Cell-specific signal generation

#This application is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 National Stage of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2016/051221, filed Jan. 21, 2016, designating the United States. The above identified applications are incorporated by reference.

#Embodiments presented herein relate to generation of cell-specific signals, and particularly to a method, a network device, a computer program, and a computer program product for generating cell-specific signals using an antenna array with dual-polarized antenna elements.

#In communications networks, there may be a challenge to obtain good performance and capacity for a given communications protocol, its parameters and the physical environment in which the communications network is deployed.

#The inventive concept is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 1c are schematic diagrams illustrating at least parts of a communication network according to embodiments;

#FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram showing functional units of a network device according to an embodiment;

#The inventive concept will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. This inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description. Any step or feature illustrated by dashed lines should be regarded as optional.

#FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram illustrating a communications network 100a where embodiments presented herein can be applied. The communications network 100a comprises a radio access network 110, a core network 130, and a service network 140. In turn the radio access network 110 comprises at least one radio access network node 120a, 120b. Each radio access network node 120a, 120b could be implemented as a radio base station, a base transceiver station, a node B, an Evolved node B, or other type of Access Point (AP). Each of the at least one radio access network node 120a, 120b is configured to provide network access to at least one wireless device 150. Each at least one wireless device 150 could be implemented as a portable wireless device, a mobile station, a mobile phone, a handset, a wireless local loop phone, a user equipment (UE), a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a wireless modem, or a sensor device. The herein disclosed embodiments are not limited by the number of radio access network nodes 120a, 120b or the number of wireless devices 150. At least one of the radio access network node 120a, 120b and wireless device 150 comprises a wireless device 200a, 200b, 200c. Functionality of the wireless device 200a, 200b, 200c will be provided below.

#Each of the at least one radio access network node 120a, 120b is assumed to transmit sector-specific signals in sector-specific radiation patterns 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d and cell-specific reference signals in a cell-specific radiation pattern 170a, 170b. The communications network 100a may thus be assumed to provide virtual sectorization.