Granted Patent B2

US 10,666,315 · App. 14/908,475 · Granted May 26, 2020

Abstract

Claims (49)

1. A terminal-to-terminal network comprising:

one or more terminals, each configured to:

receive a timing reference signal;

select a timing offset relative to a periodic transmission frame of the terminal-to-terminal network, the timing offset associated with a time relative to the periodic transmission frame at which a timing synchronization signal is broadcast, the timing synchronization signal based at least in part on the timing reference signal;

select a timing synchronization signal transmission rate;

broadcast the timing synchronization signal at the timing offset and at the timing synchronization signal transmission rate;

monitor other timing synchronization signals to determine an average timing synchronization signal rate; and

adjust the synchronization signal transmission rate based at least in part on a comparison of the average timing synchronization signal rate and a target timing synchronization signal rate.

2. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 1 , wherein the timing synchronization signal includes a code division multiple access (CDMA) sequence of a plurality of CDMA sequences, each of the plurality of CDMA sequences associated with a different one of a plurality of timing offsets including the timing offset.

3. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 1 , the one or more terminals each further configured to select the timing offset randomly.

4. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 1 , wherein the timing synchronization signal transmission rate is 2, 4, 8, or 16 times a length of the periodic transmission frame.

5. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 1 , wherein the timing reference signal includes an external timing reference signal and the timing synchronization signal includes a primary timing synchronization signal.

6. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 5 , wherein the external timing reference signal includes a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

7. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 1 , wherein the timing reference signal is a primary timing synchronization signal and the timing synchronization signal includes a relayed timing synchronization signal.

8. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 1 , the one or more terminals each further configured to receive a maximal timing synchronization signal transmission rate.

9. A terminal-to-terminal network comprising:

one or more terminals, each configured to:

receive a timing reference signal;

select a timing offset relative to a periodic transmission frame of the terminal-to-terminal network, the timing offset associated with a time relative to the periodic transmission frame at which a timing synchronization signal is broadcast, the timing synchronization signal based at least in part on the timing reference signal;

select a timing synchronization signal transmission rate; and

broadcast the timing synchronization signal at the timing offset and at the timing synchronization signal transmission rate, wherein:

the periodic transmission frame includes a length of 10 milliseconds (ms),

the timing offset is 1 of 10 timing offsets defined relative to the periodic transmission frame, the 10 timing offsets including an offset granularity of 1 ms, and

the one or more terminals are each further configured to listen for other timing synchronization signals different from the timing synchronization signal at 9 of the 10 timing offsets during which the timing synchronization signal is not broadcast.

10. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 9 , wherein the timing synchronization signal includes a code division multiple access (CDMA) sequence of a plurality of CDMA sequences, each of the plurality of CDMA sequences associated with a different one of a plurality of timing offsets including the timing offset.

11. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 9 , wherein the timing synchronization signal transmission rate is 2, 4, 8, or 16 times a length of the periodic transmission frame.

12. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 9 , wherein the timing reference signal includes an external timing reference signal and the timing synchronization signal includes a primary timing synchronization signal.

13. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 12 , wherein the external timing reference signal includes a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

14. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 9 , wherein the timing reference signal is a primary timing synchronization signal and the timing synchronization signal includes a relayed timing synchronization signal.

15. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 9 , the one or more terminals each further configured to select the timing offset randomly.

16. A terminal-to-terminal network comprising:

one or more terminals, each configured to:

receive a timing reference signal;

select a timing offset relative to a periodic transmission frame of the terminal-to-terminal network, the timing offset associated with a time relative to the periodic transmission frame at which a timing synchronization signal is broadcast, the timing synchronization signal based at least in part on the timing reference signal;

select a timing synchronization signal transmission rate; and

broadcast the timing synchronization signal at the timing offset and at the timing synchronization signal transmission rate, wherein:

the one or more terminals select the timing offset from a plurality of timing offsets relative to a periodic 10-millisecond (ms) transmission frame of the terminal-to-terminal network, each of the plurality of timing offsets associated with a code division multiple access (CDMA) sequence of a plurality of CDMA sequences, the plurality of CDMA sequences each associated with a timing synchronization signal;

the timing synchronization signal transmission rate is associated with a 20 ms or higher transmission interval; and

the one or more terminals are further configured to:

broadcast the CDMA sequence associated with the selected timing offset during a first transmission frame;

monitor for the CDMA sequences not associated with the selected timing offset during the first transmission frame;

monitor for each of the plurality CDMA sequences during a second transmission frame;

broadcast the CDMA sequence associated with the selected timing offset during a third transmission frame;

monitor for the CDMA sequences not associated with the selected timing offset during the third transmission frame; and

select a new timing synchronization signal transmission rate based at least in part on a target timing synchronization signal rate and a CDMA sequence rate during one or more of the first transmission frame, the second transmission frame, and the third transmission frame.

17. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of timing offsets include 10 timing offsets having a granularity of 1 ms.

18. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of timing offsets include 5 timing offsets having a granularity of 2 ms.

19. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 16 , wherein the timing synchronization signal transmission rate is associated with a 20 ms transmission interval, a 40 ms transmission interval, an 80 ms transmission interval, or a 160 ms transmission interval.

20. The terminal-to-terminal network of claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of timing offsets is associated with a subframe of the first transmission frame, the second transmission frame, and the third transmission frame.

Assignments (6)