Dynamic combining threshold for a rake receiver

1. A method, comprising: receiving, in a rake receiver, a signal through a channel; considering at least one channel-related criterion; and in response to the considered at least one channel-related criterion, setting a value of an adaptive combining threshold for a maximal ratio combiner that receives the outputs of a plurality of fingers of the rake receiver; wherein the considered at least one channel-related criterion is indicative of a ratio of intra-cell interference to inter-cell interference; and wherein the value of the adaptive combining threshold is set based upon at least one of: a signal to noise ratio (SNR), or a signal to interference ratio (SIR); of a strongest finger of the plurality of fingers of the rake receiver.

2. The method as in claim 1 , where the considered at least one channel-related criterion is indicative of a received multi-path profile.

3. The method as in claim 1 , where the considered at least one channel-related criterion is comprised of a type of modulation used in the received signal.

4. The method as in claim 1 , where the considered at least one channel-related criterion is one related to a channel quality indicator.

5. The method as in claim 1 , where setting occurs at a frame rate or a sub-frame rate, or lower that the frame rate or sub-frame rate of the received signal.

6. The method as in claim 1 , where setting occurs at a time slot rate, or lower that the time slot rate, of the received signal.

7. The method as in claim 1 , where considering at least one channel-related criterion comprises filtering the at least one criterion over a period of time.

8. The method of claim 1 , where the received signal is a code division multiple access signal, and where the method is executed in at least one of a mobile wireless frequency communication device and a wireless network access node.

9. A non-transitory computer readable memory that stores program instructions, the execution of the program instructions resulting in operations that comprise: considering at least one channel-related criterion, where the channel is one through which a signal is received at a rake receiver; and in response to the considered at least one channel-related criterion, setting a value of an adaptive combining threshold for a maximal ratio combiner that receives the outputs of a plurality of fingers of the rake receiver; wherein the considered at least one channel-related criterion is indicative of a ratio of intra-cell interference to inter-cell interference; and wherein the value of the adaptive combining threshold is set based upon at least one of: a signal to noise ratio (SNR), or a signal to interference ratio (SIR); of a strongest finger of the plurality of fingers of the rake receiver.

10. The memory as in claim 9 , where the considered at least one channel-related criterion is indicative of or related to at least one of a received multi-path profile, a type of modulation used in the received signal, a channel quality indicator a signal to noise ratio and a signal to interference ratio of the strongest finger.

11. The memory as in claim 9 , where the operation of setting occurs at a frame rate or a sub-frame rate, or lower that the frame rate or sub-frame rate of the received signal.

12. The memory as in claim 9 , where the operation of setting occurs at a time slot rate, or lower than the time slot rate, of the received signal.

13. The memory as in claim 9 , where the operation of considering at least one channel-related criterion comprises filtering the at least one criterion over a period of time.

14. An apparatus, comprising: a multi-finger rake receiver for receiving a signal through a channel, including a unit configurable to adaptively set a combining threshold for a maximal ratio combiner that receives a plurality of outputs of the multi-finger rake receiver, based on at least one channel-related criterion that is indicative of a ratio of intra-cell interference to inter-cell interference, and wherein the value of the adaptive combining threshold is set based upon at least one of: a signal to noise ratio (SNR), or a signal to interference ratio (SIR); of a strongest finger of the multi finger rake receiver.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14 , where the at least one channel-related criterion is further indicative of or related to at least one of a received multi-path profile, a type of modulation used in the received signal, a channel quality indicator a signal to noise ratio and a signal to interference ratio of the strongest finger.

16. The apparatus as in claim 14 , where said unit is further configurable to set the combining threshold a frame rate or a sub-frame rate, or lower that the frame rate or sub-frame rate of the received signal, or at a time slot rate, or lower that the time slot rate, of the received signal.

17. The apparatus as in claim 14 , where said unit is further configurable to filter the at least one channel-related criterion over a period of time.

18. The apparatus as in claim 14 , embodied at least partially in at least one integrated circuit.