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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12445257-B2
Application number	US-202418655836-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2024
Priority date	Jan 11, 2021
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

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 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 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;
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.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the antenna subset as a final antenna subset when the gain value of the monitored second beam exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to select a PMI based on information on a weight applied to a CSI-RS reception channel.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to select the PMI comprises selecting a PMI based on reinforcement learning.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to calculate 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 wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the antenna subset as a final antenna subset as sequentially determining each of a plurality of antenna subsets based on a spatial correlation between the plurality of antennas.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the antenna subset as a final antenna subset as determining an antenna subset based on reinforcement learning.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to track the final antenna subset for each tracking period; and configured to change at least one antenna included in the antenna subset based on a tracking result.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the 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.

10. 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 transmitted through an antenna subset including at least one of the plurality of antennas;
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,
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.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising allocating an SRS switching resource for the SRS switching signal to the wireless communication device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the antenna subset is determined to include at least one of the plurality of antennas 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.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein, the antenna subset is determined to include at least one of the plurality of antennas 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.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein a gain value of the second beam is calculated 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.

15. A method of operating a wireless communication device including a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
determining an antenna subset including at least two but less than all of the plurality of antennas;
transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) switching signal comprising a sequence of SRSs to a base station, wherein each of the SRSs is respectively transmitted through a different one of the at least two antennas of the antenna subset;
receiving a reference signal transmitted through a first beam from the base station;
selecting a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) based on the reference signal;
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,
monitoring signal quality of the signal received when the second beam is transmitted; and
determining a final antenna subset based on the monitored signal quality.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reference signal is a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS).

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reference signal is a pilot signal.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein a 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.

19. The method of claim 15 , 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.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the determining of the antenna subsets is performed without measuring spatial correlation between the plurality of antennas.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H04L5/0082

  at predetermined intervals · 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

• H04L25/0224

  using sounding signals · CPC title

• G06N3/092

  Reinforcement learning · CPC title

• H04B7/0608 Primary

  Antenna selection according to transmission parameters · CPC title