US 7,751,838 B2 · Method and mobile station for synchronizing to a common synchronization channel and obtaining a channel estimate

Abstract

A mobile station for operating in a broadcast-centric cellular communication system. The system improves broadcast channel performance by exploiting the benefits of macro-diversity in a cellular communication system having a plurality of base stations that transmit signals within a plurality of associated cells. System-specific control information common to all cells is synchronously and simultaneously broadcast from multiple base stations using a broadcast channel that is identical across the entire system. Cell-specific control information is transmitted individually from each base station. The mobile station uses the broadcast information for initial synchronization to the system, and to obtain most relevant system information. After system synchronization, the mobile station identifies the connected cell through a physical layer characteristic, and performs initial access to the system.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A mobile station comprising:

means for receiving from a plurality of base stations, a signal on a Single System Synchronization Channel (SSCH) that is uniform and synchronized across an entire wireless multi-cellular telecommunication system, said signal including initial frequency and time synchronization information transmitted from all base stations in the telecommunication system;
means for synchronizing to the SSCH utilizing macro-diversity combining of the signals received from the plurality of the base stations;
means for receiving from the plurality of base stations, a pilot pattern and control messages on a System Broadcast Control Channel (SBCCH) that is uniform across the entire wireless multi-cellular telecommunication system, wherein the pilot pattern is common to all cells in the system, and the control messages include modulated SBCCH control information common to all cells in the system;
and
means for utilizing the entire received signal strength of the pilot pattern to obtain a channel estimate and to demodulate the SBCCH control information.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and mobile station for synchronizing to a common synchronization channel and obtaining a channel estimate

Life of this patent

Method and mobile station for synchronizing to a common synchronization channel and obtaining a channel estimate

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8