Patent ID: 8675482
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. In a communication system comprising at least a plurality of transmitting communication devices and one or more receiving communication devices, wherein each receiving communication device includes a plurality of correlation time windows, a method of combining signals respectively transmitted from the transmitting communication devices to enhance reception at the receiving communication devices, comprising: (a) determining a different transmission time for each of the plurality of transmitting communication devices at a first transmitting communication device, wherein each of said different transmission times varies from one another by at least a duration of said correlation time window to enable signals transmitted by the plurality of transmitting communication devices to be received within different ones of said correlation time windows to be combinable by a corresponding receiving communication device, and transmitting said different transmission times to corresponding transmitting communication devices to coordinate transmissions of the plurality of the transmitting communication devices such that a plurality of transmitted signals are respectively transmitted over the same communication channel by the plurality of transmitting communication devices at the different transmission times, each of the transmitted signals including an information signal which is coherently combinable with corresponding information signals in others of the transmitted signals; (b) receiving the transmitted signals at each of the receiving communication devices such that respective arrival times of the transmitted signals are offset from one another as a function of respective positions of the transmitting communication devices and the different transmission times; (c) time aligning the transmitted signals to compensate for the respective arrival times of the transmitted signals; (d) combining the transmitted signals to form a combined signal including at least a combined information signal; and (e) detecting the combined signal to determine the presence of the transmitted signals.