Resource allocation for transmissions on unlicensed carriers

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for allocating radio resources to a user terminal for performing communication between a radio control entity and the user terminal in a communication system. At least first predetermined radio resources are configured in the user terminal for use in connection with a particular carrier and are associated with a particular format of a downlink control information, DCI, message. The user terminal receives a DCI message of the particular format from the radio control entity. Upon receiving the DCI message of the particular format, the user terminal identifies the first predetermined radio resources associated with this received DCI message, and using the identified first predetermined radio resources for communication between the user terminal and the radio control entity via the particular carrier. The particular carrier can be an unlicensed carrier.

1 . A radio base station for performing communication with a user equipment (UE), the radio base station comprising:
 a transmitter which, in operation, transmits a downlink control information (DCI) message of a particular format to the UE, and   circuitry which, in operation, performs communication between the user equipment which identifies first radio resources associated with the transmitted DCI message of the particular format and the radio base station using the identified first radio resources via a particular carrier,   wherein the particular carrier is an unlicensed carrier,   wherein the first radio resources are defined according to a particular resource allocation type,   wherein the particular resource allocation type is a resource allocation type, from a plurality of uplink and downlink resource allocation types, which is specific to the first radio resources for use in connection with the particular carrier, and   wherein the plurality of uplink and downlink resource allocation types includes one or more of downlink resource allocation types 0, 1, and 2 according to a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification and at least one of the one or more of downlink resource allocation types 0, 1, and 2 is reused for defining the first radio resources for use in connection with the particular carrier.   
     
     
         2 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein the size of the DCI message is independent from a bandwidth of the particular carrier. 
     
     
         3 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein the transmitter, in operation, transmits the DCI message via the particular carrier, or
 transmits the DCI message via an other carrier, in which case the DCI message additionally indicates the DCI message is related to the particular carrier, by use of a carrier identification in a carrier identification field of the DCI message,   wherein the other carrier is a licensed carrier of the primary cell of the user equipment.   
     
     
         4 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein the particular format of the DCI message is a format for a downlink communication, and the identified first radio resources are used by the user equipment to receive the downlink communication from the radio base station, wherein the DCI message includes:
 a carrier identification field in a case of cross carrier scheduling; or   a transmit power command field in a case transmit power for transmitting in the uplink is to be adapted; or   a Hybrid Automatic Repeat ReQuest, HARQ, process number; or   at least one modulation and coding scheme field; or   at least one new data indicator field; or   at least one redundancy version field; or   a precoding information field.   
     
     
         5 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein the particular format of the DCI message is a format for an uplink communication, and the identified first radio resources are used by the user equipment to transmit the uplink communication to the radio base station, wherein the DCI message includes:
 a carrier identification field in a case of cross carrier scheduling; or   a transmit power command field in a case transmit power for transmitting in the uplink is to be adapted; or   at least one field for indicating a modulation and coding scheme; or   at least one new data indicator field; or   a field for indicating a Cyclic shift for demodulation reference signal; or   a precoding information field.   
     
     
         6 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein the first radio resources include:
 all resource blocks of the particular carrier respectively for one or more subframes, or   a part of all resource blocks of the particular carrier respectively for one or more subframes,   wherein said part of all resource blocks is either:
 a plurality of contiguous resource blocks at a lower frequency end of the carrier, or 
 a plurality of contiguous resources blocks at a higher frequency end of the carrier, or 
 a plurality of contiguous resource blocks around a middle frequency of the carrier. 
   
     
     
         7 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein the user equipment is configured with the first radio resources for the particular carrier:
 in a fixed manner by a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification, or   through higher layer signaling, or   via a radio resource control (RRC) message,   wherein the 3GPP specification, the higher layer signaling, or the RRC message additionally indicates a resource allocation type of the first radio resources.   
     
     
         8 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein second radio resources are configured in the user equipment for use in connection with the particular carrier and are associated with the particular format of the DCI message, and
 the user equipment is preconfigured with at least one of the first or second radio resources by the radio base station, and upon transmitting the DCI message of the particular format by the transmitter, said at least one of the first or second radio resources are identified by the user equipment and used for communication between the user equipment and the radio base station via the particular carrier, or   the user equipment is allocated one of the at least one of the first or second radio resources based on the DCI message of the particular type, transmitted by the transmitter from the radio base station, the transmitted DCI message indicating one or more of the at least one of the first or second radio resources that shall be used for communication over the particular carrier.   
     
     
         9 . The radio base station according to  claim 1 , wherein the first radio resources are configured for use with a licensed carrier, and the first radio resources are used for communication between the user equipment and the radio base station via the licensed carrier, upon the user equipment receiving the DCI message of the particular format. 
     
     
         10 . A method performed by a radio base station for performing communication with a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
 transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) message of a particular format to the UE, and   performing communication between the user equipment which identifies first radio resources associated with the transmitted DCI message of the particular format and the radio base station using the identified first radio resources via a particular carrier,   wherein the particular carrier is an unlicensed carrier,   wherein the first radio resources are defined according to a particular resource allocation type,   wherein the particular resource allocation type is a resource allocation type, from a plurality of uplink and downlink resource allocation types, which is specific to the first radio resources for use in connection with the particular carrier, and   wherein the plurality of uplink and downlink resource allocation types includes one or more of downlink resource allocation types 0, 1, and 2 according to a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification and at least one of the one or more of downlink resource allocation types 0, 1, and 2 is reused for defining the first radio resources for use in connection with the particular carrier.   
     
     
         11 . An integrated circuitry for controlling a radio base station for performing communication with a user equipment (UE), the integrated circuit comprising:
 transmitting circuitry which, in operation, transmits a downlink control information (DCI) message of a particular format to the UE, and   control circuitry which, in operation, performs communication between the user equipment which identifies first radio resources associated with the transmitted DCI message of the particular format and the radio base station using the identified first radio resources via a particular carrier,   wherein the particular carrier is an unlicensed carrier,   wherein the first radio resources are defined according to a particular resource allocation type,   wherein the particular resource allocation type is a resource allocation type, from a plurality of uplink and downlink resource allocation types, which is specific to the first radio resources for use in connection with the particular carrier, and   wherein the plurality of uplink and downlink resource allocation types includes one or more of downlink resource allocation types 0, 1, and 2 according to a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification and at least one of the one or more of downlink resource allocation types 0, 1, and 2 is reused for defining the first radio resources for use in connection with the particular carrier.