Abstract: The invention provides for a method of providing travel-related information to a mobile communications device (12) comprising determining the opposition of the mobile communications device (12), deriving at least one signal at the mobile communications device (12) indicative of the position of the mobile communications device (12) and indicative of a travel-related request initiated at the mobile communications device (12), and including the steps of retrieving travel service information from a transport service provider and responding to the travel-related request by calculating location and time information of a travel service (14) serving to fulfil the request, and providing an output at the mobile communications device (12) of the calculated location and time information of the travel service (14).

Abstract: A location system for establishing the position of a portable terminal that transmits identity information indicative of the identity of the individual terminal is provided. The portable terminals transmit their identity information at a first predetermined power level. The system includes location beacons having a known position and the beacons are capable of receiving the identity information transmitted by the portable terminals. Each location beacon generates an output signal when identity information of a portable terminal is received at that beacon with a power level greater than a predetermined threshold value, which value may be set independently for each beacon. The output signal is indicative that such a portable terminal is within a particular distance range of the beacon and the output signal is made available to a control unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a radio communication system having a random access packet channel for the transmission of data packets (214) from a secondary station to a primary station. Such a channel is intended for use by secondary stations having packets of data (214) to transmit to a primary station while not actually engaged in a call. A secondary station wishing to transmit data packets (214) engages in two contention resolution phases (208, 210) with the primary station. This addresses the problem with prior art systems that there is a significant chance of two secondary stations believing that they have been granted access to the channel, the resultant collisions leading to a significant reduction in system capacity.

Abstract: A radio communication system has means for improving power control of a communication channel for the transmission of data after an interruption in the transmission. This is done by applying power control in steps of variable size at the start of a transmission, using a large step size initially which is reduced as the power approaches a target value. In one embodiment the step size is reduced when the sign of a power control command reverses, while in another embodiment the step size is reduced after a predetermined time. These techniques reduce the time taken for power control to be established, thereby addressing the problem that data transmissions at the start of a data channel are likely to be corrupted if the power level is too low, or to generate extra interference if the power level is too high.

Abstract: In a location method based on distance measurements, the distance between a mobile station and a base station is measured by finding the one-way propagation time between the two radio stations. This one-way propagation time is obtained by sending a location signal and measuring its time of arrival. In order to mitigate inaccuracy due to use of measurements corresponding to reflected radio paths which are longer than direct radio paths, a method is proposed to ensure that the distance calculation will be done by using the first time of arrival of the location signal. The first time of arrival corresponds to a propagation through the shortest radio path, which is likely to be the direct path. The first time of arrival is determined by using a location signal which includes a plurality of identical messages, and by combining these messages on reception in order to obtain a signal of higher energy of which the shortest path is detected.

Abstract: A personal communications apparatus, for example a cellular telephone handset, has an antenna diversity arrangement comprising first and second antennas (102A, 102B) arranged with their polarisation axes slanted with respect to the median plane of the handset body (218). By a suitable choice of inclination angles one of the antennas can be arranged to be substantially vertical in use, whether by right or left handed users, thereby improving received signal strength from a vertically polarised base station. The arrangement also enhances diversity operation, since the correlation between the field strengths received by the antennas is reduced by their relative orientation. When the apparatus is used in a system employing a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) techniques, the apparatus preferably includes a 2D Rake receiver for mitigating the effects of multipath fading and interference.

Abstract: A low power radio network comprises a master radio device (10) having a routing table (20), and a plurality of slave devices (SL1 to SL6), at least one of the slave devices has an inputting device (38, 40) and other of the slave devices (SL1 to SL4) being associated with end user devices (LUM1 to LUM4) compatible with the inputting device. In order to create a functional link between at least a predetermined end user device and the inputting device, the radio network is placed in a pairing mode in which the master device (10) activates the end user devices sequentially and at the activation of the predetermined end user device, the inputting device is activated which causes the routing table to create a pairing link.

Abstract: A radio communication system has a random access channel for the transmission of data (214) from a secondary station to a primary station. Such a channel is intended for use by secondary stations having data (214) to transmit to a primary station while not actually engaged in a call. A secondary station requesting access chooses a signature corresponding to the resource it requires to encode an access preamble (202). It may be known, from a resource availability message (402) broadcast by the primary station, that certain resources are unavailable. In this case the primary and secondary stations dynamically re-assign signatures corresponding to the unavailable resources to available resources, thereby reducing the probability of collisions between different secondary stations requesting the same resource.

Abstract: The transmission system according to the invention employs a transmitter (10) and a receiver (14). The receiver (14) employs a storage device (16) for storing content information (13) within the signal (11) received from the transmitter (10). The receiver further employs a control module (18) for controlling the storage device (16) in dependence on storage control information (15) associated with the content information (13), which storage control information (15) is also included in the signal (11). If the signal (11) is transmitted via a network (12), the transmitter (10) is preferably arranged for transmitting the signal (11) in dependence on the load of the network (12). In this way, content information (13) such as data, audio or video, can be transmitted during periods that the network (12) provides sufficient capacity, e.g., during the night.

Abstract: A clock generation circuit and device are disclosed for reading/writing information from to/an information carrier. The clock generation circuit includes a frequency divider for generating a first intermediate clock signal from an input clock signal. A first logical unit combines the input clock signal and the intermediate clock signal. The circuit further includes a clocked bistable unit having a clock input coupled to an output of the first logical unit, and a data input and a data output, and a second logical unit having a selection input for receiving a synchronization signal from a synchronization module having an input for receiving a reference clock signal. The synchronization signal controls selection between a feedback mode and a reset mode. In the feedback mode, the second logical unit logically inversely couples the data input to the data output, and in the reset mode the second logical unit provides a reset value to the data input. The data output provides the output clock signal.

Abstract: A broadcast system for communicating multiple simultaneous broadcast messages in a telecommunications system is provided, where the telecommunications system has at least one fixed terminal for communication with one or more portable terminals. The broadcast system includes means for transmitting first messages from the or each fixed terminal for reception by portable terminals in the reception area of that fixed terminal, each first message including information that specifies channels, selected for that fixed terminal, which will be used to convey an associated broadcast message. A control means is provided for causing the or each portable terminal to receive on the specified broadcast message channels. The transmitter means then transmits from the fixed terminal the broadcast messages on the said specified broadcast channels for substantially simultaneous reception and reproduction of a broadcast message, such as an audio broadcast message, by the or each portable terminal.

Abstract: A method of rate detection at a receiving end of a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, in which system the effective data rate is variably selected at the transmitting end from an applicable rate set including a full rate and lower rates, each lower rate being the full rate divided by a different integer, and encoded symbols are repeated for the lower rates to maintain a constant apparent symbol transmission rate, includes the formation of scaled correlations between data entering a Viterbi decoder, after any required de-repetition, and re-encoded data at each of the possible data rates in the applicable rate set. Rate decision logic sequentially considers the full and lower candidate data rates in descending order, choosing the considered candidate data rate to be the actual data rate if certain conditions are met.

Abstract: Microwave antennas with a dielectric substrate (1) and at least one resonant conductor track structure (31 to 39) are described, which are particularly suitable for mobile dual-band and multiband telecommunication devices such as mobile and cellular telephones, as well as for devices which communicate in accordance with the Bluetooth standard. In addition, attuning of the resonance frequencies of various operating modes to a concrete constructional situation is possible thanks to various line segments (34, 35) and tuning stub lines (41, 42) without the necessity of changing the fundamental antenna design. Finally, the antennas may be soldered together with other components onto a printed circuit board in a conventional surface mounting process.

Abstract: The invention relates to a controllable antenna structure (11) comprising a set of antennas (AA) arranged on a flexible support (12). Phase shifts and, in an advantageous embodiment, amplitude gains of electromagnetic current transmitted to these antennas (10), are determined by control means (13) to achieve a directive radiation pattern of the set of antennas (AA), said control means including computing means (18) which determine the radiation pattern of the set of antennas in accordance with global motion (GM) of the flexible support detected by tracking means (16), in accordance with local motion (LM) of the flexible support detected by detection means (17) and in accordance with the radio-frequency field characteristics (RF). Phase shifts and amplitude gains are transmitted to antennas via at least a phase shifter (14) and at least a gain multiplier (15).

Abstract: The invention describes a system that generates a wide band signal (100-7000 Hz) from a telephony band (or narrow band: 300-3400 Hz) speech signal to obtain an extended band speech signal (100-3400 Hz). This technique is particularly advantageous since it increases signal naturalness and listening comfort with keeping compatibility with all current telephony systems. The described technique is inspired on Linear Predictive speech coders. The speech signal is thus split into a spectral envelope and a short-term residual signal. Both signals are extended separately and recombined to create an extended band signal.

Abstract: A miniaturized antenna is described with at least a ceramic substrate (10) and a metallization, particularly designed for use in the high-frequency and microwave ranges. The antenna is characterized in that the metallization is a surface metallization which is formed by a feed terminal (12) for electromagnetic energy to be radiated, by at least a first metallization structure (30), and by a conductor track (20) extending along at least part of the circumference of the substrate (10), which track connects the feed terminal to the at least one first metallization structure (30), which first metallization structure (30) comprises a first conductor track portion (31) extending from a side of the substrate lying opposite the feed terminal (12) towards the feed terminal and a first metallization pad (32).

Abstract: A radio communication system has means for enabling the control channels associated with a data channel transmitting packet data with a low duty cycle to be switched to a dormant state or interrupted entirely. This reduces the excessive overhead that such control channels represent on a data channel only using a small proportion of the available channel capacity.

Abstract: A communications system comprises at least one first portable communications device (12) capable of wireless message transmission and at least one second portable communications device (10) capable of receiving such a message transmission. The first device (12) is arranged to broadcast a series of inquiry messages (60) each in the form of a plurality of predetermined data fields (INQ) arranged according to a first communications protocol, such as Bluetooth. For the delivery of additional data via broadcast, the first device (12) adds to each inquiry message prior to transmission an additional data field (BCD) carrying broadcast data, with the second portable device (10) receiving the transmitted inquiry messages and reading the broadcast data from the additional data field.

Abstract: A method of locating an article or person employs at least one transponding station (TS1) having its own radio identity carded by a person or article in the radio coverage area of a radio system. The system employs a plurality of clusters of spatially separate radio units (M1 to M7) having transceivers and received signal strength determining modules, each of the radio units having an individual identity. Each cluster is associated with a network interrogating station (NIU(1), NIU(2)) employing transceivers for communicating with at least the radio units in its cluster. A central station (10) has a transceiver for communicating with a plurality of the interrogating stations and storage for storing a database encompassing the locations of the radio units (M1 to M7).

Abstract: A transmission system comprising a transmitter comprising at least a first channel encoder for encoding source symbols into coded symbols and for setting at least one coding property thereof, and a further channel encoder for encoding the at least one coding property of the at least first channel encoder; and a reciever comprising at least a first channel decoder for deriving reconstructed source symbols from the coded symbols received from the transmitter and a further channel decoder for obtaining the at least one coding property by decoding the encoded coding property; wherein the receiver is capable of setting the at least one coding property of the at least first channel decoder according to the at least one coding property and the transmitter is capable of transmitting the encoded coding property to the receive over a transmission channel.