Signal reception method and device

• US 6,680,699 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Voyer, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULL, FRED H
• Application Number:
  US10/127,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20030022649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 342/368-378, 455/65, 455/277.1, 455/296, 375/267, 375/347, 375/349, 370/342
• US Class Current: 342/378
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0848 Joint weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0854 using error minimizing algorithms, e.g. minimum mean squared error [MMSE], "cross-correlation" or matrix inversion

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and a device for receiving a signal transmitted by a source with a plurality of antennas, in which a plurality of beam signals are obtained by weighting the signals received by the different antennas. The beam signals are correlated with the replica of a reference signal transmitted by the source and then combined by means of coefficients obtained from correlation results.

Claims

1. A method of receiving a signal transmitted by a source with an array of antennas, in which a plurality of beam signals are obtained by weighting the signals received by the different antennas, comprising:

correlating each of the beam signals with a replica of a reference signal transmitted by the source to generate correlation results;

combining the beam signals using coefficients obtained by the correlation results; and

obtaining the coefficients based on the matrix operation

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising generating the coefficients from the complex conjugation of the correlation results.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising normalizing the beam signals prior to their combination.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising, prior to the combination of the beam signals, putting each beam signal back in phase of the components relating to the different propagation paths between the source and the array.

5. A method according to claim 2, further comprising, prior to the combination of the beam signals, putting each beam signal back in phase of the components relating to the different propagation paths between the source and the array.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising normalizing the beam signals prior to their combination.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising, prior to the combination of the beam signals, putting each beam signal back in phase of the components relating to the different propagation paths between the source and the array.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

conjugating the correlation results; and

generating the coefficients from a linear function of the conjugated correlation results.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising, prior to the combination of the beam signals, putting each beam signal back in phase of the components relating to the different propagation paths between the source and the array.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coefficients Ω

<sub>l′

l</sub> are obtained by ${\mathrm{\Omega <br><br>}}_{l^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>l}=g_{l^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}}^H<br><br>g_l$

where g_l and g_l′

are vectors formed by angular sampling of the gain functions relating to the beams of indices l and l′

.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising, prior to the combination of the beam signals, putting each beam signal back in phase of the components relating to the different propagation paths between the source and the array.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coefficients Ω

<sub>l′

l</sub> are obtained by Ω

<sub>l′

l</sub>=∫

G_l′

(θ

)*G_l′

(θ

)dθ

where G_l(θ

) and G_l′

(θ

) are the gain functions relating to the beams of indices l and l′

respectively and where the summing is effected over the angular scanning range defined by the array.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising, prior to the combination of the beam signals, putting each beam signal back in phase of the components relating to the different propagation paths between the source and the array.

14. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to the combination of the beam signals, putting each beam signal back in phase of the components relating to the different propagation paths between the source and the array.

15. An apparatus for receiving a signal transmitted by a source, comprising means for implementing the method according to one of claims 1-14.

20. An apparatus for receiving signals transmitted by a plurality of sources, comprising means for implementing the method according to one of claims 15-18.

16. A method of receiving, with an array of antennas, signals transmitted by a plurality of sources, in which a plurality of beam signals are obtained by weighting the signals received by the different antennas, comprising:

for each source, correlating the said beam signals with a replica of a reference signal transmitted by the source to generate correlation results;

combining the beam signals using coefficients obtained from the correlation results; and

for each source S_m, obtaining the coefficients based on the matrix operation

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising, for each source, prior to the combination step and for each beam signal, putting the components relating to different propagation paths between the source and the array back in phase.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the coefficients Ω

<sub>l′

l</sub> are obtained by ${\mathrm{\Omega <br><br>}}_{l^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>l}=g_{l^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}}^H<br><br>g_l$

where g_l and g_l′

are vectors formed by angular sampling of the gain functions relating to beams of indices l and l′

.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the coefficients Ω

<sub>l′

l</sub> are obtained by Ω

<sub>l′

l</sub>=∫

G_l′

(θ

)*G_l′

(θ

)dθ

where G_l(θ

) and G_l′

(θ

) are the gain functions relating to beams of indices l and l′

respectively and where the summing is effected over an angular scanning range defined by the array.