Multi-cast communication system and method of estimating channel impulse responses therein

Abstract

Multiple Steiner codes are transmitted as bursts (s11, S12, . . . S33, 560, 524) from multiple base stations (182, 184, 186) having one or more transmit elements (174, 176, 178, 180), with successive bursts providing an extended training sequence for use in channel estimation at an addressed unit (172), such as a mobile handset. Accurate channel estimation is possible through the use of Wiener frequency domain MMSE deconvolution (518) combined with frequency domain spatial decoupling matrices, with quasi-orthogonal pseudo-noise sequences (502, 504, 520, 522) allocated to base stations and their antenna elements. The use of Steiner codes to supplement Wiener frequency domain MMSE deconvolution and frequency domain spatial decoupling results in the possibility of allocating only a single training sequence to each base station provided that the training sequence is of sufficient length to encompass all multiple time-translated channel impulse responses (H).

Description

[0001] This invention relates, in general, to a multi-cast communication system and a method of estimating channel impulse response (IR) therein, and is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to communication environments employing space-time coding. The present invention is also applicable, without imposing limitation, to code division multiple access (CDMA) schemes, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or the global system for mobile (GSM) communication, and also to systems having base stations configured to transmit on either a time-aligned or unsynchronised basis.SUMMARY OF THE PRIOR ART[0002] GSM, CDMA, and OFDM systems and those systems using space-time coding usually require estimation of impulse responses (IR's) between a terminal antenna and several base antennas, especially in instances when the relative signal strengths of the base stations are similar. As will be understood, the physical channel through which propagation occurs can have a severely det...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The training sequences are utilised in the receiving unit to estimate the channel impulse response based on a complex cross-correlation (in real and imaginary phase and amplitude components) between received chips and a local replica of the training sequence. In this regard, it is usual, on a per channel basis, to take a correlation of the channel impulse response (h) with the sequence (s) from the transmitter. More particularly, from a single base station having multiple transmit elements, cyclic offsetting of Steiner codes allows utilisation of a fast Fourier transform (FFT) technique to solve individual channel impulse responses. Steiner cyclic pilot codes can therefore be used in estimating, with a single correlator, channel impulse responses of multiple users that do not mutually interfere. Steiner codes may be Gold codes.

[0051] Before discussing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be noted that consideration has been given to employing Steiner codes in combination with Wiener MMSE estimation in the Fourier domain to obtain a low cost multi-user channel estimation method that is highly efficient for simultaneously estimating a number of channels on the downlink for CDMA systems. Steiner codes may also be used in OFDM systems though, in this case, it may be preferred to use the intrinsic OFDM symbol for training sequences. Given only prior knowledge of the maximum extent of the channel impulse response, the same basic pilot sequence can be time shifted and re-used (with properly determined cyclic headers) to function for a number of different downlink channels, and only one FFT correlation process is needed to solve for all the channels simultaneously. The technique is ideal for wideband fat pipe systems where the same user signal is radiated from different antennas of a transmit diversity antenna or a space-time coded antenna system. Channel estimation by this method is accurate enough to allow adequate interference cancellation of intercell interference, which is usually quite difficult to achieve in CDMA systems due to low grade estimates of the interference parameters.

Problems solved by technology

As will be understood, the physical channel through which propagation occurs can have a severely detrimental effect on the ability to recover data accurately, especially with increasing data rates.

More especially, with multiple transmit elements at a base station, irrespective of whether there is more than one serving base station, multipath interference results in an inability to resolve individual channels.

Indeed, even orthogonally structured data (such as different and time dispersed training sequences) can become cross-correlated (in the face of multipath interference) and hence unusable to resolve individual channels / paths in the context of a deterministic IR approach.

Unfortunately, with Steiner codes, the resolution of base stations in different cells is much less attractive.

Increasing training sequence length, however, is not the main difficulty; a bigger problem is that this Steiner solution would effectively constrain all the bases to use one and the same fundamental PN sequence and this would not allow addressed units to discriminate between bases by different codes when they are searching for hand-off possibilities.

Steiner is also inflexible since there is contention over the order in which the bases should cycle their training sequences.

Equalisers and channel whiteners are generally not well conditioned, especially if the channel has zeros or deep minima in its frequency response.

In overview, therefore, PN training sequences sent from multiple base stations (or Node Bs) employing one or more transmit elements are subject to multipath that results in code cross-correlation and an inability at a receiver to resolve the individual channels and establish the individual channel-specific impulse responses.

More specifically, whilst time alignment of base station transmissions may produce a summation of signals at the receiver (when employing appropriate windowing on a chip-by-chip basis with respect to identifiable correlation spikes), the receiver is only able to detect a composite channel impulse response that is unlikely to reflect accurately any of the actual transmission paths.

Moreover, whilst the composite channel impulse response may be sufficient in the context of soft handover (in IS-95, for example), the composite channel impulse response is generally insufficient in third generation systems, including systems offering space-time coding.

Furthermore, there is a reticence shown by service providers to provide synchronicity between base station transmissions since synchronised transmissions increase infrastructure costs, such as through the necessary provision of an accurate timing reference.

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