Resource allocation

A method, as performed by a user device, of determining carrier frequency allocation in a communication system which uses a plurality of sub-carriers arranged in a sequence of chunks, the method comprising:

• receiving signals from the communications node, which signals include different resource allocation data for each of a plurality of user devices wherein the resource allocation data for a respective user device comprises a unique value which is related to data identifying a start chunk number and a number of chunks between the start chunk and an end chunk within said sequence of chunks, and wherein said resource allocation data comprises data that identifies a type of allocation of said sub-carriers;
• identifying the resource allocation data for the user device;
• holding information which relates resource allocation data to said sequence of chunks of sub-carriers;
• and
• determining the type of allocation represented by said resource allocation data and determining, in dependence on the type of allocation, the allocated sub-carriers using the received resource allocation data comprising said unique value and said held information,
• wherein one type of allocation is a distributed chunk allocation in which a user device is allocated a set of distributed chunks of sub-carriers, and
• wherein said unique value x is given by at least one of:
• x=N(P−1)+0;
• and
• x=N(N−(p−1))+(N−1−0),
• where N is a number of chunks in said sequence, 0 is the start chunk, and P is the number of chunks between the start chunk and the end chunk.

A communication node which is operable to communicate with a plurality of user devices using a plurality of sub-carriers arranged in a sequence of chunks, the communications node comprising:

• a receiver operable to receive an allocation of said sub-carriers for each of a plurality of user devices, wherein said received resource allocation data comprises data that identifies a type of allocation of said sub-carriers;
• a processor operable to process, in dependence on the identified type of allocation, the received allocations to determine, for each user device, data identifying a start chunk and an end chunk within said sequence of chunks, which depend upon the sub-carriers allocated to the user device, wherein the data identifying the start chunk and the end chunk comprises a start chunk number and a number of chunks between the start chunk and the end chunk;
• a generator operable to generate respective resource allocation data for each of said user devices using said data identifying a corresponding start chunk and end chunk determined by said processor, wherein said resource allocation data comprises a unique value representing the corresponding start chunk number, and the number of chunks between the corresponding start chunk and the corresponding end chunk, and wherein said resource allocation data includes type data identifying the type of allocation;
• and
• an output terminal operable to output said respective resource allocation data,
• comprising said unique value and said type data, to each of said plurality of user devices, wherein one type of allocation is a distributed chunk allocation, in which a user
• device is allocated a set of said chunks dispersed within its supported bandwidth, and wherein said unique value x is given by at least one of:
• x=N(P−1)+0;
• and
• x=N(N−(P−1))+(N−1−0),
• where N is a number of chunks in said sequence, 0 is the start chunk, and P is the number of chunks between the start chunk and the end chunk.

A user device which is operable to communicate with a plurality of sub-carriers arranged in a sequence of chunks, the user device comprising:

• a receiver operable to receive signals from the communications node, which signals include different resource allocation data for each of the plurality of user devices wherein the resource allocation data for a respective user device comprises a unique value which is related to data identifying a start chunk number and a number of chunks between the start chunk and an end chunk within said sequence of chunks, and wherein said resource allocation data comprises data that identifies a type of allocation of said sub-carriers;
• a controller operable to identify the resource allocation data for the user device;
• a memory or circuit operable to hold information relating said resource allocation data to said sequence of chunks;
• and
• a determiner operable to determine the type of allocation represented by said resource allocation data and to determine, in dependence on the type of allocation, the allocated sub-carriers using the received resource allocation data comprising said unique value and said held information, and
• wherein said unique value x is given by at least one of:
• x=N(P−1)+0;
• and
• x=N(N−(P−1)+(N−1−0),
• where N is a number of chunks in said sequence, 0 is the start chunk, and P is the number of chunks between the start chunk and the end chunk.

A communication node comprising:

• a transmission circuit that transmits control information which includes a first bit pattern and a second bit pattern to at least one user equipment, wherein the first bit pattern shows a type of resource allocation that identifies allocation of chunks which comprises subcarriers in a sub-frame, wherein the second bit pattern shows a resource allocation, wherein a type of resource allocation comprises at least one of a localized type and a distributed type;
• and
• a memory that stores information for determining the second bit pattern based on at least one of expressions:
• N(P−1)+0;
• and
• N(N−(P−1))+(N−1−0),
• where N is a number of chunks in a pre-set bandwidth, 0 is a starting chunk, and P is a number of consecutive chunks.

A user equipment comprising:

• a receiving circuit that receives control information which includes a first bit pattern and a second bit pattern, wherein the first bit pattern includes a type of resource allocation that identifies allocation of chunks which comprises subcarriers in a sub-frame, wherein the second bit pattern includes a resource allocation, wherein the type of resource allocation comprises at least one of a localized type and a distributed type, wherein the second bit pattern is determined based on at least one of expressions:
• N(P−1)+0;
• and
• N(N−(P−1))+(N−1−0),
• where N is a number of chunks in a pre-set bandwidth, 0 is a starting chunk, and P is a number of consecutive chunks;
• and
• a transmission circuit that transmits an uplink data to a communication node.

A method in a communication node comprising:

• transmitting control information which includes a first bit pattern and a second bit pattern to at least one user equipment, wherein the first bit pattern shows a type of resource allocation that identifies allocation of chunks which comprises subcarriers in a sub-frame, wherein the second bit pattern shows resource allocation, wherein the type of resource allocation comprises at least one of a localized type and a distributed type;
• and
• determining the second bit pattern based on at least one of expressions:
• N(P−1)+0;
• and
• N(N−(P−1))+(N−1−0),
• where N is a number of chunks in a pre-set bandwidth, 0 is a starting chunk, and P is a number of consecutive chunks.

A method in a user equipment, the method comprising:

• receiving control information which includes a first bit pattern and a second bit pattern, wherein the first bit pattern includes a type of resource allocation that identifies allocation of chunks which comprises subcarriers in a sub-frame, wherein the second bit pattern includes a resource allocation, wherein the type of resource allocation comprises at least one of a localized type and a distributed type, wherein the second bit pattern is determined based on at least one of expressions:
• N(P−1)+0;
• and
• N(N−(P−1))−F(N−1−0),
• where N is a number of chunks in a pre-set bandwidth, 0 is a starting chunk, and P is a number of consecutive chunks;
• and
• transmitting an uplink data to a communication node.