Time synchronization of mobile channel sounding system

Abstract

In one example, a processing system of a mobile channel sounding transmitter including at least one processor may establish a wireless side link between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and a channel sounding receiver, transmit, to the channel sounding receiver, a wireless synchronization signal via the wireless side link, and transmit at least one channel sounding waveform in accordance with the wireless synchronization signal. In another example, a processing system of a channel sounding receiver including at least one processor may establish a wireless side link between a mobile channel sounding transmitter and the channel sounding receiver, obtain, from the mobile channel sounding transmitter, a wireless synchronization signal via the wireless side link, and obtain, from the mobile channel sounding transmitter, at least one channel sounding waveform in accordance with the wireless synchronization signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 establishing, by a processing system of a mobile channel sounding transmitter, a wireless side link between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and a channel sounding receiver;   transmitting, by the processing system to the channel sounding receiver, a wireless synchronization signal via the wireless side link; and   transmitting, by the processing system, at least one channel sounding waveform in accordance with the wireless synchronization signal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless side link comprises an out-of-band wireless link. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the out-of-band wireless link comprises a communication session between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and the channel sounding receiver via a cellular network. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one channel sounding waveform is transmitted via a first set of time and frequency resources that is different from a second set of time and frequency resources that is utilized by the cellular network. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the out-of-band wireless link comprises a communication session between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and the channel sounding receiver in accordance with a non-cellular wireless networking protocol. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the non-cellular wireless networking protocol comprises:
 a wireless local area network protocol; or   a wireless peer-to-peer protocol.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one channel sounding waveform is transmitted via a set of frequency resources that is different from a set of frequency resources that is utilized by the non-cellular wireless networking protocol. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the out-of-band wireless link comprises a communication session between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and the channel sounding receiver in accordance with a set of non-restricted frequency resources. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the set of non-restricted frequency resources comprises at least a portion of an industrial, scientific, and medical radio band. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one channel sounding waveform is transmitted via a set of frequency resources that is different from the set of non-restricted frequency resources. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one channel sounding waveform is transmitted via a first transceiver of the mobile channel sounding transmitter, and wherein the wireless side link is established via a second transceiver of the mobile channel sounding transmitter that is different from the first transceiver. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one channel sounding waveform is transmitted via a transceiver of the mobile channel sounding transmitter, and wherein the wireless side link is established via the transceiver. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the out-of-band wireless link comprises a communication session between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and the channel sounding receiver in accordance with a first set of frequency resources, wherein the at least one channel sounding waveform is transmitted via a second set of frequency resources that is different from the first set of frequency resources, and wherein both the first set of frequency resources and the second set of frequency resources are within an operational bandwidth of the transceiver. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless synchronization signal conveys clock timing information of the mobile channel sounding transmitter. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the wireless synchronization signal further conveys information regarding the at least one channel sounding waveform. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the information regarding the at least one channel sounding waveform includes a transmit beam identifier. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the information regarding the at least one channel sounding waveform includes at least one of:
 at least one modulation parameter of the at least one channel sounding waveform; or   timing information of the at least one channel sounding waveform.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the wireless synchronization signal is modulated to include the information regarding the at least one channel sounding waveform. 
     
     
         19 . A mobile channel sounding transmitter comprising:
 a processing system including at least one processor; and   a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 establishing a wireless side link between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and a channel sounding receiver; 
 transmitting, to the channel sounding receiver, a wireless synchronization signal via the wireless side link; and 
 transmitting at least one channel sounding waveform in accordance with the wireless synchronization signal. 
   
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing system of a mobile channel sounding transmitter including at least one processor, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 establishing a wireless side link between the mobile channel sounding transmitter and a channel sounding receiver;   transmitting, to the channel sounding receiver, a wireless synchronization signal via the wireless side link; and   transmitting at least one channel sounding waveform in accordance with the wireless synchronization signal.