Rate Matching around Synchronization Signal Blocks in Unlicensed Spectrum

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a base station may transmit and a user equipment (UE) may receive a bit mapping that includes a bit sequence for indicating a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission mode. The UE may perform rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which an SSB transmission is expected, performing the rate matching at least in part based on the bit mapping, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 937,211, filed on November 18, 2019, entitled "RATE MATCHING AROUND SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL BLOCKS IN UNLICENSED SPECTRUM", and U.S. Non - Provisional Patent Application No. 16 / 949,762, filed on November 13, 2020, entitled "RATE MATCHING AROUND SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL BLOCKS IN UNLICENSED SPECTRUM", which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0003] Field of Disclosure

[0004] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication, and more particularly, to techniques and apparatus for rate matching around synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) in unlicensed spectrum.

[0005] Background

[0006] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. A typical wireless communication system may employ a multiple - access technology that is capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple - access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single - Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC - FDMA) systems, Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD - SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE - Advanced is an enhanced set of mobile standards for the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0007] A wireless network may include a plurality of base stations (BSs) capable of supporting communication of several user equipments (UEs). The user equipment (UE) may communicate with the base station (BS) via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail herein, the BS may be referred to as a B node, a gNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, a transmission reception point (TRP), a new radio (NR) BS, a 5G B node, and so on.

[0008] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user equipments to communicate at the urban, national, regional, and even global levels. New Radio (NR) (which may also be referred to as 5G) is an enhanced set of the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrums, and using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing with Cyclic Prefix (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL), CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM on the uplink (UL) (e.g., also referred to as Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)), and supporting beamforming, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation to better integrate with other open standards. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, further improvements in LTE, NR, and other radio access technologies and the telecommunication standards that adopt these technologies are still useful.

[0009] Summary

[0010] In some aspects, a wireless communication method performed by a user equipment (UE) may include: receiving a bit map from a base station, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission mode; and performing rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the SSB is expected to be transmitted, the performing of the rate matching being at least partially based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with the rate matching, and a second parameter indicating the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0011] In some aspects, a wireless communication method performed by a base station may include: transmitting a bit map to a UE, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; and scheduling transmission of one or more SSBs in one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission, at least partially based on the SSB transmission mode, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window, at least partially based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0012] In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to: receive a bit map from a base station, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; and perform rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which SSB transmission is expected, performing the rate matching at least partially based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0013] In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to: transmit a bit map to a UE, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; and schedule transmission of one or more SSBs in one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission, at least partially based on the SSB transmission mode, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window, at least partially based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0014] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. The one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, may cause the one or more processors to: receive a bit map from a base station, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; and perform rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which an SSB transmission is expected, performing the rate matching at least in part based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0015] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. The one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a base station, may cause the one or more processors to: transmit a bit map to a UE, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; and schedule transmission of one or more SSBs in one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects an SSB transmission, at least in part based on the SSB transmission mode, wherein the UE performs rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window at least in part based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0016] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may include: means for receiving a bit map from a base station, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; and means for performing rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which an SSB transmission is expected, performing the rate matching at least in part based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0017] In some aspects, a device for wireless communication may include: means for transmitting a bit map to a UE, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; and means for scheduling transmission of one or more SSBs at one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission, at least partially based on the SSB transmission mode, wherein the UE performs rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window, at least partially based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0018] Aspects generally include methods, apparatuses, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication devices, and / or processing systems as substantially described herein with reference to the figures and the description and as illustrated in the figures and the description.

[0019] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples in accordance with the present disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes as the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The features of the concepts disclosed herein, both as to their organization and operation methods, as well as associated advantages, will be better understood when considered in conjunction with the following description taken in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limitations of the claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] To enable a more particular understanding of the features of the present disclosure described above, reference may be made to the aspects in which some aspects are illustrated in the figures. It should be noted, however, that the figures illustrate only certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and should not be considered to limit its scope, as the description may admit of other equally effective aspects. The same reference numerals in different figures may identify the same or similar elements.

[0022] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between a base station and a UE in a wireless network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3A is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure in a wireless network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 3B is a diagram illustrating an example synchronization communication hierarchy in a wireless network according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example time slot format with a normal cyclic prefix according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figures 5A - 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission in an unlicensed spectrum according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figures 6A - 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of rate matching around an SSB in an unlicensed spectrum according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example process, such as performed by a UE, according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example process, such as performed by a base station, according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Detailed Description

[0032] Various aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or in combination with any other aspect of the present disclosure. For example, any number of the aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice a method. Additionally, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods practiced using other structures, functionality, or a combination of structures and functionality that supplement or are additional to the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein may be implemented by one or more elements of a claim.

[0033] Certain aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various devices and techniques. These devices and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0034] Note that while aspects in this document may be described using terms typically associated with 5G or NR radio access technology (RAT), aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to other RATs such as 3G RAT, 4G RAT, and / or RATs after 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0035] Figure 1 FIG. is an illustration of an example of a wireless network 100 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless network 100 may be a 5G (NR) network, an LTE network, etc. or may include elements thereof. The wireless network 100 may include several base stations 110 (shown as BS110a, BS110b, BS110c, and BS110d) and other network entities. A base station (BS) is an entity that communicates with user equipment (UE) and may also be referred to as an NR BS, Node B, gNB, 5G Node B (NB), access point, transmission reception point (TRP), etc. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to the coverage area of a BS and / or the BS subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0036] The BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and / or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residence) and may allow restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). The BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. The BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. The BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In the example shown in Figure 1 , BS110a may be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, BS110b may be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and BS110c may be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. The BS may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "Node B", "5G NB", and "cell" may be used interchangeably herein.

[0037] In some aspects, the cell may not have to be stationary, and the geographical area of the cell may move according to the location of the mobile BS. In some aspects, the BSs may be interconnected with each other and / or interconnected to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces, such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, and / or analogs using any suitable transport network.

[0038] The wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station is an entity that can receive the transmission of data from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send the transmission of the data to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In Figure 1 the example shown, the relay BS 110d may communicate with the macro BS 110a and the UE 120d to facilitate communication between the BS 110a and the UE 120d. The relay BS may also be referred to as a relay station, a relay base station, a relay, etc.

[0039] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs (e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, etc.). These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, a macro BS may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while pico BSs, femto BSs, and relay BSs may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0040] The network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of BSs and may provide coordination and control for these BSs. The network controller 130 may communicate with each BS via the backhaul. These BSs may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via wireless or wired backhaul.

[0041] UE 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) can be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE can be stationary or mobile. The UE can also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, and so on. The UE can be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, a superbook, a medical device or equipment, a biometric sensor / device, a wearable device (smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired media.

[0042] Some UEs can be considered machine type communication (MTC) UEs, or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, and so on, which can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node can provide connectivity to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) or provide connectivity to the network via a wired or wireless communication link, for example. Some UEs can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and / or can be implemented as narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices. Some UEs can be considered customer premise equipment (CPE). UE 120 can be included inside a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as a processor component, a memory component, and so on. In some aspects, the processor component and the memory component can be coupled together. For example, the processor component (e.g., one or more processors) and the memory component (e.g., a memory) can be operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, electrically coupled, and so on.

[0043] Generally, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographical area. Each wireless network can support a specific radio access technology (RAT) and can operate on one or more frequencies. The RAT can also be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, and so on. The frequency can also be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, and so on. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographical area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, an NR or 5G RAT network can be deployed.

[0044] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., communicate with each other without using the base station 110 as an intermediary). For example, the UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, etc.), mesh networks, etc. In such a case, the UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the base station 110.

[0045] Devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided into various categories, frequency bands, channels, etc. based on frequency or wavelength. For example, devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using an operating frequency band having a first frequency range (FR1) and / or may communicate using an operating frequency band having a second frequency range (FR2), where the first frequency range (FR1) may span from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz and the second frequency range (FR2) may span from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequency between FR1 and FR2 is sometimes referred to as an intermediate band frequency. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is generally referred to as the “sub-6 GHz band”. Similarly, although different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz), which is identified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the “millimeter wave” band, FR2 is generally referred to as the “millimeter wave” band. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that if used herein, the term sub “6 GHz” etc. may broadly represent frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, and / or intermediate band frequencies (e.g., greater than 7.125 GHz). Similarly, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that if used herein, the term “millimeter wave” etc. may broadly represent frequencies within the EHF band, frequencies within FR2, and / or intermediate band frequencies (e.g., less than 24.25 GHz). It is contemplated that the frequencies included in FR1 and FR2 may be modified, and the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0046] In some aspects, UE 120 and base station 110 may operate in an unlicensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum band using one or more radio access technologies (such as wireless local area network (WLAN) radio access technology (RAT) (e.g., Wi-Fi), LTE radio access technology, 5G radio access technology, etc.). The unlicensed RF spectrum band may refer to an RF spectrum band that is open for shared use by any device that complies with the rules of a regulatory agency to communicate via the RF spectrum band. Contrary to the use of the vast majority of licensed RF spectrum bands, users of the unlicensed RF spectrum band generally do not have regulatory protection against radio interference from devices of other users. For example, a device using the unlicensed RF spectrum band typically must accept any radio interference caused by other devices using the unlicensed RF spectrum band. Since the unlicensed RF spectrum band can be shared by devices operating under different protocols (e.g., different RATs), a transmitting device may contend for access to the unlicensed RF spectrum band (e.g., using a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure, etc.).

[0047] In some aspects, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more radio frequencies (e.g., one or more RF spectrum bands) included in the radio spectrum (e.g., the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies, or frequencies below approximately 300 gigahertz (GHz)). In some aspects, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more RF spectrum bands that are open for shared use by any device that complies with the rules of a regulatory agency (e.g., associated with a particular country) to communicate via one or more RF spectrum bands. In some aspects, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more radio frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band. For example, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more radio frequencies between approximately 2.4 GHz and 2.48 GHz. Additionally or alternatively, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more radio frequencies in the 5 GHz band. For example, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more radio frequencies between approximately 5.15 GHz and approximately 5.825 GHz.

[0048] The unlicensed RF spectrum band may be divided into channels via which RF communications may be transmitted. In some aspects, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more channels with a bandwidth of approximately 1.4 MHz (e.g., up to 59 channels with a 1.4 MHz bandwidth in the 2.4 GHz band). Additionally or alternatively, the unlicensed RF spectrum band may include one or more channels with a bandwidth of approximately 20 MHz. Wireless devices may communicate via channels included in the unlicensed RF spectrum band. For example, wireless devices may use WLAN radio access technology, LTE radio access technology, 5G radio access technology, etc. to communicate via RF channels.

[0049] In some aspects, a transmitting device (e.g., base station 110, UE 120, etc.) may have to contend for access to an unlicensed RF spectrum band before transmitting a transmission via the unlicensed RF spectrum band. For example, the transmitting device may have to successfully perform a LBT procedure to contend for access to the unlicensed RF spectrum band before obtaining access to the unlicensed RF spectrum band and transmitting thereon. The LBT procedure generally may include performing a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure to determine whether the channel of the unlicensed RF spectrum band is available. Specifically, the CCA procedure may include detecting the energy level on the channel of the unlicensed RF spectrum band and determining whether the energy level meets (e.g., is less than or equal to) a threshold. When the energy level meets the threshold, the CCA procedure is considered successful, and the contention for access to the unlicensed RF spectrum band may be successful. When the energy level does not meet the threshold, the CCA procedure is unsuccessful and the contention for the channel of the unlicensed RF spectrum band may be unsuccessful, and the CCA procedure may be performed again on the channel later.

[0050] As indicated above, Figure 1 is provided as an example. Other examples may be different from the example regarding Figure 1 described.

[0051] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating Example 200 in which base station 110 and UE 120 are in communication in a wireless network according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where generally T≥1 and R≥1.

[0052] At base station 110, transmit processor 220 may receive data for one or more UEs from data source 212, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) for each UE at least in part based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from each UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE at least in part based on the MCSs selected for each UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI), etc.) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRSs)), demodulation reference signals (DMRSs), etc.) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). Transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols when applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process its respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively.

[0053] At the UE 120, antennas 252a through 252r may receive downlink signals from the base station 110 and / or other base stations and may provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMOD) 254a through 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, down-convert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. The MIMO detector 256 may obtain the received symbols from all R demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols when applicable, and provide detected symbols. The receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data for the UE 120 to the data sink 260, and provide the decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280. The term "controller / processor" may refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. The channel processor may determine the reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator (CQI), etc. In some aspects, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in a housing 284.

[0054] The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292. The network controller 130 may include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base station 110 via the communication unit 294.

[0055] On the uplink, at the UE 120, the transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from the data source 262 and control information from the controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by the TX MIMO processor 266 when applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. In some aspects, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of (an) antenna(s) 252, modulator(s) and / or demodulator(s) 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, and / or TX MIMO processor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller / processor 280) and a memory 282 to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein.

[0056] At base station 110, uplink signals from UE 120 and other UEs may be received by antenna 234, processed by demodulator 232, detected by MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 120. Receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to data sink 239 and the decoded control information to controller / processor 240. Base station 110 may include communication unit 244 and communicate with network controller 130 via communication unit 244. Base station 110 may include scheduler 246 to schedule UE 120 for downlink and / or uplink communication. In some aspects, base station 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of (one or more of) antenna 234, modulator and / or demodulator 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and / or TX MIMO processor 230. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller / processor 240) and memory 242 to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein.

[0057] Controller / processor 240 of base station 110, controller / processor 280 of UE 120, and / or Figure 2 any other components of may perform one or more techniques associated with rate matching around a synchronization signal block (SSB) in unlicensed spectrum, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, controller / processor 240 of base station 110, controller / processor 280 of UE 120, and / or Figure 2 any other components of may execute or direct, for example Figure 7 process 700 of Figure 8 process 800 of, and / or operations of other processes as described herein. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program code for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some aspects, memory 242 and / or memory 282 may include: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, when the one or more instructions are executed by one or more processors of base station 110 and / or UE 120 (e.g., executed directly, or after compilation, conversion, interpretation, etc.), the one or more processors, UE 120, and / or base station 110 may perform or direct, for example Figure 7 process 700 of Figure 8 process 800 of, and / or operations of other processes as described herein. In some aspects, executing the instructions may include running the instructions, converting the instructions, compiling the instructions, interpreting the instructions, etc.

[0058] In some aspects, the UE 120 may include: means for receiving a bit map from the base station 110, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; means for performing rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which an SSB transmission is expected, performing the rate matching at least in part based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions compliant with rate matching in the window, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode, etc. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of the UE 120 described in conjunction with Figure 2 such as the controller / processor 280, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, MOD 254, antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, etc.

[0059] In some aspects, the base station 110 may include: means for transmitting a bit map to the UE 120, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode; means for scheduling transmission of one or more SSBs in one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects an SSB transmission at least in part based on the SSB transmission mode, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window at least in part based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions compliant with rate matching in the window, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode, etc. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of the base station 110 described in conjunction with Figure 2 such as antenna 234, DEMOD 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, MOD 232, antenna 234, etc.

[0060] As indicated above, Figure 2 is provided as an example. Other examples may be different from the examples described with respect to Figure 2 the example.

[0061] Figure 3AShows an example frame structure 300 for frequency division duplex (FDD) in a telecommunications system (e.g., NR). The transmission timeline for each of the downlink and uplink can be divided into units of radio frames (sometimes referred to as frames). Each radio frame can have a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)) and can be divided into a set of Z (Z ≥ 1) subframes (e.g., with indices 0 to Z - 1). Each subframe can have a predetermined duration (e.g., 1 ms) and can include a set of time slots (e.g., as shown in Figure 3A shows 2 time slots per subframe m where m is a parameter design for transmission, such as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). Each time slot can include a set of L symbol periods. For example, each time slot can include fourteen symbol periods (e.g., as shown in Figure 3A ), seven symbol periods, or another number of symbol periods. In the case where a subframe includes two time slots (e.g., when m = 1), the subframe can include 2L symbol periods, and the 2L symbol periods in each subframe can be assigned indices 0 to 2L–1. In some aspects, the scheduling unit for FDD can be frame-based, subframe-based, time slot-based, symbol-based, etc.

[0062] Although some techniques are described herein in connection with frames, subframes, time slots, etc., these techniques can equivalently apply to other types of wireless communication structures, which in 5G NR may be referred to using terms other than "frame", "subframe", "time slot", etc. In some aspects, a "wireless communication structure" can refer to a periodically time-bounded communication unit defined by a wireless communication standard and / or protocol. Additionally or alternatively, wireless communication structure configurations different from those shown in Figure 3A can be used.

[0063] In certain telecommunications (e.g., NR), a base station can transmit synchronization (SYNC) signals. For example, the base station can transmit a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), etc. on the downlink for each cell supported by the base station. The PSS and SSS can be used by the UE for cell search and capture. For example, the PSS can be used by the UE to determine symbol timing, while the SSS can be used by the UE to determine the physical cell identifier associated with the base station and frame timing. The base station can also transmit a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The PBCH can carry some system information, such as system information to support the initial access of the UE.

[0064] In some aspects, the base station can transmit the PSS, SSS, and / or PBCH according to a synchronization communication hierarchy (e.g., synchronization signal (SS) hierarchy) that includes multiple synchronization communications (e.g., SSB), as described below in connection with Figure 3B .

[0065] Figure 3B It is a diagram illustrating an example of the SS layer, and the example SS layer is an example of a synchronous communication layer. As Figure 3B shown, the SS layer may include an SS burst set, which may include a plurality of SS bursts (identified as SS burst 0 to SS burst B-1, where B is the maximum number of repetitions of SS bursts that can be transmitted by a base station). As further shown, each SS burst may include one or more SS blocks (identified as SS block 0 to SS block (b max_SS -1), where b max_SS -1 is the maximum number of SS blocks that can be carried by an SS burst). In some aspects, different SS blocks may be beamformed differently. The SS burst set may be periodically transmitted by a wireless node, such as every X milliseconds, as Figure 3B shown. In some aspects, the SS burst set may have a fixed or dynamic length, as shown as Y milliseconds in Figure 3B .

[0066] Figure 3B The SS burst set shown in is an example of a synchronous communication set, and other synchronous communication sets may be used in combination with the techniques described herein. In addition, Figure 3B the SS block shown in is an example of synchronous communication, and other synchronous communications may be used in combination with the techniques described herein.

[0067] In some aspects, the SS block includes resources that can carry the PSS, SSS, PBCH, and / or other synchronization signals (e.g., the third synchronization signal (TSS)) and / or synchronization channels. In some aspects, multiple SS blocks are included in an SS burst, and the PSS, SSS, and / or PBCH may be the same across each SS block of the SS burst. In some aspects, a single SS block may be included in an SS burst. In some aspects, the SS block may be at least four symbol periods in length, where each symbol carries one or more of the PSS (e.g., occupying one symbol), SSS (e.g., occupying one symbol), and / or PBCH (e.g., occupying two symbols).

[0068] In some aspects, the symbols of the SS block are contiguous, as Figure 3B shown. In some aspects, the symbols of the SS block are non-contiguous. Similarly, in some aspects, one or more SS blocks of an SS burst may be transmitted in contiguous radio resources (e.g., contiguous symbol periods) during one or more time slots. Additionally or alternatively, one or more SS blocks of an SS burst may be transmitted in non-contiguous radio resources.

[0069] In some aspects, an SS burst may have a burst period, whereby each SS block of the SS burst is transmitted by the base station according to the burst period. In other words, these SS blocks may be repeated during each SS burst. In some aspects, an SS burst set may have a burst set periodicity, whereby each SS burst of the SS burst set is transmitted by the base station according to a fixed burst set periodicity. In other words, the SS bursts may be repeated during each SS burst set.

[0070] The base station may transmit system information, such as a system information block (SIB), on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in certain time slots. The base station may transmit control information / data on the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in C symbol periods of the time slot, where B may be configurable for each time slot. The base station may transmit traffic data and / or other data on the PDSCH in the remaining symbol periods of each time slot.

[0071] As indicated above, Figure 3A and 3B are provided as examples. Other examples may be different from the examples regarding Figure 3A and 3B described.

[0072] Figure 4 FIG. shows an example time slot format 400 with a normal cyclic prefix. The available time-frequency resources may be partitioned into resource blocks. Each resource block may cover a set of subcarriers (e.g., 12 subcarriers) in a time slot and may include several resource elements. Each resource element may cover one subcarrier in one symbol period (e.g., in time) and may be used to transmit one modulation symbol that may be a real-valued or complex-valued.

[0073] For FDD in some telecommunication systems (e.g., NR), an interleaving structure may be used for each of the downlink and the uplink. For example, Q strands of interleaving with indices from 0 to Q–1 may be defined, where Q may be equal to 4, 6, 8, 10, or some other value. Each strand of interleaving may include time slots spaced Q frames apart. Specifically, interleaving q may include time slots q, q+Q, q+2Q, etc., where q ∈ {0, …, Q–1}.

[0074] A UE may be within the coverage of multiple BSs. One of these BSs may be selected to serve the UE. The serving BS may be selected at least in part based on various criteria such as received signal strength, received signal quality, path loss, etc. The received signal quality may be quantified by a signal-to-noise and interference ratio (SNIR), or a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or some other metric. The UE may operate in a strong interference scenario, in which the UE may observe high interference from one or more interfering BSs.

[0075] While aspects of the examples described herein may be associated with NR or 5G technologies, aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication systems. New Radio (NR) may refer to a radio configured to operate according to a new air interface (e.g., different from an air interface based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)) or a fixed transport layer (e.g., different from Internet Protocol (IP)). In some aspects, NR may utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (referred to herein as cyclic prefix OFDM or CP-OFDM) and / or SC-FDM on the uplink, may utilize CP-OFDM on the downlink and include support for half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplex (TDD). In some aspects, NR may, for example, utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (referred to herein as CP-OFDM) and / or Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) on the uplink, may utilize CP-OFDM on the downlink and include support for half-duplex operation using TDD. NR may include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services targeting broadband widths (e.g., 80 megahertz (MHz) and above), millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequencies (e.g., 60 gigahertz (GHz)), massive machine type communication (mMTC) targeting non-backward compatible MTC technologies, mission critical targeting ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) services, NR in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), and so on.

[0076] In some aspects, a single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz may be supported. An NR resource block may span 12 subcarriers having a subcarrier bandwidth of 60 or 120 kilohertz (kHz) over a duration of 0.1 millisecond (ms). Each radio frame may include 40 time slots and may have a length of 10 ms. Thus, each time slot may have a length of 0.25 ms. Each time slot may indicate a link direction for data transmission (e.g., downlink (DL) or uplink (UL)) and the link direction for each time slot may be switched dynamically. Each time slot may include DL / UL data as well as DL / UL control data.

[0077] Beamforming may be supported and the beam direction may be configured dynamically. MIMO transmission with precoding may also be supported. MIMO configurations in the DL may support up to 8 transmit antennas (multi-layer DL transmission with up to 8 streams) and up to 2 streams per UE. Multi-layer transmission with up to 2 streams per UE may be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells may be supported using up to 8 serving cells. Alternatively, NR may support different air interfaces other than the OFDM-based interface. An NR network may include entities such as a central unit or a distributed unit.

[0078] As indicated above, Figure 4is provided as an example. Other examples may be different from those Figure 4 described.

[0079] Figures 5A - 5B is a diagram illustrating Example 500 of the transmission of Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) in unlicensed spectrum according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0080] In licensed spectrum, SSBs are typically transmitted in fixed positions (e.g., resource elements fixed with respect to time and frequency). However, for unlicensed spectrum, all communications including SSB transmissions first comply with successful media access (e.g., Listen Before Talk (LBT)). Accordingly, in unlicensed spectrum, the SSB transmissions of a base station may potentially be shifted (e.g., delayed in time) depending on when the base station obtains media access. A UE generally expects the base station to transmit an SSB as early as possible within a specific window (e.g., Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) window, SSB Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) window, etc.), which includes up to 2 SSB positions per time slot (e.g., the opportunities when an SSB can be transmitted). In licensed spectrum (e.g., 2 - 7 GHz), a base station can use up to 8 beams to transmit or broadcast SSBs with up to 8 different SSB indices. In unlicensed spectrum, although a base station can still use up to 8 beams to transmit SSBs, there can be more positions where the SSB can be broadcast or otherwise transmitted (e.g., because if the base station does not obtain media access before the (earliest) positions in the window, the base station may not be able to transmit the SSB at an earlier position within the window). For example, in unlicensed spectrum, the window within which a UE can expect SSB transmissions can have a length of up to 5 ms. When a cell associated with the base station uses a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, the window can cover up to 10 candidate positions for SSB transmission, and when the cell uses a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing, the window can cover up to 20 candidate positions for SSB transmission, and so on.

[0081] Accordingly, because SSB transmissions in unlicensed spectrum comply with successful LBT, due to the uncertainty regarding when the base station will obtain media access, the transmission of any specific SSB index in unlicensed spectrum is generally non - deterministic. Specifically, a cell can generally be configured to transmit up to Q beams in a window for SSB transmission after LBT - based media acquisition, where Q can have a value of 1, 2, 4, or 8. For example, Figure 5AScenarios are described where a cell is configured to transmit 4 SSB beams and LBT successfully occurs at the start (or before the window) of a window (e.g., DRS window, SMTC window, etc.) where a UE expects SSB transmission. In this case, if the base station has obtained media access before and / or at the start of the SSB transmission window, the base station can transmit the 4 SSB beams in SSB indices 0 to SSB index Q - 1 (e.g., SSB index 3 in the case where Q = 4). Conversely, Figure 5B Scenarios are described where LBT successfully occurs after the window where a UE expects SSB transmission has started. For example, in Figure 5B it, LBT successfully occurs exactly before the slot index 1 (i.e., the second slot) of the window, whereby the base station can start SSB transmission only at the third SSB position (e.g., SSB index 2), and the base station can continue to transmit up to the sixth SSB position (e.g., SSB index 5). More generally, if the base station is configured to transmit Q beams in the window and LBT successfully occurs exactly before the slot N of the window, the base station can start SSB transmission only at SSB index 2N, and may subsequently continue to transmit up to SSB index Q+(2N–1). In general, the base station can also obtain access to the media in the middle of a slot, in which case the first candidate SSB position for transmitting SSB can have an odd index.

[0082] In addition, another problem to be solved when communicating in unlicensed spectrum is related to rate matching around the SSB position. For example, in licensed spectrum, a UE can generally perform rate matching around the SSB position for a specific physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) (such as a PDSCH that does not include the remaining minimum system information (RMSI)). When performing rate matching around the SSB position, the UE can consider the resource blocks (RBs) or resource elements (REs) at that SSB position as unavailable for PDSCH transmission. For example, the UE can receive a configuration message, such as a burst information message (e.g., "ssb-PositionsInBurst (SSB positions in burst)" message), which can be a bit map or bit sequence used to identify which SSB positions the base station will use for SSB transmission. In some cases, the UE can receive the burst information message before the PDSCH with RMSI is transmitted, and the scheduler can schedule the RMSI PDSCH to avoid overlapping with the SSB, thus eliminating the need for the UE to perform rate matching around that SSB to receive the RMSI. Additionally or alternatively, since the (RE) positions for SSB transmission are fixed in licensed spectrum, the base station can pre-declare the SSB transmission positions in radio resource control (RRC) signaling to notify each UE of the (RE) positions that will be used for SSB transmission. Accordingly, when the base station makes allocations around these SSBs, the UE knows exactly which (RE) positions to perform rate matching around.

[0083] However, in unlicensed spectrum, some SSB positions indicated by the burst information message may not include SSB transmission. For example, to ensure reliability when performing contention-based access procedures (e.g., LBT procedures), the base station can allocate multiple SSB positions for the transmission of the same SSB beam. In this case, the base station can select a single SSB position for the transmission of the SSB beam based on the result of the contention-based access procedure. However, the UE may lack information indicating whether the SSB position is selected for the transmission of the SSB beam. For example, the base station cannot pre-declare which (candidate) positions will be used and / or will not be used for SSB transmission because this decision is made dynamically depending on whether and / or when media access is obtained. In this case, without information on whether the SSB position is being used or not being used, the UE can perform blind rate matching around the SSB position. Although rate matching can work correctly when the UE assumes that the base station will transmit the SSB at each candidate position, in some cases, the UE may perform rate matching around unused SSB candidate positions (e.g., if the base station does not transmit the SSB at this candidate position), which results in poor radio resource utilization efficiency, wasted capacity, etc.

[0084] For example, referring again toFigure 5A , in the case where the UE performs blind rate matching around all candidate SSB positions in the window, the UE can correctly perform rate matching around the first four SSB positions that actually transmit SSBs. However, in the case of 30kHz subcarrier spacing, there may be an additional 16 candidate SSB positions that do not transmit SSBs, in the case of 15kHz subcarrier spacing, there may be an additional 6 candidate SSB positions that do not transmit SSBs, and so on. Accordingly, if the UE continues to perform blind rate matching on the candidate SSB positions in the remainder of the window, poor radio resource utilization efficiency, wasted capacity, etc. may occur. One possible way to alleviate the wasted capacity may be to cause the UE to perform rate matching only on the first Q positions in the window based on the assumption that the base station will transmit the SSB as early as possible within the window. For example, in the case where the base station is configured to transmit four SSB beams, the UE can perform rate matching around the first four candidate SSB positions in the window, and then terminate the rate matching for the remainder of the window. However, in the case where LBT success does not occur until after the window has started, the UE may incorrectly assume that rate matching is not required during the candidate SSB positions that are actually used. For example, in Figure 5B In this case, the LBT success occurs after the window has started and just before the second slot in the window. In this case, the base station will transmit four SSB beams in SSB indices 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the UE will incorrectly assume that rate matching is not required in SSB indices 4 and 5.

[0085] Some aspects described herein relate to techniques and apparatus for performing rate matching around SSBs in an unlicensed spectrum. For example, a base station may transmit and a UE may receive a bitmap that includes a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode. For example, each bit in the bitmap that is set to one (1) may correspond to a candidate SSB position where an SSB is to be transmitted, and each bit in the bitmap that is set to zero (0) may correspond to a candidate SSB position where an SSB is not to be transmitted. In some aspects, the UE may be configured to select a candidate SSB position based on a first parameter Q. p and the second parameter Q m To interpret the bitmap, the first parameter Q p The second parameter Q can indicate the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching. m It can indicate the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode. p positions (e.g., SSB index 0 to Q p -1) Perform rate matching, where the bitmap position SSB index (SSB Index) mod Q mThe bit at [location] is set to 1. For example, if Q p equals 8, Q m equals 4, and the first 4 bits in the bit mapping are set to "0101", the UE can perform rate matching on the SSB candidate positions corresponding to SSB indices 1, 3, 5, and 7. Additionally, when the SSB is transmitted in the SSB candidate positions where the SSB index is greater than or equal to Q p , the base station can dispose of the allocation to avoid SSB conflicts in the affected symbols, or the base station can indicate that the SSB candidate positions where the SSB index is greater than or equal to Q p are rate-matchable regions and provide downlink control information to indicate to the UE when to perform rate matching on the rate-matchable regions.

[0086] As indicated above, Figures 5A - 5B is provided as an example. Other examples may be different from the example described with respect to Figures 5A - 5B .

[0087] Figures 6A - 6B is a diagram illustrating Example 600 of rate matching around an SSB in unlicensed spectrum according to various aspects of the present disclosure. As Figures 6A - 6B shown, Example 600 includes a UE and a base station communicating over an unlicensed spectrum.

[0088] As Figure 6A shown and indicated by reference numeral 610, the base station can transmit and the UE can receive configuration information including a bit mapping that indicates one or more candidate SSB positions where the UE is to perform rate matching in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission. For example, in some aspects, the bit mapping can include an RRC parameter (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst) that includes a bit sequence (or bit string), where the parameter Q m indicates the number of bits defining an initial number of SSB transmission patterns. Specifically, in some aspects, the first Q m bits in the bit sequence can define the SSB transmission pattern, and the SSB transmission pattern indicated in the first Q m bits can subsequently be repeated over the first Q p candidate SSB positions in the window. For example, in Figure 6A , Q m equals 3 and Q p equals 9. Accordingly, since Q m equals 3, the first 3 bits in the bit mapping define the SSB transmission pattern, and since Q p equals 9, the SSB transmission pattern is repeated 3 times over the first 9 candidate SSB positions. In some aspects, the parameter Qp and Q m may be included in the configuration information transmitted from the base station to the UE. Additionally or alternatively, in some aspects, the parameter Q p and Q m can be preconfigured at the UE, defined with reference to another parameter, etc.

[0089] For example, in some aspects, the configuration information transmitted by the base station and received by the UE may include the value of the parameter Q, which may generally have a value of 1, 2, 4, or 8. For example, in some aspects, the UE may obtain the value of Q from cell broadcasts (e.g., PBCH), dedicated signaling (when the UE is in a connected state), etc. Generally, the base station may be configured to transmit a total of up to Q beams in the window in which the UE expects SSB transmission, and the value of Q may indicate the quasi - co - location (QCL) relationship between the beams that the base station uses to transmit SSB during that window. For example, the UE may assume that all SSB beams transmitted by the base station when Q = 1 are quasi - co - located (QCL), may assume that beams separated by four SSBs are QCL when Q = 4, etc. Accordingly, in Index SSB-A (index SSB-A ) mod Q = Index SSB-B (index SSB-B ) mod Q, the beams used to transmit SSB in index SSB-A and index SSB-B are QCL with respect to each other.

[0090] Accordingly, in some aspects, Q p can be configured to be equal to Q, in which case Q p is equal to the number of beams that the base station uses to transmit SSB in that window. Additionally or alternatively, Q p can be defined to be greater than Q to indicate that one or more SSB beams will be transmitted multiple times to increase coverage (e.g., a combination of Q = 4 and Q p = 8 can indicate that the base station will use four unique beams to transmit SSB, and each unique beam will be transmitted twice). Additionally or alternatively, Q p can correspond to the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window. For example, in a cell with a 15 kHz sub - carrier spacing, the window may correspond to a DRS window with a maximum duration of 5 ms, in which case Q p can be equal to 10 (e.g., the maximum number of candidate SSB positions that can be accommodated in a DRS window with a 5 ms duration). In another example, in a cell with a 30 kHz sub - carrier spacing, in the case where Q p corresponds to the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window, Q pmay be equal to 20. Additionally or alternatively, Q p may correspond to the total number of candidate SSB positions in a window configured by the base station (e.g., in a case where the duration of the window in which SSB transmissions occur is shorter than the maximum value).

[0091] Furthermore, in some aspects, Q m may be configured to be equal to Q (e.g., the number of beams used by the base station to transmit SSBs in the window). Additionally or alternatively, Q m and Q p may be equal to each other. Additionally or alternatively, Q m may be configured to be independent of Q, Q p as separate parameters, etc. However, generally, Q p may be a multiple of Q m to ensure that the SSB transmission pattern indicated by the first Q p bits in the bit mapping is repeated over the first Q m SSB positions in the window accounting for all candidate SSB positions for which the UE is to perform rate matching in the initial part of the window.

[0092] As Figure 6A shown in and further illustrated by reference numeral 620, the UE may at least partially perform rate matching in the initial part of the window based on a bit mapping received from the base station, a parameter Q m indicating the number of initial bits defining the SSB transmission pattern, and a parameter Q p indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching. For example, Figure 6A illustrates an example case where the first 3 bits in the data mapping are set to "001", Q m = 3, and Q p = 9. Accordingly, in example 600 as shown in Figure 6A the UE may selectively perform rate matching around every third candidate SSB position, starting from the third candidate SSB position with SSB index 2, and the SSB transmission pattern is repeated three times to cover the first Q p candidate SSB positions (e.g., the UE selectively performs rate matching at the third, sixth, and ninth candidate SSB positions).

[0093] Additionally or alternatively, a bit sequence in a bit map received from a base station may have a maximum bit length greater than or equal to the total number of candidate SSB positions in a window, which may allow the bit map to accurately indicate to a UE which candidate SSB positions to rate match around. For example, the bit map may include a 64-bit string for the ssb-PositionsInBurst parameter, or a separate parameter having a number of bits based on the number of candidate SSB positions in the window (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst-Unlicensed). For example, in a cell having a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, the bit map may include at least 10 bits, and the first 10 bits of the bit map may indicate whether to transmit an SSB in a corresponding candidate SSB position (such that the UE is to perform rate matching). In another example, in the case where a cell has a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing, the bit map may include at least 20 bits such that the bit map can specify whether to transmit an SSB in each candidate SSB position that appears in the window (such that the UE is to perform rate matching). Accordingly, in the case where the bit map received from the base station has a maximum bit length greater than or equal to the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window, an initial portion of the window may cover the entire window (e.g., Q m = Q p = the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window).

[0094] As Figure 6B further shown in and by reference numeral 630 in the drawings, a base station may transmit and a UE may receive configuration information related to PDSCH allocations in a later portion of the window. For example, as described above, an initial portion of the window may cover the first Q p candidate SSB positions in the window, which in some cases may include fewer candidate SSB positions than the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window. In this case, if the first Q p candidate SSB positions cover SSB indices 0 to Q p - 1, configuration information related to PDSCH allocations in a later portion of the window may be provided to handle rate matching for SSBs transmitted in candidate SSB positions having an SSB index greater than or equal to Q p .

[0095] For example, in some aspects, a base station may configure a rate matching resource set that defines one or more rate matchable regions, which may cover one or more resource elements (REs) in which SSB transmissions may be performed. For example, in Figure 6BIn [text not provided], the PDSCH allocation in each time slot after successful FBT can cover a certain frequency, and the rate matching region can include the REs within the PDSCH allocation that can be used to transmit the SSB. In some aspects, the rate matching region can be signaled to the UE via RRC signaling, cell broadcast, dedicated signaling (when the UE is in the connected mode), etc. Additionally, in some aspects, the configuration information related to the PDSCH allocation in the later part of the window can include downlink control information (DCI) to indicate whether the UE is to perform rate matching in the rate matching region. For example, the DCI can include one or more rate matching bits, which can signal whether the UE is to perform rate matching in one or more rate matching regions depending on whether the base station is to transmit the SSB in the corresponding candidate SSB location. In some aspects, the DCI used to indicate whether the UE is to perform rate matching in one or more rate matching regions can be indicated via DCI format 1_1 or via DCI format 1_0, which are generally used to schedule the PDSCH in a cell. In the latter case, the PDSCH allocation can be signaled as non-residual minimum system information (non-RMSI) to indicate that rate matching is to be performed around the corresponding candidate SSB location.

[0096] As in Figure 6B and further shown by reference numeral 640, the UE can selectively perform rate matching in the later part of the window based on the configuration information related to the PDSCH allocation in the later part of the window. For example, in the case where the configuration information includes DCI, the DCI has one or more rate matching bits to indicate the rate matching pattern of the SSB transmitted in the candidate SSB location with an index greater than or equal to Q p , one or more bits to indicate the candidate SSB location in which to perform rate matching, etc., and the UE can selectively perform rate matching around the candidate SSB location(s) indicated in the DCI. For example, as described above, the base station can pre-configure one or more rate matching regions, which include the REs in which the SSB can be transmitted, and if the DCI transmitted by the base station indicates that the SSB is to be transmitted in the corresponding candidate SSB location, the UE can perform rate matching in the rate matching region.

[0097] Additionally or alternatively, instead of transmitting the configuration information related to the PDSCH allocation in the later part of the window and enabling the UE to selectively perform rate matching, the base station can independently handle the rate matching for the candidate SSB portions with SSB indices greater than or equal to Q p in the later part of the window. For example, in Figure 6BIn , the last time slot in the window includes a PDSCH allocation in which the base station has allocated around the REs in which the SSB is to be transmitted (e.g., the PDSCH allocation does not include any time or frequency resources that conflict with the REs in which the SSB is to be transmitted). In this way, the base station can determine the PDSCH allocation that covers the region overlapping with the REs in which the SSB is to be transmitted, such that if the base station transmits the SSB at one or more candidate positions beyond the first Q p candidate positions in the window, the UE may not have to implement any rate matching logic in the later part of the window, because the base station appropriately handles rate matching or otherwise makes an allocation around the (if any) candidate SSB positions where the SSB is transmitted in the later part of the window.

[0098] As indicated above, Figures 6A - 6B is provided as an example. Other examples may be different from the example described with respect to Figures 6A - 6B described above.

[0099] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example process 700 performed, for example, by a UE in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 700 is an example of operations performed by a UE (e.g., UE 120, etc.) related to rate matching around an SSB in unlicensed spectrum.

[0100] As Figure 7 shown, in some aspects, process 700 may include receiving, from a base station, a bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode (block 710). For example, as described above, the UE (e.g., using antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, controller / processor 280, etc.) may receive, from the base station, a bit map including a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode.

[0101] As Figure 7As further shown in, in some aspects, process 700 may include: performing rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window where SSB transmission is expected, performing the rate matching based at least in part on the bit mapping, a first parameter indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with the rate matching, and a second parameter indicating the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission pattern (block 720). For example, the UE may (e.g., using antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, controller / processor 280, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, MOD 254, antenna 252, etc.) perform rate matching around one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window where SSB transmission is expected, performing the rate matching based at least in part on the bit mapping, a first parameter indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with the rate matching, and a second parameter indicating the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission pattern, as described above.

[0102] Process 700 may include additional aspects, such as any individual aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0103] In a first aspect, one or more of the first parameter or the second parameter is equal to the number of beams used by the base station to transmit the SSB in the window.

[0104] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the first parameter is equal to one or more of the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window or the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window.

[0105] In a third aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the first parameter has a value that is at least partially based on the subcarrier spacing used in the cell associated with the base station.

[0106] In a fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the SSB transmission pattern defined by the number of initial bits in the bit sequence repeats over the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with the rate matching.

[0107] In a fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the bit sequence has a maximum bit length that is greater than or equal to the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window.

[0108] In a sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the bit sequence has a bit length that is at least partially based on the subcarrier spacing used in the cell associated with the base station.

[0109] In a seventh aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, process 700 includes receiving scheduling information from a base station, the scheduling information including a resource allocation that avoids collision with one or more SSB transmissions occurring after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter.

[0110] In an eighth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, process 700 includes: receiving downlink control information from a base station, the downlink control information including one or more rate matching bits for indicating a rate matching pattern for scheduling one or more SSB transmissions occurring after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; and performing rate matching around one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions at least partially based on the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits.

[0111] In a ninth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, process 700 includes: receiving, in downlink control information from a base station, one or more bits for indicating one or more SSB positions at which rate matching is to be performed after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter, and performing rate matching around the one or more SSB positions indicated by the one or more bits in the downlink control information.

[0112] In a tenth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, process 700 includes receiving signaling from a base station indicating a window in which an SSB transmission is expected.

[0113] Although Figure 7 illustrates example blocks of process 700, in some aspects, process 700 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks compared to the blocks depicted in Figure 7 Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 700 may be performed in parallel.

[0114] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example process 800, such as performed by a base station, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 800 is an example of operations performed by a base station (e.g., base station 110, etc.) related to rate matching around SSBs in unlicensed spectrum.

[0115] Figure 8FIG. 0 is a diagram illustrating an example process 800, performed, for example, by a base station, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 800 is an example of operations performed by a base station (e.g., base station 110, etc.) associated with rate matching around a synchronization signal block in unlicensed spectrum.

[0116] As Figure 8 shown, in some aspects, process 800 may include transmitting to a UE a bit mapping (block 810) that includes a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode. For example, a base station (e.g., using controller / processor 240, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, MOD 232, antenna 234, etc.) may transmit to the UE a bit mapping that includes a bit sequence for indicating an SSB transmission mode, as described above.

[0117] As Figure 8 further shown, in some aspects, process 800 may include scheduling transmission of one or more SSBs in one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission, at least in part based on the SSB transmission mode, and performing rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window, where the UE performs rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window, at least in part based on the bit mapping, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode (block 820). For example, a base station (e.g., using controller / processor 240, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, MOD 232, antenna 234, etc.) may schedule transmission of one or more SSBs in one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission, at least in part based on the SSB transmission mode, as described above. In some aspects, the UE performs rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window, at least in part based on the bit mapping, a first parameter indicating a number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating a number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

[0118] Process 800 may include additional aspects, such as any individual aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0119] In a first aspect, one or more of the first parameter or the second parameter is equal to a number of beams used by the base station to transmit one or more SSBs.

[0120] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the first parameter is equal to one or more of the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window or the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window.

[0121] In a third aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the first parameter has a value that is at least partially based on the subcarrier spacing used in the cell associated with the base station.

[0122] In a fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the SSB transmission pattern defined by the number of initial bits in the bit sequence repeats on the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching.

[0123] In a fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the bit sequence has a maximum bit length that is greater than or equal to the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window.

[0124] In a sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the bit sequence has a bit length that is at least partially based on the subcarrier spacing used in the cell associated with the base station.

[0125] In a seventh aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, process 800 includes transmitting scheduling information to the UE, the scheduling information including a resource allocation that avoids a conflict with one or more SSB transmissions occurring after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter.

[0126] In an eighth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, process 800 includes: transmitting downlink control information to the UE, the downlink control information including one or more rate matching bits for indicating a rate matching pattern for one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; and performing the one or more SSB transmissions according to the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more SSB transmissions at least partially based on the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits.

[0127] In a ninth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, process 800 includes: transmitting, in downlink control information, to a UE one or more bits for indicating one or more SSB positions in which rate matching is to be performed after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by a first parameter; and performing one or more SSB transmissions in the one or more SSB positions indicated by the one or more bits in the downlink control information, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more SSB positions based at least in part on the one or more bits in the downlink control information.

[0128] In a tenth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, process 800 includes transmitting signaling to a UE indicating a window in which SSB transmissions are to be expected.

[0129] Although Figure 8 illustrative blocks of process 800 are shown, in some aspects, process 800 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or blocks arranged differently than those depicted in Figure 8 . Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 800 may be performed in parallel.

[0130] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired by practicing the aspects.

[0131] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, a processor is implemented with hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0132] As used herein, depending on the context, meeting a threshold may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc.

[0133] It will be apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. The actual special control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit the aspects. Accordingly, the operations and behavior of these systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code—understanding that software and hardware can be designed to implement these systems and / or methods at least in part based on the description herein.

[0134] Although particular feature combinations are recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of each aspect. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or not disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of each aspect includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in this group of claims. A phrase that recites "at least one" of a list of items refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination having multiple of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0135] Elements, acts, or instructions used herein should not be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Additionally, as used herein, the article "the" is intended to include one or more items referred to in conjunction with the article "the" and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Further, as used herein, the terms "set" and "group" are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, combinations of related and unrelated items, etc.) and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Where only one item is intended, the phrase "only one" or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms "having," "containing," "including," etc. are intended to be open-ended terms. Additionally, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "at least partially based on" unless otherwise explicitly stated. Also, as used herein, the term "or" when used in a series is intended to be inclusive and may be used interchangeably with "and / or" unless otherwise explicitly stated (e.g., when used in conjunction with "any of" or "only one of").

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: Receiving a bit map from a base station, the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission mode and indicating one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which an SSB transmission is expected; and Performing rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions, performing the rate matching based at least in part on the bit map, a first parameter indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the first parameter or the second parameter is equal to the number of beams used by the base station to transmit SSBs in the window.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter is equal to one or more of the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window or the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the value of the first parameter or the bit length of the bit sequence is at least partially based on a subcarrier spacing used in a cell associated with the base station.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the SSB transmission mode defined by the number of initial bits in the bit sequence is repeated on the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bit sequence has a maximum bit length greater than or equal to the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving scheduling information from the base station, the scheduling information including a resource allocation that avoids a conflict with one or more SSB transmissions occurring after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving downlink control information from the base station, the downlink control information including one or more rate matching bits for indicating a rate matching pattern for one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; And Performing rate matching around the one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions at least partially based on the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving from the base station in downlink control information one or more bits for indicating one or more SSB positions in which rate matching is to be performed after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; And Performing rate matching around the one or more SSB positions indicated by the one or more bits in the downlink control information.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, from the base station, signaling indicating the window in which the SSB transmission is expected.

11. A wireless communication method performed by a base station, comprising: Transmitting a bit map to a user equipment (UE), the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission mode and indicating one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission; And Scheduling transmission of one or more SSBs at the one or more candidate SSB positions at least in part based on the SSB transmission mode, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window at least in part based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions conforming to rate matching in the window, and a second parameter indicating the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein one or more of the first parameter or the second parameter is equal to the number of beams used by the base station to transmit the one or more SSBs.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first parameter is equal to one or more of the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window or the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein one or more of the value of the first parameter or the bit length of the bit sequence is at least in part based on a subcarrier spacing used in a cell associated with the base station.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the SSB transmission mode defined by the number of initial bits in the bit sequence is repeated on the number of initial candidate SSB positions conforming to rate matching in the window.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the bit sequence has a maximum bit length greater than or equal to the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: Transmitting scheduling information to the UE, the scheduling information including resource allocation to avoid collision with one or more SSB transmissions occurring after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: Transmitting downlink control information to the UE, the downlink control information including one or more rate matching bits for indicating a rate matching pattern for one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; And Performing the one or more SSB transmissions according to the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more SSB transmissions at least in part based on the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, in downlink control information, to the UE one or more bits for indicating one or more SSB positions where rate matching is to be performed after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter, and performing one or more SSB transmissions at the one or more SSB positions indicated by the one or more bits in the downlink control information, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more SSB positions at least partially based on the one or more bits in the downlink control information.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: transmitting to the UE signaling indicating the window in which the SSB transmission is to be expected.

21. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to: receive, from a base station, a bit map that includes a bit sequence for indicating a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission mode and indicates one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which an SSB transmission is expected; and perform rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions, performing the rate matching at least partially based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that are subject to rate matching, and a second parameter indicating the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

22. The UE according to claim 21, wherein one or more of the first parameter or the second parameter is equal to the number of beams used by the base station to transmit SSBs in the window.

23. The UE according to claim 21, wherein the first parameter is equal to one or more of the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window or the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window.

24. The UE according to claim 21, wherein the memory and the one or more processors are further configured to: receive, from the base station, downlink control information that includes one or more rate matching bits for indicating a rate matching pattern for one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; and perform rate matching around the one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions at least partially based on the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits.

25. The UE according to claim 21, wherein the memory and the one or more processors are further configured to: Receive, in the downlink control information from the base station, one or more bits for indicating one or more SSB positions at which rate matching is to be performed after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; and Perform rate matching around the one or more SSB positions indicated by the one or more bits in the downlink control information.

26. A base station for wireless communication, comprising: A memory; And One or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to: Transmit a bit map to a user equipment (UE), the bit map including a bit sequence for indicating a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission mode and indicating one or more candidate SSB positions in an initial portion of a window in which the UE expects SSB transmission; And Schedule transmission of one or more SSBs among the one or more candidate SSB positions at least in part based on the SSB transmission mode, wherein the UE performs rate matching around the one or more candidate SSB positions in the initial portion of the window at least in part based on the bit map, a first parameter indicating the number of initial candidate SSB positions in the window that comply with rate matching, and a second parameter indicating the number of initial bits in the bit sequence that define the SSB transmission mode.

27. The base station of claim 26, wherein one or more of the first parameter or the second parameter is equal to the number of beams used by the base station to transmit the one or more SSBs.

28. The base station of claim 26, wherein the first parameter is equal to one or more of the total number of candidate SSB positions in the window or the total number of candidate SSB positions in the maximum duration of the window.

29. The base station of claim 26, wherein the memory and the one or more processors are further configured to: Transmit downlink control information to the UE, the downlink control information including one or more rate matching bits for indicating a rate matching pattern for one or more SSB transmissions scheduled to occur after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter; and Perform the one or more SSB transmissions according to the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits, wherein the UE is to perform rate matching around the one or more SSB transmissions at least in part based on the rate matching pattern indicated by the one or more rate matching bits.

30. The base station of claim 26, wherein the memory and the one or more processors are further configured to: Transmit, in the downlink control information, to the UE one or more bits for indicating one or more SSB positions at which rate matching is to be performed after the number of initial candidate SSB positions indicated by the first parameter, and Perform one or more SSB transmissions at the one or more SSB positions indicated by the one or more bits in the downlink control information, where the UE is to perform rate matching around the one or more SSB positions based at least in part on the one or more bits in the downlink control information.

Images