Future-compatible group common downlink control channel

Wireless communication with a future-compatible group common downlink control channel is discussed. A common downlink control channel may include a plurality of regions that may be configured to include information describing a plurality of features, at least a subset of the features being supported by a mobile device. Configuration information associated with the common control channel may be transmitted from a base station to the mobile device. The configuration information may provide to the mobile device an indication of the plurality of features described in the common control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in the plurality of regions of the common control channel. After receiving the common control channel, the mobile device may process the regions of the control channel that include control information features supported by the mobile device and skip regions of the common control channel that include control information features not supported by the mobile device.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to a future-compatible group common downlink control channel. Certain embodiments of the technology discussed below can enable and provide enhanced communication features and techniques for communication systems, including higher data rates, higher capacity, better spectral efficiency, and lower device power.

INTRODUCTION

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

Typically, communication networks include numerous physical channels over which devices in the communication networks, such as base stations and mobile devices, may communicate information to each other. A group common downlink control channel (or simply a common control channel), as described in the present disclosure, may refer to a channel that includes information that is common for a group of mobile devices. Using a common downlink control channel for communicating control information to a group of mobile devices may bring about numerous improvements to communication networks and the devices that utilize the communication networks. For example, a common downlink control channel may improve data rates, capacity, and spectral efficiency because more bandwidth may be allocated for data and less bandwidth may be allocated for UE-specific control information that is actually common for a group of mobile devices. In addition, when mobile devices are made aware of the location of the common downlink control channel before communication over the common downlink control channel occurs, power usage of the mobile devices may be reduced because the mobile devices may reduce the amount of blind decoding they perform, if any is performed.

Aspects of the present disclosure may improve wireless communication through the development of a common downlink control channel. Aspects of the present disclosure may also improve wireless communication by making the common downlink control channel configurable. The configurability of the common downlink control channel may make the channel future-compatible by allowing future changes to be made to the channel simply through modification of the configuration parameters of the channel. In some scenarios, dynamic adjustments and configurability may be provided so that further developments related to communication channels may be utilized. As one example, configurations of a payload length can be configurable leading to adjustments of control aspects. Communication specifications may set forth various approaches of configurable lengths as well as defining bits within a payload transmission.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes receiving, by a processor, configuration information associated with a future-compatible control channel. The configuration information may provide an indication of a plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in a plurality of regions of the control channel. The method may also include receiving, by the processor, the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices. The method may further include processing, by the processor, one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features supported by the mobile device and not processing one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features not supported by the mobile device.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication includes a means for receiving, by a processor, configuration information associated with a future-compatible control channel. The configuration information may provide an indication of a plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in a plurality of regions of the control channel. The apparatus may also include a means for receiving, by the processor, the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices. The apparatus may further include a means for processing, by the processor, one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features supported by the mobile device and not processing one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features not supported by the mobile device.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a computer program product has a computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. This program code includes code for causing a computer to receive configuration information associated with a future-compatible control channel. The configuration information may provide an indication of a plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in a plurality of regions of the control channel. The program code may also include program code for causing the computer to receive the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices. The program code may further include program code for causing the computer to process one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features supported by the mobile device and not processing one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features not supported by the mobile device.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive configuration information associated with a future-compatible control channel. The configuration information may provide an indication of a plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in a plurality of regions of the control channel. The processor is also configured to receive the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices. The processor is further configured to process one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features supported by the mobile device and not processing one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features not supported by the mobile device.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes configuring, by a processor, a plurality of regions of a future-compatible control channel to include information describing a plurality of features. A subset of the plurality regions of the control channel may be configured to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by a mobile device. The method may also include transmitting, by the processor, configuration information associated with the control channel, wherein the transmitted configuration information provides to the mobile device an indication of the plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in the plurality of regions of the control channel. The method may further include transmitting, by the processor, the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication includes a means for configuring, by a processor, a plurality of regions of a future-compatible control channel to include information describing a plurality of features. A subset of the plurality regions of the control channel may be configured to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by a mobile device. The apparatus may also include a means for transmitting, by the processor, configuration information associated with the control channel, wherein the transmitted configuration information provides to the mobile device an indication of the plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in the plurality of regions of the control channel. The apparatus may further include a means for transmitting, by the processor, the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a computer program product has a computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. This program code includes code for causing a computer to configure a plurality of regions of a future-compatible control channel to include information describing a plurality of features. A subset of the plurality regions of the control channel may be configured to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by a mobile device. The program code may also include program code for causing the computer to transmit configuration information associated with the control channel, wherein the transmitted configuration information provides to the mobile device an indication of the plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in the plurality of regions of the control channel. The program code may further include program code for causing the computer to transmit the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to configure a plurality of regions of a future-compatible control channel to include information describing a plurality of features. A subset of the plurality regions of the control channel may be configured to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by a mobile device. The processor is also configured to transmit configuration information associated with the control channel, wherein the transmitted configuration information provides to the mobile device an indication of the plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in the plurality of regions of the control channel. The processor is further configured to transmit the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An OFDMA network may, for example, implement a radio technology such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM and the like. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS). In particular, long term evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or are being developed. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations that aims to define a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) mobile phone standard. The 3GPP may define specifications for the next generation of mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices.

For clarity, certain aspects of the apparatus and techniques may be described below with reference to exemplary LTE implementations or in an LTE-centric way, and LTE terminology may be used as illustrative examples in portions of the description below; however, the description is not intended to be limited to LTE applications. Indeed, the present disclosure is concerned with shared access to wireless spectrum between networks using different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces. For example, next generation networks (e.g., 5G networks and beyond) are being designed to support features such as high bandwidth operations, as discussed in 3GPP Release 14/15 forward.

While aspects and embodiments are described in this application, those skilled in the art will understand that implementations and use cases may come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Innovations described herein may be implemented across many differing platform types, for example, via integrated chip embodiments and other non-module-component based devices (end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, etc.). While some claims may or may not be specifically directed to particular use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicability of the innovation may take place. Ranging from modular components to whole devices incorporating aspects of the described innovations.

FIG. 1shows wireless network100for communication according to some embodiments. While discussion of the technology of this disclosure is provided relative to an LTE-A network (shown inFIG. 1), this is for illustrative purposes. Principles of the technology disclosed can be used in other network deployments, including fifth generation (5G) networks. As appreciated by those skilled in the art, components appearing inFIG. 1are likely to have related counterparts in other network arrangements.

Turning back toFIG. 1wireless network100includes a number of base stations, such as may comprise evolved node Bs (eNBs), referred to herein as eNBs105and other network entities. An eNB may be a station that communicates with the UEs and may also be referred to as a base station, a node B, an access point, and the like. Each eNB105may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to this particular geographic coverage area of an eNB and/or an eNB subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In implementations of wireless network100herein, eNBs105may be associated with a same operator or different operators (e.g., wireless network100may comprise a plurality of operator wireless networks), and may provide wireless communications using one or more of the same frequencies (e.g., one or more frequency band in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination thereof) as a neighboring cell.

An eNB may provide communication coverage for a macro cell or a small cell, such as a pico cell or a femto cell, and/or other types of cell. A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell, such as a pico cell, would generally cover a relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell, such as a femto cell, would also generally cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access by UEs having an association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, and the like). An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB or a home eNB. In the example shown inFIG. 1, eNBs105a,105band105care macro eNBs for the macro cells110a,110band110c, respectively. eNBs105x,105y, and105zare small cell eNBs, which may include pico or femto eNBs that provide service to small cells110x,110y, and110z, respectively. An eNB may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells. In next generation networks (e.g., 5G networks and beyond), gNBs may provide communication coverage, similar to the way an eNB may provide communication coverage.

Wireless network100may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the eNBs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different eNBs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the eNBs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different eNBs may not be aligned in time.

UEs115are dispersed throughout wireless network100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. It should be appreciated that, although a mobile apparatus is commonly referred to as user equipment (UE) in standards and specifications promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such apparatus may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. Within the present document, a “mobile” apparatus or UE need not necessarily have a capability to move, and may be stationary. Some non-limiting examples of a mobile apparatus, such as may comprise embodiments of one or more of UEs115, include a mobile, a cellular (cell) phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a notebook, a netbook, a smart book, a tablet, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). A mobile apparatus may additionally be an “Internet of things” (IoT) device such as an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a logistics controller, a drone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a smart energy or security device, a solar panel or solar array, municipal lighting, water, or other infrastructure; industrial automation and enterprise devices; consumer and wearable devices, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a mammal implantable device, gesture tracking device, medical device, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc.; and digital home or smart home devices such as a home audio, video, and multimedia device, an appliance, a sensor, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. A mobile apparatus, such as UEs115, may be able to communicate with macro eNBs, pico eNBs, femto eNBs, relays, and the like. InFIG. 1, a lightning bolt (e.g., communication links125) indicates wireless transmissions between a UE and a serving eNB, which is an eNB designated to serve the UE on the downlink and/or uplink, or desired transmission between eNBs. Although backhaul communication134is illustrated as wired backhaul communications that may occur between eNBs, it should be appreciated that backhaul communications may additionally or alternatively be provided by wireless communications.

FIG. 2shows a block diagram of a design of base station105(e.g., eNB or gNB) and UE115, which may be one of the base stations/eNBs and one of the UEs inFIG. 1. For a restricted association scenario, the eNB105may be small cell eNB105zinFIG. 1, and UE115may be UE115z, which in order to access small cell eNB105z, would be included in a list of accessible UEs for small cell eNB105z. eNB105may also be a base station of some other type. eNB105may be equipped with antennas234athrough234t, and UE115may be equipped with antennas252athrough252r.

At eNB105, transmit processor220may receive data from data source212and control information from controller/processor240. The control information may be for the PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, PDCCH, etc. The data may be for the PDSCH, etc. Transmit processor220may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. Transmit processor220may also generate reference symbols, e.g., for the PSS, SSS, and cell-specific reference signal. Transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor230may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, and/or reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs)232athrough232t. Each modulator232may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator232may additionally or alternatively process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. Downlink signals from modulators232athrough232tmay be transmitted via antennas234athrough234t, respectively.

Controllers/processors240and280may direct the operation at eNB105and UE115, respectively. Controller/processor240and/or other processors and modules at eNB105may perform or direct the execution of various processes for the techniques described herein. Controllers/processor280and/or other processors and modules at UE115may also perform or direct the execution of various processes for the techniques described herein. Memories242and282may store data and program codes for eNB105and UE115, respectively. Scheduler244may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink.

Typically, communication networks include numerous physical channels over which devices in the communication networks, such as base stations and mobile devices, may communicate information to each other. A group common downlink control channel (or simply a common control channel), as described in the present disclosure, may refer to a channel that includes information that is common for a group of mobile devices. Using a common downlink control channel for communicating control information to a group of mobile devices may bring about numerous improvements to communication networks and the devices that utilize the communication networks. For example, a common downlink control channel may improve data rates, capacity, and spectral efficiency because more bandwidth may be allocated for data and less bandwidth may be allocated for UE-specific control information that is actually common for a group of mobile devices. In addition, when mobile devices are made aware of the location of the common downlink control channel before communication over the common downlink control channel occurs, power usage of the mobile devices may be reduced because the mobile devices may reduce the amount of blind decoding they perform, if any is performed.

Embodiments of the innovations described in this application may be implemented in various manners. Although this disclosure refers specifically to future-compatible group common downlink control channels, aspects of this disclosure may also describe, and be applied to, non-control channels to obtain future-compatible group common uplink or downlink channels. Therefore, the embodiments of this disclosure as described with reference toFIGS. 1-7may also be descriptive of and applicable to general future-compatible group common channels, i.e., including non-control channels, to obtain future-compatible group common uplink or downlink channels.

Aspects of the present disclosure may improve wireless communication through the development of a common downlink control channel. Aspects of the present disclosure may also improve wireless communication by making the common downlink control channel configurable. The configurability of the common downlink control channel may make the channel future-compatible by allowing future changes to be made to the common control channel simply through modification of the configuration parameters of the common control channel.

FIG. 3, as an example, is a block diagram illustrating a method for wireless communication with a future-compatible group common downlink control channel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Aspects of method300may be implemented with the aspects of this disclosure described with respect toFIGS. 1-2, 4, and 6-7, such as a mobile device. The example blocks will also be described with respect to UE115as illustrated inFIG. 6.FIG. 6is a block diagram illustrating a UE configured according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. UE115includes the structure, hardware, and components as illustrated for UE115ofFIG. 2. For example, UE115includes controller/processor280, which operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in memory282, as well as controlling the components of UE115that provide the features and functionality of UE115. UE115, under control of controller/processor280, transmits and receives signals via wireless radios600a-rand antennas252a-r. Wireless radios600a-rinclude various components and hardware, as illustrated inFIG. 2for UE115, including modulator/demodulators254a-r, MIMO detector256, receive processor258, transmit processor264, and TX MIMO processor266.

Specifically, method300includes, at block302, receiving, by a processor, configuration information that is associated with a future-compatible control channel and that provides to a mobile device an indication of a plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in a plurality of regions of the control channel. As a specific example, UE115may, under control of controller/processor280, receive configuration information associated with a control channel.

To illustrate an example structure of a common control channel,FIG. 4shows a diagram that illustrates aspects of a future-compatible group common downlink control channel400according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Future-compatible configuration enables flexibility in adding or removing functionality in the common control channel as desired (e.g., evolving standards requirements or system designs). According to some aspects, the common control channel may include fixed and/or dynamic portions (bits) and in some instances a fixed physical channel. The common control channel may be implemented via a group common PDCCH feature according to some systems; such a PDCCH could generally include a slot type indicator, a control format indicator, and other functionality for use by a recipient component. The common control channel may also be implemented based on size. For example, in one aspect, the common control channel may be implemented via reuse of a PDCCH when the common control channel is large and/or above a size threshold. In another aspect, the common control channel may be implemented via a special specific channel that is distinct from the PDCCH if the common control channel is small and/or below a size threshold.

FIG. 4illustrates that common control channel400may include multiple regions410a-d. Each of regions410a-dmay correspond to different bits which are encoded, modulated, and transmitted over resources in frequency, time, or a combination of both. The bits of each region may be jointly encoded across all of the regions, separately encoded across a subset of the regions, or individually encoded per region. Additional error checking, such as cyclic redundancy check (CRC), may be appended to the bits to ensure robustness of the common control channel400.

The regions410a-dmay have varying parameters and configurations for flexible use to accommodate many future-compatibility scenarios. According to some embodiments, each of regions410a-dmay have the same size. For example, in one embodiment, each of regions410a-dmay have a size of two bits. In other embodiments, a subset of regions410a-dmay have different sizes while another subset of regions410a-dmay have the same size. In yet another embodiment, each of regions410a-dmay have a different size.

Common control channel400is illustrated inFIG. 4with four regions only for illustrative purposes (more or less may be desired or utilized). In some embodiments, a common control channel may include more or less than four regions. And each of the regions may vary in arrangement size (e.g., payload length and bit positions within payload regions or the payload).

In some embodiments, a network device, such as a base station, may configure a plurality of regions410a-dof common control channel400to include information describing a plurality of features. In particular, base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, configure a plurality of regions410a-dof common control channel400to include information describing a plurality of features. For example, in some embodiments, a subset of the plurality regions of the common control channel400, for example subset regions410a-b, may be configured to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by a mobile device, such as a first mobile device receiving common control channel400. In one embodiment, the remaining regions410c-dmay be void of any control information. In another embodiment, one or more of the remaining regions410c-dmay be configured to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by another mobile device, such as a second mobile device also receiving common control channel400. In other words, a base station may configure another subset of the plurality regions of the common control channel400, such as one or more of remaining regions410c-d, to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by another mobile device, such as the second device. In some embodiments, the features supported by the first mobile device may be different than the features supported by the second mobile device, while in other embodiments, the features supported by the first mobile device may be the same as the features supported by the second mobile device. In yet another embodiment, each of regions410a-dmay be configured to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by each of the mobile devices that receive common control channel400.

According to some embodiments, a base station (e.g., eNB or gNB) may allocate different regions of the plurality of regions410a-dof common control channel400for different features of the plurality of features. In particular, base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, allocate different regions of the plurality of regions410a-dof common control channel400for different features of the plurality of features. For example, in one embodiment, region410amay be allocated to include information for a first feature, and region410bmay be allocated to include information for a second feature. In another embodiment, a base station may allocate different regions of the plurality of regions410a-dof common control channel400for the same feature. In yet another embodiment, some regions, such as regions410a-b, may be allocated for the same feature, while other regions, such as regions410c-d, may be allocated for different features.

Examples of the features that may be described in the regions of the common control channel400include a slot type/format that may indicate whether a timespan/time slot is a downlink-centric slot, uplink-centric slot, or a blank slot, a control format, a starting location of a data region, and search space reduction, although other features may also be described as one of skill in the art would readily understand.

In certain embodiments, the configuration of different regions may also vary. In particular, a base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, vary the configuration of different regions of common control channel400. For example, in one embodiment, a base station may configure a subset of the different regions, such as a subset including only region410aor including both region410aand region410b, differently, while the remaining regions that include control information, such as any one or more of regions410c-d, are configured the same. In another embodiment, a base station may configure each of the regions410a-dthat include control information differently. In yet another embodiment, a base station may configure each of the regions410a-dthat include control information the same. In some embodiments, a configuration of a region may refer to how the region is coded. For example, the configuration of a region may refer to how the bits of a region of a common control channel are coded to describe the feature allocated to that region.

In some embodiments, a base station may transmit the configuration information associated with the common control channel. In particular, a base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, transmit the configuration information associated with the common control channel. For example, the base station may transmit the configuration information to a mobile device. As discussed at block302, a mobile device may be configured to receive the configuration information associated with the common control channel.

In certain embodiments, the configuration information may provide the mobile device with an indication of the plurality of features described in the common control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in the plurality of regions of the common control channel. For example, the step of transmitting configuration information may include transmitting information that provides to the mobile device an indication of a size of the control channel allocated for each of the plurality of features. Similarly, receiving configuration information, such as at block302, may include receiving information that provides to the mobile device an indication of a size of the control channel allocated for each of the plurality of features. In particular, in one embodiment, the size of the control channel, such as the number of bits allocated for the control channel or the number of regions in the control channel, and/or the size of the regions of the control channel allocated for the features described in the respective regions may be transmitted by a base station to a mobile device for reception by the mobile device.

In some embodiments, a base station may have an option of setting the size of the common control channel from a pre-defined list of sizes that can be used for the common control channel. In particular, a base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, set the size of the common control channel to a size selected from a pre-defined list of sizes that can be used for the common control channel. For example, a base station may select one of the sizes from the pre-defined list, and configure the common control channel to have the selected size. In addition, a base station may have an option of setting the size of the regions of the common control channel from a pre-defined list of sizes that can be used for the regions of the common control channel. In particular, a base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, set the size of regions of the common control channel to a size selected from a pre-defined list of sizes that can be used for the regions of the common control channel. For example, a base station may select one of the sizes from the pre-defined list, and configure one or more of the regions of the common control channel to have the selected size. The size information for the common control channel and/or the regions of the common control channel may be transmitted by the base station to the mobile device for reception by the mobile device. Configurability options as discussed herein enable and provide compatibility options for communication channels (e.g., an L1 control channel). And these options enable and provide support for communication about sizing, shaping, and positioning of information within channels for a wide array of configurability features.

In another embodiment, the size of the common control channel and/or the size of the regions of the common control channel may be a fixed size known by the mobile device. For example, the size of the common control channel and/or the size of the regions of the common control channel may be set by a communication standard, and a mobile device may be configured to support the communication standard. In such an embodiment, the mobile device may know before receiving the configuration information the size of the common control channel and/or the size of the regions of the common control channel.

In certain embodiments, transmitting configuration information may also include transmitting information that provides to the mobile device an indication of the order in which the plurality of features are included in the common control channel. Similarly, receiving configuration information, such as at block302, may include receiving information that provides to the mobile device an indication of the order in which the plurality of features are included in the common control channel.

According to some embodiments, the transmitted/received configuration information may also include the location and/or coding scheme information for the common control channel. In particular, transmitting configuration information by the base station may include transmitting the location and/or coding scheme information of the control channel. Specifically, a base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, transmit the location and/or coding scheme information of the common control channel. Similarly, receiving configuration information, such as at block302, may include receiving by the mobile device the location and/or coding scheme information of the control channel. Specifically, a mobile device115may, under control of controller/processor280, receive the location and/or coding scheme information of the common control channel. In some embodiments, the location information may specify the frequency bandwidths and/or the timespans where the common control channel may be located, and/or the coding scheme information. The mobile device can use the information to decode the common control channel.

In some embodiments, various aspects of the configuration information may be transmitted by the base station to the mobile device for reception by the mobile device through various communication messages, such as through a master information block (MIB) message, a system information block (SIB) message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, or a combination of MIB, SIB, and/or RRC messages. For example, in one embodiment, a size of the common control channel may be transmitted in an MIB message and a configuration of the regions of the common control channel may be transmitted in an RRC message. In another embodiment, a location of the common control channel may be transmitted in an MIB or SIB message. In general, any combination of MIB, SIB, and/or RRC messages may be used for communication of the configuration information.

Returning toFIG. 3, at block304, method300includes receiving, by the processor, the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices. Similarly, a base station may transmit the control channel that is common for a group of mobile devices. As a specific example, UE115may, under control of controller/processor280, receive the common control channel. In some embodiments, transmitting the common control channel by the base station may include transmitting the common control channel at the location indicated by the configuration information, and receiving the control channel by the mobile device may include detecting and receiving the common control channel at the location indicated by the configuration information. Accordingly, because the mobile device receiving the common control channel may know the location of the common control channel, the mobile device may decode the common control channel with less or no utilization of blind decoding techniques. In other words, in some embodiments, decoding, by the mobile device, of the common control channel may not include blind decoding, or may involve a reduced number of blind decoding attempts. According to some embodiments, instead of performing significant blind decoding to decode the common control channel, other less-resource-intensive decoding schemes may be utilized.

At block306, method300includes processing, by the processor, one or more of the plurality regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features supported by the mobile device and not processing one or more of the plurality of regions of the control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features not supported by the mobile device. As a specific example, mobile device115may, under control of controller/processor280, process one or more of the plurality regions of the common control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features supported by the mobile device and not process one or more of the plurality of regions of the common control channel that are associated with one or more of the plurality of features not supported by the mobile device. For example, referring toFIG. 4, a base station may configure only region410cof common control channel400to include information about a feature that is supported by a first mobile device receiving the common control channel400. The remaining regions,410a-band410d, may be configured to include information about features supported by other devices that receive common control channel400but not supported by the first mobile device. The configuration information transmitted by the base station to the first mobile device, and similarly the configuration information received by the first mobile device, may include information informing the first mobile device that only region410cincludes information about a feature that the first mobile device supports. Based on that information, the first mobile device may process only region410cand not process regions410a-band410d. For example, in some embodiments, such as when the configuration information also includes the size of the regions of the common control channel, the first mobile device may know exactly how many bits to skip or not process because those regions do not include information about a feature that the first mobile device supports. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the first mobile device may process a first subset of regions of the plurality of regions of the common control channel, such as region410cof common control channel400, and a second mobile device that receives the same configuration information and control channel received by the first mobile device may process a second subset of regions of the plurality of regions of the common control channel, such as regions410a-bof common control channel400. In some embodiments, the first subset of regions may be different than the second subset of regions. In another embodiment, mobile devices receiving the common control channel may process all regions of the common control channel. In yet another embodiment, mobile devices receiving the common control channel may process no regions of the common control channel. In some embodiments, the subsets of the regions of the common control channel, such as the first subset and the second subset, may include only mutually exclusive regions, only the exact same regions, or may include a combination of regions that are common to multiple subsets and regions that are not common to the two subsets.

FIG. 5is a block diagram illustrating another method for wireless communication with a future-compatible group common downlink control channel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Aspects of method500may be implemented with the aspects of this disclosure described with respect toFIGS. 1-2, 4, and 6-7, such as a base station. The example blocks will also be described with respect to base station105as illustrated inFIG. 7.FIG. 7is a block diagram illustrating a base station configured according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. eNB105includes the structure, hardware, and components as illustrated for eNB105ofFIG. 2. For example, eNB105includes controller/processor240, which operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in memory242, as well as controlling the components of eNB105that provide the features and functionality of eNB105. eNB105, under control of controller/processor240, transmits and receives signals via wireless radios700a-tand antennas234a-t. Wireless radios700a-tinclude various components and hardware, as illustrated inFIG. 2for eNB105, including modulator/demodulators232a-t, MIMO detector236, receive processor238, transmit processor220, and TX MIMO processor230.

Specifically, method500includes, at block502, configuring, by a processor, a plurality of regions of a future-compatible control channel to include information describing a plurality of features by configuring a subset of the plurality regions of the control channel to include information describing one or more of the plurality of features that are supported by a mobile device. At block504, method500includes transmitting, by the processor, configuration information associated with the control channel, wherein the transmitted configuration information provides to the mobile device an indication of the plurality of features described in the control channel and an indication of how the plurality of features are configured in the plurality of regions of the control channel. At block506, method500includes transmitting, by the processor, the control channel, wherein the control channel is common for a group of mobile devices. In some embodiments, a base station105may, under control of controller/processor240, perform the steps of method500.

The functional blocks and modules in the figures may comprise processors, electronics devices, hardware devices, electronics components, logical circuits, memories, software codes, firmware codes, etc., or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Skilled artisans will also readily recognize that the order or combination of components, methods, or interactions that are described herein are merely examples and that the components, methods, or interactions of the various aspects of the present disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than those illustrated and described herein. For example, other methods of the disclosure may include only portions of the method steps disclosed inFIGS. 3 and 5, may include a combination of the method steps disclosed inFIGS. 3 and 5, or may include all or none of the method steps disclosed inFIGS. 3 and 5. Therefore, other methods of the disclosure may not include all the details illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 5.