Multicarrier radio receiver and method for receiving multiple carriers

1. A method for receiving multiple radio frequency (RF) carriers including a primary carrier and a secondary carrier in a radio node wherein each of the multiple RF carriers corresponds to a logical entity or object used in multi-carrier communications called a cell, where the cell is associated with a geographical location and transmission of a signal on a frequency, such that the receiving radio node receives signals on serving cells, including a first one of the serving cells on the primary carrier and a second one of the serving cells on the secondary carrier, and on neighboring cells, including a first one of the neighboring cells on the primary carrier and a second one of the neighboring cells on the secondary carrier, the method comprising:

initially calculating a power delay profile for each of the serving cells and the neighboring cells;

determining an association between at least one of the neighboring cells on the primary carrier and at least one of the neighboring cells on the secondary carrier based on the calculated power delay profiles, wherein the determined association used in performing interference cancellation is that the at least one neighboring cell on the primary carrier originates from a same geographical site as the at least one neighboring cell on the secondary carrier; and

using the association in performing interference cancellation at the radio node; and

later calculating, after initially calculating the power delay profile for each of the serving cells and the neighboring cells, a power delay profile for the at least one cell on the primary carrier;

wherein using the association in performing interference cancellation at the radio node comprises using the power delay profile calculated later for the at least one cell on the primary carrier as the power delay profile for the associated at least one cell on the secondary carrier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the cells is associated with a geographical location as well as a transmission of a signal over an RF carrier, the serving cells being associated with a serving geographical location and the neighboring cells being associated with a neighboring geographical location that is different from the serving geographical location.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the association is determined by correlating an initially calculated power delay profile for each of the cells on the primary carrier with an initially calculated power delay profile for each of the cells on the secondary carrier and by determining which correlations exceed a predetermined threshold; and

wherein associated cells have a correlation that exceeds the predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein multiple ones of the cells are associated with a transmission of a signal over the primary RF carrier and multiple ones of the cells are associated with a transmission of a signal over multiple secondary RF carriers, the method further comprising:

initially calculating a power delay profile for each of the multiple ones of the cells on the primary RF carrier and for each of the multiple ones of the cells on the multiple secondary RF carriers,

determining associations between one of the cells on the primary RF carrier and the multiple ones of the cells on the secondary RF carrier based on the initially calculated power delay profiles; and

using the determined associations in performing interference cancellation at the radio node.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the multiple ones of the cells on the secondary RF carriers are interfering cells whose associated signal transmissions are to be canceled by the interference cancellation.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

later calculating a power delay profile for each of the multiple ones of the cells on the primary RF carrier; and

wherein using the determined associations comprises using the later calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the primary RF carrier as the power delay profile for the associated multiple cells on the secondary RF carrier.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the associations between one of the cells on the primary RF carrier and the multiple cells on the secondary RF carrier based on the initially calculated power delay profiles are determined by correlating the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the primary RF carrier with the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the secondary RF carriers and by determining which correlation results exceed a predetermined threshold; and

wherein associated cells have a correlation result that exceeds the predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

correlating the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the primary RF carrier with the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the secondary RF carriers;

listing interfering cells in order of correlation magnitude; and

determining associations between one of the cells on the primary RF carrier and the multiple ones of the cells on the secondary RF carrier based on the listing.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising, when the listing of interfering cells changes, repeating the operations of:

initially calculating the power delay profile for each of the multiple cells;

determining associations between the cell on the primary RF carrier;

using the determined associations; and

later calculating the power delay profile.

10. Apparatus for use in a radio node to receive multiple radio frequency (RF) carriers including a primary carrier and a secondary carrier, comprising:

receiver circuitry configured to receive the multiple RF carriers, each of the multiple RF carriers corresponding to a logical entity or object used in multi-carrier communications called a cell, where the cell is associated with a geographical location and transmission of a signal on a frequency, such that the receiving node receives signals on serving cells, including a first one of the serving cells on the primary carrier and a second one of the serving cells on the secondary carrier, and on neighbor cells, including a first one of the neighboring cells on the primary carrier and a second one of the neighboring cells on the secondary carrier;

electronic circuitry configured to:

initially calculate a power delay profile for each of the serving cells and the neighboring cells,

determine an association between at least one of the neighboring cells on the primary carrier and at least one of the neighboring cells on the secondary carrier based on the calculated power delay profiles, wherein the determined association used in performing interference cancellation is that the at least one neighboring cell on the primary carrier originates from a same geographical site as the at least one neighboring cell on the secondary carrier;

use the association in performing interference cancellation at the radio node;

later calculate, after initially calculating the power delay profile for each of the serving cells and the neighboring cells a power delay profile for the at least one cell on the primary carrier; and

use the power delay profile calculated later for the at least one cell on the primary carrier as the power delay profile for the associated at least one cell on the secondary carrier.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each of the cells is associated with a geographical location as well as a transmission of a signal over an RF carrier, the serving cells being associated with a serving geographical location and the neighboring cells being associated with a neighboring geographical location that is different from the serving geographical location.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the association is determined by correlating an initially calculated power delay profile for each of the cells on the primary carrier with an initially calculated power delay profile for each of the cells on the secondary carrier and by determining which correlations exceed a predetermined threshold; and

wherein associated cells have a correlation that exceeds the predetermined threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein multiple ones of the cells are associated with a transmission of a signal over the primary RF carrier and multiple ones of the cells are associated with a transmission of a signal over multiple secondary RF carriers, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to:

initially calculate a power delay profile for each of the multiple ones of the cells on the primary RF carrier and for each of the multiple ones of the cells on the multiple secondary RF carriers,

determine associations between one of the cells on the primary RF carrier and the multiple ones of the cells on the secondary RF carrier based on the initially calculated power delay profiles, and

use the determined associations in performing interference cancellation at the radio node.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the multiple ones of the cells on the secondary RF carriers are interfering cells whose associated signal transmissions are to be canceled by the interference cancellation.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to:

later calculate a power delay profile for each of the multiple ones of the cells on the primary RF carrier; and

use the determined associations by using the later calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the primary RF carrier as the power delay profile for the associated multiple cells on the secondary RF carrier.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to:

determine the associations between one of the cells on the primary RF carrier and the multiple cells on the secondary RF carrier based on the initially calculated power delay profiles by correlating the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the primary RF carrier with the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the secondary RF carriers; and

determine which correlation results exceed a predetermined threshold;

wherein associated cells have a correlation result that exceeds the predetermined threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to:

correlate the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the primary RF carrier with the initially calculated power delay profile for each one of the cells on the secondary RF carriers;

list interfering cells in order of correlation magnitude; and

determine associations between one of the cells on the primary RF carrier and the multiple ones of the cells on the secondary RF carrier based on the listing.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to, when the listing of interfering cells changes, repeat the operations of:

initially calculating the power delay profile for each of the multiple cells;

determining associations between the cell on the primary RF carrier;

using the determined associations; and

later calculating the power delay profile.