DM-RS grouping and CSI reporting for CoMP

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to:

decode a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message from a base station (BS) that configures the UE with a type C quasi-co-location (QCL) configuration, wherein the type C QCL configuration specifies that demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) antenna ports used to transmit a same codeword (CW) or transport block (TB) in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are considered to be a quasi-co-located group;

decode downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) that schedules transmission of the PDSCH, wherein the DCI is decoded to identify the DM-RS antenna ports, MIMO (multi-input multi-output) layers, and TBs of the PDSCH to be transmitted by the BS, and wherein the DCI is decoded to determine that the PDSCH to be transmitted by the BS is an initial transmission or retransmission; and

demodulate the PDSCH by using DM-RSs in the PDSCH to estimate wireless channels over which the PDSCH is transmitted, wherein large scale properties of the wireless channels corresponding to DM-RSs that belong to the same quasi-co-located antenna port group are assumed to be the same.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

demodulate the PDSCH having two TBs and two groups of DM-RSs in an initial transmission of the PDSCH;

if both TBs in the initial transmission fail to be demodulated correctly, assume that each of the two groups of DM-RSs in a retransmission of the PDSCH are separately quasi-co-located as in the initial transmission; and

if only one of the TBs in the initial transmission fails to be demodulated correctly, assume that all DM-RSs in a retransmission of the PD SCH are quasi-co-located.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to decode DCI in the PDCCH that identifies one or more of reference signals that include cell-specific reference signals (CRSs) and channel station information reference signals (CSI-RSs) that are to be assumed to be quasi-co-located with one of the DM-RS antenna port groups.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the CSI-RSs are further useable by the UE to produce a CSI report.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the CSI report is transmitted back to a serving cell by a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to assume quasi-co-location between DM-RS antenna ports in a group and associated reference signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the large scale parameters of the wireless channels include one or more of average delay, delay spread, Doppler shift, Doppler spread and average gain.

8. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

wireless communication circuitry; and

at least one processor coupled to the wireless communication circuitry and configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to:

decode a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message from a base station (BS) that configures the UE with a type C quasi-co-location (QCL) configuration, wherein the type C QCL configuration specifies that demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) antenna ports used to transmit a same codeword (CW) or transport block (TB) in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are considered to be a quasi-co-located group;

decode downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) that schedules transmission of the PDSCH, wherein the DCI is decoded to identify the DM-RS antenna ports, MIMO (multi-input multi-output) layers, and TBs of the PDSCH to be transmitted by the BS, and wherein the DCI is decoded to determine that the PDSCH to be transmitted is an initial transmission or retransmission; and

demodulate the PDSCH by using DM-RSs in the PDSCH to estimate wireless channels over which the PD SCH is transmitted, wherein large scale properties of the wireless channels corresponding to DM-RSs that belong to the same quasi-co-located antenna port group are assumed to be the same.

9. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

demodulate the PDSCH having two TBs and two groups of DM-RSs in an initial transmission of the PDSCH;

if both TBs in the initial transmission fail to be demodulated correctly, assume that each of the two groups of DM-RSs in a retransmission of the PDSCH are separately quasi-co-located as in the initial transmission; and

if only one of the TBs in the initial transmission fails to be demodulated correctly, assume that all DM-RSs in a retransmission of the PD SCH are quasi-co-located.

10. The UE of claim 8 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to decode DCI in the PDCCH that identifies one or more of reference signals that include cell-specific reference signals (CRSs) and channel station information reference signals (CSI-RSs) that are to be assumed to be quasi-co-located with one of the DM-RS antenna port groups.

11. The UE of claim 10 , wherein the CSI-RSs are further useable by the UE to produce a CSI report.

12. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the CSI report is transmitted back to a serving cell by a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

13. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to assume quasi-co-location between DM-RS antenna ports in a group and associated reference signals.

14. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the large scale parameters of the wireless channels include one or more of average delay, delay spread, Doppler shift, Doppler spread and average gain.

15. A method, comprising:

by a user equipment (UE):

decoding a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message from a base station (BS) that configures the UE with a type C quasi-co-location (QCL) configuration, wherein the type C QCL configuration specifies that demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) antenna ports used to transmit a same codeword (CW) or transport block (TB) in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are considered to be a quasi-co-located group;

decoding downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) that schedules transmission of the PDSCH, wherein the DCI is decoded to identify the DM-RS antenna ports, MIMO (multi-input multi-output) layers, and TB s of the PDSCH to be transmitted by the BS, and wherein the DCI is decoded to determine that the PDSCH to be transmitted by the BS is an initial transmission or retransmission; and,

demodulating the PDSCH by using DM-RSs in the PDSCH to estimate wireless channels over which the PD SCH is transmitted, wherein large scale properties of the wireless channels corresponding to DM-RSs that belong to the same quasi-co-located antenna port group are assumed to be the same.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

demodulating the PDSCH having two TBs and two groups of DM-RSs in an initial transmission of the PDSCH;

if both TBs in the initial transmission fail to be demodulated correctly, assuming that each of the two groups of DM-RSs in a retransmission of the PDSCH are separately quasi-co-located as in the initial transmission; and

if only one of the TBs in the initial transmission fails to be demodulated correctly, assuming that all DM-RSs in a retransmission of the PD SCH are quasi-co-located.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

decoding DCI in the PDCCH that identifies one or more of reference signals that include cell-specific reference signals (CRSs) and channel station information reference signals (CSI-RSs) that are to be assumed to be quasi-co-located with one of the DM-RS antenna port groups.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the CSI-RSs are further useable by the UE to produce a CSI report.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

assuming quasi-co-location between DM-RS antenna ports in a group and associated reference signals.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the large scale parameters of the wireless channels include one or more of average delay, delay spread, Doppler shift, Doppler spread and average gain.