# US 2021/0243713 A1 · Methods and devices for communications in device-to-device networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0243713 A1 - Document ID: US20210243713A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/254,324 - Filed: 2019-08-22 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-28 - Assignees: Intel IP Corporation; Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel IP Corporation; Intel Corporation - Inventors: Jan ELLENBECK; Gil ZUKERMAN; Biljana BADIC; Karim MORSY; Thomas Hans-Joerg REICHELMEIR; Chunyuan YANG; Norman GORIS; Johannes BRENDEL; Christian HOFMANN; Nuno Manuel KIILERICH PRATAS; Christian DREWES - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243713A1 ## CPC - H04W 56/0015: {one node acting as a reference for the others} - H04W 56/002: {Mutual synchronization} - H04W 56/006: {using known positions of transmitter and receiver} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A wireless device may include a selection processor configured to process selection information to set a duration of a selection period and to start the selection period, a receiver configured to receive a synchronization initiation signal, and a transmitter configured to transmit a synchronization initiation signal after the selection period has expired if the receiver has not received a synchronization initiation signal during the selection period. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wireless device comprising: a selection processor configured to process selection information to set a duration of a selection period and to start the selection period; a receiver configured to receive a synchronization initiation signal; and a transmitter configured to transmit a synchronization initiation signal after the selection period has expired if the receiver has not received a synchronization initiation signal during the selection period. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the selection information corresponds to at least one selection factor for the wireless device and/or to at least one selection factor weighted for the wireless device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The wireless device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one selection factor relates to a type of a source for time synchronization that the wireless device is capable of using. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The wireless device according to claim 3, wherein the type of the source for time synchronization indicates the source to be either a satellite-based synchronization source or an internal clock of the wireless device, and wherein the at least one selection factor is weighted for the wireless device depending on the type of the source. ### Claim 5 A wireless device comprising: a receiver configured to receive, from a synchronization provider of a synchronization cluster, first synchronization signals and synchronization quality information that indicates a synchronization quality of the first synchronization signals; a sync controller configured to compare the synchronization quality information to reference synchronization quality information that indicates a potential synchronization quality of the wireless device, and to trigger, based on the comparing, a handover of a synchronization provider role from the synchronization provider to the wireless device; and a transmitter configured to transmit second synchronization signals for the synchronization cluster after the handover. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The wireless device of claim 5, wherein the synchronization quality information comprises a satellite link signal strength of the synchronization provider, a local oscillator accuracy of the synchronization provider, a peer link signal strength of the synchronization provider, or a remaining battery power level of the synchronization provider. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The wireless device of claim 5, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the synchronization quality information as a payload of the first synchronization signals. ### Claim 8 A communication device comprising: a test controller configured to receive one or more test control commands and configure one or more other components of the communication device to execute one or more sequences according to the one or more test control commands; a test loop generator configured to receive instructions from the test controller and command one or more signal processors to generate reference measurement channels and IQ samples for transmission, wherein the test loop generator is further configured to store the IQ samples; and an in-channel signal analyzer configured to perform received characteristic measurements and compare the received characteristic measurements with the stored IQ samples. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The communication device of claim 8, wherein test controller is located in a central processing unit (CPU) of the communication device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The communication device of claim 8, wherein the test controller is configured to receive the one or more test control commands from an external device. ### Claim 11 A wireless device comprising: a receiver configured to receive data on a common frequency shared by multiple wireless devices of a device-to-device network; and a controller configured to identify a scheduling request in the data from the common frequency, identify a transmitting device of the scheduling request, and identify a user-specific frequency based on the transmitting device, the receiver further configured to receive a reference signal on the user-specific frequency and receive a data transmission from the candidate device on the user-specific frequency. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the scheduling request, the reference signal, and the data transmission are in a first frame of a communication schedule, and wherein the common frequency is a first hopping frequency of a common hopping scheme assigned to the first frame and the user-specific frequency is a third hopping frequency of a user-specific hopping scheme assigned to the first frame. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the common hopping scheme assigns different hopping frequencies to different frames and wherein the user-specific hopping scheme assigns different hopping frequencies to different frames. ### Claim 14 A wireless device comprising: a synchronization signal memory configured to store a synchronization signal comprising a plurality of slots that are respectively modified by different slot-specific codes; a timing controller configured to identify a first frame scheduled for synchronization signal broadcast; and a transmitter configured to transmit the synchronization signal in the first frame. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The wireless device of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of slots comprises a plurality of symbol periods, where each of the plurality of symbol periods is weighted according to a different weight of the respective slot-specific cover code. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the symbols in the plurality of symbol periods are distributed across a plurality of subcarriers. ### Claim 17 A wireless device comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit synchronization signals for a synchronization cluster comprising multiple synchronization tiers of wireless devices; and a sync controller configured to detect a condition that indicates that the transmitting of the synchronization signals will be interrupted, the transmitter further configured to transmit a beacon that indicates a synchronization tier of the wireless device, and the sync controller configured to perform a handover of the transmitting of synchronization signals to a second wireless device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a receiver configured to repeatedly receive second synchronization signals from a third wireless device in a different synchronization tier of the synchronization cluster from the wireless device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a satellite receiver configured to repeatedly receive second synchronization signals from a satellite. ### Claim 20 A wireless device comprising: a satellite acquisition processor configured to perform acquisition on a navigational satellite system; an internal device clock configured to align its timing with the navigational satellite system based on the acquisition and to monitor one or more timing accuracy parameters of the timing; and a satellite tracker configured to periodically track the navigational satellite system based on the internal device clock to update the timing, wherein the satellite acquisition processor is configured to perform reacquisition on the navigational satellite system if the one or more timing accuracy parameters are greater than one or more accuracy thresholds. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The wireless device of claim 20, further comprising one or more satellite antennas, wherein the satellite acquisition processor and the satellite tracker are configured to receive synchronization signals from the navigational satellite system via the one or more satellite antennas. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The wireless device of claim 20, wherein the satellite acquisition processor is configured to perform the acquisition on the navigational satellite system by: receiving synchronization signals from a plurality of navigational satellites; determining a position of the wireless device based on the synchronization signals; and determining a universal reference time of the navigation satellite system based on the synchronization signals. ### Claim 23 A wireless device comprising: a sync controller configured to maintain synchronization with a synchronization cluster based on a main synchronization signal from the synchronization cluster, and to determine whether a triggering condition is met for broadcasting a supporting synchronization signal; a transmitter configured to, if the triggering condition is met, broadcast the supporting synchronization signal; and a receiver configured to, if the triggering condition is met, receive a response signal from a second wireless device that is synchronized with the supporting synchronization signal. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The wireless device of claim 23, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the main synchronization signal from the synchronization cluster with a first broadcast period, and wherein the transmitter is configured to broadcast the supporting synchronization signal with a second broadcast period that is greater than the first broadcast period. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The wireless device of claim 23, wherein the main synchronization signal is scheduled for broadcast in each frame of a communication schedule of the synchronization cluster, and wherein the transmitter is configured to periodically broadcast the supporting synchronization signal.