Methods of and devices for enhancing communications that use spread spectrum technology by using variable power techniques
DCFirst Claim
1. A method of processing a signal comprising applying a spread spectrum coding process, the signal being a function of time, the improvement comprising:
- modulating the signal to generate a modulated signal, the signal comprising a first segment a second segment, the first segment being more significant than the second segment and comprising a first time portion of the signal, the second segment comprising a second time portion of the signal, the modulating step increasing a duration of the first time portion relative to a duration of the second time portion.
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Abstract
We have invented methods of and devices for introducing unequal error protection into spread spectrum communication systems. One embodiment of the invention addresses certain inefficiencies of the standard known as IS-95 used, for example, in some mobile direct sequence code division multiple access ("DS-CDMA") phone systems. The invention allows for increased system capacity and/or improved quality. More specifically, spread spectrum multiple access ("SSMA") coding may be combined with the concept of unequal error protection ("UEP"), resulting in an UEP SSMA coding process. IS-95, in order to make significant portions of a signal highly immune to errors, has imposed the same high degree of error immunity on less significant portions of the signal (when, in fact, a lower degree would suffice) and, thus, wastes bandwidth. The present invention'"'"'s coding process (i.e., UEP SSMA) utilizes bandwidth in a closer to optimal manner than known methods.
61 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method of processing a signal comprising applying a spread spectrum coding process, the signal being a function of time, the improvement comprising:
modulating the signal to generate a modulated signal, the signal comprising a first segment a second segment, the first segment being more significant than the second segment and comprising a first time portion of the signal, the second segment comprising a second time portion of the signal, the modulating step increasing a duration of the first time portion relative to a duration of the second time portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus for processing a signal including means for applying a spread spectrum coding process, the signal being a function of time, the improvement comprising:
means for modulating the signal to generate a modulated signal, the signal comprising a first segment and a second segment, the first segment being more significant than the second segment and comprising a first time portion of the signal, the second segment comprising a second time portion of the signal, the means for modulating comprising means for increasing a duration of the first time portion relative to a duration of the second time portion. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method including applying a spread spectrum decoding method to a signal, the signal being a function of time, the improvement comprising:
variable time demodulating the signal to generate a variable time demodulated signal, the signal comprising a first segment and a second segment, the first segment being more significant than the second segment and comprising a first time portion of the signal, the second segment comprising a second time portion of the signal, the variable time demodulating comprising increasing a duration of the second time portion relative to a duration of the first time portion. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An apparatus including means for applying a spread spectrum decoding method to a signal, the signal being a function of time, the improvement comprising:
means for variable time demodulating the signal to generate a variable time demodulated signal, the signal comprising a first segment and a second segment, the first segment being more significant than the second segment and comprising a first time portion of the signal, the second segment comprising a second time portion of the signal, the means for variable time demodulating comprising means for increasing a duration of the second time portion relative to a duration of the first time portion. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An apparatus for processing a signal, the apparatus including means for applying a spread spectrum encoding process to the signal, the improvement comprising:
means for applying a first error protection process to at least one more significant portion of the signal, and a second error protection process to at least one less significant portion of the signal, wherein the first error protection process provides a greater amount of error protection than the second error protection process, the means for applying comprises means for applying a variable time modulator. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of processing a signal that applies a spread spectrum encoding process to the signal, the improvement comprising:
applying a first error protection process to at least one more significant portion of the signal, and a second error protection process to at least one less significant portion of the signal, wherein the first error protection process provides a greater amount of error protection than the second error protection process, the step of applying comprises applying a variable time modulator to the signal to generate an intermediate modulated signal. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
Specification