MULTI-ANTENNA TRANSMITTER FOR MULTI-TONE SIGNALING

• US 20100183090A1
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Komijani, Abbas, Abbasfar, Aliazam
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2614 Peak power aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2628 Inverse Fourier transform modulators, e.g. inverse fast Fourier transform [IFFT] or inverse discrete Fourier transform [IDFT] modulators H04L27/2634 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments of a communication circuit are described. This communication circuit includes an input node (212) to receive a set of data symbols and a partitioner (216) coupled to the input node. The partitioner is to divide the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, a given one of which includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols. Moreover, this given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data-symbol spacings in the set of data symbols. This communication circuit also includes M modulators (218-1, 218-N1) coupled to the partitioner, where the given irregular subgroup of data symbols is coupled to a given modulator in the M modulators. Furthermore, the communication circuit includes M output nodes, where a given output node in the M output nodes is coupled to the given modulator and is to couple to an antenna element in M antenna elements (226).

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

an input node to receive a set of data symbols;

a partitioner coupled to the input node, wherein the partitioner is to divide the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein a given irregular subgroup of data symbols in the M irregular subgroups of data symbols includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols, and wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data-symbol spacings in the set of data symbols;

M modulators coupled to the partitioner, wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols is coupled to a given modulator in the M modulators; and

M output nodes, wherein the given modulator is coupled to a given output node in the M output nodes, and wherein the given output node is to couple to an antenna element in M antenna elements.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising the M antenna elements.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the M antenna elements are included in a multi-element antenna.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the M antenna elements are to implement spatial diversity during wireless communication with a second integrated circuit.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the M irregular subgroups of data symbols are fixed.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the given modulator includes frequency up-conversion to an associated band of frequencies.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the given modulator includes an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT).

8. The integrated circuit of claim 7, wherein the IFFT includes N/M sampling points, and wherein N is between 32 and 2048 and M is between 2 and 16.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the M modulators include orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising M amplifiers, wherein a given amplifier in the M amplifiers is coupled between the given modulator and the given output node.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes data symbols corresponding to an OFDM symbol.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein at least two of the M irregular subgroups of data symbols are to include a different number of data symbols.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is to reduce a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of a modulated signal at the given output node by more than M⁻

1 relative to the PAPR of a modulated signal corresponding to the set of data symbols.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising control logic, wherein the control logic is to dynamically allocate data symbols to the irregular subgroups of data symbols in the M irregular subgroups of data symbols based on the set of data symbols.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14, further comprising a delay element coupled between the input node and the partitioner, wherein the control logic is to determine the dynamic allocation using a feed-forward loop.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the dynamic allocation is to reduce an average or a standard deviation of the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of a modulated signal at the given output node.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the given modulator includes an N-point IFFT, and wherein N is a number of sampling points.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 17, wherein N is between 32 and 2048.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the control logic is to determine the dynamic allocation based on an estimated peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) at the M output nodes.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the control logic is to determine the dynamic allocation in order to reduce an estimated peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) at the M output nodes.

21. The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the control logic is to determine the dynamic allocation using pre-determined allocations corresponding to data symbol patterns in the set of data symbols.

22. A system, comprising:

a first device, wherein the first device includes;

an input node to receive a set of data symbols;

a partitioner coupled to the input node, wherein the partitioner is to divide the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein a given irregular subgroup of data symbols in the M irregular subgroups of data symbols includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols, and wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data-symbol spacings in the set of data symbols;

M modulators coupled to the partitioner, wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols is coupled to a given modulator in the M modulators; and

M antenna elements, wherein the given modulator is coupled to a given antenna element in the M antenna elements, and wherein the given antenna element is to transmit signals corresponding to the given irregular subgroup of data symbols; and

a second device, wherein the second device is to receive signals from the first device via a wireless communication channel, and wherein the second device is to demodulate the received signals and is to detect the set of data symbols.

23. A method for communicating data, comprising:

partitioning a set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein a given irregular subgroup of data symbols in the M irregular subgroups of data symbols includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols, and wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data-symbol spacings in the set of data symbols;

modulating the M irregular subgroups of data symbols using M modulators, wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols is modulated using a given modulator in the M modulators; and

transmitting signals using M antenna elements, wherein a given antenna element in the M antenna elements transmits signals from the given modulator.

24. An integrated circuit, comprising:

an input node to receive a set of data symbols;

means for partitioning coupled to the input node, wherein the means is to divide the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein a given irregular subgroup of data symbols in the M irregular subgroups of data symbols includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols, and wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data-symbol spacings in the set of data symbols;

M modulators coupled to the partitioner, wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols is coupled to a given modulator in the M modulators; and

M output nodes, wherein the given modulator is coupled to a given output node in the M output nodes, and wherein the given output node is to couple to an antenna element in M antenna elements.

25. A communication circuit, comprising:

an input node to receive a set of data symbols;

a partitioner coupled to the input node, wherein the partitioner is to divide the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein a given irregular subgroup of data symbols in the M irregular subgroups of data symbols includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols, and wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data-symbol spacings in the set of data symbols;

M modulators coupled to the partitioner, wherein the given irregular subgroup of data symbols is coupled to a given modulator in the M modulators; and

M output nodes, wherein the given modulator is coupled to a given output node in the M output nodes, and wherein the given output node is to couple to an antenna element in M antenna elements.