CN104253678A - Configuration method of EPHICH (enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indicator channel) - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for configuring an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel for a user equipment in an LTE-A wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment belongs to an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel group, the method comprising the following Step: the user equipment receives a first message sent from the base station, wherein the first message includes information for instructing the user equipment to indicate channel configuration for the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request; and the user equipment Receive hybrid automatic repeat request feedback on the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel according to the first message.

Description

A method of configuring enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel

technical field

The present invention relates to the technical field of wireless communication, in particular to the technical field of LTE-A.

Background technique

In recent years, the 3GPP organization is conducting discussions on the next-generation wireless communication technology standard LTE-A, and one of the important issues is the introduction of a new carrier type (NCT for short). One of the main purposes of introducing this new carrier is to improve spectrum efficiency. For this reason, unlike traditional LTE carriers, the traditional control channel region (ie, the first 1-4 symbol regions) will no longer be used in the design of this new carrier , That is to say, in the new carrier type, various control channels will use the physical downlink shared channel (physical downlink shared channel PDSCH for short) area of the traditional LTE carrier. In addition, in the new carrier type, dense cell specific reference signals (CRS for short) are no longer included, and only relatively sparse CRSs are included, such as CRS signals with an interval of 5 milliseconds.

On the other hand, in the traditional LTE system, the physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH) is used to send an acknowledgment/denial (ACK/NACK) of uplink transmission to the user equipment (UE). Feedback to trigger the HARQ process of the UE. This channel is located in the control channel region of legacy LTE carriers and is demodulated via CRS.

Obviously, it can be seen from the above that the PHICH cannot be directly applied to the new carrier type of the LTE-A system. The reasons are: first, the UE cannot demodulate the channel with only sparse CRS signals; second, there is no dedicated control channel area, and the UE cannot directly know the resource allocation of the channel. Therefore, in the 3GPP discussion on NCT, how to configure an enhanced physical HARQ indicator channel (EPHICH for short) has become a hot topic recently.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to find a new type of method for configuring EPHICH applicable to new carriers in the LTE-A system; this method needs to be able to effectively inform the UE of various configurations of the EPHICH so that the UE can be on the corresponding channel Accept ACK/NACK feedback; it must also be able to adapt to various configurations of the LTE-A system, so that the base station can perform flexible channel allocation and resource scheduling; at the same time, it must also be easily applied to the LTE-A system to avoid the existing protocol Changed too much.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the present invention proposes a new method for configuring EPHICH applicable to a new carrier of the LTE-A system. By designing a new dedicated information element (information element referred to as IE), record the various parameters required to configure EPHICH, and then send it to the UE through the corresponding air interface message, so that the UE can obtain various channel parameters, so that it can be in the corresponding Receive ACK/NACK on the channel.

Specifically, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a method for configuring an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel for a user equipment in an LTE-A wireless communication system is proposed, wherein the user equipment belongs to an enhanced physical hybrid The automatic repeat request indicates a channel group, and the method includes the following steps: the user equipment receives a first message sent from the base station, wherein the first message includes information for instructing the user equipment about enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat transmitting information requesting indication channel configuration; and the user equipment receiving HARQ feedback on the Enhanced Physical HARQ indication channel according to the first message.

Preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes information for indicating resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel.

More preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes a sequence for indicating the user equipment to be in the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel group ID information; the user equipment acquires HARQ feedback according to the sequence ID.

More preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes information for demodulating the demodulation reference signal of the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel and wireless The network temporary identifier, the information used to indicate the resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes information on the resource blocks allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel, and the information allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel The physical hybrid automatic repeat request indicates information of resource elements of a channel or information of enhanced resource element groups.

More preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indication Channel includes information for indicating that the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indication Channel is contained in an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel Set information and wireless network temporary identifier, the information used to indicate the resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes the resource element information allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel or the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel Information of resource element groups or information of enhanced control channel elements.

More preferably, the first message is a radio resource control message.

More preferably, the first message is a radio resource control connection reconfiguration message.

More preferably, before receiving the first message, the method further includes: the user equipment receiving a second message sent from the base station, wherein the second message includes instructions for instructing the user equipment to perform an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request information indicating channel configuration; and the user equipment receives HARQ feedback on its Enhanced Physical HARQ indication channel according to the second message.

More preferably, the first message is a radio resource control connection establishment message, and the second message is a system information block message.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a device for configuring an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indicator channel in a user equipment of an LTE-A wireless communication system is proposed, wherein the user equipment belongs to an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat transmission Requesting to indicate a channel group, the apparatus includes: a receiving module, configured for the user equipment to receive a first message sent from the base station, wherein the first message includes a message for instructing the user equipment to perform enhanced physical hybrid automatic transmitting information about requesting indication channel configuration; and a configuration module, configured for the user equipment to receive HARQ feedback on its enhanced physical HARQ indication channel according to the first message.

Preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes information for indicating resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel.

More preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes a sequence for indicating the user equipment to be in the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel group ID information; the user equipment acquires HARQ feedback according to the sequence ID.

More preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes information for demodulating the demodulation reference signal of the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel and the network Temporary identification, the information used to indicate the resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes information on the resource blocks allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel, and the information allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel The HARQ indicates information of resource elements of a channel or information of enhanced resource element groups.

More preferably, the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indication Channel includes information for indicating that the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indication Channel is contained in an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel Set information and network temporary identification, the information used to indicate the resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes the resource element information or enhanced resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel Element group information or enhanced control channel element information.

More preferably, the first message is a radio resource control message.

More preferably, the first message is a radio resource control connection reconfiguration message.

More preferably, the receiving module is further configured for the user equipment to receive a second message sent from the base station, wherein the second message includes an indication channel for instructing the user equipment to perform an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request Configured information; the configuring module is further configured for the user equipment to receive HARQ feedback on its Enhanced Physical HARQ indication channel according to the second message.

More preferably, the first message is a radio resource control connection establishment message, and the second message is a system information block message.

In the present invention, by designing a new IE, the EPHICH configuration is sent to the corresponding UE, so that the UE can find the corresponding receiving channel; by sending different parameters for different configurations, the requirements for flexible allocation are met; by using the existing wireless Resource control (radio resource control, referred to as RRC) messages and system information block (referred to as system information block, referred to as SIB) messages send information to obtain maximum backward compatibility. Therefore, the requirement of EPHICH configuration on the new carrier of the LTE-A system is met, and the purpose of the present invention is achieved.

Description of drawings

Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by reading the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a channel resource allocation situation under a configuration in an LTE-A system;

Fig. 2 shows the allocation of channel resources under another configuration in the LTE-A system;

Figure 3a shows a situation of EPHICH resource grouping;

Figure 3b shows another EPHICH resource grouping situation;

Fig. 4 shows the sequence identification allocation diagram of each UE in the EPHICH group;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of message interaction according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 shows a flow chart of a method for configuring EPHICH according to the present invention;

Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of a device for configuring EPHICH according to the present invention.

Wherein, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar steps, features or devices/modules.

Detailed ways

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. The accompanying drawings show, by way of example, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The illustrated embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive of all embodiments in accordance with the invention. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Firstly, the new carrier of the LTE-A system may be a standalone (standalone) carrier or a non-standalone carrier. The difference between the two is that a standalone carrier can be used as an independent primary cell (PCell) or as a secondary cell (SCell) attached to a primary cell; a non-standalone carrier can only exist as a secondary cell. For these two carriers, the message flow for EPHICH configuration is slightly different, but the configuration parameters that need to be designed, that is, the part of IE design is completely the same. For convenience of description, a non-standalone carrier is taken as an example in the part of IE design for illustration.

Fig. 1 shows a configuration mode of EPHICH channel on a new carrier of the LTE-A system. Under this configuration, the EPDCCH and the EPHICH are respectively located in different physical resource block (physical resource block, PRB for short) pairs in the PDSCH region. As shown in the figure, EPHICH uses part of resources in the PRB pair allocated to it. Therefore, under this configuration, the UE must know which PRB pairs are used by the EPHICH, as shown in FIG. 1 . Further, the UE also needs to know which specific resource elements (resource element REs) in the PRB pair are used by the EPHICH, and the allocation information about these REs can be directly given to each allocated RE, or can be Gives the allocated enhanced resource element group (EREG for short). Figure 3a shows an example of such an allocation. All REs numbered 0 in the figure belong to one EREG, marked as EREG0, that is to say, all REs in EREG0 are allocated to the EPHICH channel. In addition, since the EPHICH is not included in the EPDCCH under this configuration, the UE must also be notified of the demodulation reference signal (DMRS for short) used to demodulate the EPHICH, as shown in Figure 3a. In addition, EPHICH will adopt scrambling processing, which can be scrambled by cell ID, or by introducing a new radio network temporary identifier (RNTI for short), then the wireless network temporary identifier also needs to be notified UE.

As a preference, in the actual system, in order to improve the efficiency of the system, several UEs will be divided into one group, and all UEs in this group share one EPHICH channel configuration, that is, all UEs in the group use the same EPHICH configuration to receive For HARQ feedback, such a group is called an EPHICH group. The HARQ feedback result specifically received by each UE in the group is determined by a sequence identifier (sequence identifier). Figure 4 shows such an EPHICH group. There are 6 UEs in the group, and each UE obtains the ACK/NACK result corresponding to the UE from the corresponding bit position of the received EPHICH result according to its own sequence identifier (0-5). The sequence identifier of each UE in its respective EPHICH group is not only explicitly notified to the UE as part of the EPHICH parameters, but also implicitly notified to the UE through uplink scheduling. The position of the resource block used on the PUSCH is mapped to a sequence identifier.

Fig. 2 shows another configuration mode of the EPHICH channel on the new carrier of the LTE-A system. In this configuration, EPHICH is included in EPDCCH. As shown in the figure, EPHICH uses part of resources in PRB pairs allocated to EPDCCH. In this case, the EPHICH configuration information does not need to include PRB pair allocation and DMRS information, because these information can be obtained through EPDCCH configuration. However, in the LTE-A system, each UE can be configured with at most two sets of EPDCCH sets, so in the case of this configuration, the UE must be informed which set of EPDCCH sets the EPHICH belongs to. In addition, under this configuration, the UE also needs to know which specific resource elements (resource element, RE for short) in the PRB pair are used by the EPHICH. This can also be notified by directly giving the RE or EREG as described above, or by giving the allocated enhanced control channel element (enhanced control channel element (ECCE) for short). An example of such an allocation is given in Figure 3b. Following Figure 3a, all REs in the PRB pair are divided into 16 EREGs (EREG0 to EREG15), and in Figure 3b, these 16 EREGs form 4 ECCEs, among which ECCE0 includes EREG0, EREG4, EREG8 and EREG12 . That is, all REs included in ECCE0 are used by this EPHICH. Similarly, the EPHICH will adopt scrambling processing, which can be scrambled by using the cell identifier, or introducing a new radio network temporary identifier (RNTI for short), and the radio network temporary identifier also needs to be notified to the UE.

Similarly, the method for configuring sequence identifiers in the EPHICH group is also applicable under this configuration.

In a word, under the non-standalone configuration, the parameters required for configuring the EPHICH in different situations can be included in a new IE, and sent to the UE through the first message, so that the UE can receive the corresponding HARQ feedback. It should be noted that, according to the existing protocol, when the UE sends data to the base station through the PUSCH in a certain subframe (n), the UE receives the HARQ feedback through the EPHICH in the subframe (n+k). For FDD system, k=4; for TDD system, k>=4.

Preferably, the first message may be an RRC message, and further, may be an RRC connection reconfiguration (RRCConnectionReconfiguration) message.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for performing EPHICH setting on a standalone carrier is provided. As mentioned above, the content of the IE design, that is, the configuration parameters that need to be delivered to the UE are exactly the same, and the main difference from the previous embodiment is that the standalone carrier can be used as a PCell, which means that the UE can be used in this A random access (random access, RA for short) process is performed on the carrier. Therefore, it is necessary to try to inform the UE about the configuration of the EPHICH before the UE accesses the base station, so that the UE can receive HARQ feedback during the RA process. To this end, the EPHICH configuration parameters can be included in the second message and sent through the broadcast channel. When the UE resides in the cell, the EPHICH configuration can be obtained through the above second message; after that, when the UE successfully accesses the cell , a different EPHICH configuration may be sent to the UE through the foregoing first message, so as to change the EPHICH configuration. The advantage of this design is that different EPHICH configurations can be sent in the first message and the second message, wherein the configuration in the second message is only used by the RA process, and the configuration process can be as simple as possible, for example, using system default parameters. The parameters in the subsequent first message can be optimally configured according to the current actual situation of the system (for example, according to the number of UEs accessed), so as to improve system performance. Through the switching of two sets of EPHICH parameters, the requirements for flexible configuration of the system are met.

Preferably, the second message is an SIB message, and the first message is an RRC connection setup (RRCConnectionSetup) message.

Accompanying drawing 5 shows the schematic diagram of message interaction according to this embodiment, including the following steps:

1. The UE resides in the primary cell, and obtains system information including EPHICH configuration through the SIB;

2. The UE sends a pilot to the base station (eNB);

3. The eNB sends a random access response message to the UE;

4. The UE sends an RRC connection request message to the eNB;

5. The eNB sends a HARQ ACK, and the UE receives the ACK on the corresponding EPHICH according to the EPHICH configuration in the SIB;

6. The eNB sends an RRC connection establishment message to the UE, which contains new EPHICH configuration information;

7. The UE sends an RRC connection establishment complete message to the eNB;

8. The eNB sends the HARQ ACK, and the UE receives the ACK on the corresponding EPHICH according to the EPHICH configuration in the RRC message.

So far, the UE has established an RRC connection with the eNB. After that, if the EPHICH configuration needs to be further changed, it can be realized by sending the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message to the UE. The message includes the changed EPHICH configuration information.

Fig. 6 shows a flowchart of a method for configuring EPHICH according to the present invention. Include the following steps:

S61. The user equipment receives a first message sent from the base station, wherein the first message includes information for instructing the user equipment to perform an Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request indication channel configuration;

S62. The user equipment receives hybrid automatic repeat request feedback on an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel according to the first message.

The following will introduce the equipment corresponding to the above method provided by the present invention in conjunction with the block diagram. Since the features of the unit/device correspond to the steps in the above method, they will be simplified.

Fig. 7 shows a device S70 for configuring an Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request indication channel in a user equipment of an LTE-A wireless communication system according to the present invention, wherein the user equipment belongs to an Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indication Channel. A repeat request indicates a channel group, and the device S70 includes:

A receiving module 7001, configured for the user equipment to receive a first message sent from the base station, where the first message includes information for instructing the user equipment to perform enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel configuration;

The configuring module 7002 is configured for the user equipment to receive HARQ feedback on the Enhanced Physical HARQ indication channel according to the first message.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to specific systems, devices and specific protocols, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Other changes to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those of ordinary skill in the art by studying the specification, disclosure, drawings and appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements and steps, and the word "a" does not exclude a plurality. In the present invention, "first" and "second" only represent names, and do not represent a sequence relationship. In the actual application of the invention, one component may perform the functions of multiple technical features cited in the claims. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims (18)

1. A method for configuring an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel for a user equipment in an LTE-A wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment belongs to an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel group, the method Include the following steps: c. The user equipment receives a first message sent from the base station, wherein the first message includes information for instructing the user equipment to indicate channel configuration for the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request; and d. The user equipment receives hybrid automatic repeat request feedback on the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel according to the first message. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to perform the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel configuration includes the information for indicating the channel configuration allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication Information about the resources of the channel. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to perform an EPHARQ indication channel configuration includes information for instructing the user equipment The retransmission request indicates information of a sequence identifier in the channel group; the user equipment obtains HARQ feedback according to the sequence identifier. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel comprises a method for demodulating the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel The information of the demodulation reference signal and the temporary identifier of the wireless network, the information used to indicate the resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes the resource blocks allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel information, and information about resource elements allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request channel or information about enhanced resource element groups. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes information for indicating that the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel is configured The information contained in an enhanced physical downlink control channel set and the temporary identifier of the wireless network, the information used to indicate the resource allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes the resource allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request Indicates the information of the resource element of the channel or the information of the enhanced resource element group or the information of the enhanced control channel element. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first message is a radio resource control message. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first message is a Radio Resource Control Connection Reconfiguration message. 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein, before said step b, also comprising: a. The user equipment receives a second message sent from the base station, wherein the second message includes information for instructing the user equipment to perform Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request indication channel configuration; and b. The user equipment receives hybrid automatic repeat request feedback on its enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel according to the second message. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first message is a Radio Resource Control Connection Setup message and the second message is a System Information Block message. 10. A device for configuring an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel in a user equipment of an LTE-A wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment belongs to an enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel group, the device include: A receiving module, configured for the user equipment to receive a first message sent from the base station, where the first message includes information for instructing the user equipment to perform enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel configuration; and A configuration module, configured for the user equipment to receive HARQ feedback on its Enhanced Physical HARQ indication channel according to the first message. 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to perform an EPHARQ indication channel configuration includes a channel configuration for indicating the EPHARQ indication allocated to the EPHARQ indication Information about the resources of the channel. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to perform an EPHARQ indication channel configuration includes an information for instructing the user equipment The retransmission request indicates information of a sequence identifier in the channel group; the user equipment obtains HARQ feedback according to the sequence identifier. 13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indication Channel comprises a method for demodulating the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Indication Channel The demodulation reference signal information and the network temporary identifier, the information used to indicate the resource allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes the resource block allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel information, and information about resource elements allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request channel or information about enhanced resource element groups. 14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information for instructing the user equipment to configure the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request indication channel includes information for indicating that the Enhanced Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request indication channel is configured The information contained in an enhanced physical downlink control channel set and the network temporary identifier, the information used to indicate the resources allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication channel includes the information allocated to the enhanced physical hybrid automatic repeat request indication The information of the resource element of the channel or the information of the enhanced resource element group or the information of the enhanced control channel element. 15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the first message is a radio resource control message. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first message is a Radio Resource Control Connection Reconfiguration message. 17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the receiving module is further used for the user equipment to receive a second message sent from the base station, wherein the second message includes information for instructing the user equipment to perform enhanced The physical hybrid automatic repeat request indicates the channel configuration information; The configuration module is further configured for the user equipment to receive HARQ feedback on its Enhanced Physical HARQ indication channel according to the second message. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first message is a radio resource control connection setup message and the second message is a system information block message.