Apparatus and method for inter-band pairing of carriers for time division duplex transmit- and receive-switching
Aspects of the present disclosure provide for the pairing of two or more inter-band time division duplex (TDD) carriers. In some examples disclosed herein, a conjugate or inverse carrier may be used such that full duplex, or a close approximation thereto, is achieved. With the introduction of a paired channel and fast control channels, rapid uplink/downlink switching may be achieved for TDD carriers efficiently and effectively. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.
1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:
selecting a ratio of uplink time slots to downlink time slots in a first time division duplex (TDD) carrier to provide a ratio of uplink to downlink data rates utilizing the first TDD carrier and a second TDD carrier, wherein the first TDD carrier and the second TDD carrier are a conjugate pair of TDD carriers separated in frequency;
wirelessly communicating over the first time division duplex (TDD) carrier; and
wirelessly communicating over the second TDD carrier, wherein at least a portion of time slots in the first TDD carrier are complementary to time-aligned time slots in the second TDD carrier.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first TDD carrier has a greater bandwidth than the second TDD carrier.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
changing a direction of a first time slot in the first TDD carrier; and
changing a direction of a corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier, wherein the corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier maintains a complementary direction to the direction of the first time slot in the first TDD carrier after the changing.
4. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising:
at least one processor;
a non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; and
a transceiver communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
select a ratio of uplink time slots to downlink time slots in a first time division duplex (TDD) carrier to provide a ratio of uplink to downlink data rates utilizing the first TDD carrier and a second TDD carrier, wherein the first TDD carrier and the second TDD carrier are a conjugate pair of TDD carriers separated in frequency;
utilize the transceiver to wirelessly communicate over the first time division duplex (TDD) carrier; and
utilize the transceiver to wirelessly communicate over the second TDD carrier, wherein at least a portion of time slots in the first TDD carrier is complementary to time-aligned time slots in the second TDD carrier.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first TDD carrier has a greater bandwidth than the second TDD carrier.
6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
change a direction of a first time slot in the first TDD carrier; and
change a direction of a corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier, wherein the corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier maintains a complementary direction to the direction of the time slot in the first TDD carrier after the changings.
7. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising:
means for selecting a ratio of uplink time slots to downlink time slots in a first time division duplex (TDD) carrier to provide a ratio of uplink to downlink data rates utilizing the first TDD carrier and a second TDD carrier, wherein the first TDD carrier and the second TDD carrier are a conjugate pair of TDD carriers separated in frequency;
means for wirelessly communicating over the first time division duplex (TDD) carrier; and
means for wirelessly communicating over the second TDD carrier,
wherein at least a portion of time slots in the first TDD carrier is complementary to time-aligned time slots in the second TDD carrier.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first TDD carrier has a greater bandwidth than the second TDD carrier.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
means for changing a direction of a first time slot in the first TDD carrier; and
means for changing a direction of a corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier, wherein the corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier maintains a complementary direction to the direction of the first time slot in the first TDD carrier after the changings.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform functions comprising:
selecting a ratio of uplink time slots to downlink time slots in a first time division duplex (TDD) carrier to provide a ratio of uplink to downlink data rates utilizing the first TDD carrier and a second TDD carrier, wherein the first TDD carrier and the second TDD carrier are a conjugate pair of TDD carriers separated in frequency;
wirelessly communicating over the first time division duplex (TDD) carrier; and
wirelessly communicating over the second TDD carrier, wherein at least a portion of time slots in the first TDD carrier is complementary to time-aligned time slots in the second TDD carrier.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the first TDD carrier has a greater bandwidth than the second TDD carrier.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the code which, when executed by a processor, further causes the processor to perform functions comprising:
changing a direction of a first time slot in the first TDD carrier; and
changing a direction of a corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier, wherein the corresponding time slot in the second TDD carrier maintains a complementary direction to the direction of the first time slot in the first TDD carrier after the changings.