US 11,115,997 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for time division LTE transmission in unlicensed radio frequency bands

AssigneeApple Inc.

InventorsFarouk Belghoul, Tarik Tabet, Syed A. Mujtaba

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Abstract

Apparatus and methods for time division based communication between a wireless device and a wireless network in a licensed radio frequency (RF) band and an unlicensed RF band are disclosed. The wireless device receives downlink control information (DCI), via a primary component carrier (PCC) of a primary cell (Pcell) in the licensed RF band, indicating downlink (DL) data transmission via a secondary component carrier (SCC) of a secondary cell (Scell) in the unlicensed RF band. The wireless device receives via the SCC part of the DL data transmission and transmits a control message via the PCC in response. The wireless device sends a scheduling request (SR) to the eNodeB and receives uplink (UL) transmission opportunities in a combination of the licensed RF band and the unlicensed RF band. The wireless device performs a clear channel assessment before reserving and transmitting to the eNodeB in the unlicensed RF band.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for communication in an unlicensed radio frequency (RF) band, the method comprising:

by a wireless network apparatus of a wireless network:
receiving, from a wireless communication device via a primary component carrier (PCC) in a licensed RF band, a scheduling request (SR) message indicating pending uplink (UL) data;
transmitting, to the wireless communication device via the PCC in the licensed RF band, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) downlink control information (DCI) extended format message that includes an enhanced UL grant indicating a plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities that provide multiple distinct time periods for the wireless communication device to communicate UL data via a secondary component carrier (SCC) in the unlicensed RF band;
and
transmitting, to the wireless communication device via the PCC in the licensed RF band after all of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities have occurred, a control message comprising a bundled set of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) acknowledgement (ACK) and negative acknowledgement (NACK) messages corresponding to the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities,
wherein:
the PCC and SCC use identical time division duplex (TDD) Long Term Evolution (LTE) uplink/downlink (UL/DL) subframe configurations, and
the wireless communication device is configured to use a clear channel access (CCA) mechanism before each distinct UL transmission opportunity to determine whether portions of unlicensed RF band are available for transmission by the wireless communication device.

5 more elements

A method for communication in an unlicensed radio frequency (RF) band, the method comprising:

by a wireless communication device:
transmitting, to an eNodeB of a wireless network via a primary component carrier (PCC) in a licensed RF band, a scheduling request (SR) message indicating pending uplink (UL) data;
receiving, from the eNodeB via the PCC in the licensed RF band, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) downlink control information (DCI) extended format message that includes an enhanced UL grant indicating a plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities that provide multiple distinct time periods for the wireless communication device to communicate UL data via a secondary component carrier (SCC) in the unlicensed RF band;
performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) for at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band during a first one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities;
transmitting, to the eNodeB via the SCC in the unlicensed RF band, at least a portion of the pending UL data, when the CCA indicates that the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band is available for transmission during the first one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities;
repeating the CCA for the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band during a second one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities after waiting for a back-off time period, when the CCA indicates that the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band is not available for transmission during the one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities;
and
transmitting, to the eNodeB via the SCC in the unlicensed RF band, at least a portion of the pending UL data, when the CCA indicates that the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band is available for transmission during the second one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities,
wherein the PCC and SCC use identical time division duplex (TDD) Long Term Evolution (LTE) uplink/downlink (UL/DL) subframe configurations.

6 more elements

An apparatus configurable for operation in a wireless communication device, the apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry including a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the wireless communication device to:
transmit, to an eNodeB of a wireless network via a primary component carrier (PCC) in a licensed radio frequency (RF) band, a scheduling request (SR) message indicating pending uplink (UL) data;
receive, from the eNodeB via the PCC in the licensed RF band, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) downlink control information (DCI) extended format message that includes an enhanced UL grant indicating a plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities that provide multiple distinct time periods for the wireless communication device to communicate UL data via a secondary component carrier (SCC) in an unlicensed RF band;
perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) for at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band during a first one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities;
transmit, to the eNodeB via the SCC in the unlicensed RF band, at least a portion of the pending UL data, when the CCA indicates that the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band is available for transmission during the first one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities;
repeat the CCA for the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band during a second one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities after waiting for a back-off time period, when the CCA indicates that the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band is not available for transmission during the one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities;
and
transmit, to the eNodeB via the SCC in the unlicensed RF band, at least a portion of the pending UL data, when the CCA indicates that the at least a portion of the unlicensed RF band is available for transmission during the second one of the plurality of distinct UL transmission opportunities,
wherein the PCC and SCC use identical time division duplex (TDD) Long Term Evolution (LTE) uplink/downlink (UL/DL) subframe configurations.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/272,596Filed 11 Feb 2019 · continuation
Priority: 6 Feb 2015
Published: US 2019/0313432 A110 Oct 2019
Granted: 7 Sep 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

H04W 72/20
Local resource management: control channels or signalling for resource management
H04L 1/1861
Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end: physical mapping arrangements
H04L 1/1887
Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end: scheduling and prioritising arrangements
H04L 5/001
The frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM or DMT: the frequencies being arranged in component carriers

Family

Application62/113,306Us provisional application · filed 6 Feb 2015
Application15/014,498Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Feb 2016
US 2019/0313432 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Oct 2019
US 10,206,223 B2Parent of this continuation
US 10,149,315 B2Related patent
US 2016/0233989 A1Published application
US 11,115,997 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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