Method and apparatus providing an advanced MIMO receiver that includes a signal-plus-residual interference (SPRI) detector

A system to obtain M final symbol decisions for signals received through N receive antennas that were transmitted in M parallel data layers, using a same spreading code from M transmit antennas, comprising:

• a space-time equalizer configured to operate on the N received signals to generate M output signals from which at least inter-symbol interference and interlayer interference are suppressed;
• a plurality of despreaders configured to despread each of the M output signals to generate M soft symbol estimates;
• and
• processing apparatus configured to process the M soft symbol estimates to derive M final symbol decisions that are made in consideration of modeled residual inter-layer interference present in the M output signals of said space-time equalizer, where said processing apparatus further comprises a signal-plus-residual-interference (SPRI) detector that operates in accordance with a maximum likelihood (ML) technique.

A Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) RF receiver, comprising:

• apparatus configured to receive M symbols transmitted in M parallel data layers through N receive antennas, using a same spreading code, c(k), from M transmit antennas;
• a space-time equalizer having N inputs coupled to said N receive antennas and M outputs coupled to individual ones of M code correlators, the space-time equalizer configured to suppress at least inter-symbol interference and inter-layer interference;
• a signal model generator having an input coupled to a channel estimator and an output for outputting at least a model of residual inter-layer interference;
• and a signal-plus-residual-interference (SPRI) detector having M inputs coupled to outputs of said M code correlators configured to receive M soft symbol estimates there from, a further input coupled to said output of said signal model generator, and M outputs configured to output M final symbol decisions that are made taking into account the residual inter-layer interference that was not removed by said space-time equalizer.

A system to obtain M final symbol decisions for signals received through N receive antennas that were transmitted in M parallel data layers, using a same spreading code from M transmit antennas, comprising:

• an equalizer configured to operate on the N received signals to generate M output signals from which at least inter-symbol interference and inter-layer interference are suppressed;
• a plurality of despreaders arranged to despread each of the M output signals for generating M soft symbol estimates;
• and
• processing apparatus configured to process the M soft symbol estimates to derive M final symbol decisions that are made in consideration of modeled residual inter-layer interference present in the M output signals of said equalizer.