Efficient SRS resource indication methods

• US 10,374,768 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2018
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Harrison, Robert Mark, Faxer, Sebastian, Nilsson, Andreas, Petersson, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Levitan, Dmitry
• Application Number:
  US16/195,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20190103949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 370310, 370328, 370329
• 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 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network

Abstract

A method of identifying reference signal resources to be used in a transmission by a wireless device is disclosed. The method comprises a wireless device receiving signaling configuring the wireless device with a plurality of reference signal resource groups, each group comprising a plurality of reference signal resources. The wireless device subsequently receives an indication, in a control channel, of a selection of reference signal resources to be used. Each of the plurality of reference signal resources to be used is selected from a different one of the plurality of reference signal resource groups such that reference signal resources belonging to the same reference signal resource group are not selected for simultaneous use. A reference signal is then transmitted to a network node in the network using the indicated selection of reference signal resources.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless device, operable in a cellular wireless communication network, of identifying reference signal resources to be used in a transmission by the wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving signaling configuring the wireless device with a plurality of reference signal resource groups, each group comprising a plurality of reference signal resources;

receiving an indication, in a control channel, of a selection of reference signal resources to be used, wherein each of the plurality of reference signal resources to be used is selected from a different one of the plurality of reference signal resource groups such that reference signal resources belonging to the same reference signal resource group are not selected for simultaneous use; and

transmitting a reference signal to a network node in the network using the indicated selection of reference signal resources,

wherein the indication of the plurality of reference signal resources to be used includes a bit field, the length of the bit field depending on a maximum number of MIMO layers that the wireless device is capable of transmitting and a number of reference signal resources in a corresponding one of the reference signal resource groups.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal resources are sounding reference signal (SRS) resources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted reference signal is an SRS.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of the bit field is sufficient to indicate S combinations of SRS resources, wherein:

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is transmitted for beam management usage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device includes multiple antenna panels, each one of the plurality of reference signal resource groups corresponding to a different one of the antenna panels.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving signaling configuring the wireless device with a plurality of reference signal resource groups includes receiving a radio resource control message that defines a control channel trigger associated with the plurality of reference signal resource groups;

and

wherein receiving an indication, in a control channel, of a selection of reference signal resources to be used includes receiving a trigger associated with the plurality of reference signal resource groups and a resource indicator that indicates reference signal resources selected from among reference signal resources within the triggered plurality of reference signal resource groups.

8. A wireless device for facilitating communications in a cellular wireless communication network by obtaining an indication of reference signal resources to be used, the wireless device comprising:

a memory containing computer readable instructions; and

processing circuitry configured to execute the computer readable instructions, whereby the wireless device is operable to;

receive signaling that configures the wireless device with a plurality of reference signal resource groups, each group comprising a plurality of reference signal resources;

receive an indication, in a control channel, of a selection of reference signal resources to be used, wherein each of the plurality of reference signal resources to be used is selected from a different one of the plurality of reference signal resource groups such that reference signal resources belonging to the same reference signal resource group are not selected for simultaneous use; and

transmit a reference signal to a network node in the network using the indicated selection of reference signal resources,

wherein the indication of the plurality of reference signal resources to be used includes a bit field, the length of the bit field depending on a maximum number of MIMO layers that the wireless device is capable of transmitting and a number of reference signal resources in a corresponding one of the reference signal resource groups.

9. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the reference signal resources are sounding reference signal (SRS) resources.

10. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the length of the bit field is sufficient to indicate S combinations of SRS resources, wherein:

11. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the reference signal is transmitted for beam management usage.

12. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the wireless device includes multiple antenna panels, each one of the plurality of reference signal resource groups corresponding to a different one of the antenna panels.

13. A method in a network node, of configuring and indicating use of reference signal transmission settings in a wireless device operable in a cellular wireless communication network, the method comprising:

transmitting signaling configuring the wireless device with a plurality of reference signal resource groups, each group comprising a plurality of reference signal resources; and

transmitting an indication, in a control channel, of a selection of reference signal resources to be used, wherein the network node selects each of the plurality of reference signal resources to be used from a different one of the plurality of reference signal resource groups such that reference signal resources belonging to the same reference signal resource group are not selected for simultaneous use; and

receiving a reference signal from the wireless device using the indicated selection of reference signal resources,

wherein the indication of the plurality of reference signal resources to be used includes a bit field, the length of the bit field depending on a maximum number of MIMO layers that the wireless device is capable of transmitting and a number of reference signal resources in a corresponding one of the reference signal resource groups.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reference signal resources are sounding reference signal (SRS) resources.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the length of the bit field is sufficient to indicate combinations of SRS resources, wherein:

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the received reference signal is used for beam management.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless device includes multiple antenna panels, each one of the plurality of reference signal resource groups corresponding to a different one of the antenna panels.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting signaling configuring the wireless device with a plurality of reference signal resource groups includes transmitting a radio resource control message that defines a control channel trigger associated with the plurality of reference signal resource groups;

and

wherein transmitting an indication, in a control channel, of a selection of reference signal resources to be used includes transmitting a trigger associated with the plurality of reference signal resource groups and a resource indicator that indicates reference signal resources selected from among reference signal resources within the triggered plurality of reference signal resource groups.