Signal combining within a communication system
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for signal combining within a communication system is provided herein. The output of RAKE fingers is combined via a chip combiner. The combined chip stream can be despread with the appropriate Walsh code (defining a particular channel). The resulting symbol stream can then be deinterleaved and decoded.
1. A method for signal combining within a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a first signal at a first finger of a receiver,
receiving a second signal at a second finger of the receiver;
generating a first chip stream from the fist signal;
generating a second chip stream from the second signal;
combining the first and the second chip streams to produce a combined chip stream; and
Walsh despreading the combined chip stream to produce a symbol stream.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating the first chip stream comprises the step of utilizing a buffered PN sequence to generate the first chip stream.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of generating the second chip stream comprises the step of utilizing the buffered PN sequence to generate the second chip stream.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of deinterleaving the symbol stream to produce a deinterleaved symbol stream.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of decoding the deinterleaved symbol stream.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
receiving a third signal at the first finger of the receiver, wherein the first and the third signals are received at separate antennas;
despreading the first and third signals within the first finger of the receiver; and
combining the first and the third despread signals to produce the first chip stream.
7. A method for signal combining, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a first chip stream, wherein the first chip stream has been despread with a Pseudo Noise (PN) code;
receiving a second chip steam, wherein the second chip stream has been despread with the PN code;
combing the first and the second chip streams to produce a combined chip stream; and
Walsh despreading the combined chip stream to produce a symbol stream.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of receiving the first chip stream comprises the step of receiving the first chip stream output from a first finger of a receiver.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of receiving the second chip stream comprises the step of receiving the second chip stream output from a second finger of the receiver.
10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:
deinterleaving the symbol strength to produce a deinterleaved symbol stream; and
decoding the deinterleaved symbol stream.
11. A receiver comprising:
a first finger path having a first signal as an input and outputting a first chip stream;
a second finger path having a second signal as an input and outputting a second chip stream;
a chip combiner having the first and the second chip steam as an input and outputting a combined chip stream; and
a Walsh despreader having the combined chip, stream as an input and outputting a symbol stream.
12. The receiver of claim 11 further comprising:
a deinterleaver having the symbol stream as an input and outputting a deinterleaved symbol stream; and
a decoder having the deinterleaved symbol stream as an input and outputting a decoded symbol stream.
13. The receiver of claim 11 wherein the first finger path comprises:
a first despreader having a first antenna as an input, and outputting a first despread signal;
a second despreader having a second antenna as an input and outputting a second despread sigal; and
a combiner having the first and the second despread signals as an input and outputting a combined chip stream.
14. The receiver of claim 11 wherein the first sign is a first multipath component of a received signal and the second signal is a second multipath signal of the received signal.