System and method for MA signature assignment based on UE group separation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10833822-B2
Application number	US-201715495308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2017
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

In a wireless communication system, user equipments (UEs) may be partitioned into different groups, e.g. based on spatial separation. UEs may use multiple access (MA) signatures that have low or no correlation to each other if the UEs are in the same group. The MA signatures used by one group of UEs may be more correlated with the MA signatures used by another group of UEs. If the UEs are partitioned into the different groups based on spatial separation, then the spatial separation between the different groups may assist in increasing the reliability of detection if two UEs in different groups use correlated MA signatures.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by a base station comprising: transmitting a message to a user equipment (UE), the message including an indication that indicates to the UE at least one uplink multiple access (MA) signature from a set of uplink MA signatures that are used for uplink transmission and that are associated with a first spatial group to which the UE belongs, the first spatial group being one of a plurality of spatial groups, wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups has an associated set of uplink MA signatures, and wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups is associated with a different beam;
receiving an uplink transmission from the UE, the uplink transmission using an uplink MA signature from the at least one uplink MA signature;
wherein the set of uplink MA signatures associated with the first spatial group are reference signal sequences associated with the first spatial group that are used by the base station for uplink channel estimation;
wherein the reference signal sequences associated with the first spatial group are: orthogonal to each other, and non-orthogonal to other reference signal sequences associated with another spatial group of the plurality of spatial groups.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the UE belongs to the first spatial group based on at least one of:
a physical location of the UE;
a spatial correlation between an uplink channel of the UE and an uplink channel of at least one other UE; and
a beam association for the UE.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing the uplink transmission from the UE using beamforming processing that is different from beamforming processing used to process another uplink transmission from another UE in a different spatial group.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein indicating to the UE the at least one uplink MA signature comprises:
transmitting, to the UE, an indication of the first spatial group.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the indication is semistatically or dynamically signalled, and signaling of the indication occurs in at least one of a broadcast channel, higher layer signaling, and a downlink control channel.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uplink transmission received from the UE is a grant-free uplink transmission.

7. A base station comprising:
a user equipment (UE) group separator to determine a first spatial group to which a UE belongs, the first spatial group being one of a plurality of spatial groups, wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups is associated with a respective set of uplink multiple access (MA) signatures, and wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups is associated with a different beam;
a transmitter to transmit a message to the UE, the message including an indication that indicates to the UE at least one uplink MA signature from the set of uplink MA signatures associated with the first spatial group;
a receiver to receive an uplink transmission from the UE, the uplink transmission using an uplink MA signature from the at least one uplink MA signature;
wherein the set of uplink MA signatures associated with the first spatial group are reference signal sequences associated with the first spatial group that are used by the base station for uplink channel estimation;
wherein the reference signal sequences associated with the first spatial group are: orthogonal to each other, and non-orthogonal to other reference signal sequences associated with another spatial group of the plurality of spatial groups.

8. The base station of claim 7 , wherein the UE belongs to the first spatial group based on at least one of:
a physical location of the UE;
a spatial correlation between an uplink channel of the UE and an uplink channel of at least one other UE; and
a beam association for the UE.

9. The base station of claim 7 , wherein the receiver is to process the uplink transmission from the UE using beamforming processing that is different from beamforming processing used to process another uplink transmission from another UE in a different spatial group.

10. The base station of claim 7 , wherein the message indicating the at least one uplink MA signature to the UE comprises an indication of the first spatial group.

11. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) comprising:
determining an uplink multiple access (MA) signature from a first set of uplink MA signatures that are used for uplink transmission and that are associated with a first spatial group to which the UE belongs, the first spatial group being one of a plurality of spatial groups, wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups has an associated set of uplink MA signatures, and wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups is associated with a different beam; and
transmitting an uplink transmission using the uplink MA signature;
wherein the first set of uplink MA signatures are reference signal sequences used by a base station for uplink channel estimation;
wherein the reference signal sequences are: orthogonal to each other, and non-orthogonal to other reference signal sequences associated with another spatial group of the plurality of spatial groups.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving a message indicating the uplink MA signature from the base station.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving a message, from the base station, that indicates the first spatial group; and wherein determining the uplink MA signature comprises: the UE retrieving, from memory of the UE, the uplink MA signature based on the indication of the first spatial group.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising the UE determining the first spatial group; and wherein determining the uplink MA signature comprises:
the UE retrieving, from memory of the UE, the uplink MA signature based on an indication of the first spatial group.

15. A user equipment (UE) comprising:
a memory to store at least one uplink multiple access (MA) signature belonging to a first set of uplink MA signatures that are used for uplink transmission and that are associated with a first spatial group to which the UE belongs, the first spatial group being one of a plurality of spatial groups, wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups is associated with a respective set of uplink MA signatures, and wherein each one of the plurality of spatial groups is associated with a different beam;
a transmitter to transmit an uplink transmission using the at least one uplink MA signature;
wherein the first set of uplink MA signatures are reference signal sequences used by a base station for uplink channel estimation;
wherein the reference signal sequences are: orthogonal to each other, and non-orthogonal to other reference signal sequences associated with another spatial group of the plurality of spatial groups.

16. The UE of claim 15 , further comprising a receiver to receive a message indicating the at least one uplink MA signature from the base station.

17. The UE of claim 16 , wherein the indication indicates the first spatial group.

18. The UE of claim 15 , further comprising a UE group selector to determine the first spatial group.

Assignees

• Cao Yu
• Baligh Mohammadhadi
• Zhang Liqing
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cao Yu
• Baligh Mohammadhadi
• Zhang Liqing

Classifications

• H04W72/23

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04W72/046 Primary

  the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams · CPC title

• H04L5/0094

  Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated · CPC title

• H04L5/0016

  Time-frequency-code · CPC title

• H04L5/0048 Primary

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title