Cell timing in a wireless device and base station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9763203-B2
Application number	US-201514616774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 20, 2012
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A plurality of cells are grouped into a primary cell group and a secondary cell group. The wireless device receives a timing advance command comprising a time adjustment value and an index of the secondary cell group. The wireless device applies the time adjustment value to uplink transmission timing of the secondary cell group. The wireless device triggers an action when the difference between primary cell group timing and secondary cell group timing is greater than a value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to:
receive at least one control message comprising configuration parameters of a plurality of cells grouped into a plurality of cell groups comprising a first cell group and a second cell group, wherein:
uplink transmission timing associated with the first cell group is based on a first cell of the first cell group; and
uplink transmission timing associated with the second cell group is based on a second cell of the second cell group;

receive a timing advance command comprising a timing adjustment value and a cell group index;
apply the timing advance command to a cell group corresponding to the cell group index;
determine a transmission timing difference between the first cell group and the second cell group; and
stop transmitting via one or more secondary cells, in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding a threshold.

2. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one control message comprises a time alignment timer information element for a time alignment timer of a plurality of time alignment timers associated with the plurality of cell groups.

3. The wireless device of claim 2 , wherein the second cell group comprises the one or more secondary cells, and wherein, in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding the threshold, a time alignment timer associated with the second cell group is determined to have expired.

4. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein transmissions of downlink signals via the first cell group and the second cell group are time aligned within a predefined value.

5. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the transmission timing difference is determined based, at least in part, on first cell group uplink transmission timing and second cell group uplink transmission timing.

6. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the transmission timing difference is determined based, at least in part, on a first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal.

7. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the the one or more secondary cells are determined to be out-of-sync, in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding the threshold.

8. A wireless device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to:
receive at least one control message comprising configuration parameters of a plurality of cells grouped into a plurality of cell groups comprising a first cell group and a second cell group, wherein:
uplink transmission timing associated with the first cell group is based on a first cell of the first cell group; and
uplink transmission timing associated with the second cell group is based on a second cell of the second cell group;

receive a timing advance command comprising a timing adjustment value and a cell group index;
apply the timing advance command to a cell group corresponding to the cell group index;
determine a transmission timing difference between the first cell group and the second cell group; and
determine one or more secondary cells to be out-of-sync, in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding a threshold.

9. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one control message comprises a time alignment timer information element for a time alignment timer of a plurality of time alignment timers associated with the plurality of cell groups.

10. The wireless device of claim 9 , wherein the second cell group comprises the one or more secondary cells, and wherein, in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding the threshold, a time alignment timer associated with the second cell group is determined to have expired.

11. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the wireless device to stop transmitting via the one or more secondary cells in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding the threshold.

12. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the transmission timing difference is determined based, at least in part, on first cell group uplink transmission timing and second cell group uplink transmission timing.

13. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein transmissions of downlink signals via the first cell group and the second cell group are time aligned within a predefined value.

14. The wireless device of claim 8 , wherein the transmission timing difference is determined based, at least in part, on a first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal.

15. A wireless device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to:
receive at least one control message comprising configuration parameters of a plurality of cells grouped into a plurality of cell groups comprising a first cell group and a second cell group, wherein:
uplink transmission timing associated with the first cell group is based on a first cell of the first cell group; and
uplink transmission timing associated with the second cell group is based on a second cell of the second cell group;

autonomously determine a required timing adjustment based on a downlink reference timing change associated with one of the plurality of cell groups;
determine a transmission timing difference based on the required timing adjustment; and
apply the required timing adjustment to uplink signals in the one of the plurality of cell groups, unless the transmission timing difference exceeds a threshold.

16. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the at least one control message comprises a time alignment timer information element for a time alignment timer of a plurality of time alignment timers associated with the plurality of cell groups.

17. The wireless device of claim 16 , wherein the second cell group comprises one or more secondary cells, and wherein, in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding the threshold, a time alignment timer associated with the second cell group is determined to have expired.

18. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the wireless device to stop transmitting via one or more secondary cells, in response to the transmission timing difference exceeding the threshold.

19. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein transmissions of downlink signals via the first cell group and the second cell group are time aligned within a predetermined value.

20. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the transmission timing difference is determined based, at least in part, on first cell group uplink transmission timing and second cell group uplink transmission timing.

21. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the required timing adjustment is autonomously determined in response to a transmission timing error, between a wireless device timing and a reference signal timing, exceeding a maximum timing error value.

22. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the transmission timing difference is determined based, at least in part, on a first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal.

23. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein one or more secondary cells ar

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Dinan Esmael Hejazi

Classifications

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04W72/21

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

• H04W72/56

  based on priority criteria · CPC title

• H04W72/23

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

• H04W56/005

  compensating for timing error by adjustment in the receiver · CPC title