Performing a correlation in reception of a spread spectrum signal

• US 20070153882A1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Eerola, Ville
• Granted Patent: US 7,852,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/30 code related G01S19/246 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/37 Hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/709 Correlator structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/7071 with dynamic control of receiver resources

Abstract

A correlator (30) for performing a correlation with a received spread spectrum signal, comprising at least an input (30.1) for inputting samples of a received signal; at least one reference code input (30.2) for inputting at least one reference code, a correlator block comprising a data shift register (36) for receiving the signal samples; a number of register groups (31) comprising a code shift register (33) for receiving at least a part of at least one reference code; and a code register (34) for receiving data from the code shift register (33); configuration pathways (201, 202, 203) for arranging the connections between the code shift register and code register (33, 34) of the register groups (31) in a reconfigurable manner.

Claims

1. A correlator for performing a correlation with a received spread spectrum signal, comprising:

an input for inputting samples of a received signal;

at least one reference code input for inputting at least one reference code;

a correlator block comprising

a data shift register for receiving said signal samples;

a number of register groups comprising

a code shift register for receiving at least a part of at least one reference code; and

a code register for receiving data from the code shift register; and

configuration pathways for arranging the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups in a reconfigurable manner.

2. The correlator according to claim 1, wherein said number of register groups comprise at least two subgroups, each subgroup comprising:

a code shift register; and

at least two code registers,

wherein said configuration pathways comprise

signal connectors for arranging the code shift registers of said at least two subgroups to operate either in parallel or independently of each other; and

signal connectors for arranging said at least two code registers of said subgroups to operate in parallel, in serial, or independently of each other.

3. The correlator according to claim 1 comprising at least a first register group and a second register group, and that said first register group is adapted to perform correlation with a first spread spectrum signal, and said second register group is adapted to perform correlation with a second spread spectrum signal.

4. The correlator according to claim 1 comprising at least a first register group and a second register group, and said first and second register group are connected in series to perform correlation with the same spread spectrum signal.

5. The correlator according to claim 1, adapted for transferring the data of said code shift register and said sample shift register, for storing a new sample in the sample shift register and for reading new reference code data into the code shift register after the storing of the new sample, and that said code shift register, code register and sample shift register are equal in length.

6. The correlator according to claim 5, wherein the sample shift register and the code shift register have a determined length, wherein said correlator is adapted to transfer the data of the code shift register into the code register after the formation of the number of samples corresponding to said length.

7. A receiver for receiving a spread spectrum signal, comprising:

a sampler for forming samples of a received signal;

a correlator for performing a correlation with the samples of the received spread spectrum signal;

a code generator for generating at least one reference code for the correlator;

a mixer for mixing correlated signals; and

an integrator for integrating the mixed signals;

wherein said correlator comprises;

a data shift register for receiving said signal samples;

a number of register groups comprising

a code shift register for receiving at least a part of at least one reference code; and

a code register for receiving data from the code shift register;

wherein said correlator of the receiver also comprises;

configuration pathways for arranging the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups in a reconfigurable manner.

8. The receiver according to claim 7, wherein said number of register groups comprise at least two subgroups, each subgroup comprising:

a code shift register; and

at least two code registers,

wherein said configuration pathways comprise

signal connectors for arranging the code shift registers of said at least two subgroups to operate either in parallel or independently of each other; and

signal connectors for arranging said at least two code registers of said subgroups to operate in parallel, in serial, or independently of each other.

9. The receiver according to claim 8, wherein the mixer block comprises a frequency bin generator for generating a number of Doppler frequency bins.

10. The receiver according to claim 9, wherein the number of integrators equals the number of Doppler frequency bins generated by the frequency bin generator.

11. The receiver according to claim 7, wherein said code generator block is configured to generate at least two different reference codes.

12. An electronic device comprising a receiver for receiving a spread spectrum modulated signal, comprising:

a sampler for forming samples of a received signal,

a correlator for performing a correlation with the samples of the received spread spectrum signal;

a code generator for generating at least one reference code for the correlator;

a mixer for mixing correlated signals; and

an integrator for integrating the mixed signals;

wherein said correlator comprises;

a correlator block comprising;

a data shift register for receiving said signal samples;

a number of register groups comprising

a code shift register for receiving at least a part of at least one reference code; and

a code register for receiving data from the code shift register;

wherein said correlator of the electronic device also comprises;

configuration pathways for arranging the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups in a reconfigurable manner.

13. A system comprising a transmitting station for transmitting a spread spectrum modulated signal, a receiver for receiving a spread spectrum modulated signal, the receiver comprising:

a sampler for forming samples of a received signal;

a correlator for performing a correlation with the samples of the received spread spectrum signal;

a code generator for generating at least one reference code for the correlator;

a mixer for mixing correlated signals; and

an integrator for integrating the mixed signals;

wherein said correlator comprises;

a correlator block comprising;

a data shift register for receiving said signal samples;

a number of register groups comprising

a code shift register for receiving at least a part of at least one reference code; and

a code register for receiving data from the code shift register;

wherein said correlator of the receiver comprises;

configuration pathways for arranging the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups in a reconfigurable manner.

14. A module for performing a correlation with a received spread spectrum signal, comprising:

an input for inputting samples of a received signal;

at least one reference code input for inputting at least one reference code;

a correlator block comprising

a data shift register for receiving said signal samples;

a number of register groups comprising

a code shift register for receiving at least a part of at least one reference code; and

a code register for receiving data from the code shift register;

wherein said correlator also comprises;

configuration pathways for arranging the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups in a reconfigurable manner.

15. A method for performing a correlation with a received spread spectrum signal in a correlator, the method comprising:

inputting samples of a received signal;

inputting at least one reference code;

receiving at least a part of at least one reference code to a code shift register;

receiving data from the code shift register to a code register; and

configuring pathways of said correlator for arranging the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups.

16. A computer software product which comprises instructions stored on a readable medium for execution by a processor, said instructions when executed for

inputting samples of a received signal;

inputting at least one reference code;

receiving at least a part of at least one reference code to a code shift register;

receiving data from the code shift register to a code register; and

arranging connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups.

17. A correlator comprising:

an input for inputting samples of a received signal;

at least one reference code input for inputting at least one reference code;

a data shift register for receiving said signal samples;

a number of register groups comprising

a code shift register for receiving at least a part of at least one reference code; and

a code register for receiving data from the code shift register;

configuration pathways for arranging the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups in a reconfigurable manner.

18. A method comprising:

inputting samples of a received signal;

inputting at least one reference code;

receiving at least a part of at least one reference code to a code shift register;

receiving data from the code shift register to a code register; and

configuring pathways of said correlator to arrange the connections between the code shift register and the code register of the register groups.