# US 11,310,001 B2 · Methods, infrastructure equipment and communications device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,310,001 B2 - Document ID: US11310001B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/967,743 - Filed: 2019-02-13 - Published: 2021-02-11 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-15 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Martin Warwick Beale; Shin Horng Wong - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11310001B2 ## CPC - H04L 5/001: {the frequencies being arranged in component carriers} - H04L 5/0053: {Allocation of signalling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals} - H04L 5/0041: {Frequency-non-contiguous} - H04L 5/0051: {of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal} - H04L 5/0064: {Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority} - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 52/0216: {using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame} - H04W 52/0219: {where the power saving management affects multiple terminals} - H04W 52/0229: {where the received signal is a wanted signal} - H04W 52/028: {switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks} - H04W 72/121: for groups of terminals or users - H04W 72/1273: of downlink data flows - H04W 72/54: based on quality criteria - H04L 5/0007: {the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A) or DMT} - H04L 5/0037: {Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation} - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H04W 28/0221: {power availability or consumption} - H04W 68/005: {Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A method of operating an infrastructure equipment configured for communicating with one or more communications devices via a wireless access interface. The wireless access interface comprises resource elements for carrying sub-carriers of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) symbols. Forming a downlink signal comprises selecting a plurality of component-signals from a set of component-signals, each of the component-signals from the set of component-signals being formed from a sequence of signal samples for transmission in one of the blocks of resource elements and in one of the time units by the number of OFDM symbols, each of the component-signals being detectable by a narrow bandwidth receiver, and selecting for each of the plurality of component-signals one or more of the plurality of the blocks of resource elements and one or more of the time units to transmit the component-signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating an infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network for communicating with one or more communications devices, the method comprising determining that a downlink signal should be transmitted to a communications device to provide information for the communications device, forming the downlink signal for transmission via a wireless access interface, the wireless access interface comprising in a frequency dimension resource elements, each of the resource elements for carrying a sub-carrier of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed, OFDM, symbol, the resource elements being formed in the frequency dimension into blocks of resource elements, and in a time dimension the wireless access interface is divided into time units, each of the time units for carrying a number of OFDM symbols, and transmitting the downlink signal from the infrastructure equipment to the communications device, wherein the forming of the downlink signal comprises selecting a plurality of component-signals from a set of component-signals, each of the component-signals from the set of component-signals being formed from a sequence of signal samples for transmission in one of the blocks of resource elements and in one of the time units by the number of OFDM symbols, each of the component-signals being detectable by a narrow bandwidth receiver, and selecting for each of the plurality of component-signals one of the blocks of resource elements and one of the time units to transmit the component-signal, and the transmitting the downlink signal from the infrastructure equipment to the communications device comprises transmitting the plurality of selected component signals in the selected blocks of resource elements as a wider bandwidth signal, wherein one or both of the plurality of component-signals selected from the set of component-signals and a corresponding plurality of the blocks of resource elements and the one or more of the time units to transmit the plurality of component-signals are selected to reduce co-channel interference from at least one other signal formed from a plurality of component-signals from the set of component-signals transmitted in the blocks of resource elements of the wireless access interface. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting the downlink signal from the infrastructure equipment to the communications device, comprises transmitting the downlink signal to the communications device operating within a first cell of the wireless communications network formed by the infrastructure equipment which first cell is different to a second cell formed by a second infrastructure equipment from which the at least one other signal is transmitted. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting the downlink signal from the infrastructure equipment to the communications device, comprises transmitting the downlink signal to the communications device operating within a cell of the wireless communications network formed by the infrastructure equipment and from which the at least one other signal is transmitted, and the communications device to which the downlink signal is transmitted forms part of a first group of communications devices and the other signal being transmitted to one or more communications devices forming another group of communications devices. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting for each of the plurality of component-signals the blocks of resource elements and one of the time units to transmit the component-signal, comprises selecting one of the blocks of resource elements and one of the time units in which one of the plurality of component-signals of the at least one other signal is not transmitted, the selecting of the blocks of resource elements being mutually exclusive from the blocks of resource elements of the wireless access interface in which the plurality of component-signals of the at least one other signal is transmitted. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the selecting the plurality of component-signals from the set of component-signals comprises selecting the component-signals to be a different one of the component-signals which is transmitted in the same blocks of resource elements and the same time unit to the component-signal of the at least one other signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting for each of the plurality of component-signals the block of resource elements and the one or more of the time units to transmit the component-signal, comprises selecting one of the blocks of resource elements and one of the time units which is the same as one of the blocks of resource elements in which one of the plurality of component-signals of the at least one other signal is transmitted, and the selecting the plurality of component-signals from the set of component-signals comprises selecting the component-signals to be a different one of the component-signals which is transmitted in the same blocks of resource elements and the same time unit to the component-signal of the at least one other signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting the plurality of component-signals from a set of component-signals, comprises selecting the plurality of the component-signals to represent an identification of a cell of the wireless communications network formed by the infrastructure equipment. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting the one or more of the plurality of the blocks of resource elements and the one or more of the time units to transmit the component-signal, comprises selecting one or more of the plurality of the blocks of resource elements for each of a plurality of the time units in accordance with a frequency hopping pattern. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the frequency hopping pattern is determined by an identification of the cell. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the component-signals comprises the sequence of signal samples, each of the component-signals having a low cross-correlation with each of the other signal-components of the set of signal-components. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sequence of signal samples is formed from a Zadoff-Chu sequence and each of the signal samples is formed from a coefficient of the Zadoff-Chu sequence. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a plurality of the component-signals in the set of component-signals is formed from the same Zadoff-Chu sequence, cyclically shifted with respect to each other. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the plurality of component signals are selected in accordance with a relative indication of radio conditions affecting a radio signal path loss, the number being greater for a greater radio signal path loss. ### Claim 14 An infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network for communicating with one or more communications devices, the infrastructure equipment comprising transmitter circuitry configured to transmit signals via a wireless access interface formed by the infrastructure equipment, receiver circuitry configured to receive signals transmitted by the one or more communications devices via the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured to control the transmitter and the receiver circuitry, the controller circuitry being configured to determine that a downlink signal should be transmitted to a communications device to provide information for the communications device, to form the downlink signal for transmission via a wireless access interface, the wireless access interface comprising in a frequency dimension resource elements, each of the resource elements for carrying a sub-carrier of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed, OFDM, symbol, the resource elements being formed in the frequency dimension into blocks of resource elements, and in a time dimension the wireless access interface is divided into time units, each of the time units for carrying a number of OFDM symbols, and controlling the transmitter to transmit the downlink signal from the infrastructure equipment to the communications device, wherein the controller is configured to form the downlink signal by selecting a plurality of component-signals from a set of component-signals, each of the component-signals from the set of component-signals being formed from a sequence of signal samples for transmission in one of the blocks of resource elements and in one of the time units by the number of OFDM symbols, each of the component-signals being detectable by a narrow bandwidth receiver, and to select for each of the plurality of component-signals one of the blocks of resource elements and one of the time units to transmit the component-signal, and to control the transmitter to transmit the plurality of selected component signals in the selected blocks of resource elements as a wider bandwidth signal, wherein one or both of the plurality of component-signals selected from the set of component-signals and a corresponding plurality of the blocks of resource elements and the one or more of the time units to transmit the plurality of component-signals are selected to reduce co-channel interference from at least one other signal formed from a plurality of component-signals from the set of component-signals transmitted in the blocks of resource elements of the wireless access interface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein the controller circuitry is configured in combination with the transmitter circuitry to transmit the downlink signal to the communications device operating within a first cell of the wireless communications network formed by the infrastructure equipment which first cell is different to a second cell formed by a second infrastructure equipment from which the at least one other signal is transmitted. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein the controller circuitry is configured in combination with the transmitter circuitry to transmit the downlink signal to the communications device operating within a cell of the wireless communications network formed by the infrastructure equipment and from which the at least one other signal is transmitted, and the communications device to which the downlink signal is transmitted forms part of a first group of communications devices and the other signal being transmitted to one or more communications devices forming another group of communications devices. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein the controller circuitry is configured to select one of the blocks of resource elements and one of the time units in which one of the plurality of component-signals of the at least one other signal is not transmitted, the selecting of the blocks of resource elements being mutually exclusive from the blocks of resource elements of the wireless access interface in which the plurality of component-signals of the at least one other signal is transmitted. ### Claim 18 An infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network for communicating with one or more communications devices, the infrastructure equipment comprising transmitter circuitry configured to transmit signals via a wireless access interface formed by the infrastructure equipment, receiver circuitry configured to receive signals transmitted by the one or more communications devices via the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured to control the transmitter and the receiver circuitry, the controller circuitry being configured to determine that a downlink signal should be transmitted to a communications device to provide information for the communications device, to form the downlink signal for transmission via a wireless access interface, the wireless access interface comprising in a frequency dimension resource elements, each of the resource elements for carrying a sub-carrier of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed, OFDM, symbol, the resource elements being formed in the frequency dimension into blocks of resource elements, and in a time dimension the wireless access interface is divided into time units, each of the time units for carrying a number of OFDM symbols, and controlling the transmitter to transmit the downlink signal from the infrastructure equipment to the communications device, wherein the controller is configured to form the downlink signal by selecting a plurality of component-signals from a set of component-signals, each of the component-signals from the set of component-signals being formed from a sequence of signal samples for transmission in one of the blocks of resource elements and in one of the time units by the number of OFDM symbols, each of the component-signals being detectable by a narrow bandwidth receiver, and to select for each of the plurality of component-signals one of the blocks of resource elements and one of the time units to transmit the component-signal by selecting the plurality of the component-signals to represent an identification of a cell of the wireless communications network formed by the infrastructure equipment, and to control the transmitter to transmit the plurality of selected component signals in the selected blocks of resource elements as a wider bandwidth signal.