Method and Device for Sending Discovery Signal on Unlicensed Carrier, and Access Point

Abstract

Provided are a method and apparatus for occupying an unlicensed carrier to send a discovery signal, and an access point. The method includes the following steps. A parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point is configured. The access point sends the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier. The technical solution of the present disclosure can reduce the time for processing items other than data sending (such as synchronization) after each time the access point preempts a resource, and can improve the spectral efficiency of the unlicensed carrier.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier, comprising:
 configuring a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point; and   sending, by the access point, the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier.   
     
     
         2 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the discovery signal is used for coarse synchronization, measurement and access point discovery of the access point and User Equipment, UE served by the unlicensed carrier on the unlicensed carrier; and   the parameter of the discovery signal comprises: a sending pattern, a power, a port, an occupied bandwidth, a time-frequency resource, and a measurement pattern; wherein the sending pattern comprises a sending period, an offset, and a duration, and the measurement pattern comprises a measurement period, an offset, a duration, and a measurement gap.   
     
     
         3 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the step of configuring a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point comprises: configuring a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point according to a centralized configuration mode, a distributed configuration mode or a mixed configuration mode;   wherein, the step of configuring a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point according to a centralized configuration mode comprises: allocating, by a macro cell, a cluster head or a centralized controller, the parameter of the discovery signal sent on each unlicensed carrier by one or more neighboring access points centrally, or specifying a certain neighboring access point as the macro cell, the cluster head or the centralized controller to allocate the parameter of the discovery signal sent on each unlicensed carrier by one or more neighboring access points centrally;   the step of configuring a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point according to a distributed configuration mode comprises: configuring the parameter of the discovery signal on each unlicensed carrier by each access point; and   the step of configuring a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point according to a mixed configuration mode comprises: after each access point configures the parameter of the discovery signal on each unlicensed carrier, reporting the parameter to the macro cell, the cluster head or the centralized controller, and performing, by the macro cell, the cluster head or the centralized controller, coordinated adjustment.   
     
     
         4 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of sending, by the access point, the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier comprises:
 before the access point preempts the unlicensed carrier, sending the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier; or,   after the access point preempts the unlicensed carrier, sending the discovery signal on the preempted unlicensed carrier.   
     
     
         5 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending the parameter of the discovery signal to the UE served by the unlicensed carrier and/or a neighboring access point of the access point.   
     
     
         6 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 5 , wherein the step of sending the parameter of the discovery signal to the UE served by the unlicensed carrier and/or a neighboring access point of the access point comprises:
 sending the parameter of the discovery signal to the UE by a licensed carrier or the preempted unlicensed carrier; or,   transferring the parameter of the discovery signal to the neighboring access point of the access point by backhaul or broadcast.   
     
     
         7 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein before the step that the access point sends the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier, the method further comprises:
 screening the unlicensed carrier on which the discovery signal will be sent according to a service situation, an interference situation and an occupation situation of the unlicensed carrier, wherein the unlicensed carrier on which the discovery signal will be sent comprises one or more unlicensed carriers.   
     
     
         8 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 4 , wherein the step of sending, by the access point, the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier comprises:
 when the access point determines that one or more of the following conditions are satisfied, sending the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier:   a sending period of the discovery signal is greater than a preset period threshold;   a power of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset power threshold;   an occupied bandwidth of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset bandwidth threshold;   a duration of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset time threshold; and   a number of ports of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset number threshold.   
     
     
         9 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the discovery signal comprises:
 a downlink reference signal, or a downlink reference signal after a corresponding protocol is modified.   
     
     
         10 . The method for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 9 , wherein the downlink reference signal comprises one or more of the following signals: a Primary Synchronization Signal/Secondary Synchronization Signal, PSS/SSS, a Cell-specific Reference Signal, CRS, a Channel State Information-Reference Signal, CSI-RS, and a Position Reference Signal, PRS. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier, comprising a parameter configuration module and a control sending module, wherein
 the parameter configuration module is arranged to configure a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point; and   the control sending module is arranged to send the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the discovery signal is used for coarse synchronization, measurement and access point discovery of the access point and User Equipment, UE served by the unlicensed carrier on the unlicensed carrier; and   the parameter of the discovery signal comprise: a sending pattern, a power, a port, an occupied bandwidth, a time frequency resource, and a measurement pattern; wherein the sending pattern comprises a sending period, an offset, and a duration, and the measurement pattern comprises a measurement period, an offset, a duration, and a measurement gap.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 11 , wherein the parameter configuration module is arranged to configure a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point in a way that:
 a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point is configured according to a centralized configuration mode, a distributed configuration mode or a mixed configuration mode, wherein   the parameter configuration module is arranged to configure a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point according to the centralized configuration mode in a way that: a macro cell, a cluster head or a centralized controller allocates the parameter of the discovery signal sent on each unlicensed carrier by one or more neighboring access points centrally, or a certain neighboring access point is specified as the macro cell, the cluster head or the centralized controller to allocate the parameter of the discovery signal sent on each unlicensed carrier by one or more neighboring access points centrally;   the parameter configuration module is arranged to configure a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point according to the distributed configuration mode in a way that: the parameter of the discovery signal is configured on each unlicensed carrier by each access point; and   the parameter configuration module is arranged to configure a parameter of a discovery signal sent on an unlicensed carrier by an access point according to the mixed configuration mode in a way that: after configuring the parameter of the discovery signal on each unlicensed carrier, each access point reports the parameter to the macro cell, the cluster head or the centralized controller; and the macro cell, the cluster head or the centralized controller performs coordinated adjustment.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the control sending module is arranged to send the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier in a way that:   before preempting the unlicensed carrier, the control sending module sends the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier; or,   after preempting the unlicensed carrier, the control sending module sends the discovery signal on the preempted unlicensed carrier.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the control sending module is further arranged to send the parameter of the discovery signal to the UE served by the unlicensed carrier and/or a neighboring access point of the access point.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 15 , wherein the control sending module is arranged to send the parameter of the discovery signal to the UE served by the unlicensed carrier and/or the neighboring access point of the access point in a way that:
 the parameter of the discovery signal is sent to the UE by a licensed carrier or the preempted unlicensed carrier; or,   the parameter of the discovery signal is transferred to the neighboring access point of the access point by backhaul or broadcast.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the control sending module is further arranged to before the access point sends the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier, screen the unlicensed carrier on which the discovery signal will be sent according to a service situation, an interference situation and an occupation situation of the unlicensed carrier, wherein the unlicensed carrier on which the discovery signal will be sent comprises one or more unlicensed carriers.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 14 , wherein the control sending module is arranged to send the discovery signal on the unlicensed carrier in a way that:
 when determining that one or more of the following conditions are satisfied, the discovery signal is sent on the unlicensed carrier:   a sending period of the discovery signal is greater than a preset period threshold;   a power of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset power threshold;   an occupied bandwidth of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset bandwidth threshold;   a duration of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset time threshold; and   a number of ports of the discovery signal is smaller than a preset number threshold.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 11 , wherein the discovery signal comprises:
 a downlink reference signal, or a downlink reference signal after a corresponding protocol is modified;   and   the downlink reference signal comprises one or more of the following signals:   a Primary Synchronization Signal/Secondary Synchronization Signal, PSS/SSS, a Cell-specific Reference Signal, CRS, a Channel State Information-Reference Signal, CSI-RS, and a Position Reference Signal, PRS.   
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An access point, comprising the apparatus for sending a discovery signal on an unlicensed carrier according to  claim 11 .