Apparatus, methods and computer program products providing a common signaling entry for a modular control channel structure
The exemplary embodiments of the invention provide information (e.g., a common control signaling entry) for a control channel. The information may include signaling information about the overall control channel structure in a given sub-frame and/or other common information to assist UEs in decoding the channel (e.g., definitions related to the overall arrangement and parameterization of the channel structure). The information may provide non-UE-specific, common signaling information for the UEs served in the cell. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method includes: providing at least one control channel allocated over at least one set of subcarrier resources, wherein the at least one control channel extends over a number n of multicarrier symbols; and transmitting information via a portion of the sub-carrier resources, wherein the transmitted information is indicative of at least one property of the at least one control channel.
1. A method comprising:
generating information indicative of at least an allocated number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols allocated for use in at least one control channel, wherein the at least one control channel comprises a plurality of a first portion of time-frequency resources for a wireless communication link; and
transmitting the information indicative of the at least the allocated number via another channel, wherein the another channel comprises a second portion of the time-frequency resources for the wireless communication link.
2. A method as in claim 1 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol.
3. A method as in claim 1 , wherein the information comprises a binary representation of allocations in at least a portion of the at least one control channel.
4. A method as in claim 1 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one symbol and wherein the information comprises at least one of a number of symbols to be searched for the at least one control channel, an automatic repeat-request acknowledgement list, an effective code rate set for the at least one control channel, a paging indicator, a random access channel response indicator, and an error detection code.
5. A method as in claim 1 , wherein the method is implemented within an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network.
6. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, said operations comprising:
generating information indicative of at least an allocated number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols allocated for use in at least one control channel, wherein the at least one control channel comprises a plurality of a first portion of time-frequency resources for a wireless communication link; and
transmitting the information indicative of the at least the allocated number via another channel, wherein the another channel comprises a second portion of the time-frequency resources for the wireless communication link.
7. A program storage device as in claim 6 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol.
8. A program storage device as in claim 6 , wherein the information comprises a binary representation of allocations in at least a portion of the at least one control channel.
9. A program storage device as in claim 6 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one symbol and wherein the information comprises at least one of a number of symbols to be searched for the at least one control channel, an automatic repeat-request acknowledgement list, an effective code rate set for the at least one control channel, a paging indicator, a random access channel response indicator, and an error detection code.
10. A program storage device as in claim 6 , wherein the machine comprises a node within an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network.
11. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:
generate information indicative of at least an allocated number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols allocated for use in at least one control channel, wherein the at least one control channel comprises a plurality of a first portion of time-frequency resources for a wireless communication link; and
transmit the information indicative of the at least the allocated number via another channel, wherein the another channel comprises a second portion of the time-frequency resources for the wireless communication link.
12. An apparatus as in claim 11 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol.
13. An apparatus as in claim 11 , wherein the information comprises a binary representation of allocations in at least a portion of the at least one control channel.
14. An apparatus as in claim 11 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one symbol and wherein the information comprises at least one of a number of symbols to be searched for the at least one control channel, an automatic repeat-request acknowledgement list, an effective code rate set for the at least one control channel, a paging indicator, a random access channel response indicator, and an error detection code.
15. An apparatus as in claim 11 , wherein the apparatus comprises a node within an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network.
16. A method comprising:
receiving information via a communication channel, wherein the communication channel comprises a first portion of time-frequency resources for a wireless communication link; and
using the received information to determine at least an allocated number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols allocated for use in at least one control channel, wherein the at least one control channel comprises a plurality of a second portion of the time-frequency resources for the wireless communication link, wherein the at least one control channel does not comprise the communication channel.
17. A method as in claim 16 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol.
18. A method as in claim 16 , wherein the information comprises a binary representation of allocations in at least a portion of the at least one control channel.
19. A method as in claim 16 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one symbol and wherein the information comprises at least one of a number of symbols to be searched for the at least one control channel, an automatic repeat-request acknowledgement list, an effective code rate set for the at least one control channel, a paging indicator, a random access channel response indicator, and an error detection code.
20. A method as in claim 16 , wherein the method is implemented within an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network.
21. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, said operations comprising:
receiving information via a communication channel, wherein the communication channel comprises a first portion of time-frequency resources for a wireless communication link; and
using the received information to determine at least an allocated number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols allocated for use in at least one control channel, wherein the at least one control channel comprises a plurality of a second portion of the time-frequency resources for the wireless communication link, wherein the at least one control channel does not comprise the communication channel.
22. A program storage device as in claim 21 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol.
23. A program storage device as in claim 21 , wherein the information comprises a binary representation of allocations in at least a portion of the at least one control channel.
24. A program storage device as in claim 21 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one symbol and wherein the information comprises at least one of a number of symbols to be searched for the at least one control channel, an automatic repeat-request acknowledgement list, an effective code rate set for the at least one control channel, a paging indicator, a random access channel response indicator, and an error detection code.
25. A program storage device as in claim 21 , wherein the machine comprises a node within an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network.
26. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:
receive information via a communication channel, wherein the communication channel comprises a first portion of time-frequency resources for a wireless communication link; and
use the received information to determine at least an allocated number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols allocated for use in at least one control channel, wherein the at least one control channel comprises a plurality of a second portion of the time-frequency resources for the wireless communication link, wherein the at least one control channel does not comprise the communication channel.
27. An apparatus as in claim 26 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol.
28. An apparatus as in claim 27 , wherein the information is indicative of a number n of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols allocated for the at least one control channel.
29. An apparatus as in claim 26 , wherein the information comprises a binary representation of allocations in at least a portion of the at least one control channel.
30. An apparatus as in claim 26 , wherein the time-frequency resources include a plurality of subcarriers extending over at least one symbol and wherein the information comprises at least one of a number of symbols to be searched for the at least one control channel, an automatic repeat-request acknowledgement list, an effective code rate set for the at least one control channel, a paging indicator, a random access channel response indicator, and an error detection code.