Method and apparatus communication using beam-forming in wireless communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12010068-B2
Application number	US-202117643219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2021
Priority date	Jan 11, 2021
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A method of operating a wireless communication device including a plurality of antennas according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes determining an antenna subset including at least one of the plurality of antennas, transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) switching signal to a base station through at least one antenna of the antenna subset, receiving a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted using a first beam from the base station, selecting a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) based on the CSI-RS, transmitting the selected PMI to the base station, and receiving a signal transmitted from the base station through a second beam determined based on the SRS switching signal and the PMI.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a wireless communication device including a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
determining a plurality of antenna subsets, each including at least two of the plurality of antennas;
transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) switching signal, comprising a plurality of SRSs, to a base station through the plurality of antenna subsets sequentially in an order of a first one of the antenna subsets having a largest separation distance between the at least two antennas thereof to a last one of the antenna subsets having a shortest separation distance between the at least two antennas thereof;
receiving a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted from the base station through a first beam;
selecting a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) based on the CSI-RS;
transmitting the selected PMI to the base station; and
receiving a signal, transmitted from the base station through a second beam determined based on the SRS switching signal and the PMI.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the plurality of antenna subsets is performed when a number of SRS switching resources allocated by the base station for the SRS switching signal is less than a number of reception antennas of the wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the plurality of antenna subsets is performed when a number of RF chains of the wireless communication device is less than a number of reception antennas of the wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring a gain value of the second beam; and
determining a final antenna subset based on the monitored gain value of the second beam.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising calculating the gain value of the second beam by at least one of power of a received signal, a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of a received signal, frequency efficiency, and decoding performance of a received signal.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the sequential transmitting of the SRS switching signal is performed in sequential transmission periods of the SRS switching signal, the SRS switching signal being transmitted through a respective one of the plurality of antenna subsets in each of the transmission periods.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining the antenna subset as a final antenna subset when the gain value of the monitored second beam exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the antenna subsets is performed without measuring spatial correlation between the plurality of antennas.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining an antenna subset based on reinforcement learning.

10. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
tracking the final antenna subset for each tracking period; and
changing at least one antenna included in the antenna subset based on a tracking result.

11. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a final antenna subset based on at least one of a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of the wireless communication device, a transmission/reception characteristic of an antenna, and a linearity of a transmission power amplifier.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the PMI comprises selecting a PMI based on information on a weight applied to a CSI-RS reception channel.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the PMI comprises selecting a PMI based on reinforcement learning.

14. A wireless communication device comprising:
a plurality of antennas;
a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) including a switching network connected to the plurality of antennas, wherein the switching network is configured to transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) switching signal, comprising a plurality of SRSs, to a base station through at least one antenna of an antenna subset of the plurality of antennas; and
a processor configured to:
determine the antenna subset based at least in part on a linearity of a transmission power amplifier;
select a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) to be provided to the base station based on a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted from the base station through a first beam; and
process a signal transmitted from the base station through a second beam determined based on the SRS switching signal and the PMI,

wherein the processor is configured to monitor a gain value of the second beam and determine a final antenna subset based on the monitored gain value of the second beam.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14 , wherein, when a number of SRS switching resources allocated by the base station for the SRS switching signal is less than a number of reception antennas of the wireless communication device, the processor is configured to determine an antenna subset.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 14 , wherein, when a number of radio frequency (RF) chains of the wireless communication device is less than a number of reception antennas of the wireless communication device, the processor is configured to determine an antenna subset.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to sequentially determine each of a plurality of antenna subsets for each transmission period of the SRS switching signal.

18. A method of operating a base station communicating with a wireless communication device including a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
receiving a sounding reference signal (SRS) switching signal, comprising a plurality of SRSs, transmitted through a plurality of antenna subsets sequentially in an order of a first one of the antenna subsets having a largest separation distance between at least two antennas thereof to a last one of the plurality of subsets having a shortest separation distance between at least two antennas thereof;
estimating uplink channel information based on the SRS switching signal;
estimating downlink channel information based on the estimated uplink channel information;
determining and forming a first beam based on the estimated downlink channel information, wherein a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) is transmitted through the first beam;
receiving a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) from the wireless communication device; and
determining and forming a second beam based on the received SRS switching signal and the received PMI, wherein a signal including data is transmitted through the second beam.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein a gain value of the second beam is monitored by the wireless communication device,
wherein a final antenna subset is determined by the wireless communication device based on the monitored gain value of the second beam.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Junho
• Kim Jaein
• Je Huiwon
• Choi Jinwon

Classifications

• H04L25/0224

  using sounding signals · CPC title

• G06N3/092

  Reinforcement learning · CPC title

• H04B7/0608 Primary

  Antenna selection according to transmission parameters · CPC title

• H04L5/0048

  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

• H04B7/0695

  using beam selection · CPC title