Condensing Wideband Reference Signals for MIMO Channel Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 5G wireless communication networks, the high number of antennas, high frequencies, and broad bandwidths lead to a significant increase in the amount of information needed to be handled in transceivers, particularly for channel state information (CSI), which is crucial for efficient communication.
Innovation Solution
The method involves receiving an OFDM modulated wideband reference signal at multiple antenna branches, sampling it, and accumulating the signal over repetition blocks to obtain a condensed signal. This condensed signal is then conveyed over an interface to an aggregate unit for estimating the wireless communication channel, thereby reducing the information needed to be sent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large number of antennas, high frequencies, and broad bandwidths are used to increase data rates and network capacity, then the transmission capacity and network performance are improved, but the amount of information needed to be handled in transceivers, particularly channel state information (CSI), increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information needed for channel estimation by accumulating reference signals over multiple time instances and conveying only the condensed accumulated signal rather than the full wideband reference signal. This extraction principle reduces the information quantity while preserving the necessary channel state information for MIMO operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameter of the reference signal by accumulating it over multiple time instances (repetition blocks). This temporal integration transforms the wideband reference signal into a condensed signal that contains equivalent channel information with reduced data volume, effectively changing the time dimension parameter to reduce information quantity.
2Measurement precision
If wideband reference signals are transmitted and processed to obtain accurate channel state information for MIMO and MU-MIMO, then the channel estimation accuracy is improved, but the information needed to be sent over interfaces within transceivers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges reference signals from multiple time instances (repetition blocks) through accumulation. By combining these signals temporally, the system obtains improved channel estimation accuracy through signal integration while the final condensed accumulated signal requires less information to be transmitted over internal interfaces compared to processing each wideband reference signal separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary accumulation of reference signals over multiple repetition blocks before conveying the signal over the interface to the aggregate unit. This preliminary processing action consolidates the channel information in advance, reducing the information burden on subsequent interface transmissions while maintaining accurate channel state information for MIMO operations.
3Device complexity
If the amount of information to be handled in transceivers is reduced to decrease interface communication capacity requirements, then the interface complexity is reduced, but the channel state information accuracy may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a condensed copy of the wideband reference signal through accumulation over multiple time instances. This condensed signal is a simplified representation that contains the essential channel state information needed for MIMO operations. The copying process reduces interface complexity by transmitting this condensed version rather than the full wideband signal, while the accumulation ensures the essential channel characteristics are preserved for accurate estimation.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method and a first transceiver of a wireless communication network, for handling reference signals. The method comprises receiving, from a second transceiver, at antenna elements of each of M antenna branches of the first transceiver and in time domain, an OFDM modulated wideband reference signal comprising an OFDM reference signal symbol mapped to every K subcarrier frequency of at least a subset of a carrier frequency bandwidth, and, at each of the M antenna branches, sampling the received wideband reference signal using N samples per OFDM symbol. The method further comprises, for each of the M antenna branches, accumulating the received, sampled wideband reference signal over at least two repetition blocks, each of length of N/K, to obtain a condensed signal with the length N/K samples and conveying the condensed signal over an interface to an aggregate unit.