APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING NETWORK ENTRY IN A MILLIMETER-WAVE MOBILE BROADBAND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20120320874A1
• Filed: 06/05/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Li, Ying, Pi, Zhouyue
• Granted Patent: US 9,585,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/085 involving beams of access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information

Abstract

A method for a base station to support network entry of a mobile station in a communication system is provided. The method includes transmitting to the mobile station each of a plurality of transmitted network entry signals over a preferred downlink beam corresponding to the transmitted network entry signal. Each of a plurality of received network entry signals is received from the mobile station over a preferred uplink beam corresponding to the received network entry signal. Each of the transmitted network entry signals comprises the preferred uplink beam corresponding to a subsequently received network entry signal, and each of the received network entry signals comprises the preferred downlink beam corresponding to a subsequently transmitted network entry signal.

Claims

1. A method for a base station to support network entry of a mobile station in a communication system, comprising:

transmitting to the mobile station each of a plurality of transmitted network entry signals over a preferred downlink beam corresponding to the transmitted network entry signal; and

receiving from the mobile station each of a plurality of received network entry signals over a preferred uplink beam corresponding to the received network entry signal,

wherein each of the transmitted network entry signals comprises the preferred uplink beam corresponding to a subsequently received network entry signal, and

wherein each of the received network entry signals comprises the preferred downlink beam corresponding to a subsequently transmitted network entry signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting downlink control channels over multiple downlink beams; and

receiving from the mobile station over multiple uplink beams an initial network entry signal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a ranging opportunity and a preamble for the mobile station when handing over the mobile station to a target base station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station comprises a plurality of antenna arrays, the method further comprising transmitting data channels from each antenna array in a frame structure that is specific to the antenna array.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a millimeter-wave mobile broadband (MMB) communication system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the MMB communication system is configured to implement one of Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced and Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).

7. A base station configured to support network entry of a mobile station in a communication system, comprising:

at least one cell, wherein the cell comprises at least one antenna array, and wherein the antenna array is configured to;

transmit downlink control channels over multiple downlink beams;

receive from the mobile station over multiple uplink beams an initial network entry signal comprising an indication of a preferred one of the downlink beams;

for each subsequently transmitted network entry signal, transmit to the mobile station the transmitted network entry signal over the preferred downlink beam as indicated in a most recently received network entry signal, wherein the transmitted network entry signal comprises an indication of a preferred one of the uplink beams; and

for each subsequently received network entry signal, receive from the mobile station the received network entry signal over the preferred uplink beam as indicated in a most recently transmitted network entry signal, wherein the received network entry signal comprises an indication of a preferred one of the downlink beams.

8. The base station of claim 7, wherein the antenna array is further configured to transmit to the mobile station a ranging opportunity and a preamble for handover to a target base station.

9. The base station of claim 7, wherein each antenna array comprises an array-specific frame structure.

10. The base station of claim 7, wherein the communication system comprises a millimeter-wave mobile broadband (MMB) communication system.

11. A method for network entry of a mobile station in a communication system, comprising:

receiving from a base station each of a plurality of received network entry signals over a preferred downlink beam corresponding to the received network entry signal; and

transmitting to the base station each of a plurality of transmitted network entry signals over a preferred uplink beam corresponding to the transmitted network entry signal,

wherein each of the received network entry signals comprises the preferred uplink beam corresponding to a subsequently transmitted network entry signal, and

wherein each of the transmitted network entry signals comprises the preferred downlink beam corresponding to a subsequently received network entry signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving from the base station downlink control channels over multiple downlink beams; and

transmitting to the base station over multiple uplink beams an initial network entry signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the base station comprises a plurality of antenna arrays, wherein the downlink control channels are received from a specified one of the antenna arrays, and wherein one of the downlink control channels comprises an array identifier for the specified array and a frame structure for the specified array.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving from the base station a ranging opportunity and a preamble for use by the mobile station during handover of the mobile station to a target base station.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication system comprises a millimeter-wave mobile broadband (MMB) communication system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the MMB communication system is configured to implement one of Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced and Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).

17. A mobile station configured to perform network entry in a communication system, comprising:

an antenna configured to receive from a base station downlink control channels over multiple downlink beams and subsequently received network entry signals over a preferred downlink beam, wherein each subsequently received network entry signal comprises an indication of a corresponding preferred uplink beam; and

a main processor configured to interpret the downlink control channels and subsequently received network entry signals, to generate an initial network entry signal based on the downlink control channels, to generate a subsequently transmitted network entry signal based on each subsequently received network entry signal, and to determine a preferred one of the downlink beams based on the downlink control channels and subsequently based on each subsequently received network entry signal, wherein the initial network entry signal and each subsequently transmitted network entry signal comprises an indication of the corresponding preferred downlink beam,

wherein the antenna is further configured to transmit to the base station the initial network entry signal over multiple uplink beams and each subsequently transmitted network entry signal over a corresponding preferred uplink beam.

18. The mobile station of claim 17, wherein the antenna is further configured to receive from the base station a ranging opportunity and a preamble for use by the mobile station during handover of the mobile station to a target base station.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the base station comprises a plurality of antenna arrays, wherein the downlink control channels are received from a specified one of the antenna arrays, and wherein one of the downlink control channels comprises an array identifier for the specified array and a frame structure for the specified array.

20. The mobile station of claim 17, wherein the communication system comprises a millimeter-wave mobile broadband (MMB) communication system.