Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a geolocation receiver and a television receiver, wherein the television receiver is adapted to use location information provided by the geolocation receiver to determine frequency channels and modes of reception of television signals. An embodiment of the present invention may further comprise a processor and memory adapted to use the location information from the geolocation receiver and look up certain information stored in the memory to configure the television receiver appropriately using the looked up information.

Abstract: In a RAKE receiver capable of detecting and combining a plurality of multipath signals, a controller for managing the assignment of the plurality of multipath signals to fingers of the RAKE receiver. The controller determines a phase difference between a selected multipath signal and a first multipath signal assigned to a first finger of the RAKE receiver and does not assign the selected multipath signal to a second finger of the RAKE receiver unless the phase difference is greater than one-half chip. If the phase difference is less that one-half chip, the controller assigns the stronger of the selected multipath signal and the first multipath signal to the first finger of the RAKE receiver. If the finger power falls below a certain threshold, the finger internal states (viz. channel estimate and delay estimate) are maintained while the output of the finger is not processed. If the finger power exceeds the threshold anytime within a specified time interval, the normal activities of the finger are restored.

Abstract: Techniques for location-assisted wireless communication use real-time location(s) of wireless transceiver(s) together with stored location-indexed channel information to improve communication over a wireless channel between the transceiver(s). The stored channel information includes channel characteristics (e.g., average power, angle-of-arrival, and time delay of multipath components) that are substantially constant in time but vary gradually as a function of location. Current transceiver location(s) are obtained and used to retrieve stored channel characteristics corresponding to the location(s). The channel information may be used at either or both transceiver(s) to improve reception and/or transmission of signals propagating over the wireless channel. For example, reception may be improved by using path angle information to perform spatially structured reception, or using path delay information to perform temporally structured reception, e.g.

Abstract: A channel estimator for determining channel weighting coefficients for a finger of the RAKE receiver. The channel estimator comprises: 1) a first correlator for receiving a first pilot channel signal and correlating the first pilot channel signal with a first pilot channel chip pattern associated with the first pilot channel signal to produce an output comprising a first pilot channel symbol sequence; and 2) a first channel estimation filter capable of receiving the first pilot channel symbol sequence and generating first channel weighting coefficients. The first channel estimation filter minimizes the mean squared error of the channel estimate in the first channel weighting coefficients caused by additive noise and Doppler effects, wherein the mean squared error is minimized across a range of Doppler frequencies from 0 Hz up to a predetermined maximum Doppler frequency.

Abstract: In a heterogeneous data network including both wired and wireless/lossy links, a transport protocol method implemented at the wireless host is fully compatible with existing wired networks and wireless gateways, and requires no modification to transport protocols at existing wired hosts. The wireless host calculates a temperament parameter [100] characterizing the error-proneness of the data connection and uses this parameter to determine whether error-induced losses or congestion-losses dominate the data connection [110]. If congestion-losses dominate the data connection, then the host uses a standard technique for acknowledging data packets [130]. If, on the other hand, error-induced losses dominate the connection, the host uses a modified technique for acknowledging data packets [120]. According to this modified technique, the wireless host sends a plurality of non-duplicate acknowledgements of a single packet whenever a packet is received after an out-of-order packet is received.

Abstract: An example application of the invention is directed to a mobile receiver searching pilot signals in a CDMA-based radiotelephone communications system. The receiver processes received pilot signals by first decimating those pilot signals that have a search window length that is greater than a threshold number of chips, into a plurality of sub-windows. The other pilot signals and the sub-windows are then searched using a common prioritization criteria. More specific implementations of this approach permit each search of this type to take a fixed amount of time, thereby making scheduling calculations easy to implement. Moreover, such implementations provide for all pilots to be searched equally often irrespective of window sizes, and for less likely candidates for idle handoff (pilots with longer window sizes) not to be given precedence over more likely idle handoff candidates.

Abstract: A portable communication device including a power control system which estimates Eb/Nt by determining the variance of the noise components of PCBs that are received on the fundamental traffic channel. The power control system includes a demodulator for demodulating a BPSK modulated (or PAM) first signal from a base station, a noise variance calculation circuit that samples the perpendicular noise component of the demodulated signal to determine a noise variance, a power estimation circuit that measures the power of the demodulated signal and provides an estimate of the power of the first signal by eliminating the noise variance from the demodulated signal, and a comparator that compares the ratio of the power estimate and the noise variance to a threshold. The comparator output is a power up or power down signal to the base station.

Abstract: In a heterogeneous data network including both wired and wireless/lossy links, a transport protocol method implemented at the wireless host is fully compatible with existing wired networks and wireless gateways, and requires no modification to transport protocols at existing wired hosts. The wireless host calculates a temperament parameter [100] characterizing the error-proneness of the data connection and uses this parameter to determine whether error-induced losses or congestion-losses dominate the data connection [110]. If congestion-losses dominate the data connection, then the host uses a standard technique for acknowledging data packets [130]. If, on the other hand, error-induced losses dominate the connection, the host uses a modified technique for acknowledging data packets [120].