Multi-user communication system architecture with distributed receivers

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein said despreading step generates despread digital communication signals in the form of encoded data symbols and said transforming step comprises the step of transferring encoded data symbols for each signal path to one of a plurality of orthogonal function transformers each for generating symbol energy metrics for a channel operating through a corresponding analog receiver.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of summing symbol energy metrics received at inputs of each of said metric receivers from multiple transformation steps to generate a single channel symbol energy metric for deriving channel data.

Claim 5

The method of claim 2 wherein said orthogonal function transformers comprise Fast Hadamard Transformers.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein each of said metric receivers corresponds to a single encoded signal channel to be processed.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 wherein said analog receivers are configured to receive signals of at least one carrier frequency and convert said signals to digital communication signals at predetermined sampling rates.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 wherein said analog receivers are provided within a gateway type base station and at least one satellite based repeater is employed to transfer said communication signals from subscriber units within said communication system to said analog receivers.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 wherein there are at least two satellites in communication with said gateway at any given time.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 wherein said preselected pseudonoise (PN) sequences are also used to modulate in-phase and quadrature components of digital data signals prior to transmission to intended recipients.

Claim 11

The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of tracking a relative time difference between received communication signals and a phase of said PN sequences being used in despreading, and providing a timing adjustment signal to indicate sign and magnitudes of any difference.

Claim 12

Apparatus for receiving signals in a spread spectrum communication system in which information is communicated over orthogonally encoded communication channels within spread spectrum communication signals transmitted by system subscribers, comprising: one or more analog receivers connected to receive spread spectrum communication signals, each receiver configured to receive signals of at least one carrier frequency and convert said signals to digital communication signals, which are provided at outputs; a plurality of demodulating means connected to the outputs of each of said analog receivers for despreading each of said digital communication signals using preselected pseudorandom noise (PN) type code sequences to produce encoded data symbols, and for transforming at least a preselected number of said encoded data symbols into energy metric signals indicative of energy values associated with encoded data symbols, said demodulating means configured to accommodate a number of signals equal to the product of a predetermined maximum number of subscribers to be serviced by a receiver and a maximum expected average number of signal paths over which communication signals are to be received from each subscriber through that corresponding analog receiver; and one or more metric data receivers, each connected to receive energy metric signals from one or more of said demodulating means associated with each analog receiver which are providing metric signals for a pre-assigned single encoded communication channel.

Claim 13

Apparatus for receiving signals in a spread spectrum communication system in which information is communicated over orthogonally encoded communication channels within spread spectrum communication signals transmitted by system subscribers, comprising: one or more analog receivers connected to receive spread spectrum communication signals, each receiver configured to receive signals of at least one carrier frequency and convert said signals to digital communication signals, which are provided at outputs; a plurality of demodulating means connected to the outputs of each of said analog receivers for despreading each of said digital communication signals using preselected pseudorandom noise (PN) type code sequences to produce encoded data symbols, and for transforming at least a preselected number of said encoded data symbols into energy metric signals indicative of energy values associated with encoded data symbols, said demodulating means configured to accommodate a number of signals equal to the product of a predetermined maximum number of subscribers to be serviced by a receiver and a maximum expected average number of signal paths over which communication signals are to be received from each subscriber through that corresponding analog receiver; and one or more metric data receivers, each connected to receive energy metric signals from one or more of said demodulating means associated with each analog receiver which are providing metric signals for a pre-assigned single encoded communication channel.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said demodulating means comprises demodulating modules, the number of modules being equal to the product of a predetermined maximum number of subscribers to be serviced by a receiver and a maximum expected average number of signal paths so that at least one module is available for each diversity communication path over which communication signals are to be received from each subscriber through that corresponding analog receiver, which each comprise: despreading means for generating despread digital communication signals in the form of encoded data symbols; and transformation means for receiving said encoded data symbols and for performing orthogonal function transformations to generate symbol energy metrics for a channel operating through a corresponding analog receiver.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising summation means for summing symbol energy metrics received at inputs of each of said metric receivers from multiple demodulating means to generate a single channel symbol energy metric for deriving channel data.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said transformation means comprise Fast Hadamard Transformers.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of said metric receivers is pre-assigned to a single encoded signal channel to be processed.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said analog receivers are configured to receive signals of at least one carrier frequency and convert said signals to digital communication signals at predetermined sampling rates.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said analog receivers are provided within a gateway type base station and at least one satellite based repeater is employed to transfer said communication signals from subscriber units within said communication system to said analog receivers.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein there are at least two satellites in communication with said gateway at any given time.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said preselected pseudonoise (PN) sequences are also used to modulate in-phase and quadrature components of digital data signals prior to transmission to intended recipients.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said communication system comprises a wireless telephone/data communication system in which remote users are located within a plurality of cells and communicate information signals to at least one gateway, using code division multiple access (CDMA) spread spectrum type communication signals.