Wireless communication system using multi-element antenna having a space-time architecture

A method for use in a system that is adapted to communicate a primitive data stream, the primitive data stream including a plurality of sub-streams each including a respective plurality of sub-component data streams, the method comprising the step of:

• transmitting at least a portion of each of a plurality of processed sub-streams,
• each one of the processed sub-streams representing a respective one of the sub-streams,
• each processed sub-stream including a plurality of strata,
• each stratum of each processed sub-stream representing a respective one of the sub-stream-components of one of the component data streams represented by that processed sub-stream.

A method for processing a received signal that includes at least a portion of at least one processed sub-stream, each processed sub-stream representing a respective one of a plurality of sub-streams, each sub-stream including a respective plurality of sub-stream-components, each processed sub-stream including a plurality of strata, each stratum of each processed sub-stream representing a respective one of the plurality of sub-stream-components of the particular sub-stream represented by that particular processed sub-stream, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) decoding at least a portion of one of the strata to obtain at least a portion of a respective sub-stream component, the decoding step further comprising separating out and decoding the portion of the stratum to obtain the sub-stream component portion;
• (b) removing the decoded portion of the one stratum from the received signal, the removing step further comprising re-encoding the decoded portion to obtain the one stratum and subtracting the re-encoded stratum from the received signal;
• and
• (c) decoding at least a portion of another of the strata to obtain at least a portion of a respective sub-stream component.

A receiver comprising:

• at least one receive antenna each receive antenna having an output for outputting a receive antenna signal, each receive antenna signal including at least a portion of at least one processed sub-stream, each s processed sub-stream representing a respective sub-stream, each processed sub-stream including a plurality of strata, each stratum of each processed sub-stream representing a respective one of a plurality of sub-stream-components of the respective sub-streams of the processed sub-stream;
• a processor having an input coupled to the outputs of the receive antennas, the processor operable to receive a signal from the receive antenna signals, and comprising:
• a strata processor operable to decode at least a portion of one of the strata by separating out and decoding the portion to obtain at least a portion of a respective sub-stream component;
• an encoder/modulator operable to remove the decoded portion of the stratum from the receive signal and to re-encode the decoded sub-stream component to obtain the respective stratum;
• and
• a combiner for subtracting any re-encoded stratum from the received signal,
• the processor further operable to decode at least a portion of another of the strata to obtain at least a portion of a respective sub-stream component.