Apparatuses and methods for multi-user transmissions

A transmission and reception point (TRP) apparatus, the TRP apparatus comprising:

• memory;
• and
• processing circuitry coupled to the memory, wherein the TRP is configured to:
• establish a set of one or more candidate transmit (TX) beams for a first user equipment, UE, the first UE having a first antenna arrangement and a second antenna arrangement;
• establish a set of one or more candidate TX beams for a second UE, the second UE having a first antenna arrangement and a second antenna arrangement;
• use a first receive (RX) beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement, wherein the first RX beam corresponds to a first TX beam included in the set of candidate TX beams for the first UE;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the first RX beam, determine a first path gain;
• use the first RX beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the first RX beam, determine a second path gain;
• use a second RX beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement, wherein the second RX beam corresponds to a first TX beam included in the set of candidate TX beams for the second UE;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the second RX beam, determine a third path gain;
• use the second RX beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the second RX beam, determine a fourth path gain;
• use the first path gain, the second path gain, the third path gain, and the fourth path gain in a process for determining whether the first UE and the second UE can be co-scheduled for a multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program comprising instructions for adapting an apparatus to perform a method for scheduling at least a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE for a multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission, wherein the first UE comprises a first antenna arrangement and a second antenna arrangement and the second UE comprises a first antenna arrangement and a second antenna arrangement, the method comprising:

• establishing a set of one or more candidate transmit (TX) beams for the first UE;
• establishing a set of one or more candidate TX beams for the second UE;
• using a first receive (RX) beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement, wherein the first RX beam corresponds to a first TX beam included in the set of candidate TX beams for the first UE;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the first RX beam, determining a first path gain;
• using the first RX beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the first RX beam, determining a second path gain;
• using a second RX beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement, wherein the second RX beam corresponds to a first TX beam included in the set of candidate TX beams for the second UE;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the first UE using the first UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the second RX beam, determining a third path gain;
• using the second RX beam to receive a reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement;
• based on a signal strength of the reference signal transmitted by the second UE using the second UE's first antenna arrangement and received using the second RX beam, determining a fourth path gain;
• using the first path gain, the second path gain, the third path gain, and the fourth path gain in a process for determining whether the first UE and the second UE can be co-scheduled for the MU-MIMO transmission.