CDMA communication system

• US 6,081,547 A
• Filed: 08/18/1997
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Miya, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan, Chieh M.
• Application Number:
  US08/912,197
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 375/200, 375/206, 375/208, 375/202, 375/130, 375/132, 375/140, 375/142, 375/148, 375/150, 375/354, 375/367, 370/208, 370/320, 370/335, 370/342
• US Class Current: 375/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/709 Correlator structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7117 Selection, re-selection, allocation or re-allocation of paths to fingers, e.g. timing offset control of allocated fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/712 Weighting of fingers for combining, e.g. amplitude control or phase rotation using an inner loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0891 Space-time diversity rake receivers H04B1/7115; space-time decoding H04L1/0631

Abstract

A CDMA communication system comprises: N antennas, arranged for space diversity receiving, for receiving a CDMA direct conversion radio wave signal including data to respectively generate N reception CDMA signals; a searching circuit for searching a phase of PN code in one of the N reception CDMA signals; N phase tracking circuits having N correlation detectors for tracking phases of the PN codes in the N reception CDMA signals in accordance with the searched phase to generate phase information of the PN codes, respectively; N de-spreading circuits for de-spreading the N received CDMA direct conversion signals in accordance with the phase information, respectively; and a diversity combining circuit for combining outputs of the N de-spreading circuits to provide the space diversity receiving to output the combined signal. A switch may be further provided for successively selecting one of the N reception CDMA signals periodically and supplying one of the N reception CDMA direct conversion signals to the searching circuit. The phase information is generated in various ways. For example, the larger amounts of in-phase points than a reference are used.

Claims

1. A CDMA communication system comprising:

N antennas, arranged for space diversity receiving, for receiving a CDMA direct conversion radio wave signal including data to respectively generate N reception CDMA signals, said N being a natural number;

searching means for searching a phase of PN code in one of said N reception CDMA signals;

N phase tracking means having N correlation detectors for tracking phases of the PN codes in said N reception CDMA signals in accordance with the searched phase to generate phase information of said PN codes, respectively;

N de-spreading means for de-spreading said N reception CDMA signals in accordance with said phase information, respectively; and

diversity combining means for combining outputs of said N de-spreading means to provide said space diversity receiving to output the combined signal.

2. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising switching means for successively selecting one of said N reception CDMA signals periodically and supplying said one of said N reception CDMA direct conversion signals to said searching means.

3. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises comparing means for comparing an output of said correlation detector thereof with a predetermined level and outputting means for outputting said phase information when a level of said output exceeds said predetermined level.

4. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises in-phase point detection means for detecting in-phase points in an output of said correlation detector thereof, a max detector for detecting one of said in-phase points having a largest amount of said output of said correlation detector thereof, reference level generation means for generating a reference level from a predetermined ratio and said largest amount, comparing means for comparing amounts of said output of said correlation detector thereof at said in-phase points with said reference level, and outputting means for generating said phase information including said in-phase points showing that said amounts of said outputs of said correlation detectors are larger than said reference level.

5. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises in-phase point detection means for detecting in-phase points and amounts of an output of said correlation detector thereof, said CDMA communication system further comprising comparing means for comparing said amounts of said outputs of said correlation detectors of said N phase tracking means, and outputting means for outputting said phase information of a predetermined number of said in-phase points showing that said amounts of said outputs of said correlation detectors are larger than those of other in-phase points.

6. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises in-phase point detection means for detecting in-phase points and amounts of an output of said correlation detector thereof, said CDMA communication system further comprising comparing and selection means including:

max detection means for detecting one of said in-phase points from said N phase tracking means having a largest amount of said outputs of said N correlation detectors;

reference level generation means for generating a reference level from a predetermined ratio and said largest amount;

comparing means for comparing amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors at said in-phase points with said reference level; and

generation means for generating said phase information including said in-phase points showing that said amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors are larger than said reference level.

7. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises in-phase point detection means for detecting in-phase points in an output of said correlation detector thereof, said CDMA communication system further comprising comparing and selection means including:

max detection means for detecting one of said in-phase points from said N phase tracking means having a largest amount of said outputs of said N correlation detectors;

reference level generation means for generating a reference level from a predetermined ratio and said largest amount;

comparing means for comparing amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors at said in-phase points with said reference level; and

generation means for generating said phase information of a predetermined number of said in-phase points showing that said amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors are larger than those of other in-phase points and larger than said reference level.

8. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises in-phase point detection means for detecting in-phase points in an output of said correlation detector thereof, said CDMA communication system further comprising comparing means for comparing amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors, and generation means for generating said phase information of a predetermined number of said in-phase points showing that said amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors are larger than those of other in-phase points.

9. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises in-phase point detection means for detecting in-phase points in an output of said correlation detector thereof, said CDMA communication system further comprising comparing and selection means including:

max detection means for detecting one of said in-phase points from said N phase tracking means having a largest amount of said outputs of said N correlation detectors;

reference level generation means for generating a reference level from a predetermined ratio and said largest amount;

comparing means for comparing amounts of said outputs at said in-phase points with said reference level; and

generation means for generating said phase information including said in-phase points showing that said amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors are larger than said reference level.

10. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises in-phase point detection means for detecting in-phase points in an output of said correlation detector thereof, said CDMA communication system further comprising comparing and selection means including:

max detection means for detecting one of said in-phase points from said N phase tracking means having a largest amount of said outputs of said N correlation detectors;

reference level generation means for generating a reference level from a predetermined ratio and said largest amount;

comparing means for comparing amounts of said outputs at said in-phase points with said reference level; and

generation means for generating said phase information of a predetermined number of said in-phase points showing that said amounts of said outputs of said N correlation detectors are larger than those of other in-phase points and larger than said reference level.

11. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said N phase tracking means comprises comparing means for comparing an output of said correlation detector with a predetermined level and outputting means for outputting said phase information when a level of said output exceeds said predetermined level.

12. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said antennas are spaced apart by approximately a half wavelength of the CDMA direct conversion radio wave signal.

13. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said antennas are spaced apart by approximately 7.5 cm.

14. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said antennas are spaced apart by a predetermined distance for space diversity reception such that phases of respective paths thereof are substantially equal, thereby to reduce differences in correlation outputs thereof.

15. The CDMA communication system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said antennas are spaced apart by approximately a half wavelength of the CDMA direct conversion radio wave signal.

16. A CDMA communication system comprising:

N antennas, arranged for space diversity receiving, for receiving a CDMA direct conversion radio wave signal including data to respectively generate N reception CDMA signals, said N being a natural number greater than one;

searching means for searching a phase of PN code in one of said N reception CDMA signals;

N phase tracking means;

said searching means providing a signal representing the searched phase of the PN code in said one of said N reception CDMA signals to each of said N phase tracking means;

said N phase tracking means having N correlation detectors for tracking respective phases of the PN codes in said N reception CDMA signals in accordance with the searched phase of the PN code in said one of said N reception CDMA signals, as provided by said signal from said searching means, to generate phase information of said respective PN codes;

N de-spreading means for de-spreading said N reception CDMA signals in accordance with said phase information, respectively; and

diversity combining means for combining outputs of said N de-spreading means to provide said space diversity receiving to output the combined signal.