# US 9,438,408 B2 · Scheduling in a cellular system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,408 B2 - Document ID: US9438408B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/158,998 - Filed: 2014-01-20 - Published: 2014-05-08 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2007-12-10 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (Publ) - Inventors: Stefan Parkvall; David Astely - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438408B2 ## CPC - H04L 5/0094: {Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated} - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04L 1/1607: Details of the supervisory signal - 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 In a cellular system (100), transmissions are made (410) in subframes (310) which comprise subelements. The method is used for scheduling (415) first and second channels in a subframe, and comprises: dividing (420) the transmission resources for the first channel into a first set of resource groups, assigning (425) the resource groups of the first set to subelements in the subframe (310) in a predetermined fashion, assigning (430) a symbol value to all subelements (210) in the subframe (310) which have not been assigned a resource groups of the first set, dividing (435) the transmission resources for the second channel into a second set of resource groups, assigning (440) the resource groups of the second set to subelements in the subframe by means of said symbol values. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for use in a wireless cellular communications system, according to which method a controlling node controls the transmissions to and from users in a cell, and transmissions are made in subframes with a certain extension in time and over a certain amount of subcarriers (Of) in frequency, said subframes comprising a number of subelements, the method being used for scheduling a first and a second channel in one and the same subframe, the method comprising the steps of: distributing transmission resources needed for the first channel into a first set of resource groups; assigning the resource groups of the first set to subelements in the subframe in a predetermined fashion, wherein each subelement comprises a group of four time-frequency resource elements; assigning a symbol value to all subelements in the subframe which have not been assigned a resource groups of the first set; distributing transmission resources needed for the second channel into a second set of resource groups; and assigning, in a predetermined fashion, the resource groups of the second set to subelements in the subframe by means of said symbol values, wherein assigning the resource groups of the second set comprises: determining a respective symbol value for one or more resource groups of the second set based on the number of subelements in the subframe which have not been assigned a resource group of the first set, and assigning each resource group of the second set to a subelement associated with a respective symbol value determined for that resource group. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, according to which the resource groups of the second set are assigned to subelements in the subframe in such a manner that they are maximally spaced apart from each other in frequency. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, according to which the resource groups of the second set are assigned to subelements in the subframe in such a manner that they are spaced apart from each other in frequency in a predetermined fashion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, according to which the first and the second channel are control channels. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, applied to a downlink subframe. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, applied to an E-UTRAN system, Long Term Evolution. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, according to which the subelements are mini-CCEs, Control Channel Elements, i.e. groups of four E-UTRAN resource elements. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, according to which the control channels are the PCFICH and PHICH channels, i.e. the Physical Control Format Indicator Channel and the Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel. ### Claim 9 A scheduling node for use in a cellular communications system in which transmissions to and from users are made in subframes which have a certain extension in time and which extend over a certain amount of subcarriers (Δf) in frequency, with the subframes comprising a number of subelements, the scheduling node being adapted to schedule a first and a second channel in one and the same subframe, comprising: at least one processor unit communicatively coupled to a memory storing instructions thereon, when executed by the processor unit, configured to perform the scheduling comprising: distributing transmission resources needed for the first channel into a first set of resource groups; assigning the resource groups of the first set to subelements in the subframe in a predetermined fashion, wherein each subelement comprises a group of four time-frequency resource elements; assigning a symbol value to all subelements in the subframe which have not been assigned a resource groups of the first set; distributing transmission resources needed for the second channel into a second set of resource groups; and assigning, in a predetermined fashion, the resource groups of the second set to subelements in the subframe by means of said symbol values, wherein assigning the resource groups of the second set comprises: determining a respective symbol value for one or more resource groups of the second set based on the number of subelements in the subframe which have not been assigned a resource group of the first set, and assigning each resource group of the second set to a subelement associated with a respective symbol value determined for that resource group. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The scheduling node of claim 9, in which the resource groups of the second set are assigned to subelements in the subframe in such a manner that they are maximally spaced apart from each other in frequency. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The scheduling node of claim 9, in which the resource groups of the second set are assigned to subelements in the subframe in such a manner that they are spaced apart from each other in frequency in a predetermined fashion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The scheduling node of claim 9, in which the first and the second channel are control channels. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The scheduling node of claim 9, which applies the scheduling to a downlink subframe. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The scheduling node of claim 9, being employed in an E-UTRAN system, Long Term Evolution. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The scheduling node of claim 14, being employed in an eNodeB in an E-UTRAN system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The scheduling node of claim 14, in which the subelements are mini-CCEs, Control Channel Elements, i.e. groups of four E-UTRAN resource elements. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The scheduling node of claim 12, in which the control channels are the PCFICH and PHICH channels, i.e. the Physical Control Format Indicator Channel and the Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel.