Dynamic signaling of downlink and uplink subframe allocations for TDD wireless communication systems

Abstract

Embodiments of the application relate to dynamic signaling of downlink and uplink subframe allocation for TDD wireless communication systems. In an example of a described wireless communication network, a processing resource (230) is configured to determine time intervals of periodic time division duplex, TDD, uplink / downlink, UL / DL, reconfiguration windows, generate UL / DL reconfiguration commands to indicate dynamic TDD UL / DL allocation changes, and encode the UL / DL reconfiguration commands in physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, data. A radio front end, RF, interface (220) is coupled to the processing resource (230) and is configured to cause the encoded UL / DL reconfiguration commands to be transmitted to a first of a plurality of wireless user equipment, UEs, in a first of the UL / DL reconfiguration windows. The encoded UL / DL reconfiguration commands are transmitted via PDCCH to provide fast TDD UL / DL reconfiguration.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on August 6, 2014, with application number "201480043791.4" and invention title "Dynamic Signaling for Downlink and Uplink Subframe Allocation in TDD Wireless Communication Systems". Technical Field

[0002] This invention generally relates to wireless communication systems, and more specifically, to dynamic signaling for downlink and uplink subframe allocation in time division duplex (TDD) wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication networks can incorporate wireless terminal devices and base stations (BSs) for the purpose of providing communication services (e.g., telephone, data, video, messaging, chat, and broadcasting). Multiple wireless terminals can connect to a serving cell controlled by the BS. Wireless networks can employ various access schemes, including Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). A BS can also be referred to as a NodeB in the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), an evolved NodeB (eNB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) as specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a Base Transceiver System (BTS), or an Access Point (AP).

[0004] Generally, an eNB can be fixed hardware (e.g., not mobile), but in some cases (e.g., when deployed in a vehicle) it can also be mobile. The wireless terminal device can be portable hardware and may be referred to as a user equipment (UE), mobile station, cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or wireless modem card. In a wireless communication network, uplink (UL) communication can refer to communication from the UE to the eNB, while downlink (DL) communication can refer to communication from the eNB to the UE. The eNB may include a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver for direct communication with the UE, which may be in a fixed location or freely movable around the eNB. Similarly, each UE may include an RF transmitter and receiver for direct communication with the eNB. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In the described example of a wireless communication network, processing resources are configured to determine the time interval of a periodic Time Division Duplex (TDD) uplink / downlink (UL / DL) reconfiguration window, generate UL / DL reconfiguration commands to indicate dynamic TDD UL / DL allocation changes, and encode the UL / DL reconfiguration commands in the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) data. A radio front-end (RF) interface is coupled to the processing resources and configured such that the encoded UL / DL reconfiguration command is transmitted to the first of a plurality of radio user equipments (UEs) within the UL / DL reconfiguration window. The encoded UL / DL reconfiguration command is transmitted via the PDCCH to provide fast TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a wireless communication network.

[0007] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of a wireless communication device.

[0008] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the frame structure used in wireless communication networks.

[0009] Figure 4 A table for TDD UL / DL configuration for radio frames.

[0010] Figure 5 A table of Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) values.

[0011] Figure 6 Timing diagram for the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration method.

[0012] Figure 7 Timing diagram for another TDD UL / DL reconfiguration method.

[0013] Figure 8 Tables showing the payload size for DCI format 1C and DCI format 1A for various bandwidths.

[0014] Figure 9 A block diagram for reconfiguring the data structure for TDD UL / DL.

[0015] Figure 10 A block diagram for reconfiguring the data structure for another TDD UL / DL.

[0016] Figure 11 Reconfigure the matching tables between the indexes of the serving cell and TDD UL / DL.

[0017] Figure 12A flowchart illustrating a method for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration.

[0018] Figure 13 A flowchart of another method for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration.

[0019] Figure 14 A flowchart of another method for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration.

[0020] Figure 15 A flowchart of another method for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration.

[0021] Figure 16 A flowchart of another method for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration.

[0022] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating a method for dynamically detecting TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Detailed Implementation

[0023] This paper discloses a dynamic time-division duplex (TDD) uplink / downlink (UL / DL) reconfiguration signaling scheme for TDD wireless communication systems. TDD wireless communication systems can transmit and receive data on a single carrier frequency. UL and DL transmissions can be multiplexed by time slots within fixed time intervals. The ratio between UL and DL transmissions within a fixed time interval can be selected based on the UL and DL traffic patterns. In traditional homogeneous networks with macrocell deployments, UL and DL traffic patterns can be substantially static or semi-static. Therefore, the same TDD UL / DL configuration can be used for time intervals of at least several hundred milliseconds (ms) or seconds. However, in heterogeneous networks (het-nets) with small cell deployments, UL and DL traffic patterns can be more dynamic in nature. Furthermore, the proximity of adjacent small cells can introduce more dynamism into inter-cell interference, potentially impacting system performance and / or capacity.

[0024] This document discloses an embodiment of a dynamic signaling scheme for TDD UL / DL reconfiguration in a TDD wireless communication system. The TDD wireless communication system may include an eNB communicatively coupled to multiple UEs. The TDD wireless communication system can use a single carrier frequency of medium or wide bandwidth (e.g., 5, 10, and 20 MHz) for both UL and DL transmissions by multiplexing UL and DL transmissions in the time domain (e.g., in terms of subframes). The TDD wireless communication system can support predetermined TDD UL / DL configurations, which may each include different ratios of the number of UL subframes to the number of DL subframes in a radio frame. The eNB can select an appropriate TDD UL / DL configuration based on the TDD UL / D service mode and can dynamically send TDD UL / DL reconfiguration signals to the UEs. In an embodiment, the eNB may determine the time interval (e.g., an integer multiple of a radio frame) of the periodic TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window or modification window, and may transmit at least one TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command within the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window to signal a TDD UL / DL allocation change (e.g., a TDD UL / DL configuration index), for example, starting at the boundary of the next TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window.

[0025] The eNB can transmit TDD UL / DL reconfiguration commands via physical layer signaling (e.g., PDCCH) to provide fast reconfiguration (e.g., minimal configuration change delay). The eNB can encode and transmit the reconfiguration command in a PDCCH DCI message, which may be located in the PDCCH Common Search Space (CSS) and / or in the PDCCH UE-Specific Search Space (UESS). In an embodiment, when the eNB uses the PDCCH CCS to signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration, the eNB can use the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration-specific RNTI (TDD-RNTI) for cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambling to distinguish the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command from other control commands that can be transmitted in the PDCCH CCS.

[0026] When a TDD wireless communication system employs carrier aggregation (CA), the eNB can send TDD UL / DL reconfiguration signals for all serving cells to the UE in the PDCCH CCS on the primary serving cell (PCell). For example, the eNB can send a DCI message containing UL / DL allocation changes for all serving cells, or send a separate DCI message for each serving cell with different reconfiguration schedules. Alternatively, the eNB can signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration separately for the PCell and the secondary serving cell (SCell). For example, the eNB can signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for the PCell in the CCS of the PCell PDCCH, and signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for the SCell in the UESS of the SCell PDCCH.

[0027] The eNB can send multiple TDD UL / DL reconfiguration commands within the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window to improve the reliability of decoding reconfiguration messages at the UE. The disclosed embodiments enable TDD wireless communication systems to dynamically signal TDD UL / DL allocations to adapt to changes in TDD UL / DL service modes, thereby providing a significant increase in system capacity.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a wireless communication network 100 according to various embodiments. Network 100 can provide various communication services, such as voice, packet data, etc. In embodiments, network 100 may be a 3GPP LTE network or a 3GPP LTE Advanced network as described in 3GPP LTE specification releases 8 (Rel-8) to 11 (Rel-11), all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Network 100 may include an eNB 110 communicatively coupled to a plurality of UEs 120 via UL channel 131 and DL channel 132.

[0029] The eNB 110 may be a base station device configured to communicate wirelessly with multiple UEs 120 via an air interface through UL channel 131 and DL channel 132. The eNB 110 may include a wireless transceiver or a separate wireless transmitter and receiver with one or more antennas. The eNB 110 may be configured to transmit DL radio signals to one or more UEs 120 and receive UL radio signals from one or more UEs 120.

[0030] UE 120 may be a terminal device configured to communicate wirelessly with eNB 110 via an air interface through UL channel 131 and DL channel 132. UE 120 may be a mobile phone, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), or any mobile user equipment. Each UE 120 may include a radio transceiver or a separate radio transmitter and receiver with one or more antennas, and may be configured to transmit UL radio signals to eNB 110 and receive DL radio signals from eNB 110.

[0031] In some embodiments, network 100 may use a TDD transmission scheme for UL and DL transmissions in UL channel 131 and DL channel 132, respectively. Network 100 may multiplex UL and DL transmissions in UL channel 131 and DL channel 132 in the time domain at a single carrier frequency, respectively.

[0032] In some embodiments, network 100 may employ CA to increase bandwidth, thereby increasing system capacity and / or data transmission bit rate. In such embodiments, eNB 110 may employ multiple component carriers (CCs) to serve multiple serving cells. CCs may or may not be frequency-adjacent and may each contain the same or different bandwidths (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz). Each CC may operate on a different frequency band and may serve one serving cell, which may be a primary serving cell (PCell) or a secondary serving cell (SCell). For example, eNB 100 may serve UE 120 via a PCell (e.g., for establishing Radio Resource Control (RRC) and connections to the corresponding core network of network 100) and may serve UE 120 via one or more SCells (e.g., for additional radio resources). The coverage of a serving cell may vary, for example, due to the different frequency bands of CCs experiencing different path losses. In embodiments, eNB 110 may send individual transmit schedules to UE 120 in each corresponding serving cell. In another embodiment, eNB 110 may employ a cross-scheduling scheme, wherein eNB 110 may transmit transmit scheduling for PCell and SCell on the CC of PCell. eNB 110 may configure UE 120 using CA via upper-layer (e.g., Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) layer above the physical layer) configuration commands (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC) layer commands).

[0033] In some implementations, eNB 110 may be a macro base station installed at a fixed physical location in the planned layout during network deployment to maximize coverage area and system performance (e.g., network capacity). eNB 110 may serve a predetermined coverage area, which may be divided into one or more cells (e.g., ~3 cells). When network 100 is a homogeneous network, network 100 may include one or more eNBs 110, each serving one or more macro cells and employing substantially similar transmit power levels, antenna patterns, noise floor, and / or backhaul network connectivity to connect to backend data and / or packet networks. In some other embodiments, eNB 110 may be a small cell base station (e.g., pico, femto, etc.) serving small cells, which may or may not overlap with macro cells. When small cells and macro cells overlap (e.g., to cover apertures or areas not reached by macro cells or to improve capacity in hotspot areas), network 100 may be referred to as a heterogeneous network (het-net).

[0034] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of a wireless communication device 200 according to various embodiments. Device 200 may act as an eNB (e.g., eNB 110), a UE (e.g., UE 120), and / or any other wireless device in a wireless communication network (e.g., network 100). Figure 2 As shown, device 200 may include a digital interface 210, a processing unit 230 (e.g., processing resources), a data storage unit 240, and an RF interface 220. Digital interface 210 may be configured to receive digital data streams from external devices and / or transmit digital data streams to external devices. In some embodiments, digital interface 210 may include a high-speed serializer / deserializer (SerDes) channel, an external memory interface (EMIF), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a serial peripheral interface (SPI), a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, an integrated circuit interface (I2C), a general-purpose digital input / output (GPIO), and so on.

[0035] Processing unit 230 may be coupled to digital interface 210 to process data streams received from digital interface 210 or to generate and transmit data streams to digital interface 210. Processing unit 230 may include one or more processors (e.g., single-core or multi-core processors, digital signal processors, etc.), one or more hardware accelerators, one or more computer and / or data storage units 240, which may act as data storage devices, buffers, etc. In some embodiments, processing unit 230 may include multiple hardware accelerators specifically designed for wireless communication. Some examples of hardware accelerators may include Turbo encoding and / or decoding, Viterbi decoding, bit rate processing, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), packet processing, security processing, etc.

[0036] Processing unit 230 may include a wireless transceiver module 231 stored in internal non-transitory memory within processing unit 230 to allow processing unit 230 to implement baseband transmit chain, baseband receive chain, downlink control signaling (e.g., methods 600, 700, 1000, and / or 1100, as discussed more fully below), and / or any other schemes as discussed herein. In an alternative embodiment, wireless transceiver module 231 may be implemented as instructions stored in data storage unit 240, which may be executed by processing unit 230.

[0037] Data storage unit 240 may include one or more cache memories (e.g., Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2), and / or Level 3 (L3) cache memories) for temporary storage of content, such as random access memory (RAM). Additionally, data storage unit 240 may include long-term storage devices for storing content for relatively long periods, such as read-only memory (ROM). For example, cache memories and long-term storage devices may include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), dual data rate 3 (DDR3) RAM, and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), solid-state drives (SSDs), hard disks, combinations thereof, or other types of non-temporary storage devices.

[0038] RF interface 220 may be coupled to processing unit 230 and radio front end. For example, radio front end may include one or more antennas and may be configured to wirelessly receive and / or transmit radio signals. RF interface 220 may be configured to receive digital frames generated by processing unit 230 and transmit the received digital frames to radio front end. Conversely, RF interface 220 may be configured to receive digital frames converted by radio front end (e.g., from received radio signals) and transmit the received digital frames to processing unit 230 for processing.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of a frame structure 300 for a wireless communication network (e.g., network 100). Frame structure 300 can be communicated between an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) and one or more UEs (e.g., UE 120). In frame structure 300, radio transmissions can be defined according to radio frames 310. Each radio frame 310 can contain multiple subframes 320 and can span a fixed time interval. For example, in an LTE system, radio frame 310 can span 10 ms and can contain 10 subframes 320, each subframe 320 having a duration of 1 ms.

[0040] In an embodiment, the network can use a TDD transmission scheme for UL and DL transmissions by multiplexing UL and DL transmissions in the time domain on a single frequency. In this embodiment, each subframe 320 can be configured for either UL or DL ​​transmission. For example, the network can employ a fixed number of predetermined TDD UL / DL configurations, wherein each TDD UL / DL configuration may include different ratios of the number of UL subframes to the number of DL subframes in a radio frame. For example, an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) can configure a UE (e.g., UE 120) in the cell for a specific TDD UL / DL configuration based on the types of UL and DL services in the cell.

[0041] In some embodiments, subframe 320 for DL ​​transmission and subframe 320 for UL transmission can be grouped together and separated by a specific subframe 320 (which may be referred to as a special subframe). The special subframe may include a DL pilot time slot (DwPTS) for DL ​​transmission, a guard period (GP), and a UL pilot time slot (UpPTS) for UL transmission. The GP enables handover between DL reception and DL transmission at the UE. Furthermore, the special subframe enables coexistence with other TDD systems, such as 3GPP LTE systems and Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems, etc.

[0042] In an embodiment, each subframe 320 may contain multiple Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, which may be approximately 12 or approximately 14 OFDM symbols depending on the Cyclic Prefix (CP) mode (e.g., extended CP mode or normal CP mode). Each OFDM symbol may span multiple OFDM subcarriers, which may be divided into multiple resource blocks (RBs). For example, an RB may contain approximately 12 OFDM frequency subcarriers. Each DL subframe 320 may contain a variable downlink control area at the beginning of the subframe 320 (e.g., from 1 to 4 symbols) and may contain a variable data area in the remaining symbols for carrying DL packets from the eNB to the UE. When allocated for UL transmission, subframe 320 may carry UL packets and / or uplink control signaling from the UE to the eNB.

[0043] The downlink control area, referred to as PDCCH, may contain CSS and / or UESS. CSS may carry common control information and may be monitored by all UEs or a group of UEs in the cell. UESS may carry UE-specific control information and may be monitored by at least one UE in the cell. The downlink control area may carry PDCCH data encoded according to some predetermined downlink control information (DCI) formats (e.g., DCI formats 1A, 1C, 2D, etc.) as described in 3GPP LTE specification versions 8 to 11. PDCCH data may carry UL scheduling information (e.g., RBs in data areas for transmitting UL data by a specific UE), DL scheduling information (e.g., RBs in data areas carrying data for a specific UE), RBs in data areas carrying system information messages, paging messages, transmit power control (TPC) commands, etc.

[0044] Each type of PDCCH data can be encoded according to one of the predetermined DCI formats. For example, common or group control information in PDCCH CSS can be encoded using DCI format 1A or IC. Common control information can be distinguished by the payload size of the DCI format and / or the 16-bit RNTI used to scramble the DCI-encoded common control information message, where each type of common control information can contain a different RNTI. For example, the System Information RNTI (SI-RNTI) can be used to indicate the RB for System Information (SI), the Paging Information RNTI (P-RNTI) can be used to indicate the RB for Paging messages, the Cell RNTI (C-RNTI) can be used to indicate the RB for a specific UE, the Random Access RNTI (RA-RNTI) can be used to indicate the RB for Random Access Response messages, and so on.

[0045] Therefore, when the UE receives PDCCH data from the PDCCH CSS, the UE can perform blind decoding to detect the correct payload size. For example, the UE can perform one set of blind decoding operations to detect DCI format 1A and another set of blind decoding operations to detect DCI format IC. After detecting the correct DCI format, the UE can determine the type of control information by correctly scrambling the CRC in the received PDCCH data using the RNTI corresponding to the common control information type.

[0046] In some embodiments, the downlink control region may include an additional region spanning multiple frequency subcarriers across the data region (e.g., as described in 3GPP LTE specification release 11 (Rel-11)) carrying additional downlink control signals. This additional downlink control region may be referred to as the Enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH) in the 3GPP LTE specification Rel-11. The term PDCCH as used herein may be used generally to refer to the downlink control region and may include 3GPP LTE PDCCH, 3GPP LTE EPDCCH, or a combination thereof.

[0047] Figure 4 Table 400 shows the TDD UL / DL configurations for radio frames (e.g., radio frame 310). In Table 400, column 410 shows an index of multiple TDD UL / DL configurations, and column 430 shows TDD UL / DL configurations, each of which may contain approximately 10 subframes (e.g., subframe 320). In column 430, subframes assigned to UL transmissions are identified by “U”, subframes assigned to DL transmissions by “D”, and subframes assigned to handovers from DL to UL by “S”. The time when DL transmission switches to UL transmission or vice versa can be referred to as a handover point. Handover point periodicity can represent the period of time during which the same handover pattern repeats between UL and DL. The handover points for the TDD UL / DL configurations in Table 400 may contain handover point periods of approximately 5 ms or approximately 10 ms, as shown in column 420. Each TDD UL / DL configuration in column 430 may contain different UL / DL ratios (e.g., to provide different UL / DL service modes). Furthermore, the transmission directions of subframes 0, 1, 2, and 5 (e.g., shown as shaded in Table 400) can be fixed for all TDD UL / DL configurations, while the transmission directions of subframes 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 (e.g., shown as unshaded in Table 400) can be variable, where any two TDD UL / DL configurations can have different transmission directions.

[0048] Figure 5Table 500 shows the RNTI values. For example, RNTIs can be used to scramble the CRC of DCI messages transmitted on the PDCCH, where each RNTI value may correspond to a downlink control type. As shown in Table 500, the range of RNTIs from 0001 to 0003C (hexadecimal format) can be used to indicate RBs in the data area of ​​a subframe carrying: random access response messages (e.g., RA-RNTI), user-specific messages (e.g., C-RNTI), semi-persistent scheduling messages for a specific UE (e.g., semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI), random access messages during random access procedures (e.g., temporary C-RNTI), TPC commands for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) (e.g., TPC-PUCCH-RNTI), TPC commands for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) (e.g., TPC-PUSCH-RNTI), and so on.

[0049] The range of RNTI values ​​from 003D to FFF3 (in hexadecimal format) can be used to indicate RBs in the data area of ​​a subframe carrying the following: UE-specific messages (e.g., C-RNTI), semi-persistent scheduling messages for a specific UE (e.g., semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI), random access messages during a random access procedure (e.g., temporary C-RNTI), TPC commands for PUCCH (e.g., TPC-PUCCH-RNTI), TPC commands for PUSCH (e.g., TPC-PUSCH-RNTI), and so on.

[0050] The range of RNTI values ​​from FFF4 to FFFC (in hexadecimal format) can be reversed. RNTI values ​​FFFD, FFFE, and FFFF can be used to indicate RBs in the data area of ​​subframes for multicast control information (e.g., multicast RNTI (M-RNTI)), call messages (e.g., P-RNTI), and system information (e.g., SI-RNTI), respectively.

[0051] In embodiments, the TDD UL / DL data service pattern in a homogeneous network can be substantially static and remain unchanged for at least several hundred milliseconds to several seconds. Therefore, an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) in a homogeneous network can select an appropriate TDD UL / DL configuration (e.g., shown in Table 400) based on the UL / DL service pattern and can infrequently modify and / or reconfigure the TDD UL / DL configuration. Thus, a homogeneous network can allow some reconfiguration latency without substantial impact, where the eNB can send TDD UL / DL reconfiguration via MAC layer messages (e.g., System Information (SI) messages). Conversely, the TDD UL / DL data service pattern or interference profile in a heterogeneous network can be dynamic in nature (e.g., rapidly changing), so rapid TDD UL / DL reconfiguration with minimal latency can provide a significant increase in system capacity.

[0052] In heterogeneous networks, the proximity of adjacent cells can introduce more dynamics into inter-cell interference. For example, when compared to homogeneous networks, using different TDD UL / DL configurations across adjacent cells can lead to two additional types of interference: DL-UL interference and UL-DL interference. DL-UL interference refers to interference at the UE (e.g., UE 120) caused by DL transmissions from an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) in a neighboring cell. UL-DL interference refers to interference at the eNB caused by UL transmissions from a UE in a neighboring cell.

[0053] As described above in Table 400, the transmission direction in some subframes (e.g., subframes 0, 1, 2, and 5 in Table 400) can be fixed for all TDD UL / DL configurations and can be referred to as fixed subframes. Conversely, other subframes (e.g., subframes 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 in Table 400) can contain different transmission directions between any two TDD UL / DL configurations and can be referred to as flexible subframes. Thus, an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) and / or a UE (e.g., UE 120) in a neighboring cell may not experience UL-DL or DL-UL inter-cell interference in fixed subframes, but may experience UD-DL and / or DL-UL inter-cell interference in flexible subframes.

[0054] Figure 6A timing diagram of method 600 for TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Method 600 may be implemented at an eNB (e.g., eNB 110), a UE (e.g., UE 120), and / or a wireless communication device (e.g., device 200). Method 600 may employ physical layer signaling mechanisms to signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Employing physical layer signaling instead of MAC layer signaling can provide faster TDD UL / DL reconfiguration and / or minimal latency. In an embodiment, TDD UL / DL reconfiguration may be signaled via PDCCH shared signaling (e.g., in the PDCCH CCS of subframe 320), and TDD UL / DL reconfiguration may be applied to future radio frames (e.g., radio frame 310). The eNB may configure the UE for dynamic TDD UL / DL reconfiguration (e.g., an enable command) before employing method 600 to dynamically signal TDD UL / DL allocation.

[0055] Method 600 may define time intervals for periodic reconfiguration windows m, m+1, m+2 630, which may be integer multiples of radio frames (e.g., radio frame 310). For example, method 600 may send a first TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command 610 containing a first TDD UL / DL configuration (e.g., shown in Table 400) in reconfiguration window m 630 at time 621, and the first TDD UL / DL configuration may begin at time 622 at the boundary of the next reconfiguration window m+1 630 and remain for the duration of reconfiguration window m+1 630. Similarly, method 600 may send a second TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command 610 containing a second TDD UL / DL configuration in reconfiguration window m+1 630 at time 623, and the second TDD UL / DL configuration may begin at time 624 at the boundary of the next reconfiguration window m+2 630 and remain for the duration of reconfiguration window m+2 630. When a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command is sent via PDCCH using shared signaling, Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) may not be applied, and the eNB may not receive HARQ acknowledgment feedback regarding the reception status of the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command.

[0056] Figure 7A timing diagram for another TDD UL / DL reconfiguration method 700. Method 700 may be substantially similar to method 600. However, method 700 can improve transmission reliability by repeatedly transmitting the same TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command 710 in a reconfiguration window 730, wherein the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command 710 and the reconfiguration window 730 may be substantially similar to the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command 610 and the reconfiguration window 630, respectively. The reconfiguration window 630 and / or 730 may contain time intervals of one or more radio frames. Furthermore, the delay between the time when the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command 610 and / or 710 is detected at the UE and the time when the reconfiguration is applied can be determined by the eNB (e.g., eNB 110) based on various network factors (e.g., network conditions, deployment scenario, etc.).

[0057] In an embodiment, the eNB (e.g., 110) may transmit TDD UL / DL reconfiguration commands (e.g., commands 610 and / or 710) via the PDCCH to provide fast reconfiguration (e.g., minimal configuration latency). The eNB may encode the reconfiguration command in a physical layer DCI message, which may be located in a PDCCH CSS and / or PDCCH UESS. In an embodiment, the eNB defines a TDD-RNTI and may indicate the PDCCH CCS DCI message carrying TDD UL / DL reconfiguration by scrambling the CRC of the DCI message with the TDD-RNTI.

[0058] In an embodiment, a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command (e.g., command 610 and / or 710) may be indicated based on a configuration index. For example, a 3-bit data field may be used to indicate up to approximately 10 different TDD UL / DL configurations (e.g., as shown in Table 400). The TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command may be signaled via the PDCCH to provide fast TDD UL / DL reconfiguration, wherein the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command may be encoded according to DCI format 1A or 1C.

[0059] Figure 8Table 800 shows the payload sizes for DCI Format 1C and DCI Format 1A for various bandwidths. As shown in Table 800, when the system bandwidth varies between 6 RBs (e.g., at 1.4 MHz) and 100 RBs (e.g., at 20 MHz), DCI Format 1C can contain a payload size of approximately 8 bits to approximately 15 bits, and DCI Format 1A can contain a payload size of approximately 23 bits to approximately 31 bits. As shown in Table 800, DCI Format 1C can contain a smaller payload size than DCI Format 1A. Therefore, the DCI Format 1C payload can provide better transmit and / or receive reliability because the smaller payload size allows for encoding at a lower decoding rate for the same amount of transmit resources, and thus provides greater protection against channel errors. For example, when the DCI Format 1C payload size at the system operating bandwidth is sufficient to carry the desired TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command, a payload size matching that of DCI Format 1C can be used to encode the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command. Additionally, a payload size matching DCI format 1A can be used to encode TDD UL / DL reconfiguration commands.

[0060] When a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command is indicated via the PDCCH CCS, a unique TDD-RNTI can be used to scramble the CRC of control information when the DCI payload size matches DCI format 1A or DCI format 1C, in order to distinguish the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command from other control messages in the PDCCH CCS (e.g., SI, call, etc.). For example, the TDD-RNTI may contain one of the inverted RNTI values ​​(e.g., FFF4 to FFFC (in hexadecimal format)), as shown in Table 500 described above. Alternatively, the TDD-RNTI can be selected from some other value ranges in Table 500 (e.g., 0001-003C). To reduce the error detection of TDD UL / DL reconfiguration, the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command can be transmitted using different schedules (e.g., radio frame periodicity and / or subframe offset relative to the radio frame). For example, in 3GPP LTE, SI messages can be transmitted in non-overlapping SI windows, and in any DL subframe except for: Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframes and subframes carrying System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) subframes (e.g., subframe 5 of a radio frame with Subframe Number (SFN) modulo 2 = 0). By defining appropriate SI windows and SI periodicity, the eNB can ensure that TDD UL / DL reconfiguration commands indicated by TDD-RNTI do not conflict with SI messages indicated by SI-RNTI. For example, the SI window length can be in the range of {1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40} ms. Therefore, the probability of conflict can be further reduced by configuring the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window (e.g., reconfiguration window 630 and / or 730) to at least about 20 ms. Similar mechanisms can be applied between the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window and other control information change windows, such as call, multicast control channel (MCCH) changes, etc.

[0061] Figure 9A block diagram of the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration data structure 900. In an embodiment, an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) may serve a UE (e.g., UE 120) via one PCell and up to approximately four SCells. The eNB may instruct the UE to perform TDD UL / DL reconfiguration by applying data structure 900, for example, by transmitting a DCI payload containing data structure 900 in the PDCCH CCS on the PCell. Data structure 900 may include a PCell field 910, an SCell index 1 field 920, an SCell index 2 field 930, an SCell index 3 field 940, and an SCell index 4 field 950. The PCell field 910 may indicate the TDD UL / DL configuration for the PCell via a configuration index (e.g., shown in column 410 of Table 400) and may contain a length of approximately 3 bits (e.g., corresponding to approximately 7 predetermined TDD UL / DL configurations). Similarly, SCell index 1 field 920, SCell index 2 field 930, SCell index 3 field 940 and SCell index 4 field 950 may respectively indicate the TDD UL / DL configuration index for the first SCell, the second SCell, the third SCell and the fourth SCell, wherein each configuration index may correspond to one of the predetermined TDD UL / DL configurations.

[0062] Figure 10A block diagram of a data structure 1000 for reconfiguring another TDD UL / DL. Data structure 1000 can be used by an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) to instruct a UE (e.g., UE 120) to perform a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Data structure 1000 can be substantially similar to data structure 900. However, data structure 1000 can instruct multiple CCs transmitted by an eNB (e.g., serving multiple serving cells) rather than a specific SCell for a specific UE (as in data structure 900) for a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Data structure 1000 can contain multiple reconfiguration fields 1010 (e.g., Reconfig1 to N). Each Reconfig field 1010 can indicate a TDD UL / DL configuration for a specific serving cell via a configuration index (e.g., shown in column 410 of table 400) and can contain approximately 3 bits in length. The number of Reconfig fields 1010 (e.g., N) may vary depending on the number of CCs (or serving cells) adopted by the eNB. For example, the eNB may assign one or more Reconfig fields 1010 (e.g., corresponding to configured serving cells) to the UE to instruct TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. The data structure 1000 may further include a padding field 1020 having a number of bits corresponding to the number of bits reserved in a specific DCI format size (e.g., DCI format 1A or 1C) after all N Reconfig fields 1010 of fixed bit width are assigned.

[0063] Figure 11Table 1100 shows the mapping between serving cells and TDD UL / DL reconfiguration indexes. For example, an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) may serve multiple UEs (e.g., UE 120) via multiple CCs. As shown in Table 1100, an eNB may serve UE1 on a PCell via CC1, such that the eNB may assign Reconfig 1 (e.g., Reconfig field 1010) to UE1 via RRC signaling, and may indicate TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for the PCell using CC1 via Reconfig 1 on the PDCCH CSS. An eNB may serve UE2 on a PCell via CC1 and serve SCell via CC3. Therefore, an eNB may assign Reconfig 1 and Reconfig 3 (e.g., Reconfig field 1010) to UE2 via RRC signaling, and may indicate TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for the PCell and TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for the SCell using CC1 and CC3 respectively via Reconfig 1 and Reconfig 3 on the PDCCH CSS. The eNB can serve UE3 on PCell via CC1, UE3 on SCell 1 via CC2, and UE3 on SCell 2 via CC4. Therefore, the eNB can assign Reconfig 1, 2, and 4 to UE3 via RRC signaling and can assign TDDUL / DL reconfiguration for PCell, SCell 1, and SCell 2 via Reconfig 1, 2, and 4 on PDCCH CSS respectively.

[0064] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of method 1200 for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Method 1200 may be implemented on an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) and / or a wireless communication device (e.g., device 200) and may be substantially similar to methods 600 and / or 700 described above. Method 1200 may begin with a set of predetermined TDD UL / DL configurations (e.g., shown in Table 400) and one or more predetermined TDD UL / DL reconfiguration windows (e.g., reconfiguration windows 630 and / or 730). For example, the reconfiguration window may span a time interval of at least one radio frame (e.g., radio frame 310) and may be periodic.

[0065] At step 1210, method 1200 may operate according to a first TDD UL / DL configuration (e.g., pre-configured by RRC signaling). At step 1220, method 1200 may monitor changes in the UL / DL service mode (e.g., tracking some statistical UL / DL group measurements). At step 1230, method 1200 may determine whether to reconfigure the UL / DL allocation. For example, when the UL / DL service mode change reaches a certain quality and UL / DL reconfiguration can increase system capacity, method 1200 may determine to reconfigure the UL / DL allocation at step 1230. If method 1200 determines to reconfigure the UL / DL allocation, then method 1200 may proceed to step 1240. Otherwise, method 1200 may return to step 1220. At step 1240, method 1200 may select a second TDD UL / DL configuration from the pre-defined TDD UL / DL configuration of the group according to the UL / DL service mode (e.g., the most recent).

[0066] At step 1250, method 1200 may generate a DCI message containing a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command. For example, the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command may provide a second TDD UL / DL configuration. Methods 1300, 1400, 1500, and / or 1600 may be described in more detail below with various mechanisms for generating the DCI message. After generating the DCI message, at step 1260, method 1200 may transmit the DCI message containing the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command within a predetermined reconfiguration window.

[0067] At step 1270, method 1200 may apply a second TDD UL / DL configuration at the beginning or boundary of the next TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window, where the boundary may correspond to the beginning of a radio frame. At step 1260, method 1200 may repeat the transmission (e.g., according to some predetermined notification periodicity) of the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command within the reconfiguration window (e.g., as shown in method 800) to improve the reliability of receiving the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command at the UE.

[0068] Figure 13This is a flowchart of another method 1300 for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Method 1300 can be implemented on an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) and / or a wireless communication device (e.g., device 200). When the UE is using CA or not, the eNB can employ method 1300 to send a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration signal for the PCell to the UE (e.g., UE 120). Method 1300 can begin after determining the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration and selecting the TDD UL / DL configuration for the next TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window.

[0069] At step 1310, method 1300 may generate a DCI message containing the selected TDD UL / DL configuration. For example, method 1300 may encode the selected TDD UL / DL configuration (e.g., a 3-bit field representing the configuration index as shown in column 410 of Table 400) into a DCI message having a payload size that matches the payload size of a predetermined DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1C). After encoding the selected TDD UL / DL configuration into the DCI message, method 1300 may generate a CRC for the DCI message, scramble the CRC using a TDD UL / DL configuration-specific RNTI (e.g., TDD-RNTI) value, and append the scrambled CRC to the DCI message.

[0070] After generating the DCI message, method 1300 may send the DCI message in the common control portion (e.g., CCS) of the PDCCH on the PCell at step 1320. The common control portion of the PDCCH may carry physical layer controls shared by all UEs, and each type of common control may be distinguished by a unique RNTI value.

[0071] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of another method 1400 for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Method 1400 can be implemented on an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) and / or a wireless communication device (e.g., device 200). When a UE serves multiple serving cells (e.g., a PCell serving on a first CC and an SCell serving on a second CC), method 1400 can be used to signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for multiple serving cells to a UE (e.g., UE 120). Method 1400 can begin after determining the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration and selecting the TDD UL / DL configuration for each serving cell for the next TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window.

[0072] At step 1410, method 1400 may determine a first TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule for PCell and a second TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule for SCell. For example, the first and second reconfiguration schedules may include different subframe offsets or combinations thereof with different periodicity relative to the beginning of a radio frame.

[0073] At step 1420, method 1400 may generate a first DCI message containing the TDD UL / DL configuration selected for PCell. At step 1430, method 1400 may generate a second DCI message containing the TDD UL / DL configuration selected for SCell. For example, method 1400 may employ a mechanism substantially similar to that in step 1310 to generate the first and second DCI messages.

[0074] At step 1440, method 1400 may transmit a first DCI message on the PCell in the common control portion of the PDCCH or in the CCS according to a first schedule. At step 1450, method 1400 may transmit a second DCI message on the PCell in the common control portion of the PDCCH according to a second schedule. Method 1400 may be adapted to dynamically signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for one or more SCells, for example, by scheduling different TDD UL / DL reconfigurations for each serving cell and transmitting DCI messages containing the corresponding TDD UL / DL configurations according to the corresponding schedules.

[0075] Figure 15 This is a flowchart of another method 1500 for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Method 1500 can be implemented on an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) and / or a wireless communication device (e.g., device 200). When a UE serves multiple serving cells (e.g., a PCell serving on a first CC and an SCell serving on a second CC), method 1500 can be used to send a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration signal for multiple serving cells to a UE (e.g., UE 120). Method 1500 can be referred to as a cross-scheduling method, wherein the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for all serving cells can be sent on the PCell. Method 1500 can also be used to send a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration signal to multiple serving cells controlled by the eNB, wherein a subset of the multiple serving cells can be configured for two or more UEs connected to the eNB. Method 1500 can begin after determining the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration and selecting the TDD UL / DL configuration for each serving cell for the next TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window.

[0076] At step 1510, method 1510 may generate a DCI message containing the TDD UL / DL configurations selected for multiple serving cells controlled by the eNB. Method 1500 may employ a mechanism substantially similar to that in step 1310 of method 1300 to generate the DCI message, but may encode the indexes of the TDD UL / DL configurations selected for multiple serving cells into a single DCI message. For example, method 1500 may encode the selected TDD UL / DL configurations into a DCI message having the same payload size as DCI format 1C or 1A, wherein each of the TDD UL / DL configurations may be represented by a 3-bit field (e.g., a configuration index as shown in column 410 of table 400). After generating the DCI message, method 1500 may generate a CRC for the DCI message, scramble the CRC using the TDD-RNTI value, and append the scrambled CRC to the DCI message. DCI messages may contain data structures substantially similar to data structure 900 (e.g., referencing a configuration based on the UE's serving cell index) or 1000 (e.g., referencing a configuration based on the CC or serving cell index controlled by the eNB).

[0077] At step 1520, after generating the DCI message, method 1500 may transmit the DCI message on the PCell in the common control portion (e.g., CCS) of the PDCCH. The common control portion of the PDCCH may carry physical layer controls shared by all UEs, and each type of common control may be distinguished by a unique RNTI value.

[0078] Figure 16 This is a flowchart of another method 1600 for dynamically signaling TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Method 1600 can be implemented on an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) and / or a wireless communication device (e.g., device 200). When a UE serves multiple serving cells (e.g., a PCell serving on a first CC and an SCell serving on a second CC), method 1600 can be used to signal TDD UL / DL reconfiguration for multiple serving cells to the UE (e.g., UE 120). Method 1600 can be referred to as a hybrid signaling method, wherein PCell TDD UL / DL reconfiguration can be sent on the PCell via common physical layer signaling, and SCell TDD UL / DL reconfiguration can be sent on the SCell via dedicated physical layer signaling. Method 1600 can begin after determining the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration and selecting the TDD UL / DL configuration for each serving cell for the next TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window.

[0079] At step 1610, method 1600 may generate a first DCI message containing the TDD UL / DL configuration selected for PCell. For example, method 1600 may use a mechanism substantially similar to that in step 1310 of method 1300 to generate the first DCI message, wherein TDD-RNTI can be used for CRC scrambling and DCI format 1A or 1C can be used for DCI encoding.

[0080] At step 1620, method 1600 may generate a second DCI message containing the TDD UL / DL configuration selected for the SCell. For example, method 1600 may use a mechanism substantially similar to that in step 1310 of method 1300 to generate the second DCI message, but may use a UE-specific RNTI (e.g., C-RNTI) for CRC scrambling and DCI format 1A or 2D for DCI encoding.

[0081] At step 1630, method 1600 may transmit a first DCI message on the PCell in the common control portion (e.g., CCS) of the PDCCH. At step 1640, method 1600 may transmit a second DCI message on the SCell in the UE-specific control portion (e.g., UESS) of the PDCCH. Alternatively, method 1600 may transmit the second DCI message on the PCell in the UE-specific control portion of the PDCCH. The TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedules for the PCell and SCell may or may not be the same.

[0082] Figure 17 This is a flowchart of method 1700 for dynamically detecting TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. Method 1700 may be implemented on a UE (e.g., UE 120) and / or a wireless communication device (e.g., device 200) and may be substantially similar to methods 600 and / or 700 described above. Method 1700 may begin, for example, with a set of configuration parameters received from an eNB (e.g., eNB 110) via RRC signaling during an initialization phase. This set of configuration parameters may include a reconfiguration window (e.g., subframe offset in a radio frame and / or time period), the payload size of the DCI message carrying the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command, the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window size, a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration-specific RNTI, a dynamic TDD UL / DL reconfiguration enable command, and / or a CA enable command. The dynamic TDD UL / DL reconfiguration enable command may be sent using a signal for the serving cell of the UE.

[0083] At step 1710, method 1700 may monitor the PDCCH to look for transmitted PDCCH data containing a UL / DL reconfiguration command. For example, method 1700 may monitor the PDCCH CSS on the PCell. After receiving the PDCCH data, method 1700 may determine at step 1720 whether the received PDCCH data payload matches a configured size (e.g., DCI format 1A or 1C of the PDCCH CSS). For example, method 1700 may perform one set of blind decoding to detect DCI format 1A and another set of blind decoding to detect DCI format 1C (e.g., distinguished by payload size). When method 1700 determines that the PDCCH data payload size matches a configured payload size (e.g., either DCI format 1A or 1C), method 1700 may proceed to step 1730. Otherwise, method 1700 may return to step 1710.

[0084] At step 1730, upon determining that the DCI payload size matches the configured size, method 1700 may determine whether the PDCCH data carries a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command. For example, method 1700 may descramble the CRC of the PDCCH data by reconfiguring a specific RNTI (e.g., TDD-RNTI) for TDD UL / DL reconfiguration. When the descrambled CRC is correct (e.g., matches the CRC calculated for the received PDCCH data), method 1700 may determine that the PDCCH data carries a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command. If the PDCCH data carries a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command, method 1700 may proceed to step 1740. Otherwise, method 1700 may return to step 1710. Method 1700 may additionally check the PDCCH data to ensure that a schedule corresponding to the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule has been received.

[0085] At step 1740, method 1700 may determine a TDD UL / DL configuration from the received PDCCH data. The received PDCCH data may contain one or more TDD UL / DL configuration indices. The location of the UL / DL reconfiguration field within the DCI payload of the serving cell is pre-configured via RRC signaling. In an embodiment, for example when the UE is served only by a PCell (e.g., without CA), the received PDCCH data may contain a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command that includes a 3-bit field indicating the TDD UL / DL configuration for the PCell (e.g., shown in column 410 of Table 400). Alternatively, multiple 3-bit fields may indicate the TDD UL / DL configuration for the PCell and one or more SCells (e.g., using CA and hybrid scheduling).

[0086] Method 1700 may further determine the schedule for receiving PDCCH data, for example, when receiving PDCCH data with a PCell TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule, the PDCCH data may include a TDD UL / DL configuration for the PCell. Conversely, when receiving PDCCH data with an SCell TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule, the PDCCH data may include a TDD UL / DL configuration for the corresponding SCell. In some embodiments, the PCell TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule and the SCell TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule may include different periodicities, different subframe offsets relative to the beginning of a radio frame, or combinations thereof.

[0087] In embodiments of CA with cross-scheduling schemes, the received PDCCH data may contain TDD UL / DL configurations for multiple serving cells. For example, a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command may contain a data structure substantially similar to data structure 900 or 1000 indicating the TDD UL / DL configuration for each serving cell.

[0088] In some embodiments, method 1700 may receive multiple TDD UL / DL reconfiguration commands within a reconfiguration window (e.g., reconfiguration window 630 and / or 730), thereby improving the reliability of receiving TDD UL / DL reconfiguration commands.

[0089] At step 1750, after determining the TDD UL / DL configuration from the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration command, method 1700 may apply the TDD UL / DL reconfiguration at the beginning or boundary of the next reconfiguration window (e.g., in the serving corresponding cell), where the boundary may correspond to the beginning of a radio frame.

[0090] The UE may employ method 1700 when communicating with the eNB on the SCell (e.g., via dedicated signaling). However, method 1700 may monitor the PDCCH UESS on the SCell instead of monitoring the PDCCH CSS on the PCell as shown in step 1710, and may check DCI format 1A or 2D instead of checking DCI format 1A or 1C as shown in step 1720. Furthermore, at step 1740, method 1700 may receive TDD UL / DL configuration for the SCell instead of TDD UL / DL configuration for the PCell.

[0091] Therefore, in one embodiment, a method for signaling dynamic TDD UL / DL allocation changes in a wireless communication network includes determining a time interval for a periodic TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window. Furthermore, the method includes generating a UL / DL reconfiguration command to indicate the dynamic TDD UL / DL allocation change. Additionally, the method includes encoding the UL / DL reconfiguration in PDCCH data. Moreover, the method includes transmitting the encoded UL / DL reconfiguration command via PDCCH to a first of a plurality of wireless UEs within a first UL / DL reconfiguration window to provide fast TDD UL / DL reconfiguration.

[0092] In another embodiment, in a wireless communication network, a receiver is configured to receive a TDD UL / DL reconfiguration schedule that includes periodic TDD UL / DL reconfiguration windows. The receiver is further configured to receive multiple physical layer downlink control information (DCI) messages from a wireless BS via a PDCCH. Processing resources are coupled to the receiver and configured to determine that a first of the received DCI messages contains a UL / DL reconfiguration command indicating a TDD UL / DL allocation change. Processing resources are further configured to apply the UL / DL allocation change at the boundary of the next TDD UL / DL reconfiguration window.

[0093] The modifications are feasible in the described embodiments, and other embodiments are feasible within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At the User Equipment (UE), the reconfiguration index is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; Receive downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI includes a reconfiguration data structure having multiple fields associated with multiple reconfiguration indices, wherein each of the multiple fields of the reconfiguration data structure is identified by a corresponding reconfiguration index of the multiple reconfiguration indices and includes a configuration index value identifying a time-division duplex uplink / downlink TDD UL / DL configuration; and TDD UL / DL reconfiguration is performed based on the reconfigured index and the DCI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the DCI has a DCI format including the reconfigured data structure, and wherein performing TDD UL / DL reconfiguration includes: Select fields in the DCI format based on the reconfigured index; as well as The TDD UL / DL configuration is determined based on the selected fields.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the reconfiguration index is configured for a specific secondary cell.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein performing TDD UL / DL reconfiguration includes applying the determined TDD UL / DL configuration to the specific secondary cell.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the DCI format is DCI format 1C.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the field is 3 digits.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the DCI format 1C includes N reconfiguration fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format 1C.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the field is 3 digits.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the DCI format includes N reconfiguration fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format 1C.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the DCI has CRC scrambling, the CRC scrambling has a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI), the RNTI being different from the Cell-RNTI (C-RNTI).

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the DCI has CRC scrambling, and the CRC scrambling has a TDD radio network temporary identifier TDD-RNTI.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein performing TDD UL / DL reconfiguration includes utilizing the selected TDD UL / DL configuration for transmission and reception.

13. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At the User Equipment (UE), multiple reconfiguration indices are received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; Receive downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI includes a reconfiguration data structure having multiple fields associated with multiple reconfiguration indices, wherein each of the multiple fields of the reconfiguration data structure is identified by a corresponding reconfiguration index of the multiple reconfiguration indices and includes a configuration index value identifying a time-division duplex uplink / downlink TDD UL / DL configuration; and TDD UL / DL reconfiguration is performed based on one or more of the reconfiguration indexes and the DCI.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the DCI has a DCI format including the reconfigured data structure, wherein the reconfigured index includes a first reconfigured index, and wherein performing TDD UL / DL reconfiguration includes: Select fields in the DCI format based on the first reconfigured index; as well as The TDD UL / DL configuration is determined based on the selected fields.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the TDD UL / DL configuration includes determining the TDD UL / DL configuration for a first cell.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein performing TDD UL / DL reconfiguration includes applying the determined TDD UL / DL configuration to the first cell.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the reconfigured index includes a second reconfigured index, wherein the field is a first field, and wherein the TDD UL / DL configuration is a first TDD UL / DL configuration, and wherein performing TDD UL / DL reconfiguration includes: Based on the second reconfigured index, select the second field in the DCI format; as well as The second TDD UL / DL configuration is determined based on the selected second field.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the second TDD UL / DL configuration includes determining the second TDD UL / DL configuration for the second cell.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein performing TDD UL / DL reconfiguration includes applying the determined second TDD UL / DL configuration to the second cell.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the fields is 3 bits.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the DCI format is DCI format 1C, and the DCI format 1C includes a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format 1C.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the DCI format includes a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the fields is 3 bits.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the DCI format is a DCI format 1C, the DCI format 1C comprising a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format 1C.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the DCI format includes a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format.

26. A user equipment (UE) comprising: A transceiver configured to receive reconfiguration indexes via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and to receive downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI includes a reconfiguration data structure having multiple fields associated with multiple reconfiguration indexes, wherein each of the multiple fields of the reconfiguration data structure is identified by a corresponding reconfiguration index of the multiple reconfiguration indexes and includes a configuration index value identifying a time-division duplex uplink / downlink TDD UL / DL configuration; as well as A processor configured to perform TDD UL / DL reconfiguration based on the reconfiguration index and the DCI.

27. The UE of claim 26, wherein the DCI has a DCI format including the reconfigured data structure, and wherein the processor is further configured to: Selecting fields in the DCI format based on the reconfigured index; and The TDD UL / DL configuration is determined based on the selected fields.

28. The UE of claim 27, wherein the reconfiguration index is configured for a specific secondary cell.

29. The UE of claim 28, wherein the processor is further configured to apply the determined TDDUL / DL configuration to the particular secondary cell.

30. The UE according to claim 27, wherein the DCI format is DCI format 1C.

31. The UE according to claim 30, wherein the field is 3 bits.

32. The UE of claim 30, wherein the DCI format 1C includes N reconfiguration fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format 1C.

33. The UE according to claim 27, wherein the field is 3 bits.

34. The UE of claim 27, wherein the DCI format includes N reconfiguration fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format.

35. The UE of claim 30, wherein the DCI has CRC scrambling, the CRC scrambling has a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) that is different from the cell-RNTI (C-RNTI).

36. The UE of claim 30, wherein the DCI has CRC scrambling, the CRC scrambling having a TDD radio network temporary identifier TDD-RNTI.

37. The UE of claim 30, wherein the processing is further configured to utilize the selected TDDUL / DL configuration for transmission and reception.

38. A user equipment (UE) comprising: A transceiver configured to receive multiple reconfiguration indices via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and to receive downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI includes a reconfiguration data structure having multiple fields associated with the multiple reconfiguration indices, wherein each of the multiple fields of the reconfiguration data structure is identified by a corresponding reconfiguration index of the multiple reconfiguration indices and includes a configuration index value identifying a time-division duplex uplink / downlink TDD UL / DL configuration; as well as A processor configured to perform TDD UL / DL reconfiguration based on one or more of the reconfiguration indices and the DCI.

39. The UE of claim 38, wherein the DCI has the DCI format of the reconfiguration data structure, wherein the reconfiguration index includes a first reconfiguration index, and wherein the processor is further configured to: Selecting fields in the DCI format based on the first reconfigured index; and The TDD UL / DL configuration is determined based on the selected fields.

40. The UE of claim 39, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the TDD UL / DL configuration for the first cell.

41. The UE of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured to apply the determined TDDUL / DL configuration to the first cell.

42. The UE of claim 39, wherein the reconfiguration index includes a second reconfiguration index, wherein the field is the first field, and wherein the TDD UL / DL configuration is a first TDD UL / DL configuration, and wherein the processor is further configured to: Based on the second reconfigured index, select the second field in the DCI format; and The second TDD UL / DL configuration is determined based on the selected second field.

43. The UE of claim 42, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the second TDD UL / DL configuration for the second cell.

44. The UE of claim 43, wherein the processor is further configured to apply the determined second TDD UL / DL configuration to the second cell.

45. The UE of claim 42, wherein each of the fields is 3 bits.

46. ​​The UE of claim 45, wherein the DCI format is DCI format 1C, and the DCI format 1C includes a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format 1C.

47. The UE of claim 45, wherein the DCI format includes a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format.

48. The UE of claim 39, wherein each of the fields is 3 bits.

49. The UE of claim 48, wherein the DCI format is a DCI format 1C, the DCI format 1C comprising a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format 1C.

50. The UE of claim 48, wherein the DCI format includes a plurality of fields and a padding field having a padding length corresponding to the number of bits retained in the size of the DCI format.

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