Abstract: A receiver for the GEO satellite reverse link, which uses the tail-biting convolutional code for error control, and methods to solve the problem of channel estimation is described. The channel estimate is initialized at each state using the pilot channel. Branch metric computation is used for circular decoding of the tail-biting convolutional code. The technique is effective when partial tail-biting is implemented.

Abstract: A communication system is provided that allows a mobile terminal with an EVDO interface to perform VoIP communications via a satellite. The 1xEVDO physical layer frames and vocoder frames are synchronized and aligned to a known periodic time boundary for efficient transmission. A reverse link transmission rate is adjusted to match a VoIP packet source rate and operate the reverse link transmission channel to a satellite continuously. The reverse link transmission channel from a mobile terminal to a satellite may operate continuously and at a lower channel transmission rate to reduce the peak power amplifier power requirement. The higher layer time-out periods are increased to account for propagation delay to/from a satellite relay. A physical layer retransmit mechanism is disabled to ignore ACKs/NACKs when sending VoIP packets via a satellite relay. A different channel code may be selective applied depending on the size/type of packets being transmitted.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed in which a mobile terminal having limited power is able to communicate with a land-based network via a low-rate satellite communication link. To achieve VoIP communications via a low-rate link, link-layer assisted zero-header header compression techniques are employed to reduce VoIP packet overheads. Additionally, overheads introduced by link layer protocol layers are eliminated or reduced. A transmitting device strips RTP/UDP/IP header information from a stream of VoIP packets. The transmitting device then sends an initial context message providing the RTP/UDP/IP header information. The stripped zero-header VoIP packets are then transmitted via a satellite relay. A receiving device uses the initial context information to reconstruct the headers for the zero-header VoIP packets.

Abstract: Techniques for performing equalization of multiple signals received by a terminal in soft handoff with multiple base stations. The received signal at the terminal is conditioned and digitized to provide a stream of received samples, which is then equalized/filtered with multiple sets of coefficients to provide multiple streams of transmit chip estimates. One set of coefficients is provided for each base station and is used to provide a corresponding stream of transmit chip estimates. The multiple streams of transmit chip estimates are further processed to provide multiple streams of data symbol estimates, one stream of data symbol estimates for each base station. The multiple streams of data symbol estimates are then scaled with multiple scaling factors and combined to provide a stream of combined data symbol estimates. The processing for the multiple base stations may be performed by a single hardware unit in a time division multiplexed manner.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to compute the combiner coefficients for wireless communication systems using an adaptive algorithm. One embodiment trains the weights on a signal known a priori that is time multiplexed with other signals, such as a pilot signal in a High Data Rate, HDR, system, wherein the signal is transmitted at full power. The adaptive algorithm recursively computes the weights during the pilot interval and applies the weights generated to the traffic signals. In one embodiment, the algorithm is a recursive least squares algorithm employing a transversal filter and weight calculation unit.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to compute the combiner coefficients for wireless communication systems using an adaptive algorithm. One embodiment trains the weights on a signal known a priori that is time multiplexed with other signals, such as a pilot signal in a High Data Rate, HDR, system, wherein the signal is transmitted at full power. The adaptive algorithm recursively computes the weights during the pilot interval and applies the weights generated to the traffic signals. In one embodiment, the algorithm is a recursive least squares algorithm employing a transversal filter and weight calculation unit.

Abstract: A carrier recovery method and apparatus using multiple stages of carrier frequency recovery are disclosed. A receiver uses multiple frequency generation sources to generate carrier signals used to downconvert a received signal. An analog frequency reference having a wide frequency range and coarse frequency resolution is used in conjunction with a digital frequency reference having a narrow frequency range and fine frequency resolution. The multiple carrier signals are multiplied by a received signal to effect a multi-stage downconversion, resulting in a baseband signal. A frequency tracking module measures the residual frequency error present in the baseband signal. The measured residual frequency error is then used to adjust the frequencies of the carrier signals generated by the multiple frequency generation sources.

Abstract: A pilot assisted channel estimation process. A receiver may be configured to estimate the impulse response of a channel from a signal having pilot tones and spread-spectrum pilot signals. The receiver estimates the response of the channel from the pilot tones, and adapts the length of delay the channel response is estimated based on the spread-spectrum pilot signals.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for measuring the performance of a communications channel is disclosed which includes receiving a signal from the communications channel, filtering the signal, estimating a bias introduced by the filtering of the signal, and computing a parameter of the communications channel as a function of the estimated bias. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A spread-spectrum communication system provides an effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of received orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) slots in the presence of timing errors. Effective SNR can serve as a diagnostic tool for determining whether there was a timing error when a measured packet error rate (PER) remains high, and a predicted PER from the effective SNR remains low. A loop can use the effective SNR to control a time reference used by an OFDM decoder.

Abstract: Method and apparatus that compensates for overestimation of channel SINR due to overfitting of an adaptive equalizer to the pilot portion of a received frame. The SINR of a wireless channel is estimated by adapting an adaptive equalizer using the pilot portion of the frame, applying the adaptive equalizer to a non-pilot portion of the frame, determining a parameter using the adaptive equalizer output, and estimating the SINR of the wireless channel using the parameter. The parameter can include, for example, the mean square error (MSE) or the bias of the equalizer output. The accuracy of the SINR estimate according to this aspect of the present invention is thereby improved (as compared to a SINR estimate based on parameters calculated during the pilot interval) because the adaptive equalizer is not overfit to the control or data portions of the frame.

Abstract: A carrier recovery method and apparatus using multiple stages of carrier frequency recovery are disclosed. A receiver uses multiple frequency generation sources to generate carrier signals used to downconvert a received signal. An analog frequency reference having a wide frequency range and coarse frequency resolution is used in conjunction with a digital frequency reference having a narrow frequency range and fine frequency resolution. The multiple carrier signals are multiplied by a received signal to effect a multi-stage downconversion, resulting in a baseband signal. A frequency tracking module measures the residual frequency error present in the baseband signal. The measured residual frequency error is then used to adjust the frequencies of the carrier signals generated by the multiple frequency generation sources.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a decision feedback equalizer wherein a correction term is used to compensate for slicer errors, thus avoiding error propagation. Filter coefficients for the equalizer are selected so as to minimize a cost function for the equalizer. The cost function calculation includes a correction term. The correction term is a function of the energy of the filter coefficients. In one embodiment, the cost function includes a Mean Squared Error (MSE) calculation. The equalizer includes a coefficient generator responsive to the correction term. The correction term may depend on the Signal-to-Interference-and-Noise Ratio (SINR) at the output of the equalizer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for estimating a transmitted symbol from a received sample as a function of Signal-to-Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) of the received sample. The received sample is quantized and mapped to a region of a grid overlaid on the transmitted symbol constellation. The region may correspond to a symbol estimate value or may be processed further to obtain a symbol estimate value. The regions in one embodiment are rectangular. The symbol estimate values may be stored in a memory storage unit.

Abstract: Techniques for selecting either a DFE or an LE for use to equalize a received signal, and for quickly and efficiently determining the coefficients for the selected equalizer. In an embodiment, a method is provided whereby the DFE is initially adapted based on the received signal and a particular adaptive algorithm (e.g., the LMS algorithm) for an initial time period. A quality metric is then determined for an output of the DFE. The DFE is selected for use if the quality metric is better than a threshold value, and the LE is selected otherwise. If the LE is selected, then the initial values for the coefficients of the LE may be derived based on the coefficients of a feed-forward filter and a feedback filter for the DFE, and the LE coefficients may further be adapted for an additional time period prior to its use to equalize the received signal.

Abstract: Noise variance estimation in wireless communications. Noise variance estimation includes receiving a signal including an OFDM symbol having, in-band tones including in-band pilot tones, and band-edge tones including band-edge pilot tones and guard tones, estimating an effective noise variance for the in-band tones using the in-band pilot tones and channel estimates for the in-band pilot tones, and estimating an effective noise variance for the band-edge tones using the band-edge pilot tones, channel estimates for the band-edge pilot tones, and the guard tones.

Abstract: A weighted mean arrival time determines a delay offset of a fractionally spaced equalizer. The weighted mean arrival time is determined using path arrival times and energies from a Rake receiver. The difference between a weighted mean arrival time and a current delay offset is set to a difference X, in units of the equalizer tap spacing. If the difference X is greater than or equal to 1 or less than or equal to ?1, then the current delay offset is updated by an incremental delay offset and the equalizer filter coefficients are shifted by a number of tap spacings. Otherwise, the current delay offset is not updated and the filter coefficients of the fractionally spaced equalizer are not shifted. Adaptation of the filter coefficients and updates of the delay offset of the equalizer occur only during pilot bursts so as to minimize adaptation transients.

Abstract: A non-parametric matched filter receiver that includes a digital (e.g., FIR) filter and a channel estimator. The channel estimator (1) determines the timing to center the digital filter, (2) obtains the characteristics of the noise in received samples, (3) estimates the system response for the samples using a best linear unbiased (BLU) estimator, a correlating estimator, or some other type of estimator, and (4) derives a set of coefficients for the digital filter based on the estimated system response and the determined noise characteristics. The correlating estimator correlates the samples with their known values to obtain the estimated system response. The BLU estimator pre-processes the samples to whiten the noise, correlates the whitened samples with their known values, and applies a correction factor to obtain the estimated system response. The digital filter then filters the samples with the set of coefficients to provide demodulated symbols.

Abstract: Systems and methods according to the present invention are described for adjusting the number of taps in an adaptive equalizer over time as the rate of change of a communications channel varies. The number of taps or “equalizer length” is adjusted based on an estimate of the Doppler frequency between the devices communicating over a channel. The Doppler frequency is reflective of the rate of change of the communications channel. Greater Doppler frequencies indicate a more quickly varying channel, and vice versa. It is therefore desirable to change the equalizer length (by adding or dropping taps) based on a measurement of the Doppler frequency. Equalizer length is increased as the Doppler frequency decreases. Conversely, equalizer length is decreased as the Doppler frequency increases. This enables the equalizer to achieve a better compromise between the competing goals of adaptation speed (less taps) and ISI reduction (more taps).

Abstract: A pilot assisted channel estimation process. A receiver may be configured to estimate the impulse response of a channel from a signal having pilot tones and spread-spectrum pilot signals. The receiver estimates the response of the channel from the pilot tones, and adapts the length of delay the channel response is estimated based on the spread-spectrum pilot signals.