System and Method for Multiple Point Communications

• US 20140029584A1
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Qu, Bingyu, Xiao, Weimin, Liu, Jialing
• Granted Patent: US 9,615,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

A method for multiple point communications includes configuring a set of first communications system resources to form a plurality of first communications system resource groups, each first communications system resource group including a plurality of channels, and configuring a set of second communications system resources for each one of the plurality of first communications system resource groups, the set of second communications system resources used to convey a feedback transmission. The method also includes signaling information about the plurality of first communications system resource groups to a first user equipment, and signaling information about the sets of second communications system resources associated with the plurality of first communications system resource groups to the first user equipment.

Claims

1. A method for multiple point communications, the method comprising:

configuring, by a controller device, a set of first communications system resources to form a plurality of first communications system resource groups, each first communications system resource group including a plurality of channels;

configuring, by the controller device, a set of second communications system resources for each one of the plurality of first communications system resource groups, the set of second communications system resources used to convey a feedback transmission;

signaling, by the controller device, information about the plurality of first communications system resource groups to a first user equipment; and

signaling, by the controller device, information about the sets of second communications system resources associated with the plurality of first communications system resource groups to the first user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data on at least one of the first communications system resource groups to the first user equipment; and

receiving feedback information reflective of a decoding of the data transmitted on the at least one of the first communications system resource groups.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of first communications system resources comprises hybrid automatic repeat request processes, and wherein each of the sets of second communications system resources comprises a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement channel in an uplink subframe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of first communications system resources are configured in accordance with a characteristic of a backhaul connection between one or more cells associated with the set of first communications system resources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more cells comprises at least one of a virtual cell and a fully featured cell.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the characteristic of the backhaul connection comprises at least one of a latency of the backhaul connection, a latency threshold of the backhaul connection, a latency range of the backhaul connection, a data rate of the backhaul connection, and a bandwidth of the backhaul connection.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein first cells associated with a first one of the first communications system resource groups are connected with a first backhaul connection having the characteristic.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein second cells associated with a second one of the first communications system resource groups are connected with a second backhaul connection having the characteristic.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first cells and the second cells are connected with a third backhaul connection that does not have the characteristic.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a set of third communications system resources to form a plurality of third communications system resource groups;

configuring a set of fourth communications system resources for each one of the third communications system resource groups;

signaling information about the plurality of third communications system resource groups to a second user equipment; and

signaling information about the sets of fourth communications system resources associated with the plurality of third communications system resource groups to the second user equipment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises generalized user equipment identities.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises at least one of scheduling request resources, and buffer status reports.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein configuring the set of fourth communications system resources comprises configuring whether simultaneous transmission of the PUCCH and the PUSCH is one of on and off.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), wherein configuring the set of fourth communications system resources comprises configuring cross-cell scheduling of at least one of the PDCCH and the EPDCCH.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises uplink transmission power.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises timing advance signaling.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises one of a PDCCH and an EPDCCH used to indicate a sequence group associated with one of the generalized cell identities and the channels.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises a set of demodulation reference signals for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises a PDCCH or an EPDCCH channel to indicate a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) belonging to the set of demodulation reference signals for the PDSCH.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises a set of demodulation reference signals for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises one of a PDCCH and an EPDCCH channel to indicate a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) belonging to the set of demodulation reference signals for the PUSCH.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises a set of channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises one of a PDCCH and an EPDCCH to trigger a channel state information (CSI) report for a CSI-RS in the set of CSI-RS.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the sets of fourth communications system resources are configured independently for each one of the third communications system resources groups.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises generalized cell identities and associated channels, and wherein the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises generalized cell identities and associated channels.

23. A method for multiple point communications, the method comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, information from a communications controller about a plurality of first communications system resource groups configured in a communications system, each first communications system resource group including a plurality of channels;

receiving, at the user equipment, information about a set of first communications system resources for a feedback transmission for each one of the plurality of first communications system resource groups;

decoding, by the user equipment, the channels of the plurality of first communications system resource groups in accordance with the information about the plurality of first communications system resource groups; and

transmitting, by the user equipment, feedbacks reflective of the decoding of the channels, wherein the transmitting is in accordance with the information about the set of first communications system resources.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the decoding the channels comprises:

decoding channel resources associated with the channels;

generating a positive feedback for each channel that decoded successfully; and

generating a negative feedback for each channel that decoded unsuccessfully.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the information about the plurality of first communications system resource groups comprises generalized cell identities.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving information about a set of second communications system resources for each one of a plurality of second communications system resource groups.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information about the plurality of second communications resource groups.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of second communications system resource groups are the plurality of first communications system resource groups.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the second communications system resources comprise generalized user equipment identities.

30. A controller device comprising:

a processor configured to specify a set of first communications system resources to form a plurality of first communications system resource groups, each first communications system resource group including a plurality of channels, and to specify a set of second communications system resources for each one of the plurality of first communications system resource groups, the set of second communications system resources used to convey a feedback transmission; and

a transmitter operatively coupled to the processor, the transmitter configured to signal information about the plurality of first communications system resource groups to a first user equipment, and to signal information about the sets of second communications system resources associated with the plurality of first communications system resource groups to the first user equipment.

31. The controller device of claim 30, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data on at least one of the first communications system resource groups to the first user equipment, and wherein the controller device further comprises a receiver operatively coupled to the processor, the receiver configured to receive feedback information reflective of a decoding of the data transmitted on the at least one of the first communications system resource groups.

32. The controller device of claim 30, wherein the processor is configured to specify a set of third communications system resources to form a plurality of third communications system resource groups, and to specify a set of fourth communications system resources for each one of the third communications system resource groups, and wherein the transmitter is configured to signal information about the plurality of third communications system resource groups to a second user equipment, and to signal information about the sets of fourth communications system resources associated with the plurality of third communications system resource groups to the second user equipment.

33. The controller device of claim 32, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises generalized user equipment identities.

34. The controller device of claim 32, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises at least one of scheduling request resources, and buffer status reports.

35. The controller device of claim 32, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein configuring the set of fourth communications system resources comprises configuring whether simultaneous transmission of the PUCCH and the PUSCH is one of on and off.

36. The controller device of claim 32, wherein the set of third communications system resources comprises one of generalized cell identities and channels, and wherein each of the sets of fourth communications system resources comprises uplink transmission power.

37. The controller device of claim 32, wherein the sets of fourth communications system resources are configured independently for each one of the third communications system resources groups.

38. A user equipment comprising:

a receiver configured to receive information from a controller device about a plurality of first communications system resource groups of a communications system, each first communications system resource group including a plurality of channels, and to receive information from the controller device about a set of first communications system resources for a feedback transmission for each one of the plurality of first communications system resource groups;

a processor operatively coupled to the receiver, the processor configured to decode the channels of the plurality of first communications system resource groups in accordance with the information about the plurality of first communications system resource groups; and

a transmitter operatively coupled to the processor, the transmitter configured to transmit feedbacks reflective of the decoding of the channels, wherein the transmitting is in accordance with the information about the set of first communications system resources.

39. The user equipment of claim 38, wherein the processor is configured to decode channel resources associated with the channels, to generate a positive feedback for each channel that decoded successfully, and to generate a negative feedback for each channel that decoded unsuccessfully.

40. The user equipment of claim 38, wherein the receiver is configured to receive information about a set of second communications system resources for each one of a plurality of second communications system resource groups.

41. The user equipment of claim 40, wherein the receiver is configured to receive information about the plurality of second communications resource groups.