Method and system for spread spectrum signal acquisition without a pilot signal

A method for a wireless communication device (WCD), said method comprising:

• said WCD receiving a spread spectrum signal that is spread by a pseudonoise (PN) sequence of unknown phase;
• said WCD coherently demodulating said spread spectrum signal, without using a pilot signal, to obtain a baseband signal;
• said WCD generating said PN sequence with a target phase to provide a target PN sequence;
• said WCD generating a target Walsh function corresponding to a target Walsh code;
• said WCD applying said target PN sequence and said target Walsh function to said baseband signal to obtain a product signal;
• said WCD integrating said product signal over successive Walsh code periods to obtain a recovered bit sequence;
• said WCD comparing said recovered bit sequence to a target bit sequence;
• said WCD determining whether said recovered bit sequence matches said target bit sequence;
• in response to a determination that said recovered bit sequence matches said target bit sequence, said WCD using said target PN sequence and said target Walsh function to recover said broadcast message from said spread spectrum signal;
• and
• in response to a determination that said recovered bit sequence does not match said target bit sequence, said WCD adjusting said target phase.

A wireless communication device, comprising:

• an antenna for wirelessly receiving a spread spectrum signal, wherein said spread spectrum signal is spread by a pseudonoise (PN) sequence of unknown phase;
• a demodulator for coherently demodulating said spread spectrum signal, without using a pilot signal, to provide a baseband signal;
• a PN sequence generator for generating said PN sequence with a target phase to provide a target PN sequence;
• a Walsh function generator for generating a target Walsh function corresponding to a target Walsh code;
• a correlator for applying said target PN sequence and said target Walsh function to said baseband signal to obtain a product signal;
• an integrator for integrating said product signal over successive Walsh code periods to obtain a recovered bit sequence;
• a comparator for providing an output based on a comparison of said recovered bit sequence to a target bit sequence;
• and
• a controller, wherein said controller is configured to select at least one of said target phase or said target bit sequence based on a current location of said wireless communication device.