Method and system for implementing a single weight (SW) single channel (SC) MIMO system with no insertion loss

• US 8,098,683 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kent, Mark, Erceg, Vinko, Landau, Uri M., Van Rooyen, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, WESLEY LEO
• Application Number:
  US11/173,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,392 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/335, 370/338, 370/334, 370/342, 370/464, 455/69, 455/101, 455/132, 455/139, 455/140, 455/272, 455/273, 375/347, 375/349, 375/148, 375/144
• US Class Current: 370/464
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0848 Joint weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03019 adaptive, i.e. capable of adjustment during data reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity

Abstract

In a RF communications system, aspects for implementing a single weight single channel MIMO system with no insertion loss may comprise generating at least one control signal that is utilized to control at least one of a plurality of received signals in a WCDMA and/or HSDPA system. A phase of a first of the plurality of received signals may be adjusted outside of a first processing path used to process that signal so that it is equivalent to a phase of at least a second of the plurality of received signals. A gain in the first processing path may be equivalent to a gain in a second processing path that is utilized to process the second of the plurality of received signals. The control signal may be utilized to adjust a phase and/or an amplitude of at least one of a plurality of received signals.

Claims

1. A method for processing signals in a receiver, the method comprising:

generating, by a weight generator, at least one control signal that is utilized to control at least one of a plurality of received signals, wherein each received signal corresponds to a respective RF chain that corresponds to a respective antenna, each RF chain comprising a respective band pass filter, a respective low noise amplifier and a respective mixer;

adjusting, by circuitry, a phase and an amplitude of the local oscillator to adjust the phase and the amplitude of a first of received signals in relation to a second of the plurality of received signals, wherein the circuitry is communicatively disposed between the local oscillator and a mixer of a first RF chain, wherein the mixer receives an output signal of the circuitry, wherein the circuitry adjusts the phase and the amplitude of the local oscillator based on the at least one control signal, and wherein the circuit adjusts the phase and the amplitude of the first of the plurality of received signals outside of RF chains corresponding to the respective antennas to prevent insertion loss;

combining an output signal of the first processing path of the first RF chain, which has been adjusted in the phase and the amplitude by the circuitry, and an output signal of the second processing path of the second RF chain;

converting the combined output signal from analog to digital;

receiving the combined output signal by a digital baseband processor;

providing, by the digital baseband processor based on the combined output signal, a first output signal, a second output signal and a third output signal, wherein the first output signal comprises a voice signal, wherein the second output signal comprises data, and wherein the third output signal comprises channel estimates and a timing signal that specifies a location of signal clusters in a time domain;

receiving, by the weight generator, wherein the weight generator is communicatively disposed between the circuitry and the baseband processor; and

generating the at least one control signal, by the weight generator, based on at least the third output signal and sending the at least one control signal to the circuitry, the first chain and the second chain.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one control signal is utilized to control the at least one of a plurality of received signals in a WCDMA system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one control signal is utilized to control the at least one of a plurality of received signals in a HSDPA system, wherein the HSDPA system co-exists on same carrier as WCDMA services or UMTS services.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the HSPDA system replaces variable spreading factor or fast power control of WCDMA with one or more of the following:

adaptive modulation, adaptive coding, multicode operation and particular retransmission strategies.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one control signal that is sent to the circuitry and to the RF chains comprises address information.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating the at least one control signal utilizing at least one optimization algorithm comprising at least one of a maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) algorithm, a maximum signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) algorithm, and a minimum bit error rate (BER) algorithm.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry adjusts the phase of the first of the plurality of received signals continuously.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the baseband processor comprises a maximum ratio combiner, a despreader, a diversity processor and a macrocell combiner, wherein the despreader and the diversity processor are communicatively disposed between the maximum ratio combiner and the macrocell combiner.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is part of a single channel MIMO system.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is part of a base station that provides data traffic scheduling.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the base station schedules data packet transmissions by using information relating to channel quality, terminal capabilities, QoS and power/code availability.

21. The system according to claim 11, wherein the at least the first of the plurality of received signals having the adjusted phase and amplitude and the at least the second of the plurality of received signals are combined to create the combined signal, wherein the adjusting phase increases signal to noise ratio of the combined signal.

9. Wherein the at least the first of the plurality of received signals having the adjusted phase and amplitude and the at least the second of the plurality of received signals are combined to create the combined signal, wherein the adjusting phase increases signal to noise ratio of the combined signal.

13. A system for processing signals in a receiver, the system comprising:

a weight generator that generates at least one control signal that is utilized to control at least one of a plurality of received signals, wherein each received signal corresponds to a respective RF chain that corresponds to a respective antenna;

circuitry communicatively disposed between a local oscillator and a mixer, the mixer being part of a first RF chain and receiving an output signal of the circuitry, wherein the circuitry adjusts a phase and an amplitude of a local oscillator based on the at least one control signal, wherein the circuitry adjusts the phase and the amplitude of the local oscillator to adjust the phase and the amplitude of a first of the plurality of received signals in relation to a second of the plurality of received signals, wherein the circuit adjusts the phase and the amplitude of the first of the plurality of received signals outside of RF chains corresponding to respective antennas to prevent insertion loss, wherein an output signal of the first processing path of the first RF chain and an output signal of the second processing path of the second RF chain are combined into a combined signal;

an analog-to-digital converter that receives the combined signal and converts the combined signal from analog to digital; and

a digital baseband processor that receives the converted signal and provides, based on at least the received converted signal, a first output signal, a second output signal and a third output signal, the first output signal comprising a voice signal, the second signal comprising a data signal, the third output signal comprising channel estimates and a timing signal that specifies a location of signal clusters in a time domain,

wherein the weight generator is communicatively disposed between the circuitry and the baseband processor, wherein the weight generator receives the third output signal and generates the at least one control signal that is received by the circuitry, the first RF chain and the second RF chain.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the circuitry utilizes the at least one control signal to control the at least one of a plurality of received signals in a WCDMA system.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the circuitry utilizes the at least one control signal to control the at least one of a plurality of received signals in a HSDPA system, wherein the HSDPA system co-exists on same carrier as WCDMA services or UMTS services.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the HSPDA system replaces variable spreading factor or fast power control of WCDMA with one or more of the following:

adaptive modulation, adaptive coding, multicode operation and particular retransmission strategies.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one control signal that is sent to the circuitry and to the RF chains comprises address information.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the weight generator utilizes at least one optimization algorithm comprising at least one of a maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) algorithm, a maximum signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) algorithm, and a minimum bit error rate (BER) algorithm to generate the at least one control signal.

19. The system according to claim 13, wherein the circuitry adjusts of the phase of the first of the plurality of received signals continuously.

20. The system according to claim 13, wherein the baseband processor comprises a maximum ratio combiner, a despreader, a diversity processor and a macrocell combiner, wherein the despreader and the diversity processor are communicatively disposed between the maximum ratio combiner and the macrocell combiner.

22. The system according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is part of a single channel MIMO system.

23. The system according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is part of a base station that provides data traffic scheduling.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the base station schedules data packet transmissions by using information relating to channel quality, terminal capabilities, QoS and power/code availability.