Communication Units, Integrated Circuits and Methods for Supporting a Virtual Carrier

Abstract

A network element for controlling a usage of at least one resource is described. The network element comprises: a transmitter for transmitting a signal identifying at least one uplink resource to at least one wireless communication unit; a signal processor operably coupled to the transmitter for generating the signal; and a receiver for receiving a transmission from the at least one wireless communication unit on the identified at least one uplink resource. The signal processor is arranged to allocate the uplink resource for the at least one wireless communication unit in a first portion of a first sub-frame on a first frequency and a first portion of a second sub-frame on a second frequency wherein a time gap is allocated between an end of the first portion of the first sub-frame and a beginning of the first portion of a second sub-frame.

1 . A method for transmitting on at least one resource, the method comprising, at a wireless communication unit:
 receiving and decoding a downlink signal from a network element wherein the signal allocates at least one uplink physical resource comprising a first portion of a first sub-frame on a first frequency and a first portion of a second sub-frame on a second frequency wherein a time gap is allocated between an end of the first portion of the first sub-frame and a beginning of the first portion of a second sub-frame;   transmitting a first half of physical bits in a first timeslot of the determined at least one uplink physical resource;   re-tuning the wireless communication unit's radio frequency, RF, generation circuit to the second frequency; and   waiting a time period before transmitting a second half of the physical bits in a first timeslot of the second sub-frame of the determined at least one uplink physical resource.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining at least one uplink physical resource to use for a transmission to the network element based on the decoded signal; and 
 performing control channel processing of the determined at least one uplink physical resource in order to produce a set of physical channel bits for transmission. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising determining at least one uplink physical resource to use for feedback signalling to the network element, wherein the feedback signalling comprises an acknowledgement, ACK, or negative acknowledgement, NACK, status of the decoded signal, or a channel quality indication, CQI, signal. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the decoded signal is received in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, and physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, allocation. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the decoded signal comprises a first control channel element used for PDCCH. 
     
     
         6 . A wireless communication unit comprising:
 a receiver for receiving a downlink signal from a network element ( 802 ,  804 );   a signal processor for decoding the downlink signal wherein the signal allocates at least one uplink physical resource comprising a first portion of a first sub-frame on a first frequency and a first portion of a second sub-frame on a second frequency wherein a time gap is allocated between an end of the first portion of the first sub-frame and a beginning of the first portion of a second sub-frame; and   a transmitter for transmitting a first half of physical bits in a first timeslot of the determined at least one uplink physical resource;   wherein the signal processor is arranged to re-tune the wireless communication unit's radio frequency (RF) generation circuit to the second frequency; and the transmitter is arranged to transmit ( 816 ) a second half of the physical bits in a first timeslot of the second sub-frame of the determined at least one uplink physical resource.   
     
     
         7 . The wireless communication unit of  claim 6  wherein the signal processor is arranged to wait a time period before initiation of a transmission of a second half of the physical bits in a first timeslot of the second sub-frame of the determined at least one uplink physical resource. 
     
     
         8 . The wireless communication unit of  claim 6  wherein the signal processor is arranged to determine ( 808 ) at least one uplink physical resource to use for a transmission to the network element based on the decoded downlink signal. 
     
     
         9 . The wireless communication unit of  claim 8  wherein the signal processor is arranged to perform control channel processing of the determined at least one uplink physical resource in order to produce a set of physical channel bits for transmission. 
     
     
         10 . The wireless communication unit of  claim 1  wherein the signal processor is arranged to determine at least one uplink physical resource to use for feedback signalling to the network element. 
     
     
         11 . The wireless communication unit of  claim 1  wherein feedback signalling comprises an acknowledgement, ACK, or negative acknowledgement, NACK, status of the decoded downlink signal, or a channel quality indication, CQI, signal. 
     
     
         12 . The wireless communication unit of  claim 1  wherein the decoded signal is received in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, and physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, allocation. 
     
     
         13 . The wireless communication unit of  claim 1  wherein the decoded signal comprises a first control channel element used for PDCCH. 
     
     
         14 . An integrated circuit for a wireless communication unit comprising a signal processor arranged to:
 decode a downlink signal from a network element wherein the signal allocates at least one uplink physical resource comprising a first portion of a first sub-frame on a first frequency and a first portion of a second sub-frame on a second frequency wherein a time gap is allocated between an end of the first portion of the first sub-frame and a beginning of the first portion of a second sub-frame; and   re-tune the wireless communication unit's radio frequency, RF, generation circuit to the second frequency; and the transmit a second half of the physical bits in a first timeslot of the second sub-frame of the determined at least one uplink physical resource.