Apparatus, method and computer program product providing closed loop transmit antenna operation for systems using multiple antennas

• US 7,715,488 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pedersen, Klaus, Mogensen, Preben
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, DON NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US11/479,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20070002963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 375/267
• US Class Current: 375/267
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0634 Antenna weights or vector/matrix coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0654 at the receiver, e.g. antenna verification at mobile station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0665 Feed forward of transmit weights to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/06 using space diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information

Abstract

A method includes determining weights corresponding to each of a plurality of antennas used to transmit data signals, each weight suitable to modify a corresponding one of the data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the antennas; and transmitting information corresponding to at least one of the weights, the information allowing at least the at least one weight to be determined. Another method includes receiving information corresponding to at least one of a plurality of weights, the plurality of weights corresponding to a plurality of first antennas used to transmit first data signals, where each weight was used to modify a corresponding one of the first data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the first antennas; using the received information, determining the plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of first antennas; and using at least the plurality of weights; and decoding second data signals received using a plurality of second antennas to create at least one output signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining weights corresponding to each of a plurality of antennas used to transmit data signals to a receiver based at least in part on recommended antenna weights by the receiver, each weight suitable to modify a corresponding one of the data signals prior to transmission from a transmitter using a corresponding one of the antennas;

each weight capable of being different than the antenna weight recommended by the receiver; and

transmitting information to the receiver corresponding to at least one applied weight at the transmitter, the information allowing at least the at least one weight as actually applied to be determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting further comprises transmitting the information using a High Speed Shared Control Channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the data signals using corresponding ones of the weights; and

transmitting the modified data signals using the plurality of antennas.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying and transmitting maintains transmission diversity by modifying a single data signal using corresponding ones of the weights and by transmitting the modified data signals of the single data signal using the plurality of antennas.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying and transmitting uses Multiple In, Multiple Out (MIMO) transmission by modifying at least two data signals using corresponding ones of the weights and by transmitting the modified data signals of the at least two data signals using the plurality of antennas.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting further comprises transmitting the modified data signals using a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least an additional weight other than the at least one weight can be determined using the transmitted information.

8. The method claim 1, wherein the information is first information and wherein the method further comprises receiving second information calculated by the receiver, the second information corresponding to weights to be used for each of the plurality of antennas, and wherein determining weights further comprises determining, using the second information calculated by the receiver, the antenna weights corresponding to each of the plurality of antennas.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information calculated by the receiver is received over a High Speed Dedicated Physical Control Channel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the information calculated by the receiver is received in amounts that vary over a period of time.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to be coupled to a plurality of antennas used to transmit data signals;

one or more memories comprising program code; and

one or more data processors coupled to the one or more memories and to the transceiver, the one or more data processors configured when the program code is executed to perform the following operations;

determining weights corresponding to each of the plurality of antennas based at least in part on recommended antenna weights, each weight suitable to modify a corresponding one of the data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the antennas;

each weight capable of being different than the antenna weight recommended by the receiver; and

causing the transceiver to transmit information corresponding to at least one applied weight at the transceiver, the information allowing at least the at least one weight as actually applied to be determined.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein transmitting further comprises transmitting the information using a High Speed Shared Control Channel.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the apparatus further comprises a plurality of multipliers configured to multiply a corresponding one of the data signals by a corresponding weight and to produce a plurality of modified data signals; and

the operations further comprise causing the modified data signals to be transmitted by the transceiver using the plurality of antennas.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of the data signals correspond to a single data signal routed to each of the multipliers.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data signals correspond to at least two different data signals routed to each of the multipliers.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein transmitting further comprises transmitting the modified data signals using a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least an additional weight other than the at least one weight can be determined using the transmitted information.

18. The apparatus claim 11, wherein the information is first information, wherein the transceiver receives second information calculated by a receiver, the second information corresponding to weights to be used for each of the plurality of antennas, and wherein determining weights further comprising determining, using the second information calculated by the receiver, the weights corresponding to each of the plurality of antennas.

19. An information bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by at least one data processor to perform operations comprising:

determining weights corresponding to each of a plurality of antennas used to transmit data signals based at least in part on recommended antenna weights by a receiver, each weight suitable to modify a corresponding one of the data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the antennas;

each weight capable of being different than the antenna weight recommended by the receiver; and

causing information to be transmitted corresponding to at least one applied weight, the information allowing at least the at least one weight as actually applied to be determined.

20. A method comprising:

transmitting feedback information for recommended antenna weights by a receiver;

receiving information corresponding to at least one of a plurality of applied weights used at a transmitter, the plurality of applied weights corresponding to a plurality of first antennas used to transmit first data signals, where each weight was used to modify a corresponding one of the first data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the first antennas;

using the received information, determining the plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of first antennas; and

using at least the plurality of weights, decoding second data signals received using a plurality of second antennas to create at least one output signal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein decoding further comprises performing channel estimation using at least the plurality of weights.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising calculating second weights for each of the plurality of first antennas using the channel estimation.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising transmitting second information corresponding to the calculated second weights on a High Speed Dedicated Physical Control Channel.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein receiving further comprises receiving the information on a High Speed Shared Control Channel.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving the second data signals using a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein decoding further comprises decoding the second data signals received using the plurality of second antennas to create a single output signal, wherein each of the first data signals was determined using a single input signal, and wherein the single output signal comprise a decoded version of the single input signal.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein decoding further comprises decoding the second data signals received using the plurality of second antennas to create a plurality of output signals, wherein the first data signals were determined using a plurality of input signals, and wherein the plurality of output signal comprise decoded versions of the plurality of input signals.

28. An apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to be coupled to a plurality of first antennas used to receive first data signals, the transceiver configured to transmit feedback information for recommended antenna weights, the transceiver configured to receive information corresponding to at least one of a plurality of applied weights at a transmitter, the plurality of weights corresponding to a plurality of second antennas used to transmit second data signals, where each weight was used to modify a corresponding one of the second data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the second antennas;

one or more memories comprising program code; and

one or more data processors coupled to the one or more memories and to the transceiver, the one or more data processors configured when the program code is executed to perform the following operations;

using the received information, determining the plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of second antennas; and

using at least the plurality of weights, decoding the first data signals to create at least one output signal.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the operation of decoding further comprises the operation of performing channel estimation using at least the plurality of weights.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise calculating second weights for each of the plurality of second antennas using the channel estimation.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising the operation of causing second information corresponding to the calculated second weights to be transmitted using the transceiver on a High Speed Dedicated Physical Control Channel.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the operation of causing second information corresponding to the calculated second weights to be transmitted further comprises causing the second information corresponding to the calculated second weights to be transmitted based on an amount of information allowed to be transmitted during a time period.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the information on a High Speed Shared Control Channel.

34. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the first data signals using a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel.

35. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein operation of decoding further comprises the operation of decoding the second data signals received using the plurality of first antennas to create a single output signal, wherein each of the second data signals was determined using a single input signal, and wherein the single output signal comprise a decoded version of the single input signal.

36. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the operation of decoding further comprises the operation of decoding the second data signals received using the plurality of first antennas to create a plurality of output signals, wherein the second data signals were determined using a plurality of input signals, and wherein the plurality of output signal comprise decoded versions of the plurality of input signals.

37. An information bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by at least one data processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting feedback information for recommended antenna weights by a receiver;

causing information to be received, the information corresponding to at least one of a plurality of applied weights used at a transmitter, the plurality of weights corresponding to a plurality of first antennas used to transmit first data signals, where each weight was used to modify a corresponding one of the first data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the first antennas; and

using the received information, determining the plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of first antennas; and

using at least the plurality of weights, decoding second data signals received using a plurality of second antennas to create at least one output signal.