Coupling loss in wireless networks

A third node in a wireless network, having transmitters in a cluster of transmitters and receivers, wherein at least one further transmitter in the wireless network is not included in the cluster, and wherein a first receiver of a second node receives from a transmitter of a first node desired signals and receives at least from the third node interfering signals, the third node comprising:

• one or more antennas;
• and
• at least one transmitter, wherein a specific transmitter is configured by a processor to transmit in a transmitter specific third time-frequency partition a specific third signal at a non-zero transmission power, while all the transmitters of other nodes in the cluster are configured to transmit a non-zero power specific signal in their own specific time-frequency partition, and also to transmit a zero power signal during each time-frequency partition dedicated to each other transmitter in the cluster for the transmission of the non-zero power signal, and to transmit a signal at a zero transmission power in a second time-frequency partition, not overlapping with any other transmitter specific time-frequency partition in the cluster, while all transmitters of other nodes in the cluster are configured to transmit a zero power signal during the second time-frequency partition, so as to enable the first receiver of a second node to determine a specific received power of the specific signal transmitted by the specific transmitter of the third node, and to determine a second received power in the second time-frequency partition, wherein the second received power represents the sum of interference, created by the at least one further transmitter not included in the cluster, and of the noise of the first receiver, for calculating a net specific first received power of the specific third signal by subtracting the second received power from the specific first received power and either computing a specific first coupling loss between the specific second transmitter of the third node and the first receiver of the second node based on the net received power of the specific third signal and of the non-zero transmission power of the specific third signal or transmitting the value of the net received power to another node or to a central coordinator for computing a coupling loss.

A second node in a wireless network, having receivers in a cluster of transmitters and receivers, wherein at least one further transmitter in the wireless network is not included in the cluster, and wherein a second node receives from a first node desired signals and from a third node interfering signals, the second node comprising:

• one or more antennas;
• and
• at least one receiver, wherein a first receiver is configured by a processor to receive in a first time-frequency partition a first signal transmitted by a first transmitter of a first node at a non-zero transmission power, and to receive from each specific second transmitter of a third node a specific third signal at a non-zero transmission power within its own specific third time-frequency partition, wherein each transmitter in the cluster is configured to transmit a zero power signal during each time-frequency partition dedicated for transmitting the non-zero power signal by each other transmitter in the cluster, and wherein all transmitters in the cluster are configured to transmit a zero power signal in a second time-frequency partition, not overlapping with any of the first and third time-frequency partitions, and wherein the first receiver of the second node is additionally configured to determine a specific first received power in the specific third time-frequency partition and to determine a second received power in the second time-frequency partition, wherein the second received power represents the sum of interference, created by the at least one further transmitter not included in the cluster, and of the noise of the first receiver of the second node, for calculating a net received power of the specific third signal by subtracting the second received power from the specific third signal received power and computing a specific third coupling loss between the specific second transmitter of the third node and the first receiver of the second node, based on the net received power of the specific third signal and of the non-zero transmission power of the specific third signal.

An apparatus for controlling or coordinating or managing a wireless network, the apparatus comprising:

• a communication interface for communicating with at least three nodes having transmitters and receivers included in a cluster in the wireless network, wherein at least one further transmitter in the wireless network is not included in the cluster, and wherein a first node transmits to a second node desired signals, and a third node transmits to the second node interfering signals;
• and
• a processor, configured to configure a first transmitter of a first node to transmit in a first time-frequency partition at least one first signal at a non-zero transmission power, and to configure each at least one second transmitter of the third node to transmit a non-zero power specific signal within its own specific time-frequency partition, and to configure each transmitter in the cluster to transmit a zero power signal during each time-frequency partition dedicated for transmitting the non-zero power signal by each at least one other transmitter in the cluster, and to configure all transmitters in the cluster to transmit a zero power signal in a second time-frequency partition, not overlapping with any of the first or third time-frequency partitions, wherein the first receiver of the second node is configured to determine a specific first received power in the specific third time-frequency partition and to determine a second received power in the second time-frequency partition, wherein the second received power represents the sum of interference, created by the at least one further transmitter not included in the cluster, and of the noise of the first receiver of the second node, and the processor is additionally configured to calculate or receive a calculation of a net received power of the specific third signal by subtracting the second received power from the specific first received power, and to compute or receive a computation of a specific first coupling loss between the specific second transmitter of the at least one third node and the first receiver of the second node, based on the net specific first received power and on the non-zero transmission power of the specific third signal.

A wireless communication system, comprising:

• a cluster of transmitters and receivers in a wireless network, wherein at least one further transmitter in the wireless network is not included in the cluster, and wherein a first receiver in the cluster, belonging to a second node, receives from a first transmitter in the cluster, belonging to a first node, desired signals and from the at least one second transmitter in the cluster, belonging to a third node, interfering signals;
• and
• one or more processors, configured to:
• configure a first transmitter of the first node to transmit in a first time-frequency partition a first signal at a non-zero transmission power, and configure each specific second transmitter in the cluster to transmit in its own specific third time-frequency partition a specific third signal at a non-zero transmission power;
• configure each transmitter in the cluster to transmit a zero power signal during each time-frequency partition dedicated for transmitting the non-zero transmission power signal by each other transmitter in the cluster;
• configure all transmitters in the cluster to transmit the zero power signal during a second time-frequency partition, not overlapping with any of the first and third time-frequency partitions;
• configure the first receiver of the second node to determine a specific first received power in the third time-frequency partition and to determine a second received power in the second time-frequency partition, wherein the second received power represents the sum of interference, created by at least one further transmitter not included in the cluster, and of noise of the first receiver of the second node;
• calculate a net received power of the specific third signal by subtracting the second received power from the specific first received power;
• and
• compute or receive a computation of a specific first coupling loss between the specific second transmitter of the at least one third node and the first receiver of the second node, based on the net received power of the specific third signal and based on the non-zero transmission power of the specific third signal.