Received communication signal processing methods and components for wireless communication equipment

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing received wireless communications are provided. Power delay profiles (PDPs) including PDP elements are processed. Less than half of the PDP elements of each PDP are selected. The selected PDP elements are combined based on position, and the combined PDP elements are qualified for further signal processing to determine a received signal path associated with the PDP.

1 . A method for use in wireless communication, the method comprising:
 processing a plurality of power delay profiles (PDPs) that each include a plurality of PDP elements;   selecting less than half of the PDP elements of each PDP;   selectively combining the selected PDP elements based on a position of the PDP elements; and   qualifying the combined PDP elements for further signal processing to determine a received signal path of a signal associated with the PDPs.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selecting includes selecting PDP elements having a highest value among the PDP elements in each PDP. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selectively combining includes performing coherent combination; further comprising:
 computing a magnitude approximation for each combined PDP element.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selectively combining includes coherently combining the PDP elements, and noncoherently combining magnitude approximation values corresponding to the coherently combined PDP elements; and the qualifying includes separately evaluating the coherently combined PDP elements and the noncoherently combined PDP elements. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selectively combining includes noncoherently combining the PDP elements where each PDP element includes a magnitude approximation of a coherent accumulation of sequential sets of signal samples. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selecting includes:
 selecting a PDP element from a first group of PDPs;   selecting a corresponding PDP element from each of a plurality of other groups of PDP elements; and   selecting a non-corresponding PDP element.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the selecting a PDP element from a first group includes selecting a PDP element having a highest value. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the selecting a PDP element from a first group includes selecting such that less than one-quarter of the elements of a PDP are selected from each PDP in the first group. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 interpolating groups of PDPs to provide a corresponding number of at least twice as many PDP elements at a clock speed of at least twice a sampling rate of a PDP production unit.