IP Library Granted Patent US 8,520,621
Granted Patent B2
US 8,520,621 · App. 13/125,199 · Granted Aug 27, 2013

Providing a downlink control structure in a first carrier to indicate control information in a second, different carrier

Inventors: Lai-King Tee (San Diego, CA); Yi Song (Plano, TX); Jun Li (Richardson, TX); Yuqiang Tang (Plano, TX); Neng Wang (Plano, TX)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,520,621
App. No.
13/125,199
Granted
Aug 27, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A mobile station receives a downlink control structure in a first carrier, where the downlink control structure indicates that control information for the mobile station is on a second, different carrier. The mobile station decodes the control information in the second carrier, where the control information specifies resource allocation of a wireless link for the mobile station. More specifically, according to some implementations, the control channel in the first carrier specifies the resource allocation for an extended control channel in the second carrier, where the extended control channel specifies the resource allocation for traffic data of a wireless link for the mobile station.

Claims (30)

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile station, a downlink control structure in a first carrier, wherein the downlink control structure indicates that control information for the mobile station is on a second, different carrier, and wherein the downlink control structure specifies a location and size of the control information in the second carrier; and

decoding, by the mobile station, the control information in the second carrier, wherein the control information specifies resource allocation of a wireless link for the mobile station: and wherein said decoding comprises using the location and size of the control information specified by the downlink control structure;

wherein receiving the downlink control structure comprises receiving the downlink control structure that has been scrambled using a special radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for a group of mobile stations with Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA)-advanced multi-carrier capability.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information is in an extended physical downlink control channel (E-PDCCH) region of the second carrier, and wherein decoding the control information comprises decoding the control information in the extended PDCCH region.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising monitoring, by the mobile station, a legacy PDCCH region in the first carrier, wherein the downlink control structure is in the legacy PDCCH region in the first carrier.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the downlink control structure comprises receiving the downlink control structure that identifies locations of control information for resource allocation on plural carriers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the downlink control structure comprises receiving the downlink structure that identifies just the second carrier by specifying an identifier of the second carrier.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the downlink control structure comprises receiving a carrier pointer message in a downlink control channel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information is part of a downlink control channel implemented with resource blocks, and wherein the resource blocks are partitioned into resource element groups or control channel elements to be used for signaling to corresponding plural mobile stations.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the downlink control structure comprises receiving the downlink control structure in an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) control channel.

9. A mobile station comprising:

an interface to communicate wirelessly with a base station; and

a processor configured to:

receive a downlink control structure in a first carrier, wherein the downlink control structure indicates that control information for the mobile station is on a second, different carrier, and wherein the downlink control structure specifies a location and size of the control information in the second carrier; and

decode the control information in the second carrier, wherein the control information specifies resource allocation of a wireless link for the mobile station, and wherein decoding comprises using the location and size of the control information specified by the downlink control structure;

wherein receiving the downlink control structure comprises receiving the downlink control structure that has been scrambled using a special radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for a group of mobile stations with Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA)-advanced multi-carrier capability.

10. The mobile station of claim 9 , wherein the control information further specifies one or more of information indicating a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), information relating to a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) process, information relating to a redundancy version (RV), and power control information.

11. The mobile station of claim 9 , wherein the downlink control structure is in a legacy physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) region in the first carrier, and wherein the control information is in an extended PDCCH region in the second carrier.

12. The mobile station of claim 9 , wherein the downlink control structure identifies the control information in plural carriers other than the first carrier, wherein the plural carriers and first carrier are aggregated to provide a larger bandwidth.

13. The mobile station of claim 9 , wherein the downlink control structure identifies the control information in just the second carrier, wherein the control information specifies resource allocation for plural carriers that are aggregated to provide a larger bandwidth.

14. A base station comprising:

an interface to communicate wirelessly with a mobile station; and

a processor configured to:

provide for wireless communications with the mobile station using an aggregation of plural carriers;

send a downlink control structure on a first of the plural carriers to the mobile station, wherein the downlink control structure identifies control information in at least a second carrier different from the first carrier, and wherein the downlink control structure specifies a location and size of the control information in the second carrier; and

send the control information to be decoded by the mobile station in a downlink control channel of the second carrier;

wherein receiving the downlink control structure comprises receiving the downlink control structure that has been scrambled using a special radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for a group of mobile stations with Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA)-advanced multi-carrier capability.

15. The base station of claim 14 , wherein the downlink control structure is in a primary physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in the first carrier, and the control information is in an extended PDCCH in the second carrier.

16. The base station of claim 15 , wherein the PDCCH is according to a Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) standard.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 7, 2012
From: ROCKSTAR BIDCO, LP
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 028505/0353 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 28, 2011
From: NORTEL NETWORKS LIMITED
To: ROCKSTAR BIDCO, LP
Reel/Frame 027143/0717 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 20, 2011
From: TEE, LAI-KING; SONG, YI; LI, JUN; TANG, YUQIANG; WANG, NENG
To: NORTEL NETWORKS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 026157/0744 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61111034 · Nov 4, 2008
Related Publication 20110274066A1 · Nov 10, 2011