US 5,809,090 AGranted

Digital diversity receiver system

AssigneeGlenayre Electronics, Inc.

InventorsBarry D. Buternowsky, Edward J. Anthony, Mihaela C. Beluri, Xavier Carbo Figueras, Robert Addison Langridge, Jr., Robert Richard Leyendecker, Glaudio Gustavo Rey, Desmond Wai Ming Yan

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Abstract

A two-way paging system includes one or more transmitters, a plurality of receivers, and at least one two-way personal paging unit or pager. The two-way pager receives pages from the transmitter, and sends response signals which are detected by the receivers. The response signals are in the form of digital packets, including forward error correction encoding and digital symbols that each consists of a predetermined number of bits. The receivers detecting the response signals decode the response packets to verify their accuracy and to identify the digital symbols. At the receivers, "accuracy indicators" can be associated with the detected symbols, providing an indication of the probability of accuracy. In one embodiment ("microdiversity receiver") two receiver components are provided at a single receiver site, with a separate antenna for each receiver component. Signals as received at the different components can be compared and have the accuracy indication information combined to increase the reliability of the system in detecting and decoding the pager response symbols. A central controller receives information from several receivers and similarly processes and analyzes it to determine the most likely response signal sent by a pager.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A receiver for processing radio frequency signals of different signal strengths, which signals are broadcast at a transmission frequency from a plurality of sources dispersed in a geographic area, such radio frequency signals being modulated to contain a series of digital symbols, said receiver comprising:

(1) a first antenna for detecting the radio frequency signals;
(2) a second antenna for detecting the radio frequency signals and separated from the first antenna for decreased correlation of the radio frequency signals as detected at the two antennas;
(3) a first receiver component coupled to the first antenna for demodulating the signals as detected by the first antenna;
(4) a second receiver component coupled to the second antenna for demodulating the signals as detected by the second antenna, each of the first and second receiver components including:
(a) means for converting the detected signals to digital form;
and
(b) means for processing the signals in digital form to detect the digital symbols, the processing means including means for analyzing all possible combinations of symbols over a predetermined time period and for assigning an accuracy indicator to each of such combinations corresponding to the probability that such combination has been accurately detected, said processing being conducted independently for each detected symbol on a symbol-by-symbol basis without reference to the results of preceding processing to detect the symbols or estimates of subsequent processing or detection;
and
(5) means for combining the accuracy indicators of corresponding symbols detected by the first and second receiver components, respectively, so as to determine the most likely series of detected symbols.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.