Method and system for adaptively combining signals

• US 7,184,500 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Magnolia Broadband Incorporated
• Inventors: Harel, Haim, Li, Yingxue
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan; Chieh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZISKIND, ANNA Y
• Application Number:
  US10/334,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 375/347, 375/346, 375/316, 375/371, 375/227, 455/522
• US Class Current: 375/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0857 using maximum ratio combining techniques, e.g. signal-to- interference ratio [SIR], received signal strenght indication [RSS]

Abstract

Combining signals includes receiving a plurality of groups of signals at a plurality of antennas at a mobile device, where each group of signals includes a plurality of signals, and each signal includes a time slot. The following is repeated for each group of signals of the plurality of groups of signals. An adjustment associated with a time slot of each signal is set. Each signal of the group of signals is adjusted at the time slot in accordance with the adjustment associated with the time slot. A signal quality associated with each time slot of each signal of the group of signals is established, and an optimal adjustment in accordance with the signal qualities is determined. The signals are adjusted in accordance with the optimal adjustment.

Claims

1. A system for combining signals comprising:

a plurality of antennas operable to receive a plurality of groups of signals at a mobile device, each group of signals comprising a plurality of signals, each signal having a time slot, at least two of the antennas separated by a distance within a range of 0.1 to 1.0 wavelength;

an estimator operable to establish a signal quality associated with each time slot of each signal of the groups of signals;

a signal adjustment module operable to repeat the following for each group of signals of the plurality of groups of signals;

set a current group character associated with a current group of signals;

set an adjustment associated with a time slot of each signal of the current group of signals, the adjustment comprising an adjustment of a relative phase distribution among the signals or an adjustment of a relative power distribution among the signals;

adjust each signal of the current group of signals at the time slot in accordance with the adjustment associated with the time slot;

receive the signal-to-noise ratio associated with each time slot of each signal of the current group of signals;

determine an optimal adjustment in accordance with the received signal qualities;

set the adjustment for the next group of signals to the optimal adjustment; and

a vector modulator operable to;

combine the plurality of signals of each group of signals to form one or more combined signals, the number of the combined signals being less than the number of the plurality of signals of the group of signals received at the plurality of antennas; and

calibrate the optimal adjustment in accordance with a look-up table entry, the look-up table entry associated with a deemphasis of a non-constant signal characteristic.