Method and apparatus for transmitting reception confirmation response of user equipment in wireless communication system

Abstract

A method for transmitting acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) information of a user equipment (UE) configured with two serving cells including a first serving cell and a second serving cell, the method including receiving two transport blocks (TBs) through a downlink subframe of the first serving cell, receiving one TB through a downlink subframe of the second serving cell and transmitting ACK/NACK information informing ACK/NACKs for the two TBs and the one TB through an uplink subframe of the first serving cell, wherein the ACK/NACK information informs the ACK/NACKs for the two TBs and the one TB by a combination of one resource selected from a plurality of candidate resources and two bits transmitted through the one resource.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a

In Equation 1, u is a root index, n is an element index, 0≤n≤N−1, and N is the length of the base sequence. b(n) is defined in section 5.5 of 3GPP TS 36.211 V8.7.0.

The length of a sequence is equal to the number of elements included in the sequence. u can be determined by a cell identifier (ID), a slot number within a radio frame, etc. When it is said that a base sequence is mapped to one resource block in the frequency domain, the length of the base sequence becomes 12 because one resource block includes 12 subcarriers. Another base sequence is defined depending on a different root index.

A cyclic-shifted sequence r(n, I_cs) can be generated by cyclic-shifting the base sequence r(n) as in Equation 2.

$\begin{array}{cc}r\left(n,I_{\mathrm{cs}}\right)=r\left(n\right)·\exp \left(\frac{j2\pi I_{\mathrm{cs}}n}{N}\right),0\le I_{\mathrm{cs}}\le N-1& \left[\mathrm{Equation}2\right]\end{array}$

In Equation 2, I_cs is a CS index indicating a CS amount (0≤I_cs≤N−1).

An available CS index of a base sequence refers to a CS index that can be derived from the base sequence according to a CS interval. For example, if the length of a base sequence is 12 and a CS interval is 1, the total number of available CS indices of the base sequence is 12. Or, if the length of a base sequence is 12 and a CS interval is 2, the total number of available CS indices of the base sequence is 6.

FIG. 7 shows the PUCCH format 1b in a normal CP in 3GPP LTE.

One slot includes 7 OFDM symbols, and 3 of the 7 OFDM symbols are Reference Signal (RS) OFDM symbols for a reference signal, and 4 of the 7 OFDM symbols are data OFDM symbols for an ACK/NACK signal.

In the PUCCH format 1b, an encoded 2-bit ACK/NACK signal is modulated according to Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), thereby generating a modulation symbol d(0).

A CS index I_cs may differ depending on a slot number n_s within a radio frame and/or a symbol index l within a slot.

In a normal CP, one slot includes four data OFDM symbols for the transmission of an ACK/NACK signal. It is assumed that CS indices corresponding to the respective data OFDM symbols are I_cs0, I_cs1, I_cs2, and I_cs3.

The modulation symbol d(0) is spread in a cyclic-shifted sequence r(n,I_cs). In a slot, assuming that a one-dimensional spread sequence corresponding to an (i+1)^th OFDM symbol is m(i), it may be represented by {m(0, m(1, m(2, m(3)}={d(0)r(n,I_cs0, d(0)r(n,I_cs1, d(0)r(n,I_cs2, d(0)r(n,I_cs3)}.

[In order to increase a UE capacity, the one-dimensional spread sequence can be spread using an orthogonal sequence. The following sequence is used as an orthogonal sequence w_i(k) (i is a sequence index, 0≤k≤K−1), that is, a spreading factor K=4.

TABLE 4

Index (i) [wi(0), wi(1), wi(2), wi(3)]

0         [+1, +1, +1, +1]
1         [+1, −1, +1, −1]
2         [+1, −1, −1, +1]

The following sequence is used as the orthogonal sequence w_i(k) (i is a sequence index, 0≤k≤K−1), that is, a spreading factor K=3.

TABLE 5

Index (i) [wi(0) wi(1), wi(2)]

0         [+1, +1, +1]
1         [+1, ej2π/3, ej4π/3]
2         [+1, ej4π/3 ej2π/3]

A different spreading factor can be used for each slot.

Accordingly, when a specific orthogonal sequence index i is given, a two-dimensional spread sequence {s(0), s(1), s(2), s(3)} can be represented as follows.
{s(0),s(1),s(2),s(3)}={w_i(0)m(0),w_i(1)m(1),w_i(2)m(2),w_i(3)m(3)}

The two-dimensional spread sequences {s(0), s(1), s(2), s(3)} are subject to an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) and then transmitted in corresponding OFDM symbols. Likewise, an ACK/NACK signal is transmitted on a PUCCH.

The reference signal of the PUCCH format 1b is also spread in an orthogonal sequence by cyclic-shifting a base sequence r(n) and then transmitted. Assuming that CS indices corresponding to three RS OFDM symbols are I_cs4, I_cs5, and I_cs6, three cyclic-shifted sequences r(n,I_cs4), r(n,I_cs5), and r(n,I_cs6) can be obtained. The 3 cyclic-shifted sequences are spread in an orthogonal sequence w^RS_i(k), that is, K=3.

The orthogonal sequence index i, the CS index I_cs, and the resource block index m are parameters necessary to configure a PUCCH and are also resources used to distinguish PUCCHs (or MSs) from one another. If the number of available cyclic shifts is 12 and the number of available orthogonal sequence indices is 3, PUCCHs for a total of 36 MSs can be multiplexed into one resource block.

In 3GPP LTE, in order for UE to obtain the three parameters for configuring a PUCCH, a resource index n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH is defined. The resource index n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH is defined as n_CCE+N⁽¹⁾_PUCCH. n_CCE is the number of the first CCE used to send corresponding DCI (i.e., downlink resource allocation used to receive downlink data corresponding to an ACK/NACK signal), and N⁽¹⁾_PUCCH is a parameter that a BS informs UE through a higher layer message.

Time, frequency, and code resources used to send the ACK/NACK signal are called ACK/NACK resources or PUCCH resources. As described above, the index of ACK/NACK resources (called an ACK/NACK resource index or a PUCCH index) necessary to send the ACK/NACK signal on the PUCCH can be represented by at least one of the orthogonal sequence index i, the CS index I_cs, the resource block index m, and a resources index for calculating the 3 indices. ACK/NACK resources may include at least one of an orthogonal sequence, a cyclic shift, a resource block, and a combination of them.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the execution of an HARQ.

UE receives DL resource allocation (or called a DL grant) on a PDCCH 501 in an n^th DL subframe by monitoring the PDCCH. The UE receives a DL Transport Block (TB) through a PDSCH 502 indicated by the DL resource allocation.

The UE sends an ACK/NACK signal for the DL transport block on a PUCCH 511 in an (n+4)^th UL subframe. The ACK/NACK signal may be called an ACK/NACK response to the DL transport block.

If the DL transport block is successfully decoded, the ACK/NACK signal becomes an ACK signal. If the decoding of the DL transport block fails, the ACK/NACK signal becomes a NACK signal. When the NACK signal is received, a BS can perform the retransmission of the DL transport block until the ACK signal is received or up to a maximum retransmission number.

In 3GPP LTE, in order to set a resource index for the PUCCH 511, the UE uses the resource allocation of the PDCCH 501. That is, the lowest CCE index (or the index of the first CCE) used to send the PDCCH 501 becomes n_CCE, and a resource index is determined like n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH=n_CCE N⁽¹⁾_PUCCH.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the constellation mapping of an ACK/NACK signal in the PUCCH formats 1a/1b.

In the PUCCH format 1a, an ACK/NACK signal of 1 bit is transmitted using Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) as a modulation scheme. In BPSK, NACK is mapped to +1, and ACK is mapped to −1. In the PUCCH format 1b, an ACK/NACK signal of 2 bits is transmitted using Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) as a modulation scheme. In QPSK, (ACK, ACK) is mapped to −1, (NACK, NACK) is mapped to +1, (ACK, NACK) is mapped to +j, and (NACK, ACK) is mapped to −j.

In discontinuous transmission (DTX) meaning that UE has failed in detecting a DL grant indicative of resource allocation in a PDCCH, both ACK and NACK are not transmitted. In this case, default NACK results in. DTX is interpreted as NACK by a BS, and DTX generates downlink retransmission.

Meanwhile, a wireless communication system may be a multi-carrier system. Here, the multi-carrier system means a system which configures a broadband by aggregating a plurality of carriers each having a small bandwidth. A 3GPP LTE system supports a case where a downlink bandwidth and an uplink bandwidth are differently set, but one carrier is a precondition in this case. In contrast, an LTE-A system may be a multi-carrier system using a plurality of Component Carriers (CCs).

A Carrier Aggregation (CA) is used in a multi-carrier system. A CA is to support a broadband by aggregating CCs having narrow bands. For example, if five CCs each having a 20 MHz bandwidth are allocated to UE, a maximum of 100 MHz bandwidth can be supported.

A CC or a CC pair can correspond to one cell. Assuming that a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) are transmitted in each CC, one downlink CC (DL CC) may be said to correspond to one cell. It may be said that UE communicating with a BS through a plurality of CCs is serviced from a plurality of serving cells.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a comparison between the existing single carrier system and a multi-carrier system.

Referring to FIG. 10, in a single carrier system, only one carrier is supported for UE in uplink and downlink. A carrier may have a variety of bandwidths, but the carrier allocated to the UE has one bandwidth. In contrast, in a multi-carrier system, a plurality of CCs (DL CCs A to C and UL CCs A to C) can be allocated to UE. For example, in order to allocate a bandwidth of 60 MHz to UE, three CCs each having 20 MHz can be allocated to the UE.

The number of DL CCs and the number of UL CCs are not limited. A PDCCH and a PDSCH may be independently transmitted in respective DL CCs, and a PUCCH and a PUSCH may be independently transmitted in respective UL CCs. If the number of DL CC-UL CC pairs is defined as 3, it may be said that UE is serviced from 3 serving cells.

UE can monitor a PDCCH in a plurality of DL CCs and receive downlink transmission blocks through the plurality of DL CCs at the same time. UE can send a plurality of uplink transport blocks through a plurality of UL CCs at the same time, but may have to send HARQ ACK/NACK through only one UL CC for a downlink transmission block.

In a multi-carrier system, CC scheduling can include two methods.

In the first method, a PDCCH-PDSCH pair is transmitted in one CC. This is called self-scheduling. Furthermore, the self-scheduling means that a PUSCH is transmitted through an UL CC linked to a DL CC in which a corresponding PDCCH is transmitted. That is, the PDCCH allocates the PDSCH resources on the same CC or allocates the PUSCH resources on the linked UL CC.

In the second method, a DL CC in which a PDSCH is transmitted or an UL CC in which a PUSCH is transmitted are determined irrespective of a DL CC in which a PDCCH is transmitted. That is, the PDCCH and the PDSCH are transmitted in different DL CCs, or the PUSCH is transmitted through an UL CC not linked to the DL CC in which the PDCCH has been transmitted. This is called cross-carrier scheduling.

A CC in which the PDCCH is transmitted is called a PDCCH carrier, a monitoring carrier, or a scheduling carrier. A CC in which the PDSCH or PUSCH is transmitted is called a PDSCH or PUSCH carrier or a scheduled carrier.

In order for data to be transmitted and received through a specific cell, UE has to first complete a configuration for the specific cell. Here, the configuration means a state in which the reception of system information necessary to transmit and receive the data for the specific cell has been completed. For example, the configuration may include an overall process of receiving common physical layer parameters necessary to transmit and receive data, MAC layer parameters, or parameters necessary for a specific operation in an RRC layer. A configuration-complete cell becomes a state in which the cell can transmit and receive data immediately when the cell receives only information on which the data can be transmitted.

A cell of a configuration-complete state may be present in an activation or deactivation state. Here, activation refers to a state in which transmission or reception is being performed or a state in which transmission or reception is ready. UE can monitor or receive the control channel (PDCCH) and the data channel (PDSCH) of an activated cell in order to check resources allocated thereto (e.g., a frequency and time).

Deactivation means that the transmission or reception of traffic data is impossible and that measurement or the transmission/reception of minimum information is possible. UE can receive necessary System Information (SI) in order to receive a packet from a deactivated cell. In contrast, UE does not monitor or receive the control channel (PDCCH) and the data channel (PDSCH) of a deactivated cell in order to check resources allocated thereto (e.g., a frequency and time).

A cell may be divided into a primary cell and a secondary cell (or a serving cell).

The primary cell means a cell that operates in a primary frequency, a cell through which UE performs an initial connection establishment procedure or a connection re-establishment process with a BS, or a cell indicated as a primary cell in a handover process.

The secondary cell means a cell that operates in a secondary frequency. Once RRC connection is set up, the secondary cell is used to provide additional radio resources.

A serving cell is configured as a primary cell in the case of UE in which a CA has not been configured or UE to which a CA cannot be provided. If a CA is configured, the term ‘serving cell’ is used to indicate a primary cell, one of all secondary cells, or a set of a plurality of cells. A downlink CC may configure one serving cell, or a downlink CC and an uplink CC may form one serving cell through connection establishment. However, a serving cell does not include only one uplink CC.

That is, a primary cell means one serving cell that provides a security input and NAS mobility information in an RRC establishment or re-establishment state. At least one cell, together with a primary cell, may form a set of serving cells depending on the capabilities of UE. Here, at least one cell is called a secondary cell. Accordingly, a set of serving cells configured for one MS may include only one primary cell or may include one primary cell and at least one secondary cell.

A Primary Component Carrier (PCC) means a CC corresponding to a primary cell. The PCC is a CC through which UE sets up connection or RRC connection with a BS at the early stage, from among some CCs. The PCC is a CC that is responsible for connection or RRC connection for signaling regarding a plurality of CCs and that manages UE context, that is, connection information related to UE. Furthermore, the PCC is always present in an activation state when it is connected with UE and thus in RRC connected mode.

A Secondary Component Carrier (SCC) means a CC corresponding to a secondary cell. That is, the SCC is a CC allocated to UE in addition to a PCC. The SCC is a carrier that has been extended for additional resource allocation by UE in addition to a PCC and may be divided into activation and deactivation states.

A downlink CC corresponding to a primary cell is called a downlink Primary Component Carrier (DL PCC), and an uplink CC corresponding to a primary cell is called an UL PCC. Furthermore, in downlink, a CC corresponding to a secondary cell is called a DL Secondary CC (DL SCC). In uplink, a CC corresponding to a secondary cell is called an UL SCC.

A primary cell and a secondary cell have the following characteristics.

First, the primary cell is used to send a PUCCH.

Second, the primary cell is always activated, whereas the secondary cell is a carrier that is activated or deactivated depending on a specific condition.

Third, when the primary cell experiences a Radio Link Failure (hereinafter referred to as an RLF), RRC re-establishment is triggered. When the secondary cell experiences an RLF, RRC re-establishment is not triggered.

Fourth, the primary cell can be changed by a change of a security key or a handover procedure that is accompanied by a Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure.

Fifth, Non-Access Stratum (NAS) information is received through the primary cell.

Sixth, in the primary cell, a DL PCC and an UL PCC are always configured in pair.

Seventh, a different Component Carrier (CC) can be configured as a primary cell for each UE.

Eighth, procedures, such as the reconfiguration, addition, and removal of a primary cell, can be performed by an RRC layer. In adding a new secondary cell, RRC signaling may be used to send system information on a dedicated secondary cell.

The activation/deactivation of a component carrier is equal to the activation/deactivation of a serving cell. For example, assuming that a serving cell1 is composed of a DL CC1, the activation of the serving cell1 means the activation of the DL CC1. Assuming that a DL CC2 and an UL CC2 have been subject to connection established in a serving cell2, the activation of the serving cell2 means the activation of the DL CC2 and the UL CC2. In this sense each component carrier can correspond to a cell.

The number of aggregated component carriers may be differently set in downlink and uplink. A case where the number of downlink CCs is equal to the number of uplink CCs is called a symmetric aggregation, and a case where the number of downlink CCs is different from the number of uplink CCs is called an asymmetric aggregation. Furthermore, CCs may have different sizes (i.e., bandwidths). For example, assuming that 5 CCs are used to configure a 70 MHz band, the 5 CCs may be configured like a 5 MHz CC (a carrier #0)+a 20 MHz CC (a carrier #1)+a 20 MHz CC (a carrier #2)+a 20 MHz CC (a carrier #3)+a 5 MHz CC (a carrier #4).

As described above, in a multi-carrier system, unlike in a single carrier system, a plurality of Component Carriers (CCs), that is, a plurality of serving cells, can be supported. Accordingly, one MS can receive a plurality of PDSCHs through a plurality of DL CCs. Furthermore, UE can send ACK/NACK for a plurality of PDSCHs through one UL CC, for example, an UL PCC. That is, in a conventional single carrier system, a maximum of two pieces of HARQ ACK/NACK (hereinafter abbreviated as ACK/NACK, for the sake of convenience) information has only to be transmitted because only one PDSCH is received in one subframe. In a multi-carrier system, however, there is a need for an ACK/NACK transmission method because ACK/NACK for a plurality of PDSCHs can be transmitted through one UL CC.

One of methods for sending a plurality of ACK/NACKs includes channel selection. The channel selection method is a method of transmitting ACK/NACK information using radio resources used to send a signal and a constellation point according to a bit value that is transmitted in the radio resources.

FIG. 11 shows an example of channel selection for ACK/NACK information of 2 bits.

Referring to FIG. 11(a), R1 and R2 mean respective PUCCH resources. 2-bit ACK/NACK information is mapped to a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol that has been BPSK-modulated in each PUCCH resource. For example, if a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to +1 in the R1 resource, it may mean (NACK, NACK). If a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to −1 in the R1 resource, it may mean (ACK, NACK). If a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to +1 in the R2 resource, it may mean (NACK, ACK). If a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to −1 in the R2 resource, it may mean (ACK, ACK). As described above, the four states of ACK/NACK can be represented using two PUCCH resources and BPSK symbols.

Referring to FIG. 11(b), R1 means a PUCCH resource, and 2-bit ACK/NACK information may be determined depending on a point on the signal constellation of a QPSK-modulated symbol. That is, if the position of the QPSK-modulated symbol is +1, it may mean (NACK, NACK). If the position of the QPSK-modulated symbol is −1, it may mean (ACK, ACK). If the position of the QPSK-modulated symbol is +j, it may mean (ACK, NACK). If the position of the QPSK-modulated symbol is −j, it may mean (NACK, ACK).

In FIG. 11, the above-described 2-bit ACK/NACK information may be ACK/NACK for two DL CCs in which MIMO transmission is not performed in a multi-carrier system.

Channel selection for 3-bit ACK/NACK information and 4-bit ACK/NACK information is described below. The 3-bit ACK/NACK information may be ACK/NACK for one DL CC in which MIMO transmission is not performed (hereinafter referred to as a NON-MIMO DL CC) and one DL CC in which MIMO transmission is performed (hereinafter referred to as a MIMO DL CC). Or, the 3-bit ACK/NACK information may be ACK/NACK for three DL CCs in which MIMO transmission is not performed. The 4-bit ACK/NACK information may be ACK/NACK for two MIMO DL CCs, ACK/NACK for two NON-MIMO DL CCs and one MIMO DL CC, or ACK/NACK for four NON-MIMO DL CCs.

FIG. 12 illustrates channel selection for 3-bit ACK/NACK information.

Referring to FIG. 12, eight ACK/NACK information states can be represented using two PUCCH resources, such as R1 and R2, and the points of four signal constellations in the respective PUCCH resources. For example, if a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to +1 in the R1 resource, it may mean (NACK, NACK, ACK). If a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to −1 in the R1 resource, it may mean (NACK, ACK, ACK). If a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to +j in the R1 resource, it may mean (NACK, ACK, NACK). If a point on the signal constellation of a modulation symbol corresponds to −j in the R1 resource, it may mean (NACK, NACK, ACK).

FIG. 13 is an example illustrating objects indicated by the respective bits of 3-bit ACK/NACK information and channel selection for the 3-bit ACK/NACK information.

For example, a case where ACK/NACK for one MIMO DL CC in which UE can send one NON-MIMO DL CC and two codewords is assumed below. Here, the UE may classify the ACK/NACK for the MIMO DL CC into a point on the signal constellation of a QPSK modulation symbol and ACK/NACK for a NON-MIMO DL CC into what PUCCH resources. That is, if transmission is performed in an R1 resource, it may be classified as NACK. If transmission is performed in an R2 resource, it may be classified as ACK.

In order to use this method, the 3-bit ACK/NACK information may be mapped so that a Most Significant Bit (MSB) indicates 1-bit ACK/NACK for a NON-MIMO DL CC and 2 bits including a Least Significant Bit (LSB) indicate 2-bit ACK/NACK for an MIMO DL CC, as shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 14 is another example illustrating a mapping relationship with objects indicated by the respective bits of 3-bit ACK/NACK information. A case where ACK/NACK for one MIMO DL CC in which UE can send one NON-MIMO DL CC and two codeword is assumed below.

Referring to FIG. 14, in the 3-bit ACK/NACK information, an MSB indicates ACK/NACK for a codeword (CW) #2 for the MIMO DL CC, a next bit indicates ACK/NACK for a codeword #1 for the MIMO DL CC, and an LSB indicates ACK/NACK for the NON-MIMO DL CC. That is, if two DL CCs have been configured in UE, ACK/NACKs for one codeword (i.e., the codeword #1 of the MIMO DL CC and the codeword of the NON-MIMO DL CC) are classified into points on the signal constellation of a QPSK modulation symbol and ACK/NACK for the remaining codeword (i.e., the codeword #2 of the MIMO DL CC) is classified through a PUCCH resource, in the respective DL CCs.

FIG. 15 illustrates channel selection for ACK/NACK information of 4 bits.

Referring to FIG. 15, R1, R2, R3, and R4 indicate four PUCCH resources. In each of the PUCCH resources, the states of 4-bit ACK/NACK information are indicated depending on four constellation points. Accordingly, a total of 16 states of ACK/NACK information can be represented.

FIG. 16 shows examples illustrating a mapping relationship with objects indicated by the respective bits of 4-bit ACK/NACK information.

In FIG. 16(a), a case where two NON-MIMO DL CCs and one MIMO DL CC that supports up to codewords are configured in UE is assumed below. Here, in the 4-bit ACK/NACK information, an MSB to 2 bits may indicate ACK/NACK for the two NON-MIMO DL CCs, and an LSB to 2 bits may indicate ACK/NACK for the two codewords transmitted in the one MIMO DL CC.

In FIG. 16(b), a case where two MIMO DL CCs supporting up to two codewords have been configured in UE is assumed below. Here, in the 4-bit ACK/NACK information, an MSB to 2 bits may indicate ACK/NACK for the two codewords transmitted in any one MIMO DL CC, and an LSB to 2 bits may indicate ACK/NACK for the two codewords transmitted in the remaining MIMO DL CC.

FIG. 17 shows mapping to radio resources and constellation points when 4-bit ACK/NACK information is information, such as that shown in FIG. 16.

Referring to FIG. 17, pieces of information classified as four constellation points in PUCCH resources R1, R2, R3, and R4 are ACK/NACKs for two codewords transmitted in a MIMO DL CC. In a mapping relationship, such as that shown in FIG. 16(a), ACK/NACK for two NON-MIMO DL CCs can be known depending on whether the ACK/NACK is transmitted in what PUCCH resource. In a mapping relationship, such as that shown in FIG. 16(b), ACK/NACK for two codewords transmitted in one MIMO DL CC can be known depending on whether the ACK/NACK is transmitted in what PUCCH resource.

FIG. 18 is another example illustrating a mapping relationship with objects indicated by respective bits in 4-bit ACK/NACK information and mapping to radio resources and constellation points. A case where two MIMO DL CCs supporting up to two codewords, that is, a MIMO DL CC1 and a MIMO DL CC2, have been configured in UE is assumed below.

Referring to FIG. 18, in the 4-bit ACK/NACK information, an MSB to the codeword #2 of the MIMO DL CC 1, the codeword #2 of the MIMO DL CC 2, the codeword #1 of the MIMO DL CC 1, and the codeword #1 of the MIMO DL CC 2 can be sequentially represented.

As described above, channel selection for sending a plurality of ACK/NACKs can be implemented using a variety of methods. In a multi-carrier system, however, although a specific DL CC is set in MIMO mode, a BS can send only one codeword dynamically depending on its selection. In this case, how UE will send ACK/NACK for one codeword may be problematic.

Channel selection can be determined by the number of configured DL CCs and mode set in each DL CC (i.e., it is MIMO mode or NON-MIMO mode). If a BS changes the configuration of DL CCs, that is, the number of DL CCs or the transmission mode of the DL CCs of UE, however, a reconfiguration period for changing the configuration may be present. In the reconfiguration period, pieces of configuration information are exchanged between the BS and the UE. The BS can transfer configuration information through only a DL PCC in the reconfiguration period. In this case, if there is a difference between ACK/NACK channel selection for a DL PCC used by the UE and ACK/NACK channel selection for a DL PCC expected by the BS, a severe error may occur. Accordingly, it is preferred that a mismatch do not occur in the ACK/NACK channel selection in a process of changing or reconfiguring the configuration of the DL CCs between the BS and the UE. To this end, in ACK/NACK channel selection transmitted when UE receives a PDSCH through only a DL PCC, points on the same signal constellation as those of the PUCCH format 1a or the PUCCH format 1b are preferably used.

A method in which UE in which two DL CCs (i.e., two serving cells) have been configured sends HARQ ACK/NACK is described below. This method relates to a method of transmitting ACK/NACK when UE receives only one transport block through a DL CC in a situation that the DL CC is configured in transmission mode supporting up to two transport blocks.

FIG. 19 is the ACK/NACK transmission method of UE in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 19, the UE receives a first transport block from a BS through a first serving cell (S100) and receives a second transport block through a second serving cell (S200). Here, it is assumed that the first serving cell is set in a first transmission mode which supports up to two transport blocks. The UE determines a first response to the first transport block and a second response to the second transport block (S300) and sends an HARQ ACK/NACK response according to the first response and the second response to the BS at step S400.

Here, the first response is the same as a response in the case where the first serving cell has received all the two transport blocks and has successfully decoded the two transport blocks if the first transport block has been successfully decoded. Or, the first response is the same as a response in the case where the first serving cell has not successfully decoded all the two transport blocks if the first transport block has not been successfully decoded.

FIGS. 20 to 22 show examples in which UE uses channel selection when one transport block is received in a serving cell which supports up to two transport blocks.

FIG. 20 shows an example of channel selection when only one transport block (codeword) is received in a MIMO DL CC if one NON-MIMO DL CC and one MIMO DL CC supporting up to two codewords (transport blocks) have been configured in UE. FIG. 21 shows an example of channel selection when only one codeword (transport block) is received in a MIMO DL CC if two NON-MIMO DL CCs and one MIMO DL CC supporting up to two codewords have been configured in UE.

In FIGS. 20 and 21, when the UE receives the two transport blocks in the MIMO DL CC, ACK/NACKs for the two transport blocks are distinguished based on a point on a signal constellation in each PUCCH resource. When the UE receives only one transport block in the MIMO DL CC, if the one transport block is successfully decoded, it is mapped to a point on the same signal constellation as that of a case where both the two transport blocks have been received in the MIMO DL CC and successfully decoded. Furthermore, if the one transport block has not been successfully decoded, it is mapped to a point on the same signal constellation as that of a case where the two transport blocks have been received in the MIMO DL CC and both have not been successfully decoded. That is, the UE interprets ACK for one transport block received in the MIMO DL CC as (ACK, ACK), performs mapping, interprets NACK as (NACK, NACK), and performs mapping. Here, ACK/NACK for the codeword of a NON-MIMO DL CC is distinguished depending on the ACK/NACK is transmitted through what PUCCH resources. According to this method, the reception performance of ACK/NACK of a BS can be improved because points on the signal constellation of an ACK/NACK response are spaced apart from each other to a maximum extend, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21.

FIG. 22 shows yet another example of channel selection when only one transport block (codeword) is received in a MIMO DL CC. A case where two MIMO DL CCs supporting up to two codewords have been configured in UE is assumed below.

If only one transport block has been received in a MIMO DL CC1 and has been successfully decoded, the UE sends an HARQ ACK/NACK response (two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs) for two transport blocks transmitted by a primary cell, and HARQ-ACK(2) and HARQ-ACK(3) indicate ACK/NACKs for two transport blocks transmitted by a secondary cell.

When UE receive a PDSCH by detecting a PDCCH in the subframe (n−4) of the primary cell or detects an SPS release PDCCH, the UE sends ACK/NACK using a PUCCH resource n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i. Here, n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i is determined as n_CCE,i+N⁽¹⁾_PUCCH. Here, n_CCE,i means the index of the first CCE that is used for a BS to send the PDCCH, and N⁽¹⁾_PUCCH is a value set through a higher layer signal. If the transmission mode of the primary cell supports up to two transport blocks, a PUCCH resources n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i+1 is given. n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i+1 can be determined as n_CCE,i+1+N⁽¹⁾_PUCCH. That is, if the primary cell is set in transmission mode in which a maximum of up to two transport blocks can be transmitted, two PUCCH resources can be determined.

If there is no PDCCH detected in the subframe (n−4) of the primary cell, the PUCCH resource n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i for sending ACK/NACK to the PDSCH is determined by a higher layer configuration. If up to two transport blocks are supported, the PUCCH resource n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i+1 can be given as n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i+1=n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i+1.

If the PDCCH is detected in the subframe (n−4) and the PDSCH is received from the secondary cell, the PUCCH resources n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i and n⁽¹⁾_PUCCH,i+1 for the transmission mode that supports up to two transport blocks can be determined by a higher layer configuration.

The following table shows a relationship between ACK/NACK, PUCCH resources, and 2-bit information of b(0)b(1) in the PUCCH format 1b in which channel selection is used for two PUCCH resources (when A=2).

TABLE 7
HARQ-ACK(0)	HARQ-ACK(1)	nPUCCH, i(1)	b(0)b(1)
ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	1, 1
ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	1, 1
NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	0, 0
NACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 0
DTX	NACK/DTX	No Transmission

The following table shows a relationship between ACK/NACK, PUCCH resources, and 2-bit information in the PUCCH format 1b in which channel selection is used for three PUCCH resources (when A=3).

TABLE 8
HARQ-	HARQ-	HARQ-
ACK(0)	ACK(1)	ACK(2)	nPUCCH, i(1)	b(0)b(1)
ACK	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	1, 1
ACK	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	1, 0
NACK/DTX	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	0, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	1, 1
ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	1, 1
ACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	1, 0
NACK/DTX	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	NACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	0, 0
NACK	NACK/DTX	DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 0
NACK/DTX	NACK	DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 0
DTX	DTX	DTX	No Transmission

If a DL PCC has been set in MIMO mode in the state in which two DL CCs DL PCC and DL SCC have been configured in UE and two codeword PDSCHs are received in the DL PCC, HARQ-ACK(0) and HARQ-ACK(1) may have to be fed back. Furthermore, if one codeword PDSCH is received in the DL PCC, the UE can determine (HARQ-ACK(0), HARQ-ACK(1)) as (ACK, ACK) or (NACK, NACK) and send them as in the following table.

TABLE 9
HARQ-	HARQ-	HARQ-
ACK(0)	ACK(1)	ACK(2)	nPUCCH, i(1)	b(0)b(1)
ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	1, 1
NACK	NACK/DTX	DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 0
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	1, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	NACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	0, 0

The following table shows a relationship between ACK/NACK, PUCCH resources, and 2-bit information in the PUCCH format 1b in which channel selection is used for four PUCCH resources (when A=4).

TABLE 10
HARQ-	HARQ-	HARQ-	HARQ-
ACK(0)	ACK(1)	ACK(2)	ACK(3)	nPUCCH, i(1)	b(0)b(1)
ACK	ACK	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	1, 1
ACK	NACK/DTX	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	0, 1
NACK/DTX	ACK	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	0, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 3(1)	1, 1
ACK	ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 1(1)	1, 0
ACK	NACK/DTX	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 2(1)	0, 0
NACK/DTX	ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 1(1)	0, 0
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 3(1)	1, 0
ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	1, 1
ACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	1, 0
NACK/DTX	ACK	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 3(1)	0, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 3(1)	0, 0
ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	1, 1
ACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	1, 0
NACK/DTX	ACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 0
NACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 0
DTK	DTK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	No Transmission

If a DL PCC and a DL SCC have been configured in MIMO mode in the state in which two DL CCs DL PCC and DL SCC have been configured in UE and one codeword PDSCH is received in the DL PCC or the DL SCC, the UE may send (HARQ-ACK(0), HARQ-ACK(1), HARQ-ACK(2), HARQ-ACK(3)) as in the following table.

TABLE 11
HARQ-	HARQ-	HARQ-	HARQ-
ACK(0)	ACK(1)	ACK(2)	ACK(3)	nPUCCH, i(1)	b(0)b(1)
ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	1, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 0(1)	0, 0
ACK	ACK	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 1(1)	1, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	ACK	nPUCCH, 3(1)	1, 1
ACK	ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 1(1)	1, 0
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	NACK/DTX	nPUCCH, 3(1)	1, 0
ACK	ACK	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 2(1)	1, 1
NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	NACK/DTX	ACK	nPUCCH, 3(1)	0, 0

That is, if UE receives only one transport block from a serving cell that has been set in transmission mode supporting up to two transport blocks, the UE uses 4-bit ACK/NACK (HARQ-ACK(0), HARQ-ACK(1), HARQ-ACK(2), HARQ-ACK(3)) channel selection irrespective of the number of transport blocks actually received and uses the same HARQ ACK/NACK responses as that of a case where the two transport blocks have been received from the serving cell for the received one transport block. Here, if the decoding of the one transport block is successful, (ACK, ACK) is used (two ACKs for the one TB). If the decoding of the one transport block fails, (NACK, NACK) is used (two NACKs for the one TB).

In other words, if only a single codeword has been dynamically received in a MIMO DL CC set in MIMO mode, ACK/NACK information for the corresponding codeword may be represented as copying the ACK/NACK information of the single codeword. That is, repetitive transmission may be represented like (ACK, ACK) if ACK has to be transmitted for the single codeword and (NACK, NACK) if NACK has to be transmitted for the single codeword.

This method may be extended and applied to a case where UE receives a PDCCH in which an SPS release command is carried in a MIMO DL CC. That is, if the SPS release PDCCH is received in the MIMO DL CC, ACK is interpreted as (ACK, ACK) and NACK is interpreted as (NACK, NACK) when 1-bit ACK/NACK information is sent, and the SPS release PDCCH is carried on a 2-bit point and transmitted.

If a DL PCC is set in MIMO mode in an environment in which UE has aggregated and used two DL CCs, when two codeword PDSCHs are received in the DL PCC in order to support the existing LTE Rel-8/9 fallback function, mapping on a signal constellation of 2-bit ACK/NACK may be mapping, such as that of the PUCCH format 1b of Rel-8. Furthermore, when one codeword PDSCH is received in the DL PCC set in MIMO mode, mapping on a signal constellation of 1-bit ACK/NACK for the one codeword PDSCH may have the same mapping as that of the PUCCH format 1a of Rel-8 (ACK for one codeword PDSCH is mapped to (ACK, ACK) for two codeword PDSCHs and NACK for one codeword PDSCH is mapped to (NACK, NACK) for two codeword PDSCHs). In this case, Rel-8 fallback can be performed irrespective of whether the PDSCH received in the DL PCC is a single codeword or two codewords.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a BS and UE in which an embodiment of the present invention is implemented.

A BS 100 includes a processor 110, memory 120, and a Radio Frequency (RF) unit 130. The processor 110 implements the proposed functions, processes and/or methods. For example, the processor 110 configures serving cells in UE and provides configuration information on the transmission mode of each serving cell. Furthermore, the processor 110 sends a transport block to UE through the serving cell and receives HARQ ACK/NACK feedback. The layers of a radio interface protocol can be implemented by the processor 110. The memory 120 is connected to the processor 110, and the memory 120 stores a variety of pieces of information for driving the processor 110. The RF unit 130 is connected to the processor 110, and the RF unit 130 sends and/or receives radio signals.

The UE 200 includes a processor 210, memory 220, and an RF unit 230. The processor 210 implements the proposed functions, processes and/or methods. The layers of a radio interface protocol can be implemented by the processor 210. The processor 210 receives a first transport block through a first serving cell set in a first transmission mode that supports up to two transport blocks and receives at least one second transport block through a second serving cell set in a second transmission mode. Next, the processor 210 determines an HARQ ACK/NACK response, including a first response to the first transport block and a second response to the at least one second transport block, and sends the HARQ ACK/NACK response to a BS. Here, the first response included in the HARQ ACK/NACK response is identical with a response used when two transport blocks are received through the first serving cell. For example, if the first transport block is successfully decoded, (ACK, ACK) is transmitted like in a case where the two transport blocks have been successfully decoded in the first serving cell. If the decoding of the first transport block fails, (NACK, NACK) is transmitted like in a case where both the two transport blocks have not been successfully decoded in the first serving cell. The memory 220 is connected to the processor 210, and the memory 220 stores a variety of pieces of information for driving the processor 210. The RF unit 230 is connected to the processor 210, and the RF unit 230 sends and/or receives radio signals and sends the spread complex modulation symbols to a BS.

The processor 110, 210 may include Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), other chipsets, logic circuits and/or data processors. The memory 120, 220 may include Read-Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, memory cards, storage media and/or other storage devices. The RF unit 130, 230 may include a baseband circuit for processing radio signals. When the embodiment is implemented in software, the above-described scheme may be implemented into a module (process or function) that performs the above function. The module may be stored in the memory 120, 220 and executed by the processor 110, 210. The memory 120, 220 may be placed inside or outside the processor 110, 210 and connected to the processor 110, 210 using a variety of well-known means. In the above exemplary systems, although the methods have been described on the basis of the flowcharts using a series of the steps or blocks, the present invention is not limited to the sequence of the steps, and some of the steps may be performed at different sequences from the remaining steps or may be performed simultaneously with the remaining steps. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the steps shown in the flowcharts are not exclusive and other steps may be included or one or more steps of the flowcharts may be deleted without affecting the scope of the present invention.

The above embodiments include various aspects of examples. Although all possible combinations for describing the various aspects may not be described, those skilled in the art may appreciate that other combinations are possible. Accordingly, the present invention should be construed as including all other replacements, modifications, and changes which fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) information of a user equipment (UE) configured with two serving cells including a first serving cell and a second serving cell, the method comprising:

receiving two transport blocks (TBs) through a downlink subframe of the first serving cell;

receiving one TB through a downlink subframe of the second serving cell; and

transmitting ACK/NACK information informing ACK/NACKs for the two TBs and the one TB through an uplink subframe of the first serving cell,

wherein the ACK/NACK information informs the ACK/NACKs for the two TBs and the one TB by a combination of one resource selected from a plurality of candidate resources and two bits transmitted through the one resource, and

wherein:

when the UE is configured with a transmission mode that supports up to two TBs on the second serving cell, and

wherein:

if based on the one TB is being decoded successfully, the UE transmits first ACK/NACK information informing ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two ACKs for the one TB’ by a first combination of a first resource among the plurality of candidate resources and two bits, wherein the first resource is selected based on the ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two ACKs for the one TB’, or and

if based on the one TB is being not decoded successfully, the UE transmits second ACK/NACK information informing ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two NACKs for the one TB’ by a second combination of a second resource among the plurality of candidate resources and two bits, wherein the second resource is selected based on the ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two NACKs for the one TB’.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first serving cell is a primary cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the two bits transmitted through the one resource are modulated by quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ACK/NACK indicates ACK, NACK or discontinuous transmission (DTX).

6. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive and transmit radio signals; and

a processor connected to the transceiver,

wherein the processor is configured to:

control the transceiver to receive two transport blocks (TBs) through a downlink subframe of the first serving cell;

control the transceiver to receive one TB through a downlink subframe of the second serving cell; and

control the transceiver to transmit ACK/NACK acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) information informing ACK/NACKs for the two TBs and the one TB through an uplink subframe of the first serving cell,

wherein the ACK/NACK information informs the ACK/NACKs for the two TBs and the one TB by a combination of one resource selected from a plurality of candidate resources and two bits transmitted through the one resource, and

wherein:

when the UE is configured with a transmission mode that supports up to two TBs on the second serving cell, and

wherein:

if based on the one TB is being decoded successfully, the UE transmits first ACK/NACK information informing ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two ACKs for the one TB’ by a first combination of a first resource among the plurality of candidate resources and two bits, wherein the first resource is selected based on the ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two ACKs for the one TB’, or and

if based on the one TB is being not decoded successfully, the UE transmits second ACK/NACK information informing ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two NACKs for the one TB’ by a second combination of a second resource among the plurality of candidate resources and two bits, wherein the second resource is selected based on the ‘two ACK/NACKs for the two TBs’ and ‘two NACKs for the one TB’.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the first serving cell is a primary cell.

8. The UE of claim 6, wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell.

9. The UE of claim 6, wherein the two bits transmitted through the one resource are modulated by quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK).

10. The UE of claim 6, wherein the ACK/NACK indicates ACK, NACK or discontinuous transmission (DTX).