# US 11,310,082 B2 · Devices and methods for estimating noise covariance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,310,082 B2 - Document ID: US11310082B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/007,029 - Filed: 2020-08-31 - Published: 2021-04-01 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-01 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Hossam Mohamed Shokr; Guang Xu; Rajarajan Balraj - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11310082B2 ## CPC - H04L 5/0051: {of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal} - H04L 25/021: {Estimation of channel covariance} - H04L 5/0094: {Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated} - H04L 25/0242: {using matrix methods} - H04L 5/0023: {Time-frequency-space} - H04L 25/0224: {using sounding signals} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A communication device and methods for computing a noise covariance matrix by using unused resources as determined from a first information. The methods and devices are configured to demodulate and decode the first information; determine one or more resource elements during which data is not transmitted to the communication device based on the first information; obtain samples for the one or more determined resource elements; and compute a noise covariance matrix based on the obtained samples. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communication device comprising one or more processors configured to: demodulate and decode a first information, wherein the first information is a control channel information; determine one or more downlink resource elements during which data is not transmitted to the communication device based on the first information; obtain downlink samples from the one or more determined downlink resource elements; and compute a noise covariance matrix based on the obtained downlink samples. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The communication device of claim 1, the one or more processors further configured to perform a channel estimation based on the computed noise covariance matrix. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The communication device of claim 1, wherein the control channel information is a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The communication device of claim 3, wherein the demodulated and decoded first information provides demodulation reference signal (DMRS) types transmitted from another device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The communication device of claim 4, wherein the DMRS types provide frequency and time resource information comprising transmission information for a plurality of resource elements, wherein each resource element comprises a unique space in a time and frequency domain. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The communication device of claim 1, wherein the demodulated and decoded first information provides an antenna configuration index of another device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The communication device of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined resource elements comprise downlink resource elements that are reserved to be unused. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The communication device of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are configured to store the obtained downlink samples from the one or more determined downlink resource elements in a memory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The communication device of claim 8, wherein the noise covariance matrix is computed by performing an outer product of the obtained downlink samples from the one or more determined downlink resource elements. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The communication device of claim 9, the one or more processors further configured to determine an average of the outer product. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The communication device of claim 10, the one or more processors further configured to apply the average across all samples taken within a resource block including the one or more determined downlink resource elements. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The communication device of claim 1, further comprising a receiver configured to receive the control channel information, wherein the one or more processors are configured to obtain the control channel information received at the receiver. ### Claim 13 A method for determining a noise covariance matrix for signal processing in a communication device, the method comprising: demodulating and decoding a first information, wherein the first information is a control channel information; determining one or more downlink resource elements during which data is not transmitted to the communication device based on the first information; obtaining downlink samples from the one or more determined downlink resource elements; and computing a noise covariance matrix based on the obtained downlink samples. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more determined resource elements comprise resource elements reserved to not be used. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising computing the noise covariance matrix by performing an outer product of the obtained downlink samples from the one or more determined downlink resource elements. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising determining an average of the outer product. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising applying the average across all samples taken within a resource block including the one or more determined downlink resource elements. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the first information is a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) information, wherein the demodulated and decoded first information provides demodulation reference signal (DMRS) types transmitted from another device, wherein the DMRS types provide frequency and time resource information comprising transmission information for a plurality of downlink resource elements, wherein each downlink resource element comprises a unique space in a time and frequency domain, wherein the demodulated and decoded first information provides an antenna configuration index of the another device, wherein the one or more downlink resource elements comprise downlink resource elements that are reserved to not be used. ### Claim 19 One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions thereon, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: demodulate and decode a first information, wherein the first information is a control channel information; determine one or more downlink resource elements during which data is not transmitted to the communication device based on the first information; obtain downlink samples from the one or more determined downlink resource elements; and compute a noise covariance matrix based on the obtained downlink samples. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The one or more non-transitory media of claim 19, further comprising instructions to cause the processor to: compute the noise covariance matrix by performing an outer product of the obtained downlink samples for the one or more determined downlink resource elements; determine an average of the outer product; and apply the average across all samples taken within a resource block including the one or more determined downlink resource elements.