A Low Cost Method for GSM Mobile Synchronization to Base Station

Jaleh Komaili, Senior Member, IEEE, Darioush Agahi, and Masoud Kahrizi, Senior Member, IEEE Skyworks Solutions Inc., 5221 California Ave, Irvine, CA 92617
Abstract In wireless communications, a mobile device needs to track the base station frequency and time base very accurately. For example, in 3GPP GSM standard, the mobile carrier frequency has to track the base station with 0.1ppm accuracy. Along with this, the mobile time base cannot be more than 2s off of its serving base station [1]. Ideally, a mobile device should use a voltage and temperature compensated oscillator to remain synchronized with its base station. However, voltage and temperature compensated crystals are relatively expensive. This paper presents a mobile synchronization approach which could afford an inaccurate and inexpensive crystal [2]. The carrier frequency synchronization is achieved by adjusting the fractional-N PLL while the time base synchronization is obtained by introducing simple physical layer algorithms and existing hardware. Index Terms Phase locked loop, crystal, synchronization, frequency, tracking, timing.

in a tracking loop as illustrated in Fig. 1. Since the time base source is normally the same as a crystal oscillator, time synchronization is also achieved in this process. In section II, frequency and time synchronization using a crystal oscillator correction is described. In section III, an alternative frequency correction method is presented.

OSC

RF Synth

Codec RX MTB TX Serial Ports Cap Array for CCXO tuning uC

Base Band Device (BB)

DSP

I. INTRODUCTION In GSM cellular communications, the mobile terminal is expected to be synchronized to the network with specified accuracy. Per 3GPP GSM standard, a mobile device needs to keep its carrier frequency accurate to within 0.1ppm of its serving base station [1]. The mobile also needs to keep its time base accurate with respect to the base station. If the mobiles internal time base is different from the base station by more than 2s, it needs to adjust its time base in increments of of symbol period (0.9225s) in intervals of t such that 1s < t < 2s until the error is less than symbol period [1]. Mobile stations could use a voltage controlled, temperature compensated crystal oscillator (VCTCXO) for its frequency and time source, but VCTCXO is generally undesirable due to its high cost. It is customary in wireless mobiles to use a tunable crystal oscillator in a closed loop tracking system for synchronizing with the network. Crystal oscillators could have a large tunable range such as 30ppm and are priced based on their pullability, temperature tolerance, make tolerance, aging tolerance, etc. In GSM systems, the physical layer signal processing algorithm estimates the carrier frequency error. The crystal is then corrected for the estimated frequency error
Mixed Signal Device (MSD)

Fig. 1

GSM Generic Synchronization Process

Section IV, describes the requirement for time tracking and how the base band can accomplish time synchronization using already existing hardware and simple physical layer algorithms. Section V compares the advantages of the presented method over other existing methods. A conclusion is presented in Section VI. II. OVERVIEW OF THE PROCEEDINGS FORMAT In most GSM systems, a tunable crystal oscillator is used for the frequency/time source. The crystal would be tuned using a bank of capacitors (CCXO) or a varactor (VCXO). The capacitor array would substitute a DAC for tuning the crystal in a CCXO. In VCXO, a varactor and a DAC are used for tuning the crystal. An example of such a circuit is a Pierce type oscillator illustrated along with its associated capacitor array in Fig 1.

Xtal

Cap Array C1 C2

network. Large crystal oscillator inaccuracy would directly influence FCCH detection. For example, in GSM band, for a crystal oscillator with 45ppm total inaccuracy, there is a 41kHz of uncertainty in locating the FCCH signal which is a tone at about 67kHz. This necessitates a receiver filter with excess bandwidth for FCCH acquisition. Wider receiver bandwidth would allow more adjacent channel noise which would demand better base band signal processing otherwise it degrades the system performance. This scenario is even worse for DCS and PCS bands with 81kHz and 86kHz of uncertainty respectively. If the FCCH signal falls outside the pass-band of the receive filter, it will be attenuated and acquisition of it requires a more complex detection algorithm, if possible at all. Therefore either a more expensive crystal with smaller initial uncertainty is required or, the crystal oscillator needs to be tuned during the factory calibration phase. . B. Frequency tracking in dedicated mode Since emergence of GPRS, most RF synthesizers use a fractional-N PLL with very good accuracy. Therefore, frequency-tracking loop could be closed within the RF synthesizer rather than the crystal oscillator. The physical layer (DSP) estimates the frequency error, instead of adjusting the CCXO, synthesizer frequency is adjusted for each slot of operation; for receive (Rx), transmit (Tx) and monitor (Mx) separately. If there is a pulling effect in between Tx and Rx, it can be corrected more effectively by adjusting only Tx slot independent of the other receive slots using the frac-N synthesizer. Crystal oscillators usually have a hysteresis value which determines the resolution of frequency correction, often in the order of 20 to 30Hz. To maintain equivalent performance when the crystal is adjusted for frequency synchronization through the PLL, the frequency correction capability of the synthesizer should be better than the hysteresis, or 20Hz. The RF synthesizers today have much better resolution. IV. TIME TRACKING When the crystal oscillator is adjusted, the time base will achieve very good accuracy. Assuming the capacitor array resolution is about 20Hz, the resultant timing offset for a GSM 900 MHz carrier would be about 0.1ns per Equation 1.

Fig. 2

Pierce Oscillator Configuration

A CCXO based GSM radio uses capacitor arrays for initial factory calibration and then for fine crystal oscillator adjustments to achieve better than 0.1ppm carrier frequency accuracy when a mobile is connected to the base station. The capacitor array that provides such accuracy, occupies a cost-worthy amount of silicon. In GSM, mobiles supporting packet data in multislot operation, there is a need for having fast settling time RF synthesizer. This enables the mobile to support multiple receive and transmit slots in a frame. As a consequence, a mobile which supports multislot transmission and reception is equipped with a fractional N synthesizer. Frac-N synthesizers have a fraction of Hz resolution. Therefore, if the frequency correction is done to the PLL, better accuracy could be achieved than through correcting the crystal oscillator. However, this approach leaves the time base open to drifting since the crystal oscillator is not adjusted. In the next section, frequency correction in a GSM system is analyzed and in Section IV, the time base correction is described. III. FREQUENCY SYNCHRONIZATION Frequency synchronization includes two stages of (a) initial frequency acquisition and (b) frequency tracking when in dedicated mode. A. Initial Frequency Acquisition Initial frequency acquisition is based on detection of frequency correction channel (FCCH) burst in GSM before the mobile can establish synchronization with the

t =

f T frame fc

(1)

Where t is time error for a given frequency error of the crystal oscillator for a GSM frame period, f is the frequency error, fc is the carrier frequency, and Tframe is the GSM frame time (4.615ms). If the crystal oscillator is not adjusted, the mobile time base could drift due to initial frequency tolerance, variations in temperature and aging; therefore, a closed loop time tracking system needs to be devised to estimate the timing error and to correct it on each branch of the timing chain which includes the transmitter, receiver, sleep timer and the codec clocks. Every GSM system needs to have a time base with resolution better than or equal to the GSM quarter symbol (QS) or 0.9225s. The voice coder/decoder (codec) also has a time base. GSM mobile systems as part of base band signal processing detect their timing offset from the base station with better than one quarter symbol resolution [2]. The base band can calculate a long-term running average of the timing offset to eliminate the deviations due to multi-path. The estimated timing correction should be applied to the mobile time base (MTB) to correct transmit, receive, and codec timing by advancing and retarding the time base by allowable QS as often as allowed by the 3GPP specification. The sleep clock algorithm also needs to account for the accumulated crystal drift when going in and out of sleep periods. For a totally autonomous crystal, i.e., no factory calibration, the time base error for a crystal with 45ppm total error, per Equation 1 would be more than 0.3 s per frame. Once the mobile determines that its time base is off from the base station by more than 2s (more than 0.5 symbol period), it needs to correct for symbol time error every one second and no later than every 2s until the error is less than symbol time [1], i.e., the mobile is allowed symbol adjustment every 217 frames. With 0.3s timing error per frame, the mobile has to adjust the time base every third frame otherwise it would be in violation of 3GPP specification [1]. Moreover, with an autonomous crystal with 45ppm, during initial acquisition the crystal would be 41kHz in error in GSM band, 81kHz in DCS, and 85.5kHz in PCS band. Detection of frequency correction burst, a tone at about 67 kHz, which could fall at the outer edges of the receive filter would require more complicated and power hungry algorithms. An alternative approach is to utilize a limited tunable capacitor array to be used in factory calibration of the initial crystal offset and occasional crystal adjustment when the accuracy would cause a time drift that software cannot correct in a timely manner. In the case of CCXO an attractive option is to use the capacitor bank of the cap array for a factory coarse adjustment at no extra cost. Using equation 1, the accuracy needed can be determined such that mobile time base stays within 2s of its base

stations time. This accuracy calculates to be 2ppm. Therefore, if the coarse capacitor array is used to tune the crystal to within 2ppm accuracy, the symbol time adjustments to receive, transmit, and codec can keep the mobile time base sufficiently accurate when mobile is in connected mode to the base station. The sleep clock algorithm has to account for the cumulative timing adjustments when calculating the sleep period and the wake-up time of the mobile. The system clock error would be in tenth of Pico seconds depending on its frequency, which is adequate for the functions in the base band. It should be noted that if the mobile can support a crystal oscillator with 2ppm accuracy, no coarse adjustment is required with RF frac-N synthesizer closing the frequency tracking loop and the mobile time base, the codec time base, and the sleep clock tracked by layer 1 software. V. CITING PREVIOUS WORK An alternative mobile synchronization cited in literature [4] tracks frequency by using the RF frac-N synthesizer and allocates a second PLL for time base synchronization. The addition of second PLL for time base synchronization would increase power consumption and requires larger die area as opposed to layer 1 control of already existing time bases with simple and in most cases already existing algorithms in a GSM mobile physical layer. VI. CONCLUSION In this paper, a GSM mobile synchronization method to the base station is described which utilizes already existing system hardware such as RF frac-N PLL for frequency tracking and software based adjustments to transmitter, receiver, codec, and sleep clock time bases. This approach allows the mobile to use an inexpensive crystal and a coarse set of tuning capacitors to keep the crystal oscillator to within 2ppm accuracy. It would save appreciable area for more precise tuning capacitors in a CCXO arrangement (about 40% of the tuning area) or varactor and a DAC in VCXO arrangement. Compared to the alternative approach of using two fracN PLLs, it would consume less power and die area.

REFERENCES
[1] 3GPP TS 45.010 V7.1.0 (2007-05) 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group

GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network; Radio Subsystem Synchronization (Release 7). [2] J. Komaili, D. Agahi, R. Clark, System for synchronizing a portable transceiver to a network, U. S. Patent No. 7155176.

[3] R. Clark and J. Komaili, Timing estimation in mobile communication systems using parabolic interpolator, U. S. Patent No. 6219345 [4] A. W. Heitala, D. C. Rabe, Automatic frequency control apparatus, U. S. Patent No. 5493700