Method for dual mode beamforming and apparatus for the same

• US 9,503,172 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2015
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yeungnam University, Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Yonsei University
• Original Assignee: Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yeungnam University
• Inventors: Lee, Jin Hui, Sahar, Amini, Choi, Kwon Hue
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US14/932,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 375/260, 375/267, 375/299, 375347-349
• 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 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme

Abstract

Disclosed are dual mode beamforming methods and apparatuses for the same. An exemplary embodiment of the dual mode beamforming method may comprise obtaining a boundary equation generated based on mean channel gains (MCGs) and spatial correlation coefficients (SCCs) for a plurality of antennas of a plurality of base station; obtaining, from the plurality of base stations, MCGs of respective antennas equipped in each of the plurality of base stations and a SCC of a plurality of antennas equipped in at least one base station of the plurality of base stations; and determining a beamforming mode based on the boundary equation, the MCGs and SCCs obtained from the plurality of base stations. Therefore, a co-located beamforming or a distributed beamforming can be performed selectively according to a radio communication environment.

Claims

1. A dual mode beamforming method performed in a terminal, the method comprising:

obtaining a boundary equation generated based on mean channel gains (MCGs) and spatial correlation coefficients (SCCs) for a plurality of antennas of a plurality of base stations;

obtaining, from the plurality of base stations, MCGs of respective antennas equipped in each of the plurality of base stations and a SCC of a plurality of antennas equipped in at least one base station of the plurality of base stations; and

determining a beamforming mode based on the boundary equation, the MCGs and SCCs obtained from the plurality of base stations.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the boundary equation represents a region in which a co-located beamforming (CBF) is preferred and a region in which a distributed beamforming (DBF) is preferred.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beamforming mode is determined to be a CBF when a region indicated by the obtained MCGs and SCCs is a region in which the CBF is preferred among regions represented by the boundary equation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beamforming mode is determined to be a DBF when a region indicated by the obtained MCGs and SCCs is a region in which the DFB is preferred among regions represented by the boundary equation.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a SCC used for generating the boundary equation is a SCC according to an exponential correlation model or a SCC according to a constant correlation model.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of base stations exist in communicatable positions with the terminal.

7. A terminal apparatus performing communications, the terminal apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing at least one program command executed by the processor, wherein the at least one program command executes:

obtaining a boundary equation generated based on mean channel gains (MCGs) and spatial correlation coefficients (SCCs) for a plurality of antennas of a plurality of base stations;

obtaining, from the plurality of base stations, MCGs of respective antennas equipped in each of the plurality of base stations and a SCC of a plurality of antennas equipped in at least one base station of the plurality of base stations; and

determining a beamforming mode based on the boundary equation, the MCGs and SCCs obtained from the plurality of base stations.

8. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the boundary equation represents a region in which a co-located beamforming (CBF) is preferred and a region in which a distributed beamforming (DBF) is preferred.

9. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the beamforming mode is determined to be a CBF when a region indicated by the obtained MCGs and SCCs is a region in which the CBF is preferred among regions represented by the boundary equation.

10. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the beamforming mode is determined to be a CBF when a region indicated by the obtained MCGs and SCCs is a region in which the CBF is preferred among regions represented by the boundary equation.

11. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a SCC used for generating the boundary equation is a SCC according to an exponential correlation model or a SCC according to a constant correlation model.

12. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of base stations exist in communicatable positions with the terminal.