Inserting virtual carrier in conventional OFDM host carrier in communications system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10958387-B2
Application number	US-201916502044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2019
Priority date	Feb 4, 2011
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A method of allocating transmission resources in an OFDM wireless telecommunication system arranged to communicate data using a plurality of OFDM sub-carriers. The method comprises allocating transmission resources provided by a first group of the plurality of OFDM sub-carriers within a first frequency band to terminals of a first type; allocating transmission resources provided by a second group of the plurality of OFDM sub-carriers within a second frequency band to terminals of a second type, the second group being smaller than the first group and the second frequency band being selected from within the first frequency band; transmitting control information comprising resource allocation information for terminals of the first type over a first bandwidth corresponding to the combined first and second groups of OFDM sub-carriers; and then transmitting control information comprising resource allocation information for terminals of the second type over a second bandwidth corresponding to the second group of OFDM sub-carriers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal comprising:
a receiver configured to receive data on a radio downlink; and
a transmitter configured to transmit data on a radio uplink, wherein
data is transmitted to mobile terminals of a first type on a first group of a plurality of OFDM sub-carriers within a first physical resource block and data is transmitted to mobile terminals of a second type on a second group of a plurality of OFDM sub-carriers within a second physical resource block, the second group being smaller than the first group and the second physical resource block being selected from within the first physical resource block, and
control information including resource allocation information for terminals of the first type is transmitted over a first bandwidth corresponding to the combined first and second groups of OFDM sub-carriers in different OFDM symbols to transmission of control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the second type and control information including resource allocation information for terminals of the second type is transmitted over a second bandwidth corresponding to the second group of OFDM sub-carriers.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein
the OFDM sub-carriers are transmitted using a sub-frame structure, and
the receiver is configured to receive the control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the second type in a first sub-frame which relates to allocation of resources in a subsequent sub-frame.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmitter is limited to transmit data on the radio uplink over a reduced transmitter bandwidth which is smaller than a total available uplink bandwidth.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 , wherein
the receiver is limited to receiving data over a reduced bandwidth which is smaller than a total available downlink bandwidth.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein
the OFDM sub-carriers are transmitted using a sub-frame structure, and
the receiver is configured to receive the control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the second type in a first sub-frame which relates to allocation of resources in the same sub-frame.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein
the mobile terminal is configured to operate in a OFDM wireless telecommunication system arranged in accordance with 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) specifications.

7. A mobile terminal comprising:
circuitry configured to
receive data transmitted to mobile terminals of a first type on a first group of a plurality of OFDM sub-carriers, within a first resource block, wherein the first group is smaller than a second group of OFDM sub-carriers within a second resource block used to transmit data to terminals of a second type, and the first resource block is within the second resource block; and
receive control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the first type, wherein control information including resource allocation information for terminals of the second type is transmitted over a second bandwidth corresponding to the combined first and second groups of OFDM sub-carriers.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein
the OFDM sub-carriers are transmitted using a sub-frame structure, and
the circuitry is configured to receive the control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the first type in a first sub-frame which relates to allocation of resources in a subsequent sub-frame.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 7 , wherein
the circuitry is configured to be limited to transmitting data over a reduced bandwidth which is smaller than a total available uplink bandwidth.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 7 , wherein
the circuitry is configured to be limited to receiving data over a reduced bandwidth which is smaller than a total available downlink bandwidth.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein
the OFDM sub-carriers are transmitted using a sub-frame structure, and
the circuitry is configured to receive the control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the first type in a first sub-frame which relates to allocation of resources in the same sub-frame.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein
the mobile terminal is configured to operate in a OFDM wireless telecommunication system arranged in accordance with 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) specifications.

13. A method performed by a mobile terminal, the method comprising:
receiving data transmitted to mobile terminals of a first type on a first group of a plurality of OFDM sub-carriers within a first resource block, wherein the first group is smaller than a second group of OFDM sub-carriers within a second resource block used to transmit data to terminals of a second type, and the first resource block is within the second resource block; and
receiving control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the first type, wherein control information including resource allocation information for terminals of the second type is transmitted over a second bandwidth corresponding to the combined first and second groups of OFDM sub-carriers.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the OFDM sub-carriers are transmitted using a sub-frame structure, and
the method comprises receiving the control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the first type in a first sub-frame which relates to allocation of resources in a subsequent sub-frame.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
limiting transmission of the mobile terminal to transmitting data over a reduced bandwidth which is smaller than a total available uplink bandwidth.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
limiting reception of data to receiving data over a reduced bandwidth which is smaller than a total available downlink bandwidth.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the OFDM sub-carriers are transmitted using a sub-frame structure, and
the method further comprises receiving the control information including resource allocation information for the terminals of the first type in a first sub-frame which relates to allocation of resources in the same sub-frame.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the mobile terminal is configured to operate in a OFDM wireless telecommunication system arranged in accordance with 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) specifications.

19. A wireless telecommunication system including the mobile terminal of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Convida Wireless LLC

Inventors

• Mcnamara Darren
• Lillie Andrew
• Darwood Peter
• Beale Martin

Classifications

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04W72/23

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04L5/0064

  Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority · CPC title

• H04L5/0048

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title

• H04L5/0007 Primary

  the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A) or DMT · CPC title