Abstract: A level of automated adjustment of system organization parameters in a wireless communication system is provided by determining the parameter settings using a characterization of signal propagation of the system's coverage area. This characterization is based on measurements of path loss-related characteristics by the system's base stations and wireless terminals operating throughout the coverage area. An exemplary path loss-related characteristic is path loss as determined by measuring received signal strength (RSS) at wireless terminals based on signals transmitted at known powers by a plurality of the system's base stations. It is possible for the wireless terminals to take measurements while operating in the coverage area, whether idle or during communication with the system, and for such terminals to be associated with the system's subscribers.

Abstract: Multiple microcell base stations are located within a macrocell having single macrocell base station in an hierarchical architecture, and microcell users (&mgr;-users) and macrocell users (M-users) communicate respectively with the &mgr;-base and the M-base using the same frequency band, by appropriately (a) selecting the ratio of the radius r of each &mgr; cell and the average distance d from the M-base (r and d are measured by the “radio distance”, which includes the effects of shadowing), and (b) controlling the power level with which uplink (mobile to base) and downlink (base to mobile) messages are communicated. Typically, &mgr;-cell size and location are chosen such that d/r>10. With respect to uplink communications, the transmit powers of the &mgr;-users in a &mgr;-cell are controlled so that the total received power at the nearest M-base is equivalent to the received power from C M-users, where C is usually set to unity.

Abstract: The signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) of wireless systems can be improved, if not optimized, by determining operating parameters used by the base station to substantially simultaneously control the transmit beam patterns that are each formed to establish a communication channel between a base station and a respective one of the wireless terminals as a function of received channel information from at least two of the wireless terminals. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the weight vectors and the power allocation employed by a base station are determined by the base station using information supplied by at least each of the wireless terminals served by the base station, and potentially from wireless terminals served by other base stations, e.g., in neighboring cells to the cell served by the base station, the information from the other cells being supplied via the neighboring cell base stations using inter-base-station communication, e.g., a wire line connection.

Abstract: The performance of a CDMA receiver employing multiple antennas can be improved, in accordance with the principles of the invention, by directly combining together appropriately weighted signals from the rake receiver fingers that are being supplied by at least two different antennas, i.e., they are in two different receiver modules each of which is what would have been called in the prior art a rake receiver module but without the associated summer, to develop an output with at least as good, and more likely an improved, signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), as compared to the prior art rake receiver architecture. By doing so the functionality of the beamforming coefficients and the rake multiplier vectors is joined, and it is possible to optimize the rake receiver performance.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for increasing system capacity in a mixed-rate wireless communication are disclosed. Improvements are obtained using multiuser detection or antenna array processing techniques or both to explicitly cancel or attenuate only the high power users. Multiuser detection may be combined with antenna array processing to recover capacity appropriated by the high-power users. By mitigating the interference effects of only the high-powered users, the computational burden is manageable. An antenna array algorithm or a multiuser detection algorithm or both, are applied only to n high rate users (n<k total users). In an antenna array processing implementation, fewer antennas may be employed (one for each high-rate user). In a multiuser detection implementation, fewer cancellation stages may be employed (one for each high-rate user).

Abstract: A time-division-multiplexed fixed wireless loop system and methods therefor are disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of cells each having a base station and a plurality of terminals. The base station includes a steerable and adjustable multibeam antenna for communicating with each of the terminals, which have fixed antennas. A cell controller associated with each base station allocates communication time slots so as to minimize mutual interference between base station/terminal links sharing the same time slot. Slot assignment is based on regional, periodically updated interference measurements that are stored in data bases.

Abstract: A time-division-multiplexed fixed wireless loop system and methods therefor are disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of cells each having a base station and a plurality of terminals. The base station includes a steerable and adjustable multibeam antenna for communicating with each of the terminals, which have fixed antennas. A cell controller associated with each base station allocates communication time slots so as to minimize mutual interference between base station/terminal links sharing the same time slot. Slot assignment is based on regional, periodically updated interference measurements that are stored in data bases.

Abstract: A level of system self-organization in a wireless communication system is provided using a combined design, planning and verification process to determine system organization parameters. The process determines the parameters based on a measured path loss-related characteristic, such as path loss or bit error rate, between base stations and a plurality of regions in a coverage area. For each region, the characteristic is measured to each base station irrespective of the proximity between the region and the base stations. The measured characteristics enable the prediction of signal strength received at the regions of signals transmitted by the base stations independent of the region location. Accordingly, the characteristics can be measured without information correlating the absolute geographic locations of the regions.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for optimizing the prediction of RF propagation. A three-dimensional environment, such as a building, is modeled as a plurality of two-dimensional cross-sectional areas including a plurality of surfaces. Each surface is associated with a reflection coefficient and a transmission coefficient. A reference transmitter location and a plurality of reference receiver locations are selected. For each reference receiver location, RF propagation paths are determined with respect to the reference transmitter location. The reference transmitter location and the reference receiver locations represent propagation path endpoints. A plurality of parallel planes are used to partition the three-dimensional environment into a plurality of intervals. The RF reflective surfaces and propagation paths within each interval are projected into a cross-sectional area. A plurality of line segments are positioned in the cross-sectional area to form a plurality of triangular areas.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for predicting RF propagation within a structure such as a building. A reference transmitter location and a plurality of reference receiver locations are selected. For each reference receiver location, RF propagation pathways are determined with respect to the reference transmitter location. The RF propagation pathways include a direct path joining the reference transmitter location to a given reference receiver location across a straight-line path, as well as one or more reflection paths joining the reference transmitter location to a given reference receiver location via reflections from one or more reflective surfaces. One or more propagation pathways may pass through an RF obstacle, such as, for example, a lossy dielectric material. Each reflective surface and RF obstacle is associated with a reflection coefficient and a transmission coefficient.

Abstract: An apparatus for identifying a first tone and a second tone present in a dual-tone signal, the first tone being selected from a group of tones located within a low band and the second tone being selected from a second group of tones located within a high band, the low band and the high band each spanning a frequency range no greater than f.sub.0 wide, the apparatus including a first filter for isolating and downconverting the portion of the dual-tone signal falling within the low band so that it lies within a low frequency range extending from -f.sub.0 to F.sub.0 ; and a second filter for isolating and downconverting the portion of the dual-tone signal falling within the high band so that it lies within the low frequency range.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for determining the lag of a long term filter in a code excited linear prediction speech coder. An open loop lag is first determined using an autocorrelation function. The open loop lag is then utilized to generate a limited range over which a closed loop search is performed. The range for appropriate values includes lags that are harmonically related to the open loop lag as well as adjacent lags.