Patent ID: 10498506

Abstract:
Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) devices and non-MIMO devices may implement a flexible comb-based design for transmission of reference signals, such as demodulation reference signals (DMRSs). User equipment (UEs) of different ranks may use the flexible comb-based design to transmit the reference signals in a common comb pattern within an allocated bandwidth. UEs using as many antenna ports as combs in the common comb pattern may transmit a different reference signal using a different antenna port over each comb, while UEs using fewer antenna ports than combs may concatenate combs, so that the UEs may transmit a reference signal using a single antenna port over multiple combs. Using the flexible comb-based design, a base station may be capable of better manage inter-cell interference and multiplexing of different rank UEs in shared resource blocks (RBs) may be supported.