Multi-level coded modulation for non-coherent communication

A destination apparatus configured to perform non-coherent reception, comprising:

• a transceiver;
• a memory;
• and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor, the transceiver, and/or the memory are configured to:
• receive a symbol from a source apparatus transmitted over a wireless channel, the received symbol representing a current symbol conveying data and having been differentially modulated based on M-ary phase shift keying (PSK) modulation with a total differential phase, the total differential phase being determined as a sum of a plurality of level differential phases, each of the plurality of level differential phases corresponding to each modulation level of a plurality of modulation levels of the M-ary PSK modulation, a level encoded data portion conveyed in the current symbol being mapped to each of at least part of the plurality of modulation levels;
• determine the plurality of level differential phases corresponding to the plurality of modulation levels based on the received symbol;
• extract, for each modulation level, data portion from the level differential phase corresponding to that modulation level, the extracted data portion of each of the at least part of the plurality of modulation levels being level encoded data portion having been protected with a component code associated with that modulation level;
• and decode, for each of the at least part of the plurality of modulation levels, the level encoded data portion of that modulation level to obtain a corresponding level decoded data portion, wherein the level encoded data portions of at least two modulation levels conveyed in the current symbol are encoded differently from each other.

A method of a destination apparatus configured to perform non-coherent reception, the method comprising:

• receiving a symbol from a source apparatus transmitted over a wireless channel, the received symbol representing a current symbol conveying data and having been differentially modulated based on M-ary phase shift keying (PSK) modulation with a total differential phase, the total differential phase being determined as a sum of a plurality of level differential phases, each of the plurality of level differential phases corresponding to each modulation level of a plurality of modulation levels of the M-ary PSK modulation, a level encoded data portion conveyed in the current symbol being mapped to each of at least part of the plurality of modulation levels;
• determine the plurality of level differential phases corresponding to the plurality of modulation levels based on the received symbol;
• extracting, for each modulation level, data portion from the level differential phase corresponding to that modulation level, the extracted data portion of each of the at least part of the plurality of modulation levels being level encoded data portion having been protected with a component code associated with that modulation level;
• and decoding, for each of the at least part of the plurality of modulation levels, the level encoded data portion of that modulation level to obtain a corresponding level decoded data portion, wherein the level encoded data portions of at least two modulation levels conveyed in the current symbol are encoded differently from each other.