# US 10,321,417 B2 · Enhanced cell acquisition for enhanced machine type communications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,321,417 B2 - Document ID: US10321417B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/063,791 - Filed: 2016-03-08 - Published: 2016-10-06 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-03 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Alberto Rico Alvarino; Wanshi Chen; Hao Xu; Seyed Ali Akbar Fakoorian - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10321417B2 ## CPC - H04W 52/38: TPC being performed in particular situations - H04B 17/23: Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means - H04B 17/318: Received signal strength - H04W 48/12: using downlink control channel - H04W 52/0225: {using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal} - H04W 52/143: {Downlink power control} - H04W 52/18: TPC being performed according to specific parameters - H04W 52/44: in connection with interruption of transmission - H04W 48/20: Selecting an access point - H04W 76/28: Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX] - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques that may be used by a BS and/or UE to reduce the time associated with performing cell acquisition. An exemplary method, performed by a BS, generally includes determining opportunities for assisting cell acquisition by one or more UEs, and boosting transmission power for one or more signals used for cell acquisition during the determined opportunities. Another exemplary method, performed by a UE, generally includes exiting a first low power state in order to perform cell acquisition based on one or more signals transmitted by a base station, and taking one or more actions to reduce acquisition time when performing the cell acquisition. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for wireless communications by a base station (BS), comprising: determining one or more opportunities for assisting cell acquisition by one or more user equipments (UEs); boosting transmission power for one or more first signals used for cell acquisition during the determined one or more opportunities by reducing a number of physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) assignments during the determined one or more opportunities and allocating available transmission power to a narrowband region of available system bandwidth that is different from a center bandwidth region of the available system bandwidth, wherein the one or more first signals comprise at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal; and transmitting one or more second signals different from the one or more first signals across an entire system bandwidth while boosting the transmission power for the one or more first signals during the determined one or more opportunities. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determination is based on knowledge, by the BS, of a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: configuring DRX configurations of the one or more UEs in an effort to align awake cycles of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: announcing information regarding the determined one or more opportunities to the one or more UEs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the information regarding the determined one or more opportunities is announced via a broadcast of system information. ### Claim 6 An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising: means for determining one or more opportunities for assisting cell acquisition by one or more user equipments (UEs); means for boosting transmission power for one or more first signals used for cell acquisition during the determined one or more opportunities by reducing a number of physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) assignments during the determined one or more opportunities and allocating available transmission power to a narrowband region of available system bandwidth that is different from a center bandwidth region of the available system bandwidth, wherein the one or more first signals comprise at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal; and means for transmitting one or more second signals different from the one or more first signals across an entire system bandwidth while boosting the transmission power for the one or more first signals during the determined one or more opportunities. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the means for determining determines the one or more opportunities based on knowledge, by the apparatus, of a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising: means for configuring DRX configurations of the one or more UEs in an effort to align awake cycles of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: means for announcing information regarding the determined one or more opportunities to the one or more UEs. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information regarding the determined one or more opportunities is announced via a broadcast of system information. ### Claim 11 An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising: at least one processor configured to: determine one or more opportunities for assisting cell acquisition by one or more user equipments (UEs); and boost transmission power for one or more first signals used for cell acquisition during the determined one or more opportunities by reducing a number of physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) assignments during the determined one or more opportunities and allocating available transmission power to a narrowband region of available system bandwidth that is different from a center bandwidth region of the available system bandwidth, wherein the one or more first signals comprise at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal; a transmitter configured to transmit one or more second signals different from the one or more first signals across an entire system bandwidth while the transmission power for the one or more first signals is boosted during the determined one or more opportunities; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determination is based on knowledge, by the apparatus, of a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to configure DRX configurations of the one or more UEs in an effort to align awake cycles of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit information regarding the determined one or more opportunities to the one or more UEs. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the information regarding the determined one or more opportunities is transmitted via a broadcast of system information. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable code stored thereon for wireless communications by an apparatus, the computer executable code comprising: code for determining one or more opportunities for assisting cell acquisition by one or more user equipments (UEs); code for boosting transmission power for one or more first signals used for cell acquisition during the determined one or more opportunities by reducing a number of physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) assignments during the determined one or more opportunities and allocating available transmission power to a narrowband region of available system bandwidth that is different from a center bandwidth region of the available system bandwidth, wherein the one or more first signals comprise at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal; and code for transmitting one or more second signals different from the one or more first signals across an entire system bandwidth while boosting the transmission power for the one or more first signals during the determined one or more opportunities. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the code for determining determines the one or more opportunities based on knowledge, by the apparatus, of a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising computer executable code for configuring DRX configurations of the one or more UEs in an effort to align awake cycles of the one or more UEs. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising computer executable code for announcing information regarding the determined one or more opportunities to the one or more UEs. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the information regarding the determined one or more opportunities is announced via a broadcast of system information.