Method and system for frame synchronization and burst pattern detection in a wireless communication system

An apparatus for use in a wireless communication system comprising:

• a determination module for determining a location of a first field and a second field in a received frame, the first and second fields containing a detected unique word;
• a frame storage module for storing an array of received frames, the array including an indication of which frames contain data;
• and
• a processing module for determining a burst pattern based on the contents of the array and on the location of the first and second fields in the received frames.

An apparatus for performing frame synchronization in a wireless communication system in which a received frame structure includes a unique word in at least a first and second field of a received frame, comprising:

• a measuring device for measuring a distance between a detected unique word and a most recently detected unique word;
• a comparing device for comparing the measured distance with a stored distance;
• and
• a calculating device for calculating a current position within the received frame based on a match between the measured distance and the stored distance.

A method of learning a frame burst pattern in a satellite communication system comprising the steps of:

• determining a location of a first field and a second field in a received frame, the first and second fields containing a detected unique word;
• storing an array of received frames, the array including an indication of which frames contain data;
• and
• determining a burst pattern based on the contents of the array and on the location of the first and second fields in the received frames.

A method of performing frame synchronization in a wireless communication system in which a received frame structure includes a unique word in at least a first and second field of a received frame, comprising the steps of:

• measuring a distance between a detected unique word and a most recently detected unique word;
• comparing the measured distance with a stored distance;
• and
• calculating a current position within the received frame based on a match between the measured distance and the stored distance.