Flexible CSI RS configuration for FD-MIMO systems

An Evolved Node-B (eNB) operable to communicate with a User Equipment (UE) on a network, the eNB including hardware processing circuitry comprising:

• an ordered set of antenna ports for at least part of a channel associated with a set of receiving antennas of the UE;
• a first circuitry operable to compose CSI-RS configuration messages that assign to the UE a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) group specifying one or more CSI-RS antenna ports;
• and
• a second circuitry operable to establish CSI-RS group assignments for an ordered list of CSI-RS antenna ports corresponding with the ordered set of antenna ports of the eNB, the ordered list of CSI-RS antenna ports including one or more antenna ports specified by a first assigned CSI-RS group, and including one or more antenna ports specified by a second assigned CSI-RS group;
• wherein the second circuitry is operable to establish the one or more antenna ports specified by the first assigned CSI-RS group as being associated with a first antenna coupled to the eNB, and to establish the one or more antenna ports specified by the second assigned CSI-RS group as being associated with a second antenna coupled to the eNB, the first antenna and second antenna having orthogonal polarizations.

Non-transitory machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a User Equipment (UE) to perform an operation comprising:

• receive in the UE, from an Evolved Node-B (eNB), an assignment of a first Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) group specifying one or more CSI-RS antenna ports, and an assignment of a second CSI-RS group specifying one or more CSI-RS antenna ports;
• and
• index the one or more antenna ports specified by the first CSI-RS group assignment and the one or more antenna ports specified by the second CSI-RS group assignment as an ordered list of CSI-RS antenna ports for at least part of a channel associated with a set of receiving antennas of the UE,
• wherein the indexing interleaves the one or more REs of the first CSI-RS group assignment with the one or more REs of the second CSI-RS group assignment.

Non-transitory machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause an Evolved Node-B (eNB) to perform an operation comprising:

• establish one or more Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) antenna ports specified by a first CSI-RS group assignment and one or more CSI-RS antenna ports specified by a second CSI-RS group assignment as being an ordered set of antenna ports of the eNB for at least part of a channel associated with a set of receiving antennas for a User Equipment (UE);
• transmit to the UE the first CSI-RS group assignment and the second CSI-RS group assignment;
• associate a first antenna coupled to the eNB with the one or more antenna ports specified by the first CSI-RS group assignment;
• and
• associate a second antenna coupled to the eNB with the one or more antenna ports specified by the second CSI-RS group assignment, the first antenna and the second antenna having orthogonal polarizations.