System and method for multi-carrier network operation

• US 9,585,164 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fong, Mo-Han, Heo, Youn Hyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Andrews, III, Hoyet H
• Application Number:
  US13/498,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20130010619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• 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 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for multi-carrier network operation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of pairing and linking carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a downlink carrier, a first uplink carrier, and a second uplink carrier between a base station and a user equipment (“UE”), comprises receiving a Radio Resource Control (“RRC”) signaling; pairing the first uplink carrier with the downlink carrier using information in the RRC signaling, wherein the information includes the pairing of the downlink carrier with the first uplink carrier; and linking the second uplink carrier with the downlink carrier using information in the RRC signaling, wherein the information includes the linking of the downlink carrier with the second uplink carrier.

Claims

1. A method performed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) for pairing carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network provides the UE with an anchor downlink carrier, one or more secondary downlink carriers, and one or more uplink carriers, comprising:

receiving, by the UE, a Radio Resource Control (“

RRC”

) signaling;

pairing, by the UE, each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the pairing of each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers;

determining, using information in the RRC signaling, whether downlink control information (DCI) on a particular secondary downlink carrier includes a carrier indication field (CIF), wherein the CIF indicates a carrier over which data is transported; and

in response to determining that the DCI does not include the CIF;

receiving an uplink grant on the particular secondary downlink carrier; and

transmitting on uplink resources on a corresponding paired uplink carrier of the particular secondary downlink carrier based on information in the uplink grant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the paired secondary downlink carrier and uplink carrier form a cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with the pairing of each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers includes a system information (“

SI”

), wherein said SI is associated with at least one of the one or more secondary downlink carriers or one of the one or more uplink carriers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a quantity of the one or more secondary downlink carriers is at least one or two, and a quantity of the one or more uplink carriers is at least one or two.

5. A method performed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) for linking carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network provides the UE with a first downlink carrier, a second downlink carrier, and a third downlink carrier, comprising:

receiving, by the UE, a Radio Resource Control (“

RRC”

) signaling;

linking, by the UE, the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the linking of the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier; and

linking, by the UE, the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the linking of the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier;

determining, using information in the RRC signaling, whether downlink control information (DCI) on the first downlink carrier includes a carrier indication field (CIF); and

in response to determining that the DCI includes the CIF;

receiving a downlink assignment on the first downlink carrier including the CIF indicating the second downlink carrier; and

accessing downlink resources on the second downlink carrier based on information in the downlink assignment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the second downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the first downlink carrier.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the first downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the second downlink carrier.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the third downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the first downlink carrier.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the first downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the third downlink carrier.

10. A method performed by a processor of a network equipment for assigning a carrier group in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers between a base station and a user equipment (“

UE”

), comprising;

determining a propagation metric for each of the one or more downlink carriers and each of the one or more uplink carriers, wherein the propagation metric for each of the one or more downlink carriers and each of the one or more uplink carriers includes at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay;

grouping the one or more downlink carriers and the one or more uplink carriers having similar propagation metric to form the carrier group;

pairing each carrier of one or more downlink carriers in the carrier group with one of one or more uplink carriers in the carrier group, wherein the paired downlink carrier and uplink carrier form a cell;

assigning a carrier group index to the carrier group; and

sending, by the network equipment and to the UE, a Timing Advance Command Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) including the carrier group index.

11. A method performed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) for performing a random access (“

RA”

) procedure in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a plurality of carrier groups associated with a base station and the UE, wherein each carrier group includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers, comprising;

receiving, by the UE, a set of RA parameters for each of the plurality of carrier groups assigned to the UE, wherein each of the plurality of carrier groups are grouped based on a similar propagation metric including at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay;

determining a transmit power based on a path loss estimation performed on a first downlink carrier in a particular carrier group of the plurality of the carrier groups;

transmitting, by the UE, an RA preamble signal on at least one uplink carrier in the particular carrier group using the corresponding set of RA parameters and the determined transmit power, wherein the RA preamble signal is transmitted using an uplink transmission timing determined based on a downlink reception timing of a second downlink carrier in the particular carrier group; and

receiving, by the UE, an RA response signal on a downlink carrier that indicated the corresponding set of RA parameters used for transmitting the RA preamble signal, wherein said RA response signal corresponds to said RA preamble signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more downlink carriers and one of the one or more uplink carriers is a cell.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said transmitting an RA preamble signal on the at least one uplink carrier using said set of RA parameters includes transmitting only one RA preamble signal at any one time on the uplink carrier.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers is paired with at least one of the one or more downlink carriers.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers is a designated uplink carrier.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more downlink carriers is a designated downlink carrier.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers is an uplink anchor carrier.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more downlink carriers is a downlink anchor carrier.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers includes a Physical Random Access Channel (“

PRACH”

).

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said set of RA parameters includes at least one of a timer parameter, a counter parameter, and a transmit power parameter.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier in the particular carrier group are a same carrier or different carriers.

22. A method of performed by a processor of a network equipment for performing a random access (“

RA”

) procedure in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a plurality of carrier groups associated with a base station and a user equipment (UE), wherein each carrier group includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers, comprising;

transmitting, by the network equipment, a set of RA parameters for each of the plurality of carrier groups assigned to the UE, wherein each of the plurality of carrier groups are grouped based on a similar propagation metric including at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay;

receiving, by the network equipment, an RA preamble signal on at least one uplink carrier in a particular carrier group using the corresponding set of RA parameters, wherein the network equipment orders the UE to transmit the RA preamble signal, a transmit power of the RA preamble is determined based on a path loss estimation performed on a first downlink carrier in the particular carrier group, and an uplink transmission timing of the RA preamble is determined based on a downlink reception timing of a second downlink carrier in the particular carrier group; and

transmitting, by the network equipment, an RA response signal on a downlink carrier that indicated the corresponding set of RA parameters used for transmitting the RA preamble signal, wherein said RA response signal corresponds to said RA preamble signal.