CALIBRATION METHOD, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, FREQUENCY CONTROL METHOD, AND COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20100150013A1
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Takano, Michiaki, Ishioka, Kazuaki, Nouda, Yasunori, Hara, Yoshitaka, Kihira, Kazunari, Tajima, Kenichi, Taira, Akinori
• Application Number:
  US12/600,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20100150013A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/12 of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0224 using sounding signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2647 Arrangements specific to the receiver only equalisation H04L27/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/325 Power control of control or pilot channels

Abstract

A calibration method according to the present invention includes a step of first channel estimating for transmitting a pilot signal from a first antenna and receiving the pilot signal at a second antenna different from the first antenna to calculate a first channel estimation value; a step of second channel estimating for transmitting a plot signal from the second antenna and receiving the pilot signal at the first antenna to calculate a second channel estimation value; and a step of correction coefficient calculating for calculating, by using the first and second channel estimation values, a correction coefficient.

Claims

1-63. -63. (canceled)

64. A calibration method used with first and second communication devices that carry out communications in a TDD system to perform calibration on antennas included in the devices, the calibration method comprising:

a step of first pilot signal transmitting in which the first communication device transmits a pilot signal;

a step of first channel estimating in which the second communication device receives the pilot signal transmitted from the first communication device and calculates a first channel estimation value;

a step of second pilot signal transmitting in which the second communication device transmits a pilot signal;

a step of second channel estimating in which the first communication device receives the pilot signal transmitted from the second communication device and calculates a second channel estimation value; and

a step of correction coefficient calculating in which the first communication device calculates a correction coefficient to adjust a signal transmitted and received to and from the second communication device, based on the second channel estimation value and the first channel estimation value obtained from the second communication device.

65. The calibration method according to claim 64, wherein

at the step of first pilot signal transmitting, the pilot signal is transmitted by using a symbol immediately before a first time frame by which the first communication device transmits a signal and a second time frame by which the second communication device transmits a signal are switched, and

at the step of second pilot signal transmitting, the pilot signal is transmitted by using a symbol immediately after the first time frame and the second time frame are switched.

66. The calibration method according to claim 64, wherein at the step of first pilot signal transmitting, the pilot signal is transmitted by selecting at least one of time and frequency having a good propagation state, and by using a time-frequency domain corresponding to a selected result.

67. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of communication devices that carries out communications in a TDD system, wherein

the communication device adaptively selects whether to execute antenna calibration with another communication device by using wireless communications with the another communication device.

68. A communication system comprising:

when a communication device A that is one of the plurality of communication devices performs antenna calibration by using wireless communications, the communication device A adaptively selects based on channel state whether

the communication device A performs calibration with a communication device C by using wireless communications, or

the communication device C performs calibration with a communication device B by using wireless communications.

69. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of communication devices that carries out communications, wherein

the plurality of communication devices has a function to control a carrier phase so that a carrier phase of a signal received by a reception side communication device is a specific value, before transmitting the signal, and

when two or more communication devices in the plurality of communication devices transmit a signal to a single reception side communication device, the communication devices that transmit the signal control the carrier phase of the signal received by the reception side communication device, so as to be a specific relative phase.

70. The communication system according to claim 69, wherein

the communication devices further include a timing control function to determine a signal transmission timing, to individually perform communications with the reception side communication device, and to let a signal transmitted from the communication devices reach the reception side communication device at a same timing as a signal transmitted from another communication device, and

the communication devices that transmit the signal transmit a signal at the signal transmission timing thus determined, after controlling a carrier phase of the signal received by the reception side communication device to be a specific relative phase.

71. The communication system according to claim 69, wherein

each of the communication devices executes calibration with another communication device by using wireless communications, and

the communication devices that transmit the signal measure a channel state using a pilot signal transmitted from the reception side communication device, and after determining a phase or a phase and an amplitude of the transmitted signal based on a channel value thus measured, transmit the signal based on a result thus determined and by controlling a carrier phase of the signal received by the reception side communication device to be a specific relative phase.

72. The communication system according to claim 71, wherein when the reception side communication device includes a plurality of antennas,

the reception side communication device transmits a pilot signal by transmit beamforming, and

the communication devices that transmit the signal perform channel estimation based on the pilot signal transmitted from the reception side communication device, determine a phase or a phase and an amplitude of the signal transmitted to the reception side communication device based on a result of the channel estimation, and transmit the signal based on a content thus determined.

73. The communication system according to claim 72, wherein

the communication devices that transmit the signal spatially multiplex different signals to the reception side communication device by using the phase or the phase and the amplitude thus determined.

74. The communication system according to claim 69, wherein the plurality of terminals and a base station carry out communications in a TDD system.

75. The communication system according to claim 74, wherein cooperative transmit beamforming is performed by two or more terminals included in the plurality of terminals simultaneously transmitting signals whose phases are adjusted to be the desired phase of the base station.

76. The communication system according to claim 75, wherein

the terminals include a timing control function to determine a signal transmission timing to let a signal transmitted from the terminals reach the base station at a same timing as a signal transmitted from another terminal, by individually performing communications with the base station, and

the terminals transmit a signal whose phase is adjusted to be the desired phase of the base station at the transmission timing thus determined.

77. A frequency control method used with a first communication device and a second communication device that carry out communications to compensate a frequency difference of signals transmitted from both devices, the frequency control method comprising:

a step of first pilot signal transmitting in which the first communication device transmits a pilot signal;

a step of first channel estimating in which the second communication device receives the pilot signal transmitted from the first communication device and calculates a first channel estimation value;

a step of second pilot signal transmitting in which the second communication device transmits a pilot signal whose phase is adjusted based on the first channel estimation value;

a step of second channel estimating in which the first communication device receives the pilot signal transmitted from the second communication device and calculates a second channel estimation value; and

a step of adjusting in which the first communication device adjusts a frequency of a transmitted signal based on the second channel estimation value.

78. The frequency control method according to claim 77, wherein a series of processes including the steps of first pilot signal transmitting, first channel estimating, second pilot signal transmitting, second channel estimating, and adjusting is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of times for a first cycle, and the series of processes is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of times for a second cycle that is longer than the first cycle.

79. The frequency control method according to claim 77, wherein a series of processes including the steps of first pilot signal transmitting, first channel estimating, second pilot signal transmitting, second channel estimating, and adjusting is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of times, while gradually increasing a length of an execution cycle.

80. The frequency control method according to claim 77, wherein

at the step of first pilot signal transmitting, the pilot signal is transmitted by using a symbol immediately before a first time frame by which the first communication device transmits a signal, and a second time frame by which the second communication device transmits a signal, are switched, and

at the step of second pilot signal transmitting, the pilot signal is transmitted by using a symbol immediately after the first time frame and the second time frame are switched.

81. The frequency control method according to claim 77, further comprising:

a step of reselecting for reselecting a sub-band used to transmit the pilot signals based on a channel state, after executing a series of processes including the steps of first pilot signal transmitting, first channel estimating, second pilot signal transmitting, second channel estimating, and adjusting once.

82. A frequency control method used with a first communication device and a second communication device that carry out communications to compensate a frequency difference of signals transmitted from both devices, the frequency control method comprising:

a step of first pilot signal transmitting in which the first communication device transmits a pilot signal;

a step of first channel estimating in which the second communication device receives the pilot signal transmitted from the first communication device and calculates a first channel estimation value;

a step of second pilot signal transmitting in which the second communication device transmits a pilot signal whose phase is adjusted based on the first channel estimation value;

a step of second channel estimating in which the first communication device receives the pilot signal transmitted from the second communication device, calculates a second channel estimation value, and notifies the second channel estimation value to the second communication device; and

a step of adjusting in which the second communication device adjusts a frequency of a transmitted signal based on the first channel estimation value and the second channel estimation value.

83. The frequency control method according to claim 82, wherein a series of processes including the steps of first pilot signal transmitting, first channel estimating, second pilot signal transmitting, second channel estimating, and adjusting is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of times for a first cycle, and the series of processes is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of times for a second cycle that is longer than the first cycle.

84. The frequency control method according to claim 82, wherein a series of processes including the steps of first pilot signal transmitting, first channel estimating, second pilot signal transmitting, second channel estimating, and adjusting is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of times, while gradually increasing a length of an execution cycle.

85. The frequency control method according to claim 82, wherein

at the step of first pilot signal transmitting, the pilot signal is transmitted by using a symbol immediately before a first time frame by which the first communication device transmits a signal, and a second time frame by which the second communication device transmits a signal, are switched, and

at the step of second pilot signal transmitting, the pilot signal is transmitted by using a symbol immediately after the first time frame and the second time frame are switched.

86. The frequency control method according to claim 82, further comprising:

a step of reselecting for reselecting a sub-band used to transmit the pilot signals based on a channel state, after executing a series of processes including the steps of first pilot signal transmitting, first channel estimating, second pilot signal transmitting, second channel estimating, and adjusting once.