Synchronization techniques using frequency hopping in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum

• US 10,659,102 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yerramalli, Srinivas, Liu, Chih-Hao, Kadous, Tamer
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, David S
• Application Number:
  US15/884,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20180227011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7083 Cell search, e.g. using a three-step approach
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7087 Carrier synchronisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7143 Arrangements for generation of hop patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7156 Arrangements for sequence synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/71563 Acquisition
• 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

Abstract

Described techniques provide for transmission of synchronization signals using frequency hopping across a number of hopping frequencies in unlicensed or shared radio frequency spectrum. A base station may identify a set of hop frequencies for transmitting synchronization signals, and transmit synchronization signals using a hopping pattern over the hop frequencies. A user equipment (UE) seeking to identify the base station may monitor one or more of the hop frequencies to identify one or more synchronization signals on the hop frequency. A system timing may be identified in some cases, and one or more base station IDs may be identified. In some cases, a hop frequency may be monitored for a duration that may span the transmission of two or more synchronization signals of a particular base station, based on a periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions on each hop frequency.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, on a first hop frequency of a plurality of available hop frequencies in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, two or more synchronization signals from a first base station;

identifying a first synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals;

identifying, on the first hop frequency, a second synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on a periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions on one or more hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies; and

identifying a hopping pattern of the first base station based at least in part on the received first synchronization signal and a physical channel signal of the first base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the hopping pattern is identified based at least in part on a number of hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies and a duration of transmissions of the first base station on each of the plurality of available hop frequencies.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the number of hop frequencies is determined based at least in part on a configured bandwidth of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the number of hop frequencies is determined based at least in part on a signaled raster of hop frequencies from a base station.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions on the first hop frequency is determined based at least in part on the number of hop frequencies and the duration of transmissions.

6. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, on a first hop frequency of a plurality of available hop frequencies in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, two or more synchronization signals from a first base station;

identifying a first synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals;

identifying, on the first hop frequency, a second synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on a periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions on one or more hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies;

identifying a third synchronization signal of a second base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals; and

determining a system timing based at least in part on the first synchronization signal and the third synchronization signal.

7. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, on a first hop frequency of a plurality of available hop frequencies in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, two or more synchronization signals from a first base station;

identifying a first synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals;

identifying a periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions based on a duty cycle for synchronization signal transmissions on at least a subset of the plurality of available hop frequencies; and

identifying, on the first hop frequency, a second synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the subset of the plurality of available hop frequencies comprise a first subset of identified hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the first subset of identified hop frequencies comprise a static list of hop frequencies.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the first subset of identified hop frequencies are identified center frequencies of a raster of center frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies.

11. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to;

receive, on a first hop frequency of a plurality of available hop frequencies in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, two or more synchronization signals from a first base station;

identify a first synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals;

identify, on the first hop frequency, a second synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on a periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions on one or more hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies; and

identify a hopping pattern of the first base station based at least in part on the received first synchronization signal and a physical channel signal of the first base station.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the hopping pattern is identified based at least in part on a number of hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies and a duration of transmissions of the first base station on each of the plurality of available hop frequencies.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the number of hop frequencies is determined based at least in part on a configured bandwidth of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the number of hop frequencies is determined based at least in part on a signaled raster of hop frequencies from a base station.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions on the first hop frequency is determined based at least in part on the number of hop frequencies and the duration of transmissions.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to;

receive, on a first hop frequency of a plurality of available hop frequencies in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, two or more synchronization signals from a first base station;

identify a first synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals;

identify a periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions based on a duty cycle for synchronization signal transmissions on at least a subset of the plurality of available hop frequencies; and

identify, on the first hop frequency, a second synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the subset of the plurality of available hop frequencies comprise a first subset of identified hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first subset of identified hop frequencies comprise a static list of hop frequencies.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first subset of identified hop frequencies are identified center frequencies of a raster of center frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies.

20. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to;

receive, on a first hop frequency of a plurality of available hop frequencies in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, two or more synchronization signals from a first base station;

identify a first synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals;

identify, on the first hop frequency, a second synchronization signal of the first base station based at least in part on a periodicity of synchronization signal transmissions on one or more hop frequencies of the plurality of available hop frequencies;

identify a third synchronization signal of a second base station based at least in part on the received two or more synchronization signals; and

determine a system timing based at least in part on the first synchronization signal and the third synchronization signal.