Patent ID: 8737292

Claim:
A method of estimating a frequency offset, the method comprising: receiving a wireless signal timed according to a first frequency; generating a local signal timed according to a second frequency; performing a first synchronization search, the first synchronization search comprising obtaining a set of correlation results indicative of a correlation between the wireless signal and the local signal at a first timing offset of the wireless signal relative to the local signal; performing at least one subsequent synchronization search, the at least one subsequent synchronization search comprising obtaining a subsequent set of correlation results indicative of a correlation between the wireless signal and the local signal at least one subsequent timing offset different to said first timing offset of the wireless signal relative to the local signal, whereby the first synchronization search and the at least one subsequent synchronization search constitute a plurality of synchronization searches; finding a series of results, with a result from each of a plurality of said synchronization searches, for which the difference in timing offset between results from adjacent searches in the series is within a maximum specified value; and determining from said series a frequency offset between the first and second frequencies.