Beamforming codeword exchange between base stations

• US 10,193,605 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Dinan, Esmael Hejazi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reyes, Hector
• Application Number:
  US15/496,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/043 using best eigenmode, e.g. beam forming or beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/046 taking physical layer constraints into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0473 taking constraints in layer or codeword to antenna mapping into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0478 Special codebook structures directed to feedback optimisation
• 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 7/063 Parameters other than those covered in groups H04B7/0623 - H04B7/0634, e.g. channel matrix rank or transmit mode selection
• 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: H04J 11/0056 Inter-base station aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03955 in combination with downlink estimations, e.g. downlink path losses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2646 using feedback from receiver for adjusting OFDM transmission parameters, e.g. transmission timing or guard interval length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0058 : Transmission of hand-off measurement information, e.g. measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 : of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 : Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 : Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 : Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 : by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 : based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 : the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 : between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 : using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for wireless communications are disclosed. A first base station may be configured to receive, from a second base station, one or more messages. The messages may include downlink beamforming information elements for a downlink cell. Each downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements may be associated with a respective resource block of a plurality of resource blocks in the downlink cell. The first base station may select a first beamforming codeword for at least one resource block of the plurality of resource blocks based on the downlink beamforming information associated with the at least one resource block. The first base station may transmit, to a wireless device, signals on the at least one resource block employing the first beamforming codeword.

Claims

1. A first base station configured to communicate with a wireless device, the first base station comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first base station to;

receive, from a second base station, at least one message comprising a plurality of downlink beamforming information elements for a downlink cell, wherein each downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements is associated with a respective resource block of a plurality of resource blocks in the downlink cell and indicates a parameter for beamforming for the respective resource block;

select, for at least one resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, a first beamforming codeword based at least in part on at least one first downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements, wherein the at least one first downlink beamforming information element is associated with the at least one resource block; and

transmit, to the wireless device, signals on the at least one resource block employing the first beamforming codeword.

2. The first base station of claim 1, wherein each downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements indicates a beamforming codeword for the respective resource block.

3. The first base station of claim 1, wherein the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements indicates a second beamforming codeword associated with a second resource block of the plurality of resource blocks and indicates a third beamforming codeword associated with a third resource block of the plurality of resource blocks.

4. The first base station of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first base station to:

select, for at least one other resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, a second beamforming codeword based at least in part on at least one second downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements, wherein the at least one second downlink beamforming information element is associated with the at least one other resource block; and

transmit, to the wireless device, signals on the at least one other resource block employing the second beamforming codeword.

5. The first base station of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first base station to select the first beamforming codeword based on reducing inter-cell interference from the second base station.

6. The first base station of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first base station to compute inter-cell interference to the second base station based on information received from the wireless device.

7. The first base station of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first base station to select the first beamforming codeword based on a zero-forcing criterion.

8. The first base station of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first base station to select the first beamforming codeword based on a minimum mean squared error criterion.

9. The first base station of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first base station to select the first beamforming codeword based on a maximum signal to leakage ratio criterion.

10. A method for use in a first base station configured to communicate with a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the first base station and from a second base station, at least one message comprising a plurality of downlink beamforming information elements for a downlink cell, wherein each downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements is associated with a respective resource block of a plurality of resource blocks in the downlink cell and indicates a parameter for beamforming for the respective resource block;

selecting, for at least one resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, a first beamforming codeword based at least in part on at least one first downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements, wherein the at least one first downlink beamforming information element is associated with the at least one resource block; and

transmit, by the first base stations and to the wireless device, signals on the at least one resource block employing the first beamforming codeword.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements indicates a beamforming codeword for the respective resource block.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements indicates a second beamforming codeword associated with a second resource block of the plurality of resource blocks and indicates a third beamforming codeword associated with a third resource block of the plurality of resource blocks.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting, for at least one other resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, a second beamforming codeword based at least in part on at least one second downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements, wherein the at least one second downlink beamforming information element is associated with the at least one other resource block; and

transmitting, by the first base station and to the wireless device, signals on the at least one other resource block employing the second beamforming codeword.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the first beamforming codeword is based on reducing inter-cell interference from the second base station.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

computing inter-cell interference to the second base station based on information received from the wireless device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the first beamforming codeword is based on a zero-forcing criterion.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the first beamforming codeword is based on a minimum mean squared error criterion.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the first beamforming codeword is based on a maximum signal to leakage ratio criterion.

19. A system comprising:

a wireless device configured to receive signals from a first base station;

the first base station, wherein the first base station is configured to;

receive, from a second base station, at least one message comprising a plurality of downlink beamforming information elements for a downlink cell, wherein each downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements is associated with a respective resource block of a plurality of resource blocks in the downlink cell and indicates a parameter for beamforming for the respective resource block;

select, for at least one resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, a first beamforming codeword based at least in part on at least one first downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements, wherein the at least one first downlink beamforming information element is associated with the at least one resource block; and

transmit, to the wireless device, signals on the at least one resource block employing the first beamforming codeword; and

the second base station, wherein the second base station is configured to;

transmit, to the first base station, the at least one message comprising the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements for the downlink cell.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements indicates a beamforming codeword for the respective resource block.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements indicates a second beamforming codeword associated with a second resource block of the plurality of resource blocks and indicates a third beamforming codeword associated with a third resource block of the plurality of resource blocks.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first base station is further configured to:

select, for at least one other resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, a second beamforming codeword based at least in part on at least one second downlink beamforming information element of the plurality of downlink beamforming information elements, wherein the at least one second downlink beamforming information element is associated with the at least one other resource block; and

transmit, to the wireless device, signals on the at least one other resource block employing the second beamforming codeword.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the first base station is further configured to select the first beamforming codeword based on reducing inter-cell interference from the second base station.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the wireless device is configured to transmit interference information to the first base station; and

the first base station is configured to compute inter-cell interference to the second base station based on the interference information received from the wireless device.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the first base station is configured to select the first beamforming codeword based on a zero-forcing criterion.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the first base station is configured to select the first beamforming codeword based on a minimum mean squared error criterion.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the first base station is configured to select the first beamforming codeword based on a maximum signal to leakage ratio criterion.