COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION METHODS FOR MULTIPHASIC RANDOM ACCESS CHANNEL TRANSMISSION.

Description

1 / 41 COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND COMMUNICATION METHODS FOR MULTIPHASE RANDOM ACCESS CHANNEL TRANSMISSION TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates to communication devices and communication methods. In particular, it may refer to communication devices and communication methods for transmission via Multi-Physical Random Access Channel (multi-PRACH). BACKGROUND

[0002] In versions 15, 16 and 17 of the relevant technical specifications (TSs) of In 3GPP, for example, in version 17.3.0 Release 17 of 3GPP TS 38.321, a single Physical Random Access Channel (single PRACH) transmission can be used. A user equipment (UE) can send a preamble (e.g., via Msg1) on a Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion (RO) to a base station (e.g., gNB) to obtain uplink synchronization (UL) in a single PRACH transmission. Each preamble transmission is associated with a temporary random access radio network identifier (RA-RNTI), which is used to determine random access response data (RAR) (i.e., Msg2) during the random access procedure. In particular, this RO can be used to calculate (see clause 5.1.3) an RA-RNTI. The calculation of the RA-RNTI is known to both the UE and the gNB. gNB subsequently sends a RAR (Msg2) to the UE as a reply to the preamble transmission that was sent by the UE.The UE attempts to detect a DCI with a CRC scrambled by the RA-RNTI calculated above within a Window RAR. The length of the Window RAR is configurable by the upper-layer parameter ra-ResponseWindow. When the UE successfully decodes the DCI, it decodes the PDSCH carrying RAR. Furthermore, it has been identified that PRACH is a bottleneck channel in terms of coverage performance on new radios (NR). Therefore, in Version 18, to improve PRACH coverage performance, there is ongoing discussion to support multi-PRACH transmission in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) physical layer working group (also known as 3GPP RAN1). In particular, a UE can be configured to send multiple PRACH transmissions using (an RO Group for a specific number of multiples). Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 12 / 82 2 / 41 PRACH transmissions. The RO Group may include shared RO(s) or separate RO(s). That is, the RO Group does not include both shared and separate ROs. Shared RO(s) may refer to ROs that are shared for single PRACH transmission and multi-transmission PRACH. Separate RO(s) may mean that ROs for a single PRACH transmission are separate from ROs for a multi-PRACH transmission.

[0003] For both single PRACH and multiPRACH transmission cases, currently, an RO can be dropped due to an RO collision event. For example, an RO might collide with another channel or signal because the resources for the RO and another channel or signal on the downlink or uplink might be configured separately with different time domain patterns. In this case, one or more ROs in a Group RO might be dropped due to RO collision events, and one or more dropped ROs cannot be used for actual PRACH transmissions for multiple PRACH transmission. For paired-band half-duplex UE, gNB might not be aware of the specific number of dropped ROs due to HD-UE implementation issues, and the specific number of dropped ROs might differ between HD-UEs.In another case, a UE might determine some valid ROs for the actual transmission PRACH; however, one of the actual transmission PRACHs cannot be reached by the gNB due to channel fading. From the gNB's perspective, the PRACH transmission failing at the corresponding RO might be considered an invalid RO or a discarded RO. The above reasons can cause a misalignment between the RA-RNTI calculations on the UE side and the gNB side, where the UE and gNB might calculate RA-RNTI candidates based on two different ROs. The misalignment between the RA-RNTI calculations on the UE side and the gNB side can result in a failed RAR decoding on the UE and other consequential problems, such as the potential increase in power consumption on the UE for a retransmission.

[0004] Thus, there is a need for the provision of communication devices and RA-RNTI calculation methods that solve the above problems in multi-PRACH transmission. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 13 / 82 3 / 41 SUMMARY

[0005] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments facilitate the provision of communication devices and methods for calculating RA-RNTI that deal with RO collisions in a multi-PRACH transmission.

[0006] According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication apparatus is provided comprising: a circuit which, in operation, determines one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) based on a first plurality of resources and / or a second plurality of resources from a group of Random Access Channel Occasions (RO); a transmitter which, in operation, transmits a preamble on at least one of the first plurality of resources; and a receiver which, in operation, receives downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by one or more RA-RNTIs in response to the transmission of the preamble.

[0007] According to a second multi-PRACH transmission of the present disclosure, a first communication apparatus is provided comprising: a receiver which, in operation, receives a preamble on at least one of a first plurality of resources from a group of Random Access Channel Occasions (RO) from a second communication apparatus; a circuit which, in operation, determines one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) based on the first plurality of resources and / or a second plurality of resources, and generates a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) downlink control information (DCI) encoded by one or more RA-RNTIs; and a transmitter which, in operation, transmits the DCI to the second communication apparatus.

[0008] According to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided comprising: determining one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RARNTIs) based on a first plurality of resources and / or a second plurality of resources from a group of Random Access Channel Occasions (RO); transmitting a preamble on at least one of the first plurality of resources; and receiving a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) downlink control information (DCI) scrambled by one or more RA-RNTIs in response to the preamble transmission. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 14 / 82 4 / 41

[0009] It should be noted that general or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any selective combination thereof.

[0010] Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the report and drawings. The benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually by the various embodiments and features of the report and drawings, which do not all need to be provided to obtain one or more of these benefits and / or advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The achievements of the disclosure will be better understood and readily apparent to a person skilled in the art from the following written description, by way of example only and in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0012] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary 3GPP NR radio access network (NR-RAN) architecture to which the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be applied.

[0013] Fig. 2 represents a schematic drawing showing the functional division between NG-RAN and 5G Core Network (5GC) to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0014] Fig. 3 represents a sequence diagram for RRC (radio resource control) connection configuration / reconfiguration procedures to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0015] Fig. 4 represents a schematic drawing showing usage scenarios for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0016] Fig. 5 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G system architecture for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication in a non-roaming scenario to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0017] Fig. 6 shows an exemplary illustration of an RO Group for 4 PRACH transmissions where one RO is discarded according to current technical specifications. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 15 / 82 5 / 41

[0018] Fig. 7 shows an exemplary illustration of an RA-RNTI calculation based on an invalid RO according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig. 8 shows an exemplary illustration of an RA-RNTI calculation based on a plurality of ROs according to various realizations of the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig. 9 shows an exemplary illustration of a RA-RNTI calculation based on dedicated time and frequency domain resources according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig. 10 shows a flowchart for a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig. 11 shows a flowchart for a gNB according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig. 12 shows an exemplary illustration of a 4-point random access (RA) procedure for a multi-PRACH transmission according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of communication according to various realizations of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig. 14 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary communication device according to a single antenna with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig. 15 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary communication device with multiple antennas according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily represented to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in illustrations, block diagrams, or flowcharts may be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid understanding of the present embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Some realizations of the present disclosure will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings. Similar numbers and reference characters in drawings refer to similar or equivalent elements. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 16 / 82 6 / 41

[0029] Among other things, the overall system architecture assumes a NGRAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network) comprising gNBs, providing the terminations of the NG radio access user plane protocols (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) to the user equipment (UE). The gNBs are interconnected with each other via the Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected via the Next Generation (NG) interface to the NGC (Next Generation Core), more specifically to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) (e.g., a specific central entity that runs the AMF) via the NG-C interface and to the UPF (User Plane Function) (e.g., a specific central entity that runs the UPF) via the NG-U interface. The NG-RAN 100 architecture is illustrated in Fig. 1 (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300 v16.3.0, section 4).

[0030] The user plane protocol stack for NR (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300, section 4.4.1) comprises the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, see section 6.4 of TS 38.300), RLC (Radio Link Control, see section 6.3 of TS 38.300) and MAC (Media Access Control, see section 6.2 of TS 38.300) sublayers, which terminate at gNB on the network side. In addition, a new access layer (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, subclause 6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also defined for NR (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 4.4.2). An overview of Layer 2 functions is presented in subclause 6 of TS 38.300. The functions of the PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers are listed in sections 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of TS 38.300, respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in subclause 7 of TS 38.300.Furthermore, sidelink communications are introduced in 3GPP TS 38.300 v16.3.0. Sidelink supports direct EU-EU communication using sidelink resource allocation modes, physical layer signals / channels, and physical layer procedures (see, for example, section 5.7 of TS 38.300).

[0031] For example, the Media Access Control layer handles multiplexing of logical channels and scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including handling different numerologies. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 17 / 82 7 / 41

[0032] The physical layer (PHY) is, for example, responsible for encoding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping the signal to the appropriate time-frequency physical resources. It also handles the mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to the set of time-frequency resources used for transmission of a specific transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, the physical channels are Random Access Physical Channel (PRACH), Uplink Shared Physical Channel (PUSCH), and Uplink Control Physical Channel (PUCCH) for uplink, and Downlink Shared Physical Channel (PDSCH), Downlink Control Physical Channel (PDCCH), and Transmission Physical Channel (PBCH) for downlink.In addition, physical sidelink channels include the Sidelink Control Physical Channel (PSCCH), the Sidelink Shared Physical Channel (PSSCH), the Sidelink Feedback Physical Channel (PSFCH), and the Sidelink Transmission Physical Channel (PSBCH).

[0033] Use cases / deployment scenarios for NR may include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), which have diverse requirements in terms of data rates, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps downlink and 10 Gbps uplink) and user-experienced data rates on the order of three times what is offered by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, in the case of URLLC, the most stringent requirements are placed on ultra-low latency (0.5 ms for UL and DL each for user plane latency) and high reliability (1-10-5 in 1 ms). Finally, mMTC may preferably require high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km2 in an urban environment), wide coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long battery life for low-cost devices (15 years).

[0034] Therefore, the OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval) that is suitable for one use case may not work well for another. For example, low-latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol duration (and therefore greater subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per interval. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 18 / 82 8 / 41 scheduling (also known as TTI) than an mMTC service. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spans may preferentially require a longer CP duration than scenarios with short delay spans. Subcarrier spacing should be optimized appropriately to maintain similar CP overhead. NR can support more than one subcarrier spacing value. Correspondingly, subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz... are currently being considered. The symbol duration Tu and the subcarrier spacing Δf are directly related through the formula Δf = 1 / T u . Similar to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote a minimum resource unit composed of a subcarrier with the length of an OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0035] In the new 5G-NR radio system, for each numerology and carrier, a grid of subcarrier and OFDM symbol resources is defined, respectively, for uplink and downlink. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on the frequency index in the frequency domain and the symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v16.3.0).

[0036] The schematic drawing (200) in Fig. 2 illustrates the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC. The NG-RAN logical node is a gNB or ng-eNB. The 5GC has logical nodes: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), User Plane Function (UPF), and Session Management Function (SMF).

[0037] In particular, gNB and ng-eNB host the following main functions: - Functions for managing radio resources, such as radio carrier control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in uplink and downlink (scheduling); - IP header compression, encryption, and data integrity protection; - Selection of an AMF in the UE connection when no routing to an AMF can be determined from the information provided by the UE; - Routing data from the user plane to UPF(s); - Routing of information from the Control Plane to AMF; - Connection setup and release; Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 19 / 82 9 / 41 - Scheduling and transmitting pagination messages; - Programming and transmission of system transmission information (originating from AMF or OAM); - Measurement configuration and measurement reports for mobility and scheduling; - Marking of transport-level packets on the uplink; Session Management; - Support for network slicing; - QoS flow management and mapping for data radio carriers; - Support for UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state; - Distribution function for NAS messages; - Sharing of radio access network; Dual Connectivity; - Close interaction between NR and E-UTRA.

[0038] The Access and Mobility Management (AMF) function hosts the following main functions: - Non-Accessible Stratum, NAS, signaling termination; - NAS signaling security; Access Stratum, AS, Security Control; - Signaling of Inter Core Network (CN) nodes for mobility between 3GPP access networks; - Accessibility of the EU in idle mode (including control and execution of paging retransmission); - Management of the Registration Area; - Intra- and inter-system mobility support; - Access Authentication; - Access authorization including verification of roaming rights; - Mobility management control (subscription and policies); - Support for network slicing; - Session management function, SMF, selection.

[0039] In addition, the User Plan Function, UPF, hosts the following core functions: - Anchor point for Intra- / Inter-RAT mobility (when applicable); Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 20 / 82 10 / 41 - External PDU session point for interconnection with the data network; - Routing and forwarding of packets; - Packet inspection and part of the user plan in the application of policy rules; Traffic usage report; - Uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to a data network; - Branching point to support multihomed PDU session; - QoS manipulation for user plane, for example, packet filtering, access control, UL / DL rate application; - Uplink traffic verification (SDF flow mapping to QoS); - Buffering of downlink packets and triggering of downlink data notification.

[0040] Finally, the Session Management function, SMF, hosts the following main functions: Session Management; - Allocation and management of EU IP addresses; - Selection and control of the UP function; - Configuring traffic routing in the User Plan Function (UPF) to direct traffic to the appropriate destination; - Control over part of the application of policies and QoS; - Downlink data notification.

[0041] The sequence diagram (300) in Fig. 3 illustrates some interactions between a UE, gNB and AMF (a 5GC entity) in the context of a UE transition from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED to the NAS part (see TS 38.300 v16.3.0). The transition steps are as follows: 1. The UE requests the configuration of a new RRC_IDLE connection. 2 / 2a. gNB completes the RRC configuration procedure. NOTE: The scenario in which gNB rejects the request is described below. 3. The first EU NAS message, included in RRCSetupComplete, is sent to the AMF. 4 / 4a / 5 / 5a. Additional NAS messages can be exchanged between the UE and the AMF, see reference TS 23.502

[22] (3GPP TS 23.122: NAS Functions (No Access Stratum) related to Mobile Station in idle mode). Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 21 / 82 11 / 41 6. AMF prepares the EU context data (including PDU session context, security key, EU radio capability and EU security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to gNB. 7 / 7a. gNB activates AS security with UE. 8 / 8a. gNB performs the reconfiguration to configure SRB2 and DRBs. gNB informs AMF that the configuration procedure has been completed.

[0042] RRC is a higher-layer signaling protocol used for UE and gNB configuration. In particular, this transition involves the preparation of UE context data by the AMF (including, for example, the PDU session context, the Security Key, the UE Radio Capability, and the UE Security Capabilities, etc.) and sending it to the gNB with the INITIAL CONTEXT CONFIGURATION REQUEST. Then, the gNB activates AS security with the UE, which is accomplished by the gNB transmitting a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE and the UE responding to the gNB with the SecurityModeComplete message. Next, the gNB performs the reconfiguration to configure Signaling Radio Carrier 2, SRB2, and Data Radio Carrier(s), DRB(s), transmitting the RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and, in response, receiving the RRCReconfigurationComplete message from the UE via the gNB.For a signaling-only connection, the steps related to RRC reconfiguration are skipped, as SRB2 and DRBs are not configured. Finally, gNB informs AMF that the configuration procedure has been completed with the INITIAL CONTEXT CONFIGURATION RESPONSE.

[0043] The schematic drawing (400) in Fig. 4 illustrates some use cases for 5G NR. In the third-generation partnership project for new radios (3GPP NR), three use cases are being considered and are projected to support a wide variety of services and applications by IMT-2020. The technical specification (TS) for phase 1 of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) has been completed. In addition to further extending eMBB support, current and future work would involve standardization for ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). Fig. 4 illustrates some examples of projected use cases for IMT 2020 and beyond (see, for example, ITU-R M.2083 Fig. 2). Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 22 / 82 12 / 41

[0044] The URLLC use case has stringent requirements for features such as throughput, latency, and availability and was conceived as one of the enablers for future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, remote medical surgery, distribution automation in a smart grid, transportation security, etc. Ultra reliability for URLLC must be supported by identifying techniques to meet the requirements defined by TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in version 15, the main requirements include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). The general URLLC requirement for a packet transmission is a BLER (block error rate) of 1E-5 for a packet size of 32 bytes with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0045] From the perspective of the physical layer, reliability can be improved in several ways. The current scope for improving reliability involves defining separate CQI tables for URLLC, more compact DCI formats, PDCCH repetition, etc. However, the scope can be expanded to achieve ultra-reliability as NR becomes more stable and developed (for the main requirements of NR URLLC). Specific use cases of NR URLLC in Rel. 15 include Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-security, and mission-critical applications.

[0046] In addition, the technological enhancements targeted by NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Technological enhancements for latency improvement include configurable numerology, mini-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free uplink (configured grant), mini-slot-level replay for data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means that a transmission for which resources have already been allocated is interrupted, and the already allocated resources are used for another transmission that was requested later but has lower latency / higher priority requirements. Consequently, the already granted transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission for a service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission for a service type B (such as eMBB).Technological advancements in relation to... Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 23 / 82 13 / 41 Reliability improvements include Channel Quality Indicator Tables / Modulation and Coding Scheme (CQI / MCS) for the target BLER of 1E-5.

[0047] The mMTC (massive machine-type communication) use case is characterized by a large number of connected devices, typically transmitting a relatively low volume of delay-insensitive data. The devices need to be low-cost and have long battery life. From an NR perspective, using components with very narrow bandwidth is a possible solution to save energy from the user's point of view and allow for long battery life.

[0048] As mentioned above, the scope of reliability in NR is expected to become broader. A fundamental requirement for all cases, and especially necessary for URLLC and mMTC, is high reliability or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from both the radio and network perspectives. In general, there are some important potential areas that can help improve reliability. Among these areas are compact control channel information, data / control channel repetition, and diversity with respect to frequency, time, and / or spatial domain. These areas are applicable to reliability in general, regardless of specific communication scenarios.

[0049] For NR URLLC, other use cases with more stringent requirements were identified, such as industrial automation, transportation industry, and electrical power distribution. The more stringent requirements are higher reliability (up to level 10-6), higher availability, packet sizes up to 256 bytes, time synchronization on the order of a few μs, where the value can be one or a few μs depending on the frequency band, and short latency on the order of 0.5 to 1 ms, in particular a latency of 0.5 ms on the target user plane, depending on the use cases.

[0050] In addition, for NR URLLC, several technological enhancements from the physical layer perspective have been identified. Among them are PDCCH (Downlink Physical Control Channel) enhancements related to compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and enhanced PDCCH monitoring. Furthermore, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements are related to HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) enhancements. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 24 / 82 14 / 41 Hybrid Automatic Repeat) and channel state information feedback (CSI) were also identified. PUSCH enhancements related to mini-slot level hopping and retransmission / repeat enhancements were also identified. The term mini-slot refers to a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) that includes a smaller number of symbols than a slot (a slot comprising fourteen symbols).

[0051] The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on flows of QoS supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). At the NAS level, QoS flow is therefore the finest granularity of QoS differentiation within a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS flow ID (QFI) transmitted in a encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0052] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU Sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Radio Data Carrier (DRB) along with the PDU Session, and additional DRB(s) for the QoS flow(s) of that PDU session may be configured later (it is up to the NG-RAN to decide when to do so), for example, as shown above with reference to Figure 3. The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0053] The block diagram (500) in Fig. 5 illustrates a non-roaming 5G NR reference architecture (see TS 23.287 v16.4.0, section 4.2.1.1). An Application Function (AF), for example, an external application server hosting 5G services, exemplarily described in Fig. 4, interacts with the 3GPP Core Network to provide services, for example, to support application influence on traffic routing, access the Network Exposure Function (NEF), or interact with the Policy framework for policy control (see Policy Control Function, PCF), for example, QoS control. Based on the operator's deployment, Application Functions deemed trustworthy by the operator may be permitted to interact directly with the relevant Network Functions. Application Functions to which the operator is not permitted to access Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 25 / 82 15 / 41 directly the Network Functions use the external exposure structure via the NEF to interact with the relevant Network Functions.

[0054] Fig. 5 shows other functional units of the 5G architecture for V2X communication, namely: Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Application Function (AF), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF) and User Plane Function (UPF) in 5GC, as well as with V2X Application Server (V2AS) and Data Network (DN), for example, carrier services, Internet access or third-party services. All or part of the core network functions and application services can be deployed and run in cloud computing environments.

[0055] In current technical specifications, a user equipment (UE) sends a preamble (e.g., Msg1) through a physical random access channel (PRACH) to a base station (gNB) to obtain uplink synchronization (UL) in a single PRACH transmission scenario. Each preamble transmission (e.g., a RACH occasion (RO)) is associated with a candidate RARNTI that is calculated based on an RO of a single PRACH transmission according to the following equation: RA-RNTI = 1 + s_id + 14 x tid + 14 x 80 x fid + 14 x 80 x 8 x ulcarrierid in TS 38.321, where s_id is the index of the first OFDM symbol of the PRACH occasion (0 < s_id < 14), tid is the index of the first slot of the PRACH occasion in a system frame (0 < tid < 80), fid is the index of the PRACH occasion in the frequency domain (0 < fid < 8), and ul carrier id is the UL carrier used for PRACH preamble transmission (0 for normal uplink carrier (NUL) and 1 for supplementary uplink carrier (SUL)).s_id, t_id, and f_id are referred to here as a plurality of indices of a resource (e.g., time and frequency resource) of an RO. Subsequently, gNB sends a RAR (e.g., Msg2) to the UE as a response to the preamble transmission sent by the UE. The UE attempts to detect a DCI with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) that is scrambled by the RA-RNTI calculated above within a Windowed RAR (e.g., the length of the Windowed RAR is configurable by the top-layer parameter ra-ResponseWindow). When the UE successfully decodes the DCI, it decodes the... Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 26 / 82 16 / 41 RAR carrying PDSCH. The calculation of the RA-RNTI candidate is known to both the UE and gNB.

[0056] For the multi-PRACH transmission case in the Rel. 18 technical specifications, it was recently agreed that an RO Group is introduced for a specific number of multiple PRACH transmissions. An RO Group can include only shared RO(s) or only separate RO(s), but cannot include shared and separate ROs (e.g., a shared or separate RO means that an RO is shared with or separate from single PRACH transmission use cases). A UE can send multiple PRACH Transmissions using an RO Group for a specific number of multiple PRACH Transmissions. Only one RAR Window is supported for RAR monitoring in a RACH attempt of a multi-PRACH transmission. It is not yet finalized how to calculate the RA-RNTI for a multi-PRACH transmission, as shown in the following agreement under the Rel. 18 technical specification.18: For multiple PRACH transmissions with the same transmission beam (Tx), only one RAR Window is supported for RAR monitoring for a RACH attempt, where the initial position of the RAR Window and the RA-RNTI calculation are for later study (FFS). It will be appreciated that an “RO Group” may also be referred to here as an RO cluster or a set of ROs, or a grouping of ROs, or an “RO packet”, or an “RO packetization”.

[0057] Currently, an RO can collide with another channel or signal because the resources of the RO and the other channel or signal on the downlink or uplink may be separate configurations with different time domain patterns (e.g., a collision event that occurs within a UE and not an air collision). For a UE in an unpaired band, an RO may be discarded due to a collision with SSB, for example, based on the following RO discard rules (e.g., according to Clause 8.1, TS 38.213): (1) if a UE is not provided with tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and if an RO precedes a synchronization signal block (SSB) in the PRACH slot and starts at least Ngap symbols after a last SSB reception symbol, where Ngap is provided in Table 8.1-2 and, if channelAccessMode = “semiStatic” is provided, the RO overlaps a set of consecutive symbols before the start of a next channel occupation time where the UE does not transmit [Clause 15, TS 37.213]; and (2) if an UE is provided tdd. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 27 / 82 17 / 41 UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and if an RO precedes an SSB in the PRACH slot and starts at least Ngapsymbols after a last downlink symbol and at least Ngapsymbols after a last SSB, and if channelAccessMode = semiStatic is provided, the RO overlaps a set of consecutive symbols before the start of a next channel occupation time, where there should be no transmission. For paired-band half-duplex UE (HD-UE), an RO may be dropped or retained due to a collision with an SSB or another signal / channel, based on the following RO drop rule or HD-UE implementation [Clause 17.2, TS 38.213]: (1) if an HD-UE transmits a PRACH based on a detected DCI format and the HD-UE is indicated as an SSB presence in a set of symbols,(1) The HD-UE does not transmit PUSCH or PUCCH or PRACH if a transmission overlaps with any symbol in the symbol set; (2) If an HD-UE transmits a PRACH or MsgA PUSCH triggered by higher layers in a symbol set and receives a PDCCH, or a PDSCH, or a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or a DL Position Reference Signal (PRS), or the presence of SSB is indicated in symbols that include any symbol in the symbol set, the HD-UE may select, based on its implementation, whether to transmit the PRACH or MsgA PUSCH or receive the PDSCH, or the CSI-RS, or the RS from the physical layer (PL), or the PDCCH, or the SSB; (3) if an HD-UE receives a PDCCH, or a PDSCH, or a CSI-RS, or a DL PRS based on a higher-layer configuration, or if the presence of SSB is indicated in a symbol set, and the HD-UE transmits a PRACH or a MsgA PUSCH triggered by higher layers,Starting or ending on a symbol before or after NRx-Tx.T or NTx-Rx.Tc, respectively, the last or first symbol in the symbol set, the HD-UE can select, based on its implementation, whether to transmit PRACH or MsgA PUSCH or receive PDSCH, or CSI-RS, or DL ​​PRS, or PDCCH, or SSB. Note that NRx-Tx, NTx-Rx, and Tc are specified in TS 38.213. The RO drop above (due to a collision) is valid for both single PRACH transmissions and multi-PRACH transmissions. In a multi-PRACH transmission case, there may be additional collisions between ROs (e.g., especially for separate ROs) in an RO Group and other resources (e.g., 2-ended RACH), so that one or more ROs in an RO Group may be dropped. This implies that, Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 28 / 82 18 / 41 The number of valid ROs for a real PRACH transmission may be less than the specific number of multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0058] Currently, the RA-RNTI calculation is based on the use of an RO in a single PRACH transmission up to Rel. 18. For a multiPRACH transmission, the existing approach can be extended to be reused based on the use of one of the ROs in an RO Group. A potential problem could be a misalignment between the RA-RNTI calculations on the UE and gNB, such that it causes a failure in RAR decoding on the UE side. Consequently, there may be an increase in power consumption on the UE for a retransmission. There may be one or more reasons for misalignment. One possible reason is that a gNB assumes that one of the ROs in the RO Group is used for the RA-RNTI calculation, but the RO is discarded by the UE due to an RO collision. Therefore, the UE and gNB may calculate RA-RNTI candidates based on two different ROs. For example, with reference to illustration (600) in Fig. 6, an UE may receive a Group of RO (602) with 4 PRACH transmissions (with associated ROs (604), (606), (608) and (610)).RO (604) can be used for RA-RNTI calculation for UE in a RAR (612) window, but RO (604) is discarded due to an RO collision, so only ROs (606), (608), and (610) are used for 3 actual PRACH transmissions. Thus, a gNB receiving the 3 actual PRACH transmissions can calculate RA-RNTI based on one of ROs (606), (608), and (610) instead of RO (604). In another example, for a paired-band HD-UE, a gNB may not be aware of the number of valid ROs used for actual PRACH transmissions due to HD-UE implementation issues (since the number of valid ROs may differ between HD-UEs) and may end up calculating RA-RNTI based on a different RO. Another possible reason for the misalignment is that a UE may determine some valid ROs for actual PRACH transmissions, however, one of the actual PRACH transmissions fails to reach gNB due to channel weakening.gNB may assume that a failed PRACH transmission on the corresponding RO is an invalid RO or a discarded RO. Therefore, UE and gNB may calculate RA-RNTI candidates based on two different ROs. Therefore, a more robust approach is needed to calculate a RA-RNTI for all UE types in paired and unpaired bands to overcome the above problem. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 29 / 82 19 / 41

[0059] In this disclosure, an RO Group may include at least one Valid RO and zero or one or more invalid RO(s) for specific PRACH N transmissions (e.g., an RO Group may include at least one valid RO; or an RO Group may include at least one valid RO and at least one invalid RO), and an RA-RNTI may be calculated independently of at least one valid RO and zero or one or more invalid RO(s) to align the RARNTI calculation between UE and gNB based on one of the following three solutions: (Solution 1) the RA-RNTI is calculated based on one RO, for example, regardless of valid or invalid RO, in the RO Group; (Solution 2) the RA-RNTI is calculated based on a plurality of ROs from at least one valid RO and zero or one or more invalid RO(s) in the RO Group; (Solution 3) the RA-RNTI is calculated based on dedicated resources associated with the RO Group. A valid RO is used for an actual PRACH transmission, while an invalid RO is not used for an actual PRACH transmission.A valid RO is identified after checking an RO discard rule (or validation rule) to determine valid RO(s). Dedicated time and frequency domain resources are used for RA-RNTI calculation purposes and are not used for specific N PRACH transmissions. Advantageously, it is possible to decode the corresponding RAR from multi-PRACH transmissions successfully, even when a certain number of ROs in the RO Group are discarded or one of the actual PRACH transmissions in valid ROs fails to reach gNB. It is important to note that N can be configured as 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 to support 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 PRACH transmissions, respectively, and another value of N is not excluded. N PRACH transmissions may be referred to as multiple PRACH transmissions, multi-PRACH transmission, or a multi-PRACH transmission attempt.

[0060] In addition, the signaling for the RA-RNTI calculation (e.g., RA-RNTI calculation based on one of Solutions 1-3) can be based on the following methods: (1) Method 1 is an explicit indication that can be used based on a combination of RRC, MAC CE, and DCI signaling (e.g., an indication in SIB1 / MIB is used); (2) Method 2 is that one of Solutions 1-3 must be used can be specified in the technical specifications; (3) Method 3 is an implicit indication that can be used, for example, one of Solutions 1-3 can be assigned to each UE type. For example, Solution 1 can be assigned to a Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 30 / 82 20 / 41 Reduced-Capability UE (RedCap), while Solution 2 may be assigned to a non-RedCap UE, and other similar implementations, determinations, or assignments. In this case, due to the early identification of the UE type in a gNB during initial access, it is possible for the gNB to determine which solution is used by a UE for RA-RNTI calculation. Thus, a UE can be configured to set an indication for the determination of one or more RA-RNTIs through a higher-layer signaling, a CE MAC signaling, another DCI, or the determination of one or more RA-RNTIs is pre-configured or specified in a technical specification.

[0061] For the implementation of Solution 1, a base station can provide control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group to a UE, for example, using upper-layer signaling such as RRC signaling. The plurality of ROs can be used for multi-PRACH transmission. A UE can receive the control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group and can calculate an RA-RNTI based on at least one RO in the RO Group, according to one of the following options, from 1 to 3. Then, the UE can transmit a preamble on one or more ROs in the RO Group, the base station can receive the preamble and calculate the RA-RNTI based on at least one RO in the RO Group. In addition, the base station can transmit downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) encoded by the RA-RNTI, and the UE can receive the DCI. The UE attempts to detect the DCI.When the UE successfully decodes the DCI, it decodes the PDSCH containing the RAR. The RA-RNTI calculation is known to both the UE and the gNB.

[0062] In Option 1, the RA-RNTI can be calculated based on a first RO (i.e., regardless of whether it is a valid or invalid RO) in the RO Group. For example, even if a first RO in the RO Group is an invalid RO, the RA-RNTI is calculated based on the invalid RO in the UE and the base station. In other words, the time and frequency feature indices (e.g., s_id, t_id, f_id, and other similar indices) of the first RO can be used in the equation to calculate the RA-RNTI. In this case, the preamble may not be transmitted on the first RO when it is an invalid RO and may be transmitted on only some or all of the valid ROs in the RO Group. Option 1 can maintain a low signaling overhead.Furthermore, when the first RO is a valid RO, Option 1 may be suitable for the early termination of a multi-transmission. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 31 / 82 21 / 41 PRACH, where an UE can terminate the remaining PRACH transmissions in the remaining ROs (except the first RO) if the UE can receive RAR after the first PRACH transmission in the first RO, so that the UE can save on power consumption. In this case, a RAR window for multi-PRACH transmission can be initiated after the first RO in the RO Group.

[0063] In Option 2, the RA-RNTI can be calculated based on an nth RO (e.g., regardless of whether it is a valid or invalid RO) in the RO Group. For example, even if an nth RO in the RO Group is an invalid RO, the RA-RNTI is calculated based on the invalid RO in the UE and the base station. In other words, the time and frequency resource indices (e.g., s_id, t_id, f_id, and other similar indices) of the nth RO can be used in the equation to calculate the RA-RNTI, n can be greater than 1 and less than the total number of ROs in the RO Group, or n can be (pre-)configured, for example, configured in a Type 1 System Information Block (SIB1) or a Master Information Block (MIB). In this case, the preamble cannot be transmitted in the nth RO if it is an invalid RO and can be transmitted in only part or all valid ROs of the RO Group. In Option 2, gNB may have more flexibility to configure which RO will be used for the RA-RNTI calculation.

[0064] In Option 3, the RA-RNTI can be calculated based on a last RO (for example, regardless of whether it is a valid or invalid RO) in the RO Group. For example, even if the last RO in the RO Group is an invalid RO, the RA-RNTI is calculated based on the invalid RO in the UE and the base station. In other words, the time and frequency feature indices (e.g., s_id, t_id, f_id, and other similar indices) of the last RO can be used in the equation to calculate the RA-RNTI. In this case, the preamble may not be transmitted on the last RO if it is an invalid RO and may be transmitted on only some or all of the valid ROs in the RO Group. Option 3 can maintain a low signaling overhead. Furthermore, Option 3 may be suitable for achieving combined detection of a multi-PRACH transmission, so that it can improve the performance gain of preamble detection on the gNB side. In this case, a RAR window for multi-PRACH transmission can be initiated after the last RO in the RO Group.Furthermore, Option 3 requires minimal impact on current standards compared to Option 1 and Option 2. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 32 / 82 22 / 41

[0065] For example, with reference to illustration (700) in Figure 7, assume that a UE receives a Group of RO (702) including ROs (704), (706), (708) and (710) for given 4 PRACH transmissions. After checking the RO discard rule (or validation rule), it is determined that RO (704) is invalid, but ROs (706), (708) and (710) are valid. Since the RO on which the RA-RNTI calculation is based can be a valid or invalid RO in the RO Group after checking the RO discard rule, the RO to be used for the RA-RNTI calculation for the UE in a RAR Window (712) can be RO (704) using Option 1, RO (708) using Option 2 with n = 3, or RO (710) using Option 3. Advantageously, it is possible to reuse the existing equation for the RA-RNTI calculation so that any impact on current standards is minimized.

[0066] For the implementation of Solution 2, a base station can provide control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group to a UE, for example, using upper-layer signaling, such as RRC signaling. The plurality of ROs can be used for multi-PRACH transmission. The UE can receive the control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group, and an RA-RNTI can be calculated based on one or more ROs from at least one valid RO and / or zero or one or more invalid RO(s) in the RO Group at the UE and the base station. A sum of the time-domain feature indices of one or more ROs (e.g., MROs, 1 < M < N) and a sum of the frequency-domain feature indices of one or more ROs in the RO Group can be used to calculate the RA-RNTI.So, the UE can transmit a preamble on one or more ROs in the RO Group, the base station can receive the preamble and calculate the RA-RNTI based on at least one RO in the RO Group. Additionally, the base station can transmit the DCI with CRC scrambled by the RARNTI, and the UE can receive the DCI. The UE attempts to detect the DCI. When the UE successfully decodes the DCI, it decodes the PDSCH carrying the RAR. The RA-RNTI calculation is known to both the UE and gNB.

[0067] For example, with reference to illustration (800) in Figure 8, it is assumed that a UE receives a Group of RO (802) including ROs (804), (806), (808) and (810) for given 4 PRACH transmissions. After checking the RO discard rule (or validation rule), it is determined that RO (804) is invalid, but ROs (806), (808) and (810) are valid. As the RA-RNTI can be calculated based on Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 33 / 82 23 / 41 one or more ROs of at least one valid RO and / or zero or one or more invalid RO(s) in the RO Group, one or more of the ROs (804), (806), (808) and (810) can be used for the RA-RNTI calculation for the UE in a RAR Window (812). In one implementation, a plurality of ROs (e.g., all ROs (804), (806), (808) and (810)) can be used for the RA-RNTI calculation. The RA-RNTI calculation can be expressed in the following equation: RA-RNTI = 1 + s_id_sum + 14 x tidsum + 14 x 80 x fidsum + 14 x 80 x 8 x ulcarrierid . where s_id_sum = Σ=1 s_idJ-, t_id_sum = Σΐηο' t_id_i, f_id_sum = Σ^ο' f_idJ-, i is the ordering of an OR, for example, regardless of whether the OR is a valid or invalid OR, in the OR Group, and M can be (pre-)configured, for example in a SIB1 or MIB. Furthermore, s_id_i is the index of the first OFDM symbol of the ί-th OR, t_id_i is the index of the first slot of the ί-th OR, and f_id_i is the index of the ί-th OR in the frequency domain. Alternatively,RA-RNTI can be calculated based on a subset of values ​​of { s id sum , t id sum , f id sum , s id i , t id i , f id i}. For example, the RA-RNTI calculation can be expressed in one of the following equations: (1) RA-RNTI = 1 + s id i + 14 x tidsum + 14 x 80 x fidi + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul carrier id ; (2) RA-RNTI = 1 + s_id_sum + 14 x t id sum + 14 x 80 x f id i + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul carrier id ; (3) RA-RNTI = 1 + sidsum + 14 x t id + 14 x 80 x f id i + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul carrier id ; (4) RA-RNTI = 1 + mod(sidsum, 14) + 14 x mod(t_id_sum, 80) + 14 x 80 x mod(f_id_sum, 8) + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul_carrier_id, where mod(a, b) is a modulo operation or function, such as modulo b, for the purpose that mod(s_id_sum, 14) does not exceed 14 as a maximum value as in legacy calculation, mod(t_id_sum, 80) does not exceed 80 as a maximum value as in legacy calculation; and mod(f_id_sum, 8) does not exceed 8 as a maximum value as in legacy calculation; (5) RA-RNTI = 1 + mod(s_id_sum,14) + 14 x t_id_sum + 14 x 80 x f_id_i + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul_carrier_id; (6) RA-RNTI = 1 + s_id_i + 14 x mod( t id sum ,80) + 14 x 80 x f_id_i + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul carrier id ; (7) RA-RNTI = 1 + s_id_i + 14 x t_id_i + 14 x 80 x mod( f id sum , 8) + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul carrier id. It will be appreciated that the RA-RNTI calculation above includes an averaging operation based on the sum of { s id sum , t id sum ,f id sum , s id i, t id i, f id i}. It will also be appreciated that the RA-RNTI calculation above can be expressed as a function of one or more ROs with at least one valid RO and / or zero or one or more invalid RO(s) in the RO Group. Advantageously, it is possible to reuse the existing equation. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 34 / 82 Solution 2 introduces a different approach to calculating RA-RNTI for UEs with multi-PRACH transmission capability. This differs from the legacy determination for legacy UEs Rel. 15 / 16 / 17 with single-PRACH transmission capability. This allows gNB to identify different UE capabilities (e.g., UEs with multi-PRACH transmission capability and UEs with single-PRACH transmission capability) so that gNB can better schedule different UE capabilities in subsequent steps (e.g., Msg3 and Msg4) of the random access procedure.

[0068] For the implementation of Solution 3, a base station can provide control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group to a UE, for example, using upper-layer signaling such as RRC signaling. The plurality of ROs can be used for multi-PRACH transmission. The UE can receive the control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group, and an RA-RNTI can be calculated based on dedicated resources associated with the RO Group (one dedicated resource per RO Group) in the UE and the base station. The dedicated resources associated with the RO Group can only be used for RA-RNTI calculation purposes, for example, one dedicated resource is used to calculate an RA-RNTI for an associated RO Group. The dedicated resources can be separate resources, compared to time and frequency domain resources.of at least one valid RO and zero or one or more invalid RO(s) in the RO Group, and these cannot be used for any PRACH transmission. Dedicated resources can be dedicated time and frequency domain resources, identification numbers or assignment indexes, or non-zero values. The RA-RNTI calculation based on dedicated resources can be expressed in the following equation: RA-RNTI = 1 + s_id_dedi + 14 x tiddedi + 14 x 80 x fiddedi + 14 x 80 x 8 x ul carrier id, where s_id_dedi, t_id_dedi and fiddedi are dedicated time and frequency domain resource indexes associated with the RO Group. These are not related to the RO(s) indexes in the RO Group, as shown in Solutions 1 and 2. The dedicated resources associated with an RO Group can be (pre)configured. For multiple ROs of the... Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 35 / 82 25 / 41 The time dedicated and resources allocated to the frequency domain of each of the various ROs within the Group differ from one another.

[0069] For example, with reference to illustration (900) of Figure 9, it is assumed that a first UE is provided with an RO Group (902) including ROs (904), (906), (908) and (910) for given 4 PRACH transmissions, and a second UE is provided with an RO Group (914) including ROs (916) and (918) for given 2 PRACH transmissions. Furthermore, dedicated time and frequency domain resources (922) and (924) are associated with RO Groups (902) and (914) respectively. Since RA-RNTI can be calculated based on dedicated resources associated with an RO Group, dedicated time and frequency domain resources (922) can be used to calculate RA-RNTI for the first UE in a RAR Window (912), and dedicated time and frequency domain resources (924) can be used to calculate RA-RNTI for the second UE in a RAR Window (920).Since the dedicated time and frequency domain resources associated with an RO Group can be pre-configured (e.g., a table-based indication comprising a list of dedicated time and frequency domain resources for all possible RO Groups (e.g., for 64 RO Groups based on the number of preambles) supported in a service cell), advantageously, this does not introduce any additional signaling overhead for RARNTI calculation purposes.

[0070] In one implementation, an RA-RNTI can be calculated based on only one or more valid RO(s) in an RO Group (hereinafter referred to as Solution 4). For example, a base station can provide control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group to a UE, for example, using upper-layer signaling, such as RRC signaling. The plurality of ROs can be used for multi-PRACH transmission. The UE can receive the control information indicating a plurality of ROs included in an RO Group, and an RA-RNTI can be calculated in the UE and the base station based on only one or more valid RO(s) in the RO, according to one of the following options: in option A, the RA-RNTI is calculated based on a valid RO in the RO Group (for example, similar to Options 1 to 3 in Solution 1, but a valid RO is used for the RA-RNTI calculation); In option B, the RA-RNTI is calculated based on a plurality of valid ROs in the RO Group (for example, similar to Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 36 / 82 26 / 41 Solution 2, but a plurality of valid ROs is used for the RA-RNTI calculation). Furthermore, different UEs may determine different candidates for the RA-RNTI, since the number of valid or invalid ROs may differ between UEs.

[0071] In an implementation, Solutions 1-3 or Solution 4 can be used in a service cell, depending on each case: in a Case 1, for HDUE in paired band in a service cell, where it supports a “any RO count” method (e.g., in a “any RO count” method, for a given number of multiple PRACH transmissions, both valid RO(s) and invalid RO(s) in an RO Group are counted, where an RO is identified as an invalid RO if it is not used for an actual PRACH transmission due to an RO drop event, while valid RO(s) are used for actual PRACH transmissions) to formulate an RO Group for a multi-PRACH transmission, one of Solutions 1-3 can be used;In Case 2, for a service cell that supports the "valid RO count only" method (e.g., in a "valid RO count only" method, for a given number of multiple PRACH transmissions, the count is based only on valid RO(s) in an RO Group, where valid RO(s) are used for actual PRACH transmissions) to formulate an RO Group for a multi-PRACH transmission, Solution 4 is used. As an alternative solution to Case 1, an HD-UE can adjust the SSB reception during the random access procedure for a multi-PRACH transmission (e.g., the PRACH transmission in an RO has a higher priority than the SSB reception during the random access procedure, so that the RO is not discarded (and therefore is a valid RO) if there is a collision with the SSB reception), so that Solution 4 can be used.

[0072] Using one of Solutions 1 to 3 or Solution 4, the RA-RNTI can be calculated in a common way between UEs (including all UE types) in a service cell. In addition, one of Solutions 1 to 3 and Solution 4 can be configured based on the UE type to calculate the RA-RNTI in a service cell, for example, one solution is assigned to each UE type (e.g., for RedCap UE and for non-RedCap UE).

[0073] In an implementation, an RO Group can include at least one valid RO and one invalid RO, and an RA-RNTI can be calculated based on Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 37 / 82 27 / 41 at least the invalid RO. In Option 1 of Solution 1, as a variation, if the first RO of a Group of ROs is an invalid RO, the RA-RNTI can be calculated based on at least the invalid RO. In Option 2 of Solution 1, as a variation, if the nth RO of a Group of ROs is an invalid RO, the RA-RNTI can be calculated based on at least the invalid RO. In Option 3 of Solution 1, as a variation, if the last RO of a Group of ROs is an invalid RO, the RA-RNTI can be calculated based on at least the invalid RO. Furthermore, a combination of the parameters from Solutions 1, 2, and 3 can be used to calculate the RA-RNTI.

[0074] In one implementation, one of Solutions 1 through 4 can be applied to both scenarios of a multi-PRACH transmission: (1) in scenario 1, the multi-PRACH transmission is sent by a UE using a single antenna; (2) in scenario 2, the multi-PRACH transmission is sent by a UE using a plurality of antennas. Furthermore, one of Solutions 1 through 4 can be applied to both the contention-based random access procedure (CBRA) and the contention-free random access procedure (CFRA).

[0075] Fig. 10 shows a flowchart (1000) for a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In a step (1002), a UE can be provided with an RO Group including a series of N ROs for N specific PRACH transmissions. It is important to note that N can be configured as 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 to support 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 PRACH transmissions, respectively. The number of valid ROs for actual PRACH transmissions in an RO Group may be less than or equal to N due to RO collision events. In a step (1004), the UE can calculate an RA-RNTI for the RO Group based on one of Solutions 1 to 3 virtually, regardless of valid or invalid RO(s). In one step (1006), the UE can send actual PRACH transmissions using the valid RO(s) (e.g., Msg1 in a 4-step Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure).In one step (1008), the UE can receive a DCI with CRC scrambled by the RA-RNTI calculated to decode the PDSCH carrying RAR (e.g., Msg2 sent from a gNB in ​​a 4-step RACH procedure), to receive RAR from the multi-PRACH transmission.

[0076] Fig. 11 shows a flowchart (1100) for a gNB according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In a step (1102), a gNB can Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 38 / 82 28 / 41 provide a Group of ROs including ROs for a specific N PRACH transmissions. In a step (1104), gNB can calculate an RA-RNTI based on one of Solutions 1 to 3 virtually, regardless of valid or invalid RO(s). gNB can generate a DCI with CRC scrambled by the calculated RA-RNTI. The DCI can schedule a PDSCH containing a RAR, which is a response to the actual PRACH transmissions sent by an UE. In a step (1106), gNB can send the DCI that schedules the PDSCH and gNB can subsequently send the PDSCH carrying a RAR to the UE (e.g., Msg2 in a 4-step RACH procedure).

[0077] Fig. 12 shows an exemplary illustration of a 4-step random access (RA) procedure (1200) for a multi-PACH transmission according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step (1206), a UE (1202) can calculate an RA-RNTI for a Group of ROs based on one of Solutions 1 to 3 virtually, regardless of valid or invalid RO(s), and transmit a random access preamble via Message 1 to a gNB (1204). It will be appreciated that the UE can calculate an RA-RNTI for a Group of ROs before, after, or during a multi-PACH transmission sending process. This depends on (i) a gNB configuration for a UE to monitor RARs in a Window RAR, or (ii) the UE implementation issue. The random access preamble in a multi-PRACH transmission is based on the Group of ROs.In step (1208), gNB (1204) can calculate an RA-RNTI based on one of Solutions 1 to 3 virtually, regardless of valid or invalid RO(s) in the RO Group, and then transmits the RAR in the PDSCH (Message 2) to UE (1202) as a response to the multi-PRACH transmission. In particular, gNB can generate a DCI, which schedules a PDSCH carrying the RAR, with the CRC scrambled by its calculated RA-RNTI, and gNB can subsequently transmit the PDSCH carrying the RAR to UE (1202). In step (1210), UE can decode the DCI using the RA-RNTI calculated by UE to decode the PDSCH carrying the RAR received from gNB (1204). In step (1212), UE can send Message 3 (Msg3) PUSCH to gNB (1204). In step (1214), gNB (1204) can transmit Message 4 (Msg 4) (e.g., PDCCH / PDSCH) to UE (1202).

[0078] Although the above procedure (1200) is illustrated in a 4-step RACH procedure in a contention-based random access Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 39 / 82 29 / 41 (CBRA), it will be appreciated that the present disclosure (e.g., Solutions 1-3, flowcharts (1000) and (1100)) can also be implemented in a 2-step RACH procedure or in a 4-step RACH procedure in a contention-free random access (CFRA).

[0079] Fig. 13 shows a flowchart (1300) illustrating a communication method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In step (1302), one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) can be determined based on a first plurality of resources and / or a second plurality of resources from a group of Random Access Channel Occasions (RO). In step (1304), a preamble can be transmitted on at least one of the first resources. In step (1306), cyclic redundancy check (CRC) downlink control information (DCI) encoded by one or more RA-RNTIs can be received in response to the preamble transmission.

[0080] Fig. 14 shows a partially sectioned schematic view of the communication apparatus (1400) which can be implemented according to various embodiments and examples, as shown in Figs. 1 to 13. The communication apparatus (1400) can be implemented as a UE or base station according to various embodiments.

[0081] Several functions and operations of the communication device (1400) are organized in layers according to a hierarchical model. In the model, the lower layers report to the upper layers and receive instructions from them according to the 3GPP technical specifications. For simplicity, the details of the hierarchical model are not discussed in this disclosure.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 14, the communication apparatus (1400) may include circuit (1414), at least one radio transmission chain (Tx) (1402) (also referred to herein as transmitter (1402)), at least one radio reception chain (Rx) (1404) (also referred to herein as receiver (1404)), and at least one antenna (1412) (for simplicity, only one antenna is shown in Fig. 14 for illustrative purposes). The circuit (1414) may include at least one controller (1406) for use in the software- and hardware-assisted execution of tasks that at least one controller (1406) is designed to perform, including controlling communications with one or more other communication apparatuses on a wireless network. The circuit (1414) may further include at least one signal generator of Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 40 / 82 30 / 41 transmission (1408) and at least one receiving signal processor (1410). At least one driver (1406) may control at least one transmission signal generator (1408) to generate signals to be sent through at least one radio transmitter (1402) to one or more other communication devices and at least one receiving signal processor (1410) to process signals received through at least one radio receiver (1404) from one or more other communication devices under the control of at least one driver (1406). The at least one transmission signal generator (1408) and the at least one receiving signal processor (1410) may be stand-alone modules of the communication device (1400) that communicate with at least one controller (1406) for the functions mentioned above, as shown in Figs. 1-13.Alternatively, at least one transmit signal generator (1408) and at least one receive signal processor (1410) may be included in at least one driver (1406). It is understandable to those skilled in the art that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and may vary depending on practical needs and / or requirements. The processing, storage and other relevant control devices may be provided on an appropriate circuit board and / or chipsets. In various embodiments, when in operation, at least one radio transmitter (1402), at least one radio receiver (1404) and at least one antenna (1412) may be controlled by at least one controller (1406). It should be noted that the communication apparatus (1400) may include a plurality of antennas, for example, as shown in the communication apparatus (1500) of Figure 15, which includes a plurality of antennas (1512).Each of the plurality antennas (1512) can be connected to a corresponding Tx Chain (1502) and Rx Chain (1504) by means of a switch or switching point. Alternatively, each of the plurality antennas (1512) can be connected to a corresponding Tx Chain or Rx Chain.

[0083] The communication device (1400), when in operation, provides the functions necessary for the calculation of RA-RNTI to handle RO collisions in a multi-PRACH transmission. For example, the communication device (1400) may be a UE, and the circuit (1414) may, in operation, determine one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) based on a first plurality of features and / or a second plurality of Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 41 / 82 31 / 41 resources from a Random Access Channel Occasion (RO) group. The transmitter (1402) can, in operation, transmit a preamble on at least one of the first plurality of resources. The receiver (1404) can, in operation, receive downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by one or more RA-RNTIs in response to the preamble transmission.

[0084] The first plurality of resources can be a plurality of radio resources from a plurality of ROs in the RO Group. The plurality of ROs can comprise at least one valid RO and at least one invalid RO, and the circuit (1414) can be configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on at least one radio resource from at least one invalid RO in the first plurality of resources.

[0085] An nth RO of the plurality of ROs can be a valid RO or an invalid RO, en can be an integer within a range of 1 to the total number of the plurality of ROs, and the circuit (1414) can be configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on at least one radio feature of the nth RO. n can be indicated by a higher layer signaling, a CE MAC signaling, another DCI, or pre-configured or defined in a technical specification.

[0086] All ROs in the plurality of ROs may be valid ROs, or the plurality of ROs may comprise at least one valid RO and at least one invalid RO. The circuit (1414) may be configured to determine one or more RARNTIs based on two or more radio features of only valid ROs in the first plurality of features, or based on two or more radio features of at least one valid RO and at least one invalid RO in the first plurality of features.

[0087] The second plurality of resources may be a plurality of dedicated resources associated with the RO Group, and the circuit (1414) may be configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on the plurality of dedicated resources. The plurality of dedicated resources may comprise specific radio resources that are separate from the radio resources of a plurality of ROs in the RO Group, or identification numbers, assignment indices, or non-zero values.

[0088] The circuit (1414) can be configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a service cell associated with the communication device. The circuit (1414) can be further configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a type of communication device. The Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 42 / 82 32 / 41 circuit (1414) can be additionally configured to define an indication for the determination of one or more RA-RNTIs by means of a higher layer signaling, a CE MAC signaling, another DCI or the determination of one or more RARNTIs is pre-configured or specified in a technical specification.

[0089] The circuit (1414) can be configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a function of the first feature plurality and / or the second feature plurality, the function being indicated by a higher-layer signal, CE MAC signal, downlink control information (DCI), or specified in a technical specification. The circuit (1414) can be configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a subset of the first feature plurality and / or the second feature plurality, the subset being indicated by a higher-layer signal, CE MAC signal, downlink control information (DCI), or specified in a technical specification. The circuit (1414) can also be configured to decode a Downlink Shared Physical Channel (PDSCH) carrying Random Access Response (RAR) based on one or more determined RA-RNTIs.

[0090] The communication device (1400) can be a first communication device, and the receiver (1404) can, in operation, receive a preamble on at least one of a first plurality of resources from a group of Random Access Channel Occasions (RO) from a second communication device. The circuit (1414) can, in operation, determine one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) based on the first plurality of resources and / or a second plurality of resources, and generate a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) downlink control information (DCI) encoded by one or more RA-RNTIs. The transmitter (1402) can, in operation, transmit the DCI to the second communication device. Control Signals

[0091] In this disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) relating to this disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted through the physical layer PDCCH or it may be a signal (information) transmitted through an upper layer MAC Control Element (CE) or RRC. The downlink control signal may be a predefined signal (information). Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 43 / 82 33 / 41

[0092] The uplink control signal (information) related to this disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via the physical layer PUCCH or it may be a signal (information) transmitted via an upper layer MAC CE or RRC. In addition, the uplink control signal may be a predefined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be replaced by uplink control information (UCI), first-stage sidelink control information (SCI) or second-stage SCI. Base Station

[0093] In this disclosure, the base station may be, for example, a A Transmit Receiving Point (TRP) can be a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit, or a gateway. Additionally, in sidelink communication, a terminal can be used instead of a base station. The base station can be a relay device that relays communication between a higher node and a terminal. The base station can also be a roadside unit. Uplink / downlink / sidelink

[0094] This disclosure can be applied to any of the uplink, downlink and sidelink.

[0095] This disclosure can be applied to, for example, uplink channels such as PUSCH, PUCCH and PRACH, downlink channels such as PDSCH, PDCCH and PBCH, and sidelink channels such as Sidelink Shared Physical Channel (PSSCH), Sidelink Control Physical Channel (PSCCH) and Sidelink Transmission Physical Channel (PSBCH).

[0096] PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel, respectively. PBCH and PSBCH are examples of transmission channels, respectively, and PRACH is an example of a random access channel. Data channels / control channels

[0097] This disclosure can be applied to any of the data channels and control channels. The channels in this disclosure can be substituted. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 44 / 82 34 / 41 by data channels, including PDSCH, PUSCH and PSSCH and / or control channels, including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH and PSBCH. Reference Signs

[0098] In this disclosure, reference signals are signals known to both a base station and a mobile station, and each reference signal may be referred to as a Reference Signal (RS) or, sometimes, a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any of the following: DMRS, Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS), and Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). Time intervals

[0099] In this disclosure, time resource units are not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, and may be time resource units such as frames, superframes, subframes, slots, time slot subslots, minislots, or time resource units such as symbols, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbols, or other time resource units. The number of symbols included in a slot is not limited to any number of symbols exemplified in the embodiment(s) described above, and may be another number of symbols. Frequency Bands

[0100] This disclosure may apply to any licensed or unlicensed band. Communication

[0101] This disclosure can be applied to any communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu-link communication), communication between a terminal and a terminal (sidelink communication), and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication. The channels in this disclosure can be replaced by PSCCH, PSSCH, Sidelink Physical Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0102] In addition, this disclosure may apply to any terrestrial network or to a network other than a terrestrial network (NTN: Non-Terrestrial Network) that uses a satellite or a High Altitude Pseudosatellite (HAPS). Furthermore, Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 45 / 82 35 / 41 This disclosure can be applied to a network with a large cell size and a terrestrial network with a large delay compared to the symbol or slot length, such as an ultra-wideband transmission network. Antenna Ports

[0103] An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed by one or more physical antennas. That is, the antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but rather to an array antenna formed by multiple antennas or similar. For example, it is not defined how many physical antennas form the antenna port; instead, the antenna port is defined as the minimum unit by which a terminal can transmit a reference signal. The antenna port can also be defined as the minimum unit for multiplying a vector pre-coding weighting.

[0104] As described above, the realizations of the present disclosure provide an advanced communication system, communication methods and communication device that advantageously perform RA-RNTI calculation to handle RO collisions in a multi-PRACH transmission.

[0105] The present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, or software in cooperation with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment described above may be partially or wholly implemented by an LSI, such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment may be partially or wholly controlled by the same LSI or by a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be formed individually as chips, or a single chip may be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may include coupled data input and output. The LSI here may be referred to as an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI, depending on the difference in the degree of integration. However, the integrated circuit implementation technique is not limited to the LSI and may be implemented using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a special-purpose processor.Furthermore, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) can be used, which can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor in which the connections and configurations of the circuit cells arranged within the LSI can be reconfigured. This can be done using digital or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technology replaces LSIs... Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 46 / 82 36 / 41 As a result of advances in semiconductor technology or other derived technologies, functional building blocks could be integrated using future integrated circuit technology. Biotechnology could also be applied.

[0106] This disclosure can be made by any type of apparatus, device or system that has a communication function, which is called a communication apparatus.

[0107] Some non-limiting examples of such communication devices include a telephone (e.g., mobile phone, smartphone), a tablet, a personal computer (PC) (e.g., laptop, desktop, netbook), a camera (e.g., digital camera / video camera), a digital player (e.g., digital audio / video player), a wearable device (e.g., wearable camera, smartwatch, tracking device), a game console, an e-reader, a telehealth / telemedicine device (e.g., remote health and medicine), and a vehicle providing communication functionality (e.g., automobile, airplane, ship), and various combinations thereof.

[0108] The communication device is not limited to being portable or mobile, and may also include any type of non-portable or stationary appliance, device or system, such as a smart home device (e.g., a household appliance, lighting, smart meter, control panel), a vending machine and any other “things” on an “Internet of Things (IoT)” network.

[0109] Communication can include the exchange of data through, for example, a cellular system, a wireless LAN system, a satellite system, etc., and various combinations thereof.

[0110] The communication apparatus may comprise a device such as a controller or sensor that is coupled to a communication device that performs a communication function described in this disclosure. For example, the communication apparatus may comprise a controller or sensor that generates control signals or data signals that are used by a communication device that performs a communication function of the communication apparatus.

[0111] The communication apparatus may also include an infrastructure installation, such as a base station, an access point, and any other apparatus, Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 47 / 82 37 / 41 device or system that communicates with or controls devices such as those in the non-limiting examples above.

[0112] It should be understood that, although some properties of the various realizations have been described with reference to one device, corresponding properties also apply to the methods of various realizations, and vice versa.

[0113] This disclosure may refer to the following statements: Statement 1. The communication device consists of: A circuit that, in operation, determines one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) based on a first plurality of features and / or a second plurality of features from a group of Random Access Channel Occasions (RO); A transmitter that, in operation, transmits a preamble on at least one of the first plurality resources; and a receiver that, in operation, receives downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by one or more RA-RNTIs in response to the preamble transmission. One advantage of this feature is that it allows the UE to successfully decode the corresponding RAR from multi-PRACH transmissions, even when a certain number of ROs in the RO Group may be discarded or one of the actual PRACH transmissions on valid ROs cannot be reached by gNB. Declaration 2. The communication apparatus of Declaration 1, wherein the first plurality of resources is a plurality of radio resources from a plurality of ROs in the RO Group. One advantage of this feature is that it allows an EU to know which resource should be used for the RA-RNTI calculation. Statement 3. The communication device of Statement 2, wherein the plurality of ROs comprises at least one valid RO and at least one invalid RO, and the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on at least one radio feature from at least one invalid RO in the first plurality of features. One advantage of this feature is the ability to reuse the existing RA-RNTI calculation equation to minimize the standard impact. Statement 4. The reporting device of Statement 2, where an nth RO of the plurality of ROs is either a valid RO or an invalid RO, en is an integer. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, p. 48 / 82 38 / 41 within a range of 1 up to the total number of RO pluralities, and the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on at least one radio feature of the nth RO in the first plurality of features. One advantage of this feature is the ability to reuse the existing RA-RNTI calculation equation to minimize the standard impact. Statement 5. The communication device of Statement 4, where n is indicated by a higher-layer signaling, a CE MAC signaling, another DCI signaling, or pre-configured or defined in a technical specification. One advantage of this feature is gaining more flexibility in configuring the RA-RNTI calculation, which is based on signaling from n. Statement 6. The communication device of Statement 2, where all ROs in the plurality of ROs are valid ROs, or the plurality of ROs comprises at least one valid RO and at least one invalid RO. One advantage of this feature is the ability to reuse the existing RA-RNTI calculation equation to minimize the standard impact. Statement 7. The communication device of Statement 6, wherein the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on two or more radio features from only valid ROs in the first plurality of features, or based on two or more radio features from at least one valid RO and at least one invalid RO in the first plurality of features. One advantage of this feature is reusing the existing RA-RNTI calculation equation with new interval values ​​for parameters (e.g., s_id_sum, tidsum, fidsum) to minimize the default impact. Statement 8. The communication device of Statement 2, where the second plurality of resources is a plurality of dedicated resources associated with the RO Group, and the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on the plurality of dedicated resources. Since the dedicated RO Group resources can be pre-configured (e.g., a table indicates a list of dedicated time and frequency domain resources for all possible RO Groups (e.g., 64 as the maximum number of preambles that can be supported in a service cell currently) supported in a service cell), this does not introduce any additional signaling overhead for RA-RNTI calculation purposes. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, page 49 / 82 39 / 41 Declaration 9. The communication apparatus of Declaration 8, wherein the plurality of dedicated resources comprises specific radio resources that are separate from the radio resources of a plurality of ROs in the RO Group, or identification numbers, assignment indices or non-zero values. Since the dedicated RO Group resources can be pre-configured (e.g., a table indicates a list of dedicated time and frequency domain resources for all possible RO Groups (e.g., 64 as the maximum number of preambles that can be supported in a service cell currently) supported in a service cell), this does not introduce any additional signaling overhead for RA-RNTI calculation purposes. Statement 10. The communication device of Statement 1, wherein the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a service cell associated with the communication device. Determining one or more RA-RNTIs between UEs based on a server cell advantageously (i.e., a cell-specific method for determining one or more RA-RNTIs between UEs in a server cell) minimizes the complexity of gNB in ​​terms of configuration and implementation. Statement 11. The communication device of either Statement 1 or 10, wherein the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a type of communication device. One advantage of this feature is that it allows gNB more flexibility to configure different methods for determining one or more RA-RNTIs among UE types. Statement 12. The communication device of Statement 1, in which the circuit is configured to set an indication for the determination of one or more RA-RNTIs by means of upper layer signaling, MAC CE signaling, another DCI or the determination of one or more RA-RNTIs is pre-configured or specified in a technical specification. One advantage of this feature is that it allows a UE to decide which solution / method should be used for the determination of one or more RA-RNTIs. Statement 13. The communication device of Statement 1, wherein the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a function of feature plurality and / or second feature plurality, the function being indicated. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, pp. 50 / 82 40 / 41 by a higher layer signaling, CE MAC signaling, downlink control information (DCI) or as specified in a technical specification. One advantage of this feature is defining a specific function for determining one or more RA-RNTIs in the case of multi-PRACH transmission. Statement 14. The communication device of Statement 1, wherein the circuit is configured to determine one or more RA-RNTIs based on a subset of the first feature plurality and / or the second feature plurality, the subset being indicated by upper-layer signaling, CE MAC signaling, downlink control information (DCI), or specified in a technical specification. One advantage of this feature is having more options for determining one or more RA-RNTIs. Statement 15. The communication device of Statement 1, wherein the circuit is further configured to decode a Downlink Shared Physical Channel (PDSCH) carrying Random Access Response (RAR) based on one or more determined RA-RNTIs. One advantage of this feature is to allow the UE to decode the corresponding RAR of a multi-PRACH transmission so that (i) the UE understands that the multi-PRACH transmission was successfully achieved by a gNB and (ii) the UE knows which radio resources should be used for a subsequent PUSCH transmission (also known as Message 3 (Msg3)) in the random access procedure. Declaration 16. A first communication apparatus comprising: a receiver that, in operation, receives a preamble on at least one of a first plurality of resources from a group of Random Access Channel (RO) Occasions from a second communication device; A circuit, which in operation, determines one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) based on the first plurality of resources and / or a second plurality of resources, and generates a downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by one or more RA-RNTIs; and a transmitter, which in operation, transmits the DCI to the second communication device. One advantage of this feature is that it allows the UE to successfully decode the corresponding RAR from multi-PRACH transmissions, even when a certain Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, pp. 51 / 82 41 / 41 RO number in the RO Group may be discarded or one of the actual PRACH transmissions in valid ROs may not be reachable by gNB. Statement 17. A method of communication that includes: determination of one or more temporary random access radio network identifiers (RA-RNTIs) based on a first feature plurality and / or a second feature plurality of a group of Random Access Channel Occasions (RO); transmission of a preamble on at least one of the first plurality resources; and receipt of a downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by one or more RA-RNTIs in response to the preamble transmission. One advantage of this feature is that it allows the UE to successfully decode the corresponding RAR from multi-PRACH transmissions, even when a certain number of ROs in the RO Group may be discarded or one of the actual PRACH transmissions on valid ROs cannot be reached by gNB.

[0114] A person skilled in the art will understand that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the present disclosure, as shown in the specific embodiments, without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure as broadly described. The present embodiments should therefore be considered, in all respects, illustrative and not restrictive. Petition 870250089393, dated 10 / 01 / 2025, pages 52 / 82

Claims

1 / 3 CLAIMS 1. A communication apparatus characterized in that it comprises: a circuit which, in operation, determines a temporary identifier of random access radio networks (RA-RNTIs) based on a valid Random Access Channel Occasion (RO) in a first group of ROs, the first group of ROs being determined from a plurality of ROs including valid and invalid ROs; a transmitter which, in operation, transmits repetitions of a preamble in at least one RO of the first group of ROs; and a receiver which, in operation, receives downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by the RA-RNTI in response to a transmission of the preamble.

2. Communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the RA-RNTI is determined based on a time index and a frequency index of the valid RO.

3. Communication apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the ROs in the first group of ROs are assigned on a first frequency.

4. Communication apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a frequency of ROs in the first RO group is different from a frequency of other ROs in a second RO group.

5. Communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that a number of only valid ROs in the first RO group is counted for a number of repetitions of the preamble.

6. Communication device according to claim 5, characterized in that the number of repetitions of the preamble is configured to a plurality of values.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: determining a temporary random access radio network identifier (RA-RNTI) based on a Random Access Channel Occasion (RO) in a first RO group, the first RO group being determined from a plurality of ROs including valid and invalid ROs; Petition 870250089811, dated 10 / 02 / 2025, page 7 / 14 2 / 3 transmitting replays of a preamble in at least one RO of the first RO group; and receiving a downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by the RA-RNTI in response to the transmission of the replays of the preamble.

8. Base station characterized in that it comprises: a circuit that, in operation, determines a temporary random access radio network identifier (RA-RNTI) based on a valid Random Access Channel Occasion (RO) in a first group of ROs, the first group of ROs being determined from a plurality of ROs including valid and invalid ROs; a receiver that, in operation, receives repetitions of a preamble in at least one RO of the first group of ROs; and a transmitter that, in operation, transmits downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by the RA-RNTI in response to receiving the preamble repetitions.

9. Base station according to claim 8, characterized in that the RA-RNTI is determined based on a time index and a frequency index of the valid RO.

10. Base station according to claim 8, characterized in that ROs in the first group of ROs are assigned the same frequency.

11. Base station according to claim 8, characterized in that a first RO frequency in the first RO group is different from an RO frequency in a second RO group.

12. Base station according to claim 8, characterized in that only a number of valid ROs in the first RO group are counted for a number of repetitions of the preamble.

13. Base station according to claim 12, characterized in that the number of repetitions of the preamble is configured from a plurality of values.

14. A communication method characterized by comprising: determining a temporary random access radio network identifier (RA-RNTI) based on a valid Random Access Channel Occasion (RO) in a first group of ROs, the first group of ROs being determined from a plurality of ROs including valid and invalid ROs; receiving repetitions of a preamble in at least one RO; and transmitting downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy checking scrambled by the RA-RNTI in response to receiving the preamble repetitions.

15. An integrated circuit characterized in that it comprises: a determination circuit which, in operation, controls the determination of a temporary random access radio network identifier (RA-RNTI) based on a valid Random Access Channel Occasion (RO) in a first group of ROs, the first group of ROs being determined from a plurality of ROs including valid and invalid ROs; a transmission circuit which, in operation, controls the transmission of preamble repetitions in at least one of the plurality of ROs; and a reception circuit which, in operation, controls the reception of downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by the RA-RNTI in response to a transmission of the preamble repetitions.

16. Integrated circuit characterized in that it comprises: a determination circuit that, in operation, controls the determination of a temporary random access radio network identifier (RA-RNTI) based on a valid Random Access Channel Occasion (RO) in a first group of ROs, the first group of ROs being determined from a plurality of ROs including valid and invalid ROs; a receiving circuit that, in operation, controls the reception of preamble repetitions in at least one RO; and a transmitting circuit that, in operation, controls the transmission of downlink control information (DCI0 with cyclic redundancy check (CRC0) scrambled by the RA-RNTI in response to the reception of preamble repetitions. Petition 870250089811, dated 02 / 10 / 2025, page 9 / 14

Images