Blind signal separation using I and Q components

A method for operating a communications device for separating source signals provided by M signal sources, the communications device comprising and antenna array, in-phase and quadrature modules connected downstream to the antenna array, a receiver assembly connected downstream to the in-phase and quadrature modules, and a blind signal separation processor connected downstream to the receiver assembly, the method comprising:

• receiving at the antenna array at least N different summations of the M source signals, the antenna array comprising N antenna elements;
• separating each one of the N different summations of the M source signals into an in-phase and quadrature component set using a respective in-phase and quadrature module connected downstream to an antenna element;
• providing the at least N in-phase and quadrature component sets for the at least N different summations of the M source signals to the receiver assembly;
• and
• processing by the blind signal separation processor the at least N in-phase and quadrature component sets for the at least N different summations of the M source signals, the processing comprising
• forming a mixing matrix comprising at least 2N different summations of the M source signals, with each in-phase and quadrature component set providing 2 inputs into the mixing matrix, the mixing matrix having a rank equal up to 2N, and
• separating desired source signals from the mixing matrix.