Feedback resource mapping in wireless communications
View Patent ↗A feedback radio resource in a license-exempt frequency band maps from a data radio resource to at least one frequency sub-band which the data resource excludes. The feedback resource is also spaced in time from the data resource by a predetermined interval. Feedback (ACK/NACK) for data received in the data resource is then sent in the feedback resource. In various embodiments the sub-band is one or more edges of the data resource channel, or of a license-exempt component carrier. The predetermined interval may be a function of how much of the data resource is occupied by data. The data transmitting device delays sending its data by a time offset from the end of a previous transmission on that channel, or if it does not know the end time it delays until the predetermined interval plus the length of the feedback resource have lapsed. Various synchronization aspects are also disclosed.
1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor and at least one memory storing a computer program;
in which the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to at least:
map a feedback radio resource in a license-exempt frequency band from a data radio resource to at least one frequency sub-band which the data radio resource excludes and spaced in time from the data radio resource by a predetermined interval, said at least one frequency sub-band comprising frequency edges of a radio channel bearing the data radio resource; and
send or receive feedback for information received or sent on the data radio resource on the mapped feedback radio resource.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , in which the feedback comprises an acknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , in which the predetermined interval is a function of a size of the information within the data radio resource.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , in which the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to receive the feedback after sending the information on the data radio resource, and to delay sending the information on the data radio resource until a predetermined time offset following an end time of a previous transmission on the radio channel, in which the predetermined time offset comprises an integer multiple of a symbol time.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , in which the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to receive the feedback after sending the information on the data radio resource, and to delay sending the information on the data radio resource until a predetermined time lapse for the case the apparatus is not aware of an end time for a previous transmission on the radio channel, in which the predetermined time lapse comprises the predetermined interval plus a fixed length of the feedback radio resource.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , in which the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus further to receive a synchronization signal on a common channel and synchronize the data radio resource to timing defined by the synchronization signal only if a synchronization timer has not expired.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , in which the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus further to re-transmit the synchronization signal on the common channel after an integer multiple of symbol time has elapsed following reception of the synchronization signal.
8. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor and at least one memory storing a computer program;
in which the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to at least:
map a feedback radio resource in a license-exempt frequency band from a data radio resource to at least one frequency sub-band which the data radio resource excludes and spaced in time from the data radio resource by a predetermined interval, said at least on frequency sub-band comprising frequency edges of a component carrier bandwidth in which lies a radio channel bearing the data radio resource; and
send or receive feedback for information received or sent on the data radio resource on the mapped feedback radio resource.
9. A method comprising:
mapping a feedback radio resource in a license-exempt frequency band from a data radio resource to at least one frequency sub-band which the data radio resource excludes and spaced in time from the data radio resource by a predetermined interval, said at least one frequency sub-band comprising frequency edges of a radio channel bearing the data radio resource; and
sending or receiving feedback for information received or sent on the data radio resource on the mapped feedback radio resource.
10. The method according to claim 9 , in which the feedback comprises an acknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement.
11. The method according to claim 9 , in which the predetermined interval is a function of a size of the information within the data radio resource.
12. The method according to claim 9 , in which the method comprises receiving the feedback after sending the information on the data radio resource;
the method further comprising delaying sending the information on the data radio resource until a predetermined time offset following an end time of a previous transmission on the radio channel, in which the predetermined time offset comprises an integer multiple of a symbol time.
13. The method according to claim 9 , in which the method comprises receiving the feedback after sending the information on the data radio resource;
the method further comprising delaying sending the information on the data radio resource until a predetermined time lapse for the case an end time for a previous transmission on the radio channel is unknown, in which the predetermined time lapse comprises the predetermined interval plus a fixed length of the feedback radio resource.
14. The method according to claim 9 , the method further comprising:
receiving a synchronization signal on a common channel and synchronizing the data radio resource to timing defined by the synchronization signal only if a synchronization timer has not expired.
15. The method according to claim 14 , the method further comprising:
re-transmitting the synchronization signal on the common channel after an integer multiple of symbol time has elapsed following reception of the synchronization signal.
16. A method comprising:
mapping a feedback radio resource in a license-exempt frequency band from a data radio resource to at least one frequency sub-band which the data radio resource excludes and spaced in time from the data radio resource by a predetermined interval, said at least one frequency sub-band comprising frequency edges of a component carrier bandwidth in which lies a radio channel bearing the data radio resource.
17. A computer readable memory tangibly storing a computer program executable by at least one processor, the computer program comprising:
code for mapping a feedback radio resource in a license-exempt frequency band from a data radio resource to at least one frequency sub-band which the data radio resource excludes and spaced in time from the data radio resource by a predetermined interval, said at least one frequency sub-band comprising frequency edges of a radio channel bearing the data radio resource; and
code for sending or receiving feedback for information received or sent on the data radio resource on the mapped feedback radio resource.
18. A computer readable memory tangibly storing a computer program executable by at least one processor, the computer program comprising:
code for mapping a feedback radio resource in a license-exempt frequency band from a data radio resource to at least one frequency sub-band which the data radio resource excludes and spaced in time from the data radio resource by a predetermined interval, said at least one frequency sub-band comprising frequency edges of a component carrier bandwidth in which lies a radio channel bearing the data radio resource; and
code for sending or receiving feedback for information received or sent on the data radio resource on the mapped feedback radio resource.