This paper proposes a three-step cell search algorithm that utilizes only the common pilot channel (CPICH) in the forward link and employs spreading by a combination of a cell-specific scrambling code (CSSC) and an orthogonal short code for Orthogonal Frequency and Code Division Multiplexing (OFCDM) broadband packet wireless access. In the proposed cell search algorithm, the OFCDM symbol timing, i.e., Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) window timing, is estimated by detecting the guard interval timing in the first step. Then, in the second step, the frame timing and CSSC group are simultaneously detected by taking the correlation of the CPICH based on the property yielded by shifting the CSSC phase in the frequency domain. Finally, the CSSC within the group is identified in the third step. The most prominent feature of the proposed cell search algorithm is that it does not employ the conventional synchronization channel (SCH), which is exclusively used for the cell search. Computer simulation results elucidate that when the transmission power ratio of the CPICH to one code channel of the traffic channel (TCH) is 12 dB, the proposed cell search method achieves faster cell search time performance compared to the conventional method using the SCH with the transmission power ratio of the SCH to one code channel of the TCH of 6 dB. Furthermore, the results show that it can accomplish the cell search within 1.7 msec at 95% of the locations in a 12-path Rayleigh fading channel with the maximum Doppler frequency of 80 Hz and the r.m.s. delay spread of 0.32 µs.

This paper presents a cell search scheme embedded with carrier frequency synchronization for inter-cell asynchronous orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing code-division multiplexing (OFDM-CDM) systems. Several subcarriers are dedicated to a differentially encoded synchronization channel (SCH). In the other subcarriers, data symbols and pilot symbols are two-dimensionally spread in the time-frequency domain. The cell search scheme consists of a three-stage cell search and a two-stage carrier-frequency synchronization, that is, coarse carrier-frequency acquisition, fast Fourier transform window-timing detection, SCH frame-timing detection, fine carrier-frequency synchronization, and cell-specific scrambling code (CSSC) identification. Simulation demonstrated that this scheme can identify the CSSC with high detection probability while precisely synchronizing the carrier frequency in severe frequency-selective fading channels.

This paper proposes a three-step cell search algorithm utilizing a synchronization channel (SCH) and common pilot channel (CPICH) in the forward link for OFCDM (Orthogonal Frequency and Code Division Multiplexing) broadband packet wireless access, and evaluates the cell search time performance by computer simulation. In the proposed three-step cell search algorithm, the OFCDM symbol timing, i.e., Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) window timing is estimated employing SCH or guard interval (GI) correlation in the first step. Then, the frame timing is detected by employing the SCH and the cell-specific scrambling code (CSSC) is identified by the CPICH in the second and third steps, respectively. Computer simulation results elucidate that the proposed three-step cell search algorithm achieves fast cell search time performance, i.e., cell detection probability of 90% within approximately 50 msec, assuming the number of CSSCs of 512 in a 19 hexagonal-cell model. We also clarify that there is no prominent difference in cell search time performance between the two employed SCH structures, time-multiplexed and frequency-multiplexed, assuming that the total transmit power of the SCH is the same. Based on the comparison of four substantial cell search algorithms, the GI-plus-SCH correlation method, in which FFT windowing timing detection, frame timing detection, and CSSC identification are performed by GI correlation, frequency-multiplexed SCH, and CPICH, respectively, exhibits the cell search time of approximately 44 msec at the detection probability of 90% with an optimized averaging parameter in each step.

This paper investigates the cell search time performance of our previously proposed three-step cell search method in a two-cell site environment by laboratory and field experiments supporting asynchronous cell site operation, which is one of the most notable features of wideband direct sequence code division multiple access (W-CDMA) mobile communications. The cell search methods used in the paper are based on the ongoing third generation partnership project (3GPP), in which our original scheme was refined with respect to several points in order to reduce the complexity of the receiver. The experimental results demonstrate that the method achieves the fast cell search time of less than one second in real multipath-fading channels. The cell search is accomplished in less than approximately 700 msec at 90% of the detection probability when 4.7% and 0.5% of the total transmit power of a cell site is assigned to the common pilot channel (CPICH) and synchronization channels (SCHs), respectively, in a two-cell site environment. We also elucidate that the cell search time at the detection probability of 90% using time switched transmit diversity (TSTD) is decreased by approximately 100 msec compared to that without TSTD in low-mobility environments such as the average vehicular speed of 5 km/h with a transmit power assignment of the CPICH of 4.7%.

This paper presents the fast cell search time performance based on laboratory and field experiments of a 2-step cell search algorithm that uses scrambling code masking for inter-cell asynchronous wideband DS-CDMA (W-CDMA) mobile radio. The scrambling code is masked at different time positions during each scrambling period on the forward-link common control channel (CCH) to detect the scrambling code timing at the mobile receiver. Experiments were conducted using the CCH-to-dedicated traffic channel (DTCH) power ratio, R of 3 dB, 10 DTCHs, and 16 scrambling codes in a single-cell and two-cell models. The field experimental results show that the cell search time of about 600 msec was achieved in vehicular environments at the detection probability of 90% and the average received Eb/N0 (N0 is the background noise without interference) of 13-15 dB for DTCH, even in the worst case scenario when the received signal power ratios of the CCH from two cell sites were 0 dB. The cell search time that was achieved with the 3-step cell search algorithm previously proposed by the authors is estimated from the experimental results; the cell search can be accomplished within about 720 msec at a probability of 96% for 512 scrambling codes and 16 scrambling code groups.

This paper proposes a fast target cell search algorithm used during intermittent reception in the idle mode of a mobile station (MS) for inter-cell asynchronous W-CDMA mobile radio. In the proposed scheme, since the base station (BS) informs a MS of the relative average received timing differences between the scrambling code of its BS and those of the surrounding BSs in addition to the scrambling codes, the MS only has to search over the restricted timing duration for the informed scrambling codes. Therefore, the target cell search (i.e., in which the number of candidate cells is limited) can be achieved as fast as in inter-cell synchronous systems. A computer simulation demonstrates that the target cell search time per one super frame (= 720 msec) at the cell detection probability of 95% is accomplished within 5.9 msec (this corresponds to the intermittent time ratio required for the target cell search to become 0.82%), when the transmit power ratios of the common pilot channel (CPICH) and common control physical channel (CCPCH) required for cell search to a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH) are 3 and 6 dB, respectively. In this simulation, the average power delay profile was generated by averaging the instantaneous ones (it was coherently accumulated pilot signal over a 512-chip duration (= 125 µsec) using 4 correlators) over a period of three super frames for 19 target cell-site candidates using the search window with a 10-chip duration (= 2.4 µsec).

The initial cell search procedure of a terminal in an asynchronous wideband CDMA (WCDMA) system is discussed. The procedure consists of the following steps (not necessarily in this order): chip and frame synchronization; identification and synchronization of the long scrambling code; and determination of the target base station identity. Higuchi et al. proposed a cell search method for such a system. We propose a modification of that scheme which offers substantial terminal complexity reductions with the same performance. The price is a slight increase in delay. Furthermore, we study the impact on performance and complexity for different parameter settings for these methods.

Inter-cell asynchronous DS-CDMA cellular mobile radio allows continuous system deployment from outdoors to indoors since no outer timing source is required. All the forward link channels(control and traffic channels)of each cell site are first spread by orthogonal short spreading codes and then randomized by a long random code uniquely assigned to each cell site. However, inter-cell asynchronous systems generally require much longer cell search time than inter-cell synchronous systems. This paper proposes a fast cell search algorithm based on the periodic masking of the long random code when transmitting the control channel(CCH)signal. The same short spreading code is used for the CCHs of all cell sites. The same short spreading code periodically appears in the signals transmitted from all cell sites so the mobile station can detect the long random code timing(or more precisely the masking timing)by using a matched filter. By grouping the long random codes used in the system and transmitting a group identification(GI)code from each cell site during the masking period, we can avoid searching all long random codes. This significantly reduces the cell search time. Simulation results demonstrate that cell search can be accomplished in less than 500 ms at 90% of the locations when the number of long random codes(having a repetition period of 10 ms)is 512 and the number of those per group is 32.