DOWNLINK SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20170311276A1
• Filed: 04/20/2017
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Convida Wireless LLC
• Inventors: TSAI, Allan Y., IYER, Lakshmi R., ZHANG, Guodong, MURRAY, Joseph M., LI, Qing, CHEN, Wei, ADJAKPLE, Pascal M., XU, Tianyi
• Granted Patent: US 10,271,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0069 Cell search, i.e. determining cell identity [cell-ID] design of multiplexing codes H04J13/00; processing access restriction or access information H04W48/16; discovery of network devices for network data management H04W8/005; sounding signals for channel estimation H04L25/0226; structure of reference signals in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2613; frame, time or carrier synchronisation in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2655
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26025 Numerology, i.e. varying one or more of symbol duration, subcarrier spacing, Fourier transform size, sampling rate or down-clocking allocating sub-channels of the transmission path H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2655 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states

Abstract

The present application is at least directed to an apparatus on a 5G network. The apparatus includes a non-transitory memory including instructions stored thereon for performing configuration of an initial access signal in the 5G network. The apparatus also includes a processor, operably coupled to the non-transitory memory, capable of executing an instruction of monitoring transmission of a downlink sweeping subframe including a beam sweeping block carrying a downlink initial access signal. The processor is capable of also executing the instruction of detecting the downlink initial access signal carrying a synchronization channel. The processor is capable of also executing the instruction of determining, based on the synchronization channel, an identity of the beam sweeping block associated with the downlink initial access signal. The present application is also directed to an apparatus configured to perform downlink synchronization of a cell in the 5G network.

Claims

1. An apparatus on a 5G network comprising:

a non-transitory memory including instructions stored thereon for performing configuration of an initial access signal in the 5G network; and

a processor, operably coupled to the non-transitory memory, capable of executing the instructions of;

monitoring transmissions of a downlink sweeping subframe including a beam sweeping block carrying a downlink initial access signal;

detecting the downlink initial access signal carrying a synchronization channel; and

determining, based on the synchronization channel, an identity of the beam sweeping block associated with the downlink initial access signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions of calculating a timing offset between the beam sweeping block and the downlink sweeping subframe.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions of compensating for the timing offset.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining instruction includes locating one or more of a cell ID and beam ID.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the downlink access signal further includes a beam reference signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beam sweeping block is part of a beam sweeping burst.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the beam sweeping block includes one or more OFDM symbols.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the beam sweeping block includes one or more beams.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the synchronization channel includes a primary or secondary synchronous sequence employed to detect symbol timing, detect subcarrier spacing, derive a subframe index, derive a symbol to subframe index, or combinations thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is selected from a smartphone, tablet and laptop.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detecting step includes:

cross-correlating the detected primary synchronization signal with a number of other possible primary synchronization signals;

obtaining a cell identity based upon the cross-correlating step; and

deriving the subcarrier spacing factor from the obtained cell identity.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifying step includes:

cross-correlating the identified secondary synchronization signal with a number of other possible secondary synchronization signals; and

deriving the subcarrier spacing factor from the strongest peak obtained in the cross-correlating step.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further capable of providing sync numerology to the node prior to the synchronization step.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the sync numerology includes a cyclic prefix length and a subcarrier spacing for a principal numerology, the principal numerology being greater than or equal to 1.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the principal numerology includes physical layer channel parameters of cyclic prefix length, subcarrier spacing and symbol duration.

11. An apparatus on a 5G network comprising:

a non-transitory memory including instructions stored thereon for performing downlink synchronization of a cell in the 5G network; and

a processor, operably coupled to the non-transitory memory, capable of executing the instructions of;

performing a search for a cell in a 5G network;

detecting a primary synchronization signal of the cell;

identifying a secondary synchronization signal of the cell;

synchronizing with the cell; and

decoding a physical broadcast channel of the cell using sync numerology,

wherein a subcarrier spacing factor is obtained either from the detected primary synchronization signal or the detected second synchronization signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a periodicity of the primary or secondary synchronization signals is dependent upon an application supported by the cell.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the physical broadcast channel carries system information to support numerology, physical random access channel resources, block timing indication and demodulation.

19. A method for configuring a downlink initial access signal on a 5G network comprising:

monitoring periodic transmissions of a downlink sweeping subframe, the subframe including a beam sweeping block carrying the downlink initial access signal;

detecting the downlink initial access signal carrying a synchronization channel;

calculating a timing offset between the beam sweeping block and the downlink sweeping subframe; and

compensating for the timing offset.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining, based on the compensated timing offset, an identity of the beam sweeping block associated with the downlink initial access signal.