Cell search method and mobile station apparatus

• US 6,044,104 A
• Filed: 12/11/1998
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/209,277
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 375/200, 375/206, 375/347, 375/208, 375/367, 370/335, 370/342, 370/350
• US Class Current: 375/142
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/70756 Jumping within the code, i.e. masking or slewing H04B1/70758 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/708 Parallel implementation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7083 Cell search, e.g. using a three-step approach
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/709 Correlator structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7117 Selection, re-selection, allocation or re-allocation of paths to fingers, e.g. timing offset control of allocated fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/70701 featuring pilot assisted reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/70702 Intercell-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/70709 with discontinuous detection

Abstract

Search control means 8 of a mobile station apparatus divides a search window received into a number of search widths corresponding to the number of search correlators 3 and makes each of correlators 3 carry out correlative detection about these divided search widths simultaneously in a 1st integrating time. It further selects multiple phases in descending order of detected correlative values, makes each correlator carry out correlative detection about these selected phases simultaneously in an integrating time longer than the 1st integrating time and combines powers of correlative values by the number of demodulable phases starting from the largest detected correlative value.

Claims

1. A cell search method comprising:

receiving information with respect to a search window from a base station apparatus;

dividing the search window of a base station apparatus to be searched into a plurality of search widths;

detecting a correlation of each of the plurality of search widths in parallel to obtain a correlation value in a first integrating time;

selecting a phase in order of larger correlation value;

detecting the correlations of each of these selected phases in a second integrating time longer than the first integrating time;

combining the correlation values by the number of demodulable phases starting from the largest detected correlation value; and

keeping the cell search cycle constant when the number of peripheral base station apparatuses whose search window is notified from the base station apparatus is less than a predetermined value, by inserting a non-operation time after a search ends.

2. The cell search method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the non-operation time to be inserted after a cell search ends according to the change of the window width to keep the cell search cycle constant.

3. The cell search method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling the number of correlation detection performed in parallel according to the number of peripheral base station apparatuses.

4. The cell search method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting the mobile speed of the mobile station apparatus itself;

setting a longer cell search cycle according to deceleration of the mobile speed; and

inserting a non-operation time to fill the remaining time of the cell search cycle after a search ends.

5. A mobile station apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of search correlators for detecting a correlation of a pilot channel assigned to a base station apparatus to be searched to obtain a correlation value;

search control means for controlling phases to be detected according to the correlation and operations of the search correlators;

reception means for receiving a code phase and search window of a pilot channel assigned to a peripheral base station apparatus;

wherein said search control means divides said received search window into a plurality of search widths corresponding to the number of said search correlators, makes each correlator detect the correlation of the divided search width simultaneously in a 1st integrating time to obtain the correlation value, selects a plurality of phases in order of larger correlation value in descending order of these detected correlative values, makes each correlator detect the correlation of each of the selected phases simultaneously in an integrating time longer than the first integrating time to obtain the correlation values, and combines the correlation values by the number of demodulable phases starting from the largest detected correlation value; and

wherein search control means inserts a non-operation time after a search ends when the number of peripheral base station apparatuses whose search window is notified from the base station is less than a predetermined value to which the base station apparatus notified the search window falls short of a given number.

6. The mobile station apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

search control means keeps a cell search cycle constant by changing the non-operation time to be inserted after a cell search ends according to a change to the window width.

7. The mobile station apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

search control means changes the number of correlators used in detecting correlation values for detection of correlative values according to the number of peripheral base station apparatuses.

8. The mobile station apparatus according to claim 5, comprising mobile speed detection means for detecting the mobile speed of the mobile station apparatus itself, wherein:

said search control means sets a longer cell search cycle according to deceleration of said mobile speed detected and inserts a non-operation time to fill the remaining time of the cell search cycle after a search ends.

9. A base station apparatus, which carries out communications with the mobile station apparatus according to claim 5.

10. A communication system, comprising a base station apparatus having communication means for notifying the code phase and search window width of a pilot channel used by a peripheral base station apparatus to a mobile station apparatus, and the mobile station apparatus according to claim 5.