Patent ID: 7742518

Claim:
A method of aligning a local code with a code in a received signal, said method comprising: generating a prompt replica of the local code; generating a late replica of the local code and an early replica of the local code based on shifting the prompt replica by half of a chip at most; correlating the early, prompt, and late replicas of the local code with the received signal; determining an early correlator power, a prompt correlator power, and a late correlator power based on the correlations of the replicas of the local code with the received signal; calculating a discrimination output based on comparing the early correlator power and the late correlator power and normalizing the comparison based on the early correlator power, the late correlator power, and the prompt correlator power; determining if the early correlator power is greater than the late correlator power; calculating the discrimination output based on a quotient, when the early correlator power is greater than the late correlator power, wherein a numerator of the quotient is based on a difference between the early correlator power and the late correlator power and a denominator of the quotient is based on a first factor times a difference between the early correlator power and the prompt correlator power and a second factor times a difference between the late correlator power and the prompt correlator power; and adjusting a rate of the local code based on the discrimination output.