Simulcasting MIMO communication system

• US 8,705,452 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Ye, Sollenberger, Nelson Ray, Winters, Jack Harriman
• Primary Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US13/372,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20120140759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 370/208, 370/210, 370/242, 370/291, 370/328, 370/341, 370/342, 370/343, 370/344, 370/347, 370/365, 370/480, 370/503, 375/260, 375/267, 455/105, 455/562.1, 455/63.1, 455/501, 455/503, 455/260, 455/267
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0669 using different channel coding between antennas space-time coding H04L1/0618
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2626 Arrangements specific to the transmitter only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2647 Arrangements specific to the receiver only equalisation H04L27/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) communication system includes signaling simulcasting. Base stations include a plurality of transmit antennas and terminals include a plurality of receive antennas to form MIMO channels. In one embodiment, a simulcasting MIMO wireless communication system includes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). This arrangement achieves the spectral efficiency advantages of OFDM and simulcasting.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

transmitting a first signal from a first transmit antenna associated with a first multiple-input multiple-output transmitting station; and

transmitting a second signal from a second transmit antenna associated with the first multiple-input multiple-output transmitting station, wherein the first signal and the second signal are transmitted while the first signal is transmitted from a first transmit antenna associated with a second multiple-input multiple-output transmitting station, and while the second signal is transmitted from a second transmit antenna associated with the second multiple-input multiple-output transmitting station, where at least the first signal is simulcast in a same frequency or in a same timeslot, wherein the transmitting the first and second signals is performed with time division multiplexing and reducing a number of multiple-input multiple-output channels to reduce co-channel interference of non-simulcast signals.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first and second signals on a first antenna associated with a first terminal; and

receiving the first and second signals on a second antenna associated with the first terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

simulcasting the second signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing a wireless system type to select the time division multiplexing from a group comprising of;

the time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.

5. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

simulcasting at least one signal from a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output base stations; and

non-simulcasting at least one other signal from the plurality of multiple-input multiple-output base stations during the simulcasting the at least one signal, wherein the simulcasting comprises transmitting the at least one signal in a same frequency or in a same timeslot, wherein the simulcasting the at least one signal and the non-simulcasting the at least the one other signal are performed with time division multiplexing and reducing a number of multiple-input multiple-output channels to reduce co-channel interference on the at least one other signal that is non-simulcast.

6. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a terminal comprising a plurality of receive antennas for receiving contemporaneously a plurality of transmitted signals comprising at least one signal that is simulcasted and at least one non-simulcast signal, wherein each of the plurality of transmitted signals is transmitted via a respective one of a plurality of transmit antennas included in a respective one of a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output base stations, wherein each of the plurality of transmitted signals is transmitted utilizing time division multiplexing and reducing a number of multiple-input multiple-output channels to reduce co-channel interference of the at least one non-simulcast signal;

wherein the plurality of multiple-input multiple-output base stations simulcasts the at least one signal that is simulcasted from the plurality of transmit antennas in a same frequency or in a same timeslot.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of terminals corresponds to a mobile phone.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the communication system corresponds to a wireless telephone network.