Stale feedback using a secondary base station

摘要

A system and method in which two base stations—a Primary Base Station (PBS) and a Secondary Base Station (SBS)—are used to accomplish a Virtual 2-antenna Receiver (V2RX) scheme. The PBS may perform the initial transmissions of symbols, but, instead of the PBS, the SBS may handle the subsequent reception of terminal-specific Channel State Information (CSI) and the broadcast of an additional signal. The SBS can be much simpler in design than the PBS, and can be located physically closer to the terminals, requiring less power for the feedback signals (from the terminals) and also for SBS's own broadcast of the additional signal to terminals. The reception and usage of stale CSI using a secondary base station can be important for dense networks with a large number of simple terminals. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe claims.

主权项

1. A method of providing wireless transmissions in a wireless network wherein a first base station and a second base station are in wireless communication with each other and with each of a first terminal and a second terminal operating in the wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:
using the first base station, providing a terminal-specific wireless transmission to each of the first and the second terminals over a communication channel established in the wireless network; and using only the second base station: receiving the terminal-specific wireless transmissions transmitted to each of the first and the second terminals from the first base station; receiving respective terminal-specific channel status-related information from at least one of the first and the second terminals in response to at least one corresponding terminal-specific wireless transmission from the first base station; and transmitting a signal to the at least one terminal from which the channel status-related information was received, wherein the transmitted signal from the second base station is based on the channel status-related information received by the second base station from the at least one terminal, and on the corresponding terminal-specific wireless transmission transmitted to the at least one terminal from the first base station, thereby enabling the at least one terminal to form a Virtual 2-antenna Receiver (V2RX).