Abstract: A first radio transceiver is operated in close proximity to a second radio transceiver, even when the first and second radio transceivers operate in accordance with incompatible standards. Operation in this manner includes receiving a first signal that indicates whether the second radio transceiver is idle or busy and receiving a second signal that, when the second radio transceiver is idle, indicates when the second radio transceiver must have access to a second channel. Operation includes determining whether to enable the first radio transceiver to use a first channel based at least on the first signal.

Abstract: A system and method for resource management and traffic control in time division duplex communication systems is discloses. A multi-radio base station maintains communication links with a plurality of remote terminals, each of which requests a specific bandwidth ratio. A controller analyzes the requested bandwidth ratios and allocates slots in the base station radios according to a packing scheme that synchronizes the transmission and receive timing of the multiple base station radios communication links. The resource management and traffic control techniques may be applied to a variety of communication devices communicating over a variety of interfaces, such as WLAN or BLUETOOTH. Furthermore, the techniques can be employed with devices communicating with two or more remote devices via different interfaces.

Abstract: In a communication network having a plurality of units and a distributed MAC protocol, wherein data is exchanged between units during at least some of the time slots in a succession of time slots, a method is provided for establishing a desired network configuration. The method includes the step of designating one of the units as a supervisory unit and the other units as non-supervisory units. Certain of the time slots are designated as supervisory priority slots. All of the non-supervisory units are required to monitor transmissions from the supervisory unit during each of the supervisory priority slots, and the supervisory unit is operated to transmit an instruction establishing the desired network configuration only during one of the supervisory priority slots.

Abstract: It is determined whether a first kind of communication link, such as a high speed link, can be supported between a first unit and a second unit, wherein the first kind of communication link does not support a transmission range above a first maximum value. This is done by using a second kind of communication link, such as a low speed link, to determine a propagation loss value between the first unit and the second unit, wherein the second kind of communication link supports the transmission range above the first maximum value. Then, the propagation loss value is used to determine whether the first kind of communication link can be supported between the first unit and the second unit. The first and second units can be a master and slave in a piconet. Alternatively, they can both be slaves in a piconet.

Abstract: Electronic devices for communicating in wireless ad-hoc networks and multiple access systems (such as mobile radio telephone communications systems) are disclosed. For example, a disclosed transmitter can transmit data to a first receiver in an ad-hoc wireless network (or multiple access system) over a first channel and can, further, transmit data to a second receiver in the ad-hoc wireless network (or multiple access system) over a second channel that is separate from the first channel, where the first and second channels are determined by the respective receivers which will receive the first and second transmitted data. Accordingly, communications between transmitters and different receivers in the ad-hoc wireless network (or multiple access system) can be carried on simultaneously. Related receivers as well as methods, computer program products, and systems for communicating are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for establishing a connection between a scanner device and a pager device over a sequence of hop channels. The scanner device is repetitively activated and a hop channel is selected from the sequence of hop channels as a function of a present phase. A determination is made as to whether the selected hop channel is a forbidden hop channel. A substitute hop channel is selected from the sequence of hop channels as the selected hop channel if the selected hop channel is a forbidden hop channel. The selected hop channel is monitored for receipt of a paging message during the present phase.

Abstract: A system comprises a wireless master unit and one or more wireless slave units, each having a unique identifier. When a wireless slave unit is active, it is addressed by one of a limited number of temporary addresses. A PARK mode enables a wireless slave unit to be in an idle state during which its temporary address is deallocated, enabling that address to be assigned to another wireless slave unit. To page a parked slave, a paging beacon packet is broadcast to, and received by, each of the wireless slave units at fixed intervals during a master-to-slave time slot. Each wireless slave unit determines whether the received paging beacon packet includes its unique identifier. If so, the wireless slave units retrieves a temporary address from the paging beacon packet. The wireless unit transmits a response to the wireless master unit during a subsequent slave-to-master time slot if the received paging beacon packet included the unique identifier belonging to the wireless slave unit.

Abstract: A radiocommunication system is described in which DC offset and other slowly varying disturbances which that may impact a signal are suppressed. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention combine a difference circuit, e.g., a FIR filter, with a maximum likelihood sequence estimator, e.g., a Viterbi detector, to implement suppression techniques on binary signals.

Abstract: A method for public key certification in a local network environment, wherein a personal certification authority associated with the local network environment is connected with a first device needing to be certified. Responsive to the connection, a certificate is provided to the device to be certified from the personal certification authority. The devices receiving a certificate may then use the certificate to carry out secure information exchange within the local network environment with other devices having a similar certificate.

Abstract: A common address space, which may be used for multiple purposes, is divided in two or more segments. The address space contains a list of device addresses for a group of entities, which may include devices, that share a common communication channel, such as a network. Each segment can correspond a special feature or function that corresponds to the entities whose address are stored in that segment. The address space is randomized by scrambling each address listed in the address space by an M-bit pseudo-random scrambling mask to offset each address individually. The pseudo-random scrambling mask is created when the network is established and is distributed among the network devices. When processing a received address, a device may use the same pseudo-random scrambling mask to descramble the address (depending on the scrambling function). After descrambling, any special features of the address are known and can be exploited.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for transmitting packets having quality of service requirement wherein the quality of service requirements associated with the packets are received at an input, said quality of service parameters include at least one of delay, bandwidth, peak bandwidth and retransmission bandwidth The received quality of service parameters are mapped to radio protocol parameters including at least one of a priority slot interval, a priority slot phase, a packet duration and modulation format for the radio channel.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for allocating resources to a communication channel between a transmitter and a receiver are disclosed. The receiver implements a procedure that instructs the transmitter to utilize the maximum available bandwidth, consistent with maintaining satisfactory communication channel performance. When the performance of the communication channel degrades, the receiver measures the strength of a communication signal received from the transmitter. If the communication signal strength satisfies a threshold, then the bandwidth dedicated to the communication channel may be decreased, and at least one of the number of bits per symbol and coding rate may be increased. By contrast, if the communication signal strength fails to satisfy a threshold, then the transmitter may increase the transmission power and/or reduce the user rate of the communication link.

Abstract: Method, apparatus, and system for synchronization in radio communication systems are presented. The method includes the steps of encapsulating symbols in an information stream then modulating the stream. The modulated information stream is then sent over a communication channel at a first robustness level, and the level of robustness of the information stream is then reduced to a second robustness level according to a predetermined function. The modulated information stream is received from the communication channel. The information stream is then demodulated after a first number of symbols have been received, wherein the first number of symbols is less than a second number of symbols that would have to be received to demodulate a corresponding information stream sent over the communication channel only at the second robustness level.

Abstract: A system and method for training a radio receiver to mitigate the effects of ISI caused by multi-path includes receiving a header of a transmitted packet at the receiver, the header containing at least one flag to identify a corresponding reference training sequence to be selected by the receiver and to indicate whether a training sequence is inserted in a packet. The receiver decodes the header to determine whether a training sequence is indicated by the flag and to select the corresponding reference training sequence. The training sequence is transmitted positioned within a data packet at a midamble between the header and a first segment of the data packet. The received training sequence is compared with the selected reference training sequence and the equalization parameters of the receiver are adjusted based on the results of the comparison. The selected reference training sequence corresponds to the modulation scheme applied to the payload.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing access to a time-slotted communication channel are disclosed. Access to the channel is granted by possession of a pseudo-token transmitted between communication units with packets, such that the recipient of a data packet receives the pseudo-token with the packet. Communication units may be assigned reserved slots during which the pseudo-token automatically is assigned to the communication unit. Further, communication units may be assigned priority levels according to which contention contests may be resolved. Reserved slots and priority rankings may used in combination to accommodate varying levels of QoS required or requested by communication units on the channel.

Abstract: A dynamic carrier selection method and system permit units operating on a first carrier to change to a second carrier when performance of the first carrier becomes unacceptable. Carrier quality measurements are taken in which carrier quality is a function of interference and multi-path fading and carrier-signal strength. The carriers are ranked according to measured quality in a carrier candidate list. The carrier candidate list is used to permit units to determine which carrier they should switch to when the carrier there currently operating on is determined to have unacceptable performance. Carrier measurements are retaken in response to a carrier change by unit or a predetermined time period having elapsed.

Abstract: A dual-radio communication apparatus (100) has a first radio device (110), such as a Bluetooth radio, for use in a first frequency band, and a second radio device (120), such as a Globalstar satellite radio, for use in a second frequency band, which is proximate to the first frequency band. The communication apparatus also has a controller coupled to the first and second radio devices. The first radio device may comprise a frequency-hopping spread-spectrum transmitter. Moreover, the first radio device (110) has a first operating mode employing a first frequency range. The first radio device also has a second operating mode employing a second frequency range, which is smaller than the first frequency range. The controller is adapted to set the first radio device in its second operating mode, when the second radio device (120) is in operation, and otherwise set the first radio device in its first operating mode.

Abstract: A demodulator circuit for demodulating a frequency modulated input, which includes a detector (14) that is operable to produce a demodulated signal from an incoming frequency modulated signal. A tuning circuit (19) is connected to the detector and operable to vary the frequency response characteristics of the detector. An auxiliary detector (25, 26) is connected to receive a reference frequency signal and to provide an auxiliary tuning signal to the detector on the basis of detection of the reference frequency signal.

Abstract: A demodulator circuit for demodulating a frequency modulated input signal includes a filter (12) for receiving an incoming input signal and for providing a filtered output signal, a detector (16) for receiving the filtered output signal, and for producing a demodulated output signal therefrom, a tuning circuit (18, 20) which is operable to introduce a test signal into the demodulator circuit in the absence of an incoming input signal, and to vary the frequency response characteristics of at least one of the filter and detector in response to the test signal.

Abstract: An FM demodulator circuit includes a filter (10) and a detector (14) for receiving a frequency modulated input signal and for providing a demodulated output signal. A tuning circuit (19) is provided for tuning the frequency characteristics of the filter and of the detector. A DC offset estimator (18) is connected to the output of the detector to produce an offset signal representing the estimated DC offset of the demodulated output signal, and to provide the offset signal to the tuning circuit. The tuning circuit is operable to tune the frequency characteristics of the filter and detector in dependence upon the offset signal.