HK1194597B - Anchor carrier in a multiple carrier wireless communication system - Google Patents

Description

Anchor carrier in multi-carrier wireless communication system

The present application is a divisional application of an invention patent application "anchor carrier in a multicarrier wireless communication system" with an application number of 200980130908.1, which is filed on 10/8/2009.

Claiming priority based on 35U.S.C. § 119

This patent application claims priority from provisional application No.61/087,953, entitled "SYSTEM information COMMUNICATION IN a MULTIPLE CARRIER WIRELSS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM," filed on 11.8.2008, assigned to the assignee of the present application and hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

This patent application claims priority to provisional application No.61/120,232 entitled "ANCHOR CARRIER connection LTE-ADVANCED," filed on 5.12.2008, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for multi-carrier communication and techniques for coordinating carrier transmissions among nodes.

Background

The third generation partnership project (3 GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the main development direction of cellular technology, which is the next step forward towards the naturally evolved cellular 3G service as a global system for mobile communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE provides uplink rates up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and downlink rates up to 100Mbps, and brings many technical benefits to cellular networks. LTE is designed to meet the carrier needs for high rate data and media transmission and to provide good high capacity voice support in the next decade. The bandwidth may vary from 1.25MHz to 20 MHz. This suits the needs of different network operators with different bandwidth allocations and also allows operators to provide different services depending on the spectrum. In addition, LTE is also expected to improve spectral efficiency in 3G networks, enabling carriers to provide more data and voice services over a given bandwidth. LTE includes high-rate data, multimedia unicast and multimedia broadcast services.

The LTE physical layer (PHY) is an efficient unit for transferring data and control information between an enhanced base station (eNodeB) and a mobile User Equipment (UE). The LTE PHY uses some new advanced technologies for cellular applications. These techniques include Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data transmission. Further, the LTE PHY uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) on the Downlink (DL) and single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) on the Uplink (UL). OFDMA allows data to be transferred to or from multiple users carrier by carrier for a specified number of symbol periods.

Recently, LTE advanced has become an evolved mobile communication standard for providing 4G services. Being specified as 3G technology, LTE does not meet the requirements of 4G, also called improved IMT, as specified by the international telecommunications union, e.g. peak data rates up to 1 gbit/s. In addition to peak data rates, LTE advanced will also target faster transitions between power states and improved performance at the cell edge.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements nor delineate the scope of such aspects. Its purpose is to present some concepts of the described features in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one aspect, the present application provides a method for multicarrier communication by executing, using a processor, computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to perform the following acts: an anchor carrier is received. A grant (grant) carried on an anchor carrier for allocating resources on another carrier is detected. Using the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the detected grant.

In another aspect, a computer program product for multi-carrier communication is presented. At least one computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement the following components: a first set of instructions for causing a computer to receive an anchor carrier. A second set of instructions for causing the computer to detect a grant carried on an anchor carrier for allocating resources on another carrier. A third set of instructions for causing the computer to use the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the detected grant.

In other aspects, the present application provides an apparatus for multicarrier communication. At least one computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement the following components: means for receiving an anchor carrier. Means are implemented for detecting a grant, carried on an anchor carrier, for allocating resources on another carrier. Means are implemented for using the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the detected grant.

In a further aspect, the present application provides an apparatus for multicarrier communication comprising a transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive an anchor carrier. The computing platform is to: detecting a grant carried on an anchor carrier for allocating resources on another carrier; using, by the transmitter or the receiver, the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the detected grant.

In one aspect, the present application provides a method for multicarrier communication using a processor to execute computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to perform the acts of: resources are scheduled for an anchor carrier and another carrier. Transmitting a grant on the anchor carrier for allocating resources on the other carrier. Communicating with a receiver, wherein the receiver uses the allocated resources on the other carrier according to the grant.

In another aspect, the present application provides a computer program product for multicarrier communications. At least one computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement the following components: a first set of instructions for causing a computer to schedule resources for an anchor carrier and another carrier. A second set of instructions is for causing the computer to transmit a grant on the anchor carrier for allocating resources on the other carrier. A third set of instructions for causing the computer to communicate with a recipient, wherein the recipient uses the allocated resources on the another carrier in accordance with the grant.

In other aspects, the present application provides an apparatus for multicarrier communication. At least one computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement the following components: means for scheduling resources for an anchor carrier and another carrier. Means are implemented for transmitting a grant on the anchor carrier for allocating resources on the other carrier. Means for enabling communication with a recipient, wherein the recipient uses the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the grant.

In a further aspect, the present application provides an apparatus for multicarrier communication comprising a receiver. The scheduler schedules resources for the anchor carrier and another carrier. A transmitter is configured to transmit a grant on the anchor carrier for allocating resources on the other carrier. The receiver is configured to communicate with a receiver, wherein the receiver uses the allocated resource on the other carrier according to the grant.

In another further aspect, the present application provides a method for coordinating carrier transmissions between nodes, the method using a processor executing computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium to perform the following acts: the first carrier is transmitted to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when a neighboring cell transmits a second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE. Coordinating with the neighboring cell such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference (jamming interference) from another carrier.

In another other aspect, the present application provides a computer program product for coordinating carrier transmissions between nodes. At least one computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement the following components: a first set of instructions for causing a computer to transmit a first carrier to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when a neighboring cell transmits a second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE. A second set of instructions is for causing the computer to coordinate with the neighboring cell such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from another carrier.

In another other aspect, the present application provides an apparatus for coordinating carrier transmissions between nodes. At least one computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement the following components: a transmitting module to transmit the first carrier to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when the neighboring cell transmits the second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE. A coordination module is implemented to coordinate with the neighboring cell such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from another carrier.

In still other aspects, the present application provides an apparatus for coordinating carrier transmissions between nodes that includes a receiver. The transmitter is configured to transmit the first carrier to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when the neighboring cell transmits the second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE. A scheduler is configured to coordinate with the neighboring cell such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from another carrier.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects, but are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of these aspects may be employed. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings and the disclosed aspects are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.

Drawings

The features, nature, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which like reference characters identify correspondingly throughout and wherein:

fig. 1 depicts a block diagram of a wireless communication system in which multi-carrier communication is coordinated and carrier transmission is performed between nodes to reduce interference.

Fig. 2 depicts a flowchart of a method or series of operations that facilitates implementing multiple carriers in a wireless communication system.

Fig. 3 depicts a block diagram of a base station serving and interfering with multiple terminals.

Fig. 4 depicts a block diagram of a multiple access wireless communication system.

Fig. 5 depicts a block diagram of a communication system between a base station and a terminal.

Fig. 6 depicts a block diagram of a communication system capable of arranging access point base stations in a network environment.

Fig. 7 depicts various types of carriers being distinguished in a communication system, according to an aspect.

Fig. 8 depicts a flow diagram of a methodology that facilitates facilitating communication in a wireless communication system by coordinating carrier selection and transmit power control between carriers.

Fig. 9 depicts a block diagram of a system, such as a user equipment, including a logical grouping of electrical components for multi-carrier wireless communication.

Fig. 10 depicts a block diagram of a system, such as a network node, that includes a logical grouping of electrical components for multi-carrier wireless communication.

Fig. 11 depicts a block diagram of a system, such as a network node, that includes a logical grouping of electrical components for coordinating carrier selection and transmit power control between carriers.

Fig. 12 depicts a block diagram of an apparatus having modules for multi-carrier wireless communication.

Fig. 13 depicts a block diagram of an apparatus having modules for multi-carrier wireless communication.

Fig. 14 depicts a block diagram of an apparatus with means for coordinating carrier selection and transmit power control between carriers.

Detailed Description

LTE advanced has provisions for multiple Downlink (DL) and Uplink (UL) carriers. Among these carriers, it may be beneficial to dedicate some carriers by configuring the designated carriers to provide synchronization, system information, paging, data, and control for Rel-8 and/or LTE-A UEs. Thus, overhead system information may be reduced. For example, synchronization and paging are not provided on all carriers for a certain cell. In one aspect, the anchor carrier may serve as a legacy carrier (legacy) for LTE terminals, providing support for new (release 9/10) terminals to access, synchronize, broadcast, and provide a new control region in the data region of legacy terminals. Coordinating the selection of an anchor carrier to mitigate interference and the control of transmit power for a non-anchor carrier between nodes may provide further network performance advantages.

Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that such aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing these aspects.

Referring to fig. 1, a communication system 100 enables a User Equipment (UE) 102 with improved capabilities to obtain a subset of Downlink (DL) carriers from a multi-carrier base station, depicted as an evolved base node (eNB) 104. In particular, the anchor carriers 106a, 106b can schedule Downlink (DL) and Uplink (UL) grants 108 for the UE102 for use with the other carriers 110a-110 c. In another aspect, the scheduling may include resources for one or more anchor carriers 106a, 106 b.

It should be understood that a group of Access Points (APs) may be located in a single node. For example, a group of APs may jointly serve a UE without orthogonal resources. Alternatively, a single AP may operate multiple nodes.

In one aspect, a multi-carrier design for LTE-advanced (e.g., Rel-9/Rel-10) supports anchor carriers without limiting the bandwidth dedicated to each link. For example, the dedicated bandwidth may be symmetrically identical for UL and DL. As another example, the dedicated bandwidth may be asymmetric for UL and DL, as it depends on the traffic requirements of the UL and DL. Also, the carrier bandwidth may be uniform across carriers or may be different across carriers. The UL/DL carrier pairing (carrier pairing) may be one-to-one with the same number of UL and DL carriers. Alternatively, the UL/DL carrier pair may be many-to-one or one-to-many with different numbers of UL and DL carriers. The UL carrier may be OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) providing the UE with multi-carrier allocation flexibility. Alternatively, an SC-FDMA (synchronous code division multiple access) based signal may be used for the anchor carrier. As yet another alternative, the OFDMA/SC-FDMA hybrid can support a layered environment that translates between the two technologies.

As an overview of the anchor carrier implementation, a communication system 100 with configured anchor and non-anchor carriers 106a-106b, 110a-110c would be advantageous and practical. There may be some anchor carriers for different sets of carriers carrying system information, control and possibly data (if there are sufficient resources). For example, the anchor carrier 106a may support a combination 112 of a subset of the carriers 106a, 110 b. Alternatively or additionally, the anchor carrier 106b may support a set of carriers 106a, 106b, 110a-110c that overlap with the carriers 106a, 110b supported by another carrier 106 b.

The transmission of the downlink carriers 106a, 106b, 110a-110c may be performed by multiple antennas (not shown). Alternatively or additionally, multiple enbs 104 may cooperate to communicate with a UE 102. To this end, the scheduler 114 performs coordinated resource allocation over a (e.g., wired, wireless) backhaul network 116. Thus, benefits such as reduced overhead for the eNB104, which may consolidate signaling over subsets of carriers, reduce searching required for the UE102 to control between multiple carriers, and map hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback onto the uplink may be realized.

Advantageously, by providing legacy DL and UL resource grants 118 on one carrier 110c and its corresponding uplink 120, some carriers 106b, 110c may provide backward compatible support for legacy UEs 117 that are not capable of multicarrier reception. This provides backward compatibility for the anchor carrier. Specifically, a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) for synchronization may be provided on a carrier, and a MIB (master information block) for indicating a system bandwidth, a PHICH (physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel) configuration, and a system frame number corresponding to only the anchor carrier may be provided on a PBCH (physical broadcast channel). A SIB (system information block) may be provided on a DL-SCH (downlink shared channel). In an aspect, the legacy UE118 may be redirected from the anchor carrier to another DL carrier through an intra-cell inter-frequency handover message.

Consider further a specific case where for a set of carriers, it is specified that the anchor carrier is null, the anchor carrier becoming a regular (non-anchor) carrier for which only broadcast, control and data are applicable.

In an exemplary aspect, other SIBs on the anchor carrier may provide multi-carrier information, such as carrier location, carrier bandwidth, carrier indication (UL/DL), carrier pairing, other anchor (UL and DL) carriers, and new control region, with respect to transmitting system information. In an aspect, other SIBs may be transparent to legacy UEs.

In an exemplary aspect, the non-anchor carrier need not provide backward compatibility, which is provided by the anchor carrier used by the new type of UE.

With respect to DL grants, legacy UEs receive DL grants on the same anchor carrier, where the DL grants are used to allocate resources on the same carrier. A UE with improved capabilities (e.g., Rel-9/10) may receive a DL grant from an anchor carrier in order to obtain DL resources on another DL carrier. In one aspect, the anchor carrier supports an assigned set of carriers. In another aspect, each anchor carrier may send a DL grant on multiple carriers including other anchor carriers or non-anchor carriers also designated by another DL anchor carrier. In further aspects, a DL non-anchor carrier may only send DL grants in a manner similar to that performed by a legacy UE, where the DL grants allocate DL resources for that carrier.

With respect to the UL grant, the legacy UE receives the UL grant on the anchor carrier, wherein the UL grant allocates resources on the UL carrier paired with the anchor carrier. An improved UE (e.g., Rel-9/10) receives an UL grant on an anchor carrier, which allocates UL resources on other UL carriers (i.e., combined or not combined) for the anchor carrier. In an aspect, similar to the approach for legacy UEs, an UL grant on a DL carrier that is not an anchor carrier may only allocate resources for the UL carrier with which it is paired.

Regarding HARQ, in an aspect, the eNB sends UL HARQ feedback on the DL carrier that sent the UL grant. For a multi-carrier grant, in another aspect, HARQ feedback for different UL carriers may be sent on the anchor carrier that sent the multi-carrier grant. The resource mapping may be adjusted so that ACKs (acknowledgements) for different carriers are distinguished. DL harq feedback on the UL may occur on the UL carrier paired with the DL carrier that sent the grant. For a multi-carrier grant, HARQ feedback for different DL carriers may be sent on the UL paired with the anchor carrier that sent the grant. Resource mapping enables distinguishing between ACKs for different carriers. In one aspect, legacy UEs are implicitly implemented by using one anchor carrier to convey all DL assignments, e.g., based on the first CCE (control channel element) of DCI (downlink control information) on PDCCH (physical downlink control channel).

With respect to CQI (channel quality indicator) feedback on the UL, in an aspect, CQI feedback for multiple DL carriers may be transmitted on an anchor UL carrier. In one exemplary implementation, the anchor UL carrier is specified in other SIBs (system information blocks) or by RRC (radio resource control) signaling (of each UE). In an exemplary aspect, the UL carrier is paired with a DL anchor carrier capable of implicit signaling.

The scheduler 114 may advantageously allocate resources unilaterally on carriers that are not interfered by the uncooperative cells 130. The scheduler 114 may coordinate through backhaul communications 132 with the cooperating cells 134 to use different anchor carriers 136, 138. Scheduler 114 may coordinate transmit power adjustments on non-anchor carriers 140, 142 such that they may be used for single carrier service or to avoid interference with UEs 144 served by cooperating cells 134.

In fig. 2, a method or series of operations 200 for multicarrier communication is provided. In block 202, the UE receives an anchor carrier. The UE detects common system information or dedicated information on the anchor carrier (block 204). The UE obtains another carrier by using the common system information or the dedicated information (block 206). In one aspect, the UE detects a system information block on the anchor carrier to use another carrier including a carrier location, a carrier bandwidth, a carrier uplink or downlink indication, a carrier pairing, and a new control region (block 208). In another aspect, the UE detects a grant carried on an anchor carrier, wherein the grant allocates resources on another carrier, such as a non-anchor carrier (block 210). When certain anchor carriers may allocate resources for a particular carrier, the allocations are combined exclusively or overlappingly (block 212). The UE uses the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the detected grant (block 214). The UE receives an acknowledgement of receipt of the uplink carrier transmission by the node on the anchor carrier on which the uplink grant was sent (block 216).

In some examples, after the other carrier no longer requires resource allocation, the UE may receive a non-anchor carrier that was previously received as an anchor carrier (block 218).

In another example, a legacy UE may initiate single carrier communication by synchronizing with one of the carriers (anchor or non-anchor). For example, the UE may synchronize with a primary synchronization signal and a secondary synchronization signal of an anchor carrier, detect a master information block on a physical broadcast channel representing a system bandwidth, a physical hybrid automatic repeat request indicator channel (PHICH) configuration, a system frame number; a system information block on a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) for resources on the anchor carrier is detected (block 220). In the scenario of multi-carrier operation, the node may use a redirection message to direct the single-carrier UE to go to another carrier through intra-cell inter-frequency handover (block 222).

Multicarrier operation may advantageously address feedback. For example, the UE may receive an acknowledgement of receipt of each uplink carrier transmission on the anchor carrier that sent the uplink grant (block 224). Where the UE transmits on multiple uplink carriers, the UE accesses a mapping of acknowledgments to multiple carriers (block 226) and uses the mapping to interpret acknowledgments for each uplink carrier transmission (block 228). The UE retransmits the uplink carrier transmission determined to have not been successfully transmitted (block 230).

The UE may further send Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) feedback for the multiple downlink carriers on the uplink anchor carrier (block 232), e.g., by detecting other system information blocks on the anchor carrier (block 234) or by detecting Resource Radio Control (RRC) signaling (block 236).

When the UE reports CQI feedback (block 238), which indicates interference that interferes with the reception of the carriers, the UE receives a grant to allocate resources on the carriers that are not subject to the interference (block 240). Releasing the non-interfered carriers may be the result of the serving node or the interfering node coordinating the transmit power control changes for multi-carrier reuse (block 242). In an aspect, a multi-carrier capable UE may use single carrier communication over a non-anchor carrier, where the non-anchor carrier is available through coordination (block 244).

In the example shown in fig. 3, base stations 310a, 310b, and 310c may be macro base stations for macro cells 302a, 302b, and 302c, respectively. Base station 310x may be a pico base station for pico cell 302x for communicating with terminal 320 x. Base station 310y may be a femto base station for femto cell 302y communicating with terminal 320 y. Although not shown in fig. 3 for simplicity, the macro cells may overlap at the edges. The pico and femto cells may be located in a macro cell (e.g., as shown in fig. 3) and/or may overlap with the macro cell and/or other cells.

Wireless network 300 may also include a relay station, such as relay station 310z in communication with terminal 320 z. A relay station is a station that receives a transmission of data and/or other information from an upstream station and sends a transmission of such data and/or other information to a downstream station. The upstream station may be a base station, another relay station, or a terminal. The downstream station may be a terminal, another relay station, or a base station. A relay station may also be a terminal that relays the transmission of other terminals. The relay station may transmit and/or receive the low reuse preamble. For example, the relay station may transmit the low reuse preamble in a similar manner to the pico base station and receive the low reuse preamble in a similar manner to the terminal.

Network controller 330 may couple to a set of base stations and provide coordination and control for these base stations. Network controller 330 may be a single network entity or a collection of network entities. Network controller 330 may communicate with base stations 310 over a backhaul. Backhaul network communication 334 can facilitate point-to-point communication between base stations 310a-310c using such a distributed architecture. Base stations 310a-310c may also communicate with each other, such as directly or indirectly through a wireless or wired backhaul.

Wireless network 300 may be a homogeneous network including only macro base stations (not shown in fig. 3). The wireless network 300 may also be a heterogeneous network including different types of base stations (e.g., macro base stations, pico base stations, home base stations, relay stations, etc.). These different types of base stations may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in wireless network 300. For example, macro base stations may have higher transmit power levels (e.g., 20 watts), while pico base stations and femto base stations may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 3 watts). The techniques described herein may be used for homogeneous and heterogeneous networks.

Terminals 320 may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 300, and each terminal may be stationary or mobile. A terminal may also be referred to as an Access Terminal (AT), Mobile Station (MS), User Equipment (UE), subscriber unit, station, etc. A terminal may be a cellular telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless telephone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, or the like. A terminal may communicate with a base station via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base stations to the terminals, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the terminals to the base stations.

A terminal may be capable of communicating with macro, pico, femto, and/or other types of base stations. In fig. 3, a solid line with double arrows indicates the desired transmission between the terminal and the serving base station, wherein the serving base station is the base station designated for serving the terminal on the uplink and/or downlink. The dashed line with double arrows indicates interfering transmissions between the terminal and the base station. An interfering base station is a base station that causes interference to a terminal on the downlink and/or is interfered by the terminal on the uplink.

The wireless network 300 may support both synchronous and asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations may have the same frame time, and transmissions from different base stations may be aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may have different frame times, and transmissions from different base stations need not be aligned in time. Asynchronous operation is more common for pico and femto base stations that are located indoors and do not have access to a synchronous source such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).

In an aspect, to increase system capacity, the coverage area 302a, 302b, or 302c corresponding to each base station 310a-310c may be divided into multiple smaller areas (e.g., areas 304a, 304b, and 304 c). Each of the smaller areas 304a, 304b, and 304c may be served by a respective base transceiver subsystem (BTS, not shown). As used herein and generally in the art, the term "sector" can refer to a BTS and/or its coverage area depending on the context in which the term is used. In one example, sectors 304a, 304b, 304c in a cell 302a, 302b, 302c can be formed by groups of antennas (not shown) at base station 310, where each group of antennas is responsible for communication with terminals 320 in a portion of the cell 302a, 302b, 302 c. For example, a base station 310 serving cell 302a can have a first antenna group corresponding to sector 304a, a second antenna group corresponding to sector 304b, and a third antenna group corresponding to sector 304 c. However, it should be understood that the various aspects disclosed herein may be used in systems having sectorized and/or unsectorized cells. Furthermore, it should be understood that all suitable wireless communication networks having any number of sectorized and/or unsectorized cells are intended to fall within the scope of the hereto appended claims. For simplicity, the term "base station" as used herein can refer to a station that serves a sector as well as a station that serves a cell. It should be understood that as used herein, a downlink sector in a split link scenario is a neighbor sector. Although the following description generally relates to a system in which each terminal communicates with one serving access point for simplicity, it should be appreciated that a terminal can communicate with any number of serving access points.

Referring to fig. 4, a multiple access wireless communication system is depicted in accordance with one embodiment. An Access Point (AP) 400 includes multiple antenna groups; one antenna group includes 404 and 406, another group includes 408 and 410, and another group includes 412 and 414. In fig. 4, only two antennas are shown for each antenna group, however, more or fewer antennas may be utilized for each antenna group. Access Terminal (AT) 416 is in communication with antennas 412 and 414, where antennas 412 and 414 transmit information to access terminal 416 over forward link 420 and receive information from access terminal 416 over reverse link 418. Access terminal 422 is in communication with antennas 406 and 408, where antennas 406 and 408 transmit information to access terminal 422 over forward link 426 and receive information from access terminal 422 over reverse link 424. In a FDD system, communication links 418, 420, 424 and 426 may use different frequency for communication. For example, forward link 420 may use a different frequency than that used by reverse link 418.

In general, each group of antennas and/or the area in which each group of antennas is designed to communicate can be referred to as a sector of the access point. In this regard, antenna groups each are designed to communicate to access terminals in a sector, of the areas covered by access point 400.

In communication over forward links 420 and 426, the transmitting antennas of access point 400 can employ beamforming in order to improve signal-to-noise ratio of forward links for the different access terminals 416 and 422. Moreover, an access point using beamforming to transmit to access terminals scattered randomly through its coverage causes less interference to access terminals in neighboring cells than an access point transmitting through a single antenna to all its access terminals.

An access point may be a fixed station used for communicating with the terminals and may also be referred to as an access point, a node B, or some other terminology. An access terminal may also be referred to as an access terminal, User Equipment (UE), a wireless communication device, terminal, access terminal, or some other terminology.

Fig. 5 shows a block diagram of a design of a communication system 500 between a base station 502 and a terminal 504, where base station 502 and terminal 504 may be one of the base stations and one of the terminals in fig. 1. The base station 502 is equipped with TX antennas 534a through 534T and the terminal 504 is equipped with RX antennas 552a through 552R, where generally T ≧ 1 and R ≧ 1.

At base station 502, a transmit processor 520 receives traffic data from a data source 512 and messages from a controller/processor 540. Transmit processor 520 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and modulates) the traffic data and messages to provide data symbols and control symbols, respectively. Transmit processor 520 may also generate pilot symbols and data symbols for the low reuse preamble and pilot symbols for other pilot or reference signals. A Transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 530 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, and/or the pilot symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T Modulators (MODs) 532a through 532T. Each modulator 532 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., OFDM, SC-FDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 532 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample streams to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators 532a through 532T may be transmitted via T antennas 534a through 534T, respectively.

At terminal 504, antennas 552a through 552r may receive the downlink signals from base station 502 and provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 554a through 554r, respectively. Each demodulator 554 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, downconverts, and digitizes) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 554 may further process the input samples (e.g., OFDM, SC-FDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 556 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 554a through 554R, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols (if any), and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 558 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded traffic data for terminal 504 to a data sink 560, and provide a decoded message to a controller/processor 580. A Low Reuse Preamble (LRP) processor 584 may detect a low reuse preamble from a base station and provide information of the detected base station or cell to the controller/processor 580.

On the uplink, at terminal 504, a transmit processor 564 may receive and process traffic data from a data source 562 and messages from a controller/processor 580. The symbols from transmit processor 564 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 568 (if applicable), further processed by modulators 554a through 554r, and transmitted to base station 502. At base station 502, the uplink signals from terminal 504 are received by antennas 534, processed by demodulators 532, detected by a MIMO detector 536 (if any), and further processed by a receive data processor 538 to obtain decoded packets and messages for transmission by terminal 504 to a data sink 539.

Controllers/processors 540 and 580 may direct the operation at base station 502 and terminal 504, respectively. Processor 540 and/or other processors and modules at base station 502 may perform or direct processes for the techniques described herein. The processor 584 and/or other processors and modules of the terminal 504 may perform or direct the processes for the techniques described herein. Memories 542 and 582 may store data and program codes for base station 502 and terminal 504, respectively. A scheduler 544 may schedule terminals for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink and provide grants of resources for the scheduled terminals.

Fig. 6 depicts an exemplary communication system that enables deployment of access point base stations in a network environment. As shown in fig. 6, system 600 includes a plurality of access point base stations or home node B units (HNBs) (e.g., HNBs 610), each installed in a corresponding small scale network environment (e.g., one or more user residences 630) and configured to serve a relevant and alien User Equipment (UE) 620. Each HNB610 may also be coupled to the internet 640 and the mobile operator core network 650 via a DSL router (not shown) or a cable modem (not shown), wireless link, or other internet connection.

While aspects described herein use 3GPP terminology, it should be understood that the embodiments may apply to 3GPP (Rel 99, Rel5, Rel6, Rel 7) technologies as well as 3GPP2 (1 xRTT, 1xEV-DO Rel0, RevA, RevB) technologies and other well-known and related technologies. In these embodiments described herein, the owner of the HNB610 subscribes to mobile services (e.g., 3G mobile services provided through the mobile operator core network 650), the UE620 is capable of operating in a macro cellular environment as well as a residential small scale network environment.

Multi-carrier communication with an anchor carrier and a non-anchor carrier. According to various aspects, various types of carriers are provided to facilitate mobile communications in different types of cells in a manner that avoids duplicating information and thereby reducing system overhead. These different carriers may include anchor carriers, non-anchor carriers, segments, etc. The anchor carrier may facilitate communication for the UE in a connected mode in which the UE maintains an active connection with the base station and an idle mode in which the UE does not have an active connection with the base station. Such idle mode users may simply monitor the system as calls are made in preparation for receiving pages or access requests. Thus, by configuration, the anchor carrier is a carrier designated for providing synchronization, system information, paging, data, and control for release 8 and/or LTE-a (LTE-advanced) UEs. While a given cell may have several anchor carriers, each cell requires at least one anchor carrier. The non-anchor carrier supports only the UE in the connected mode, and thus it does not transmit System Information (SI) or the like and cannot page the UE. According to various aspects, the present application discloses a communication system with a multi-carrier arrangement in which different types of carriers, such as anchor or non-anchor carriers, have different capabilities associated therewith in order to serve UEs in different connection states.

With the benefit of the present invention, it should be appreciated that various types of carriers can be distinguished in a communication system in accordance with an aspect. As described above, a carrier may be primarily configured as an anchor carrier or a non-anchor carrier according to information related to the carrier. Anchor carriers can be further distinguished as backward compatible single carrier anchor, backward compatible multi-carrier anchor, Rel-8 non-backward compatible anchor. Further, other non-anchor carriers may include Rel-8 non-backward compatible carriers. As described in detail below, a segment is a non-carrier that is not capable of independently supporting a UE for communication, but cooperates with an anchor carrier/non-anchor carrier to facilitate communication.

Another aspect relates to the differentiation between carriers such that different carriers provide different services to users following different LTE standard releases. The backward compatible single carrier anchor carrier provides services to different types of UEs, including UEs that have been upgraded to Rel-8 of LTE and UEs that are to be upgraded to Rel-8. Further, the single carrier anchor carrier includes information related to only one anchor carrier. For example, according to various aspects, it may carry PSS/SSS (primary/secondary synchronization sequence), Rel-8 System Information (SI), paging, and so on. Thus, a backward compatible single carrier anchor is a carrier that includes information related to only one anchor carrier that provides camping and access for users with different LTE standard releases. According to another aspect, the backward compatible single carrier anchor carrier may include information directed to a multi-carrier anchor carrier. The pointer may be used to obtain the SI associated with the associated multi-carrier anchor carrier. In a different aspect, the pointer may be used only by UEs subscribed to a specified version of the LTE standard. For example, the pointer may be intended for LTE-A UEs only, and transparent to Rel-8 UEs.

The second type of anchor carrier is a backward compatible multi-carrier anchor. As described above, backward compatible carriers support users with different LTE standard releases. According to detailed aspects, the backward compatible multi-carrier anchor may provide PSS/SSS, Rel-8 system information, paging, etc. for different UEs. In further aspects, the carrier may carry information related to a different carrier in other SIBs (system information blocks) that provide the cell with multi-carrier information. All multi-carrier information such as carrier location, carrier bandwidth, carrier indication (UL/DL), carrier pairing, other anchor carriers, and new control region may be transmitted to various UEs in connected mode and idle mode that subscribe to different LTE standards. Thus, it is used to provide information about other carriers so that a user can monitor the other carriers based on information obtained from a given multi-carrier anchor. Rel-8 non-backward compatible anchor is a third type of anchor carrier that supports only users of Rel-8 subscribed to LTE. Thus, it supports UEs subscribed to LTE Rel-8 in RRC connected or RRC idle mode by transmitting SI, synchronization, paging and other traffic. However, Rel-8 non-backward compatible anchors do not support UEs that are not upgraded to this version of LTE. Furthermore, Rel-8 non-backward compatible anchor carries multi-carrier system information related to other carriers that the UE may monitor in order to track other carriers that are serving in a given cell.

The Rel-8 non-backward compatible carrier is a standalone carrier only for LTE-A UEs in an RRC connected state. Thus, it may be designated as a non-anchor carrier on which the UE is not allowed to camp. As a result, SI updates are provided on an event-driven basis, either multicast or in-band, as SI changes and users need to be updated using these changes. The carrier carries a new synchronization signal to keep LTE-a UEs in RRC connected state synchronized. The synchronization signal may be ignored if synchronization can be performed on at least one other carrier of the same cell in which the LTE-a UE is configured.

In fig. 7, according to another aspect, a Downlink (DL) carrier 700 is depicted as providing a PDCCH (packet data control channel) 702 that facilitates communications. The transmission includes carrier 0704 and two segments (segment 1706 and segment 2708). As described above, the carrier 700 may independently support a UE connecting to a base station. A segment is an extension of a carrier that includes additional signaling resources that, in conjunction with the carrier, support a connection of a UE with a base station. Therefore, segments are also linked to the carrier, which cannot independently support the UE's communication with the base station. In one aspect, the segments are configured as data-only extensions with no synchronization signal, SI (system information), or paging capability. Thus, the segment is a further refinement of the concept of a non-anchor carrier, which does not provide paging capability since it only serves UEs in RRC (radio resource control) connected mode. Alternatively, the segments may provide synchronization and control aspects.

In this exemplary depiction, carrier 0704 may independently support UE communications, but it has additional resources in the form of two segments (segment 1706 and segment 2708) associated with it. Each of these segments 706, 708 cannot independently support UE connectivity, but may be combined with a single carrier 0704 to facilitate communication. According to various aspects, carrier 0704 may be an anchor carrier or a non-anchor carrier. Thus, while a UE monitoring a carrier can facilitate communication, the UE cannot receive service if it monitors only segments.

Thus, the anchor carrier may be used to reduce system overhead as it mitigates duplication of information. This is because the general information can be concentrated on a smaller subset of carriers, while other carriers can support connected mode users without duplicated redundant information. Segments in a communication system can further reduce duplicate information by carrying only data and dedicated control channels, but not requiring steady state channels to support connected mode users. Moreover, such differentiation among carriers facilitates better synchronization, camping, and access to heterogeneous environments, as described in further detail below. Interference coordination may be provided for at least one detectable (accessible) anchor carrier.

With further reference to fig. 7, a heterogeneous system 720 that can use multiple carriers is depicted as including a macro cell 722, a pico cell 724, and a CSG (closed subscriber group) cell 726. The latter may include femto cells. According to an aspect, macro base station 728 may transmit signals using higher power, while pico base station 730 and femto base station 732 may transmit signals using lower power. In this system, service may be extended into the pico cell 724 by reducing the amount of power that the macro base station 728 transmits signals on certain carriers. Thus, the macro cell 722 may designate certain carriers as anchor carriers and certain carriers as non-anchor carriers. Macro cell 722 may transmit the anchor carrier at normal power and the non-anchor carrier at a lower power that matches pico base station 730. In this figure, carrier 1 is the anchor carrier for the macro cell 722 and therefore transmits at normal power, while carrier 2 is the non-anchor carrier for the macro cell 722 and therefore transmits at a lower power, which is depicted as not reaching the inner boundary 734 of the pico cell 724 and CSG cell 726. The pico cell 724 is used to provide carrier 1 and carrier 2 as anchor carriers. CSG cell 726 is a cell to which only certain authorized users are allowed to connect, and thus users that are not authorized to access CSG resources will not be able to connect through CSG 732. A femto cell in which UEs communicate with each other through an IP network is an example of a CSG cell. This may cause interference in a heterogeneous environment because CSG732 does not allow all users to access its resources. That is, CSG732 may interfere with non-subscribed UEs since relatively strong carriers have to be served using a subjective, low power cell. Thus, to protect the macro and pico base stations 728, 730 from such interference, the CSG cell 726 may be designated to transmit signals only on carrier 2 and not on carrier 1. This mitigates interference on carrier 1 and thus facilitates the user equipment to connect through the nearest macro/pico BS728, 730.

As shown, carrier 2 is the anchor carrier in the pico cell 724. Thus, pico cells serving UEs 0 and 1738, 740 may be scheduled on pico anchor carrier 2 as described by 742, 744, respectively. Furthermore, pico base station 730 may schedule UE 0738 on carrier 1, as depicted at 746, since UE 0738 is weakly interfered by macro BS728 on carrier 1. However, UE 1740 is strongly interfered with by macro BS728 on carrier 1, as depicted at 748, so UE 1740 will only be scheduled by pico BS730 on carrier 2, as depicted at 744. UE2752 and UE 3754 are served by macro BS728, thus scheduling UE2752 and UE 3754 on macro anchor carrier 1, as described by 758, 756, respectively. Further, unlike UE 3744, which is located outside the coverage 734 of carrier 2 due to the lower transmit power of carrier 2 from the macro BS728, UE2752 may be scheduled on carrier 2 by the macro BS728 as depicted by 760, since UE2752 is close enough to the macro BS728 and falls within the coverage of carrier 2 as depicted by 734.

UE 4764 and UE 5766 are within the coverage of CSG cell 726, but they are not allowed to access the resources of CSG cell 726. However, these UEs 764, 766 have access to the macro anchor carrier 1. Thus, while the UE 4764 is located in the coverage areas of the macro and pico cells 722, 724, the UE 4764 will be connected to the macro cell 722 on carrier 1 because the signal from the macro cell 722 is stronger. Also, while the UE 5766 is located in the coverage area of the macro and pico cells 722, 724 on carrier 1, the UE 5766 will connect to the pico cell 724 on that carrier as described at 767 because the signal from the pico cell 724 is stronger. UE6768 is allowed to access CSG cell 726 and therefore will connect to CSG cell 726 on anchor carrier 2, as depicted by 770.

Fig. 8 depicts a methodology 800 that facilitates facilitating communication in a wireless communication system in accordance with an aspect. The method begins at 802, where one or more anchor carriers are first periodically configured to transmit SI to a UE in a cell at 802. As described above, these anchor carriers may facilitate communication for UEs, whether in RRC idle mode or those in connected mode. At 804, one or more non-anchor carriers are also configured to transmit SI on an event-driven basis. For example, if the SI changes, these changes may be sent to the UEs using the non-anchor carrier according to the need to update the UEs. However, unlike the anchor carrier, the non-anchor carrier only helps facilitate communication for UEs in connected mode, but not UEs in idle mode. This is because these carriers are configured into anchor and non-anchor carriers in a manner that reduces duplication of information transmitted in the wireless communication system so that only the anchor carrier can provide paging capabilities. Thus, to facilitate communications, each base station has at least one anchor carrier associated therewith. At 806, the anchor carrier is transmitted at a power level that is typically used by the base station for its transmissions. At 808, the non-anchor carrier is transmitted at a lower power level than the normal power level and the method terminates at an end block. This difference in transmit power levels associated with anchor/non-anchor carriers can better facilitate interference coordination. Reducing the power level on certain carriers (e.g., non-anchor carriers) enables certain other carriers (e.g., anchor carriers) to be more aggressive. This mitigates interference of these anchor carriers, providing at least one detectable (accessible) anchor carrier.

Referring to fig. 9, illustrated is a system 900 for multi-carrier communication. For example, system 900 can reside at least partially within a user equipment, mobile device, or access terminal. It is to be appreciated that system 900 is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a computing platform, processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 900 includes a logical grouping 902 of electrical components that can act in conjunction. For example, logical grouping 902 may include: an electrical component 904 for receiving an anchor carrier. Moreover, logical grouping 902 can further include: an electrical component for detecting a grant carried on an anchor carrier for allocating resources on another carrier 906. Moreover, logical grouping 902 can further include: an electrical component for utilizing the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the detected grant 908. Additionally, system 900 can include a memory 920 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with electrical components 904 and 908. While electrical components 904-908 are illustrated as being located outside of memory 920, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components 904-908 can be located within memory 920.

Referring to fig. 10, illustrated is a system 1000 for multi-carrier communication. For example, system 1000 can reside at least partially within a base station. It is to be appreciated that system 1000 is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a computing platform, processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1000 includes a logical grouping 1002 of electrical components that can act in conjunction. For example, logical grouping 1002 may include: an electrical component 1004 for scheduling resources for an anchor carrier and another carrier. Moreover, logical grouping 1002 can also include: an electrical component for sending a grant on the anchor carrier for allocating resources on the other carrier 1006. Moreover, logical grouping 1002 can also include: an electrical component 1008 for communicating with a recipient, wherein the recipient uses the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the grant. Additionally, the system 1000 can include a memory 1020 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with the electrical components 1004 and 1008. While electrical components 1004 and 1008 are illustrated as being located outside of memory 1020, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components 1004 and 1008 can be located within memory 1020.

Referring to fig. 11, illustrated is a system 1100 that facilitates coordinating carrier transmissions among nodes. System 1100 can reside at least partially within a base station, for instance. It is to be appreciated that system 1100 is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a computing platform, processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1100 includes a logical grouping 1102 of electrical components that can act in conjunction. For example, logical grouping 1102 may include: an electrical component 1104 for transmitting the first carrier to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when the neighboring cell transmits the second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE. Moreover, logical grouping 1102 may also include: an electrical component 1106 for coordinating with the neighboring cell such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from another carrier. Additionally, system 1100 can include a memory 1120 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with electrical components 1104 and 1106. While the electrical components 1104 and 1106 are illustrated as being external to the memory 1120, it is to be understood that one or more of the electrical components 1104 and 1108 can exist within the memory 1120.

Referring to fig. 12, an apparatus 1202 for multicarrier communication is provided. A module 1204 for receiving an anchor carrier is presented. A module 1206 is presented for detecting a grant carried on an anchor carrier for allocating resources on another carrier. Means 1208 are presented for using the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the detected grant.

Referring to fig. 13, an apparatus 1302 for multicarrier communication is provided. A module 1304 is presented for scheduling resources for an anchor carrier and another carrier. Means 1306 is presented for sending a grant on the anchor carrier for allocating resources on the other carrier. Means 1308 for communicating with a recipient is presented, wherein the recipient uses the allocated resources on the other carrier in accordance with the grant.

Referring to fig. 14, an apparatus 1402 for coordinating carrier transmission between nodes is provided. A module 1404 is presented for transmitting a first carrier for providing wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when a neighboring cell transmits a second carrier for providing wireless service to a second UE. A module 1406 is presented for coordinating with the neighboring cells such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from another carrier.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

As used in this application, the terms "component," "module," "system," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being: a process running on a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of example, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.

The term "exemplary" as used herein is meant to be used as an example, illustration, or description. Any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs.

Various aspects are presented in terms of systems that may include a number of components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. Combinations of these approaches may also be used. Various aspects disclosed herein may be performed on electronic devices, including devices that use touch screen display technology and/or mouse-and-keyboard type interfaces. Examples of such devices include computers (desktop and mobile), smart phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and other electronic devices including wired and wireless.

Furthermore, the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

Furthermore, one or more versions may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed aspects. The term "article of manufacture" (or alternatively, "computer program product") as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, etc.). Further, it should be understood that a carrier wave can be employed to carry computer-readable electronic data such as those used in transmitting and receiving electronic mail or in accessing a network such as the Internet or a Local Area Network (LAN). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the aspects disclosed herein.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

With the above described exemplary systems in mind, the methods described herein may be implemented in accordance with the disclosure of the present application as described by some flowcharts. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the present invention is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methodologies described herein. Moreover, it should be further appreciated that the methodologies disclosed herein may be stored on an article of manufacture to facilitate transporting and transferring such methodologies to computers. The term article of manufacture, as used herein, is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media.

It should be understood that all or a portion of any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only under the following conditions, namely: the material incorporated is not to conflict with existing regulations, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. Also, to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing regulations, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated under the following conditions: no conflict arises between the incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.

Claims (11)

1. A method for coordinating carrier transmissions between nodes, comprising:

transmitting a first carrier to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when a neighboring cell transmits a second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE;

coordinating with the neighboring cell such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from a respective other carrier,

wherein each of the respective carrier and the respective other carrier is an anchor carrier or a non-anchor carrier, wherein an anchor carrier provides backward compatibility; and is

Wherein power adjustments on non-anchor carriers are coordinated to avoid interfering with the UE.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the selection of the non-interfering frequency band is coordinated for the first carrier and the second carrier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a non-anchor carrier scheduled by the first carrier as an anchor carrier, wherein the non-anchor carrier comprises an interference frequency band interfering with a second carrier of the adjacent cell;

reducing transmit power of the non-anchor carrier to avoid interference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighboring cell transmits an anchor carrier that schedules the second carrier as an anchor carrier, wherein a non-anchor carrier comprises an interfering frequency band that interferes with the first carrier, the method further comprising coordinating a reduction in transmit power of the non-anchor carrier to avoid interference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a non-cooperating cell transmits a third carrier that interferes with the first carrier, the method further comprising:

transmitting a non-anchor carrier at a frequency band that is not interfered by the third carrier;

scheduling resources for the non-anchor carrier over the non-anchor carrier.

6. An apparatus for coordinating carrier transmissions between nodes, comprising:

means for transmitting a first carrier to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when a neighboring cell transmits a second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE;

means for coordinating with the neighboring cell such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from another carrier,

wherein each of the respective carrier and the other carrier is an anchor carrier or a non-anchor carrier, wherein an anchor carrier provides backward compatibility; and is

Wherein power adjustments on non-anchor carriers are coordinated to avoid interfering with the UE.

7. An apparatus for coordinating carrier transmissions between nodes, comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter for transmitting a first carrier to provide wireless service to a first User Equipment (UE) when a neighboring cell transmits a second carrier to provide wireless service to a second UE;

a scheduler to coordinate with the neighboring cells such that the first UE and the second UE receive respective carriers without interference from another carrier,

wherein each of the respective carrier and the other carrier is an anchor carrier or a non-anchor carrier, wherein an anchor carrier provides backward compatibility; and is

Wherein power adjustments on non-anchor carriers are coordinated to avoid interfering with the UE.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the scheduler is further configured to:

the selection of the non-interfering frequency band is coordinated for the first carrier and the second carrier.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the transmitter is further configured to:

sending a non-anchor carrier scheduled by the first carrier as an anchor carrier, wherein the non-anchor carrier comprises an interference frequency band interfering with a second carrier of the adjacent cell;

reducing transmit power of the non-anchor carrier to avoid interference.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the neighboring cell transmits an anchor carrier that schedules the second carrier as an anchor carrier, wherein a non-anchor carrier includes an interfering frequency band that interferes with the first carrier, the scheduler further configured to coordinate reducing transmit power of the non-anchor carrier to avoid interference.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein,

the non-cooperating cell transmits a third carrier that interferes with the first carrier,

the transmitter is further configured to: transmitting a non-anchor carrier at a frequency band that is not interfered by the third carrier;

the scheduler is further configured to: scheduling resources for the non-anchor carrier over the non-anchor carrier.