Wireless communications system, wireless communications apparatus, wireless communications method and computer program for wireless communication

• US 9,819,517 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kuroda, Shinichi, Takano, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sciacca, Scott M
• Application Number:
  US15/385,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20170104612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0421 utilizing implicit feedback, e.g. steered pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0665 Feed forward of transmit weights to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0854 using error minimizing algorithms, e.g. minimum mean squared error [MMSE], "cross-correlation" or matrix inversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0862 receiver computing weights based on information from the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0656 Cyclotomic systems, e.g. Bell Labs Layered Space-Time [BLAST]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/0377 during the reception of training signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0202 Channel estimation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0224 using sounding signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/12 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

In performing SVD-MIMO transmission, a set-up procedure is simplified while assuring a satisfactory decoding capability with a reduced number of antennas. A transmitter estimates channel information based on reference signals sent from a receiver, determines a transmit antenna weighting coefficient matrix based on the channel information, calculates a weight to be assigned to each of components of a multiplexed signal, and sends, to the receiver, training signals for respective signal components, the training signals being weighted by the calculated weights. On the other hand, the receiver determines a receive antenna weighting coefficient matrix based on the received training signals.

Claims

1. An electronic device having a first spatial multiplexing decoding capability, the electronic device comprising:

circuitry configured to receive and process a data packet including, in sequential order, preamble signals, training signals and data signals, wherein

the training signals are weighted by weights included in a weight matrix for spatial multiplexing, the weight matrix being set to weight the data signals to be transmitted on an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) sub-carrier from another electronic device to the electronic device, the training signals being received from the another electronic device before the data signals on the sub-carrier,

the preamble signals are for use of at least one of signal detection, synchronization or adjustment of gain at the electronic device,

the training signals are used to estimate channel state, and

a number of the training signals which are sequentially received is based on information associated with the spatial multiplexing decoding capability being transmitted to the another electronic device before receiving the data packet, wherein

the preamble signals are not weighted by the weights included in the weight matrix prior to receiving the training signals on the OFDM sub-carrier.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to transmit a first packet in response to receiving a second packet from the another electronic device before receiving the data packet, the first packet including the information associated with the spatial multiplexing decoding capability.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein

the first packet includes reference signals, a number of the reference signals being determined according to the spatial multiplexing decoding capability.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein

the first packet is a Clear-To-Send (CTS) packet and the second packet is a Request-To-Send (RTS) packet.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of antenna nodes configured to receive the data packet from the another electronic device, wherein

the first spatial multiplexing decoding capability corresponds to a number of the plurality of antenna nodes.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein

the plurality of antenna nodes includes at least a first antenna node and a second antenna node, and

the training signals include:

a first training signal weighted by a first weight corresponding to a first channel through the first antenna node; and

a second training signal weighted by a second weight corresponding to a second channel through the second antenna node.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein

the first training signal is received before the second training signal.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein

the first training signal and the second training signal are received according to a time division method.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein

the data signals include a first data signal weighted by the first weight and a second data signal weighted by the second weight,

the first training signal and the second training signal are received at different times difference, and

the first data signal and the second data signal are received simultaneously.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein

the first training signal and the second training signal are received according to a time division method, and

the first data signal and the second data signal are received according to a spatial division method.

11. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the number of antenna nodes for receiving spatial multiplexing signals is two.

12. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein

the another electronic device has a spatial multiplexing decoding capability that corresponds to a number of a plurality of antenna nodes of the another electronic device, and

the number of the plurality of antenna nodes of the another electronic device is larger than a number of the plurality of antenna nodes of the electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein

the electronic device includes two antenna nodes for receiving the spatial multiplexing signals, and

the electronic device includes two antennas each connected to a respective one of the two antenna nodes.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to estimate the channel state based on the training signals received from the another electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the weight matrix is generated based on the channel state between the electronic device and the another electronic device.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein

the weight matrix is generated by the another electronic device.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein

the circuitry is configured to transmit reference signals to the another electronic device prior to receiving the data packet, and

the weight matrix is generated by the another electronic device based on a channel state estimated based on the reference signals.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the another electronic device has a spatial multiplexing decoding capability that is greater than the spatial multiplexing decoding capability of the electronic device.

19. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to use the preamble signals for signal detection, synchronization and adjustment of gain at the electronic device.

20. An electronic device having a spatial multiplexing decoding capability, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

receive information from another electronic device, the information indicating a spatial multiplexing decoding capability of the another electronic device;

generate preamble signals, which are used for at least one of signal detection, synchronization or adjustment of gain for the another electronic device;

generate training signals weighted by weights included in a weight matrix for spatial multiplexing, the weight matrix being set to weight data signals to be transmitted on an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) sub-carrier from the electronic device to the another electronic device; and

transmit a data packet including, in sequential order, the preamble signals, the training signals and data signals to the another electronic device on the OFDM sub-carrier, wherein

the training signals are used to estimate channel state, and a number of the training signals is determined based on the spatial multiplexing decoding capability of the another electronic device, and

each of the training signals are transmitted to the another electronic device at different timings, wherein

the preamble signals are not weighted by the weights included in the weight matrix.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein

the circuitry is configured to generate the weight matrix associated with the channel state between the electronic device and the another electronic device.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein

the circuitry is configured to perform calibration of reference signals transmitted from the another electronic device to the electronic device.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein

the circuitry is configured to perform the calibration based on characteristics of analog radio frequency circuitry of at least one of the electronic device or the another electronic device.

24. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein

the circuitry is configured to determine the weight matrix without receiving information representing the weight matrix from the another electronic device.

25. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein

the circuitry is configured to generate the weight matrix based on an estimate of the channel state between the electronic device and the another electronic device based on reference signals received from the another electronic device.

26. The electronic device of claim 20, further comprising:

antenna nodes configured to transmit the data packet to the another electronic device, wherein

the spatial multiplexing decoding capability of the electronic device corresponds to a number of the antenna nodes.

27. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein

the antenna nodes includes three antenna nodes.

28. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein

the preamble signals are used for signal detection, synchronization and adjustment of gain at the another electronic device.