System and method for improving uplink control channels for weak communication links

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9756574-B2
Application number	US-201514438407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 21, 2014
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A method in a network node ( 115 A-C, 120, 130 ) comprises providing ( 704 ) to a user equipment (UE) ( 110 A-C) a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH), the DPCCH having an associated first fractional dedicated physical channel (F-DPCH) for conveying transmit power control (TPC) commands to the UE for power controlling the DPCCH, the first F-DPCH having a first allocated slot format; providing ( 708 ) to the UE a dedicated physical control channel 2 (DPCCH 2 ) ( 502 ), the DPCCH 2 comprising an uplink control channel power controlled by the network node for communicating TPC commands to the network node, the DPCCH 2 having an associated second F-DPCH for conveying transmit power control commands to the UE for power controlling the DPCCH 2 , the second F-DPCH having a second allocated slot format different from the first allocated slot format; and communicating ( 712 ) to the UE an uplink TPC command on the second F-DPCH having the second allocated slot format.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling uplink transmit power in a network node, comprising:
providing to a user equipment a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH), the dedicated physical control channel having an associated first fractional dedicated physical channel for conveying DPCCH transmit power control commands to the user equipment for power controlling the dedicated physical control channel, the first fractional dedicated physical channel having a first allocated slot format;
providing to the user equipment a dedicated physical control channel 2 (DPCCH 2 ), the DPCCH 2 comprising an uplink control channel power controlled by the network node for communicating DPCCH 2 downlink transmit power control commands to the network node, the DPCCH 2 having an associated second fractional dedicated physical channel for conveying DPCCH 2 uplink transmit power control commands to the user equipment for power controlling the DPCCH 2 , the second fractional dedicated physical channel having a second allocated slot format different from the first allocated slot format;
communicating to the user equipment at least one of the DPCCH 2 uplink transmit power control commands on the second fractional dedicated physical channel having the second allocated slot format; and
setting an initial power level for the DPCCH 2 , wherein the initial power level for the DPCCH 2 is based at least in part on a comparison of a number of transmit power control uplink requests and a number of transmit power control downlink requests from a serving cell.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first fractional dedicated physical channel has an associated first spreading code; and
the second fractional dedicated physical channel has an associated second spreading code.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial power level for the DPCCH 2 is equal to a first power level of the DPCCH plus an extra margin.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein operation of the DPCCH 2 is controlled by a discontinuous transmission pattern of the dedicated physical control channel, and the DPCCH 2 is only transmitted when the dedicated physical control channel is transmitted.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the DPCCH 2 is configured only on a primary uplink carrier.

6. A network node, comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
configure a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) for a user equipment, the dedicated physical control channel having an associated first fractional dedicated physical channel for conveying DPCCH transmit power control commands to the user equipment for power controlling the dedicated physical control channel, the first fractional dedicated physical channel having a first allocated slot format; and
configure a dedicated physical control channel 2 (DPCCH 2 ) for the user equipment, the DPCCH 2 comprising an uplink control channel power controlled by the network node for communicating DPCCH 2 downlink transmit power control commands to the network node, the DPCCH 2 having an associated second fractional dedicated physical channel for conveying DPCCH 2 uplink transmit power control commands to the user equipment for power controlling the DPCCH 2 , the second fractional dedicated physical channel having a second allocated slot format different from the first allocated slot format; and

one or more interfaces configured to:
provide the dedicated physical control channel to the user equipment;
provide the DPCCH 2 to the user equipment; and
communicate to the user equipment at least one of the DPCCH 2 uplink transmit power control commands on the second fractional dedicated physical channel having the second allocated slot format;

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to set an initial power level for the DPCCH 2 , the initial power level for the DPCCH 2 based at least in part on a comparison of a number of transmit power control uplink requests and a number of transmit power control downlink requests from a serving cell.

7. The network node of claim 6 , wherein:
the first fractional dedicated physical channel has an associated first spreading code; and
the second fractional dedicated physical channel has an associated second spreading code.

8. The network node of claim 6 , wherein the initial power level for the DPCCH 2 is equal to a first power level of the DPCCH plus an extra margin.

9. The network node of claim 6 , wherein operation of the DPCCH 2 is controlled by a discontinuous transmission pattern of the dedicated physical control channel, and the DPCCH 2 is only transmitted when the dedicated physical control channel is transmitted.

10. The network node of claim 6 , wherein the DPCCH 2 is configured only on a primary uplink carrier.

11. A method for controlling uplink transmit power in a user equipment, comprising:
receiving provisioning by a network node of a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH), the dedicated physical control channel having an associated first fractional dedicated physical channel for conveying DPCCH transmit power control commands to the user equipment for power controlling the dedicated physical control channel, the first fractional dedicated physical channel having a first allocated slot format;
receiving provisioning by the network node of a dedicated physical control channel 2 (DPCCH 2 ), the DPCCH 2 comprising an uplink control channel power controlled by the network node for communicating DPCCH 2 downlink transmit power control commands to the network node, the DPCCH 2 having an associated second fractional dedicated physical channel for conveying DPCCH 2 uplink transmit power control commands to the user equipment for power controlling the DPCCH 2 , the second fractional dedicated physical channel having a second allocated slot format different from the first allocated slot format; and
receiving, from the network node, at least one of the DPCCH 2 uplink transmit power control commands on the second fractional dedicated physical channel having the second allocated slot format;
wherein an initial power level for the DPCCH 2 is based at least in part on a comparison of a number of transmit power control uplink requests and a number of transmit power control downlink requests from a serving cell.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the first fractional dedicated physical channel has an associated first spreading code; and
the second fractional dedicated physical channel has an associated second spreading code.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the initial power level for the DPCCH 2 is equal to a first power level of the DPCCH plus an extra margin.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the initial power level for the DPCCH 2 is set upon initiating transmission of the DPCCH 2 .

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein operation of the DPCCH 2 is controlled by a discontinuous transmission pattern of the dedicated physical control channel, and the DPCCH 2 is only transmitted when the dedicated physical control channel is transmitted.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the DPCCH 2 is configured only on a primary uplink carrier.

17. A user equipment comprising:
one or more interfaces configured to:
receive provisioning by a network node of a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH), the dedicated physical control channel having an associated first fractional dedicated physical channel for conveying DPCCH transmit power control commands to the user equipment for power controlling the dedicated physical control channel, the first fractional dedicated physical channel hav

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Larsson Erik
• Hogan Billy
• Karlsson Patrik
• Lamm Anders
• Ovesjö Fredrik
• Von Wrycza Peter
• Wang Yi-Pin Eric

Classifications

• H04W72/0446

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

• H04W52/12

  Outer and inner loops · CPC title

• H04W52/325

  Power control of control or pilot channels · CPC title

• H04W52/40

  during macro-diversity or soft handoff · CPC title

• H04W52/146 Primary

  Uplink power control · CPC title