Timing advance configuration for multiple uplink component carriers

1. A method for time aligning uplink transmissions by a mobile terminal in a mobile communication system, the mobile terminal being in communication with an aggregation access point, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring the mobile terminal simultaneously with a time-aligned uplink reference cell and with a non-time-aligned uplink target cell, both cells being controlled by the aggregation access point,

measuring, by the mobile terminal, transmission and/or reception time difference information relating to transmissions on the target cell and/or reference cell,

determining, by the mobile terminal, a first target timing advance based on at least the measured transmission and/or reception time difference information and on a reference timing advance used for uplink transmissions on the time-aligned reference cell,

time-aligning, by the mobile terminal, the uplink target cell by adjusting a timing for uplink transmissions on the uplink target cell based on the determined first target timing advance, and

transmitting the measurement results and/or the first target timing advance from the mobile terminal to the aggregation access point.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, based on a timer included in the mobile terminal, the steps of (i) measuring the transmission and/or reception time difference information, (ii) determining the first target timing advance, (iii) time-aligning the uplink target cell, and (iv) transmitting the measurement results and/or the first target timing advance, are repeated by the mobile terminal, unless otherwise instructed by the aggregation access point.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of measuring by the mobile terminal comprises:

determining by the mobile terminal a downlink reception time difference (delta Scell-PCellRX.sub.DL) between the target and reference cell, by measuring the time between the beginning of a first downlink subframe on the target cell (T.sub.DL_RX_SCell) and the beginning of the corresponding downlink subframe on the reference cell (T.sub.DL_RX_PCell),

wherein downlink subframes on the reference and target cell refer to the same subframe number, and optionally wherein the measurement results, transmitted to the aggregation access point, comprise the downlink reception time difference between the target and reference cell.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of measuring by the mobile terminal further comprises: determining by the mobile terminal a reception transmission time difference between the target and reference cell (delta Scell-PCellRX.sub.DL-Tx.sub.UL), by measuring the time difference between the time when the mobile terminal transmits an uplink radio frame on the reference cell (T.sub.UL_TX_PCell) and the time when the mobile terminal receives a downlink radio frame on the target cell (T.sub.DL_RX_SCell), wherein the uplink radio frame and the downlink radio frame relate to the same radio frame, and optionally wherein the measurement results, transmitted to the aggregation access point, comprise the reception transmission time difference between the target and reference cell.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the step of determining the first target timing advance at the mobile terminal further comprises the step of: determining a downlink reception time difference between the target cell and the reference cell (delta.sub.Scell-PcellRx.subDL) by subtracting the reception transmission time difference from the timing advance of the reference cell.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of time-aligning the target cell comprises setting the transmission of uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink target cell, using the first target timing advance determined considering that the setting of the transmission of the uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell will be relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink target cell, respectively, or

setting the transmission of uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink reference cell, using the first target timing advance determined considering that the setting of the transmission of the uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell will be relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink reference cell, or

setting the transmission of uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell relative to the beginning of uplink radio frames transmitted via the uplink reference cell, using the first target timing advance determined considering that the setting of the transmission of the uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell will be relative to the beginning of uplink radio frames transmitted via the uplink reference cell.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement results are transmitted to the aggregation access point on the physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, of the reference cell, and/or

wherein the step of transmitting the measurement results is part of the radio resource control layer, RRC, or of the medium access control layer, MAC, and in case it is part of the MAC layer, the measurement results are preferably transmitted within a MAC control element.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of measuring the time difference information and the step of determining a first target timing advance by the mobile terminal and of transmitting the measurement results and/or the first target timing advance to the aggregation access point is:

performed periodically, and/or

triggered by predetermined events, such as:

i. configuration and/or activation of the target cell

ii. the measurement results exceeding a predetermined threshold

iii. expiration of a timer

iv. reception of a measurement reporting request from the aggregation access point.

9. A mobile terminal for timing-aligning uplink transmissions in a mobile communication system, the mobile terminal being in communication with an aggregation access point, the mobile terminal comprising:

a processor adapted to measure transmission and/or reception time difference information relating to transmissions on the target cell and/or reference cell,

the mobile terminal being simultaneously configured with a time-aligned uplink reference cell and with a non-time-aligned uplink target cell, both cells being controlled by the aggregation access point the mobile terminal,

the processor adapted to determine a first target timing advance based on at least the measured transmission and/or reception time difference information and on a reference timing advance used for uplink transmissions on the time-aligned reference cell,

the processor and a transmitter adapted to time-align the uplink target cell by adjusting a timing for uplink transmissions on the uplink target cell based on the determined first target timing advance, and

the transmitter adapted to transmit the measurement results and/or the first target timing advance from the mobile terminal to the aggregation access point.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , further comprising a timer and a receiver, and wherein based on the timer, the processor and transmitter are adapted to repeat measuring the transmission and/or reception time difference information, determining the first target timing advance, time-aligning the uplink target cell, and transmitting the measurement results and/or the first target timing advance, unless the mobile terminal receives via the receiver an instruction from the aggregation access point instructing the mobile terminal otherwise.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , further comprising a receiver, wherein the processor and transmitter are adapted to measure the transmission and/or reception time difference information and the processor is adapted to determining the first target timing advance in case of the receiver:

receiving, from the aggregation access point, information, preferably as a RRC message configuring the target cell, indicating that uplink transmissions on the uplink target cell require a different time alignment than that used for the reference cell, or

receiving, from the aggregation access point, information indicating a timing advance group for the target cell which is different from the timing advance group of the reference cell.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is adapted to determine a downlink reception time difference (delta.sub.Scell-.sub.PCellRx.sub.DL) between the target and reference cell, by measuring the time between the beginning of a first downlink subframe on the target cell (T.sub.DL_RX_SCell) and the beginning of the corresponding downlink subframe on the reference cell (T.sub.DL_RX_PCell), wherein downlink subframes on the reference and target cell refer to the same subframe number, and optionally the transmitter is adapted to transmit downlink reception time difference between the target and reference cell as the measurement results to the aggregation access point.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is adapted to determine a reception transmission time difference between the target and reference cell (delta.sub.Scell-PCellRx.sub.DL-Tx.sub.UL) by measuring the time difference between the time when the mobile terminal transmits an uplink radio frame on the reference cell (T.sub.UL_TX_PCell) and the time when the mobile terminal receives a downlink radio frame on the target cell (T.sub.DL_RX_SCell), wherein the uplink radio frame and the downlink radio frame relate to the same radio frame, and optionally the transmitter is adapted to transmit the reception transmission time difference between the target and reference cell as the measurement results to the aggregation access point.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is adapted to determine a downlink reception time difference between the target cell and the reference cell (delta.sub.Scell-PCellRx.sub.DL) by subtracting the reception transmission time difference from the timing advance of the reference cell.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the processor and transmitter are adapted, for time-aligning the target cell, to set the transmission of uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink target cell, using the first target timing advance determined considering that the setting of the transmission of the uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell will be relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink target cell, respectively, or wherein the processor and transmitter are adapted, for time-aligning the target cell, to set the transmission of uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink reference cell, using the first target timing advance determined considering that the setting of the transmission of the uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell will be relative to the beginning of downlink radio frames received via the downlink reference cell, or wherein the processor and transmitter are adapted, for time-aligning the target cell, to set the transmission of uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell relative to the beginning of uplink radio frames transmitted via the uplink reference cell, using the first target timing advance determined considering that the setting of the transmission of the uplink radio frames on the uplink target cell will be relative to the beginning of uplink radio frames transmitted via the uplink reference cell.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the transmitter is adapted to transmit the measurement results to the aggregation access point on the physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, of the reference cell, and/or wherein the transmitter is adapted to transmit measurement results as part of the radio resource control layer, RRC, or of the medium access control layer, MAC, and in case it is part of the MAC layer, the measurement results are preferably transmitted within a MAC control element.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the processor and the transmitter are adapted to measure the time difference information, to determine a first target timing advance and to transmit the measurement results and/or the first target timing advance to the aggregation access point:

periodically, and/or

upon being triggered by predetermined events, such as:

i. configuration and/or activation of the target cell

ii. the measurement results exceeding a predetermined threshold

iii. expiration of a timer

iv. reception of a measurement reporting request from the aggregation access point.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the receiver is adapted to receive:

a deactivation/activation command as the measurement reporting request from the aggregation access point for deactivating/activating a configured cell, including a flag indicating the request for measurement reporting, the flag preferably being set in one of the reserved bits of the deactivation/activation command, or

a radio resource control connection reconfiguration message as the measurement reporting request from the aggregation access point, including a flag indicating the request for measurement reporting, or

a random access channel, RACH, order message as the measurement reporting request from the aggregation access point, or

a random access channel, RACH, order message as the measurement reporting request from the aggregation access point, with a predetermined codepoint or a predetermined combination of codepoints indicating the request for measurement reporting.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile terminal, cause the mobile terminal to time align uplink transmissions in a mobile communication system, wherein the mobile terminal:

is in communication with an aggregation access point and simultaneously configured with a time-aligned uplink reference cell and with a non-time-aligned uplink target cell, both cells being controlled by the aggregation access point,

measures transmission and/or reception time difference information relating to transmissions on the target cell and/or reference cell,

determines a first target timing advance based on at least the measured transmission and/or reception time difference information and on a reference timing advance used for uplink transmissions on the time-aligned reference cell,

time-aligns the uplink target cell by adjusting a timing for uplink transmissions on the uplink target cell based on the determined first target timing advance, and

transmits the measurement results and/or the first target timing advance from the mobile terminal to the aggregation access point.