METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING A COMP REFERENCE SIGNAL IN A MULTI-CELL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110235608A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ko, Hyun Soo, Lee, Moon II, Kwon, Yeong Hyeon, Koo, Ja Ho, Chung, Jae Hoon, Kim, Su Nam
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0626 Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0226 sounding signals per se
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0228 with direct estimation from sounding signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2613 Structure of the reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0026 Division using four or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

Disclosed is a channel estimation method using a cooperative multi-point (CoMP) reference signal in a multi-cell environment. The method comprises a CoMP reference signal receiving step of enabling a terminal to receive, from each of the cells that perform a CoMP operation, a CoMP reference signal where an orthogonal code is applied to each of the cells; a channel estimation step of enabling the terminal to estimate, using said CoMP reference signal, channels of each of the cells which perform said CoMP operation; and a channel status feedback information transmitting step of enabling the terminal to transmit channel status feedback information to each of the cells.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a CoMP RS (Cooperative Multi-Point Reference Signal) from each of CoMP cells at a user equipment (UE) in a multi-cell environment, the method comprising:

receiving from the CoMP cells CoMP RSs to which orthogonal codes are applied on a slot unit or on a symbol unit, for mutual orthogonality among the CoMP RSs; and

processing the received CoMP RSs using the orthogonal codes applied on a slot unit or on a symbol unit by distinguishing the CoMP cells from one another.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of orthogonal code resource elements (REs) corresponding to the CoMP RSs is applied on a slot unit in a resource block (RB).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of orthogonal code resource elements (REs) corresponding to the CoMP RSs is applied on a symbol unit in a resource block.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE receives information about orthogonal code resources used by the CoMP cells from a serving cell through a broadcasting channel or by higher layer signaling.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein orthogonal code resource elements (REs) corresponding to first and second antennas of the CoMP cells are applied on a slot unit in a first subframe and orthogonal code resource elements corresponding to third and fourth antennas of the CoMP cells are applied on a slot unit in a second subframe.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein orthogonal code resource elements (REs) corresponding to first and second antennas of the CoMP cells are included in the same slot of a first subframe and applied on a slot unit and orthogonal code resource elements (REs) corresponding to third and fourth antennas of the CoMP cells are included in the same slot of in a second subframe and applied on a slot unit.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein orthogonal code resource elements (REs) corresponding to first and second antennas of the CoMP cells are applied to a first slot of a first subframe and orthogonal code resource elements (REs) corresponding to third and fourth antennas of the CoMP cells are applied to a second slot of the first subframe.

8. A method for transmitting a CoMP RS (Cooperative Multi-Point Reference Signal) at a CoMP base station in a multi-cell environment, the method comprising:

allocating orthogonal code resources to which an orthogonal code is applied on a slot unit or on a symbol unit, for mutual orthogonality among CoMP RSs of each of CoMP base stations; and

transmitting a CoMP RS using the orthogonal code resources to which the orthogonal code is applied on a slot unit or on a symbol basis, for mutual orthogonality among the CoMP RSs of the CoMP base stations.