System and method for beam switching and reporting

• US 10,181,891 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Islam, Muhammad Nazmul, Sadiq, Bilal, Luo, Tao, Subramanian, Sundar, Li, Junyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Talukder, Md
• Application Number:
  US15/488,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 4555621, 455515
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0404 the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/061 using feedback from receiving side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0626 Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0628 Diversity capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0634 Antenna weights or vector/matrix coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0814 based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update

Abstract

A UE may receive a beam modification command that indicates a set of transmit beam indexes corresponding to a set of transmit beams of a base station, and each transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes may indicate at least a transmit direction for transmitting a transmit beam by the base station. The UE may determine a set of receive beam indexes corresponding to receive beams of the UE based on the set of transmit beam indexes, and each receive beam index of the set of receive beam indexes may indicate at least a receive direction for receiving a receive beam by the UE. The UE may receive, from the base station, a signal through at least one receive beam corresponding to at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

receiving a beam modification command that indicates a set of transmit beam indexes corresponding to a set of transmit beams of a base station, each transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes indicating at least a transmit direction for transmitting a transmit beam by the base station;

determining a set of receive beam indexes corresponding to receive beams of the UE based on the set of transmit beam indexes, each receive beam index of the set of receive beam indexes indicating at least a receive direction for receiving a receive beam by the UE; and

receiving, from the base station, a beam refinement reference signal (BRRS) through at least one receive beam corresponding to at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, from the base station, the BRRS through the at least one receive beam corresponding to the at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes comprises:

receiving a first portion of the BRRS in a first set of symbols through a first receive beam corresponding to a first receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes; and

receiving a second portion of the BRRS in a second set of symbols through a second receive beam corresponding to a second receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the BRRS is received in one or more symbols corresponding to one or more symbol indexes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the beam modification command indicates the one or more symbol indexes, and a corresponding transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes for each symbol index of the one or more symbol indexes.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more symbol indexes in which the BRRS is received are predetermined.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the BRRS is received through the set of transmit beams from the base station corresponding to the set of transmit beam indexes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the BRRS is received through a different set of transmit beams from the base station than the set of transmit beams corresponding to the set of transmit beam indexes, the different set of transmit beams corresponding to a second set of transmit beam indexes different from the set of transmit beam indexes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the beam modification command is received in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the beam modification command is received in a downlink control indicator (DCI) message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the beam modification command is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

11. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a beam modification command that indicates a set of transmit beam indexes corresponding to a set of transmit beams of a base station, each transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes indicating at least a transmit direction for transmitting a transmit beam by the base station;

means for determining a set of receive beam indexes corresponding to receive beams of the apparatus based on the set of transmit beam indexes, each receive beam index of the set of receive beam indexes indicating at least a receive direction for receiving a receive beam by the apparatus; and

means for receiving, from the base station, a beam refinement reference signal (BRRS) through at least one receive beam corresponding to at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for receiving, from the base station, the BRRS through the at least one receive beam corresponding to the at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes is configured to:

receive a first portion of the BRRS in a first set of symbols through a first receive beam corresponding to a first receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes; and

receive a second portion of the BRRS in a second set of symbols through a second receive beam corresponding to a second receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the BRRS is received in one or more symbols corresponding to one or more symbol indexes.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the beam modification command indicates the one or more symbol indexes, and a corresponding transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes for each symbol index of the one or more symbol indexes.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more symbol indexes in which the BRRS is received are predetermined.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the BRRS is received through the set of transmit beams from the base station corresponding to the set of transmit beam indexes.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the BRRS is received through a different set of transmit beams from the base station than the set of transmit beams corresponding to the set of transmit beam indexes, the different set of transmit beams corresponding to a second set of transmit beam indexes different from the set of transmit beam indexes.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam modification command is received in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam modification command is received in a downlink control indicator (DCI) message.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the beam modification command is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

21. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

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

receive a beam modification command that indicates a set of transmit beam indexes corresponding to a set of transmit beams of a base station, each transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes indicating at least a transmit direction for transmitting a transmit beam by the base station;

determine a set of receive beam indexes corresponding to receive beams of the UE based on the set of transmit beam indexes, each receive beam index of the set of receive beam indexes indicating at least a receive direction for receiving a receive beam by the UE; and

receive, from the base station, a beam refinement reference signal (BRRS) through at least one receive beam corresponding to at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, from the base station, the BRRS through the at least one receive beam corresponding to the at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes by:

receiving a first portion of the BRRS in a first set of symbols through a first receive beam corresponding to a first receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes; and

receiving a second portion of the BRRS in a second set of symbols through a second receive beam corresponding to a second receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the BRRS is received in one or more symbols corresponding to one or more symbol indexes.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the beam modification command indicates the one or more symbol indexes, and a corresponding transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes for each symbol index of the one or more symbol indexes.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the one or more symbol indexes in which the BRRS is received are predetermined.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the BRRS is received through the set of transmit beams from the base station corresponding to the set of transmit beam indexes.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the BRRS is received through a different set of transmit beams from the base station than the set of transmit beams corresponding to the set of transmit beam indexes, the different set of transmit beams corresponding to a second set of transmit beam indexes different from the set of transmit beam indexes.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the beam modification command is received in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or a downlink control indicator (DCI) message.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the beam modification command is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

30. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising code to:

receive a beam modification command that indicates a set of transmit beam indexes corresponding to a set of transmit beams of a base station, each transmit beam index of the set of transmit beam indexes indicating at least a transmit direction for transmitting a transmit beam by the base station;

determine a set of receive beam indexes corresponding to receive beams of the UE based on the set of transmit beam indexes, each receive beam index of the set of receive beam indexes indicating at least a receive direction for receiving a receive beam by the UE; and

receive, from the base station, a beam refinement reference signal (BRRS) through at least one receive beam corresponding to at least one receive beam index included in the set of receive beam indexes.