Enhanced antenna management by a base station

• US 10,334,662 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Wanshi, Gaal, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hughes, Eboni
• Application Number:
  US14/216,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20140307820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,926 Days
• Field of Search: 375260, 375267, 370252, 370311, 370328, 370329, 370335
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Enhanced antenna management for nodes is described in which transmit antennas assigned to at least one first carrier are designated for usage in a second carrier. The nodes transmit various signals and reference signals using a set of antenna ports on the second carrier based on the combined physical antennas associated with the first inactive carriers and physical antennas associated with the second carrier.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

designating, by a node, one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned to at least one first carrier for use with a second carrier, wherein the designating the one or more transmit antennas for use with the second carrier includes borrowing the one or more transmit antennas from the at least one first carrier based on the one or more transmit antennas being idle when the at least one first carrier is one of;

partially or completely deactivated;

transmitting, by the node, to one or more mobile devices at least one of a control channel, a data channel, or a reference signal using a set of antenna ports on the second carrier, wherein the set of antenna ports on the second carrier is based, at least in part, on a combination of the one or more transmit antennas borrowed from the at least one first carrier and one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier; and

transmitting a signal to the one or more mobile devices indicating an antenna port configuration that was used in the transmitting the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal, and indicating a number of antenna ports in the set of antenna ports on the second carrier based, at least in part, on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas and the one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier, wherein the number of antenna ports indicated by the signal facilitates processing the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal at the one or more mobile devices, and wherein the antenna port configuration is part of one or more channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configurations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a different carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are associated with a same cell of the node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a same carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier is associated with a first cell and the second carrier is associated with a second cell, where the first cell and the second cell are different and of a same cell of the node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the deactivation of the at least one first carrier is for one of:

one or more subframes;

or

a fraction of a subframe.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein a first of the one or more CSI-RS configurations is associated with one of:

a first subframe;

subframes over a first duration; and

wherein a second of the one or more CSI-RS configurations is associated with one of;

a second subframe; and

subsequent subframes after the first duration.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for at least one of a control channel or a data channel to one or more mobile devices, wherein the DM-RS are based on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reactivating the at least one first carrier; and

designating the one or more transmit antennas of the node for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting one or more other antenna port configurations based on the designating the one or more transmit antennas for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.

9. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising:

means for designating, by a node, one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned to at least one first carrier for use with a second carrier, wherein the means for designating the one or more transmit antennas for use with the second carrier includes means for borrowing the one or more transmit antennas from the at least one first carrier based on the one or more transmit antennas being idle when the at least one first carrier is one of;

partially or completely deactivated;

means for transmitting, by the node, to one or more mobile devices at least one of a control channel, a data channel, or a reference signal using a set of antenna ports on the second carrier, wherein the set of antenna ports on the second carrier is based, at least in part, on a combination of the one or more transmit antennas borrowed from the at least one first carrier and one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier; and

means for transmitting a signal to the one or more mobile devices indicating an antenna port configuration that was used by the means for transmitting the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal, and indicating a number of antenna ports in the set of antenna ports on the second carrier based, at least in part, on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas and the one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier, wherein the number of antenna ports indicated by the signal facilitates processing the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal at the one or more mobile devices, and wherein the antenna port configuration is part of one or more channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configurations.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a different carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are associated with a same cell of the node.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a same carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier is associated with a first cell and the second carrier is associated with a second cell, where the first cell and the second cell are different and of a same cell of the node.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the deactivation is for one of:

one or more subframes;

or

a fraction of a subframe.

13. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein a first of the one or more CSI-RS configurations is associated with one of:

a first subframe;

subframes over a first duration; and

wherein a second of the one or more CSI-RS configurations is associated with one of;

a second subframe; and

subsequent subframes after the first duration.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

means for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for at least one of a control channel or a data channel to one or more mobile devices, wherein the DM-RS are based on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

means for reactivating the at least one first carrier; and

means for designating the one or more transmit antennas of the node for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means for transmitting one or more other antenna port configurations based on the designating the one or more transmit antennas for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.

17. A computer program product for wireless communications in a wireless network, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code including;

program code for causing a computer to designate, by a node, one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned to at least one first carrier for use with a second carrier, wherein the program code for causing a computer to designate the one or more transmit antennas for use with the second carrier includes program code for causing a computer to borrow the one or more transmit antennas from the at least one first carrier based on the one or more transmit antennas being idle when the at least one first carrier is one of;

partially or completely deactivated;

program code for causing the computer to transmit, by the node, to one or more mobile devices at least one of a control channel, a data channel, or a reference signal using a set of antenna ports on the second carrier, wherein the set of antenna ports on the second carrier is based, at least in part, on a combination of the one or more transmit antennas borrowed from the at least one first carrier and one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier; and

program code for causing the computer to transmit a signal to the one or more mobile devices indicating an antenna port configuration that was used in the transmission of the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal, and indicating a number of antenna ports in the set of antenna ports on the second carrier based, at least in part, on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas and the one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier, wherein the number of antenna ports indicated by the signal facilitates processing the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal at the one or more mobile devices, and wherein the antenna port configuration is part of one or more channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configurations.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a different carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are associated with a same cell of the node.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a same carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier is associated with a first cell and the second carrier is associated with a second cell, where the first cell and the second cell are different and of a same cell of the node.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

program code for causing the computer to transmit a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for at least one of a control channel or a data channel to one or more mobile devices, wherein the DM-RS are based on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

program code for reactivating the at least one first carrier; and

program code for designating the one or more transmit antennas of the node for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising program code for transmitting one or more other antenna port configurations based on the designating the one or more transmit antennas for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.

23. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one processor is configured;

to designate, by a node, one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned to at least one first carrier for use with a second carrier, wherein the configuration of the at least one processor to designate the one or more transmit antennas for use with the second carrier includes borrowing the one or more transmit antennas from the at least one first carrier based on the one or more transmit antennas being idle when the at least one first carrier is one of;

partially or completely deactivated; and

to transmit, by the node, to one or more mobile devices at least one of a control channel, a data channel, or a reference signal using a set of antenna ports on the second carrier, wherein the set of antenna ports on the second carrier is based, at least in part, on a combination of the one or more transmit antennas borrowed from the at least one first carrier and one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier; and

to transmit a signal to the one or more mobile devices indicating an antenna port configuration that was used in the transmission of the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal, and indicating a number of antenna ports in the set of antenna ports on the second carrier based, at least in part, on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas and the one or more transmit antennas of the node assigned for use with the second carrier, wherein the number of antenna ports indicated by the signal facilitates processing the at least one of the control channel, the data channel, or the reference signal at the one or more mobile devices, and wherein the antenna port configuration is part of one or more channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configurations.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a different carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are associated with a same cell of the node.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one first carrier and the second carrier are of a same carrier frequency, and the at least one first carrier is associated with a first cell and the second carrier is associated with a second cell, where the first cell and the second cell are different and of a same cell of the node.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising configuration of the at least one processor to transmit a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for at least one of a control channel or a data channel to one or more mobile devices, wherein the DM-RS are based on the combination of the one or more transmit antennas.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured:

to designate, when the at least one first carrier is reactivated, the one or more transmit antennas of the node for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising configuration of the at least one processor to one or more other antenna port configurations based on the designating the one or more transmit antennas for use with the reactivated at least one first carrier.