OFDM radio communications system
View Patent ↗A transmitter forms each subcarrier group of only frequency locations of subcarriers to which at least one pilot signal is allocated, and conducts transmission by allocating a macro-diversity signal into the subcarrier group and allocating a non-macro-diversity signal to other frequencies (outside the subcarrier group). As for the macro-diversity signal, a receiver conducts channel estimation on the basis of the pilot signal in the same subcarrier group as the macro-diversity signal. As for the non-macro-diversity signal outside the subcarrier group, the receiver conducts channel estimation on the basis of the pilot signal, and results of channel estimations of the macro-diversity signal and other non-macro-diversity signals.
1. An OFDM radio communications system comprising a plurality of transmitters transmitting OFDM signals and a receiver conducting macro-diversity reception based on the OFDM signals,
wherein each of the transmitters comprises:
first allocation means for allocating pilot signals to a first pilot subcarrier and a second pilot subcarrier different in frequency, respectively;
second allocation means for allocating macro-diversity signals subjected to macro-diversity to a first data subcarrier, whose frequency is the same as a frequency of the first pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to a transmission timing of the first pilot subcarrier, and a second data subcarrier, whose frequency is the same as a frequency of the second pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to a transmission timing of the second pilot subcarrier;
third allocation means for allocating a non-macro-diversity signal not subjected to macro-diversity to a third data subcarrier whose frequency is between the frequency of the first pilot subcarrier and the frequency of the second pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is between the transmission timing of the first pilot subcarrier and the transmission timing of the second pilot subcarrier; and
transmission means for OFDM-modulating and transmitting the pilot signals, the macro-diversity signals and the non-macro-diversity signal, through the subcarriers to which the signals are allocated by the first allocation means, the second allocation means and the third allocation means; and
wherein the receiver comprises:
reception means for receiving the pilot signals, the macro-diversity signals and the non-macro-diversity signal, through the subcarriers transmitted by the transmission means;
first estimation means for conducting channel estimation of the first data subcarrier in accordance with the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier received by the reception means, and for conducting channel estimation of the second data subcarrier in accordance with the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier received by the reception means; and
second estimation means for conducting channel estimation of the third data subcarrier in accordance with the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier received by the reception means and the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier received by the reception means.
2. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 1 , wherein the receiver further comprises third estimation means for conducting channel estimation of a non-macro-diversity signal transmitted with a frequency which is the same as the frequency of the third data subcarrier, in accordance with a result of the channel estimation conducted by the second estimation means.
3. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 1 , wherein the receiver further comprises third estimation means for conducting channel estimation of a non-macro-diversity signal transmitted at a timing which is the same as the transmission timing of the first data subcarrier and the second data subcarrier, with a frequency which is the same as the frequency of the third data subcarrier, in accordance with results of the channel estimations of the first data subcarrier and the second data subcarrier conducted by the first estimation means.
4. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second allocation means allocates macro-diversity signals to a plurality of first data subcarriers whose frequency is the same as the frequency of the first pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to the transmission timing of the first pilot subcarrier, respectively;
the second allocation means allocates macro-diversity signals to a plurality of second data subcarriers whose frequency is the same as the frequency of the second pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to the transmission timing of the second pilot subcarrier, respectively;
the first allocation means allocates a pilot signal to a third pilot subcarrier that together with the first pilot subcarrier temporally sandwiches the transmission timings of the plurality of first data subcarriers to which the second allocation means allocates the macro-diversity signals;
the first allocation means allocates a pilot signal to a fourth pilot subcarrier that together with second pilot subcarrier temporally sandwiches the transmission timings of the plurality of second data subcarriers to which the second allocation means allocates the macro-diversity signals;
the first estimation means conducts the channel estimation of the plurality of first data subcarriers received by the reception means at reception timings between a reception timing of the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier and a reception timing of the pilot signal of the third pilot subcarrier, in accordance with the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier and the pilot signal of the third pilot subcarrier, and
the first estimation means conducts the channel estimation of the plurality of second data subcarriers received by the reception means at reception timings between a reception timing of the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier and a reception timing of the pilot signal of the fourth pilot subcarrier, in accordance with the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier and the pilot signal of the fourth pilot subcarrier.
5. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first allocation means further allocates pilot signals, respectively, to a plurality of pilot subcarriers whose frequencies are different from one another and whose transmission timings are the same as one another;
the third allocation means allocates a non-macro-diversity signal to a data subcarrier whose frequency is between frequencies of the plurality of pilot subcarriers and whose transmission timing is the same as the transmission timings of the plurality of pilot subcarriers; and
the second estimation means conducts channel estimation of the data subcarrier, in accordance with a moving average based on the plurality of pilot subcarriers received by the reception means.
6. An OFDM radio communications system comprising a plurality of transmitters transmitting OFDM signals and a receiver conducting macro-diversity reception based on the OFDM signals,
wherein each of the transmitters comprises:
first allocation means for allocating pilot signals to a first pilot subcarrier and a second pilot subcarrier in different frequencies, at the same transmission timing, respectively;
second allocation means for allocating macro-diversity signals subjected to macro-diversity to a first data subcarrier, whose frequency is the same as a frequency of the first pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to a transmission timing of the first pilot subcarrier, and a second data subcarrier, whose frequency is the same as a frequency of the second pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to a transmission timing of the second pilot subcarrier;
third allocation means for allocating a non-macro-diversity signal not subjected to macro-diversity to a third data subcarrier whose frequency is between the frequency of the first pilot subcarrier and the frequency of the second pilot subcarrier; and
transmission means for OFDM-modulating and transmitting the pilot signals, the macro-diversity signals and the non-macro-diversity signal, through the subcarriers to which the signals are allocated by the first allocation means, the second allocation means and the third allocation means; and
wherein the receiver comprises:
reception means for receiving the pilot signals, the macro-diversity signals and the non-macro-diversity signal, through the subcarriers transmitted by the transmission means;
first estimation means for conducting channel estimation of the first data subcarrier in accordance with the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier received by the reception means, and for conducting channel estimation of the second data subcarrier in accordance with the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier received by the reception means; and
second estimation means for conducting channel estimation of the third data subcarrier in accordance with the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier received by the reception means and the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier received by the reception means.
7. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 6 , wherein the receiver further comprises third estimation means for conducting channel estimation of a non-macro-diversity signal transmitted with a frequency which is the same as the frequency of the third data subcarrier, in accordance with a result of the channel estimation conducted by the second estimation means.
8. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 6 , wherein the receiver further comprises third estimation means for conducting channel estimation of a non-macro-diversity signal transmitted at a timing which is the same as the transmission timing of the first data subcarrier and the second data subcarrier, with a frequency which is the same as the frequency of the third data subcarrier, in accordance with results of the channel estimations of the first data subcarrier and the second data subcarrier conducted by the first estimation means.
9. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 6 , wherein:
the second allocation means allocates macro-diversity signals to a plurality of first data subcarriers whose frequency is the same as the frequency of the first pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to the transmission timing of the first pilot subcarrier, respectively;
the second allocation means allocates macro-diversity signals to a plurality of second data subcarriers whose frequency is the same as the frequency of the second pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is successive to the transmission timing of the second pilot subcarrier, respectively;
the first allocation means allocates a pilot signal to a third pilot subcarrier that together with the first pilot subcarrier temporally sandwiches the transmission timings of the plurality of first data subcarriers to which the second allocation means allocates the macro-diversity signals;
the first allocation means allocates a pilot signal to a fourth pilot subcarrier that together with second pilot subcarrier temporally sandwiches the transmission timings of the plurality of second data subcarriers to which the second allocation means allocates the macro-diversity signals;
the first estimation means conducts the channel estimation of the plurality of first data subcarriers received by the reception means at reception timings between a reception timing of the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier and a reception timing of the pilot signal of the third pilot subcarrier, in accordance with the pilot signal of the first pilot subcarrier and the pilot signal of the third pilot subcarrier, and
the first estimation means conducts the channel estimation of the plurality of second data subcarriers received by the reception means at reception timings between a reception timing of the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier and a reception timing of the pilot signal of the fourth pilot subcarrier, in accordance with the pilot signal of the second pilot subcarrier and the pilot signal of the fourth pilot subcarrier.
10. The OFDM radio communications system according to claim 6 , wherein:
the third allocation means allocates the non-macro-diversity signal to a data subcarrier whose frequency is between the frequency of the first pilot subcarrier and the frequency of the second pilot subcarrier and whose transmission timing is the same as the transmission timing of the first pilot subcarrier and the second pilot subcarrier; and
the second estimation means conducts the channel estimation of the data subcarrier, in accordance with a moving average based on the first pilot subcarrier and the second pilot subcarrier received by the reception means.