IP Library Granted Patent US 12,593,232
Granted Patent B2
US 12,593,232 · App. 18/124,801 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Processing apparatus of cell-free communication system

Inventors: Masaaki Ito (Fujimino, JP); Issei Kanno (Fujimino, JP); Kosuke Yamazaki (Fujimino, JP); Andreas F. Molisch (Los Angeles, CA)
Assignees: KDDI Research, Inc.; University of Southern California
H04W24/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,593,232
App. No.
18/124,801
Granted
Mar 31, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method performed by a processing apparatus of a cell-free communication system that includes a plurality of access points (APs) is provided. The method includes: transmitting, to a wireless device via a master AP among one or more APs included in a cluster associated with the wireless device, measurement information for the wireless device to determine a measurement target AP for which the wireless device measures a channel state; and receiving, as a response to the measurement information, channel state information indicating the channel state to the measurement target AP, via the master AP.

Claims (35)

1 . A method performed by a processing apparatus of a cell-free communication system that includes a plurality of access points (APs), the method comprising:

transmitting, to a wireless device via a master AP among one or more APs included in a cluster associated with the wireless device, measurement information for the wireless device to determine a measurement target AP for which the wireless device measures a channel state; and

receiving, as a response to the measurement information, channel state information indicating the channel state to the measurement target AP, via the master AP,

wherein the measurement information includes an identifier of the measurement target AP, and

wherein the one or more APs included in the cluster are regarded as the measurement target AP.

2 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein an AP, which is included in the one or more neighboring APs and whose distance from the wireless device becomes shorter over time, is regarded as the measurement target AP.

3 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein an AP, which is included in the one or more neighboring APs, and is allowed to be newly added to the cluster for the wireless device, is regarded as the measurement target AP.

4 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the measurement information includes a selection condition on which the wireless device selects the measurement target AP.

5 . The method according to claim 4 ,

wherein the selection condition includes a condition related to a number of APs for which the wireless device measures the channel state.

6 . The method according to claim 4 ,

wherein the selection condition includes a condition related to strength or quality of a signal received by the wireless device.

7 . The method according to claim 4 ,

wherein the selection condition includes a condition related to a temporal change in strength or quality of a signal received by the wireless device.

8 . A method performed by a processing apparatus of a cell-free communication system that includes a plurality of access points (APs), the method comprising:

transmitting, to a wireless device via a master AP among one or more APs included in a cluster associated with the wireless device, measurement information for the wireless device to determine a measurement target AP for which the wireless device measures a channel state; and

receiving, as a response to the measurement information, channel state information indicating the channel state to the measurement target AP, via the master AP,

wherein the measurement information includes an identifier of the measurement target AP, and

wherein one or more neighboring APs to which distances from the one or more APs included in the cluster are shorter than a predetermined value, and that are not included in the cluster is regarded as the measurement target AP.

9 . A processing apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory device for storing a program,

wherein, when executed by the one or more processors, the program causes the processing apparatus to perform:

transmitting, to a wireless device via a master AP among one or more APs included in a cluster associated with the wireless device, measurement information for the wireless device to determine a measurement target AP for which the wireless device measures a channel state; and

receiving, as a response to the measurement information, channel state information indicating the channel state to the measurement target AP, via the master AP,

wherein the measurement information includes an identifier of the measurement target AP, and

wherein the one or more APs included in the cluster are regarded as the measurement target AP.

10 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program, the program including a program instruction for causing, when executed by one or more processors of a processing apparatus, the processing apparatus to perform:

transmitting, to a wireless device via a master AP among one or more APs included in a cluster associated with the wireless device, measurement information for the wireless device to determine a measurement target AP for which the wireless device measures a channel state; and

receiving, as a response to the measurement information, channel state information indicating the channel state to the measurement target APs, via the master AP,

wherein the measurement information includes an identifier of the measurement target AP, and

wherein the one or more APs included in the cluster are regarded as the measurement target AP.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 22, 2023
From: ITO, MASAAKI; KANNO, ISSEI; YAMAZAKI, KOSUKE; MOLISCH, ANDREAS F.
To: KDDI RESEARCH, INC.; UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Reel/Frame 063061/0504 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240323726A1 · Sep 26, 2024
References Cited (3)
US 20220239429A1 · Zhu · 2022 [cited by examiner]
Emil Björnson et al., “Scalable Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems”, IEEE Transactions on Communications, Jul. 2020, pp. 4247-4261, vol. 68, No. 7 (15 pages). [cited by applicant]
Hien Quoc Ngo et al., “Cell-Free Massive MIMO Versus Small Cells”, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, Mar. 2017, pp. 1834-1850, vol. 16, No. 3 (17 pages). [cited by applicant]