Abstract: A spread-spectrum, code-division-multiple-access (CDMA), system with a remote station (RS) communicating with a first base station (BS). The remote station receives the first BS-packet signal, and transmits a first RS-packet signal to the first base station. The first RS-packet signal is spread by a first RS-chip-sequence signal at a second frequency. The first base station receives the first RS-packet signal. The first base station stores and forwards the despread first RS-packet signal to a central office (CO). The remote station monitors control and packet transmission channels of other base stations in geographic proximity to the remote station. Each of the base stations transmit BS-packet signals. The remote station determines, based on signal metrics and available capacity, when to change from the first base station to the second base station. The second base station stores and then forwards the despread second RS-packet signal to the central office.

Abstract: A distributed spread-spectrum network, comprising remote stations and nodes. One or more hub node(s) connect(s) to a central telephone office. A node's spread-spectrum transceiver communicates, using packets having spread-spectrum modulation, over radio waves, with the remote stations. Each packet has a source address and a destination address, and may have other information such as a header, start of message, end of message, flow-control information, forward error correction, and message data. A store-and-forward subsystem stores and forwards one or more packets to and from the remote station. The store-and-forward subsystem stores and forwards the one or more packets to and from another node. A flow-control subsystem controls the store-and-forward subsystem, to store each packet arriving at the spread-spectrum transceiver. The flow-control subsystem communicates traffic information between each of the nodes.

Abstract: A system and method for transmitting a plurality of spread-spectrum signals over a communications channel having fading. The plurality of spread-spectrum signals are radiated by a plurality of antennas, with each antenna preferably spaced by one-quarter wavelength. A plurality of receiver antennas receive the plurality of spread-spectrum signals and a plurality of fading spread-spectrum signals. Each receiver antenna is coupled to a plurality of matched filters having a respective plurality of impulse responses matched to the chip-sequence signals of the plurality of spread-spectrum signals. A RAKE and space-diversity combiner combines, for each respective chip-sequence signal, a respective plurality of detected spread-spectrum signals and a respective multiplicity of detected-multipath-spread-spectrum signals, to generate a plurality of combined signals. The symbol amplitudes can be measured and erasure decoding employed to improve performance.

Abstract: A method of making a hinge joining two rigid pieces each with top and bottom surfaces, comprising the steps of thermoforming a first piece of rigid plastic material having a first hinge joint; machining a hole with a tubular shape through each of two external surfaces of the first hinge joint; thermoforming a second piece of rigid plastic material having a second hinge joint; machining two keyhole-shaped passage perpendicular to the length of the surface and across the width of the near-end external surfaces of the first protrusion and of the second protrusion of the second piece; inserting a hinge pin through each hole with a tubular shape; and assembling the two pieces with the first hinge joint fitting into the gap of the second hinge.

Abstract: A spread-spectrum-matched-filter apparatus including a code generator, an in-phase-symbol-matched filter, a quadrature-phase-symbol-matched filter, an in-phase-frame-matched filter, a quadrature-phase-frame-matched filter, and a controller. The code generator generates replicas of a chip-sequence signal, which are used to set the symbol-impulse responses of the in-phase-symbol-matched filter and the quadrature-phase-symbol-matched filter. The in-phase-frame-matched filter and the quadrature-phase-frame-matched filter detect a despread-header-symbol-sequence signal and generate a maximum output signal which may be used as a data-start signal or for synchronizing the timing of the controller as to when to trigger sampling of the A/D converter, the output of the symbol-matched filters, detection of the data-symbol-sequence signal and other time-dependent processes.

Abstract: An improvement to a spread-spectrum code-division-multiple-access system, using a channel sounding signal from a base station (BS) to provide initial transmitter power levels for remote stations (RS). The base station has a BS-spread-spectrum transmitter for transmitting BS-spread-spectrum signals at a first frequency and a BS-spread-spectrum receiver for receiving RS-spread-spectrum signals at a second frequency. The RS-spread-spectrum signals are transmitted by the remote stations at the second frequency. The BS-spread-spectrum signals at the first frequency are outside the correlation bandwidth of the RS-spread-spectrum signals at the second frequency. The base station has a BS transmitter for transmitting a BS-channel-sounding signal at the same carrier frequency being used by the remote stations to transmit a spread-spectrum signal to the base station. The bandwidth of the BS-channel-sounding signal is much of the bandwidth of the BS-spread-spectrum signal.

Abstract: Encoding and transmitting packet-switched, spread-spectrum data. Data are encoded for privacy and to restrict intelligent receipt of the data to the intended recipient. The encoded data are demultiplexed into sub-data-sequence signals. The sub-data-sequence signals are spread-spectrum processed and combined as a multichannel spread-spectrum signal. The multichannel spread-spectrum signal is concatenated with a header to make a packet-spread-spectrum signal. The packet-spread-spectrum signal is transmitted over radio waves to a packet receiver. The packet receiver obtains timing for the multichannel spread-spectrum signal from the header. The packet receiver depsreads the multichannel spread-spectrum signal, and multiplexes the despread multichannel spread-spectrum signal as received-encoded data. The received-encoded data is decoded by the intended recipient and may be stored in a receiver memory or outputted directly.

Abstract: An improvement for obtaining synchronization to a chip-sequence signal. The chip-sequence signal has a plurality of chips, and is embedded in a spread-spectrum signal. A shift register shifts or cycles a replica or delayed replica of the chip-sequence signal. The shift register has a plurality of taps, which correspond to the plurality of chips. A plurality of comparators compares the chip-sequence signal embedded in the spread-spectrum signal with the replica of the chip-sequence signal stored in the shift register. From the comparison, the plurality of comparators generates, for each tap of the shift register, a plurality of compared values at each comparator of the plurality of comparators. A plurality of counters up and down counts, from each comparator, a respective plurality of compared values. The respective plurality of compared values appears at an output of a respective comparator of the plurality of comparators. The plurality of counters thereby generates a plurality of totals, respectively.

Abstract: A multipath-combining subsystem for receiving a spread-spectrum signal arriving from a plurality of paths. A header-matched filter detects each match, within each path, of a header-chip-sequence signal with a first impulse response and outputs a header-detection signal having a header amplitude and a respective chip location. A data-matched filter detects at the respective chip location of each header-detection signal, a respective data-chip-sequence signal and outputs a data-detection signal having a data amplitude. A combiner multiplies the header amplitude of each header-detection signal and the data amplitude of the respective data symbol to generate a plurality of weighted elements for each data symbol. The combiner then adds the plurality of weighted elements for each data symbol as a sum signal of the respective data symbol.

Abstract: A wideband code division multiple access, spread-spectrum communications system, having an equalization channel. The transmitter transmits data over a spread-spectrum channel, along with a spread-spectrum channel having little or no information, i.e., an equalization channel. The receiver uses in-phase early, punctual and late signals, and quadrature-phase early, punctual and late signals, for equalizing of the data spread-spectrum channel, and for generating an output in-phase data signal and an output quadrature-phase data signal.

Abstract: A network controller card having a processor, memory and program logic. The program logic can be used as communications circuits and as testing circuits. A reconfigure signal from a workstation remotely located from the network controller card initiates the processor to change the program logic from communications circuits to testing circuits and vice versa.

Abstract: A spread-spectrum-matched-filter apparatus including a code generator, a programmable-matched filter, a frame-matched filter, and a controller. The code generator generates replicas of a pilot-chip-sequence signal and a data-chip-sequence signal, which are used to set the programmable-impulse response of the programmable-matched filter. The programmable-impulse response is alternately changed between that of the pilot-chip-sequence signal and the data-chip-sequence signal so that the programmable-matched filter alternately detects the pilot-spread-spectrum channel and the data-spread-spectrum channel embedded in a received spread-spectrum signal. The frame-matched filter detects a despread-pilot-bit-sequence signal and generates a peak-pilot-correlation signal which can be used for timing of the controller as to when to trigger changing the programmable-impulse response of the programmable-matched filter.

Abstract: A communication system in accordance with the invention employs a broadcast signal for synchronization of the transmitters and receivers in the system without use of a special base transmitter for synchronizing signal transmissions. Each transmitter having a pre-assigned time slot counts from a synchronizing index which is inherent in or added to the broadcast signal to determine when to transmit. The receiver of receivers similarly count from the synchronizing index to determine when to look for specific time slice transmissions.

Abstract: A spread spectrum CDMA communications system for communicating data and/or digitized voice between a plurality of users to a plurality of PCN units. The spread spectrum communications system is located within a same geographical region as occupied by an existing microwave system. The spread spectrum can operate without causing undue interference to the microwave system and the microwave system can operate without causing significant interference, less than 1% total users affected, to the PCN system. The spread spectrum CDMA communications system includes a plurality of PCN-base stations and a plurality of PCN units. A PCN-base station has a device for converting the format of the data into a form suitable for communicating over radio waves, a spread spectrum modulator for spread spectrum processing the data, a notch filter, and a transmitter for transmitting the spread spectrum processed converted data from the PCN-base station to a PCN unit.