# US 10,772,120 B2 · Method and access node for signaling scheduling information to terminal device and method and terminal device for performing scheduled communications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,772,120 B2 - Document ID: US10772120B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/563,502 - Filed: 2015-04-17 - Published: 2018-03-29 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-17 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Jinhua Liu; Robert Baldemair; Virgile Garcia - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10772120B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - 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)} - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/1215: {for collaboration of different radio technologies} - H04W 72/54: based on quality criteria - 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) ## Abstract The disclosure provides a method in an access node for signaling scheduling information to a terminal device and the associated access node. The method comprises generating one or more scheduling messages for scheduling data transmissions over two or more types of radio resources available on a radio link. The method further comprises transmitting the one or more scheduling messages to the terminal device. Also, the disclosure provides a method in a terminal device for performing scheduled communications and the associated terminal device. The method comprises receiving, from an access node, one or more scheduling messages, which are generated for scheduling data transmissions over two or more types of radio resources available on a radio link. The method further comprises performing the scheduled communications according to the received one or more scheduling messages. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method in an Access Node (AN) for signaling scheduling information to a terminal device, the method comprising: generating one or more scheduling messages for scheduling data transmissions over two or more types of radio resources available on a radio link, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages is generated for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on dedicated radio resources for the radio link, on shared radio resources for the radio link, and on unused dedicated radio resources for the radio link's neighboring link; and transmitting the one or more scheduling messages to the terminal device in a part of radio resources among each of the two or more types of radio resources. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages contains two or more scheduling information segments, each of which is for scheduling a corresponding one of the data transmissions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are generated for one subframe. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages is generated for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on at least one group of the radio resources respectively, into which one of the two or more types of the radio resources are classified according to interference levels and/or signal qualities at the radio resources. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: at least one of the two or more scheduling information segments is for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on the dedicated radio resources for the radio link, and at least one of the two or more scheduling information segments is for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on the shared radio resources for the radio link and the unused dedicated radio resources for the radio link's neighboring link. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the two or more scheduling information segments is for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on at least one group of the radio resources respectively, into which one of the two or more types of the radio resources are classified according to interference levels and/or signal qualities at the radio resources. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein a single scheduling message is generated for scheduling the data transmissions over the two or more types of radio resources. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein each of the two or more scheduling information segments include, for said corresponding one of the data transmissions, at least one field indicating at least one of the following: a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS); a resource allocation; a transmission rank; or a redundancy version. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one scheduling message includes, at a beginning of said at least one scheduling message, a sequence of bits each indicating the presence/absence of corresponding scheduling information segments in said at least one scheduling message. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein: said at least one scheduling message has a fixed length or a flexible length, and when said at least one scheduling message has the fixed length, padding bits are inserted in said at least one scheduling message for an absent scheduling information segment. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one scheduling message includes a common field indicating resource allocations for corresponding data transmissions scheduled by the two or more scheduling information segments, while the two or more scheduling information segments do not include fields indicating resource allocations for the corresponding data transmissions respectively. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are transmitted to the terminal device in the part of radio resources among the dedicated radio resources for the radio link. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the part of radio resources is determined according to a predefined rule or configured by a Central Control Unit (CCU). ### Claim 14 A method in a terminal device for performing scheduled communications, the method comprising: receiving, from an Access Node (AN), one or more scheduling messages in a part of radio resources among each of two or more types of radio resources available on a radio link, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are generated for scheduling data transmissions over the two or more types of radio resources available on the radio link, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages is generated for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on dedicated radio resources for the radio link, on shared radio resources for the radio link, and on unused dedicated radio resources for the radio link's neighboring link; and performing the scheduled communications according to the received one or more scheduling messages. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages contains two or more scheduling information segments, each of which is for scheduling a corresponding one of the data transmissions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are generated for one subframe. ### Claim 17 An Access Node (AN) for signaling scheduling information to a terminal device, the AN comprising: a scheduling message generating section configured to generate one or more scheduling messages for scheduling data transmissions over two or more types of radio resources available on a radio link, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages is generated for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on dedicated radio resources for the radio link, on shared radio resources for the radio link, and on unused dedicated radio resources for the radio link's neighboring link; and a transmitting section configured to transmit the one or more scheduling messages to the terminal device in a part of radio resources among each of the two or more types of radio resources. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The AN of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages contains two or more scheduling information segments, each of which is for scheduling a corresponding one of the data transmissions. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The AN of claim 17, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are generated for one subframe. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The AN of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages is generated for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on at least one group of the radio resources respectively, into which one of the two or more types of the radio resources are classified according to interference levels and/or signal qualities at the radio resources. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The AN of claim 18, wherein: at least one of the two or more scheduling information segments is for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on the dedicated radio resources for the radio link, and at least one of the two or more scheduling information segments is for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on the shared radio resources for the radio link and the unused dedicated radio resources for the radio link's neighboring link. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The AN of claim 18, wherein at least one of the two or more scheduling information segments is for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on at least one group of the radio resources respectively, into which one of the two or more types of the radio resources are classified according to interference levels and/or signal qualities at the radio resources. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The AN of claim 18, wherein a single scheduling message is generated for scheduling the data transmissions over the two or more types of radio resources. ### Claim 24 (depends on 18) The AN of claim 18, wherein each of the two or more scheduling information segments include, for said corresponding one of the data transmissions, at least one field indicating at least one of the following: a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS); a resource allocation; a transmission rank; or a redundancy version. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The AN of claim 18, wherein said at least one scheduling message includes, at a beginning of said at least one scheduling message, a sequence of bits each indicating the presence/absence of corresponding scheduling information segments in said at least one scheduling message. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The AN of claim 25, wherein: said at least one scheduling message has a fixed length or a flexible length, and when said at least one scheduling message has the fixed length, padding bits are inserted in said at least one scheduling message for an absent scheduling information segment. ### Claim 27 (depends on 18) The AN of claim 18, wherein said at least one scheduling message includes a common field indicating resource allocations for corresponding data transmissions scheduled by the two or more scheduling information segments, while the two or more scheduling information segments do not include fields indicating resource allocations for the corresponding data transmissions respectively. ### Claim 28 (depends on 17) The AN of claim 17, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are transmitted to the terminal device in the part of radio resources among the dedicated radio resources for the radio link. ### Claim 29 (depends on 17) The AN of claim 17, wherein the part of radio resources is determined according to a predefined rule or configured by a Central Control Unit (CCU). ### Claim 30 A terminal device for performing scheduled communications, the terminal device comprising: a scheduling message receiving section configured to receive, from an Access Node (AN), one or more scheduling messages in a part of radio resources among each of two or more types of radio resources available on a radio link, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are generated for scheduling data transmissions over the two or more types of radio resources available on the radio link, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages is generated for scheduling at least one corresponding data transmission on dedicated radio resources for the radio link, on shared radio resources for the radio link, and on unused dedicated radio resources for the radio link's neighboring link; and a data communication section configured to perform the scheduled communications according to the received one or more scheduling messages. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The terminal device of claim 30, wherein at least one of the one or more scheduling messages contains two or more scheduling information segments, each of which is for scheduling a corresponding one of the data transmissions. ### Claim 32 (depends on 30) The terminal device of claim 30, wherein the one or more scheduling messages are generated for one subframe.