Multiple-antenna system for cell-specific and user-specific transmission

• US 10,567,976 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neo Wireless LLC (f/k/a CFIP NCF LLC) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Neocific Incorporated
• Inventors: Lo, Titus, Li, Xiaodong
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Ankur
• Application Number:
  US16/208,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20190349781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2605 Symbol extensions, e.g. Zero Tail, Unique Word [UW]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A reception method and apparatus for use in a multi-cell orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) wireless system. In a unicast receive mode during a first receive time period, a first group of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols is received by a mobile device from multiple of a plurality of antennas at a serving base station. In a single-frequency-network (SFN) receive mode during a second receive time period, a second group of OFDM symbols is received by the mobile device from one of a plurality of antennas at the serving base station. The transition between the first receive time period and the second receive time period occurs during a cyclic prefix or a cyclic postfix between OFDM symbols, and the plurality of antennas produce a first beam pattern during the unicast receive mode and a second beam pattern during the SFN receive mode.

Claims

1. A method for a mobile device within a cell of a plurality of cells, each cell having a serving base station with a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:

performing frame and symbol synchronization with the serving base station;

transmitting uplink signals to the serving base station;

receiving a first signal containing a first group of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols from multiple of the plurality of antennas at the serving base station during a first receive time period, the first signal transmitted by the serving base station in a first transmission mode with a first beam pattern for unicast transmission within the cell; and

receiving a second signal containing a second group of OFDM symbols from one of the plurality of antennas at the serving base station during a second receive time period, the second signal transmitted by the serving base station in a second transmission mode with a second beam pattern for single frequency network (SFN) broadcast transmission to the cell and other cells;

wherein a transition between the first receive time period and the second receive time period occurs during a cyclic prefix or a cyclic postfix between OFDM symbols, and wherein the first beam pattern is different than the second beam pattern in either an azimuth pattern or an elevation pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal have a time structure comprised of a plurality of frames, each frame comprised of a plurality of slots, and each slot comprised of a plurality of OFDM symbols.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is encoded by a first encoding and the second signal is encoded by a second encoding, and the first encoding and the second encoding are different.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal contains user-specific data and pilot subcarriers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal contains sector-specific data and pilot subcarriers or cell-specific data and pilot subcarriers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal carries video application data.

6. The method of claim, wherein the first signal carries voice application data.

8. A mobile device configured to operate within a telecommunications system having a plurality of cells, each cell having a serving base station with a plurality of antennas, the mobile device comprising:

a transmitter configured for transmitting uplink signals to the serving base station of a cell; and

a receiver configured for receiving a first signal from multiple of the plurality of antennas at the serving base station during a first receive time period and a second signal from one of the plurality of antennas at the serving base station during a second receive time period, wherein

the first signal contains a first group of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, the first signal transmitted by the serving base station in a first transmission mode with a first beam pattern for unicast transmission within the cell;

the second signal contains a second group of OFDM symbols, the second signal transmitted by the serving base station in a second transmission mode with a second beam pattern for single frequency network (SFN) broadcast transmission to the cell and other cells; and

a transition between the first receive time period and the second receive time period occurs during a cyclic prefix or a cyclic postfix between OFDM symbols; and

wherein the first beam pattern is different than the second beam pattern in either an azimuth pattern or an elevation pattern.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the receiver includes a synchronization component.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the receiver includes a fast Fourier transform component.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the receiver includes a frequency estimation component.

12. The mobile device of claim 8;

wherein the receiver includes a channel estimation component.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the receiver includes a demodulation component.

14. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the receiver includes a derandomization component.

15. The mobile device of claim 8;

wherein the receiver includes a decoding component.

16. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the first signal contains user-specific data and pilot subcarriers.

17. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the first signal contains sector-specific data and pilot subcarriers or cell-specific data and pilot subcarriers.

18. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the first signal carries voice application data.

19. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the second signal carries video application data.