Operating a wireless communication system

• US 10,382,117 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2016
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bengtsson, Erik, Ying, Zhinong
• Primary Examiner(s): Guarino, Rahel
• Application Number:
  US16/085,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20190103909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/245 provided with means for varying the polarisation polarising devices H01Q15/24; tracking by comparing linear polarisation compounds G01S3/146; reducing depolarisation effects H04B7/00; polarisation diversity H04B7/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0857 using maximum ratio combining techniques, e.g. signal-to- interference ratio [SIR], received signal strenght indication [RSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver

Abstract

A wireless communication system includes a first communication device having an antenna arrangement configured to adjust the polarization of a radio frequency signal to be transmitted via the antenna arrangement, and a second communication device. A first downlink pilot signal having a first polarization and a second downlink pilot signal having a second polarization are sent via the antenna arrangement of the first communication device. The downlink pilot signals are orthogonal to each other and the polarizations are different. The downlink pilot signals are received at an antenna arrangement of the second communication device. A combined power of the received downlink pilot signals is optimized by varying a combining information. The combined power is a function of the received downlink pilot signals and the combining information. The antenna arrangement of the first communication device is adjusted based on the combining information.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wireless communication system, the communication system comprising a first communication device having an antenna arrangement configured to adjust a polarization of a radio frequency signal to be transmitted via the antenna arrangement, and a second communication device, the method comprising:

sending a first downlink pilot signal having a first polarization via the antenna arrangement of the first communication device,

sending a second downlink pilot signal having a second polarization via the antenna arrangement of the first communication device, wherein the first and second downlink pilot signals are orthogonal to each other and the first and second polarizations are different,

receiving the first downlink pilot signal at an antenna arrangement of the second communication device as a first received downlink pilot signal,

receiving the second downlink pilot signal at the antenna arrangement of the second communication device as a second received downlink pilot signal,

optimizing a combined power of the first and second received downlink pilot signals, the combined power being a function of the first received downlink pilot signal, the second received downlink pilot signal, and combining information relating to the first and second received downlink pilot signals, wherein the combining information is varied for optimizing the combined power, and

adjusting sending parameters of the antenna arrangement of the first communication device based on the combining information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the sending parameters of the antenna arrangement of the first communication device comprises:

transmitting the combining information from the second communication device to the first communication device,

determining a third polarization based on the combining information, and

sending a payload information signal having the third polarization via the antenna arrangement of the first communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein optimizing the combined power comprises applying a maximum-ratio combining technique based on the first received downlink pilot signal, the second received downlink pilot signal, and the combining information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the antenna arrangement of the first communication device is configured to adjust a transmission direction of the radio frequency signal to be transmitted via the antenna arrangement,

wherein sending the first downlink pilot signal comprises adjusting the transmission direction of the first downlink pilot signal into a direction of the second communication device, and

wherein sending the second downlink pilot signal comprises adjusting the transmission direction of the second downlink pilot signal into the direction of the second communication device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the orthogonality between the first downlink pilot signal and the second downlink pilot signal is achieved by using at least one technology of a group comprising:

a time division multiple access technology,

a code division multiple access technology, and

a frequency division multiple access technology.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the combining information comprises a phase information and a weighting information, wherein the combined power comprises a sum of:

an absolute value of the first received downlink pilot signal weighted based on the weighting information and phase shifted based on the phase information, and

an absolute value of the second received downlink pilot signal weighted based on the weighting information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the antenna arrangement of the second communication device comprises a plurality of antennas,

wherein receiving the first downlink pilot signal at the antenna arrangement of the second communication device comprises:

receiving the first downlink pilot signal at each antenna of the plurality of antennas, wherein the first received downlink pilot signal comprises a sum of absolute values of the first downlink pilot signals received at the plurality of antennas, and

wherein receiving the second downlink pilot signal at the antenna arrangement of the second communication device comprises;

receiving the second downlink pilot signal at each antenna of the plurality of antennas, wherein the second received downlink pilot signal comprises a sum of absolute values of the second downlink pilot signals received at the plurality of antennas.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the combining information comprises a phase information and a weighting information, the method further comprising:

determining for each antenna of the plurality of antennas of the second communication device a corresponding downlink pilot signal power depending on a sum of

an absolute value of the first downlink pilot signal received via the corresponding antenna and weighted based on the weighting information and phase shifted based on the phase information, and

an absolute value of the second downlink pilot signal received via the corresponding antenna and weighted based on the weighting information,

optimizing an antenna gain of the antenna arrangement of the second communication device, the antenna gain being a function of the downlink pilot signal powers and further combining information relating to the downlink pilot signal powers, wherein the further combining information is varied for optimizing the antenna gain, and

adjusting receiving parameters of the antenna arrangement of the second communication device based on the further combining information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the further combining information comprises for each antenna of the second communication device a further phase information and a further weighting information, wherein the antenna gain is a function of a sum of the downlink pilot signal powers, each weighted based on the corresponding further weighting information and phase shifted based on the corresponding further phase information.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein adjusting the sending parameters of the antenna arrangement of the first communication device comprises:

sending an uplink pilot signal via the antenna arrangement of the second communication device using the further combining information,

receiving the uplink pilot signal via the antenna arrangement of the first communication device as a received uplink pilot signal,

determining a third polarization based on the received uplink pilot signal, and

sending a payload information signal having the third polarization via the antenna arrangement of the first communication device.

11. A communication device for a wireless communication system, the communication device comprising:

an antenna arrangement configured to adjust a polarization of a radio frequency signal to be transmitted via the antenna arrangement, and

a logic coupled to the antenna arrangement and configured to send a first downlink pilot signal having a first polarization via the antenna arrangement,

send a second downlink pilot signal having a second polarization via the antenna arrangement, wherein the first and second pilot signals are orthogonal to each other and the first and second polarizations are different,

determine combining information, the combining information being a result of an optimization of a combined power of the first and second downlink pilot signals as they are received at a further communication device, the combined power being a function of the first downlink pilot signal as it is received at the further communication device, the second downlink pilot signal as it is received at the further communication device, and the combining information relating to the first and second downlink pilot signals as they are received at the further communication device, wherein the combining information is varied for optimizing the combined power, and

adjust sending parameters of the antenna arrangement based on the combining information.

12. A communication device for a wireless communication system, the communication device comprising:

an antenna arrangement, and

a logic coupled to the antenna arrangement and configured to

receive a first downlink pilot signal at the antenna arrangement as a first received downlink pilot signal,

receive a second downlink pilot signal at the antenna arrangement as a second received downlink pilot signal, wherein the first and second downlink pilot signals are orthogonal to each other and have a different polarization,

optimize a combined power of the first and second received downlink pilot signals, the combined power being a function of the first received downlink pilot signal, the second received downlink pilot signal and combining information relating to the first and second received downlink pilot signals, wherein the combining information is varied for optimizing the combined power.