Spread-carrier self-detecting code receiver with summed delay processing and methods for signal acquisition and detection

1. A spread-carrier self-detecting code (SCSDC) summed-delay processing (SDP) (SCSDC-SDP) receiver comprising:

a chip-matched filter to generate a chip-matched filter output from a received spread-spectrum signal having a chip period and spread with a spreading code, the chip-matched filter being matched to a chip rate of the spread-spectrum signal; and

a plurality of delay-processing chains to perform sum-delay processing on the chip-matched filter output by multiplying a conjugated and delayed chip-matched filter output with the chip-matched filter output and applying a code-matched filter,

wherein each code-matched filter of an associated delay-processing chain is matched to a different delay-multiplied code.

2. The SCSDC-SDP receiver of claim 1 further arranged to combine outputs from the code-matched filters of each delay-processing chain to provide a combined output having correlation peaks that correspond to transmitted bits of the received spread-spectrum signal.

3. The SCSDC-SDP receiver of claim 2 wherein each delay processing chain is to delay the chip-matched filter output by an amount that is a different integer multiple of the chip period for each branch, conjugate the delayed chip-matched filter output, multiply the conjugated delayed chip-matched filter output with the chip-matched filter output to generate a multiplied signal, and apply the code-matched filter to the multiplied signal.

4. The SCSDC-SDP receiver of claim 3 wherein a number of delay-processing chains of the plurality is selected based on a frequency capture range and a signal sensitivity of the SCSDC-SDP receiver.

5. The SCSDC-SDP receiver of claim 4 wherein a greater number of delay-processing chains is selected for increased signal sensitivity and reduced frequency capture range, and a lesser number of delay-processing chains is selected for increased frequency capture range and reduced signal sensitivity.

6. A method for signal acquisition and detection comprising:

generating a chip-matched filter output from a received spread-spectrum signal having a chip period and spread with a spreading code;

performing sum-delay processing with a plurality of delay-processing chains on the chip-matched filter output by multiplying a conjugated and delayed chip-matched filter outputs with the chip-matched filter output and applying a code-matched filters that is are matched to a delay multiplied codes; and

coherently combining outputs from the code-matched filters of each delay-processing chain to provide a combined output,

wherein the combined output has correlation peaks that correspond to transmitted bits of the received spread-spectrum signal, and

wherein the method further comprises generating frequency error and timing information from the correlation peaks.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each code-matched filter of an associated delay-processing chain is matched to a different delay-multiplied code, the delay-multiplied codes being generated from the spreading code and a delayed version of the spreading code that is delayed based on the integer value of the chip period for the associated delay-processing chain.

8. Signal detection and acquisition circuitry for use in a spread-spectrum receiver, the signal detection and acquisition circuitry comprising:

a chip-matched filter to receive a spread-spectrum signal and generate a chip-matched filter output, the spread-spectrum signal having a chip period and spread with a spreading code, the chip-matched filter being matched to a chip rate of the spread-spectrum signal;

a plurality of delay-processing chains, each delay processing chain to delay the chip-matched filter output by an amount that is a different integer multiple of the chip period, conjugate the delayed chip-matched filter output, multiply the conjugated delayed chip-matched filter output with the chip-matched filter output to generate a multiplied signal, and apply a code-matched filter to the multiplied signal, each code-matched filter of an associated delay-processing chain being matched to a different delay-multiplied code; and

a combining element to combine outputs from the code-matched filters of each delay-processing chain to provide a combined output having correlation peaks that correspond to transmitted bits of the received spread-spectrum signal.

9. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 8 wherein the delay-multiplied codes are generated from the spreading code and a delayed version of the spreading code that is delayed based on the integer value of the chip period for the associated delay-processing chain.

10. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 9 wherein each delay-processing chain includes:

a delay element to delay the chip-matched filter output by the amount τ i that is a different integer multiple of the chip period for each branch and generate the delayed chip-matched filter output;

a conjugate element to conjugate the delayed chip-matched filter output and generate the conjugated delayed chip-matched filter output; and

a multiplication element to multiply the conjugated delayed chip-matched filter output with the chip-matched filter output to generate the multiplied signal for application of the code-matched filter for the associated delay-processing chain.

11. Signal detection and acquisition circuitry for use in a spread-spectrum receiver, the signal detection and acquisition circuitry comprising:

a chip-matched filter to receive a spread-spectrum signal and generate a chip-matched filter output, the spread-spectrum signal having a chip period and spread with a spreading code;

a plurality of delay-processing chains, each delay processing chain to delay the chip-matched filter output by an amount that is a different integer multiple of the chip period, conjugate the delayed chip-matched filter output, multiply the conjugated delayed chip-matched filter output with the chip-matched filter output to generate a multiplied signal, and apply a code-matched filter to the multiplied signal; and

a combining element to combine outputs from the code-matched filters of each delay-processing chain to provide a combined output having correlation peaks that correspond to transmitted bits of the received spread-spectrum signal,

wherein each code-matched filter of an associated delay-processing chain is matched to a different delay-multiplied code, the delay-multiplied codes being generated from the spreading code and a delayed version of the spreading code that is delayed based on the integer value of the chip period for the associated delay-processing chain, and

wherein the delay-multiplied code for an associated delay-processing chain is generated by circularly XORing the spreading code and the delayed version of the spreading code for the delay-processing chain.

12. Signal detection and acquisition circuitry for use in a spread-spectrum receiver, the signal detection and acquisition circuitry comprising:

a chip-matched filter to receive a spread-spectrum signal and generate a chip-matched filter output, the spread-spectrum signal having a chip period and spread with a spreading code;

a plurality of delay-processing chains, each delay processing chain to delay the chip-matched filter output by an amount that is a different integer multiple of the chip period, conjugate the delayed chip-matched filter output, multiply the conjugated delayed chip-matched filter output with the chip-matched filter output to generate a multiplied signal, and apply a code-matched filter to the multiplied signal; and

a combining element to combine outputs from the code-matched filters of each delay-processing chain to provide a combined output having correlation peaks that correspond to transmitted bits of the received spread-spectrum signal,

wherein each code-matched filter of an associated delay-processing chain is matched to a different delay-multiplied code, the delay-multiplied codes being generated from the spreading code and a delayed version of the spreading code that is delayed based on the integer value of the chip period for the associated delay-processing chain, and

wherein a phase of each correlation peak is indicative of a frequency error of the received spread-spectrum signal.

13. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 12 further comprising timing and frequency error estimation circuitry to generate a frequency error and timing information based on the correlation peaks from the combined output.

14. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 13 wherein the chip-matched filter is matched to a chip rate of the spread-spectrum signal.

15. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 14 wherein a number of delay-processing chains of the plurality is selected based on a frequency capture range and a signal sensitivity of the spread-spectrum receiver.

16. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 15 wherein a greater number of delay-processing chains is selected for increased signal sensitivity and reduced frequency capture range, and a lesser number of delay-processing chains is selected for increased frequency capture range and reduced signal sensitivity.

17. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 15 wherein the delay-processing chains are configured to delay the chip-matched filter output by contiguous integer values of the chip period.

18. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 15 wherein the delay-processing chains are configured to delay the chip-matched filter output by non-contiguous integer values of the chip period.

19. The signal detection and acquisition circuitry of claim 15 wherein the combining element is arranged to coherently combine the outputs from the code-matched filters of each delay-processing chain.