System and methods for selecting an appropriate detection technique in a radiocommunication system

• US 6,333,953 B1
• Filed: 07/21/1997
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Chen, Jyun-Cheng, Bottomley, Gregory E., Koilpillai, R. David
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US08/897,309
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 375/316, 375/325, 375/329, 375/330, 375/346, 375/347, 375/348, 375/229, 375/244, 375/283, 455/132, 455/133, 455/134, 455/135, 455/137, 455/272, 455/273, 455/504
• US Class Current: 375/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/02 Details ; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines systems for transmitting signals via power distribution lines H04B3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03006 Arrangements for removing intersymbol interference

Abstract

Techniques for adapting detection schemes used in receivers for receiving radio signals are described. The received signal is processed to determine, for example, an amount of time dispersion present in the radio channel. Based on this determination an appropriate detection scheme is selected for detecting the transmitted symbols. Various techniques for determining the dispersive or non-dispersive nature of the channel are described.

Claims

1. A receiver comprising:

processing circuitry for receiving a radio signal and producing signal samples therefrom;

a detector controller which evaluates said signal samples and outputs a variable number, N, of channel taps needed for detection; and

a detector, responsive to an output of said detector controller, for detecting symbols using one of a plurality of detection schemes which is selected based on the variable value of N.

2. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said detector uses a differential detection scheme when said output number of channel taps is one and a multitap equalization scheme when said output number of channel taps is greater than one.

3. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said detector uses a single tap coherent detection scheme when said output number of channel taps is one and a RAKE receiver detection scheme when said output number of channel taps is greater than one.

4. The receiver of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal power estimator for estimating a signal power associated with said received signal; and

a noise power estimator for estimating a noise power associated with said received signal.

5. The receiver of claim 4, wherein said detector controller determines said number of taps based upon a comparison between said estimated signal power and said estimated noise power.

6. The receiver of claim 5, wherein said detector controller synchronizes to said received signal and estimates a channel associated with said received signal based upon an assumption that the channel is nondispersive.

7. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said detector controller determines said number of taps based upon a comparison of a plurality of noise power estimates from which a level of time dispersion is identified, wherein each of said plurality of noise estimates is calculated assuming a different number of channel taps.

8. The receiver of claim 7, wherein said detector controller synchronizes to said received signal and estimates a channel associated with said received signal assuming a maximum number of channel taps, said channel estimates being used to calculate said noise power estimates.

9. The receiver of claim 7, further comprising:

a signal power estimator, associated with each of said different number of channel taps, for estimating a signal power associated with said received signal, wherein said detector controller compares ratios of said signal power estimates to said noise power estimates for each of said different number of channel taps with a threshold.

10. The receiver of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of branches, each branch including;

a synchronization unit for synchronizing to said received signal assuming a predetermined number of channel taps;

a channel estimation unit for estimating channel coefficients associated with said received signal assuming said predetermined number of channel taps; and

a noise power estimation unit for estimating a noise power associated with said received signal assuming said predetermined number of channel taps;

wherein said predetermined number of channel taps differs for each of said plurality of branches; and

a comparator for receiving an output of each of said branches and comparing said outputs to determine said number of taps.

11. The receiver of claim 10, wherein an output from one branch is compared with a threshold multiplied by an output from another branch to determine said number of taps.

12. The receiver of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of signal power estimators, one each associated with said plurality of branches, for estimating a signal power associated with said received signal, wherein said comparator compares a ratio of said signal power estimate to said noise power estimate for one of said plurality of branches with a ratio of said signal power estimate to said noise power estimate for another one of said plurality of branches multiplied by a threshold value.

13. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said detector controller outputs said number of taps based upon a comparison of energy associated with intersymbol interference with energy associated with a main ray of said received signal.

14. The receiver of claim 13, wherein said energy associated with intersymbol interference and said energy associated with the main ray of said received signal are smoothed prior to said comparison.

17. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said detector controller outputs said number of taps based upon a comparison of energy associated with intersymbol interference with energy associated with equalized rays of said received signal.

15. A receiver comprising:

means for receiving a radio signal to produce a received signal;

means for processing said received signal to produce complex samples;

means for processing said complex samples to produce signal power estimates and noise power estimates;

means for comparing said signal power estimates and said noise power estimates to generate a detector control signal; and

means for detecting digital symbols within said received signal using said complex samples and said control signal to determine a variable number of channel taps, N, needed to properly receive said received signal.

16. A method for selecting a number of channel taps for a detection scheme in a receiver comprising the steps of:

(a) initializing a variable number of channel taps N to one;

(b) evaluating a channel statistic using said variable number of channel taps N;

(c) comparing said channel statistic to a threshold;

(d) selectively selecting N as a number of channel taps used in a detection scheme based upon a result of said comparison step; and

(e) otherwise, incrementing said variable number of channel taps N and performing another iteration of steps (b)-(e).