Method and apparatus for optimized short prach preamble detection

A network node comprising:

• at least one memory configured to store computer program code;
• and
• at least one processor configured to access said at least one memory and operate as instructed by said computer program code, said computer program code including:
• receiving code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to receive, from at least one user equipment (UE) over a wireless communication network, a plurality of physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble sequences in the frequency domain,
• averaging code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to determine, in the frequency domain, an average of the received plurality of preamble sequences,
• correlation code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to perform a correlation function between the average of the received plurality of preamble sequences and a base sequence,
• converting code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to convert an output of the correlation function to the time domain to generate time domain samples in a sampling window,
• first determining code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to determine power samples from the time domain samples;
• and
• searching code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to perform a search of the power samples in the sampling window for a peak corresponding to the plurality of PRACH preamble sequences.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by at least one processor in a network node cause the at least one processor to execute a method comprising:

• receiving, from at least one user equipment (UE) over a wireless communication network, a plurality of physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble sequences in the frequency domain;
• determining, in the frequency domain, an average of the received plurality of preamble sequences;
• performing a correlation function between the average of the received plurality of preamble sequences and a base sequence;
• converting an output of the correlation function to the time domain to generate time domain samples in a sampling window;
• determining power samples from the time domain samples;
• and
• performing a search of the power samples in the sampling window for a peak corresponding to the plurality of PRACH preamble sequences.