Non-uniform transmission of synchronization signals

• US 10,075,928 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Islam, Muhammad Nazmul, Koymen, Ozge, Abedini, Navid, Subramanian, Sundar, Li, Junyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US15/462,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20180054790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 455502, 455454, 4554221, 455403, 4554261, 4554262, 455443, 455444, 455509, 455450507, 455508, 455 6711, 455500, 455517, 455561, 370310, 370252, 370328, 370329, 370338, 370503
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2662 Arrangements for Wireless System Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal

Abstract

The base station that is configured to transmit in a beamformed manner may set different transmission rates for different directions of the beams. During an initial access stage, the base station may determine how densely user equipments are located in various regions surrounding the base station, and may assign more beams for transmission of an initial access signal in an area with more UEs. The apparatus may be a base station. The base station divides a region surrounding the base station into a plurality of sub-regions, where one region of the plurality of sub-regions covers a greater area than at least one other region of the plurality of sub-regions. The base station assigns each beam of a plurality of beams of the base station to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions. The base station transmits at least one initial access signal in each direction of the plurality of beams using a respective beam of the plurality of beams, each direction of the plurality of beams corresponding to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication by a base station, comprising:

dividing a region surrounding the base station into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein one sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions covers a greater area than at least one other sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions, and wherein the region is an angular region, and the plurality of sub-regions are a plurality of angular sub-regions;

assigning each beam of a plurality of beams of the base station to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions; and

transmitting at least one initial access signal in each direction of the plurality of beams using a respective beam of the plurality of beams, each direction of the plurality of beams corresponding to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one initial access signal is transmitted via a millimeter wave transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one initial access signal includes at least one of a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal, an extended synchronization signal, a physical broadcast channel, a beam reference signal, or a downlink broadcast channel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating a number of user equipments in each unit angular range of a plurality of unit angular ranges within the region surrounding the base station, each unit angular range covering a different angular region within the region surrounding the base station and having a same angular range size,

wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions based on the estimated number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving one or more user equipment signals in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges, wherein the number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges is estimated based on a number of the user equipment signals received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more user equipment signals are received in each unit angular range via a beam sweeping through the plurality of unit angular ranges.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the estimation of the number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges based on the number of the user equipment signals is based on at least one of:

a number of random access signals received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges,

a number of scheduling requests received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges,

a number of beam training requests received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges, or

a number of beam recovery requests received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions such that a sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions that has more user equipments per angular area covers a smaller angular area than a sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions that has less user equipments per angular area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning each beam of the plurality of beams comprises:

steering each beam of the plurality beams to a respective direction correspond to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, from a network entity, information about the plurality of sub-regions,

wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions based on the received information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one initial access signal is transmitted with the same transmission rate in each direction of the plurality of beams.

12. A base station for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

divide a region surrounding the base station into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein one sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions covers a greater area than at least one other sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions, and wherein the region is an angular region, and the plurality of sub-regions are a plurality of angular sub-regions;

assign each beam of a plurality of beams of the base station to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions; and

at least one initial access signal in each direction of the plurality of beams using a respective beam of the plurality of beams, each direction of the plurality of beams corresponding to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the at least one initial access signal is transmitted via a millimeter wave transmission.

14. The base station of claim 12, wherein the at least one initial access signal includes at least one of a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal, an extended synchronization signal, a physical broadcast channel, a beam reference signal, or a downlink broadcast channel.

15. The base station of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

estimate a number of user equipments in each unit angular range of a plurality of unit angular ranges within the region surrounding the base station, each unit angular range covering a different angular region within the region surrounding the base station and having a same angular range size,

wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions based on the estimated number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive one or more user equipment signals in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges, wherein the number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges is estimated based on a number of the user equipment signals received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein the one or more user equipment signals are received in each unit angular range via a beam sweeping through the plurality of unit angular ranges.

18. The base station of claim 16, wherein the estimation of the number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges based on the number of the user equipment signals is based on at least one of:

a number of random access signals received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges,

a number of scheduling requests received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges,

a number of beam training requests received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges, or

a number of beam recovery requests received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

19. The base station of claim 15, wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions such that a sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions that has more user equipments per angular area covers a smaller angular area than a sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions that has less user equipments per angular area.

20. The base station of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor configured to assign each beam of the plurality of beams is configured:

steer each beam of the plurality beams to a respective direction correspond to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.

21. The base station of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive, from a network entity, information about the plurality of sub-regions,

wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions based on the received information.

22. A base station for wireless communication, comprising:

means for dividing a region surrounding the base station into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein one sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions covers a greater area than at least one other sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions, and wherein the region is an angular region, and the plurality of sub-regions are a plurality of angular sub-regions;

means for assigning each beam of a plurality of beams of the base station to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions; and

means for transmitting at least one initial access signal in each direction of the plurality of beams using a respective beam of the plurality of beams, each direction of the plurality of beams corresponding to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.

23. The base station of claim 22, wherein the at least one initial access signal includes at least one of a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal, an extended synchronization signal, a physical broadcast channel, a beam reference signal, or a downlink broadcast channel.

24. The base station of claim 22, further comprising:

means for estimating a number of user equipments in each unit angular range of a plurality of unit angular ranges within the region surrounding the base station, each unit angular range covering a different angular region within the region surrounding the base station and having a same angular range size,

wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions based on the estimated number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

25. The base station of claim 24, further comprising:

means for receiving one or more user equipment signals in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges, wherein the number of user equipments in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges is estimated based on a number of the user equipment signals received in each unit angular range of the plurality of unit angular ranges.

26. The base station of claim 24, wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions such that a sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions that has more user equipments per angular area covers a smaller angular area than a sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions that has less user equipments per angular area.

27. The base station of claim 22, wherein the means for assigning each beam of the plurality of beams is configured to:

steer each beam of the plurality beams to a respective direction correspond to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.

28. The base station of claim 22, further comprising:

means for receiving, from a network entity, information about the plurality of sub-regions,

wherein the region surrounding the base station is divided into the plurality of sub-regions based on the received information.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for a base station, comprising code to:

divide a region surrounding the base station into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein one sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions covers a greater area than at least one other sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions, and wherein the region is an angular region, and the plurality of sub-regions are a plurality of angular sub-regions;

assign each beam of a plurality of beams of the base station to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions; and

at least one initial access signal in each direction of the plurality of beams using a respective beam of the plurality of beams, each direction of the plurality of beams corresponding to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions.