Patent ID: 7145959

Claim:
A method for using a group of pilot signals to enhance a data signal within an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multiple-access scheme having a plurality of OFDM transmitters using at least overlapping frequency spectrums, during at least overlapping time periods, in at least overlapping geographic areas, comprising: receiving a plurality of data signals and a plurality of pilot signals on a plurality of antenna elements, the received plurality of data signals having a plurality of data-signal components each being uniquely associated with an antenna element from the plurality of antenna elements, the received plurality of pilot signals having a plurality of pilot-signal components each being uniquely associated with an antenna element from the plurality of antenna elements, each group of data signals from the plurality of data signals being uniquely associated with a group of pilot signals from the plurality of pilot signals, each group of pilot signals from the plurality of pilot signals being uniquely associated with its own code from a plurality of codes, each code from the plurality of codes being uniquely associated with an OFDM transmitter from the plurality of OFDM transmitters; performing, in parallel, the following for each group of pilot signals from the plurality of pilot signals: identifying that group of pilot signals from the plurality of pilot signals based on its uniquely associated code; and adjusting a weight value associated with each antenna element from the plurality of antenna elements so that a level of correlation between that group of pilot signals and the code uniquely associated with that group of pilot signals is enhanced while a level of correlation between the remaining group of pilot signals and the codes uniquely associated with those remaining groups of pilot signals are suppressed, the adjusting step including: combining the plurality of pilot signals via a network of phase and amplitude manipulations to produce a combination of pilot signals; correlating the combination of pilot signals with the code associated with the group of pilot signals to produce the weight value associated with each antenna element from the plurality of antenna elements whereby a level of correlation between the group of pilot signals and the code uniquely associated with the group of pilot signals is enhanced while a level of correlation between the remaining group of pilot signals and the codes uniquely associated with those remaining groups of pilot signals are suppressed.