Abstract: A method and communication system for assigning the plurality of fingers to demodulation paths in a path list which insures that at least one finger will be assigned to a demodulation path supporting a supplemental channel, if one exists. The method involves determining whether any of the fingers is demodulating a supplemental channel (112). When no fingers are demodulating supplemental channels, the it is determined whether the sector containing the path under consideration supports supplemental channels (114). If the sector containing the path under consideration supports supplemental channels, then the method determines the strength of the signal path relative to the weakest finger (116).

Abstract: A compensation circuit to correct for mismatch in a quadrature receiver comprises first and second mixers to receive a radio frequency (RF) modulated signal. One mixer receives an I local oscillator signal while the second mixer receives a Q local oscillator signal wherein the I and Q local oscillators have frequencies that are substantially identical. The output of the first and second mixers are coupled to first and second filters, respectively, which generate the I and Q output signals, respectively. Inherent circuit mismatch generate gain and/or phase errors that result in mismatch in the I and Q output signals. A correction circuit automatically applies a correction factor to at least one of the I and Q output signals to correct the gain and/or phase error by applying a multiplication factor to at least one of the I and Q output signals to thereby generate a corrected signal. The correction factors must be determined on a unit by unit basis.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing voice latency in a voice-over-data wireless communication system. In a transmitter, data frames are created from audio information by a vocoder and stored in a queue. Prior to storage, some of the data frames are eliminated, or dropped, and are not stored in the queue. In a receiver, data frames are generated from received signals and stored in a queue. Prior to storage in the receiver queue, some of the data frames are dropped. Data frames are dropped either at a single fixed rate, a dual fixed rate, or a variable rate, generally depending on a communication channel latency. By dropping data frames at the transmitter, the receiver, or both, voice latency due to data frame retransmissions is reduced.

Abstract: Novel techniques are disclosed for detecting discontinuous transmission (DTX) over a communication channel. A received data frame is characterized as one of a Good frame, Erasure, or DTX. If a Good frame is not initially detected, a multi-dimensional quality metric is used to characterize the received frame as either an Erasure or DTX. A two dimensional quality metric may be generated using energy per bit to noise power ratio as a first dimension and re-encoded symbol error count as a second dimension. Alternatively, re-encoded symbol energy may be used as the second dimension of the quality metric. The communication channel may be a CDMA wireless communication channel capable of DTX and the device may be a base station, base station controller, or mobile station.

Abstract: A feedforward nonlinearity cancellation scheme is used to improve the linearity of a low noise amplifier (LNA). An LNA incorporates a main amplifier and an auxiliary amplifier couple to receive the same input. The outputs of the main amplifier and the auxiliary amplifier are also coupled. The auxiliary amplifier may be implemented as a very low power auxiliary amplifier having a very low linearity. The output of the auxiliary amplifier contains third-order intermodulation (IM3) products that are of similar amplitude, but opposite phase, to the IM3 products generated by the main amplifier. With the outputs of the main amplifier and the auxiliary amplifier coupled, their respective IM3 products are summed together and effectively cancel each other out. As a result, the output of the LNA contains substantially no IM3 products, and the linearity of the LNA is substantially improved.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for inspecting electronic component orientation along with x-ray verification of connection integrity is presented. An exemplary method comprises providing an electronic component 100 for surface mount integration and providing an x-ray visible orientation indicator 300, 402, 500, 600 for the electronic component 100 such that proper orientation of the electronic component 100 is verifiable by x-ray inspection after performing surface mount integration of the electronic component. The x-ray inspection also makes connection integrity of the electronic component 100 verifiable.

Abstract: An electronic locking device for use by the transportation industry. The electronic locking device is used to control access to a cargo area of a vehicle, such as a tractor-trailer vehicle used in the trucking industry. The electronic locking device is controlled depending on one or a combination of factors including the location of the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, the delivery status of the vehicle, or other factors.

Abstract: A method and device for converting at least one narrow band RF signal, being suitable for transmission between at least one communications device suitable for receiving wide-band RF signals and at least one base station, to baseband. The method includes directly down-converting a signal spectrum including the at least one RF narrow-band signal to baseband such that the at least one narrow-band RF signal results at a low intermediate frequency (IF). And, digitally phase rotating the down-converted signal spectrum such that the at least one narrow-band RF signal is phase rotated from the low-IF to baseband.

Abstract: A battery (102) powers a wireless telephone's power amplifier (106) through a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) (104). The SMPS has a capacity lower than the maximum power requirements of the amplifier. When a controller (116) senses that an amplifier power-requirement threshold has been exceeded, it closes a switch (114) parallel to the SMPS, allowing power to flow from the battery to the amplifier without passing through the SMPS. This architecture allows the use of a smaller SMPS, and eliminates SMPS-generated noise to the amplifier when the amplifier is least able to tolerate such noise, namely, under high power conditions.

Abstract: A method for maintaining IPCP address negotiations in a wireless communication network is presented. The method includes a communication device receiving a message requesting an IP address, such as a Config-Request message, from a terminal device, which is coupled to the communication device. The communication device then generates a message requesting an IP address, such as a Config-Request message, and forwards it to a peer (IWF) within the network. The communication device then determines whether it has received an assigned IP address from the IWF in response to the IP address request message. In response to determining that the communication device has not received the assigned IP address from the IWF, the communication device transmits a message with an arbitrary IP address, such as a Configure-Nak message, to the terminal device. The arbitrary IP address contained within the message will be rejected by the communication device, upon receipt of future Configure-Requests containing the arbitrary address.

Abstract: In an antenna diversity environment, the timing offset of the receiver's fingers are based on the timing offset of the received peaks of the base station transmit signals. In a system with non-negligible multipath spacing, the timing offset of the received peaks of the base station transmit signals are not necessarily at the same location. In one embodiment, the demodulating elements for the signal from each base station antenna use the same offset for demodulating and determining an error signal based on pilot signal sampling prior to the timing offset and subsequent to the timing offset. The error signals are averaged and used by a time tracking loop to track the incoming signal. In another embodiment, the demodulating elements for the signal from each base station antenna independently time track the signals with different timing offsets for each finger. The preferred embodiment depends on the method used by the base station to multiplex the data onto multiple transmit antennas.

Abstract: A system determines if a primary paging channel should be received based on an examination of a quick paging channel. A first QPCH symbol is examined (102) and the normalized pilot energy is determined (104). If the normalized pilot energy is above a first threshold (106), the symbol is demodulated and the QPCH-symbol-to-pilot-energy ratio is determined (110) and compared against another threshold (114). If the normalized pilot energy is below the first threshold, the system proceeds to the second QPCH symbol immediately. Based on the two comparisons, a second QPCH signal is examined (108) or the system sleeps (116). If the second signal is examined, and if its normalized pilot energy is high enough, it also is demodulated and the ratio of the sum-of-the-combined-QPCH-symbols to the sum-of-the-combined-pilot-energies is determined (122). If this ratio exceeds a threshold (124), the primary paging channel is processed (120); otherwise the system sleeps (116).

Abstract: Techniques for searching in asynchronous systems are disclosed. In one aspect, a plurality of codes, such as SSCs, are correlated with a received signal at a plurality of offsets to produce a code/slot energy corresponding to each code/slot boundary pair. Unique subsets of the code/slot energies are summed to produce code sequence energies, the maximum of which indicates a located code sequence and slot boundary. In another aspect, the correlation is performed by sub-correlating the received signal with a common sequence, and performing a Fast Hadamard Transform (FHT) on the results. In yet another aspect, one sub-correlator can be used to search a plurality of peaks simultaneously. Various other aspects of the invention are also presented.

Abstract: A multiple-surface antenna, and a method of receiving signals using an antenna, are disclosed. The multi-surface antenna includes a multi-surface dielectric substrate and a conductive trace formed on at least two surfaces of the dielectric substrate. The conductive trace is formed in a predetermined pattern. The predetermined pattern may be a crossing pattern, or a series of symmetric shapes. The multi-surface dielectric substrate, having the trace formed thereon, may then be integrated entirely within a telephone handset. The method includes providing a multi-surface dielectric substrate, printing on at least two surfaces of the dielectric substrate a conductive trace formed into a periodic pattern, receiving at least one signal at the conductive trace, passing the received signal through at least a portion of the conductive trace, and feeding the received signal from the conductive trace to a coupled receiver. The coupled receiver may be a cellular or cordless telephone handset.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for reducing the average power consumption in a remote unit in a wireless communication system. When a remote unit in a slotted mode communication system receives a general paging massage, it deinterleaves and decodes the raw data samples. Prior to parsing, it compares the decoded data samples with samples stored in a memory. Based on this comparison, the remote unit determines whether or not the message is empty. If the message is empty, the remote unit transitions to an inactive state. By comparing before parsing, the remote unit is able to conserve power by entering the inactive state sooner. If no samples are stored in the memory, instead of comparing, the remote unit parses the message and executes any instructions. If, upon parsing, the remote unit determines the message to be empty, at least a portion of the message is stored in the memory.

Abstract: A space efficient and cost effective hinge clutch mechanism for facilitating the rotational positioning of a lid member of a portable electronic device relative to the housing the device. The clutch mechanism includes an elongated cam-shaft extending through a plurality of aligned components including a face cam member, a cam follower, and a compression spring and partially through a hollow retaining member. Rotation of the retaining member prevents the cam-shaft from being inadvertently with drawn. The clutch mechanism may be manually or automatically pre-assembled before insertion into the housing. An idler positioned adjacent to the retaining member serves as conduit for wires extending from the rotating lid member and the housing of the portable electronic device. The interaction of the cam and cam follower retains the lid in its fully open or fully closed positions until sufficient rotational force is exerted on the lid to overcome the tangential force of the spring.

Abstract: A wireless communication device receives audio data from a base station via a radio frequency (RF) communication link (i.e., a forward link) and transmits audio data to the base station via the RF communication link (i.e., a reverse link). The wireless communication device uses the inherent functionality of the reverse link, including an audio input device (120) to determine whether the wireless communication device is operating in a high noise environment. A signal analyzer (124) analyzes the audio signal on the reverse link and determines whether the ambient noise level exceeds predetermined threshold. If so, the signal analyzer (124) activates a filter (126) to filter the audio signal being provided to an audio output transducer (122). Band limiting the audio signal provided to the audio output transducer (122) improves intelligibility of the audio signal in the presence of noise.

Abstract: The mobile telephone is provided with the capability for automatically adjusting the gain of a microphone of the telephone based upon the detected noise level in which the cellular telephone is operated. As the noise level increases, the gain of the microphone is automatically decreased, thereby compensating for the natural tendency of telephone users to speak more loudly in noisy environments. Also, by decreasing the microphone gain, any clipping that might otherwise occur as a result of the user speaking more loudly is avoided and the signal-to-noise ratio is not thereby decreased. Furthermore, because the microphone gain decreases, the volume level of the voice of the user as it is output from the other party's telephone is not unduly loud. Hence, the other party need not manually decrease the speaker gain of his or her telephone.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and computer program products for causing a subscriber station (100) to attempt to acquire one of a plurality of systems. The subscriber station (100) first detects an event that triggers use of a system acquisition schedule. The system acquisition schedule, which can be time based or sequence based, defines when to attempt to acquire a desired system. The subscriber station (100) attempts to acquire the desired system in accordance with the system acquisition schedule. The subscriber station (100) performs other functions when the system acquisition schedule does not indicate an attempt should be made to acquire the desired system. Such other functions can include attempting to acquire other systems when the system acquisition schedule does not indicate an attempt should be made to acquire the desired system.