cdma2000 Search Window Calculation for Sectors Associated with Repeaters

Application Note
Cover Page

Copyright 2007 Mentum S.A. All rights reserved.

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Planet Application Note

Introduction
This document discusses the impact of repeaters on search window sizes in cdma2000 networks, provides the background calculations, and includes a tool for the calculation of search window sizes for Active set search windows (SRCH_WIN_A) and Neighbor set search windows (SRCH_WIN_N), taking into account RF or fiber repeater connections with donor sectors, and neighbor sectors.

PN offsets
Base stations in cdma2000 (and IS 95) networks are synchronized to a common time base. The forward link of each sector contains a pseudo-random noise code (PN code) that is 215 chips in length. Each sector broadcasts the same synchronized PN code (known as the short code) offset from the system time by differing phase offsets (known as the PN offset). It is this PN offset on the pilot channel that the mobile station uses to distinguish the sectors within the network. There are 512 different phase offsets. The separation between two consecutive PN offsets is defined by a Pilot Increment of 64 chips. (The minimum separation is 1 x 64 chips.) For example, using a Pilot Increment of 4, if one base station transmits using an offset of 4, and a second base station transmits using an offset of 8, the separation between the two base stations is 4 x 64 chips, which is a separation of 208.33 s, in terms of time. If one base station transmits using an offset of 0, and a second base station transmits using an offset of 10, then the delay between the first and second will be 10 x 64 chips = 640 chips (520.83 s).
cdma2000 short code space - 32,768 chips, 26.667 s PN Code: 0 1 Chips: 0 64 Time (s): 0 52.083 PN offset delay 2 128 3 192 ... ... N N x 64 ... ... 511 32,704 0 0

Figure 1 cdma2000 short code PN - chip relationship

Application Note

Search windows
The mobile station (MS) rake receiver constantly searches for multipath signals and signals from neighboring sectors. The search window sizes, pilot increment, and neighbor list (in PN offsets) are sent to the MS in the paging message, received by the mobile during Traffic and Idle states. The neighbor list contains a list of PN code phase offsets over which the MS is to search. The search is taken by integrating over a span of chips, looking for correlation at each chip offset. This span of chips is known as a search window. There are three different search window sizes within the MS:

SRCH_WIN_Aused for pilots in the Active Set SRCH_WIN_Nused for pilots in the Neighbor Set SRCH_WIN_Rused for pilots in the Remaining Set

The sizes of these search windows are sent to the MS via an overhead message during the Idle state. Table 1.1 lists the size ranges for these search windows.
Table 1.1 Search window sizes SRCH_WIN_A SRCH_WIN_N SRCH_WIN_R 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Window Size (PN chips) 4 6 8 10 14 20 28 40 60 80 100 130 160 226 320 452

The IS-95 standard permits the use of search window size 13 for any search window greater or equal to 13. This effectively limits the practical range of search window sizes to 0 to 13. Typically values of 7 to 9 are used (40 80 chips).

Planet Application Note

Mobile Station timing

The mobile establishes its own sense of system time based on the earliest arriving multipath component of the sector or sectors with which it is in communication. Due to the propagation delay between BS and MS, this sense of system time will vary based on the propagation distance between the sector antenna and the mobile antenna. Figure 2 illustrates the delay to a mobile within the served area of a sector served from the base station, BS1. The propagation delay is shown as t1.

BS1

t1

MS

Figure 2 Propagation delay to mobile

Figure 3 shows the timing offset between the BS and the MS owing to the propagation delay, t1. The system time at the mobile lags the base station by the delay t. The mobile centers the active set search window around each PN offset phase, based on its own time reference, which always lags that of the base station. Note that the mobile searches ahead and behind this start point by half of the window size.

Application Note

PN at Base Station Propagation Delay t MS Search Window W/2 W/2 PN at Mobile Station

Figure 3 Timing delay at mobile

Consideration for delays through repeater systems

For the repeater system, the delay to a mobile in the covered area of the repeater is slightly more complex.

MS fd tz BS1 t2 tr Repeater

Figure 4 Repeater system

The repeater itself introduces some delay, modeled as tr in Figure 4. For an RF repeater, the total delay is due to the propagation delays between base station and repeater (t2), and between the repeater and mobile (tz), as well as the internal delay in the repeater. So the total delay can be defined as: Total Delay (RF System) = t 2 + t r + t z [1]

Planet Application Note

Where: t2 is the propagation delay between base station donor sector and repeater tr is the internal delay within the repeater device tz is the propagation delay between repeater and mobile For a fiber connected repeater, we must consider the delay introduced in the fiber cable. The propagation velocity through a fiber optic cable is less than that of free-space. The propagation velocity is a function of the refractive index of the fiber material and mode of propagation. We can define the ratio of fiber delay to fiber length as a constant, with units in seconds per kilometer. is the inverse of the phase velocity in the fiber, and therefore proportional to the refractive index, which is typically in the range of 1.45 to 1.47. 1 c = -- = -v Where: n is the refractive index of fiber c is the speed of light in free space v is the phase velocity in fiber The propagation velocity in the fiber will be approximately 2/3 that of freespace. We can determine the delay over the full length of fiber (fd), from and the length (l). fd = l Where: fd is the delay through the fiber optic link in seconds is the ratio of fiber delay to fiber length in seconds/km l is the length of the fiber optic cable in km For the fiber connected repeater, the total delay between base station and mobile is due to the fiber delay, the repeater internal delay, and the propagation delay between repeater and mobile: Total Delay (Fiber System) = l + t r + t z
[4]

[2]

[3]

Application Note

Search windows for mobiles in transition

Mobiles in transition between repeater and donor sector
We will now consider a mobile in transition between service from the base station donor sector (the base station sector that is being repeated through the repeater) to service from the repeater, i.e., the mobile is moving from the donor sector coverage area on the base station coverage to the repeater coverage area.

fd tr tz t1 MS

BS1

t2

Repeater

Figure 5 Mobile in transition between coverage from base station (donor sector) and repeater

Planet Application Note

PN at Base Station

Propagation Delay t1 Total Delay via Repeater MS Search Window WA/2 WA/2

PN at Mobile Station

Figure 6 Delay to mobile in transition between base station (donor sector) coverage and repeater coverage

In Figure 6, the mobile has the Active set search window, SRCH_WIN_A, centered around its own sense of system time. This is a consequence of the propagation delay between base station and mobile. In order for the mobile to be able to identify the PN code from the repeater, the search window must be large enough to account for the full delay through the repeater system. Half the Active set search window size must be equal to or larger than the difference between the full delay through the repeater and the propagation delay from the donor sector direct to the mobile. To put this into mathematical form: W A -------- Delay t 1 2 Where: WA is the active set search window (SRCH_WIN_A) t1 is the propagation delay between base station and mobile If we consider a mobile in transition between service from the repeater, to service from the donor sector, i.e., the mobile is moving from the repeater coverage area to the area covered by the donor sector of the base station:
[5]

Application Note

PN at Base Station

Propagation Delay t1 Total Delay to MS MS Search Window WA/2 WA/2

PN at Mobile Station

Figure 7 Delay to mobile in transition between repeater and base station (donor sector) coverage

In Figure 7, the Active set search window of the mobile, SRCH_WIN_A, is centered around its own sense of system time, which is now a consequence of the full delay through the repeater system. In order for the mobile to be able to identify the PN code from the base station, the search window must be large enough to account for the difference in the delays between the two signals, direct from the base station and via the repeater. In other words, half the active set search window size must be equal to or larger than the difference between the full delay through the repeater system and the propagation delay from the donor sector direct to the mobile. To put this into mathematical form: W A -------- Delay t 1 2 [6]

This is the same relationship as defined in equation [5] for the transition in the opposite direction.

Mobile in transition between neighboring sectors and repeaters

We will now consider the situation where the mobile is in transition between the repeater coverage area and any sector that is not the donor sector. This can be a sector on the same base station to the donor sector or on a separate base station. It also includes the scenario where the repeater is effectively a remote sector, i.e., the donor sector has no covered area other than through the repeater.

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Planet Application Note

(For this scenario the direction of movement of the mobile is not important. The following equations will be identical for a mobile in transition between the neighboring sector and the repeater coverage area.) In all of these cases, the PN codes differ between the repeater and the sector that the mobile is in transition to or from.

BS2

t1

MS fd tz BS1 t2 tr Repeater

Figure 8 Mobile in transition between coverage from neighbor sector (non-donor sector) and repeater

The delay introduced to the mobile is the same as previously defined in equations [1] and [4] above. This is due to the propagation delay (or fiber delay) between donor sector, repeater internal delay, and the propagation delay between the repeater and the mobile, that is: Total Delay (RF System) = t 2 + t r + t z Total Delay (Fiber System) = l + t r + t z [1] [4]

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Application Note

PN1 from BS1 at Base Station

Total Delay via Repeater

PN2 from BS2 at Base Station Propagation Delay t1 Total Delay via Repeater
MS Active Set Search Window WA/2 WA/2 MS Neighbor Set Search Window WN/2 WN/2

Mobile Station

Figure 9 Delay to mobile in transition between neighbor sector (non-donor sector) coverage and repeater coverage

The mobile will place its active set search window about the delayed point that it sees the PN from the serving sector (BS1). The PN from the neighboring base station (BS2) must be contained within the neighbor listing of BS1, otherwise the mobile will not search for the PN from BS2. The mobile will only see the PN from BS2 if it falls within the neighbor set search window. In this case, the mobile is in soft handoff with BS2. The neighbor set search window will be placed either side of the mobiles delayed view of system time from BS2. From Figure 9, it can be seen that half the neighbor set search window (SRCH_WIN_N) must be equal to or greater than the difference between the delay through the repeater and the propagation delay from the handoff sector direct to the mobile. To put this into mathematical form: WN -------- Delay t 1 2 Where: WN is the active set search window (SRCH_WIN_N) t1 is the propagation delay between base station and mobile This is the same relationship as that defined for the SRCH_WIN_A calculation in equation [5].
[7]

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Planet Application Note

Search window calculations

From the above, we can determine the minimum search window size for repeaters. By combining [1] and [5] we can determine the minimum search window size required for an RF connected repeater. W A -------- t + t + t t 2 r z 1 2 W 2 ( t2 + tr + tz t1 ) A From equation [4] and equation [7] we can determine the minimum search window size required for a fiber connected repeater. W A -------- l + t + t t r z 1 2 W 2 ( l + tr + tz t1 ) A [9] [8]

Maximum delay calculation

From the above, we can calculate the maximum delay tolerated with a given fixed search window. Hence, the maximum distance between donor sector and repeater for RF repeaters, or the maximum length of fiber connection for a fiber repeater. For an RF repeater: W A t 2 -------- t r t z + t 1 2 W A d c -------- t r t z + t 1 2 Where: d is the distance between donor sector and repeater c is the speed of light in free space [10]

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Application Note

For a fiber repeater: W A Fd -------- t r t z + t 1 2 In order to calculate the maximum Length of fiber (l): fd c l = ---- = Fd -n W c A l -------- t r t z + t 1 - 2 n [11]

Neighbor set search window calculation

From the above we can determine the minimum neighbor set search window size for sectors with, or neighbors to, repeaters. Because the relationship is the same as the Active set, then we know that the minimum neighbor set search window size required for an RF connected repeater will be: WN 2 ( t 2 + t r + t z t 1 ) And for a fiber connected repeater: WN 2 ( l + t r + t z t 1 ) [13] [12]

The maximum delay tolerated with a given fixed search window and hence the maximum distance between donor sector and repeater for RF repeaters, or the maximum length of fiber connection for a fiber repeater. For an RF repeater: WN d c -------- t r t z + t 1 2 [14]

And the maximum Length of fiber for a fiber connected repeater (l) will be: WN c l -------- t r t z + t 1 - 2 n [15]

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Planet Application Note

Summary
We have established the relationship between the delays introduced in the network as a consequence of the repeater system, and a method for the calculation of the SRCH_WIN_A and SRCH_WIN_N parameters to take into account the impact of the repeater. We have also identified a method for the determination of the maximum permissible length of fiber cable between donor sector and repeater, as well as the maximum distance between donor sector and repeater for RF repeaters.

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Application Note

Appendix: Search window calculator

Included with this application note is a Microsoft Excel based search window calculator. This utility calculates minimum requirements for search window sizes based on the calculations identified in this document. It will also calculate a maximum link length (fiber or RF) for a given search window size. Care should be taken in the specification of the parameters in the network to ensure sufficient tolerance is allowed. The IS-95 specification permits for mobiles to use a search window parameter of 13 if the specified value is 13 or greater. Consideration should be taken, for the impact on IS-95 mobiles if a higher value is specified. Note that if the neighbor to mobile distance is greater than the distance from the donor sector to the mobile, then the calculator will return a lower value for SRCH_WIN_N than SRCH_WIN_A. However, it is normal to specify SRCH_WIN_N > SRCH_WIN_A. Click here to launch the search window calculator

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