Method and apparatus for enhanced modulation in a wirless communication system

1. In a wireless network comprising a network entity, a method for a user equipment (“UE”) to process downlink transmissions from the network entity, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the UE to the network entity, a message identifying a first type of modulation;

receiving, by the UE from the network entity, a first configuration message that indicates that the UE is to be configured to use the first type of modulation;

in response to the first configuration message, selecting a first set of modulation and coding schemes;

receiving, by the UE from the network entity, a first downlink control information message, wherein the first downlink control information message includes a designation of a first modulation and coding scheme and an assignment of a first set of downlink resource blocks to the UE, and wherein the first modulation and coding scheme is one of the first set of modulation and coding schemes;

determining, based on the first modulation and coding scheme, that the UE is to use the first type of modulation;

determining a first transport block size based on the first modulation and coding scheme and on the first set of assigned downlink resource blocks;

receiving a first downlink signal from the network entity; and

processing the first downlink signal using the first type of modulation and the first transport block size.

2. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the first set of modulation and coding schemes is represented by a first modulation and coding scheme table;

wherein the first downlink control information message identifies the first modulation and coding scheme using an index value of the first modulation and coding scheme table; and

wherein determining the first transport block size comprises:

referencing the first modulation and coding scheme table with the modulation and coding scheme index value to obtain a transport block size index value; and

referencing a transport block size table with the transport block size index value to obtain the first transport block size.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a second configuration message from the network entity;

selecting a second set of modulation and coding schemes in response to the second configuration message;

receiving a second downlink control information message from the network entity, wherein the second downlink control information message comprises:

a designation of a second modulation and coding scheme wherein the second modulation and coding scheme is one of the second set of modulation and coding schemes; and

an assignment of a second set of downlink resource blocks to the UE;

determining, based on the second modulation and coding scheme, that the UE is to use a second type of modulation;

determining a second transport block size based on the second modulation and coding scheme and on the second set of assigned downlink resource blocks;

receiving a second downlink signal from the network entity; and

processing the second downlink signal using the second type of modulation and the second transport block size.

4. The method of claim 3 :

wherein the first modulation and coding scheme is an enhanced modulation and coding scheme; and

wherein the second modulation and coding scheme is a legacy modulation and coding scheme.

5. The method of claim 3 :

wherein the first configuration message is an enhanced downlink control information message;

wherein the first type of modulation is 256-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (“256-QAM”);

wherein the second configuration message is legacy downlink control information message; and

wherein the second type of modulation is different from the first type.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

transmitting, to the network entity, a first channel quality indicator that identifies a recommended modulation and coding scheme of the first set of modulation and coding schemes; and

transmitting, to the network entity, a second channel quality indicator that identifies a recommended modulation and coding scheme of the second set of modulation and coding schemes.

7. The method of claim 6 :

wherein the modulation and coding scheme identified by the first channel quality indicator is an enhanced modulation and coding scheme; and

wherein the modulation and coding scheme identified by the second channel quality indicator is a legacy modulation and coding scheme.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first channel quality indicator is masked with a first mask and the second channel quality indication is masked with a second mask.

9. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the first downlink control information message includes a modulation and coding scheme index value;

wherein determining the first transport block size comprises:

referencing a first modulation and coding scheme table with the modulation and coding scheme index value to obtain a transport block size index value; and

referencing a transport block table with the transport block size index value and the number of the first set of assigned resource blocks; and

wherein the transport block table includes at least one row of:

ITBS

RB = 1

RB = 2

RB = 3

RB = 4

RB = 5

RB = 6

RB = 7

RB = 8

RB = 9

RB = 10

Index1

744

1544

2344

3112

3880

4584

5352

6200

6968

7736

Index2

776

1608

2408

3240

4008

4776

5736

6456

7224

7992

Index3

808

1608

2472

3240

4136

4968

5736

6456

7480

8248

Index4

840

1672

2536

3368

4264

5160

5992

6712

7736

8504

Index5

872

1800

2664

3624

4392

5352

6200

7224

7992

8760

Index6

904

1864

2792

3752

4584

5544

6456

7480

8248

9144

Index7

968

1928

2856

3880

4776

5736

6712

7736

8760

9528

Index8

100

2024

2984

4008

5160

5992

6968

7992

9144

10296

Index9

1032

2088

3240

4264

5352

6456

7480

8504

9528

10680

Index10

1096

2216

3240

4392

5544

6456

7736

8760

9912

11064

Index11

1128

2280

3496

4584

5736

6968

7992

9144

10296

11448

Index12

1192

2408

3624

4776

5992

7224

8504

9528

11064

12216

Index13

1224

2472

3752

4968

6200

7480

8760

9912

11448

12576.

10. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the message identifying a first type of modulation is a channel state information message that includes information regarding the quality of the link between the UE and the network entity; and

wherein the first type of modulation is 256-QAM.

11. In a wireless network comprising a network entity, a method for a user equipment (“UE”) to process downlink signals received from the network entity, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the UE to the network entity, a message identifying a type of modulation;

receiving, by the UE from the network entity, a configuration message indicating that the UE is to be configured to use the identified modulation type;

receiving, by the UE from the network entity, a first downlink control information message that includes a resource block assignment and a first jointly coded value;

determining, based on the resource block assignment and on the first jointly coded value, a type of modulation and a transport block size, wherein the determined modulation type is the same as the modulation type identified in the configuration message;

receiving a downlink signal from the network entity; and

processing the downlink signal using the determined type of modulation and the determined transport block size.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first jointly coded value comprises a modulation and coding scheme index value jointly coded with a redundancy version.

13. The method of claim 11 :

wherein the wireless network supports a plurality of legacy modulation types and an enhanced modulation type;

wherein the first jointly coded value includes a modulation and coding scheme index value jointly coded with a redundancy version;

wherein the first jointly coded value falls within a predetermined range of values;

wherein a first set of values of the predetermined range corresponds to a first set of modulation and coding scheme index values, a first set of redundancy versions, a legacy modulation type, and a legacy transport block size index value; and

wherein a second set of values of the predetermined range corresponds to a second set of modulation and coding scheme index values, a second set of redundancy versions, an enhanced modulation type, and an enhanced transport block size index value.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first and second redundancy version sets are equal.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the first and second redundancy version sets are not equal.

16. The method of claim 11 :

wherein the first jointly coded value includes a set of Physical Downlink Shared Channel Resource Element mapping and Quasi-CoLocation (“PQI”) state parameters; and

wherein the set of PQI parameters includes a reference to a modulation and coding scheme index value.

17. A method for a user equipment (“UE”) to receive a downlink transmission from a wireless network entity, the method comprising:

receiving, by the UE, a downlink control information message that includes a resource assignment for a transport block, a modulation and coding scheme index for the transport block, and a transmission rank indicator indicating a number of spatial layers to which the transport block is mapped;

determining, based on the transmission rank indicator, that the transport block is mapped to four layers;

acquiring, based on the resource assignment and on the modulation and coding scheme index, a first block size;

determining, based on the acquired block size and on a translation mapping, a transport block size for the transport block, wherein the translation mapping includes accessing a pair of values corresponding to at least one row of:

First block size

Transport block size

76208

305920

78704

314832

81176

324336

84760

339056

87936

351224

90816

363280

93800

375392

97896

391600

101840

405728

105528

422200

110136

440560

115040

460176

119816

478400

124464

496568

128496

51400

133208

532848

137792

545016

receiving a downlink transmission associated with the downlink control information message; and

decoding the received transmission based on the determined transport block size.

18. In a wireless network environment comprising a network entity, a user equipment (“UE”) comprising:

a transceiver configured to:

transmit, to the network entity, a message identifying a first type of modulation;

receive, from the network entity, a first configuration message that indicates that the UE is to be configured to use the first type of modulation;

receive, from the network entity, a first downlink signal; and

receive, from the network entity, a first downlink control information message, wherein the first downlink control information message includes a designation of a first modulation and coding scheme and an assignment of a first set of downlink resource blocks to the UE; and

a processor communicatively linked to the transceiver and configured to:

select, in response to the first configuration message, a first set of modulation and coding schemes, wherein the first modulation and coding scheme is one of the first set of modulation and coding schemes;

determine, based on the first modulation and coding scheme, that the UE is to use the first type of modulation;

determine, based on the first modulation and coding scheme and on the first set of assigned downlink resource blocks, a first transport block size; and

process the received signal using the first type of modulation and the first transport block size.

19. The UE of claim 18 :

wherein the first set of modulation and coding schemes is represented by a first modulation and coding scheme table;

wherein the first downlink control information message identifies the first modulation and coding scheme using an index value of the first modulation and coding scheme table; and

wherein the processor is further configured to:

reference the first modulation and coding scheme table with the modulation and coding scheme index value to obtain a transport block size index value; and

reference a transport block size table with the transport block size index value to obtain the first transport block size.

20. The UE of claim 18 :

wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

receive a second configuration message from the network entity;

receive a second downlink control information message from the network entity, wherein the second downlink control information message includes a designation of a second modulation and coding scheme, the second modulation and coding scheme being one of the second set of modulation and coding schemes, and an assignment of a second set of downlink resource blocks to the UE; and

receive a second downlink signal from the network entity; and

wherein the processor is further configured to:

select a second set of modulation and coding schemes in response to the second configuration message;

determine, based on the second modulation and coding scheme, that the UE is to use a second type of modulation;

determine a second transport block size based on the second modulation and coding scheme and the second set of assigned downlink resource blocks; and

process the second downlink signal using the second type of modulation and the second transport block size.