Abstract:
A method and apparatus which permits handoffs while the mobile station (2) is in the system access state. This is achieved by providing for channel assignment messages to be sent over the paging channel of a plurality of base stations (26), which increases the probability of one of the messages getting through. In addition, this assures the mobile station (2) will be able to handoff to a different base station (26) and have a traffic channel allocated to it on the new base station (26) without delay. In addition, a method and apparatus which permits the mobile station (2) to be directly assigned into a soft handoff state upon traffic channel assignment.
Abstract:
A telescoping antenna assembly (12) has a tubular base (18) for securing to a wireless telephone handset (10) and an extendible mast (20) telescopically mounted on the tubular base (18) for movement between an extended position extending out of the tubular base (18) and a retracted position in which at least the majority of the mast is retracted within the tubular base (18). The tubular base (18) and mast (20) have mating inner and outer surfaces. On e of the mating surfaces has a helical groove (30, 31) extending along at least part fo its length, and the other cylindrical surface has at least one pin (28, 29) slidably engaged in the groove (30 ,31). The engagement of the pin (28, 29) in the helical groove (30, 31) causes the mast (20) to rotate relative to the base (18) in a first direction as the mast is moved from the retracted to the extended position, and in a second direction as the mast is moved from the extended to the retracted position, uncoiling and then recoiling the antenna feed line (24, 26) so as to reduce stretching and torque on the line.
Abstract:
A system and method for reducing radio frequency interference arising in connection with pulsed transmission over time division multiplexed communication channels. In a first embodiment, a subscriber station (300) is nominally assigned all of the slots (TN0-TN7) of each frame of a first transmit channel (R0). By transmitting RF energy substantially continuously, the subscriber station reduces interference arising from pulsed transmission. In a second embodiment, a subscriber station (300) is nominally assigned one or more slots (TN0-TN7) of each frame of a primary channel (R0) for conventional transmission of useful information, and is also instructed to continuously transmit RF energy over an auxiliary channel (R1) at times other than during the assigned primary channel slots. In this way, interference generated in the vicinity of the subscriber station (300) is reduced due to the substantially continuous transmission of RF energy by the subscriber station (300). More than one subscriber station (300) may simultaneously utilize the auxiliary channel (R1) during reduced interference mode operation.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for selecting a communication system in accordance with geographic region of the suscriber station. The subscriber station first attempts to determine its geographic region. It does so by attempting to acquire a system which covers the region. Once the subscriber station has determined its geographic region, the subscriber station then determines whether the acquired system is the most desirable system for use in the geographical region. If it is the most desirable system for use in the geographical region, the subscriber station registers with the acquired system. If it is not the most desirable system for use in the geographical region, the subscriber station attempts to acquire a more desirable system.
Abstract:
A private communication network through which a plurality of member users communicate using the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (10) is disclosed herein. Each member user utilizes either a modified land line telephone (48) directly connected to PSTN (10), or uses a modified mobile telephone (22) operatively coupled to the PSTN through a wireless communication system (14). The private communication network includes network call manager (40) having a telephone network interface (92) for establishing a telephone connection with each of a plurality of telephone lines (44) of the PSTN (20). Each of the plurality of telephone lines (44) is associated with one of the plurality of member users. The network call manager (40) further includes a switch matrix (110), coupled to the telephone network interface, for providing an information signal received from an active member user over a selected telephone line to the remaining non-active member users.
Abstract:
An apparatus and method for controlling a final transmit power, y, of a base station in a cellular communications system that has several channels. The base station has a transmit power tracking gain, y', and a radio frequency transmit power, w. The apparatus comprises channel elements for calculating expected powers, P k,a - P k,i, each of which corresponds to a channel. The apparatus also comprises a transceiver system controller (BTSC) for generating a desired output power, yd, of the base station, including an adder for summing the expected powers. The apparatus also includes a transmit power detector for measuring y to obtain a measured transmit power. The apparatus further comprises a radio frequency interface card (RFIC) for generating y'. Finally, the apparatus includes a gain unit for processing y' and w to obtain the final transmit power, y.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for time division duplex (TDD) repeating a spread spectrum signal, said spread spectrum signal comprised of a series of code symbol modulated with a pseudonoise (PN) sequecne. The TDD repeater receives intermittently the spread spectrum signal at a location remote from a source supplying the spread spectrum signal. The TDD repeater amplifies and delays the received spread spectrum signal by a predetermined amount. The TDD repeater transmits intermittently the delayed amplified received spread spectrum signal such that the TDD is not receiving the spread spectrum signal when it is transmitting the signal energy.
Abstract:
A technique for using energy received by subscriber units over multiple orthogonal channels within a spread spectrum communication system to acquire signal timing by controlling signal amplitude integration intervals used in detecting such timing. Received signals (10, 14, 18) are despread (40, 60) and respective amplitues coherently integrated (42, 44, 46, 62) over periods that are divisible by factors of two into the length of Walsh functions used to generate orthogonal signal channels. Non-coherent combinations of the results of this integration are subsequently formed (68) over periods that commence and terminate on Walsh function boundaries, and used to determine when a correct time offset has been selected for despreading signals. Additional advantages are realized by assigning signals that consistently provide a higher energy content such as paging, synchronization, and most frequently assigned traffic channels to specific orthogonal channels within the communication system. In exemplary embodiments, Walsh functions of length 128 are used as channelizing codes and a pilot signal is assigned to channel 0. This results in traffic channels or paging and synchronization functions being assigned to channel (64) when the integration periods are (64) chips long, and to channels (32, 64 and 96) when the periods are (32) chips long. In this manner, additional energy is available during the integration process for use in determining when correct signal acquisition timing offsets have been selected, without the use of additional hardware.
Abstract:
A system and method for detecting convergence in an echo canceller prevent false convergence from occurring as a result of receiving only tones in an input signal. An adaptive filter (304) is used in an echo canceller (300) to estimate an echo signal produced by an unknown echo channel (360). The estimated echo signal (328) is subtracted from the return signal (324) to remove the echo (362) produced by the unknown echo channel (360). To prevent the echo canceller (300) from falsely converging on a signal which contains only tones a system and method are provided for detecting the presence of tones in the absence of other frequencies. Filter taps of the adaptive filter (304) are filtered to produce a filtered signal. The amount of energy in the filtered signal is compared to the amount of energy in the unfiltered filter taps to determine whether only tones have been present. If only tones have been present, the echo canceller is not allowed to reduce the adaptation step size of the adaptive filter.
Abstract:
An integrated search processor (128) used in a modem (110) for a spread spectrum communications system buffers in a buffer (172) received signals samples and utilizes a time sliced transform processor (120) operating on successive offsets from the buffer (172). The search processor (128) autonomously steps through a search as configured by a microprocessor (136) specified search parameter set, which can include the group of antennas to search over, the starting offset and width of the search window to search over, and the number of Walsh symbols to accumulate results at each offset. The search processor (128) calculates the correlation energy at each offset, and presents a summary report of the best paths found in the search to use for demodulation element (122) reassignment. The search is done in a linar fashion independent of the probability that a signal being searched for was transmitted at any given time.