Enhanced SRS transmission for MIMO operation in LTE-A

• US 9,596,065 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Wanshi, Gaal, Peter, Xu, Hao, Wei, Yongbin, Geirhofer, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Divito, Walter
• Application Number:
  US13/773,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0404 the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/046 taking physical layer constraints into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0613 using simultaneous transmission H04B7/0686 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0615 of weighted versions of same signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0634 Antenna weights or vector/matrix coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0684 using different training sequences per antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0697 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0802 using antenna selection H04B7/0868 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/005 of intercell interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0204 of multiple channels
• 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 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

Enhanced sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions for multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) operation are disclosed in which a user equipment (UE) detects an observed interference level for each receiver chain of the UE. In response to an imbalance, the UE precodes a SRS targeting downlink operation to indicate the imbalance. The UE then transmits the precoded SRS. In alternative aspects, the precoded SRS vector may be determined by an evolved nodeB (eNB). In such aspects, the eNB determines the precoded SRS vector targeting downlink operations for the served UEs, wherein the determined precoded SRS vector includes determining the precoded SRS vector on a per UE basis, enabling the precoded SRS vector for either one or both of frequency division duplex (FDD) systems and time division duplex (TDD) systems, or enabling the precoded SRS vector for aperiodic SRS only. The eNB then transmits the determined precoded SRS vector to the UE.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, from a base station, one or more precoded sounding reference signal (SRS) vectors indicating precoding to apply to a precoded SRS;

receiving a plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers, wherein the precoded SRS vectors are received with the plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers and the aperiodic SRS triggers are for triggering transmission of the precoded SRS;

detecting, at a mobile device, an observed interference level for each one of a plurality of receiver chains of the mobile device;

detecting, at the mobile device, an imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains based on the observed interference level for each one of the plurality of receiver chains;

in response to the detected imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains, precoding a SRS to indicate the imbalance; and

transmitting the precoded SRS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the precoding the SRS targets downlink operations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the precoding further includes an indication to compensate a transmit power for one or more imbalanced receiver chains of the plurality of receiver chains, wherein the indication is based on the detected imbalance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the precoded SRS is processed using a first virtual antenna port while an SRS targeting uplink operations is processed using a second virtual antenna port, wherein the first and second virtual antenna ports are separate.

5. The method of claim 4, further including:

using a first symbol on the first virtual antenna port for the precoded SRS; and

using a second symbol on the second virtual antenna port for the SRS targeting uplink operations, wherein the first and second symbols are different.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the precoding is also applied to a physical uplink shared channel when the precoded SRS and an SRS targeting uplink operations are processed using a same virtual antenna port.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

detecting, at the mobile device, transmit power within a threshold level of maximum power; and

in response to the detecting, disabling the precoding at the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 2, further including:

receiving, by the mobile device, a control signal indicating a power compensation to apply to the one or more imbalanced receiver chains in response to the indication;

detecting, at the mobile device, a transmit power of the mobile device; and

applying a percentage of the power compensation to the one or more imbalanced receiver chains, wherein the percentage is determined based on how close the transmit power is to the maximum transmit power of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the precoding is based, at least in part, on a covariance matrix of the imbalance.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is an antenna selection capable mobile device without multiple input multiple output (MIMO) capabilities, wherein the precoding is based, at least in part, on a diagonal matrix corresponding to the covariance matrix.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile device is an antenna selection capable mobile device without multiple input multiple output (MIMO) capabilities;

the method further including;

receiving, by the mobile device, a control signal indicating a power compensation to apply to the one or more imbalanced receiver chains in response to the indication; and

disregarding, by the mobile device, the control signal.

12. The method of claim 1, further including:

precoding additional SRS targeting downlink operations for each reference signal for which interference is estimated; and

transmitting the additional precoded SRS.

13. The method of claim 1, further including:

indicating an error when the plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers indicate different precoded SRS vectors.

14. The method of claim 1, further including:

selecting the precoded SRS vector associated with the last of the plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers received in a same subframe.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting includes:

transmitting the precoded SRS over a plurality of subframes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the precoded SRS is transmitted using the same transmission parameters for each of the plurality of subframes.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a portion of the precoded SRS is transmitted over each of a plurality of subframes.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of subframes are one of:

configurable and predetermined.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of subframes are linked with transmission time interval (TTI) bundling operations for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the precoded SRS includes demodulation reference signals (DM-RS) used for sounding.

21. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, comprising:

means for receiving, from a base station, one or more precoded sounding reference signal (SRS) vectors indicating precoding to apply to a precoded SRS;

means for receiving a plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers, wherein the precoded SRS vectors are received with the plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers and the aperiodic SRS triggers are for triggering transmission of the precoded SRS;

means for detecting, at a mobile device, an observed interference level for each one of a plurality of receiver chains of the mobile device;

means for detecting, at the mobile device, an imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains based on the observed interference level for each one of the plurality of receiver chains;

means, executable in response to the detected imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains, for precoding a SRS to indicate the imbalance; and

means for transmitting the precoded SRS.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for precoding the SRS targets downlink operations.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the precoding further includes an indication to compensate a transmit power for one or more imbalanced receiver chains of the plurality of receiver chains, wherein the indication is based on the detected imbalance.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the precoded SRS is processed using a first virtual antenna port while an SRS targeting uplink operations is processed using a second virtual antenna port, wherein the first and second virtual antenna ports are separate.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the precoding is also applied to a physical uplink shared channel when the precoded SRS and an SRS targeting uplink operations are processed using a same virtual antenna port.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, further including:

means for detecting, at the mobile device, transmit power within a threshold level of maximum power; and

means, executable in response to the means for detecting, for disabling the precoding at the mobile device.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, further including:

means for precoding additional SRS targeting downlink operations for each reference signal for which interference is estimated; and

means for transmitting the additional precoded SRS.

28. A computer program product for wireless communications in a wireless network, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code including;

program code for causing at least one computer to receive, from a base station, one or more precoded sounding reference signal (SRS) vectors indicating precoding to apply to a precoded SRS;

program code for causing at least one computer to receive a plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers, wherein the precoded SRS vectors are received with the plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers and the aperiodic SRS triggers are for triggering transmission of the precoded SRS;

program code for causing at least one computer to detect, at a mobile device, an observed interference level for each one of a plurality of receiver chains of the mobile device;

program code for causing at least one computer to detect, at the mobile device, an imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains based on the observed interference level for each one of the plurality of receiver chains;

program code, executable in response to the detected imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains, for causing at least one computer to precode a sounding reference signal (SRS) to indicate the imbalance; and

program code for causing at least one computer to transmit the precoded SRS.

29. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

at least a transmitter;

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one processor is configured;

to receive, from a base station, one or more precoded sounding reference signal (SRS) vectors indicating precoding to apply to a precoded SRS;

to receive a plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers, wherein the precoded SRS vectors are received with the plurality of aperiodic SRS triggers and the aperiodic SRS triggers are for triggering transmission of the precoded SRS;

to detect, at a mobile device, an observed interference level for each one of a plurality of receiver chains of the mobile device;

to detect, at the mobile device, an imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains based on the observed interference level for each one of the plurality of receiver chains;

to precode a sounding reference signal (SRS) to indicate the detected imbalance in response to the detected imbalance between the plurality of receiver chains; and

to transmit the precoded SRS by the transmitter.