Maintaining activity signals for network power savings in wireless networks

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for enabling network power savings using keep-alive signaling in idle mode. When a network is in an idle mode, a network entity may send a keep-alive signal (KAS) to reduce energy consumption of the network. In some aspects, the KAS may be a simplified synchronization signal block (SSB) that is transmitted more frequently than a complete SSB. In some aspects, the KAS may have a different beam scanning pattern and / or beam width than the complete SSB.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to pending non-provisional application serial number 18 / 308,552 filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 27, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 336,600 filed on April 29, 2022, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The technology discussed below relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to techniques and apparatus for keep-alive signaling for network energy conservation. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continued mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. In a 5G network, network entities may send various signals to enable user equipment to synchronize and connect to the network. Network entities may employ a variety of techniques to reduce network-side power consumption. Summary of the invention

[0005] An overview of one or more aspects of the present disclosure is presented below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an extensive review of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to describe the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a form as a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0006] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for implementing network energy conservation using keep-alive signaling in idle mode. When the network is in idle mode, a network entity may send a keep-alive signal (KAS) to reduce the energy consumption of the network. In some aspects, the KAS may be a simplified synchronization signal block (SSB) that is transmitted more frequently than a full SSB. In some aspects, the KAS may have a different beam sweep pattern and / or beam width than a full SSB.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity for a wireless communication network. The network entity includes a memory and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to: send a synchronization signal block (SSB) including multiple signals, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel; and send a keep-alive signal (KAS), the keep-alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a network entity. The method includes sending a synchronization signal block (SSB) including multiple signals, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. The method also includes sending a keep alive signal (KAS), the keep alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity for a wireless communication network. The network entity includes a component for sending a synchronization signal block (SSB) including multiple signals, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. The network entity also includes a component for sending a keep-alive signal (KAS), the keep-alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable code for causing a network entity to send a synchronization signal block (SSB) including multiple signals, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. The executable code also causes the network entity to send a keep-alive signal (KAS), the keep-alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0011] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity for a wireless communication network. The network entity includes a memory and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to: use a first beam scanning mode to send a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst, the first SSB being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The processor and the memory are further configured to: use a second beam scanning mode to send a second SSB burst, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0012] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a network entity. The method includes: using a first beam scanning mode to send a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst, the first SSB being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The method also includes: using a second beam scanning mode to send a second SSB burst, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0013] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity for a wireless communication network. The network entity includes a component for sending a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst using a first beam scanning mode, the first SSB being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The network entity also includes a component for sending a second SSB burst using a second beam scanning mode, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0014] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable code for causing a network entity to transmit a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst using a first beam scanning pattern, the first SSB being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The executable code also causes the network entity to transmit a second SSB burst using a second beam scanning pattern, the second beam scanning pattern being different from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0015] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes: a memory; a transceiver for wireless communication; and a processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The processor and the memory are configured to receive a synchronization signal block (SSB) including multiple signals from a network entity, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. The processor and the memory are configured to receive a keep-alive signal (KAS) from the network entity, the keep-alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0016] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE). The method includes: receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) including multiple signals from a network entity, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. The method also includes: receiving a keep alive signal (KAS) from the network entity, the keep alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0017] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes a component for receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) including multiple signals from a network entity, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. The UE also includes a component for receiving a keep alive signal (KAS) from the network entity, the keep alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0018] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable code for causing a user equipment (UE) to receive a synchronization signal block (SSB) of multiple signals from a network entity, the multiple signals including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. The executable code also causes the UE to receive a keep-alive signal (KAS) from the network entity, the keep-alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB.

[0019] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes: a memory; a transceiver for wireless communication; and a processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The processor and the memory are configured to receive a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst from a network entity using a first beam scanning mode, the first SSB burst being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The processor and the memory are further configured to receive a second SSB burst from the network entity using a second beam scanning mode, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0020] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE). The method includes: receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst from a network entity using a first beam scanning mode, the first SSB burst being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The method also includes: receiving a second SSB burst from the network entity using a second beam scanning mode, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0021] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes a component for receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst from a network entity using a first beam scanning pattern, the first SSB burst being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The UE also includes a component for receiving a second SSB burst from the network entity using a second beam scanning pattern, the second beam scanning pattern being different from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0022] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable code for causing a user equipment (UE) to receive a first synchronization signal block (SSB) burst from a network entity using a first beam scanning mode, the first SSB burst being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. The executable code also causes the UE to receive a second SSB burst from the network entity using a second beam scanning mode, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0023] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity for a wireless communication network. The network entity includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to periodically transmit a keep-alive signal (KAS). The processor is further configured to: after transmitting a plurality of KASs, transmit a periodic synchronization signal, and skip the KAS within a period of transmitting the periodic synchronization signal, wherein the KAS consumes less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0024] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a network entity. The method includes: periodically transmitting a keep-alive signal (KAS). The method also includes: after transmitting multiple KAS, transmitting a periodic synchronization signal, and skipping the KAS during the period of transmitting the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0025] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes: a memory; a transceiver, the transceiver is used for wireless communication; and a processor, the processor is coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The processor is configured to periodically receive a keep-alive signal (KAS). The processor is further configured to: after receiving multiple KASs, receive a periodic synchronization signal, and skip the KAS during a period of receiving the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0026] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE). The method includes: periodically receiving a keep-alive signal (KAS); the method also includes: after receiving multiple KASs, receiving a periodic synchronization signal, and skipping the KAS during a period of receiving the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0027] After reading the following specific embodiments, these and other aspects of the present invention will become more fully understood. After reading the following description of specific exemplary implementations in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features and specific implementations will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although each feature may be discussed with respect to certain examples and drawings below, all specific implementations may include one or more advantageous features in the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more specific implementations may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more features in such features may also be used according to the various examples discussed herein. In a similar manner, although each example may be discussed as a device, system or method specific implementation below, it should be understood that such examples can be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless communication system according to some aspects.

[0029] Figure 2 is an illustration of an example of a radio access network (RAN) in accordance with some aspects.

[0030] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a decomposed base station architecture in accordance with some aspects.

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of organization of radio resources in an air interface utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) in accordance with some aspects.

[0032] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication system supporting multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication.

[0033] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating communication of signals between a network entity and a user equipment (UE) using beamforming in accordance with some aspects.

[0034] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a synchronization signal (SS) hierarchy in accordance with some aspects.

[0035] Figure 8is a diagram illustrating an example of keep-alive signaling for network energy conservation in accordance with some aspects.

[0036] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a keep alive signal (KAS) in accordance with some aspects.

[0037] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary KAS including a repeating synchronization signal in accordance with some aspects.

[0038] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary KAS configuration according to some aspects.

[0039] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating an example of communications between a network entity and a UE for indicating a KAS configuration in accordance with some aspects.

[0040] Fig.13 is a diagram illustrating some examples of synchronization signal block (SSB) bursts with different beam scanning patterns according to some aspects.

[0041] Fig.14 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary SSB burst beam scanning pattern according to some aspects.

[0042] Fig.15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity according to some aspects.

[0043] Fig.16 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for transmitting a keep alive signal (KAS) in accordance with some aspects.

[0044] Fig.17 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for sending a keep alive signal including simplified SSB in accordance with some aspects.

[0045] Fig.18 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for transmitting an SSB burst in accordance with some aspects.

[0046] Fig.19 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for user equipment according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0047] Fig. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for receiving a keep alive signal (KAS) in accordance with some aspects.

[0048] Fig.21 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for receiving a keep alive signal including abbreviated SSB in accordance with some aspects.

[0049] Fig. 22 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for receiving an SSB burst in accordance with some aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations with which the concepts described herein can be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, in order to avoid obscuring such concepts, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form.

[0051] Although various aspects and specific implementations are described in this application by way of illustration of some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that additional specific implementations and use cases may be generated in many other arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein may be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, specific implementations and / or uses may occur via integrated chips and other non-module component-based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). Although some examples may or may not specifically point to use cases or applications, the applicability of various types of the described innovations may occur. Specific implementations may range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level specific implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or OEM devices or systems in conjunction with one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical settings, the devices in conjunction with the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for the specific implementation and practice of the claimed and described examples. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be practiced in a variety of devices of different sizes, shapes, and configurations, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, disaggregated arrangements (e.g., base stations and UEs), end-user devices, etc.

[0052] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for improving network energy conservation using keep-alive signaling in idle mode. When a network (e.g., a cell) is in idle mode, a network entity may send a keep-alive signal (KAS) to reduce the energy consumption of the network. In some aspects, the KAS may be a simplified synchronization signal block (SSB) that is transmitted more frequently than a full SSB. In some aspects, the KAS may have a beam scanning pattern and / or beam width that is different from a full SSB. In some aspects, the KAS may use a combination of a simplified SSB and a beam scanning pattern that is different from a full SSB.

[0053] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be implemented across a wide variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Figure 1 , various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated with reference to a wireless communication system 100 as an illustrative example and not as a limitation. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interacting domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and a user equipment (UE) 106. By means of the wireless communication system 100, the UE 106 may be enabled to perform data communications with an external data network 110, such as (but not limited to) the Internet.

[0054] The RAN 104 may implement any suitable one or more wireless communication technologies to provide radio access to the UE 106. In some aspects, the RAN 104 may be an open radio access network (O-RAN) or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also referred to as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). As an example, the RAN 104 may operate according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications, commonly referred to as 5G. As another example, the RAN 104 may operate under a mix of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards, commonly referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE). 3GPP refers to such a hybrid RAN as the Next Generation RAN or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0055] As illustrated, the RAN 104 includes multiple network entities (e.g., base stations 108). In a broad sense, a base station is a network element in a radio access network that is responsible for radio transmission and reception to or from a UE in one or more cells. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, a base station may be referred to as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a node B (NB), an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation node B (gNB), a transmit receive point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology by those skilled in the art. In some examples, a base station may include two or more TRPs that may be co-located or non-co-located. Each TRP may communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies within the same or different frequency bands.

[0056] RAN 104 is also illustrated as supporting wireless communications for multiple mobile devices. In the 3GPP standards, a mobile device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE), but those skilled in the art may also refer to it as a mobile station (MS), a user station, a mobile unit, a user unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile user station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE may be a device (e.g., a mobile device) that provides access to network services to a user.

[0057] In this document, a "mobile" device does not necessarily need to have the ability to move, and it can be stationary. The term "mobile device" or "mobile device" refers to a wide variety of devices and technologies. A UE may include multiple hardware structural components whose size, shape, and arrangement facilitate communication; such components may include antennas, antenna arrays, radio frequency (RF) chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc. that are electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile stations, cellular (cell) phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smart books, tablet devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide range of embedded systems, for example, corresponding to the "Internet of Things" (IoT). A mobile device may additionally be a car or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-axis aircraft, a quadcopter, a remote control device, a consumer and / or wearable device (such as glasses, wearable cameras, virtual reality devices, smart watches, health or fitness trackers, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, etc.). The mobile device may additionally be a digital home or smart home device, such as home audio, video and / or multimedia equipment, appliances, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. The mobile device may additionally be a smart energy device, security device, solar panel or solar array, municipal infrastructure equipment that controls power (e.g., smart grid), lighting, water, etc.; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; logistics controller; agricultural equipment, etc. Further, the mobile device may provide connected medicine or telemedicine support, such as health care at a distance. Telemedicine devices may include telemedicine monitoring devices and telemedicine management devices, whose communications may be given priority or access over other types of information, for example, in terms of priority access for transmission of critical service data and / or associated QoS for transmission of critical service data.

[0058] Wireless communication between the RAN 104 and the UE 106 may be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions from a base station (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) over the air interface may be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term "downlink" may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating at a network entity (described further below; e.g., base station 108 or a scheduling entity). Another way to describe this scheme may be to use the term "broadcast channel multiplexing". Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) may be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the term "uplink" may refer to point-to-point transmissions originating at a scheduled entity (described further below; e.g., UE 106).

[0059] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, where a scheduling entity or network entity (e.g., base station 108) allocates resources for communication between some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below, a scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communications, UE 106 (which may be a scheduled entity) may utilize resources allocated by scheduling entity 108.

[0060] Base station 108 is not the only entity that can act as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (eg, one or more other UEs).

[0061] As in Figure 1 , the network entity 108 may broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more scheduled entities 106. In a broad sense, the network entity 108 may be a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in the wireless communication network, including downlink traffic 112 and (in some examples) uplink traffic 116 from one or more scheduled entities 106 to the network entity 108. On the other hand, the scheduled entity 106 is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114 (including, but not limited to, scheduling information (e.g., grants), synchronization or timing information, or other control information) from another entity in the wireless communication network, such as the network entity 108. The scheduled entity 106 may also send uplink control information 118 to the network entity 108, including, but not limited to, scheduling requests or feedback information or other control information.

[0062] In addition, uplink and / or downlink control information 114 and / or 118 and / or business information 112 and / or 116 may be sent on a waveform that may be divided into frames, subframes, time slots and / or symbols in time. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a time unit that carries one resource element (RE) per subcarrier in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. A time slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots may be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Within the present disclosure, a frame may refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmission, wherein each frame is composed of, for example, 10 subframes of 1 ms each. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms may be utilized, and the various time divisions of waveforms may have any suitable duration.

[0063] Generally speaking, a network entity (e.g., base station 108) may include a backhaul interface for communicating with a backhaul portion 120 of a wireless communication system. Backhaul 120 may provide a link between a network entity (e.g., base station 108) and core network 102. Additionally, in some examples, a backhaul network may provide interconnections between respective network entities (e.g., base station 108). Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed, such as a direct physical connection using any suitable transport network, a virtual network, or the like.

[0064] The core network 102 may be part of the wireless communication system 100 and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN 104. In some examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or any other appropriate standard or configuration.

[0065] Figure 2 is an illustration of an example of a RAN 200 according to some aspects. In some examples, the RAN 200 can be used in conjunction with the RAN 200 described above and in Figure 1 . In some aspects, the RAN 200 may be an O-RAN, a vRAN, or a C-RAN. The geographic area covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into cellular regions (cells), which may be uniquely identified by user equipment (UE) based on an identity broadcast from an access point or network entity. The network entity may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture (e.g., a gNB), or in a decomposed base station architecture, and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (Near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (Non-RT) RIC.

[0066] Figure 2 Cells 202, 204, 206, and 208 are illustrated, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors within a cell are served by the same network entity (e.g., a base station). A radio link within a sector may be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to the sector. In a cell divided into sectors, multiple sectors within a cell may be formed by multiple groups of antennas, each of which is responsible for communicating with UEs in a portion of the cell.

[0067] Various network entity arrangements can be used. For example, Figure 2 , two network entities (e.g., base station 210 and base station 212) are shown in cells 202 and 204. A third network entity (e.g., base station 214) is shown as controlling a remote radio head (RRH) 216 in cell 206. That is, the network entity (e.g., base station) may have an integrated antenna or may be connected to an antenna or RRH 216 by a feeder cable. In the illustrated example, cells 202, 204, and 206 may be referred to as macro cells because base stations 210, 212, and 214 support cells with large sizes. In addition, a network entity (e.g., base station 218) is shown in cell 208, which may overlap with one or more macro cells. In this example, cell 208 may be referred to as a small cell (e.g., micro cell, pico cell, femto cell, home base station, home node B, home eNodeB, etc.) because base station 218 supports cells with relatively small sizes. Cell size settings may be made according to system design and component constraints.

[0068] It is to be understood that the RAN 200 may include any number of wireless network entities (e.g., base stations) and cells. In addition, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. Network entities (e.g., base stations 210, 212, 214, 218) may provide wireless access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, 214, and / or 218 may be similar to those described above and in Figure 1 The same as the base station / scheduling entity 108 illustrated in FIG.

[0069] Figure 2 Also included is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220, which may be a quadcopter or a drone. UAV 220 may be configured to function as a network entity (e.g., a base station). That is, in some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​a cell may move depending on the location of a mobile base station (such as quadcopter 220).

[0070] Within the RAN 200, cells may include UEs that may communicate with one or more sectors of each cell. In addition, each network entity (e.g., base stations 210, 212, 214, 218, and 220) may be configured to provide access to the core network 102 (see FIG. 1 ) for all UEs in the corresponding cell. Figure 1 ) access point. For example, UEs 222 and 224 may communicate with base station 210; UEs 226 and 228 may communicate with base station 212; UEs 230 and 232 may communicate with base station 214 via RRH 216; UE 234 may communicate with base station 218; and UE 236 may communicate with mobile base station 220. In some examples, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, and / or 242 may communicate with the base stations described above and Figure 1 The UE / scheduled entity 106 illustrated in FIG.

[0071] In some examples, UAV 220 (eg, a quadcopter) can be configured to function as a UE. For example, UAV 220 can operate within cell 202 by communicating with base station 210.

[0072] In another aspect of the RAN 200, sidelink signals may be used between UEs without having to rely on scheduling or control information from a network entity (e.g., a base station). Sidelink communications may be utilized in a device-to-device (D2D) network, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, and / or other appropriate sidelink networks. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 238, 240, and 242) may communicate with each other using sidelink signals 237 without relaying the communication through a network entity (e.g., a base station). In some examples, UEs 238, 240, and 242 may each act as a scheduling entity or a transmitting sidelink device and / or a scheduled entity or a receiving sidelink device to schedule resources and communicate sidelink signals 237 therebetween without relying on scheduling or control information from a network entity (e.g., a base station). In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 226 and 228) within the coverage area of ​​a network entity (e.g., base station 212) may also communicate sidelink signals 227 via a direct link (sidelink) without routing the communication through base station 212. In this example, base station 212 may allocate resources to UEs 226 and 228 for sidelink communication.

[0073] In some examples, a D2D relay framework may be included within a cellular network to facilitate relaying of communications to / from a network entity (e.g., base station 212) via a D2D link (e.g., side link 227 or 237). For example, one or more UEs (e.g., UE 228) within the coverage area of ​​base station 212 may operate as relay UEs to extend the coverage of base station 212, improve transmission reliability to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 226), and / or allow the base station to recover from a failed UE link due to, for example, blocking or fading.

[0074] In RAN 200, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving (independent of its location) is called mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the network are typically managed in an access and mobility management function (AMF, not shown). Figure 1 The function may include a security context management function (SCMF) and a security anchor function (SEAF) for performing authentication. The SCMF may manage the security context for both the control plane functionality and the user plane functionality in whole or in part.

[0075] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the RAN 200 may utilize either DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to implement mobility and handover (i.e., the transfer of a UE's connection from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity or at any other time, the UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Based on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may perform a handover or handover from the serving cell to a neighboring (target) cell. For example, a UE 224 (illustrated as a vehicle, although any suitable form of UE may be used) may move from a geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to a geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 206. When the signal strength or quality from a neighboring cell 206 exceeds the signal strength and quality of its serving cell 202 for a given amount of time, the UE 224 may send a report message to its serving base station 210 indicating the condition. In response, UE 224 may receive the handover command, and the UE may proceed with the handover to cell 206 .

[0076] In a network configured for UL-based mobility, the network can select a serving cell for each UE using a UL reference signal from each UE. In some examples, network entities (e.g., base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216) can broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., a unified primary synchronization signal (PSS), a unified secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a unified physical broadcast channel (PBCH)). UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 can receive the unified synchronization signal, derive carrier frequency and time slot timing from the synchronization signal, and send an uplink pilot or reference signal in response to the derived timing. The uplink pilot signal sent by a UE (e.g., UE 224) can be received concurrently by two or more cells (e.g., base stations 210 and 214 / 216) within the radio access network 200. Each of the cells may measure the strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of the base stations 210 and 214 / 216 and / or a central node within the core network) may determine a serving cell for the UE 224. As the UE 224 moves through the radio access network 200, the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal sent by the UE 224. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by the neighboring cell exceeds the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, the network 200 may handover the UE 224 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell with or without notifying the UE 224.

[0077] Although the synchronization signal sent by the network entity (e.g., base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216) may be uniform, the synchronization signal may not identify a specific cell, but may identify a zone of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and / or using the same timing. Using zones in a 5G network or other next generation communication network implements an uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network, because the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network can be reduced.

[0078] In various specific implementations, the air interface in the RAN 200 may utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum typically provides exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum with the help of a mobile network operator purchasing a license from a government regulator. Unlicensed spectrum provides shared use of a portion of the spectrum without the need for a government-granted license. Although some technical rules generally still need to be followed to access the unlicensed spectrum, generally any operator or device can obtain access. Shared spectrum may fall between licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum, where some technical rules or restrictions may be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum can still be shared by multiple operators and / or multiple RATs. For example, a license holder of a portion of a licensed spectrum may provide licensed shared access (LSA) to share the spectrum with other parties (e.g., with appropriate licensee-determined conditions to obtain access).

[0079] The air interface in the RAN 200 may utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link in which two endpoints can communicate with each other in two directions. Full-duplex means that both endpoints can communicate with each other at the same time. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can transmit information to the other endpoint at a time. Half-duplex emulation is often implemented for wireless links using time division duplex (TDD). In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using time division multiplexing. That is, at certain times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in one direction, and at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in the other direction, where the direction can change very quickly, for example, several times per time slot. In wireless links, full-duplex channels generally rely on physical isolation of transmitters and receivers and suitable interference cancellation techniques. Full-duplex emulation is often implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or space division duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., within a paired spectrum). In SDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using spatial division multiplexing (SDM). In other examples, full-duplex communication can be implemented within an unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), where transmissions in different directions occur within different sub-bands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may be referred to herein as sub-band full-duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplex.

[0080] In addition, the air interface in the RAN 200 can utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of various devices. For example, the 5G NR specification provides multiple access for UL transmissions from UEs 222 and 224 to a network entity (e.g., base station 210), and multiplexing of DL transmissions from a network entity (e.g., base station 210) to one or more UEs 222 and 224 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP). In addition, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also referred to as single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and may be provided using time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource extension multiple access (RSMA), or other appropriate multiple access schemes. Furthermore, multiplexing of DL transmissions from base station 210 to UEs 222 and 224 may be provided using time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

[0081] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G New Radio (NR) system) can be arranged with various components or constituent parts in a variety of ways. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element or a network equipment (such as a base station (BS), or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality) can be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a BS (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc.) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0082] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A decomposed base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0083] Base station type operations or network design may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be used in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (network configurations such as those initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Individual units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0084] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating an example disaggregated base station architecture is shown. In some aspects, a disaggregated base station architecture may be implemented in a wireless communication system 100 and a RAN 200. The disaggregated base station architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 310 that may communicate directly with a core network 320 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 320 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 325 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 315 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 305, or both. The CU 310 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 330 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 330 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 340 via respective fronthaul links. The RU 340 may communicate with respective UEs 312 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 312 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 340.

[0085] Each of these units (i.e., CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, and near-RT RIC 325, non-RT RIC 315, and SMO framework 305) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of these units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or send signals, or both, to one or more of the other units on a wireless transmission medium.

[0086] In some aspects, the CU 310 may host one or more higher-layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 310. The CU 310 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the CU 310 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, the CU 310 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 330 for network control and signaling.

[0087] The DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 340. In some aspects, the DU 330 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) based at least in part on functional splits such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, the DU 330 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330 or with control functions hosted by the CU 310.

[0088] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 340. In some deployments, the RU 340 controlled by the DU 330 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on functional splitting (such as lower layer functional splitting). In such an architecture, the RU 340 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 312. In some specific implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 340 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU 330 and CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0089] The SMO framework 305 may be configured to support RAN deployment and configuration of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 390) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, and near-RT RIC 325. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 305 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 311 via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 305 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 340 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 305 may also include a non-RT RIC 315 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 305 .

[0090] The non-RT RIC 315 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 325. The non-RT RIC 315 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 325 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 325.

[0091] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 325, the non-RT RIC 315 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 325 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 305 or the non-RT RIC 315. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 315 or the near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 315 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 305 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0092] Reference Figure 4 Various aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to the schematically illustrated OFDM waveforms. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in substantially the same manner as described herein below. That is, although some examples of the present disclosure may focus on OFDM links for the sake of clarity, it will be appreciated that the same principles may also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0093] Reference now Figure 4 , illustrates an expanded view of an exemplary subframe 402 showing an OFDM resource grid. However, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the physical layer (PHY) transmission structure for any particular application may differ from the examples described herein depending on any number of factors. Here, time is measured in units of OFDM symbols in the horizontal direction; and frequency is measured in units of subcarriers of a carrier in the vertical direction.

[0094] Resource grid 404 may be used to schematically represent the time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple available antenna ports, a corresponding plurality of resource grids 404 may be available for communication. Resource grid 404 is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs) 406. RE (which is 1 subcarrier × 1 symbol) is the smallest discrete portion of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation utilized in a particular implementation, each RE may represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB), or more simply a resource block (RB) 408, which may contain any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may include 12 subcarriers (a number independent of the parameter set used). In some examples, depending on the parameter set, an RB may include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB (such as RB 408) corresponds entirely to communication in a single direction (transmission or reception for a given device).

[0095] A collection of contiguous or non-contiguous resource blocks may be referred to herein as a resource block group (RBG), a subband, or a bandwidth part (BWP). A collection of subbands or BWPs may span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 406 within one or more subbands or bandwidth parts (BWPs). Thus, a UE typically utilizes only a subset of a resource grid 404. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest resource unit that may be allocated to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE, and the higher the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE. The RBs may be scheduled by a network entity such as a scheduling entity or a base station (e.g., a gNB, eNB, etc.), or may be self-scheduled by a UE implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0096] In this illustration, RB 408 is shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 402, with some subcarriers illustrated above and below RB 408. In a given implementation, subframe 402 may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 408. Furthermore, in this illustration, RB 408 is shown as occupying less than the entire duration of subframe 402, but this is just one possible example.

[0097] Each 1 ms subframe 402 may consist of one or more adjacent time slots. Figure 4 In the example shown, as an illustrative example, a subframe 402 includes four time slots 410. In some examples, a time slot can be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a time slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Additional examples may include micro-slots (sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs)) with shorter durations (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols). These micro-slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) can be transmitted in some cases by occupying resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same UE or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks can be utilized within a subframe or time slot.

[0098] An expanded view of one of the time slots 410 illustrates the time slot 410 including a control region 412 and a data region 414. Generally speaking, the control region 412 may carry control channels, and the data region 414 may carry data channels. Of course, a time slot may contain full DL, full UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 4 The illustrated structure is merely exemplary in nature and different slot structures may be utilized and may include one or more of each of the control region and the data region.

[0099] Although in Figure 4 Although not illustrated in the figure, each RE 406 within the RB 408 may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including a control channel, a shared channel, a data channel, etc. Other REs 406 within the RB 408 may also carry pilot signals or reference signals. These pilot signals or reference signals may enable a receiving device to perform channel estimation of the corresponding channel, which may enable coherent demodulation / detection of the control channel and / or data channel within the RB 408.

[0100] In some examples, time slot 410 may be used for broadcast, multicast, groupcast, or unicast communications. For example, broadcast, multicast, or groupcast communications may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions from one device (e.g., a network entity, base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communications are delivered to all devices, while multicast or groupcast communications are delivered to multiple intended receiving devices. Unicast communications may refer to point-to-point transmissions from one device to a single other device.

[0101] In an example of cellular communication on a cellular carrier via a Uu interface, for DL ​​transmission, a network entity (e.g., a base station) may allocate one or more REs 406 (e.g., within a control region 412) to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs) to carry DL control information including one or more DL control channels (such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), including but not limited to power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, and / or assignments of REs for DL ​​transmission and UL transmission. The PDCCH may also carry hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback transmissions, such as acknowledgements (ACKs) or negative acknowledgements (NACKs). HARQ is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, in which the integrity of packet transmissions may be checked for accuracy at the receiving side, for example, using any appropriate integrity check mechanism, such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission is confirmed, an ACK may be sent, and if it is not confirmed, a NACK may be sent. In response to the NACK, the sending device may transmit a HARQ retransmission, which may implement trace combining, incremental redundancy, and the like.

[0102] The network entity may further allocate one or more REs 406 (e.g., in the control region 412 or the data region 414) to carry other DL signals, such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); and a synchronization signal block (SSB). The SSB may be broadcast at regular intervals based on a periodicity (e.g., 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms). The SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE may utilize the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, time slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, to identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and to identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell.

[0103] The PBCH in the SSB may also include a master information block (MIB) containing various system information and parameters for decoding a system information block (SIB). The SIB may be, for example, SystemInformationType 1 (SIB1), which may include various additional system information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of system information sent in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink parameter set), system frame number, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell barring indicator, cell reselection indicator, grid offset, and search space for SIB1. Examples of remaining minimum system information (RMSI) sent in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The base station may also send other system information (OSI).

[0104] In an UL transmission, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) may utilize one or more REs 406 to carry UL control information (UCI) including one or more UL control channels (such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) to a network entity. UCI may include various packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include sounding reference signals (SRS) and uplink DMRS. In some examples, UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request for a network entity to schedule an uplink transmission. Here, in response to the SR sent on the UCI, the network entity may send downlink control information (DCI), which may schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. UCI may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) (such as a CSI report), or any other appropriate UCI.

[0105] In addition to control information, one or more REs 406 (e.g., within the data region 414) may also be allocated for data traffic. Such data traffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels, such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for DL ​​transmissions, or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for UL transmissions. In some examples, one or more REs 406 within the data region 414 may be configured to carry other signals (such as one or more SIBs and DMRS). In some examples, the PDSCH may carry multiple SIBs, not limited to the SIB1 discussed above. For example, OSI may be provided in these SIBs (e.g., SIB2 and above).

[0106] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via a proximity service (ProSe) PC5 interface, a control region 412 of a time slot 410 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) sent by an initiating (transmitting (Tx)) sidelink device (e.g., a Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) toward a set of one or more other receiving (Rx) sidelink devices (e.g., an Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). A data region 414 of the time slot 410 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic sent by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device in resources reserved by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI on the sidelink carrier. Other information may be further sent via various REs 406 within the time slot 410. For example, HARQ feedback information may be sent from the receiving sidelink device to the transmitting sidelink device in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the time slot 410. Additionally, one or more reference signals, such as a sidelink SSB, a sidelink CSI-RS, a sidelink SRS, and / or a sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS), may be sent within time slot 410 .

[0107] These physical channels described above are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the medium access control (MAC) layer. Transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). Based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission, the transport block size (TBS), which may correspond to the number of information bits, may be a controlled parameter.

[0108] Figure 4 The channels or carriers illustrated are not necessarily all channels or carriers that may be utilized between devices, and one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers may be utilized in addition to those illustrated, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels.

[0109] These physical channels described above are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the medium access control (MAC) layer. Transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). Based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission, the transport block size (TBS), which may correspond to the number of information bits, may be a controlled parameter.

[0110] In some aspects of the present disclosure, a network entity (eg, a base station) and / or a scheduled entity (eg, a UE) may be configured for beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques. Figure 5An example of a wireless communication system 500 supporting MIMO is illustrated. In a MIMO system, a transmitter 502 includes multiple transmit antennas 504 (e.g., N transmit antennas), and a receiver 506 includes multiple receive antennas 508 (e.g., M receive antennas). Therefore, there are N×M signal paths 510 from the transmit antennas 504 to the receive antennas 508. Each of the transmitter 502 and the receiver 506 may be implemented, for example, within a network entity (e.g., the scheduling entity 108), the scheduled entity 106, a UE, or any other suitable wireless communication device.

[0111] The use of such multi-antenna technology enables wireless communication systems to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing can be used to simultaneously send different data streams (also known as layers) on the same time-frequency resources. These data streams can be sent to a single UE to increase the data rate or to multiple UEs to increase the total system capacity, the latter of which is called multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying the data stream by different weights and phase shifts) and then sending each spatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on the downlink. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at UEs with different spatial characteristics, which enable each of the UEs to recover one or more data streams destined for the UE. On the uplink, each UE sends a spatially precoded data stream, which enables the base station to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

[0112] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the rank of transmission. In general, the rank of the MIMO system 500 is limited by the lower of the number of transmit antennas 504 or receive antennas or 508. In addition, the channel conditions at the UE and other considerations (such as the available resources at the base station) can also affect the transmission rank. For example, the rank assigned to a specific UE on the downlink (and therefore the number of data streams) can be determined based on a rank indicator (RI) sent from the UE to the base station. The RI can be determined based on the antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit antennas and receive antennas) on each receive antenna in the receive antenna and the measured signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR). For example, the RI can indicate the number of layers that can be supported under the current channel conditions. The base station can use the RI and resource information (e.g., the available resources and amount of data to be scheduled for the UE) to assign the transmission rank to the UE.

[0113] In a time division duplex (TDD) system, UL and DL are reciprocal because they each use different time slots of the same frequency bandwidth. Therefore, in a TDD system, the base station can assign a rank for DL ​​MIMO transmission based on UL SINR measurements (e.g., based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) or other pilot signal sent from the UE). Based on the assigned rank, the base station can then send a CSI-RS with a separate C-RS sequence for each layer to provide multi-layer channel estimation. The UE can measure the channel quality across layers and resource blocks based on the CSI-RS, and feed back the RI and channel quality indicator (CQI) (which indicates to the base station the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to be used for transmission to the UE) to the base station for updating the rank and allocating REs for future downlink transmissions.

[0114] In the simplest case, Figure 5 As shown in , a rank 2 spatial multiplexing transmission on a 2x2 MIMO antenna configuration will transmit one data stream from each transmit antenna 504. Each data stream follows a different signal path 510 to each receive antenna 508. The receiver 506 can then use the received signal from each receive antenna 508 to reconstruct the data stream.

[0115] Beamforming is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitter 502 or a receiver 506 to shape or direct an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitter 502 and the receiver 506. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals communicated via antennas 504 or 508 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array module) so that some of the signals experience constructive interference and other signals experience destructive interference. In order to produce the desired constructive / destructive interference, the transmitter 502 or the receiver 506 may apply an amplitude and / or phase offset to the signal transmitted or received from each of the antennas 504 or 508 associated with the transmitter 502 or the receiver 506.

[0116] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, despite the portion of FR1 being greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0117] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz). The bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus can effectively extend the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations to more than 52.6GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4-a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz-71GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz-114.25GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0118] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "sub-6 GHz" or the like is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as a frequency that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" or the like is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as a frequency that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0119] In 5G NR systems, especially for FR2 (millimeter wave) systems, beamformed signals can be used for most downlink channels, including PDCCH and PDSCH. In addition, broadcast control information (e.g., SSB, slot format indicator (SFI), and paging information) can be sent in a beam scanning manner so that all scheduled entities (UEs) in the coverage area of ​​the network entity (e.g., TRP, gNB) can receive the broadcast control information. In addition, for UEs configured with beamforming antenna arrays, beamformed signals can also be used for uplink channels (including PUCCH and PUSCH). In addition, beamformed signals can also be used in D2D systems that utilize FR2 (such as NR sidelink or V2X).

[0120] Figure 6 6 is a diagram illustrating communication of signals using beamforming between a network entity 604 and a UE 602 according to some aspects. The network entity 604 may be Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 Any of the scheduling entities or base stations (e.g., gNBs) illustrated in FIG. , and UE 602 may be Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 Any of the UEs or scheduled entities illustrated in .

[0121] The network entity 604 may generally be capable of communicating with the UE 602 using one or more transmit beams, and the UE 602 may further be capable of communicating with the network entity 604 using one or more receive beams. As used herein, the term “transmit beam” refers to a beam on the network entity 604 that can be used for downlink or uplink communication with the UE 602. Additionally, the term “receive beam” refers to a beam on the UE 602 that can be used for downlink or uplink communication with the network entity 604.

[0122] exist Figure 6 In the example shown in , the network entity 604 is configured to generate multiple transmit beams 606a-606h, each of which is associated with a different spatial direction. In addition, the UE 602 is configured to generate multiple receive beams 608a-608e, each of which is associated with a different spatial direction. It should be noted that although some beams are shown as being adjacent to each other, such an arrangement may be different in different aspects. For example, the transmit beams 606a-606h transmitted during the same symbol may not be adjacent to each other. In some examples, the network entity 604 and the UE 602 may each transmit more or fewer beams distributed in all directions (e.g., 360 degrees) and in three dimensions. In addition, the transmit beams 606a-606h may include beams with varying beam widths. For example, the network entity 604 may transmit certain signals (e.g., SSB) on a wider beam and other signals (e.g., CSI-RS) on a narrower beam.

[0123] The network entity 604 and the UE 602 may use a beam management procedure to select one or more transmit beams 606a-606h on the network entity 604 and one or more receive beams 608a-608e on the UE 602 for communicating uplink and downlink signals therebetween. In one example, during initial cell acquisition, the UE 602 may perform a P1 beam management procedure to scan the plurality of transmit beams 606a-606h on the plurality of receive beams 608a-608e to select a beam pair link (e.g., one of the transmit beams 606a-606h and one of the receive beams 608a-608e) for a physical random access channel (PRACH) procedure for initial access to a cell. For example, periodic SSB beam scanning may be implemented at a specific interval (e.g., based on an SSB periodicity) on the network entity 604. Thus, the network entity 604 may be configured to scan or transmit an SSB on each of the plurality of wider transmit beams 606a-606h during a beam scanning interval. The UE may measure a reference signal received power (RSRP) of each SSB transmit beam on each receive beam of the UE and select transmit and receive beams based on the measured RSRP. In an example, the selected receive beam may be the receive beam on which the highest RSRP is measured, and the selected transmit beam may have the highest RSRP measured on the selected receive beam.

[0124] After completing the PRACH procedure, the network entity 604 and the UE 602 may perform a P2 beam management procedure for beam refinement at the network entity 604. For example, the network entity 604 may be configured to scan or transmit CSI-RS on each of a plurality of narrower transmit beams 606a-606h. Each of the narrower CSI-RS beams may be a sub-beam of a selected SSB transmit beam (e.g., within a spatial direction of the SSB transmit beam). Transmission of the CSI-RS transmit beam may occur periodically (e.g., as configured by the gNB via radio resource control (RRC) signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by the gNB via downlink control information (DCI)). The UE 602 is configured to scan the multiple CSI-RS transmit beams 606a-606h across the multiple receive beams 608a-608e. The UE 602 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, etc.) on the CSI-RS received on each of the receive beams 608a-608e to determine the respective beam quality of each of the CSI-RS transmit beams 606a-606h, as measured on each of the receive beams 608a-608e.

[0125] The UE 602 may then generate and send a layer 1 (L1) measurement report to the network entity 604, which includes a corresponding beam index (e.g., CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI)) and beam measurement results (e.g., RSRP or SINR) for one or more of the CSI-RS transmit beams 606a-606h on one or more of the receive beams 608a-608e. The network entity 604 may then select one or more CSI-RS transmit beams on which to communicate downlink and / or uplink control and / or data with the UE 602. In some examples, the selected CSI-RS transmit beam has the highest RSRP from the L1 measurement report. The transmission of the L1 measurement report may occur periodically (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via MAC-CE signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., triggered by the gNB via DCI).

[0126] The UE 602 may further select a corresponding receive beam on the UE 602 for each selected serving CSI-RS transmit beam to form a corresponding beam pair link (BPL) for each selected serving CSI-RS transmit beam. For example, the UE 602 may utilize beam measurements obtained during a P2 procedure or perform a P3 beam management procedure to obtain new beam measurements for the selected CSI-RS transmit beam to select a corresponding receive beam for each selected transmit beam. In some examples, the selected receive beam to be paired with a particular CSI-RS transmit beam may be the receive beam on which the highest RSRP is measured for the particular CSI-RS transmit beam.

[0127] In some examples, in addition to performing CSI-RS beam measurements, the network entity 604 may configure the UE 602 to perform SSB beam measurements and provide an L1 measurement report including beam measurement results for the SSB transmit beams 606a-606h. For example, the network entity 604 may configure the UE 602 to perform SSB beam measurements and / or CSI-RS beam measurements for beam failure detection (BRD), beam failure recovery (BFR), cell reselection, beam tracking (e.g., for mobile UE 602 and / or network entity 604), or other beam optimization purposes.

[0128] In addition, when the channel is reciprocal, an uplink beam management scheme may be used to select transmit beams and receive beams. In an example, the UE 602 may be configured to scan or transmit on each of the multiple receive beams 608a-608e. For example, the UE 602 may transmit an SRS on each beam in a different beam direction. In addition, the network entity 604 may be configured to receive uplink beam reference signals on the multiple transmit beams 606a-606h. The network entity 604 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, etc.) on the beam reference signals on each of the transmit beams 606a-606h to determine the corresponding beam quality of each of the receive beams 608a-608e as measured on each of the transmit beams 606a-606h.

[0129] The network entity 604 may then select one or more transmit beams on which to communicate downlink and / or uplink control and / or data with the UE 602. In some examples, the selected transmit beam has the highest RSRP. The UE 602 may then select a corresponding receive beam for each selected serving transmit beam using, for example, the P3 beam management procedure as described above to form a respective beam pair link (BPL) for each selected serving transmit beam.

[0130] In one example, a single CSI-RS transmit beam (e.g., beam 606d) on the network entity 604 and a single receive beam (e.g., beam 608c) on the UE may form a single BPL for communication between the network entity 604 and the UE 602. In another example, multiple CSI-RS transmit beams (e.g., beams 606c, 606d, and 606e) on the network entity 604 and a single receive beam (e.g., beam 608c) on the UE 602 may form respective BPLs for communication between the network entity 604 and the UE 602. In another example, multiple CSI-RS transmit beams (e.g., beams 606c, 606d, and 606e) on the network entity 604 and multiple receive beams (e.g., beams 608c and 608d) on the UE 602 may form multiple BPLs for communication between the network entity 604 and the UE 602. In this example, a first BPL may include a transmit beam 606c and a receive beam 608c, a second BPL may include a transmit beam 608d and a receive beam 608c, and a third BPL may include a transmit beam 608e and a receive beam 608d.

[0131] In addition to the L1 measurement report, the UE 602 may further utilize the beam reference signal to estimate the channel quality of the channel between the network entity 604 and the UE 602. For example, the UE 602 may measure the SINR of each received CSI-RS and generate a CSI report based on the measured SIRR. The CSI report may include, for example, a channel quality indicator (CQI), a rank indicator (RI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and / or a layer indicator (LI). The network entity (e.g., a gNB) may use the CSI report to select a rank for the UE, along with a precoding matrix and an MCS for future downlink transmissions to the UE. The MCS may be selected from one or more MCS tables, each MCS table being associated with a particular type of coding (e.g., polar coding, LDPC, etc.) or modulation (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), 64 QAM, 256 QAM, etc.). The LI may be used to indicate which column of the precoding matrix for the reported PMI corresponds to the strongest layer codeword corresponding to the reported maximum wideband CQI.

[0132] In order to distinguish between different types of reports (including CSI reports and L1 measurement reports) and different types of measurements, the network entity 604 can configure the UE 602 with one or more report settings. Each report setting can be associated with a reference signal configuration that indicates the configuration of one or more reference signals (e.g., CSI-RS) used to generate the CSI report. In some examples, the report setting can be associated with a combined reference signal configuration.

[0133] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a synchronization signal (SS) hierarchy according to some aspects. Figure 7 As shown, the SS hierarchy may include SSB burst sets 705. As further shown, each SSB burst set 705 may include one or more SSBs 715 (shown as SSB 0 through SSB M-1, where M is the maximum number of SSBs 715 that may be carried by the SSB burst set 705). In some aspects, different SSBs 715 may be beamformed in different ways (e.g., the SSBs are transmitted using different beams), and the SSBs may be used for cell search, cell acquisition, beam management, and / or beam selection (e.g., as part of an initial network access procedure). The SSB burst set 705 may be sent periodically (such as every X milliseconds (ms)) by a wireless node (e.g., the network entity 108), such as Figure 7 In one example, for an initial cell search, the SSB burst set 705 may have a periodicity of 20 ms. In some examples, the SSB burst set 705 may have a fixed or dynamic duration (which may be Figure 7In one example, according to the 3GPP specification, the duration Y ms of the SSB burst set 705 may be limited to a window of 5 ms. In some cases, the SS burst set 705 may be referred to as a discovery reference signal (DRS) transmission window or an SSB measurement time configuration (SMTC) window. DRS is a reference signal used for device discovery and initial access. The DRS transmission window is a specific time interval during which the network sends DRS. DRS may be sent within a specific time period within an SSB burst and is used by the UE to detect the presence of a base station and estimate its physical layer characteristics. During the SMTC window, the UE may measure the signal strength, signal quality, and other parameters of the SSBs sent by neighboring cells.

[0134] In some examples, an SSB (e.g., SSB 715) may include resources that carry a PSS 720, an SSS 725, and / or a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) 730. In some examples, multiple SSBs 715 are included in an SSB burst set 705 (e.g., with transmission on different beams), and the PSS 720, SSS 725, and / or PBCH 730 may be the same across each SSB 715 of an SSB burst set 705. In some examples, a single SSB 715 may be included in an SSB burst set 705. In some examples, the length / time of an SSB 715 may be at least four symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols), where each symbol carries one or more of: a PSS 720 (e.g., occupying one symbol), an SSS 725 (e.g., occupying one symbol), and / or a PBCH 730 (e.g., occupying two or more symbols). In some examples, the first symbol of SSB 715 may carry PSS 720, the second symbol of SSB 715 may carry PBCH 730, the third symbol of SSB 715 may carry SSS 725 and PBCH 730, and the fourth symbol of SSB 715 may carry PBCH 730. PSS 720 and SSS 725 may carry a physical cell identifier (PCI). For example, there may be 1008 possible PCI values ​​in 5G / NR. In some examples, PSS 720 may carry a sequence selected from three different sequences corresponding to three different groups of 336 PCI values ​​(e.g., an m-sequence of length 127). In some examples, SSS 725 may carry a sequence selected from 336 different sequences corresponding to different PCI values. PBCH may carry a MIB that provides system information for initial access (e.g., how to receive RMSI, and timing information including SSB indexes). In some aspects, SSB 715 may be referred to as an SS / PBCH block.

[0135] In some aspects, the symbols of SSB 715 may be consecutive, such as Figure 4 As shown. In some aspects, the symbols of the SSB 715 may be non-contiguous. Similarly, in some aspects, one or more SSBs 715 of the SSB burst set 705 may be transmitted in contiguous radio resources (e.g., consecutive symbols) during one or more time slots. Additionally or alternatively, one or more SSBs 715 of the SSB burst set 705 may be transmitted in non-contiguous radio resources.

[0136] In some aspects, the SSB burst set 705 may have a burst period (e.g., Yms), and the SSB 715 of the SSB burst set 705 may be transmitted by a wireless node (e.g., network entity 108) according to the burst period. In some examples, the SSB burst set 705 may include multiple repetitions of the SSB burst within its periodicity.

[0137] In some aspects, the SSB 715 may include an SSB index, which may correspond to a beam for carrying the SSB 715. A UE (e.g., UE 602) may monitor and / or measure the SSB 715 using different receive (Rx) beams during an initial network access procedure and / or a cell search procedure, among other examples. Based at least in part on the monitoring and / or measurement, the UE may indicate one or more SSBs 715 with better / best signal parameters (e.g., RSRP parameters) to a network entity (e.g., a base station or gNB). The network entity and the UE may use the indicated one or more SSBs 715 to select one or more beams to be used for communication between the network entity and the UE (e.g., for a random access channel (RACH) procedure). Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use the SSB 715 and / or the SSB index to determine a cell timing for a cell (e.g., a serving cell) via which the SSB 715 is received.

[0138] As pointed out above, Figure 7 Provided as an example of an SSB burst. Other examples may be related to Figure 7 Different than described.

[0139] It is desirable to save energy in a wireless network, for example, by reducing power consumption of network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations and / or cells). In some cases, a cell or network entity that does not serve any UE may enter an energy-saving mode. In some examples, when a cell is in an energy-saving mode, a network entity (e.g., a base station, TRP, gNB, CU, DU) associated with the cell may send SSBs and monitor RACH only for cell discovery purposes. Since SSBs may be sent with a shorter periodicity than required in an energy-saving mode, this may result in unnecessary network energy consumption. In some examples, a cell (e.g., a base station, TRP, gNB, CU, DU) in an energy-saving mode may be turned off so that the network entity associated with the cell does not send SSBs for the cell. In this case, the network entity (e.g., a base station, TRP, CU, DU, or gNB) associated with the cell in the energy-saving mode may require wake-up signaling from a central network entity to resume sending SSBs for the cell. This may reduce network energy consumption compared to sending SSBs and monitoring RACH for cell discovery purposes, but may result in increased connection latency when a UE discovers and attempts to connect to the cell.

[0140] Various techniques and devices described herein may enable a network entity to send a keep-alive signal (KAS) indicating the presence of a cell in energy-saving mode. In some aspects, the network entity may use less energy to send the KAS than a full or nominal SSB including PSS, SSS, and PBCH. In one example, the KAS may be a simplified or modified SSB that uses less energy than a full SSB. In some aspects, the network entity may send a simplified SSB burst as the KAS, which uses less energy than sending a full SSB burst. In some aspects, the UE may send an uplink trigger signal to the network entity based at least in part on receiving the KAS (e.g., a simplified SSB). In response to the trigger signal, the network entity sends a full or nominal SSB burst. Therefore, the network entity may reduce the frequency of sending a full SSB, thereby reducing power consumption. In addition, compared to turning off the cell and requiring wake-up signaling from a central network entity, connection latency may also be reduced. Therefore, the techniques and devices described herein may improve the trade-off between network energy saving and connection latency for a cell (e.g., RAN 200) in energy-saving mode.

[0141] Figure 8 8 is a diagram illustrating an example 800 of keep-alive signaling for network energy conservation according to some aspects. Figure 8As shown, the example includes communication or signaling between a network entity 802 and a UE 804. In some examples, the network entity 802 can be any network entity discussed herein (e.g., gNB, base station, CU, DU, TRP), and the UE 804 can be any scheduled entity or UE described herein. In some aspects, the network entity 802 and the UE 804 can be included in a wireless network (such as a RAN 100 / 200 ( Figure 1 and Figure 2 The network entity 802 and the UE 804 may communicate with each other via a wireless access link (which may include an uplink and a downlink).

[0142] like Figure 8 As shown, the network entity 802 may send a keep-alive signal (KAS) 806 indicating the presence of a cell in energy-saving mode. In energy-saving mode, the cell may reduce its power consumption by turning off or reducing the power of some of its transmission resources. This helps to reduce the energy consumption of the cell. For example, when a cell enters energy-saving mode, it may stop sending some of its signals, such as a full SSB. In one aspect, when a cell associated with the network entity 802 is in energy-saving mode, the network entity 802 may periodically broadcast a keep-alive signal. In some aspects, the network entity 802 may start sending a keep-alive signal 806 based at least in part on switching the cell associated with the network entity 802 to energy-saving mode. In some aspects, the network entity 802 may switch the cell to energy-saving mode in conjunction with determining that the number of UEs served by the cell does not meet a threshold. For example, in some aspects, the network entity 802 may switch the cell to energy-saving mode in conjunction with determining that no UE is being served by the cell. A cell in energy-saving mode (also referred to as idle mode) may be referred to as an energy-saving cell.

[0143] In some aspects, the keep-alive signal 806 may be a periodic signal that indicates the presence of a cell in an energy-saving mode. In some aspects, the keep-alive signal may be based on one or more generated sequences that are configured to indicate the presence of a cell in an energy-saving mode. In some aspects, the network entity may select a generated sequence for the keep-alive signal from a set of candidate generated sequences that are configured to indicate the presence of a cell in an energy-saving mode. A generated sequence is a sequence (e.g., an m-sequence, a Zadoff-Chu sequence, or a Gold sequence) used to generate a signal such as a keep-alive signal.

[0144] In some aspects, the keep-alive signal 806 may be characterized by a periodicity (e.g., a keep-alive periodicity), a duration, and one or more generated sequences for generating the keep-alive signal. In some aspects, the keep-alive signal may be predefined with a periodicity and / or duration (e.g., according to a wireless communication standard) and stored by the network entity 802 and the UE 804. In some aspects, the periodicity and / or duration of the keep-alive signal may be configured by another cell or network entity that is not in energy-saving mode. The periodicity associated with the keep-alive signal may be a time interval between periodic transmissions of the keep-alive signal by the network entity 802. The duration of the keep-alive signal may span one or more consecutive symbols. In some aspects, the duration of the keep-alive signal may span multiple consecutive symbols, and the network entity 802 may perform beam scanning by sending the keep-alive signal in different beam directions in different symbols of the multiple consecutive symbols. For example, the network entity 802 may send a keep-alive signal on a first beam in a first symbol, on a second beam in a second symbol, and the like.

[0145] In some aspects, the duration of the keep-alive signal may span multiple consecutive symbols, and the keep-alive signal may be generated based on the same generation sequence of each symbol in the multiple consecutive symbols. In this case, the UE may only obtain and use symbol boundaries to determine timing (e.g., for monitoring SSB sets and / or sending uplink trigger signals, as described elsewhere herein). In some aspects, the duration of the keep-alive signal may span multiple consecutive symbols, and the keep-alive signal may be generated based on different generation sequences in different symbols in the multiple consecutive symbols. In this case, a mapping may be defined between generation sequences and symbols within a time slot (e.g., in a wireless communication standard). For example, a keep-alive signal may be generated based on a first generation sequence mapped to a first symbol, a second generation sequence mapped to a second symbol, and the like. In some aspects, the UE 804 may determine a symbol index based on a generation sequence received by the UE, and based at least in part on the symbol index, the UE 804 may obtain and utilize the time slot boundary to determine timing (e.g., for monitoring SSB sets and / or sending uplink trigger signals, as described elsewhere herein).

[0146] In some aspects, the keep-alive signal may be associated with a cell group including one or more energy-saving cells. In this case, different cell groups may be distinguished based on different generation sequences of the keep-alive signal and / or different time offsets for scheduling the keep-alive signal. For example, at least one of the generation sequence or time offset of the keep-alive signal sent by the network entity may be based at least in part on a cell group associated with one or more cells including a cell associated with the network entity 802.

[0147] In some aspects, the UE 804 may receive a keep-alive signal 806 sent by the network entity 802. For example, the UE 804 may detect and receive one or more periodic broadcasts of the keep-alive signal from the network entity 802. The UE 804 may determine that a cell associated with the network entity is in an energy saving mode based at least in part on receiving the keep-alive signal.

[0148] At 808, the UE may determine a candidate opportunity for receiving a set of SSB bursts based at least in part on receiving a keep-alive signal 806 from the network entity 802. A candidate opportunity for receiving an SSB burst refers to a specific time interval for transmitting an SSB. For example, each SSB opportunity corresponds to a unique combination of an SSB index, a beam index, and a beam sweep, which together determine a specific time-frequency resource for SSB transmission. In some aspects, the network entity 802 may periodically transmit a set of SSB bursts, the periodicity of which is based at least in part on the periodicity of the keep-alive signal. For example, the periodicity of the SSB bursts (e.g., Figure 7 The period (X ms) may be longer than the periodicity of the keep-alive signal. In this case, the UE may determine one or more candidate timings for the SSB burst set in conjunction with receiving the keep-alive signal from the network entity, and monitor the candidate timings to attempt to receive the SSB burst set.

[0149] At 810, in some aspects, the UE may send an SSB trigger signal to the network entity 802 based at least in part on receiving the keep alive signal. In some aspects, instead of (or in addition to) the network entity 802 periodically sending the SSB burst set for the cell in the energy saving mode, the network entity 802 may be triggered to send the SSB burst set by the UE sending the SSB trigger signal in conjunction with the UE receiving the keep alive signal. In some aspects, the UE may send the SSB trigger signal without determining a candidate timing for the periodically sent SSB burst set.

[0150] In some aspects, a predetermined sequence (e.g., a generated sequence) may be defined for an SSB trigger signal (e.g., in a wireless communication standard) to trigger the transmission of an SSB burst set. In some aspects, multiple sequences may be defined for transmitting an SSB trigger signal. In this case, the UE 804 may randomly select a sequence for transmitting the SSB trigger signal from multiple sequences defined for the SSB trigger signal. In one example, the SSB trigger signal may be simpler than a physical RACH (PRACH) preamble used to initiate a RACH initial access procedure. For example, the number of sequences defined for the SSB trigger signal may be less than the number of possible sequences defined for the PRACH preamble transmission (e.g., 64 sequences). Since the SSB trigger signal is transmitted by the UE when the cell is in energy saving mode, there may be no or very few other UEs within the coverage of the cell when the UE 804 transmits the SSB trigger signal 810. Therefore, the number of sequences defined for transmitting the SSB trigger signal may be less than the number of possible sequences of the PRACH preamble.

[0151] In some aspects, the network entity 802 may send a keep-alive signal 806 on multiple beams (e.g., a beam scanning pattern). In one example, the network entity 802 may send a keep-alive signal on different beams on different symbols of the keep-alive signal duration (e.g., in different beam directions). For example, the network entity 802 may send a first keep-alive signal using a first beam in a first symbol, and send a second keep-alive signal using a second beam different from the first beam in a second symbol. In some aspects, the corresponding one or more resources for the SSB trigger signal may be associated with each of the multiple beams on which the keep-alive signal is sent. For example, the corresponding one or more resources associated with the beam may include one or more time resources for sending the SSB trigger signal, one or more frequency resources for sending the SSB trigger signal, and / or one or more code or sequence resources for sending the SSB trigger signal. In some aspects, the UE 804 may send the SSB trigger signal in resources associated with the beam on which the UE 804 receives the keep-alive signal (e.g., resources in the corresponding one or more resources associated with the beam). For example, the network entity may send a keep-alive signal in different symbols (e.g., on different beams) using different generated sequences, and the UE 804 may determine a symbol index based on the generated sequence of the keep-alive signal received by the UE. In this case, the UE 804 may determine resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or code or sequence resources) for sending the SSB trigger signal based at least in part on the symbol index.

[0152] In some aspects, the UE 804 may send an SSB trigger signal in a time resource associated with a beam on which the UE 804 receives a keep-alive signal. For example, the UE 804 may apply a time offset (offsetToSSBTriggering) with respect to receiving the keep-alive signal, which may cause the UE 804 to send an SSB trigger signal on a time resource (e.g., symbol or time slot) associated with the beam on which the UE 804 receives the keep-alive signal. In some aspects, the UE 804 may send an SSB trigger signal in a frequency resource associated with a beam on which the UE 804 receives the keep-alive signal. For example, each symbol index may be mapped to one or more frequency resources, and the UE 804 may send an SSB trigger signal using a frequency resource associated with a symbol index determined based on the keep-alive signal. In some aspects, the UE 804 may send an SSB trigger signal using a code or sequence resource associated with a beam on which the UE 804 receives a keep-alive signal. "Code or sequence resource" refers to a code or sequence (e.g., a generated sequence) that can be used to send an uplink trigger signal. For example, multiple possible sequences may be defined for the SSB trigger signal, with different sequences associated with different beams (e.g., associated with different symbol indices). In this case, the UE 804 may select a generated sequence for transmitting the SSB trigger signal based at least in part on the beam on which the keep-alive signal is received (e.g., based at least in part on the symbol index determined for the keep-alive signal).

[0153] In some aspects, the network entity 802 may form a receive beam for receiving the SSB trigger signal based at least in part on an association between different beams on which the keep alive signal 806 is sent and corresponding one or more resources on which the network entity 802 may receive the SSB trigger signal. For example, for each beam used to send the keep alive signal, the network entity 802 may monitor one or more resources associated with the beam (e.g., during an SSB trigger signal monitoring opportunity) using a receive beam corresponding to the beam (e.g., a receive beam having the same beam direction as a transmit beam used to send the keep alive signal).

[0154] At 812, the network entity 802 may transmit a set of SSB bursts based at least in part on (or in response to) a keep-alive signal. The UE 804 may receive the set of SSB bursts transmitted by the network entity 802. In some aspects, based at least in part on receiving the set of SSB bursts, the UE 804 may transmit a PRACH preamble to the network entity 802 in a RACH opportunity associated with an SSB in the set of SSB bursts to initiate a RACH procedure for initial access to a cell associated with the network entity 802. In one aspect, a RACH opportunity refers to a specific time interval during which a UE may transmit a random access preamble (e.g., a PRACH preamble). In some aspects, after transmitting the set of SSB bursts, the network entity 802 may monitor a RACH opportunity associated with an SSB in the set of SSB bursts, and may receive a PRACH preamble transmission from the UE 804 in a RACH opportunity. In some aspects, the UE 804 may receive the set of SSB bursts on a receive (Rx) beam selected based at least in part on an Rx beam search performed by the UE 804 during a plurality of periodic transmissions of a keep-alive signal.

[0155] In some aspects, the network entity 802 may transmit an SSB burst set in conjunction with receiving an SSB trigger signal from the UE. In some aspects, for a cell in energy saving mode, the network entity 802 may transmit an SSB burst set only in conjunction with receiving an SSB trigger signal from the UE (and perform subsequent monitoring of the PRACH preamble code transmission). Alternatively, in some aspects, in addition to the periodic SSB burst set transmission by the network entity, the network entity 802 may also transmit an SSB burst set 812 in conjunction with receiving an SSB trigger signal 810. In some aspects, after each transmission of a keep-alive signal, the network entity 802 may monitor the corresponding SSB trigger signal timing offset relative to the keep-alive signal by a time offset (offsetToSSBTriggering) associated with the SSB trigger signal. The UE 804 may transmit an SSB trigger signal, and the network entity 802 may receive the SSB trigger signal in one of the SSB trigger signal timings. Then, the network entity 802 may transmit an SSB burst set based at least in part on receiving the SSB trigger signal from the UE.

[0156] In some aspects, the UE 804 may send an SSB trigger signal in resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or code or sequence resources) associated with a beam (e.g., of a plurality of beams sent by the network entity 802) on which the UE receives a keep-alive signal. In this case, the SSB sent by the network entity 802 may be based at least in part on the resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or code or sequence resources) on which the network entity 802 receives the uplink trigger signal. For example, the network entity 802 may determine the SSB periodicity, the offset of the SSB burst set (e.g., offsetToSSB), and / or select which SSBs are in the SSB burst set from a set of possible SSBs (e.g., 64 possible SSBs in FR2) based at least in part on the resources on which the SSB trigger signal is received.

[0157] As described above, the network entity 802 may send a keep-alive signal 806 indicating the presence of a cell in an energy-saving mode, and the network entity 802 may send an SSB burst set based at least in part on the keep-alive signal and / or the SSB trigger signal. The UE 804 may receive the keep-alive signal, and the UE 804 may receive the SSB burst set based at least in part on the keep-alive signal. In some aspects, the network entity may send the SSB burst set with a periodicity based at least in part on the periodicity of the keep-alive signal, and the UE 804 may monitor one or more candidate opportunities for the SSB burst set determined at least in part on the periodicity of the keep-alive signal. In some aspects, the UE 804 may send the SSB trigger signal to the network entity 802 based at least in part on receiving the keep-alive signal, and the network entity 802 may send the SSB burst set based at least in part on receiving the SSB trigger signal from the UE 804. Thus, the network entity 802 can reduce SSB transmissions for cells in energy saving mode, resulting in reduced power consumption and reduced connection latency compared to turning off the cells and requiring wake-up signaling from a central network entity. Thus, the techniques and apparatus described herein can improve the tradeoff between network energy saving and connection latency for cells in energy saving mode.

[0158] Simplified SSB as KAS

[0159] Fig. 9900 is a diagram illustrating an example of a keep alive signal (KAS) implementation 900 according to some aspects. In one example, a network entity 802 may send a simplified SSB as a KAS 902 that is transmitted more frequently than a full SSB. For example, in a time period T, the network entity may transmit two KAS bursts 902 and one full SSB burst 904. In one aspect, the network entity need not transmit a KAS burst 902 when a full SSB burst 904 is transmitted at the same time. In the present disclosure, a full SSB may include all signals of an SSB (e.g., Figure 7 In some aspects, a simplified SSB (i.e., KAS) may include a subset of the signals of a full SSB (e.g., excluding one or more signals of the SSB). In one example, the KAS 902 may be implemented as a simplified SSB that includes only the PSS. In this case, the SSB of only the PSS (the simplified SSB) may effectively serve as the KAS. Therefore, when the full SSB is present at the same time (e.g., at time t 0 ), the network entity 802 does not need to transmit a separate KAS because the full SSB already includes the PSS. In some aspects, the UE can use the same PSS searcher to detect KAS / reduced SSB or full SSB, so the UE can have a simpler implementation.

[0160] In some aspects, the KAS 902 (e.g., a PSS-only SSB) may use the same ID as the PSS of the full SSB. The PSSID is a unique identifier used to distinguish different PSSs transmitted by different cells. In one aspect, the network entity may transmit a KAS burst including multiple KAS signals 906 (e.g., N1 PSS signals) that are transmitted with no gaps or minimal gaps between KASs (i.e., back-to-back KASs). In one aspect, the KAS beam scanning configuration may be different from the beam scanning configuration of the full SSB. In one example, the network entity may transmit N1 wider beams 908 (PSS beams) for the KAS 902 and N2 (N2>N1) narrower beams 910 for the full SSB 904. In one aspect, the KAS 902 (e.g., a PSS-only SSB) may have a different transmit signal power than the transmit (Tx) signal power of the PSS of the full SSB 904. For example, the KAS may have a higher transmit power than the full SSB to provide a better link budget.

[0161] In some aspects, the KAS may include a repeated PSS (e.g., PSS+PSS or back-to-back PSS), which may facilitate better frequency and / or phase error correction, receive beam refinement, better link budget, and / or improved error detection at the UE. With the repeated PSS in the KAS, the UE may determine with greater confidence whether the detected signal is a full SSB (e.g., PSS+SSS) or a KAS (e.g., PSS+PSS), or a false signal detection. Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary KAS 1000 including a repeated PSS. In one example, the KAS 1000 may include a first PSS 1002 and a second PSS 1004 (a repeated PSS). The network entity may send the first PSS 1002 and the second PSS 1004 in different symbols (e.g., symbol 1 and symbol 2). In some examples, the first PSS 1002 and the second PSS 1004 may be located in adjacent symbols. In some examples, the first PSS 1002 and the second PSS 1004 may be separated by one or more symbols.

[0162] In some aspects, a KAS configuration may include various parameters. Fig.11 An exemplary KAS configuration 1100 is illustrated that provides one or more parameters, such as a PSS power offset, a beam scanning pattern, PSS repetition information, quasi co-location (QCL) relationship information between the KAS and the SSB, and periodicity and offset. The PSS power offset parameter may indicate the KAS power (e.g., PSS power) relative to (offset) the SSB PSS power. The beam scanning pattern parameter may indicate the beam scanning pattern of the KAS. For example, the KAS (e.g., PSS) may have a different (e.g., wider, narrower, and / or number of beams) or the same beam scanning pattern as the full SSB PSS. The PSS repetition information may indicate whether the KAS uses PSS repetition. The QCL relationship parameter may indicate whether the KAS is quasi co-located with the SSB. When the KAS is quasi co-located with the SSB, the KAS transmission and the SSB transmission may experience similar channel conditions. The periodicity and offset parameters may indicate the periodicity of the KAS and / or its timing offset with the full SSB (e.g., PSS).

[0163] In some aspects, a KAS configuration may be indicated, preconfigured, or defined in a wireless communication standard (e.g., a 3GPP specification). In one example, the KAS configuration may be indicated by a network entity (e.g., a base station, a gNB, etc.) that belongs to the same or adjacent cell as the UE. In one aspect, a cell (e.g., a network entity of the same or adjacent cell) may send the KAS configuration in a broadcast signal (e.g., MIB, SIB1, other SIBs) or in a dedicated or UE-specific signal (e.g., RRC signal, SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC), etc.). In some aspects, the KAS configuration may be communicated between different network entities for network coordination purposes. In one example, the KAS configuration may be transmitted over the F1 interface between the CU and the DU. In one example, the KAS configuration may be transmitted over the Xn interface between base stations (e.g., CUs or gNBs).

[0164] Fig.12 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between a network entity 1202 and a UE 1204 for indicating a KAS configuration according to some aspects. In one example, the network entity 1202 may be the one described above with respect to Figures 1 to 11 In one example, UE 1204 may be any of the network entities described above. Figures 1 to 11 any UE in the UE described. At 1202, a network entity may indicate a KAS configuration to the UE. In one example, the network entity may transmit the KAS configuration to the UE using a broadcast signal (e.g., MIB, SIB1, other SIBs) or a dedicated signal (e.g., RRC reconfiguration message). In some aspects, the network entity may indicate the KAS configuration from a plurality of predefined or preconfigured KAS configurations known to the UE. At 1204, the UE may save the KAS configuration and configure its wireless communication software and / or hardware to search for a KAS (e.g., PSS) or SSB from the network based on the KAS configuration. In some examples, the network entity 802 may be a network entity (e.g., a gNB, CU, DU, etc.) of a cell (e.g., a neighbor cell) that is different from the cell in which the UE will receive the KAS or SSB. At 1206, optionally, the UE may transmit a confirmation (e.g., KAS configuration complete) message to the network entity to indicate that the UE has received the KAS configuration.

[0165] SSB burst with different beam scanning patterns

[0166] In some aspects, according to some aspects, a network entity (eg, network entity 1202) may use different beam scanning patterns to transmit SSB bursts, and one of the beam scanning patterns may be used for a KAS burst. Fig.13is a diagram illustrating some examples of SSB bursts with different beam scanning patterns according to some aspects. In one example, a network entity may use different beam scanning patterns to send a first SSB burst 1302 (e.g., SSB burst A) and a second SSB burst 1304 (e.g., SSB burst B). In one aspect, SSB burst B may be a full SSB burst and SSB burst A may be a simplified SSB burst that may be used as a KAS. In some aspects, the first SSB burst 1302 (SSB burst A) may consume less energy than the second SSB burst 1304 (SSB burst B). Thus, the network entity may reduce power consumption by sending the second SSB burst 1302 as a KAS. In one example, SSB burst A may use a first beam scanning pattern 1306 and SSB burst B may use a second beam scanning pattern 1308 that is different from the first beam scanning pattern 1306 in one or more aspects. The network entity may use the same beam scanning patterns as described above with respect to Fig.11 and Fig.12 KAS configurations and related procedures similar to those described are used to indicate the configuration of SSB Burst A and SSB Burst B.

[0167] In one example, SSB burst A may have a shorter burst and a shorter periodicity T A (e.g., 8 beam bursts every 20 milliseconds (msec)), and SSB burst B may have a longer burst and longer periodicity T than SSB burst A. B (e.g., 32 beam bursts every 80msec). In one example, SSB burst A may use a wider and shorter beam than SSB burst B. In this case, the shorter beam of SSB burst A is still sufficient for SSB detection at the UE, and the narrower and longer beam of SSB burst B may facilitate RMSI / RACH detection and improved link budget. In some aspects, the UE may not use SSB burst A (short burst / KAS) for RMSI or random access channel procedures. In some aspects, the PBCH content of the short burst (SSB burst A) may provide auxiliary information about the location of the long burst (SSB burst B), the QCL relationship between the long SSB burst and the short SSB burst, etc.

[0168] Fig.14 is a diagram illustrating a complete SSB burst beam scanning pattern 1400 in accordance with some aspects. Fig.13 The SSB burst B can use multiple beams (for example, Fig.141402, 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410, 1412, and 1414) shown in the beam scanning pattern 1400. In one example, the initial N beams of SSB burst B can be the same as the initial N beams of SSB burst A. In this case, the initial short burst 1420 (e.g., beams 1402, 1404, and 1046) can be periodic and present in both SSB burst A and SSB burst B. SSB burst B has additional beams 1430 (e.g., beams 1408, 1410, 1412, and 1414), which can be narrower than the beams included in the short burst (e.g., beams 1402, 1404, and 1406). In some examples, certain QCL mapping rules can be defined between the beams of the short bursts and the long bursts to facilitate beam detection at the UE.

[0169] Fig.15 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity 1500 employing a processing system 1514. For example, the network entity 1500 may be Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and / or Fig.12 The network entity 1500 may also be implemented in a converged or monolithic base station architecture, or in a decomposed base station architecture, and may include one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a near-RT RIC, or a non-RT RIC.

[0170] The network entity 1500 may be implemented using a processing system 1514 including one or more processors 1504. Examples of processor 1504 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic components, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the network entity 1500 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1504 as used in the network entity 1500 may be used to implement the various functions described below and described in detail in the following description. Figures 8 to 14 , Fig.16 , Fig.17 and Fig.18 Any one or more of the processes and procedures illustrated in .

[0171] In some examples, processor 1504 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip, and in other implementations, processor 1504 may include multiple devices distinct and other than a baseband or modem chip (e.g., in scenarios such as those that may work together to implement the examples discussed herein). And as mentioned above, various hardware arrangements and components outside of a baseband modem processor may be used in implementations, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.

[0172] In this example, the processing system 1514 can be implemented using a bus architecture (generally represented by bus 1502). Bus 1502 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges, depending on the specific application of the processing system 1514 and the overall design constraints. Bus 1502 communicatively couples various circuits including one or more processors (generally represented by processor 1504), memory 1505, and computer-readable media (generally represented by computer-readable media 1506). Bus 1502 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. Bus interface 1508 provides an interface between bus 1502 and transceiver 1510. Transceiver 1510 provides a communication interface or component for communicating with various other devices through a transmission medium. Depending on the nature of the device, a user interface 1512 (e.g., keyboard, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, touch screen) may also be provided. Of course, such a user interface 1512 is optional and may be omitted in some examples (such as a base station).

[0173] The processor 1504 is responsible for managing the bus 1502 and general processing, which includes executing software stored on the computer-readable medium 1506. The software, when executed by the processor 1504, causes the processing system 1514 to perform the various functions described below for any particular device. The computer-readable medium 1506 and memory 1505 may also be used to store data that is manipulated by the processor 1504 when executing the software.

[0174] One or more processors 1504 in the processing system can execute software. Software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium 1506. The computer-readable medium 1506 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. By way of example, non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The computer readable medium 1506 may reside in the processing system 1514, be external to the processing system 1514, or be distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 1514. The computer readable medium 1506 may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure, depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0175] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 1504 may include circuitry configured for various functions, including, for example, KAS transmission and SSB transmission for network energy saving in a wireless network. For example, the circuitry may be configured to implement Fig.16 and Fig.17 One or more of the functions described.

[0176] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 1504 may include communication and processing circuitry 1540 configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a network core (e.g., a 5G core network), a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE), or any other entity, such as a local infrastructure or an entity that communicates with network entity 1500 via the Internet (such as a network provider). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1540 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission). For example, communication and processing circuitry 1540 may include one or more transmit / receive chains. In addition, communication and processing circuitry 1540 may be configured to receive and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to Figure 1 The communication and processing circuit system 1540 may further be configured to execute communication and processing software 1550 stored on the computer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0177] In some implementations where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may obtain information from a component of the network entity 1500 (e.g., from a transceiver 1510 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for an applicable communication medium), process the information (e.g., decode the information), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may output the information to another component of the processor 1504, to the memory 1505, or to the bus interface 1508. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may include functionality for components for receiving. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may include functionality for components for processing (including components for demodulation, components for decoding, etc.).

[0178] In some implementations where communication involves transmitting (e.g., sending) information, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1504, the memory 1505, or the bus interface 1508), process the information (e.g., modulate, encode, etc. the information), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may output the information to the transceiver 1510 (e.g., the transceiver transmits the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may transmit one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may transmit the information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may include functionality for means for transmitting (e.g., means for sending). In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may include functionality for means for generating (including means for modulating, means for encoding, etc.).

[0179] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1504 may include a KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 configured for various functions (e.g., KAS and SSB configuration and transmission). The KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may be further configured to execute KAS and SSB software 1552 stored on the computer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functions described herein. The KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may be configured to use the communication and processing circuit system 1540 and the transceiver 1510 to transmit the KAS and / or SSB described herein. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may configure the KAS to include one or more PSSs. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may configure the KAS to be a simplified SSB burst.

[0180] In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuitry 1542 may configure the communication and processing circuitry 1540 to transmit the KAS using a first beam scanning pattern and to transmit the SSB (e.g., full or nominal SSB) using a second beam scanning pattern that differs from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of beam width or number of beams. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuitry 1542 may configure the communication and processing circuitry 1540 to transmit the KAS (e.g., simplified SSB) using a first transmit power and to transmit the SSB (e.g., full or nominal SSB) using a second transmit power that differs from the first transmit power.

[0181] In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may configure the communication and processing circuit system 1540 to send a KAS configuration to the UE. The KAS configuration may include one or more parameters, such as a power offset of the KAS relative to the SSB, a beam scanning pattern of the KAS, a KAS repetition indication, QCL relationship information between the KAS and the SSB, a periodicity of the KAS, and / or a timing offset of the KAS relative to the SSB. The KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may configure the communication and processing circuit system 1540 to send the KAS configuration using a broadcast signal or a UE-specific signal. In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may configure the communication and processing circuit system 1540 to send the KAS configuration to different network entities (e.g., gNB, CU, etc.).

[0182] Fig.16 1600 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 1600 for transmitting KAS according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, process 1600 may be performed by Fig.15 In some examples, the process 1600 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0183] At block 1602, a network entity (e.g., a scheduling entity, a base station, a gNB, a CU, a DU) may periodically transmit a keep alive signal (KAS). The KAS may indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may provide means for transmitting the KAS via the transceiver 1510. At block 1604, the network entity may transmit a periodic synchronization signal (e.g., an SSB burst) after transmitting a plurality of KASs, and skip the KAS during a period of transmitting the periodic synchronization signal. In some aspects, the KAS may be Fig. 9 KAS 902 or Fig.13 The KAS may consume fewer communication resources (eg, time and / or frequency resources) than the synchronization signal. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may provide a means for transmitting the synchronization signal via the transceiver 1510.

[0184] In some aspects, the KAS may be a simplified SSB and the synchronization signal may be a full SSB. In some aspects, the KAS and the synchronization signal may be SSB bursts that differ in burst length, number of beams, beam width, transmit power, and / or periodicity. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuitry 1542 may provide means for configuring the KAS and the synchronization signal for transmission by the transceiver 1510. In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuitry 1542 may provide means for configuring the burst length, periodicity, beam width, beam sweep pattern, repetition pattern, and / or transmit power of the KAS and the synchronization signal.

[0185] Fig.17 1700 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 1700 for sending a keep-alive signal according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, process 1700 may be performed by Fig.15 In some examples, the process 1700 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0186] At block 1702, a network entity (e.g., a scheduling entity, a base station, a gNB, a CU, a DU) sends a SSB including a plurality of signals, for example, including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. For example, the SSB may include Figure 7 In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may provide a component for sending SSB. In some examples, the network entity may send an SSB burst (e.g., SSB burst 904) including multiple SSBs with a specific periodicity.

[0187] At block 1704, the network entity may send a keep-alive signal (KAS) including a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB. In one example, the KAS may include a PSS without including an SSS or a PBCH. The network entity may send a KAS burst including multiple PSSs. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may provide a component for sending a KAS. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may provide a component for configuring KAS transmission and SSB transmission. In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may configure the periodicity, beam width, beam scanning mode, repetition mode, and / or transmit power of the KAS and SSB based on the KAS configuration. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may provide a component for transmitting or indicating the KAS configuration to the UE.

[0188] In one aspect, the network entity may send the KAS (e.g., a KAS burst) with a first periodicity and send the SSB (e.g., an SSB burst) with a second periodicity that is longer than the first periodicity. In one aspect, the KAS includes a PSS (excluding SSS and PBCH) that may be the same as the SSB PSS. In one aspect, the KAS may include repetitions of the PSS across multiple symbols of the KAS. For example, the KAS may include two repeated PSSs across two or more symbols. The UE may use the repeated PSS for frequency and / or phase error correction, RX beam refinement, link budget improvement, and / or error detection. For example, the repeated PSS in the KAS enables the UE to determine whether the received signal is a complete SSB (e.g., PSS+SSS), a KAS (PSS+PSS), or other signals.

[0189] In some aspects, the KAS configuration may include various information, such as a power offset of the KAS relative to the SSB, a beam scanning pattern of the KAS, a KAS repetition indication, QCL relationship information between the KAS and the SSB, a periodicity of the KAS, and / or a timing offset of the KAS relative to the SSB. The network entity may send the KAS configuration using a broadcast signal (e.g., MIB, SIB1, or other SIBs) or a UE-specific signal (e.g., an RRC signal).

[0190] Fig.18 1800 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 1800 for transmitting an SSB burst according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, process 1800 may be performed by Fig.15The process 1800 is performed by the network entity 1500 illustrated in FIG. In some examples, the process 1800 can be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0191] At box 1802, a network entity (e.g., a scheduling entity, a base station, a gNB) may send a first SSB burst using a first beam scanning mode. The first SSB burst is configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1540 may provide a component for sending the first SSB burst via the transceiver 1510. At box 1804, the network entity may send a second SSB burst using a second beam scanning mode. The first beam scanning mode and the second beam scanning mode may differ in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may provide a component for configuring the first SSB burst and the second SSB burst for transmission by the transceiver 1510.

[0192] In some aspects, the second SSB burst may be a KAS burst or a simplified SSB burst that may be detected by the UE as a KAS. In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1542 may provide a component for configuring the periodicity, beam width, beam scanning mode, repetition mode and / or transmit power of the SSB burst. In one aspect, the network entity may send the first SSB burst with a first periodicity and send the second SSB burst with a second periodicity longer than the first periodicity. In one aspect, the first SSB burst may have a smaller number of beams and a shorter periodicity than the second SSB burst. In one aspect, at least one beam in the first SSB burst may have a wider beam width than one or more beams in the second SSB burst. In one example, the first SSB burst has a total of N beams, and the second SSB burst has M (M>N) beams. The initial N beams of the second SSB burst may be the same as the initial N beams of the first SSB burst in at least one of beam width and periodicity.

[0193] In one aspect, the first SSB burst may include auxiliary information for helping the UE detect the second SSB burst. For example, the auxiliary information may include at least one of the following items: a power offset of the first SSB burst relative to the second SSB burst; a beam scanning mode of the first SSB burst and a beam scanning mode of the second SSB burst; QCL relationship information between the first SSB burst and the second SSB burst; a periodicity of the first SSB burst and a periodicity of the second SSB burst; or a timing offset of the first SSB burst relative to the second SSB burst.

[0194] In one configuration, the network entity 1500 for wireless communication includes means for sending SSB bursts and KAS bursts for network energy saving as described herein. In one aspect, the aforementioned means may be Fig.15 The processor 1504 is shown configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. On the other hand, the aforementioned means may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0195] Of course, in the above examples, the circuit system included in the processor 1504 is provided only as an example, and other components for performing the described functions may be included in various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1506, or in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and / or Fig.12 Any of the descriptions and use of, for example, this article on Figures 8 to 14 and / or Figures 16 to 18 Any other suitable means or components of the described processes and / or algorithms.

[0196] Fig.19 1900 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of an exemplary UE 1900 employing a processing system 1914. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element or any portion of an element or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 1914 including one or more processors 1904. For example, UE 1900 may be as in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and / or Fig.12 A UE or scheduled entity illustrated in any one or more of the.

[0197] Processing system 1914 can be used with Fig.15 The illustrated processing system 1514 is substantially the same, including a bus interface 1908, a bus 1902, a memory 1905, a processor 1904, and a computer-readable medium 1906. In addition, the UE 1900 may include substantially the same as described above in Fig.15 That is, as used in UE 1900, processor 1904 can be used to implement Figures 8 to 14 , Fig. 20 , Fig.21 and Fig. 22 Any one or more of the processes described and illustrated in .

[0198] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1904 may include a circuit system configured for various functions (including, for example, KAS transmission and SSB transmission for network energy saving). For example, the circuit system may be configured to implement the following Fig.18 and Fig.19 One or more of the functions described.

[0199] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 1904 may include communication and processing circuitry 1940 configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a network entity or a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station or gNB). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1940 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission). For example, communication and processing circuitry 1940 may include one or more transmit / receive chains. In addition, communication and processing circuitry 1940 may be configured to send and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to Figure 1 The communication and processing circuit system 1940 may be configured to receive and process downlink traffic and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to downlink traffic 112 and downlink control 114). The communication and processing circuit system 1940 may be further configured to execute communication and processing software 1950 stored on the computer-readable medium 1906 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0200] In some implementations where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may obtain information from a component of the UE 1900 (e.g., from a transceiver 1910 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for an applicable communication medium), process the information (e.g., decode the information), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may output the information to another component of the processor 1904, to the memory 1905, or to the bus interface 1908. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may include functionality for components for receiving. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may include functionality for components for processing (including components for demodulation, components for decoding, etc.).

[0201] In some implementations where communication involves transmitting (e.g., sending) information, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1904, the memory 1905, or the bus interface 1908), process the information (e.g., modulate, encode, etc. the information), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may output the information to the transceiver 1910 (e.g., the transceiver transmits the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may transmit one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may transmit the information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may include functionality for means for transmitting (e.g., means for sending). In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may include functionality for means for generating (including means for modulating, means for encoding, etc.).

[0202] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1904 may include a KAS and SSB circuit system 1942 configured for various functions, such as receiving and processing KAS bursts and SSB bursts from a network entity (e.g., a base station or gNB). The KAS and SSB circuit system 1942 may be further configured to execute KAS and SSB software 1952 stored on the computer-readable medium 1906 to implement one or more functions described herein. The KAS and SSB circuit system 1942 may be configured to receive KAS bursts and SSB bursts based on the KAS configuration 1915 stored in the memory 1905 using the communication and processing circuit system 1940. In one example, the KAS may include a simplified SSB (e.g., an SSB of only the PSS). In one aspect, the KAS may include a repetition of the PSS across two or more symbols. The KAS and SSB circuit system 1942 may configure the communication and processing circuit system 1940 to receive a simplified SSB burst or a KAS burst including multiple PSSs.

[0203] KAS and SSB circuitry 1942 may configure communication and processing circuitry 1940 to receive KAS bursts using a first beam scanning pattern and to receive SSB bursts using a second beam scanning pattern that differs from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of beam width or number of beams. KAS and SSB circuitry 1942 may configure communication and processing circuitry 1940 to receive KAS bursts using a first transmit power and to receive SSB bursts using a second transmit power that differs from the first transmit power.

[0204] The KAS and SSB circuitry 1942 may configure the communication and processing circuitry 1940 to receive a KAS configuration 1915 from a network entity. The KAS configuration may include one or more of: a power offset of the KAS relative to the SSB; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS; a KAS repetition indication; QCL relationship information between the KAS and the SSB; a periodicity of the KAS; and a timing offset of the KAS relative to the SSB. The KAS and SSB circuitry 1942 may configure the communication and processing circuitry 1940 to receive the KAS configuration via the transceiver 1910 using a broadcast signal or a UE-specific signal.

[0205] Fig. 20 2000 for receiving a KAS according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, the process 2000 may be performed by Fig.19 In some examples, process 2000 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0206] At block 2002, the UE may periodically receive a keep alive signal (KAS). The KAS may indicate the presence of a cell associated with a network entity in an energy saving mode. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuitry 1940 may provide means for receiving the KAS via the transceiver 1910. At block 2004, the UE may receive a periodic synchronization signal (e.g., an SSB burst) after receiving a plurality of KASs, and skip the KAS during a period of receiving the synchronization signal. In some aspects, the KAS may be Fig. 9 KAS 902 or Fig.13 The KAS may consume fewer communication resources (eg, time and / or frequency resources) than the synchronization signal. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may provide a means for receiving the synchronization signal via the transceiver 1910.

[0207] In some aspects, the KAS may be a simplified SSB and the synchronization signal may be a full SSB. In some aspects, the KAS and the synchronization signal may be SSB bursts that differ in burst length, number of beams, beam width, transmit power, and / or periodicity. In one aspect, KAS and SSB circuitry 1942 may provide means for configuring communication and processing circuitry 1940 to receive the KAS and the synchronization signal via transceiver 1910.

[0208] Fig.21 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 2100 for receiving a KAS according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, the process 2100 may be performed by Fig.19 In some examples, process 2100 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0209] At block 2102, the UE may receive an SSB including a plurality of signals, for example, including at least one synchronization signal and a control channel. For example, the SSB may include Figure 7 19. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may provide a component for receiving the SSB via the transceiver 1910. In some examples, the UE may receive an SSB burst including multiple SSBs.

[0210] At block 2104, the UE may receive a KAS that includes a subset of the multiple signals included in the SSB. For example, the KAS may be a simplified SSB that includes a PSS but does not include an SSS and a PBCH. In one aspect, the UE may receive a KAS burst that includes multiple KASs (e.g., PSSs). In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may provide a component for receiving the KAS. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1942 may provide a component for configuring the communication and processing circuit system 1940 to receive a KAS and / or SSB from a network entity. In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1942 may configure the periodicity, beam width, beam scanning mode, repetition mode, and / or transmit power of the KAS and SSB, for example, according to the KAS configuration 1915. In one aspect, the memory 1905 may provide a component for storing the KAS configuration in the UE. The communication and processing circuit system 1940 may provide a component for receiving and processing the KAS configuration from a network entity.

[0211] In one aspect, the UE may receive the KAS (e.g., KAS bursts) with a first periodicity and receive the SSB (e.g., SSB bursts) with a second periodicity that is longer than the first periodicity. In one aspect, the KAS includes a PSS that is the same as the SSB PSS. In one aspect, the KAS may include repetitions of the PSS across multiple symbols of the KAS. For example, the KAS may include two repeated PSSs across two or more symbols. The repeated PSS may assist the UE in frequency and / or phase error correction, RX beam refinement, improved link budget, and / or false KAS / SSB detection. For example, including a repeated PSS in the KAS enables the UE to determine whether the received signal is an SSB (e.g., PSS+SSS), a KAS (PSS+PSS), or other signal.

[0212] In some aspects, the KAS configuration may include at least one of the following: a power offset of the KAS relative to the SSB; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS; a KAS repetition indication; QCL relationship information between the KAS and the SSB; a periodicity of the KAS; or a timing offset of the KAS relative to the SSB. The network may send the KAS configuration using a broadcast signal (e.g., MIB, SIB1, or other SIBs) or a UE-specific signal (e.g., an RRC signal).

[0213] Fig. 22 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 2200 for receiving different SSB bursts according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, the process 2200 may be performed by Fig.19 In some examples, process 2200 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0214] At box 2202, the UE may receive a first SSB burst using a first beam scanning mode. The first SSB burst is configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with a network entity in an energy saving mode. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may provide a component for receiving the first SSB burst via the transceiver 1910. At box 2204, the UE may receive a second SSB burst using a second beam scanning mode. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit system 1940 may provide a component for receiving the second SSB burst via the transceiver 1910. The first beam scanning mode and the second beam scanning mode differ in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity. In one aspect, the KAS and SSB circuit system 1942 may provide a component for configuring the communication and processing circuit system 1940 to receive the first SSB burst and the second SSB burst.

[0215] In some aspects, the first SSB burst may be a KAS burst or a simplified SSB burst that may be used as the KAS described herein. In some aspects, the KAS and SSB circuitry 1942 may provide components for configuring the periodicity, beam width, beam scanning pattern, repetition pattern, and / or transmit power of the SSB bursts. In one aspect, the UE may receive the first SSB burst with a first periodicity and receive the second SSB burst with a second periodicity that is longer than the first periodicity. In one aspect, the first SSB burst has a smaller number of beams and a shorter periodicity than the second SSB burst. In one aspect, at least one beam in the first SSB burst has a wider beam width than one or more beams in the second SSB burst.

[0216] In one aspect, the first SSB burst includes N beams, and the second SSB burst includes M (M>N) beams. The initial N beams of the second SSB burst may be the same as the initial N beams of the first SSB burst in terms of at least one of beam width and periodicity. In one aspect, the first SSB burst (e.g., a KAS burst) may provide auxiliary information for helping the UE detect and receive the second SSB burst (e.g., a complete SSB burst). In some aspects, the auxiliary information may include at least one of the following items: a power offset of the first SSB burst relative to the second SSB burst; a beam scanning mode of the first SSB burst and a beam scanning mode of the second SSB burst; QCL relationship information between the first SSB burst and the second SSB burst; the periodicity of the first SSB burst and the periodicity of the second SSB burst; or a timing offset of the first SSB burst relative to the second SSB burst.

[0217] In one configuration, a UE 1900 for wireless communication includes means for receiving SSB bursts and KAS bursts as described herein. In one aspect, the aforementioned means may be Fig.19 The processor 1904 is shown configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. On the other hand, the aforementioned means may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0218] Of course, in the above examples, the circuit system included in the processor 1904 is provided only as an example, and other components for performing the described functions may be included in various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1906, or in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and / or Fig.12 Any of the descriptions and use of, for example, this article on Figures 8 to 14 and / or Figure 20 to Figure 22 Any other suitable means or components of the described processes and / or algorithms.

[0219] Several aspects of wireless communication networks have been presented with reference to exemplary implementations. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards.

[0220] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity for a wireless communication network. The network entity includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: periodically transmit a keep-alive signal (KAS); and after transmitting a plurality of KASs, transmit a periodic synchronization signal, and skip the KAS within a period of transmitting the periodic synchronization signal, wherein the KAS consumes less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0221] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, wherein: the periodic synchronization signal comprises a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) comprises a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and the KAS comprises the PSS but does not include the SSS.

[0222] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with the second aspect, wherein the KAS comprises repetitions of the PSS across multiple symbols of the KAS.

[0223] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, wherein the KAS is configured to indicate a presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode.

[0224] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the first to fourth aspects, the processor is further configured to: send the KAS using a first transmit power; and send the periodic synchronization signal using a second transmit power different from the first transmit power.

[0225] In the sixth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the first to fourth aspects, the processor is further configured to: transmit a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration comprising at least one of the following items: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; a KAS repetition indication; quasi-co-location relationship information between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or a timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

[0226] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with the sixth aspect, the KAS comprises a KAS configuration configured to assist user equipment in detecting the periodic synchronization signal.

[0227] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with the sixth aspect, the processor is further configured to: transmit the KAS configuration to a different network entity.

[0228] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the first aspect and the fourth aspect, the processor is further configured to: transmit the periodic synchronization signal using a first beam scanning pattern; and transmit the KAS using a second beam scanning pattern, the second beam scanning pattern being different from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0229] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with the ninth aspect, wherein: the first beam scanning pattern comprises a first number of beams; the second beam scanning pattern comprises a second number of beams, the second number of beams being less than the first number of beams. and at least one beam of the first number of beams has a wider beam width than one or more beams of the second number of beams.

[0230] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with the ninth aspect, wherein: the periodic synchronization signal includes more beams than the KAS; and the initial N beams of the periodic synchronization signal are identical to the initial N beams of the KAS in at least one of beam width and periodicity.

[0231] The twelfth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a network entity. The method includes: periodically transmitting a keep-alive signal (KAS); and after transmitting a plurality of KASs, transmitting a periodic synchronization signal, and skipping the KAS within a period of transmitting the periodic synchronization signal, wherein the KAS consumes less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0232] In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the twelfth aspect, wherein: the periodic synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and the KAS includes the PSS but does not include the SSS.

[0233] In the fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the twelfth aspect, the method also includes: using a first beam scanning mode to transmit the periodic synchronization signal; and using a second beam scanning mode to transmit the KAS, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width or periodicity, the KAS being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode.

[0234] In the fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the twelfth aspect, the thirteenth aspect and the fourteenth aspect, the method also includes: transmitting a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration including at least one of the following items: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; a KAS repetition indication; quasi-co-location relationship information between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or a timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

[0235] A sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes: a memory; a transceiver, the transceiver is used for wireless communication; and a processor, the processor is coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: periodically receive a keep-alive signal (KAS); and after receiving a plurality of KASs, receive a periodic synchronization signal, and skip the KAS during a period of receiving the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0236] In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with the sixteenth aspect, wherein: the periodic synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and the KAS includes the PSS but does not include the SSS.

[0237] In an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the seventeenth aspect, wherein the KAS comprises repetitions of the PSS across multiple symbols of the KAS.

[0238] In a nineteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the sixteenth aspect, wherein the KAS is configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with a network entity in an energy saving mode.

[0239] In the twentieth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the sixteenth to nineteenth aspects, the processor is further configured to: receive the KAS using a first transmit power; and receive the periodic synchronization signal using a second transmit power different from the first transmit power.

[0240] In the twenty-first aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the sixteenth to nineteenth aspects, the processor is further configured to: receive a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration comprising at least one of the following items: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; a KAS repetition indication; quasi-co-location relationship information between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or a timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

[0241] In a twenty-second aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-first aspect, the KAS comprises a KAS configuration configured to assist the UE in detecting the periodic synchronization signal.

[0242] In a twenty-third aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-first aspect, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive the KAS configuration from a different network entity.

[0243] In the twenty-fourth aspect, alone or in combination with the sixteenth aspect, the processor is further configured to: receive the periodic synchronization signal using a first beam scanning mode; and receive the KAS using a second beam scanning mode, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity.

[0244] In a twenty-fifth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-fourth aspect, wherein: the first beam scanning pattern comprises a first number of beams; the second beam scanning pattern comprises a second number of beams, the second number of beams being less than the first number of beams. and at least one beam of the first number of beams has a wider beam width than one or more beams of the second number of beams.

[0245] In a twenty-sixth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-fourth aspect, wherein: the periodic synchronization signal includes more beams than the KAS; and the initial N beams of the periodic synchronization signal are identical to the initial N beams of the KAS in at least one of beam width and periodicity.

[0246] A twenty-seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE). The method includes: periodically receiving a keep-alive signal (KAS); and after receiving multiple KASs, receiving a periodic synchronization signal, and skipping the KAS within a period of receiving the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

[0247] In a twenty-eighth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-seventh aspect, wherein: the periodic synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and the KAS includes the PSS but does not include the SSS.

[0248] In the twenty-ninth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-seventh aspect, the method also includes: using a first beam scanning mode to receive the periodic synchronization signal; and using a second beam scanning mode to receive the KAS, the second beam scanning mode being different from the first beam scanning mode in at least one of the number of beams, beam width or periodicity, the KAS being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode.

[0249] In the thirtieth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the twenty-seventh aspect, the twenty-eighth aspect and the thirtieth aspect, the method further includes: receiving a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration comprising at least one of the following items: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; a KAS repetition indication; information on a quasi-co-location relationship between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or a timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

[0250] By way of example, various aspects may be implemented within other systems defined by 3GPP, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Various aspects may also be extended to systems defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples may be implemented within systems employing IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, Ultra Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and / or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and / or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0251] Within the present disclosure, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any specific implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior or superior to other aspects of the present disclosure. Likewise, the term "aspect" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed features, advantages, or modes of operation. The term "coupled" is used herein to refer to a direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, objects A and C may still be considered to be coupled to each other, even if they are not in direct physical contact with each other. For example, a first object may be coupled to a second object, even if the first object has never been in direct physical contact with the second object. The terms "circuit" and "circuitry" are used broadly, and they are intended to include both hardware implementations of electronic devices and conductors (where these electronic devices and conductors, when connected and configured, implement the execution of the functions described in the present disclosure, without limitation on the type of electronic circuits) and software implementations of information and instructions (where these information and instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the execution of the functions described in the present disclosure).

[0252] Figures 1 to 22 One or more of the components, steps, features, and / or functions illustrated in the description may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature, or function, or may be embodied in several components, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and / or functions may also be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. Figures 1 to 22 The apparatus, device and / or component illustrated in the can be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein can also be effectively implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0253] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed methods is an illustration of an exemplary process. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in these methods can be rearranged based on design preferences. The attached method claims provide elements of various steps in an exemplary order, but are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided unless explicitly stated herein.

[0254] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but to conform to the full scope consistent with the text of the claims, wherein unless explicitly stated otherwise, reference to an element in the singular form is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. The phrase "at least one" referring to a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b, and c. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure that are known or will be known later to a person of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, regardless of whether such disclosures are explicitly recited in the claims, anything disclosed herein is not intended to be disclosed to the public. No claim element is to be construed under 35 USC §112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the phrase “step for.”

Claims

1. A network entity for a wireless communication network, the network entity comprising: Memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, The processor is configured to: Periodically transmits a keep-alive signal (KAS); as well as After transmitting a plurality of KASs, a periodic synchronization signal is transmitted, and the KAS is skipped within a period of transmitting the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

2. The network entity according to claim 1, wherein: The periodic synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and The KAS includes the PSS but does not include the SSS.

3. The network entity of claim 2, wherein the KAS comprises repetitions of the PSS across multiple symbols of the KAS.

4. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the KAS is configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode.

5. The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmitting the KAS using a first transmission power; and The periodic synchronization signal is transmitted using a second transmission power different from the first transmission power.

6. The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: Transmitting a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration comprising at least one of the following: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; KAS repeats instructions; Quasi co-location relationship information between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or The timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

7. The network entity of claim 6, wherein the KAS comprises the KAS configuration configured to assist user equipment in detecting the periodic synchronization signal.

8. The network entity according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to: The KAS configuration is communicated to different network entities.

9. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmitting the periodic synchronization signal using a first beam scanning pattern; and The KAS is transmitted using a second beam scanning pattern that differs from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of a number of beams, a beam width, or a periodicity.

10. The network entity according to claim 9, wherein: The first beam scanning pattern includes a first number of beams; The second beam scanning pattern includes a second number of beams, the second number of beams being less than the first number of beams; and At least one beam of the first number of beams has a wider beamwidth than one or more beams of the second number of beams.

11. The network entity according to claim 9, wherein: The periodic synchronization signal includes more beams than the KAS; and The initial N beams of the periodic synchronization signal are identical to the initial N beams of the KAS in at least one of beam width and periodicity.

12. A method for wireless communication at a network entity, the method comprising: Periodically transmits a keep-alive signal (KAS); as well as After transmitting a plurality of KASs, a periodic synchronization signal is transmitted, and the KAS is skipped within a period of transmitting the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The periodic synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and The KAS includes the PSS but does not include the SSS.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: transmitting the periodic synchronization signal using a first beam scanning pattern; as well as The KAS is transmitted using a second beam scanning pattern that is different from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity, and the KAS is configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with the network entity in an energy saving mode.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Transmitting a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration comprising at least one of the following: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; KAS repeats instructions; Quasi co-location relationship information between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or The timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

16. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, the user equipment (UE) comprising: Memory; A transceiver, the transceiver is used for wireless communication; and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, The processor is configured to: Periodically receiving a keep alive signal (KAS); and After receiving a plurality of KASs, a periodic synchronization signal is received, and the KAS is skipped during a period of receiving the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

17. The UE of claim 16, wherein the periodic synchronization signal comprises a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and The KAS includes the PSS but does not include the SSS.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the KAS comprises repetitions of the PSS across multiple symbols of the KAS.

19. The UE of claim 16, wherein the KAS is configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with a network entity in an energy saving mode.

20. The UE of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to: receiving the KAS using a first transmission power; and The periodic synchronization signal is received using a second transmission power different from the first transmission power.

21. The UE according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to: Receive a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration comprising at least one of the following: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; KAS repeats instructions; Quasi co-location relationship information between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or The timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

22. The UE of claim 21, wherein the KAS comprises the KAS configuration configured to assist the UE in detecting the periodic synchronization signal.

23. The UE according to claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to: The KAS configuration is received from a different network entity.

24. The UE of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to: receiving the periodic synchronization signal using a first beam scanning pattern; and The KAS is received using a second beam scanning pattern that differs from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of a number of beams, a beam width, or a periodicity.

25. The UE according to claim 24, wherein: The first beam scanning pattern includes a first number of beams; The second beam scanning pattern includes a second number of beams, the second number of beams being less than the first number of beams; and At least one beam of the first number of beams has a wider beamwidth than one or more beams of the second number of beams.

26. The UE according to claim 24, wherein: The periodic synchronization signal includes more beams than the KAS; and The initial N beams of the periodic synchronization signal are identical to the initial N beams of the KAS in at least one of beam width and periodicity.

27. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Periodically receive a keep-alive signal (KAS); as well as After receiving a plurality of KASs, a periodic synchronization signal is received, and the KAS is skipped during a period of receiving the periodic synchronization signal, the KAS consuming less communication resources than the periodic synchronization signal.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein: The periodic synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB), the synchronization signal block (SSB) includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); and The KAS includes the PSS but does not include the SSS.

29. The method according to claim 27, further comprising: receiving the periodic synchronization signal using a first beam scanning pattern; as well as The KAS is received using a second beam scanning pattern that is different from the first beam scanning pattern in at least one of the number of beams, beam width, or periodicity, the KAS being configured to indicate the presence of a cell associated with a network entity in an energy saving mode.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising: Receive a KAS configuration, the KAS configuration comprising at least one of the following: a power offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal; a beam scanning pattern of the KAS and a beam scanning pattern of the periodic synchronization signal; KAS repeats instructions; Quasi co-location relationship information between the KAS and the periodic synchronization signal; the periodicity of the KAS and the periodicity of the periodic synchronization signal; or The timing offset of the KAS relative to the periodic synchronization signal.

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