Method and apparatus for operating supplementary cells in licensed exempt spectrum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016337090-A1
Application number	US-201615219179-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 25, 2016
Priority date	Feb 7, 2011
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating supplementary cells in licensed exempt (LE) spectrum. An aggregating cell operating in a frequency division duplex (FDD) licensed spectrum is aggregated with a LE supplementary cell operating in a time sharing mode for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) operations. The LE supplementary cell may be an FDD supplementary cell dynamically configurable between an UL only mode, a DL only mode, and a shared mode, to match requested UL and DL traffic ratios. The LE supplementary cell may be a time division duplex (TDD) supplementary cell. The TDD supplementary cell may be dynamically configurable between multiple TDD configurations. A coexistence capability for coordinating operations between the LE supplementary cell with other systems operating in the same channel is provided. Coexistence gaps are provided to measure primary/secondary user usage and permit other systems operating in the LE supplementary cell channel to access the channel.

First claim

1 - 21 . (canceled)

22 . A method of carrier aggregation, comprising:
operating on a frequency division duplex (FDD) primary cell aggregated with a time division duplex (TDD) supplementary cell; receiving a downlink (DL) transmission in a sub-frame (n); determining a timing for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback for the DL transmission, wherein the HARQ feedback timing is set for a sub-frame (n+4); and sending the HARQ feedback on the FDD primary cell based on the determined timing.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the DL transmission is on the TDD supplementary cell.

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the DL transmission is on the FDD primary cell.

25 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the FDD primary cell operates on a licensed spectrum.

26 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the TDD supplementary cell operates on a licensed exempt (LE) spectrum.

27 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising sending positive acknowledgement (ACK)/negative acknowledgement (NACK) n+4 subframes following the DL transmission.

27 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the DL HARQ feedback is carried in a physical UL control channel (PUCCH).

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the PUCCH is on the FDD primary cell.

29 . The method of claim 22 , wherein multiple TDD supplementary cells are aggregated, each TDD supplementary cell being one of independently or dependently configured.

30 . A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:
a processor; and a memory having stored instructions that when executed by the processor cause the WTRU to:
operate on a FDD primary cell aggregated with a TDD supplementary cell;
receive a DL transmission in a sub-frame (n);
determine a timing for HARQ feedback for the DL transmission, wherein the HARQ feedback timing is set for a sub-frame (n+4); and
send the HARQ feedback on the FDD primary cell based on the determined timing.

31 . The WTRU of claim 30 , wherein the DL transmission is on the TDD supplementary cell.

32 . The WTRU of claim 30 , wherein the DL transmission is on the FDD primary cell.

33 . The WTRU of claim 30 , wherein the FDD primary cell operates on a licensed spectrum and the TDD supplementary cell operates on a LE spectrum.

34 . The WTRU of claim 30 , wherein the WTRU sends an ACK/NACK n+4 subframes following the DL transmission.

35 . The WTRU of claim 30 , wherein the DL HARQ feedback is carried in a PUCCH.

36 . The WTRU of claim 35 , wherein the PUCCH is on the FDD primary cell.

37 . A method of carrier aggregation, comprising:
operating on a FDD primary cell aggregated with a TDD supplementary cell; sending an uplink (UL) transmission in a sub-frame (n); determining a timing for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback for the UL transmission, wherein the HARQ feedback timing is set for a sub-frame (n+4); receiving the HARQ feedback on the FDD primary cell; and associating the HARQ feedback with the UL transmission based on the determined timing.

38 . The method of claim 37 , wherein the UL transmission is on the TDD supplementary cell.

39 . The method of claim 37 , wherein the UL transmission is on the FDD primary cell.

40 . The method of claim 37 , wherein the FDD primary cell operates on a licensed spectrum.

41 . The method of claim 37 , wherein the TDD supplementary cell operates on a licensed exempt (LE) spectrum.

42 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising receiving an ACK/NACK n+4 subframes following the UL transmission.

43 . The method of claim 37 , wherein UL HARQ feedback is carried in a modified physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH).

44 . The method of claim 43 , wherein the PHICH is carried on the primary cell.

45 . The method of claim 37 , wherein multiple TDD supplementary cells are aggregated, each TDD supplementary cell being one of independently or dependently configured.

46 . The method of claim 37 , wherein the primary cell or the TDD supplementary cell carries UL grant information.

Assignees

• Interdigital Patent Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Gauvreau Jean-Louis
• Freda Martino M
• Lin Zinan
• Murray Joseph M
• Ye Chunxuan
• Bala Erdem
• Beluri Mihaela C
• Castor Douglas R
• Chincholi Amith V
• Cuffaro Angelo A
• Dai Yuying
• Demir Alpaslan
• Gredone Joseph
• Yang Rui
• Ma Liangping
• Di Girolamo Rocco
• Purkayastha Debashish
• Touag Athmane

Classifications

• H04W72/541

  using the level of interference · CPC title

• H04L1/1858

  Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of acknowledgement message · CPC title

• H04W72/0453

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

• H04L1/1812

  Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ] · CPC title

• H04L5/14

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