Abstract: One aspect provides a method of processing a signal transmitted over a channel in a wireless communication system. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving at a receiver the signal transmitted over the channel, estimating at intervals at least one parameter of a time varying communication environment of the system, monitoring at least one processor-related criterion of a processor at the receiver, and selecting a signal processing function from a plurality of signal processing functions implementable by the processor. The selecting of the signal processing function is based on both the at least one parameter and the at least one processor-related criterion. Each signal processing function comprises a plurality of code blocks which process the received signal. Each code block of the plurality of code blocks comprises a sequence of instructions for execution by on a processor platform of the processor.

Abstract: Wireless receivers are described for receiving signals from a transmitter. A receiver can include a plurality of antennas each for receiving a version of a signal via a different propagation channel and providing that version to a respective input. Signal processing means can be included and configured to operate diversity processing of a supplied number of said inputs for use in performing detection of said signal. The receiver can include channel parameter estimation means, configured to estimate one or more channel parameters on the propagation channels. The receiver can also include selection means configured to select only a subset of said inputs to implement a specific dimensionality of the receiver diversity processing, in dependence on the one or more channel parameters indicative of channel conditions on said propagation channels. The diversity processing can be linear or non-linear. Related methods and software implementations and computer program products are also described.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and program for processing a signal received over a wireless channel. The apparatus comprises: a channel searcher configured to determine a profile of the channel in the form of energy values for a plurality of rays at respective channel positions, and an equalizer for equalizing the signal based on a variable window of the equalizer. The channel searcher is configured to estimate dispersion of the channel by determining a measure of variance of ray distance from a reference position within the channel profile weighted by ray energy. The equalizer is coupled to the channel searcher and arranged to adapt the window in dependence on the measure of energy-weighted ray distance variance.

Abstract: A method, receiver and program for equalising a radio signal comprising a sequence of data samples multiplexed with a sequence of pilot samples. The method comprises; calculating equaliser coefficients by computing cross-correlations of the received signal and known pilot samples available at the receiver and auto-correlations of the received signal; and equalising the received signal using the calculated coefficients.

Abstract: A transceiver, a method of providing multiple-band virtual concurrent wireless communication and a wireless device incorporating the transceiver or the method. In one embodiment, the transceiver includes: (1) first transmit and receive intermediate frequency (IF) strips, (2) second transmit and receive IF strips, (3) first and second local oscillators (LOs) and (4) switches operable to multiplex clock signals from the first and second local oscillators to cause the transceiver to operate in a selectable one of: (4a) a unified, multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) mode in which the first and second transmit and receive IF strips are driven to transmit and receive in a first band and (4b) a concurrent multiple-band connection mode in which the first transmit and receive IF strips are driven in the first band and the second transmit and receive IF strips are concurrently driven in a second band.

Abstract: A configurable execution unit comprises operators capable of being dynamically configured by an instruction at the level of processing multi-bit operand values. The unit comprises one or more dynamically configurable operator modules, each module being connectable to receive input operands indicated in an instruction, and a programmable lookup table connectable to receive dynamic configuration information determined from an opcode portion of the instruction and capable of generating operator configuration settings defining an aspect of the function or behavior of a configurable operator module, responsive to said dynamic configuration information in the instruction.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of controlling physical channel establishment in a wireless communication system, which method comprises: a.) determining if decoding of a system frame number is required as part of an initialization of a physical channel establishment procedure; b.) if decoding of the system frame number is not required, initializing a decoding of a system frame number for the channel to be established; and c.) if the decoding of the system frame number fails, terminating the channel establishment procedure.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of estimating a frequency offset. The method comprises receiving a wireless signal timed according to a first frequency; generating a local signal timed according to a second frequency; and performing a plurality of synchronization searches, each search comprising obtaining a set of correlation results indicative of a correlation between the wireless signal and the local signal at different timing offsets of the wireless signal relative to the local signal. The method the no comprises finding a series of results, with a result from each of a plurality of the synchronization searches, for which the difference in; timing offset between results from adjacent searches in the series is within a maximum specified value. A frequency off set between the first and second frequencies can be determined from the series.

Abstract: An integrated circuit is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the integrated circuit includes: a processor; a plurality of external pins operatively coupled to the processor; and a permanently written memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory having a plurality of regions each storing one or more respective boot properties for booting the processor. The processor is programmed to select one of the regions in dependence on an indication received via one or more of the external pins, to retrieve the one or more respective boot properties from the selected region, and to boot using the one or more retrieved boot properties.

Abstract: A transmitter architecture having a single signal path or hardware to cover WCDMA/EDGE/GSM applications, and requires no SAW at the transmitter outputs. The transmitter architecture allows for a transmit convergence feature. A passive mixer with unique driver and furthermore using native devices available from the CMOS process for the mixer cores enables low voltage and low power design, low output noise and high linearity. A digital variable gain amplifier has the capability to cover wide output dynamic range operated from low supply voltage and interfaced digitally with the baseband circuit without DAC. A single transformer is used to combine the outputs from the WCDMA/EDGE and GSM drivers and subsequently convert the differential signal paths into a single-ended signal. RF switches are used to divert the output from the transformer to different bands and applications.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of optimizing an executable program to improve instruction cache hit rate when executed on a processor. A method of predicting instruction cache behavior of an executable program is also disclosed. According to further aspects of the present invention, there is provided a software development tool product comprising code which when executed on a computer will perform the method of optimizing an executable program. A linker product and a computer program are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods are described of processing a signal transmitted over a channel in a wireless communication system. A method includes estimating at intervals at least one parameter of a time varying communication environment of said system. At least one processor-related signal processing criterion can be monitored for implementing a signal processing activity. Based on said at least one parameter and said at least one processor-related criterion, a signal processing function can be selected from a plurality of signal processing functions implementable by a processor. Each signal processing function includes a plurality of code blocks having a sequence of instructions for execution on a processor platform, the processor platform including a set of configurable operators having a plurality of predetermined configurations, each sequence of instructions including at least one configuration instruction, which selects one of the plurality of predefined configurations for executing that code block.

Abstract: A configurable execution unit comprises operators capable of being dynamically configured by an instruction at the level of processing multi-bit operand values. The unit comprises one or more dynamically configurable operator modules, the or each module being connectable to receive input operands indicated in an instruction, and a programmable lookup table connectable to receive dynamic configuration information determined from an opcode portion of the instruction and capable of generating operator configuration settings defining an aspect of the function or behavior of a configurable operator module, responsive to the dynamic configuration information in the instruction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a signal in a wireless communication system. The method comprises: receiving a signal at a receiver over a wireless channel; sampling the signal to produce a plurality of signal samples; and supplying the samples to an equaliser implemented in software running on a processor of the receiver, the equaliser being configured to process the samples using at least one equaliser time period having a nominal length. The method further comprises dynamically determining one or more characteristics of the channel; in dependence on the determined channel characteristics, dynamically selecting between a first operational state of the equaliser in which the nominal length is used and a second operational state of the equaliser in which an alternative length is used in place of the nominal length; and processing the samples in the equaliser using the determined equaliser time period length.

Abstract: A fractional rate converting filter in a wireless transceiver comprising a delay line, multiplier circuit, adder circuit, and selector. The delay line receives a digital input signal at a first sample rate and has delay blocks each providing an output and receiving samples gated at a plurality of clock cycles of an integer sub-multiple frequency of a clock. The outputs are multiplied by corresponding filter tap coefficients. Each filter tap coefficient is spaced by a first integer Y. The adder circuit receives and sums the tap outputs to provide an output signal. The selector iteratively shifts the coefficients by a second integer Z. The output of each delay block is multiplied by corresponding shifted filter tap coefficients. The delay blocks are inhibited from receiving another input sample during the plurality of clock cycles. The output signal has a second sample rate at the integer sub-multiple frequency of the clock.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of processing transmissions in a wireless communication system to detect whether a transmission unit contains transmitted data, systems for processing transmissions in a digital communications system to detect the same, receivers for processing transmissions in a wireless communications system and computer readable media implementing a method for processing the same. In one embodiment, a method of processing transmissions in a wireless communication system to detect whether a transmission unit contains transmitted data includes: generating an averaged function of bit reliability indicators from a plurality of received samples and applying a test to compare an average of ln cosh(·) (natural logarithm of the hyperbolic cosine) values for the reliability indicators, with a factor proportional to an average signal-to-disturbance ratio of the plurality of samples to determine if the transmission unit contains transmitted data.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of determining one or more candidate frequencies for a carrier signal in a received signal, which method comprises: generating a narrowband spectrum of the received signal; detecting one or more peaks in the narrowband spectrum; generating a candidate frequency list, each frequency at which a peak occurs being included in the candidate frequency list. The method further comprises: removing the detected one or more peaks from the narrowband spectrum to generate a modified narrowband spectrum; detecting one or more further peaks in the modified narrowband spectrum; and modifying the candidate frequency list in dependence on the one or more further peaks.

Abstract: A circuit comprising: an execution unit; a plurality of addressable devices; and a data transfer engine coupled to the execution unit and to the devices, operable to fetch a plurality of descriptors under control of the execution unit, and based on each of the fetched descriptors to perform a transfer of data from a respective first to a respective second of the devices. The DMA engine comprises delay circuitry operable to block, during a delay period running from an earlier of the transfers, any later of the transfers involving at least one of the same devices as the earlier transfer, the delay circuitry being arranged to control the blocking in dependence on an indication received in one of the descriptors.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of feeding back information from a receiver to a transmitter, and also a corresponding receiver, transmitter, system comprising a receiver and transmitter, and computer program products for performing the steps of the receiver and transmitter respectively. The method comprises: receiving signals at the receiver from the transmitter over a wireless multiple-input-multiple-output channel; and, based on the received signals, transmitting back reports from the receiver to the transmitter including a report indicating a pre-coding matrix and a report indicating a rank of the pre-coding matrix. In the event that the report indicating the rank is not transmitted, the receiver instead uses a default rank to determine the report.

Abstract: Wireless receiver and method of operating a wireless receiver in a wireless communication network for: receiving a signal, the received signal comprising data containing at least one symbol from a symbol alphabet, the symbol alphabet consisting of complex values that define a direction in the complex plane, the received signal further comprising interference; measuring the variance of a first component of the received signal that is perpendicular to the defined direction in the complex plane; estimating the interference power of the received signal using the measured variance of the first component of the received signal; estimating a total power of the received signal; estimating the power of the at least one symbol of the received signal by subtracting the estimated interference power from the estimated total power of the received signal; and based on the estimated interference power and the estimated power of the at least one symbol of the received signal, performing at least one of the steps of: processin