Robust cell search and synchronization are key to the performance of LTE and LTE Advanced Systems. In this work, we propose efficient algorithms for synchronization-signal detection for cell identification in the presence of large frequency and channel uncertainties. In the first stage, we detect the primary synchronization signal (PSS) via a novel window based peak pick method.
The detection process also establishes frame timing, integer and fractional frequency offset. In the second stage, we identify the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) via a novel two-step detect-validate approach. On successful validation of the two stage process, the cell identification is established. Simulations confirm the robustness of the proposed methods to severe frequency and channel uncertainties.