TDM / FDM multiplexing of data and synchronization blocks in multi-beam transmissions

Abstract

TDM / FDM multiplexing of data with synchronization blocks in multi-beam transmissions is disclosed. Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for data transmission in synchronization slots. A method for a base station for data transmission in synchronization slots includes transmitting a synchronization signal (SS) burst, where different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams, and performing frequency division multiplexing (FDM) or time division multiplexing (TDM) to include one or more other types of signals that need to be multicast and likewise transmitted using different transmit beams.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese invention patent application with the application date of March 3, 2018, application number 201880015683.4 (international application number PCT / US2018 / 020801), and invention name “Multiplexing of data and synchronization block TDM / FDM in multi-beam transmission”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 467,746, filed on March 6, 2017, and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 910,449, filed on March 2, 2018. The foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for data transmission in synchronized time slots. Background Art

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 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, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0006] In some examples, a wireless multiple access communication system may include several base stations, each of which simultaneously supports communication with multiple communication devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE)). In an LTE or LTE-A network, a collection of one or more base stations may define an evolved Node B (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in a next-generation or 5G network), a wireless multiple access communication system may include several distributed units (DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), transmission reception points (TRPs), etc.) in communication with several central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes (CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.), wherein a collection of one or more distributed units in communication with the central unit may define an access node (e.g., new radio base stations (NR BSs), new radio Node Bs (NR NBs), network nodes, 5GNBs, eNBs, etc.). A base station or DU may communicate with a group of UEs on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a base station to a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to a base station or distributed unit).

[0007] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, and even global level. An example of an emerging telecommunication standard is New Radio (NR), for example, 5G radio access. NR is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA with cyclic prefix (CP) on downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation.

[0008] However, as demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, there is a desire for further improvements in NR technology. Preferably, these improvements should also be applicable to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ them. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the disclosure as expressed in the appended claims, some features will now be briefly discussed. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description," one will understand how the features of the present disclosure provide advantages, including improved communication between access points and stations in a wireless network.

[0010] Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communication by a base station (BS). The method generally includes transmitting a synchronization signal (SS) burst, wherein different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams, and performing frequency division multiplexing (FDM) to include one or more other types of signals with the SS burst, also transmitted using different transmit beams.

[0011] Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes receiving a synchronization signal (SS) burst, wherein different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams, and receiving other types of signals within the SS burst, also transmitted using different transmit beams, wherein the one or more other types of signals are included in the SS burst using frequency division multiplexing (FDM).

[0012] Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communication by a base station. The method generally includes transmitting a synchronization signal (SS) burst, wherein different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams, and performing time division multiplexing (TDM) to include one or more other types of signals, also transmitted using different transmit beams, within the duration of the SS burst or in a separate duration.

[0013] Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communication by a UE. The method generally includes:

[0014] Receive a synchronization signal (SS) burst, wherein different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams, and receive one or more other types of signals within the SS burst that are also transmitted using different transmit beams, wherein the one or more other types of signals are included in the duration of the SS burst or in a separate duration by performing time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0015] Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer-readable media, and processing systems substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying figures.

[0016] To accomplish the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. However, these features are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to encompass all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order that the manner in which the above-recited features of the present disclosure may be understood in detail, a more particular description of the content briefly summarized above may be obtained by reference to various aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equally effective aspects.

[0018] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example telecommunications system in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example logical architecture of a distributed RAN in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example physical architecture of a distributed RAN in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a design of an example BS and user equipment (UE), in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example for implementing a communication protocol stack in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6 Illustrated are examples of DL-centric subframes in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 7 Illustrated are examples of UL-centric subframes in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 8 Illustrated are example operations for a base station to transmit frequency division multiplexed (FDM) data within a synchronization signal (SS) burst, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 9 Illustrated is a method for a user equipment (UE) to receive a Figure 8 Example operation of SS burst.

[0027] Figure 10 Illustrated are example operations for a base station to transmit time division multiplexed (TDM) data within a synchronization signal (SS) burst, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 11 Illustrated is a method for a user equipment (UE) to receive a Figure 10 Example operation of SS burst.

[0029] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspect may be beneficially utilized in other aspects without specific recitation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for data transmission in synchronized time slots.

[0031] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for New Radio (NR) (new radio access technology or 5G technology).

[0032] NR can support various wireless communication services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) targeting wide bandwidth (e.g., over 80 MHz), millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequency (e.g., 60 GHz), massive MTC (mMTC) targeting non-backward compatible MTC technology, and / or mission-critical services targeting ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). These services may include latency and reliability requirements. These services may also have different transmission time intervals (TTIs) to meet corresponding quality of service (QoS) requirements. In addition, these services can coexist in the same subframe.

[0033] As further described below, under the 5G wireless communication standard of 3GGP, a certain structure has been defined for the NR synchronization (sync) channel (or NR-SS). More specifically, a group of consecutive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols carrying different types of synchronization channels (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), tertiary synchronization signal (TSS), physical broadcast channel (PBCH)) form a synchronization signal block (SS block). In some cases, different SS blocks may be transmitted by a base station (e.g., BS 110) on different beams to achieve beam sweeping for the synchronization channel, which can be used by a UE (e.g., UE 120) to quickly identify and acquire a cell. In this way, one or more channels in the SS block may be used for measurement. In some cases, the SS block may be multiplexed with other channels (e.g., using frequency division multiplexing or time division multiplexing), which may similarly need to be multicast or beam swept together with the NR-SS. However, in some cases, applying multiplexing to NR-SS on channels that transmit intermittently (e.g., paging, etc.) can result in intermittent changes in NR-SS power, which can affect cell quality measurements made by the UE or cause some performance issues. Accordingly, certain embodiments described herein are directed to eliminating or mitigating the impact of signal power fluctuations on cell quality measurements or other performance aspects when NR-SS blocks are multiplexed with other channels.

[0034] The following description provides examples and does not limit the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Various examples may appropriately omit, replace, or add various procedures or components. For example, the methods described may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with reference to some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, a device or method may be implemented using any number of aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods that are practiced using other structures, functionalities, or structures and functionalities that are supplementary to or in addition to the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be implemented by one or more elements of the claims. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or superior to other aspects.

[0035] The techniques described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks, such as LTE, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and other networks. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) and cdma2000. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other CDMA variants. cdma2000 covers the IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network can implement radio technologies such as NR (e.g., 5G RA), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, and the like. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). NR is an emerging wireless communication technology being developed in collaboration with the 5G Technology Forum (5GTF). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Advanced LTE (LTE-A) are versions of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies mentioned above as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, although various aspects may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G and / or 4G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied in communication systems based on other generations, such as 5G and later generations, including NR technology.

[0036] Example Wireless Communication System

[0037] Figure 1 An example wireless network 100, such as a New Radio (NR) or 5G network, is illustrated in which aspects of the present disclosure may be performed.

[0038] like Figure 1As illustrated in , the wireless network 100 may include several BSs 110 and other network entities. A BS may be a station that communicates with a UE. Each BS 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to the coverage area of ​​a B node and / or a B node subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In NR systems, the terms "cell" and eNB, B node, 5G NB, AP, NR BS, NR BS, or TRP may be interchangeable. In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cell may move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In some examples, base stations may be interconnected to each other and / or to one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, or the like using any suitable transport network).

[0039] In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network may support a specific radio access technology (RAT) and may operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may also be referred to as a radio technology, air interface, etc. A frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0040] A BS may provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. 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), UEs of users in a residence, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG, BSs 110a, 110b, and 110c may be macro BSs for macro cells 102a, 102b, and 102c, respectively. BS 110x may be a pico BS for pico cell 102x. BSs 110y and 110z may be femto BSs for femto cells 102y and 102z, respectively. A BS may support one or more (e.g., three) cells.

[0041] The wireless network 100 may also include a relay station. A relay station is a station that receives transmissions of data and / or other information from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and sends transmissions of the data and / or other information to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that relays transmissions for other UEs. Figure 1 In the example shown in , a relay station 110r may communicate with a BS 110a and a UE 120r to facilitate communication between the BS 110a and the UE 120r. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, a relay, or the like.

[0042] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs (e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relays, 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., 20 watts), while a pico BS, a femto BS, and a relay may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 1 watt).

[0043] Wireless network 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, each BS can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs can be roughly aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, each BS can have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein can be used for both synchronous and asynchronous operation.

[0044] A network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of BSs and provide coordination and control for these BSs. The network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs 110 via a backhaul. The BSs 110 may also communicate with each other, directly or indirectly, for example, via a wireless or wired backhaul.

[0045] UEs 120 (e.g., 120x, 120y, etc.) may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as a mobile station, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, station, customer premises equipment (CPE), cellular phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, laptop computer, cordless phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, tablet device, camera, gaming device, netbook, smartbook, ultrabook, medical device or medical equipment, biometric sensor / device, wearable device (such as smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart necklace, etc.)), entertainment device (e.g., music device, video device, satellite radio, etc.), vehicle component or sensor, smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. Some UEs may be considered evolved or machine type communication (MTC) devices or evolved MTC (eMTC) devices. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which can communicate with a BS, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node can provide connectivity to or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network), for example, via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Figure 1 In FIG, a solid line with double arrows indicates desired transmissions between a UE and a serving BS, which is a BS designated to serve the UE on the downlink and / or uplink. A dashed line with double arrows indicates interfering transmissions between the UE and the BS.

[0046] Some wireless networks (e.g., LTE) utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, also often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally speaking, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, while the minimum resource allocation (called a 'resource block') can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Thus, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0047] Although aspects of the examples described herein may be associated with LTE technology, aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication systems, such as NR. NR may utilize OFDM with CP on the uplink and downlink, and include support for half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). A single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz may be supported. NR resource blocks may span 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier bandwidth of 75 kHz over a duration of 0.1 ms. Each radio frame may include 50 subframes with a length of 10 ms. Therefore, each subframe may have a length of 0.2 ms. Each subframe may indicate a link direction (i.e., DL or UL) for data transmission, and the link direction for each subframe may be switched dynamically. Each subframe may include DL / UL data and DL / UL control data. The following may refer to Figure 6 and 7 The UL and DL subframes for NR are described in more detail. Beamforming can be supported and the beam direction can be dynamically configured. MIMO transmission with precoding can also be supported. The MIMO configuration in the DL can 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 can be supported. Up to 8 serving cells can be used to support the aggregation of multiple cells. Alternatively, in addition to being based on OFDM, NR can support different air interfaces. The NR network may include entities such as CU and / or DU.

[0048] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources for communication between some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below, a scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinate entities. That is, for scheduled communications, the subordinate entities utilize the resources allocated by the scheduling entity. The base station is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE may be used as a scheduling entity, thereby scheduling resources for one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). In this example, the UE is acting as a scheduling entity, and other UEs utilize the resources scheduled by the UE for wireless communication. The UE may act as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network and / or in a mesh network. In the mesh network example, the UEs may optionally communicate directly with each other in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity.

[0049] Thus, in a wireless communication network having scheduled access to time-frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2P configuration, and a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one or more subordinate entities may communicate using the scheduled resources.

[0050] As mentioned above, the RAN may include a CU and a DU. An NR BS (e.g., an eNB, a 5G Node B, a Node B, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), an Access Point (AP)) may correspond to one or more BSs. An NR cell may be configured as an access cell (ACell) or a data-only cell (DCell). For example, the RAN (e.g., a central unit or a distributed unit) may configure these cells. A DCell may be a cell used for carrier aggregation or dual connectivity but not for initial access, cell selection / reselection, or handover. In some cases, a DCell may not transmit a synchronization signal—in some cases, a DCell may transmit an SS. The NR BS may transmit a downlink signal to the UE to indicate the cell type. Based on the cell type indication, the UE may communicate with the NR BS. For example, the UE may determine, based on the indicated cell type, an NR BS to be considered for cell selection, access, handover, and / or measurement.

[0051] Figure 2 Illustrated is an example logical architecture of a distributed radio access network (RAN) 200, which may be Figure 1206. The 5G access node 206 may include an access node controller (ANC) 202. The ANC may be a central unit (CU) of the distributed RAN 200. The backhaul interface to the next generation core network (NG-CN) 204 may terminate at the ANC. The backhaul interface to the adjacent next generation access node (NG-AN) may terminate at the ANC. The ANC may include one or more TRPs 208 (which may also be referred to as BS, NR BS, B node, 5G NB, AP or some other terminology). As described above, TRP may be used interchangeably with "cell".

[0052] TRP 208 may be a DU. A TRP may be connected to one ANC (ANC 202) or more than one ANC (not illustrated). For example, for RAN sharing, Radio as a Service (RaaS), and service-specific ANC deployments, a TRP may be connected to more than one ANC. A TRP may include one or more antenna ports. TRPs may be configured to serve traffic to a UE individually (e.g., dynamically selected) or jointly (e.g., for joint transmission).

[0053] The local architecture 200 can be used to illustrate a fronthaul definition. The architecture can be defined to support fronthaul solutions across different deployment types. For example, the architecture can be based on transport network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and / or jitter).

[0054] The architecture may share features and / or components with LTE. According to various aspects, the Next Generation AN (NG-AN) 210 may support dual connectivity with NR. The NG-AN may share a common fronthaul for both LTE and NR.

[0055] This architecture enables collaboration between and among TRPs 208. For example, collaboration can be provisioned within a TRP and / or across TRPs via ANC 202. According to various aspects, an inter-TRP interface may not be required / present.

[0056] According to various aspects, dynamic configuration of split logic functions may exist within architecture 200. Figure 5 As described in more detail, the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer may be adaptively placed at the DU or CU (e.g., at the TRP or ANC, respectively). According to certain aspects, the BS may include a central unit (CU) (e.g., the ANC 202) and / or one or more distributed units (e.g., one or more TRPs 208).

[0057] Figure 3An example physical architecture of a distributed RAN 300 according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. A centralized core network unit (C-CU) 302 can host core network functions. The C-CU can be centrally deployed. C-CU functionality can be offloaded (e.g., to Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)) in an effort to handle peak capacity.

[0058] The centralized RAN unit (C-RU) 304 can host one or more ANC functions. Optionally, the C-RU can host core network functions locally. The C-RU can have a distributed deployment. The C-RU can be closer to the network edge.

[0059] The DU 306 may host one or more TRPs (edge ​​nodes (EN), edge units (EU), radio heads (RH), smart radio heads (SRH), etc.) The DU may be located at the edge of the network with radio frequency (RF) functionality.

[0060] Figure 4 Explanation Figure 1 , which may be used to implement aspects of the present disclosure. As described above, the BS may include a TRP. One or more components of the BS 110 and the UE 120 may be used to practice aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the antenna 452, Tx / Rx 222, processors 466, 458, 464, and / or controller / processor 480 of the UE 120, and / or the antenna 434, processors 460, 420, 438, and / or controller / processor 440 of the BS 110 may be used to perform the operations described herein and with reference to FIG. Figure 8-11 Explanation of the operation.

[0061] Figure 4 Shows that it can be Figure 1 1 and 120. For a constrained association scenario, base station 110 may be Figure 1 1. The macro BS 110c in FIG. 1 may be macro BS 110c, and UE 120 may be UE 120y. Base station 110 may also be some other type of base station. Base station 110 may be equipped with antennas 434a through 434t, and UE 120 may be equipped with antennas 452a through 452r.

[0062] At base station 110, transmit processor 420 may receive data from data source 412 and control information from controller / processor 440. This control information may be used for the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and the like. This data may be used for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the like. Processor 420 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. Processor 420 may also generate reference symbols (e.g., for the PSS, SSS, and cell-specific reference signals). A transmit (TX) multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) processor 430 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​the data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, as applicable, and may provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs) 432a through 432t. For example, TX MIMO processor 430 may perform certain aspects described herein with respect to RS multiplexing. Each modulator 432 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 432 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and frequency upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from modulators 432a through 432t may be transmitted via antennas 434a through 434t, respectively.

[0063] At UE 120, antennas 452a through 452r may receive downlink signals from base station 110 and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 454a through 454r, respectively. Each demodulator 454 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) its respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 454 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 456 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators 454a through 454r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and provide detected symbols. For example, MIMO detector 456 may provide detected RSs transmitted using the techniques described herein. A receive processor 458 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to a data sink 460, and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 480. According to one or more scenarios, CoMP aspects can include providing antennas and some Tx / Rx functionality so that they reside in distributed units. For example, some Tx / Rx processing can be done in a central unit, while other processing can be done at distributed units. For example, according to one or more aspects as shown in the diagram, the BS modulator / demodulator 432 can be in a distributed unit.

[0064] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 464 may receive and process data from a data source 462 (e.g., for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and control information from a controller / processor 480 (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 464 may also generate reference symbols for a reference signal. The symbols from the transmit processor 464 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 466, if applicable, further processed by demodulators 454a through 454r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. At the BS 110, the uplink signal from the UE 120 may be received by the antenna 434, processed by the modulator 432, detected by the MIMO detector 436, if applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 438 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120. Receive processor 438 may provide decoded data to data sink 439 and decoded control information to controller / processor 440 .

[0065] The controllers / processors 440 and 480 may direct the operation at the base station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. The processor 440 and / or other processors and modules at the base station 110 may perform or direct, for example, Figure 8-1110 and / or other processes for the techniques described herein. Processor 480 and / or other processors and modules at UE 120 may also perform or direct processes for the techniques described herein. Memories 442 and 482 may store data and program codes for BS 110 and UE 120, respectively. Scheduler 444 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0066] Figure 5 Illustrated is a diagram 500 showing an example for implementing a communication protocol stack according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The illustrated communication protocol stack can be implemented by a device operating in a 5G system (e.g., a system supporting uplink-based mobility). Diagram 500 illustrates a communication protocol stack including a radio resource control (RRC) layer 510, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 515, a radio link control (RLC) layer 520, a medium access control (MAC) layer 525, and a physical (PHY) layer 530. In various examples, these layers of the protocol stack can be implemented as separate software modules, parts of a processor or ASIC, parts of non-co-located devices connected by a communication link, or various combinations thereof. Co-located and non-co-located implementations can be used, for example, in a protocol stack for a network access device (e.g., AN, CU, and / or DU) or a UE.

[0067] The first option 505-a shows a split implementation of the protocol stack, where the implementation of the protocol stack is performed on a centralized network access device (e.g., Figure 2 ANC 202 in the ) and distributed network access equipment (e.g., Figure 2 In the first option 505-a, the RRC layer 510 and the PDCP layer 515 may be implemented by a central unit, while the RLC layer 520, the MAC layer 525, and the PHY layer 530 may be implemented by the DU. In various examples, the CU and the DU may be co-located or non-co-located. The first option 505-a may be useful in macrocell, microcell, or picocell deployments.

[0068] The second option 505-b illustrates a unified implementation of the protocol stack, wherein the protocol stack is implemented in a single network access device (e.g., an access node (AN), a new radio base station (NR BS), a new radio node B (NR NB), a network node (NN), etc.). In the second option, the RRC layer 510, the PDCP layer 515, the RLC layer 520, the MAC layer 525, and the PHY layer 530 can each be implemented by the AN. The second option 505-b may be useful in femtocell deployments.

[0069] Regardless of whether the network access device implements part or all of the protocol stack, the UE may implement the entire protocol stack (eg, the RRC layer 510 , the PDCP layer 515 , the RLC layer 520 , the MAC layer 525 , and the PHY layer 530 ).

[0070] Figure 6 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a DL-centric subframe. The DL-centric subframe may include a control portion 602. The control portion 602 may be present in the initial or beginning portion of the DL-centric subframe. The control portion 602 may include various scheduling information and / or control information corresponding to various portions of the DL-centric subframe. In some configurations, the control portion 602 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH), such as Figure 6 . The DL-centric subframe may also include a DL data portion 604. The DL data portion 604 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the DL-centric subframe. The DL data portion 604 may include communication resources for communicating DL data from a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE or a BS) to a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE). In some configurations, the DL data portion 604 may be a physical DL shared channel (PDSCH).

[0071] The DL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion 606. The common UL portion 606 may sometimes be referred to as a UL burst, a common UL burst, and / or various other suitable terms. The common UL portion 606 may include feedback information corresponding to various other portions of the DL-centric subframe. For example, the common UL portion 606 may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 602. Non-limiting examples of the feedback information may include an ACK signal, a NACK signal, a HARQ indicator, and / or various other suitable types of information. The common UL portion 606 may include additional or alternative information, such as information related to a random access channel (RACH) procedure, a scheduling request (SR), and various other suitable types of information. Figure 6 As illustrated in , the end of the DL data portion 604 may be separated in time from the beginning of the common UL portion 606. This time interval may sometimes be referred to as a gap, a guard period, a guard interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This interval provides time for switching from DL communication (e.g., reception by a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)) to UL communication (e.g., transmission by a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)). One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing is merely one example of a DL-centric subframe, and that alternative structures with similar features may exist without necessarily departing from the aspects described herein.

[0072] Figure 77 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UL-centric subframe. The UL-centric subframe may include a control portion 702. The control portion 702 may be present in an initial or beginning portion of the UL-centric subframe. Figure 7 The control portion 702 in the embodiment may be similar to the above reference Figure 6 The control portion described above may also include a UL data portion 704. The UL data portion 704 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the UL-centric subframe. The UL data portion may refer to communication resources used to communicate UL data from a lower-level entity (e.g., a UE) to a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE or a BS). In some configurations, the control portion 702 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH).

[0073] like Figure 7 As illustrated in FIG, the end of the control portion 702 may be separated in time from the beginning of the UL data portion 704. This time interval may sometimes be referred to as a gap, a guard period, a guard interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This interval provides time for switching from DL communications (e.g., reception operations performed by the scheduling entity) to UL communications (e.g., transmissions performed by the scheduling entity). The UL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion 706. Figure 7 The common UL portion 706 in the embodiment may be similar to that described above with reference to Figure 7 The common UL portion 706 is described. The common UL portion 706 may additionally or alternatively include information related to a channel quality indicator (CQI), a sounding reference signal (SRS), and various other suitable types of information. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing is merely an example of a UL-centric subframe and that alternative structures with similar features may exist without departing from the aspects described herein.

[0074] In some environments, two or more subordinate entities (e.g., UEs) may communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Real-world applications of such sidelink communications may include public safety, proximity services, UE-to-network relay, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, Internet of Everything (IoE) communications, IoT communications, mission-critical mesh networks, and / or various other suitable applications. Generally speaking, a sidelink signal may refer to a signal that is communicated from one subordinate entity (e.g., UE1) to another subordinate entity (e.g., UE2) without relaying the communication through a scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS), even though the scheduling entity may be used for scheduling and / or control purposes. In some examples, the sidelink signal may be communicated using licensed spectrum (unlike wireless local area networks, which typically use unlicensed spectrum).

[0075] A UE may operate in various radio resource configurations, including a configuration associated with transmitting pilot signals using a dedicated set of resources (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) dedicated state, etc.) or a configuration associated with transmitting pilot signals using a shared set of resources (e.g., an RRC shared state, etc.). When operating in the RRC dedicated state, the UE may select a dedicated set of resources for transmitting pilot signals to the network. When operating in the RRC shared state, the UE may select a shared set of resources for transmitting pilot signals to the network. In either case, the pilot signals transmitted by the UE may be received by one or more network access devices (such as an AN, a DU, or portions thereof). Each receiving network access device may be configured to receive and measure pilot signals transmitted on the shared set of resources, and also receive and measure pilot signals transmitted on the dedicated set of resources allocated to the UE, where the network access device is a member of a monitoring set of network access devices for the UE. One or more receiving network access devices, or a CU to which the receiving network access devices transmit pilot signal measurements, may use these measurements to identify the UE's serving cell or initiate a change of the serving cell for one or more UEs.

[0076] Example data transmission in a synchronous time slot

[0077] Under the 5G wireless communication standard of 3GGP, a certain structure has been defined for the NR synchronization (sync) channel (or NR-SS). Under 5G, a group of consecutive OFDM symbols carrying different types of synchronization channels (e.g., PSS, SSS, TSS, PBCH) form an SS block. In some cases, a set of one or more SS blocks may form an SS burst. In addition, different SS blocks may be transmitted on different beams to achieve beam sweeping for synchronization channels, which may be used by the UE to quickly identify and acquire a cell. In addition, one or more channels in the SS block may be used for measurement. Such measurements may be used for various purposes, such as radio link monitoring (RLM), beam management, and the like. For example, a UE may measure the quality of a cell and report the quality in the form of a measurement report, which may be used by the base station for beam management and other purposes.

[0078] As described above, the NR synchronization channel may be beam swept to ensure that all UEs (regardless of their location, which may not be known to the base station) receive the synchronization channel. In some cases, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques may be applied to other channels that may similarly need to be beam swept along with the NR-SS. For example, such channels may need to be multicast (i.e., sent to an identified set of UEs) or broadcast (i.e., sent to all UEs). Accordingly, in some cases, a synchronization slot comprising several SS blocks may include both the NR synchronization signal and other channels. Examples of channels that may similarly need to be beam swept along with the NR-SS are the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). In some embodiments, the PDSCH may be frequency division multiplexed (FDM) with the NR-SS, while the PDCCH may be time division multiplexed (TDM) with the NR-SS. In some other embodiments, both the PDSCH and the PDCCH may be frequency division multiplexed (FDM) with the NR-SS. In some embodiments, various types of signals may be transmitted in the PDSCH, which is frequency division multiplexed (FDM) with the NR-SS. Examples of such signals may include a paging indicator channel or a paging channel sent to idle UEs that are unaware of the beam direction and may also be swept by the beam. Another example of such a signal is the remaining minimum system information (RMSI), which may be transmitted in the PDSCH similar to the paging channel.

[0079] However, in some cases, applying FDM to NR-SS on intermittently transmitted channels may result in intermittent changes in NR-SS power, which may affect cell quality measurements or cause some performance issues. For example, in some cases, paging may not always be present in the same timeslot as NR-SS because there may be no UE to be paged in this timeslot. In such embodiments, all signal power may be used for the synchronization channel. However, in other cases, paging may be present in the same timeslot as the synchronization channel, and thus signal power may be shared between the FDM channels. Therefore, cell quality measurements may vary based on, for example, whether paging is present in the timeslot in which NR-SS is being transmitted.

[0080] Accordingly, certain embodiments described herein may provide several techniques for eliminating or mitigating the effects of signal power fluctuations on cell quality measurements or other performance aspects.

[0081] Figure 8Example operations for a base station to transmit FDM data within a synchronization signal (SS) burst in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. Operations 800 begin, at 802, by transmitting a synchronization signal (SS) burst, where different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams. Operations 800 continue, at 804, by performing frequency division multiplexing (FDM) to include one or more other types of signals using the SS burst that need to be multicast and also transmitted using different transmit beams.

[0082] Figure 9 Illustrated is a method for a user equipment (UE) to receive a Figure 8 Operations 900 begin at 902 with receiving a synchronization signal (SS) burst, wherein different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams. Operations 900 continue at 904 by receiving other types of signals within the SS burst that need to be multicast and are also transmitted using different transmit beams, wherein one or more other types of signals are included in the SS burst using frequency division multiplexing (FDM).

[0083] As described above, several techniques can be used to help provide more accurate cell quality measurements. In some embodiments, the first technique can provide a fixed power spectral density (PSD) on the NR-SS, which effectively causes the transmit power used to transmit the NR-SS to remain consistent. In such embodiments, the gNB can allocate the NR-SS PSD based on worst-case assumptions about other channels to be FDMed. In such a scenario, the gNB can budget enough power to transmit all other FDMed channels, even if they may not actually be transmitted in a particular SS block. However, in embodiments where other FDMed channels are not being transmitted, applying this technique can waste gNB power, as the power reserved for other FDMed channels could otherwise be used to boost the NR-SS power.

[0084] Turning now to the second technique, the second technique may provide for applying FDM to other channels (e.g., the paging channel) only for NR-SS symbols that are not used for measurement. This is possible because, under some wireless communication standards (such as NR), only some OFDM symbols in each SS block may be used for measurement. For example, in some embodiments, the PSS waveform may be the same for multiple cells and thus the PSS may not be used for measurement, while the SSS is unique in each cell and may be used for measurement. As a result, in some embodiments, applying the second technique will not affect the measurement. In such embodiments, SS power fluctuations from the intermittently transmitted FDM channel are considered acceptable, and there may be no need to notify the UE of these SS power fluctuations since the corresponding NR-SS symbols are not used to perform measurements.

[0085] In some embodiments, the UE may know that the gNB is not using the first technique described above. In such embodiments, the UE may then attempt to infer the presence of other channel transmissions via FDM based on fluctuations in SS power. In some embodiments, the gNB may signal to the UE (e.g., in the MIB / mSIB / SIB / RRC / DCI) whether the gNB is using the first technique. In some other embodiments, the UE may determine whether the gNB is using the first technique based on a history of received power observed under two conditions (with versus without an FDM channel), even though received power may vary based on channel variations.

[0086] Under the third technique, in some embodiments, only certain SS blocks may be allowed to carry other FDM channels (e.g., paging channels). As a result, in such embodiments, certain SS blocks may be prohibited by the gNB from carrying other FDM channels. In such embodiments, the UE may only measure blocks that do not carry other FDM channels. In some embodiments, the index / time-location of such blocks may be unknown to UEs that are not connected to a cell or have just begun initial cell search. However, measurements by such UEs are not affected by NR-SS power fluctuations because they have not yet begun measuring and reporting. Applying the third technique may be particularly useful, for example, when the required periodicity of FDM transmissions is less than that of the synchronization channel. Upon receiving SS blocks that are not prohibited from carrying other FDM channels, the UE may, in some embodiments, assume that FDM data is always present and correct for power fluctuations accordingly when reporting measurements. In some embodiments, the correction factor may be signaled or configured by the gNB and communicated to the UE.

[0087] In some embodiments, the gNB can help the UE identify prohibited, rather than non-prohibited, SS blocks for the UE. In some embodiments, the gNB may send information related to identifying prohibited or non-prohibited SS blocks in separate signaling. In such embodiments, this may be configured by the gNB based on a certain time index (e.g., SS block index) in the MSIB (Master System Information Block) / SIB (System Information Block) / DCI (Downlink Control Information) / RRC (Radio Resource Control). In some other embodiments, the gNB may send identification information to the UE in the MIB (Master Information Block) / PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel), i.e., as part of the SS block itself. In such embodiments, the SS block itself may carry information indicating whether it contains any other FDM-enabled channels. Furthermore, in such embodiments, this may allow even idle UEs (e.g., UEs that have not yet established a connection with a cell) to identify prohibited, rather than non-prohibited, SS blocks. In embodiments where the SS blocks carry this information, the UE may need to read the PBCH more frequently to identify whether the SS blocks contain other FDM-enabled data.

[0088] Turning now to the fourth technique, the fourth technique involves configuring the gNB and / or UE to correct or adjust the measurement reports provided by the UE. In some embodiments, because the gNB knows which SS blocks contain FDM data and which SS blocks do not, the gNB can be configured to correct the measured power reported by the UE accordingly. In some embodiments, the gNB can perform this correction based on the relative power levels of the SS blocks and any FDM-processed data (such as paging) they contain. In some embodiments, making such corrections may be less difficult when the UE's measurement reports are based on per-SS block measurements without any binning / filtering across SS blocks. In embodiments where filtering is performed across SS blocks, it may be more difficult for the gNB to accurately calculate the correct correction factor, even if the filtering parameters are known to the gNB.

[0089] In addition to the gNB, in some embodiments, the UE can be configured to adjust or correct measurement reports. To perform such corrections, in some embodiments, the UE can be aware of or detect (e.g., autonomously) the power offset. In some embodiments, the gNB can signal the power offset or power ratio by transmitting it in the MIB / MSIB / SIB / DCI / RRC. In still other embodiments, the gNB can restrict the power offset to a predetermined quantization set to aid the UE in blindly detecting the power offset. In addition to using the power offset between the NR-SS and another FDM-based channel (such as the paging channel) for measurement correction, power offsets between components of the NR-SS itself can also be used. For example, power offsets between the SSS and the PBCH DMRS, as well as power offsets between the SSS and the rest of the NR-SS (e.g., TSS, PBCH, etc.), can also allow the UE to use other components of the NR-SS to provide more accurate measurements (as opposed to just the SSS) if they use the same antenna port.

[0090] In addition to the impact of signal power fluctuations on cell quality measurements, in some embodiments, signal power fluctuations may also affect cell search. For example, between two cells in a UE's cell search, the cell with weaker signal power may appear stronger because its SS blocks do not contain FDM data, while the stronger cell's SS blocks do. In some embodiments, the impact of signal power fluctuations can be mitigated by implementing the first technique described above. In some embodiments, the second technique described above can also mitigate or eliminate this impact depending on which OFDM symbols are selected for FDM. For example, multiplexing using FDM may be allowed only for PBCH, in which case only PBCH decoding may be affected, while cell search is unaffected. In some embodiments, the third technique may also provide some mitigation. In such embodiments, some time alignment coordination between cells when assigning the same slot index (which may be reserved only for synchronization channel transmission and not for other FDM data) may increase the likelihood that the UE will perform more accurate and fair cell quality comparisons among the cells in the cell search.

[0091] In some embodiments, the fourth technique may be helpful after the initial acquisition phase of neighbor cell reports, where some measurement report compensation or adjustments may be performed in coordination with neighbor cells. For example, during neighbor cell search, the gNB may apply some adjustments or compensation to the neighbor cell reports (in coordination with the neighbor cells) and signal a network-initiated handover event to the UE accordingly.

[0092] In some embodiments, all of the above techniques (Techniques 1 to 4) can be combined to mitigate or eliminate the impact of signal power fluctuations on cell quality measurements and cell searches. For example, one of Techniques 1 to 4 can be applied in one time window, while another of Techniques 1 to 4 can be applied in another time window. In another example, Technique 3 can be applied to prohibit some SS blocks from carrying any other FDM channels, while Technique 1 can be applied to SS blocks in which FDM data is allowed.

[0093] In some embodiments, instead of FDMing other beam-swept channels in the same time slot as the NR-SS, separate time slots may be defined for the other channels by applying time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques.

[0094] Figure 10 Example operations for a base station to transmit TDM data within a synchronization signal (SS) burst in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. Operations 1000 begin, at 1002, by transmitting a synchronization signal (SS) burst, wherein different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams. Operations 1000 continue, at 1004, by performing time division multiplexing (TDM) to include one or more other types of signals, also transmitted using different transmit beams, within the duration of the SS burst or in a separate duration.

[0095] Figure 11 Illustrated is a method for a user equipment (UE) to receive a Figure 10 Example operations for an SS burst of a transmission signal. Operations 1100 begin at 1102 with receiving a synchronization signal (SS) burst, wherein different SS blocks of the burst are transmitted using different transmit beams. Operations 1100 continue at 1104 by receiving one or more other types of signals within the SS burst, also transmitted using different transmit beams, wherein the one or more other types of signals are included in the duration of the SS burst or in a separate duration by performing time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0096] As described above, SS bursts may span several time slots or time durations. Accordingly, instead of including both NR-SS and other data in one time duration (FDM), in some embodiments, one or more separate time slots or durations may be designated for carrying other data (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH) so that NR-SS and other data may not be included in the same time duration (i.e., TDM). For example, a paging slot may be defined for transmitting paging / quick paging / paging indications. In some embodiments, these separately defined time slots may have their own parameters that are different from those of the synchronization time slot. For example, N OFDM symbols may be swept at a time, where the value of N for other beam-swept channels may be different from the value of N for the synchronization time slot. In some embodiments, defining separate time slots for other beam-swept channels (e.g., applying TDM instead of FDM) may prevent peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) degradation of the synchronization OFDM symbols due to FDM. Accordingly, in some embodiments, where PAPR is more important (e.g., in the 40 GHz+ band), TDM techniques may be preferred. In some embodiments, TDM techniques may also allow single-carrier FDM (SC-FDM) or better PAPR for data transmission (e.g., paging) over FDM. In embodiments where TDM is used instead of FDM, beam sweeping overhead (e.g., paging overhead) can be moved from the frequency domain (e.g., lost power for synchronization) to the time domain (e.g., lower data throughput).

[0097] Additionally, according to the NR standard, in some embodiments, some SS blocks in a burst may be skipped (i.e., not transmitted). In such embodiments, the network (e.g., gNB) may inform the UE about which blocks are skipped. Accordingly, in such embodiments, instead of discontinuous transmission (DTX), the skipped blocks may be used for TDM other beam-swept channels (such as paging).

[0098] The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions for implementing the described methods. These method steps and / or actions may be interchangeable with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of the specific steps and / or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0099] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including individual members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to encompass: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0100] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Furthermore, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. "Determining" may also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0101] The foregoing description is provided to enable anyone skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Accordingly, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein singular references to elements, unless otherwise specified, are not intended to mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more." Unless otherwise specified, the term "a" refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure to those skilled in the art now or hereafter known are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element shall be construed under 35 USC §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is explicitly recited using the phrase "means for" or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase "step for."

[0102] The various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable device capable of performing the corresponding functions. These devices may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors. Generally, where there are operations illustrated in the figures, these operations may have corresponding counterpart means-plus-function components with similar numbering.

[0103] For example, means for transmitting and / or means for receiving may include one or more of the transmit processor 420, TX MIMO processor 430, receive processor 438, or antenna(s) 434 of base station 110 and / or the transmit processor 464, TX MIMO processor 466, receive processor 458, or antenna(s) 452 of user equipment 120. Additionally, means for generating, means for multiplexing, and / or means for applying may include one or more processors, such as the controller / processor 440 of base station 110 and / or the controller / processor 480 of user equipment 120.

[0104] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0105] If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration may include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented using a bus architecture. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system, the bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus may link together various circuits including a processor, a machine-readable medium, and a bus interface. The bus interface may be used to connect a network adapter, etc., to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement signal processing functions at the PHY layer. In the user terminal 120 (see Figure 1 ), a user interface (e.g., a keypad, display, mouse, joystick, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits (such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc.), which are well known in the art and will not be described in detail. The processor may be implemented using one or more general and / or special purpose processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuit systems capable of executing software. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the functionality described with respect to the processing system, depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0106] If implemented in software, each function may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, data, or any combination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general processing, including executing software modules stored on a machine-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to the processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. As an example, the machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier modulated by data, and / or a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that is separate from the wireless node, all of which may be accessed by the processor via a bus interface. Alternatively or in addition, the machine-readable medium or any portion thereof may be integrated into the processor, such as a cache and / or general register file. As examples, examples of machine-readable storage media may include RAM (random access memory), flash memory, ROM (read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage media, or any combination thereof. Machine-readable media may be embodied in a computer program product.

[0107] A software module may include a single instruction or many instructions and may be distributed across several different code segments, between different programs, and across multiple storage media. A computer-readable medium may include several software modules. These software modules include instructions that, when executed by a device (such as a processor), cause a processing system to perform various functions. These software modules may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or be distributed across multiple storage devices. As an example, when a triggering event occurs, a software module may be loaded from a hard drive into RAM. During execution of the software module, the processor may load some instructions into a cache to increase access speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into a general register file for execution by the processor. When describing the functionality of a software module below, it will be understood that such functionality is implemented by the processor when the processor executes instructions from the software module.

[0108] Any connection is also properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (such as infrared (IR), radio, and microwave), then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Disks, where disks often reproduce data magnetically, and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Thus, in some aspects, computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). Additionally, for other aspects, computer-readable media may include transient computer-readable media (e.g., signals). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0109] Thus, certain aspects may include a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having stored (and / or encoded) thereon instructions, which can be executed by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein.

[0110] In addition, it should be appreciated that the modules and / or other appropriate means for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by the user terminal and / or base station where applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of the means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein can be provided via a storage device (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a compact disc (CD) or floppy disk, etc.) so that once the storage device is coupled to or provided to the user terminal and / or base station, the device can obtain the various methods. In addition, any other suitable technology suitable for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a device can be utilized.

[0111] It will be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various changes, substitutions and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as a processor coupled to the memory, the memory and the processor being configured to: receiving a synchronization signal SS burst, wherein a plurality of SS blocks in the SS burst are received using one or more receive beams; receiving within the SS burst one or more other types of multicast signals also received using the one or more receive beams, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals are frequency division multiplexed with the SS burst, wherein only some of the SS blocks in the SS burst include the one or more other types of multicast signals; and Signaling is received from a network node, the signaling indicating to the UE which SS blocks of the SS burst include the one or more other types of multicast signals, wherein the signaling is included in the SS burst.

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein only a few symbols in an SS block of the only some SS blocks in the SS burst include the one or more other types of multicast signals, wherein the few symbols represent less than all symbols of the SS block. 3 . The UE of claim 2 , wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals are included for only symbols in the SS block that are not used for measurement.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to: The measurement procedure and measurement reporting are adjusted based on at least one of which SS blocks include the one or more other types of multicast signals or available information about power ratios between consecutive symbols of the SS block and the one or more other types of multicast signals. 5 . The UE of claim 4 , wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to: receive the power ratio from the network node.

6. The UE of claim 4, wherein a power level is quantized to facilitate at least one of: signaling to the UE or autonomous detection of the power level by the UE. 7 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals include at least one of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal or a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) signal.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals include a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) signal, and wherein the SS burst is further time-division multiplexed with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) signal.

9. A network node, comprising: Memory; as well as a processor coupled to the memory, the memory and the processor being configured to: transmitting a synchronization signal SS burst, wherein a plurality of SS blocks in the SS burst are transmitted using one or more transmit beams; frequency division multiplexing one or more other types of multicast signals also transmitted using the one or more transmit beams with the SS burst, wherein only some SS blocks for the SS burst include the one or more other types of multicast signals; as well as Signaling is transmitted to a user equipment (UE), the signaling indicating which SS blocks of the SS burst include the one or more other types of multicast signals, wherein the signaling is included in the SS burst.

10. The network node of claim 9, wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to: allocate a power spectral density (PSD) based on the one or more other types of multicast signals included in the SS burst to maintain consistent transmit power used to transmit the plurality of SS blocks.

11. The network node of claim 10, wherein allocating comprises budgeting power sufficient to transmit the one or more other types of multicast signals.

12. The network node of claim 9, wherein only a few symbols in an SS block of the only some SS blocks in the SS burst include the one or more other types of multicast signals, wherein the few symbols represent less than all symbols of the SS block.

13. The network node of claim 12, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals are included for only symbols in the SS block that are not used for measurement.

14. The network node of claim 9, wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to: Coordinate with one or more neighboring network nodes to increase time alignment between SS blocks that do not carry the one or more other types of multicast signals.

15. The network node of claim 9, wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to: receiving a measurement report from the UE; and The measurement reporting is adjusted based at least in part on which SS blocks include the one or more other types of multicast signals.

16. The network node of claim 9, wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to signal to the UE a power ratio between consecutive symbols of the SS block and the one or more other types of multicast signals.

17. The network node of claim 9, wherein a power level is quantized to facilitate at least one of: signaling to the UE or autonomous detection of the power level by the UE.

18. The network node of claim 9, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals include at least one of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal or a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) signal.

19. The network node of claim 9, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals include a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) signal, and wherein the SS burst is further time-division multiplexed with a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal.

20. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as a processor coupled to the memory, the memory and the processor being configured to: receiving a synchronization signal SS burst, wherein a plurality of SS blocks in the SS burst are received using one or more receive beams; receiving, within the SS burst, one or more other types of multicast signals also received using the one or more receive beams, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals are included in the duration of the SS burst or in a separate duration by performing time division multiplexing (TDM); and receiving signaling from a network node, the signaling indicating whether the SS burst includes the one or more other types of multicast signals, wherein: The signaling is included in the SS burst; A first set of parameters is used to sweep the SS blocks in the SS burst using the one or more receive beams; a second set of parameters for sweeping the one or more other types of multicast signals using the one or more receive beams; and The first set of parameters and the second set of parameters define a number of symbols for a sweep.

21. The UE of claim 20, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals include a paging-related signal.

22. The UE of claim 20, wherein the signaling from the network node indicates one or more SS blocks in the SS burst that are skipped.

23. A network node comprising: Memory; as well as a processor coupled to the memory, the memory and the processor being configured to: transmitting a synchronization signal SS burst, wherein a plurality of SS blocks in the SS burst are transmitted using one or more transmit beams; performing time division multiplexing (TDM) to include within the duration of the SS burst or in a separate duration one or more other types of multicast signals also transmitted using the one or more transmit beams; as well as Transmitting signaling to user equipment UE, wherein: The signaling is included in the SS burst; A first set of parameters is used to sweep the SS blocks in the SS burst using the one or more transmit beams; a second set of parameters for sweeping the one or more other types of multicast signals using the one or more transmit beams; and The first set of parameters and the second set of parameters define a number of symbols for a sweep.

24. The network node of claim 23, wherein the one or more other types of multicast signals include paging-related signals.

25. The network node of claim 23, wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to: One or more SS blocks in the SS burst are skipped, wherein the signaling indicates which SS blocks are skipped.

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