System and method for multi-carrier network operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9585164-B2
Application number	US-201013498321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2010
Priority date	Sep 25, 2009
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for multi-carrier network operation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of pairing and linking carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a downlink carrier, a first uplink carrier, and a second uplink carrier between a base station and a user equipment (“UE”), comprises receiving a Radio Resource Control (“RRC”) signaling; pairing the first uplink carrier with the downlink carrier using information in the RRC signaling, wherein the information includes the pairing of the downlink carrier with the first uplink carrier; and linking the second uplink carrier with the downlink carrier using information in the RRC signaling, wherein the information includes the linking of the downlink carrier with the second uplink carrier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) for pairing carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network provides the UE with an anchor downlink carrier, one or more secondary downlink carriers, and one or more uplink carriers, comprising:
receiving, by the UE, a Radio Resource Control (“RRC”) signaling;
pairing, by the UE, each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the pairing of each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers;
determining, using information in the RRC signaling, whether downlink control information (DCI) on a particular secondary downlink carrier includes a carrier indication field (CIF), wherein the CIF indicates a carrier over which data is transported; and
in response to determining that the DCI does not include the CIF:
receiving an uplink grant on the particular secondary downlink carrier; and
transmitting on uplink resources on a corresponding paired uplink carrier of the particular secondary downlink carrier based on information in the uplink grant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the paired secondary downlink carrier and uplink carrier form a cell.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with the pairing of each carrier of the one or more secondary downlink carriers with one of the one or more uplink carriers includes a system information (“SI”), wherein said SI is associated with at least one of the one or more secondary downlink carriers or one of the one or more uplink carriers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a quantity of the one or more secondary downlink carriers is at least one or two, and a quantity of the one or more uplink carriers is at least one or two.

5. A method performed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) for linking carriers in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network provides the UE with a first downlink carrier, a second downlink carrier, and a third downlink carrier, comprising:
receiving, by the UE, a Radio Resource Control (“RRC”) signaling;
linking, by the UE, the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the linking of the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier; and
linking, by the UE, the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier using information in said RRC signaling, wherein said information includes the linking of the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier;
determining, using information in the RRC signaling, whether downlink control information (DCI) on the first downlink carrier includes a carrier indication field (CIF); and
in response to determining that the DCI includes the CIF:
receiving a downlink assignment on the first downlink carrier including the CIF indicating the second downlink carrier; and
accessing downlink resources on the second downlink carrier based on information in the downlink assignment.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the second downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the first downlink carrier.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the second downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the first downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the second downlink carrier.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the third downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the first downlink carrier.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein said information in said RRC signaling associated with said linking the first downlink carrier with the third downlink carrier includes a criteria for using the first downlink carrier to assign a data channel resource on the third downlink carrier.

10. A method performed by a processor of a network equipment for assigning a carrier group in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers between a base station and a user equipment (“UE”), comprising:
determining a propagation metric for each of the one or more downlink carriers and each of the one or more uplink carriers, wherein the propagation metric for each of the one or more downlink carriers and each of the one or more uplink carriers includes at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay;
grouping the one or more downlink carriers and the one or more uplink carriers having similar propagation metric to form the carrier group;
pairing each carrier of one or more downlink carriers in the carrier group with one of one or more uplink carriers in the carrier group, wherein the paired downlink carrier and uplink carrier form a cell;
assigning a carrier group index to the carrier group; and
sending, by the network equipment and to the UE, a Timing Advance Command Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) including the carrier group index.

11. A method performed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) for performing a random access (“RA”) procedure in a multi-carrier network, wherein the multi-carrier network includes a plurality of carrier groups associated with a base station and the UE, wherein each carrier group includes one or more downlink carriers and one or more uplink carriers, comprising:
receiving, by the UE, a set of RA parameters for each of the plurality of carrier groups assigned to the UE, wherein each of the plurality of carrier groups are grouped based on a similar propagation metric including at least one of an expected path loss or a path delay;
determining a transmit power based on a path loss estimation performed on a first downlink carrier in a particular carrier group of the plurality of the carrier groups;
transmitting, by the UE, an RA preamble signal on at least one uplink carrier in the particular carrier group using the corresponding set of RA parameters and the determined transmit power, wherein the RA preamble signal is transmitted using an uplink transmission timing determined based on a downlink reception timing of a second downlink carrier in the particular carrier group; and
receiving, by the UE, an RA response signal on a downlink carrier that indicated the corresponding set of RA parameters used for transmitting the RA preamble signal, wherein said RA response signal corresponds to said RA preamble signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more downlink carriers and one of the one or more uplink carriers is a cell.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said transmitting an RA preamble signal on the at least one uplink carrier using said set of RA parameters includes transmitting only one RA preamble signal at any one time on the uplink carrier.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers is paired with at least one of the one or more downlink carriers.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more uplink carriers is a designated uplink carrier.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more downli

Assignees

• Fong Mo-Han
• Heo Youn Hyoung
• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Fong Mo-Han
• Heo Youn Hyoung

Classifications

• H04W72/21 Primary

  in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network · CPC title

• H04W72/23

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

• H04W48/02

  Access restriction performed under specific conditions · CPC title

• H04W52/50

  at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment · CPC title

• H04W72/0453

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