DOWNLINK TIMING REFERENCE FOR COORDINATED MULTIPOINT COMMUNICATION

• US 20130083682A1
• Filed: 09/25/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sap Portals Israel Ltd (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ng, Boon Loong, Zhang, Jianzhong, Nam, Young-Han
• Application Number:
  US13/626,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20130083682A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/261 Details of reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2662 Symbol synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• 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: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling

Abstract

A method, apparatus and a system are disclosed. A method of operating a user equipment includes receiving one or more signals from one or more transmission points for a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission. The method also includes identifying a timing reference for receiving the coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission as a time when a signal is first received from one of the transmission points.

Claims

1. A method of operating an user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving one or more signals from one or more transmission points for a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission; and

identifying a timing reference for receiving the CoMP transmission as a time when a signal is first received from one of the transmission points.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing reference is based on at least one of a reference signal, a frame, a subframe, and an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing symbol that is received first in time when configuring the user equipment for reception of the CoMP transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the timing reference for the CoMP reception comprises:

identifying the timing reference as an earliest path arrival timing among transmission points in a CoMP measurement set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the timing reference for the CoMP reception comprises:

identifying the timing reference from a network signal comprising information about a transmission point whose reference signal is to be used as the timing reference.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using the timing reference in determining a timing advance for an uplink transmission for multipoint reception.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the timing reference for the CoMP reception comprises:

identifying the timing reference in response to a request to configure a CoMP communication mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the timing reference for the CoMP reception comprises:

identifying the timing reference in response to a request to configure a CoMP measurement set.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the timing reference for the CoMP reception comprises:

identifying the timing reference from one of a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal, a cell-specific reference signal, and a channel-state-information reference signal.

9. An apparatus in an user equipment, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive one or more signals from one or more transmission points for a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission; and

a controller configured to identify a timing reference for receiving the CoMP transmission as a time when a signal is first received from one of the transmission points.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the timing reference is based on at least one of a reference signal, a frame, a subframe, and an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing symbol that is received first in time when configuring the user equipment for reception of the CoMP transmission.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to identify the timing reference for the CoMP reception the controller is configured to identify the timing reference as an earliest path arrival timing among transmission points in a CoMP measurement set.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to identify the timing reference for the CoMP reception the controller is configured to identify the timing reference from a network signal comprising information about a transmission point whose reference signal is to be used as the timing reference.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to use the timing reference in determining a timing advance for an uplink transmission for multipoint reception.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to identify the timing reference for the CoMP reception the controller is configured to identify the timing reference in response to a request to configure a CoMP communication mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to identify the timing reference for the CoMP reception the controller is configured to identify the timing reference in response to a request to configure a CoMP measurement set.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to identify the timing reference for the CoMP reception the controller is configured to identify the timing reference from one of a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal, a cell-specific reference signal, and a channel-state-information reference signal.

17. A system comprising:

a base station configured to transmit one or more signals for a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission; and

an user equipment configured to receive one or more signals from one or more transmission points for the CoMP transmission and identify a timing reference for receiving the CoMP transmission as a time when a signal is first received from one of the transmission points.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the timing reference is based on at least one of a reference signal, a frame, a subframe, and an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing symbol that is received first in time when configuring the user equipment for reception of the CoMP transmission.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the user equipment is configured to use the timing reference in determining a timing advance for an uplink transmission for multipoint reception.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the reference signal is one of a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal, a cell-specific reference signal, and a channel-state-information reference signal.