Techniques for beamforming to mitigate multi-user leakage and interference

• US 9,252,853 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc., Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sajadieh, Masoud, Shirani-Mehr, Hooman
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghulamali, Qutbuddin
• Application Number:
  US14/128,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20150200718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 375/267, 375/299
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/56 with provision for simultaneous communication in two directions
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/063 Parameters other than those covered in groups H04B7/0623 - H04B7/0634, e.g. channel matrix rank or transmit mode selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1864 ARQ related signaling H04L1/1607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03426 transmission using multiple-input and multiple-output channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0204 of multiple channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03305 Joint sequence estimation and interference removal joint detection of several desired signals H04L25/03331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0057 Physical resource allocation for CQI
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0085 : when channel conditions change
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 : using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 : for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 : Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 : Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 : Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 : adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 : adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 : at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 : at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 : according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 : Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 : Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0226 : based on location or mobility handoff or reselection H04W36/00; mobile application services making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 : Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/082 : among bearers or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 : Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 : for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 : for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 : of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 : Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/125 : involving different types of service backbones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 : for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 : by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 : based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 : using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 : Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 : the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 : using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 : Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 : Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 : Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 : for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 : adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Examples are disclosed for beamforming to mitigate multi-user leakage and interference. The examples include an evolved node B (eNB) receiving feedback from user equipment (UEs) to indicate strongest or highest channel gains for various beams included in a plurality of beam sets. A selection process or scheme may then be implemented to select individual beams for a UE that minimizes or reduces leakage caused by the UE'"'"'s use of a given beam. Reducing leakage may reduce interference to other UEs using other beams. Other examples are described and claimed.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory machine readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that, in response to being executed at user equipment (UE) capable of operating in compliance with one or more 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards including LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), cause the UE to:

receive a plurality of reference symbols from an evolved node B (eNB) via separate beams, each beam associated with one of a plurality of beam sets;

select a beam from each beam set according to a defined parameter;

report the selected beams to the eNB;

receive precoding weights for a given beam of the reported beams from the eNB, the given beam selected from among the plurality of beams based on the given beam causing no interference to other beams from among the plurality of beams selected for other UEs that is above a given interference threshold; and

receive data from the given beam using the precoding weights.

2. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed at the UE, cause the UE to select the beam from each beam set based on the defined parameter comprising a highest channel gain.

3. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed at the UE, cause the UE to report the selected beam to the eNB via transmission of a channel state information (CSI) report.

4. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, the plurality of antennas included in a multi-user, full-dimension, multiple-in and multiple-output, (FD-MIMO) system supported by the eNB.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one memory; and

logic for user equipment (UE) capable of operating in compliance with one or more 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards including LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), at least a portion of the logic in hardware coupled to the at least one memory, the logic to;

receive a plurality of reference symbols transmitted from an evolved node B (eNB), each received reference symbol precoded by the eNB and transmitted through a plurality of antennas via separate beams, each beam associated with one of a plurality of beam sets;

determine which beam has highest channel gain for each beam set;

report information to the eNB to indicate respective highest channel gain beams for each beam set;

receive data including precoding weights set based on a given beam selected by the eNB based on the reported highest channel gain beams, and;

use the precoding weights to receive data via the given beam.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the given beam selected from among the plurality of beams based on the given beam causing no interference to other beams from among the plurality of beams selected for other UEs that is above a given interference threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, the logic to report information to the eNB by causing transmission of a channel state information (CSI) report to the eNB.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, the plurality of antennas included in a multi-user, full-dimension, multiple-in and multiple-output, (FD-MIMO) system supported by the eNB.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, comprising a digital display coupled to the logic to present a user interface view.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one memory; and

logic for an evolved Node B (eNB) capable of operating in compliance with one or more 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards including LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), the eNB having a plurality of antennas, at least a portion of the logic in hardware coupled to the at least one memory, the logic to;

group a plurality of beams in beam sets, each beam arranged to be transmitted from the plurality of antennas;

generate reference symbols for each beam set;

activate each beam set by precoding each beam in each beam set using the reference symbols for each beam set;

cause the reference symbols in an activated beam set to be transmitted via the precoded beams;

receive feedback from a plurality of user equipment (UEs) that indicates which beam from each beam set has a highest channel gain as detected by each of the plurality of UEs;

select a number of UEs from among the plurality of UEs, the number of selected UEs to equal a total number of beam sets having the grouped beams;

select a beam from among the plurality of beams for a first selected UE based on the beam causing no interference to other beams from among the plurality of beams selected for other selected UEs that is above a given interference threshold; and

forward data to the first selected UE that includes precoding weights set based on the selected beam.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising the logic to:

create a gain table having three or more rows to indicate strongest to weakest channel gains reported by respective selected UEs indicated in each column of the gain table, the first row to indicate strongest channel gain; and

reject individual beams having a strongest channel gain for a given selected UE based on the strongest channel gain beam included in a second or third row of the gain table for any of the other selected UEs indicating interference above the given interference threshold.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, the rejected strongest channel gain beam included in the second or third row of the gain table for any of the other selected UEs to indicate the rejected strongest channel gain beam causes signal leakage that interferes with strongest channel gain beams for the other selected UEs.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, the logic to:

assign sequential index identifiers to each beam set; and

iteratively activate each beam set according to assigned sequential identifiers.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, the plurality of antennas included in a multi-user, full-dimension, multiple-in and multiple-output, (FD-MIMO) system supported by the eNB.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, the logic to activate each beam set over a given number of consecutive sub-frames, the given number based on a system design or at least one environmental parameter via which each beam is to be transmitted.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, the feedback from the plurality of UEs received via separate channel state information (CSI) reports from the plurality of UEs.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising a digital display coupled to the logic to present a user interface view.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

grouping, at an evolved Node B (eNB) capable of operating in compliance with one or more 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards including LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), a plurality of beams in beam sets, each beam arranged to be transmitted from a plurality of antennas;

generating reference symbols for each beam set;

activating each beam set by precoding each beam in each beam set using the reference symbols for each beam set;

causing the reference symbols in an activated beam set to be transmitted via the precoded beams;

receiving feedback from a plurality of user equipment (UEs) that indicates which beam from each beam set has a highest channel gain as detected by each of the plurality of UEs;

selecting a number of UEs from among the plurality of UEs, the number of selected UEs to equal a total number of beam sets having the grouped beams;

creating a gain table having three or more rows to indicate strongest to weakest channel gains reported by respective selected UEs indicated in each column of the gain table, the first row to indicate strongest channel gain;

rejecting a first beam having a strongest channel gain for a given selected UE based on the first beam included in a second or third row of the gain table for any of the other selected UEs;

selecting a second beam having a next strongest channel gain for the given selected UE; and

forwarding data to the given selected UE which includes precoding weights set based on the selected second beam.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, comprising:

assigning sequential index identifiers to each beam set; and

iteratively activating each beam set according to assigned sequential identifiers.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, comprising activating each beam set over a given number of consecutive sub-frames, the given number based on a system design or at least one environmental parameter via which each beam is to be transmitted.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, comprising selecting the number of UEs based the selected UEs indicating higher channel gains compared to non-selected UEs or the selected UEs selected based on a proportional-fair scheduling (PFS) scheme.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, comprising the first beam included in the second or third row of the gain table for any of the other selected UEs indicates the first beam causes signal leakage that interferes with strongest channel gain beams for the other selected UEs.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, comprising the plurality of antennas included in a multi-user, full-dimension, multiple-in and multiple-output, (FD-MIMO) system supported by the eNB.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, comprising the feedback from the plurality of UEs received via separate channel state information (CSI) reports from the plurality of UEs.