Methods for Signaling and Using Beam Forming Quality Indicators

• US 20150222345A1
• Filed: 02/03/2015
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Elfstrm, Torbjrn, Kazmi, Muhammad, Chapman, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,729,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/00 Monitoring; Testing of line transmission systems H04B3/46; arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves H04B10/07
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0632 Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/085 involving beams of access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/302 due to low signal strength

Abstract

A method in a node is disclosed. The method comprises determining a beam forming quality indicator for the network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality. The method further comprises performing one or more radio operations using the determined beam forming quality indicator.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method in a network node, comprising:

obtaining a beam forming quality indicator for a second network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the second network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality; and

performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the function defining the beam forming quality indicator further comprises one or more of:

one or more multi-antenna configuration parameters;

one or more characteristics of a beam;

one or more characteristics of a radiation pattern; and

a frequency band or range of frequencies.

24. The method of claim 22,

wherein obtaining the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises receiving the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node from the second network node.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein obtaining the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises autonomously determining the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the network node is serving a user equipment, and performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises:

determining, based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator, that the second network node can provide better beam forming gain than a third network node, the third network node having a higher reference signal received quality than the second network node; and

performing cell change of the user equipment to the second network node.

27. The method of any of claim 22, wherein the beam forming quality indicator is a first beam forming quality indicator, the first beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a first beam forming configuration, and the method further comprises obtaining a second beam forming quality indicator, the second beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a second beam forming configuration.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first beam forming configuration and the second beam forming configuration are selected from a group including beam forming in uplink, beam forming in downlink, elevation beam forming in uplink or downlink, and ground level beam forming in the uplink or downlink.

29. A network node, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

obtain a beam forming quality indicator for a second network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the second network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality; and

perform one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node.

30. The network node of claim 29, wherein the function defining the beam forming quality indicator further comprises one or more of:

one or more multi-antenna configuration parameters;

one or more characteristics of a beam;

one or more characteristics of a radiation pattern; and

a frequency band or range of frequencies.

31. The network node of claim 29, wherein the one or more processors configured to obtain the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises one or more processors configured to receive the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node from the second network node.

32. The network node of claim 29, wherein the one or more processors configured to obtain the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises one or more processors configured to autonomously determine the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node.

33. The network node of claim 29, wherein the network node is serving a user equipment, and the one or more processors configured to perform one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises one or more processors configured to:

determine, based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator, that the second network node can provide better beam forming gain than a third network node, the third network node having a higher reference signal received quality than the second network node; and

perform cell change of the user equipment to the second network node.

34. The network node of claim 29, wherein the beam forming quality indicator is a first beam forming quality indicator, the first beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a first beam forming configuration, and the one or more processors are further configured to obtain a second beam forming quality indicator, the second beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a second beam forming configuration.

35. The network node of claim 34, wherein the first beam forming configuration and the second beam forming configuration are selected from a group including beam forming in uplink, beam forming in downlink, elevation beam forming in uplink or downlink, and ground level beam forming in the uplink or downlink.

36. A method in a user equipment, comprising:

obtaining a beam forming quality indicator for a first network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the first network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality; and

performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the function defining the beam forming quality indicator further comprises one or more of:

one or more multi-antenna configuration parameters;

one or more characteristics of a beam;

one or more characteristics of a radiation pattern; and

a frequency band or range of frequencies.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node comprises modifying one or more measurement reports based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

determining whether the beam forming performance gain indicated by the beam forming quality indicator exceeds a threshold; and

reporting the modified measurement report to one or more network nodes upon a determination that the beam forming performance gain indicated by the beam forming quality indicator exceeds the threshold.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node comprises using the obtained beam forming quality indicator for one or more cell change procedures.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the one or more cell change procedures comprise cell reselection, and the method further comprises:

determining one or more reference signal measurements for the first network node;

modifying the one or more reference signal measurements based at least in part on the beam forming quality indicator for the first network node;

reselecting, upon entering an area of a cell in which beam forming by the first network node would provide downlink throughput levels corresponding to a cell range extension zone, the first network node without a handover from a second network node.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the one or more cell change procedures comprise cell reselection, and the method further comprises:

determining the beam forming performance gain indicated by the beam forming quality indicator for the first network node;

selecting a cell having a beam forming performance gain above a threshold.

43. The method of claim 36, wherein the first network node is serving the user equipment, and the method further comprises:

obtaining a beam forming quality indicator for at least a second network node, the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node being larger than the beam forming quality indicator for the first network node by at least a beam forming quality indicator threshold;

determining, based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicators for the first and second network nodes, that the second network node can provide better beam forming performance gain than the first network node; and

performing cell change of the user equipment from the first network node to the second network node.

44. The method of claim 36, further comprising communicating capability information to one or more network nodes, the capability information including information about an ability of the user equipment to use the beam forming quality indicator for one or more radio operations.

45. A user equipment, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

obtain a beam forming quality indicator for a first network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the first network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality; and

perform one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node.

46. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the function defining the beam forming quality indicator further comprises one or more of:

one or more multi-antenna configuration parameters;

one or more characteristics of a beam;

one or more characteristics of a radiation pattern; and

a frequency band or range of frequencies.

47. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the one or more processors configured to perform one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node comprises one or more processors configured to modify one or more measurement reports based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator.

48. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine whether the beam forming performance gain indicated by the beam forming quality indicator exceeds a threshold; and

report the modified measurement report to one or more network nodes upon a determination that the beam forming performance gain indicated by the beam forming quality indicator exceeds the threshold.

49. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the one or more processors configured to perform one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node comprises one or more processors configured to use the obtained beam forming quality indicator for one or more cell change procedures.

50. The user equipment of claim 49, wherein the one or more cell change procedures comprise cell reselection, and the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine one or more reference signal measurements for the first network node;

modify the one or more reference signal measurements based at least in part on the beam forming quality indicator for the first network node;

reselect, upon entering an area of a cell in which beam forming by the first network node would provide downlink throughput levels corresponding to a cell range extension zone, the first network node without a handover from a second network node.

51. The user equipment of claim 49, wherein the one or more cell change procedures comprise cell reselection, and the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine the beam forming performance gain indicated by the beam forming quality indicator for the first network node;

select a cell having a beam forming performance gain above a threshold.

52. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the first network node is serving the user equipment, and the one or more processors are further configured to:

obtain a beam forming quality indicator for at least a second network node, the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node being larger than the beam forming quality indicator for the first network node by at least a beam forming quality indicator threshold;

determine, based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicators for the first and second network nodes, that the second network node can provide better beam forming performance gain than the first network node; and

perform cell change of the user equipment from the first network node to the second network node.

53. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to communicate capability information to one or more network nodes, the capability information including information about an ability of the user equipment to use the beam forming quality indicator for one or more radio operations.