HK1256489B

HK1256489B - Blanking pattern indication for resource utilization in cellular radio communication

Info

Publication number: HK1256489B
Application number: HK18115527.0A
Authority: HK
Inventors: Jonas Froeberg Olsson; Andreas Bergstroem; Erik Eriksson; Pål FRENGER; Martin HESSLER
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Filing date: 2015-07-27
Publication date: 2021-10-08

Description

Blanking pattern indication for resource utilization in cellular radio communications

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and a corresponding apparatus for controlling radio communication in a cellular network.

Background

As radio technologies evolve by introducing new features, it is often desirable for later versions of the radio technology to be backward compatible with earlier versions. In this way, both versions can coexist in the same radio communication system.

An example of such evolution of radio technology is the LTE (long term evolution) cellular radio technology specified by 3GPP (third generation partnership project). Here, for example, User Equipment (UE) according to LTE release 8 (Rel-8) specifications and UE according to LTE release 10 (Rel-10) specifications may coexist in a cellular network according to LTE Rel-10 specifications. Further, a UE according to the LTE Rel-10 specification is able to utilize a cellular network according to the LTE Rel-8 specification.

One exemplary difference between the cellular radio technology according to LTE Rel-8 and the cellular radio technology according to LTE Rel-10 resides in the utilization of the reference signal. In LTE Rel-10, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) is defined for the purpose of providing Channel State Information (CSI). In contrast to this purpose, in LTE Rel-8, CSI measurement relies on cell-specific reference signals (CRS). An LTE Rel-10 capable UE (hereinafter also referred to as a Rel-10 UE) is aware of when and where CSI-RSs are present in the received signal. However, in case the UE supports only LTE Rel-8 (hereinafter also referred to as Rel-8 UE), such awareness does not exist. Thus, it may happen that the Rel-8 UE assumes that data is present in the resource elements used to transmit the CSI-RS. Thus, if a Rel-8 UE is to be scheduled for transmission in a subframe containing CSI-RS, the transmission will likely fail. Although this problem can be mitigated by not scheduling Rel-8 UEs in subframes containing CSI-RS, such exclusion of subframes for the entire class of UEs may be overly restrictive. Furthermore, the possibility of configuring zero-power CSI-RS as specified in 3GPP TS 36.213 V12.5.0 (2015-03) does not work either, since it only allows to configure certain predefined CSI-RS constellations to zero-power and is not supported for Rel-8 UEs.

In a similar manner, features of earlier versions of a radio technology may have an impact on later versions of this radio technology. For example, CRS for LTE Rel-8 is generally not needed when performing radio communications with Rel-10 UEs. On the other hand, since Rel-8 UEs rely on CRS, their transmission may not be deactivated. This may prevent a Rel-8 UE from connecting to a cell if the CRS is not present in this cell. Thus, CRS generally needs to be transmitted in all subframes and all Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs), even if no Rel-8 UEs are currently present in the system. Such requirements for the continuous transmission of certain signals may constitute a considerable limitation, for example with respect to the efficiency of energy efficiency or resource utilization.

Accordingly, there is a need for techniques that allow for efficient control of radio communications in a cellular network that supports radio communications based on different and potentially conflicting configurations.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an embodiment of the invention, a method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network is provided. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. According to the method, a node of a cellular network sends an indication to a communication device. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements to be disregarded by the communication device when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. The at least one first resource element of the pattern defines a first portion of the time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network is provided. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. According to the method, a node of a cellular network receives an indication. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements. The at least one of the first resource elements defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements. The node disregards the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the communication device based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network is provided. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. According to the method, a communication device receives an indication from a cellular network. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements. The at least one of the first resource elements defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements. The communication device disregards the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, a node for a cellular network is provided. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. The node comprises an interface to a communication device and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to send an indication to a communication device. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements to be disregarded by the communication device when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. The at least one first resource element of the pattern defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, a node for a cellular network is provided. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. The node comprises an interface to a communication device and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to receive an indication. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements. The at least one of the first resource elements defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements. Furthermore, the at least one processor is configured to disregard the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the communication device based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication device includes an interface to a cellular network and at least one processor. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. The at least one processor is configured to receive an indication from a cellular network. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements. The at least one of the first resource elements defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements. Furthermore, the at least one processor is configured to disregard the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a computer program or a computer program product, for example in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, is provided, which comprises program code to be executed by at least one processor of a node of a cellular network. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. Execution of the program code by the at least one processor causes the node to send an indication to the communication device. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements to be disregarded by the communication device when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. The at least one first resource element of the pattern defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by at least one of the second resource elements.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a computer program or a computer program product, for example in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, is provided, which comprises program code to be executed by at least one processor of a node of a cellular network. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. Execution of the program code by the at least one processor causes the node to receive an indication. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements. The at least one of the first resource elements defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements. Further, execution of the program code by the at least one processor causes the node to disregard the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the communication device based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a computer program or a computer program product, for example in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, is provided, which comprises program code to be executed by at least one processor of a communication device for a cellular network. The cellular network is assumed to support radio communication based on a first configuration in which a time-frequency space is organized in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration in which the time-frequency space is organized in second resource elements and to assign at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. Execution of the program code by the at least one processor causes the communication device to receive an indication from a cellular network. The indication comprises time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements. The at least one of the first resource elements defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements. Further, execution of the program code by the at least one processor causes the communication device to disregard the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

The details of such embodiments and additional embodiments will be apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments that follows.

Drawings

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a configuration that may be directed to a radio communication application according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2A, 2B and 2C schematically illustrate exemplary scenarios indicated with blanking patterns according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a blanking pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention, where a blanking pattern is obtained by combining a plurality of indicated patterns according to a logically prior rule.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a blanking pattern is obtained by combining a plurality of indicated patterns according to a consecutive order.

Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the blanking pattern depends on the capabilities and/or transmission mode of the UE applying the blanking pattern.

Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the applied blanking pattern is time dependent.

Fig. 8, 9A and 9B illustrate an exemplary scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention, where blanking patterns are combined from patterns of different sizes in a time-dependent manner.

Fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the applied blanking pattern depends on the synchronization of the signals.

Fig. 11 illustrates an exemplary scenario in which different blanking patterns are associated to corresponding beams utilized for radio communication.

Fig. 12 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method that may be implemented by a node of a cellular network according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 13 shows a flow diagram illustrating a further method that may be implemented by a node of a cellular network according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 14 shows a flow diagram illustrating yet another method that may be implemented by a communication device in communication with a cellular network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 schematically illustrates the structure of a cellular network node according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 16 schematically illustrates the structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the following, concepts according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrated embodiments relate to concepts for controlling radio communication in a cellular network. Embodiments are particularly directed to scenarios based on utilizing LTE radio technology. However, it should be understood that the concept can also be applied in connection with other radio access technologies, e.g. future evolutions of LTE radio technologies, e.g. 5G (fifth generation) cellular radio technologies.

Fig. 1 illustrates examples of different configurations (CONF #1, CONF # 2) that may be applied for radio communication in a cellular network. As illustrated, each configuration is based on organizing the time-frequency space in Resource Elements (REs). In the illustrated example, this organization is assumed to be based on a time-frequency grid as specified for LTE radio technology. As illustrated, the time-frequency grid includes a plurality of REs. In the frequency domain, each RE is spread over a frequency bandwidth corresponding to a subcarrier spacing Δ f of 15 kHz. In the time domain, each RE is spread over a slot Δ t having a duration of one Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. In the illustrated example, the first configuration and the second configuration are assumed to be based on the same time-frequency grid, i.e., the same subcarrier width and the same modulation symbol duration. However, the first configuration and the second configuration may also be based on different time-frequency grids. For example, the first configuration may be based on the first time-frequency grid, and the second configuration may be based on the second time-frequency grid, and the first time-frequency grid may be different as to subcarrier spacing Δ f and/or modulation symbol duration Δ t. In the following, the REs of the first configuration will also be referred to as first REs, and the REs of the second configuration will also be referred to as second REs.

In the illustrated concept, it is assumed that each configuration can assign its REs to a certain utilization. Examples of such exploitation are the transmission of data, the transmission of control signals, or the transmission of reference signals. Further, it is assumed that for at least one of the second REs, utilization of the assignment and radio communication based on the first configuration are in conflict. As illustrated, such a collision may occur if a portion of the time-frequency space defined by one of the first resource elements overlaps a portion of the time-frequency space defined by one of the second resource elements, and such first resource element and such second resource element are assigned to different utilizations. For example, a first resource element can be assigned to transmission of data, while a second resource element is assigned to transmission of a reference signal. Further, the first resource element can be assigned to transmission of a first type of reference signal, and the second resource element can be assigned to transmission of a second type of reference signal different from the first type of reference signal. Furthermore, a first resource element can be assigned to transmission of a reference signal, while a second resource element is assigned to transmission without a reference signal or transmission without any signal.

According to the illustrated concept, a UE or a network node performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration can be configured with a blanking pattern defining REs of the first configuration to be disregarded when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. In this way, adverse effects due to conflicting utilization can be avoided. The configuration of the blanking pattern is done by transmitting an indication, hereinafter also referred to as "blanking pattern indication". The blanking pattern indication contains time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the blanking pattern. For example, the time domain information may be provided in the form of time coordinates (e.g., symbol indices or other time domain coordinates) that identify the time domain location of the RE to be ignored. Similarly, the frequency domain information may be provided in the form of frequency coordinates (e.g., subcarrier indices or other frequency domain coordinates) that identify the frequency domain location of the RE to be disregarded. Furthermore, the time domain information and/or the frequency domain information may comprise information elements for identifying the group of REs, e.g. an index for identifying a Physical Resource Block (PRB) as defined in the LTE radio technology. Accordingly, the blanking pattern indication can for example comprise a PRB index for identifying a certain PRB and a subcarrier index and/or a symbol index identifying one or more REs within this PRB.

The blanking pattern indicates blanking patterns that may be used, for example, to configure the UE to operate in accordance with an older version of the LTE radio technology by corresponding to transmitted REs of a reference signal (which is not defined for the older version) used for the newer version of the LTE radio technology. In such an example, the first configuration would correspond to utilization of the time-frequency space according to an older version, and the second configuration would correspond to utilization of the time-frequency space according to an updated version.

The disregarding of the RE may, for example, involve not mapping data or reference signals to the RE. In the transmission direction from the entity (UE or network node) that disregards the RE, this effectively means that the RE is excluded from carrying the transmitted signal. In the receive direction to the entity ignoring the RE, this effectively means that no signal is expected on the RE. However, signals may actually be transmitted in these REs. The disregarding of REs may involve rate matching transmitted or received signals around the disregarded REs. These operations may be accomplished without regard to other configurations, such as resource allocation for data transmission or configured reference signal constellations.

The blanking pattern indication may also comprise information defining how the indicated blanking pattern is to be applied. This information will also be referred to as a "usage indicator" in the following. The usage indicator may, for example, indicate whether a blanking pattern is to be applied for downlink transmissions from the cellular network to the UE or uplink transmissions from the UE to the cellular network. Furthermore, the usage indicator may indicate the association of the blanking pattern to certain signals (e.g., synchronization signals) or to certain transmission resources, such as antenna ports. Furthermore, the blanking pattern indication may also contain sets of time domain information and/or frequency domain information and further information defining how the sets are to be combined to define the blanking pattern. Each of such multiple groups may include at least one of a time coordinate and a frequency coordinate. In a typical scenario, one or more of such multiple groups may contain frequency coordinates and one or more other of such multiple groups may contain time coordinates, such that complex blanking patterns may be efficiently and flexibly defined through a combination of these multiple groups.

When introducing new features to a radio technology that require different utilization of some portion of the time-frequency space (e.g., when introducing a new reference signal or disabling a previously supported reference signal), the blanking pattern indication may be used to facilitate achieving backward compatibility. By means of the blanking pattern indication, any entity (communication device, such as a UE, but also a network node, such as a base station or other kind of access node) that does not support the utilization of the modification of the time-frequency space may be configured to disregard the corresponding resource elements, such that adverse effects of these entities on the radio communication can be avoided. By including time domain information and/or frequency domain information in the blanking pattern indication, various classes of blanking patterns can be defined in a flexible and non-transitory manner.

Fig. 2A, 2B and 2C show different exemplary scenarios, wherein the above mentioned blanking pattern indications are used to configure the communication device and the network node with blanking patterns. The illustrated scenario involves UEs 10-a and 10-B and base stations 100-a and 100-B (e.g., enbs as specified for LTE radio technology). Some of the illustrated devices UE 10-a and base station 100-B are assumed to perform radio communication based on a first configuration, while the remaining devices UE 10-B and base station 100-a are assumed to perform radio communication based on a second configuration. This may be due, for example, to the UE 10-a and the base station 100-B not having support for the second configuration, or because the support for the second configuration is disabled for these devices. The base station 100-a and optionally also the UE 10-B may in turn support simultaneous utilization of the first configuration and the second configuration.

As illustrated, the UE 10-a is connected to the base station 100-a by a radio link RL1 and to the base station 100-B by a further radio link RL 2. The radio links are based on a first configuration. These radio links RL1, RL2 may be utilized simultaneously (e.g., when performing cooperative radio communication such as link aggregation) or may be utilized one after the other (e.g., when performing handover from base station 100-a to base station 100-B). Similarly, UE 10-B is connected to base station 100-A by radio link RL 3. The radio link may for example be a Uu interface based on LTE radio technology. This radio link is based on the second configuration. As further illustrated, base station 100-a and base station 100-B may be connected by a backhaul link BHL, e.g., based on the X2 interface of the LTE radio technology.

In the scenario of fig. 2A, the base station 100-a determines a blanking pattern to be applied for radio communication with the UE 10-a. Base station 100-a, being aware of the utilization of the time-frequency space in both the first configuration and the second configuration, may determine the blanking pattern by first identifying REs of the second configuration that are assigned to conflicting utilizations, and then determining corresponding REs of the first configuration that form the blanking pattern. The base station 100-a may then send the corresponding blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-a. As mentioned above, the blanking pattern indication 20 contains time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the blanking pattern and optionally also a usage indicator. As illustrated, the blanking pattern indication 20 is sent via a radio link RL1 connecting the UE 10-a and the base station 100-a. The blanking pattern indication 20 may be sent, for example, in an information element of a message of the Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol for the radio link RL 1. In response to receiving the blanking pattern indication 20, the UE 10-a disregards REs of the blanking pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration, e.g. on radio link RL1 or on radio link RL 2.

As further illustrated, the base station 100-a may also send the blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-B, which may be done via a radio link RL3 connecting the UE 10-B and the base station 100-a. In this case, the blanking pattern indication 20 may be sent in an information element of a message of the RLC protocol, e.g. for the radio link RL 3. In response to receiving the blanking pattern indication 20, the UE 10-B may determine second configured REs corresponding to the REs of the blanking pattern and disregard these REs when performing second configuration based radio communications, e.g., on radio link RL 3.

As further illustrated, the base station 100-a may also send a further blanking pattern indication 20' to the base station 100-B, which may be done via a backhaul link BHL connecting the base station 100-a and the base station 100-B. This further blanking pattern indication 20' may comprise the same or similar content as the blanking pattern indication 20, i.e. time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the blanking pattern and optionally also a usage indicator. However, a different message type or protocol type may be used for transmitting the further blanking pattern indication 20', i.e. the information element of the message of the X2 application protocol. In response to receiving this further blanking pattern indication 20', the base station 100-B may disregard the REs of the blanking pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration, e.g. on radio link RL 2.

In the scenario of fig. 2B, the base station 100-a determines a blanking pattern to be applied for radio communication with the UE 10-a and sends a blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-a via the radio link RL1, similar to the scenario of fig. 2A. In response to receiving the blanking pattern indication 20, the UE 10-a disregards REs of the blanking pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration, e.g. on radio link RL1 or on radio link RL 2. Further, the base station 100-A may also send a blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-B, similar to the scenario of FIG. 2A. In response to receiving the blanking pattern indication 20, the UE 10-B may determine second configured REs corresponding to the REs of the blanking pattern and disregard these REs when performing second configuration based radio communications, e.g., on radio link RL 3.

However, in contrast to the situation of fig. 2A, the base station 100-a does not send the further blanking pattern indication 20' to the base station 100-B via the backhaul link BHL. Conversely, upon receiving the blanking pattern indication 20, the UE 10-a may send a further blanking pattern indication 20' to the base station 100-B, which may be done via a radio link RL2 to the base station 100-B. In this case, the further blanking pattern indication 20' may be sent, for example, in an information element of a message of the RLC protocol for the radio link RL 2. This further blanking pattern indication 20' may have the same or similar content as the blanking pattern indication 20, i.e. contain time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the blanking pattern and optionally also a usage indicator. In response to receiving this further blanking pattern indication 20', the base station 100-B may disregard the REs of the blanking pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration, e.g. on radio link RL 2.

Also in the scenario of fig. 2C, the base station 100-a determines a blanking pattern to be applied for radio communication with the UE 10-a, similar to the scenarios of fig. 2A and 2B. Further, the base station 100-A may also send a blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-B, similar to the scenario of FIG. 2A. In response to receiving the blanking pattern indication 20, the UE 10-B may determine second configured REs corresponding to the REs of the blanking pattern and disregard these REs when performing second configuration based radio communications, e.g., on radio link RL 3.

However, in contrast to the situation of fig. 2A and 2B, the base station 100-a does not send the blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-a via the radio link RL 1. Instead, the base station 100-A sends a further blanking pattern indication 20' to the base station 100-B, which may be done via a backhaul link BHL connecting the base station 100-A and the base station 100-B. This further blanking pattern indication 20' may have the same or similar content as the blanking pattern indication 20, i.e. contain time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the blanking pattern and optionally also a usage indicator. However, a different message type or protocol type may be used for transmitting the further blanking pattern indication 20', i.e. the information element of the message of the X2 application protocol. In response to receiving this further blanking pattern indication 20', the base station 100-B may disregard the REs of the blanking pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration, e.g. on radio link RL 2. Furthermore, upon receiving the further blanking pattern indication 20', the base station 100-B may send the blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-a, which may be done via the radio link RL 2. In response to receiving the blanking pattern indication 20, the UE 10-a disregards REs of the blanking pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration, e.g. on radio link RL1 or on radio link RL 2.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a blanking pattern 300 that may be indicated by the above-mentioned blanking pattern indications. The blanking pattern 300 is defined to cover 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain and 14 modulation symbols in the time domain. The blanking pattern 300 may, for example, cover a portion of the time-frequency space corresponding to one PRB of the LTE radio technology.

As illustrated, the blanking pattern indicates for each first RE in the covered portion of the time-frequency space whether that RE is blanked, i.e. ignored. If the RE is blanked, it will be ignored when performing radio communication. If the RE is not blanked, it may be used for radio communications. In fig. 3, blanked REs are illustrated by filled boxes, while unblanked REs are illustrated by empty boxes.

As can be seen, each RE of the blanking pattern 300 can be identified by a frequency domain coordinate and by a time domain coordinate. In the illustrated example, the frequency domain coordinates are subcarrier indices and the time domain coordinates are symbol indices. The frequency domain coordinates and time domain coordinates may be further specified by indicating the PRBs in which the blanking pattern 300 is applied, for example, by a PRB index. In other cases, the PRBs in which the blanking pattern 300 is applied may also be derived from other information. For example, the blanking pattern 300 can be assumed to apply in each PRB or in each PRB allocated for transmission.

When it is assumed that the blanked first RE can be identified by a subcarrier index, a symbol index and a PRB index (as explained above), the blanking pattern indication 300 may for example take the form of a 3-tuple given below, the time domain information and/or frequency domain information being defined by the RE index (RE _ index), the PRB index (PRB _ index) indicating the PRB containing the blanked RE, and the indicator (tf _ indicator) of whether the RE index is to be understood as a subcarrier index or a symbol index:

（1）

here, for example, a value of tf _ indicator =0 may indicate that RE _ index is to be understood as a symbol index, and a value of tf _ indicator =1 may indicate that RE _ index is to be understood as a subcarrier index. The blanking pattern indication 300 may include one or more of such 3-tuples.

Each of such 3-tuples may be associated with a usage indicator, which may include an indicator (UL-DL _ indicator) that indicates whether the time domain information and/or frequency domain information specified by the 3-tuple applies to an uplink transmission direction from the UE to the cellular network (corresponding to a transmission direction from the UE perspective) and/or to a downlink transmission direction from the cellular network to the UE (corresponding to a reception direction from the UE perspective). Further, the usage indicator may include a combination indicator (COMB indicator) that indicates how the time domain information and/or frequency domain information specified by the 3-tuple is to be combined with the time domain information and/or frequency domain information specified by one or more other 3-tuples indicated by the blanking pattern. The usage indicator may for example be provided in the form of a 2-tuple as given below:

（2）

for example, a value of UL-DL _ indicator = 'DL' may indicate that time domain information and/or frequency domain information specified by a 3-tuple applies to a downlink transmission direction, a value of UL-DL _ indicator = 'UL' may indicate that time domain information and/or frequency domain information specified by a 3-tuple applies to an uplink transmission direction, and a value of UL-DL _ indicator = 'DU' may indicate that time domain information and/or frequency domain information specified by a 3-tuple applies to both a downlink transmission direction and an uplink transmission direction. The combination indicator may, for example, indicate a combination operation of various kinds of logic, e.g., AND (AND), OR (OR), NOT (NOT). Further, the combination indicator may also indicate whether such combination operations are to be applied according to a logically prior rule, e.g., first not, then and, then or, or whether such combination operations are to be applied in a sequential order, e.g., in the order in which the 3-tuple and associated usage indicator are arranged in the blanking pattern indication.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example in which a first pattern 410 of REs, a second pattern 420 of REs, and a third pattern 430 of REs, e.g., as defined by the first 3-tuple, the second 3-tuple, and the third 3-tuple according to (1), are combined into a blanking pattern 450 by applying a combination of logics defined by the preceding rules corresponding use indicators and logics.

In the example of fig. 4, the blanking pattern indication may include the following elements:

（3）

fig. 5 illustrates an example in which the first pattern of REs 510, the second pattern of REs 520, and the third pattern of REs 530, which are defined in the same manner as in the example of fig. 4 and take the same combined indicators as in the example of fig. 4, are combined into a blanking pattern 550 by applying the combination of the logics defined by the use indicators in the consecutive order defined by the arrangement of the 3-tuples and associated use indicators in (3).

In some implementations, the combination indicator need not be explicitly included in the blanking pattern indication. Conversely, if multiple sets of time domain information and/or frequency domain information specifying blanked REs are contained in the blanking pattern indication, the operation for combining these multiple sets may be derived in an implicit manner (e.g., based on preconfigured rules). Further, in the blanking pattern indication, such a plurality of groups can be arranged in a hierarchical order, i.e., into groups each containing a subset, and the combining operation can be determined depending on this hierarchical order. For example, subsets of a given group can be combined by an "or" operation (combined as a union of the subsets), and groups can be combined by an "and" operation (combined as an intersection of the groups).

In some implementations, the blanking pattern applied may also depend on the capability and/or transmission mode of the UE. For example, the capabilities of the UE may differ with respect to performing coded signal rate matching around blanked REs: some UEs may be capable of performing rate matching around individual REs. Some UEs may be able to perform rate matching only around all REs of a given modulation symbol. Furthermore, some UEs may be able to perform rate matching only around all REs for a given subcarrier. Furthermore, some UEs may be able to perform rate matching only around all REs for a given modulation symbol and around all REs for a given subcarrier. These different rate matching capabilities may depend on the device characteristics of the UE or the current transmission mode of the UE.

An example of how the blanking patterns applied by different UEs may depend on the rate matching capabilities of the individual UEs is illustrated in fig. 6. In fig. 6, the blanking pattern 600 as indicated by the blanking pattern indication is assumed to be applied to radio communications with different UEs (UE 0, UE1, UE2, UE 3) that differ with respect to their ability to perform rate matching around blanked REs.

For UEs capable of performing rate matching around individual REs (in the illustrated example UE 0), the blanking pattern 600 may be applied as shown. For UEs capable of performing rate matching only around all REs of a given modulation symbol (in the illustrated example UE 1), blanking pattern 610 may be applied in which all REs having the same symbol index as the blanked REs of blanking pattern 600 are also blanked. For UEs capable of performing rate matching only around all REs of a given subcarrier (in the illustrated example UE 2), blanking pattern 620 may be applied where all REs having the same subcarrier index as the blanked REs of blanking pattern 600 are also blanked. For UEs capable of performing rate matching only around a given subcarrier and all REs of a given modulation symbol (in the illustrated example UE 3), blanking pattern 630 may be applied in which all REs having the same subcarrier index as blanked REs of blanking pattern 600 and all REs having the same symbol index as blanked REs of blanking pattern 600 are also blanked.

Based on information about the UE, e.g. the UE type and the current transmission mode of the UE, adaptation of the blanking pattern depending on the UE may be done at the UE or at a network node communicating with the UE. Alternatively, the time domain information and/or the frequency domain information indicated by the blanking pattern may be adapted accordingly.

In some implementations, the blanking patterns applied may also be time dependent. This may be achieved, for example, by indicating a plurality of blanking patterns and associated time validity in the blanking pattern indication. Furthermore, the blanking pattern can also be a combination of multiple indication patterns of REs, such as explained in connection with fig. 4 and 5. In such cases, the time dependency of the applied blanking pattern may also be obtained by associating one or more of these multiple indication patterns with time validity. Fig. 7 illustrates a corresponding example in which a first pattern 710 of REs, a second pattern 720 of REs and a third pattern 730 of REs, which are defined in the same way as in the example of fig. 4 and which assume the same combined indicator as in the example of fig. 4, are combined in a time-dependent manner into a blanking pattern 750 or a blanking pattern 760 by applying the combination of logics defined by the use indicators according to the preceding rules of the logics. In the example of fig. 7, it is assumed that at time T1, e.g., for certain transmission time intervals, e.g., subframes defined in the time domain, the patterns 710, 720, and 730 are valid, resulting in the applied blanking pattern 750, while at time T2, e.g., for other transmission time intervals, only the patterns 710 and 720 are valid. The time validity may also be defined in terms of periodicity and/or offset of the indicated pattern. For example, in the scenario of fig. 7, the patterns 710, 720 may be valid according to a first periodicity, e.g., twice in each transmission time interval, and the pattern 730 may be valid according to a second periodicity, e.g., once in each transmission time interval, with an offset with respect to the validity of the patterns 710, 720, e.g., an offset of half a transmission time interval. This will cause the transmission time interval to be divided in half, one half being associated with the blanking pattern 750 and the other half being associated with the blanking pattern 750.

Further, the blanking pattern indication may be used to configure different sized patterns that are combined in a time dependent manner to define the applied blanking pattern. Examples of corresponding scenarios are illustrated in fig. 8, 9A and 9B.

As shown in fig. 8, by virtue of the blanking pattern indication, the base station 100-a may indicate two patterns P1, P2 to the UE 10-a. The patterns P1, P2 have different sizes, i.e. spread over a different number of subcarriers and/or a different number of modulation symbols. The patterns P1, P2 are used as a basis for forming blanking patterns applied at different times T1, T2. For this purpose, the patterns P1 and/or P2 may be combined in different ways to cover a certain part of the time-frequency space. Such a portion of the time-frequency space may be defined by a resource assignment for the UE 10-a, for example. Examples of corresponding scenarios are illustrated by fig. 9A and 9B.

As shown in fig. 9A, at T1, a resource assignment 910 is provided for the UE 10-a, and multiple instances of the pattern P1 are combined as shown by 920 to cover the portion of the time-frequency space defined by the resource assignment 910. The application blanking pattern 930 at T1 corresponds to the intersection of the portion of the time-frequency space and the pattern combination 920 defined by the resource assignment 910.

As shown in fig. 9B, at T2, yet another resource assignment 950 for UE 10-a is provided, and multiple instances of pattern P1, as shown by 960, and multiple instances of pattern P2, as shown by 970, are combined to cover the portion of the time-frequency space defined by resource assignment 950. The application blanking pattern 980 at T2 corresponds to the intersection of the portion of the time-frequency space and the pattern combination 960, 970 defined by the resource assignment 910.

In some implementations, the temporal validity of the pattern to be used to define the blanking pattern of the application may also be defined with respect to one or more signals (e.g., synchronization signals). The corresponding situation is illustrated by fig. 10.

In the scenario of fig. 10, base station 100-a transmits a first signal S1, and base station 100-B transmits a second signal S2. The signals S1, S2 may be synchronization signals, for example. The blanking pattern indication is assumed to indicate that the first pattern 1010 is synchronized to the signal S1 and the second pattern is synchronized to the signal S2. As illustrated, there is a time offset Δ T (S1, S2) between the signals S1, S2 that results in a corresponding offset of the synchronized patterns 1010, 1020. Similar to the scenario of fig. 9A and 9B, the blanking pattern 1030 of the application may then correspond to the intersection of a certain portion of the time-frequency space and the combination of the synchronized patterns 1010, 1020, e.g. as defined by the resource assignment.

In some implementations, the applied blanking pattern may also depend on the transmission resources used for radio communication, e.g., on the beams or antenna ports used for radio communication. In this way, for example, the following can be taken into account: different demodulation reference signals (DMRS) are used for different antenna ports or beams, and accordingly different blanking patterns may be required to disregard REs to which transmissions of these resource-specific DMRSs are assigned. The corresponding situation is illustrated by fig. 11.

As shown in fig. 11, the base station 100-a may use multiple beams B1, B2, B3 in order to perform radio communication with the UE 10-B. However, the UE 10-a may not have support for different DMRSs as applied in beams B1, B2, B3. Accordingly, the blanking pattern indication can be used to configure the UE 10-a with a different blanking pattern 1110, 1120, 1130 associated with each beam B1, B2, B3.

It is to be understood that the various ways of obtaining the applied blanking pattern from the information contained in the blanking pattern indication explained above may also be combined as appropriate, e.g. to obtain a blanking pattern that is not only transmission resource dependent but also time dependent.

Fig. 12 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network. The method may be used to implement the above-described concepts in a node of a cellular network, e.g., in a node corresponding to base station 100-a of fig. 2A, 2B and 2C. If a processor-based implementation of the node is used, the steps of the method may be performed by one or more processors of the node, or the one or more processors of the node may control the node in some manner so that the node performs the method. For this purpose, the processor may execute a correspondingly configured program code. Further, at least some of the corresponding functionality may be hardwired in the processor.

In step 1210, the node controls or performs radio communication with a communication device, e.g., UE 10-a or UE 10-B. The radio communication may be based on the first configuration or the second configuration. The first configuration organizes the time-frequency space in a first RE. The second configuration organizes the time-frequency space in second REs and assigns at least one of the second REs to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. The first and second configurations may, for example, correspond to the first and second configurations CONF #1 and CONF #2 of fig. 1.

At step 1220, the node may determine a pattern. The pattern includes at least one of the first REs to be disregarded by the communication apparatus when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. The at least one first RE of the pattern defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second REs. Examples of such patterns are the above mentioned blanking patterns 300, 450, 550, 600, 610, 620, 630, 750, 760, 810, 820, 930, 980, 1030, 1110, 1120, 1130. The node may determine the at least first RE of the pattern that depends on the second configuration, e.g., by identifying one or more of the second REs assigned to conflicting utilizations, and determining the corresponding first RE.

In some cases, the first configuration defines first REs based on a first time-frequency grid, and the second configuration defines second REs based on a second time-frequency grid different from the first time-frequency grid, e.g., according to time domain sizes of the REs, frequency domain sizes of the REs, time domain offsets, frequency domain offsets, or the like. However, the first configuration and the second configuration may also differ only with respect to utilization assigned to some REs.

In some cases, the first configuration assigns the at least one first RE of the pattern to transmission of downlink and/or uplink data, and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of downlink and/or uplink reference signals. In further cases, the first configuration assigns the at least one first RE of the pattern to transmission of downlink and/or uplink reference signals, and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of no reference signals.

In some cases, the pattern may further depend on at least one of a capability and a transmission mode of the communication device. For example, the pattern may depend on the rate matching capabilities of the communication device, e.g., as explained in connection with fig. 6.

At step 1230, the node sends an indication to the communication device. The indication contains time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the pattern. For example, the time domain and/or frequency domain information may include at least one of a carrier index identifying a radio carrier in the frequency domain and a symbol index identifying a modulation symbol in the time domain, e.g., a subcarrier index and/or a symbol index as utilized in LTE radio technology. Alternatively, some other form of time domain coordinates for identifying the time position of the RE and/or frequency domain coordinates for identifying the frequency position of the RE may also be utilized in the indication. Furthermore, information identifying a certain part of the time-frequency space in which such coordinates apply may also be included in the indication, e.g. in the form of a PRB index as utilized in LTE radio technology. An example of such an indication is the blanking pattern indication 20 mentioned above.

The indication may also comprise information defining whether the operation of disregarding said at least one first resource element is to be applied to uplink radio communication from the communication device to the cellular network or to downlink radio communication from the cellular network to the communication device, e.g. as part of the above-mentioned usage indicator.

The indication may also contain information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the pattern is applied, e.g. according to a repeating pattern or rule, periodically, or an association with a specific transmission time interval. The transmission time interval may for example correspond to a subframe of the LTE radio technology or a part thereof. Examples of such temporal dependencies of the patterns are explained in connection with fig. 7, 8, 9A and 9B.

The indication may also contain information defining the timing of the pattern on the one or more signals, e.g. as explained in connection with fig. 10.

In some cases, the indication may also include at least first time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a first pattern of first resource elements and second time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a second pattern of first resource elements. The pattern may then be a combination of the first pattern and the second pattern. In connection with fig. 4, 5, 7 and 10, corresponding examples of obtaining a pattern by combining a plurality of indicated patterns are explained. In such a case, the indication may also include information defining the operation of one or more logics for combining the first pattern and the second pattern, e.g., as part of the above-mentioned usage indicator. In such cases, the indication may also include information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the first pattern is applied and information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the second pattern is applied, e.g., according to a repeating pattern or rule, a periodicity, or an association with a particular transmission time interval. The transmission time interval may for example correspond to a subframe of the LTE radio technology or a part thereof. In connection with fig. 7, an example of such time dependent validity of the combined patterns is explained. Further, the indication may comprise information defining the timing of the first and second patterns with respect to the one or more signals, e.g. as explained in connection with fig. 10.

In some cases, the indication may also contain information defining an association of the pattern with the transmission resource to which the pattern applies. This transmission resource can be, for example, an antenna port, a transmission beam, a time or frequency range, e.g. in terms of resource blocks or groups of resource blocks or codes used for transmission. An example of a corresponding scenario is explained in connection with fig. 11.

The node may send the indication directly to the communication device via the radio link, such as in the case of fig. 2A and 2B, where the base station 100-a sends the blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-a via the radio link RL1 and to the UE 10-B via the radio link RL3, or may send the indication indirectly to the communication device via a further node, such as in the case of fig. 2C, where the base station 100-a first sends the blanking pattern indication 20' to the base station 100-B via the backhaul link BHL, and the base station 100-B then sends the blanking pattern indication 20 to the UE 10-a via the radio link RL 2.

In step 1240, the node may also disregard the at least one first RE of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. In the latter case, the node may determine the at least one second resource element, e.g. by determining one or more of the second REs corresponding to the at least one first RE of the pattern, i.e. covering the same or overlapping part of the time-frequency space, and disregard the at least one second RE when performing the second configuration based radio communication.

In some cases, the node may also send a further indication to a further node of the cellular network. The further indication may have the same or similar content as the indication of step 1230. In particular, the further indication may also contain time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern containing said at least one of the first REs. By means of the further indication, the at least one first RE of the pattern is indicated which is also to be disregarded by the further node when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. An example of such a further indication is a further blanking pattern indication 20' transmitted from base station 100-a to base station 100-B as in the scenario of fig. 2A.

If the first configuration assigns the at least one first RE of the pattern to transmission of data and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of reference signals, disregarding the at least one first RE of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration may involve a group of first REs comprising mapping data to the at least one first RE of the exclusion pattern. This may also involve rate matching the data around the at least one first RE of the pattern. Further, in this case, the operation of disregarding the at least first RE of the pattern when performing the radio communication based on the second configuration may involve including mapping the reference signal to a group of second REs excluding the at least one of the second REs (i.e., the second RE corresponding to the at least one first RE of the pattern).

If the first configuration assigns transmission of the at least one first RE of the pattern to a reference signal and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of no reference signal, disregarding the at least one first RE of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration may involve mapping the reference signal to a group of first REs excluding the at least one first RE of the pattern. This may also involve rate matching the reference signal around the at least one first RE of the pattern.

In view of the above functionality, a node for implementing the illustrated concept may be provided with means configured to control or perform radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration, such as explained in connection with step 1210, means configured to determine the pattern, such as explained in connection with step 1220, means configured to send an indication containing time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the pattern, such as explained in connection with step 1330, and means configured to disregard REs when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or when performing radio communication based on the second configuration, such as explained in connection with step 1240. Further, the node may be provided with one or more further modules configured to perform further operations as explained in connection with fig. 12.

Fig. 13 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network. The method may be used to implement the above-described concepts in a node of a cellular network, e.g., in a node corresponding to the base station 100-B of fig. 2A, 2B and 2C. If a processor-based implementation of the node is used, the steps of the method may be performed by one or more processors of the node, or the one or more processors of the node may control the node in some manner so that the node performs the method. For this purpose, the processor may execute a correspondingly configured program code. Further, at least some of the corresponding functionality may be hardwired in the processor.

In step 1310, the node performs radio communication with a communication device, e.g., UE 10-A or UE 10-B. The radio communication may be based on the first configuration or the second configuration. The first configuration organizes the time-frequency space in a first RE. The second configuration organizes the time-frequency space in second REs and assigns at least one of the second REs to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. The first and second configurations may, for example, correspond to the first and second configurations CONF #1 and CONF #2 of fig. 1.

At step 1320, the node receives an indication. The indication contains time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the pattern. The pattern includes at least one of the first REs to be disregarded when performing radio communication with the communication apparatus based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. The at least one first RE of the pattern defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by at least one of the second REs. Examples of such patterns are the above mentioned blanking patterns 300, 450, 550, 600, 610, 620, 630, 750, 760, 810, 820, 930, 980, 1030, 1110, 1120, 1130. An example of such an indication is the blanking pattern indication 20 mentioned above. The node may determine the pattern based on the indication and optionally also based on further information.

The time domain and/or frequency domain information may include at least one of a carrier index identifying a radio carrier in the frequency domain and a symbol index identifying a modulation symbol in the time domain, e.g., a subcarrier index and/or a symbol index as utilized in LTE radio technology. Alternatively, some other form of time domain coordinates for identifying the time position of the RE and/or frequency domain coordinates for identifying the frequency position of the RE may also be utilized in the indication. Furthermore, information identifying a certain part of the time-frequency space in which such coordinates apply may also be included in the indication, e.g. in the form of a PRB index as utilized in LTE radio technology.

In some cases, the first configuration assigns at least one first RE of the pattern to transmission of downlink and/or uplink data, and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of downlink and/or uplink reference signals. In further cases, the first configuration assigns the at least one first RE of the pattern to transmission of downlink and/or uplink reference signals, and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of no reference signals.

The node may receive an indication from a further node of the cellular network, such as via a backhaul link in the case of fig. 2A and 2B, where the base station 100-B receives a blanking pattern indication 20' from the base station 100-a via a backhaul link BHL. Alternatively, the node may receive an indication from the communication device via a radio link, such as in the case of fig. 2B, where the base station 100-B receives the blanking pattern indication 20' from the UE 10-a.

In some cases, the node may also send a further indication to the communication device. Yet another indication may have the same or similar content as the indication of step 1320. In particular, the further indication may also contain time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern containing said at least one of the first REs. By means of the further indication, the at least one first RE of the pattern that is also to be disregarded by the communication when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration is indicated. An example of such a further indication is a blanking pattern indication 20 transmitted from the base station 100-B to the UE 10-a as in the case of fig. 2C.

In step 1330, the node disregards the at least one first RE of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. In the latter case, the node may determine the at least one second resource element, e.g. by determining one or more of the second REs corresponding to the at least one first RE of the pattern, i.e. covering the same or overlapping parts of the time-frequency space, and disregard the at least one second RE when performing the second configuration based radio communication.

In view of the above functionality, a node for implementing the illustrated concept may be provided with means configured to perform radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration, such as explained in connection with step 1310, means configured to receive an indication comprising time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern, such as explained in connection with step 1320, and means configured to disregard REs when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or when performing radio communication based on the second configuration, such as explained in connection with step 1330. Further, the node may be provided with one or more further modules configured to perform further operations as explained in connection with fig. 13.

Fig. 14 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network. The method may be used to implement the above concepts in a communication device operating in a cellular network, for example, in a communication device corresponding to the UE 10-a or 10-B of fig. 2A, 2B and 2C. If a processor-based implementation of the communication device is used, the steps of the method may be performed by one or more processors of the communication device, or the one or more processors of the communication device may control the node in some manner so that the communication device performs the method. For this purpose, the processor may execute a correspondingly configured program code. Further, at least some of the corresponding functionality may be hardwired in the processor.

In step 1410, the communication device performs radio communication with a cellular network. The radio communication may be based on the first configuration or the second configuration. The first configuration organizes the time-frequency space in a first RE. The second configuration organizes the time-frequency space in second REs and assigns at least one of the second REs to a utilization that conflicts with radio communication based on the first configuration. The first and second configurations may, for example, correspond to the first and second configurations CONF #1 and CONF #2 of fig. 1.

In step 1420, the communications apparatus receives an indication. The indication contains time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining the pattern. The pattern includes at least one of the first REs to be disregarded by the communication apparatus when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. The at least one first RE of the pattern defines a first portion of a time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second REs. Examples of such patterns are the above mentioned blanking patterns 300, 450, 550, 600, 610, 620, 630, 750, 760, 810, 820, 930, 980, 1030, 1110, 1120, 1130. An example of such an indication is the blanking pattern indication 20 mentioned above. The communication device may determine the pattern based on the indication and optionally also based on further information.

The time domain and/or frequency domain information may include at least one of a carrier index identifying a radio carrier in the frequency domain and a symbol index identifying a modulation symbol in the time domain, e.g., a subcarrier index and/or a symbol index as utilized in LTE radio technology. Alternatively, some other form of time domain coordinates for identifying the time position of the RE and/or frequency domain coordinates for identifying the frequency position of the RE may also be utilized in the indication. Furthermore, information identifying a certain portion of the time-frequency space in which such coordinates apply may also be included in the indication, e.g. in the form of a PRB index as utilized in LTE radio technology.

In some cases, the first configuration defines first REs based on a first time-frequency grid, and the second configuration defines second REs based on a second time-frequency grid different from the first time-frequency grid, e.g., according to a time domain size at the REs, a frequency domain size of the REs, a time domain offset, a frequency domain offset, or the like. However, the first configuration and the second configuration may also differ only with respect to utilization assigned to some REs.

In some cases, the first configuration assigns the at least one first RE of the pattern to transmission of downlink and/or uplink data, and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of downlink and/or uplink reference signals. In other cases, the first configuration assigns the at least one first RE of the pattern to transmission of downlink and/or uplink reference signals, and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second REs to transmission of no reference signals.

In some cases, the indication may also include at least first time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a first pattern of first resource elements and second time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a second pattern of first resource elements. The pattern may then be a combination of the first pattern and the second pattern. In connection with fig. 4, 5, 7 and 10, corresponding examples of obtaining a pattern by combining a plurality of indicated patterns are explained. In such a case, the indication may also include information defining the operation of one or more logics for combining the first pattern and the second pattern, e.g., as part of the above-mentioned usage indicator. In such cases, the indication may also include information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the first pattern is applied and information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the second pattern is applied, e.g., according to a repeating pattern or rule, a periodicity, or an association with a particular transmission time interval. The transmission time interval may for example correspond to a subframe of the LTE radio technology or a part thereof. In connection with fig. 7, an example of such time-dependent validity of the combined patterns is explained. Further, the indication may comprise information defining the timing of the first and second patterns with respect to the one or more signals, e.g. as explained in connection with fig. 10.

The communication device may receive an indication from a node of the cellular network via a radio link, such as in the case of fig. 2A, 2B and 2C, where the UE 10-a, 10-B receives a blanking pattern indication 20 from the base station 100-a or 100-B.

In some cases, the communication device may also send a further indication to a node of the cellular network. The further indication may have the same or similar content as the indication of step 1420. In particular, the further indication may also contain time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern containing said at least one of the first REs. By means of the further indication, the at least one first RE of the pattern is indicated which is also to be disregarded by the node when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. An example of such a further indication is a blanking pattern indication 20' transmitted from the UE 10-a to the base station 100-B as in the case of fig. 2B.

In step 1430, the communication apparatus disregards the at least one first RE of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration. In the latter case, the node may determine the at least one second resource element, e.g. by determining one or more of the second REs corresponding to the at least one first RE of the pattern, i.e. covering the same or overlapping parts of the time-frequency space, and disregard the at least one second RE when performing the second configuration based radio communication.

In view of the above functionality, a communication apparatus for implementing the illustrated concepts may be provided with means configured to perform radio communication based on a first configuration and/or a second configuration, such as explained in connection with step 1410, means configured to receive an indication comprising time domain information and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern, such as explained in connection with step 1420, and means configured to disregard REs when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or when performing radio communication based on the second configuration, such as explained in connection with step 1430. Further, the communication device may be provided with one or more further modules configured to perform further operations as explained in connection with fig. 14.

It should be noted that the above concepts may also be implemented in a system comprising a node operating in accordance with the method of fig. 12 and a communication device operating in accordance with the method of fig. 14. Furthermore, the above concepts may also be implemented in a system comprising a node operating in accordance with the method of fig. 13 and a communication device operating in accordance with the method of fig. 14. Furthermore, the concepts described above may also be implemented in a system including a node operating in accordance with the method of fig. 12 and a node operating in accordance with the method of fig. 13. Furthermore, the concepts described above may also be implemented in a system including a node operating in accordance with the method of fig. 12, a node operating in accordance with the method of fig. 13, and a communication device operating in accordance with the method of fig. 14.

Fig. 15 illustrates an exemplary architecture that may be used to implement the above concepts in a node of a cellular network, such as base station 100-a or 100-B.

As illustrated, the node may include an interface 1510 for connecting to a communication device (e.g., to a UE 10-a, 10-B). The interface 1510 may be a radio interface if the node corresponds to a base station or other kind of radio access node. The interface 1510 may be used to send the blanking pattern indication mentioned above to the communication device. Further, the interface 1510 may be used to receive the above-mentioned blanking pattern indication from the communication device. Further, the interface 1510 may be used to control or perform radio communication with a communication device.

Further, the node includes one or more processors 1550 coupled to the interfaces 1510 and a memory 1560 coupled to the processors 1550. The memory 1560 may include read-only memory (ROM), such as flash ROM, Random Access Memory (RAM), such as Dynamic RAM (DRAM) or Static RAM (SRAM), mass storage, such as a hard disk or solid state disk, or the like. The memory 1560 contains suitably configured program code to be executed by the processor 1550 in order to implement the above-described functionality of the cellular network node. In particular, memory 1560 may include various program code modules for causing the node to perform processes such as those described above, corresponding to the method steps of fig. 12 or 13. As illustrated, memory 1560 may include a radio control module 1570 for implementing the above-described functionality for performing or controlling radio communications, e.g., as explained in connection with step 1210 of fig. 12 or step 1310 of fig. 13. Further, memory 1560 may contain pattern processing module 1580 for implementing the functionality described above for determining blanking patterns to be sent or applied by a node, such as explained in connection with step 1220 of fig. 12 or step 1320 of fig. 13. Further, the memory 1560 may include a signaling module 1590 for implementing the above described functionality of sending or receiving blanking pattern indications.

It is to be understood that the structure as illustrated in fig. 15 is merely schematic and that a node may in fact comprise further components, such as further interfaces or processors, which have not been illustrated for clarity. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the memory 1560 may contain further types of program code modules which have not been illustrated, for example program code modules for implementing known functionalities of a cellular network base station, such as an eNB of LTE radio technology. According to some embodiments, the computer program implementing the functionality of the node may also be provided, for example, in the form of a physical medium storing program code and/or other data to be stored in the memory 1560, or by making the program code available for download or by streaming.

Fig. 16 illustrates an exemplary architecture that may be used to implement the above concepts in a communication device, such as UE 10-a or 10-B.

As shown, the communication device may include a radio interface 1610 for connecting to a cellular network. For example, radio interface 1610 may correspond to a radio interface as specified for LTE radio technology. The interface 1610 may be used to receive the above-mentioned blanking pattern indication from a node of the cellular network. Further, interface 1610 may be used to send the above-mentioned blanking pattern indication to a node of the cellular network. Further, the interface 1610 may be used to perform radio communication with a cellular network.

Further, the communication device includes one or more processors 1650 coupled to the radio interface 1610 and memory 1660 coupled to the processors 1650. The memory 1660 may include ROM, e.g., flash ROM, RAM, e.g., DRAM or SRAM, mass storage, e.g., hard disk or solid state disk, or the like. The memory 1660 contains suitably configured program code to be executed by the processor 1650 to enable the above-described functionality of the communication device. In particular, memory 1660 may include various program code modules for causing a communication device to perform processes such as those described above corresponding to the method steps of fig. 14. As illustrated, memory 1660 may contain a radio control module 1670 for implementing the above-described functionality of performing radio communication, e.g., as explained in connection with step 1410 of fig. 14. Further, memory 1660 may contain a pattern processing module 1680 to implement the above-described functionality of determining a blanking pattern to be sent or applied by a communication device, such as explained in connection with step 1420 of fig. 14. Further, the memory 1660 may include a signaling module 1690 for implementing the above-described functionality of sending or receiving blanking pattern indications.

It is to be understood that the structure as illustrated in fig. 16 is merely schematic and that the communication device may in fact comprise further components, such as further interfaces or processors, which have not been illustrated for clarity. Further, it is understood that the memory 1660 may contain additional types of program code modules not yet illustrated, e.g., program code modules for implementing known functionality of the UE. According to some embodiments, computer programs for implementing the functionality of the communication device may also be provided, for example, in the form of physical media that store program code and/or other data to be stored in the memory 1660, or by making the program code available for download or by streaming.

As can be seen, the concepts as described above may be used to improve the compatibility of communication devices or network nodes with respect to conflicting utilization of radio resources in different configurations (such as configurations according to different versions of the same radio technology or even configurations according to different radio technologies). By providing the time domain information and/or the frequency domain information for the blanking pattern indication, it becomes possible to flexibly define REs to be disregarded, thereby avoiding adverse effects caused by conflicting utilization assignments of these REs by different configurations.

It is to be understood that the examples and embodiments explained above are illustrative only and are susceptible to various modifications. For example, various formats may be used for the blanking pattern indication, and various kinds of protocols or messages may be used to convey the blanking pattern indication. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the above mentioned first and second configurations are only exemplary and that the illustrated concept may be applied in relation to any constellation in which different configurations for radio communication may be affected by conflicting utilization assignments of radio resources. Further, it is to be understood that the illustrated nodes may be implemented by a single device or by a system of multiple devices. In addition, it is to be understood that the above concepts may be implemented using correspondingly designed software to be executed by one or more processors of an existing device, or using dedicated device hardware.

Claims

1. A method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network supporting radio communication based on a first configuration of organizing a time-frequency space in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration of organizing the time-frequency space in second resource elements and assigning at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with the radio communication based on the first configuration, the method comprising:

a node (100-A, 100-B) of the cellular network sending an indication (20) to a communication device (10-A, 10-B), the indication (20) comprising time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements to be ignored by the communication device (10-A, 10-B) when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration,

wherein the at least one first resource element of the pattern defines a first portion of the time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements,

wherein the indication (20) comprises first time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a first pattern of the first resource elements and comprises second time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a second pattern of the first resource elements, and

wherein the pattern is an intersection of the first pattern and the second pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the node (100-A, 100-B) determines the at least first resource element of the pattern in dependence on the second configuration.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

the node (100-a) sends a further indication (20 ') to a further node (100-B) of the cellular network, the further indication (20') comprising the time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining the pattern, the pattern comprising the at least one of the first resource elements that is also to be disregarded by the further node (100-B) when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

the node (100-A, 100-B) disregards the at least first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

the node (100-a, 100-B) determines the at least one second resource element and disregards the at least one second resource element when performing radio communication based on the second configuration.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the first configuration assigns the at least one first resource element of the pattern to transmission of data and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second resource elements to transmission of reference signals.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the disregarding of the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration comprises mapping the data to a group of the first resource elements that excludes the at least one first resource element of the pattern.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the disregarding of the at least first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the second configuration comprises mapping the reference signal to a group of the second resource elements that excludes the at least one of the second resource elements.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the first configuration assigns the at least one first resource element of the pattern to transmission of reference signals and the second configuration assigns the at least one of the second resource elements to transmission of no reference signals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the disregarding of the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication based on the first configuration comprises mapping the reference signal to a group of the at least one first resource element excluding the pattern.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the first configuration defines the first resource elements based on a first time-frequency grid and the second configuration defines the second resource elements based on a second time-frequency grid different from the first time-frequency grid.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the indication (20) comprises information defining whether the disregard of the at least one first resource element is to be applied to uplink radio communication from the communication device (10-A, 10-B) to the cellular network or to downlink radio communication from the cellular network to the communication device (10-A, 10-B).

13. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the indication (20) comprises information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the pattern is applied.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the indication (20) comprises information defining timing of the pattern with respect to one or more signals (S1, S2).

15. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the indication (20) comprises information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the first pattern is applied and information defining a set of one or more transmission time intervals in which the second pattern is applied.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the indication (20) comprises information defining timing of the first pattern and timing of the second pattern with respect to one or more signals (S1, S2).

17. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the pattern is further dependent on at least one of a capability and a transmission mode of the communication device.

18. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the indication (20) comprises information defining an association of the pattern with a transmission resource (B1, B2, B3) to which the pattern applies.

19. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the time domain and/or frequency domain information comprises at least one of a carrier index identifying a radio carrier in the frequency domain and a symbol index identifying a modulation symbol in the time domain.

20. A method of controlling radio communication in a cellular network supporting radio communication based on a first configuration of organizing a time-frequency space in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration of organizing the time-frequency space in second resource elements and assigning at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with the radio communication based on the first configuration, the method comprising:

a communication device (10-a, 10-B) receiving an indication (20) from the cellular network, the indication (20) comprising time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements; and

-the communication device (10-A, 10-B) disregarding the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration,

wherein the at least one of the first resource elements defines a first portion of the time-frequency space that overlaps with a second portion of the time-frequency space defined by the at least one of the second resource elements,

21. The method of claim 20, comprising:

the communication device (10-A) sends a further indication (20') to a node (100-B) of the cellular network, the further indication comprising the time domain and/or frequency domain information defining the pattern, the pattern comprising the at least one of the first resource elements that will also be disregarded by the node (100-B) when performing radio communication with the communication device (10-A, 10-B) based on the first configuration and/or based on the second configuration.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, comprising:

based on the indication (20), the communication device (10-a, 10-B) determines the at least one second resource element and disregards the at least one second resource element when performing radio communication based on the second configuration.

23. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

26. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first and second portions are different,

28. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

29. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

30. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said step of selecting said target,

32. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first and second components are selected from the group consisting of,

34. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

wherein the pattern is further dependent on at least one of capabilities and transmission modes of the communication device (10-A, 10-B).

35. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

36. The method according to claim 20 or 21,

37. A node (100-a, 100-B) for a cellular network supporting radio communication based on a first configuration of organizing a time-frequency space in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration of organizing the time-frequency space in second resource elements and assigning at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with the radio communication based on the first configuration, the node (100-a, 100-B) comprising:

an interface (1510) to a communication device (10-A, 10-B); and

at least one processor (1550) for performing a predetermined task,

the at least one processor (1550) is configured to send an indication (20) to the communication device (10-A, 10-B), the indication (20) comprising time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements to be ignored by the communication device (10-A, 10-B) when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration,

38. The node (100-A, 100-B) of claim 37,

wherein the at least one processor (1550) is configured to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 19.

39. A communication device (10-a, 10-B) comprising:

an interface (1610) to a cellular network supporting radio communication based on a first configuration of organizing a time-frequency space in first resource elements and radio communication based on a second configuration of organizing the time-frequency space in second resource elements and assigning at least one of the second resource elements to a utilization that conflicts with the radio communication based on the first configuration; and

at least one processor (1650),

the at least one processor (1650) is configured to:

-receiving an indication (20) from the cellular network, the indication (20) comprising time domain and/or frequency domain information for defining a pattern comprising at least one of the first resource elements; and

-disregarding the at least one first resource element of the pattern when performing radio communication with the cellular network based on the first configuration and/or the second configuration,

40. The communication device (10-A, 10-B) of claim 39,

wherein the at least one processor (1650) is configured to perform the method according to any of claims 21 to 36.

41. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor (1550) of a node (100-a, 100-B) of a cellular network, wherein execution of the program code by the at least one processor (1550) causes the node (100-a, 100-B) to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

42. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor (1550) of a communication device (10-a, 10-B), wherein execution of the program code by the at least one processor (1650) causes the communication device (10-a, 10-B) to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 20 to 36.