Method For Configuring Frequency Resource About Component Carrier For New Radio And Apparatuses Thereof

What is this patent about?

’218 is related to the field of wireless communication, specifically addressing resource allocation in next-generation (5G/NR) radio access networks. The background involves the need to support terminals with varying bandwidth capabilities within a single component carrier (CC). Existing systems like LTE have limitations in flexibly allocating frequency resources to different users, especially when considering diverse service requirements like enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). Therefore, there is a need for a more adaptable method of configuring and indexing frequency resources.

The underlying idea behind ’218 is to introduce a flexible bandwidth allocation scheme using bandwidth parts (BWPs) within a component carrier. The key insight is to divide a CC into multiple BWPs, each potentially tailored to a specific terminal's bandwidth capability or service requirement. This allows the base station to dynamically allocate resources and activate specific BWPs for individual terminals. The invention also defines a common resource block (RB) indexing scheme across the entire CC, providing a unified reference for resource allocation.

The claims of ’218 focus on a wireless device (e.g., a UE) and a base station (BS) that implement a BWP-based resource allocation scheme. The claims cover the reception/transmission of information about a reference point and one or more BWPs within a CC. Each BWP's location is determined based on the reference point. The information includes a starting physical resource block (PRB) index and the number of PRBs within each BWP. The starting PRB index is based on a common PRB index numbered from the lowest frequency in the CC, while a BWP-specific PRB index is used within each BWP. The claims also cover the reception/transmission of a synchronization signal (SS) block, where the PRB location is determined based on the reference point information.

In practice, the base station configures a common RB indexing scheme for the entire component carrier, providing a unified numbering system for all physical resource blocks. It then divides the CC into one or more bandwidth parts, each potentially having a different bandwidth and numerology (subcarrier spacing). The base station signals the location and size of each BWP to the terminal, along with the starting PRB index based on the common indexing. When the base station schedules data for a particular terminal, it activates one or more BWPs and uses the BWP-specific PRB index to indicate the allocated resources within the activated BWP. This allows for flexible resource allocation while maintaining a consistent reference across the entire CC.

This approach differs from prior solutions like LTE, which typically operate with a single, fixed bandwidth allocation per component carrier. By introducing BWPs and a common RB indexing scheme, ’218 enables more efficient multiplexing of terminals with diverse bandwidth requirements and service needs within a single CC. The use of a BWP-specific PRB index allows for localized resource allocation within each BWP, while the common PRB index provides a global reference for the entire CC. This combination of global and local indexing facilitates flexible and efficient resource management in next-generation wireless networks.