SIMULCASTING MIMO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20120140759A1
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Ye, Sollenberger, Nelson Ray, Winters, Jack Harriman
• Granted Patent: US 8,705,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/343
• 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 a corresponding first signal is transmitted from a first transmit antenna associated with a second multiple-input multiple-output transmitting station, and while a corresponding 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.

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, wherein a wireless system utilizes a time division multiplexing to transmit the first and second signals.

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

simulcasting the second signal.

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

utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing to transmit the first and second signals.

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

utilizing wireless system types selected from a group comprising of time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.

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

broadcasting the first and second signals with time division multiplexing and reducing a number of multiple-input multiple-output channels to reduce co-channel interference of non-simulcast signals.

8. 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, wherein the simulcasting comprises transmitting the at least one signal in a same frequency or in a same timeslot.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

utilizing a time division multiplexing to transmit the simulcast and non-simulcast signals.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

utilizing a frequency division multiplexing to transmit the simulcast and non-simulcast signals.

11. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output base stations each including a plurality of transmit antennas, each of the plurality of transmit antennas for transmitting a respective signal; and

a plurality of terminals each including a plurality of receive antennas for receiving the transmitted signals;

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

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the transmitted signals are broadcast utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the transmitted signals are broadcast utilizing time division multiplexing.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of terminals corresponds to a mobile phone.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the communication system corresponds to a wireless telephone network.

16. A wireless communication system, comprising:

an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing multiple-input multiple-output base station, comprising a plurality of transmit antennas, wherein the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing multiple-input multiple-output base station transmits to a terminal by simulcasting a plurality of channels to the terminal, wherein the simulcasting comprises transmitting the plurality of channels in a same frequency or in a same timeslot.

17. The wireless communication system according to claim 16, wherein the wireless communication system comprises a cellular network.