Local cell discovery in macro-assisted enhanced local area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9596644-B2
Application number	US-201214422921-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2012
Priority date	Sep 3, 2012
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

A macro eNB (MeNB) triggers a small cell (eLA eNB) to transmit a sequence on a second frequency band using a triggering command that indicates a time to transmit the sequence. On a first frequency band the MeNB triggers at least one user equipment UE to detect the sequence on the second band, and this trigger also has a first indication of when the sequence will be transmitted. From a second indication the MeNB receives on the first band from the at least one UE in response to the triggering of the UE the MeNB can determine whether the UE is located proximate to the small cell. The indication may be as little as a single bit indicating whether the UE detected or not the sequence. The first and second bands may be on first and second component carriers that may not be synchronized to one another, and the aperiodic nature of the triggered sequences and detection reports saves UE power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code,
in which the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor and in response to execution of the computer program code, to cause the apparatus to at least:
trigger a small cell to transmit a sequence on a second frequency band using a triggering command that indicates a time to transmit the sequence;
on a first frequency band, trigger at least one user equipment to detect the sequence on the second frequency band with a first indication of when the sequence will be transmitted; and
from a second indication received on the first frequency band from the at least one user equipment in response to the triggering of the at least one user equipment, determine whether the at least one user equipment is located proximate to the small cell;
wherein the triggering command is transmitted via an X2 interface, the sequence is a cell-common sequence or a cluster-common sequence, the apparatus comprises a macro access node or one or more components thereof, and the small cell is a local area access node.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering is aperiodic.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first frequency band is on a first component carrier that is not synchronized with a second component carrier that comprises the second frequency band.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second indication comprises a single bit indicating whether the at least one user equipment detected the sequence being transmitted on the second frequency band.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering command that indicates the time to transmit the sequence is a first triggering command and the triggering of the at least one user equipment is by a second triggering command that comprises at least the first indication of when the sequence will be transmitted and an indication of the second frequency band.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein triggering the at least one user equipment comprises triggering a group of user equipments with a detection indicator for each user equipment in the group that indicates whether the respective user equipment is or is not triggered to receive the sequence on the second frequency band.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the group of user equipments is a first group which is triggered in a first subframe, and the execution of the computer program code causes the apparatus to trigger, in a second subframe, a second group of user equipments to receive the sequence on the second frequency band with the same first indication of when the sequence will be transmitted.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second indication received on the first frequency band is received from each of the respective user equipments in a resource that maps implicitly from an index of the respective user equipment and an index of the respective user equipment's group.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein triggering the small cell comprises using the triggering command that indicates the time to transmit the sequence to trigger a cluster of small cells to transmit the same sequence on the second frequency band.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor and in response to execution of the computer program code, to cause the apparatus to at least, if the determining is that the at least one user equipment is located proximate to the small cell, instruct the small cell to transmit a discovery signal that enables the at least one first user equipment to discover the small cell.

11. A method, by a user equipment, comprising:
receiving, from a macro access node on a first frequency band, a trigger to detect a sequence transmitted on a second frequency band by a local area access node, the trigger comprising a first indication of when the sequence will be transmitted by the local area access node where transmission of the sequence is triggered based on a triggering command from the macro access node to the local area access node via an X2 interface; and
in response to detecting the sequence transmitted by the local area access node, sending to the macro access node a second indication on the first frequency band, the second indication usable for determining whether the user equipment is proximal to the local area access node;
wherein the sequence is a cell-common sequence or cluster-common sequence.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the triggering is aperiodic.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the trigger comprises at least indications of when the sequence will be transmitted and of the second frequency band.

14. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising: after sending the second indication on the first frequency band, discovering the local area access node by receiving from the local area access node on the second frequency band a discovery signal.

15. A user equipment comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code,
in which the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor and in response to execution of the computer program code, to cause the user equipment to at least:
receive, from a macro access node on a first frequency band, a trigger to detect a sequence transmitted on a second frequency band by a local area access node, the trigger comprising a first indication of when the sequence will be transmitted by the local area access node where transmission of the sequence is triggered based on a triggering command from the macro access node to the local area access node via an X2 interface; and
in response to detecting the sequence transmitted by the local area access node, sending to the macro access node a second indication on the first frequency band, the second indication usable for determining whether the user equipment is proximal to the local area access node;
wherein the sequence is a cell-common sequence or cluster-common sequence.

16. The user equipment according to claim 15 , wherein the triggering is aperiodic.

17. The user equipment according to claim 15 , wherein the second indication comprises a single bit indicating whether the sequence was or was not detected on the second frequency band.

18. The user equipment according to claim 15 , wherein the trigger comprises at least indications of when the sequence will be transmitted and of the second frequency band.

19. The user equipment according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor and in response to execution of the computer program code, to cause the user equipment to at least:
after sending the second indication on the first frequency band, discover the local area access node by receiving from the local area access node on the second frequency band a discovery signal.

20. The user equipment according to claim 15 , wherein the sequence is detected within a discovery signal that carries the sequence and at least one of a cell identifier and a cluster identifier.

21. A non-transitory computer readable memory storing a program of instru

Assignees

• Zhang Yuantao
• Zhang Zhi
• Zhu Jianchi
• Lei Haipeng
• Shu Kodo
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Zhang Yuantao
• Zhang Zhi
• Zhu Jianchi
• Lei Haipeng
• Shu Kodo

Classifications

• H04W48/10

  using broadcasted information · CPC title

• H04W84/045

  using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B · CPC title

• H04W72/0453

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

• H04W48/16 Primary

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W48/08 Primary

  Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery (signalling during connection H04W76/00) · CPC title