Null deepening for an adaptive antenna based communication station

• US 7,751,854 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Yun, Louis C., Leifer, Mark C., Boros, Tibor, Trott, Mitchell D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Pablo N
• Application Number:
  US11/523,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20070015545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 455/562.1, 455/501, 455/506, 455/561, 455/115.1, 455/115.3, 455/13.3, 455/277.2, 455/278.1, 455/276.1, 455/63.1, 455/65, 455/67.13, 455/509, 455/550, 455295-296, 455/62, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455423-425, 455/277.1, 455303-304, 375346-351, 370/328, 370/389, 370/335, 370/250, 370/252, 370/342, 342171-172, 342368-374
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0854 using error minimizing algorithms, e.g. minimum mean squared error [MMSE], "cross-correlation" or matrix inversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0204 of multiple channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/021 Estimation of channel covariance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0328 with interference cancellation circuitry adaptations for interference cancellation within a sequence estimator H04L25/03305; interference related aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum H04B1/7097; interference related aspects of frequency hopping spread spectrum H04B1/715; see also H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03299 with noise-whitening circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03331 Arrangements for the joint estimation of multiple sequences

Abstract

A method and apparatus is described for modifying a smart antenna processing strategy determined from a set of signals received at an array of antenna elements of a wireless station, such as a set of weights for processing received antenna signals or forming a set of antenna signals for transmission. The method and apparatus uses the signatures of one or more interferers to produce a modified processing strategy that improves the nulling to the one or more interferers in that, when the modified strategy is applied on the downlink, the transmit signal strength in the direction of the one or more interferers is decreased, and, when the modified strategy is applied on the uplink, the sensitivity to signals from the direction of the one or more interferers is decreased.

Claims

1. A subscriber device comprising:

a processor of the subscriber device to compute an antenna processing strategy for a remote unit, the computation based at least in part on received signal data; and

circuitry of the subscriber device coupled with the processor, the circuitry to incorporate interferer signature data relating to one or more interferers with the received signal data to modify the processing strategy by reducing one or both of antenna transmit signal strength in, and sensitivity of the antenna to signals from, one or more interferers.

2. The subscriber device of claim 1, further comprising electronics to communicate with the remote unit using a communication channel selected from frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and code division multiple access (CDMA).

3. The subscriber device of claim 1, further comprising electronics to communicate with the remote unit using one or more conventional communication channels, wherein at least one of the one or more conventional communication channels includes one or more spatial channels.

4. The subscriber device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry to incorporate the interferer signature data relating to each interferer further comprises a combiner coupled with the processor to provide a combination of the received signal data and the signature data, the processor to compute a modified antenna processing strategy based, at least in part, on the combination.

5. The subscriber device of claim 4, wherein to provide a combination of the received signal data and the signature data further comprises the circuitry to modify one or more characteristic features of the received signal data with an estimate of the one or more characteristic features in the signature data.

6. The subscriber device of claim 4, wherein the signature data comprises a known signature for the one or more interferers.

7. The subscriber device of claim 4, wherein to incorporate interferer signature data further comprises:

a signature estimator circuit coupled with the circuitry to estimate the signature of one or more of the interferers; and

the processor to modify the antenna processing strategy by incorporating the estimate as the interferer signature data.

8. The subscriber device of claim 4, wherein to compute an antenna processing strategy comprises the processor to generate a set of weights to apply during processing for the remote unit, and wherein to modify the processing strategy comprises the circuitry to adjust the set of weights.

9. A subscriber device comprising:

a processor of the subscriber device to compute an antenna processing strategy from a set of signals received by an antenna array to apply to received signals to determine an estimate of a signal transmitted by a remote unit, or to apply to transmit a signal for transmission to the remote unit with the antenna array; and

a mechanism of the subscriber device to modify the computed antenna processing strategy by incorporating interferer signature data for each of one or more interferers, each interferer characterized by a signature, the interferer signature data related to the signature of each of the interferers, wherein the modified antenna processing strategy, if a downlink strategy, decreases a transmit signal strength in a direction of the one or more interferers, and, if an uplink strategy, decreases a sensitivity to signals from a direction of the one or more interferers.

10. The subscriber device of claim 9, further comprising electronics to communicate with the remote unit using a communication channel selected from frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA).

11. The subscriber device of claim 9, further comprising electronics to communicate with the remote unit using one or more conventional communication channels, wherein at least one of the one or more conventional communication channels includes one or more spatial channels.

12. The subscriber device of claim 9, further comprising a signature estimation processor to estimate the signature of at least one of the one or more interferers to form the interferer signature data for the respective interferer.

13. The subscriber device of claim 9, wherein the interferer signature data for at least one of the one or more interferers includes a known signature for the respective interferer.

14. The subscriber device of claim 9, wherein the processor is to determine a linear antenna strategy by a set of weights, and wherein the mechanism modifies the set of weights.

15. A method comprising:

computing an antenna processing strategy for a remote unit, based at least in part on a received signal data; and

modifying the antenna processing strategy by incorporating signature data relating to one or more interferers with the received signal data to reduce one or both of antenna transmit signal strength in, and sensitivity of the antenna to signals from, the one or more interferers.

16. The method of claim 15, performed by a subscriber device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating with the remote unit using a communication channel selected from frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and code division multiple access (CDMA).

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating with the remote unit using one or more conventional communication channels, wherein at least one of the one or more conventional communication channels includes one or more spatial channels.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein incorporating signature data relating to one or more interferers comprises:

combining the received signal data and the signature data; and

computing a modified processing strategy based, at least in part, on the combination.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein combining the received signal data and the signature data further comprises modifying one or more characteristic features of the received signal data with an estimate of the one or more characteristic features in the signature data.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the estimate includes a selectable parameter.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the estimate of the one or more characteristic features of the received signal data comprises an estimate of the covariance of the received signal data.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the signature data comprises a known signature for the one or more interferers.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein modifying the antenna processing strategy by incorporating signature data further comprises:

estimating the signature of one or more of the interferers; and

modifying the antenna processing strategy by incorporating the estimate as the interferer signature data.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein computing and modifying an antenna processing strategy comprises generating and modifying a set of weights to apply during processing for the remote unit.

26. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium to provide content to cause one or more subscriber devices to:

compute an antenna processing strategy for a remote unit, based at least in part on received signal data; and

modify the antenna processing strategy by incorporating signature data relating to one or more interferers with the received signal data to reduce one or both of antenna transmit signal strength in, and sensitivity of the antenna to signals from, one or more interferers.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein incorporating signature data relating to each of one or more interferers comprises the one or more electronic systems to:

combine the received signal data and the signature data; and

compute a modified processing strategy based, at least in part, on the combination.

28. The article of claim 26, wherein to modify the antenna processing strategy by incorporating signature data further comprises the one or more electronic systems to:

estimate the signature of one or more of the interferers; and

modify the antenna processing strategy by incorporating the estimate as the interferer signature data.

29. The article of claim 26, wherein to compute and to modify an antenna processing strategy comprises the one or more electronic systems to generate and to adjust a set of weights to apply during processing for the remote unit.