HK1189746B - Channel quality indicator reporting - Google Patents

Description

Channel quality indicator reporting

Technical Field

The exemplary non-limiting embodiments of this invention relate generally to wireless communication systems, methods, devices and computer programs and, more specifically, relate to the reporting of channel quality indicator information from a mobile node to a network access node.

Background

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived, implemented, or described. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

The following abbreviations that may appear in the specification and/or the drawings are defined as follows:

3GPP third generation partnership project

BS base station

CA carrier aggregation

CC component carrier

CE control element

CQI channel quality indication

CSI RS channel state information reference signal

DL Downlink (eNB to UE)

eNB E-UTRANNodeB (evolved NodeB)

EPC evolved packet core

UTRAN (LTE) of E-UTRAN evolution

FDMA frequency division multiplexing

GNSS global navigation satellite system

ICO in-device coexistence interference avoidance

IMTA International Mobile Telecommunications Association

ITU-R International telecommunication Union-radio communications sector

Long term evolution of LTE UTRAN (E-UTRAN)

LTE-A LET advanced

MAC Medium Access control (layer 2, L2)

SU-MIMO Single user multiple input multiple output

MM/MME mobility management/mobility management entity

NodeB base station

OFDMA orthogonal frequency division multiple access

O & M operation and maintenance

OOR out of range

PDCP packet data convergence protocol

PHY physical (first layer, L1)

Rel release

RLC radio link control

RRC radio resource control

RRM radio resource management

SCell serving cell

SGW service gateway

SC-FDMA single carrier frequency division multiple access

TM Transmission mode

UE user equipment, e.g. mobile station, mobile node or mobile terminal

UL uplink (UE to eNB)

UPE user plane entity

UTRAN Universal terrestrial radio access network

One contemporary communication system is known as evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN, also known as UTRAN-LTE or E-UTRA). In this system, the DL access technology is OFDMA and the UL access technology is SC-FDMA.

One specification of interest is the 3GPP TS36.300V8.11.0(2009-12) third generation partnership project; technical specification group radio access network; evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) and evolved universal terrestrial access network (EUTRAN); the whole description; stage 2 (release 8), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. For convenience, the system may be referred to as LTE Rel-8. In general, a set of specifications (e.g., 36.211, 36.311, 36.312, etc.) that are generally provided as 3gpp ts36.xyz can be considered to describe a release 8LTE system. More recently, release 9 versions of at least some of these specifications have been published.

Fig. 1 reproduces fig. 4.1 of 3GPP TS36.300V8.11.0 and shows the overall architecture of the EUTRAN system (Rel-8). The E-UTRAN system includes an eNB providing E-UTRAN user plane (PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations towards the UE. The enbs are interconnected with each other by an X2 interface. The eNB is also connected to the EPC through an S1 interface, more specifically to the MME through an S1MME interface and to the S-GW through an S1 interface (MME/S-GW 4). The S1 interface supports a many-to-many relationship between MME/S-GW/UPE and eNB.

The eNB supports the following functions:

function for RRM: RRC, radio admission control, connection mobility control, dynamic resource allocation (scheduling) to UEs in UL and DL;

IP header compression and encryption for user data streams

Selection of an MME at a UE attachment;

routing of user plane data to the EPC (MME/S-GW);

scheduling and transmission of paging messages (originated from the MME);

scheduling and transmission of broadcast information (originated from MME or O & M); and

measurement and measurement reporting configuration for mobility and scheduling.

Of particular interest herein are more releases of 3GPP LTE (e.g., LTE rel-10) directed to future IMTA systems, referred to herein for convenience simply as LTE-advanced (LTE-a). Reference may be made in this regard to 3GPPTR36.913V9.0.0(2009-12), third generation partnership project; technical specification group radio access network; requirements for more evolution of E-UTRA (LTE advanced) (release 9). Reference may also be made to 3GPP TR36.912V9.2.0(2010-03) technical report third generation partnership project; technical specification group radio access network; feasibility study for more evolution of E-UTRA (LTE-Advanced) (issue 9).

The objective of LTE-a is to provide a service with a very large improvement with higher data rates and lower delays and at less cost. LTE-a is dedicated to extending and optimizing the 3GPP LTE rel-8 radio access technology to provide higher data rates at lower cost. LTE-a will become a more optimized radio system that meets ITU-R requirements while maintaining backward compatibility with LTE Rel-8.

As specified in 3GPP TR36.913, LTE-a should operate with different size spectrum allocations, including broader spectrum allocations (e.g., up to 100 MHz) than those of LTE Rel-8, to achieve peak data rates of 100Mbit/s for high mobility and 1Gbit/s for low mobility. Carrier Aggregation (CA) has been agreed to be considered for LTE-a to support bandwidths greater than 20 MHz. Carrier aggregation, in which two or more Component Carriers (CCs) are combined, is considered for LTE-a to support a transmission bandwidth greater than 20 MHz. The carrier aggregation may be contiguous or non-contiguous. As a bandwidth extension, this technique may provide significant benefits in peak data rate and cellular throughput compared to non-aggregated operation in LTE Rel-8.

A terminal may simultaneously receive one or more subcarriers according to its capability. LTE-a terminals with reception capabilities exceeding 20MHz may receive transmissions on multiple subcarriers simultaneously. The lte Rel-8 terminal can only receive transmissions on a single subcarrier, assuming that the architecture of the subcarriers complies with the Rel-8 specification. Furthermore, it is required that LTE-a should be backward compatible with Rel-8LTE, meaning that Rel-8LTE terminals should be operable in LTE-a systems and LTE-a terminals should be operable in Rel-8LTE systems.

A document that has some relevance to the discussion herein is the 3GPP tr36.816v1.0.0(2010-11) technical report third generation partnership project; technical specification group radio access network; evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA); a study on signaling and procedures for interference avoidance for in-device coexistence (release 10), which is incorporated herein by reference.

As described in section 4 of 3GPP tr36.816v1.0.0, to allow users to access various networks and services ubiquitously, a greater number of UEs are equipped with multiple radio transceivers. For example, the UE may be equipped with LTE, WiFi, and bluetooth transceivers, as well as GNSS receivers. One challenge that arises is attempting to avoid coexistence interference between radio transceivers that are co-located. Fig. 3 of fig. 4-1, which reproduces 3GPP tr36.816v1.0.0, shows an example of coexistence interference.

Due to the close proximity of multiple radio transceivers within the same UE, the transmit power of one transmitter may be much higher than the power level received by another receiver. With filter techniques and sufficient frequency isolation, the transmitted signal may not cause significant interference. However, for some coexistence scenarios, such as different radio technologies operating within the same UE on adjacent frequencies, the filter techniques in the current prior art do not provide sufficient suppression. Therefore, solving the interference problem through a single generic RF design may not always be feasible and alternative approaches need to be considered.

Disclosure of Invention

The following summary is intended to be merely exemplary and non-limiting.

The foregoing and other problems are solved and other advantages are realized by utilizing exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is disclosed that is configured to operate when data transmission/reception is restarted at a serving cell activation or after a long in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval. In operation, the apparatus determines whether to report an in-device coexistence interference indicator value to a network access node. The apparatus then transmits the in-device coexistence interference indicator value to the network access node. If any periodic channel quality indication resources are configured to the cell, or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the cell is requested from the network access node, the apparatus reports the in-device coexistence interference indicator value to the network access node for a particular period of time.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method is provided that includes method steps that occur when data transmission/reception is restarted at serving cell activation or after a long in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval. The method comprises the step of determining whether to report an in-device coexistence interference indicator value to a network access node. The method then enables transmitting the in-device coexistence interference indicator value to the network access node. If any periodic channel quality indication resources are configured to the cell, or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the cell is requested from the network access node, the method reports an in-device coexistence interference indicator value to the network access node for a particular period of time.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus of a computer system to perform operations for controlling computer system actions is provided. The operations include operations performed when resuming data transmission/reception upon serving cell activation or after a long in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval, determining whether to report an in-device coexistence interference indicator value to a network access node. Thereafter, the non-transitory computer-readable medium performs the operation of transmitting the in-device coexistence interference indicator value to the network access node. The non-transitory computer-readable medium reports an in-device coexistence interference indicator value to a network access node for a particular time period if any periodic channel quality indication resources are configured for the cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the cell is requested from the network access node.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes means for determining whether to report an in-device coexistence interference indicator value to a network access node in response to resuming data transmission/reception at serving cell activation or after an in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval; and means for transmitting the in-device coexistence interference indicator value to the network access node. Wherein the apparatus reports the in-device coexistence interference indicator value to the network access node for a particular period of time if any periodic channel quality indication resources are configured to the cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the cell is requested from the network access node.

Drawings

In the drawings:

fig. 1(a) reproduces fig. 4.1 of 3GPP TS36.300 and shows the overall architecture of the EUTRAN system.

Fig. 1(b) reproduces table 6.10.5.2-1 of 3GPP TS36.211 and shows the mapping from the configured CSI reference signal to (k ', l') for the conventional cyclic prefix.

Fig. 1(c) reproduces table 6.10.5.2-2 of 3GPP TS36.211 and shows the mapping from the configured CSI reference signal to (k ', l') for extended cyclic prefix.

Fig. 1(d) reproduces table 6.10.5.3-1 of 3GPP TS36.211 and shows a CSI reference signal subframe configuration.

Fig. 1(e) reproduces table 6.11.1.1-1 of 3GPP TS36.211 and shows the root index for the primary synchronization signal.

Fig. 1(f) reproduces table 7.2.3-0 of 3GPP TS36.213 and shows the PDSCH transmission mechanism set for CQI reference resources.

Fig. 1(g) reproduces table 7.2.3-1 of 3GPP TS36.213 and shows a 4-bit CQI table.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified block diagram of various electronic devices suitable for use in implementing exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 3 reproduces fig. 4-1 of 3GPP tr36.816vl.0.0 and shows an example of coexistence interference.

Fig. 4A reproduces fig. 1 from R2-106507 and shows an example of processing time for CQI measurement.

Fig. 4B reproduces fig. 2 from R2-106507 and shows an example in which a UE cannot report CQI for an SCell immediately after the SCell is activated.

Fig. 4C shows a possible case of no valid CQI period for a transmission mode other than TM 9.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a considerable period of time after the end of the activation/interval, where there may not be a CSI RS subframe available when using TM 9.

Fig. 6 is a logic flow diagram illustrating the operation of a method and a result of execution of computer program instructions included on a computer readable memory in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this invention.

Detailed Description

By way of introduction, in RAN4 (R4-104930, Response LS on Timing Requirements for activation and Deactivation of SCells,3GPP TSG-RAN WG4 conference #57, Jacksonville, usa, 11 months, 2010, 15-19 days, incorporated by reference) it is agreed that when the eNB sends an activation/Deactivation MAC CE that activates an SCell in subframe n, the UE must have that SCell activated by subframe n +8 and does not need to start measuring the SCell before subframe n + 8. Thus, for a certain period of time, it may occur that the UE does not have a valid CQI result immediately after SCell activation.

Similar periods exist when data transmission/reception is restarted from a long interval of TDM for in-device coexistence interference avoidance (ICO).

One protocol in the RAN2 to assist in solving the problems discussed above with reference to 3GPP tr36.816vlo.o and illustrated in fig. 3 is to inform the E-UTRAN for a UE when the transmission/reception of LTE or some other radio signal would benefit from or no longer benefit from an LTE system that does not use specific carriers or frequency resources. Thus, UE decision is considered as the basic approach for Frequency Domain Multiplexing (FDM) solutions, where the UE indicates which frequencies are available or unavailable due to in-device coexistence. In response to signaling from the UE, the eNB will typically require the UE to perform a transfer to a frequency that has not been reported by the UE as being affected by in-device coexistence interference. This approach may be referred to as an FDM solution. However, when such a solution is not available, a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) solution may be used. TDM solutions may involve alternating scheduled and unscheduled periods on the problem frequency.

However, if the RS for measurement is available every TTI, the period may be 4ms of UE processing time for measurement. In this regard, reference may be made to FIG. 4A herein, which reproduces FIG. 1 from 3GPP TSG-RAN2#72 conference Tdoc R2-106507, Jacksonville, USA, 11/2010, days 15-19, schedule item: 7.1.1.4, Source: Samsung, name: SCell activation and CQI reporting (incorporated by reference). Reference may also be made to fig. 4B herein, which reproduces fig. 2 from R2-106507 and shows an example where a UE cannot report CQI for an SCell immediately after the SCell is activated. As described in R2-106507, the problem is whether the UE transmits CQI even if the UE has no valid measurement result. It is assumed in R2-106507 that if the UE is required to send CQI even without measurement results, the only logical CQI value to be reported is CQI =0 (i.e. out of range or OOR). Thus, a choice between "no CQI transmission" and "OOR reporting" will occur.

Transmission mode 9 (TM 9) has been defined for Rel-10DL MIMO to support SU-MIMO and SU/MU dynamic switching up to rank-8 (see, e.g., 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 conference #62bis R1-105534 west ampere, china, 10 months 11-15 of 2010, source: Nokia Siemens Networks, Nokia, name: remaining details of transmission mode 9 and DCI2C, incorporated by reference). Reference may also be made to the 3GPP ts36.211v10.0.0(2010-12) technical specification third generation partnership project, incorporated herein by reference, for TM 9; technical specification group radio access network; evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA); physical channel and modulation (release 10), part 6.10.5, "CSI reference signal". As disclosed in ETSITS136211, CSI reference signals are transmitted on one, two, four or eight antenna ports using p =15,16, p =15, …,18 and p =15, …,22, respectively. The CSI reference signal is defined only for Δ f =15 kHz. For sequence generation, the reference signal sequence r_lns(m) is prepared fromIs defined in whichWherein n is_sIs the slot number within the radio frame and/is the OFDM symbol number within the slot. Pseudo-random sequence c (i). Pseudo-random sequence generator using c_init=2¹⁰·(7·(n_S+1)+l+l-2NWcell+l+2NWcell+NCP&V. to initialize. The beginning of each OFDM symbol, where NCP is 1 for normal CP and 0 for extended CP.

Reference signal sequences in terms of resource elements mapped into subframes configured for CSI reference signal transmissionModulation symbols that should be mapped to complex valuesThe modulation symbols are based onIs used as a reference signal on the antenna port p, where

l'＝0,1，

And

magnitude (k ', l') and with respect to n_sThe requirements for (c) are given by the tables 6.10.5.2-1 and 6.10.5.2-2 for the conventional cyclic prefix reproduced in fig. 1(b) and the extended cyclic prefix reproduced in fig. 1 (c). Multiple CSI reference signal configurations according to TM9 may be used in a given cell,

-the UE should assume one configuration for non-zero transmission power of the CSI-RS, an

Zero or more configurations where the UE should assume zero transmission power.

For each bit set to 1 in the 16-bit bitmap zeropower CSI-RS configured by higher layers, the UE should assume zero transmission power for the resource elements corresponding to the four CSI reference signal columns in tables 6.10.5.2-1 and 6.10.5.2-2 for normal and extended cyclic prefixes, respectively. The most significant bits correspond to the lowest CSI reference signal configuration index and subsequent bits in the bitmap correspond to configurations with increasing order of indices. The CSI reference signal according to TM9 can only appear

-downlink slots where ns mod2 satisfies the conditions in tables 6.10.5.2-1 and 6.10.5.2-2 for normal cyclic prefix and extended cyclic prefix, respectively, and

in downlink time slots where the subframe number fulfils the conditions set forth in table 6.10.5.3-1.

Furthermore, the CSI reference signal according to TM9 cannot be transmitted in the following cases

In one or more special subframes in case of frame architecture type 2,

-when the transmission of CSI-RS collides with the transmission of a synchronization signal, a PBCH or a system information block type message,

-in a subframe configured for transmission of a paging message.

The resource element (k, l) used for transmission of CSI reference signals on any of the antenna ports in the set S (where S = {15}, S = {15,16}, S = {17,18}, S = {19,20} or S = {21,22 }) should be the same

Is not used for transmission of PDSCH on any antenna port in the same time slot, and

-not used for CSI reference signals on any antenna ports in the same time slot except those in S.

With respect to the CSI reference signal subframe configuration TM9, a cell-specific subframe configuration period TCSI-RS and a cell-specific subframe offset ACSI-RS for the occurrence of CSI reference signals are listed in table 6.10.5.3-1 of fig. 1 (d). The parameter ICSI-RS may be configured separately for CSI reference signals for which the UE should assume non-zero and zero transmit power. The subframe containing the CSI reference signal should satisfy

With respect to the synchronization signal in TM9, LTE/LTE-a provides 504 different physical layer cell identities. These physical layer cell identities are divided into 168 different physical layer cell identity groups, each group containing 3 different identities. The grouping is such that each physical layer cell identity is part of only one physical layer cell identity group. Thus, physical layer cell identificationBy a number in the range 0 to 167 representing a physical layer cell identity groupAnd a number in the range of 0 to 2 representing a physical layer identity within the physical layer cell identity groupAre uniquely defined.

In terms of the primary synchronization signal, a sequence is generated according to TM9, where the sequence d (n) is used for the primary synchronization signal and is generated by a frequency domain Zadoff-Chu sequence according to the following formula:

wherein the Zadoff-Chu root sequence index u is given by the table 6.11.1.1-1 reproduced in FIG. 1 (e).

Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) according to TM9 in the 3GPPTS36.213V10.0.1(2010-12) technical specification third generation partnership project, incorporated herein by reference; technical specification group radio access network; evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA); physical layer procedures (release 10), part 7.2.3 "Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) definitions".

According to TM9, the CQI index and its interpretation are given in table 7.2.3-1 reproduced as fig. 1 (f). Based on the observation interval, which is not restricted in time and frequency, the UE should get the highest CQI index between 1 and 15 in table 7.2.3-1 for each CQI value reported in uplink subframe n, or a CQI index of 0 if CQI index 1 does not satisfy the following condition:

a single PDSCH transport block having a combination of a modulation scheme and transport block size corresponding to a CQI index and occupying a set of downlink physical resource blocks referred to as CQI reference resources may be received with a transport block error probability of no more than 0.1.

For TM9 and feedback reporting mode, the UE should get channel measurements for calculating the reported CQI value in uplink subframe n based only on the Channel State Information (CSI) reference signals. For other transmission modes and their corresponding reporting modes, the UE should get channel measurements for calculating CQI based on CRS.

The combination of the modulation scheme and the transport block size corresponds to the CQI index in the following case:

-the combinations can be signaled on PDSCH in CQI reference resources according to the associated transport block size table, and

the modulation scheme is indicated by a CQI index, and

-the combination of transport block size and modulation scheme, when applied to the reference resource, results in an effective channel code rate closest to the code rate indicated by the CQI index. If more than one transport block size and modulation scheme combination results in an effective channel code rate that is also close to the code rate indicated by the CQI index, only the combination with the smallest of these transport block sizes is relevant.

The CQI reference resource is defined as follows:

in the frequency domain, the CQI reference resource is defined by a set of downlink physical resource blocks corresponding to the frequency band to which the resulting CQI value relates.

In the time domain, the CQI reference resource consists of a single downlink subframe n-n_CQI-refThe definition of the method is that,

wherein for periodic CQI reports, n-n_CQI-refIs a minimum value greater than or equal to 4 such that it corresponds to a valid downlink subframe;

wherein for aperiodic CQI reporting, nCQI _ ref is such that the reference resource is in the same valid downlink subframe as the corresponding CQI request in uplink DCI format.

Wherein for aperiodic CQI reporting, nCQI _ ref equals 4 and downlink subframe n-nCQI _ ref corresponds to a valid downlink subframe, wherein downlink subframe n-nCQI _ ref is received after the subframe with the corresponding CQI request in the random access response grant.

The downlink subframe should be considered valid in the following cases:

the downlink subframe is configured as a downlink subframe for the UE, an

The downlink subframe is not an MBSFN subframe except for transmission mode 9, and

the downlink subframe does not include a DwPTS field in case that the length of the DwPTS is 7680Ts or less, and

the downlink subframe does not fall within a measurement interval configured for the UE.

If there is no valid downlink subframe for the CQI reference resource, then the CQI report is omitted in uplink subframe n.

In the layer domain, the CQI reference resource is defined by any RI and PMI on which the CQI depends.

In CQI reference resources, the UE should assume the following for the purpose of deriving CQI index:

the first 3 OFDM symbols are occupied by control signaling

No resource elements are used by the Primary or Secondary synchronization Signal or PBCH

CP Length of non-MBSFN sub-Frames

Redundancy version 0

If CSI-RS is used for channel measurement, the ratio of PDSCH EPRE to CSI-RS EPRE is as given in section 7.2.5

PDSCH Transmission scheme is given by Table 7.2.3-0 reproduced as figure 1(f) according to the transmission mode currently configured for the UE, which may be the default mode

If CRS is used for channel measurement, PDSCH EPRE ratio to CSI-RS EPRE is as given in section 5.2, except that PA should be assumed to be

If the UE is configured with transmission mode 2 with 4 cell-specific antenna ports or transmission mode 3 with 4 cell-specific antenna ports and the associated RI is equal to 1, PA = PA + Δ offset +10log (2) [ dB ] for any modulation scheme;

otherwise pA = pA + Δ offset [ dB ] for any modulation scheme and any number of layers.

The Offset Δ Offset is given by the parameter nomspdsch-RS-EPRE-Offset configured by higher layer signaling.

In TM9, CQI measurement is based on CSIRS with a configurable period of 5ms to about 80 ms. Referring to fig. 5, it can be seen that it may thus occur that no CSI RS subframe is available for a considerable period of time after the end of the activation/interval, but some periodic CQI resources are configured or aperiodic CQI is requested. Depending on the periodicity of the CSI RS and its occurrence after activation, the total period may be much longer than 4 ms.

Several options are proposed in R2-106507 to allow the UE to not send CQI or report OOR (out of range) within 4ms after activation. However, R2-106507 did not address the case of TM9 and the restart of operation after a long ICO interval.

Before describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention in further detail, reference is made to FIG. 2 for illustrating a simplified block diagram of various electronic devices and apparatus that are suitable for use in implementing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In fig. 2, a wireless network 1 is adapted for communication over a wireless link 11 with an apparatus, such as a mobile communication device which may be referred to as a UE10, via a network access node, such as a NodeB (more specifically an eNB 12). The network 1 may include a Network Control Element (NCE) 14, which network control element 14 may include the MME/SGW functionality shown in fig. 1(a) and provide connectivity to other networks such as telephone networks and/or data communication networks (e.g., the internet). The UE10 includes a controller, such as at least one computer or Data Processor (DP) 10A, at least one non-transitory computer-readable memory medium implemented as memory (MEM) 10B storing a program of computer instructions (PROG) 10C, and at least one suitable Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver 10D for bidirectional wireless communication with the eNB12 via one or more antennas. The eNB12 also includes a controller, such as at least one computer or Data Processor (DP) 12A, at least one non-transitory computer-readable memory medium implemented as a memory (MEM) 12B storing a program of computer instructions (PROG) 12C, and at least one suitable RF transceiver 12D for communicating with the UE10 via one or more antennas, typically several antennas when operating using multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO). The eNB12 is coupled to NCE14 via a data/control path 13. Path 13 may be implemented as the S1 interface shown in fig. 1. The eNB12 may also be coupled to another eNB via a data/control path 15, which data/control path 15 may be implemented as the X2 interface of fig. 1.

For the purposes of describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the UE10 may be assumed to also include a CQI measurement and reporting element or function or module (CQ 1) 10E, and the eNB12 may include a complementary CQI element or function or module 12E for receiving and parsing CQI information received from the UE 10. It is also noted that transceiver 10D (and associated baseband circuitry and antennas) may represent the LTE RF and LTE baseband module (and antenna # 1) shown in fig. 3. Further, the UE10 may include one or both of the Global Positioning System (GPS) RF and baseband module (and associated antenna # 2) and Bluetooth (BT)/WiFi RF and baseband module (and associated antenna # 3) of fig. 3.

At least one of the PROGs 10C and 12C is assumed to include computer instructions that, when executed by the associated DP, cause the device to operate in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this invention, as described in greater detail below. That is, the exemplary embodiments of this invention may be implemented at least in part with computer software executable by the DP10A of the UE10 and/or the DP12A of the eNB12, or in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware (and firmware). Further in this regard, the CQI units 10E,12E may be implemented entirely in circuitry, or entirely as software code, or as a combination of circuitry and software code (and firmware).

In general, the various embodiments of the UE10 can include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, internet appliances permitting wireless internet access and browsing, as well as portable units or terminals that include combinations of such functions.

The computer-readable memories 10B and 12B may be any type of computer-readable memory suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, random access memories, read-only memories, programmable read-only memories, flash memories, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memories and removable memories. The data processors 10A and 12A may be any type of data processor suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when data transmission/reception is resumed at SCell activation, if periodic CQI reporting for the cell is configured for the UE10 or if aperiodic CQI for the cell is requested from the eNB12, the UE is allowed to report OOR for the SCell that has just been activated (normal CQI will be reported for other already activated cells). When resuming data transmission/reception after a long ICO interval, when Carrier Aggregation (CA) is not configured, if periodic CQI reporting is configured for a UE or if aperiodic CQI is requested from the eNB12, the UE10 is allowed to report OOR for a specific period. When CA is configured, CA applies to all configured or activated serving cells. That is, the UE10 is allowed to report a valid CQI if available, otherwise the UE is allowed to report OOR. The UE10 then reports a valid CQI result.

It should be noted that CQI reporting may also be referred to as Channel State Information (CSI) reporting.

For the case of TM9, the specific period is from SCell activation/long ICO interval until the first available CSI RS subframe (possibly plus 4ms considering UE10 processing time for CQI measurement). For other transmission modes (other than TM 9), the period may be the UE processing time for CQI measurements.

To reiterate, even though the RAN4 has indicated that the UE10 does not need to start measuring the activated SCell before subframe n +8, some UE implementations may retune RF and start measuring earlier than n +8, when an Acknowledgement (ACK) is sent, even before n + 4. If the measurement starts before n +4, the UE10 may have a valid CQI result at n +8 and will not need an additional "interval" for CQI. If the measurement starts after n +4, the size of the "interval" will depend on the implementation of the UE 10. The longest additional delay is 4ms after n +8, since CRS for CQI measurement is available at every TTI for transmission modes other than TM9, as shown in fig. 4C.

For TM9, where the CQI measurement is based on CSIRS (according to 3GPP TS 36.213) with a configurable period of 5-80ms (according to 3GPP TS 36.211), a period of no valid CQI may occur much longer than 4ms in case the UE10 misses the CSI RS occasion, as shown in fig. 5. This period may continue until the first subframe has available CSI RS, taking into account the UE10 processing time for CQI measurement +4 ms.

The point in time when the UE10 has a valid CQI result depends on the transmission mode and CSI RS configuration. From the perspective of eNB12, it may be preferable to specify when UE10 should obtain the latest valid CQI results to meet minimum requirements, while allowing improved UE10 implementations to report valid CQI earlier, similar to "dead DRX" (discontinuous reception).

It may be desirable to specify when the UE10 should have the latest valid CQI result: (a) 4ms after activation for TM other than TM 9; and (b) has CSI RS +4ms available for TM9 until the first subframe after activation.

Another exemplary embodiment is for the CQI unit 10E to avoid reporting anything before the first occurrence of CSIRS. Because the UE10 and eNB12 know the CSI RS pattern, no decoding problems occur at the eNB 12.

Another exemplary embodiment is for the CQI unit 10E to report the historical values before the first occurrence of CSI RS. Since the eNB12 knows that no CSI RS has been sent, it can be assumed in this embodiment that the reported CQI is a historical CQI and can decide whether to use the reported value or ignore it.

When the UE10 resumes transmission/reception after SCell activation or after a long ICO interval, this explicitly specifies the timing as to when a valid CQI result should be reported to ensure scheduling performance. Thus, an improved UE10 implementation would be advantageous if it could have an earlier valid CQI result.

It may be noted that the following may be most preferred: with respect to CQI reporting for all configured cells or only for configured and activated cells, OOR is reported when scells are activated until the UE10 has a valid CQI result.

It may also be noted that there may be a question as to whether the interval is only used for true activation or also for reactivation of the deactivated SCell. In this regard, a deactivation timer and PHR (power headroom report) trigger encompasses activation of an activated or deactivated SCell. However, when considering CQI reporting as the subject of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it may be most preferable for the SCell reactivation case that the UE10 should not retune RF and thus no interval for CQI reporting should be created.

Based on the foregoing description, it should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a method, apparatus, and one or more computer programs to provide improved CQI reporting when using TM9 and typically after multiple subframes occur if UE10 is not receiving CSI RS.

Fig. 6 is a logic flow diagram illustrating the operation of a method and a result of execution of computer program instructions included on a computer readable memory in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this invention. According to these exemplary embodiments, a method performs the following steps at block 6A: when resuming data transmission/reception after serving cell activation or after a long in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval, determining to report no channel quality indication value to the network access node, or report a historical channel quality indication value, or report an out-of-range channel quality indication value for a specific period if any periodic channel quality indication resources are configured for the cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the cell is requested from the network access node, wherein an effective channel quality indication result is available at a later time of the two: (a) 4ms after activation for transmission modes other than transmission mode 9; and (b) until the first subframe, the first subframe having a channel state information reference signal available after active +4ms for transmission mode 9. At box 6B is the following step: if available, a valid channel quality indication is reported, otherwise no channel quality indication value or a historical channel quality indication value or an out-of-range channel quality indication value is reported.

In the method of the preceding paragraph, wherein the particular time period comprises a processing time for channel quality indication measurements.

In the method of fig. 6 and the preceding paragraph, wherein when resuming data transmission/reception after a long in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval, when carrier aggregation is not configured, an out-of-range condition for a particular period is reported if a periodic channel quality indication report is configured or if an aperiodic channel quality indication is requested, and when carrier aggregation is configured, carrier aggregation applies to all configured or activated serving cells.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program instructions, wherein execution of the software program instructions by at least one data processor results in performance of operations comprising performance of the method of figure 6 and the preceding paragraphs describing figure 6.

The various blocks shown in fig. 6 may be viewed as method steps, and/or as operations that result from execution of computer program code, and/or as a plurality of coupled logic circuit elements constructed to perform one or more associated functions.

In general, the various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device, although the invention is not limited thereto. While various aspects of the exemplary embodiments of this invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these block diagrams, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

Thus, the exemplary embodiments also include an apparatus that encompasses a processor and a memory that includes computer program code. The memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: when resuming data transmission/reception after serving cell activation or after a long in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval, determining to report no channel quality indication value to the network access node, or report a historical channel quality indication value, or report an out-of-range channel quality indication value for a certain period of time if any periodic channel quality indication resources are configured to the cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the cell is requested from the network access node, wherein an effective channel quality indication result is available at a later time of the two times: (a) 4ms after activation for transmission modes other than transmission mode 9; and (b) until the first subframe, the first subframe having a channel state information reference signal available after active +4ms for transmission mode 9. The memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to: if available, a valid channel quality indication is reported, otherwise, no channel quality indication value is reported, or a historical channel quality indication value or an out-of-range channel quality indication value is reported.

It should thus be appreciated that at least some aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit chips and modules, and that the exemplary embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in apparatus that is embodied as an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit or circuits may include circuitry (and possibly firmware) for implementing at least one or more of a data processor, a digital signal processor, baseband circuitry, and radio frequency circuitry that may be configured to operate in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Example embodiments also contemplate an apparatus comprising means for determining (e.g., DP10A, memory 10B, procedure 10C, CQI 10E) to report no channel quality indication value, or to report a historical channel quality indication value, to a network access node, or to report an out-of-range channel quality indication value for a particular time period if any periodic channel quality indication resources are configured for a cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for a cell is requested from a network access node, in response to resuming data transmission/reception after a serving cell activation or after a long in-device coexistence interference avoidance interval, wherein a valid channel quality indication result is available at a later one of: (a) 4ms after activation for transmission modes other than transmission mode 9; and (b) until the first subframe, the first subframe having a channel state information reference signal available after active +4ms for transmission mode 9. The apparatus further comprises means for reporting a valid channel quality indicator if available, and otherwise reporting a no channel quality indicator value, or reporting a historical channel quality indicator value or an out-of-range channel quality indicator value.

Various modifications and adaptations to the foregoing exemplary embodiments of this invention may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, any and all modifications will still fall within the scope of the non-limiting exemplary embodiments of this invention.

For example, while the exemplary embodiments have been described above in the context of a (UTRAN LTE-A) system, it should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of this invention are not limited for use with only this one particular type of wireless communication system, and that they may be used to advantage in other wireless communication systems as well as systems that utilize different combinations of technologies (e.g., LTE-A cellular, GNSS, Bluetooth, and WiFi, which are discussed by way of example only and not by way of limitation), as well.

It should be noted that the terms "connected," "coupled," or any variant thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements and may include the presence of one or more intervening elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" together. The coupling or connection between the elements may be physical, logical, or a combination of physical and logical. As used herein, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" together using one or more wires, cables, and/or printed electrical connections, as well as using electromagnetic energy, such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio, microwave, and light (visible and non-visible) regions, as several non-limiting and non-exclusive examples.

Moreover, the various names used for the described parameters, operating modes, subframes, reports, etc. (e.g., CQI reports, CSI reports, CSIRS, TM9, ICO, etc.) are not intended to be limiting in any respect, as these parameters, operating modes, subframes, reports, etc. may be identified by any suitable names. Moreover, any names assigned to various channels (e.g., PDCCH, etc.) are not intended to be limiting in any respect, as the channels may be identified by any suitable names.

Furthermore, some of the features of the various non-limiting exemplary embodiments of this invention may be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be considered as merely illustrative of the principles, teachings and exemplary embodiments of this invention, and not in limitation thereof.

Claims (36)

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing a computer program;

wherein the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus at least to:

when resuming data transmission/reception upon serving cell activation, for enabling carrier aggregation, reporting an out-of-range report for the serving cell to a network access node for a certain period before a valid channel quality indication result is available, if a periodic channel quality indication resource is configured for the serving cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the serving cell is requested from the network access node; and

reporting a valid channel quality indication result for the serving cell to the network access node after the certain period of time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a minimum requirement for the particular time period before the effective channel quality indication result is reported is defined.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the effective channel quality indication result is reported no later than the minimum requirement.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus communicates with the network access node according to transmission mode 9.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valid channel quality indication result is available before a first subframe with reference signals is available after activation.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the reference signal is a channel state information reference signal for transmission mode 9 and is a cell-specific reference signal for transmission modes other than transmission mode 9.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a serving cell is activated, all configured cells, or only configured and activated cells, report an out-of-range channel quality indication value to the network access node until the apparatus has the valid channel quality indication result.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a deactivation timer and a power headroom report trigger for determining whether the interval before the restart of data transmission/reception indicates a real activation of a deactivated serving cell or a reactivation of the serving cell.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the particular time period comprises a processing time for channel quality indication measurements.

10. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

when resuming data transmission/reception upon serving cell activation, for enabling carrier aggregation, reporting an out-of-range report for the serving cell to a network access node for a certain period before a valid channel quality indication result is available, if a periodic channel quality indication resource is configured for the serving cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the serving cell is requested from the network access node; and

reporting a valid channel quality indication result for the serving cell to the network access node after the certain period of time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a minimum requirement for the particular time period before the effective channel quality indication result is reported is defined.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the effective channel quality indication result is reported no later than the minimum requirement.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of reporting to the network access node is according to transmission mode 9.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the valid channel quality indication result is available before a first subframe with reference signals is available after activation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the reference signal is a channel state information reference signal for transmission mode 9 and is a cell-specific reference signal for transmission modes other than transmission mode 9.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein when a serving cell is activated, all configured cells or only configured and activated cells report out-of-range channel quality indication values to the network access node until a user equipment has the valid channel quality indication result.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether an interval before the restart of data transmission/reception indicates real activation of a deactivated serving cell or reactivation of the serving cell by using a deactivation timer and a power headroom report trigger.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the particular time period comprises a processing time for channel quality indication measurements.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a receiver for receiving radio transmissions from a user equipment, the receiver being configured to:

when the user equipment resumes data transmission/reception at the time of serving cell activation, for enabling carrier aggregation, if a periodic channel quality indication resource is configured for the serving cell or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the serving cell is requested from the apparatus, receiving an out-of-range report for the serving cell from the user equipment for a certain period before an effective channel quality indication result is available; and

receiving a valid channel quality indication result report for the serving cell from the user equipment after the certain period.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein a minimum requirement for the particular period of time before the effective channel quality indication result is reported from the user equipment to the apparatus is defined.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the effective channel quality indication result is reported from the user equipment to the apparatus no later than the minimum requirement.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the user equipment communicates with the apparatus according to transmission mode 9.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the valid channel quality indication result is available before a first subframe with reference signals is available after activation.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the reference signal is a channel state information reference signal for transmission mode 9 and is a cell-specific reference signal for transmission modes other than transmission mode 9.

25. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein when a serving cell is activated, all configured cells, or only configured and activated cells, report an out-of-range channel quality indication value to the apparatus until the user equipment has the valid channel quality indication result.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the user equipment is further configured to determine whether the interval before resuming data transmission/reception indicates true activation of the deactivated serving cell or reactivation of the serving cell by utilizing a deactivation timer and a power headroom report trigger.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the particular time period comprises a processing time for channel quality indication measurements.

28. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

when a user equipment resumes data transmission/reception at serving cell activation, for enabling carrier aggregation, receiving at the network access node from the user equipment an out-of-range report for the serving cell for a certain period of time before a valid channel quality indication result is available, if a periodic channel quality indication resource is configured for the serving cell, or if an aperiodic channel quality indication for the cell is requested from a network access node; and

receiving a valid channel quality indication result report for the serving cell from the user equipment after the certain period.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein a minimum requirement for the particular time period before the effective channel quality indication result is reported is defined.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the effective channel quality indication result is reported no later than the minimum requirement.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of reporting to the network access node is according to transmission mode 9.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the valid channel quality indication result is available before a first subframe with reference signals is available after activation.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the reference signal is a channel state information reference signal for transmission mode 9 and is a cell-specific reference signal for transmission modes other than transmission mode 9.

34. The method according to claim 28, wherein when a serving cell is activated, all configured cells or only configured and activated cells report out-of-range channel quality indication values to the network access node until the user equipment has the valid channel quality indication result.

35. The method according to claim 28, wherein the user equipment determines whether an interval before the restart of data transmission/reception indicates real activation of a deactivated serving cell or reactivation of the serving cell by using a deactivation timer and a power headroom report trigger.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the particular time period comprises a processing time for channel quality indication measurements.