Systems and methods for providing a reduced power amplifier transmission mode

• US 8,515,363 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2009
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Imamura, Kimihiko, Park, Kenneth James, Kowalski, John M., Choudhury, Sayantan
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US12/488,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20100323753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 370/326, 370/336, 375/260, 455/522, 455/101, 455/103
• US Class Current: 455/101
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/02 Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/045 with means for improving efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) that supports multiple antenna transmission via multiple power amplifiers may operate in a reduced power amplifier (PA) mode. When operating in the reduced PA mode, a subset of the UE'"'"'s power amplifiers are used to transmit uplink signals. A UE may send a preference signal to an e-Node B to request that the UE operate in the reduced PA mode.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

multiple antennas transmitting and receiving signals, wherein;

the UE supports at least a one antenna mode and a closed loop single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU-MIMO) mode as uplink transmission modes;

a subset of the multiple antennas are used to transmit uplink signals in the one antenna mode; and

said uplink transmission modes are configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein said one antenna mode is an antenna selection mode.

3. The UE of claim 1, comprising a transmitter to transmit sounding reference signals.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE sends a preference signal to an e-Node B (eNB), wherein the preference signal comprises a request for the UE to operate in the one antenna mode.

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein the preference signal is sent via Media Access Control (MAC) control signaling.

6. The UE of claim 4, wherein the preference signal is sent via Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection re-establishment signaling.

7. The UE of claim 4, wherein the preference signal is sent via UE capability transfer signaling.

8. The UE of claim 4, wherein the preference signal is sent via a measurement report.

9. The UE of claim 4, wherein the preference signal is sent via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) control signaling.

10. The UE of claim 4, wherein the preference signal comprises at least one of UE type, battery status, and application type.

11. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE sends capability information to an e-Node B (eNB) via UE capability transfer signaling.

12. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE sends capability information to an e-Node B (eNB).

13. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE creates a preference signal based on evaluating one antenna mode criteria.

14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the one antenna mode criteria comprises pathloss information.

15. The UE of claim 13, wherein the one antenna mode criteria comprises battery status.

16. The UE of claim 13, wherein the one antenna mode criteria comprises an indicator of an E911 call.

17. A method for uplink transmission, wherein:

a user equipment (UE) supports at least a one antenna mode or a closed loop single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU-MIMO) mode as an uplink transmission mode;

a subset of the multiple antennas are used to transmit uplink signals in the one antenna mode; and

the uplink transmission mode is configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting sounding reference signals.

19. An enhanced Node B (eNB), wherein:

the eNB configures a user equipment (UE) to operate in at least a one antenna mode or a closed loop single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU-MIMO) mode as an uplink transmission mode;

a subset of the UE'"'"'s multiple antennas are used to transmit uplink signals in the one antenna mode; and

the eNB configures the UE to operate in the uplink transmission mode via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

20. The eNB of claim 19, wherein the eNB also measures channel conditions.