# US 12,004,129 B2 · Self-contained time division duplex (TDD) subframe structure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,129 B2 - Document ID: US12004129B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/432,844 - Filed: 2019-06-05 - Published: 2019-09-19 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-15 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Krishna Kiran Mukkavilli; Tingfang Ji; Naga Bhushan; Joseph Binamira Soriaga; John Edward Smee; Jing Jiang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004129B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04L 1/1812: Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ] - H04L 1/1861: {Physical mapping arrangements (for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053)} - H04L 1/1887: {Scheduling and prioritising arrangements} - H04L 5/0055: {Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK (for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861)} - H04L 5/0082: {at predetermined intervals} - H04L 5/0091: {Signalling for the administration of the divided path, e.g. signalling of configuration information} - H04L 5/14: Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex - H04L 5/1469: {using time-sharing} - H04W 72/20: Control channels or signalling for resource management - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04L 5/0026: {Division using four or more dimensions, e.g. beam steering or quasi-co-location [QCL]} - H04L 5/0044: {Allocation of payload; Allocation of data channels, e.g. PDSCH or PUSCH} - 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 Aspects of the present disclosure provide a subframe structure for time division duplex (TDD) carriers that can be entirely self-contained. That is, information transmitted on a TDD carrier may be grouped into subframes, where each subframe provides communication in both directions (e.g., uplink and downlink) in a suitable fashion to enable such communication without needing any further information in another subframe. For example, a single subframe may include scheduling information, data information corresponding to the scheduling information, and acknowledgment information corresponding to the data information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of wireless communication for a scheduling entity to communicate with one or more subordinate entities, the method comprising: utilizing a subframe structure for at least a set of subframes, each subframe of the set of subframes having a same duration, the subframe structure comprising a control portion, a data portion, and an acknowledgement portion, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; transmitting scheduling information in the control portion of a subframe of the set of subframes; transmitting data information corresponding to the scheduling information in the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes; and receiving acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) for carrying at least one of uplink data or downlink data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) each comprising a block of data and corresponding to a collection of symbols. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval (TTI), comprising information configured to be independently decoded relative to other TTIs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval (TTI) that is configurable to carry at least one of downlink data or uplink data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the subframe structure has a configurable subframe duration, wherein the configurable subframe duration comprises the same duration across the set of subframes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the control portion comprises a physical downlink control channel comprising the scheduling information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) configuration information within the physical downlink control channel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: transmitting in the physical downlink control channel a predetermined time within the subframe of the set of subframes for the one or more subordinate entities to transmit the acknowledgement information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data information comprises at least one data packet and wherein the transmitting the data information further comprises: transmitting the at least one data packet multiplexed with a plurality of other data packets within the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes using at least one of time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, or code division multiplexing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving uplink information within the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes, wherein the uplink information comprises at least one of a physical uplink control channel, random access channel, scheduling request, sounding reference signal, channel quality indicator, channel state feedback information, or buffer status. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing a guard period between the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes and the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the guard period has a configurable guard period duration. ### Claim 14 A scheduling entity configured to manage wireless communication with one or more subordinate entities, comprising: a processing system comprising one or more processors; a wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to the processing system; and a memory communicatively coupled to the processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to: utilize a subframe structure for at least a set of subframes, each subframe of the set of subframes having a same duration, the subframe structure comprising a control portion, a data portion, and an acknowledgement portion, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; transmit scheduling information in the control portion of a subframe of the set of subframes via the wireless transceiver; transmit data information corresponding to the scheduling information in the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes via the wireless transceiver; and receive acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes via the wireless transceiver, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) for carrying at least one of uplink data or downlink data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) each comprising a block of data and corresponding to a collection of symbols. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval (TTI), comprising information configured to be independently decoded relative to other TTIs. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval that is configurable to carry at least one of downlink data or uplink data. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the subframe structure has a configurable subframe duration, wherein the configurable subframe duration comprises the same duration across the set of subframes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the control portion comprises a physical downlink control channel comprising the scheduling information. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The scheduling entity of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) configuration information within the physical downlink control channel. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The scheduling entity of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit in the physical downlink control channel a predetermined time within the subframe for the one or more subordinate entities to transmit the acknowledgement information. ### Claim 23 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the data information comprises at least one data packet and wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit the at least one data packet multiplexed with a plurality of other data packets within the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes using at least one of time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, or code division multiplexing. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive uplink information within the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes, wherein the uplink information comprises at least one of a physical uplink control channel, random access channel, scheduling request, sounding reference signal, channel quality indicator, channel state feedback information, or buffer status. ### Claim 25 (depends on 14) The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: provide a guard period between the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes and the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The scheduling entity of claim 25, wherein the guard period has a configurable guard period duration. ### Claim 27 A method of wireless communication for a scheduling entity to communicate with one or more subordinate entities, the method comprising: utilizing a subframe structure for at least a set of subframes, each subframe of the set of subframes having a same duration, the subframe structure comprising a control portion, a data portion, and an acknowledgement portion, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; transmitting scheduling information in the control portion of a subframe of the set of subframes; receiving data information corresponding to the scheduling information in the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes; and transmitting acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) for carrying at least one of uplink data or downlink data. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) each comprising a block of data and corresponding to a collection of symbols. ### Claim 30 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval (TTI), comprising information configured to be independently decoded relative to other TTIs. ### Claim 31 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval (TTI) that is configurable to carry at least one of downlink data or uplink data. ### Claim 32 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the subframe structure has a configurable subframe duration, wherein the configurable subframe duration comprises the same duration across the set of subframes. ### Claim 33 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, further comprising: receiving uplink information within the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes, wherein the uplink information comprises at least one of a physical uplink control channel, random access channel, scheduling request, sounding reference signal, channel quality indicator, channel state feedback information, or buffer status. ### Claim 34 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, further comprising: providing a guard period between the control portion of the subframe of the set of subframes and the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising: providing an additional guard period between the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes and the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 36 A scheduling entity configured to manage wireless communication with one or more subordinate entities, comprising: a processor; a wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to the processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: utilize a subframe structure for at least a set of subframes, each subframe of the set of subframes having a same duration, the subframe structure comprising a control portion, a data portion, and an acknowledgement portion, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; transmit scheduling information in the control portion of a subframe of the set of subframes via the wireless transceiver; receive data information corresponding to the scheduling information in the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes via the wireless transceiver; and transmit acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes via the wireless transceiver, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 37 (depends on 36) The scheduling entity of claim 36, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) for carrying at least one of uplink data or downlink data. ### Claim 38 (depends on 36) The scheduling entity of claim 36, wherein the set of subframes are defined by a plurality of transmission time intervals (TTIs) each comprising a block of data and corresponding to a collection of symbols. ### Claim 39 (depends on 36) The scheduling entity of claim 36, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval (TTI), comprising information configured to be independently decoded relative to other TTIs. ### Claim 40 (depends on 36) The scheduling entity of claim 36, wherein the subframe of the set of subframes is defined by a transmission time interval (TTI) that is configurable to carry at least one of downlink data or uplink data. ### Claim 41 (depends on 36) The scheduling entity of claim 36, wherein the subframe structure has a configurable subframe duration, wherein the configurable subframe duration comprises the same duration across the set of subframes. ### Claim 42 (depends on 36) The scheduling entity of claim 36, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive uplink information within the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes, wherein the uplink information comprises at least one of a physical uplink control channel, random access channel, scheduling request, sounding reference signal, channel quality indicator, channel state feedback information, or buffer status. ### Claim 43 (depends on 36) The scheduling entity of claim 36, wherein the processor is further configured to: provide a guard period between the control portion of the subframe of the set of subframes and the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 44 (depends on 43) The scheduling entity of claim 43, wherein the processor is further configured to: provide an additional guard period between the data portion of the subframe of the set of subframes and the acknowledgement portion of the subframe of the set of subframes. ### Claim 45 A method of wireless communication for a wireless communication entity to communicate with one or more other wireless communication entities, the method comprising: transmitting scheduling information in a control portion of a subframe of a plurality of subframes, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; transmitting data information corresponding to the scheduling information in a data portion of the subframe; and receiving acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in an acknowledgement portion of the subframe, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the same subframe and each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a same duration. ### Claim 46 (depends on 45) The method of claim 45, wherein each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a configurable subframe duration. ### Claim 47 (depends on 45) The method of claim 45, wherein the control portion comprises information including at least one of a physical downlink control channel or a pilot signal. ### Claim 48 (depends on 45) The method of claim 45, wherein the scheduling information corresponds to resources available for transmitting the data information within the subframe. ### Claim 49 (depends on 45) The method of claim 45, wherein the subframe of the plurality of subframes is communicated via a time division duplex (TDD) carrier. ### Claim 50 A wireless communication entity configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more other wireless communication entities, comprising: a processor and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the wireless communication entity is configured to: transmit scheduling information in a control portion of a subframe of a plurality of subframes via the wireless transceiver, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; transmit data information corresponding to the scheduling information in a data portion of the subframe via the wireless transceiver; and receive acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in an acknowledgement portion of the subframe via the wireless transceiver, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the same subframe and each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a same duration. ### Claim 51 (depends on 50) The wireless communication entity of claim 50, wherein each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a configurable subframe duration. ### Claim 52 (depends on 50) The wireless communication entity of claim 50, wherein the control portion comprises information including at least one of a physical downlink control channel or a pilot signal. ### Claim 53 (depends on 50) The wireless communication entity of claim 50, wherein the scheduling information corresponds to resources available for transmitting the data information within the subframe. ### Claim 54 (depends on 50) The wireless communication entity of claim 50, wherein the subframe of the plurality of subframes is communicated via a time division duplex (TDD) carrier. ### Claim 55 A method of wireless communication for a wireless communication entity to communicate with one or more other wireless communication entities, the method comprising: transmitting scheduling information in a control portion of a subframe of a plurality of subframes, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; receiving data information corresponding to the scheduling information in a data portion of the subframe; and transmitting acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in an acknowledgement portion of the subframe, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the same subframe and each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a same duration. ### Claim 56 (depends on 55) The method of claim 55, wherein each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a configurable subframe duration. ### Claim 57 (depends on 55) The method of claim 55, wherein the control portion comprises information including at least one of a physical downlink control channel or a pilot signal. ### Claim 58 (depends on 55) The method of claim 55, wherein the scheduling information corresponds to resources available for receiving the data information within the subframe. ### Claim 59 (depends on 55) The method of claim 55, wherein the subframe of the plurality of subframes is communicated via a time division duplex (TDD) carrier. ### Claim 60 A wireless communication entity configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more other wireless communication entities, comprising: a processor and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the wireless communication entity is configured to: transmit scheduling information in a control portion of a subframe of a plurality of subframes via the wireless transceiver, each of the subframes having a common subframe duration less than or equal to 1 ms and corresponding to respective transmission time intervals (TTIs), each of the TTIs being equal to the subframe duration; receive data information corresponding to the scheduling information in a data portion of the subframe via the wireless transceiver; and transmit acknowledgement information corresponding to the data information in an acknowledgement portion of the subframe via the wireless transceiver, wherein the control portion, the data portion, and the acknowledgement portion are contained in the same subframe and each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a same duration. ### Claim 61 (depends on 60) The wireless communication entity of claim 60, wherein each subframe of the plurality of subframes has a configurable subframe duration. ### Claim 62 (depends on 60) The wireless communication entity of claim 60, wherein the control portion comprises information including at least one of a physical downlink control channel or a pilot signal. ### Claim 63 (depends on 60) The wireless communication entity of claim 60, wherein the scheduling information corresponds to resources available for receiving the data information within the subframe. ### Claim 64 (depends on 60) The wireless communication entity of claim 60, wherein the subframe of the plurality of subframes is communicated via a time division duplex (TDD) carrier.