Abstract: A wireless device may include: a radio frequency (RF) front end circuit to receive and process an RF signal; a mixer to downconvert the RF signal to a second frequency signal; a digitizer to digitize the second frequency signal; a channel filter to channel filter the digitized signal; a selection circuit having a first input coupled to the channel filter and a plurality of outputs each to couple to one of a plurality of demodulators; and the plurality of demodulators coupled to the selection circuit. The selection circuit may route the channel filtered digitized signal to a first demodulator of the plurality of demodulators based on a first configuration setting. The wireless device may also include a non-volatile storage with a configuration file including the first configuration setting. The configuration file may be automatically generated by a hardware configurator in response to a plurality of user input parameters.

Abstract: A wireless device may include: a radio frequency (RF) front end circuit to receive and process an RF signal; a mixer to downconvert the RF signal to a second frequency signal; a digitizer to digitize the second frequency signal; a channel filter to channel filter the digitized signal; a selection circuit having a first input coupled to the channel filter and a plurality of outputs each to couple to one of a plurality of demodulators; and the plurality of demodulators coupled to the selection circuit. The selection circuit may route the channel filtered digitized signal to a first demodulator of the plurality of demodulators based on a first configuration setting. The wireless device may also include a non-volatile storage with a configuration file including the first configuration setting. The configuration file may be automatically generated by a hardware configurator in response to a plurality of user input parameters.

Abstract: A wireless device may include: a radio frequency (RF) front end circuit to receive and process an RF signal; a mixer to downconvert the RF signal to a second frequency signal; a digitizer to digitize the second frequency signal; a channel filter to channel filter the digitized signal; a selection circuit having a first input coupled to the channel filter and a plurality of outputs each to couple to one of a plurality of demodulators; and the plurality of demodulators coupled to the selection circuit. The selection circuit may route the channel filtered digitized signal to a first demodulator of the plurality of demodulators based on a first configuration setting. The wireless device may also include a non-volatile storage with a configuration file including the first configuration setting. The configuration file may be automatically generated by a hardware configurator in response to a plurality of user input parameters.

Abstract: A wireless device may include: a radio frequency (RF) front end circuit to receive and process an RF signal; a mixer to downconvert the RF signal to a second frequency signal; a digitizer to digitize the second frequency signal; a channel filter to channel filter the digitized signal; a selection circuit having a first input coupled to the channel filter and a plurality of outputs each to couple to one of a plurality of demodulators; and the plurality of demodulators coupled to the selection circuit. The selection circuit may route the channel filtered digitized signal to a first demodulator of the plurality of demodulators based on a first configuration setting. The wireless device may also include a non-volatile storage with a configuration file including the first configuration setting. The configuration file may be automatically generated by a hardware configurator in response to a plurality of user input parameters.

Abstract: A device for minimizing group delay mismatch in a quadrature receiver (402) having an in-phase channel and a quadrature-phase channel. The device includes a microprocessor (465) for determining an I/Q phase imbalance between digital signals on an in-phase channel and digital signals on a quadrature-phase channel, and for calculating a group delay mismatch between the in-phase channel and the quadrature-phase channel, and a group delay equalizer (426). The group delay equalizer includes a delay line (505 and 605) for delaying one of the in-phase channel and the quadrature-phase channel by one of a plurality of delays, based on an amount of group delay mismatch.

Abstract: A demodulator in a receiver includes a correlator (240) for de-spreading a spread-spectrum signal, and a decision module (250) for detecting a preamble and for synchronizing to data frames of the spread spectrum signal. The demodulator includes symbol timers (231 and 233) that allow the demodulator to correlate to two preamble symbols simultaneously, where the two preamble symbols occur one-half a symbol period apart. The correlator includes a correlator structure having taps that correct for any frequency offset of a carrier signal. The correlator correlates to each of the two preamble symbols a plurality of times through oversampling, where each correlation compensates for a different amount of frequency offset. By analyzing occurrence of peaks in magnitude of the correlations, the decision module detects the preamble and selects weights for the taps to de-spread data frames received after the preamble.

Abstract: A correlator (140) for de-spreading a spread-spectrum signal includes a state machine (205), a frequency correction look-up table (207), a pseudorandom code generator (209), and a correlator structure (301 and 801). The spread-spectrum signal includes symbols, and each symbol includes a plurality of chips. The correlator structure includes a plurality of taps (309 and 809) at which a coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) operation is performed to determine an offset from a nominal carrier frequency of the spread-spectrum signal and to change a phase of each chip of a received symbol, in order to correct a carrier frequency of the spread-spectrum signal while de-spreading the spread-spectrum signal.

Abstract: A multi-mode transmitter (301) is adapted to modulate a data packet (200) communicated by a wireless communications signal. The data packet includes a packet header comprising a preamble (201) and a start of frame delimiter (202), and a data payload comprising a payload data length portion (203) and a payload portion (204). The packet header is modulated with a spread spectrum technique. When transmitting a data payload in one mode, the data payload is also modulated with the spread spectrum technique. When transmitting a data payload in another mode, the data payload is modulated with a non-spread spectrum technique.

Abstract: An apparatus (200) and method (300) for receiving a communications signal. A spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) is adapted to demodulate a packet header (110) of a data packet (102) that is communicated by a wireless communications signal. The packet header (110) is modulated with a spread spectrum technique and the spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) produces a packet header detection signal (220) representing a successful detection of a predefined packet header value. A non-spread spectrum signal demodulator (212) is communicatively coupled to the spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) and demodulates, in response to the packet header detection signal (220), a non-spread spectrum modulated data payload within the data packet. A data output select (234) produces demodulated data produced by either one or both the spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) and the non-spread spectrum signal demodulator (212).

Abstract: A device for minimizing group delay mismatch in a quadrature receiver (402) having an in-phase channel and a quadrature-phase channel. The device includes a microprocessor (465) for determining an I/Q phase imbalance between digital signals on an in-phase channel and digital signals on a quadrature-phase channel, and for calculating a group delay mismatch between the in-phase channel and the quadrature-phase channel, and a group delay equalizer (426). The group delay equalizer includes a delay line (505 and 605) for delaying one of the in-phase channel and the quadrature-phase channel by one of a plurality of delays, based on an amount of group delay mismatch.

Abstract: A demodulator (150) in a receiver (100) includes a correlator (240) for de-spreading a spread-spectrum signal, and decision module (250) for detecting a preamble and for synchronizing to data frames of the spread spectrum signal. The demodulator includes symbol timers (231 and 233) that allow the demodulator to correlate to two preamble symbols simultaneously, where the two preamble symbols occur one-half a symbol period apart. The correlator includes a correlator structure (301) having taps that correct for any frequency offset of a carrier signal. The correlator correlates to each of the two preamble symbols a plurality of times through oversampling, where each correlation compensates for a different amount of frequency offset. By analyzing occurrence of peaks in magnitude of the correlations, the decision module detects the preamble and selects weights for the taps to de-spread data frames received after the preamble.

Abstract: An apparatus (200) and method (300) for receiving a communications signal. A spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) is adapted to demodulate a packet header (110) of a data packet (102) that is communicated by a wireless communications signal. The packet header (110) is modulated with a spread spectrum technique and the spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) produces a packet header detection signal 220 representing a successful detection of a predefined packet header value. A non-spread spectrum signal demodulator (212) is communicatively coupled to the spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) and demodulates, in response to the packet header detection signal (212), a non-spread spectrum modulated data payload within the data packet. A data output select (234) produces demodulated data produced by either one of both the spread spectrum signal demodulator (210) or the non-spread spectrum signal demodulator (212).

Abstract: A multi-mode transmitter (301) is adapted to modulate a data packet (200) communicated by a wireless communications signal. The data packet includes a packet header comprising a preamble (201) and a start of frame delimiter (202), and a data payload comprising a payload data length portion (203) and a payload portion (204). The packet header is modulated with a spread spectrum technique. When transmitting a data payload in one mode, the data payload is also modulated with the spread spectrum technique. When transmitting a data payload in another mode, the data payload is modulated with a non-spread spectrum technique.

Abstract: A correlator (140) for de-spreading a spread-spectrum signal includes a state machine (205), a frequency look-up table (207), a pseudorandom code generator (209), and a correlator structure (301 and 801). The spread-spectrum signal includes symbols, and each symbol includes a plurality of chips. The correlator structure includes a plurality of taps (309 and 809) at which a coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) operation is performed to determine an offset from a nominal carrier frequency of the spread-spectrum signal and to change a phase of each chip of a received symbol, in order to correct a carrier frequency of the spread-spectrum signal while de-spreading the spread-spectrum signal.

Abstract: A method for sending messages from a particular device to one or more other devices communicants (300) uses the relative geographic location of the targeted devices as addressing criteria. The particular device forms or joins a network of potential communicants, and exchanges information to determine their relative geographic location with respect to that of the particular device (310, 320). The relative geographic location is preferably defined by a directional component and a range component. The communication device then selects for communication those devices that meet specific criteria, such as a specific direction and range, and transmits a message to the selected devices (330, 332, 334, 336).

Abstract: A method for sending messages from a particular device to one or more other devices communicants (300) uses the relative geographic location of the targeted devices as addressing criteria. The particular device forms or joins a network of potential communicants, and exchanges information to determine their relative geographic location with respect to that of the particular device (310, 320). The relative geographic location is preferably defined by a directional component and a range component. The communication device then selects for communication those devices that meet specific criteria, such as a specific direction and range, and transmits a message to the selected devices (330, 332, 334, 336).

Abstract: A reconfigurable logic signal processor system (RLSP) (100) and method of error checking same in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention loads configuration data capable of processing an air interface or portion thereof in a wireless system from a configuration storage memory (112) into reconfigurable resources (104), reads back the configuration data from the reconfigurable resources (104), reads expected results from the configuration storage memory (112), and executes a verification algorithm on the configuration data read back from the reconfigurable resources (104). A portion of the reconfigurable resources (104) of the RLSP system (100) may be utilized to implement the error checking upon itself. If an error is found in the configuration data, steps can be taken to activate another base configuration data to implement a functional base air interface in a wireless communication system and request downloading (if available) from the network of the erroneous configuration data.

Abstract: A system (10) for dynamic process assignment among a plurality of devices (40) includes an initial coordinator (38), a requesting device (60), and a resource device (62). The initial coordinator (38) includes a list of available resources (56) for each device of the plurality of devices (40). The requesting device (60) requests the use of a desired resource. In response to the request from the requesting device (60), the initial coordinator (38) identifies an available resource associated with one of the plurality of devices (40) for use by the requesting device (60) as the desired resource.

Abstract: A method carried out at a transmitter (800), of limiting visual information that can be stored or transmitted captures a visual image (608). Whenever a control signal is detected (612) at the transmitter (800), at least a portion of the visual image is obscured (616) to produce an obscured visual image. This obscured image is then stored and/or transmitted (620). The image can be obscured by any number of techniques including replacement of the image with a substitute (718), blurring, distorting or reducing the resolution of the background (738), substitution of backgrounds (762) or removal of the background (778).

Abstract: A method for sending messages from a particular device to one or more other devices communicants (300) uses the relative geographic location of the targeted devices as addressing criteria. The particular device forms or joins a network of potential communicants, and exchanges information to determine their relative geographic location with respect to that of the particular device (310, 320). The relative geographic location is preferably defined by a directional component and a range component. The communication device then selects for communication those devices that meet specific criteria, such as a specific direction and range, and transmits a message to the selected devices (330, 332, 334, 336).