Operating with multiple schedulers in a wireless system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9113450-B2
Application number	US-201313974946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2013
Priority date	Aug 23, 2012
Publication date	Aug 18, 2015
Grant date	Aug 18, 2015

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for a WTRU to operate using multiple schedulers. The WTRU may exchange data with the network over more than one data path, such that each data path may use a radio interface connected to a different network node and each node may be associated with an independent scheduler. For example, a WTRU may establish a RRC connection between the WTRU and a network. The RRC connection may establish a first radio interface between the WTRU and a first serving site of the network and a second radio interface between the WTRU and a second serving site of the network. The RRC connection may be established between the WTRU and the MeNB and a control function may be established between the WTRU and the SCeNB. The WTRU may receive data from the network over the first radio interface or the second radio interface.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) to operate using multiple medium access control (MAC) instances, the method comprising:
the WTRU establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection via a first MAC instance;
the WTRU receiving an RRC connection reconfiguration message via the first MAC instance, wherein the RRC connection reconfiguration message comprises a configuration for the WTRU to add or modify one or more cells associated with a second MAC instance of the RRC connection, each of the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance are associated with separate physical layer configurations to be applied to a common type of radio interface, each signaling radio bearer (SRB) for the RRC connection is mapped to the first MAC instance, and the RRC connection reconfiguration message indicates that at least one data radio bearer (DRB) has been configured for use over the second MAC instance;
the WTRU activating the second MAC instance; and
the WTRU monitoring a control channel of at least one of the one or more cells associated with the second MAC instance based on activating the second MAC instance.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the at least one DRB comprises a new DRB established for use via the second MAC instance.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the at least one DRB comprises a DRB that was previously mapped to the first MAC instance, and the RRC connection reconfiguration message triggers the WTRU to begin associating the DRB that was previously mapped to the first MAC instance with the second MAC instance.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguration message comprises a plurality of radio resource management (RRM) configurations for the one or more cells associated with the second MAC instance.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the common type of radio interface comprises an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Uu interface.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein each of the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance are mapped to separate radio link control (RLC) entities.

7. The method as in claim 6 , wherein the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance share at least one common packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity.

8. The method as in claim, wherein each of the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance are associated with a respective primary cell and one or more respective secondary cells.

9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein a network RRC entity for the RRC connection is located at a serving site that includes a peer entity MAC instance corresponding to the first MAC instance.

10. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
performing one or more measurements of at least one of the one or more cells associated with the second MAC instance; and
reporting the one or more measurements via the first MAC instance.

11. A wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor configured to:
establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection via a first MAC instance;
receive an RRC connection reconfiguration message via the first MAC instance, wherein the RRC connection reconfiguration message comprises a configuration for the WTRU to add or modify one or more cells associated with a second MAC instance of the RRC connection, each of the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance are associated with separate physical layer configurations to be applied to a common type of radio interface, each signaling radio bearer (SRB) for the RRC connection is mapped to the first MAC instance, and the RRC connection reconfiguration message indicates that at least one radio bearer (RB) has been configured for use over the second MAC instance;
activate the second MAC instance; and
monitor a control channel of at least one of the one or more cells associated with the second MAC instance based on activating the second MAC instance.

12. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein each of the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance are associated with at least one common packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) instance for the WTRU.

13. The WTRU as in claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to utilize the same security key for ciphering PDCP packets to be sent via the first MAC instance or the second MAC instance.

14. The WTRU as in claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to use a different BEARER parameter for each of the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance.

15. The WTRU as in claim 14 , wherein a respective BEARER parameter used for ciphering transmissions to the second MAC instance is determined based on a layer identity associated with the second MAC instance.

16. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the first MAC instance configured is configured to access cells associated with a first serving site using a first configuration of the common type of radio interface, and the second MAC instance configured to access cells associated with a second serving site using a second configuration of the common type of radio interface.

17. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the at least one DRB is mapped to a logical channel that is split between the first MAC instance and the second MAC instance.

18. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to deactivate at least one bearer associated with the first MAC instance based on activating the connection to the second MAC instance.

19. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to measure at least one cell associated with the second MAC instance, and determine to autonomously activate the at least one cell based on the measurements.

20. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to activate the one or more cells associated with the second MAC instance using at least a random access channel (RACH) procedure.

Assignees

• Interdigital Patent Holdings

Inventors

• Pelletier Ghyslain
• Marinier Paul
• Pani Diana
• Terry Stephen E
• Adjakple Pascal M
• Kaur Samian J

Classifications

• H04W72/23

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

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W72/1263 Primary

  Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows · CPC title

• H04W52/365

  Power headroom reporting · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title