System and method for improving spectral efficiency and coverage for user equipments

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided to improve spectral efficiency, coverage, and data rates for communication between a base station and user equipments (UEs). In a first case, mechanisms to reduce a size of a random access response message are provided. In a second case, mechanisms to support UE-group scheduling are provided. In a third case, control signaling designs according to a coverage requirement for a UE are provided. In a fourth case, designs for allocation of downlink (DL) subframes and uplink (UL) subframes in order to adjust a data rate and minimize switching between DL and UL for a half-duplex FDD UE are provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for a user equipment (UE) to transmit a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the method comprising:
 receiving a first downlink control information (DCI) format that provides:
 a transmit power control (TPC) command, and 
 hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information that includes a first HARQ-ACK information corresponding to a first transport block (TB) for a HARQ process; 
   determining a power for the PUSCH based on the TPC command;   multiplexing a TB in the PUSCH, wherein:
 the TB is the first TB for the HARQ process when the first HARQ-ACK information is a negative acknowledgement (NACK), and 
 the TB is a second TB for the HARQ process when the first HARQ-ACK information is a positive acknowledgement (ACK), and 
   transmitting the PUSCH using the power.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the DCI format provides only the HARQ-ACK information and the TPC command. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first HARQ-ACK information corresponds to an initial transmission of the first TB. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving higher layer signaling providing frequency resources for the PUSCH transmission.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving higher layer signaling providing a periodicity for the PUSCH transmission.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a second DCI format and a third DCI format, wherein:
 the second DCI format includes a field with a first non-zero number of bits, 
 the third DCI format includes the field with a second non-zero number of bits, and 
 the first number is larger than the second number. 
   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving higher layer signaling providing a location of a bit in a second DCI format;   receiving the second DCI format; and   activating the PUSCH transmission when a value of the bit is equal to one.   
     
     
         8 . A user equipment (UE) comprising:
 a transceiver configured to receive a first downlink control information (DCI) format that provides:
 a transmit power control (TPC) command, and 
 hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information that includes a first HARQ-ACK information corresponding to a first transport block (TB) for a HARQ process; 
   a processor operably connected to the transceiver, the processor configured to:
 determine a power for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) based on the TPC command; and 
 multiplex a TB in the PUSCH, wherein: 
 the TB is the first TB for the HARQ process when the first HARQ-ACK information is a negative acknowledgement (NACK), and 
 the TB is a second TB for the HARQ process when the first HARQ-ACK information is a positive acknowledgement (ACK), and 
 wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the PUSCH using the power. 
   
     
     
         9 . The UE of  claim 8 , wherein the DCI format provides only the HARQ-ACK information and the TPC command. 
     
     
         10 . The UE of  claim 8 , wherein the first HARQ-ACK information corresponds to an initial transmission of the first TB. 
     
     
         11 . The UE of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the transceiver is further configured to receive higher layer signaling providing frequency resources for the PUSCH transmission.   
     
     
         12 . The UE of  claim 8 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive higher layer signaling providing a periodicity for the PUSCH transmission. 
     
     
         13 . The UE of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the transceiver is further configured to receive a second DCI format and a third DCI format, wherein:
 the second DCI format includes a field with a first non-zero number of bits, 
 the third DCI format includes the field with a second non-zero number of bits, and 
 the first number is larger than the second number. 
   
     
     
         14 . The UE of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the transceiver is further configured to receive:
 higher layer signaling providing a location of a bit in a second DCI format, and 
 the second DCI format; and 
   the processor is further configured to activate the PUSCH transmission when a value of the bit is equal to one.   
     
     
         15 . A base station comprising:
 a transceiver configured to transmit a first downlink control information (DCI) format that provides:
 a transmit power control (TPC) command, and 
 hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information that includes a first HARQ-ACK information corresponding to a first transport block (TB) for a HARQ process; and 
   a processor operably connected to the transceiver, the processor configured to demultiplex a TB in the PUSCH, wherein:
 the TB is the first TB for the HARQ process when the first HARQ-ACK information is a negative acknowledgement (NACK), and 
 the TB is a second TB for the HARQ process when the first HARQ-ACK information is a positive acknowledgement (ACK), and 
   wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the PUSCH, wherein a reception power of the PUSCH is based on the TPC command.   
     
     
         16 . The base station of  claim 15 , wherein the DCI format provides only the HARQ-ACK information and the TPC command. 
     
     
         17 . The base station of  claim 15 , wherein the first HARQ-ACK information corresponds to an initial reception of the first TB. 
     
     
         18 . The base station of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the transceiver is further configured to transmit higher layer signaling providing frequency resources for the PUSCH reception.   
     
     
         19 . The base station of  claim 15 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit higher layer signaling providing a periodicity for the PUSCH reception. 
     
     
         20 . The base station of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the transceiver is further configured to transmit a second DCI format and a third DCI format, wherein:
 the second DCI format includes a field with a first non-zero number of bits, 
 the third DCI format includes the field with a second non-zero number of bits, and 
 the first number is larger than the second number.