Radio communication system, base station apparatus, user terminal, and radio communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9419760-B2
Application number	US-201314398862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2013
Priority date	May 10, 2012
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

The present invention is designed to measure interference with high accuracy in future systems that do not rely on CRSs. A base station apparatus has a determining section ( 401 ) that determines the resources to allocate desired signal measurement reference signals (CSI-RSs) and interference estimation reference signals to, and a reference signal generating section ( 405 ) that applies scrambling sequences and generates the interference estimation reference signal, and the scrambling sequences are controlled such that varying scrambling sequences are applied to the interference estimation reference signals between a plurality of transmission points or transmission point groups.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radio communication system comprising a plurality of base station apparatuses that transmit desired signal measurement reference signals for measuring a channel state, and interference estimation reference signals, and a user terminal that connects with the plurality of base station apparatuses via radio links, wherein:
each base station apparatus comprises:
a determining section configured to determine resources where the desired signal measurement reference signals and the interference estimation reference signals are allocated; and
a reference signal generating section configured to apply scrambling sequences and generate the interference estimation reference signals; and
wherein, when at least the determining section allocates the interference estimation reference signals and interference estimation reference signals transmitted from another transmission point or from a plurality of other transmission points to the same resources, the reference signal generating section controls the scrambling sequence so that varying scrambling sequences are applied between a plurality of transmission points or transmission point groups where the interference estimation reference signals are allocated to the same resources, and
wherein the determining section determines the resources such that the interference estimation reference signals are randomly arranged in a downlink data channel region.

2. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the reference signal generating section multiplies a base sequence by scrambling sequences and generates the interference estimation reference signals.

3. The radio communication system according to claim 2 , wherein the reference signal generating section uses one of an orthogonal sequence and a non-orthogonal sequence as the base sequence.

4. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the reference signal generating section generates the interference estimation reference signals using scrambling sequences that vary in a time domain or a frequency domain.

5. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the reference signal generating section generates the interference estimation reference signals using a scrambling sequence of a sequence length stretching over a plurality of resource blocks.

6. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the reference signal generating section generates the interference estimation reference signals using a scrambling sequence of a sequence length confined within one resource block.

7. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the determining section determines the resources for the interference estimation reference signals to belong to a multiplexing pattern of the desired signal measurement reference signals or part of the multiplexing pattern.

8. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein each base station apparatus reports information about scrambling sequences or information about combinations of base sequences and scrambling sequences, to the user terminal.

9. The radio communication system according to claim 8 , wherein each base station apparatus reports the information about scrambling sequences or the information about combinations of base sequences and scrambling sequences to the user terminal through one of higher layer signaling and a broadcast signal.

10. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the interference estimation reference signals are transmitted, each base station apparatus reports transmission parameters, including sequence information for specifying the interference estimation reference signals, to the user terminal through higher layer signaling.

11. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein, when scrambling sequences, or combinations of base sequences and scrambling sequences, are associated with information that is specific to each transmission point, the reference signal generating section controls the scrambling sequences to apply depending on the transmission point-specific information.

12. The radio communication system according to claim 11 , wherein, as the transmission point-specific information, cell IDs or virtual cell IDs of the transmission points are defined in association with the scrambling sequences or the combinations of base sequences and scrambling sequences.

13. The radio communication system according to claim 11 , wherein the reference signal generating section defines the scrambling sequences or the combinations of base sequences and scrambling sequences in association with multiplexing patterns of the desired signal measurement reference signals.

14. The radio communication system according to claim 11 , wherein the reference signal generating section defines the scrambling sequences, or the combinations of base sequences and scrambling sequences, in association with user terminal IDs.

15. The radio communication system according to claim 1 , wherein
the base station apparatus further comprises a transmitting section configured to signal, to the user terminal, information about two-resource element sets where the interference estimation reference signals are randomly arranged, and
the determining section determines the resources such that in each of the sets, the interference estimation reference signals are made orthogonal to the interference estimation reference signals transmitted from the other transmission point or from the plurality of other transmission points.

16. The radio communication system according to claim 15 , wherein the transmitting section signals position information of the interference estimation reference signals in each of the sets to the user terminal.

17. A base station apparatus that transmits desired signal measurement reference signals for measuring a channel state, and interference estimation reference signals, to a user terminal, the base station apparatus comprising:
a determining section configured to determine resources where the desired signal measurement reference signals and the interference estimation reference signals are allocated; and
a reference signal generating section configured to apply scrambling sequences and generate the interference estimation reference signals,
wherein, when at least the determining section allocates the interference estimation reference signals and interference estimation reference signals transmitted from another transmission point or from a plurality of other transmission points to the same resources, the reference signal generating section controls the scrambling sequence so that varying scrambling sequences are applied between a plurality of transmission points or transmission point groups where the interference estimation reference signals are allocated to the same resources, and
wherein the determining section determines the resources such that the interference estimation reference signals are randomly arranged in a downlink data channel region.

18. A user terminal comprising:
a receiving section configured to receive desired signal measurement reference signals for measuring a channel state, and interference estimation reference signals to which varying scrambling sequences are applied between a plurality of transmission points or transmission point groups;
a sequence specifying section configured to specify the scrambling sequences applied to the interference estimation reference signals transmitted from each transmission point;
an estimation section configured to carry out channel estim

Assignees

• Ntt Docomo Inc

Inventors

• Nagata Satoshi
• Kishiyama Yoshihisa

Classifications

• H04W72/541

  using the level of interference · 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

• H04L5/00

  Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path · CPC title

• H04J1/00

  Frequency-division multiplex systems (H04J14/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04J11/0023

  Interference mitigation or co-ordination (direct sequence spread spectrum [DSSS] systems H04B1/7097; frequency hopping H04B1/713; allocation criteria for ingress interference avoidance H04L5/0062; frequency allocation criteria for requirements on out-of-channel emissions H04L5/0066; arrangements for removing intersymbol interference or baseband equalisers H04L25/03006; peak power aspects in multicarrier modulation H04L27/2614; power management H04W52/00; traffic scheduling H04W72/54, H04W72/541) · CPC title