Radio base station, user terminal and radio communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9712271-B2
Application number	US-201314759944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2013
Priority date	Jan 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

The present invention is designed to reduce the impact of interference even when different DL/UL configurations are applied between neighboring transmission points (radio base stations). A radio base station which can communicate with a user terminal by means of time division duplexing, and furthermore change and control the DL/UL configuration, has an interference measurement section that measures the interference level from other radio base stations in at least a UL subframe, and a scheduling control section that changes the feedback method of uplink control signals, which the user terminal feeds back in the UL subframe in response to downlink signals that have been transmitted in DL subframes, based on the measured interference level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radio base station that can communicate with a user terminal by means of time division duplexing and furthermore change and control a DL/UL configuration, the radio base station comprising:
an interference measurement circuit that measures an interference level from another radio base station in at least a UL subframe; and
a scheduling control circuit that changes a feedback method of uplink control signals, which the user terminal feeds back in the UL subframe in response to downlink signals that have been transmitted in DL subframes, based on the measured interference level,
wherein in accordance with the interference level in the UL subframe, the scheduling control circuit limits the number of DL subframes having feedback transmitted in the UL subframe by the user terminal.

2. The radio base station according to claim 1 , further comprising a determining circuit that compares the measured interference level against a predetermined threshold.

3. The radio base station according to claim 2 , wherein, when the interference level in the UL subframe is greater than the predetermined threshold, the scheduling control circuit executes control so that part of the uplink control signals that are fed back in the UL subframe when the interference level is equal to lower than the predetermined threshold are fed back in a UL subframe that comes after the UL subframe.

4. The radio base station according to claim 2 , wherein, when the interference level in the UL subframe is greater than the predetermined threshold, the scheduling control circuit executes control so that all or the uplink control signals that are fed back in the UL subframe when the interference level is equal to lower than the predetermined threshold are fed back in a UL subframe that comes after the UL subframe.

5. The radio base station according to claim 2 , wherein, when the user terminal is connected with the radio base station by time division duplexing and connected with another radio base station by frequency division duplexing, and the interference level in the UL subframe is greater than the predetermined threshold, the scheduling control circuit executes control so that the uplink control signals that are fed back in the UL subframe when the interference level is equal to lower than the predetermined threshold are fed back in a UL subframe in frequency division duplexing.

6. The radio base station according to claim 2 , wherein the scheduling control circuit limits the number of DL subframes to associate with the UL subframe is accordance with the interference level in the UL subframe.

7. The radio base station according to claim 1 , wherein the uplink control signals comprise at least a delivery acknowledgment signal.

8. The radio base station according to claim 1 , wherein the interference measurement circuit measures the interference level by using at least one of a reference signal that is transmitted from another radio base station, a data signal, a control signal and a direction of transmission.

9. A user terminal that communicates with a radio base station that can change and control a DL/UL configuration, by means of time division duplexing, the user terminal comprising:
a generating circuit that generates an uplink control signal in response to a downlink signal transmitted from the radio base station;
a receiving circuit that receives uplink scheduling information, which the radio base station determines based on an interference level from another radio base station in at least a UL subframe; and
an allocation control circuit that controls allocation of the generated uplink control signal based on the uplink scheduling information,
wherein in accordance with the interference level in the UL subframe, the radio base station limits the number of DL subframes having feedback transmitted in the UL subframe by the user terminal.

10. A radio communication method for a plurality of radio base stations that each can change and control a DL/UL configuration, and a user terminal that communicates with the radio base stations by means of time division duplexing, the radio communication method comprising, in each radio base station, the steps of:
measuring interference levels from the other radio base stations in at least a UL subframe; and
changing and controlling a feedback method of uplink control signals which the user terminal feeds hack in the UL subframe in response to downlink signals that have been transmitted in DL subframes, based on the measured interference level,
wherein in accordance with the interference level in the UL subframe, each radio base station limits that number of DL subframes having feedback transmitted in the UL subframe by the user terminal.

Assignees

• Ntt Docomo Inc

Inventors

• Nagata Satoshi
• Wang Chunyi
• Hou Xiaolin
• Harada Atsushi

Classifications

• H04W72/542 Primary

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04L5/0073 Primary

  Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences · CPC title

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04W72/0446

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

• H04J3/12 Primary

  Arrangements providing for calling or supervisory signals · CPC title