Patent ID: 8472374
Filing Date: 2013-06-25
Classification: H04J,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a user equipment in a mobile communications system that includes a serving cell and a neighboring cell that both use a same radio access technology, wherein a network part of the mobile communications system is capable of operating in a synchronized mode or in an asynchronous mode, the method comprising: recording timing information about a periodically occurring signal received from the neighboring cell; using the recorded timing information in a blind detection process that ascertains whether the network part of the mobile communications system is operating in the synchronized mode or in the asynchronous mode by determining that the network part of the mobile communication system is operating in the synchronized mode by at least detecting that the periodically occurring signal received from the neighboring cell occurred within a predetermined window of time of a corresponding periodically occurring signal received from the serving cell, and by determining that the network part of the mobile communication system is operating in the asynchronous mode by at least detecting that the periodically occurring signal received from the neighboring cell occurs at an interval greater than the predetermined window of time of the corresponding periodically occurring signal received from the serving cell, wherein the blind detection process is a process that does not rely on information encoded in the periodically occurring signal received from the neighboring cell, wherein the information represents whether the network part of the mobile communications system is operating in the synchronized mode or in the asynchronous mode; and using the detected operating mode of the network part of the mobile communications system for controlling subsequent operation of the user equipment.