Methods for signaling and using beam forming quality indicators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729219-B2
Application number	US-201514613071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2015
Priority date	Feb 6, 2014
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A method in a node is disclosed. The method comprises determining a beam forming quality indicator for the network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality. The method further comprises performing one or more radio operations using the determined beam forming quality indicator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method in a network node, comprising:
obtaining a beam forming quality indicator for a second network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the second network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality;
performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node; and
wherein the network node is serving a user equipment, and performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises:
determining, based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator, that the second network node can provide better beam forming gain than a third network node, the third network node having a higher reference signal received quality than the second network node; and
performing cell change of the user equipment to the second network node.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the function defining the beam forming quality indicator further comprises one or more of:
one or more multi-antenna configuration parameters;
one or more characteristics of a beam;
one or more characteristics of a radiation pattern; and
a frequency band or range of frequencies.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises receiving the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node from the second network node.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises autonomously determining the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beam forming quality indicator is a first beam forming quality indicator, the first beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a first beam forming configuration, and the method further comprises obtaining a second beam forming quality indicator, the second beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a second beam forming configuration.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first beam forming configuration and the second beam forming configuration are selected from a group including beam forming in uplink, beam forming in downlink, elevation beam forming in uplink or downlink, and ground level beam forming in the uplink or downlink.

7. A network node, comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
obtain a beam forming quality indicator for a second network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the second network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality;
perform one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node; and
wherein the network node is serving a user equipment, and the one or more processors configured to perform one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises one or more processors configured to:
determine, based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator, that the second network node can provide better beam forming gain than a third network node, the third network node having a higher reference signal received quality than the second network node; and
perform cell change of the user equipment to the second network node.

8. The network node of claim 7 , wherein the function defining the beam forming quality indicator further comprises one or more of:
one or more multi-antenna configuration parameters;
one or more characteristics of a beam;
one or more characteristics of a radiation pattern; and
a frequency band or range of frequencies.

9. The network node of claim 7 , wherein the one or more processors configured to obtain the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises one or more processors configured to receive the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node from the second network node.

10. The network node of claim 7 , wherein the one or more processors configured to obtain the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node comprises one or more processors configured to autonomously determine the beam forming quality indicator for the second network node.

11. The network node of claim 7 , wherein the beam forming quality indicator is a first beam forming quality indicator, the first beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a first beam forming configuration, and the one or more processors are further configured to obtain a second beam forming quality indicator, the second beam forming quality indicator corresponding to a second beam forming configuration.

12. The network node of claim 11 , wherein the first beam forming configuration and the second beam forming configuration are selected from a group including beam forming in uplink, beam forming in downlink, elevation beam forming in uplink or downlink, and ground level beam forming in the uplink or downlink.

13. A method in a user equipment, comprising:
obtaining a beam forming quality indicator for a first network node, the beam forming quality indicator indicating a beam forming performance gain from the first network node having beam forming capability, wherein the beam forming quality indicator comprises at least or is a function of at least a reference signal quality and an achievable signal quality;
performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node;
wherein performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node comprises using the obtained beam forming quality indicator for one or more cell change procedures; and
wherein the one or more cell change procedures comprise cell reselection, and the method further comprises:
determining one or more reference signal measurements for the first network node;
modifying the one or more reference signal measurements based at least in part on the beam forming quality indicator for the first network node; and
reselecting, upon entering an area of a cell in which beam forming by the first network node would provide downlink throughput levels corresponding to a cell range extension zone, the first network node without a handover from a second network node.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the function defining the beam forming quality indicator further comprises one or more of:
one or more multi-antenna configuration parameters;
one or more characteristics of a beam;
one or more characteristics of a radiation pattern; and
a frequency band or range of frequencies.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein performing one or more radio operations based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator for the first network node comprises modifying one or more measurement reports based at least in part on the obtained beam forming quality indicator.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining whether the beam forming performance gain indicated by the beam forming quality indicator exceeds a threshold; and
reporting the modified me

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Chapman Thomas
• Elfström Torbjörn
• Kazmi Muhammad

Classifications

• H04W36/08

  Reselecting an access point · CPC title

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04W36/00

  Hand-off or reselection arrangements · CPC title

• H04B7/0632

  Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI] · CPC title

• H04B17/00

  Monitoring; Testing (of line transmission systems H04B3/46; arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves H04B10/07) · CPC title