# US 10,455,612 B2 · Methods and apparatus for enabling further L1 enhancements in LTE heterogeneous networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,612 B2 - Document ID: US10455612B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/920,184 - Filed: 2018-03-13 - Published: 2018-08-09 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2012-09-28 - Assignees: BlackBerry Limited - Applicants: BlackBerry Limited - Inventors: Yi Song; Chandra Sekhar Bontu; Zhijun Cai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455612B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04L 1/00: Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received {(correcting synchronisation H04L7/00)} - H04L 1/0016: {involving special memory structures, e.g. look-up tables} - H04L 1/0026: {Transmission of channel quality indication} - H04L 1/0077: {Cooperative coding} - H04L 1/1621: {Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers} - H04L 5/001: {the frequencies being arranged in component carriers} - H04L 5/0035: {Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment} - H04L 5/0044: {Allocation of payload; Allocation of data channels, e.g. PDSCH or PUSCH} - H04L 5/0069: {Allocation based on distance or geographical location} - H04L 5/0073: {Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences} - H04L 5/14: Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex - H04L 5/1469: {using time-sharing} - H04W 28/0278: {using buffer status reports (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12)} - H04W 52/0206: {in access points, e.g. base stations} - H04W 72/12: Wireless traffic scheduling - H04W 72/1268: of uplink data flows - H04W 72/1273: of downlink data flows - H04W 72/20: Control channels or signalling for resource management - H04W 72/21: in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network - H04L 1/0003: {by switching between different modulation schemes} - H04L 1/0009: {by adapting the channel coding (H04L1/1812 takes precedence)} - H04L 5/0048: {Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091)} - H04L 25/00: Baseband systems - H04L 27/2602: {Signal structure} - H04W 72/04: Wireless resource allocation - H04W 84/045: {using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B} - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W 88/08: Access point devices - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract A network element in a first cell in a wireless telecommunication network is provided. The network element comprises a processor configured such that the network element provides uplink and downlink grants in the first cell, wherein the first cell is a low-power cell within the coverage area of a second, high-power cell, and wherein the first cell acts as a secondary cell and the second cell acts as a primary cell in a carrier aggregation mode, and wherein at least one uplink control signal is received by one of only the first cell or both the first cell and the second cell. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A network element in a first cell in a wireless telecommunication network, the network element comprising: at least one storage device; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the at least one storage device such that when executed, the network element: provides uplink and downlink grants in the first cell, wherein the first cell is a low-power cell within the coverage area of a second cell that is a high-power cell, and wherein the first cell acts as a secondary cell and the second cell acts as a primary cell in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode; schedules the uplink and downlink grants based on information received from the second cell via an X2 interface between the first and second cells, wherein at least one uplink control signal is received by one of only the first cell or both the first cell and the second cell; and assigns a first cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first C-RNTI is different from a second C-RNTI that the second cell assigns to the UE, and wherein the network element indicates to the UE to use a higher modulation order in the first cell than in the second cell. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The network element of claim 1, wherein the uplink and downlink grants are for data transmissions with the UE on both the first cell and the second cell, and wherein different discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations are applied on the first cell and the second cell in the CA mode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The network element of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to receive at least one of a buffer request or a scheduling request independently from a buffer request or a scheduling request sent to the second cell. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The network element of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to use a different duplex mode in the first cell than that used in the second cell during the CA mode, wherein dynamic time division duplexing (TDD) with fast adaptation is the different duplex mode used in the first cell, and wherein a RadioResourceConfigCommonSCell information element in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 36.331 is modified to indicate to a user equipment (UE) that dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is in use in the first cell. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The network element of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to reserve at least one C-RNTI for the second cell to assign to at least one UE configured to maintain dual connectivity with the first cell and the second cell, and notify the second cell about the at least one reserved C-RNTI. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The network element of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to receive all data transmitted from a UE from which the at least one uplink control signal is received, the at least one uplink control signal comprising at least one acknowledgement (ACK) signal, negative acknowledgement (NACK) signal or channel state information (CSI) signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The network element of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to use a different duplex mode in the first cell than that used in the second cell during the CA mode, wherein a time division duplexing (TDD) mode is the different duplex mode used in the first cell while a frequency division duplexing (FDD) mode is used in the second cell during the CA mode, and wherein the first cell operates on a higher frequency than the second cell. ### Claim 8 A method for communication in a wireless telecommunication network, the method comprising: providing, by a network element in a first cell in the network, uplink and downlink grants in the first cell, wherein the first cell is a low-power cell within the coverage area of a second cell that is a high-power cell, and wherein the first cell acts as a secondary cell and the second cell acts as a primary cell in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode, wherein the network element schedules the uplink and downlink grants based on information received from the second cell via an X2 interface between the first and second cells, and wherein at least one uplink control signal is received by one of only the first cell or both the first cell and the second cell; assigning, by the network element, a first cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first C-RNTI is different from a second C-RNTI that the second cell assigns to the UE; and indicating, by the network element to the UE, use of a higher modulation order in the first cell than in the second cell. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the uplink and downlink grants are for data transmissions on both the first cell and the second cell, and wherein different discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations are applied on the first cell and the second cell in the CA mode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by the network element, at least one of a buffer request or a scheduling request independently from a buffer request or a scheduling request sent to the second cell. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising using, by the network element, a different duplex mode in the first cell than that used in the second cell during the CA mode, wherein dynamic time division duplexing (TDD) with fast adaptation is the different duplex mode used in the first cell, and wherein a RadioResourceConfigCommonSCell information element in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 36.331 is modified to indicate to a user equipment (UE) in the first cell that dynamic TDD with fast adaptation is in use in the first cell. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving, by the network element, at least one C-RNTI for the second cell to assign to at least one UE configured to maintain dual connectivity with the first cell and the second cell; and notifying, by the network element, the second cell about the at least one reserved C-RNTI. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the network element receives all data transmitted from a UE from which the at least one uplink control signal is received, the at least one uplink control signal comprising at least one acknowledgement (ACK) signal, negative acknowledgement (NACK) signal or channel state information (CSI) signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising using, by the network element, a different duplex mode in the first cell than that used in the second cell during the CA mode, wherein a time division duplexing (TDD) mode is the different duplex mode used in the first cell while a frequency division duplexing (FDD) mode is used in the second cell during the CA mode, and wherein the first cell operates on a higher frequency than the second cell. ### Claim 15 A user equipment (UE) configured to maintain dual connectivity with a first cell and a second cell in a wireless telecommunication network, the UE comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on the processor to: send at least one uplink control signal to one of only the first cell or both the first cell and the second cell, wherein the second cell is a high-power cell and the first cell is a low-power cell within the coverage area of the second cell, and wherein the second cell acts as a primary cell and the first cell acts as a secondary cell in a carrier aggregation mode; receive, from the first cell, an assignment of a first cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) to the UE, wherein the first C-RNTI is different from a second C-RNTI that is assigned to the UE by the second cell; and receive from the network element, an indication to use, by the UE, a higher modulation order in the first cell than in the second cell. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The UE of claim 15, wherein the instructions are executable on the processor to send one of a buffer status report or a scheduling request to the first cell independently from a buffer status report or a scheduling request the UE sends to the second cell. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The UE of claim 15, wherein the instructions are executable on the processor to, during the carrier aggregation mode, send uplink control signals to the SCell rather than the PCell, the uplink control signals comprising at least one of an acknowledgement (ACK), negative acknowledgement (NACK), or channel state information (CSI).