Patent ID: 8774301

Claim:
A method of detecting data in a received multiple input/multiple output signal that is transmitted by a transmitter over multiple spatial streams through a transmission channel, the method comprising: receiving, on a first spatial stream, a first signal that is associated with one or more first data values; receiving a channel matrix representing combined effects of (i) the transmission channel and (ii) a spatial mapping of the transmitter on a transmitted signal; permutating columns of the channel matrix; determining a distance value between the received first signal and each of the possible first data values, by calculating a second coordinate value that identifies coordinates for a hypothetical second signal according to each of the possible first data values, quantizing the second coordinate value to a nearest second constellation point, repeating the calculating and the quantizing for each of the possible first data values to generate a plurality of second constellation points, one second constellation point being associated with each of the possible first data values, and determining the distance value between the received first signal and each of the possible first data values using elements of (i) the permutated columns of the channel matrix and (ii) the second constellation point associated with the possible first data value being considered, wherein one distance value is associated with each of the possible first data values.