Systems and methods for transmitting data information messages on a downlink of a wireless communication system

Abstract

Embodiments are provide for communicating data or other non-control information messages within a downlink control channel directly, rather than in a data channel or broadcast channel. Thereby, radio resource utilization can be substantially improved in the cellular system, such as in the case of transmitting smaller data packets. In an embodiment, a transmitter arranges a set of time-frequency radio resources, associated with a downlink control channel, for transmitting information other than control information sent on the downlink control channel. The transmitter then sends, on the set of time-frequency radio resources, a data information message comprising the information other than the control information. The information other than the control information comprises one of user-specific data information and broadcast data information. A receiver then receives on the downlink control channel, control information and the data information message.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method by a network component, the method comprising:
 arranging a set of time-frequency radio resources, associated with a downlink control channel, for transmitting information other than control information sent on the downlink control channel; and 
 transmitting, on the set of time-frequency radio resources, a data information message comprising the information other than the control information, wherein the data information message has a size that is the same as a size of at least one of a transport block for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a downlink control information (DCI) message transmitted on the downlink control channel, the size of the transport block being pre-determined according to a wireless communications standard, wherein the information other than the control information is user-specific data information, and wherein the method further comprises:
 scrambling a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a dedicated user-specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI): 
 encoding, using a superposition coding, the user-specific data information into a first data layer detectable within a coverage area and a second data layer comprising additional data; and 
 sending the scrambled CRC code with the user-specific data information in the data information message. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting control information on other time-frequency radio resources associated with the downlink control channel. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one time-frequency radio resource of the set of time-frequency radio resources is predefined to a receiver. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one time-frequency radio resource of the set of time-frequency radio resources is not predefined to a receiver. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  further comprising signaling, to a receiver, at least one time-frequency radio resource of the set of time-frequency radio resources. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one time-frequency radio resource of the set of time-frequency radio resources is defined in a one of a user-specific search space for the downlink control channel and a common search space for the downlink control channel. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information other than the control information comprises one of user-specific data information and broadcast data information. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein transmitting, on the set of time-frequency radio resources, the information other than the control information comprises one of sending the user-specific data information in a transport block and sending the broadcast data information in at least a portion of a Master information Block (MIB). 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the downlink control channel is one of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and an Enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH), and wherein the set of time-frequency radio resources corresponds to Control Channel Elements (CCEs) or Enhanced CCEs (ECCEs). 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dedicated user-specific RNTI is a cell-RNTI that is user-specific. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising computing the CRC using a specific polynomial associated With the data information message. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising implementing, one of a specific interleaving and a specific scrambling associated with the data information message prior to computing the CRC. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data information message includes at least one predefined bit that is set to a predefined value distinguishing the data information message from a control information message. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1  further comprising indicating, via higher layer signaling to a receiver, which part of the data information message the receiver should receive. 
     
     
       15. the method of  claim 1 , Wherein the information other than the control information is broadcast information, and wherein the method further comprises:
 scrambling a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a broadcast Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI); and 
 sending the scrambled CRC code with the broadcast information in the data information message. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the broadcast RNTI is pre-defined and known to a plurality of receivers. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , Wherein the data information message is transmitted over a plurality of subframes by a plurality of transmissions. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17  further comprising scrambling the data information message by a sequence corresponding to the subframes. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the scrambling is in accordance with a cell-specific scrambling sequence applied to the data information message. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 1  further comprising encoding the data information message by convolutional codes or by block codes. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 1  further comprising modulating the data information message With a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) scheme. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the network component is one of a base station and a relay node. 
     
     
       23. A network component comprising:
 at least one processor; and 
 a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor, the programming including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network component to:
 arrange a set of time-frequency radio resources associated with a downlink control channel for transmitting information other than control information sent on the downlink control channel; and 
 transmit, on the set of time-frequency radio resources, a data information message comprising the information other than the control information, wherein the data information message has a size that is the same as a size of at least one of-a of a transport block for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a downlink control information (DCI) message transmitted on the downlink control channel, the size of the transport block being pre-determined according to a wireless communications standard; and 
 wherein the information other than the control information is user-specific data information, and the programming includes further instructions to:
 scramble a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a dedicated user-specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI); 
 encode, using a superposition coding, the user-specific data information into a first data layer detectable within a coverage area and a second data layer comprising additional data; and 
 send the scrambled CRC code with the user-specific data information in the data information message. 
 
 
 
     
     
       24. The network component of  claim 23 , wherein the network component corresponds to one of an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) communications network and a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications network. 
     
     
       25. A method, comprising:
 transmitting, by a network component and on one or more first time-frequency radio resources associated with a downlink control channel, a user-specific data information message comprising, non -control information; and 
 transmitting, by the network component, control information on one or more second time-frequency radio resources that are associated with the downlink control channel and that are different from the one or more first time-frequency radio resources; 
 wherein the user-specific data information message has a size that is the same as a size of at least one of a transport block for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a downlink control information (DCI) message transmitted on the downlink control channel, the size of the transport block being pre-determined according to a wireless communications standard, wherein the non-control information is user-specific data information, and wherein the method further comprises:
 scrambling a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a dedicated user-specific Radio Network Temporary identifier (RNTI); 
 encoding, using a superposition coding, the user-specific data information into a first data layer detectable within a coverage area and a second data layer comprising additional data; and 
 sending the scrambled CRC code with the user-specific data information in the user-specific data information message. 
 
 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 25 , further comprising determining the one or more first time-frequency radio resources prior to the transmitting the user-specific data information message. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 25 , wherein the method further comprises scrambling a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a dedicated user-specific Radio Network Temporary identifier (RNTI); and
 wherein the transmitting the user-specific data information message comprises sending the scrambled CRC code with user-specific data information in the user-specific data information message. 
 
     
     
       28. A device, comprising:
 transmitter; 
 at least one processor; and 
 a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor, the programming including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to:
 cause the transmitter to transmit, with the transmitter and on one or more first time-frequency radio resources associated with a downlink control channel, a user-specific data information message comprising non-control information; and 
 cause the transmitter to transmit, with the transmitter, control information on one or more second time-frequency radio resources that are associated with the downlink control channel and that are different from the one or more first time-frequency radio resources; 
 wherein the data information message has a size that is the same as a size of at least one of a transport block for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a downlink control information (DCI) message transmitted on the downlink control channel, the size of the transport block being pre-determined according to a wireless communications standard; 
 wherein the non-control information is user-specific data information, and the programming includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to:
 scramble a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a dedicated user-specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI); 
 encode, using a superposition coding, the user-specific data information into a first data layer detectable within a coverage area and a second data layer comprising additional data; and 
 send the scrambled CRC code with the user-specific data information in the user-specific data information message. 
 
 
 
     
     
       29. The device of  claim 28 , wherein the programming further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to determine the one or more first time-frequency radio resources prior to causing the transmitter to transmit trasnsmitting the user-specific data information message. 
     
     
       30. The device of  claim 28 , wherein the programming further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to scramble a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a dedicated user-specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI); and
 wherein the instructions to cause the transmitter to transmit transmitting the user-specific data information message comprises instructions to send sending the scrambled CRC code with user-specific data information in the user-specific data information message. 
 
     
     
       31. A non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer instructions, that when executed by one or more processors of a communication device, cause the communication device to perform:
 arranging a set of time-frequency radio resources, associated with a downlink control channel, for transmitting information other than control information sent on the downlink control channel; and   transmitting, on the set of time-frequency radio resources, a data information message comprising the information other than the control information, wherein the data information message has a size that is the same as a size of at least one of a transport block for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a downlink control information (DCI) message transmitted on the downlink control channel, the size of the transport block being predetermined according to a wireless communications standard, wherein the information other than the control information comprises user-specific data information, and wherein the computer instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to further perform:
 scrambling a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code using a dedicated user-specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI); 
 encoding, using a superposition coding, the user-specific data information into a first data layer detectable within a coverage area and a second data layer comprising additional data; and 
 sending the scrambled CRC code with the user-specific data information in the data information message.