Abstract: A wireless communications device includes a receiver, and a decoder coupled downstream from the receiver. The decoder is configured to alternatively decode a first signal using a first trellis state transition map including first valid transitions, the first signal having a first modulation order, and second signals using second trellis state transition maps including respective second valid transitions defined from the first valid transitions. The second signals have respective modulation orders less than the first modulation order.

Abstract: A communications receiver includes an antenna, and a burst signal acquisition circuit coupled to the antenna to detect a burst signal received over a wireless communications channel. The burst signal has a burst structure that includes channel-corrupted known preamble bits, channel-corrupted known probe bits and channel-corrupted unknown data bits. A channel estimator is coupled to the burst signal acquisition circuit to generate a-priori a gain vector based on uncorrupted known probe bits, and to perform a recursive least squares (RLS) operation to determine an impulse response of the wireless communications channel based on the channel-corrupted known probe bits and the gain vector. A maximum likelihood sequence estimator (MLSE) or equalizer is coupled to the channel estimator and the burst signal acquisition circuit.

Abstract: A communications device may include a wireless radio frequency (RF) transceiver, and a controller coupled to the wireless RF transceiver. The controller may be configured to determine received signal characteristics and perform a spectral estimation operation associated with a frequency spectrum on the received signal characteristics, determine a channel selection method characteristic associated with a channel in the frequency spectrum including channels, generate statistical values for each channel based upon the received signal characteristics, and select a portion of the frequency spectrum for a signal to be transmitted by the wireless RF transceiver based upon the spectral estimation operation, the statistical values, and the channel selection method characteristic.

Abstract: A mobile wireless communications device may include an antenna, and a receiver coupled to the antenna and being configured to use a modulation having memory for a received message in a block structure. The block structure may include a pair of mini-probes and a body therebetween. The receiver may be configured to demodulate the received message by determining a corresponding set of received signal characteristic values based upon the pair of mini-probes, and determining a decode starting point in the body based upon the set of received signal characteristic values. The receiver may be configured to demodulate the received message by at least, from the decode starting point, decoding the body in a first time direction, and decoding the body in a second time direction based upon a result of the decoding in the first direction.

Abstract: A communications receiver includes an antenna, and a burst signal acquisition circuit coupled to the antenna to detect a burst signal received over a wireless communications channel. The burst signal has a burst structure that includes channel-corrupted known preamble bits, channel-corrupted known probe bits and channel-corrupted unknown data bits. A channel estimator is coupled to the burst signal acquisition circuit to generate a-priori a gain vector based on uncorrupted known probe bits, and to perform a recursive least squares (RLS) operation to determine an impulse response of the wireless communications channel based on the channel-corrupted known probe bits and the gain vector. A maximum likelihood sequence estimator (MLSE) or equalizer is coupled to the channel estimator and the burst signal acquisition circuit.

Abstract: A wireless communications device includes a receiver, and a decoder coupled downstream from the receiver and using a modulation having memory for a received signal and to decode the received signal. The decoder decodes the received signal by at least determining a channel estimate for the received signal, generating partial sum tables based upon the channel estimate and possible values of a transmitted signal, correlating actual values of the received signal to the possible values from the partial sum tables to generate branch metrics associated with the modulation, and demodulating the received signal based upon the branch metrics using an iterative process based upon exchanging extrinsic information with an outer forward error correction (FEC) code.

Abstract: A communications device may include a wireless radio frequency (RF) transceiver, and a controller coupled to the wireless RF transceiver. The controller may be configured to determine received signal characteristics and perform a spectral estimation operation associated with a frequency spectrum on the received signal characteristics, determine a channel selection method characteristic associated with a channel in the frequency spectrum including channels, generate statistical values for each channel based upon the received signal characteristics, and select a portion of the frequency spectrum for a signal to be transmitted by the wireless RF transceiver based upon the spectral estimation operation, the statistical values, and the channel selection method characteristic.

Abstract: A wireless communications device includes a receiver, and a decoder coupled downstream from the receiver. The decoder is configured to alternatively decode a first signal using a first trellis state transition map including first valid transitions, the first signal having a first modulation order, and second signals using second trellis state transition maps including respective second valid transitions defined from the first valid transitions. The second signals have respective modulation orders less than the first modulation order.

Abstract: A wireless communications device includes a receiver, and a decoder coupled downstream from the receiver and using a modulation having memory for a received signal and to decode the received signal. The decoder decodes the received signal by at least determining a channel estimate for the received signal, generating partial sum tables based upon the channel estimate and possible values of a transmitted signal, correlating actual values of the received signal to the possible values from the partial sum tables to generate branch metrics associated with the modulation, and demodulating the received signal based upon the branch metrics using an iterative process based upon exchanging extrinsic information with an outer forward error correction (FEC) code.

Abstract: A wireless communications device may include a wireless transmitter, a modulator connected to the wireless transmitter, and a white Gaussian noise generator connected to the modulator. The white Gaussian noise generator may include at least one pseudorandom number generator, and a fast Walsh transform module for generating white Gaussian noise based upon the pseudorandom numbers.

Abstract: A mobile wireless communications device may include an antenna, and a receiver coupled to the antenna and being configured to use a modulation having memory for a received message in a block structure. The block structure may include a pair of mini-probes and a body therebetween. The receiver may be configured to demodulate the received message by determining a corresponding set of received signal characteristic values based upon the pair of mini-probes, and determining a decode starting point in the body based upon the set of received signal characteristic values. The receiver may be configured to demodulate the received message by at least, from the decode starting point, decoding the body in a first time direction, and decoding the body in a second time direction based upon a result of the decoding in the first direction.

Abstract: A wireless communications device may include a wireless transmitter, a modulator connected to the wireless transmitter, and a white Gaussian noise generator connected to the modulator. The white Gaussian noise generator may include at least one pseudorandom number generator, and a fast Walsh transform module for generating white Gaussian noise based upon the pseudorandom numbers.

Abstract: A wireless communications device may include a wireless transmitter, a modulator connected to the wireless transmitter, and a white Gaussian noise generator connected to the modulator. The white Gaussian noise generator may include at least one pseudorandom number generator, and a fast Walsh transform module for generating white Gaussian noise based upon the pseudorandom numbers.

Abstract: The programmable decoder, such as a Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation (MLSE) decoder (e.g. a Viterbi decoder) may include a programming input for a plurality of programmable trellis parameters, and a programmable device, such as an FPGA, connected to the programming input and implementing a continuous phase modulation (CPM) decoder including at least one trellis structure defined based upon the plurality of programmable trellis parameters. The plurality of programmable trellis parameters may include a number of trellis structures, a number of trellis states for each trellis structure, and a number of branches for each trellis state. Also, the trellis structure may include a reverse-state trellis structure.

Abstract: The programmable decoder, such as a Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation (MLSE) decoder (e.g. a Viterbi decoder) may include a programming input for a plurality of programmable trellis parameters, and a programmable device, such as an FPGA, connected to the programming input and implementing a trellis decoder including at least one trellis structure defined based upon the plurality of programmable trellis parameters. The plurality of programmable trellis parameters may include trellis connectivity information for trellis stages, active and inactive states for each trellis stage, a trellis branch transition data value and a metric index for trellis branch transition. Also, the trellis structure may include a reverse-state trellis structure. The programmable trellis decoder can decode convolutional codes, trellis coded modulation (TCM), ISI channels and CPM waveforms.

Abstract: A wireless communications device which may include a wireless receiver for receiving wireless signals comprising unknown data portions over a channel, and a demodulator connected to the wireless receiver. The demodulator may be for estimating a delay spread and a fade rate associated with the channel, determining a desired time-domain interpolation filter based upon the estimated fade rate, and determining a desired frequency-domain interpolation filter based upon the estimated delay spread. The demodulator may further generate channel estimates for the unknown data portions based upon the desired time-domain interpolation filter and the desired frequency-domain interpolation filter, and determine the unknown data portions based upon the channel estimates.

Abstract: The communication method includes the use of CRC codes for additional error correction in addition to the error detection capability. The method is for error detection and correction in a received message that includes N message bits and M Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) bits appended thereto. It is determined whether at least one bit error has occurred in the N message bits and M CRC bits of the received message based upon the M CRC bits, and when at least one bit error is determined, then K bits with a lowest quality metric are selected from the N message bits and M CRC bits. The bit error is corrected based upon possible bit error patterns and the selected K bits. Multiple bit errors may also be corrected.

Abstract: A system and method for improving performance of a digital communication system using forward error correction and interleaving. In the system, the channel equalization values are iteratively refined by providing a feedback of the estimated signal to the channel equalizer. More specifically, the system determines at least one estimate associated with a decision of a received signal corresponding to a transmitted signal, modulates at least one estimate and determines the equalization factors dependent upon the received signal and the modulated estimate. The system further iteratively determines the at least one estimate for a known number of iterations. In one aspect the system further combines a current one of the decisions with prior ones of the decisions in a known manner in the iterative process.

Abstract: A low complexity equalizer and its architecture are disclosed. The low complexity equalizer can identify and remove intersymbol interference caused by digital filters, analog filters, communication channel, channel-filtering and matched-channel filtering of the original transmitted signal.

Abstract: A wireless communications device may include a wireless receiver for receiving signals comprising alternating known and unknown symbol portions, and a demodulator connected thereto. The demodulator may include a channel estimation module for generating respective channel estimates for a prior unknown symbol portion(s), current unknown symbol portion and for future unknown symbol portion(s). An autocorrelation module may generate autocorrelation matrices for the prior, current and future unknown symbol portions. A channel match filter module may generate respective channel matching coefficients for the prior and current/future unknown symbol portions, and a factorization module may divide the autocorrelation matrices into respective upper and lower autocorrelation matrices. A transformation module may transform the channel matching coefficients into upper and lower channel matching coefficients.