Antenna Port Mapping for Flexible Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LTE systems lack sufficient support for beamforming in downlink data transmission, particularly for multi-user scenarios, as existing specifications do not provide a detailed implementation method, leading to inefficient and inflexible data transmission.
Innovation Solution
The method involves establishing mapping relationships between physical antenna elements and antenna ports, allowing for the addition of beamforming weights to modulation symbols, enabling flexible beamforming operations and improving data transmission flexibility by distinguishing between different types of antenna ports for Cell-specific Reference Signals (CsRS) and UE-specific Reference Signals (UsRS).
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If beamforming operations are performed on different frequency-domain resources for multi-user data transmission, then different users can have different beamforming weights, but the implementation becomes complex and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines resource element mapping and antenna port mapping into a unified mapping process. By integrating these two mapping operations, the system achieves multi-user beamforming without requiring separate processing for each user on different frequency resources, thus reducing implementation complexity while maintaining adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The unified mapping mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it performs resource element mapping, antenna port mapping, and beamforming weight application in a single operation. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for user-specific frequency resource separation while still supporting different beamforming weights for multiple users
2Reliability
If existing processing procedure is used for downlink data transmission, then the standard LTE processing can be followed, but sufficient support for beamforming transmission is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic beamforming weight application within the standard LTE processing framework. By making the mapping process dynamic and user-specific, the system maintains compliance with standard LTE procedures while enabling flexible beamforming support for multiple users through the unified mapping mechanism
3Productivity
If only one user's data is processed at a time, then the processing procedure is simple, but the data transmission efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple users' data processing into a single unified mapping operation. By combining resource element mapping and antenna port mapping, the system can process multiple users simultaneously without increasing processing complexity, thus improving data transmission efficiency while maintaining simple processing procedures
Data Source
AI summary
A method for data transmission is disclosed. The method includes: performing, by a system, resource element mapping on modulation symbols which include data to be transmitted and reference signals and which are allocated to antenna ports of a designated type; performing antenna port mapping on the modulation symbols which are through the resource element mapping; and generating Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signals based on the modulation symbols which are through the antenna port mapping and transmitting the OFDM signals via physical antennas. The present invention also discloses an apparatus for data transmission. In the method and apparatus provided by the present invention, through establishing a mapping relationship between physical antenna elements and antenna ports, beamforming weights are added to modulation symbols of users at the same time. Thus, beamforming operation of the users is implemented. Accordingly, the system may support flexible beamforming transmission on frequency-domain, which greatly improves the flexibility of data transmission of the system.