Multi-antenna transmitter for multi-tone signaling

• US 9,252,858 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lattice Semiconductor Corporation
• Inventors: Abbasfar, Aliazam, Komijani, Abbas
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Chieh M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cadeau, Wednel
• Application Number:
  US14/065,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20140286450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2614 Peak power aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2628 Inverse Fourier transform modulators, e.g. inverse fast Fourier transform [IFFT] or inverse discrete Fourier transform [IDFT] modulators H04L27/2634 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments of a communication circuit are described. This communication circuit includes an input node to receive a set of data symbols and a partitioner coupled to the input node. This partitioner is to divide the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, a given one of which includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols. Moreover, this given irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data-symbol spacings in the set of data symbols. This communication circuit also includes M modulators coupled to the partitioner, where the given irregular subgroup of data symbols is coupled to a given modulator in the M modulators. Furthermore, the communication circuit includes M output nodes, where a given output node in the M output nodes is coupled to the given modulator and is to couple to an antenna element in M antenna elements.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

an input node circuit to receive a set of data symbols;

a partitioner circuit coupled to the input node circuit, wherein the partitioner circuit is to dynamically allocate the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols based on a partition control signal, wherein a given irregular subgroup of data symbols in the M irregular subgroups of data symbols includes non-consecutive data symbols in the set of data symbols;

control logic to generate the partition control signal to control the dynamic allocation of the set of data symbols into the M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein the control logic determines the allocation of the set of data symbols based on one or more data symbols of the set of data symbols prior to those data symbols being received by the partitioner circuit;

M modulators coupled to the partitioner circuit, wherein a given modulator in the M modulators is coupled to receive the given irregular subgroup of the data symbols from the partitioner circuit; and

M output node circuits, wherein the given modulator is coupled to a given output node circuit in the M output node circuits, and wherein the given output node circuit is to couple to an antenna element in one or more antenna elements; and

wherein at least one subgroup in the set of M irregular subgroups includes a different number of data symbols than a second subgroup of the second set of M irregular subgroups.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the given modulator includes a frequency upconverter circuit to perform a frequency up-conversion on the given irregular subgroup to an associated frequency band.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the given modulator includes an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) circuit to perform an IFFT on the given irregular subgroup.

4. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising a delay element coupled between the input node circuit and the partitioner circuit.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the dynamic allocation is to reduce an average or a standard deviation of the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of a modulated signal at the given output node circuit.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the control logic is to determine the dynamic allocation based on an estimated peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) at the M output circuits.

7. The communication device of claim 3, wherein the IFFT circuit comprises an N/M-point IFFT circuit, and wherein N is between 32 and 2048 and M is between 2 and 16.

8. A method of communicating data, comprising:

dynamically allocating, by a partitioner circuit, a set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols based on a partition control signal, wherein at least one of the M irregular subgroups of data symbols includes non-consecutive data symbols;

generating the partition control signal to control the dynamic allocation of the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein the allocation of the set of data symbols is determined based on one or more data symbols of the set of data symbols prior to those data symbols being received by the partitioner circuit;

modulating the M irregular subgroups using M modulators; and

transmitting signals from the M modulators using one or more antenna elements; and

wherein at least one subgroup in the set of M irregular subgroups includes a different number of data symbols than a second subgroup of the second set of M irregular subgroups.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein dynamically allocating the data symbols to the M irregular subgroups of data symbols comprises using predetermined allocations corresponding to data symbol patterns in the set of data symbols.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising implementing spatial diversity during wireless communication with a second integrated circuit.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising reducing a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of a modulated signal transmitted by at least one of the one or more antenna elements by more than M−

1 relative to the PAPR of a modulated signal corresponding to the set of data symbols.

12. A method of communicating data, comprising:

dynamically allocating, by a partitioner circuit, a set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols based on a partition control signal, wherein at least one of the M irregular subgroup of data symbols includes at least two pairs of adjacent data symbols having different inter-data symbol spacings;

generating the partition control signal to control the dynamic allocation of the set of data symbols into M irregular subgroups of data symbols, wherein the allocation of the set of data symbols is determined based on one or more data symbols of the set of data symbols prior to those data symbols being received by the partitioner circuit;

modulating the M irregular subgroups using M modulators; and

transmitting signals from the M modulators using one or more antenna elements; and

wherein at least one subgroup in the set of M irregular subgroups includes a different number of data symbols than a second subgroup of the second set of M irregular subgroups.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein dynamically allocating the data symbols to the M irregular subgroups of data symbols comprises using predetermined allocations corresponding to data symbol patterns in the set of data symbols.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising implementing spatial diversity during wireless communication with a second integrated circuit.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising reducing a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of a modulated signal transmitted by at least one of the one or more antenna elements by more than M−

1 relative to the PAPR of a modulated signal corresponding to the set of data symbols.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein modulating comprises performing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).