Receiver-aided multi-user MIMO and coordinated beamforming
View Patent ↗Embodiments include systems and methods for improving the beamforming efficiency of Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) and/or Coordinate Beamforming (CB) in wireless multi-access networks. In one aspect, a receiver-aided approach for MU-MIMO and/or CB is provided. Unlike conventional MU-MIMO/CB operation which is transparent to the UE, the receiver-aided approach herein makes information about potential MU-MIMO and/or CB multi-user interference available to UEs being considered for MU-MIMO and/or CB transmission. As such, the UEs can provide Channel State Information (CSI) that is better tailored to actual data transmission conditions than in conventional operation, and the base station can make better decisions regarding MU-MIMO and/or CB operation, user selection, and transmission parameters (e.g., number of data streams, precoder matrix, etc.).
1. A base station comprising:
radio frequency (RF) circuitry configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; and
processor circuitry, coupled to the RF circuitry, configured to:
broadcast a first channel estimation reference signal;
receive Channel State Information (CSI) reports from a plurality of User Equipments (UEs) in response to the broadcast of the first channel estimation reference signal;
select a first UE of the plurality of UEs, based on the CSI reports, as a first candidate for a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) transmission;
signal an indication of a first precoder matrix associated with the first UE to a second UE of the plurality of UEs;
beamform, using the first precoder matrix, a second channel estimation reference signal to the second UE; and
receive a post-detection CSI report from the second UE in response to the beamform of the second channel information reference signal to the second UE.
2. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to select the first UE as the first candidate for the MU-MIMO transmission responsive to a first Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) associated with the first UE being above a threshold.
3. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to:
beamform the second channel estimation reference signal on a physical resource indicated by higher layer signaling.
4. The base station of claim 1 , wherein each CSI report from the plurality of UEs includes a first Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), and wherein the post-detection CSI report identifies a second CQI and a second precoder matrix associated with the second UE, computed under an assumption of a concurrent data transmission by the base station to the first UE using the first precoder matrix.
5. The base station of claim 4 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to signal to the second UE an energy per resource element (EPRE) ratio between the second channel estimation reference signal and the concurrent data transmission.
6. A base station, comprising:
radio frequency (RF) circuitry configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; and
processor circuitry, coupled to the circuitry, configured to:
broadcast a first channel estimation reference signal;
receive Channel State Information (CSI) reports from a plurality of User Equipments (UEs) in response to the broadcast of the first channel estimation reference signal, wherein each CSI report from the plurality of UEs includes a first Channel Quality Indicator (CQI);
select a first UE of the plurality of UEs as a first candidate for a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) transmission;
signal an indication of a first precoder matrix associated with the first UE to a second UE of the plurality of UEs;
receive a post-detection CSI report from the second UE, wherein the post-detection CSI report identifies a second CQI and a second precoder matrix associated with the second UE, computed under an assumption of a concurrent data transmission by the base station to the first UE using the first precoder matrix;
determine whether a desired performance is achievable at the second UE based on the second CQI; and
if the desired performance is achievable at the second UE,
signal an indication of the second precoder matrix associated with the second UE to the first UE; and
receive an updated CSI report from the first UE, the updated CSI report including a third CQI and a third precoder matrix associated with the first UE.
7. The base station of claim 6 , wherein the third CQI and the third precoder matrix associated with the first UE are computed under an assumption of a concurrent data transmission by the base station to the second UE using the second precoder matrix.
8. The base station of claim 6 , wherein the third CQI is computed under an assumption of a concurrent data transmission by the base station to the second UE using the second precoder matrix, and wherein the third precoder matrix is identical to the first precoder matrix associated with the first UE.
9. The base station of claim 6 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:
determine whether the desired performance is achievable at the first UE based on the third CQI; and
if the desired performance is achievable at the first UE, select the second UE as a second candidate for the MU-MIMO transmission.
10. A method performed by a base station, comprising:
broadcasting a first channel estimation reference signal;
receiving Channel State Information (CSI) reports from a plurality of User Equipments (UEs) in response to broadcasting the first channel estimation reference signal, wherein each CSI report from the plurality of UEs includes a first Channel Quality Indicator (CQI);
selecting a first UE of the plurality of UEs as a first candidate for a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) transmission;
signaling an indication of a first precoder matrix associated with the first UE to a second UE of the plurality of UEs;
receiving a post-detection CSI report from the second UE, wherein the post-detection CSI report identifies a second CQI and a second precoder matrix associated with the second UE, computed under an assumption of a concurrent data transmission by the base station to the first UE using the first precoder matrix;
determining whether a desired performance is achievable at the second UE based on the second CQI; and
if the desired performance is achievable at the second UE,
signaling an indication of the second precoder matrix associated with the second UE to the first UE; and
receiving an updated CSI report from the first UE the updated CSI report including a third CQI and a third precoder matrix associated with the first UE.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein signaling the indication of the first precoder matrix to the second UE comprises beamforming, using the first precoder matrix, a second channel estimation reference signal to the second UE.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
beamforming the second channel estimation reference signal on a physical resource element indicated by higher layer signaling.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the third CQI is computed under an assumption of a concurrent data transmission by the base station to the second UE using the second precoder matrix, and wherein the third precoder matrix is identical to the first precoder matrix associated with the first UE.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining whether the desired performance is achievable at the first UE based on the third CQI; and
if the desired performance is achievable at the first UE, selecting the second UE as a second candidate for the MU-MIMO transmission.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
signaling to the second UE an energy per resource element (EPRE) ratio between the second channel estimation reference signal and the concurrent data transmission.
16. A base station, comprising:
radio frequency (RF) circuitry configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; and
processor circuitry, coupled to the RF circuitry, configured to:
receive, based on a first channel estimation reference signal, Channel State Information (CSI) reports from a plurality of User Equipments (UEs);
select a first UE of the plurality of UEs as a first candidate for a Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) transmission based on the CSI reports;
beamform, using a first precoder matrix associated with the first UE, a second channel estimation reference signal to a second UE of the plurality of UEs; and
receive a post-detection CSI report from the second UE in response to the beamform of the second channel information reference signal to the second UE.
17. The base station of claim 16 , wherein each CSI report from the plurality of UEs includes a first Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), and wherein the post-detection CSI report identifies a second CQI associated with the second UE, computed under an assumption of a concurrent data transmission by the base station to the first UE using the first precoder matrix.
18. The base station of claim 17 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:
select the second UE as a second candidate for the MU-MIMO transmission based at least in part on the second CQI associated with the second UE.
19. The base station of claim 17 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:
signal to the second UE an energy per resource element (EPRE) ratio between the second channel estimation reference signal and the concurrent data transmission.
20. The base station of claim 16 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to:
beamform the second channel estimation reference signal on a physical resource indicated by higher layer signaling.