Method and devices for transmitting and receiving multi-carrier symbols

1. A method of transmitting a physical frame, which is a time/frequency frame including both data and distributed pilots, to a receiver, the method comprising:

coding coded source data into data symbols;

framing the data symbols into a frame and mapping the frame to an input of a multi-carrier multiplexer;

the multi-carrier multiplexer generating multi-carrier symbols whose succession forms the time/frequency frame;

modulating pilots using 2 n -state data modulation that is known to the receiver of the physical frame and selecting a modulation state for each of these pilots as a function of a pseudo random sequence known to the receiver,

coding other pilots

by selecting a modulation state of the 2 n -state data modulation for each of n bits that are not known to the receiver and that at least comprise parity bits on data of the physical frame and as a function of coding rules that are known to the receiver and that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits and

by mapping each of these other pilots on this selected modulation state of the 2 n -state of the data modulation;

inserting the modulated pilots and the coding pilots in a distributed manner into the mapped frame for transmission channel estimation and for transmission error detection in the physical frame;

transmitting the physical frame to the receiver; and

retransmitting the physical frame to the receiver on reception of a frame error message from the receiver detecting transmission error by decoding the parity bits recovered by decoding the coded pilots of the physical frame.

2. The method of transmitting a physical frame to a receiver according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the n bits not known to the receiver corresponds to data making it possible to improve a quality of service of streams exchanged between the transmitter device and the receiver and/or between the receiver and the transmitter device.

3. A multi-carrier transmitter for transmitting a physical frame, which is a time/frequency frame including both data and distributed pilots, to a receiver, the transmitter comprising:

a data modulator, which generates data symbols from coded source data;

a data framer, which frames the data symbols into a frame and maps the frame to the input of a multi-carrier multiplexer module as a mapped frame;

the multi-carrier multiplexer module being configured to generate multi-carrier symbols whose succession forms the time/frequency frame;

and

a pilot modulator module, which modulates pilots with 2 n -state data modulation known to the receiver by selecting a modulation state for each of these pilots as a function of a pseudo random sequence,

wherein the pilot modulator module codes other pilots by selecting a modulation state of the 2 n -state data modulation for each of n bits that are not known to the receiver and that at least comprise parity bits on data of the physical frame and as a function of coding rules that are known to the receiver and that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits, and by mapping each of these other pilots on this selected modulation state of the 2 n -state of the data modulation;

wherein the pilot modulator module inserts the modulated pilots and the coding pilots in a distributed manner into the mapped frame as inputs to the multi-carrier multiplexer module for transmission channel estimation and for transmission error detection in the physical frame and

the transmitter being configured to transmit the physical frame; and

the transmitter being configured to retransmit the physical frame on reception of a frame error message from the receiver detecting transmission error by decoding the parity bits recovered by decoding the coded pilots of the physical frame.

4. A method comprising:

receiving by a receiver device a physical frame which is a time/frequency frame including both data and distributed pilots which include modulating pilots and coding pilots, the distributed pilots being for transmission channel estimation by the receiver, the coding pilots being further for transmission error detection in the physical frame, the coding pilots coding data that is not known to the receiver and that corresponds to n parity bits on data of the physical frame, wherein receiving comprises acts of:

comparing with the receiver device a position in a real and imaginary space of a coding pilot with possible 2 n coded pilot positions in order to deduce therefrom a position of the coding pilot as transmitted, knowing a 2 n -state data modulation used on transmission;

on the basis of the position of the coding pilot as transmitted, the receiver device determining the n parity bits coded by said coding pilot, knowing coding rules used on transmission that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits; and

generating a frame error message on detection of a transmission error when decoding the determined n parity bits.

5. A receiver for receiving a physical frame which is a time/frequency frame including both data and distributed pilots which include modulating pilots and coding pilots, the distributed pilots being for transmission channel estimation by the receiver and the coding pilots being further for transmission error detection in the physical frame, the coding pilots coding data that is not known to the receiver and that corresponds to n parity bits on data of the physical frame, the receiver comprising:

a comparator configured to compare a position in a real and imaginary space of a coding pilot with 2 n possible coded pilot positions and deducing therefrom a position of the coding pilot as transmitted, knowing a 2 n -state data modulation used on transmission, and determining the n parity bits coded by said coding pilot from the position of the coding pilot as transmitted, knowing coding rules used on transmission that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits; and

a decoder configured to decode the n determined parity bits; and

the receiver is configured to generate a frame error message when the determined n parity bits codes an error.

6. A telecommunications system comprising:

a receiver; and

a multi-carrier transmitter of a physical frame, which is a time/frequency frame including both data and distributed pilots, to the receiver, the transmitter comprising:

a data modulator, which generates data symbols from coded source data;

a data framer, which frames the data symbols into a frame and maps the frame to the input of a multi-carrier multiplexer module;

the multi-carrier multiplexer module, which generates multi-carrier symbols whose succession forms the time/frequency frame; and

a pilot modulator module, which modulates pilots with 2 n -state data modulation known to the receiver by selecting a modulation state for each of these pilots as a function of a pseudo random sequence,

wherein the pilot modulator module codes other pilots by selecting a modulation state of the 2 n -state data modulation for each of n bits that are not known to the receiver and that at least comprise parity information on data of the physical frame and as a function of coding rules that are known to the receiver and that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits, and by mapping each of these other pilots on the selected modulation state of the 2 n -state of the data modulation;

wherein the pilot modulator inserts the modulated pilots and the coding pilots in a distributed manner into the mapped frame as inputs to the multi-carrier multiplexer module for transmission channel estimation and for transmission error detection in the physical frame and

wherein the receiver comprises:

a comparator configured to compare a position in an in-phase and quadrature space of a received coding pilot with 2 n possible coded pilot positions and deducing therefrom a position of the coding pilot as transmitted, knowing the 2 n -state data modulation used on transmission, determining the n parity bits coded by said coding pilot from the position of the coding pilot as transmitted, knowing the coding rules used on transmission that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits; and

a decoder configured to decode the n determined parity bits; and

the receiver being configured to generate a frame error message when the determined n parity bits codes an error; and

the transmitter being configured to retransmit the physical frame to the receiver on reception of the frame error message from the receiver.

7. A MIMO telecommunications system including multi-carrier transmitters transmitting a physical frame which is a time/frequency frame including both data and distributed pilots, each transmitter comprising:

a data modulator, which generates data symbols from coded source data;

a data framer, which frames the data symbols into a frame and maps the frame to the input of a multi-carrier multiplexer as a mapped frame;

the multi-carrier multiplexer being configured to generate multi-carrier symbols whose succession forms the time/frequency frame; and

a pilot modulator module, which modulates pilots with 2 n -state data modulation that is known to a receiver of the physical frame by selecting a modulation state for each of these pilots as a function of a pseudo random sequence,

wherein the pilot modulator module codes other pilots by selecting a modulation state of the 2 n -state data modulation for each of n bits that are not known to the receiver and that at least comprise parity bits on data of the physical frame and of coding rules that are known to the receiver and that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits, the n bits being specific to a stream transmitted by the transmitter and by mapping each of these other pilots on the selected modulation state of the 2 n -state of the data modulation,

wherein the pilot modulator inserts the modulated pilots and the coding pilots in a distributed manner into the mapped frame as inputs to the multi-carrier multiplexer module for transmission channel estimation and for transmission error detection in the physical frame;

the transmitter being configured to transmit the physical frame to the receiver; and

the transmitter being configured to retransmit the physical frame to the receiver on reception of a frame error message from the receiver detecting transmission error by decoding the parity bits recovered by decoding the coded pilots of the physical frame.

8. A computer program on a non-transitory data medium, said program including program instructions adapted to implementing a method of transmitting a physical frame, which is a time/frequency frame including both data and distributed pilots, when said program is loaded in and executed by a transmitter, wherein the method comprises:

coding coded source data into data symbols;

framing the data symbols into a frame and mapping the frame to an input of a multi-carrier multiplexer;

the multi-carrier multiplexer generating multi-carrier symbols whose succession forms the time/frequency frame;

modulating pilots using 2 n -state data modulation that is known to a receiver of the physical frame and selecting a modulation state for each of these pilots as a function of a pseudo random sequence,

coding other pilots

by selecting a modulation state of the 2 n -state data modulation for each of n bits that are not known to the receiver and that at least comprise parity bits on data of the physical frame and as a function of coding rules that are known to the receiver and that make a one to one correspondence between the 2 n modulation states and 2 n combinations of n bits and

by mapping each of these other pilots on the selected modulation state of the 2 n -state of the data modulation;

inserting the modulated pilots and the coding pilots in a distributed manner into the mapped frame for transmission channel estimation and for transmission error detection in the physical frame;

transmitting the physical frame to the receiver; and

retransmitting the physical frame to the receiver on reception of a frame error message from the receiver detecting transmission error by decoding the parity bits recovered by decoding the coded pilots of the physical frame.