USER EQUIPMENT, BASE STATION, COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD, AND RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20120230217A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sawai, Ryo, Takano, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,007,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A user equipment includes radio communication unit that performs radio communication with a base station over a communication channel formed by aggregating a plurality of component carriers. The user equipment has a measurement unit that measures a channel quality of the communication channel, and a controller that creates a measurement report using a result of the measurement and sends the measurement report to the base station. Each data signal transmitted over the communication channel is classified into any of two or more classes depending on a QoS requirement thereof. The radio communication unit receives control information related to a mapping between each of the plurality of component carriers and the class of each data signal from the base station, and the controller controls at least one of the measurement and the sending of the measurement report, according to a procedure which varies depending on the control information. A base station performs associated functions, according to a communication method involving allocation of data to component carriers based at least in part on channel quality criteria for different data classifications.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for communicating with another information processing apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive quality information regarding quality of service for data to be transmitted;

an allocating unit configured to determine how to allocate the data on component carriers according to the quality information; and

a notification unit configured to notify said another information processing apparatus of allocation information that specifies how the data is to be allocated on the component carriers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said allocating unit allocates said data differently according to a quality information associated with a data classification for said data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the allocating unit is configured to mix data with different quality of service criteria on a common communication channel using carrier aggregation of said component carriers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a mapping of component carriers to quality of services classifications for data set by said allocating unit enables dynamic control at said another information processing unit from a time of starting channel quality measurement to providing a measurement report to said information processing apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a processor configured to determine whether to perform a handover for said another information processing apparatus based on whether the measurement report indicates that a better channel quality is available to said another information processing apparatus from a peripheral information processing apparatus, said better channel quality being better with respect to a predetermined threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined threshold being varied for respective of the component carriers.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said allocating unit is configured to select a mapping pattern for allocating data on the component carriers depending on one of variation of channel quality among the component carriers and resource availability of the respective component carriers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

said allocating unit determines the variation of channel quality among component carriers via a preceding channel quality report provided by said another information processing apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

said allocating unit determines the variation of channel quality among component carriers by requesting an auxiliary channel quality report from the another information processing apparatus.

10. An information processing apparatus for communicating with another information processing apparatus using a plurality of component carriers, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive allocation information that specifies how data to be transmitted is to be allocated among component carriers; and

a processing unit configured to execute a process in order to conduct a handover procedure according to the allocation information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said process includes at least one of:

transmitting a channel quality report or measurement report, and determining timing when a measurement starts.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said allocation information includes information about how data is allocated on component carriers based on quality of service criteria.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said data is categorized into one of a plurality of quality of service classifications.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said control unit sends measurement data to said another information processing apparatus when said control unit determines that a channel quality available from a peripheral information processing apparatus is higher than a channel quality from the another information processing apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said control unit determines the channel quality being higher based on a comparison to a predetermined threshold or a greater measurement result.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the control unit determines channel quality for a plurality of the component carriers.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the control unit determines a start of measurement based on whether the channel quality satisfies a predetermined criteria, and compares a quality level of each resource block with a reference value provided by the another information processing apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control unit starts measurement when respective quality level of resource blocks among the component carriers drop below corresponding predetermined values.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said control unit initiates measurement and sending of measurement information according to a procedure that varies depending on a mapping between the component carriers and corresponding quality of service for each data classification.

20. A method for controlling communications between an information processing apparatus and another information processing apparatus, comprising:

receiving quality information regarding quality of service for data to be transmitted;

determining with a processor how to allocate the data on component carriers according to the quality information; and

notifying said another information processing apparatus of allocation information that specifies how the data is to be allocated on component carriers.

21. A method for controlling communications between an information processing apparatus and another information processing apparatus, comprising:

receiving at the information processing apparatus allocation information that specifies how data to be transmitted is to be allocated among component carriers; and

executing with a processor a process in order to conduct a handover procedure according to the allocation information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said process includes at least one of:

transmitting a channel quality report or measurement report, and determining timing when a measurement starts.