Dynamic control blanking in heterogeneous networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9974065-B2
Application number	US-48462409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2009
Priority date	Jun 25, 2008
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate requesting blanking over control resources from one or more interfering eNBs or devices. An eNB, such as a macrocell, femtocell or picocell eNB, can transmit a downlink control blanking message to a UE directing the UE to perform blanking (e.g., for uplink control resources) or request the blanking from the interfering eNBs or devices (e.g., for downlink control resources). The downlink control blanking message can specify the desired control resources and/or information to determine the control resources. Thus, dynamic control blanking is provided such that blanking is requested to mitigate interference over control resources for the small scale eNB. The small scale eNB can subsequently communicate control data to the UE over the control resources; the control data can include a resource blanking message that similarly directs the UE to request blanking of general data resource from the interfering eNBs or devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
transmitting, from a subscriber device to one or more interfering devices, a control blanking request for blanking a set of control resources; and
communicating control information with a disparate device over the set of control resources.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the set of control resources from available downlink control resources, wherein transmitting the control blanking request includes sending a control blanking message comprising the control blanking request to the one or more interfering devices.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising transmitting a disparate control blanking request specifying a set of uplink control resources for blanking to the one or more interfering devices over the set of control resources.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the control information includes a downlink resource blanking message that comprises a resource blanking request specifying a set of data resources for blanking.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising communicating data to the disparate device over the set of data resources.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the control information includes a downlink resource grant for the disparate device.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising transmitting a pilot signal to the disparate device to receive feedback regarding quality over the set of data resources or the set of control resources.

8. The method of claim 2 , further comprising transmitting a resource blanking request that specifies a set of data resources for blanking to the one or more interfering devices.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising communicating data with the disparate device over the set of data resources.

10. The method of claim 2 , further comprising transmitting an uplink grant to the disparate device.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the control blanking message further includes a key related to a channelization for the set of control resources.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating the key from a pilot identifier and a system time.

13. The method of claim 2 , further comprising receiving a pilot indicator signal and determining whether the one or more interfering devices blanks transmission over the set of control resources based at least in part on a pilot signal.

14. The method of claim 2 , wherein the control blanking message is sent over a low reuse control channel.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising transmitting a resource blanking message including a request to blank over a set of data resources over the low reuse control channel.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a downlink control blanking message requesting blanking of the set of control resources, where the set of control resources correspond to downlink resources; and
generating the control blanking request based at least in part on the set of control resources.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising receiving a downlink resource blanking message requesting blanking of a set of data resources over the set of control resources.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
generating an uplink data resource blanking request for the set of data resources; and
transmitting the uplink data resource blanking request to the one or more interfering devices.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising communicating over the set of data resources.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the downlink control blanking message is received over a low reuse control channel.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the downlink control blanking message comprises a key that defines a channelization for the set of control resources.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the key corresponds to a pilot identifier of a device that transmits the downlink control blanking message and a system time.

23. The method of claim 16 , wherein the downlink control blanking message indicates the one or more interfering devices.

24. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting a resource blanking request for blanking a set of data resources to the one or more interfering devices along with the control blanking request; and
communicating with the disparate device over the set of data resources.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control blanking request is transmitted as a unicast, broadcast, or multicast transmission.

26. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
send, from a subscriber device to one or more interfering devices, a control blanking request to blank a set of control resources; and
transmit control information over the set of control resources to a disparate device; and
a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

27. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the set of control resources from a set of downlink resources and the at least one processor sends the control blanking request to the one or more interfering devices as a portion of a control blanking message.

28. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a disparate control blanking request indicating a set of uplink control resources to blank to the one or more interfering devices over the set of control resources.

29. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the control information includes a downlink resource blanking message that comprises a resource blanking request indicating a set of data resources for blanking.

30. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to communicate data to the disparate device over the set of data resources.

31. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the control information includes a downlink resource grant for the disparate device.

32. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to communicate a resource blanking request that specifies a set of data resources for blanking to the one or more interfering devices.

33. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 32 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to communicate with the disparate device over the set of data resources.

34. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit an uplink grant to the disparate device.

35. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the control blanking message further includes a key related to a channelization for the set of control resources.

36. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the at least one processor sends the control blanking message over a low reuse control channel.

37. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive a downlink control blanking message requesting blanking of the set of control resources, wherein the set of control resources correspond to downli

Assignees

• Gorokhov Alexei Y
• Palanki Ravi
• Khandekar Aamod D
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Gorokhov Alexei Y
• Palanki Ravi
• Khandekar Aamod D

Classifications

• H04W72/23 Primary

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

• H04W72/541

  using the level of interference · CPC title

• H04W72/27

  between access points · CPC title

• H04W16/14

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04W72/042 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic