Symbol detection in a MIMO communication system

A program storage medium, comprising:

• a non-transitory processor-readable device configured with instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform operations including generating configuration data for a programmable integrated circuit for detecting a plurality of symbols transmitted from multiple transmitting antennas to multiple receiving antennas, wherein the transmitting antennas include at least a first and a second transmitting antenna, the circuit including:
• a plurality of respective distance-blocks corresponding to the transmitting antennas, each including at least one sub-block, each sub-block receiving an input candidate for the corresponding transmitting antenna, wherein the sub-block determines partial distances of pairings of the candidate and one of a plurality of symbols in a constellation, and the sub-block determines the partial distance of each pairing from a partial distance of the candidate and a plurality of signals received at the receiving antennas;
• at least one respective selector corresponding to all but the second transmitting antenna, wherein each respective selector uses a plurality of bins having respective ranges of values of the partial distances, the respective selector assigns each pairing for each candidate of the transmitting antenna that corresponds to the respective selector to the bin having the respective range that includes the partial distance of the pairing, and the respective selector selects each candidate from one or more of the bins having ranges that are smallest of the ranges of all the bins;
• and
• an identifier block corresponding to the second transmitting antenna, the identifier block coupled to the respective distance-block corresponding to the second transmitting antenna for receiving the pairings for each candidate for the second transmitting antenna, wherein the identifier block selects as a final candidate, one of the pairings having the smallest partial distance.

A system for detecting symbols communicated between multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas, comprising:

• means for generating respective ranges for a plurality of bins in response to a signal-to-noise ratio of a plurality of signals received at the receiving antennas;
• for each transmitting antenna, means for determining partial distances of a plurality of pairings of each of at least one candidate for the transmitting antenna and one of a plurality of symbols in a constellation from a partial distance of the candidate and the signals received at the receiving antennas;
• for each of a plurality of combinations of a first and successive second transmitting antennas, means, coupled to the means for generating and to the means for determining, for assigning each pairing for each candidate for the first transmitting antenna of the combination to the bin having the respective range that includes the partial distance of the pairing, and a first means, coupled to the means for assigning, for selecting each candidate for the successive second transmitting antenna of the combination as a pairing from the bins having the respective ranges that are smaller;
• and
• a second means, coupled to a last one of the first means for selecting, for selecting a final candidate that is one of the pairings for each candidate for a last transmitting antenna, wherein the final candidate is the one of the pairings having the partial distance that is smaller.