System and method for rapidly reacquiring a pilot channel

摘要

The system and method determines whether the expected location of the pilot channel in the PN code sequence (i.e. the PN code phase offset) has been detected in an initial search window centered on the expected pilot PN code phase offset. If not, a new search window is defined which is advanced in the PN code sequence from the initial search window. If the actual location of the pilot channel in the PN code sequence is not detected in the new search window, a subsequent search window is defined which is retarded in the PN sequence from all previous search windows. This iterative "spiral" searching method is repeated with increasingly divergent alternating advanced and retarded search windows until either the actual location of the pilot channel in the PN code sequence is detected, or a predetermined maximum number of iterations has occurred.