HARQ-ACK SIGNAL TRANSMISSION IN RESPONSE TO DETECTION OF CONTROL CHANNEL TYPE IN CASE OF MULTIPLE CONTROL CHANNEL TYPES

• US 20130230029A1
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PAPASAKELLARIOU, Aris, Cho, Joon-Young
• Granted Patent: US 9,001,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1896 ARQ related signaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• 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

Methods and apparatus are described for a User Equipment (UE) to transmit and for a base station to receive a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest ACKnowledgement (HARQ-ACK) signal in a resource of a Physical Uplink Control CHannel (PUCCH). The HARQ-ACK signal is transmitted from the UE in response to a detection of a PDCCH transmitted from the base station and conveying a DCI format that, depending on the PDCCH type, can include a HARQ-ACK PUCCH Resource Offset (HPRO) information field. The UE and the NodeB determine the PUCCH resource depending on the PDCCH type and, if the DCI format includes the HPRO, also depending on a PDCCH transmission type.

Claims

1. A method for a User Equipment (UE) to transmit a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest ACKnowledgement (HARQ-ACK) signal in a Physical Uplink Control CHannel (PUCCH) in response to a detection of a Physical Downlink Control CHannel (PDCCH) transmitted from a base station in a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), the method comprising the steps of:

detecting, by the UE, the PDCCH over a number of Control Channel Elements (CCEs), wherein the PDCCH conveys a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format comprising a HARQ-ACK PUCCH Resource Offset (HPRO) information field;

determining, by the UE, a PUCCH resource, n_PUCCH, as n_PUCCH=n_ECCE+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E, wherein n_ECCE is a first CCE used for the DCI format in the PDCCH, f(HPRO) is a mapping function that provides an integer based on the HPRO information field, and N_PUCCH^E is an offset assigned to the UE from the base station via higher layer signaling; and

transmitting, by the UE, the HARQ-ACK signal in the determined PUCCH resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the HPRO information field comprises two bits.

3. The method if claim 1, wherein, when a minimum number of the CCEs used by the base station to transmit the PDCCH in the TTI is two, the PUCCH resource, n_PUCCH, is determined by replacing n_ECCE with └

n_ECCE/2┘

, where └

┘

denotes a ‘

floor’

function that rounds a number to its immediately lower integer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the HARQ-ACK signal is transmitted from two antennas, a first antenna uses the PUCCH resource, n_PUCCH and a second antenna uses a second PUCCH resource determined as n_PUCCH2=n_ECCE+1+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E.

5. A method for a base station (NodeB) to receive a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest ACKnowledgement (HARQ-ACK) signal in a Physical Uplink Control CHannel (PUCCH), the HARQ-ACK signal transmitted from a User Equipment (UE) in response to a detection of a Physical Downlink Control CHannel (PDCCH) in a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting, by the NodeB, the PDCCH over a number of Control Channel Elements (CCEs), wherein the PDCCH conveys a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format comprising a HARQ-ACK PUCCH Resource Offset (HPRO) information field;

determining, by the NodeB, a PUCCH resource, n_PUCCH, as n_PUCCH=n_ECCE+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E, wherein n_ECCE is a first CCE used for the DCI format in the PDCCH, f(HPRO) is a mapping function that provides an integer based on the HPRO information field, and N_PUCCH^E is an offset; and

receiving, by the NodeB, the HARQ-ACK signal in the determined PUCCH resource.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the HPRO information field comprises two bits.

7. The method if claim 5, wherein, when a minimum number of the CCEs used by the base station to transmit the PDCCH in the TTI is two, the PUCCH resource, n_PUCCH, is determined by replacing n_ECCE with └

n_ECCE/2┘

, where └

┘

denotes a ‘

floor’

function that rounds a number to its immediately lower integer.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the HARQ-ACK signal is transmitted from two antennas, the PUCCH resource is used in reception from a first antenna and a second PUCCH resource is used in reception from a second antenna, where the second PUCCH is determined as n_PUCCH2=n_ECCE+1+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E.

9. A User Equipment (UE) apparatus for transmitting a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest ACKnowledgement (HARQ-ACK) signal in a Physical Uplink Control CHannel (PUCCH) in response to a detection of a Physical Downlink Control CHannel (PDCCH) in a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), the apparatus comprising:

a detector for detecting the PDCCH over a number of Control Channel Elements (CCEs), wherein the PDCCH conveys a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format comprising a HARQ-ACK PUCCH Resource Offset (HPRO) information field;

a receiver for receiving an offset;

a computation unit for determining a PUCCH resource, n_PUCCH, as n_PUCCH=n_ECCE+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E, wherein n_ECCE is a first CCE used for the DCI format in the PDCCH, f(HPRO) is a mapping function that provides an integer based on the HPRO information field, and n_PUCCH is the offset; and

a transmitter for transmitting the HARQ-ACK signal in the determined PUCCH resource.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the HPRO information field comprises two bits.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when a minimum number of the CCEs used to transmit the PDCCH in the TTI is two, the PUCCH resource is determined by replacing n_ECCE with └

n_ECCE/2┘

, where └

┘

denotes a ‘

floor’

function that rounds a number to its immediately lower integer.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when the HARQ-ACK signal is transmitted from two antennas, a first antenna uses the PUCCH resource, and a second antenna uses a second PUCCH resource determined as n_PUCCH2=n_ECCE+1+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E.

13. A base station (NodeB) apparatus for receiving a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest ACKnowledgement (HARQ-ACK) signal in a Physical Uplink Control CHannel (PUCCH), the HARQ-ACK signal transmitted from a User Equipment (UE) in response to a detection of a Physical Downlink Control CHannel (PDCCH) transmitted from the NodeB apparatus in a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), the apparatus comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting the PDCCH over a number of Control Channel Elements (CCEs), wherein the PDCCH conveys a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format comprising a HARQ-ACK PUCCH Resource Offset (HPRO) information field;

a computation unit for determining a PUCCH resource, n_PUCCH, as n_PUCCH=n_ECCE+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E, wherein n_ECCE is a first CCE used for the DCI format in the PDCCH, f(HPRO) is a mapping function that provides an integer based on the HPRO information field, and N_PUCCH^E is an offset; and

a receiver for receiving the HARQ-ACK signal in the determined PUCCH resource.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the HPRO information field comprises two bits.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when a minimum number of the CCEs used to transmit the PDCCH in the TTI is two, the PUCCH resource is determined by replacing n_ECCE with └

n_ECCE/2┘

, where └

┘

denotes a ‘

floor’

function that rounds a number to its immediately lower integer.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the HARQ-ACK signal is transmitted from two antennas, the PUCCH resource is used in reception from a first antenna and a second PUCCH resource is used in reception from a second antenna, where the second PUCCH resource is determined as n_PUCCH2=n_ECCE+1+f(HPRO)+N_PUCCH^E.