Method and Apparatus for Equalization Processing in a Wireless Communication Receiver

摘要

In one aspect of the teachings herein, a receiver generates an improved estimate of other-cell covariance for the data region of its own-cell signal, by supplementing its pilot-based estimations of the other-cell covariance with supplemental estimations of other-cell covariance that are determined from control symbols transmitted in the control region its own-cell signal and in one or more selected other-cell signals. While the supplemental estimations are derived from the control region, the receiver advantageously fits them against the pilot-based estimations or against received-signal correlations for the data region, and uses the fitted estimations to obtain an improved estimate of other-cell covariance, for use in generating combining weights for equalization processing of the own-cell signal.

主权项

1. A method of equalization processing in a wireless communication apparatus configured for operation in a cellular communication network, said method comprising:
receiving a composite signal that includes synchronized own-cell and other-cell signals having a control region and a data region; generating a first covariance matrix, from pilot symbols in the own-cell signal, characterizing noise and/or interference from the other-cell signals; obtaining pseudo-pilot symbols from control symbols conveyed in the control region of the own-cell signal and one or more selected ones of the other-cell signals; generating a set of supplemental covariance matrices from the pseudo-pilot symbols, each characterizing noise and/or interference from the other-cell signals according to a corresponding interference hypothesis regarding whether individual ones of the one or more selected other-cell signals are assumed to be an interferer or a non-interferer with respect to the data region of the own-cell signal; determining a set of fitting weights that best fit a linear combination of the set of supplemental covariance matrices to the first covariance matrix, or to a signal correlation matrix calculated from data-region samples of the received composite signal; forming an overall covariance matrix as a linear combination of an estimated own-cell covariance matrix and an other-cell covariance matrix comprising a weighted linear combination of the first and supplemental covariance matrices that uses weighting factors determined as a function of the fitting weights; calculating combining weights for the own-cell signal as a function of the overall covariance matrix; and using the combining weights for equalizing the own-cell signal.