Wireless telephone system with diversity transmission and method

Abstract

A cellular system utilizes transmission diversity by transmitting a plurality time slotted signals for communicating data. A transmitting station including a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of data signals corresponding to the data in different time slots. The time slot occurring at different times so that transmitted data signals are not simultaneously transmitted. A receiving station includes a receiver for sequentially receiving the data signals and a combiner for reconstructing the data from the received data signals. Preferably, the transmitting station has a plurality of spaced apart antennas from which the respective data signals are transmitted. Preferably, the system is a CDMA system where the data signals are transmitted from the transmitting station as a plurality of PN spread spectrum signals which are formed by spreading and modulating the data with different PN codes. The receiving station then reconstructs the data by first despreading and demodulating the received data signals. The receiving station may be configured to measure the respective time of arrival of the transmitted data signals and compute its location from said respective measured time of arrival of the data signals. The transmitting station may be a combined base station and transfer station.