Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication method and system of enabling the method

1. A base station included in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication system configured to transmit or to receive data via a plurality of antennas with respect to a plurality of user terminals, the base station comprising:

a first channel quality information (CQI) receiving unit configured to receive first CQI from one of the user terminals when the transmission rank is any one of 1 and a maximum allowance value, the first CQI being associated with a beamforming vector selected by the user terminal; and

a second CQI generating unit configured to:

calculate a lower bound of a second CQI for an actual transmission rank based on the first CQI; and

generate the second CQI by correcting the first CQI with the lower bound of the second CQI, wherein the transmission rank of one user terminal is different from the transmission rank of another user terminal;

wherein the second CQI is generated based on interference caused by a remaining beamforming vector.

2. The base station as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second CQI generating unit is further configured to generate the second CQI based on a remaining beamforming vector that is selected by another one other user terminals that is different from the user terminal from which the first CQI was received.

3. The base station as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second CQI comprises zero-forcing (ZF)-CQI associated with a ZF beamforming scheme, Per-User Unitary Rate Control (PU2RC)-CQI associated with a PU2RC scheme, or spatial division multiplexing access (SDMA)-CQI associated with an SDMA scheme.

4. The base station as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a beamforming mode determining unit configured to determine a beamforming mode based on the second CQI, the beamforming mode used to transmit a data stream.

5. The base station as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the beamforming mode determining unit is further configured to determine the beamforming mode to use a ZF beamforming scheme, a PU2RC scheme, or an SDMA scheme.

6. The base station as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the beamforming mode determining unit is further configured to determine the beamforming mode based on a sum of data rates calculated according to the second CQI.

7. The base station as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising an indication information transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the user terminal:

first indication information associated with the beamforming vector;

second indication information associated with the actual transmission rank; or

third indication information associated with the beamforming mode.

8. The base station as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising a beamformer configured to generate a transmission signal to the user terminal by beamforming the data stream using a beamforming vector according to the determined beamforming mode.

9. The base station as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a modulation coding scheme (MCS) level selecting unit configured to select an MCS level corresponding to a radio channel based on the second CQI.

10. The base station as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the beamforming vector is selected from the user terminal as a column vector or a row vector that is included in at least one precoding matrix.

11. The base station as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the generation of the second CQI by correcting the first CQI changes a value of the second CQI to be different from a value of the first CQI.

12. A method of a base station included in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication system for transmitting or receiving data via a plurality of antennas with respect to a plurality of user terminals, the method comprising:

receiving first channel quality information (CQI) from one of the user terminals when the transmission rank is any one of 1 and a maximum allowance value, the first CQI associated with a beamforming vector selected by the user terminal;

calculating a lower bound of a second CQI for an actual transmission rank based on the first CQI; and

generating the second CQI by correcting the first CQI with the lower bound of the second CQI, wherein the transmission rank of one user terminal is different from the transmission rank of another user terminal;

wherein the second CQI is generated based on interference caused by a remaining beamforming vector.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the generating of the second CQI comprises generating the second CQI based on a remaining beamforming vector that is selected by another one other user terminals that is different from the user terminal from which the first CQI was received.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the second CQI comprises zero-forcing (ZF)-CQI associated with a ZF beamforming scheme, Per-User Unitary Rate Control (PU2RC)-CQI associated with a PU2RC scheme, or spatial division multiplexing access (SDMA)-CQI associated with an SDMA scheme.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising determining a beamforming mode based on the second CQI, the beamforming mode used to transmit a data stream.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the determining of the beamforming mode comprises determining the beamforming mode to use a ZF beamforming scheme, a PU2RC scheme, or an SDMA scheme.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the determining of the beamforming mode comprises determining the beamforming mode based on a sum of data rates calculated according to the second CQI.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising transmitting, to the user terminal:

first indication information associated with the beamforming vector;

second indication information associated with the actual transmission rank; or

third indication information associated with the beamforming mode.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising generating a transmission signal to the user terminal by beamforming the data stream using a beamforming vector according to the determined beamforming mode.

20. The method as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising selecting a modulation coding scheme (MCS) level corresponding to a radio channel based on the second CQI.

21. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the beamforming vector is selected from the user terminal as a column vector or a row vector that is included in at least one precoding matrix.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with the method of claim 12 and implemented by a computer.

23. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the generating of the second CQI by correcting the first CQI changes a value of the second CQI to be different from a value of the first CQI.