METHOD AND BASE STATION, USER EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEM FOR
ACTIVATING COEXISTENCE WORK MODE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in
particular to a method for activating a co-existence working mode which allows a user
equipment to communicate with apparatuses of two or more communication systems at the
same time by using different transmission resources, and to a base station, a user equipment
and a communication system using the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] With the rapid advancements in wireless communication systems, user equipment
(a.k.a. terminal equipment) such as the mobile phone is playing a bigger role in people's life.
In addition to its communication functions, other functions of the user equipment, e.g.,
accessing a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) by the user equipment, have been
increasingly explored. Moreover, to facilitate the user equipment to implement
communication links and data interchange with other apparatuses, IR (infrared), Bluetooth
and USE interfaces are becoming part of a standard configuration of the user equipment.
Especially, Bluetooth headphones are increasingly widely used. WLAN systems, Bluetooth
systems, and the like all work at the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) bands. For
example, as one of the commonly used ISM bands in the word, the band
2400MHz-2483.5MHz is also one of the most commonly used ISM bands.
[0003] When a user equipment communicates with another apparatus at a frequency band
that is close to, or a multiple of, the frequency band at which the user equipment
communicates with its corresponding base station, these two types of communication may
interfere with each other. For example, a wireless communication system Long-Term
Evolution (LTE) system is one of the systems beyond 3G (IMT-2000). An LTE system may
work at many frequency ands according to the LTE series specification [36.101]. Of these
frequency bands used by LTE, some are adjacent to the ISM bands, e.g., band 40 for LTE
TDD (Time Division Duplex) system deployments: 2300MHz-2400MHz; band 7 for LTE
FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) system deployments: 2500MHz-2570MHz (uplink),

2620MHz-2670MHz (downlink). Of these frequency bands used by LTE, some are a multiple
of the frequency bands used by the GPS (Global Positioning System) system, e.g., band 13 for
LTE FDD system deployments: 777MHz-787MHz (uplink), 746MHz-756MHz (downlink);
and band 14 for LTE FDD system deployments: 788MHz-798MHz (uplink),
758MHz-768MHz (downlink). When an LTE user equipment works at one of the
aforementioned frequency bands, if a WLAN system or a Bluetooth system on the user
equipment is activated, then the LTE system and the ISM system (the WLAN system, the
Bluetooth system, or the like) working at adjacent frequency bands in the user equipment may
interfere with each other due to adjacent-band leakage, which may even result in a
communication failure when the bit error rate is high. If a GPS system on the user equipment
is started up at the same time, the GPS system may fail to function due to harmonic
interferences from the LTE system.
[0004] A conventional method to solve the above problem is to employ a
higher-performance transmission filter in the transmitting terminal on the user equipment for
the communication with the base station, e.g., an LTE system, and/or in the transmitting
terminal on the user equipment for the communication with another apparatus, e.g., an ISM
system, to reduce adjacent-band leakage and/or harmonic interferences to the greatest extent
possible. A disadvantage of this method is that it significantly increases the cost of the user
equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for setting up a
co-existence working mode, by which a co-existence working mode which allows two or
more communication systems to coexist in the same user equipment (i.e., the user equipment
to communicate with apparatuses of two or more communication systems at the same time by
using different transmission resources) can be set up rapidly. Moreover, some embodiments of
the present disclosure provide a base station, a user equipment and a communication system
using the method.
[0006] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, it is provided a method for
activating a co-existence working mode, including: transmitting, by a user equipment of a

first communication system to a base station in the first communication system, an activation
request for requesting to enter a co-existence working mode in which the user equipment
performs a first communication with the base station and performs a second communication
with an apparatus of a second communication system, which is different from the first
communication system, by using different transmission resources; and activating, by the user
equipment, the co-existence working mode according to configuration information of the
co-existence working mode, wherein the configuration information of the co-existence
working mode is pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station and is stored in the
user equipment.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, it is provided a user
equipment. The user equipment is configured in a first communication system and has a
co-existence working mode in which the user equipment performs a first communication with
a base station in the first communication system and performs a second communication with
an apparatus of a second communication system, which is different from the first
communication system, by using different transmission resources. The user equipment
includes: a storage device, configured to store configuration information of the co-existence
working mode pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station; a transmitting
device, configured to transmit to the base station in the first communication system an
activation request for requesting to enter the co-existence working mode; and a co-existence
mode activating device, configured to activate the co-existence working mode according to
the configuration information of the co-existence working mode.
[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, it is provided a method for
activating a co-existence working mode, including: receiving, by a base station in a first
communication system from a user equipment, an activation request for requesting to allow
the user equipment to enter a co-existence working mode in which the user equipment
performs a first communication with the base station and performs a second communication
with an apparatus of a second communication system, which is different from the first
communication system, by using different transmission resources; and the base station
performs communication with the user equipment by using a transmission resource different
from that used in the second communication, wherein the base station pre-configures
configuration information of the co-existence working mode for the user equipment in
advance.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, it is provided a base station.
The base station is configured in a first communication system, and may include: a receiving
device, configured to receive from a user equipment an activation request for requesting to
allow the user equipment to enter a co-existence working mode in which the user equipment
performs a first communication with the base station and performs a second communication
with an apparatus of a second communication system, which is different from the first
communication system, and the base station performs communication with the user
equipment by using a transmission resource different from that used in the second
communication; and a pre-configuring device, configured to pre-configure configuration
information of the co-existence working mode for the user equipment in advance.
[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, it is provided a
communication system including the base station and the user equipment.
[0011] Moreover, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program
for implementing the above method.
[0012] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program
product in at least the form of a computer readable medium, on which computer program code
for implementing the above method is stored.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The above and other objects, characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure
will become apparent with the description below of the embodiments of the present disclosure
in combination with the accompanying drawings. The components in the figures are not
drawn to scale, but are used to illustrate the principle of the present disclosure. In the figures,
the same or like technical features and components are denoted with the same or like
reference numerals.
[0014] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario where a first communication
between the user equipment and the base station and a second communication between the
user equipment and another apparatus are performed in a time-division multiplexing manner;
[0015] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario where a first communication
between the user equipment and the base station and a second communication between the

user equipment and another apparatus are performed in a frequency-division multiplexing
manner;
[0016] FIG. 2A is a schematic flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure in which the user equipment activates a co-existence working mode;
[0017] FIG 2B is a schematic flowchart of a method according to another embodiment of
the present disclosure in which the user equipment activates a co-existence working mode;
[0018] FIG. 3 A is a schematic flowchart of a method corresponding to the method of FIG.
2A in which the base station activates a co-existence working mode;
[0019] FIG 3B is a schematic flowchart of a method corresponding to the method of FIG.
2B in which the base station activates a co-existence working mode;
[0020] FIG 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a method in which the base
station pre-configures for the user equipment configuration information of a co-existence
working mode;
[0021] FIG 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of a method in which the
base station pre-configures for the user equipment configuration information of a co-existence
working mode;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for setting up a co-existence
working mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for setting up a co-existence
working mode according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a user equipment capable of setting
up a co-existence working mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a user equipment capable of setting
up a co-existence working mode according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a base station capable of setting up
a co-existence working mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a base station capable of setting up
a co-existence working mode according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0028] FIG. 12 is schematic block diagram illustrating the structure of a computer for
implementing the equipment and the method of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be hereinafter described with
reference to the accompanying drawings. An element or feature described in one of the figures
or embodiments can be combined with an element or feature shown in one or more of the
other figures or embodiments. It should be noted that, in the interest of clarity, those
components and processes unrelated to the present disclosure, and known to a skilled person,
are omitted from the figures and the description.
[0030] Two types of communication may take place at the same time in a user equipment of
a wireless communication system. One is the communication between the user equipment and
a base station (for the convenience of description, this type of communication will be
hereinafter referred to as a "first communication", and the communication system will be
hereinafter referred to as a "main communication system" or "first communication system"),
and the other is the communication between the user equipment and apparatuses in one or
more other communication systems, e.g., an access point (AP) in a WLAN system, an
apparatus in a Bluetooth or GPS system (for the convenience of description, this type of
communication will be hereinafter referred to as a "second communication", and the
concerned communication system will be hereinafter referred to as a "interfering system" or
"second communication system"). The frequency bands at which the first and second
communication systems work may be adjacent or close to each other; or, one of the frequency
bands is a multiple of the other. For example, the first communication system and the second
communication system may be an LTE system and an ISM system, or an LTE system and a
GPS system. In such cases, there is a situation where the two communication systems may
interfere with each other due to adjacent-channel leakage and/or harmonic interferences.
[0031] The inventors of the present disclosure found that the first communication and the
second communication can be performed in a time-division multiplexing (TDM) manner or
frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) manner, thereby avoiding such interference. FIG. 1A
is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario where a first communication and a second
communication are performed in a TDM manner. As shown in FIG. 1 A, in the time domain, a

first communication system and a second communication system work at different time slots.
That is, in a TDM manner, during a period of time when the user equipment performs a first
communication with an apparatus of the first communication system, it is not allowed to
perform a second communication with an apparatus of the second communication system; and
vice versa. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario where a first communication
and a second communication are performed in a FDM manner. As shown in FIG. 1B, the
working frequency bands of the first and second communications can be made so that they are
as far way from each other as possible, and/or no one is a multiple of the other, in order to
reduce mutual interference. Similarly, more than two communication systems can coexist in
the same user equipment in these manners. In this disclosure, the working mode which allows
two or more communication systems coexist in the same user equipment, that is, the working
mode in which the user equipment performs a first communication with the base station and
performs a second communication with an apparatus in an interfering system by using
different time or frequency resources, is referred to as a co-existence working mode.
According to different types of main communication systems and interfering systems, various
co-existence working modes may be provided to suit these different types. For example, one
or more TDM-based co-existence working modes may be provided, and they can have
different time resource allocation schemes. For example, one or more FDM-based
co-existence working modes may be further provided, and they can have different frequency
resource allocation schemes.
[0032] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for rapidly setting up
(activating) a co-existence working mode as discussed above, and a user equipment, a base
station, and a system using the method.
[0033] FIG 2A illustrates a schematic flow of a method according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure in which a user equipment of a first communication system sets up
(activates) a co-existence working mode.
[0034] In the method as shown in FIG. 2A, the user equipment stores configuration
information of the co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user equipment by a
base station, and requests to activate the co-existence working mode when it is needed to
enter the co-existence working mode (e.g., upon detecting an interfering system).
[0035] As shown in FIG. 2A, the method may include step 205 and step 215.

[0036] Specifically, in step 205, when it is needed to enter a co-existence working mode
(e.g., after detecting a second communication system working at a frequency band adjacent to
the frequency band at which the first communication system works), the user equipment
transmits to a base station of the first communication system an activation request, for
requesting to enter a co-existence working mode.
[0037] As an example, the base station may pre-configure for the user equipment one
co-existence working mode and the configuration information of the co-existence working
mode; and in this case, the co-existence working mode is a default co-existence working
mode. As another example, the base station may pre-configure for the user equipment two or
more co-existence working modes and the configuration information of each of the
co-existence working modes; and in this case, one of the co-existence working modes may be
set as a default co-existence working mode.
[0038] As an example, the user equipment may select one from a plurality of co-existence
working modes pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station. The user equipment
may encapsulate information indicating the selected mode (for example, the plurality of
pre-configured working modes can be numbered, and thus the information may include a
serial number of the selected mode) in the activation request to transmit it to the base station.
As another example, the activation request may not include such information; and in this case,
the co-existence working mode that the user equipment requests to enter is by default the
pre-configured default co-existence working mode.
[0039] In step 215, the user equipment activates a co-existence working mode according to
the stored configuration information pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station.
The co-existence working mode to be activated may be a default co-existence working mode,
or a co-existence working mode selected by the user equipment (of which the base station
has been notified via the activation request). As an example, the user equipment may
determine whether the base station has successfully received the activation request according
to information returned from the base station side. For example, if it is determined that the
base station has successfully received the activation request, e.g., upon receipt of an
acknowledgement signal (i.e., an ACK signal) returned from the base station side that
signifies that the base station has successfully received the activation request, step 215 is
performed. If a NACK signal returned from the base station side is received, it indicates

failure of transmitting the activation request. In the case where the maximum retransmission
count is not reached, the user equipment can retransmit the activation request.
[0040] FIG. 3 A illustrates a schematic flowchart of a method corresponding to the method
shown in FIG 2A in which the base station sets up a co-existence working mode.
[0041] As shown in FIG 3, the method may include step 305 and step 301.
[0042] Step 301 is a step wherein the base station pre-configures for the user equipment a
co-existence working mode and the configuration information. As an example, this step may
take place during the establishment of the RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection between
the base station and the user equipment. As another example, this step may take place during
the reconfiguration of the RRC connection between the base station and the user equipment.
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 each illustrate one of the examples.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, when a user equipment (UE) 410 enters a RRC_Connected state
from a RRC_idle state, it transmits a RRC connection request to a base station (EUTRAN)
420 (as shown in step 401-1). The base station encapsulates the configuration information of a
co-existence working mode in a RRC connection establish message and transmits the message
to the user equipment (step 401-2). The user equipment returns a RRC connection complete
message to the base station (step 401-3), confirming receipt of the configuration information.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 5, when a user equipment 510 is in a RRCConnected state, if a
base station 520 detects activation of a network at an interfering frequency band (e.g., ISM),
and thus judges that the user equipment may need a co-existence working mode, then the base
station 520 encapsulates the configuration information of a co-existence working mode in a
RRC connection reconfiguration message, and transmits the message to the user equipment
(step 501-4). The user equipment may return a RRC connection reconfiguration complete
message to the base station (step 501-5), confirming receipt of the configuration information.
[0045] It shall be understood that the above methods for pre-configuration of a co-existence
working mode are only exemplary but not exhaustive; and information related to a
co-existence working mode can be pre-configured at any other suitable timing and using any
other suitable method. Detailed description is therefore omitted here.
[0046] Step 305 corresponds to step 205 described with respect to FIG. 2A. In step 305, the
base station receives the activation request from the user equipment. After receiving the

activation request, the base station learns that the user equipment is about to activate a
co-existence working mode, so that the base station can perform corresponding configurations
on those resources needed in the communication with the user equipment.
[0047] As described above, the activation request may include information indicating a
co-existence working mode selected by the user equipment. In this case, the base station
learns that the user equipment is about to activate the selected co-existence working mode,
and may perform corresponding configuration according to stored configuration information.
The activation request may not include such information; and in this case, the base station
may determine that the user equipment is about to activate a pre-configured default
co-existence working mode.
[0048] As an example, after the base station successfully receives the activation request, an
acknowledgement signal may be returned from the base station side to the user equipment for
indicating whether the activation request is correctly received, e.g., an ACK signal if the
activation request is correctly received, and a NACK signal otherwise.
[0049] FIG. 2B illustrates a schematic flowchart of a method according to another
embodiment of the present disclosure in which the user equipment sets up (activates) a
co-existence working mode.
[0050] In the method as shown in FIG. 2B, after transmitting the activation request to the
base station, the user equipment needs to await a response signal (a.k.a. activation response)
returned by the base station to the activation request, and activates a co-existence working
mode according to the activation response.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 2B, the method may include step 205', 209' and 215'.
[0052] Step 205' is similar to step 205: when it is needed to enter a co-existence working
mode (e.g., after detecting a second communication system working at a frequency band
adjacent to the frequency band at which the first communication system works), the user
equipment transmits to a base station of the first communication system an activation request,
for requesting to enter a co-existence working mode. Similarly to the above embodiment, the
activation request may include information indicating a co-existence working mode selected
by the user equipment; or may not include such information.
[0053] In step 209', the user equipment receives an activation response from the base

station. In step 215', the user equipment activates a co-existence working mode according to
the stored configuration information pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station.
As an example, the co-existence working mode to be activated may be a default co-existence
working mode. As another example, the co-existence working mode to be activated may be a
co-existence working mode selected by the user equipment (of which the base station has
been notified via the activation request). As an example, the activation response may include
information indicating whether the base station allows the user equipment to enter the
co-existence working mode. In this case, the user equipment may judge whether it is allowed
to activate the co-existence working mode according to the activation response, and if so, the
process of step 215' is performed; otherwise, the co-existence working mode is not activated.
As another example, the activation response may include information indicating a
co-existence working mode appointed for the user equipment by the base station. In this case,
the user equipment activates, in step 215', the co-existence working mode appointed by the
base station according to corresponding stored configuration information.
[0054] FIG. 3B illustrates a schematic flowchart of a method corresponding to the method
shown in FIG. 2B in which the base station sets up a co-existence working mode.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 3, the method may include step 305', 309' and 301'.
[0056] Step 301' is a step wherein the base station pre-configures for the user equipment a
co-existence working mode and the configuration information of the co-existence working
mode, which is similar to step 301. Detailed description is therefore omitted here.
[0057] Step 305' and step 309' correspond to step 205' and step 209' described with respect
to FIG 2B, respectively. In step 305', the base station receives an activation request from the
user equipment. As described above, the activation request may include information
indicating a co-existence working mode selected by the user equipment; or may not include
such information. In step 309', the base station returns to the user equipment an activation
response.
[0058] As an example, after receiving the activation request, the base station may judge
whether to allow the user equipment to enter the co-existence working mode according to
system operational status (status of the current cell (e.g., status of current resource usage) and
status of the user equipment (e.g., current service on the user equipment)), and if so, the base
station encapsulates information indicating whether the user equipment is allowed to enter the

co-existence working mode in the activation response. As another example, the base station
may appoint a co-existence working mode for the user equipment, and transmit information
indicating the co-existence working mode appointed for the user equipment to the user
equipment (e.g., by encapsulating it in the activation response).
[0059] In the above method, the configuration information of a co-existence working mode
is pre-configured in a user equipment. Therefore, when the user equipment needs to enter the
co-existence working mode, it no longer needs to configure the co-existence working mode,
which can significantly reduce the time required for activating the co-existence working mode,
and allow the user equipment to rapidly enter the co-existence working mode, thereby
improving user experience.
[0060] FIG. 6 illustrates a specific example of a user equipment 610 and a base station 620
setting up a co-existence working mode.
[0061] As shown in FIG. 6, upon detecting an interfering system (step 603), the user
equipment may transmits an activation request to the base station (step 605). After the base
station 620 correctly receives the activation request, an ACK signal is returned from the base
station side to the user equipment 610. Optionally, when the configuration information
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station involves two or more co-existence
working modes, the user equipment may, before transmitting the activation request, select one
from these co-existence working modes (step 604). The user equipment may also encapsulate
information indicating the selected mode (e.g., a serial number of the mode) in the activation
request. Using this method, when a plurality of co-existence working modes are configured,
the user equipment can select a co-existence working mode that suits the interfering system
according to information such as type of the interfering system, improving communication
under the co-existence working mode. As another specific example, the activation request
may not include information of the co-existence mode selected by the user equipment 610.
[0062] After receiving the ACK signal, the user equipment 610 may directly enter a default
co-existence working mode, or a co-existence working mode selected in step 604. If a NACK
signal is received, it can be judged that the transmission of the activation request fails. If the
maximum retransmission count is not reached, the user equipment 610retransmits the
activation request.
[0063] In the above example, the base station only needs to return a single

acknowledgement signal after receiving the activation request, and the user equipment
directly activates the co-existence working mode after receiving the ACK signal from the base
station. This method significantly reduces interactions between the base station and the user
equipment, and thus can further decrease the time required for setting up a co-existence
working mode.
[0064] The activation request may include at least one bit. As an example, the activation
request may include only one bit, wherein "1" or "0" assigned to the bit can signify that the
user equipment requests to enter a co-existence mode. The bit may be encoded or modulated,
and thus converted into multi-bit information or a complex symbol. As a specific example, the
activation request can be transmitted by the user equipment 610 via the physical layer. For
example, when the first communication system is an LTE system, a new PUCCH (Physical
Uplink Control Channel) format based on the LTE standard may be used to transmit the
activation request, which may be named "PUCCH Format 3". For example, the first
communication system may pre-allocate a region (PUCCH region) for PUCCH Format 3.
After detecting an interfering system (i.e., when it is needed to enter a co-existence working
mode), the user equipment 610 may, regardless of what information the firstly occurring
PUCCH allocated to the user equipment 610 is supposed to carry, use the PUCCH to transmit
the activation request instead of said information (e.g., the activation request includes one
bit).
[0065] As another specific example, the activation request may be transmitted by the user
equipment 610 via the MAC (media access control) layer. For example, when the first
communication system is an LTE system, a new MAC control element may be defined based
on the LTE standard: CoEX MAC CE. As a specific example, a new LCID value may be
defined for CoEX MAC CE, for example, the LCID value can be "01011". When the user
equipment 610 needs to transmit an activation request, the following MAC subheader can be
included in a MAC PDU (packet data unit):

[0066] where
R: a reserved bit, which may be set to be '0';
E: an extension field, which is an identifier indicating whether other fields exist in the

MAC header. E being set to be "1" indicates that at least one other R/R/E/LCID field exits. E
being set to be "0" indicates that there is a MAC SDU (service data unit), a MAC control
element, or padding starts at the next byte.
LCID=01011 indicates that the corresponding MAC control element (MAC CE) is a
CoEX MAC CE.
[0067] The length of the CoEX MAC CE corresponding to the MAC subheader shown
above is 0 in bytes.
[0068] Upon receipt of a MAC subheader with LCID=01011, the base station learns that the
user equipment is requesting to activate a co-existence working mode.
[0069] Compared with the method that activates a co-existence working mode using RRC
layer signaling, using MAC layer signaling can activates a co-existence working mode faster.
Moreover, since MAC layer signaling is also provided with a corresponding HARQ (Hybrid
Automatic Retransmission Request) process, the reliability of the activation signaling of the
co-existence mode can be highly ensured.
[0070] As an example, the configuration information of each co-existence working mode
pre-configured for the user equipment 610 by the base station 620 may include information
indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode. In this case, the user equipment
610 may determine a start time of the co-existence working mode according to the time when
the ACK signal is received and the start delay (step 612). The base station 620 may determine
the time when the user equipment starts the co-existence working mode according to the time
when the ACK signal is transmitted and the start delay (step 618). The user equipment and the
base station can accurately determine the time to enter the co-existence working mode with
the start delay being set. The start delay is set to be included in the pre-configured
configuration information so that information interactions during the establishment of the
co-existence working mode can be reduced, thus further speeding up the establishment of the
co-existence working mode.
[0071] As an example, the configuration information of the co-existence working mode
pre-configured for the user equipment 610 by the base station 620 may further include
information indicating a transition time of each co-existence mode. The transition time of a
co-existence working mode refers to a period of time for which a previous working mode is

kept after the co-existence working mode is activated or terminated. For example, in the case
where the co-existence working mode is a TDM-based mode, before entering the co-existence
working mode, some data transmitted in a normal working mode (the working mode in which
the user equipment communicates with only the base station) might still have HARQ
information interacting, or might still need to be retransmitted. Therefore, a transition time set
before practicing the co-existence working mode may be desirable, allowing the transmission
of said data to be completed in the normal working mode. Likewise, after the user equipment
receives an instruction transmitted by the base station to terminate a co-existence working
mode, some data transmitted in the co-existence working mode might still have HARQ
information interacting, or might still need to be retransmitted. And a transition time set
before restoring the normal working mode may be also desirable, allowing the transmission of
said data to be completed in the co-existence working mode. Therefore, a suitable transition
time may be set for each co-existence working mode. As a specific example, the configuration
information of a co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user equipment 610 by the
base station 620 may include information indicating whether to use a transition time, the
length of the transition time, and the like. In this case, the user equipment 610 may judge,
according to the configuration information, whether to use the transition time after activating
the co-existence working mode (step 613). The base station 620 may also judge according to
the configuration information whether to use the transition time after the user equipment
activates the co-existence working mode (step 619). Optionally, the user equipment may also
judge, according to configuration information of a co-existence working mode, whether to use
a transition time before terminating the co-existence working mode. It shall be understood
that the length of a transition time may be defined according to the actual application scenario,
and is not limited here. By setting a transition time for each co-existence working mode,
reliable transmission of data and signaling during the transition between working modes can
be ensured, thus making sure a smooth transition between the working modes. By including
the information of a transition time of each co-existence working mode in the pre-configured
configuration information, information interactions during the activation of the co-existence
working mode can be reduced, thus further speeding up the activation of the co-existence
working mode.
[0072] FIG 7 illustrates another specific example of a user equipment 610 and a base
station 620 setting up a co-existence working mode.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 7, upon detecting an interfering system (step 703), the user
equipment 610 may transmits an activation request to the base station 620 (step 605).
Similarly to the example as shown in FIG. 6, when the configuration information
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station involves two or more co-existence
working modes, the user equipment 610 may, before transmitting the activation request, select
one from these co-existence working modes (step 704). The user equipment may encapsulate
information indicating the selected mode in the activation request. As another example, the
activation request may not include information of the co-existence mode selected by the user
equipment 710.
[0074] After receiving the activation request, the base station 620 judges whether to allow
the user equipment 610 to enter the co-existence working mode according to system
information (step 706), and returns an activation response signal (step 709). The activation
response signal includes information indicating whether the user equipment 610 is allowed to
enter the co-existence working mode. As an example, the base station 620 may choose to use
a default co-existence working mode, or a co-existence working mode selected by the user
equipment. As another example, the base station 620 may reselect a co-existence working
mode for the user equipment from the pre-configured co-existence working modes according
to system information, and notifies the user equipment 610 of said co-existence working
mode via the activation response.
[0075] After the user equipment 610 successfully receives the activation response, an
acknowledgement signal (e.g., ACK signal), with which the user indicates the user equipment
has successfully received the activation response, is returned from the user equipment side to
the base station.
[0076] Then, the user equipment 610 judges whether it is allowed to enter the co-existence
working mode according to the activation response (step 711), and if so, the step of activating
the co-existence working mode (shown as step 715) can be performed; otherwise, the
requesting of activation ends.
[0077] In the example shown in FIG. 7, after receiving the activation request, the base
station 620 judges whether to allow the user equipment 610 to enter the co-existence working
mode according to the current cell status (e.g., current status of resource usage) and user
equipment status (e.g., current service on the user equipment). The user equipment 610 may

judge whether it is allowed to enter the co-existence working mode according to the activation
response. In the method shown in FIG. 7, the base station may judge whether to operate and
enter the co-existence working mode according to actual system operational status. As a result,
the method can ensure normal operation of the main communication system. In addition, in
some specific examples, the base station 620 may reselect a most suitable co-existence
working mode according to type of the interfering system in conjunction with actual system
operational status of the main communication system. Compared with the method where the
user equipment alone selects the co-existence mode on its own, the co-existence working
mode selected in this way is undoubtedly better suited to the overall system needs.
[0078] As a specific example, the user equipment 610 may transmit the activation request
via the RRC layer.
[0079] For example, when the main communication system is an LTE system, a RRC
command, represented as RRCCoEXActivitionRequest, may be newly added based on the
LTE standard. The format of the command may be:
RRC_CoEX_Activition_Request:
Mode:(model, mode2, mode3,..., modeN)
[0080] where model, mode2, mode3,..., modeN each denote one of N co-existence
working modes pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station (N>1); and
Mode:(model, mode2, mode3,..., modeN) denotes a serial number of the co-existence
working mode selected by the user equipment.
[0081] Moreover, for example, when the main communication system is an LTE system, the
base station may transmit the activation response via the RRC layer. A RRC command, which
can be represented as "RRC_CoEX_Activition_Response", may be newly added based on the
LTE standard. The format of the command may be:
State:(accept, reject)
Mode:(model, mode2, mode3,..., modeN)
[0082] where State:(accept, reject) denotes the information indicating whether the user
equipment is allowed or rejected to enter the co-existence working mode; and Mode:(model,
mode2, mode3,..., modeN) denotes a serial number of the co-existence working mode
selected for the user equipment by the base station.

[0083] Similarly to the example shown in FIG 6, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the
configuration information of the co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user
equipment 610 by the base station 620 may also include information indicating a start delay
of the co-existence working mode. The user equipment 610 may determine a start time of the
co-existence working mode according to the time when the activation response is successfully
received (e.g., the time when an acknowledgement signal that signifies that the user
equipment has successfully received the activation response is transmitted) and the start delay
(step 712). The base station 620 may determine the time when the user equipment starts the
co-existence working mode according to the time when the acknowledgement signal that
signifies that the user equipment has successfully received the activation response is received
and the start delay (step 718), thereby maintaining synchronization with the user equipment.
Optionally, the user equipment 610 may judge according to the configuration information
whether to use a transition time after activating the co-existence working mode (step 713).
The base station 620 may also judge according to the configuration information whether to
use a transition time after the user equipment activates the co-existence working mode (step
719). Optionally, the user equipment may also judge according to the configuration
information of a co-existence working mode whether to use a transition time before
terminating the co-existence working mode.
[0084] FIG 8 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a user equipment configured in a first
communication system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the device 810 may
include a receiving device 812, a co-existence mode activating device 814, a transmitting
device 816 and a storage device 818.
[0085] The storage device 818 is configured to store configuration information of a
co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station.
Similarly to the above embodiment/example, the storage device 818 may include one or more
co-existence working modes and their configuration information pre-configured for the user
equipment by the base station.
[0086] The transmitting device 816 is configured to transmit to the base station an
activation request for requesting to enter the co-existence working mode when the user
equipment needs to enter the co-existence working mode (e.g., upon detecting an interfering
system). Similarly to the above embodiment/example, the transmitting device may transmit

the activation request using MAC layer signaling or RRC layer signaling. Detailed description
is therefore omitted here.
[0087] In a specific embodiment, the receiving device 812 may receive an
acknowledgement signal (as discussed above, an ACK or NACK signal) returned from the
base station side signifying whether the base station has successfully received the activation
request. After the receiving device 812 receives an ACK signal, the co-existence mode
activating device 814 activates a co-existence working mode according to configuration
information stored in the storage device 818. When a NACK signal is received, it indicates
failure of transmission of the activation request, and the co-existence mode activating device
814 does not activate the co-existence working mode.
[0088] In another specific example, the receiving apparatus 812 may also receive an
activation response message (e.g., the activation response described with respect to FIG. 3A
and FIG. 7) returned from the base station. The co-existence mode activating device 814
activates a co-existence working mode according to pre-configured configuration information
when the receiving device 812 receives the activation response.
[0089] Similarly to the method examples described above, the activation response may
include information indicating whether the user equipment is allowed to enter the
co-existence working mode, and the co-existence mode activating device 814 may judge
according to the response message whether the user equipment is allowed to activate the
co-existence working mode. Detailed description is omitted here. As another example, the
activation response may also include information indicating the co-existence working mode
appointed by the base station. In this case, the co-existence mode activating device 814 may
parse the activation response to obtain the co-existence working mode appointed by the base
station, and activate the appointed co-existence working mode.
[0090] With the structure shown in FIG. 8, the user equipment 810 can rapidly enter the
co-existence working mode. Since the configuration information of the co-existence working
mode is pre-configured, the time for activating the co-existence working mode can be
significantly reduced, thereby improving the user experience.
[0091] FIG 9 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a user equipment configured in a first
communication system according to another embodiment. Similarly to the equipment 810
shown in FIG 8, the equipment 910 also includes a receiving device 912, a co-existence mode

activating device 914, a transmitting device 916 and a storage device 918. The difference is
that the equipment 910 further includes a co-existence mode selecting device 920.
[0092] The receiving device 912, the co-existence mode activating device 914, the
transmitting device 916 and the storage device 918 have functions similar to those of the
corresponding devices shown in FIG. 8, respectively. Detailed description is omitted here.
[0093] The co-existence mode selecting device 920 is configured to select, according to
type and configuration of the interfering system and based on the configuration information
stored in the storage device 918, a co-existence working mode from a plurality of
co-existence working modes pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station.
Information indicating the selected co-existence working mode may be transmitted to the base
station by the transmitting device 916. As an example, the co-existence mode selecting device
920 may encapsulate information indicating the selected co-existence working mode in the
activation request.
[0094] Similarly to the method embodiments/examples described above, the configuration
information of the co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user equipment 810 or
910 by the base station may include information indicating a start delay of the co-existence
working mode. In this case, similarly to the method embodiments/examples described above,
the co-existence mode activating device 814 or 914 may determine a start time of the
co-existence working mode according to the time when the receiving device 812 an
acknowledgement signal that signifies that the base station has successfully received the
activation request and the start delay, or determine a start time of the co-existence working
mode according to the time when the transmitting device 816/916 returns to the base station
an acknowledgement signal that signifies that the user equipment has successfully received
the activation response and the start delay. Detailed description is omitted here.
[0095] Similarly to the method embodiments/examples described above, the configuration
information of the co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user equipment 810 or
910 by the base station may also include information indicating whether to use a transition
time after each co-existence working mode is activated or terminated and information of the
length of the transition time and the like. In this case, the co-existence mode activating device
814 or 914 may judge, according to the configuration information of the co-existence working
mode, whether to use the transition time after activating or terminating the co-existence

working mode.
[0096] FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a base station configured in a first
communication system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the base station
1020 may include a receiving device 1022, a transmitting device 1024 and a transmitting
device 1026.
[0097] The receiving device 1022 may receive an activation request from a user equipment.
Similarly to the above embodiments/examples, the receiving device 1022 may receive the
activation request via the MAC layer or the RRC layer. Detailed description is omitted here.
[0098] In a specific embodiment, the transmitting device 1024 may return, when the
receiving device 1022 receives the activation request, to the user equipment an
acknowledgement signal (e.g., an ACK or NACK signal) that signifies whether the base
station has successfully received the activation request. As another specific embodiment, the
transmitting device 1024 may also return, when the receiving device 1022 receives the
activation request, to the user equipment a response signal to the activation response, a.k.a.
activation response. As an example, the activation response may include information related
to whether the user equipment is allowed to activate the co-existent working mode (e.g., the
activation response shown with respect to FIG. 7). As another example, the activation
response may include information indicating a co-existence working mode appointed for the
user equipment by the base station. The transmitting device 1024 may transmit the activation
response via the RRC layer. Detailed description is also omitted here.
[0099] The pre-configuring device 1026 is configured to pre-configure configuration
information of the co-existence working mode for the user equipment. As a specific example,
the pre-configuring device 1026 may pre-configure the configuration information of the
co-existence working mode for the user equipment using the method shown with respect to
FIG 4 or FIG. 5. Moreover, the pre-configuring device 1026 may pre-configure one or more
co-existence working modes and their configuration information for the user equipment.
[00100] The usage of the base station shown in FIG. 10 allows the user equipment to rapidly
enter the co-existence working mode. Since the configuration information of the co-existence
working mode is pre-configured, the time for activating the co-existence working mode can
be significantly reduced, thereby improving the user experience.

[00101] FIG 11 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a base station configured in a first
communication system according to another embodiment. Similarly to the base station 1020
shown in FIG 10, the base station 1120 also includes a receiving device 1122, a transmitting
device 1124 and a pre-configuring device 1126. The difference is that the base station 1120
further includes a mode control device 1128.
[00102] The receiving device 1122, the transmitting device 1124 and the transmitting device
1126 have functions similar to those of the corresponding devices shown with respect to FIG.
10, respectively. Detailed description is omitted here.
[00103] The mode control device 1128 is configured to judge, after the receiving device
1122 receives the activation request, whether to allow the user equipment to activate the
co-existence working mode according to system information. The transmitting device 1126
returns to the user equipment information regarding whether to allow the user equipment to
activate the co-existence working mode. As an example, the mode control device 1128 may
also reselect a co-existence working mode which the user equipment is allowed to enter. The
transmitting device 1126 returns to the user equipment information indicating the selected
co-existence working mode (e.g., by encapsulating it in the activation response).
[00104] Similarly to the method embodiments/examples described above, the configuration
information of the co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user equipment by the
pre-configuring device 1126 may include information indicating a start delay of the
co-existence working mode. In this case, the mode control device may determine a start time
of the co-existence working mode according to the time when the transmitting device 1126
transmits the acknowledgement signal that signifies that the base station has successfully
received the activation request or the time when the receiving device 1122 receives the
acknowledgement signal that signifies that the user equipment has successfully received the
activation response and the start delay. Detailed description is omitted here.
[00105] Similarly to the method embodiments/examples described above, the configuration
information of the co-existence working mode pre-configured for the user equipment by the
pre-configuring device 1126 may also be used for information indicating whether to use a
transition time after each co-existence working mode is activated or terminated and the
information of the length of the transition time and the like. In this case, the mode control
device may judge, according to the configuration information of the co-existence working

mode, whether to use the transition time after the user equipment activates or receives the
co-existence working mode.
[00106] Below are given some examples of the configuration information of the co-existence
working mode pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station (e.g., the
pre-configuring device 1126).
[00107] FIRST EXAMPLE
[00108] In this example, the configuration information pre-configured for the user equipment
by the base station may include one or more of the following items:
1. a start delay of a co-existence mode;
2. a serial number of the default co-existence working mode (in the case where only one
default co-existence working mode is configured); and
3. serial numbers of all applicable co-existence working modes that the user equipment is
allowed to use.
[00109] In the above information, item 1 and item 3 are mutually exclusive, i.e., if the base
station configures the information of item 2, it does not configure the information of item 3,
and vice versa.
[00110] As a specific example, the start delay of a co-existence working mode may be
represented by the number of subframes. For example, when the main communication system
is an LTE system, the length of a subframe is 1ms. For example, in the method shown in FIG.
6 the user equipment may calculate the delay from the time when the user equipment receives
from the base station side the acknowledgement signal (e.g., ACK signal) that signifies that
the base station has successfully received the activation request, and the base station may
calculate the delay from the time when the acknowledgement signal is transmitted. For
example, assuming that the delay is a subframes (a>l) and the user equipment receives the
ACK signal at the nth subframe (n>\), the (n+a+l)th subframe is to be the first subframe
where the co-existence working mode is practiced, that is, the co-existence working mode
starts at the (n+a+\)th subframe. For example, in the method shown in FIG. 7, the user
equipment may calculate the delay from the time when the user equipment transmits to the
base station the acknowledgement signal (e.g., ACK signal) that signifies that the user
equipment has successfully received the activation response signal, and the base station may

calculate the delay from the time when the acknowledgement signal is received. For example,
assuming that the delay is a subframes and the user equipment transmits the ACK signal at the
nth subframe, the («+a+l)th subframe is to be the first subframe where the co-existence
working mode is practiced, that is, the co-existence working mode starts at the («+a+l)th
subframe.
[00111] As another specific example, the start delay of a co-existence mode may be
represented by a serial number. For example, a plurality of values of the delay (i.e., the
numbers of delayed subframes) may be selected in advance, which are numbered according to
a certain order. Thus, in the configuration information or actual transmission, only the serial
number of a corresponding value of the delay is needed to be transmitted.
[00112] When the co-existence working mode is TDM-based and the time division
multiplexing is implemented in the form of time periods, a time period may be defined, so
that each time period includes the first communication system (e.g., LTE) working time and
the second communication system (e.g., ISM) working time (In a period, the working time for
the first communication system may not be continuous, and the working time for the second
communication system may also not be continuous.). In this case, the start delay of the
co-existence working mode may be represented by one bit. For example, if the bit of the start
delay of a co-existence working mode is 0, it indicates that the co-existence working mode
can be started immediately; if the bit of the start delay of a co-existence working mode is 1, it
indicates that the co-existence mode cannot be started until a new, complete time period of the
co-existence mode starts. For example, in the method shown in FIG. 6, if the bit of the start
delay of a co-existence mode is 0, the co-existence mode starts after the user equipment
receives the ACK signal from the base station; if the bit of the start delay of a co-existence
mode is 1, the co-existence mode starts at the beginning of the first complete time period after
the user equipment receives the ACK signal from the base station.
[00113] SECOND EXAMPLE
[00114] In the case where the base station pre-configures one co-existence working mode for
the user equipment, the configuration information of the mode may include one or more of the
following items:
1. a start delay of a co-existence working mode;

2. the information indicating whether the co-existence working mode is TDM-based or
FDM-based; and
3. one or more of the following items when the co-existence working mode is
TDM-based:
a. time period of the co-existence working mode (including working time of the first
communication and working time of the second communication);
b. the ratio of the working time of the first communication system to the working
time of the second communication system in one time period;
c. working time of the first communication system in one time period;
d. a serial number of the co-existence working mode;
e. information indicating whether to use a transition time before the co-existence
working mode starts or after the co-existence working mode ends;
f. the length of the transition time.
4. one or more of the following items when the co-existence working mode is
FDM-based:
g. an uplink PUCCH transmission mode of the first communication system (e.g.,
LTE);
h. a serial number of the FDM co-existence working mode.
[00115] In the case where the base station pre-configures a plurality of applicable
co-existence working modes for the user equipment which the user equipment is allowed to
use, the configuration information of each of the co-existence working modes may include:
i. serial number of the co-existence working mode.
[00116] where the serial number of the co-existence working mode is the serial number of a
co-existence working mode currently configured among a plurality of applicable co-existence
modes, the serial number being temporarily agreed upon between the base station and the user
equipment.
[00117] Specific examples of the above information are described below.
[00118] START DELAY

[00119] The start delay in the second example may have the format of the start delay in the
first example, which is omitted here.
[00120] Information indicating whether the co-existence working mode is TDM-based or
FDM-based
[00121] The information indicating whether the co-existence working mode is TDM-based
or FDM-based may be represented by one bit. For example, the bit 0 indicates the usage of
the TDM manner, while the bit 1 indicates the usage of the FDM manner.
[00122] TIME PERIOD
[00123] When the co-existence working mode is TDM-based, the configuration information
may include information about the time period of the mode. For example, when the first
communication system is an LTE system and the second communication system is an ISM
system, one frame includes 10 subframes. In this case, the information about the time period
may include the length of the time period. The length of the time period may be the number of
the subframes or contained in one time period. If the length of the time period is an integer
multiple of a frame, i.e., an integer multiple of 10 subframes, then each time period may be
defined to start by default at the first subframe of a frame. As another example, the time
period may not be counted from the first subframe of a frame. Regardless of which subframe
to start with, a plurality of subframes whose number corresponds to the length of the time
period constitute one time period.
[00124] Optionally, the information of the time period of a TDM-based co-existence mode
may also include the length of the period and a start offset of the period. The length of a
period refers to the number of subframes or frames contained in one period. If the length of a
period is an integer multiple of a frame, i.e., an integer multiple of 10 subframes, the start
offset of the period may be defined so that each period starts from a certain subframe in a
frame.
[00125] In the configuration information, the length of a period and the start offset of the
period of a co-existence mode may be represented by the specific number of subframes or the
number of frames. Optionally, a number of applicable cases may be defined in advance, and
are numbered according to a certain order. That is, the length of a period and the start offset of
the period of a co-existence mode may be represented by serial numbers.

[00126] The ratio between the working times of the two communication systems in one time
period
[00127] The ratio of the working time of the first communication system to the working time
of the second communication system in one time period may be represented by a specific
ratio value. The ratio may be represented by two subframe numbers (i.e., the number of
subframes of the working time of each of the two communication systems in each period),
either.
[00128] In the case where the length of a period is pre-configured, the ratio of the working
time of the first communication system to the working time of the second communication
system may be embodied as the number of subframes of the working time of the first
communication system in each time period.
[00129] The ratio between the working times of the two communication systems may be
represented by a serial number. Several applicable ratio values may be defined in advance,,
and are numbered according to a certain order.
[00130] If, in the first communication system (e.g., the LTE standard), a TDM-based
allocation scheme of the LTE working time and the ISM working time is defined for each
ratio in advance, the abovementioned ratio can be used to indicate which TDM-based
allocation scheme is adopted.
[00131] If the first communication system uses a regular time allocation scheme and each of
the time periods has been configured, the above ratio may be used to represent a specific
working time of the first communication system and a specific working time of the second
communication system. Here, the so-called regular time allocation scheme is a time allocation
scheme where, in one time period, the subframes constituting the working time of the first
communication system are continuous from one to another, and the subframes constituting the
working time of the second communication system are also continuous from one to another,
that is, one time period is divided regularly in two parts.
[00132] The working time of the first communication system in one period
[00133] For example, when the first communication system is an LTE system and the second
communication system is an ISM system, if the LTE system uses a regular time allocation
scheme for the LTE working time and the ISM working time and the ratio of the LTE

working time to the ISM working time in one time period has been configured, the working
time of the LTE in one period may be represented by one bit, which may indicate whether the
LTE should use the first regular working time or the second regular working time in one
period. For example, when the bit is 0, it indicates that LTE works before ISM in one period,
while when the bit is 1, it indicates that ISM works before LTE in one period.
[00134] The working time of the LTE in one period may also be represented as the specific
subframes where the LTE works in one period. This information may be represented in the
form of a bitmap. For example, "0110111000" may be used to indicate that the length of a
period is 10 subframes , wherein the working subframes of the LTE include the first, second,
fourth, fifth and sixth subframes, while the working frames of the ISM are the rest of the
subframes in the period. The working time of the LTE in one period may also be represented
by the specific numbers of the subframes.
[00135] When the LTE uses a regular time allocation scheme for the LTE time and the ISM
time without configuring the ratio between the LTE working time and the ISM working time,
the working time of the LTE in one period may be represented by two values. The first value
may be a Boolean value, i.e., using bit 0 or bit 1 to represent whether the LTE should use the
first regular working time or the second regular working time in one period. The second value
may be a serial number of a subframe, representing the last subframe of the first regular
working time or the first subframe of the second regular working time. If the LTE has
predefined in this case that the LTE will work in the first regular working time or in the
second regular working time, the working time of the LTE in one period may also be
represented by a serial number of a subframe, which indicates the last subframe of the first
regular working time or the first subframe of the second regular working time.
[00136] Indicating whether to use a transition time before the co-existence working mode
starts or after the co-existence working mode ends
[00137] The information indicating whether to use a transition time before the co-existence
working mode starts or after the co-existence working mode ends may be represented by one
or more bits.
[00138] For example, when it is represented by one bit, the bit 0 may indicate that a
transition time is not used, that is, after the co-existence mode is entered, all incomplete data
transmissions are directly terminated and wait to be redistributed or retransmitted after the

co-existence mode is entered; the bit 1 may indicate that a transition time is used. When it is
represented by two bits, one bit may be used to indicate whether to use a transition time
before the co-existence mode is entered, and the other bit may be used to indicate whether to
use a transition time after the instruction for terminating the co-existence mode is received.
[00139] Length of the transition time
[00140] For example, when the first communication system is the LTE, if the LTE does not
predefine the length of the transition time, the base station may pre-configure the length of the
transition time of the co-existence mode for the user equipment.
[00141] As a specific example, the length of the transition time may be represented by the
number of the subframes. In this example, the length of the transition time after the
co-existence mode starts may be equal to the length of the transition time after the
co-existence mode ends.
[00142] As another specific example, the length of the transition time may also be
represented by two subframe< numbers. That is, the length of the transition time after the
co-existence mode starts may be unequal to the length of the transition time after the
co-existence mode ends, and they are represented by two subframe numbers respectively.
[00143] In other specific examples, the length of the transition time may be in the form of a
serial number. For example, several applicable or common values of the length of the
transition time may be agreed upon in advance between the base station and the user >
equipment, and are numbered according to a certain order.
[00144] Those skilled in the art shall understand that the embodiments and/or examples
described herein are illustrative, not exhaustive. And the present disclosure is not limited to
these embodiments and/or examples.
[00145] In the embodiments/examples described above, the first communication and the
second communication system are different communication systems that coexist on a user
equipment. For example, the first communication system may be, for example, an LTE system,
an LTE-A system, other communication systems, or the like; the second communication
system (or, the interfering system) may be a Bluetooth system, a WLAN system , a GPS
system, and the like configured on the user equipment, which are not enumerated one by one.
[00146] It should be noted that, in the present description, expressions such as "first",

"second", and the like are used to distinguish one from another of the described features, so as
to clearly describe the present disclosure. Therefore, the expressions should not be deemed as
limiting in any way.
[00147] As an example, the respective steps of a method described above and the respective
constituting modules and/or units of an equipment described above may be implemented as
software, firmware, hardware or a combination thereof in a base station (e.g., eNodeB) or a
terminal node (e.g., user equipment) of a first communication system, as part of the
corresponding device of the base station or terminal node. When the respective constituting
modules and units in the abovementioned devices are configured via software, firmware,
hardware or a combination thereof, the specific measures or manners which can be used may
be those known by persons skilled in the art, and are omitted here.
[00148] It can be easily understood that a system including the above equipments shall be
regarded as falling within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
[00149] As an example, when it is implemented with software or firmware, a program
constituting the software may be installed to a computer with a dedicated hardware structure
(e.g., a general-purpose computer 1200 as shown in Figure 12) from a storage medium or a
network, and the computer is capable of performing various functions when installed with
various programs.
[00150] In Figure 12, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1201 performs various processes
based on a program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM) 1202 or a program loaded from a
storage section 1208 to a Random Access Memory (RAM) 1203. In the RAM 1203,
necessary data for the CPU 1201 to perform the various processes or the like are also stored
as required. The CPU 1201, the ROM 1202, and the RAM 1203 are linked to each other via
the bus 1204. The input/output interface 1205 is also linked to the bus 1204.
[00151] To the input/output interface 1205 are linked: an input section 1206 (including a
keyboard, a mouse or the like); an output section 1207 (including a display such as Cathode
Ray Tube (CRT), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or the like, and a loudspeaker or the like);
the storage section 1208 (including a hard disk or the like); and a communication section
1209 (including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, or the like). The
communication section 1209 performs a communication process via a network such as the
Internet. A drive 1210 may also be linked to the input/output interface 1205 as required. A

removable medium 1211, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disk, a
semiconductor memory and the like, is installed on the drive 1210 as required, so that a
computer program read therefrom is installed into the storage section 1208 as required.
[00152] In the case where the series of processes described above are implemented with
software, the program that constitutes the software is installed from a network such as the
Internet or a storage medium such as the removable medium 1211.
[00153] Those skilled in the art shall appreciate that, the storage medium is not limited to
the removable medium 1211 having the program stored therein as shown in Figure 12, which
is delivered separately from the device for providing the program to the user. Examples of
the removable medium 711 include a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk (registered
trademark)), an optical disc (including a Compact Disk-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) and
a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD)), a magneto-optical disk (including a Mini-Disk (MD)
(registered trademark)), and a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the storage medium
may be the ROM 1202, a hard disk included in the storage section 1208, or the like, which
have the program stored therein and are delivered to the user along with the device that
contains them.
[00154] The present disclosure also provides a program product which has
machine-readable instruction codes stored therein. When read and executed by a machine,
the instruction codes can execute the method according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure described above.
[00155] Accordingly, the disclosure of the present disclosure includes a storage medium for
carrying the abovementioned program product which has machine-readable instruction codes
stored therein. The storage medium includes, but is not limited to, a floppy disk, an optical
disc, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, a memory stick, and the like.
[00156] In the above description of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, a
feature described and/or shown with respect to one embodiment may be used in one or more
other embodiments in the same or a similar way, so as to combine with or replace a feature in
the other embodiment.
[00157] It should be noted that, as used herein, the terms "comprise" and "include" refer to
the presence of a feature, element, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or
addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, or components.

[00158] In addition, the method of the present disclosure is not limited to be preformed in
the time order described in the description, and may be performed in parallel, or
independently, or in some other time order. Therefore, the execution sequence of the method
described in the present description does not limit the technical scope of the present
disclosure.
[00159] Although the present disclosure has been disclosed by the description of the specific
embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various modifications,
improvements or equivalents can be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and
scope of the claims attached hereto. These modifications, improvements or equivalents should
be deemed as falling within the scope of protection of the present disclosure, either.

We Claim:
1. A method for activating a co-existence working mode, comprising:
transmitting, by a user equipment of a first communication system to a base station in the
first communication system, an activation request for requesting to enter a co-existence
working mode in which the user equipment performs a first communication with the base
station and performs a second communication with an apparatus of a second communication
system, which is different from the first communication system, by using different
transmission resources; and
activating, by the user equipment, the co-existence working mode according to
configuration information of the co-existence working mode,
wherein the configuration information of the co-existence working mode is
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station and is stored in the user equipment.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the activation request to the base station
comprises:
transmitting the activation request to the base station by using Media Access Control
signaling.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of co-existence working modes are
pre-configured by the base station for the user equipment, and the method further comprises:
selecting by the user equipment a co-existence working mode from the plurality of
pre-configured co-existence working modes according to the second communication system,
and
encapsulating information indicating the selected co-existence working mode in the
activation request.
4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, further comprising:
receiving by the user equipment an activation response returned from the base station in

response to the activation request,
wherein the co-existence working mode is activated after the user equipment receives the
activation response.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the activation response comprises information indicating
whether the user equipment is allowed to activate the co-existence working mode, and the
method further comprises:
judging, according to the activation response, whether the user equipment is allowed by
the base station to activate the co-existence working mode, and if yes, activating the
co-existence working mode.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the activation response comprises information indicating a
co-existence working mode appointed by the base station, and activating the co-existence
working mode comprises:
activating, by the user equipment, the co-existence working mode appointed by the base
station.
7. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the configuration information comprises
information indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and the method further
comprises:
determining, by the user equipment, a start time of the co-existence working mode
according to the start delay and a time of receiving an acknowledge signal which
acknowledges that the base station has successfully received the activation request.
8. The method of claim 4, wherein the configuration information comprises information
indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and the method further comprises:
determining, by the user equipment, a start time of the co-existence working mode
according to the start delay and a time of returning to the base station an acknowledge signal

which acknowledges that the user equipment has successfully received the activation
response.
9. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the configuration information pre-configured
for the user equipment by the base station comprises: information indicating whether to use a
transition time after the co-existence working mode is activated and terminated and a length
of the transition time, during the transition time data transmission under previous working
mode is kept, the method further comprises:
judging, according to the configuration information of the co-existence working mode,
whether to use the transition time after the co-existence working mode is activated.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
judging, before terminating the co-existence working mode, whether to use the transition
time according to the configuration information of the co-existence working mode.
11. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the co-existence working mode
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station comprises one or more of the
following:
one or more co-existence working modes based on time division multiplexing and/or one
or more co-existence working modes based on frequency division multiplexing.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the activation request to the base station
comprises:
transmitting the activation request to the base station by using Radio Resources Control
signaling.
13. A user equipment, configured in a first communication system and having a co-existence
working mode in which the user equipment performs a first communication with a base

station in the first communication system and performs a second communication with an
apparatus of a second communication system, which is different from the first communication
system, by using different transmission resources, the user equipment comprising:
a storage device, configured to store configuration information of the co-existence
working mode pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station;
a transmitting device, configured to transmit to the base station in the first
communication system an activation request for requesting to enter the co-existence working
mode; and
a co-existence mode activating device, configured to activate the co-existence working
mode according to the configuration information of the co-existence working mode.
14. The user equipment of claim 13, wherein the transmitting device is configured to:
transmit the activation request to the base station by using Media Access Control
signaling.
15. The user equipment of claim 13, wherein the storage device stores configuration
information of a plurality of co-existence working modes pre-configured for the user
equipment by the base station, and the user equipment further comprises:
a co-existence mode selecting device, configure to select a co-existence working mode
from the plurality of pre-configured co-existence working modes according to the second
communication system, and encapsulate information indicating the selected co-existence
working mode in the activation request.
16. The user equipment of any one of claims 13-15, further comprising:
a receiving device, configured to receive an activation response returned from the base
station in response to the activation request,
wherein the co-existence mode activating device activates the co-existence working
mode after the receiving device receives the activation response.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the activation response comprises information
indicating whether the user equipment is allowed to activate the co-existence working mode,
and the co-existence mode activating device is further configured to:
judge whether the user equipment is allowed by the base station to activate the
co-existence working mode according to the activation response, and if yes, activate the
co-existence working mode.
18. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the activation response comprises information
indicating a co-existence working mode appointed by the base station, and the co-existence
mode activating device is further configured to:
activate the co-existence working mode appointed by the base station according to the
activation response.
19. The user equipment of any one of claims 13-15, wherein the configuration information
comprises information indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and the
co-existence mode activating device is further configured to:
determine a start time of the co-existence working mode according to the start delay and
a time of the receiving device receiving an acknowledge signal which acknowledges that the
base station has successfully received the activation response.
20. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the configuration information comprises
information indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and
wherein the transmitting device is further configured to transmit an acknowledge signal
which acknowledges that the user equipment has successfully received the activation response
to the base station, and
the co-existence mode activating device is further configured to: determine a start time of
the co-existence working mode according to the start delay and a time of the transmitting
device transmitting the acknowledge signal.

21. The user equipment of any one of claims 13-15, wherein the configuration information
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station comprises: information indicating
whether to use a transition time after each co-existence working mode is activated and
terminated and a length of the transition time, during the transition time data transmission
under previous working mode is kept, the co-existence mode activating device is further
configured to:
judge, according to the configuration information of the co-existence working mode,
whether to use the transition time after the co-existence working mode is activated.
22. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein the co-existence mode activating device is
further configured to:
judge, before terminating the co-existence working mode, whether to use the transition
time according to the configuration information of the co-existence working mode.
23. The user equipment of any one of claims 13-15, wherein the co-existence working mode
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station comprises one or more of the
following:
one or more co-existence working modes based on time division multiplexing and/or one
or more co-existence working modes based on frequency division multiplexing.
24. The user equipment of any one of claims 13, wherein the transmitting device is further
configured to:
transmit the activation request to the base station by using Radio Resources Control
signaling.
25. A method for activating a co-existence working mode, comprising:
receiving, by a base station in a first communication system from a user equipment of the

first communication system, an activation request for requesting to allow the user equipment
to enter a co-existence working mode in which the user equipment performs a first
communication with the base station and performs a second communication with an apparatus
of a second communication system, which is different from the first communication system,
by using different transmission resources,
wherein the base station pre-configures configuration information of the co-existence
working mode for the user equipment in advance.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:
returning, by the base station to the user equipment, an activation response in response to
the activation request.
27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:
judging, by the base station after receiving the activation request, whether to allow the
user equipment to activate the co-existence working mode according to system information of
the first communication system; and
encapsulating information indicating whether the user equipment is allowed to activate
the co-existence working mode in the activation response.
28. The method of claim 26 or 27, further comprising:
selecting, by base station, a co-existence working mode which the user equipment is
allowed to enter according to system information of the first communication system, and
returning information indicating the selected co-existence working mode to the user
equipment.
29. The method of claim 25, wherein the configuration information comprises information
indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and the method further comprises:
determining, by the base station, a start time of the co-existence working mode according

to the start delay and a time of returning to the user equipment an acknowledge signal which
acknowledges that the base station has successfully received the activation request.
30. The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein the configuration information comprises
information indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and the method further
comprises:
determining, by the base station, a start time of the co-existence working mode according
to the start delay and a time of receiving an acknowledge signal which acknowledges that the
user equipment has successfully received the activation response.
31. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein the configuration information
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station comprises: information indicating
whether to use a transition time after each co-existence working mode is activated and
terminated and a length of the transition time, during the transition time data transmission
under previous working mode is kept.
32. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein the configuration information
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station comprises one or more of the
following:
one or more co-existence working modes based on time division multiplexing and/or one
or more co-existence working modes based on frequency division multiplexing.
33. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein the configuration information is
transmitted to the user equipment via Radio Resources Control connection establish signaling.
34. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein the configuration information is
transmitted to the user equipment via Radio Resources Control connection reconfiguration
signaling.

35. The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein returning the activation response comprises:
transmitting the activation response by using Radio Resources Control signaling.
36. Abase station, configured in a first communication system, and comprising:
a receiving device, configured to receive from a user equipment of the first
communication system an activation request for requesting to allow the user equipment to
enter a co-existence working mode in which the user equipment performs a first
communication with the base station and performs a second communication with an apparatus
of a second communication system, which is different from the first communication system,
by using different transmission resources; and
a pre-configuring device, configured to pre-configure configuration information of the
co-existence working mode for the user equipment in advance.
37. The base station of claim 36, further comprising:
a transmitting device, configured to transmit, after the receiving device receives the
activation request, an activation response in response to the activation request to the user
equipment.
38. The base station of claim 37, further comprising:
a mode control device, configured to judge, after the receiving device receives the
activation request, whether to allow the user equipment to activate the co-existence working
mode according to system information of the first communication system; and encapsulate
information indicating whether the user equipment is allowed to activate the co-existence
working mode in the activation response.
39. The base station of claim 37 or 38, wherein:
the mode control device is further configured to select a co-existence working mode

which the user equipment is allowed to enter according to system information of the first
communication system, and
the transmitting device is further configured to return information indicating the selected
co-existence working mode to the user equipment.
40. The base station of claim 36, wherein the configuration information comprises
information indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and the mode control
device is further configured to:
determine a start time of the co-existence working mode according to the start delay and
a time of returning to the user equipment an acknowledge signal which acknowledges that the
base station has successfully received the activation request.
41. The base station of claim 37 or 38, wherein the configuration information comprises
information indicating a start delay of the co-existence working mode, and wherein:
the receiving device is further configured to receive from the user equipment an
acknowledge signal which acknowledges that the user equipment has successfully received
the activation response,
the mode control device is further configured to determine a start time of the
co-existence working mode according to the start delay and a time of the receiving device
receiving the acknowledge signal.
42. The base station of any one of claims 36-38, wherein the configuration information
pre-configured for the user equipment by the base station comprises: information indicating
whether to use a transition time after each co-existence working mode is activated and
terminated and a length of the transition time, during the transition time data transmission
under previous working mode is kept.
43. The base station of any one of claims 36-38, wherein the configuration information
pre-configured for the user equipment by the pre-configuring device comprises one or more

of the following:
one or more co-existence working modes based on time division multiplexing and/or one
or more co-existence working modes based on frequency division multiplexing.
44. The base station of any one of claims 36-38, wherein the configuration information is
transmitted to the user equipment by the transmitting device via Radio Resources Control
connection establish signaling.
45. The base station of any one of claims 36-38, wherein the configuration information is
transmitted to the user equipment by the transmitting device via Radio Resources Control
connection reconfiguration signaling.
46. The base station of claim 37 or 38, wherein the transmitting device is configured to:
transmit the activation response by using Radio Resources Control signaling.
47. A communication system, comprising the user equipment according to any one of claims
13-24 and the base station according to any one of claims 36-46.