Joint space-time block decoding and viterbi decoding

A receiver for a wireless communications system, comprising:

• at least one receiving antenna that receives a received symbol sequence;
• and
• a space-time block decoder that communicates with said at least one receiving antenna, that generates a user data sequence based on said received symbol sequence, and that includes:
• a branch metric computation module that generates branch metrics based on separated in-phase and quadrature components of a demodulated symbol sequence,
• wherein said demodulated symbol sequence is based on said received symbol sequence, and
• wherein said separated in-phase and quadrature components are encoded based on a space time block code and an outer code.

A space-time block decoder for a wireless communications system, comprising:

• demodulating means for generating a demodulated symbol sequence by derotating a signal constellation of a symbol sequence;
• dimension demultiplexing means that communicates with said demodulating means for generating in-phase and quadrature components of said demodulated symbol sequence that are encoded based on a space time block code and an outer code;
• and
• branch metric computing means that communicates with said dimension demultiplexing means for generating branch metrics based on said in-phase and quadrature components.

A receiver for a wireless communications system, comprising:

• receiving means for receiving a symbol sequence;
• and
• space-time block decoding means that communicates with said receiving means for generating user data based on said symbol sequence, and that includes:
• branch metric computing means for generating branch metrics based on separated in-phase and quadrature components of a demodulated symbol sequence,
• wherein said demodulated symbol sequence is based on said symbol sequence, and
• wherein said separated in-phase and quadrature components are encoded based on a space time block code and an outer code.

A method for operating a space-time block decoder in a wireless communications system, comprising:

• generating a demodulated symbol sequence by derotating a signal constellation of a received symbol sequence;
• separating in-phase and quadrature components of said demodulated symbol sequence that are encoded based on a space time block code and an outer code;
• and
• generating branch metrics based on said in-phase and quadrature components.

A method of operating a receiver for a wireless communications system, comprising:

• receiving a symbol sequence;
• and
• generating user data based on said symbol sequence by generating branch metrics based on separated in-phase and quadrature components of a demodulated symbol sequence,
• wherein said demodulated symbol sequence is based on said received symbol sequence, and
• wherein said separated in-phase and quadrature components are encoded based on a space time block code and an outer code.