HK1204193B - Allocation of communication resources - Google Patents

Description

Allocation of communication resources

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to allocation of resources for communications, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to allocation of resources for uplink control signals for wireless communications.

Background Art

A communication system can be considered a facility that supports communication sessions between two or more nodes, such as fixed or mobile devices, machine-type terminals, access points such as base stations, servers, etc. Communication systems and compatible communicating entities typically operate according to a given standard or specification that states what the various entities associated with the system are allowed to do and how it should be achieved. For example, standards, specifications, and related protocols may define how devices should communicate, how various aspects of communication should be implemented, and how devices should be configured for use in the system.

A user can access a communication system through an appropriate communication device. A user's communication device is often referred to as a user equipment (UE) or terminal. The communication device is provided with appropriate signal reception and transmission arrangements to support communications with other parties. Typically, devices such as user equipment are used to support the reception and transmission of communications such as voice and content data.

Communications can be carried on wireless carriers. Examples of wireless systems include public land mobile networks (PLMNs) such as cellular networks, satellite-based communication systems, and different wireless local area networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). In a wireless system, a communication device provides a transceiver station that can communicate with other communication devices such as base stations of an access network and/or other user equipment. The two directions of communication between a base station and a user's communication device are generally referred to as downlink and uplink. The downlink (DL) can be understood as the direction from the base station, and the uplink (UL) can be understood as the direction to the base station.

It may be necessary to signal various control information between the parties. Control information is typically transmitted on a control channel, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). For example, it may be necessary to signal resource-related information between stations. The allocation of resources for the downlink and uplink can be handled independently. An uplink (UL) assignment or grant sent to a user equipment (UE) is used to inform the user equipment of the resources the UE should use to transmit data. Information can also be transmitted from the base station when any transmission may be expected in the downlink. Grants can provide dynamic allocation of resources. Signaling of other types of control information is also required. For example, a user equipment may need to signal feedback information on the uplink. Feedback information can be provided for the purpose of error detection and/or correction. It is possible to request retransmission of any information that the receiving node did not successfully receive. For example, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) error control mechanism can be used for this purpose. Error control mechanisms may be implemented such that a transmitting device should receive a positive or negative acknowledgement (ACK/NACK; A/N) or other indication of its transmission from a receiving device.

The increasing use of advanced systems for various scenarios and different types of data services has increased the need to further optimize the system for a large number of users. One way to achieve this is to improve scheduling efficiency. Specifically, a reduction in scheduling overhead may be desirable. In certain applications, it may be desirable to reduce the downlink control signaling overhead generated by uplink and downlink scheduling. Optimization of signaling on the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may be particularly beneficial. For example, currently, PUCCH resource allocation for PDSCH ACK/NACK is based on implicit mapping, where the index of the lowest PDCCH control channel element (CCE) directly determines the index of the PUCCH resource. Such a "one-to-one" mapping provides a relatively efficient resource allocation scheme for a large number of active users because a dedicated ACK/NACK channel is not required for each of these users. Instead, the channels can share a common resource space with the same size as the number of downlink CCEs. However, the increased multiplexing of different users increases the number of possible downlink control channels. Specifically, if different technologies such as code division multiplexing (CDM) and frequency division multiplexing (FDM) are used, the number of possible downlink control channel candidates increases. This may be the case in particular for the enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH). Furthermore, techniques such as multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) scheduling may be enabled for the ePDCCH, and this in turn may increase the number of possible ePDCCH candidates in the cell, potentially up to several hundred. In such a case, a one-to-one indexing of all possible ePDCCH candidates may easily lead to an excessive number of ACK/NACK channels and, therefore, excessive uplink overhead. Therefore, a more efficient indexing system for uplink control resource allocation, such as for PUCCH ACK/NACK resource allocation in the case of ePDCCH scheduling, is needed so that collisions can be avoided.

It should be noted that the above-described problem is not limited to any specific communication environment and station device, but may occur in any appropriate station device in which internal communication is required.

Summary of the Invention

It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to address one or more of the above problems.

According to an embodiment, a device for allocating resources for wireless communication is provided, the device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, determine an index for an uplink control resource according to predefined rules, the determination taking into account an index associated with a physical downlink resource and an amount of downlink resources to be mapped onto the uplink control resource.

According to another aspect, a method for allocating resources for wireless communication is provided, the method comprising determining an index for an uplink control resource according to predefined rules, the determination taking into account an index associated with a physical downlink resource and an amount of downlink resources to be mapped onto the uplink control resource.

According to a more specific aspect, the lowest index of a physical downlink resource block is taken into consideration.

The index associated with the physical downlink resource may include at least one of an index of an enhanced control channel element, an index of an enhanced physical downlink control channel, and an index of a physical downlink shared channel scheduled by the enhanced physical downlink control channel.

The offset may be used when determining an index for an uplink control resource. At least one of an antenna port indicator and a scrambling identifier may be used when defining the offset. The offset parameter may be signaled in the downlink. The offset may be used to dynamically switch between at least two physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format 1/1a/1b resources.

The downlink resource amount indicates the number of downlink physical resource blocks mapped to the physical uplink control channel resources.

The indication of the amount of downlink resources may be handled based on configurable parameters.The information about the amount of downlink resources may be signaled in a user equipment specific or cell specific manner.

The downlink resources may include a physical downlink shared channel. Scheduling information for the physical downlink shared channel may be transmitted via an enhanced physical downlink control channel. An index for a physical uplink control channel associated with the physical downlink shared channel may be determined. At least one index for signaling an automatic repeat request message may be determined.

The final index for the uplink control resource may be defined by applying at least one other operation to the index determined based on the index associated with the physical downlink resource and the amount of downlink resources to be mapped to the uplink control resource.

A communication device such as a node of a base station or a user of a machine-type terminal may be configured to operate in accordance with various embodiments.

A computer program comprising program code means adapted to perform the method may also be provided.The computer program may be stored and/or embodied in another way by a carrier medium.

It should be understood that any feature of any aspect may be combined with any other feature of any other aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described in further detail, by way of example only, with reference to the following examples and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system including a base station and multiple communication devices;

FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of a mobile communication device according to some embodiments;

FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of a control device according to some embodiments;

4 and 5 illustrate flow charts according to certain embodiments; and

6 to 8 show tables related to parameters of specific examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, certain exemplary embodiments are described with reference to a wireless or mobile communication system serving mobile communication devices. Before describing the exemplary embodiments in detail, certain general principles of a wireless communication system, its access system, and a mobile communication device are briefly described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 to facilitate understanding of the technology underlying the described examples.

An example of a wireless communication system is an architecture standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The latest 3GPP-based development is generally referred to as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology. The various stages of development of the 3GPP LTE specifications are referred to as releases. The more recent development of LTE is generally referred to as LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). A mobile architecture known as the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) is employed in LTE. The base stations of such a system are referred to as evolved or enhanced Node Bs (eNBs) and may provide E-UTRAN features such as user plane radio link control/medium access control/physical layer protocols (RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane radio resource control (RRC) protocols that terminate towards the communication device. Other examples of radio access systems include those provided by base stations of systems based on technologies such as wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access).

Devices capable of wireless communication can communicate via at least one base station or similar wireless transmitter and/or receiver node. In Figure 1, a base station 10 is shown serving various mobile devices 20 and machine-type terminals 22. The base station is typically controlled by at least one appropriate controller device to support its operation and the management of the mobile communication devices communicating with the base station. The base station can further be connected to a wider communication system 12. It should be understood that there may be many adjacent and/or overlapping access systems or radio service areas provided by multiple base stations. A base station site can provide one or more cells or sectors, each sector providing a cell or a sub-area of a cell. Each device and base station can have one or more radio channels open simultaneously and can send signals to and/or receive signals from one or more sources. Because multiple devices can use the same radio resources, their transmissions need to be scheduled to avoid conflicts and/or interference.

A possible mobile communication device for transmitting in the uplink and receiving in the downlink will now be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2 , which shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a communication device 20. Such a communication device is generally referred to as a user equipment (UE) or terminal. Suitable communication equipment can be provided by any device capable of transmitting and/or receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include a mobile station (MS) such as a mobile phone or so-called "smartphone," a portable computer provided with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facility, a personal data assistant (PDA) provided with wireless communication capabilities, or any combination of these devices. Mobile communication devices can provide for the transmission of data for carrying communications such as voice, electronic mail (email), text messaging, multimedia, and the like. Thus, a variety of services can be offered and provided to users via their communication devices. Non-limiting examples of these services include two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services, or simply access to a data communication network system such as the Internet. Non-limiting examples of content data include downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various alerts, and other information.

The device 20 is configured to receive signals in a downlink 29 over an air interface via appropriate means for receiving, and to transmit signals in an uplink 28 via appropriate means for transmitting radio signals. In FIG2 , the transceiver means is schematically designated by block 26. The transceiver means 26 may be provided, for example, by a radio section and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device.

The mobile communication device is also provided with at least one data processing entity 21, at least one memory 22, and possibly other components 23 for use in the software and hardware-assisted execution of the tasks it is designed to perform, including control of access to and communication with base stations and/or other communication devices. Data processing, storage, and other related means may be provided on appropriate circuit boards and/or in chipsets. This means is indicated by reference numeral 24.

The user can control the operation of the mobile device through an appropriate user interface such as a keypad 25, voice commands, a touch-sensitive screen or pad, a combination thereof, etc. A display 27, a speaker and a microphone may also be provided. In addition, the communication device may include appropriate connectors (wired or wireless) to other devices and/or for connecting external accessories such as a hands-free device.

Figure 3 shows an example of a control device 30, for example, coupled to a base station and/or for controlling a communication system of a base station. In some embodiments, the base station may include an integrated control device, while in other embodiments, the control device may be provided by a separate network element. The control device may be interconnected with other control entities. The control device and functions may be distributed among multiple control units. In some embodiments, each base station may include a control device. In alternative embodiments, two or more base stations may share the control device. The arrangement of control depends on the standard, and for example, according to the current LTE specification, a separate radio network controller is not provided. Regardless of location, the control device 30 can be understood as providing control of communications within the service area of at least one base station. The control device 30 can be configured to provide control functions associated with uplink scheduling according to the embodiments described below. To this end, the control device may include at least one memory 31, at least one data processing unit 32, 33, and an input/output interface 34. Via this interface, the control device can be coupled to the base station to enable the base station to operate according to the embodiments described below. The control device can be configured to execute appropriate software code to provide the control functions.

Wireless communication devices such as mobile devices, machine-type terminals, or base stations can be provided with multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems. Such MIMO arrangements are known. MIMO systems use multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver, along with advanced digital signal processing, to improve link quality and capacity. For example, the transceiver device 26 in FIG2 can provide multiple antenna ports. When more antenna elements are present, more data can be received and/or transmitted.

According to an embodiment, an implicit indexing scheme for uplink control channel resources is provided. A method for providing an uplink (UL) index in a user equipment is illustrated by the flow chart of Figure 4. At 40, a downlink (DL) assignment of resources for wireless communication by at least one user equipment, as allocated by a network element, such as an eNB, is received. Therefore, at this stage, information about the scheduled downlink resources is provided to the user equipment on the physical downlink control resource. At 42, an index for the uplink control resource can be determined according to predefined rules. This determination takes into account the index associated with the physical downlink resource and the amount of downlink resources to be mapped on the uplink control resource. Then, at 44, a control message associated with the DL assignment can be transmitted on the determined resources.

According to an embodiment, the downlink index is associated with an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSSC) scheduled by the enhanced physical downlink control channel. The index may be the lowest index of a physical downlink resource block. According to one possibility, the index includes the lowest index of an enhanced control channel element. The control message may include an ACK/NACK for the PDSCH on a determined physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource.

The offset may be used to avoid collisions when determining the index of the uplink control resource at 42. The offset may be used to support dynamic switching between different PUCCH format 1/1a/1b resources by the offset. Thus, the offset may be used to select an appropriate resource among the available resource set.

Figure 5 illustrates network-side operations. An appropriate controller, such as an eNodeB (eNB), determines UL resources so that it knows which resources to use to receive control messages. The eNodeB may perform this operation, for example, at 50, when it allocates DL resources, such as ePDCCH and PDCHS resources. The DL assignment may then be sent at 52. Based on predefined rules, network elements may expect to receive control messages at 54.

According to an example, when an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH) is used to schedule downlink data on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), HARQ resources can be allocated on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). The ePDCCH is a recent development of LTE and is designed to improve control channel performance. The ePDCCH can be particularly useful in combination with arrangements such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP), DL MIMO, heterogeneous networks (HetNets), and carrier aggregation including the use of extended carriers. For example, the ePDCCH can be used to provide support for increased control channel capacity, support for frequency domain interference control and interference coordination (ICIC), improved spatial multiplexing of control channel resources, support for beamforming and/or diversity, support for operation on new carrier types and in multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframes, the ability to coexist on the same carrier as traditional user equipment, the ability to be frequency selectively scheduled, the ability to mitigate inter-cell interference, etc.

By using an implicit mapping rule, the index for the uplink control resource can be derived based on the index of the relevant downlink channel. This rule does not need to consider the exact PUCCH resource to which the relevant control message associated with the downlink should be mapped. Through this embodiment, many-to-one implicit indexing can be provided, and index conflicts can be avoided in multi-user arrangements such as MU-MIMO. The many-to-one mapping from downlink resource blocks to uplink channels can be configurable.

According to an embodiment in which the ePDCCH is used to schedule downlink data on the PDSCH, uplink control channel resources for a feedback mechanism are provided in response to a received PDSCH. More specifically, indexing of the ePDCCH resources is provided to support implicit resource allocation for HARQ ACK/NACK. Implicit resource allocation rules may be provided for HARQ-ACK resources corresponding to the PDSCH scheduled via the ePDCCH.

In the following example, a new uplink index parameter denoted as is defined. The exemplary index parameter corresponds to a PUCCH format 1/1a/1b channel. Parameters that may be used for determination include a physical resource block (PRB) compression factor (granularity). This parameter may be used to define the number of PUCCH resources per DL PRB, i.e., how many DL PDCCHs or PDSCH PRBs are mapped to a single PUCCH resource. The physical resource blocks may be contiguous. The physical resource block (PRB) compression factor provides a many-to-one mapping between scheduled DL resources (ePDCCH or PDSCH) and PUCCH resources for HARQ-ACK transmissions, and allows adjustment of the number of PUCCH resources reserved for PDSCH scheduled via ePDCCH.

As an alternative to physical resource blocks, compression by mapping multiple DL resources in a smaller number of UL resources can also be done similarly, for example, with respect to enhanced control channel elements (eCCEs).

An offset parameter may also be used to define a dynamic offset for the PUCCH format 1/1a/1b resource domain. The offset parameter may be used to allow facilitating dynamic switching between multiple PUCCH format 1/1a/1b channels to avoid conflicts caused by PRB compression. This may specifically be the case in many-to-one mapping and, for example, MU-MIMO scheduling. Depending on the possible resource allocation scheme, existing parameters, namely the antenna port indicator and the scrambling identity (nSCID) are used as parameters for defining the offset. According to one possibility, an explicit value indicated in the downlink control information (DCI) may be used when defining the offset. This provides the eNB with the option of performing a simple shift to avoid conflicts in the uplink control channel domain. Existing parameters and an explicit offset indication may also be used in combination when defining the offset.

For example, the antenna ports and scrambling identities (nSCID) for LTE as defined in Table 5.3.3.1.5C-1 of 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 36.212 are reproduced in Table 1 of FIG. 6 .

Existing signaling can be reused to avoid conflicts due to MU-MIMO. In the case of MU-MIMO scheduling, the eNB can perform the following MU-MIMO pairing:

First UE: Layer 1 port 7, nscid = 0

Second UL: Layer 1 port 8, nscid = 1

Table 2 of Figure 7 shows how different combinations of the lowest antenna port and scrambling identity parameter selected by the eNB can each give a different offset parameter. Thus, by defining the offset based on existing parameters, different PUCCH resources can be occupied.

An example of an index associated with a physical downlink resource is a parameter defining the lowest PRB index of an ePDCCH or a PDSCH scheduled via an ePDCCH.

A specific mapping rule may be defined for the many-to-one mapping between input parameters and PUCCH format 1a/1b channels. According to an example, the mapping may be defined as:

in:

It is a floor operation.

PRB_1st is the index of the lowest PDSCH or ePDCCH PRB when PDSCH is scheduled via ePDCCH,

Granularity is a parameter that defines the number of DL PRBs mapped to a single PUCCH resource, and

Offset is an offset parameter that depends on the lowest antenna port and the scrambling identifier according to Table 2, see Figure 7.

Instead of physical resource blocks, other resources such as enhanced control channel units may be used as the basis for indexing.

Note that a given resource index may be subjected to further mathematical operations to define the final index for the PUCCH format 1/1a/1b channel. These may include operations such as the addition of a semi-static offset (which allows shifting the ePDCCH resources within the existing PUCCH format 1/1a/1b resource space) and further dynamic modifiers such as the ARI (ACK/NACK Resource Index) included in the DCI, allowing the eNB to select one from among the N available resources.

Granularity is a configurable parameter. Depending on the embodiment, the granularity parameter is configured in a cell-specific manner or in a UE-specific manner via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Currently, the values [1, 2, 1/2, 1/4, etc.] are considered to be applicable for the granularity parameter, but other values may also be considered. The granularity parameter may be understood as the spacing in terms of PUCCH resources obtained based on two consecutive DL PRBs (ePDCCH or PDSCH). A granularity value <1 means many-to-one mapping (compression), i.e., several DL PRBs are mapped to a single PUCCH resource.

Tables 3A and 3B in FIG8 show two examples of mapping based on PRB_1 ^st and offset. In the first example of Table 3A, the granularity parameter is set to 1/4, and the offset for different PRB_1 ^st values varies from 0 to 4. This results in uplink index values from 0 to 9. In the second example of Table 3B, when the granularity is set to 2, the offset varies from 0 to 4. In this example, the uplink index varies from 0 to 51.

Embodiments may provide an adjustable solution for PUCCH resource resizing. This may be used to allow a trade-off between scheduler flexibility and PUCCH overhead. Existing parameters such as antenna ports and scrambling indicators may be utilized when handling MU-MIMO scenarios. In specific embodiments, ePDCCH scheduling (e.g., search space and link adaptation) may be kept independent of PUCCH resource allocation. This may simplify scheduler operation. Another advantage is that the same A/N resource pool may be used for PUCCH HARQ ACK/NACK for both legacy user equipment and user equipment supporting ePDCCH.

Note that although embodiments have been described with respect to LTE, similar principles can be applied to any other communication system or for the further development of LTE. Moreover, instead of providing scheduling by a control device associated with a base station, scheduling can be provided by any device for scheduling transmission in two directions between at least two devices. Therefore, although embodiments are described with reference to uplink and downlink, these terms should not be understood as restrictive, because the present disclosure is not limited by the direction between a base station and a user terminal. Alternatively, the present invention is applicable to any system in which a control device can schedule transmission between two or more communication entities, wherein the scheduling entity can be regarded as being in the "upper" end of the link. For example, this can be the case in an application in which a communication system is provided by multiple user devices without providing fixed equipment in, for example, an ad hoc network. Therefore, although specific embodiments are described above by way of example with reference to specific exemplary architectures for wireless networks, technologies and standards, the embodiments can be applied to any other suitable form of communication system other than the communication system illustrated and described herein.

The functions of the required data processing device and base station device, communication equipment and any other appropriate device can be provided by one or more data processors. The functions described at each end can be provided by a separate processor or by an integrated processor. The data processor can be any type suitable for the local technical environment, and as a non-limiting example, can include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a gate-level circuit and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Data processing can be distributed on several data processing modules. The data processor can be provided by, for example, at least one chip. Appropriate memory capacity can also be provided in related equipment. One or more memories can be any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any appropriate data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory.

Typically, various embodiments can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the present invention can be shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it is well understood that, as non-limiting examples, these blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware, or a controller, or other computing device, or some combination thereof. Software can be stored on such a physical medium as a memory chip, or on a memory block implemented in a processor, on a magnetic medium such as a hard disk or floppy disk, and on an optical medium such as a DVD and its data variant CD.

The foregoing description has provided a complete and detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples. However, various modifications and adaptations will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Nevertheless, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of the present invention will still fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Indeed, other embodiments exist that include any one or more combinations of any of the foregoing other embodiments.

Claims (25)

1. An apparatus for allocating resources for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to determine an index for uplink control resources according to predefined rules, the determination taking into account an index associated with physical downlink resources, an offset, and the amount of downlink resources to be mapped onto the uplink control resources. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to take into account the lowest index of the physical downlink resource block. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the index associated with the physical downlink resource includes the index of at least one of an enhanced control channel unit, an enhanced physical downlink control channel, and a physical downlink shared channel scheduled by the enhanced physical downlink control channel. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to apply a many-to-one index mapping from scheduled downlink resources to the uplink control resources when determining the index for the uplink control resources. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to use at least one of an antenna port indicator and a scrambling identifier when defining the offset. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to transmit offset parameters in the downlink by signal. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to use the offset for dynamic switching between at least two Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) format 1/1a/1b resources. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the downlink resource quantity indicates the number of downlink physical resource blocks mapped to physical uplink control channel resources. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to process the indication of downlink resource quantity based on configurable parameters. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to signal information about the downlink resource quantity in a user equipment-specific or cell-specific manner. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the downlink resource includes a physical downlink shared channel, the apparatus being configured to transmit scheduling information for the physical downlink shared channel via an enhanced physical downlink control channel, and being configured to determine an index for a physical uplink control channel associated with the physical downlink shared channel. 12. The apparatus of claim 1, configured to determine at least one index for signaling an automatic repeat request message. 13. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims is configured to define a final index for the uplink control resource by applying at least one other operation to the index determined based on the index associated with the physical downlink resource and the amount of downlink resource to be mapped onto the uplink control resource. 14. A base station device comprising the apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 15. A user equipment comprising the means according to any one of claims 1 to 13. 16. A method for allocating resources for wireless communication, the method comprising determining an index for uplink control resources according to predefined rules, the determination taking into account an index associated with physical downlink resources, an offset, and the amount of downlink resources to be mapped onto the uplink control resources. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising taking into account the index of the lowest physical downlink resource block. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the index associated with the physical downlink resource includes the index of at least one of an enhanced control channel element, an enhanced physical downlink control channel, and a physical downlink shared channel scheduled by the enhanced physical downlink control channel. 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising applying a many-to-one index mapping from scheduled downlink resources to the uplink control resources when determining the index for the uplink control resources. 20. The method of claim 16, comprising dynamically switching between at least two PUCCH format 1/1a/1b resources using the offset. 21. The method of claim 16, wherein the downlink resource quantity indicates the number of downlink physical resource blocks mapped to physical uplink control channel resources. 22. The method of claim 16, further comprising configuring the downlink resource quantity via parameters. 23. The method of claim 16, wherein the downlink resource includes a physical downlink shared channel, comprising signaling scheduling information for the physical downlink shared channel via an enhanced physical downlink control channel to determine an index for a physical uplink control channel associated with the physical downlink shared channel. 24. The method according to any one of the preceding claims is configured to determine at least one index for signaling an automatic repeat request message. 25. A computer-readable medium having a computer program embodied thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 16 to 24.