Abstract: Techniques are provided herein for improving multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications, and in particular to dynamically determining when to switch MIMO transmission modes on a communication link between two devices that are capable of supporting multiple MIMO transmission modes. A base station receives from a client device one or more signals containing information representing a first signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurement and a second SNR measurement made by the client device. The first SNR measurement is associated with a first MIMO transmission mode and the second SNR measurement is associated with a second MIMO transmission mode. The base station computes a MIMO channel quality indicator from the first SNR measurement and the second SNR measurement, and evaluates the MIMO channel quality indicator to determine whether to switch MIMO transmission modes for transmissions to the client device.

Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to generate beamforming weight vectors for transmissions to be made from a first wireless communication device, e.g., a base station, to a second wireless communication device, e.g., a client device. The first device has a plurality of antennas and receives uplink transmissions from the second device, each uplink transmission comprising a group of frequency subcarriers. The first device computes channel information from the received uplink transmission and computes one or more trigonometric waveforms determined to approximate the channel information. One or more downlink beamforming weight vectors are computed at any given frequency subcarrier (thus in any frequency subband) by interpolation using the one or more trigonometric waveforms.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for computing beamforming weight vectors useful for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless transmission of multiple signals streams from a first device to a second device. The techniques involve computing a plurality of candidate beamforming weight vectors based on the one or more signals received at the plurality of antennas of the first device. A sequence of orthogonal/partially orthogonal beamforming weight vectors are computed from the plurality of candidate beamforming weight vectors. The sequence of orthogonal/partially orthogonal beamforming weight vectors are applied to multiple signal streams for simultaneous transmission to the second device via the plurality of antennas of the first device.

Abstract: A method for determining timing positions in a wireless communications system comprises creating a time-domain timing detection window from a preamble of a receiving signal, generating a first vector of correlations between sampling points in the time-domain timing detection window and sampling points of a known preamble, identifying a pivot position from the largest correlation value of the first vector and generating second vectors based on the pivot position, generating a third vector comprising the largest elements of the second vectors; generating a fourth vector comprising sums of elements in the second vectors, generating fifth and sixth vectors comprising a sum of subsets of the third and fourth vectors, respectively, calculating a seventh vector using the fifth and sixth vectors according to a predetermined equation, and selecting an index of one element from the fifth and seventh vectors to be the timing position according to a predetermined rule.

Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to combine the advantages of beamforming with the advantages of multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology in a frequency division duplex (FDD) communication system, even when the uplink and downlink frequency separation exceeds the coherent bandwidth of the over-the-air-channels. At a first wireless communication device having M plurality of antennas, a wireless transmission is received that is sent from a second wireless communication device having P plurality of antennas. The first device computes spatial components associated with the transmission received at the M plurality of antennas. The first device selects the N strongest spatial components among the computed spatial components. The first device computes N beamforming weight vectors based on the N strongest spatial components. The first device then computes N MIMO beamforming weight vectors based on the N beamforming weight vectors.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to improve receive beamforming at a wireless communication device that receives energy in a frequency band at M plurality of antennas, where the received energy includes desired signals and interference signals. The wireless communication device has no knowledge of the spatial signatures of the desired signals and interference signals. A weighted sum signal vector is computed from the received signals and a covariance matrix is computed from the receive signals. Eigenvalue decomposition of the covariance matrix is computed to obtain M eigenvalues of corresponding M eigenvectors of the covariance matrix. A correlation rate is computed between the M eigenvectors and the weighted sum signal vector. A combined receive beamforming and nulling weight vector is computed from the M eigenvectors and the weighted sum signal vector and based further on the correlation rate.

Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to detect ranging codes in energy received at a plurality of antennas of a wireless communication device. Energy is received at a plurality of antennas of a first wireless communication device and received signals are generated from the received energy. The received energy comprises a ranging transmission from one or more second wireless communication devices, wherein each ranging transmission comprises a ranging code selected from a set of possible ranging codes. A ranging code specific receive beamforming weight vector is generated for a ranging code in the set of possible ranging codes from the received signals. The ranging code specific receive beamforming weight vector is applied to corresponding ranging code specific signals derived from the received signals to produce ranging code specific beamformed signals. The ranging code specific beamformed signals are correlated to produce correlation results.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to compute beamforming weights at a communication device, e.g., a first communication device, based on transmissions received at a plurality of antennas from another communication device, e.g., a second communication device. A plurality of transmissions are received at the plurality of antennas of the first communication device from the second communication device. A covariance matrix associated with reception of a plurality of transmissions at the plurality of antennas of the first communication device is computed. Corresponding elements (e.g., all the rows or all the columns) of the covariance matrix are combined to produce a weighted channel signature vector. A receive beamforming weight vector is computed from the weighted channel signature vector.

Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to enable collaborative spatial multiplexing in a wireless communication system. At M plurality of antennas of a first wireless communication device, N plurality of spatially multiplexed transmissions are received from corresponding ones of N plurality of second wireless communication devices. The first wireless communication device produces M receive signals from the transmissions received at the M plurality of antennas. The first wireless communication device applies beamforming weight vectors to the M receive signals and in so doing produces N signals or signal streams, where N is less than or equal to M. The first wireless communication device then recovers the modulated data for each of the transmissions from the N signals.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for computing beamforming weight vectors useful for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless transmission of multiple signals streams from a first device to a second device. The techniques involve computing a plurality of candidate beamforming weight vectors based on the one or more signals received at the plurality of antennas of the first device. A sequence of orthogonal/partially orthogonal beamforming weight vectors are computed from the plurality of candidate beamforming weight vectors. The sequence of orthogonal/partially orthogonal beamforming weight vectors are applied to multiple signal streams for simultaneous transmission to the second device via the plurality of antennas of the first device.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for wireless communication between a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device. At a plurality of antennas of the first wireless communication device, one or more signals transmitted by a second wireless communication device in a first frequency band are received. Beamforming weights are computed from information derived from the signals received at the plurality of antennas using one or more of a plurality of methods without feedback information from the second wireless communication device about a wireless link from the first wireless communication device to the second wireless communication device. The beamforming weights are applied to at least one transmit signal to beamform the at least one transmit signal for transmission to the second wireless communication device in a second frequency band.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to facilitate the computation of beamforming weights used by a first communication device when sending a transmission via a plurality of antennas to a second communication device where knowledge of the behavior of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device is limited to a portion of a wide frequency band. A frequency extrapolation beamforming weight computation process is provided to derive knowledge in other frequency subbands based on information contained in the received transmission from the second communication device.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for selecting one or more downlink beamforming vectors for a wireless channel to create beamformed signals between a first wireless communication device, e.g., a base transceiver station (BTS) and a second wireless communication device, e.g., a mobile station (MS). The method comprises estimating a downlink channel covariance matrix from an uplink covariance matrix of the wireless channel, wherein the uplink covariance matrix is computed based on uplink signals received at the first wireless communication device from the second wireless communication device. A plurality of candidate downlink beamforming weighting vectors are generated from the uplink covariance matrix.

Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to compute beamforming weight vectors for pre-coding broadcast signals. First, system parameters for a device configured to wirelessly transmit one or more broadcast signals via a plurality of antennas are determined. Based on the system parameters a plurality of beamforming weight vectors are computed. The beamforming weight vectors are computed such that they have omni-directional like characteristics and such that correlation between beamforming weight vectors is relatively low. The plurality of beamforming weight vectors are applied to each of the one or more broadcast signals for transmission by the device to produce beamformed transmit signals for transmission via the plurality of antennas.

Abstract: A closed-loop beamforming weight estimation process in which, at a first device, respective ones of a plurality of beamforming weight vectors are applied to subcarriers associated with a pattern of subcarriers assigned to a corresponding subcarrier stream such that the plurality of subcarriers assigned to a subcarrier stream is weighted by a corresponding one of the plurality of beamforming weight vectors to produce a plurality of beamformed streams transmitted from a plurality of antennas of the first device to a second device. The second device estimates and analyzes the channel information for each of the received beamformed streams to identify at least one of the beamformed streams that is preferred over the others. The second device transmits to the first device a feedback signal that contains information identifying the preferred beamformed stream. The first device computes a plurality of new beamforming weight vectors based on the information identifying the preferred beamformed stream.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to compute beamforming weights at a communication device, e.g., a first communication device, based on transmissions received at a plurality of antennas from another communication device, e.g., a second communication device. A plurality of transmissions are received at the plurality of antennas of the first communication device from the second communication device. A covariance matrix associated with reception of a plurality of transmissions at the plurality of antennas of the first communication device is computed. Corresponding elements (e.g., all the rows or all the columns) of the covariance matrix are combined to produce a weighted channel signature vector. A receive beamforming weight vector is computed from the weighted channel signature vector.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to compute the physical carrier to interference-plus-noise ratio (PCINR) in a wireless communication system. In one embodiment, the PCINR is computed from received signals in active subcarriers in a preamble of a wireless transmission frame. In another embodiment, the PCINR is computed from a block of contiguous subcarriers in a symbol of received wireless transmission. The PCINR may be used to adjust a system parameter associated with wireless communication between wireless communication devices.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for generating downlink beamforming weighting vectors by using channel information about one or more uplink sub-channels in a wireless communications network in the case of frequency mismatch between downlink channels and uplink channels for a specific user.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for selecting one or more downlink beamforming vectors for a wireless channel to create beamformed signals. The method comprises estimating a downlink channel covariance matrix by using an uplink covariance matrix of the wireless channel, computing a plurality of downlink eigenvectors of a downlink channel by using the downlink channel covariance matrix, generating a plurality of downlink beamforming weighting vectors by using the plurality of downlink eigenvectors of the downlink channel, and selecting one or more dominant downlink beamforming weighting vectors from the plurality of downlink beamforming weighting vectors based on feedback from a mobile station (MS), wherein the downlink beamformed signals are created by applying the corresponding one or more dominant beamforming weighting vectors to an antenna array of a base transceiver station.

Abstract: The present invention disclosed a method for obtaining a covariance matrix of a transmitting channel in a wireless network. The method comprises calculating a speculative transformation matrix, generating a covariance matrix of a receiving channel, and transforming the covariance matrix of the receiving channel into a covariance matrix of a transmitting channel using the speculative transformation matrix.