A resource allocation indication method and device, a base station and a terminal

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a resource allocation indication method and device, a base station and a terminal. The method is applied to a machine type communication (MTC) based base station, comprising: limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in a narrow band allocated by the base station to a terminal; determining the number of bits occupied by a PRB resource allocation indication field in downlink control information (DCI) according to the allocation amount and / or the allocation position; and establishing a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and / or the allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band based on the number of bits. The embodiment method of the present disclosure can compress the space occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI.

Description

[0001] This disclosure is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201880001272.X, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on August 7, 2018, entitled “A Resource Allocation Instruction Method and Apparatus, Base Station and Terminal”. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a resource allocation indication method and apparatus, base station and terminal. Background Technology

[0003] In wireless communication systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A), when supporting machine-type communications (MTC) applications with a large number of terminals, in order to reduce the cost of MTC terminals, it can be stipulated that the MTC terminals can only perform signaling or data processing in a narrowband (i.e., a subband in the system's broadband). Therefore, the MTC terminals can be called narrowband terminals.

[0004] In related technologies, base stations can send resource indication information (such as downlink control information, DCI) to narrowband terminals via control channels to schedule the narrowband terminals to transmit data within the current narrowband. In LTE systems, to support MTC narrowband communication, the entire system bandwidth can be divided into multiple narrowbands. When allocating bandwidth to MTC terminals, the base station can first allocate one of the multiple narrowbands, and then further allocate Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) within the allocated narrowband. Based on this, in related technologies, to enable the narrowband terminal to determine the location and quantity of PRBs within the narrowband, a PRB resource allocation indication field needs to be generated at the base station and sent to the narrowband terminal via the DCI. In related technologies, to express all possible combinations of the location and quantity information of PRBs within the narrowband, a relatively large number of bits are typically allocated in the DCI to express the PRB resource allocation indication field. However, as the performance of narrowband terminals improves, the narrowband bandwidth they can support is increasing. Therefore, the number of supported PRBs is also increasing. In other words, the number of bits required for the PRB resource allocation indication field is also increasing, which requires more resources for DCI.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need in related technologies for an efficient PRB resource allocation indication method to reduce the consumption of the PRB resource allocation indication field in DCI. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, this disclosure provides a resource allocation indication method and apparatus, a base station and a terminal.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation indication method is provided, the method being applied to a base station based on machine type communication (MTC), comprising: limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation location of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in narrowband allocated by the base station to a terminal; determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation location; and establishing a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and allocation location of PRBs in narrowband based on the number of bits.

[0008] In one possible implementation, limiting the amount of narrowband physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated by the base station to the terminal includes setting the amount of narrowband PRBs that the base station is allowed to allocate to the terminal to at least one preset value.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the preset value is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the restriction on the allocation location of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal includes: setting the allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal to be a series of consecutive locations starting from a fixed location in the narrowband.

[0011] In one possible implementation, restricting the allocation location of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal includes: setting the allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal to be multiple non-contiguous fixed locations in the narrowband.

[0012] In one possible implementation, determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position includes: determining the number of different combinations of allocation amount and allocation position based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position; and calculating the number of bits required by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the number.

[0013] In one possible implementation, after determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position, the method further includes: determining the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI before limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB; determining the number of bits compressed by the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI relative to the original number of bits; and using the compressed number of bits to represent the resource indication information for the continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks in the MTC physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH).

[0014] In one possible implementation, the resource indication information includes at least one of the following: the number of data blocks, and indication information as to whether the data blocks are new data.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the base station further includes: determining the PRB resource allocation indication field corresponding to the narrowband PRB allocated to the terminal based on the mapping relationship and the amount of resources required by the terminal.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the method further includes generating resource indication information for the MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (MPDCCH) to continuously schedule multiple data blocks.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the method further includes sending a DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field and the resource indication information to the terminal.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation indication method is provided, comprising: a terminal receiving a DCI containing a PRB resource allocation indication field; parsing the PRB resource allocation indication field using a mapping relationship established by the above resource allocation indication method to determine the allocation amount and allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station.

[0019] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a base station is provided for machine type communication (MTC), comprising: a data allocation processing module for limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation location of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in narrowband allocated to terminals by the base station; a bit count determination module for determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation location; and a mapping relationship establishment module for establishing a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and allocation location of PRBs in narrowband based on the bit count.

[0020] In one possible implementation, limiting the amount of narrowband physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated by the base station to the terminal includes setting the amount of narrowband PRBs that the base station is allowed to allocate to the terminal to at least one preset value.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the preset value is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the restriction on the allocation location of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal includes: setting the allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal to be a series of consecutive locations starting from a fixed location in the narrowband.

[0023] In one possible implementation, restricting the allocation location of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal includes: setting the allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal to be multiple non-contiguous fixed locations in the narrowband.

[0024] In one possible implementation, determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position includes: determining the number of different combinations of allocation amount and allocation position based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position; and calculating the number of bits required by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the number.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the base station further includes: an original bit count determination module, configured to determine the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI before limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation location of the PRB; a compressed bit count determination module, configured to determine the number of bits compressed by the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI relative to the original bit count; and a compressed bit usage module, configured to use the compressed bit count to represent resource indication information for continuously scheduling multiple data blocks in the MTC physical downlink control channel MPDCCH.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the resource indication information includes at least one of the following: the number of data blocks, and indication information as to whether the data blocks are new data.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the base station further includes: an indication field generation module, configured to determine, based on the mapping relationship and the amount of resources required by the terminal, the PRB resource allocation indication field corresponding to the narrowband PRB allocated to the terminal.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the base station further includes: a resource indication information generation module, used to generate resource indication information for the MTC physical downlink control channel MPDCCH to continuously schedule multiple data blocks.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the base station further includes: an information transmission module, configured to transmit a DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field and the resource indication information to the terminal.

[0030] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: a DCI receiving module, configured to receive a DCI containing a PRB resource allocation indication field; and a data parsing module, configured to parse the PRB resource allocation indication field using the mapping relationship established by the above-described resource allocation indication method, and determine the allocation amount and allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station.

[0031] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation indication device is provided, comprising: a processor; a memory for storing processor-executable instructions; wherein the processor is configured to: limit the allocation amount and / or allocation position of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in a narrowband allocated by a base station to a terminal; determine the number of bits occupied by a PRB resource allocation indication field in downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position; and establish a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and allocation position of PRBs in the narrowband based on the number of bits.

[0032] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a resource allocation indication device is provided, comprising: a processor; a memory for storing processor-executable instructions; wherein the processor is configured to: receive a DCI containing a PRB resource allocation indication field; parse the PRB resource allocation indication field using a mapping relationship established by the above-described resource allocation indication method, and determine the allocation amount and allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station.

[0033] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, which, when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor, enables the processor to perform the above-described method.

[0034] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure can include the following beneficial effects: the provided resource allocation indication method can compress the space occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) by limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the narrowband physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated by the base station to the terminal. Through the technical solutions adopted by this disclosure, not only can the resource allocation method in MTC be optimized, but the compressed space can also be utilized in other scenarios requiring space in downlink communication, thereby enabling the DCI to contain richer information without increasing the space occupied by the DCI.

[0035] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation instruction method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation instruction method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation instruction method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a base station according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation instruction method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating a base station according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0043] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0044] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0045] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0046] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application by those skilled in the art, the technical environment for implementing the technical solutions will be described below.

[0047] Currently, in LTE systems, due to limitations in communication transmission rates, the operating bandwidth of narrowband terminals is 1.4MHz. Within this 1.4MHz bandwidth, one narrowband contains 6 PRBs, meaning the MTC can support communication for 6 PRBs. In one example, for a bandwidth of 6 PRBs, in MTC Coverage Enhancement Mode A, the PRB resource allocation indication field requires 5 bits of resources. Table 1 shows the mapping relationship between the 5-bit PRB resource allocation indication field and specific resource allocation methods.

[0048] Table 1. Mapping Table of Relationship between PRB Resource Allocation Indication Domain and Allocation Method

[0049]

[0050] As mentioned above, with the improvement of MTC terminal performance, such as breaking through the existing communication transmission rate, the working bandwidth of narrowband terminals can also break through the current 1.4MHz, such as increasing to 3MHz, 5MHz, or even 10MHz or 20MHz. For a 5MHz bandwidth, a narrowband can include 25 PRBs, and for a 20MHz bandwidth, a narrowband can include 100 PRBs. Based on this, the PRB resource allocation indication field needs more bits, which is a relatively large resource overhead for DCI.

[0051] Based on practical technical needs similar to those described above, the inventors studied existing design methods for PRB resource allocation indicator fields and proposed a new design scheme for PRB resource allocation indicator fields. This scheme can reduce the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indicator field in the DCI by limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB. Furthermore, the compressed bits can be used for other purposes.

[0052] The resource allocation instruction method described in this application will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1This is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the resource allocation instruction method provided in this disclosure. While this application provides method operation steps as shown in the following embodiments or figures, the method may include more or fewer operation steps based on conventional or non-inventive effort. For steps that do not logically have a necessary causal relationship, the execution order of these steps is not limited to the execution order provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0053] One specific implementation of the resource allocation instruction method provided in this application is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the method, applied to a base station based on machine type communication (MTC), may include:

[0054] In step 101: Limit the amount and / or location of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) allocated by the base station to the terminal in the narrowband.

[0055] In step 103: the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) is determined based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position.

[0056] In step 105: Based on the number of bits, establish a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and allocation position of PRB in the narrowband.

[0057] In this embodiment, the resource allocation indication can be applied to a base station. At the base station, the allocation amount and / or allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated to the terminal can be limited. In one embodiment, limiting the PRB allocation amount can include setting the allowed allocation amount of PRBs in the narrowband allocated to the terminal by the base station to at least one preset value. That is, the granularity of PRB allocation allocated by the base station to the terminal can be one or more preset allocation granularities. For example, for the case where the narrowband includes 6 PRBs, the PRB allocation granularity can be 1, 3, and 6, that is, the number of PRBs allocated to the terminal by the base station each time is 1, 3, or 6. In one embodiment of this disclosure, based on the transmission of large data blocks in many application scenarios, such as multi-data-block (TB) scheduling scenarios, the number of PRBs allocated to the terminal by the base station each time is often large. Therefore, the preset value can be set to be greater than or equal to a first threshold. In one example, for the case where the narrowband includes 6 PRBs, the preset value can be set to be greater than or equal to 4, that is, the number of PRBs allocated to the terminal by the base station each time is 4, 5, or 6. By limiting the amount of PRB allocation, the number of ways the base station allocates PRBs to the terminal can be reduced, thereby reducing the number of bits required to generate the PRB resource allocation indication field.

[0058] In embodiments of this disclosure, the allocation location of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal can also be restricted. In one embodiment, restricting the PRB allocation location may include setting the allowed allocation location of the PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal to a series of consecutive locations starting from a fixed location in the narrowband. In one example, for a narrowband containing 6 PRBs, the 6 PRBs are sequentially numbered 1-6. Therefore, in the technical solution provided in this embodiment, the allowed allocation location of the PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal can be set to one or more of four consecutive locations starting from PRB number 3. In this example, possible allocation locations include (3), (3,4), (3,4,5), and (3,4,5,6). In another embodiment, the method of restricting the PRB allocation location may further include setting the allowed allocation location of the PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station to the terminal to a series of non-contiguous fixed locations in the narrowband. In one example, for the case where the narrowband includes 6 PRBs, the 6 PRBs are numbered 1-6 sequentially. In the technical solution provided in this embodiment, the allocation position of the PRBs in the narrowband that the base station is allowed to allocate to the terminal can be one or more of (1,2,4,6).

[0059] It should be noted that since the restriction on the allocation quantity of PRBs and the actual allocation position of PRBs are related as "and / or", the technical solution disclosed herein can restrict only the allocation quantity of PRBs, only the allocation position of PRBs, or both the allocation quantity and allocation position of PRBs. For example, in the method of simultaneously restricting the allocation quantity and allocation position of PRBs, the allocation position of PRBs can be restricted to starting with PRB number 3, with an allocation quantity of 3 or 4. Of course, the methods of restricting the allocation quantity and allocation position of PRBs are not limited to the examples above. Those skilled in the art may make other modifications based on the essence of this application, but as long as the achieved function and effect are the same as or similar to this application, they should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

[0060] In one embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 2 As shown, determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position may include the following steps:

[0061] In step 201: Based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position, determine the number of different combinations of allocation amount and allocation position;

[0062] In step 203: Calculate the number of bits required by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the quantity.

[0063] In this embodiment, after determining the restricted PRB allocation amount and allocation position, the number of different combinations of allocation amount and allocation position can be determined based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position. In one example, for a narrowband containing 6 PRBs, the 6 PRBs are sequentially numbered 1-6. If the PRB allocation granularity is set to 4 or 6, a total of four different combinations can be obtained. In this example, possible allocation methods may include (1,2,3,4), (2,3,4,5), (3,4,5,6), and (1,2,3,4,5,6). Based on these four different combinations, a 2-bit PRB resource allocation indicator field can be used to indicate the allocation method of PRBs within the narrowband. In another example, if each PRB allocation amount corresponds to one allocation position, 6 different combinations can be generated. Therefore, a 3-bit PRB resource allocation indicator field can be used to indicate the allocation method of PRBs within the narrowband.

[0064] In this embodiment, after determining the number of bits required for the PRB resource allocation indicator field, a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indicator field and the allocation amount and location of PRBs in the narrowband can be established based on the number of bits. This mapping relationship represents a one-to-one correspondence between the PRB resource allocation indicator field and the allocation amount and location of PRBs in the narrowband. Several examples are provided below to illustrate how this mapping relationship is established. In one example, for a narrowband containing 6 PRBs, the 6 PRBs are sequentially numbered 1-6. If the PRB allocation granularity is set to 4 or 6, four different combinations can be obtained. In this example, as shown in Table 2, possible allocation methods can include (1,2,3,4), (2,3,4,5), (3,4,5,6), and (1,2,3,4,5,6), and a one-to-one correspondence is established between different values ​​of the PRB resource allocation indicator field and the PRB allocation amount and location.

[0065] Table 2. Mapping Relationship between PRB Resource Allocation Indication Domain and PRB Allocation Quantity and Location

[0066]

[0067] In another example, for the case of a narrowband containing 6 PRBs, the 6 PRBs are numbered 1-6 sequentially. Each PRB allocation quantity can be set to correspond to an allocation position, which can generate 6 different combinations, as shown in Table 3. A one-to-one correspondence can be set between different PRB resource allocation indicator fields and PRB allocation quantities and allocation positions.

[0068] Table 3. Mapping Relationship between PRB Resource Allocation Indication Domain and PRB Allocation Amount and Location

[0069]

[0070] In another example, for a narrowband containing 6 PRBs, the 6 PRBs are numbered 1-6 sequentially, and the possible PRB allocation amounts can be set to 3, 4, 5, and 6. At the same time, the allocation position can be restricted for each PRB allocation amount, which can generate 4 different combinations, as shown in Table 4. A one-to-one correspondence can be set between different PRB resource allocation indicator fields and PRB allocation amounts and allocation positions.

[0071] Table 4. Mapping Relationship between PRB Resource Allocation Indication Domain and PRB Allocation Quantity and Location

[0072]

[0073] It should be noted that the PRB resource allocation indication field can be used to represent the location and quantity of PRB resources allocated by the base station to the terminal in the narrowband. During the generation of the PRB resource allocation indication field, the location and quantity of the PRBs can be jointly encoded. However, in other embodiments of this disclosure, other encoding methods can also be used to generate the PRB resource allocation indication field, and this disclosure does not limit this. In the process of establishing the mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the PRB allocation quantity and location, the mapping method for different data's PRB resource allocation indication field and PRB allocation quantity and location is not limited to the examples in Tables 2-4 above. For example, in Table 4, the PRB corresponding to PRB resource allocation indication field 00 can be an allocation method with a PRB starting position of 4 and an allocation quantity of 3, while the PRB corresponding to PRB resource allocation indication field 11 can be an allocation method with a PRB starting position of 1 and an allocation quantity of 6. This disclosure does not limit the mapping method between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the PRB allocation quantity and location.

[0074] In embodiments of this disclosure, by limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation location of the PRB, the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) can be reduced. In one embodiment, the compressed bits can be used for other purposes, such as... Figure 3 As shown, after determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position, the method may further include the following steps:

[0075] In step 301: Determine the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI before limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation location of the PRB.

[0076] In step 303: Determine the number of bits that the PRB resource allocation indication field occupies in the DCI is compressed relative to the original number of bits.

[0077] In step 305: the compressed number of bits is used to represent the resource indication information for the continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks by the MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (MPDCCH).

[0078] In this embodiment, the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indicator field in the DCI can be determined before limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB. For example, for a bandwidth of 6 PRBs, the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indicator field in the DCI is 5 bits. After limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRBs, a portion of the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indicator field in the DCI can be compressed (i.e., reduced). For example, for the mapping table shown in Table 2, if the PRB resource allocation indicator field requires 2 bits, then 3 bits of space can be compressed; for the mapping table shown in Table 3, if the PRB resource allocation indicator field requires 3 bits, then 2 bits of space can be compressed.

[0079] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the compressed number of bits can be used to represent resource indication information for the continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks in the MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (MPDCCH). Similar to traditional LTE scheduling, one MPDCCH in MTC schedules one MTC Physical Downlink Shared Channel (MPDSCH). Before receiving or sending data, the MTC terminal needs to receive and blindly detect the MPDCCH. When the MTC terminal sends or receives a large data packet, it needs to be divided into multiple scheduling operations. In most cases, due to similar channel conditions, the scheduling content of multiple MPDCCH scheduling operations is also similar. In this situation, the user terminal still needs to demodulate the scheduling content of each MPDCCH scheduling operation, consuming a significant amount of power. Therefore, to reduce the power consumption of the user terminal, 3GPP release 16 proposed a technique for continuously scheduling multiple uplink or downlink data blocks using the MPDCCH. To support multi-data-block scheduling, an additional indication field needs to be introduced in the DCI. In this embodiment, the compressed number of bits can be used to represent resource indication information for the continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks in the MPDCCH. The resource indication information may include at least one of the following: the number of data blocks, and an indication of whether the data block is new data. Since the data blocks are divided into new data and retransmitted data, the number of compressed bits can be used to indicate whether each data block is new data or retransmitted data.

[0080] It should be noted that the number of compressed bits is not limited to the resource indication information used to indicate the continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks in the MTC physical downlink control channel MPDCCH, but can also be used in scenarios where bits in the DCI need to be occupied during downlink communication. This application does not limit this.

[0081] In one embodiment of this disclosure, after determining the mapping relationship, the PRB resource allocation indication field corresponding to the narrowband PRB allocated to the terminal can be determined based on the mapping relationship and the amount of resources required by the terminal. In one example, using the mapping relationship table corresponding to Table 3 as the rule, if it is determined that the terminal requires 4 PRBs, then the PRB resource allocation indication field can be determined to be 010 from Table 3. In another embodiment, resource indication information for MPDCCH to continuously schedule multiple data blocks can also be generated. In one embodiment, the DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field and the resource indication information can also be sent to the terminal. Based on the above embodiments, it is possible to make the DCI contain richer information without increasing the DCI space.

[0082] The resource allocation indication method provided in this application can compress the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) by limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the narrowband physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated by the base station to the terminal. Through the technical solution disclosed herein, not only can the resource allocation method in MTC be optimized, but the compressed space can also be utilized in other scenarios requiring space in downlink communication, enabling the DCI to contain richer information without increasing the space occupied by the DCI.

[0083] This disclosure also provides a base station. Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a base station 400 according to an exemplary embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 4 The base station includes a data allocation processing module 401, a bit count determination module 403, and a mapping relationship establishment module 405.

[0084] The allocation data processing module 401 is configured to limit the amount and / or location of narrowband physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated by the base station to the terminal.

[0085] The bit count determination module 403 is configured to determine the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position.

[0086] The mapping relationship establishment module 405 is configured to establish a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and allocation position of PRB in the narrowband based on the number of bits.

[0087] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0088] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, limiting the amount of narrowband physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated by the base station to the terminal may include:

[0089] Configure the amount of PRB allocated by the base station to the terminal in the narrowband to at least one preset value.

[0090] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the preset value may be greater than or equal to a first threshold.

[0091] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the allocation location of the narrowband physical resource block (PRB) allocated by the base station to the terminal may include:

[0092] The base station is allowed to allocate PRBs in the narrowband to the terminal at a series of consecutive positions starting from a fixed position in the narrowband.

[0093] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the allocation location of the narrowband physical resource block (PRB) allocated by the base station to the terminal may include:

[0094] The base station is allowed to allocate PRBs to terminals in narrowbands at multiple non-contiguous fixed locations within the narrowband.

[0095] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, determining the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation location may include:

[0096] Based on the allocation amount and / or the allocation position, determine the number of different combinations of allocation amount and allocation position;

[0097] Calculate the number of bits required for the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) based on the stated quantity.

[0098] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the base station may further include:

[0099] The original bit count determination module is used to determine the original bit count occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI before limiting the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB;

[0100] A compressed bit determination module is used to determine the number of bits compressed by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI relative to the original number of bits.

[0101] The compressed bit usage module is used to represent resource indication information for the continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks by the MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (MPDCCH) using the compressed number of bits.

[0102] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the resource indication information may include at least one of the following: the number of data blocks, and indication information as to whether the data blocks are new data.

[0103] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the base station may further include:

[0104] The indication field generation module is used to determine the PRB resource allocation indication field corresponding to the narrowband PRB allocated to the terminal based on the mapping relationship and the amount of resources required by the terminal.

[0105] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the base station may further include:

[0106] The resource indication information generation module is used to generate resource indication information for the continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks in the MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (MPDCCH).

[0107] Optionally, in one embodiment of this disclosure, the base station may further include:

[0108] The information sending module is used to send the DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field and the resource indication information to the terminal.

[0109] This disclosure also provides a resource allocation indication method based on a user terminal, wherein the terminal may include a terminal device capable of accessing a communication network based on a network protocol. For example, it may include a mobile smartphone, a computer (including laptops and desktop computers), a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a smart wearable device. Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation instruction method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the method includes:

[0110] In step 501: The terminal receives a DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field;

[0111] In step 503: The PRB resource allocation indication field is parsed using the mapping relationship established by the resource allocation indication method described in any of the above embodiments to determine the allocation amount and allocation location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station.

[0112] In this embodiment, at the user terminal, the received PRB resource allocation indication field can be parsed using the mapping relationship described in any of the above embodiments, thereby determining the allocation amount and location of PRBs in the narrowband allocated by the base station. In one example, if the user terminal receives a value of 011 in the PRB resource allocation indication field, using the mapping relationship table between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the PRB allocation amount and location shown in Table 3, it can be determined that the allocated resource amount in the narrowband is 3 PRBs, and the resource location is (4,5,6).

[0113] This disclosure also provides a terminal, Figure 6 This is a block diagram of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 6 The device may include a DCI receiving module 601 and a data parsing module 603.

[0114] The DCI receiving module 601 is configured to receive a DCI containing a PRB resource allocation indication field;

[0115] The data parsing module 603 is configured to parse the PRB resource allocation indication field using the mapping relationship established by the above-mentioned resource allocation indication method, and determine the allocation amount and allocation location of PRB in the narrowband allocated by the base station.

[0116] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 700 for resource allocation instruction according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, apparatus 700 may be a mobile phone, computer, digital broadcasting terminal, messaging device, game console, tablet device, medical device, fitness equipment, personal digital assistant, etc.

[0117] Reference Figure 7 The device 700 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 702, a memory 704, a power supply component 706, a multimedia component 708, an audio component 710, an input / output (I / O) interface 712, a sensor component 714, and a communication component 716.

[0118] Processing component 702 typically controls the overall operation of device 700, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communication, camera operation, and recording. Processing component 702 may include one or more processors 720 to execute instructions to complete all or part of the steps of the methods described above. Furthermore, processing component 702 may include one or more modules to facilitate interaction between processing component 702 and other components. For example, processing component 702 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between multimedia component 708 and processing component 702.

[0119] Memory 704 is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of device 700. Examples of this data include instructions for any application or method operating on device 700, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. Memory 704 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0120] Power supply assembly 706 provides power to various components of device 700. Power supply assembly 706 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to device 700.

[0121] Multimedia component 708 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 700 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touchscreen to receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches, swipes, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensors may sense not only the boundaries of the touch or swipe action but also the duration and pressure associated with the touch or swipe operation. In some embodiments, multimedia component 708 includes a front-facing camera and / or a rear-facing camera. When the device 700 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode, the front-facing camera and / or the rear-facing camera may receive external multimedia data. Each front-facing camera and rear-facing camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

[0122] Audio component 710 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, audio component 710 includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when device 700 is in an operating mode, such as call mode, recording mode, and voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may be further stored in memory 704 or transmitted via communication component 716. In some embodiments, audio component 710 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0123] I / O interface 712 provides an interface between processing component 702 and peripheral interface modules, such as keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to, home buttons, volume buttons, power buttons, and lock buttons.

[0124] Sensor assembly 714 includes one or more sensors for providing state assessments of various aspects of device 700. For example, sensor assembly 714 may detect the on / off state of device 700, the relative positioning of components such as the display and keypad of device 700, changes in the position of device 700 or a component of device 700, the presence or absence of user contact with device 700, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of device 700, and temperature changes of device 700. Sensor assembly 714 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. Sensor assembly 714 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, sensor assembly 714 may also include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0125] Communication component 716 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between device 700 and other devices. Device 700 can access wireless networks based on communication standards, such as WiFi, 2G, or 3G, or combinations thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 716 receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 716 also includes a near-field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

[0126] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 700 may be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the methods described above.

[0127] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 704 including instructions, which can be executed by a processor 720 of the device 700 to perform the above-described method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0128] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 800 for resource allocation instruction according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, apparatus 800 may be provided as a server. (Refer to...) Figure 8The apparatus 800 includes a processing component 822, which further includes one or more processors, and memory resources represented by memory 832 for storing instructions, such as application programs, that can be executed by the processing component 822. The application programs stored in memory 832 may include one or more modules, each corresponding to a set of instructions. Furthermore, the processing component 822 is configured to execute instructions to perform the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0129] Device 800 may also include a power supply component 826 configured to perform power management of device 800, a wired or wireless network interface 850 configured to connect device 800 to a network, and an input / output (I / O) interface 858. Device 800 may operate on an operating system stored in memory 832, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, or similar.

[0130] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 832 including instructions, which can be executed by a processing component 822 of the apparatus 800 to perform the above-described method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0131] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0132] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A resource allocation indication method, characterized by, The method is applied to a machine type communication (MTC) base station, and comprises: limiting the allocation quantity and / or allocation position of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in a narrow band allocated by the base station to a terminal; establishing a mapping relationship between a PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation quantity and / or allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band according to the allocation quantity and / or allocation position; the limiting of the allocation quantity of PRBs in a narrow band allocated by the base station to a terminal comprises: setting the allocation quantity of PRBs in a narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal as at least one preset value.

2. The resource allocation indication method of claim 1, wherein, the preset value is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

3. The resource allocation indication method of claim 1, wherein, the limiting of the allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band allocated by the base station to a terminal comprises: setting the allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal as a plurality of continuous positions starting from a fixed position in the narrow band.

4. The resource allocation indication method of claim 1, wherein, the limiting of the allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band allocated by the base station to a terminal comprises: setting the allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal as a plurality of non-continuous fixed positions in the narrow band.

5. The resource allocation indication method of claim 1, wherein, the establishing of a mapping relationship between a PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation quantity and / or allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band according to the allocation quantity and / or allocation position comprises: determining the number of bits occupied by a PRB resource allocation indication field in downlink control information (DCI) according to the allocation quantity and / or allocation position; based on the number of bits, establishing a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation quantity and / or allocation position of PRBs in a narrow band, the PRB resource allocation indication field being used to indicate the position and quantity of PRB resources allocated by the base station to the terminal in the narrow band.

6. The resource allocation indication method of claim 5, wherein, the determining of the number of bits occupied by a PRB resource allocation indication field in downlink control information (DCI) according to the allocation quantity and / or allocation position comprises: determining the number of combinations of different allocation quantities and allocation positions according to the allocation quantity and / or allocation position; calculating the number of bits required by a PRB resource allocation indication field in DCI according to the number.

7. The resource allocation indication method of claim 5, wherein, after the determining of the number of bits occupied by a PRB resource allocation indication field in downlink control information (DCI) according to the allocation quantity and / or allocation position, the method further comprises: determining the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in DCI before the limiting of the allocation quantity and / or allocation position of the PRBs; determining the number of compressed bits of the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in DCI relative to the original number of bits; using the number of compressed bits to represent resource indication information of a machine type communication (MTC) physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH) continuously scheduling a plurality of data blocks.

8. The resource allocation indication method of claim 7, wherein, the resource indication information comprises at least one of the following: the number of data blocks, and indication information of whether the data blocks are new data.

9. The resource allocation indication method of claim 1, wherein, the method further comprises: the base station determining a PRB resource allocation indication field corresponding to PRBs in a narrow band allocated to the terminal according to the mapping relationship and the resource quantity required by the terminal.

10. The resource allocation indication method of claim 9, wherein, the method further comprises: generating resource indication information of a machine type communication (MTC) physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH) continuously scheduling a plurality of data blocks.

11. The resource allocation indication method of claim 10, wherein, the method further comprises: The DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field and the resource indication information is sent to the terminal.

12. A resource allocation indication method, comprising: Comprise: The terminal receives the DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field; The mapping relationship established by the resource allocation indication method of any one of claims 1-11 is used to parse the PRB resource allocation indication field, and the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band allocated by the base station are determined.

13. A base station, characterized by The base station is used for machine type communication MTC, comprising: The allocation data processing module is used to limit the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the physical resource block PRB in the narrow band allocated by the base station to the terminal; The mapping relationship establishing module is used to establish the mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band according to the allocation amount and / or the allocation position; the limitation of the allocation amount of the physical resource block PRB in the narrow band allocated by the base station to the terminal comprises: The allocation amount of the PRB in the narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal is set to at least one preset value.

14. The base station of claim 13, characterized in that, The preset value is greater than or equal to the first threshold value.

15. The base station of claim 13, wherein, The allocation position of the physical resource block PRB in the narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal comprises: The allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal is set to a plurality of continuous positions starting from a fixed position in the narrow band.

16. The base station of claim 13, wherein, The allocation position of the physical resource block PRB in the narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal comprises: The allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band allowed to be allocated by the base station to the terminal is set to a plurality of non-continuous fixed positions in the narrow band.

17. The base station of claim 13, wherein, The base station comprises: The bit number determining module is used to determine the number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information DCI according to the allocation amount and / or the allocation position; The mapping relationship establishing module is used to establish the mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band based on the bit number, and the PRB resource allocation indication field is used to indicate the position and quantity of the PRB resource allocated by the base station to the terminal in the narrow band.

18. The base station of claim 17, wherein, The bit number determining module is used to: According to the allocation amount and / or the allocation position, the number of combination modes with different allocation amount and allocation position is determined; According to the number, the number of bits required by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the downlink control information (DCI) is calculated.

19. The base station of claim 13, wherein, The base station further comprises: The original bit number determining module is used to determine the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI before the allocation amount and / or the allocation position of the PRB is limited; The compressed bit determining module is used to determine the number of bits compressed with respect to the original number of bits occupied by the PRB resource allocation indication field in the DCI; The compressed bit using module is used to use the compressed number of bits to represent the resource indication information of the MTC physical downlink control channel MPDCCH continuous scheduling a plurality of data blocks.

20. The base station of claim 19, wherein, The resource indication information comprises at least one of the following: the number of data blocks, and the indication information of whether the data block is new data.

21. The base station of claim 13, wherein, The base station further comprises: The indication field generation module is configured to determine the PRB resource allocation indication field corresponding to the PRB pair in the narrow band allocated to the terminal according to the mapping relationship and the resource amount required by the terminal.

22. The base station of claim 21, wherein, The base station further comprises: The resource indication information generation module is configured to generate resource indication information for continuous scheduling of multiple data blocks by the MTC physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH).

23. The base station of claim 22, wherein, The base station further comprises: The information sending module is configured to send the DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field and the resource indication information to the terminal.

24. A terminal, characterized by The DCI receiving module is configured to receive the DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field. The data analysis module is configured to analyze the PRB resource allocation indication field by using the mapping relationship established by the resource allocation indication method in any one of claims 1-11, and determine the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band allocated by the base station. The processor; 25. A resource allocation indication apparatus, comprising: The memory for storing processor-executable instructions; The processor is configured to: limit the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the physical resource block (PRB) in the narrow band allocated to the terminal by the base station; establish a mapping relationship between the PRB resource allocation indication field and the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band according to the allocation amount and / or the allocation position; the limiting of the allocation amount of the PRB in the narrow band allocated to the terminal by the base station comprises: setting the allocation amount of the PRB in the narrow band allowed to be allocated to the terminal by the base station as at least one preset value. The processor; The memory for storing processor-executable instructions; 26. A resource allocation indication apparatus, comprising: The processor is configured to: receive the DCI containing the PRB resource allocation indication field; analyze the PRB resource allocation indication field by using the mapping relationship established by the resource allocation indication method in any one of claims 1-11, and determine the allocation amount and / or allocation position of the PRB in the narrow band allocated by the base station.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor, enabling the processor to perform the method in any one of claims 1-11.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor, enabling the processor to perform the method in claim 12. ​ ​ ​

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