Method and apparatus for channel-related information feedback in a beamforming system

• US 9,667,327 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeong, Su-Ryong, Park, Jeong-Ho, Son, Hyuk-Min, Yu, Hyun-Kyu, Jeong, Cheol, Lee, Nam-Jeong, Kim, Jae-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US14/844,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 375267, 375219, 375260, 375295, 375285, 375346, 375347, 375349, 370241, 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• 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 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0619 using feedback from receiving side feedback signaling for adaptive modulation/coding H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0626 Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/084 Equal gain combining, only phase adjustments antenna beam scanning or forming by phase or amplitude control H01Q3/26, e.g. phased arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a pre-5^th-Generation (5G) or 5G communication system to be provided for supporting higher data rates Beyond 4^th-Generation (4G) communication system such as Long Term Evolution (LTE). A method for channel-related information feedback in a beamforming system, performed by a transmitter is provided. The method includes determining whether a receiver is to feed back gain information about an effective channel established between the transmitter and the receiver using channel-related information between the transmitter and the receiver, notifying the receiver of a feedback mode indicating whether the gain information is to be fed back, upon receipt of feedback information configured based on the feedback mode from the receiver, reconfiguring the effective channel based on the feedback information, and transmitting a signal on the reconfigured effective channel.

Claims

1. A method for receiving feedback information by a transmitter in a beam forming system, the method comprising:

determining whether a receiver is to feed back gain information about an effective channel established with the receiver using feedback mode related information between the transmitter and the receiver;

notifying the receiver of a feedback mode comprising an indicator indicating whether the gain information is to be fed back;

if the indicator is determined as a value indicating that the gain information is to be fed back, receiving the feedback information comprising the gain information; and

reconfiguring the effective channel based on the gain information, and transmitting a signal on the reconfigured effective channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback mode related information includes at least one of information about a number of antennas in the transmitter, information about a beam width of each of the antennas of the transmitter, a comparing result of a difference between a plurality of elements of the effective channel with a difference threshold, and a transmission mode indicating a single user mode or a multiple users mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the receiver is to feed back gain information comprises:

if the number of antennas is greater than an antenna number threshold or if a difference between the plurality of elements of the effective channel is greater than the difference threshold, or if the transmission mode indicates the multiple users mode, determining the indicator as the value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain information is one of a magnitude and position of a gain value in a codebook pre-shared with the receiver, and the codebook is a set of gain values of element vectors forming the effective channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of bits indicating the gain information is determined based on a number of transmission beams of the transmitter and a number of users.

6. A method for transmitting feedback information by a receiver in a beam-forming system the method comprising:

if a reference signal is received from a transmitter, transmitting channel-related information between the transmitter and the receiver;

receiving, from the transmitter, feedback mode information comprising an indicator indicating whether gain information about an effective channel established with the transmitter is to be fed back;

if the indicator indicates that the gain information is to be fed back, generating feedback information comprising the gain information; and

transmitting, to the transmitter, the feedback information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a value of the indicator is determined based on at least one of information about a number of antennas in the transmitter, information about a beam width of the antennas of the transmitter, a comparing result of a difference between a plurality of elements of the effective channel with a difference threshold, and a transmission mode indicating a single user mode or a multiple users mode.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein if the number of antennas is greater than an antenna number threshold, or if the difference between a plurality of gain elements of the effective channel is greater than the difference threshold, or if the transmission mode indicates the multiple users mode, a value of the indicator is determined as a value indicating that the receiver is to feed back the gain information.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the gain information is one of a magnitude and position of a gain value in a codebook pre-shared with the receiver, and the codebook is a set of gain values of element vectors forming the effective channel.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein a number of bits indicating the gain information is determined based on a number of transmission beams of the transmitter and a number of users.

11. A transmitter for receiving feedback information in a beamforming system, the transmitter comprising:

a controller configured to determine whether a receiver is to feed back gain information about an effective channel established between the transmitter and the receiver using feedback mode related information between the transmitter and the receiver, and to notify the receiver of a feedback mode comprising an indicator indicating whether the gain information is to be fed back through a transceiver;

if the indicator is determined as a value indicating that the gain information is to be fed back, a receiver is configured to receive the feedback information comprising the gain information;

an effective channel configurer configured to reconfigure the effective channel based on the gain information; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a signal on the reconfigured effective channel.

12. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein the feedback mode related information includes at least one of information about a number of antennas in the transmitter, information about a beam width of each of the antennas of the transmitter, and a transmission mode indicating a single user mode or a multiple users mode.

13. The transmitter of claim 12, wherein if a number of antennas is greater than an antenna number threshold, or if a difference between a plurality of elements of the effective channel is greater than a difference threshold, or if the transmission mode indicates the multiple users mode, the controller is configured to determine the value of the indicator.

14. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein the gain information is one of a magnitude and position of a gain value in a codebook pre-shared with the receiver, and the codebook is a set of gain values of element vectors forming the effective channel.

15. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein the controller determines a number of bits indicating the gain information based on a number of transmission beams of the transmitter and a number of users.

16. A receiver for transmitting feedback information in a beamforming system, the receiver comprising:

a transmitter unit configured to, if a reference signal is received from a transmitter, transmit channel-related information between the transmitter and the receiver

a receiver unit configured to receive, from the transmitter, feedback mode information comprising an indicators indicating whether gain information about an effective channel established with the transmitter is to be fed back;

a controller configured to, if the indicator indicates that the gain information is to be fed back, generate feedback information comprising the gain information; and

the transmitter unit is further configured to transmit, to the transmitter, the feedback information.

17. The receiver of claim 16, wherein a value of the indicator is is determined based on at least one of information about a number of antennas in the transmitter, information about a beam width of the antennas of the transmitter, a comparing result of a difference between a plurality of elements of the effective channel with a difference threshold, and a transmission mode indicating a single user mode or a multiple users mode.

18. The receiver of claim 17, wherein if the number of antennas is greater than an antenna number threshold, or if the difference between a plurality of gain values of the effective channel is greater than the difference threshold, or if the transmission mode indicates the multiple users mode, the indicator indicates that the receiver is to feed back the gain information is determined.

19. The receiver of claim 16, wherein the gain information is one of a magnitude and position of a gain value in a codebook pre-shared with the receiver, and the codebook is a set of gain values of element vectors forming the effective channel.

20. The receiver of claim 16, wherein a number of bits indicating the gain information is determined based on a number of transmission beams of the transmitter and a number of users.