Base station wireless channel sounding

Abstract

A method may include a processing system of a channel sounding receiver having a processor detecting a synchronization signal within a time and frequency resource grid of a base station and measuring a channel property at a first location based upon the synchronization signal that is received at the first location. The method may further include the processing system receiving at a second location, from the base station, the synchronization signal, measuring a channel property at the second location based upon the synchronization signal that is received at the second location, and selecting between the first location and the second location for a deployment of a customer premises equipment based upon the channel property at the first location and the channel property at the second location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 transmitting, by a processing system of a base station, a channel state information reference signal via a transmit beam that is selected based upon a transmit beam selection optimization for a first endpoint device;   receiving, by the processing system, a notification of a presence of a channel sounding receiver that is available to perform a measurement of a channel property; and   transmitting, by the processing system in response to the presence of the channel sounding receiver, the channel state information reference signal via a beam swept transmission.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the processing system from the channel sounding receiver, an identification of a location of the channel sounding receiver and a channel property measurement that is based upon the channel state information reference signal.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the channel sounding receiver measures the channel property based upon the channel state information reference signal. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 determining, by the processing system, whether the location is a candidate for a deployment of a customer premises equipment based upon the channel property at the location.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the notification comprises an instruction to transmit the channel state information reference signal via the beam swept transmission. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the channel sounding receiver measures the channel property based upon the channel state information reference signal and determines whether a location of the channel sounding receiver is a candidate for a deployment of a customer premises equipment based upon the channel property at the location. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the notification is received via at least one of:
 radio resource control signaling;   preconfiguration signaling; or   application layer signaling.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the notification is received via out-of-band signaling. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the channel property comprises:
 a multiple-input multiple-output measure; or   a delay spread measure.   
     
     
         10 . A device comprising:
 a processing system of a base station; and   a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 transmitting a channel state information reference signal via a transmit beam that is selected based upon a transmit beam selection optimization for a first endpoint device; 
 receiving a notification of a presence of a channel sounding receiver that is available to perform a measurement of a channel property; and 
 transmitting, in response to the presence of the channel sounding receiver, the channel state information reference signal via a beam swept transmission. 
   
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, from the channel sounding receiver, an identification of a location of the channel sounding receiver and a channel property measurement that is based upon the channel state information reference signal.   
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the channel sounding receiver measures the channel property based upon the channel state information reference signal. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 11 , the operations further comprising:
 determining whether the location is a candidate for a deployment of a customer premises equipment based upon the channel property at the location.   
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the notification comprises an instruction to transmit the channel state information reference signal via the beam swept transmission. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein the channel sounding receiver measures the channel property based upon the channel state information reference signal and determines whether a location of the channel sounding receiver is a candidate for a deployment of a customer premises equipment based upon the channel property at the location. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the notification is received via at least one of:
 radio resource control signaling;   preconfiguration signaling; or   application layer signaling.   
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the notification is received via out-of-band signaling. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the channel property comprises:
 a multiple-input multiple-output measure; or   a delay spread measure.   
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing system including at least one processor, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 transmitting a channel state information reference signal via a transmit beam that is selected based upon a transmit beam selection optimization for a first endpoint device;   receiving a notification of a presence of a channel sounding receiver that is available to perform a measurement of a channel property; and   transmitting, in response to the presence of the channel sounding receiver, the channel state information reference signal via a beam swept transmission.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, from the channel sounding receiver, an identification of a location of the channel sounding receiver and a channel property measurement that is based upon the channel state information reference signal.