Methods and arrangement for supporting base station synchronization by use of long wave signaling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9295017-B2
Application number	US-201113985892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2011
Priority date	Feb 22, 2011
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

Methods and arrangements in a support node and in connection with a base station for supporting synchronization of the base station. The methods and arrangements involve conveying high-accuracy time information via long-wave signaling to the base station, which implies e.g. that base stations in unfavorable radio conditions may be synchronized without access to reliable IP connections or similar.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method in a support module for supporting synchronization of a base station in a cellular communication network, the method comprising:
obtaining high-accuracy time information from a reference source, wherein the reference source is a satellite based positioning system; and
providing said time information to the base station by use of long wave signaling, thus enabling the base station to synchronize.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning system is the Global Positioning System (GPS).

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining information related to positioning from the reference source;
deriving the geographical position of the support module, based on said information related to positioning obtained from the reference source; and
providing said geographical position of the support module to the base station by use of long wave signaling.

4. An arrangement in a support module for supporting synchronization of a base station in a cellular communication network, the arrangement comprising:
an obtaining circuit adapted to obtain high-accuracy time information from a reference source, wherein the reference source is a satellite based positioning system; and
a providing circuit adapted to provide said time information to the base station by use of long wave signaling.

5. The arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the obtaining circuit is further adapted to obtain information related to positioning from the reference source; the arrangement further comprising a determining circuit adapted to derive the geographical position of the support module, based on said information related to positioning obtained from the reference source, and wherein the providing circuit is further adapted to provide said geographical position of the support module to the base station by use of long wave signaling.

6. A method for supporting synchronization of a base station, the method comprising:
receiving a long wave signal from at least one support module, the long wave signal comprising time information from a satellite based positioning system;
deriving high-accuracy time and frequency information from the received signal or signals; and
synchronizing the base station based on the derived information.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the synchronization includes at least one of:
using the derived time information for synchronizing an internal clock of the base station;
generating a high-accuracy frequency signal based on the derived high-accuracy time information, as reference frequency for synchronizing base station frequency generation; and
deriving a carrier frequency of the long wave signaling, and synchronizing base station frequency generation, based on said derived carrier frequency.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
deriving the geographical position of the at least one support module from the received signal or signals; and
deriving the geographical position of the base station based on said geographical position of the at least one support module.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the geographical position of the base station is derived based on the respective geographical position of at least three support modules.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said geographical position of the base station is reported to a network control module.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising calculating a propagation delay compensation factor for the time information received from a first support module, based on the geographical position of said support module and the geographical position of the base station.

12. An arrangement connectable to a base station in a cellular communication network, for supporting synchronization of said base station, the arrangement comprising:
an obtaining circuit adapted to receive long wave signals from at least one support module, the long wave signal comprising time information from a satellite based positioning system;
a determining circuit adapted to derive high-accuracy time and frequency information from one or more received long wave signals, and
a synchronization circuit adapted to synchronize the base station, based on the derived information.

13. The arrangement of claim 12 , wherein the determining circuit is further adapted to derive information on the geographical position of a support module from a signal received from said support module and to derive the geographical position of the base station based on the derived geographical position of at least one support module.

14. The arrangement of claim 13 , further comprising a reporting circuit adapted to report the geographical position of the base station to a network control node.

15. The arrangement of claim 13 , further comprising a compensation circuit adapted to calculate a propagation delay compensation factor for the time information received from a first support module, based on the geographical position of said support module and the geographical position of the base station.

16. A base station comprising an arrangement for supporting synchronization of said base station, the arrangement comprising:
an obtaining circuit adapted to receive long wave signals from at least one support module, the long wave signal comprising time information from a satellite based positioning system;
a determining circuit adapted to derive high-accuracy time and frequency information from one or more received long wave signals, and
a synchronization circuit adapted to synchronize the base station, based on the derived information.

Assignees

• JÄRLEHOLM Anders Wilhelm
• Lagerqvist Tomas Georg
• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• JÄRLEHOLM Anders Wilhelm
• Lagerqvist Tomas Georg

Classifications

• H04W56/00

  Synchronisation arrangements · CPC title

• H04W56/006

  using known positions of transmitter and receiver · CPC title

• H04W56/001 Primary

  Synchronization between nodes · CPC title