Method and apparatus for providing and utilizing a non-contention based channel in a wireless communication system

• US 8,619,747 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandra, Arty, Chen, John S., Zhang, Guodong, Terry, Stephen E., Wang, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/669,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20070189205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,526 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/343, 370/344, 370/329, 370/341, 370/431, 370/468
• US Class Current: 370/344
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2621 using frequency division multiple access [FDMA] H04B7/2615 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• 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 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

In a wireless communication system comprising at least one evolved Node-B (eNB) and a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units (WRTUs), a non-contention based (NCB) channel is established, maintained, and utilized. The NCB channel is allocated for use by one or more WTRUs in the system for utilization in a variety of functions, and the allocation is communicated to the WTRUs. The wireless communication system analyzes the allocation of the NCB channel as required, and the NCB channel is reallocated as required.

Claims

1. A method for a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

receiving a first allocation, wherein the first allocation is an allocation of a non-contention based (NCB) uplink control channel, the first allocation comprises a configuration for transmitting scheduling requests (SRs) over the NCB uplink control channel, the configuration comprises a periodicity and an indication of dedicated physical resources allocated to the WTRU for transmitting the SRs, and the NCB uplink control channel is comprised of allocated physical resources that are time multiplexed such that given frequency resources of the NCB uplink control channel may be used by different WTRUs for transmitting control signaling at different instances of time;

transmitting a transmission burst over the NCB uplink control channel in accordance with the first allocation, wherein the presence of the transmission burst on resources dedicated to the WTRU by the first allocation is indicative of a request for uplink transmission resources by the WTRU;

monitoring a downlink control channel for a shared channel resource allocation;

detecting a transmission intended for the WTRU on the downlink control channel, wherein the transmission comprises a second allocation and the second allocation is an allocation of an uplink shared channel; and

transmitting data over the uplink shared channel in accordance with the second allocation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the NCB uplink control channel is implemented in a single carrier frequency-division multiple-access (SC-FDMA) wireless communication system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel are multiplexed for use by a plurality of WTRUs using two or more of frequency multiplexing, time multiplexing, or code multiplexing.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

releasing the NCB uplink control channel based on a determination by the WTRU.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determination to release the NCB uplink control channel is an implicit determination at the WTRU.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the determination to release the NCB uplink control channel is based on explicit signaling from an eNodeB.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the NCB uplink control channel utilizes a frequency hopping pattern.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel being time multiplexed among the plurality of WTRUs comprises at least one other WTRU being allocated different dedicated physical resources for using the NCB uplink control channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel being time multiplexed among the plurality of WTRUs further comprises the at least one other WTRU being allocated a different periodicity.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmission; and

transmitting an acknowledgement (ACK) over the NCB uplink control channel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first allocation further comprises a second configuration, the second configuration establishing a second transmission schedule for the WTRU for performing a second control function.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second configuration comprises a second indication of dedicated physical resources and a second periodicity, wherein the second indication of dedicated physical resources is different than the indication of dedicated physical resources for transmitting scheduling requests and the second periodicity is different than the periodicity for transmitting scheduling requests.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second control function is reporting channel quality information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink control channel is common to a plurality of WTRUs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmission intended for the WTRU on the downlink control channel comprises an indication of an identifier for the WTRU.

16. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor configured to:

receive, from an evolved Node B (eNB), a first allocation, wherein the first allocation is an allocation of a non-contention based (NCB) uplink control channel, the first allocation comprises a configuration for transmitting scheduling requests (SRs) over the NCB uplink control channel, the configuration comprises a periodicity and an indication of dedicated physical resources allocated to the WTRU for transmitting SRs, and allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel are time multiplexed such that given frequency resources of the NCB uplink control channel may be used by different WTRUs for transmitting control signaling at different instances of time;

transmit a transmission burst over the NCB uplink control channel in accordance with the first allocation, wherein the presence of the transmission burst on resources dedicated to the WTRU by the first allocation is indicative of a request for uplink transmission resources by the WTRU;

monitor a downlink control channel;

detect a transmission intended for the WTRU on the downlink control channel, wherein the transmission comprises a second allocation and the second allocation is an allocation of an uplink shared channel; and

transmit data over the uplink shared channel in accordance with the second allocation.

17. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to release the NCB uplink control channel based on a determination by the WTRU.

18. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the determination to release the uplink NCB uplink control channel by the WTRU is an implicit determination at the WTRU.

19. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the determination to release the NCB uplink control channel by the WTRU is based on explicit signaling from an eNodeB.

20. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the NCB uplink control channel utilizes a frequency hopping pattern.

21. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit at least two of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback, a scheduling request, or a channel quality measurement over the NCB uplink control channel.

22. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the first allocation further comprises a second configuration, the second configuration establishing a second transmission schedule for the WTRU for performing a second control function.

23. The WTRU of claim 22, wherein the second configuration comprises a second indication of dedicated physical resources and a second periodicity, wherein the second indication of dedicated physical resources is different than the indication of dedicated physical resources for transmitting scheduling requests and the second periodicity is different than the periodicity for transmitting scheduling requests.

24. The WTRU of claim 23, wherein the second control function is reporting channel quality information.

25. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel are frequency multiplexed such that different frequency resources of the NCB uplink control channel may be used by different WTRUs for transmitting control signaling at the same instance of time.

26. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel are code multiplexed.

27. An evolved Node-B (eNB) comprising a processor configured to:

transmit, to a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a first allocation, wherein the first allocation is an allocation of a non-contention based (NCB) uplink control channel, the first allocation comprises a configuration for transmitting scheduling requests (SRs) over the NCB uplink control channel, the configuration comprises a periodicity and an indication of dedicated physical resources allocated to the WTRU for transmitting SRs, and allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel are time multiplexed among a plurality of WTRUs for transmitting control signaling;

receive a transmission burst over the NCB uplink control channel on resources dedicated to the WTRU;

determine that the WTRU is requesting uplink transmission resources based on the presence of the transmission burst on the resources dedicated to the WTRU;

send a transmission intended for the WTRU on a downlink control channel, wherein the transmission comprises a second allocation and the second allocation is an allocation of an uplink shared channel; and

receive data from the WTRU on the uplink shared channel in accordance with the second allocation.

28. The eNB of claim 27, wherein the processor is further configured to release the NCB uplink control channel based on a determination by the eNB.

29. The eNB of claim 28, wherein processor is further configured to send an indication to the WTRU indicating that the NCB control channel has been released.

30. The eNB of claim 27, wherein the NCB uplink control channel utilizes a frequency hopping pattern.

31. The eNB of claim 27, wherein the processor is further configured to reconfigure the NCB uplink control channel and send an updated configuration for transmitting SRs to the WTRU, wherein the updated configuration comprises an updated periodicity and an indication of updated dedicated physical resources for transmitting SRs.

32. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor configured to:

receive a first allocation, wherein the first allocation is an allocation of a non-contention based (NCB) uplink control channel, the first allocation comprises a configuration for transmitting scheduling requests (SRs) over the NCB uplink control channel, and the configuration comprises a periodicity and an indication of dedicated physical resources allocated to the WTRU to provide opportunities to transmit scheduling requests (SRs), wherein NCB uplink control channel resources are time multiplexed among a plurality of WTRU for transmitting control information; and

transmit a transmission burst over the NCB uplink control channel in accordance with the first allocation, wherein the presence of the transmission burst on resources dedicated to the WTRU by the first allocation is indicative of a request for uplink transmission resources by the WTRU;

monitor a downlink control channel;

detect a transmission intended for the WTRU on the downlink control channel, wherein the transmission comprises a second allocation and the second allocation is an allocation of an uplink shared channel; and

transmit data over the uplink shared channel in accordance with the second allocation.

33. The WTRU of claim 32, wherein the NCB uplink control channel utilizes a frequency hopping pattern.

34. The WTRU of claim 32, wherein the NCB uplink control channel is implemented in a single carrier frequency-division multiple-access (SC-FDMA) wireless communication system.

35. The WTRU of claim 32, wherein the downlink control channel is common to a plurality of WTRUs and the transmission intended for the WTRU on the downlink control channel comprises an indication of an identifier for the WTRU.

36. The WTRU of claim 32, wherein the first allocation further comprises a second configuration, the second configuration establishing a second transmission schedule for the WTRU for performing a second control function.

37. The WTRU of claim 36, wherein the second configuration comprises a second indication of dedicated physical resources and a second periodicity, wherein the second indication of dedicated physical resources is different than the indication of dedicated physical resources for transmitting scheduling requests and the second periodicity is different than the periodicity for transmitting scheduling requests.

38. The WTRU of claim 37, wherein the second control function is reporting channel quality information.

39. The WTRU of claim 32, wherein allocated physical resources of the NCB uplink control channel are multiplexed using one or more of frequency multiplexing or code multiplexing.