Unified multi-carrier framework for multiple-access technologies

A receiver system adapted to process at least one multi-carrier signal, the receiver including a filter bank adapted to separate at least one time-domain signal into a plurality of frequency-domain components, the receiver characterized by;

• a phase-shift circuit adapted to provide the frequency-domain components with at least one set of phase offsets wherein each set of phase offsets corresponds to an orthogonal pulse centered at a predetermined instant in time, and
• a combiner adapted to combine the phase offset frequency-domain components to produce at least one time-domain sequence of symbols.

A multi-carrier signal comprising at least one set of complex sub-carrier weights embodied in a plurality of subcarriers, the weights adapted to map a plurality of data symbols to a plurality of pulses, each pulse centered at a predetermined time instant, for producing a modulated pulse train from a superposition of the subcarriers.

A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for controlling a multi-carrier generator comprising:

• a subcarrier allocation source code segment adapted to provide at least one set of subcarriers allocated to at least one user in a network, and
• a subcarrier weighting source code segment adapted to provide at least one set of complex weights to the at least one set of subcarriers for mapping each of at least one data symbol to at least one carrier-superposition pulse centered at a predetermined instant in time.

A signal transmitter configured to form a signal comprising:

• a plurality of subcarriers allocated to at least one user in a communications network, and
• a plurality of complex sub-carrier weights (applied to the subcarriers for generating a plurality of weighted subcarriers, the weights) adapted to map each of a plurality of data symbols to at least one of a plurality of pulses generated by a superposition of the weighted subcarriers, each pulse centered at a predetermined instant in time.

A signal transmitter configured to form a signal comprising:

• a plurality of subcarriers allocated to at least one user in a communications network, and
• at least one pulsed waveform comprising the plurality of allocated subcarriers, the at least one pulsed waveform being impressed with at least one data symbol.

A transmission method configured to form a signal comprising:

• a plurality of subcarriers allocated to at least one user in a communications network, and
• a plurality of complex sub-carrier weights (applied to the subcarriers for generating a plurality of weighted subcarriers, the weights) adapted to map each of a plurality of data symbols to at least one of a plurality of pulses generated by a superposition of the weighted subcarriers, each pulse being centered at a predetermined instant in time.

A transmission method configured to form a signal comprising:

• a plurality of subcarriers allocated to at least one user in a communications network, and
• at least one pulsed waveform comprising the plurality of allocated subcarriers, the at least one pulsed waveform being impressed with at least one data symbol.

A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for controlling a multi-carrier receiver comprising:

• a subcarrier weighting source code segment adapted to receive at least one channel estimate and generate therefrom at least one set of complex weights for at least one set of subcarrier components generated from a received signal,
• a CI combining source code segment adapted to receive the at least one set of sub-carrier components and the at least one set of complex weights, the CI combining source code segment adapted to weight and combine the sub-carrier components to produce a sequence of symbols that conveys at least one transmitted signal value.