Method of receiving wideband signal

• US 20080064356A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Khayrallah, Ali S.
• Application Number:
  US11/517,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20080064356A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/277.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/30 for homodyne or synchrodyne receivers demodulator circuits H03D1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/709727 GRAKE type RAKE receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/082 selecting best antenna path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0822 according to predefined selection scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0868 Hybrid systems, i.e. switching and combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0871 using different reception schemes, at least one of them being a diversity reception scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2647 Arrangements specific to the receiver only equalisation H04L27/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A multiple antenna receiver receives a wideband signal containing two or more sub-signals of interest. The receiver may be selectively configured to receive all sub-signals of interest with all antennas, or to receive different sub-signals of interest with different antennas.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a wideband signal including multiple sub-signals, said method comprising:

receiving the wideband signal using two or more receive antennas;

selectively assigning a first one of said receive antennas to receive a first sub-signal of the wideband signal; and

selectively assigning a second one of said receive antennas to receive a second sub-signal of the wideband signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of receive antennas equals the number of sub-signals, and wherein each receive antenna is assigned to receive a respective one of said sub-signals.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each receive antenna receives a different sub-signal from the other receive antennas.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprises selectively assigning a third one of said receive antennas to receive said first or second sub-signals.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising combining said sub-signal received on said third antenna with said first or second signal.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the third antenna is assigned periodically to said first and second sub-signals.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the third antenna is assigned pseudo-randomly to said first and second sub-signals.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising determining channel conditions associated with said first and second sub-signals, wherein said third antenna is assigned to one of said first and sub-signals based on said channel conditions.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of receive antennas is at least equal to the number of sub-signals.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one primary receive antenna is assigned to receive each sub-signal.

11. The method of claim 10 including at least one secondary receive antenna, and further comprising assigning said secondary receive antenna to receive one of said sub-signals.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second sub-signals overlap in the frequency domain.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second sub-signals are non-overlapping in the frequency domain.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second sub-signals have different bandwidths.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first and second sub-signals overlap in the frequency domain.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the wideband signal comprises a multiple carrier CDMA signal.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the wideband signal comprises an OFDM carrier comprising a plurality of sub-carriers.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating channel estimates for each sub-signal, and combining said channel estimates to produce a composite estimate for the wideband signal.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein combining said channel estimates to produce a composite estimate for the wideband signal comprises:

converting said channel estimates from a time domain to a frequency domain;

combining said channel estimates in the frequency domain to generate the composite estimate; and

converting the composite estimate back to the time domain.

20. A multi-antenna receiver comprising:

a plurality of receive antennas;

a control unit configured to select one or more of said receive antennas to receive a wideband signal containing a plurality of sub-signals, said control unit operative to;

selectively assign a first one of said selected receive antennas to receive a first sub-signal of the wideband signal; and

selectively assign a second one of said selected receive antennas to receive a second sub-signal of the wideband signal; and

an antenna selection circuit responsive to said control unit configured to couple said receive antennas to a receiver circuit.

21. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the number of receive antennas equals the number of sub-signals, and wherein the control unit assigns each receive antenna to receive a respective one of said sub-signals.

22. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 21 wherein the control unit assigns each receive antenna to receive a different sub-signal.

23. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the control unit selectively assigns a third one of said receive antennas to receive said first or second sub-signal.

24. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 23 further comprising a processing circuit configured to combine said sub-signal received on said third antenna with said a sub-signal signal received on said first or second receive antenna.

25. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 23 wherein the control unit periodically assigns the third antenna to receive said first and second sub-signals.

26. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 23 wherein the control unit pseudo-randomly assigns the third antenna to receive said first and second sub-signals.

27. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 23 further comprising a processing circuit configured to determine channel conditions associated with said first and second sub-signals, and wherein said control unit assigns the third antenna to one of said first and second sub-signals based on said channel conditions.

28. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the number of receive antennas is at least equal to the number of sub-signals.

29. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 28 wherein the control unit assigns at least one primary receive antenna to receive each sub-signal.

30. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 29 including at least one secondary receive antenna, and wherein the control unit assigns said secondary receive antenna to receive one of said sub-signals.

31. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the first and second sub-signals overlap in the frequency domain.

32. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the first and second sub-signals are non-overlapping in the frequency domain.

33. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the first and second sub-signals have different bandwidths.

34. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 33 wherein the first and second sub-signals overlap in the frequency domain.

35. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the wideband signal comprises a multiple carrier CDMA signal.

36. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the wideband signal comprises an OFDM carrier comprising a plurality of sub-carriers.

37. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 further comprising a processing circuit configured to generate channel estimates for each sub-signal and combine said channel estimates to produce a composite estimate for the wideband signal.

38. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 37 wherein the processing circuit combines said channel estimates to produce a composite estimate for the wideband signal by converting said channel estimates from a time domain to a frequency domain, combining said channel estimates in the frequency domain to generate the composite estimate, and converting the composite estimate back to the time domain.

39. The multi-antenna receiver of claim 20 wherein the multi-antenna receiver is disposed in a wireless communication device.