IP Library Granted Patent US 10,028,176
Granted Patent B2
US 10,028,176 · App. 15/068,374 · Granted Jul 17, 2018

Carrier aggregation across different radio access technologies

Inventors: Tingfang Ji (San Diego, CA); John Edward Smee (San Diego, CA); Naga Bhushan (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04W36/0022H04L1/1829H04L1/1867H04L5/001H04L5/0053H04L5/0055H04W76/026H04W88/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,028,176
App. No.
15/068,374
Granted
Jul 17, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer-program products for performing carrier aggregation across different radio access technologies are disclosed. For example, in some instances a method of wireless communication includes transmitting, using a first wireless communication device, control information to a second wireless communication device via a first radio access technology (RAT), the control information including control information for a second RAT; and receiving, at the first wireless communication device, an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT, the ACK or NACK being related to communications of the second wireless communication device conducted via the second RAT.

Claims (64)

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

transmitting, using a first wireless communication device, control information to a second wireless communication device via a first radio access technology (RAT), the control information including control information for the first RAT and a second RAT, a timing structure of the second RAT being aligned to a timing structure of the first RAT;

transmitting, using the first wireless communication device, first data to the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a first transmission time interval (TTI) of the first RAT;

transmitting, using the first wireless communication device, second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI; and

receiving, at the first wireless communication device, a first acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a second TTI of the first RAT, the first ACK or NACK being related to the first data transmitted via the first RAT during the first TTI; and

receiving, at the first wireless communication device, a second ACK or NACK from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during the second TTI of the first RAT, the second ACK or NACK being related to the second data transmitted via the second RAT during the first TTI.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

retransmitting, using the first wireless communication device, the second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT if the second NACK is received from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first RAT includes a long term evolution (LTE) RAT.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

the control information is transmitted to the second wireless communication device via the LTE RAT during the first TTI;

and

the second ACK or the NACK is received from the second wireless communication device during the second TTI according to the timing structure of the first RAT.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication device is a base station and the second wireless communication device is a user equipment and the communications of the user equipment conducted via the second RAT include receiving downlink data from the base station.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication device includes an antenna associated with the second RAT.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication device is in communication with an antenna associated with the second RAT positioned remote from the first wireless communication device.

8. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, at a first wireless communication device, control information from a second wireless communication device via a first radio access technology (RAT), the control information including control information for the first RAT and a second RAT, a timing structure of the second RAT being aligned to a timing structure of the first RAT;

transmitting, using the first wireless communication device, first data to the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a first transmission time interval (TTI) of the first RAT;

transmitting, using the first wireless communication device, second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI;

receiving, at the first wireless communication device, a first acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a second TTI of the first RAT, the first ACK or NACK indicating whether the first data was received by the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during the first TTI; and

receiving, at the first wireless communication device, a second ACK or NACK from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during the second TTI of the first RAT, the second ACK or NACK indicating whether the second data was received by the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

retransmitting, using the first wireless communication device, the second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT if the second NACK is received from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein:

the first RAT includes a long term evolution (LTE) RAT,

the control information is received at the first wireless communication device via the LTE RAT during the first TTI, and

the second data is transmitted to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI according to the timing structure of the first RAT.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first wireless communication device is a user equipment and the second wireless communication device is a base station, and wherein the transmitting the second data via the second RAT includes transmitting uplink data to the base station.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the transmitting the second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT includes transmitting the second data to an antenna of the second wireless communication device associated with the second RAT.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the transmitting the second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT includes transmitting the second data to an antenna associated with the second RAT positioned remote from the second wireless communication device.

14. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a multiple radio access technology (multi-RAT) module configured to generate control information;

a first transmitter in communication with the multi-RAT module and configured to:

transmit the generated control information to a second wireless communication device via a first radio access technology (RAT), the transmitted control information including control information for the first RAT and a second RAT, a timing structure of the second RAT being aligned to a timing structure of the first RAT; and

transmit first data to the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a first transmission time interval (TTI) of the first RAT;

a second transmitter in communication with the multi-RAT module and configured to transmit second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI; and

a receiver in communication with the multi-RAT module and configured to:

receive a first acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a second TTI of the first RAT, the first ACK or NACK being related to the first data transmitted via the first RAT during the first TTI; and

receive a second ACK or NACK from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during the second TTI of the first RAT, the second ACK or NACK being related to the second data transmitted via the second RAT during the first TTI.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the second transmitter is further configured to retransmit the second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT if the receiver receives the second NACK from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT.

16. The device of claim 14 , wherein:

the first RAT includes a long term evolution (LTE) RAT,

the first transmitter is configured to transmit the control information to the second wireless communication device via the LTE RAT during the first TTI,

and

the receiver is configured to receive the second ACK or the NACK from the second wireless communication device during the second TTI according to the timing structure of the first RAT.

17. The device of claim 14 , wherein the wireless communication device is a base station and the second wireless communication device is a user equipment.

18. The device of claim 14 , further comprising an antenna associated with the second RAT.

19. The device of claim 14 , wherein the multi-RAT module is in communication with an antenna associated with the second RAT positioned remote from the wireless communication device.

20. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive control information from a second wireless communication device via a first radio access technology (RAT), the control information including control information for the first RAT and a second RAT, a timing structure of the second RAT being aligned to a timing structure of the first RAT;

a first transmitter configured to transmit first data to the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a first transmission time interval (TTI) of the first RAT; and

a second transmitter configured to transmit second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI,

wherein the receiver is further configured to:

receive a first acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during a second TTI of the first RAT, the first ACK or NACK indicating whether the first data was received by the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during the first TTI; and

receive a second ACK or NACK from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT during the second TTI of the first RAT, the second ACK or NACK indicating whether the second data was received by the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI.

21. The device of claim 20 , wherein the second transmitter is further configured to retransmit the second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT if the second NACK is received from the second wireless communication device via the first RAT.

22. The device of claim 20 , wherein the wireless communication device is a user equipment and the second wireless communication device is a base station.

23. The device of claim 20 , wherein:

the first RAT includes a long term evolution (LTE) RAT,

the receiver is configured to receive the control information via the LTE RAT during the first TTI, and

the second transmitter is configured to transmit the second data to the second wireless communication device via the second RAT during the first TTI according to the timing structure of the first RAT.

24. The device of claim 20 , wherein the second transmitter is configured to transmit the second data to an antenna of the second wireless communication device associated with the second RAT.

25. The device of claim 20 , wherein the second transmitter is configured to transmit the second data to an antenna associated with the second RAT positioned remote from the second wireless communication device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 9, 2016
From: JI, TINGFANG; SMEE, JOHN EDWARD; BHUSHAN, NAGA
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 038860/0111 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62133367 · Mar 14, 2015
Related Publication 20160269943A1 · Sep 15, 2016