The invention relates generally to communication systems and, more particularly, to interference reduction techniques for use therein.
In a cellular communication system, a plurality of wireless base stations are typically used to provide communication services to mobile users within the system. Each base station will often service multiple users within a coverage region or cell associated with the base station. To allow multiple users to share a base station, a multiple access scheme is typically employed. One multiple access technique that is becoming increasingly popular is code division multiple access (CDMA). In a CDMA-based system, a plurality of substantially orthogonal codes (usually taking the form of pseudo-random noise sequences) are used to spread spectrum modulate user signals within the system. Each modulated user signal has an overlapping frequency spectrum with other modulated user signals associated with the base station. However, because the underlying modulation codes are orthogonal, each user signal can be independently demodulated by performing a correlation operation using the appropriate code.
In at least one CDMA-based cellular standard, each of the base stations in a system maintains a pilot channel that continuously transmits a predetermined pilot sequence. These pilot signals may then be utilized by users in the system to perform, for example, channel estimation, handover operations, and/or other functions. Pilots from different base stations are sometimes distinguished by a time offset between individual base stations. Thus, a pilot having a specific time offset (from, for example, an absolute time reference) will be known to have come from a corresponding base station. As can be appreciated, a communication device operating within a cellular-based system implementing CDMA will often receive overlapping communication signals from a variety of different sources (e.g., other base stations, etc.). These overlapping signals represent interference in the system and can degrade system performance. Any reduction in such interference, therefore, may enhance the quality of the corresponding communication link or increase the capacity of the system. Thus, there is a general need for methods and structures to reduce interference in cellular communication systems.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention, although different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described herein in connection with one embodiment may be implemented within other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, it is to be understood that the location or arrangement of individual elements within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, appropriately interpreted, along with the full range of equivalents to which the claims are entitled. In the drawings, like numerals refer to the same or similar functionality throughout the several views.
The present invention relates to methods and structures for reducing interference within a communication system using a relatively low complexity antenna arrangement. The methods and structures can be used, for example, within a mobile communicator unit (e.g., a cellular telephone, etc.) to reduce the impact of potentially interfering signals. Two or more antenna elements are provided within a communication device, at least one of which has an adjustable weight (e.g., magnitude and/or phase). The weight of the adjustable element(s) is adapted during system operation in a manner that enhances a preselected interference-related quality criterion (e.g., signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR)). The inventive principles can be implemented in a variety of different communication systems and devices and are particularly beneficial for use within cellular-type communication systems implementing CDMA techniques.
The RF receiver 32 processes the combined signal to generate a baseband communication signal. The baseband processor 34 processes the baseband signal to extract user information associated with a user of the communication device. The baseband processor 34 also delivers information derived from the baseband signal to the gain and phase controller 36. The gain and phase controller 36 uses the information from the baseband processor 34 to generate gain and phase control information for the adjustable gain and phase units 26, 28. The gain and phase control information generated by the gain and phase controller 36 is dynamically adjusted during system operation in a manner that reduces interference within the receiver system 20. In a preferred approach, the gain and phase control information is adjusted to optimize a preselected interference-related quality criterion (e.g., SINR). In this manner, the gain and phase controller 36 can adjust the position of the composite receive beam of the receiver system 20 to favor the servicing base station while avoiding other base stations in the vicinity (particularly those with high powers).
As described above, the outputs of the first and second antenna elements 22, 24 are combined within the combiner 30 before RF processing is performed within the RF receiver 32. Thus, only a single RF path (e.g., one intermediate frequency (IF) section, one analog to digital converter, etc.) needs to be provided within the receiver system 20 even though multiple antenna elements are being used. Conventional phased array principles are relied upon to control the receive beam. Any of a wide variety of different antenna types can be used for the antenna elements 22, 24. For applications within handheld communicators, the antenna elements 22, 24 will preferably be relatively inexpensive structures having a relatively low profile. Some antenna types that may be used include, for example, microstrip patches, dipoles, monopoles, dielectric, printed, inverted F, slots, and others. In at least one embodiment of the invention, two (or more) different types of antenna element are used within a communication device. Also, a better quality antenna element may be used for the non- adjustable antenna element(s) (e.g., second element 24) than for the adjustable element(s) (e.g., first element 22), or vice versa. The antenna elements within a communication device can have the same or different polarizations.
It should be appreciated that more than two antenna elements can be used in accordance with the present invention as long as at least one of the antenna elements has a variable magnitude and/or phase to allow beam steering to occur. For example,
During duration τ of the present processing cycle (see
After the combined channel responses have been estimated, the channel responses associated with the individual antenna elements are calculated for the base stations of interest (block 56). In at least one approach, information associated with a previous processing cycle (e.g., the cycle from (n−1)T to nT in
where hk(t) is the combined channel response at time t associated with base station k (where k=0 corresponds to the serving base station) which may be continuously estimated and tracked using well known estimation techniques. Ck(t) is the matrix channel response from base station k to each of the antennas at time t. The element {Ck(t)}ij of the matrix Ck(t) represents the channel response of the j'th path at the i'th antenna element. The j index will often be no larger than the maximum number of fingers in the corresponding rake receiver. The vector W(n−1)T=(w,1) is the gain of the antennas during the former time period [(n−1)T+τ, nT). The vector {tilde over (W)} represents the vector gain of the antennas using the predetermined weight w that is applied at time t=nT and held for period [nT, nT+τ]. The combined channel response hk(t) for time [nT, nT+τ] has been estimated above (for each base station of interest k). The values of hk(t) and W for the previous time period [(n−1)T, nT] are known. The vector W that is used for the [(n−1)T+τ, nT] time period includes the new weight that was generated at time (n−1)T+τ (see
Using well known estimation techniques, the transmitted power of each of the base stations of interest (Pk), the pilot power of the servicing base station (Pd), and the white noise variance vector σ=(σ1,σ2) at the antennas are estimated (block 58). A new weight for the first antenna element is then calculated that maximizes a predetermined quality criterion (block 60). In one embodiment, the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is used as the quality criterion. In this embodiment, a new weight is determined that maximizes the following equation:
where SF is the pilot spreading factor, the operation G(A) returns the sum of the absolute square of the elements of matrix A, XH is the conjugate transpose of matrix X, and XT is the normal transpose of matrix X. It should be appreciated that the last term in the denominator of the above equation relates to white Gaussian noise in the channel and in some cases can be ignored. Other quality criteria that may be used include, for example, the mean square error (MSE) of the pilot signal, the bit error rate (BER) at the output of the rake receiver, and others. In one approach, the new weight is selected from a finite set of predetermined weights. By using a finite set of possible weights, overall system complexity can be reduced.
After the new weight w has been determined, the weight is applied to the first antenna element for the remainder of the present processing cycle (i.e., for the next T−τ seconds, as illustrated in
Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.
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