Abstract: An interference level estimator 205 and corresponding method FIG. 6 can be used in a wireless communications device 200 and is operable to estimate an interference level of interference that is received over a fading channel. The interference level estimator comprises a processor 207 for processing a despread Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal and the interference to remove a portion of the despread CDMA signal and a portion of the interference to provide a residual interference and for determining the estimate of the interference level from the residual interference, where the interference level is fading speed invariant.

Abstract: A wireless communication system includes a transmitting device having a formatting circuit. The formatting circuit for constructing a frame, the frame including frame header, frame CRC, and a message slot. The message slot having a predetermined length for carrying signaling message, the signaling message including a message header having the message length, a message body and a message CRC, the message body and message CRC being repeated to fill the message slot, a partial copy being copied into the message slot if the slot is not full and a full copy of the message body and message CRC will not fit. A receiving device includes a format circuit coupled to the decoder for outputting a message from the decoded frame, the format circuit to check the frame CRC to determine if the frame CRC is good, to check the message CRC to determine if the message CRC is good, and to reconstruct the message from the full and partial copies of the message if the message CRC is not good.

Abstract: A receiver (300) is provided that efficiently determines what transport format combination is currently being utilized by a transmitter (200) multiplexing (201) several transport channels onto a single over-the-air channel (209). The receiver (300) estimates the transmitted sequence and, not knowing the format combination being utilized, makes estimates of the information bits for each of the possible transport format combinations. CRC metrics are determined (one for each transport or data channel) for each possible transport format combination, and these CRC metrics are combined into a single transport format combination metric for the particular transport format combination being tested.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provides channel phase compensation for a digital radio frequency RF channel, by analyzing a demodulated signal (24) communicated over the digital RF channel and generates data representing an estimate of a channel phase (28), based on channel symbol reliability data (242) generated for at least one channel symbol received over the RF channel. The apparatus and method iteratively generates channel symbol reliability data (242) for a same symbol until a frame containing the symbol is determined to either pass a frame error threshold or until a predetermined number of iterations of channel phase estimates for a symbol is detected.

Abstract: Interleaving within a communication system occurs by finding a minimum value (m) such that that N<=2n×(2m−1), wherein N is an interleave block length, and n is a predetermined fixed value. A maximum-length sequence generator is initialized to 1 and a bit reverse sequence generator is initialized to 0. An n bit output is determined from the bit reverse sequence generator, and an m bit output is determined from the maximum length sequence generator. Finally, the n bit output is used as a most significant bit and the m bit output is used as a least significant bit for an interleaver address.

Abstract: A method of improving searcher speed of a multipath signal searcher (204) used in CDMA wireless communication systems for retrieving a multipath signal comprising a mobile communication signal and multipath replicas is provided. Search paths (214) of the multipath signal searcher are grouped together and assigned by an offset assignment/timing block (210) to search a time offset within a search window. The search paths may be operated in serial or parallel operation mode. In either mode, the search paths are individually assigned to search over one of a group of time offsets that are distributed across the search window evenly. In serial mode, for example, the search paths may be assigned to search only even time offsets or odd time offsets in one search time slot, such that the multipath signal searcher need not search every time offset within the search window to detect the multipath signals. In the following time slots, the odd or even time offsets may be searched.

Abstract: A method of determining an encoding rate associated with a received data frame in a communication system includes decoding (101) the received data frame at a first and second encoding rates to determine a first and second total metric, calculating (102) a discriminant function based on the first and second total metric, comparing (103) the discriminant function to a range of predetermined values having an upper predetermined range limit and a lower predetermined range limit, and selecting (104) one of the first and second rates as a determined encoding rate based on comparing (103) depending on whether the discriminant function is above the upper predetermined range limit or below the lower predetermined range limit.

Abstract: A base station receiver assembly (400) for performing a signal search, which operates in a coherent code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless communication system conveying a mobile communication signal is disclosed. The assembly (400) includes a multipath signal searcher (200), a receiver (300), and an energy adjustment generator (490). The energy adjustment generator operates to combine an energy metric (241) from the multipath signal searcher (200) with a symbol match count (447) to yield a signal (448) for weighting inputs to a finger manager (260). The symbol match count (447) is based on a count, resulting from a comparison of a number of times an output from the multipath signal searcher (200) matched an output from the receiver (300). The symbol match count (447) is representative of a likelihood that a time offset selected by the finger manager (260) corresponds to a time offset of the mobile communication signal (107).

Abstract: A search metric adjustor (401) for use in a base station receiver assembly (400) which operates in a CDMA wireless communication system conveying a mobile communication signal (107), is disclosed. The search metric adjustor (401) produces an adjusted energy value (490) that is utilized by a sorter (265) in a receiver signal searcher (200) to select a set of valid time offsets at which effective demodulation of the mobile communication signal (107) may occur. The search metric adjustor (401) compares a first plurality of Walsh symbol energy values (245), output from the receiver signal searcher (200), to a second plurality of Walsh symbol energy values (342), output from a spread spectrum receiver (300). The comparison yields a walsh symbol match count (470), correlated to a predetermined energy value (480) which is then added to an energy metric (241) to produce the adjusted energy value (490).

Abstract: A method of adjusting a power control setpoint threshold (216) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving at a receiver, a communication signal from a mobile communication unit to form a received communication signal, generating a first signal quality indicator (193) based on the received communication signal, generating a second signal quality indicator (194) based on the received communication signal, and generating an estimated signal-to-noise ratio (98). The method further includes setting a predetermined reference region (605) centered around a second signal quality indicator reference (206) where the second signal quality indicator reference (206) is related to the first signal quality indicator (193), and adjusting the power control setpoint threshold (216) based on a comparison between the second quality indicator (194) and the predetermined reference region (605).

Abstract: A receiver (500) utilizes parameters generated by a Viterbi decoder (530) to determine one of a plurality of coding rates in which user information is transmitted. The receiver (500) combines the parameters in a predetermined manner, the result of which is a detection statistic (dij). By utilizing the detection statistic (dij), the coding rate at which user information is accurately determined.