The present invention relates generally to cellular wireless communication systems, and more particularly to the cancellation of interference associated with received data communications processed by a wireless terminal within a wireless communication system.
Cellular wireless communication systems support wireless communication services in many populated areas of the world. While cellular wireless communication systems were initially constructed to service voice communications, they are now called upon to support data communications as well. The demand for data communication services has exploded with the acceptance and widespread use of the Internet. While data communications have historically been serviced via wired connections, cellular wireless users now demand that their wireless units also support data communications. Many wireless subscribers now expect to be able to “surf” the Internet, access their email, and perform other data communication activities using their cellular phones, wireless personal data assistants, wirelessly linked notebook computers, and/or other wireless devices. The demand for wireless communication system data communications continues to increase with time. Thus, existing wireless communication systems are currently being created/modified to service these burgeoning data communication demands.
Cellular wireless networks include a “network infrastructure” that wirelessly communicates with wireless terminals within a respective service coverage area. The network infrastructure typically includes a plurality of base stations dispersed throughout the service coverage area, each of which supports wireless communications within a respective cell (or set of sectors). The base stations couple to base station controllers (BSCs), with each BSC serving a plurality of base stations. Each BSC couples to a mobile switching center (MSC). Each BSC also typically directly or indirectly couples to the Internet.
In operation, each base station communicates with a plurality of wireless terminals operating in its cell/sectors. A BSC coupled to the base station routes voice communications between the MSC and the serving base station. The MSC routes the voice communication to another MSC or to the PSTN. BSCs route data communications between a servicing base station and a packet data network that may include or couple to the Internet. Transmissions from base stations to wireless terminals are referred to as “forward link” transmissions while transmissions from wireless terminals to base stations are referred to as “reverse link” transmissions.
Wireless links between base stations and their serviced wireless terminals typically operate according to one (or more) of a plurality of operating standards. These operating standards define the manner in which the wireless link may be allocated, setup, serviced, and torn down. One popular cellular standard is the Global System for Mobile telecommunications (GSM) standard. The GSM standard, or simply GSM, is predominant in Europe and is in use around the globe. While GSM originally serviced only voice communications, it has been modified to also service data communications. GSM General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) operations and the Enhanced Data rates for GSM (or Global) Evolution (EDGE) operations coexist with GSM by sharing the channel bandwidth, slot structure, and slot timing of the GSM standard. The GPRS operations and the EDGE operations may also serve as migration paths for other standards as well, e.g., IS-136 and Pacific Digital Cellular (PDC).
In order for EDGE to provide increased data rates within a 200 KHz GSM channel, it employs a higher order modulation, 8-PSK (octal phase shift keying), in addition to GSM's standard Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK) modulation. EDGE allows for nine different (autonomously and rapidly selectable) air interface formats, known as Modulation and Coding schemes (MCSs), with varying degrees of error control protection. Low MCS modes, (MCS 1-4) use GMSK (low data rate) while high MCS modes (MCS 5-9) use 8-PSK (high data rate) modulation for over the air transmissions, depending upon the instantaneous demands of the application.
To a cellular telephone operating in a receive mode, co-channel and adjacent channel GMSK/8PSK signals appear as colored noise. In order to better receive the information intended for the cellular telephone, the cellular telephone must attempt to cancel these interference signals. Prior techniques for canceling such interference included channel equalization for received symbols. However, existing channel equalization techniques fail to typically remove co-channel and adjacent channel noise sufficiently. Thus, a need exists for improvements in interference cancellation.
The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods of operation that are further described in the following Brief Description of the Drawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the claims. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like features and wherein:
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the FIGs., like numerals being used to refer to like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.
Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK) modulation systems can be modeled as a single-input two-output system in real domain. This model is a virtual single transmit 2 receive system. Interference cancellation techniques for multiple antennas can be applied to GMSK systems as provided by embodiments of the present invention that substantially addresses the above identified needs as well as other needs. The present invention provides a multi-branch equalizer processing module operable to cancel interference associated with received radio frequency (RF) burst(s). This multi-branch equalizer processing module includes multiple equalizer processing branches. One equalizer processing branch is operable to be trained based upon known training sequences and equalize the received RF burst. These results are then further processed and used to train a second equalizer processing branch. The second equalizer processing branch then equalizes the received RF burst to produce an output based on canceling the interfering signals that results in improved processing of the received RF bursts.
Each of the base stations 103-106 services a cell/set of sectors within which it supports wireless communications. Wireless links that include both forward link components and reverse link components support wireless communications between the base stations and their serviced wireless terminals. These wireless links can result in co-channel and adjacent channel signals that may appear as noise which may be colored or white. As previously stated, this noise may interfere with the desired signal of interest. Hence, the present invention provides techniques for canceling such interference in poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or low signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) environments.
These wireless links may support digital data communications, VoIP communications, and other digital multimedia communications. The cellular wireless communication system 100 may also be backward compatible in supporting analog operations as well. The cellular wireless communication system 100 may support the Global System for Mobile telecommunications (GSM) standard and also the Enhanced Data rates for GSM (or Global) Evolution (EDGE) extension thereof. The cellular wireless communication system 100 may also support the GSM General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) extension to GSM. However, the present invention is also applicable to other standards as well, e.g., TDMA standards, CDMA standards, etc. In general, the teachings of the present invention apply to digital communication techniques that address the identification and cancellation of interfering communications.
Wireless terminals 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, and 130 couple to the cellular wireless communication system 100 via wireless links with the base stations 103-106. As illustrated, wireless terminals may include cellular telephones 116 and 118, laptop computers 120 and 122, desktop computers 124 and 126, and data terminals 128 and 130. However, the cellular wireless communication system 100 supports communications with other types of wireless terminals as well. As is generally known, devices such as laptop computers 120 and 122, desktop computers 124 and 126, data terminals 128 and 130, and cellular telephones 116 and 118, are enabled to “surf” the Internet 114, transmit and receive data communications such as email, transmit and receive files, and to perform other data operations. Many of these data operations have significant download data-rate requirements while the upload data-rate requirements are not as severe. Some or all of the wireless terminals 116-130 are therefore enabled to support the EDGE operating standard. These wireless terminals 116-130 also support the GSM standard and may support the GPRS standard.
RF transceiver 202 couples to an antenna 203, to the digital processing components 204, and also to battery 224 that powers all components of wireless terminal 200. The physical layer processing, speech COder/DECoder (CODEC), and baseband CODEC functional block 206 couples to the protocol processing, man-machine interface functional block 208 and to a coupled microphone 226 and speaker 228. The protocol processing, man-machine interface functional block 208 couples to various components such as, but not limited to, Personal Computing/Data Terminal Equipment interface 210, keypad 212, Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) port 213, a camera 214, flash RAM 216, SRAM 218, LCD 220, and LED(s) 222. When camera 214 and LCD 220 are present, these components may support either/both still pictures and moving pictures. Thus, the wireless terminal 200 of
RF bursts of four time slots of the GSM frame carry a segmented RLC block, a complete RLC block, or two RLC blocks, depending upon a supported Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) mode. For example, data block A is carried in slot 0 of quarter frame 1, slot 0 of quarter frame 2, slot 0 of quarter frame 3, and slot 0 of quarter frame 3. Data block A may carry a segmented RLC block, an RLC block, or two RLC blocks. Likewise, data block B is carried in slot 1 of quarter frame 1, slot 1 of quarter frame 2, slot 1 of quarter frame 3, and slot 1 of quarter frame 3. The MCS mode of each set of slots, i.e., slot n of each quarter frame, for the GSM frame is consistent for the GSM frame but may vary from GSM frame to GSM frame. Further, the MCS mode of differing sets of slots of the GSM frame, e.g., slot 0 of each quarter frame vs. any of slots 1-7 of each quarter frame, may differ. The RLC block may carry voice data or other data.
Fire codes allow for either error correction or error detection. Fire Codes are a shortened binary cyclic code that appends redundancy bits to bits of the data Header and Data. The pure error detection capability of Fire Coding may be sufficient to let undetected errors go through with only a probability of 2−40. After block coding has supplemented the Data with redundancy bits for error detection, calculation of additional redundancy for error correction to correct the transmissions caused by the radio channels. The internal error correction or coding scheme is based on convolutional codes.
Some redundant bits generated by the convolutional encoder may be punctured prior to transmission. Puncturing increases the rate of the convolutional code and reduces the redundancy per data block transmitted. Puncturing additionally lowers the bandwidth requirements such that the convolutional encoded signal fits into the available channel bit stream. The convolutional encoded punctured bits are passed to an interleaver, which shuffles various bit streams and segments the interleaved bit streams into the 4 bursts shown.
Re-encoding the data associated with a valid Voice Framen, as described with reference to
Referring particular to
Operation continues with the baseband processor receiving the baseband signal (step 808). In a typical operation, the RF front end, the baseband processor, or modulator/demodulator will sample the analog baseband signal to digitize the baseband signal. After receipt of the baseband signal (in a digitized format), the baseband processor performs blind detection of a modulation format of the baseband signal of step 810. This blind detection of the modulation format determines the modulation format of the corresponding baseband signal. In one particular embodiment according to the GSM standard, the modulation format will be either Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK) modulation or Eight Phase Shift Keying (8PSK) modulation. The baseband processor makes the determination (step 812) and proceeds along one of two branches based upon the detected modulation format.
For GMSK modulation, the baseband processor performs de-rotation and frequency correction of the baseband signal at step 814. Next, the baseband processor performs burst power estimation of the baseband signal at step 816. Referring now to
Steps 808-826 are referred to hereinafter as pre-equalization processing operations. With the baseband processor performing these pre-equalization processing operations on the baseband signal it produces a processed baseband signal. Upon completion of these pre-equalization processing operations, the baseband processor issues a command to the equalizer module.
The equalizer module, whose operation as a multi-branch equalizer will be discussed in further detail with reference to
The equalizer module then issues an interrupt to the baseband processor indicating that the equalizer operations are complete for the RF burst. The baseband processor then receives the soft decisions from the equalizer module. Next, the baseband processor determines an average phase of the left and right sides based upon the soft decisions received from the equalizer module at step 832. The baseband processor then performs frequency estimation and tracking based upon the soft decisions received from the equalizer module at step 836. The operations of step 832, or step 854 and step 836 are referred to herein as “post-equalization processing.” After operation at step 836, processing of the particular RF burst is completed.
Referring again to
Upon receipt of the command from the baseband processor, the equalizer module receives the processed baseband signal, settings, and/or parameters from the baseband processor and commences equalization of the processed baseband signal. The equalizer module first prepares state values that it will use in equalizing the 8PSK modulated processed baseband signal at step 850. In the illustrated embodiment, the equalizer module uses a Maximum A posteriori Probability (MAP) equalizer. The equalizer module then equalizes the left and right sides of the processed baseband signal using the MAP equalizer to produce soft decisions for the processed baseband signal at step 852. Upon completion of step 854, the equalizer module issues an interrupt to the baseband processor indicating its completion of the equalizing the processed baseband signal corresponding.
The baseband processor then receives the soft decisions from the equalizer module. Next, the baseband processor determines the average phase of the left and right sides of the processed baseband signal based upon the soft decisions (step 854). Finally, the baseband processor performs frequency estimation and tracking for the soft decisions (step 836). The operations of steps 854 and 836 are referred to as post-equalization processing operations. From step 836, operation is complete for the particular RF burst depicts the various stages associated with recovering a data block from an RF Burst.
While the operations of
Burst equalizers, include I and Q Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters 908 and 910 and Minimum Least Squares Estimation (MLSE) equalizer 912 that operate upon each burst received from derotation block 906. These components are trained by training module 913 using known Training Sequence(s) (TS), within the midamble received with each burst. Alternately, these components could be trained over multiple bursts. First equalizer processing branch 902 produces soft decisions wherein multiple soft decisions represent each data bit prior to decoding. Each soft sample is provided to deinterleaver 914 which in turn provides the deinterleaved soft samples to channel decoder 916. Channel decoder 916 decodes a data frame from the soft samples (i.e. the multiple soft sample(s) that represent each data bit are decoded by the channel decoder to produce hard bits after decoding).
The data frame produced by channel decoder 916 may be validated and re-encoded using re-encoder 918 in order to produce re-encoded data bits. Interleaver 920 receives the re-encoded data bits to produce a re-encoded data burst(s). The re-encoded data burst(s), along with known training sequence(s), may then be used to train second equalizer processing branch 310.
Second equalizer processing branch 906 includes a buffer 922 operable to store multiple bursts in memory as well as an I and Q FIR filters 924 and 926, respectively. I and Q filters 924 and 926 are operable to be trained by training module 928 using known training sequence and at least partially re-encoded bursts. In this way, the second equalizer processing branch takes at least partially re-encoded data and known training sequences to train the I and Q RF filters. This results in an improved SNR for the burst(s) processed from buffer 922. After the I and Q filters have been trained and used to process the stored burst(s). The results are combined with adder 930. This creates an alternate set of soft samples which are provided to deinterleaver 914 and channel Decoder 916 to produce an alternate set of data bits.
The following discussion further describes the indirect training method that may be based on the least-square channel estimation (LS-CE) and is similar to that used in EDGE. First the channel is estimated using the training sequence. Then the pre-filter and MLSE parameters are calculated as if they are the feed-forward and feedback filters of a DFE. A problem of the indirect method is poor CE since SAIC is usually operated at low SIR. The CE error propagates in the calculation filter coefficients.
The signal model at the MLSE input in
Based on above mode, the noise at the MLSE input is given by
where x1 and x2 are de-rotation output I & Q, respectively, s is the training symbol, d is the system delay. In vector form:
For convenience, boldface low-case letters are used for vectors, and boldface upper-case letter for matrix to represent the above equation:
n=X f−S b
The criterion of equalizer is to find f and b that minimizes the MLSE input noise,
min ∥n∥2
Since the number of training symbols is limited, joint optimization of f and b is sensitive to noise. The following discussion derives a sub-optimal approach that reduces the estimated parameter to pre-filer f only.
Cross-correlation between the pre-filter outputs (X f) and training symbol may be by the ISI channel at the MLSE input (b). Thus b can be represented by f. Using LS CE at the pre-filter output, and let b be the channel estimate provides:
b=S+ X f
where ( )+ represents the pseudo-inverse. Substituting above will minimization the function, to yield:
min∥X f−S S+ X f∥2=min∥(I−S S+)X f∥2=min f′Af
where A=X′(I−S S+)X, and ( )′ is the transpose operation. To avoid trivial solution, constraints are applied. Two types commonly used constraints are Unit-norm constraint and the Linear constraint. When this constrains the norm of 1, then the optimization solution is the eigen-vector of A corresponding to the least eigenvalue Provides:
f=eigvec(A)
A linear constraint may also be chosen for f. For example, we can fix i-th element of b to 1. In another word, the i-th tap of MLSE channel b is 1. When c is the i-th row vector of S+ X. Then the linear constraint is given by:
cf=1
This results in an optimization solution given by:
f=A−1 c′
The linear constraint is often better than the unit-norm constraint. In the linear constraint, if the first tap is chosen to be one, the above minimization criterion is equivalent to the DFE criterion. Diagonal loading also helps at high SIR range.
Step 1220 retrieves RF burst(s) from memory for processing using a second equalizer processing branch. This may involve the retrieval of one or more RF bursts, which are processed using the second equalizer branch. The re-encoded data burst is provided as a signal to train the second equalizer processing branch in step 1222. This allows the RF burst stored in memory to be equalized in step 1224 using the second equalizer processing branch, wherein the second equalizer processing branch is trained not only on the known training sequence, but also at least some partially re-encoded data bits produced from the original output of the channel decoder. This allows the second processing branch to provide an improved output over the first processing branch by utilizing not only the known training sequence but also re-encoded data bits in order to better equalize or train the second equalizer processing branch. The second equalizer processing branch produces an alternate set of soft decisions, which may be de-interleaved in step 1226 and decoded in step 1228 in order to produce an alternate date frame in step 1230.
In noise-limited scenarios, the single antenna interface cancel action may perform worse than the conventional receiver. In addition, channels having long delays such as those having hilly terrain can also cause large degradation due to the short pre-filter length. To solve the problem, a switch function may be added to enable the interactive single antenna cancellation process. The switch may be based on any combination of SNR, Colored noise discriminator and Channel profile detector.
In summary, the present invention provides a multi-branch equalizer processing module operable to cancel interference associated with received radio frequency (RF) burst(s). This multi-branch equalizer processing module includes both a first equalizer processing branch and a second equalizer processing branch. The first equalizer processing branch is operable to be trained based upon known training sequences and equalize the received RF burst. This results in soft samples or decisions which in turn may be converted to data bits. The soft samples are processed with a de-interleaver and channel decoder, where the combination is operable to produce a decoded frame of data bits from the soft samples. A re-encoder may re-encode the decoded frame to produce re-encoded or at least partially re-encoded data bits. An interleaver then processes the at least partially re-encoded data bits to produce and at least partially re-encoded burst. The second equalizer processing branch uses the at least partially re-encoded data bits to train linear equalizer(s) within the second equalizer processing branch. A buffer may initially store the received RF burst(s), which are retrieved and equalized by the second equalizer processing branch once the linear equalizer(s) are trained. This results in alternate soft samples or decisions which in turn may be converted to alternate data bits. The alternate soft samples are processed with the de-interleaver and channel decoder, where the combination is operable to produce an alternate decoded frame of data bits from the alternate soft samples. This allows interfering signals to be cancelled and more accurate processing of the received RF bursts to occur.
As one of average skill in the art will appreciate, the term “substantially” or “approximately”, as may be used herein, provides an industry-accepted tolerance to its corresponding term. Such an industry-accepted tolerance ranges from less than one percent to twenty percent and corresponds to, but is not limited to, component values, integrated circuit process variations, temperature variations, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. As one of average skill in the art will further appreciate, the term “operably coupled”, as may be used herein, includes direct coupling and indirect coupling via another component, element, circuit, or module where, for indirect coupling, the intervening component, element, circuit, or module does not modify the information of a signal but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or power level. As one of average skill in the art will also appreciate, inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two elements in the same manner as “operably coupled”. As one of average skill in the art will further appreciate, the term “compares favorably”, as may be used herein, indicates that a comparison between two or more elements, items, signals, etc., provides a desired relationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal 1 has a greater magnitude than signal 2, a favorable comparison may be achieved when the magnitude of signal 1 is greater than that of signal 2 or when the magnitude of signal 2 is less than that of signal 1.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. Further, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority to and incorporates herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/657,564 entitled “SINGLE ANTENNA INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION IN A CELLULAR TELEPHONE,” by Hanks Zeng, et al. filed on Mar. 1, 2005. This application also claims the benefit of priority to and incorporates herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/679,188 entitled “SINGLE ANTENNA INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION WITHIN A WIRELESS TERMINAL,” by Hanks Zeng, et al. filed on May 9, 2005.
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