Method and apparatus for allocating resources for an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indicator channel

• US 10,743,297 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2016
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nazar, Shahrokh Nayeb, Lee, Moon-il, Pelletier, Benoit
• Primary Examiner(s): Ulysse, Jael M
• Application Number:
  US15/225,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20160345303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1858 Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of acknowledgement message
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• 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 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus are described for allocating resources for an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) channel (E-PHICH). A subset of an enhanced physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH) may be allocated for use by the E-PHICH. The E-PDCCH may be defined by at least one of enhanced resource element groups (eREGs) and enhanced control channel elements (eCCEs). Each eCCE may be formed by grouping a plurality of eREGs. Each eREG may contain at least one resource element (RE). Alternatively, a subset of eREGs may be allocated as E-PHICH resources. E-PDCCH physical resource block (PRB) pairs may be selected as a resource for the E-PHICH. An indication of the number of the eCCEs may be broadcast to a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU).

Claims

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver,

wherein the processor and the transceiver are configured to transmit data over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) using hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processing,

wherein the processor and the transceiver are further configured to monitor only first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) control channel elements (CCEs) in a subframe for scheduling information for retransmissions, wherein the subframe further includes second PDCCH CCEs and physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH) resource groups, wherein a number of resource elements for the first PDCCH CCEs is based on a size of a control region associated with the second PDCCH CCEs, and

wherein the processor and the transceiver are further configured to determine to retransmit the data using HARQ processing on a condition that scheduling information for a retransmission is received on the first PDCCH CCEs in the subframe.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the second PDCCH CCEs and the PHICH resource groups are included in a number of orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols in monitored subframes, wherein the number of OFDM symbols is based on a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH).

3. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the second PDCCH CCEs are legacy PDCCH CCEs.

4. The WTRU of claim 3, wherein an amount of PHICH resources available in a subframe is variable based on a size of a PDCCH region corresponding to the second PDCCH CCEs.

5. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the scheduling information for retransmissions includes at least a format and frequency location of retransmissions for adaptive HARQ operation.

6. The WTRU of claim 5, wherein, for adaptive HARQ, an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) is transmitted on the PHICH, and the ACK or NACK corresponds to the PUSCH transmitted in an uplink subframe.

7. A method, implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

transmitting data over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) using hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processing;

monitoring only first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) control channel elements (CCEs) in a subframe for scheduling information for retransmissions, wherein the subframes further includes second PDCCH CCEs and physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH) resource groups, wherein a number of resource elements for the first PDCCH CCEs is based on a size of a control region associated with the second PDCCH CCEs; and

determining to retransmit the data using HARQ processing on a condition that scheduling information for a retransmission is received on the first PDCCH CCEs in the subframe.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second PDCCH CCEs and the PHICH resource groups are included in a number of orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols in monitored subframes, wherein the number of OFDM symbols is based on a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH).

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second PDCCH CCEs are legacy PDCCH CCEs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein an amount of PHICH resources available in a subframe is variable based on a size of a PDCCH region corresponding to the second PDCCH CCEs.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the scheduling information for retransmissions includes at least information regarding a format and frequency location of retransmissions for adaptive HARQ operation.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein, for adaptive HARQ, an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) is transmitted on the PHICH, and the ACK or NACK corresponds to the PUSCH transmitted in an uplink subframe.