Method and mobile station for reporting multi-path signals based on minimum separation

1. In a wireless communication system, wherein a list includes a first energy/position pair, the first energy/position pair corresponding to the energy parameter and the position parameter associated with a first multi-path signal of a synchronization code, a mobile station for reporting multi-path signals based on minimum separation, the mobile station comprising:

a receiving unit operable to receive the first multi-path signal and a second multi-path signal;

a searching unit operable to generate a second energy/position pair associated with the second multi-path signal, the second energy/position pair corresponding to the energy parameter and the position parameter of the second multi-path signal;

a controller operatively coupled to the receiving unit and the searching unit, the controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor,

the controller being programmed to detect the position parameter of the second energy/position pair being within a minimum separation associated with the position parameter of the first energy/position pair,

the controller being programmed to detect the energy parameter of the second energy/position pair being greater than the energy parameter of the first energy/position pair; and

the controller being programmed to replace the first energy/position pair on the list with the second energy/position pair.

2. The mobile station of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second energy/position pairs corresponds the signal strength of a multi-path signal and the relative position within the synchronization code of the multi-path signal.

3. The mobile station of claim 2 , wherein the controller is programmed to delete the first energy/position pair from the list and to store the second energy/position pair on the list.

4. The mobile station of claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to delete the first energy/position pair from the list and to store the second energy/position pair on the list.

5. The mobile station of claim 1 , wherein the first energy/position pair is a stored energy/position pair within a list including at least one energy/position pair.

6. The mobile station of claim 1 is operable in accordance with a code division multiple access (CDMA) based communication protocol.

7. The mobile station of claim 1 , wherein the minimum separation is one of a minimum space separation and a minimum time separation.

8. In a wireless communication system, wherein a list includes a plurality of stored energy/position pairs, and wherein each of the plurality of stored energy/position pairs corresponds to an energy parameter and a position parameter associated with a multi-path signal of a synchronization code, a method for reporting multi-path signals based on minimum separation, the method comprising:

generating a detected energy/position pair associated with a detected multi-path signal, the detected energy/position pair corresponding to the energy parameter and the position parameter of the detected multi-path signal;

detecting the position parameter of the detected energy/position pair being within a minimum separation associated with each of the position parameters of a first stored energy/position pair and a second stored energy/position pair, each of the first and second stored energy/position pairs being one of the plurality of stored energy/position pairs on the list;

detecting the energy parameter of the detected energy/position pair being greater than each of the energy parameters of the first and second stored energy/position pairs; and

replacing the first stored energy/position pair on the list with the detected energy/position pair; and

deleting the second stored energy/position pair from the list.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of detecting the position parameter of the detected energy/position pair being within a minimum separation associated with each of the position parameters of a first stored energy/position pair and a second stored energy/position pair comprises detecting the position parameter of the detected energy/position pair being within one of a minimum space separation and a minimum time separation associated with each of the position parameters of a first stored energy/position pair and a second stored energy/position pair.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of generating a detected energy/position pair associated with a detected multi-path signal comprises generating a detected energy/position pair corresponding to the signal strength of the detected multi-path signal and the relative position within the synchronization code of the detected multi-path signal.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of replacing the first stored energy/position pair on the list with the detected energy/position pair comprises:

deleting the first stored energy/position pair from the list; and

storing the detected energy/position pair on the list.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of deleting the second stored energy/position pair comprises resetting the energy parameter of the second stored energy/position pair to zero.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the communication system comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) based communication system.

14. In a wireless communication system, wherein a list includes a first energy/position pair, the first energy/position pair corresponding to the energy parameter and the position parameter associated with a first multi-path signal of a synchronization code, and wherein a processor operates in accordance with a computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for reporting multi-path signals based on minimum separation, the computer program comprising:

a first routine that directs the processor to generate a second energy/position pair associated with a second multi-path signal, the second energy/position pair corresponding to the energy parameter and the position parameter of the second multi-path signal;

a second routine that directs the processor to detect the position parameter of the second energy/position pair being within a minimum separation associated with the position parameter of the first energy/position pair;

a third routine that directs the processor to detect the energy parameter of the second energy/position pair being greater than the energy parameter of the first energy/position pair; and

a fourth routine that directs the processor to replace the first energy/position pair on the list with the second energy/position pair.

15. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the second routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to detect the position parameter of the second energy/position pair being within one of a minimum space separation and a minimum time separation associated with the first energy/position pair.

16. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the first routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to generate a second energy/position pair corresponding to the signal strength of the second multi-path signal and the relative position within the synchronization code of the second multi-path signal.

17. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the medium is one of paper, a programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, erasable programmable read only memory, read only memory, random access memory, magnetic media, and optical media.

18. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the fourth routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to delete the first energy/position pair from the list, and a routine that directs the processor to store the second energy/position pair on the list.

19. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the fourth routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to reset the energy parameter of the first energy/position pair to zero.

20. The computer program of claim 14 is operable in accordance with a code division multiple access (CDMA) based communication protocol.

21. In a wireless communication system, wherein a mobile station stores a list including at least one energy/position pair, and wherein the list includes a first energy/position pair corresponding to the energy parameter and the position parameter associated with a first multi-path signal of a synchronization code, a method for reporting multi-path signals based on minimum separation, the method comprising:

generating a second energy/position pair associated with a second multi-path signal, the second energy/position pair corresponding to the energy parameter and the position parameter of the second multi-path signal;

detecting the position parameter of the second energy/position pair being within a minimum separation associated with the position parameter of the first energy/position pair;

detecting the energy parameter of the second energy/position pair being greater than the energy parameter of the first energy/position pair; and

replacing the first energy/position pair on the list with the second energy/position pair.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the step of detecting the position parameter of the second energy/position pair being within a minimum separation associated with the position parameter of the first energy/position pair comprises detecting the position parameter of the second energy/position pair being within one of a minimum space separation and a minimum time separation associated with the first energy/position pair.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the step of generating a second energy/position pair associated with a second multi-path signal comprises generating a second energy/position pair corresponding to the signal strength of the second multi-path signal and the relative position within the synchronization code of the second multi-path signal.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the step of replacing the first energy/position pair on the list with the second energy/position pair comprises:

deleting the first energy/position pair from the list; and

storing the second energy/position pair on the list.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the step of replacing the first energy/position pair on the list with the second energy/position pair comprises resetting the energy parameter of the first energy/position pair to zero.

26. The method of claim 21 , wherein the communication system comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) based communication system.