Signal detection in multiple-input-multiple-output communication system

1. A method of detecting signals in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system, the method comprising:

receiving symbols coded into pairs using a space-time code;

estimating a channel matrix that identifies the response between multiple transmit and receive antennas in the MIMO communication system;

performing a QR factorization on the channel matrix to obtain Q and R matrices;

determining a receive vector corresponding to a plurality of transmitted symbols received by the multiple receive antennas;

transforming the receive vector based upon the Q matrix;

estimating a value of at least two received symbols using the transformed receive vector to determine at least two estimated symbols;

removing a contribution of the estimated symbols from the transformed receive vector to determine a revised received vector; and

estimating a value of at least two additional received symbols using the revised received vector to determine at least two additional estimated symbols.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the space-time code is a 2×2 space-time code.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the space-time code is an Alamouti code.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating a value of at least two received symbols comprises using a hard decision estimate of at least two received symbols.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein transforming the receive vector comprises multiplying the receive vector by a hermitian conjugate of the Q matrix.

6. A method of detecting signals in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system, the method comprising:

receiving symbols coded into pairs using a space-time code;

estimating a channel matrix that identifies the response between multiple transmit and receive antennas in the MIMO communication system;

performing a plurality of QR factorizations on the channel matrix to obtain a plurality of Q and R matrices;

determining a receive vector corresponding to a plurality of transmitted symbols received by the multiple receive antennas;

performing a plurality of transformations of the receive vector based upon the plurality of Q matrices to obtain a plurality of transformed receive vectors;

estimating a value of at least two received symbols for each of the plurality of transformed receive vectors to determine at least two estimated symbols;

removing a contribution of the estimated symbols from the transformed receive vectors to determine a revised received vector for each of the transformed receive vectors; and

estimating a value of at least two additional received symbols for each of the plurality of transformations using the corresponding revised received vector to determine at least two additional estimated symbols.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein performing the plurality of QR factorizations comprises permuting columns in the channel matrix.

8. A method of detecting, in a receiver having multiple receive antennas, signals transmitted from multiple transmit antennas generated from symbol pairs that are space-time coded, the method comprising:

determining a channel matrix that identifies the response between the multiple transmit and receive antennas;

transforming the channel matrix to a virtual channel;

performing partial spatial filtering based upon the virtual channel on received signals;

performing space-time decoding on the partial spatial filtered received signals;

making decision estimates of symbols represented by at least one of the received signals; and

performing interference cancellation using the estimates of symbols.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein partial spatial filtering and interference cancellation are repeated.

10. A method of detecting, in a receiver having multiple receive antennas, signals transmitted from multiple transmit antennas generated from symbol pairs that are space-time coded, the method comprising:

determining a channel matrix that identifies the response between the multiple transmit and receive antennas;

transforming the channel matrix to a virtual channel;

performing partial spatial filtering based upon the virtual channel on received signals;

performing space-time decoding on the partial spatial filtered received signals;

making a decision estimate of a pair of symbols received through a pair of the receive antennas separated by a maximum distance; and

performing interference cancellation based on at least the estimated pair of symbols.