Method and radio station for the transmission of predistored signals via several radio channels

• US 7,155,165 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IPCom GmbH & Co KG
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Kowalewki, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dean, Raymond S.
• Application Number:
  US09/830,540
• Time in Patent Office: 2,628 Days
• Field of Search: 455/504, 455/506, 455/562, 455/65, 455/63.1, 455/575.1, 455/63.4, 455/561, 455/562.1, 455/67.13, 375229-233, 375/144, 375/148, 375/260, 375/267, 375/299, 375346-348, 375/296, 342/368
• US Class Current: 455/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/62 for providing a predistortion of the signal in the transmitter and corresponding correction in the receiver, e.g. for improving the signal/noise ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/709709 Methods of preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0615 of weighted versions of same signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0842 Weighted combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03375 Passband transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03343 Arrangements at the transmitter end

Abstract

A method and radio stations for transmitting signals between a first radio station (1) and a second radio station (2) are proposed, in which the influence of amplitude fluctuations or fading can be reduced. In a modulator (4) of the first radio station (1) a pre-equalization of the signals to be transmitted is performed. The pre-equalized signals are transmitted from the first radio station (1) to the second radio station (2) via a plurality of radio channels (20, 25).

Claims

1. A radio station (1) comprising

at least two antennas (50,55) from which pre-equalized signals are propagated over respective radio channels (20,25) to be an additional radio station (2);

a code generator (5) for widening data transmitted with the pre-equalized signals with a respective code, said code generator ascertaining said respective code according to a selected radio link;

at least one channel estimator comprising means for determining an estimate of an impulse response of each of said radio channels (20, 25); and

a modulator (4) including means for pre-equalization of radio signals to be transmitted to form the pre-equalized signals according to said estimate of said impulse response for each of said radio channels;

wherein said means for pre-equalization of said radio signals to be transmitted from said at least two antennas (50, 55) performs said pre-equalization according to all actually used codes and transmission properties of all actually used ones of said radio channels (20,25).

2. A method for transmitting signals between a first radio station (1) and a second radio station (2), said second radio station having a plurality of antennas (60,65) and said first radio station (1) including a modulator (4) with pre-equalization means, said method comprising the steps of:

a) performing a pre-equalization of radio signals to be transmitted in said modulator (4) of said first radio station in order to form pre-equalized signals;

b) transmitting said pre-equalized signals from the first radio station (1) over each of a plurality of radio channels (20,25) to the second radio station (2);

c) receiving said pre-equalized signals transmitted over each of said radio channels (20,25) in the second radio station, said pre-equalized signals transmitted over respective channels being received in said second radio station (2) by corresponding antennas of the second radio station; and

d) determining an estimate of a total impulse response of all of said radio channels (20,25) in said first radio station (1);

wherein said pre-equalization of said radio signals is performed by said modulator (4) according to said estimate of said total impulse response determined in step d).

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein received signals received by said antennas (60,65) of said second radio station (2) are combined linearly and subsequently input to a demodulator for demodulation.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, further comprising transmitting respective reference signals from said antennas (60,65) of said second radio station (2) over said radio channels (20,25) to said first radio station (1) and wherein said estimate of said total impulse response is derived from superimposed reference signals received in said first radio station (1).

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein said respective reference signals are multiplied with corresponding coefficients depending on which of said radio channels (20,25) is employed in transmitting said reference signals and said superimposed reference signals received in said first radio station are multiplied with said corresponding coefficients of said radio channels employed for transmitting said reference signals.

6. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising transmitting additional radio signals to said first radio station (1) from additional radio stations (3), and wherein data transmitted with said additional radio signals from said additional radio stations are widened with different codes and said pre-equalization is performed in said modulator (4) of said first radio station (1) according to all of said different codes and transmission properties of all of said radio channels.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein said transmission properties of said radio channels are determined from said data transmitted to the first radio station (1) from said additional radio stations (3) and from additional data transmitted to the first radio station (1) from the second radio station (2).

8. A radio station (2) comprising

at least two antennas (60,65) for transmitting and receiving radio signals to and from another radio station (1) over corresponding radio channels (20, 25);

means for transmitting respective weighted reference signals to said another radio station (1) from said at least two antennas (60,65) over said corresponding radio channels (20,25), so that estimates of the impulse responses of said corresponding radio channels are derived from said respective weighted reference signals in said another radio station (1), wherein said respective weighted reference signals are formed by multiplying respective reference signals by corresponding coefficients assigned to said at least two antennas, and so that said respective weighted reference signals are transmitted from corresponding antennas associated with said respective coefficients;

means for multiplying corresponding received signals from said at least two antennas with said respective coefficients (c1, c2) to form weighted received signals, said corresponding received signals comprising pre-equalized signals obtained by a pre-equalization performed according to said estimates of said impulse responses and transmitted from said another radio station (1);

means for adding said weighted received signals to form a resulting linear combination; and

means for inputting said resulting linear combination to a demodulator.

9. A radio station (1) comprising

a modulator (4) comprising means for pre-equalization of radio signals to be transmitted to a second radio station (2) so as to form pre-equalized signals;

means for transmitting said pre-equalized signals over each of a plurality of radio channels (20,25) to said second radio station (2), said second radio station having a plurality of antennas (60,65) corresponding to said plurality of said radio channels; and

means for performing an estimate of a total impulse response of said plurality of said radio channels (20,25) from respective reference signals received over said radio channels from said second radio station;

wherein said means for pre-equalization performs said pre-equalization according to said estimate of said total impulse response of said plurality of said radio channels.

10. A method for transmitting signals between a first radio station (1) and a second radio station (2), said first radio station comprising a modulator (4) with means for pre-equalization, said method comprising the steps of:

a) performing a pre-equalization of radio signals to be transmitted in said modulator (4) of said first radio station in order to form pre-equalized signals;

b) transmitting said pre-equalized signals from the first radio station (1) over each of a plurality of radio channels (20,25) to the second radio station (2);

c) receiving said pre-equalized signals transmitted over each of said radio channels (20,25) in the second radio station;

d) transmitting other signals over additional channels from other radio stations (3) to the first radio station (1); and

e) widening data transmitted from different radio stations including the other radio stations with different codes;

wherein said pre-equalization in said modulator (4) of said first radio station is performed according to all of said different codes and according to transmission properties of all of said radio channels and said additional channels.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, further comprising performing an estimate of an impulse response of said radio channels (20, 25) in said first radio station (1), and wherein said pre-equalized signals are propagated from plural antennas (50,55) of the first radio station (1) and transmitted over said plurality of said radio channels (20,25) to the second radio station (2), and said pre-equalization of said signals propagated from said plural antennas (50,55) is performed according to said estimate of said impulse response.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein a respective reference signal is transmitted to said first radio station (1) from a corresponding antenna (60) of said second radio station (2) over said plurality of said radio channels (20,25) and said estimate of said impulse response of said plurality of said radio channels (20,25) is derived from said respective reference signal transmitted over said radio channels (20,25) to said first radio station.

13. The method as defined in claim 10, further comprising performing an estimate of an impulse response of each of said radio channels (20,25) in said first radio station (1), and wherein said pre-equalized signals propagated by the first radio station (1) are transmitted over said plurality of said radio channels (20,25) and received by corresponding antennas (60,65) of said second radio station (2), said pre-equalization of said signals propagated by said first radio station (1) is performed according to said estimate of said total impulse response, and received signals received by said corresponding antennas (60,65) of said second radio station (2) are combined linearly and subsequently input to a demodulator.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein respective reference signals are transmitted to the first radio station (1) over said plurality of said radio channels (20,25) and said estimate of said total impulse response is derived from said respective reference signals in said first radio station (1).

15. The method as defined in claim 14, wherein said respective reference signals are multiplied by corresponding coefficients according to which of said radio channels is used for transmission of said respective reference signals and wherein said received signals received by said corresponding antennas (60, 65) of said second radio station (2) are multiplied by said corresponding coefficients and then linearly combined with each other.

16. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein said transmission properties of said radio channels and said additional channels are ascertained from data transmissions of the second radio station (2) and the additional radio stations (2) to the first radio station.