprising a processor and a non-transitory processor-readable medium, the User Equipment being configured to:

communicate with the access point based on a standardized mobile communication technology using carrier aggregation of at least a first communication carrier and a second communication carrier;

wherein the first communication carrier has a first carrier frequency;

wherein the second communication carrier has a second carrier frequency;

wherein the first carrier frequency is a standardized and licensed frequency and related to the mobile communication technology;

the second carrier frequency is an unlicensed frequency; and

wherein the carrier aggregation includes;

a first communication technology on the first carrier frequency being defined as a Primary Cell (PCell), and

at least one Secondary Cell (SCell) being used, at least temporarily, in addition to the PCell, wherein both the first communication technology and a second communication technology are definable as the at least one SCell;

wherein allocation of resources for the at least one SCell is controlled by the PCell based on resource allocation control information from the PCell.

13. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for enhancing usable bandwidth between an access point of a radio access network of a telecommunications network and a User Equipment of a subscriber of the telecommunications network, the processor-executable instructions comprising instructions for:

during communications between the User Equipment and the access point based on a standardized mobile communication technology, performing, by the User Equipment and the access point, carrier aggregation with respect to at least a first communication carrier and a second communication carrier;

wherein the first communication carrier has a first carrier frequency and wherein the second communication carrier has a second carrier frequency;

wherein the first carrier frequency is a standardized and licensed frequency and related to the mobile communication technology;

the second carrier frequency is an unlicensed frequency; and

wherein the carrier aggregation includes;

a first communication technology on the first carrier frequency being defined as a Primary Cell (PCell), and

at least one Secondary Cell (SCell) being used, at least temporarily, in addition to the PCell, wherein both the first communication technology and a second communication technology are definable as the at least one SCell;

wherein allocation of resources for the at least one SCell is controlled by the PCell based on resource allocation control information from the PCell.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second carrier frequency is a frequency in a frequency range out of the following:

from 6.765 to 6.795 MHz,

from 13.553 to 13.567 MHz,

from 26.957 to 27.283 MHz,

from 40.66 to 40.70 MHz,

from 433.05 to 434.79 MHz,

from 902 to 928 MHz,

from 2.400 to 2.500 GHz,

from 5.725 to 5.875 GHz,

from 24.00 GHz to 24.25 GHz,

from 61.0 GHz to 61.5 GHz,

from 122 GHz to 123 GHz and

from 244 GHz to 246 GHz.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second carrier frequency is a frequency of the Industrial Scientific and Medical radio frequency band (ISM-radio frequency band).

16. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first carrier frequency is assigned to be used by the telecommunications network.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein carrier aggregation between the PCell operating on the first carrier frequency and the at least one SCell operating on the second frequency is performed where resource allocation on the at least one SCell, using the unlicensed frequency, is performed based on resource allocation control information from the PCell.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein carrier aggregation between the PCell operating on the first carrier frequency and the at least one SCell operating on the second carrier frequency is performed where the PCell and the at least one SCell are operated in the same mode of operation, wherein the mode of operation of the PCell and the at least one SCell is Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) or Time Division Duplexing (TDD).