Systems and Methods for Network MIMO

• US 20160088644A1
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Au, Kelvin Kar-Kin, Fong, Mo-Han, Vrzic, Sophie, Novak, Robert, Yuan, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 9,668,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 7/0486 taking channel rank into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communication system comprising a master base station and a slave base station. The master base station has a plurality of transmit antennas and transmits a first set of data to a mobile station in a first transmission. The slave base station has a plurality of transmit antennas and transmits a second set of data to the mobile station in the first transmission. The master base station retransmits the second set of data to the mobile station during a first retransmission and the slave base station retransmits the first set of data to the mobile station during the first retransmission.

Claims

1. A method of enabling network Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) among a plurality of Base Stations (BSs) and a Mobile Station (MS), the method comprising:

determining at a first of the plurality of BSs that the MS is eligible for MIMO;

sending to the MS an indication of network MIMO, wherein the indication of network MIMO causes the MS to measure Carrier to Interference Ratios (C/Is) based on received pilot signals;

receiving feedback information from the MS, wherein the feedback information comprises at least one of the BSs eligible for MIMO, the C/Is based on the pilot signals, a precoding matrix index, and a rank indicating streams for receiving data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the pilot signals to the MS.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of network MIMO further causes the MS to determine whether the MS is ready to receive a network MIMO transmission.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determination of whether the MS is ready to receive the network MIMO transmission is based upon at least one of an absolute C/I threshold, a difference in the C/Is between the first of the plurality of BSs and a second of the plurality of BSs that is eligible for MIMO, instantaneous channel conditions, and the structure of the MS.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback information comprises an identification of a network MIMO group comprising the first of the plurality of BSs and a second of the plurality of BSs.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising configuring a network MIMO zone based on the identification of the network MIMO group.

7. A base station (BS) in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system for enabling network MIMO among a plurality of BSs and at least one mobile station (MS), the BS comprising:

at least one transmitting antenna; and

a control system configured to;

determine that the MS is eligible for MIMO;

send to the MS an indication of network MIMO, wherein the indication of network MIMO causes the MS to measure Carrier to Interference Ratios (C/Is) based on received pilot signals;

receive feedback information from the MS, wherein the feedback information comprises at least one of the BSs eligible for MIMO, the C/Is based on the pilot signals, a precoding matrix index, and a rank indicating streams for receiving data.

8. The BS of claim 7, wherein the control system is further configured to send the pilot signals to the MS.

9. The BS of claim 7, wherein the indication of network MIMO further causes the MS to determine whether the MS is ready to receive a network MIMO transmission.

10. The BS of claim 9, wherein the determination of whether the MS is ready to receive the network MIMO transmission is based upon at least one of an absolute C/I threshold, a difference in the C/Is between the first of the plurality of BSs and a second of the plurality of BSs that is eligible for MIMO, instantaneous channel conditions, and the structure of the MS.

11. The BS of claim 7, wherein the feedback information comprises an identification of a network MIMO group comprising the first of the plurality of BSs and a second of the plurality of BSs.

12. The BS of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to configure a network MIMO zone based on the identification of the network MIMO group.