Device and method for performing non-orthogonal multiplexing

1. A device comprising:

circuitry configured to

spread symbols into spread signals having a predetermined number of bits,

change an amplitude of the spread signals via layer coefficients, and

multiplex the amplitude modified spread signals into a layered transmit signal; and

a communication interface configured to transmit the layered transmit signal, wherein

the circuitry is configured to

determine a highest layer coefficient to be greater than a sum of a plurality of remaining lower layer coefficients.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to

determine the layer coefficients based on a coefficient difference factor that is less than one, and

allocate the layered transmit signal to a predetermined number of subcarriers.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined number of subcarriers corresponds to the predetermined number of bits of the spread signal.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to reduce a physical layer bit error rate by increasing the coefficient difference factor.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to modify a total transmit power by modifying at least one of a sum of the layer coefficients or the predetermined number of bits of the spread signal.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to reduce a total transmit power for the layered transmit signal by adding an offset to at least one of the layer coefficients.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to add the offset to alternating layers of the layered transmit signal.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to reduce interference between the signal layers by modifying the amplitude of the spread signals with the layer coefficients.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to implement quadrature amplitude modulation for a first layer and phase-shift keying modulation for second and higher layers of the layered transmit signal.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to allocate signals from one terminal device to four subcarriers of a twelve-subcarrier resource block.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to recover a highest received signal layers by reverse spreading a received signal.

12. A device comprising:

circuitry configured to

spread symbols into spread signals having a predetermined number of bits,

change an amplitude of the spread signals via layer coefficients, and

multiplex the amplitude modified spread signals into a layered transmit signal; and

a communication interface configured to transmit the layered transmit signal, wherein

the circuitry is configured to

recover a highest received signal layer by reverse spreading a received signal, and

re-spread the highest received signal layer and multiply a corresponding spread signal by an associated layer coefficient.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to subtract a re-spread signal from the received signal to recover one or more lower received signal layers.

14. A method comprising:

spreading symbols into spread signals having a predetermined number of bits;

changing an amplitude of the spread signals via layer coefficients; and

multiplexing the amplitude modified spread signals into a layered transmit signal;

transmitting the layered transmit signal, wherein

a highest layer coefficient is determined to be greater than a sum of a plurality of remaining lower layer coefficients.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining the layer coefficients based on a coefficient difference factor that is less than one, and

allocating the layered transmit signal to a predetermined number of subcarriers.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined number of subcarriers corresponds to the predetermined number of bits of the spread signal.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

reducing a physical layer bit error rate by increasing the coefficient difference factor.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

modifying a total transmit power by modifying at least one of a sum of the layer coefficients or the predetermined number of bits of the spread signal.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

reducing a total transmit power for the layered transmit signal by adding an offset to at least one of the layer coefficients.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

adding the offset to alternating layers of the layered transmit signal.