UPLINK RESYNCHRONIZATION FOR USE IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

• US 20120014342A1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi, Cai, Zhijun, Burbridge, Richard C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,208,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reusing an uplink control channel configuration associated with an uplink control channel, the method comprising the steps of, at a user agent, receiving an uplink control channel resource configuration assigned by an access device, transmitting to the access device using the control channel resources associated with the received uplink control channel resource configuration and, after a time alignment timer expires, retaining the uplink control channel resource configuration.

Claims

1. A method in a device, the method comprising:

operating a time alignment timer to maintain uplink time alignment;

receiving a configuration of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), wherein the configuration identifies a PUCCH resource;

transmitting uplink transmissions using the PUCCH resource; and

maintaining the configuration of the PUCCH resource notwithstanding expiration of the time alignment timer, the expiration of the time alignment timer otherwise associated with releasing PUCCH resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the time alignment timer expires, re-synchronizing uplink time alignment.

3. The method of claim 2, using the PUCCH resource associated with the configuration after uplink time alignment is re-synchronized.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein re-synchronizing uplink time alignment includes performing a random access procedure.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

buffering uplink data while performing the random access procedure; and

transmitting uplink transmissions using the PUCCH resource associated with the configuration after reestablishing uplink time alignment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the PUCCH resource is associated with ACK/NACK feedback.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the PUCCH resource is used by the device to transmit ACK/NACK feedback.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the time alignment timer is controlled by time advance commands received from an access device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the configuration includes keeping the configuration in a memory of the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the PUCCH provides support for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) scheme in which ACK/NACK feedback is communicated by the device to an access device using the PUCCH resource.

11. A user agent comprising:

a processor;

a transmitter linked to the processor; and

a receiver linked to the processor,

wherein the processor is programmed to;

operate a time alignment timer to maintain uplink time alignment;

receive a configuration of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource, wherein the configuration identifies an uplink resource;

transmit uplink transmissions using the PUCCH resource; and

maintain the configuration of the PUCCH resource notwithstanding expiration of the time alignment timer, the expiration of the time alignment timer otherwise associated with releasing PUCCH resources.

12. The user agent apparatus of claim 11 wherein the processor is further programmed to, after the time alignment timer expires, re-synchronize uplink time alignment.

13. The user agent apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor is further programmed to use the PUCCH resource associated with the configuration to transmit uplink transmissions after uplink time alignment is re-synchronized.

14. The user agent apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor is further programmed to during the operation to re-synchronize uplink time alignment, perform a random access procedure.

15. The user agent apparatus of claim 11 further including a memory linked to the processor wherein the processor maintains the configuration by storing the configuration in the memory.

16. A non-transitory computer readable media comprising software, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

operate a time alignment timer to maintain uplink time alignment;

receive a configuration of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource, wherein the configuration identifies an uplink resource;

transmit uplink transmissions using the PUCCH resource; and

maintain the configuration of the PUCCH resource notwithstanding expiration of the time alignment timer, the expiration of the time alignment timer otherwise associated with releasing PUCCH resources.

17. A method in an access device of a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

allocating an uplink resource to a user agent;

sending an uplink resource configuration to the user agent;

transmitting time advance commands to the user agent to control a time alignment timer in the user agent;

receiving uplink transmissions from the user agent over the uplink resource;

receiving an uplink transmission request after the time alignment timer has expired; and

if the uplink resource configuration is still valid, sending an indication that the uplink resource configuration is still valid.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to receiving the uplink transmission request, sending an uplink grant to the user agent to grant transmission using the previously allocated uplink resource.