METHODS AND DEVICES FOR SYNCHRONIZING DATA RECEPTION FROM A FIRST RADIO NETWORK AND FROM A SECOND RADIO NETWORK

• US 20160277174A1
• Filed: 02/12/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Burnic, Admir, Huertgen, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 10,122,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0008 Synchronisation information channels, e.g. clock distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0035 detecting errors in frequency or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A synchronization device includes a receiver circuit configured to receive data from a first radio network during a first time interval and to receive data from a second radio network during a second time interval; a frequency synchronization circuit configured to control a common system clock based on first data received from the first radio network and based on second data received from the second radio network; and a timing synchronization circuit configured to time-synchronize data reception based on the common system clock and based on a free running clock.

Claims

1. A synchronization device, comprising:

a receiver circuit configured to receive data from a first radio network during a first time interval and to receive data from a second radio network during a second time interval;

a frequency synchronization circuit configured to control a common system clock based on data received from the first radio network and based on data received from the second radio network; and

a timing synchronization circuit configured to time-synchronize data reception based on the common system clock and based on a free running clock.

2. The synchronization device of claim 1, wherein the timing synchronization circuit is configured to:

time-synchronize data reception from the first radio network based on the common system clock during the first time interval and based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the first time interval; and

time-synchronize data reception from the second radio network based on the common system clock during the second time interval and based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the second time interval.

3. The synchronization device of claim 1,

wherein the frequency synchronization circuit is configured to control the common system clock during the first time interval based on data received from the first radio network and to control the common system clock during the second time interval based on data received from the second radio network.

4. The synchronization device of claim 3,

wherein the frequency synchronization circuit is configured to tune the common system clock to a remote system clock of the first radio network during the first time interval and to tune the common system clock to a remote system clock of the second radio network during the second time interval.

5. The synchronization device of claim 4, comprising:

a first controller configured to determine a first clock rate associated with the remote system clock of the first radio network based on data received during the first time interval; and

a second controller configured to determine a second clock rate associated with the remote system clock of the second radio network based on data received during the second time interval.

6. The synchronization device of claim 5, comprising:

a first switch configured to switch the received data to the first controller during the first time interval and to switch the received data to the second controller during the second time interval.

7. The synchronization device of claim 5,

wherein the first controller is coupled to the free running clock and configured to determine the first clock rate based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the first time interval;

and

wherein the second controller is coupled to the free running clock and configured to determine the second clock rate based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the second time interval.

8. The synchronization device of claim 5, comprising:

a reference circuit configured to adjust the common system clock based on the first clock rate during the first time interval and based on the second clock rate during the second time interval.

9. The synchronization device of claim 8, wherein the reference circuit comprises:

a second switch configured to switch the adjusted common system clock to a reference clock input of the receiver circuit.

10. The synchronization device of claim 8,

wherein the reference circuit is configured to switch-off the common system clock during times not coinciding with either one of the first time interval and the second time interval.

11. A method for synchronizing data reception from a first radio network and data reception from a second radio network, the method comprising:

receiving data from a first radio network during a first time interval and from a second radio network during a second time interval;

controlling a common system clock based on data received from the first radio network and based on data received from the second radio network; and

time-synchronizing data reception based on the common system clock and based on a free running clock.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

time-synchronizing data reception from the first radio network based on the common system clock during the first time interval and based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the first time interval; and

time-synchronizing data reception from the second radio network based on the common system clock during the second time interval and based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the second time interval.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising:

controlling the common system clock during the first time interval based on data received from the first radio network and during the second time interval based on data received from the second radio network.

14. The method of claim 13,

tuning the common system clock to a remote system clock of the first radio network during the first time interval and to a remote system clock of the second radio network during the second time interval.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

determining a first clock rate associated with the remote system clock of the first radio network based on data received during the first time interval; and

determining a second clock rate associated with the remote system clock of the second radio network based on data received during the second time interval.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

determining the first clock rate based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the first time interval; and

determining the second clock rate based on the free running clock during times not coinciding with the second time interval.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising:

determining the first clock rate during times not coinciding with the first time interval based on the free running clock and based on the first clock rate determined during the first time interval; and

determining the second clock rate during times not coinciding with the second time interval based on the free running clock and based on the second clock rate determined during the second time interval.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

using the common system clock tuned to either the remote system clock of the first radio network or the remote system clock of the second radio network as reference clock;

determining a deviation of the free running clock from the reference clock; and

compensating the deviation of the free running clock.

19. The method of claim 15, comprising:

adjusting the common system clock based on the first clock rate during the first time interval and based on the second clock rate during the second time interval.

20. The method of claim 11, comprising:

switching-off the common system clock during times not coinciding with either one of the first time interval and the second time interval.

21. The method of claim 11,

wherein the first time interval is disjunctive to the second time interval.

22. A synchronization device for use in a multi-SIM mobile receiver, comprising:

a receiver circuit configured to receive data from a first radio network and data from a second radio network based on time-division multiple access;

a frequency synchronization circuit configured to tune a local system clock to a remote system clock of the first radio network during activity phases of the first radio network and to tune the local system clock to a remote system clock of the second radio network during activity phases of the second radio network; and

a timing synchronization circuit, configured to;

time-synchronize data reception from the first radio network based on the local system clock during the activity phases of the first radio network and based on a free running clock during non-activity phases of the first radio network; and

time-synchronize data reception from the second radio network based on the local system clock during the activity phases of the second radio network and based on the free running clock during non-activity phases of the second radio network.

23. The synchronization device of claim 22, comprising:

a first automatic frequency control loop configured to control a reference frequency of the receiver circuit based on data received during the activity phases of the first radio network; and

a second automatic frequency control loop configured to control the reference frequency of the receiver circuit based on data received during the activity phases of the second radio network.

24. The synchronization device of claim 23,

wherein the first automatic frequency control loop and the second automatic frequency control loop are coupled by the free running clock.

25. The synchronization device of claim 24, comprising:

a compensation circuit, configured to compensate a clock deviation of the free running clock based on an estimate of the local system clock tuned to either the remote system clock of the first radio network or the remote system clock of the second radio network.