Abstract: Data may be transmitted from a first communications device using multiple antennas to a second communications device based on precoder feedback defining a grid of transmission beams. A first precoder index may be received from the second communications device, and a second precoder index may be received from the second communications device. At least one symbol stream may be processed based at least in part on the first and second precoder indices to generate antenna signals for respective antenna elements of the multiple antennas, and the antenna signals may be transmitted over the multiple antennas to the communications device. Related base stations and user equipment are also discussed.

Abstract: One aspect of the teachings herein relates to signaling codebook restrictions, to restrict the precoder recommendations being fed back from a remote transceiver, so that precoder selections made by the remote receiver are restricted to permitted subsets of overall precoders within a defined set of overall precoders, or to permitted subsets within larger sets of conversion precoders and tuning precoders, for the case where the overall precoders are represented in factorized form by conversion and tuning precoders. As a non-limiting example, these teachings advantageously provide for precoder restrictions in LTE or LTE-Advanced networks, where ongoing development targets the use of larger, richer sets of precoders, and where the disclosed mechanisms for determining, signaling, and responding to subset restrictions provide significant operational advantages.

Abstract: The present invention provides a unified, rank independent mapping between antenna ports and group/code pairs. Each antenna port is uniquely associated with one code division multiplexing (CDM) group and one orthogonal cover code (OCC). The mapping between antenna ports and group/code pairs is chosen such that, for a given antenna port, the CDM group and OCC will be the same for every transmission rank.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for enabling accurate link quality estimation of a wireless link between a sending node and a receiving node. When the sending node receives link state reports from the receiving node, it estimates the current state of the wireless link. The sending node also determines a measurement adjusting parameter if the link state reports are deemed inaccurate in relation to the estimated link state, based on a deviation between the received link state reports and the estimated actual link state. The sending node then sends the determined measurement adjusting parameter to the receiving node, and the receiving node provides a link state report based on signal measurements adjusted by the measurement adjusting parameter. The adjusted link state report can then be used for link adaptation of the wireless link and/or for packet scheduling decisions.

Abstract: A precoder for an effective channel linking a wireless receiver to a wireless transmitter includes a precoder report and a precoder update report, the effective channel including a propagation channel, transmit filters and receive filters. A structured frequency-selectivity of the effective channel is determined, the structured frequency-selectivity being induced by one or more long term and/or persistent parameters of the effective channel. The precoder update report is generated based on the structured frequency-selectivity. The precoder update report includes frequency-dependent phase compensation which accounts for the structured frequency-selectivity. The precoder report is generated for the effective channel based on channel state information determined for the effective channel. The precoder report and the precoder update report are transmitted to the wireless transmitter.

Abstract: A method for facilitating noise and interference measurements on an air interface of a wireless network includes obtaining information relating to a time-varying layout of a silent resource element (RE) grid and taking a presence of a silent RE grid into account in the reception of a control or a data channel.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for enabling accurate link quality estimation of a wireless link between a sending node (400) and a receiving node (402). When the sending node receives link state reports from the receiving node, it estimates the current state of the wireless link. The sending node also determines a measurement adjusting parameter if the link state reports are deemed inaccurate in relation to the estimated link state, based on a deviation between the received link state reports and the estimated actual link state. The sending node then sends the determined measurement adjusting parameter to the receiving node, and the receiving node provides a link state report based on signal measurements adjusted by the measurement adjusting parameter. The adjusted link state report can then be used for link adaptation of the wireless link and/or for packet scheduling decisions.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a demodulation reference signal for use by user equipment configured with multiple antennas based on a rank of an antenna or an antenna port are disclosed. A rank for a user equipment device is determined indicating the number of spatial layers or antenna ports in use, and the value of the rank is used to generate a cyclic shift offset and a cyclic shift, that can then be used to generate a demodulation reference signal to be used in timeslots within each spatial layer of an uplink transmission. Orthogonal cover codes may be used in conjunction with a determined cyclic shift to generate a demodulation reference signal.

Abstract: Particular embodiments provide a method in a network node (110) for requesting a channel state information-only, CSI-only, report from a wireless terminal (120). The method comprises selecting (210), based on at least one parameter related to transmission of the CSI-only report, a transport block out of two or more available transport blocks, such that the at least one parameter is derivable from an indication of which transport block was selected. The network node then transmits (220) an uplink grant to the wireless terminal (110). The uplink grant comprises the request for the CSI-only report, and also comprises an indication of the selected transport block.

Abstract: A method for wirelessly transmitting data and control information using a plurality of transmission layers includes determining a number of bits in one or more user data codewords to be transmitted during a subframe and calculating, for each of M control signals to be transmitted during the subframe, a value (Q?), based at least in part, on the number of bits in the one or more user data codewords, and an estimated number of user data vector symbols onto which the one or more user data codewords will be mapped. The estimate of the number of user data vector symbols for a particular one of the M control signals depends, at least in part, on a number of control vector symbols to be allocated to one or more others of the M control signals.

Abstract: A system and method to instruct a User Equipment (UE) how Uplink Control Information (UCI) on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) should be transmitted with carrier aggregation. A semi-static signaling of a UCI mapping bit (via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) parameter) is used by a base station such as an eNodeB to require the UE to transmit UCI using one of two pre-determined UCI transmission modes. The bit can be decided by the base station, considering, for example, the available bandwidth or quality of different Uplink Component Carriers (UL CCs) associated with the UE. This network-based solution allows the network to either configure a general rule of UCI transmission by the UE or to enforce the UCI transmission on the Uplink Primary cell (UL Pcell). Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe the claims.

Abstract: Data may be transmitted from a first communications device using multiple antennas to a second communications device based on precoder feedback defining a grid of transmission beams. A first precoder index may be received from the second communications device, and a second precoder index may be received from the second communications device. At least one symbol stream may be processed based at least in part on the first and second precoder indices to generate antenna signals for respective antenna elements of the multiple antennas, and the antenna signals may be transmitted over the multiple antennas to the communications device. Related base stations and user equipment are also discussed.

Abstract: A method for wirelessly transmitting user data and at least a first type of control information using a plurality of transmission layers including encoding bits of a first type of control information to form one or more control codewords and encoding bits of user data to form one or more user data codewords. The method also includes generating a plurality of vector symbols based on the control codewords and the user data codewords. Each vector symbol includes a plurality of modulation symbols that are each associated with a transmission layer over which the associated modulation symbol will be transmitted. Generating the plurality of vector symbols includes interleaving bits of the one or more control codewords and bits of the one or more user data codewords so that the first type of control information is carried in modulation symbols associated with the same transmission layers in all the vector symbols transmitted during the subframe that carry the first type of control information.

Abstract: A method for wirelessly transmitting data using a plurality of transmission layers includes estimating a number of vector symbols to be allocated to transmission of user data codewords during a subframe and determining a number of bits in a plurality of user data codewords to be transmitted during the subframe. The method also includes calculating a number of control vector symbols to allocate to control information based at least in part on the estimated number of vector symbols and the determined number of bits. Additionally, the method includes mapping control codewords to the calculated number of control vector symbols and transmitting vector symbols carrying the user data codewords and the control codewords over the plurality of transmission layers during the subframe.

Abstract: A method for wirelessly transmitting data and control information using a plurality of transmission layers includes determining a number of bits in one or more user data codewords to be transmitted during a subframe and calculating a number of control vector symbols to allocate to control information during the subframe. The number of control vector symbols is calculated based at least in part on the number of bits in the one or more user data codewords to be transmitted during the subframe and an estimate of the number of vector symbols onto which the one or more user data codewords will be mapped. The estimate of the number of vector symbols depends, at least in part, on the number of control vector symbols to be allocated to control information.

Abstract: A method for wirelessly transmitting data using a plurality of transmission layers includes estimating a number of data vector symbols to be allocated to one or more user data codewords during the subframe and determining a number of bits in the one or more user data codewords. The method also includes calculating a nominal number of control vector symbols to allocate to control information based, at least in part, on the estimated number of data vector symbols and the determined number of bits in the one or more user data codewords. Additionally, the method includes determining an offset value based, at least in part, on a number of layers over which the wireless terminal will be transmitting during the subframe and calculating a final number of control vector symbols by multiplying the nominal number of control vector symbols and the offset value.

Abstract: The teachings herein present a method and apparatus that implement and use a factorized precoder structure that is advantageous in terms of performance and efficiency. In particular, the teachings presented herein disclose an underlying precoder structure that allows for certain codebook reuse across different transmission scenarios, including for transmission from a single Uniform Linear Array (ULA) of transmit antennas and transmission from cross-polarized subgroups of such antennas. According to this structure, an overall precoder is constructed from a conversion precoder and a tuning precoder. The conversion precoder includes antenna-subgroup precoders of size NT/2, where NT represents the number of overall antenna ports considered. Correspondingly, the tuning precoder controls the offset of beam phases between the antenna-subgroup precoders, allowing the conversion precoder to be used with cross-polarized arrays of NT/2 antenna elements and with co-polarized arrays of NT antenna elements.

Abstract: One aspect of the teachings presented herein provides advantages for sending precoder selection feedback from a transceiver to another transceiver, for use by the other transceiver as precoding recommendations. The transceiver generates two types of precoder selection feedback, where one type uses a smaller signaling payload than the other and therefore provides a distinct reduction in the signaling overhead associated with reporting precoding recommendations. The transceiver uses the reduced-overhead type of reporting when reporting at certain times, or on certain channels, or in response to control signaling. In one example, a UE in an LTE network sends precoder information to an eNodeB on the PUCCH by sending smaller-range index values that index only a subset of precoders, but sends full-range index values when reporting on the PUSCH, which index a larger set of precoders.

Abstract: One aspect of the teachings herein relates to signaling codebook restrictions, to restrict the precoder recommendations being fed back from a remote transceiver, so that precoder selections made by the remote receiver are restricted to permitted subsets of overall precoders within a defined set of overall precoders, or to permitted subsets within larger sets of conversion precoders and tuning precoders, for the case where the overall precoders are represented in factorized form by conversion and tuning precoders. As a non-limiting example, these teachings advantageously provide for precoder restrictions in LTE or LTE-Advanced networks, where ongoing development targets the use of larger, richer sets of precoders, and where the disclosed mechanisms for determining, signaling, and responding to subset restrictions provide significant operational advantages.

Abstract: A precoder for an effective channel linking a wireless receiver to a wireless transmitter includes a precoder report and a precoder update report, the effective channel including a propagation channel, transmit filters and receive filters. A structured frequency-selectivity of the effective channel is determined, the structured frequency-selectivity being induced by one or more long term and/or persistent parameters of the effective channel. The precoder update report is generated based on the structured frequency-selectivity. The precoder update report includes frequency-dependent phase compensation which accounts for the structured frequency-selectivity. The precoder report is generated for the effective channel based on channel state information determined for the effective channel. The precoder report and the precoder update report are transmitted to the wireless transmitter.