Patent ID: 7310391

Claim:
Apparatus responsive to an applied signal representative of a received multi-chip symbol comprising: a non-coherent detector responsive to the applied signal, for developing a plurality of signals that are each related to a different possible symbol that the applied signal might contain; a coherent detector responsive to the applied signal and to a channel estimate, for developing a plurality of signals that are each related to a different possible symbol that the applied signal might contain; and a symbol selection module responsive to signals developed by the non-coherent detector and the coherent detector for developing a tentative decision regarding said received symbol, and a channel estimate that is coupled to the coherent detector; and a control module that is adapted to create in said apparatus iterative operations, where in a first iteration said symbol selection module operates on the signals developed by the non-coherent detector and in subsequent iterations develops an assessment of the tentative decision of the symbol selection module and, (a) when the assessment determines that another iteration ought to be undertaken, causes the symbol selection module to operate on the signals developed by the coherent detector, (b) when the assessment determines that another iteration ought not to be undertaken, outputs the most recently developed tentative decision as a final decision regarding the symbol contained in said applied signal.