Systems and methods for beamforming feedback in multi antenna communication systems

• US 20060203708A1
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Khandekar, Aamod, Gore, Dhananjay Ashok, Gorokhov, Alexei, Sampath, Hemanth, Kadous, Tamer
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/063 Parameters other than those covered in groups H04B7/0623 - H04B7/0634, e.g. channel matrix rank or transmit mode selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0632 Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0634 Antenna weights or vector/matrix coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0645 Variable feedback

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed that determine whether to feedback, and the amount of feedback, with respect to eigenbeam information based upon channel resources. Additionally, methods and apparatuses are disclosed that determine whether to feedback, and the amount of feedback, with respect to eigenbeam information based upon channel information and changes in channel information.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

at least two antennas; and

a processor capable of determining available reverse link transmission resources and providing an indicator of the reverse link transmission resources allocated for transmission of beamforming information based upon the determination of the available reverse link transmission resources.

2. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is capable of determining the available reverse link transmission resources based upon a number of users transmitting reverse link transmissions.

3. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is capable of causing a message including the indicator to be transmitted from the at least two antennas.

4. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is capable of determining the available reverse link transmission resources based upon a forward link transmission to a wireless communication device.

5. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is capable of causing a message including the beamforming information to be transmitted based upon the reverse link resources of the indicator.

6. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reverse link resources comprise data channels and control channels.

7. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator further comprises information as to a number of eigenbeams to be fedback over the reverse link transmission resources allocated.

8. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator further comprises information feedback based upon frequency averaged eigenbeam information.

9. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication apparatus comprises an access terminal.

10. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication apparatus comprises an access point.

11. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator further comprises information feedback based upon per hop based eigenbeam information.

12. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator further comprises information feedback based upon restricted frequency averaged eigenbeam information.

33. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the channel information comprises second order channel statistics.

34. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 11, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor determines whether to transmit eigenbeam information based upon the channel statistics and received instructions.

35. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the channel information comprises instantaneous channel information.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, coupled with the memory, capable of determining whether to transmit eigenbeam information from the at least one antenna based upon channel information.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor is capable of determining whether the channel is a stationary channel or a variable channel based upon the channel statistics and capable of determining whether to transmit eigenbeam information based upon whether the channel is the stationary channel or the variable channel.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor is capable of determining whether the channel is a stationary channel or a variable channel based upon whether the channel statistics change within a time period.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor is capable of determining whether the channel is a stationary channel or a variable channel based upon whether a change in the channel statistics within a time period exceeds a threshold.

17. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor is capable of determining a number of eigenbeams for which to transmit eigenbeam information based upon the channel statistics.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processor is capable of determining the number of eigenbeams for which to transmit eigenbeam information to be less than all of the eigenbeams utilized for transmission to the wireless communication apparatus.

19. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor is capable of determining whether to transmit frequency averaged eigenbeam information based upon the channel statistics.

20. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor is capable of determining the channel statistics at predetermined time intervals.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the processor is capable of determining a length of the predetermined time intervals based upon an instruction received at the at least one antenna.

22. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the eigenbeam information comprises information corresponding to one or more eigenvectors of signals received at the wireless communication apparatus.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein terms of the one or more eigenvectors are averaged over multiple signals received at the wireless communication apparatus.

24. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the one or more eigenvectors comprise one or more time averaged eigenvectors.

25. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein terms of the one or more eigenvectors are averaged over multiple subcarriers of the signals received at the wireless communication apparatus.

26. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the one or more eigenvectors comprise one or more subcarriers averaged eigenvectors.

27. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the eigenbeam information comprises information corresponding to one or more eigenvectors of signals received at the wireless communication apparatus and an eigenvalue of each of the one or more eigenvectors.

28. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the eigenbeam information comprises information corresponding to dominant eigenvectors of signals received at the wireless communication apparatus.

29. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the processor is capable of quantizing the eigenbeam information according to a codebook.

30. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the processor is capable of quantizing each complex element of the eigenbeam information using a desired number of bits.

31. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the processor is capable of quantizing each complex element of the eigenbeam information according to a pre-determined constellation.

32. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the processor is capable of quantizing some of the elements of the eigenbeam information.

36. A method of resource allocation in a wireless communication system comprising:

determining reverse link resources available at a wireless communication apparatus;

determining an amount of resources required for beamforming feedback;

assigning beamforming feedback resources on the reverse link based upon reverse link resources available.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein determining the available reverse link transmission resources comprises determining based upon a number of users transmitting reverse link transmissions.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising transmitting a message including an indicator of the assigned beamforming feedback resources.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein determining reverse link resources available comprises determining reverse link resources available based upon a forward link transmission.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the reverse link resources comprise data channels and control channels.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein assigning comprises assigning a number of eigenbeams to be fedback over the reverse link resources allocated.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein assigning comprises assigning feedback comprising frequency averaged eigenbeam information..

43. The method of claim 36, wherein the wireless communication apparatus comprises an access terminal.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein the wireless communication apparatus comprises an access point.

45. A method of resource allocation in a wireless communication system comprising:

generating eigenbeam information at wireless communication device;

generating channel information regarding a communication channel with respect to the wireless communication device; and

determining whether to transmit the eigenbeam information based upon the channel information.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein determining whether to transmit comprises determining whether the channel is a stationary channel or a variable channel based upon the channel statistics.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein determining whether the channel is the stationary channel or the variable channel comprises determining based upon whether the channel statistics change within a time period.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein determining whether the channel is the stationary channel or the variable channel comprises determining based upon whether a change in the channel statistics within a time period exceeds a threshold.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein determining whether to transmit comprises determining a number of eigenbeams for which to transmit eigenbeam information based upon the channel statistics.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein determining the number of eigenbeams comprises determining a number of eigenbeams to be less than all of the eigenbeams utilized for transmission to the wireless communication apparatus.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and the method further comprising determining whether to transmit frequency averaged eigenbeam information based upon the channel statistics.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein generating channel statistics comprises generating channel statistics at predetermined time intervals.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein the eigenbeam information comprises information corresponding to one or more eigenvectors of signals received at the wireless communication apparatus.

54. The method of claim 53, further comprising averaging the one or more eigenvectors over multiple received signals.

55. The method of claim 53, further comprising averaging the one or more eigenvectors over multiple subcarriers of signals received.

56. The method of claim 45, wherein the eigenbeam information comprises information corresponding to one or more eigenvectors and an eigenvalue of each of the one or more eigenvectors.

57. The method of claim 45, wherein the eigenbeam information comprises information corresponding to dominant eigenvectors of signals received.

58. The method of claim 45, further comprising quantizing the eigenbeam information according to a codebook.

59. The method of claim 45, further comprising quantizing the eigenbeam information for the eigenbeam having the minimum mean squared error.

60. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises second order channel statistics.

61. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein determining whether to transmit eigenbeam information determining whether to transmit based upon channel statistics and received instructions.

62. The method of claim 45, wherein the channel information comprises instantaneous channel information.

63. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining reverse link resources available;

means for determining an amount of resources required for beamforming feedback;

means for assigning beamforming feedback resources on the reverse link based upon reverse link resources available.

64. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the means for determining the available reverse link transmission resources comprises means for determining based upon a number of users transmitting reverse link transmissions.

65. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein determining reverse link resources available comprises determining reverse link resources available based upon a forward link transmission to the apparatus.

66. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the means for assigning comprises means for assigning a number of eigenbeams to be fedback over the reverse link resources allocated.

67. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the means for assigning comprises means for assigning feedback comprising frequency averaged eigenbeam information.

80. The apparatus of claim 66, further comprising means for quantizing each complex element of the eigenbeam information according to a pre-determined constellation.

68. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating eigenbeam information;

means for generating channel information regarding a communication channel with respect to the apparatus; and

means for determining whether to transmit the eigenbeam information based upon the channel information.

69. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the means for determining whether to transmit comprises means for determining whether the channel is a stationary channel or a variable channel based upon the channel statistics.

70. The apparatus of claim 69, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the means for determining whether the channel is the stationary channel or the variable channel comprises means for determining based upon whether the channel statistics change within a time period.

71. The apparatus of claim 69, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the means for determining whether the channel is the stationary channel or the variable channel comprises means for determining based upon whether a change in the channel statistics within a time period exceeds a threshold.

72. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the means for determining whether to transmit comprises means for determining a number of eigenbeams for which to transmit eigenbeam information based upon the channel statistics.

73. The apparatus o claim 72, wherein the number of eigenbeams is less than all of the eigenbeams utilized for transmission to the wireless communication apparatus.

74. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and further comprising means for determining whether to transmit frequency averaged eigenbeam information based upon the channel statistics.

75. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the means for generating channel statistics comprises means for generating channel statistics at predetermined time intervals.

76. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and further comprising means for averaging the one or more eigenvectors over multiple received signals.

77. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and further comprising means for averaging the one or more eigenvectors over multiple subcarriers of signals received.

78. The apparatus of claim 68, w wherein the eigenbeam information comprises information corresponding to dominant eigenvectors of signals received.

79. The apparatus of claim 68, further comprising means for quantizing the eigenbeam information according to a codebook.

81. The electronic device of claim 68, further comprising means for quantizing some of the elements of the eigenbeam information.

82. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises second order channel statistics.

83. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises channel statistics and wherein the means for determining whether to transmit eigenbeam information comprises means for determining whether to transmit based upon channel statistics and received instructions.

84. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the channel information comprises instantaneous channel information.