Wireless communications system, wireless communications apparatus, wireless communications method and computer program for wireless communication

• US 10,361,888 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2015
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kuroda, Shinichi, Takano, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tse, Young T
• Application Number:
  US14/692,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20150229374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 375260, 375262, 375265, 375267, 370208, 370210, 370344
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0421 utilizing implicit feedback, e.g. steered pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0665 Feed forward of transmit weights to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0854 using error minimizing algorithms, e.g. minimum mean squared error [MMSE], "cross-correlation" or matrix inversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0862 receiver computing weights based on information from the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0656 Cyclotomic systems, e.g. Bell Labs Layered Space-Time [BLAST]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/0377 during the reception of training signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0202 Channel estimation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0224 using sounding signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/12 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

In performing SVD-MIMO transmission, a set-up procedure is simplified while assuring a satisfactory decoding capability with a reduced number of antennas. A transmitter estimates channel information based on reference signals sent from a receiver, determines a transmit antenna weighting coefficient matrix based on the channel information, calculates a weight to be assigned to each of components of a multiplexed signal, and sends, to the receiver, training signals for respective signal components, the training signals being weighted by the calculated weights. On the other hand, the receiver determines a receive antenna weighting coefficient matrix based on the received training signals.

Claims

1. An electronic device operating as an access point, the electronic device comprising:

a weight information calculating circuit configured to determine weight information based on pre-training information which has been received from a mobile device; and

a transmitter configured to apply the weight information to estimate channel conditions, and to transmit signals including the weight information applied to the mobile device so that the mobile device can determine operating parameters using the signals including the weight information applied.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit data signals to the mobile device, and the transmitted data signals and the signals to estimate the channel conditions are transmitted by Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).

3. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of antennas via which the signals to estimate the channel conditions and the data signals are transmitted.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein

the weight information includes at least a first weight and a second weight, and

the transmitter is configured to weight signals transmitted via a first antenna of the plurality of antennas with the first weight and weight signals transmitted via a second antenna of the plurality of antennas with the second weight.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein

the signals to estimate the channel conditions include at least a first training signal and a second training signal, and

the transmitter is configured to weight the first training signal with the first weight and the second training signal with the second weight.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit preamble signals to the mobile device that are not weighted by the weight information prior to transmitting the signals to estimate the channel conditions in a frame.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the weight information calculating circuit is configured to generate the weight information based on channel state information between the electronic device and the mobile device from which the pre-training information is received.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the weight information calculating circuit is further configured to estimate the channel state information based on reference signals received as the pre-training information from the mobile device, wherein a number of the reference signals is determined according to a number of antennas at the mobile device.

9. A method performed by an electronic device operating as an access point, the method comprising:

obtaining, from a mobile device, pre-training information to be referenced for determining weight information;

determining, with circuitry, the weight information based on the obtained pre-training information;

applying, with the circuitry, the weight information to signals to estimate channel conditions for the mobile device; and

transmitting, with the circuitry, to the mobile device, the signals to estimate the channel conditions for the mobile device after application of the weight information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein data signals to be transmitted to the mobile device, and the signals to estimate the channel conditions are transmitted by Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the signals to estimate the channel conditions are transmitted prior to the transmitting of the signals.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting preamble signals that are not weighted by weights included in the weight information prior to transmitting of the signals to estimate the channel conditions in a frame.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the preamble signals are for at least one of signal detection synchronization or adjustment of gain at the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic device includes a plurality of antennas via which the signals to estimate the channel conditions and the data signals are transmitted.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

the weight information includes at least a first weight and a second weight, and

the method further comprises weighting signals transmitted via a first antenna of the plurality of antennas with the first weight and weighting signals transmitted via a second antenna of the plurality of antennas with the second weight.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein

the signals to estimate the channel conditions include at least a first training signal and a second training signal, and

the method further comprises weighting the first training signal with the first weight and weighting the second training signal with the second weight.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating the weight information based on channel state information between the electronic device and the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

estimating the channel state information based on reference signals received as the pre-training information from the mobile device, wherein a number of the reference signals is determined according to a number of antennas at the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

calibrating the channel state information to obtain channel information of a channel from the electronic device to the mobile device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by processing circuitry of an electronic device operating as an access point, cause the processing circuitry to perform a method comprising:

obtaining, from a mobile device, pre-training information to be referenced for determining weight information;

determining the weight information based on the obtained pre-training information;

applying the weight information to signals to estimate channel conditions for the mobile device; and

transmitting, with the circuitry, to the mobile device, the signals to estimate the channel conditions for the mobile device after application of the weight information.