Antenna Grouping for Phase Noise Compensation in Wireless Transmitters

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, different antenna elements or ports often experience distinct phase noises, making it difficult to accurately estimate and compensate for phase changes, which hampers channel estimation and data demodulation.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves grouping antenna elements with the same phase noise together and transmitting pre-coded user data streams, Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS), and Phase-Tracking Reference Signals (PTRS) through these groups, allowing for channel estimation and phase noise determination specific to each group, thereby enabling accurate compensation and demodulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single phase-tracking reference signal is used for all antenna ports, then the system complexity is reduced, but the phase noise estimation accuracy deteriorates when different antenna ports have different phase noises

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereference signal structureVSAvoidphase noise estimation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the antenna ports into multiple groups based on their phase noise characteristics. Each group is assigned a dedicated phase-tracking reference signal, allowing independent phase noise estimation for each group. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining low overall system complexity while achieving high estimation accuracy through group-specific tracking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different phase-tracking reference signals to different antenna port groups according to their specific phase noise characteristics. Each group receives tailored phase noise compensation, improving estimation accuracy for ports with distinct phase noise while maintaining system simplicity through structured grouping.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If multiple phase-tracking reference signals are transmitted for different antenna ports, then the phase noise estimation accuracy is improved, but the system complexity and signaling overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephase noise estimation accuracyVSAvoidreference signal structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal phase-tracking reference signal structure that can serve multiple antenna port groups simultaneously. The same reference signal design and processing methodology is applied across all groups, providing a scalable solution that improves accuracy without proportionally increasing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the grouping parameter of antenna ports based on their phase noise characteristics. By dynamically adjusting which ports are grouped together, the system can adapt to different phase noise conditions while maintaining a manageable number of reference signals, thus improving accuracy without excessive complexity increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Speed

If phase noise compensation is performed without grouping antenna ports, then the processing speed is maintained, but the channel estimation accuracy deteriorates due to unaccounted phase differences

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidchannel estimation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary grouping of antenna ports based on their phase noise characteristics before channel estimation. This pre-processing step organizes the data structure in advance, allowing efficient processing during the actual estimation phase. The grouping information is prepared beforehand, enabling fast execution without sacrificing accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3565205B1Method for transmitting a reference signal, method for determining phase noise, and related apparatuses
Publication Date: 2021.02.17 CHINA ACAD OF TELECOMM TECH
  • EP3565205B1 patent drawingFigure 1a
  • EP3565205B1 patent drawingFigure 1b
  • EP3565205B1 patent drawingFigure 2a

AI summary

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a method for transmitting a reference signal, a method for determining a phase noise, and related apparatuses, to resolve the problem in the prior art that different phase noises of different antenna units or antenna ports of a transmitter cannot be accurately estimated and compensated for. The method comprises: the transmitter respectively transmitting each precoded DMRS and PTRS to a receiver via respective corresponding antenna groups having a same phase noise, and when the receiver receives the PTRS, performing channel estimation based on each received PTRS, to determine phase changes caused by phase noises corresponding to different antenna groups. In this way, even if different antennas of a transmitter have different phase noises, phase changes caused by the different phase noises can still be accurately determined, so that all data transmitted by the different antenna groups can be accurately demodulated according to different phase changes.