Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling transmission power levels in a mobile communication system. The method provides for a closed-loop power control method. A mobile station provides information on the quality of the signal received from the base station, and the base station responds by adjusting the power allocated to that user in a shared base station signal. The transmission power is adjusted initially by a large increment and then ramped down at an increasingly decreasing rate. The mobile station also provides information to the base station as to its relative velocity and the base station adjusts its transmission power in accordance with this velocity information.

Abstract: The character of the noise in a series of incoming symbols received over a wireless link is determined. A series of corresponding bits are recovered based upon the series of incoming symbols. The series of corresponding bits are encoded to determine a series of recovered symbols. A vector product of the series of incoming symbols and the series of recovered symbols is determined. A difference between two symbols within the vector product is determined, wherein the two symbols were transmitted over the wireless link in close temporal proximity to one another. The expected value of a non-orthogonal noise portion of the series of incoming symbols is determined based upon an expected value of the difference between the two symbols.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling transmission power levels in a mobile communication system. The method provides for a closed-loop power control method. A mobile station provides information on the quality of the signal received from the base station, and the base station responds by adjusting the power allocated to that user in a shared base station signal. The transmission power is adjusted initially by a large increment and then ramped down at an increasingly decreasing rate. The mobile station also provides information to the base station as to its relative velocity and the base station adjusts its transmission power in accordance with this velocity information.

Abstract: The character of the noise in a series of incoming symbols received over a wireless link is determined. A series of corresponding bits are recovered based upon the series of incoming symbols. The series of corresponding bits are encoded to determine a series of recovered symbols. A vector product of the series of incoming symbols and the series of recovered symbols is determined. A difference between two symbols within the vector product is determined, wherein the two symbols were transmitted over the wireless link in close temporal proximity to one another. The expected value of a non-orthogonal noise portion of the series of incoming symbols is determined based upon an expected value of the difference between the two symbols.

Abstract: A system and method for assembling a single data stream from multiple instances of that data stream is described. Data transmitted from a cellular telephone subscriber unit is received by a set of base transceiver stations. Each base transceiver station performs various error detection procedures on segments of the data referred to as frames. These error detection procedures may include CRC check sum verification, Yamamoto metric calculation, re-encoded signal error rate calculation, or a combination thereof. The results of these error detection procedures are placed into a frame quality metric. The frame, frame quality metric, a time stamp and an address are placed into a packet that is transmitted from each base transceiver station to a base station controller which matches packets attempting to transmit the same information using the time stamp and selects one frame from the packets for further processing based on the associated frame quality metric.

Abstract: A novel and improved system and method for assembling a single data stream from multiple instances of that data stream is described. Data transmitted from a cellular telephone subscriber unit is received by a set of base transceiver stations. Each base transceiver station performs various error detection procedures on segments of the data referred to as frames. These error detection procedures may include CRC check sum verification, Yamamoto metric calculation, re-encoded signal error rate calculation, or a combination thereof. The results of these error detection procedures are placed into a frame quality metric. The frame, frame quality metric, a time stamp and an address are placed into a packet that is transmitted from each base transceiver station to a base station controller which matches packets attempting to transmit the same information using the time stamp and selects one frame from the packets for further processing based on the associated frame quality metric.

Abstract: In a wireless communication system, in order to determine a level of loading, the system enters a period of silence during which a designated remote unit continues to transmit but other remote unit transmissions are interrupted. The base station and designated remote unit perform closed loop power control on a reverse link signal received from the designated remote. A first series of power control commands accumulated and a first corresponding transmit gain adjustment value is stored. Normal operation is resumed. Once again, the base station and designated remote unit perform closed loop power control on the reverse link signal received from the designated remote unit. A second series of power control commands are accumulated and a second corresponding transmit gain adjustment value is stored. A level of loading is determined based upon the first and second transmit gain adjustment values.

Abstract: A plurality of methods for achieving the soft or softer handoff process such that the performance of a system is improved. A first method is based on delaying the softer handoff process. A second method is based on reducing the power of transmissions from the sector having the weakest signal strength. A third method is based on eliminating transmissions from the sector having the weakest signal strength. A fourth method adds a new base station or sector only when the mobile unit is in need of additional power to operate properly. In all four methods, reverse link demodulation in each sector may continue with or without the transmission of the forward link. In all four methods the operation could be based on the signal strength of the reverse link signal or the forward link. It is also possible to combine two or more of these methods to create a hybrid method.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing soft handoff in a mobile communication system. In current systems is that the members of active set are determined in accordance with comparisons of measured pilot energy with fixed thresholds. However, the value of providing a redundant communication link to a mobile station depends strongly on the energy of other signals being provided to the mobile station. In the present invention, the signal strengths of other base stations in communication with a mobile station are considered when determining whether adding a base to that set of base stations in communication with the remote station is of sufficient value to justify the impact on system capacity.

Abstract: A method for assigning optimal packet lengths in a variable rate communication system capable of data transmission at one of a plurality of data rates. The packet lengths for the data rates are selected such that the maximum throughput rate is achieved while conforming to a fairness criteria. The fairness criteria can be achieved by restricting the packet length assigned to each data rate to a range of value, or L.sub.i.sup.min .ltoreq.L.sub.i .ltoreq.L.sub.i.sup.max. The packet lengths for all data rates are first initialized to the maximum packet lengths for those data rates. Then, for each data rate, a determination is made whether another packet length assignment would result in improved throughput rate. If the answer is yes, the packet length for this data rate is reassigned and the throughput rate with the updated packet length assignments is recomputed. The process is repeated for each data rate until all data rates have been considered.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling transmission power in a mobile communication system, which provides for a closed-loop power control method. A mobile station provides information on the quality of the signal received from the base station, and the base station responds by adjusting the power allocated to that user in a shared base station signal. The transmission power is adjusted initially by a large increment and then ramped down at an increasingly decreasing rate. The mobile station also provides information to the base station as to its relative velocity and the base station adjusts its transmission power in accordance with this velocity information.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating information signals using spread spectrum communication techniques. PN sequences are constructed that provide orthogonality between the users so that mutual interference will be reduced, allowing higher capacity and better link performance. With orthogonal PN codes, the cross-correlation is zero over a predetermined time interval, resulting in no interference between the orthogonal codes, provided only that the code time frames are time aligned with each other. In an exemplary embodiment, signals are communicated between a cell-site and mobile units using direct sequence spread spectrum communication signals. In the cell-to-mobile link, pilot, sync, paging and voice channels are defined. Information communicated on the cell-to-mobile link channels are, in general, encoded, interleaved, bi-phase shift key (BPSK) modulated with orthogonal covering of each BPSK symbol along with quadrature phase shift key (QPSK) spreading of the covered symbols.

Abstract: In a communications network, a network user communicates through a remote unit via at least one base station. The communications network includes a first mobile switching center for controlling communications through a first set of base stations and a second mobile switching center for controlling communications through a second set of base stations. The network also includes a service providing base station controlled by the first mobile switching center and providing service to a first transition coverage area using a first pseudorandom noise code. The first transition coverage area defines a boundary between a first system controlled by the first mobile switching center and a second system controlled by the second mobile switching center.

Abstract: A method and apparatus providing softer handoff of a mobile unit between sectors of a common base station. A sectorized base station comprises a set of demodulation elements. Each demodulation element may be assigned to a signal from one of a plurality of sectors. The output of the demodulators are combined before the decoding process independent of the sector from which the data originated. This configuration provides improved output data reliability, more stable power control, and more efficient use of resources at the base station.

Abstract: An integrated search processor used in a modem for a spread spectrum communications system buffers receive samples and utilizes a time sliced transform processor operating on successive offsets from the buffer. The search processor autonomously steps through a search as configured by a microprocessor specified search parameter set, which can include the group of antennas to search over, the starting offset and width of the search window to search over, and the number of Walsh symbols to accumulate results at each offset. The search processor calculates the correlation energy at each offset, and presents a summary report of the best paths found in the search to use for demodulation element reassignment. The search is done in a linear fashion independent of the probability that a signal being searched for was transmitted at any given time.

Abstract: A plurality of methods for achieving the softer handoff process such that the performance of a system is improved. A first method is based on delaying the softer handoff process. A second method is based on reducing the power of transmissions from the sector having the weakest signal strength. A third method is based on eliminating transmissions from the sector having the weakest signal strength. In all three methods, reverse link demodulation in each sector may continue with or without the transmission of the forward link. In all three methods the operation could be based on the signal strength of the reverse link signal or the forward link. It is also possible to combine two or more of these methods to create a hybrid method.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for controlling the data rates for communications to and from a base station and a plurality of remote users. The usage of the communications resource whether the forward link resource (from base station to remote users) or reverse link resource (from remote users to base station) is measured. The measured usage value is compared against at least one predetermined threshold value and the data rates of communications or a subset of communications on said communications resource is modified in accordance with said comparisons.

Abstract: In a communications network, a network user communicates through a remote unit with another user via at least one base station. The communications network includes a first mobile switching center which controls communications through a first set of base stations including a first base station. The remote unit stores a list of active base stations which has an entry corresponding to each base station with which active communication is established. The first base station has an entry on the list of active base stations. The first base station measures a round trip delay of an active communication signal between the first base station and the remote unit. A handoff of the active communication signal is initiated if the round trip delay of the active communication exceeds a threshold if the first base station is designated as a reference base station.

Abstract: An apparatus for communicating variable rate data over a communication channel. A modulator that receive frames of user data each comprised of data symbols. The modulator repeats the data symbols within each frame to maintain a constant data rate. A transmitter receiver the modulator data and scales the modulated symbol data based upon the amount of symbol repetition in the frame.

Abstract: A system for determining the rate at which data has been encoded in the receiver of a variable-rate communications system. The data is received in frames having a fixed number of symbols. Multiple copies of symbols fill the frame when data is encoded at less than the full rate. At an encoding rate of one fourth the full rate, for example, each symbol in the frame is repeated four times. The incoming symbols are provided to multiple paths for decoding. Each path decodes the symbols at one of the possible rates. Error metrics, which describe the quality of the decoded symbols, are extracted and provided to a processor. The error metrics may include Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) results, Yamamoto Quality Metrics, and Symbol Error Rates. The processor analyzes the error metrics and determines the most probable rate at which the incoming symbols were encoded.