Patent ID: 8233517

Claim:
A method of estimating by a baseband processor in a wireless receiver a signal to interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) for a single data stream transmitted from a plurality of antennas and for multiple data streams transmitted from the plurality of antennas, using the same set of spreading codes, the method comprising: calculating by the baseband processor a signal power estimate for the single data stream and for each of the multiple data streams that accounts for precoding applied to the corresponding data stream prior to transmission; calculating by the baseband processor a noise power estimate for the single data stream as a function of noise covariance and for each of the multiple data streams as a function of the noise covariance and code reuse interference associated with the multiple data streams being transmitted using the same set of spreading codes; and calculating by the baseband processor an SINR estimate for the single data stream and for each of the multiple data streams based on the signal power estimate and the noise power estimate calculated for the corresponding data stream.