Using convolutional decoding to improve time delay and phase estimation in digital communications

DWPI Title: Communication signal processing apparatus operating method, involves estimating time delay and phase that are associated with received communication signal based on convolutional decoding operation
Abstract: The time delay and/or phase of a communication signal received by a digital communication receiver can be estimated based on a convolutional decoding operation that the communication receiver performs on the received communication signal. If the original transmitted communication signal has been spread according to a spreading operation, a corresponding despreading operation can be integrated into the convolutional decoding operation.
Use: Method for operating a communication signal processing apparatus (claimed).
Advantage: The method enables estimating and integrating several data symbols at the same time, thus effectively increasing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output of a delay and phase locked loop (DPLL) of the apparatus, and hence allowing the DPLL to work at lower noise power density ratio values, and improving the overall performance of the DPLL.
Novelty: The method involves receiving a communication signal that corresponds to a transmitted communication signal carrying systematic data and parity data produced from the systematic data by a convolutional encoding operation at a transmitter. A convolutional decoding operation i.e. Viterbi decoding operation, is performed to obtain an estimate of the systematic data from the received communication signal. A time delay and phase that are associated with the received communication signal are estimated based on the convolutional decoding operation.
Filed: 11/4/2004
Application Number: US2004982134A
Tech ID: SD 7376.0
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
Data from Derwent World Patents Index, provided by Clarivate
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