Patent ID: 9136995
Filing Date: 2015-09-15
Classification: H04B,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: receiving in a feedback process, at a base station forming at least one cell having a coverage area that at least partially overlies a coverage area of an underlying cell, a plurality of indicators from a plurality of user equipment in the at least one cell, each value of an indicator corresponding to one or more entries of a codebook the corresponding user equipment recommends to be used for transmission to the user equipment; assigning the user equipment to a plurality of groups, the plurality of groups comprising a first group of user equipment having values of indicators corresponding to first codebook entries that when applied to an antenna array produce a pattern in elevation that steers a beam away from the underlying cell, and a second group of user equipment having values of indictors corresponding to second codebook entries that are different from the first codebook entries; transmitting, in a first set of resource blocks having a first characteristic, to the user equipment in the first group by applying to the antenna array the codebook entries corresponding to the indicators indicated in the feedback process by the user equipment in the first group; and transmitting, in a second set of resource blocks having a second characteristic, to the user equipment in the second group by applying to the antenna array the codebook entries corresponding to the indicators indicated in the feedback process by the user equipment in the second group, where the first characteristic and the second characteristic are different.