Joint space-time auxiliary-vector filtering for DS/CDMA systems with antenna arrays

Direct-sequence/code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) communication systems equipped with adaptive antenna arrays offer the opportunity for jointly effective spatial and temporal (code) multiple-access interference (MAI) and channel noise suppression. This work focuses on the development of fast joint space–time (S–T) adaptive optimization procedures that may keep up with the fluctuation rates of multipath fading channels. Along these lines, the familiar S–T RAKE processor is equipped with a single orthogonal S–T auxiliary vector (AV) selected under a maximum magnitude cross-correlation criterion. Then, blind joint spatial/temporal MAI and noise suppression with one complex S–T degree of freedom can be performed. This approach is readily extended to cover blind processing with multiple AV’s and any desired number of complex degrees of freedom below the S–T product. A sequential procedure for conditional AV weight optimization is shown to lead to superior bit-error-rate (BER) performance when rapid system adaptation with limited input data is sought. Numerical studies for adaptive antenna array reception of multiuser multipath Rayleigh-faded DS/CDMA signals illustrate these theoretical developments. The studies show that the induced BER can be improved by orders of magnitude, while at the same time significantly lower computational optimization complexity is required in comparison with joint S–T minimum-variance distortionless response or equivalent minimum mean-square-error conventional filtering means.