Spread spectrum adaptive power control communications system and method

Claim 1

A system for adaptive-power control of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, comprising: said mobile station having a mobile transmitter coupled to a mobile antenna for transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal using radio waves; a base station having an automatic-gain-control (AGC) circuit, responsive to a received signal, for generating an AGC-output signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal; a base correlator coupled to said AGC circuit for despreading the AGC-output signal; a power-measurement circuit coupled to said base-correlator, for processing the despread AGC-output signal as a received-power level; a comparator coupled to said power-measurement circuit for generating a comparison signal by comparing the received-power level to a threshold level; a power-command circuit coupled to said comparator and responsive to the comparison signal for generating a power-command signal; an antenna; a transmitter coupled to said antenna and to said power-command circuit for transmitting the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; and said mobile station further including a mobile correlator coupled to said mobile antenna for despreading the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; and a variable-gain device coupled to said mobile correlator, responsive to the power-adjust signal indicating an increase in power necessary to reach a desired power level, for geometrically increasing a transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal transmitted from said mobile-transmitter until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level and then for geometrically decreasing the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level, said variable-gain device alternatingly geometrically increasing to a point of excess power and geometrically decreasing to a point of insufficient power, with diminishing margins of error in excess and insufficiency, until the desired power level is obtained.

Claim 2

A system for adaptive-power control of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, comprising: said mobile station having a mobile transmitter coupled to a mobile antenna for transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal using radio waves; a base station having an automatic-gain-control (AGC) circuit, responsive to a received signal, for generating an AGC-output signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal; a base correlator coupled to said AGC circuit for despreading the AGC-output signal; a power-measurement circuit coupled to said base-correlator, for processing the despread AGC-output signal as a received-power level; a comparator coupled to said power-measurement circuit for generating a comparison signal by comparing the received-power level to a threshold level; a power-command circuit coupled to said comparator and responsive to the comparison signal for generating a power-command signal; an antenna; a transmitter coupled to said antenna and to said power-command circuit for transmitting the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; and said mobile station further including a mobile correlator coupled to said mobile antenna for despreading the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; and a variable-gain device coupled to said mobile correlator, responsive to the power-adjust signal indicating an increase in power necessary to reach a desired power level, for geometrically increasing a transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal transmitted from said mobile-transmitter until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level and then for geometrically decreasing the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level, said variable-gain device alternatingly geometrically increasing to a point of excess power and geometrically decreasing to a point of insufficient power, with diminishing margins of error in excess and insufficiency, until the desired power level is obtained.

Claim 5

A system for adaptive-power control of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, with the mobile station transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal, said system comprising: a base station; automatic gain control (AGC) means, located at said base station, responsive to a received signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal, for generating an AGC-output signal; base-correlator means, located at said base station, for despreading the AGC-output signal as a despread AGC-output signal; power means, located at said base station, for processing the despread AGC-output signal as a received-power level, and for generating a power-command signal by comparing the received-power level to a threshold level; transmitter means, located at said base station, for transmitting the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; a mobile station; mobile means, located at said mobile station, for despreading the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; and variable-gain means, located at said mobile station, responsive to said power-adjust signal indicating an increase in power necessary to reach a desired power level, for geometrically increasing a transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level and then for geometrically decreasing the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level, said variable-gain means alternatingly geometrically increasing to a point of excess power and geometrically decreasing to a point of insufficient power, with diminishing margins of error in excess and insufficiency, until the desired power level is obtained.

Claim 6

A system for adaptive-power control of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, with the mobile station transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal, said system comprising: a base station; automatic gain control (AGC) means, located at said base station, responsive to a received signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal, for generating an AGC-output signal; base-correlator means, located at said base station, for despreading the AGC-output signal as a despread AGC-output signal; power means, located at said base station, for processing the despread AGC-output signal as a received-power level, and for generating a power-command signal by comparing the received-power level to a threshold level; transmitter means, located at said base station, for transmitting the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; a mobile station; mobile means, located at said mobile station, for despreading the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; and variable-gain means, located at said mobile station, responsive to said power-adjust signal indicating an increase in power necessary to reach a desired power level, for geometrically increasing a transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level and then for geometrically decreasing the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level, said variable-gain means alternatingly geometrically increasing to a point of excess power and geometrically decreasing to a point of insufficient power, with diminishing margins of error in excess and insufficiency, until the desired power level is obtained.

Claim 17

A method for adaptive-power control, from a base station, of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, with the mobile station transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal, said method comprising the steps of: generating, at said base station, from a received signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal, an AGC-output signal; despreading, at said base station, the AGC-output signal as a despread AGC-output signal; processing, at said base station, the despread AGC-output signal to generate a received-power level; generating, at said base station, a power-command signal from comparing the received-power level to a threshold; transmitting, from said base station, the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; despreading, at said mobile station, the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; geometrically increasing, at said mobile station, responsive to the power-adjust signal indicating a transmitter-power level less than a desired power level, the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level; geometrically decreasing the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level; and repeating the steps of geometrically increasing and geometrically decreasing, with diminishing margins of error in insufficiency and excess, until the desired power level is obtained.

Claim 18

A method for adaptive-power control, from a base station, of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, with the mobile station transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal, said method comprising the steps of: generating, at said base station, from a received signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal, an AGC-output signal; despreading, at said base station, the AGC-output signal as a despread AGC-output signal; processing, at said base station, the despread AGC-output signal to generate a received-power level; generating, at said base station, a power-command signal from comparing the received-power level to a threshold; transmitting, from said base station, the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; despreading, at said mobile station, the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; geometrically increasing, at said mobile station, responsive to the power-adjust signal indicating a transmitter-power level less than a desired power level, the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level; geometrically decreasing the transmitter-power level of the first spread-spectrum signal until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level; and repeating the steps of geometrically increasing and geometrically decreasing, with diminishing margins of error in insufficiency and excess, until the desired power level is obtained.

Claim 21

A method for adaptive-power control, from a base station, of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, with the mobile station transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal, said method comprising the steps of: generating, at said base station, from a received signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal, an AGC-output signal; despreading, at said base station, the AGC-output signal as a despread AGC-output signal; processing, at said base station, the despread AGC-output signal to generate a received-power level; generating, at said base station, a power-command signal from comparing the received-power level to a threshold; transmitting, from said base station, the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; despreading, at said mobile station, the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; increasing, responsive to the power-adjust signal indicating a transmitter-power level less than a desired power level, the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level; decreasing the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level; and repeating the steps of increasing the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments to a point of excess power and decreasing the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments to a point of insufficient power, with diminishing margins of error in excess and insufficiency, until the desired power level is obtained.

Claim 22

A method for adaptive-power control, from a base station, of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, with the mobile station transmitting a first spread-spectrum signal, said method comprising the steps of: generating, at said base station, from a received signal, with the received signal including the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal, an AGC-output signal; despreading, at said base station, the AGC-output signal as a despread AGC-output signal; processing, at said base station, the despread AGC-output signal to generate a received-power level; generating, at said base station, a power-command signal from comparing the received-power level to a threshold; transmitting, from said base station, the power-command signal as a second spread-spectrum signal; despreading, at said mobile station, the power-command signal from the second spread-spectrum signal as a power-adjust signal; increasing, responsive to the power-adjust signal indicating a transmitter-power level less than a desired power level, the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments until the transmitter-power level exceeds the desired power level; decreasing the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments until the transmitter-power level falls below the desired power level; and repeating the steps of increasing the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments to a point of excess power and decreasing the transmitter-power level in non-linear increments to a point of insufficient power, with diminishing margins of error in excess and insufficiency, until the desired power level is obtained.