Method and System for Scheduling Uplink Sounding Signals

A method for scheduling a transmission of uplink sounding signals for a mobile station (MS), the method comprising:

• receiving a request to send the MS downlink signals associated with a service flow at a first frame;
• searching a scheduling database for pending uplink bandwidth requests from the MS;
• scheduling uplink transmission slots for the MS to transmit uplink signals in a second frame when a uplink bandwidth request associated with the MS being present in the scheduling database, wherein the scheduling further comprises scheduling a sounding signal when no uplink bandwidth request associated with the MS is presented in the scheduling database;
• computing beamforming weighting vectors for the MS using the uplink signals;
• and
• transmitting the downlink signals employing the beamforming weighting vectors at a third frame subsequent to the first frame.

A system for scheduling a transmission of uplink sounding signals for a mobile station (MS), the system comprising:

• a receiver module for receiving a request to send the MS downlink signals associated with a service flow at a first frame;
• a scheduling database for storing pending uplink bandwidth requests from the MS;
• a scheduler module for scheduling uplink transmission slots for the MS to transmit uplink signals in a second frame, wherein the uplink signals are either the data and pilot signals or sounding signals;
• and
• a beamforming module for computing beamforming weighting vectors for the MS by using the uplink signals,
• wherein the downlink signals is transmitted to the MS by employing the beamforming weighting vectors at a third frame.