Granted Patent B2

US 9,301,281 · App. 13/774,894 · Granted Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

Claims (57)

1. A method for communication in a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

coordinating, by a wireless device, with a first network node to identify a first radio resource configuration comprising a first set of radio resources which is used by the wireless device to communicate with the first network node, the first set of radio resources comprising at least:

radio resources in which the wireless device transmits to the first network node, and

radio resources in which the wireless device receives from the first network node,

wherein the coordinating comprises:

selecting, by the wireless device, based on conditions in the network, the first radio resource configuration comprising the first set of radio resources; and

communicating the first radio resource configuration to the first network node,

wherein the radio resource configuration contains ordering information for the elements of the set of radio resources, such that the first network node schedules the wireless device in resources of the set according to the order provided.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device coordinates with a second network node to identify a second radio resource configuration comprising a second set of radio resources such that the second set of radio resources is disjoint from the first set of radio resources.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein an element in the second set of radio resources is disjoint from an element in the first set of radio resources in at least one of:

time;

frequency;

space; and

code.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coordinating comprises:

selecting, by the wireless device, based on conditions in the network, one of a plurality of radio resource configurations that are available for selection by the wireless device; and

communicating the selected radio resource configuration to the first network node.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

selecting, by the wireless device, based on updated conditions in the network, a new radio resource configuration comprising a different set of radio resources to be used to communicate between the wireless device and the first network node; and

communicating the new radio resource configuration to the first network node.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coordinating comprises:

determining, by a second network node, based on conditions in the network, a second radio resource configuration; and

communicating to the wireless device the second radio resource configuration.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the wireless device is configured to select a new radio resource configuration to communicate with the first network node upon determining that there is a conflict between the first radio resource configuration and the second radio resource configuration, wherein the new radio resource configuration is communicated, by the wireless device, to the first network node.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of radio resources allows the wireless device to maintain a discontinuous reception (DRX) transmission mode towards at least one of the network nodes.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a guard period is included with the radio resource configuration to indicate a time duration during which the wireless device does not transmit wireless signals.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the wireless device receives transmissions from more network nodes than the wireless transmits to, the timing of acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement responses from the wireless device allows the wireless device to send uplink acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement messages to different network nodes in different subframes in response to downlink data transmissions received on the same downlink subframe.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of wireless transmit/receive chains on the wireless device is less than the number of connections for which the wireless device is concurrently coordinating radio resources for communications.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device coordinates with a second network node to identify a second radio resource configuration comprising a second set of radio resources and ordering information, wherein the second set of radio resources is not disjoint from the first set of radio resources.

13. A wireless device comprising:

a processor configured such that the wireless device coordinates, with a first and second network node, a radio resource configuration to be used in communications between the wireless device and the first network node and in communications between the wireless device and the second network node,

wherein the radio resource configuration comprises a first set of radio resources configured for use with the first network node and a second set of radio resources configured for use with the second network node, and

wherein the first set of radio resources is disjoint from the second set of radio resources,

the processor further configured such that the wireless device:

selects the first and second sets of radio resources based on network conditions;

a transceiver configured such that the wireless device:

communicates the first and second sets of radio resources to the first network node; and

uses the first and second sets of radio resources to transmit to and receive from the first network node.

14. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein a plurality of radio resource configurations are available for selection by the wireless device, and the wireless device selects one of the radio resource configurations based on conditions in a network in which the wireless device, the first network node, and the second network node are present.

15. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein the wireless device transmits the first radio resource configuration to the first network node after having received the second radio resource configuration from the second network node, the second network node having determined the second radio resource configuration based on conditions in a network in which the wireless device, the first network node, and the second network node are present.

16. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein an element in the second set of radio resources is disjoint from an element in the first set of radio resources in one or more of:

time;

frequency;

space; and

code.

17. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein the sets of radio resources allow the wireless device to maintain a discontinuous reception (DRX) transmission mode towards at least one of the network nodes.

18. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein a guard period is included with the radio resource configuration to indicate a time duration during which the wireless device does not transmit wireless signals.

19. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein, when the wireless device receives transmissions from more network nodes than the wireless transmits to, the timing of acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement responses from the wireless device allows the wireless device to send uplink acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement messages to different network nodes in different subframes in response to downlink data transmissions received on the same downlink subframe.

20. The wireless device of claim 13 , wherein the number of wireless transmit/receive chains on the wireless device is less than the number of connections for which the wireless device is concurrently coordinating radio resources for communications.

21. A method for communication in a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

a first network node coordinating with a second network node to establish a configuration for radio resources with which the first network node and the second network node will communicate with a wireless device, the configuration comprising:

a first set of radio resources with which the first network node communicates with the wireless device, and

a second set of radio resources with which the second network node communicates with the wireless device; and

the first network node transmitting the configuration to the wireless device,

wherein the configuration contains ordering information for elements of at least one of the first and second sets of radio resources, such that at least one of the first and second network nodes schedules the wireless device in resources of the at least one set according to the order provided.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first network node selects a radio resource configuration from a plurality of predefined configurations.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first network node and the second network node determine a radio resource pattern, and wherein the first network node transmits the pattern to the wireless device.

Assignments (10)