Network node, user device and methods thereof

• US 10,681,729 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kela, Petteri, Costa, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Sciacca, Scott M
• Application Number:
  US16/051,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20180338324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• 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 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network node and a user device. The network node comprises a transceiver configured to receive a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of user devices; a processor configured to group the plurality of user devices into at least one group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals, assign radio resources for grant-free data transmission to the group of user devices, compute a receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals and the assigned radio resources; wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a plurality of grant-free data transmissions from user devices in the group of user devices in the assigned radio resources, wherein the processor is configured to separate the grant-free data transmissions from the user devices in the group of user devices based on the computed receiver filter.

Claims

1. A network node for a wireless communication system, the network node comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of user devices; and

a processor configured to;

group the plurality of user devices into at least one group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals;

assign radio resources for grant-free data transmission to the group of user devices; and

compute a receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals and the assigned radio resources,

wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a plurality of grant-free data transmissions from user devices in the group of user devices in the assigned radio resources,

wherein the processor is further configured to separate the grant-free data transmissions from the user devices in the group of user devices based on the computed receiver filter, and

wherein the processor is further configured to;

estimate inter-arrival times for data packets in the plurality of received grant-free data transmissions from the user devices in the group of user devices; and

re-compute the receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals and the estimated inter-arrival times.

2. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a first control message for at least one user device of the group of user devices, wherein the first control message indicates the assigned radio resources, and

wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the first control message to the user device.

3. The network node according to claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to determine at least one Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) based on the plurality of received reference signals, and

wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a second control message to the user device, wherein the second control message indicates the MCS to be used by the user device in the grant-free data transmission.

4. The network node according to claim 3, wherein the second control message further indicates a MCS update instruction instructing the user device to update the MCS for the grant-free data transmission.

5. The network node according to claim 3, wherein the second control message further indicates different MCSs to be used by the user device for different radio resources in the grant-free data transmission.

6. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

derive location information for the plurality of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals; and

group the plurality of user devices based on the derived location information for the plurality of user devices.

7. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to group at least one user device of the plurality of user devices into at least two different groups of user devices.

8. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a plurality of new reference signals associated with the plurality of user devices, and

wherein the processor is further configured to re-compute the receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received new reference signals.

9. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a plurality of new reference signals associated with the plurality of user devices, and

wherein the processor is further configured to re-group the plurality of user devices into at least one new group of user devices based on the plurality of received new reference signals.

10. The network node according to claim 1, wherein assigned radio resources for different groups of user devices are orthogonal to each other.

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

a transceiver configured to;

transmit at least one reference signal to a network node;

receive a first control message from the network node, wherein the first control message indicates radio resources for grant-free data transmission;

receive a second control message from the network node, wherein the second control message indicates at least one Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) associated with the indicated radio resources; and

transmit data packets to the network node in the indicated radio resources for grant-free data transmission using the indicated MCS,

wherein the second control message further indicates an MCS update instruction instructing the user device to update the MCS for the grant-free data transmission, and

wherein the MCS update instruction instructing the user device to update the MCS is based on the network node computing a receiver filter based on an estimation of inter-arrival times of data packets sent to the network node.

12. The user device according to claim 11,

wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit data packets to the network node in the indicated radio resources using the updated MCS.

13. The user device according to claim 11, wherein the second control message further indicates different MCSs to be used by the user device for different radio resources in the grant-free data transmission, and

wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit data packets to the network node in the indicated radio resources using the MCSs for different radio resources.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of user devices;

grouping the plurality of user devices into at least one group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals;

assigning radio resources for grant-free data transmission to the group of user devices;

computing a receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals and the assigned radio resources;

receiving a plurality of grant-free data transmissions from user devices in the group of user devices in the assigned radio resources;

separating the grant-free data transmissions from the user devices in the group of user devices based on the computed receiver filter;

estimating inter-arrival times for data packets in the plurality of received grant-free data transmissions from the user devices in the group of user devices; and

re-computing the receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals and the estimated inter-arrival times.

15. A method comprising:

transmitting at least one reference signal to a network node;

receiving a first control message from the network node, wherein the first control message indicates radio resources for grant-free data transmission;

receiving a second control message from the network node, wherein the second control message indicates at least one MCS associated with the indicated radio resources; and

transmitting data packets to the network node in the indicated radio resources using the indicated MCS,

wherein the second control message further indicates an MCS update instruction instructing the user device to update the MCS for the grant-free data transmission, and

wherein the MCS update instruction instructing the user device to update the MCS is based on the network node computing a receiver filter based on an estimation of inter-arrival times of data packets sent to the network node.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium with a program code for performing, when the computer program runs on a computer, a method comprising:

receiving a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of user devices;

grouping the plurality of user devices into at least one group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals;

assigning radio resources for grant-free data transmission to the group of user devices;

computing a receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals and the assigned radio resources;

receiving a plurality of grant-free data transmissions from user devices in the group of user devices in the assigned radio resources;

separating the grant-free data transmissions from the user devices in the group of user devices based on the computed receiver filter;

estimating inter-arrival times for data packets in the plurality of received grant-free data transmissions from the user devices in the group of user devices; and

re-computing the receiver filter for the group of user devices based on the plurality of received reference signals and the estimated inter-arrival times.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium with a program code for performing, when the computer program runs on a computer, a method comprising:

transmitting at least one reference signal to a network node;

receiving a first control message from the network node, wherein the first control message indicates radio resources for grant-free data transmission;

receiving a second control message from the network node, wherein the second control message indicates at least one MCS associated with the indicated radio resources; and

transmitting data packets to the network node in the indicated radio resources using the indicated MCS,

wherein the second control message further indicates an MCS update instruction instructing the user device to update the MCS for the grant-free data transmission, and

wherein the MCS update instruction instructing the user device to update the MCS is based on the network node computing a receiver filter based on an estimation of inter-arrival times of data packets sent to the network node.