Mobile communications network, communications device and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016150533-A1
Application number	US-201414904897-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 14, 2014
Priority date	Aug 8, 2013
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A communications device is configured to transmit and receive data via a wireless access interface provided by a mobile communications network. The wireless access interface provides a plurality of communications resource elements across a host frequency range of a host carrier, and providing a first section of the communications resources within a first frequency range for preferable allocation to reduced capability devices forming a first virtual carrier and, the first frequency range being within the host frequency range, and the wireless access interface includes a plurality of time divided sub-frames, and at least one of the sub-frames includes a control channel in a part of the sub-frame for communicating signaling messages to the communications devices and the reduced capability devices. The mobile communications network transmits first resource allocation messages to the communications devices to allocate one or more of the plurality of communications resource elements of the host frequency range of the host carrier and transmits second resource allocation messages to the reduced capability devices to allocate one or more of the first section of the communications resources within the first frequency range for preferable allocation to the reduced capability devices of the first virtual carrier, the first resource allocation messages identifying one or more of the communications resource of the host carrier allocated to the communications devices with reference to a first reference frequency of the host frequency band and the second resource allocation messages identifying the one or more communications resources of the first virtual carrier allocated to the reduced capability devices with reference to a second reference frequency within the first virtual carrier. As a result the amount of signalling information in the second resource allocation messages which is transmitted to the reduced capability devices to allocate resource in the virtual carrier can be reduced.

First claim

1 . A communications device for transmitting data to or receiving data from a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network including one or more network elements, the one or more network elements providing a wireless access interface for the communications device, the communications device comprising:
a transmitter unit adapted to transmit signals representing the data to the mobile communications network via the wireless access interface, and a receiver unit adapted to receive signals representing the data from the mobile communications network via the wireless access interface, the wireless access interface providing a plurality of communications resource elements across a host frequency range of a host carrier, and providing a first section of the communications resources within a first frequency range for preferable allocation to reduced capability devices forming a first virtual carrier and, the first frequency range being within the host frequency range, and the wireless access interface includes a plurality of time divided sub-frames, and at least one of the sub-frames includes a control channel in a part of the sub-frame for communicating signaling messages to the communications devices and the reduced capability devices, wherein the one or more network elements are configured to transmit first resource allocation messages to the communications devices to allocate one or more of the plurality of communications resource elements of the host frequency range of the host carrier and to transmit second resource allocation messages to the reduced capability devices to allocate one or more of the first section of the communications resources within the first frequency range for preferable allocation to the reduced capability devices of the first virtual carrier, the first resource allocation messages identifying one or more of the communications resource elements of the host carrier allocated to the communications devices with reference to a first reference frequency of the host frequency band and the second resource allocation messages identifying the one or more communications resources of the first virtual carrier allocated to the reduced capability devices with reference to a second reference frequency within the first virtual carrier, and the communications device is a reduced capability device and includes a controller configured to control the receiver unit to receive one of the second resource allocation message from the control channel, and to receive the data transmitted from the mobile communications network via the one or more communications resources allocated by the second resource allocation messages with reference to the second reference frequency within the virtual carrier.

2 . A communications device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second resource allocation messages comprise a smaller amount of data than the first resource allocation messages.

3 . A communications device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first or the second resource allocation messages include bit maps of the communications resources allocated.

4 . A communications device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second resource allocation messages include an indication of the communications resources allocated in accordance with a formula:
RIV= N RB VCDL ( L CRBs −1)+RB START −RB START VC , or
RIV= N RB VCDL ( N RB VCDL −L CRBs +1)+[ N RB VCDL −1+(RB START −RB START VC )]
where N RB VCDL is the number of resource blocks in the bandwidth of the first virtual carrier, RB START VC is an index in the host carrier representing a lowest communications resource elementin the virtual carrier, RB START is an index in the host carrier representing a lowest allocated communications resource element, and L CRBs represents the number of allocated communications resources.

5 . A communications device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mobile communications network is configured to transmit an indication of the frequency range of the first virtual carrier, which conveys the reference frequency within the first virtual carrier with respect to which the second resource allocation messages identify the communications resources allocated to the reduced capability devices.

6 . A communications device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mobile communications network is configured to transmit an indication of the reference frequency within the first virtual carrier with respect to which the second resource allocation messages identify the communications resources which are allocated to the reduced capability devices.

7 . A communications device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless access interface provides a second section of the communications resources within a second frequency range for preferable allocation to reduced capability devices forming a second virtual carrier and, the second frequency range being within the host frequency range and including some communications resources which are different to the first virtual carrier, and the second resource allocation messages identify one or more communications resources of the second virtual carrier allocated to the reduced capability devices with reference to a reference frequency within the second virtual carrier.

8 . A communications device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless access interface provides a second section of the communications resources within a second frequency range for preferable allocation to reduced capability devices forming a second virtual carrier and, the second frequency range being within the host frequency range and including some communications resources which are different to the first virtual carrier, and the mobile communications network is configured to transmit third resource allocation messages to the reduced capability devices to allocate one or more of the second section of the communications resources within the second frequency range for preferable allocation to the reduced capability devices of the second virtual carrier, the third resource allocation messages identifying the one or more communications resources of the second virtual carrier allocated to the reduced capability devices with reference to a reference frequency within the second virtual carrier, and the reduced capability device includes a controller configured to control the receiver unit to receive one of the third resource allocation message from the control channel and to receive the data transmitted from the mobile communications network via the allocated one or more communications resource allocated by the third resource allocation messages with reference to the reference frequency within the virtual carrier.

9 . A method of receiving data from a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network including one or more network elements, the method comprising
providing, from the one or more network elements, a wireless access interface, the wireless access interface providing a plurality of communications resource elements across a host frequency range of a host carrier, and providing a first section of the communications resources within a first frequency range for preferable allocation to reduced capability devices forming a first virtual carrier and, the first frequency range being within the host frequency range, dividing the plurality of the communications resources of the host frequency range in time into a plurality of time divided units, at least one of the units including a control channel in a part of the unit for communicating signalling messages to the communications devices and the reduced capability devices, transmitting from the one or more network elements first resource allocation messages to the communications de

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Webb Matthew William
• Wakabayashi Hideji
• Morioka Yuichi

Classifications

• H04W72/51 Primary

  based on terminal or device properties · CPC title

• H04W72/23

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

• H04W72/044

  based on the type of the allocated resource · CPC title

• H04W72/0446 Primary

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

• H04L5/0053

  Allocation of signalling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals · CPC title