Apparatus and method for constituting control information for a multi-cast broadcast service

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for constituting control information for at least one subframe allocation pattern for a multi-cast broadcast service. The method compares periods of radio frame units for each of subframe allocation patterns, sets up a unit period in which at least one subframe allocation pattern is repeated, and sets up control information containing subframe information allocated for a multi-cast broadcast service in the unit period set in the previous step. The method of the present invention enables, for example, efficient separation of MBSFN subframe for an MBMS from other MBSFN subframes.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A communication method of configuring control information for more than one subframe allocation pattern (SAP) for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS), comprising:
 determining subframes that can be allocated to the MBMS in units of at least one radio frame (RF); 
 comparing, in RF units, periods of respective allocation patterns of subframes actually allocated to the MBMS among the subframes that can be allocated to the MBMS, so as to set a common subframe allocation period in which the more than one SAP is repeated; and 
 configuring control information including information about at least one subframe allocated for the MBMS in the common subframe allocation period, 
 generating first control information; 
 generating second control information; 
 generating third control information; and 
 broadcasting multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMSs) based on the first, second and third control information, 
 wherein the first control information includes upper control information about at least one subframe that can be allocated to the MBMS in the common subframe allocation period, comprises a first bitmap which indicates a first set of multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframesand lower the second control information including information about at least one subframe comprises a second bitmap which indicates a second set of MBSFN subframes that are allocated to at least one multicast channel channels (MCHs) for the MBMS s, 
 wherein the lower control information includes information about the position of the last subframe allocated to each MCH as information used for classifying the MCH 
 wherein the third control information indicates a last subframe allocated to an MCH. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the upper control information and the lower control information is presented as a bitmap indicating a corresponding subframe. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subframes that can be allocated to the MBMS are a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the common subframe
 allocation period in which the more than one SAP is repeated is set to a minimum period in which more than one SAP for more than one multicast channel (MCH) is repeated the first set of MBSFN subframes comprises a plurality of MBSFN subframes for an MBMS, and the plurality of MBSFN subframes for the MBMS are disposed based on a subframe allocation pattern (SAP). 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein a number of the number of first set of MBSFN subframes that can be allocated to the MBMS is six based on a frequency division duplex (FDD) structure. 
     
     
       6. A method of receiving multimedia broadcast/multicast data, comprising:
 receiving control information about radio resource allocation for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) from at least one base station; and   receiving multimedia broadcast/multicast data using radio resources indicated by the control information,   wherein the control information about the radio resource allocation for the MBMS includes information about at least one subframe allocated for the MBMS in a common subframe allocation period, in which more than one subframe allocation pattern (SAP) actually allocated to the MBMS is repeated, among subframes that can be allocated to the MBMS,   wherein the control information includes upper control information about at least one subframe that can be allocated to the MBMS in the common subframe allocation period, and lower control information including information about at least one subframe allocated to at least one multicast channel (MCH) for the MBMS,   wherein the lower control information includes information about the position of the last subframe allocated to each MCH as information used for classifying the MCH.   
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the upper control information and the lower control information is presented as a bitmap indicating a corresponding subframe. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the subframes that can be allocated to the MBMS are a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the common subframe allocation period in which the more than one SAP is repeated is set to a minimum period in which more than one SAP for more than one multicast channel (MCH) is repeated. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the number of subframes that can be allocated to the MBMS is six based on a frequency division duplex (FDD) structure. 
     
     
       11. A method of transmitting MBMS data, the method comprising:
 transmitting first control information indicating MBSFN subframes among a plurality of subframes;   transmitting second control information indicating MBMS subframes among the MBSFN subframes; and   transmitting first MBMS data and second MBMS data using the MBMS subframes,   wherein the second control information includes resource allocation period common for the first MBMS data and the second MBMS data, and the second control information includes a first resource allocation pattern repeated by M times during the resource allocation period, and a second resource allocation pattern repeated by N times during the resource allocation period, where M and N are natural numbers,   wherein the second control information further includes third control information on the last MBMS subframe allocated to the first MBMS data during MBMS subframes included in the resource allocation period, and fourth control information on the last MBMS subframe allocated to the second MBMS data during MBMS subframes included in the resource allocation period,   wherein the M is determined by period and offset of the first resource allocation pattern, and the N is determined by period and offset of the second resource allocation pattern.   
     
     
       12. A method of receiving MBMS data, the method comprising:
 receiving first control information indicating MBSFN subframes among a plurality of subframes;   receiving second control information indicating MBMS subframes among the MBSFN subframes; and   receiving first MBMS data and second MBMS data using the MBMS subframes,   wherein the second control information includes resource allocation period common for the first MBMS data and the second MBMS data, and the second control information includes a first resource allocation pattern repeated by M times during the resource allocation period, and a second resource allocation pattern repeated by N times during the resource allocation period, where M and N are natural numbers,   wherein the second control information further includes third control information on the last MBMS subframe allocated to the first MBMS data during MBMS subframes included in the resource allocation period, and fourth control information on the last MBMS subframe allocated to the second MBMS data during MBMS subframes included in the resource allocation period,   wherein the M is determined by period and offset of the first resource allocation pattern, and the N is determined by period and offset of the second resource allocation pattern.   
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 4 , wherein transmission of the MBMS is terminated at the last subframe among the second set of MBSFN subframes at which subframe allocation for the MCH is finished.  
     
     
       14. A communication method, comprising:
 obtaining first control information;   obtaining second control information;   obtaining third control information; and   receiving one of multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMSs) broadcasted from a base station based on the first, second and third control information,   wherein the first control information comprises a first bitmap which indicates a first set of multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframes, and the second control information comprises a second bitmap which indicates a second set of MBSFN subframes that are allocated to multicast channels (MCHs) for the MBMSs,   wherein the third control information indicates a last subframe allocated to an MCH.    
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first set of MBSFN subframes comprise a plurality of MBSFN subframes for an MBMS, and the plurality of MBSFN subframes for the MBMS are disposed based on a subframe allocation pattern (SAP).  
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein transmission of the MBMS is terminated at the last subframe among the second set of MBSFN subframes at which subframe allocation for the MCH is finished.  
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 14 , wherein a number of the first set of MBSFN subframes is six based on a frequency division duplex (FDD) structure.  
     
     
       18. A communication apparatus, comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor,   wherein the processor, when executing program instructions stored in the memory, is configured to:
 cause the communication apparatus to generate first control information; 
 cause the communication apparatus to generate second control information; 
 cause the communication apparatus to generate third control information; and 
 cause the communication apparatus to broadcast multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMSs) based on the first, second and third control information, 
   wherein the first control information comprises a first bitmap which indicates a first set of multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframes, and the second control information comprises a second bitmap which indicates a second set of MBSFN subframes that are allocated to multicast channels (MCHs) for the MBMSs,   wherein the third control information further indicates a last subframe allocated to an MCH.    
     
     
       19. The communication apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the first set of MBSFN subframes comprises a plurality of MBSFN subframes for an MBMS, and the plurality of MBSFN subframes for the MBMS are disposed based on a subframe allocation pattern (SAP).  
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein transmission of the MBMS is terminated at the last subframe among the second set of MBSFN subframes at which subframe allocation for the MCH is finished.  
     
     
       21. The communication apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein a number of the first set of MBSFN subframes is six based on a frequency division duplex (FDD) structure.  
     
     
       22. A communication apparatus, comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor,   wherein the processor, when executing program instructions stored in the memory, is configured to:
 cause the communication apparatus to obtain first control information; 
 cause the communication apparatus to obtain second control information; 
 cause the communication apparatus to obtain third control information; and 
 cause the communication apparatus to receive one of multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMSs) broadcasted from a base station based on the first, second and third control information, 
 wherein the first control information comprises a first bitmap which indicates a first set of multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframes, and the second control information comprises a second bitmap which indicates a second set of MBSFN subframes that are allocated to a multicast channels (MCHs) for the MBMSs, 
 wherein the third control information indicates a last subframe allocated to an MCH.  
   
     
     
       23. The communication apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the first set of MBSFN subframes comprise a plurality of MBSFN subframes for an MBMS, and the plurality of MBSFN subframes for the MBMS are disposed based on a subframe allocation pattern (SAP).  
     
     
       24. The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein transmission of the MBMS is terminated at the last subframe among the second set of MBSFN subframes at which subframe allocation for the MCH is finished.  
     
     
       25. The communication apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein a number of the first set of MBSFN subframes is six based on a frequency division duplex (FDD) structure.