Method and apparatus for optimizing a user plan operation in a communication system based on carrier aggregation

1. A method for optimizing a user plan operation in a user equipment of a wireless communication system based on carrier aggregation, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a downlink carrier component removal signaling from a base station, wherein the downlink carrier component removal signaling is used to indicate a removed downlink carrier component;

according to the downlink carrier component removal signaling, stopping pending Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) procedures of the removed downlink carrier component and flushing the HARQ receiving buffer related to the removed downlink carrier component and/or stopping a re-ordering procedure and/or generating a status report and sending the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the downlink carrier component removal signaling is a media access control control element (MAC CE) signaling, wherein,

the receiving comprises: receiving the MAC CE signaling from the base station in layer 2 , the MAC CE signaling being used to indicate a de-activated downlink carrier component;

the stopping comprises: according to the MAC CE signaling, indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the de-activated downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the de-activated downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission in layer 2 and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the downlink carrier component removal signaling is radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein,

the receiving comprises: receiving the RRC signaling from the base station in layer 3 , the RRC signaling being used to indicate a de-configured downlink carrier component;

the stopping comprises: according to the RRC signaling, indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the de-configured downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the de-configured downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission in layer 2 and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein when the de-configured downlink carrier component is further used to send the user equipment downlink assignment information related to at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component and uplink grant information related to at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component, the method further comprising:

determining whether information about a replaced downlink carrier component is included in the RRC signaling;

receiving the downlink assignment information related to at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component and the uplink grant information related to at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component on the replaced downlink carrier component, if the information about the replaced downlink carrier component is included in the RRC signaling;

indicating layer 1 to stop relevant measurements performed on the at least one associated downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 to stop transmitting a sounding reference signal on the at least one associated uplink carrier component, if the information about the replaced downlink carrier components is not included in the RRC signaling; and

indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one associated downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one associated downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted; and

indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one associated uplink carrier component and indicating layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one associated uplink carrier component, and/or indicating layer 2 to perform retransmission.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein when at least one target downlink carrier component in the at least one associated downlink carrier component is further used to provide reference path loss estimation for other uplink carrier components, the indicating layer 1 to stop relevant measurements further comprises: indicating layer 1 to perform the reference path loss estimation on the at least one target downlink carrier component.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein when the de-activated downlink carrier component is further used to send the user equipment downlink assignment information related to at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component and uplink grant information related to at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component, the method further comprising:

extracting status information from the received MAC CE signaling, wherein the status information includes the status of at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component;

if the at least one hit downlink carrier component of the at least one associated downlink carrier component is in the de-activated status, indicating layer 1 to stop relevant measurements performed on at least one hit downlink carrier component; and

indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one hit downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one hit downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the status information included in the MAC CE signaling further includes status of at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component, or determining whether status information of the uplink carrier component is received from the base station in the same TTI, the status information of the uplink carrier component includes status of at least one associated uplink component carrier associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component;

if the status information included in the MAC CE signaling further includes the status of at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component, or the status information of the uplink carrier component is received from the base station in the same TTI and at least one hit downlink carrier component of the at least one associated downlink carrier component is in the de-activated status, indicating layer 1 to stop transmitting a sounding reference signal on at least one hit uplink carrier component; and

indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one hit uplink carrier component and indicating layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one hit uplink carrier component, and/or indicating layer 2 to perform retransmission;

if the status information included in the MAC CE signaling does not include the status of at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component, or the status information of the uplink carrier component is not received from the base station in the same TTI, indicating layer 1 to stop transmitting a sounding reference signal on the at least one associated uplink carrier component; and

indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one associated uplink carrier component and indicating layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one associated uplink carrier component, and/or indicating layer 2 to perform retransmission.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein when at least one target downlink carrier component in the at least one hit downlink carrier component is further used to provide reference path loss estimation for other uplink carrier components, the step P further comprising: indicating layer 1 to perform the reference path loss estimation on the at least one target downlink carrier component.

9. A method for assisting a user equipment to optimize a user plan operation in a base station of a wireless communication system based on carrier aggregation, wherein the method comprises:

re-configuring an activated downlink carrier component as a replaced downlink carrier component;

inserting information of the replaced downlink carrier component to radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein the RRC signaling is used to indicate a de-configured downlink carrier component and a replaced downlink carrier component, the replaced downlink carrier component is used to replace the de-configured downlink carrier component and send downlink assignment of at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component and uplink grant of at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-configured carrier to the user equipment; and

sending the RRC signaling to the user equipment.

10. An optimizing apparatus for optimizing a user plan operation in a user equipment of a wireless communication system based on carrier aggregation, wherein the optimizing apparatus comprises:

at least one processor configured as:

a first receiver for receiving a downlink carrier component removal signaling from a base station, wherein the downlink carrier component removal signaling is used to indicate a removed downlink carrier component; and

a first indicator for, according to the downlink carrier component removal signaling, stopping pending Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) procedures of the removed downlink carrier component and flushing the HARQ receiving buffer related to the removed downlink carrier component and/or stopping a re-ordering procedure and/or generating a status report and sending the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

11. The optimizing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the downlink carrier component removal signaling is a media access control control element (MAC CE) signaling, wherein,

the first receiver is used for receiving the MAC CE signaling from the base station in layer 2 , the MAC CE signaling being used to indicate a de-activated downlink carrier component; and

the first indicator is used for according to the MAC CE signaling, indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the de-activated downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the de-activated downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission in layer 2 and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

12. The optimizing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the downlink carrier component removal signaling is radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein,

the first receiver is additionally for receiving the RRC signaling from the base station in layer 3 , the RRC signaling being used to indicate a de-configured downlink carrier component;

the first indicator is additionally for, according to the RRC signaling, indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the de-configured downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the de-configured downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission in layer 2 and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

13. The optimizing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein when the de-configured downlink carrier component is further used to send the user equipment downlink assignment information related to at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component and uplink grant information related to at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component, the at least one processor further configured as:

a first determiner for determining whether information about a replaced downlink carrier component is included in the RRC signaling;

a second receiver for receiving the downlink assignment information related to at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component and the uplink grant information related to at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component on the replaced downlink carrier component, if the information about the replaced downlink carrier component is included in the RRC signaling;

a second indicator for indicating layer 1 to stop relevant measurements performed on the at least one associated downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 to stop transmitting a sounding reference signal on the at least one associated uplink carrier component, if the information about the replaced downlink carrier components is not included in the RRC signaling; and indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one associated downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one associated downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted; and indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one associated uplink carrier component and indicating layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one associated uplink carrier component, and/or indicating layer 2 to perform retransmission.

14. The optimizing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein when the de-activated downlink carrier component is further used to send the user equipment downlink assignment information related to at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component and uplink grant information related to at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component, the at least one processor further configured as:

an extractor for extracting status information from the received MAC CE signaling, wherein the status information includes the status of at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-activated downlink carrier component;

a third indicator for, if the at least one hit downlink carrier component of the at least one associated downlink carrier component is in the de-activated status, indicating layer 1 to stop relevant measurements performed on at least one hit downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 to stop the pending HARQ procedures of the at least one hit downlink carrier component and indicating layer 1 or layer 2 to flush the HARQ receiving buffer related to the at least one hit downlink carrier component and/or indicating layer 2 to stop a re-ordering procedure and/or indicating layer 2 to generate a status report and send the status report to the base station, wherein the status report is used to indicate the base station to perform retransmission and inform the base station of the data needed to be retransmitted.

15. An assisting optimizing apparatus for assisting a user equipment to optimize a user plan operation in a base station of a wireless communication system based on carrier aggregation, wherein the assisting optimizing apparatus comprises:

at least one processor configured as:

a configurator for re-configuring an activated downlink carrier component as a replaced downlink carrier component;

an inserter for inserting information of the replaced downlink carrier component to radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein the RRC signaling is used to indicate a de-configured downlink carrier component and a replaced downlink carrier component, the replaced downlink carrier component is used to replace the de-configured downlink carrier component and send downlink assignment of at least one associated downlink carrier component associated with the de-configured downlink carrier component and uplink grant of at least one associated uplink carrier component associated with the de-configured carrier to the user equipment; and

a transmitter for sending the RRC signaling to the user equipment.