Method and apparatus for synchronization of a mobile radio receiver to a base station

1. A method for synchronization of a mobile radio receiver to a base station, comprising:

sampling, using a sampling component, a received signal comprising a sequence of information units using oversampling, thereby generating an oversampled signal comprising sample values for different sampling phases; and

correlating the oversampled signal with a local code, wherein a sample value of the oversampled signal associated with a first sampling phase is processed with a first frequency and a sample value relating to the same information unit of the oversampled signal associated with a second different sampling phase is processed with a second different frequency having a frequency offset with respect to the first frequency and is not processed with the first frequency.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein oversampling comprises sampling the received signal at N times the frequency of the received signal, wherein N comprises an integer greater than or equal to two, and wherein sample values of the resulting N sampling phases are processed with a frequency offset for M different frequencies, wherein M comprises an integer such that M≦N.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the M frequencies are distributed substantially equidistantly within a predetermined frequency interval.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein a length of the frequency interval over which the M frequencies are distributed is approximately 12 kHz.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the local code comprises a synchronization code employed for time slot synchronization for the mobile radio system.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the local code comprises a synchronization code employed for frame synchronization for the mobile radio system.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein correlating the oversampled signal with a local code comprises correlating values for different sampling phases of the oversampled signal.

8. An apparatus for synchronization of a mobile radio receiver to a base station, the apparatus receiving sample values representing different sampling phases due to oversampling of a received signal, the apparatus comprising:

correlating means for correlating the oversampled signal with a local code, the correlating means being configured to process a sample value of the oversampled signal associated with a first sampling phase with a first frequency and to process a sample value relating to the same information unit of the oversampled signal associated with a second different sampling phase not with the first frequency but with a second different frequency having a frequency offset with respect to the first frequency.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the correlating means comprises a multiplexer means that receives the oversampled signal comprising an N-times oversampled signal, and the multiplexer means comprising N outputs, wherein the multiplexer means is operable to emit the sample values relating to one of the N sample values representing N different sampling phases at each output, wherein N comprises an integer greater than or equal to two.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the correlating means further comprises:

N correlators arranged in parallel, with each correlator receiving a respective sample value relating to one sampling phase of the N-times oversampled signal; and

frequency shifting means operable to receive the sample values of the N sampling phases and frequency shift at least M of the N sampling phases with M different frequencies, wherein M is an integer such that M≦N.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the M frequencies are distributed substantially equidistantly within a predetermined frequency interval.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the local code comprises a synchronization code employed for time slot synchronization for the mobile radio system.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the local code comprises a synchronization code employed for frame synchronization in the mobile radio system.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the means for correlating the oversampled signal with a local code is configured to correlate values for different sampling phases of the oversampled signal with the local code.

15. A method for synchronizing a mobile radio receiver to a base station, comprising:

transmitting a signal from the base station to the mobile radio receiver, the signal received at the receiver as a received signal;

oversampling the received signal with an oversampling frequency that is N times greater than a frequency of the received signal, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to two, thereby generating N streams of sample values, each stream of sample values being associated with one sampling phase;

frequency shifting at least M of the N streams of sample values with M different frequencies, wherein M is an integer less than or equal to N, thereby forming N streams of sample values after frequency shifting;

performing N correlations to correlate each of the N streams of sample values after frequency shifting with a local code in the receiver; and

synchronizing the mobile radio receiver to the base station based on the correlation.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the received signal has a frequency associated with a chip period in the UMTS communication standard.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein N is two, and wherein the oversampling frequency is twice the received signal frequency, thereby resulting in two sample values for each received chip, corresponding to an even sampling phase value and an odd sampling phase value per chip.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein frequency shifting is performed on the odd sampling phase sample values, and wherein the frequency shifted sample values are correlated with the local code.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein correlating further comprises:

evaluating a correlation result representing a signal energy per symbol with a threshold value; and

communicating a detection of the desired signal for synchronization if the correlation result exceeds the threshold value.

20. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the local code comprises a synchronization code employed for time slot synchronization for the mobile radio system.

21. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the local code comprises a synchronization code employed for frame synchronization for the mobile radio system.

22. A method for synchronization of a mobile radio receiver to a base station, comprising:

sampling, using a sampling component, a received signal using oversampling, thereby generating an oversampled signal comprising sample values for different sampling phases; and

correlating the oversampled signal with a local code, wherein sample values of each sampling phase are processed with a specific frequency associated with the respective sampling phase and are not processed with the specific frequencies associated with the other sampling phases, wherein the specific frequencies associated with the sampling phases are different from each other.

23. An apparatus for synchronization of a mobile radio receiver to a base station, the apparatus comprising:

a sampling unit for oversampling a received signal to produce an oversampled signal comprising sample values for different sampling phases; and

a correlator for correlating the oversampled signal with a local code, wherein the correlator is configured to process sample values of each sampling phase with a specific frequency associated with the respective sampling phase and not with the specific frequencies associated with the other sampling phases, wherein the specific frequencies associated with the sampling phases are different from each other.