WCDMA terminal baseband processing module having multi-path scanner module

1. A baseband processing module for use within a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver, the baseband processing module comprising:

an RX interface communicatively coupled to an RF front end of the WCDMA RF transceiver and operable to receive a baseband RX signal from the RF front end carrying a WCDMA signal; and

a multi-path scanner module communicatively coupled to the RX interface, the multi-path scanner module operable to:

receive timing and scrambling code information regarding an expected multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal;

establish a search window that is centered at a strongest multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal;

identify a plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal by descrambling, despreading, and correlating with a known symbol pattern the baseband RX signal within the search window;

determine a noise floor for the WCDMA signal within the search window;

determine timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window; and

remove a bias caused by the noise floor from at least one of the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window; and wherein:

fast path timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window is determined during a first time slot; and

the multi-path scanner module is further operable to:

determine timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window during a second slot time; and

determine long term timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal based upon at least the timing information determined during the first time slot and the timing information determined during the second time slot.

2. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein:

a center of the search window corresponds to the expected multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal;

the expected multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal is the strongest multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal; and

a duration of the search window corresponds to an expected channel length.

3. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein the multi-path scanner module is further operable to:

determine signal strength information for each of the plurality of identified multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal.

4. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein the multi-path scanner module is further operable to forward the timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window to a communicatively coupled rake receiver combiner module.

5. The baseband processing module of 1 , wherein:

the WCDMA RF transceiver is implemented within a cellular telephone, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or a data terminal.

6. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein the multi-path scanner module is further operable to search for multi-path signal components of differing WCDMA signals in the baseband RX signal in adjacent time slots.

7. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein the multi-path scanner module comprises:

control logic; and

a plurality of correlator elements, each correlator element operable to descramble, despread, and correlate with a known symbol pattern the baseband RX signal in alignment with a corresponding alignment position.

8. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein the multi-path scanner module comprises:

control logic;

at least one correlator element operable to descramble, despread, and correlate with a known symbol pattern the baseband RX signal in alignment with a corresponding alignment position;

a noise estimation module;

a fast path detection results module;

an exponential averaging module; and

a sorting and path selection module.

9. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein the multi-path scanner module comprises a plurality of correlator elements, and each of the correlator elements includes:

correlator element control logic;

a correlator primitive module;

a pseudo noise primitive generator module; and

a correlator backend primitive processing module.

10. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein:

the search window includes samples of the baseband RX signal corresponding to a plurality of chip intervals; and

the multi-path scanner module is operable to search for multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal corresponding to each chip interval.

11. The baseband processing module of claim 10 , wherein the multi-path scanner module comprises:

control logic; and

a plurality of correlator elements, each correlator element operable to descramble, despread, and correlate with a known symbol pattern the baseband RX signal in alignment with a corresponding chip interval of the plurality of chip intervals.

12. The baseband processing module of claim 1 , wherein:

the search window samples of the baseband RX signal corresponding to a plurality of ½ chip intervals; and

the multi-path scanner module is operable to search for multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal corresponding to each ½ chip interval.

13. The baseband processing module of claim 12 , wherein the multi-path scanner module comprises:

control logic; and

a plurality of correlator elements, each correlator element operable to descramble, despread, and correlate with a known symbol pattern the baseband RX signal in alignment with a corresponding ½ chip interval of the plurality of ½ chip intervals.

14. A method for operating a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver comprising:

receiving a baseband RX signal that carries a WCDMA signal;

within a multi-path scanner module of the RF transceiver:

receiving timing and scrambling code information regarding an expected multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal;

establishing a search window that is centered at a strongest multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal;

identifying a plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal by descrambling, despreading, and correlating with a known symbol pattern the baseband RX signal within the search window, wherein fast path timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window is determined during a first time slot;

determining a noise floor for the WCDMA signal within the search window;

determining timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window; and

removing a bias caused by the noise floor from at least one of the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window;

determining timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal found within the search window during a second slot time; and

determining long term timing information for the plurality of multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal based upon at least the timing information determined during the first time slot and the timing information determined during the second time slot.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

a center of the search window corresponds to the expected multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal;

the expected multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal is the strongest multi-path signal component of the WCDMA signal; and

a duration of the search window corresponds to an expected channel length.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining signal strength information for each of the plurality of identified multi-path signal components of the WCDMA signal.