Data transmission method and system, and device having base station function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10536941-B2
Application number	US-201615358364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

Provided are a data transmission method and system for when an LTE system operates using a time division duplexing mode in an unlicensed frequency band, and a device having a base station function. The data transmission method comprises: a channel monitoring sub-frame used for periodically detecting a downlink channel state is arranged in a frame structure of a time division duplexing mode; within any period, if the channel monitoring sub-frame detects that a downlink channel is in idle state, downlink data is sent via a downlink sub-frame located within the period in the frame structure, and if not, downlink data is not sent within the period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system in an unlicensed frequency band based on a Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode for a device configurable as a base station, comprising:
arranging, by a first device, a channel monitoring sub-frame for periodically detecting a downlink channel state in a frame structure of the TDD mode, wherein the first device is configurable as a first base station;
within a period, during the channel monitoring sub-frame, determining whether a downlink channel is in an idle state;
based on a determination that the downlink channel is in the idle state, transmitting downlink data via a downlink sub-frame within the period, wherein the downlink sub-frame is located in the frame structure of the TDD mode;
based on a determination that the downlink channel is not in the idle state, not transmitting downlink data within the period; and
setting the period of the channel monitoring sub-frame according to a number of downlink sub-frames included in each switch point period in the frame structure,
wherein arranging the channel monitoring sub-frame comprises:
when the period of the channel monitoring sub-frame is M*10 ms, M being a positive integer:
arranging the channel monitoring sub-frame in at least one subframe of the frame structure of the TDD mode; and
when the period of the channel monitoring sub-frame is 5 ms:
arranging the channel monitoring sub-frame in at least two subframes of the frame structure of the TDD mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein arranging a channel monitoring sub-frame for periodically detecting a downlink channel state in a frame structure of the TDD mode comprises at least one of:
arranging the channel monitoring sub-frame in at least one sub-frame of the frame structure of the TDD mode; and
arranging the channel monitoring sub-frame in at least two sub-frames of the frame structure of the TDD mode, wherein the at least two sub-frames are of same sub-frame type or different sub-frame types.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the channel monitoring sub-frame is arranged at one of:
a rear end of an uplink sub-frame adjacent to a downlink sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode, wherein the channel monitoring sub-frame occupies a first predetermined number of symbols ranging from 1 to 14,
a front end of a downlink sub-frame adjacent to an uplink sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode, wherein the channel monitoring sub-frame occupies a second predetermined number of symbols ranging from 1 to 14, or
a location adjacent to Uplink Pilot Time Slot (UpPTS) in a special sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode, wherein the channel monitoring sub-frame occupies a third predetermined number of symbols ranging from 1 to 9.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the determining whether a downlink channel is in an idle state comprises:
determining whether the downlink channel is in the idle state in each symbol occupied by the channel monitoring sub-frame;
based on a determination that the downlink channel is in the idle state in each symbol occupied by the channel monitoring sub-frame, determining that the downlink channel is in the idle state; and
based on a determination that the downlink channel is not in the idle state in each symbol occupied by the channel monitoring sub-frame, determining that the downlink channel is not in the idle state.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
during the operation of the LTE system, setting at least one of the first predetermined number, the second predetermined number, or the third predetermined number to be one of:
fixed numbers, or
non-fixed numbers, based on at least one of:
a channel condition change rate of a first system using the unlicensed frequency band around the LTE system, wherein the channel condition change rate is detected in real time, or
channel detecting ability of the first device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein
the channel condition change rate of the first system is in direct proportion to at least one of the first predetermined number, the second predetermined number, or the third predetermined number, and
the channel detecting ability of the first device is in inverse proportion to at least one of the first predetermined number, the second predetermined number, or the third predetermined number.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
when there are multiple locations available for arranging the channel monitoring sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode and the period of the channel monitoring sub-frame is M*10 ms, arranging the channel monitoring sub-frame using a first location of the multiple locations.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
during the operation of the LTE system, detecting, in real time, a load state change rate of the LTE system and a load state change rate of a first system using the unlicensed frequency band around the LTE system; and
based on the detected load state change rate of the LTE system and the load state change rate of the first system, dynamically setting the period of the channel monitoring sub-frame, wherein the load state change rate of the LTE system is in inverse proportion to the period of the channel monitoring sub-frame and the load state change rate of the first system is in inverse proportion to the period of the channel monitoring sub-frame.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a downlink service needs to be processed; and
based on a determination that the downlink service needs to be processed, detecting the downlink channel state via the channel monitoring sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the first device and a second device belong to the same operator, wherein the second device is configurable as a second base station;
based on a determination that the first device and the second device belong to the same operator, setting a first location of the channel monitoring sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode associated with the first device and a second location of the channel monitoring sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode associated with the second device to be the same on a same carrier frequency; and
based on a determination that the first device and the second device belong to different operators, setting the first location and the second location to be different on the same carrier frequency.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein setting the first location and the second location to be different on the same carrier frequency comprises:
determining, on the same carrier frequency, whether a first configuration mode of the frame structure of the TDD mode associated with the first device is the same with a second configuration mode of the frame structure of the TDD mode associated with the second device; and
based on a determination that the first configuration mode is the same with the second configuration mode, setting a relative offset between a sub-frame in the frame structure of the TDD mode associated with the first device and a sub-frame of the frame structure of the TDD mode associated with the second device.

12. A system for data transmission, comprising:
a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system operating in an unlicensed frequency band based on a Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode;
a first device configurable as a base station;
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to store a set of instructions which when executed by the processor become operational with the processor to:
arrange, by the first device, a chann

Assignees

• Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific Shenzhen Co Ltd
• Nanchang Coolpad Intelligent Tech Company Limited

Inventors

• Li Mingju
• Zhu Yajun
• Zhang Yunfei

Classifications

• H04W72/0453

  Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA · CPC title

• H04W72/0446 Primary

  Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames · CPC title

• H04L5/14

  Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex · CPC title

• H04W74/0816

  with collision avoidance · CPC title

• H04L5/005

  of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals · CPC title