Handset diversity in wireless communications system

• US 6,799,026 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2000
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: F Poszat Hu LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kathrein-Werke KG. (Kathrein SE)
• Inventors: Scherzer, Shimon B., Wong, Piu Bill
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US09/695,459
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 455/101, 455/272-279, 455/500, 375/148, 375/149, 320/335, 342/452
• US Class Current: 455/279.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0805 with single receiver and antenna switching H04B7/0822 takes precedence

Abstract

A diversity reception handset includes a receiver for receiving pilot and plural increments of traffic sent from a base station within a service area of a wireless communications network. The handset includes at least two antennas, a switch for switching a receiver between the two antennas, a time-of-arrival searcher circuit connected to the receiver and responsive to the pilot for determining time of arrival of the received signals and expected time of arrival of each increment, and a controller for controlling the switch based upon determined expected time of arrival of each increment.

Claims

1. A diversity reception handset for use within a wireless communications network including at least one base station for sending to the handset a pilot and a plurality of increments of traffic separated by separation intervals, the handset comprising:

a first antenna;

a second antenna electrically separated from the first antenna in a predetermined way;

a receiver coupled to the first and second antennas;

an antenna switch coupled to the antennas for switching the receiver between the two antennas;

a time-of-arrival searcher circuit coupled to the receiver and responsive to the pilot for determining expected time of arrival of each increment of said plurality of increments;

a controller coupled to the switch and the searcher circuit for controlling the switch based upon determined expected time of arrival of said each increment;

first and second pilot integrators coupled to the receiver and controlled by the controller, the first pilot integrator for integrating pilot received via the first antenna, the second pilot integrator for integrating pilot received via the second antenna; and

a pilot switch coupled to the pilot integrators and controlled by the controller for switching between said first and second pilot integrators in synchronism with said antenna switch; and

a coherent demodulator coupled to said receiver and sequentially connected to said first and second pilot integrators for coherently demodulating each received increment of traffic in accordance with integrated pilot corresponding to a said antenna through which the increment passed to the receiver.

2. A diversity reception handset for use within a wireless communications network having at least one base station operating in a transmit band for sending to the handset a pilot and traffic packets, each packet sent as increments in plural time slots separated by separation time slots, the handset comprising:

a first antenna and a second antenna electrically separated from the first antenna in a predetermined way;

a RAKE receiver coupled to the first and second antennas;

an antenna switch coupled to the antennas and the RAKE receiver for switching the RAKE receiver responsive to the transmit band between the two antennas;

a time-of-arrival searcher circuit coupled to the RAKE receiver and responsive to the pilot for determining expected time of arrival of each slot of a packet being sent to the handset;

a controller coupled to the searcher circuit for controlling the switch based upon determined expected time of arrival of each slot;

first and second pilot integrators coupled to the RAKE receiver and controlled by the controller, the first pilot integrator for integrating pilot received via the first antenna, the second pilot integrator for integrating pilot received via the second antenna;

a pilot switch coupled to the pilot integrators and controlled by the controller for switching between outputs of said first and second pilot integrators in synchronism with said antenna switch; and

a coherent demodulator coupled to said RAKE receiver and sequentially coupled to said first and second pilot integrators for coherently demodulating each received increment of traffic in accordance with integrated pilot corresponding to a said antenna through which the increment passed to the RAKE receiver.

3. The diversity reception handset set forth in claim 2, wherein the second antenna is polarized with the first antenna, and wherein the predetermined way is spatial separation by at least one quarter mean wavelength of the transmit band.

4. The diversity reception handset set forth in claim 2, wherein the second antenna is polarized in an orthogonal direction relative to a polarization of the first antenna.

5. The diversity reception handset set forth in claim 2, wherein plural slots comprising a single traffic packet comprise interleaves of an error correction code symbol covering said packet and further comprising an error correction code processor for correcting detected errors in said packet.