System and method for transmission and reception of control and data channels using group reference signals

Abstract

An apparatus and method for transmission and reception of control and data channels using a group reference signal (GRS). The GRS may include a first common reference signal associated with a first group of users and a second common reference signal associated with a second group of users. Some users or channels may be grouped to use one common reference signal set, while other users or channels may be grouped to use another common reference signal set.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional of Chinese patent application No. 201680070191.6, and claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 14 / 975,256, filed on December 18, 2015, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMISSION AND RECEIPT OF CONTROL AND DATA CHANNELS USING GROUP REFERENCE SIGNALS”, and PCT application No. PCT / CN2016 / 110564, filed on December 17, 2016, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMISSION AND RECEIPT OF CONTROL AND DATA CHANNELS USING GROUP REFERENCE SIGNALS”. All of the above are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to devices, networks and methods for wireless communications, and in particular embodiments, to systems and methods for transmission and reception of control and data channels utilizing a group reference signal. Background Art

[0003] The amount of wireless data has grown at an unprecedented rate over the past few years, boosting the capacity of current macrocellular deployments. Cellular communication systems utilizing microwave spectrum bands (300MHz to 3GHz) have become capacity limited due to interference and traffic load. The use of high frequency bands where large amounts of bandwidth are available is considered a key technology for next generation communication systems. The use of these frequency bands (e.g., 28, 38, 60, and 73GHz) can alleviate the capacity issues currently noted.

[0004] Propagation in the millimeter wave band (mmWave) is more challenging than that in the microwave band, resulting in a shorter link budget at the mmWave band than at the microwave band. Transmitters and receivers equipped with a larger number of antenna arrays are a viable solution to compensate for the additional path loss of mmWave through beamforming.

[0005] Since antenna size is inversely proportional to carrier frequency, the use of these high frequency bands significantly reduces antenna size, thus allowing a larger number of transmit and receive antenna arrays to be used on both the network and terminal sides.

[0006] Hybrid antenna architectures may be used to trade off hardware complexity, power consumption, and system performance and coverage. Hybrid antenna architectures typically include both analog (phase shifters) and digital (baseband precoder) beamforming sections. Summary of the invention

[0007] According to one embodiment, a wireless communication method is provided. The method includes a network controller sending a first reference signal set to a user equipment (UE); the network controller receiving feedback information of a first subset of the first reference signal set selected by the UE from the UE; the network controller sending a second reference signal set to the UE; and the network controller indicating to the UE a link between the first subset of the first reference signal set and the second reference signal set.

[0008] In another embodiment, a network controller in a wireless network for communicating with a user equipment (UE) is provided. The network controller includes a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the network controller to: send a first reference signal set to the UE and send a second reference signal set to the UE; receive feedback information of a first subset of the first reference signal set selected by the UE from the UE; and indicate to the UE a link between the first subset of the first reference signal set and the second reference signal set.

[0009] In another embodiment, a method in a user equipment (UE) for communicating in a wireless network is provided. The method includes: the UE receiving a first reference signal set from a network controller; the UE sending feedback information of a first subset of the first reference signal set selected by the UE to the network controller; the UE receiving a second reference signal set from the network controller; and the UE receiving an indication of a link between the first subset of the first reference signal set and the second reference signal set from the network controller.

[0010] In another embodiment, a user equipment (UE) for communicating in a wireless network is provided. The UE includes: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the UE to: receive a first reference signal set from a network controller; send feedback information of a first subset of the first reference signal set selected by the UE to the network controller; receive a second reference signal set from the network controller; and receive an indication of a link between the first subset of the first reference signal set and the second reference signal set from the network controller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like objects, and in which:

[0012] Figure 1An example of an OFDM symbol with a standard cyclic prefix (CP) according to the disclosed embodiment is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 shows examples of physical data and control channels according to the disclosed embodiments;

[0014] Figure 3 The use of frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) in conjunction with multiple group reference signals (GRS) for downlink control information (DCI) transmission according to the disclosed embodiments is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 shows the use of code division multiplexing (CDM) in conjunction with multiple GRSs for DCI transmission according to the disclosed embodiments;

[0016] Figure 5 An example of a method for wireless communication according to the disclosed embodiments is shown;

[0017] Figure 6 An example of a method for communicating in a wireless network according to a disclosed embodiment is shown;

[0018] Figure 7 A diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system that may utilize a group reference signal to enable transmission and reception of control and data channels in accordance with the disclosed embodiments; and

[0019] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B An example of a device that can implement transmission and reception of control and data channels using a group reference signal according to the disclosed embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The making and use of the currently preferred embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a variety of specific environments. The specific embodiments discussed are merely to illustrate the specific ways to make and use the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0021] With hybrid antenna architectures and associated precoding / beamforming designs, the number of beams that can be formed simultaneously (e.g., on an OFDM signal) may be limited by the number of digitized channels for the antenna. Therefore, there is a trade-off between the coverage extension capability of the antenna and the coverage extension capability of user multiplexing. Due to this trade-off, there is an impact on the design of reference signals and the transmission of channels associated with the reference signals. Reference signals are known signals that are sent on a set of time and frequency resources so that a receiver can perform channel estimation.

[0022] In modern wireless communication systems such as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) compatible communication system, multiple cells or evolved NodeBs (eNBs or eNodeBs) (also commonly referred to as Node Bs, base stations (BSs), base terminal stations, communication controllers, network controllers, controllers, access points (APs), etc.) can be arranged into cell clusters, each cell having multiple transmit antennas. In addition, each cell or AP can serve multiple users (also commonly referred to as User Equipment (UEs), mobile stations, users, subscribers, terminals, etc.) based on priority metrics such as fairness, proportional fairness, round-robin, etc. over a period of time. It should be noted that the terms cell, transmission point, and AP can be used interchangeably. A distinction between cells, transmission points, and APs will be made when necessary.

[0023] In an LTE compatible communication system, a reference signal is associated with an antenna port. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, an antenna port is not a physical antenna in itself. A channel (e.g., control, reference signal, data) is associated with one or more antenna ports, and the receiver sees the antenna port through the associated reference signal. The reference signal conveys channel information for data demodulation. Assuming that the same antenna port is used to send the reference signal and the associated data channel, the precoding performed on the reference signal is also performed on the associated data channel.

[0024] For example, in the downlink transmission of the LTE-A system, there is a reference signal for the UE to perform channel estimation for PDCCH and other common channel demodulation as well as for measurement and some feedback. This reference signal is called a common / cell-specific reference signal (CRS). In addition, a UE-specific demodulation reference signal (DMRS) is sent in the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). In the downlink, DMRS is used for channel estimation during PDSCH demodulation. Enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH) is a downlink control channel with similar functions to PDCCH, but in contrast to the CRS-based demodulation of PDCCH, EPDCCH demodulation is based on DMRS.

[0025] In an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system, OFDM subcarriers are indexed in the frequency domain and OFDM symbols are indexed in the time domain, where the frequency bandwidth is divided into multiple subcarriers in the frequency domain and one subframe is divided into multiple OFDM symbols in the time domain. OFDM symbols may have a cyclic prefix to avoid inter-symbol interference due to multipath delay. A resource element (RE) is defined by the time-frequency resource within a subcarrier and an OFDM symbol. Reference signals and other signals, such as data channels (e.g., physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)) and control channels (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) are orthogonal and multiplexed in different resource elements in the time-frequency domain. In addition, the signal is modulated and mapped into resource elements. The signal in the frequency domain is converted to a signal in the time domain by using an inverse Fourier transform on each OFDM symbol and sent with a cyclic prefix added to avoid inter-symbol interference.

[0026] Figure 1An example of an OFDM symbol 102 with a standard cyclic prefix (CP) is shown. Each resource block (RB) 104 contains a plurality of resource elements (REs) 106. In one embodiment, there are 14 OFDM symbols labeled from 0 to 13 in each subframe. For ease of illustration, only 7 OFDM symbols (e.g., symbols labeled from 0 to 6) are shown. Symbols 0 to 6 in each subframe correspond to even time slots, and symbols 7 to 13 in each subframe correspond to odd time slots. As shown, only one time slot 108 of a subframe is shown. In the embodiment shown, there are 12 subcarriers labeled from 0 to 11 in each RB, so in this example, there are 168 REs in an RB. In each subframe, there are multiple RBs, and the number of RBs may depend on the bandwidth (BW).

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, the data channel in the physical layer that sends data packets from the AP to one or more UEs is called a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 202, and the data channel in the physical layer that sends data packets from one or more UEs to the AP is called a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) 204. The corresponding physical control channel sent from the AP to the UE indicates the location of the corresponding PDSCH and / or PUSCH in the frequency domain and the manner in which the PDSCH and / or PUSCH are sent. The corresponding physical control channel is called a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Figure 2 As shown, PDCCH 206 may indicate signaling for PDSCH 208 or PUSCH 210 .

[0028] The UE measures the channel state, especially for multiple antennas. In addition, other feedback information can be based on measurements of reference signals, such as precoding matrix indicator (PMI), channel quality indicator (CQI) and rank indicator (RI) of the precoding matrix. Multiple reference signal resources can be configured for the UE. The AP allocates dedicated time-frequency resources and scrambling codes for each reference signal resource.

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices and methods for transmitting and receiving control and data channels using a group reference signal (GRS). The GRS may be a set of multiple CRSs. For example, the GRS may include a first common reference signal associated with a first group of users and a second common reference signal associated with a second group of users. In one embodiment, some users or channels may be grouped to use one CRS set, and other users or channels may be grouped to use another CRS set. Previous systems used only one CRS set for all users. In contrast, the present disclosure includes multiple CRSs for different channels or user groups.

[0030] In another example, the first GRS is a DMRS set for multiple channels of a group of users. The group of users uses the DMRS set for data and / or control channel reception.

[0031] In another example, the GRS is a reference signal set in a hybrid beamforming environment. Embodiments of the device and method signal a downlink analog beamforming reference signal (BFRS) group to the UE. For example, an analog beamforming reference signal is a downlink reference signal sent on an associated antenna element using a precoding weight, where the precoding weight can be applied in the analog domain and the digital domain. The precoding weights and the manner in which the precoding weights are applied to the antenna elements are generally transparent to the receiver. BFRS resources may include time, frequency, and sequence. BFRS transmissions may include sequential transmissions of analog transmission beams supported in the eNodeB. The cell signals the UE with BFRS resources, the total number of its analog beams, and analog beam grouping information. The UE should not derive digital channel state information (CSI) feedback involving multiple analog beams from the same group.

[0032] Embodiments of an apparatus and method for signaling an analog beam restriction configuration to a UE are described. The restriction configuration may indicate a set of analog beams from which the UE should not derive digital CSI feedback including any analog beam indicated in the restriction configuration. The UE should not derive digital CSI feedback involving multiple analog beams from the same set.

[0033] In one embodiment, the signaling of the simulated beam limitation configuration may be in the form of macro cell broadcast, macro UE-specific radio resource control (RRC) signaling, small cell broadcast, small cell UE-specific radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or any combination thereof.

[0034] In one embodiment, the UE receives a BFRS transmission configuration and a set of simulated beam restriction configurations from a network controller set. The UE receives each transmit simulated beam after applying each of its receive beams. For example, the UE's receive beam is implemented by a phase shifter array. The UE collects channel responses for each transmit-receive-beam pair. The UE performs sorting and pruning on the transmit-receive-beam pairs based on some metrics, such as reference signal receive power (RSRP) or signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0035] In one embodiment, the UE selects the best transmit-receive-beam pair to form an effective MIMO channel and antenna port for digital beamforming and MIMO transmission. Multiple effective MIMO channels can be formed by including one transmit beam or one or more receive beams from one or more transmit beam groups. For example, a system with 4 transmit beam sets (one transmit beam set includes RF chain, phase shift and antenna array) on the eNodeB side and 2 receive beam sets (one receive beam set includes RF chain, phase shift and antenna array) on the UE side can form various effective MIMO channels of 4x2, 3x2, 2x2, 1x2, 4x1, 3x1, 2x1 and 1x1.

[0036] The selection to form an effective MIMO channel shall follow the received analog beam restriction configuration. The effective MIMO channel shall not include any transmit analog beam indicated in the restriction configuration. The effective MIMO channel shall not include multiple transmit analog beams belonging to the same group.

[0037] In one embodiment, the UE derives CSI feedback based on the effective MIMO channel and selects the best set to feed back to the network. The feedback set should include the index of the simulated transmit beam, forming the selected effective MIMO channel and its corresponding rank, CQI, PMI or the precoding matrix. Depending on the network feedback configuration, multiple feedback sets can be reported to the network, covering different effective MIMO selections of different ranks or the same rank. The eNodeB can send a downlink channel based on one of these feedback sets. The downlink transmission of the channel includes sending a reference signal set based on the simulated transmit beam corresponding to the feedback set. The UE uses a receive beam from the selected transmit-receive-beam pair to receive the reference signal set and the associated data and / or control channel. In the case of reporting multiple feedback sets to the network, it is necessary to inform the UE based on which of the multiple feedback sets to form the antenna port for reference signal transmission so that the appropriate receive beam can be applied on the UE side.

[0038] The UE may be semi-statically notified, for example, by RRC signaling. This occurs when reference signals are sent on antenna ports formed based on one feedback set. These reference signals may be sent periodically for the UE to measure and report channel information. When the reference signal is configured for reception by the UE, the UE also needs to be notified based on which of the multiple feedback sets to form the antenna port for reference signal transmission so that a suitable receive beam can be applied on the UE side. This also occurs when the layer 1 control channel is sent together with the reference signal on the antenna port formed based on one feedback set.

[0039] In another example, the UE may be informed via a layer 1 control channel, such as DCI (downlink control information). This occurs when a data transmission is scheduled via a layer 1 control channel, such as DCI. The rank and / or precoding information for the data transmission is indicated via the layer 1 control channel. Depending on the rank and / or precoding used for the data transmission, the antenna ports used for the reference signal and the data transmission may be based on different feedback sets that the receiving UE needs to be aware of. This information is conveyed via an additional field in the layer 1 control channel or derived via fields in the layer 1 control channel, such as an indication of the rank and / or precoding and / or transmission antenna port.

[0040] In one embodiment, the UE reports only the best simulated transmit beam to the network. The reported transmit beams should not be from the same group. The reported transmit beams should not include any transmit beams indicated in the received beam limitation configuration. The UE can send uplink sounding signals by applying the receive beams from the selected transmit-receive-beam pair as transmit beams. The eNodeB receives and derives CSI information on these simulated beams for later downlink data transmission.

[0041] In one embodiment, the UE reports only the best simulated transmit beam to the network. The reported transmit beams should not be from the same group. The reported transmit beams should not include any transmit beams indicated in the received beam restriction configuration. The eNodeB then transmits a first reference signal set based on the best transmit beam reported by the UE. The first reference signal set is the GRS.

[0042] As an example, the eNodeB transmits the first reference signal set using the same precoding weights (or beam weights) as the reported transmit beams from the UE. For illustration, the UE utilizes {W1, W2, ..., W N} to report the transmit beam, where each W n , 1≤n≤N, is the vector of precoding weights for the corresponding transmit beam. The eNodeB uses the precoding weights from {W1, W2, ..., W NThe eNodeB configures the UE to receive the first reference signal set, and the UE receives the first reference signal set by using a receive beam from the selected transmit-receive-beam pair.

[0043] As another example, the eNodeB transmits a first set of reference signals using precoding weights (or beam weights) for transmit beams based on reports from a group of UEs. j Using {W1, W2, ..., W N} (j) To report the transmit beam, each W n , 1≤n≤N, is the vector of precoding weights for the corresponding transmit beam. The eNodeB uses {W1, W2, ..., W N} (j) The eNodeB configures the UEs in the group of UEs to receive the first reference signal set, and the UE receives the first reference signal set by using a receive beam from the selected transmit-receive-beam pair.

[0044] In one embodiment, the UE reports multiple best simulated transmit beam sets to the network. The reported transmit beams of each set should not be from the same group. The reported transmit beams should not include any transmit beams indicated in the received beam restriction configuration. The eNodeB then sends a first reference signal set based on the first best transmit beam set reported by the UE. The eNodeB configures the UE to receive the first reference signal set, and the UE receives by using the receive beam corresponding to the first best transmit beam set. The eNodeB sends another reference signal set based on the second best transmit beam set reported by the UE. The eNodeB configures the UE to receive the second reference signal set, and the UE receives by using the receive beam corresponding to the second best transmit beam set. The second reference signal set is another GRS.

[0045] In one embodiment, the UE derives CSI feedback based on the first reference signal set and selects the best set to feed back to the network. The feedback set should include the index of the simulated transmit beam, forming the selected effective MIMO channel and its corresponding rank, CQI, PMI or precoding matrix. Depending on the network feedback configuration, multiple feedback sets can be reported to the network, covering different ranks or different effective MIMO selections of the same rank.

[0046] In one embodiment, the eNodeB transmits a downlink data or control transmission to the UE on the same antenna port as the first reference signal set. The eNodeB notifies the UE to receive the downlink data or control transmission by using a receive beam from the selected transmit-receive-beam pair. The eNodeB may notify the UE by explicit signaling on, for example, an RRC or physical layer (layer 1) control channel. The eNodeB may implicitly notify the UE by receiving and applying a UE report. The UE derives a channel estimate based on the first reference signal set and applies the channel estimate to demodulate the associated downlink data or control transmission.

[0047] The first reference signal is represented by one or more of its resource mapping, sequence, cyclic shift, cover code, or any combination thereof to generate a first signal for a first group of users. Similarly, the second reference signal is represented by one or more of its resource mapping, sequence, cyclic shift, cover code, or any combination thereof to generate a second signal for a second group of users. The first reference signal is then associated with a first set of channels for the first group of users for transmission and reception. Similarly, the second reference signal is associated with a second set of channels for the second group of users for transmission and reception.

[0048] The number of GRS is configurable. In one embodiment and as described below for Figure 3 As described in further detail, frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) may be used in conjunction with multiple GRSs. Alternatively, and as described below for Figure 4 As further described in detail, code division multiplexing (CDM) may be used in conjunction with multiple GRSs. The following embodiments are illustrated and described using a control channel. However, a data channel may also be used.

[0049] The control region of the downlink subframe includes multiplexing all PDCCH bits into a single data block, which is then processed to form complex modulation symbols. These symbols are then divided into blocks of complex-valued symbol quads. These quads are then interleaved and cyclically shifted before PDCCH resource mapping.

[0050] A control region is associated with each GRS for downlink control information (DCI) transmission. The size of the control region is configurable. In one embodiment, each resource region emulates an LTE PDCCH region, which carries scheduling assignments and other control information in the form of DCI messages.

[0051] For example, Figure 3The use of FDM in conjunction with multiple GRS for DCI transmission is shown. The first GRS 302 is associated with the first region 310 and the first frequency domain 312, and the second GRS 304 is associated with the second region 320 and the second frequency domain 314, wherein the frequency domains 312, 314 of the first and second GRS 302, 304 do not overlap. As shown, the first GRS 302 and the first region 310 are at the same first frequency position, and the second GRS 304 and the second region 320 are at the same second frequency position. It should be understood that although the frequency domains 312, 314 of the first and second GRS 302, 304 are shown as not overlapping, they can overlap. In addition, it should be understood that although the first and second GRS 302, 304 are shown as being at the same frequency as the first and second regions 310, 320, respectively, they do not have to be so. In addition, as shown at 330, the region and GRS can be blank. Furthermore, although the first and second GRSs 302 , 304 are shown as being located at the beginning of their respective control regions 310 , 320 , the first GRS 302 , the second GRS 304 , or both the first GRS 302 and the second GRS 304 may be located elsewhere within their respective control regions 310 , 320 .

[0052] The AP determines the PDCCH format to be sent to the UE, creates the appropriate DCI, and attaches a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). The PDCCH transmits DCI to indicate resource allocation in the uplink or downlink. The CRC is then masked with a user identity or a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI).

[0053] The UE is only informed of the number of OFDM symbols in the control region of the subframe, and the location of its corresponding PDCCH is not provided to the UE. The UE finds its PDCCH by monitoring the set of PDCCH candidates (i.e., DCI candidates) in each candidate subframe. This is called blind decoding. The UE uses its RNTI to demask the CRC of each control candidate. If no CRC error is detected, the UE regards it as a successful decoding attempt and reads the control information within the successful candidate.

[0054] The AP instructs the UE to search for DCI candidates in which area. The candidates in this area are associated with the UE's user ID or RNTI. Candidates for blind decoding can be spread across multiple areas. For example, refer to Figure 3 , the AP may instruct the UE to search for DCI candidates 305 , 307 , and 309 in the first region 310 , and to search for DCI candidates 315 , 317 , and 319 in the second region 320 .

[0055] Figure 4 The use of CDM in conjunction with multiple GRS for DCI transmission is shown. The first GRS 402 is associated with the first region 410 and the frequency domain 425, and the second GRS 404 is associated with the first region 410 and the frequency domain 425. As shown, the first GRS 402, the second GRS 404 and the first region 410 are at the same first frequency position, so that the resources are interleaved in the frequency domain 425. In other words, the first and second GRS 402, 404 occupy the same resource and are not separated from the frequency domain 425. Different spreading codes are used for the first GRS 402, the second GRS 404, etc., so that the GRS do not interfere with each other.

[0056] As explained above, the AP instructs the UE which area to search for DCI candidates, and the candidates for blind decoding can be spread across multiple areas. Figure 4 , the AP may instruct the UE to search for DCI candidates 405 , 407 , and 409 in the first region 410 , and to search for DCI candidates 415 , 417 , and 419 in the second region 420 .

[0057] After the UE receives the DCI, it will attempt to decode the PDSCH and will then send an ACK message (correctly received or decoded data) or a NACK message (incorrectly received or decoded data). The UE can use the GRS information in the associated region to derive the uplink resources it will use for the ACK / NACK information.

[0058] Although the above description is mainly for LTE systems, these concepts can be applied to other OFDMA-based systems, WiFi systems, etc.

[0059] Figure 5 An example of a wireless communication method 500 is shown. In some embodiments, the method 500 may be performed by a base station 770 (hereinafter referred to as Figure 7 The base station 770) described in more detail is executed.

[0060] The method 500 includes, at step 502, sending, by a network controller, a first reference signal set to a user equipment (UE). Figure 7 The base station 770 sends a first reference signal set to the UE 710. For example, in a specific embodiment, the base station 770 sends a sequence of reference signals, each of which uses different analog beamforming.

[0061] The method includes receiving feedback information of a first subset of a first reference signal set selected by the UE from the network controller at step 504. For example, in a specific embodiment, the UE 710 receives the first reference signal set, determines which reference signals are the best reference signals, and reports back to the base station 770.

[0062] The method 500 includes, at step 506, the network controller sending a second reference signal set to the UE, and at step 508, the network controller indicating to the UE a link between the first subset of the first reference signal set and the second reference signal set. For example, in a specific embodiment, the base station 770 uses the information about the best beam reported by the UE 710 to send actual reference signals to the UE 710, and the UE 710 uses the best receive beam to receive those reference signals. For example, in a specific embodiment, the UE 710 may use the best beam to form a virtual MIMO channel to feed back MIMO information (e.g., precoding, transmission rank, and access level) to the base station 770, and then the base station 770 uses the best beam to send data to the UE 710. In another embodiment, the base station 770 may form a reference signal set based on information received from the UE 710, the UE 710 uses the corresponding receive beam, and then the UE 710 determines the precoding, transmission rank, and access level information, and feeds back to the base station 770 again.

[0063] Figure 6 An example of a method 600 for communicating in a wireless network is shown. In some embodiments, the method 600 may be performed by a UE 710.

[0064] The method 600 includes, at step 602, the UE receiving a first set of reference signals from a network controller. For example, the UE 710 receives the first set of reference signals from a base station 770. In certain embodiments, the base station 770 transmits a sequence of reference signals, each using different analog beamforming.

[0065] The method 600 includes, at step 604, the UE sending feedback information of a first subset of the first reference signal set selected by the UE to the network controller. For example, in a specific embodiment, the UE 710 receives the first reference signal set, determines which reference signals are the best reference signals, and sends a report back to the base station 770.

[0066] The method 600 includes, at step 606, the UE receiving a second reference signal set from a network controller, and at step 608, the UE receiving an indication of a link between a first subset of the first reference signal set and the second reference signal set from the network controller. For example, in a specific embodiment, the base station 770 uses the information about the best beam reported by the UE 710 to send actual reference signals to the UE 710, and the UE 710 uses the best receive beam to receive those reference signals. For example, in a specific embodiment, the UE 710 may use the best beam to form a virtual MIMO channel to feed back MIMO information (e.g., precoding, transmission rank, and access level) to the base station 770, and then the base station 770 uses the best beam to send data to be received by the UE 710. In another embodiment, the base station 770 may form a reference signal set based on the information received from the UE 710, the UE 710 uses the corresponding receive beam, and then the UE 710 determines the precoding, transmission rank, and access level information, and feeds back to the base station 770 again.

[0067] Figure 7 An example of a communication system 700 that can utilize group reference signals to implement transmission and reception of control and data channels according to the present disclosure is illustrated. In general, the system 700 enables multiple wireless users to send and receive data and other content. The system 700 can implement one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA).

[0068] In this example, the communication system 700 includes user equipment (UE) 710a-710c, radio access networks (RAN) 720a-720b, a core network 730, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 740, the Internet 750, and other networks 760. Figure 7 A certain number of these components or units are shown in FIG. 7 , but any number of these components or units may be included in system 700 .

[0069] UE 710a-710c is configured to operate and / or communicate in system 700. For example, UE 710a-710c is configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Each UE 710a-710c represents any suitable end-user device and may include (or may be referred to as): user equipment (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (transmit / receive unit, WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, pager, cellular phone, personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), smart phone, laptop, computer, touch pad, wireless sensor or consumer electronic device.

[0070] Here, the RAN 720a-720b includes base stations 770a-770b, respectively. Each base station 770a-770b is configured to wirelessly connect to one or more UEs in UE 710a-710c to enable access to the core network 730, PSTN 740, Internet 750 and / or other networks 760. For example, the base stations 770a-770b may include (or be) one or more of several well-known devices such as a base transceiver station (BTS), a node-B (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (evolved NodeB, eNodeB), a home NodeB, a home eNodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP) or a wireless router.

[0071] exist Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, base station 770a forms part of RAN 720a, which may include other base stations, units and / or devices. Similarly, base station 770b forms part of RAN 720b, which may include other base stations, units and / or devices. Each base station 770a-770b operates to send and / or receive wireless signals within a specific geographic area or region (sometimes referred to as a "cell"). In some embodiments, a multiple-input multiple-output technology with multiple transceivers per cell may be used.

[0072] The base stations 770a-770b communicate with one or more UEs 710a-710c using wireless communication links over one or more air interfaces 790. The air interface 790 may utilize any suitable radio access technology.

[0073] It is contemplated that system 700 may use multiple channel access functions, including such schemes as described above. In certain embodiments, the base station and UE implement LTE, LTE-A, and / or LTE-B. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocols may also be utilized.

[0074] RAN 720a-720b communicates with core network 730 to provide voice, data, application, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) or other services to UE 710a-710c. It is to be understood that RAN 720a-720b and / or core network 730 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown). Core network 730 may also be used as a gateway access to other networks such as PSTN 740, Internet 750 and other networks 760. In addition, some or all of UE 710a-710c may include functionality for communicating with different wireless networks through different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols.

[0075] although Figure 7 An example of a communication system 700 that can utilize a group reference signal to implement transmission and reception of control and data channels is shown, but Figure 7 For example, communication system 700 may include any number of UEs, base stations, networks, or other components in any suitable configuration.

[0076] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B An example of a device that can use a group reference signal to transmit and receive control and data channels according to the present disclosure is shown. Specifically, Fig. 8A An example of UE 710 is shown, and Figure 8B An example of a base station 770 is shown. These components may be used in system 700 or in any other suitable system.

[0077] like Fig. 8A As shown, UE710 includes at least one processing unit 800. Processing unit 800 implements various processing operations of UE710. For example, processing unit 800 can perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing or any other function that enables UE710 to operate in system 700. Processing unit 800 also supports the reception and use of control and data channels using group reference signals, which will be described in more detail below. Each processing unit 800 includes any suitable processing or computing device configured to perform one or more operations. Each processing unit 800 may, for example, include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array or an application specific integrated circuit.

[0078] UE710 also includes at least one transceiver 802. Transceiver 802 is configured to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 804. Transceiver 802 is also configured to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 804. Each transceiver 802 includes any suitable structure for generating a signal for wireless transmission and / or processing a signal received wirelessly. Each antenna 804 includes any suitable structure for sending and / or receiving wireless signals. One or more transceivers 802 can be used in UE710, and one or more antennas 804 can be used in UE710. Although shown as a single functional unit, transceiver 802 can also be implemented using at least one transmitter and at least one independent receiver.

[0079] UE 710 also includes one or more input / output devices 806. The input / output devices 806 facilitate interaction with the user. Each input / output device 806 includes any suitable structure for providing information to the user or receiving information from the user, such as a speaker, microphone, key, keyboard, display, or touch screen.

[0080] In addition, UE710 includes at least one memory 808. The memory 808 stores instructions and data used, generated or collected by UE710. For example, the memory 808 can store software or firmware instructions executed by the processing unit 800 and data for reducing or eliminating interference in the input signal. Each memory 808 includes any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval device. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, etc.

[0081] like Figure 8B As shown, the base station 770 includes at least one processing unit 850, at least one transmitter 852, at least one receiver 854, one or more antennas 856, at least one memory 858 and a network interface 860. The processing unit 850 implements various processing operations of the base station 770, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing or any other function. The processing unit 850 can also support the generation of signaling, as described in more detail below. Each processing unit 850 includes any suitable processing or computing device configured to perform one or more operations. Each processing unit 850 can, for example, include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array or an application specific integrated circuit.

[0082] Each transmitter 852 includes any suitable structure for generating a signal for wireless transmission to one or more UEs or other devices. Each receiver 854 includes any suitable structure for processing a signal wirelessly received from one or more UEs or other devices. Although shown as independent components, at least one transmitter 852 and at least one receiver 854 can be combined into a transceiver. Each antenna 856 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals. Although a common antenna 856 is shown here as being coupled to both the transmitter 852 and the receiver 854, one or more antennas 856 can be coupled to the transmitter 852, and one or more independent antennas 856 can be coupled to the receiver 854. Each memory 858 includes any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval device.

[0083] Additional details about UE 710 and base station 770 are known to those skilled in the art. As such, these details are omitted here for clarity.

[0084] Although Fig. 8A and Figure 8B An example of such a device is shown, but Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Various changes are possible. For example, each device 800, 850 may include any other or additional components according to specific needs.

[0085] Although features and elements are described in the form of specific combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without other features and elements, or in various combinations with or without other features and elements. Some or all of the functions or processing of one or more devices or methods or flow charts provided herein can be implemented in a computer program, software or firmware contained in a computer-readable storage medium executed by a general-purpose computer and processor. Examples of computer-readable storage media include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache, semiconductor storage devices, magnetic media (such as built-in hard disks and removable disks), magneto-optical media, and optical media (such as CD-ROM optical disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs)).

[0086] It is advantageous to set forth the definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The terms "include" and "comprises" and their derivatives mean including but not limited to. The term "or" is inclusive and means and / or. The phrases "associated with" and "associated with" and their derivatives may mean including, contained within, interconnected, containing, contained within, connected to or connected with, coupled to or coupled with, communicable with, collaborate with, intertwined, juxtaposed, close to, bound to or bound with, having, having ... performance, etc. The term "controller" means any device, system, or part thereof that controls at least one operation. A controller may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of at least two of these. The functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or decentralized, whether locally or remotely.

[0087] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be interpreted as limiting. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments and other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the specification. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving a first reference signal set from a base station; Sending feedback information to the base station, where the feedback information is used to indicate a subset of the first reference signal set; receiving a second reference signal set from the base station; wherein, The receive beam used to receive the subset of the first reference signal set is the same as the receive beam used to receive the second reference signal set.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: The receiving beam used for receiving the subset of the first reference signal set and the receiving beam used for receiving the second reference signal set are the same as indicated by an association relationship, and the association relationship is indicated by the base station.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The association relationship is indicated by upper layer configuration signaling and / or physical layer downlink control information.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Different reference signals in the first reference signal set correspond to different analog beamforming.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The reference signal in the first reference signal set is a channel state information CSI-RS, or the reference signal in the first reference signal set is a first demodulation reference signal DMRS.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The reference signal in the second reference signal set is a second DMRS, and the DMRS is used for a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The feedback information is channel state information CSI.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The CSI includes at least one of a precoding indicator PMI, a precoding matrix rank indicator PI, and a channel quality indicator CQI.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending a first reference signal set to a terminal; receiving feedback information sent by the terminal, where the feedback information is used to indicate a subset of the first reference signal set; sending a second reference signal set to the terminal; wherein, The receive beam used to receive the subset of the first reference signal set is the same as the receive beam used to receive the second reference signal set.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Also includes: An association relationship is indicated to the terminal, wherein the association relationship indicates that a reception beam used for receiving a subset of the first reference signal set and a reception beam used for receiving the second reference signal set are the same.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The association relationship is indicated to the terminal through upper layer configuration signaling and / or physical layer downlink control information.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Different reference signals in the first reference signal set are sent to the terminal through different analog beams.

13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The reference signal in the first reference signal set is a channel state information CSI-RS, or the reference signal in the first reference signal set is a first demodulation reference signal DMRS.

14. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The reference signal in the second reference signal set is a second DMRS, and the DMRS is used for a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that: The feedback information is channel state information CSI.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The CSI includes at least one of a precoding indicator PMI, a precoding matrix rank indicator PI, and a channel quality indicator CQI.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions, and when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions, and when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

21. A computer readable medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: Comprising the communication device as claimed in claim 17 and claim 18.

23. A communication system, characterized in that: Comprising the communication device as claimed in claim 19 and claim 20.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16 is executed.

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