Method for estimating channel in wireless access system and apparatus for same

• US 9,521,654 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2012
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yang, Yoonoh, Lim, Suhwan, Jung, Manyoung, Lee, Sangwook
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Application Number:
  US14/395,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0226 sounding signals per se
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a method for estimating a channel in a wireless access system in which a macro cell and a pico cell coexist, and an apparatus for same. More specifically, the present invention comprises the steps of: determining whether a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) that is inserted into a subframe of a pico cell, which corresponds to a multicast broadcast signal frequency network (MBSFN) almost blank subframe (ABS), overlaps with a CRS that is inserted into an MBSFN ABS of the macro cell, when the MBSFN ABS is transmitted from the macro cell; estimating the channel by using a CRS from the pico cell that remains after excluding the CRS that overlaps with the CRS of the macro cell; and decoding the channel which is received from the subframe of the pico cell by using a channel estimation value.

Claims

1. A method of estimating a channel in a wireless access system having a macro cell and a pico cell coexisting therein, the method performed by a user equipment and comprising:

determining whether or not a CRS (Cell-specific Reference Signal) being inserted in a subframe of the pico cell respective to the MBSFN ABS overlays with a CRS being inserted in a MBSFN ABS of the macro cell, when a MBSFN (Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network) ABS (Almost Blank Subframe) is being transmitted from the macro cell;

performing channel estimation by using remaining CRSs excluding the CRS overlaying with the CRS of the macro cell among the CRSs of the pico cell; and

decoding a channel received from a subframe of the pico cell by using the channel estimation value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) being transmitted from symbol number 3 or number 4 of a subframe of the pico cell is decoded by using a channel estimation value estimated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a subframe of the pico cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) being transmitted from a subframe of the pico cell is decoded by using a channel estimation value estimated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a subframe of the pico cell.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in case contiguous first MBSFN ABS and second MBSFN ABS are being transmitted from the macro cell, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) being transmitted from symbol number 3 or number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell is decoded by using a channel estimation value calculated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 11 of a first subframe of the pico cell respective to the first MBSFN ABS and a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell respective to the second MBSFN ABS.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in case contiguous first MBSFN ABS and second MBSFN ABS are being transmitted from the macro cell, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) being transmitted from symbol number 12 or number 13 of a first subframe of the pico cell is decoded by using a channel estimation value calculated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 11 of a first subframe of the pico cell respective to the first MBSFN ABS and a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell respective to the second MBSFN ABS.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, in case contiguous first MBSFN ABS and second MBSFN ABS are being transmitted from the macro cell, PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) being transmitted from a second subframe of the pico cell is decoded by using a channel estimation value calculated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 11 of a first subframe of the pico cell respective to the first MBSFN ABS and a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell respective to the second MBSFN ABS.

7. A user equipment performing channel estimation in a wireless access system having a macro cell and a pico cell coexisting therein, the user equipment comprising:

a RF (Radio Frequency) unit configured to transmit and receive radio signals; and

a processor configured to;

determine whether or not a CRS (Cell-specific Reference Signal) being inserted in a subframe of the pico cell respective to a MBSFN ABS overlays with a CRS being inserted in a MBSFN ABS of the macro cell, in case the MBSFN (Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network) ABS (Almost Blank Subframe) is being transmitted from the macro cell;

perform channel estimation by using remaining CRSs excluding the CRS overlaying with the CRS of the macro cell among the CRSs of the pico cell; and

decode a channel received from a subframe of the pico cell by using the channel estimation value.

8. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the processor decodes PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) being transmitted from symbol number 3 or number 4 of a subframe of the pico cell by using a channel estimation value estimated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a subframe of the pico cell.

9. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the processor decodes PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) being transmitted from a subframe of the pico cell by using a channel estimation value estimated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a subframe of the pico cell.

10. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein, in case contiguous first MBSFN ABS and second MBSFN ABS are being transmitted from the macro cell, the processor decodes PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) being transmitted from symbol number 3 or number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell by using a channel estimation value calculated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 11 of a first subframe of the pico cell respective to the first MBSFN ABS and a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell respective to the second MBSFN ABS.

11. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein, in case contiguous first MBSFN ABS and second MBSFN ABS are being transmitted from the macro cell, the processor decodes PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) being transmitted from symbol number 12 or number 13 of a first subframe of the pico cell by using a channel estimation value calculated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 11 of a first subframe of the pico cell respective to the first MBSFN ABS and a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell respective to the second MBSFN ABS.

12. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein, in case contiguous first MBSFN ABS and second MBSFN ABS are being transmitted from the macro cell, the processor decodes PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) being transmitted from a second subframe of the pico cell is decoded by using a channel estimation value calculated from a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 11 of a first subframe of the pico cell respective to the first MBSFN ABS and a CRS being transmitted from symbol number 4 of a second subframe of the pico cell respective to the second MBSFN ABS.