Channel state information for reference signals in a wireless communication system

1. A method performed by a user equipment for reporting channel state information in a wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment is configured with two or more channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, resources in a CSI-RS resource set, the method comprising:

selecting at least two CSI-RS resources from the CSI-RS resource set, wherein each of the at least two selected CSI-RS resources are associated to a set of spatially multiplexed layers, wherein different sets comprise different layers;

determining a preferred precoder matrix for each of the selected CSI-RS resources; and

transmitting a CSI report indicating each of the selected CSI-RS resources and the determined preferred precoder matrix for each of the selected CSI-RS resources wherein a first one of the selected CSI-RS resources comprises a first set of layers and a second one of the selected CSI-RS resources comprises a second set of layers wherein the first set of layers and the second set of layers mutually interfere.

2. The method of any one of claim 1 , further comprising:

calculating a channel estimate for each of the selected CSI-RS resources;

determining a channel quality indicator, CQI, corresponding to a hypothetical transmission on a plurality of effective channels, where the effective channels depend on the preferred precoder matrices and channel estimate for each of the selected CSI-RS resources, and where layers transmitted through the effective channels mutually interfere; and

wherein the CSI report further indicates the determined CQI for each of the selected CSI-RS resources.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each CSI-RS resource is associated with at least one of:

a number of antenna ports (P);

a multi-panel antenna array port layout parametrized by a number of vertical panels (M g ) and a number of horizontal panels (N g ); and

a precoder codebook.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each CSI-RS resource is associated with a different quasi co-location, QCL, assumption.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CSI-RS carried in each CSI-RS resource of the set of CSI-RS resources is transmitted from different antenna subsets.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the different antenna subsets belong to different transmission points.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

obtaining a CSI report configuration comprising possible hypotheses for combinations of one or more CSI-RS resources; wherein:

selecting the at least two CSI-RS resources comprises selecting the at least two CSI-RS resources according to a selected one of the possible hypotheses; and

the CSI report indicates the selected CSI-RS resources by indicating the selected possible hypothesis.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the CSI report comprises transmitting a first message associated with one of the selected CSI-RS resources and transmitting a second message associated with a second one of the selected CSI-RS resources.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first message is transmitted to a first transmission point and the second message is transmitted to a second transmission point.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined preferred precoder matrix for at least one selected CSI-RS comprises a first preferred precoder matrix for a first subband;

the method further comprises determining, for the at least one selected CSI-RS resource, a second preferred precoder matrix for a second subband; and

wherein the CSI report indicates the first and second preferred precoder matrix for the at least one selected CSI-RS resource.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an indication of a codeword-to-layer mapping for use when determining the CQI.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

a set of demodulation reference signal, DMRS, antenna ports are numbered between 7-14;

a set of CSI-RS antenna ports are numbered between 15-31; and

a set of physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, signals on antenna ports {p k , p k+1 }, where p k =7+Σ l=1 k−1 v l , result in signals equivalent to corresponding symbols transmitted on antenna ports {15, . . . , 14+P k } corresponding to CSI-RS resource k in a set of K CSI-RS resources, as given by [y (15) . . . y (14+P k ) ] T =W k [x (p k ) . . . x (p k+1 ) ] T where x (7) , . . . , x (6+v TOT ) with v TOT ×Σ k=1 K v k is a vector of symbols, where each symbol corresponds to a layer to be transmitted to the user equipment and contains all layers transmitting the PDSCH.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined preferred precoder for a CSI-RS resource with index k of the selected CSI-RS resources is a matrix W k that is determined in accordance with a transmission vector y being equivalent to using W k on a set of layers in a vector x of physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, signals transmitted to the user equipment according to y=W k x, wherein y is a transmission on antenna ports corresponding to the CSI-RS resource with index k.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the PDSCH signals are on a set of v k demodulation reference signal, DMRS, antenna ports that are indexed starting with a first port number D 1 ;

the CSI-RS resource with index k comprises P k antenna ports, and has a first antenna port with index C 1 ; and

the PDSCH signals on antenna ports {q k , q k+1 }, where q k =D 1 +Σ l=1 k−1 v l , result in signals equivalent to transmission on antenna ports {C 1 , . . . , C 1 +P k } corresponding to CSI-RS resource k, as given by [y (15) . . . y (14+P k ) ] T =W k [x (p k ) . . . x (p k+1 ) ] T .

15. A user equipment capable of reporting channel state information in a wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment is configured with two or more channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, resources in a CSI-RS resource set, and wherein the user equipment comprises processing circuitry operable to:

select at least two CSI-RS resources from the CSI-RS resource set, wherein each of the at least two selected CSI-RS resources are associated to a set of spatially multiplexed layers, wherein different sets comprise different layers;

determine a preferred precoder matrix for each of the selected CSI-RS resources; and

transmit a CSI report indicating each of the selected CSI-RS resources and the determined preferred precoder matrix for each of the selected CSI-RS resources wherein a first one of the selected CSI-RS resources comprises a first set of layers and a second one of the selected CSI-RS resources comprises a second set of layers wherein the first set of layers and the second set of layers mutually interfere.

16. The user equipment of any one of claim 15 , wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to:

calculate a channel estimate for each of the selected CSI-RS resources;

determine a channel quality indicator, CQI, corresponding to a hypothetical transmission from a plurality of effective channels, where the effective channels depend on the preferred precoder matrices and channel estimate for each of the selected CSI-RS resources, and where layers transmitted through the effective channels mutually interfere; and

wherein the CSI report further indicates the determined CQI for each of the selected CSI-RS resources.

17. The user equipment of claim 15 , wherein each CSI-RS resource is associated with at least one of:

a number of antenna ports (P);

a multi-panel antenna array port layout parametrized by a number of vertical panels (M g ) and a number of horizontal panels (N g ); and

a precoder codebook.

18. The user equipment of claim 15 , wherein each CSI-RS resource is associated with a different quasi co-location, QCL, assumption.

19. The user equipment of claim 15 , the processing circuitry further operable to:

obtain a CSI report configuration comprising possible hypotheses for combinations of one or more CSI-RS resources; wherein:

the processing circuitry is operable to select the at least two CSI-RS resources by selecting the at least two CSI-RS resources according to a selected one of the possible hypotheses; and

the CSI report indicates the selected CSI-RS resources by indicating the selected possible hypothesis.

20. The user equipment of claim 15 , the processing circuitry further operable to receive an indication of a codeword-to-layer mapping for use when determining the CQI.

21. A method performed by a network node of a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting, to a user equipment, a first channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, in a first CSI-RS resource of a set of at least two CSI-RS resources from a first antenna subset and a second CSI-RS in a second CSI-RS resource in the set of at least two CSI-RS resources from a second antenna subset, wherein the first and second antenna subsets comprise a first and second set of spatially multiplexed layers, respectively, and wherein the first and second set of layers are different; and

receiving (956), from the user equipment, a CSI report comprising a first preferred precoder matrix associated with the first CSI-RS resource and a second preferred precoder matrix associated with the second CSI-RS resource wherein a transmission associated with the first set of layers and a transmission associated with the second set of layers mutually interfere.

22. The method of any one of claim 21 , wherein the CSI report further comprises a channel quality indicator, CQI, associated with each of the first and second preferred precoder matrices.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first and second antenna subsets belong to different transmission points.

24. The method of claim 21 , further comprising transmitting, to the user equipment, a CSI report configuration comprising possible hypotheses for combinations of CSI-RS resources.

25. The method of claim 21 , further comprising transmitting, to the user equipment, an indication on a codeword-to-layer mapping for use when determining the CQI.

26. A network node of a wireless communication system, the network node comprising processing circuitry operable to:

transmit, to a user equipment, a first channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, in a first CSI-RS resource of a set of at least two CSI-RS resources from a first antenna subset and a second CSI-RS in a second CSI-RS resource in the set of at least two CSI-RS resources from a second antenna subset, wherein the first and second antenna subsets comprise a first and second set of spatially multiplexed layers, respectively, and wherein the first and second set of layers are different; and

receive, from the user equipment, a CSI report comprising a first preferred precoder matrix associated with the first CSI-RS resource and a second preferred precoder matrix associated with the second CSI-RS resource wherein a transmission associated with the first set of layers and a transmission associated with the second set of layers mutually interfere.