Patent ID: 8767886

Claim:
A channel estimation treatment method, said channel estimation being used for obtaining binary data conveyed in a signal, said method comprising the following processing steps: obtaining a vector of channel estimates, called a current vector, each element of the current vector corresponding to an estimate of a subchannel; detecting, inside said current vector, at least one pilot symbol; splitting said current vector in at least two distinct subvectors, at least one first subvector comprising channel estimates related to data symbols and/or pilots symbols and at least one second subvector comprising channel estimates related to null symbols; decoding data which corresponds to the channel estimates in the first subvector, delivering at least one first treated subvector; modifying, with a processing device, said at least one second subvector by assuming a presence of virtual pilot symbols in said at least one second subvector, delivering at least one second treated subvector, wherein said assuming is based on a hypothesis that a power (Ep) of virtual pilot symbols presented in said at least one second subvector is equal to a power of pilot symbols in said at least one first subvector; and calculating, with the processing device, a new vector of channel estimates with said at least one first treated subvector and said at least one second treated subvector.