Patent ID: 7522653
Filing Date: 2009-04-21
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A method for symbol synchronization of a spread spectrum signal at a receiver when a symbol boundary of the signal is not on a pseudo-random noise (“PN”) epoch or is otherwise unknown, comprising the steps of: despreading the spread spectrum signal in a receiver to form a despread signal; integrating the despread signal in the receiver for a plurality of symbol times at a rate of N integrations per symbol time to form N symbol energies per symbol for a plurality of symbols, wherein each of the N symbol energies corresponds to a different symbol time hypothesis; adding in the receiver the N symbol energies of one of the symbols of the plurality of symbols to the N symbol energies of at least one of the remaining symbols of the plurality of symbols respectively to form N summed symbol time hypotheses; and finding in the receiver an Nth summed symbol time hypothesis of the N summed symbol time hypotheses, the Nth summed symbol time hypothesis having a maximum energy of the N summed symbol time hypotheses, wherein a location of the Nth summed symbol time hypothesis relates to a location of the symbol boundary.