Adaptive power control for a spread spectrum transmitter

An apparatus for adaptive-power control of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a plurality of mobile stations operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation, wherein a base station transmits a generic spread-spectrum signal and an APC-data signal, each mobile station comprising:

• acquisition means for acquiring and decoding the generic spread-spectrum signal;
• detector means for detecting a received power level of the generic spread-spectrum signal;
• decoder means for decoding the APC-data signal as a threshold;
• differential means for generating a comparison signal by comparing the received power level to said threshold;
• transmitter means for transmitting a transmitter spread-spectrum signal;
• an antenna;
• and
• variable-gain means responsive to said comparison signal for adjusting a transmitter-power level of the transmitter spread-spectrum signal from said transmitter.

A method for adaptive-power control of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a plurality of mobile stations operating in a cellular-communication network using spread-spectrum modulating, wherein a base station transmits a generic spread-spectrum signal and an APC-data signal, said method comprising the steps at each mobile station, of:

• acquiring and decoding the generic spread-spectrum signal;
• detecting a received power level of the generic spread-spectrum signal;
• decoding the APC-data signal as a threshold;
• generating a comparison signal by comparing the received power level to said threshold;
• transmitting a transmitter spread-spectrum signal;
• and
• adjusting a transmitter-power level of the transmitter spread-spectrum signal from said transmitter using said comparison signal.