Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) space overload

Abstract

A wireless communication method includes transmitting, by a wireless communication device, a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission during a first time slot. The method further includes transmitting, by the wireless communication device, at least one second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission and all other optional SSB transmissions on the first time slot carrying the same data as the first SSB transmission. The SSB transmissions are transmitted using spatially separated beams. Other aspects and features are also claimed and described.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Israel Patent Application No. 274510, filed on May 6, 2020, entitled “SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL BLOCK (SSB) OVERLOADING,” which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to random access channel (RACH) and synchronization signal block (SSB) procedures. Certain embodiments of the techniques discussed below may enable and provide SSB overloading. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide a variety of communication services, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and more. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing available network resources. Such networks, often multiple-access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing available network resources.

[0005] A wireless communication network may include multiple base stations or Node Bs that can support communication for multiple user equipment (UEs). UEs can communicate with base stations via downlinks and uplinks. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from a base station to a UE, while the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from a UE to a base station.

[0006] A base station may send data and control information to a UE on the downlink and / or may receive data and control information from a UE on the uplink. On the downlink, transmissions from a base station may encounter interference due to transmissions from neighboring base stations or from other wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, transmissions from a UE may encounter interference from uplink transmissions of other UEs communicating with neighboring base stations or from other wireless RF transmitters. This interference may degrade performance on both the downlink and uplink.

[0007] As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, the potential for interference and congested networks grows with more UEs accessing long-range wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems deployed in communities. Research and development continues to advance wireless technologies to not only meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but also to advance and enhance the user experience of mobile communications. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not an extensive overview of all anticipated features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify important or critical elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. The sole purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in an overview format as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be presented later.

[0009] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses for supporting enhanced SSB procedures, including sending partially simultaneous and spatially separated SSB transmissions. For example, a base station (e.g., a gNB) may send two (or more) identical SSB transmissions on the same resources via different beams in different directions. A user equipment (UE) may receive one or more of the SSB transmissions and may respond during corresponding RACH opportunities. In some embodiments, by sending multiple SSB transmissions simultaneously on the same resources and also assigning shared RACH opportunity resources to all of these SSB transmissions, the overhead consumed by SSB and RACH procedures may be reduced. Additionally or alternatively, a base station may utilize more beams than supported by the receiving device or standard to increase signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio (e.g., through more accurate and / or finer beams). Consequently, such techniques may improve reliability and throughput.

[0010] In one aspect, a wireless communication method includes transmitting, by a wireless communication device, a first SSB transmission during a first time slot. The method further includes transmitting, by the wireless communication device, a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams.

[0011] In another aspect, an apparatus configured for wireless communication includes: means for sending a first SSB transmission during a first time slot; and means for sending a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are sent using spatially separated beams.

[0012] In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code includes program code executable by a computer to cause the computer to send a first SSB transmission during a first time slot; and program code executable by the computer to cause the computer to send a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are sent using spatially separated beams.

[0013] In another aspect, an apparatus configured for wireless communication includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to transmit a first SSB transmission during a first time slot and to transmit a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams.

[0014] In an additional aspect, a wireless communication method includes: monitoring, by a wireless communication device, an SSB transmission among a plurality of spatially separated SSB transmissions; and receiving, by the wireless communication device, a first SSB transmission among the plurality of spatially separated SSB transmissions, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are received using spatially separated beams.

[0015] After reviewing the following description of specific exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although features may be discussed with respect to certain embodiments and figures below, all embodiments may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to various embodiments. In a similar manner, although exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as device, system, or method embodiments, exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present disclosure may be achieved by reference to the following drawings. In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a dash and a second reference numeral to distinguish between the similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second reference numeral.

[0017] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a design of a base station and a UE configured according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 is a timing diagram showing an example of SSB transmission and RACH timing.

[0020] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system (with UEs and base stations) with spatially separated SSB transmissions.

[0021] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example of a timing diagram of spatially separated SSB transmissions and corresponding RACH opportunities according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 6 is a diagram of another example of a timing diagram of spatially separated SSB transmissions and corresponding RACH opportunities according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 7 is an example beam pattern of an SSB beam group.

[0024] Figure 8 is a flow diagram illustrating example blocks executed by a UE configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 9 is a flow diagram illustrating example blocks executed by a base station configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 10 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a design of a UE configured for spatial SSB overload operation in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 11 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a design of a base station configured for spatial SSB overload operation in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Rather, the detailed description includes specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in every case, and in some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form for clarity of presentation.

[0029] The present disclosure relates to beam management operations for wireless communications. Conventionally, SSB and RACH operations can be used to determine and update beams used to send and / or receive data. For example, a master node (e.g., a base station) may periodically scan for SSB transmissions, commonly referred to as SSB burst sets. A node (e.g., a UE) monitors the SSB transmissions to determine network settings and / or beam settings. The UE may determine a high-performance SSB and, therefore, a high-performance downlink beam to be used by the master node to communicate with the UE. The UE may indicate such a preferred beam by responding in a RACH opportunity corresponding to a particular SSB transmission. However, when performing such conventional beam management, most of the bandwidth is dedicated to managing the beams. For example, in some 5G implementations, 64 beams are planned; and therefore, in order to transmit an SSB for each beam and have a corresponding RACH opportunity for each SSB, 128 time slots are used for beam management. This process is typically repeated every 20 milliseconds, and the narrow beam nature of 5G and mobile environments may dictate even shorter periods. Therefore, most of the bandwidth is dedicated to beam management.

[0030] The described technology relates to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support the use of spatially separated SSB transmissions. Spatially separated SSB transmissions, or spatial overloading of SSB transmissions (also referred to herein as spatially separated SSB), are multiple SSB transmissions carrying the same data, sent at the same time and on the same resources via different spatially separated beams. The SSB transmissions may partially overlap or completely overlap. As an example, a base station (e.g., a gNB) may simultaneously transmit two (or more) SSB transmissions on the same resources via different beams in different directions. A particular user equipment (UE) may receive one or more of the SSB transmissions sent via some beams (spatial directions) and may respond during corresponding RACH opportunities. Additionally, one or more other UEs located in other locations may receive one or more of the SSB transmissions sent via different beams (spatial directions) and may respond during corresponding RACH opportunities. In some embodiments, by simultaneously transmitting multiple SSB transmissions on the same resources and also assigning shared RACH opportunity resources to all of these SSB transmissions, bandwidth consumed by SSB and RACH processes may be reduced. Additionally or alternatively, a base station may utilize more SSB beams than supported by the receiving device or the 5G standard to increase signal strength and, accordingly, increase signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and cell coverage. For example, utilizing more beams may enable the use of more accurate and / or finer beams, specifically for SSB transmission and RACH reception, and generally for downlink communications (e.g., downlink communications). Thus, such techniques may improve cell coverage, reliability, and throughput.

[0031] The present disclosure generally relates to providing or participating in communications between two or more wireless devices, such as in one or more wireless communication systems (also referred to as wireless communication networks). In various embodiments, the techniques and apparatus may be used for wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks (sometimes referred to as "5G NR" networks / systems / devices), and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" may be used interchangeably.

[0032] For example, a CDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and Low Chip Rate (LCR). CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards.

[0033] TDMA networks can, for example, implement radio technologies such as GSM. 3GPP defines the standard for the GSM EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) Radio Access Network (RAN), also denoted as GERAN. GERAN is the radio component of GSM / EDGE, along with a network of participating base stations (e.g., Ater and Abis interfaces) and base station controllers (A interfaces, etc.). The radio access network refers to the component of a GSM network through which phone calls and packet data are routed from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the internet to and from user handsets (also known as user terminals or user equipment (UE)). A mobile phone operator's network may include one or more GERANs, which, in the case of UMTS / GSM networks, may be coupled to a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN). Operator networks may also include one or more LTE networks and / or one or more other networks. Different network types may use different radio access technologies (RATs) and radio access networks (RANs).

[0034] OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents from an organization called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), while cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between a group of telecommunications associations that aims to define globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile phone standard. 3GPP defines specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. This disclosure relates to the evolution of wireless technology from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and future technologies that use a collection of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces for shared access to wireless spectrum between networks.

[0035] 5G networks are expected to enable different deployments, different spectrums, and different services and devices using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also being considered. 5G NR will be able to extend to (1) provide coverage for the massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-high density (e.g., about 1M nodes / km) 2 (1) ultra-low complexity (e.g., about 10 bits / second), ultra-low energy (e.g., about 10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) including strong security for protecting sensitive personal, financial, or classified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1 ms), and mission-critical control for users with a wide range of mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) with enhanced mobile broadband, which includes very high capacity (e.g., about 10 Tbp / km 2 ), extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbp rates, 100+ Mbps user experienced rates), and deep awareness with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0036] 5G NR devices, networks, and systems can be implemented to use optimized OFDM-based waveform features. These features may include: scalable digital parameter sets and transmission time intervals (TTIs); a common and flexible framework for efficiently multiplexing services and functions using dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the digital parameter set in 5G NR and the extension of the subcarrier spacing can efficiently address different services operating across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments implemented with less than 3 GHz FDD / TDD, the subcarrier spacing can appear at 15 kHz on bandwidths such as 1, 5, 10, and 20 MHz. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments with TDD greater than 3 GHz, the subcarrier spacing can appear at 30 kHz on 80 / 100 MHz bandwidth. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD in the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, subcarrier spacing can occur at 60 kHz over a 160 MHz bandwidth. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with millimeter wave components using TDD at 28 GHz, subcarrier spacing can occur at 120 kHz over a 500 MHz bandwidth.

[0037] 5G NR's scalable numeric parameter set facilitates scalable TTIs for different latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs is used to allow transmissions to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also anticipates a self-contained integrated subframe design with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgments in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, and can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current traffic needs in adaptive uplink / downlink.

[0038] For clarity, certain aspects of the apparatus and techniques may be described below with reference to exemplary LTE implementations or in an LTE-centric manner, and LTE terminology may be used as an illustrative example in portions of the following description; however, the description is not intended to be limited to LTE applications. Rather, the present disclosure relates to shared access to wireless spectrum between networks using different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces, such as those of 5G NR.

[0039] Furthermore, it should be understood that in operation, a wireless communication network adapted according to the concepts herein can operate with any combination of licensed or unlicensed spectrum, depending on load and availability. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the systems, devices, and methods described herein can be applied to other communication systems and applications than the specific examples provided.

[0040] Although various aspects and embodiments are described in this application by way of illustration of some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that additional implementations and use cases may occur in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein may be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, embodiments and / or uses may occur via integrated chip embodiments and / or other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase equipment, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). Although some examples may or may not specifically relate to use cases or applications, various applicability of the described innovations may be envisioned. The range of implementations may range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or OEM devices or systems that incorporate one or more of the described aspects. In some practical settings, devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also have to include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described embodiments. The innovations described herein are intended to be practiced in a variety of implementations, including large / small devices of varying sizes, shapes, and configurations, chip-level components, multi-component systems (e.g., RF chains, communication interfaces, processors), distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc.

[0041] Figure 1 1 shows a wireless network 100 for communication according to some embodiments. The wireless network 100 may, for example, comprise a 5G wireless network. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, Figure 1 The components appearing in the figure may have relevant counterparts in other network arrangements, including, for example, cellular network arrangements and non-cellular network arrangements (such as device-to-device or peer-to-peer or ad hoc network arrangements, etc.).

[0042] Figure 1The wireless network 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes multiple base stations 105 and other network entities. A base station can be a station that communicates with a UE and can also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the specific geographic coverage area of ​​a base station and / or the base station subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In implementations of the wireless network 100 herein, the base stations 105 can be associated with the same operator or different operators (e.g., the wireless network 100 can include multiple operator wireless networks) and can use one or more of the same frequencies (e.g., one or more frequency bands in a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination thereof) as neighboring cells to provide wireless communications. In some examples, an individual base station 105 or UE 115 can be operated by more than one network operating entity. In other examples, each base station 105 and UE 115 can be operated by a single network operating entity.

[0043] A base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell or a small cell (such as a pico cell or femto cell) and / or other types of cells. A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to a UE 115 that has a service subscription with a network provider. A small cell (such as a pico cell) will typically cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to a UE that has a service subscription with a network provider. A small cell (such as a femto cell) will also typically cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide unrestricted access by a UE that has an association with the femto cell (e.g., a UE in a closed subscriber group (CSG), a UE for a user in a home, etc.). A base station for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro base station. A base station for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, or a home base station. In Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG, base stations 105d and 105e are conventional macro base stations, while base stations 105a to 105c are macro base stations enabled for one of 3-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. Base stations 105a to 105c utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. Base station 105f is a small cell base station, which can be a home node or a portable access point. The base station can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0044] Wireless network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, base stations may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may not be aligned in time. In some scenarios, the network may be enabled or configured to handle dynamic switching between synchronous and asynchronous operation.

[0045] UEs 115 are dispersed throughout wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. It should be understood that although mobile devices are generally referred to as user equipment (UE) in standards and specifications promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such devices may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as mobile stations (MS), subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals (ATs), mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, handsets, terminals, user agents, mobile clients, clients, or some other suitable terminology. In this document, a "mobile" device or UE does not necessarily need to have the ability to move and may be stationary. Some non-limiting examples of mobile devices (such as embodiments that may include one or more of UEs 115) include mobile phones, cellular (cell) phones, smartphones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, laptop computers, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). In addition, the mobile device may be an "Internet of Things" (IoT) or "Internet of Everything" (IoE) device, such as a car or other transportation vehicle, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a logistics controller, a drone, a multi-rotor helicopter, a quadcopter, smart energy or security equipment, solar panels or solar arrays, urban lighting, water or other infrastructure; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; consumer and wearable devices, such as goggles, wearable cameras, smart watches, health or fitness trackers, mammalian implantable devices, gesture tracking devices, medical devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, etc.; and digital home or smart home devices, such as home audio, video and multimedia equipment, appliances, sensors, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. In one aspect, the UE may be a device that includes a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). In another aspect, the UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, a UE that does not include a UICC may also be referred to as an IoE device. Figure 1The UEs 115a to 115d of the illustrated embodiment are examples of mobile smartphone-type devices accessing the wireless network 100. The UE may also be a machine specifically configured for connected communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband networks (NB-IoT), etc. Figure 1 UEs 115e through 115k illustrated in FIG. 1 are examples of various machines configured for communication accessing the wireless network 100 .

[0046] A mobile device, such as UE 115, may be able to communicate with any type of base station, whether macro, pico, femto, repeater, etc. Figure 1 In the present invention, lightning (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between a UE and a serving base station (which is a base station designated to serve the UE on the downlink and / or uplink), or desired transmission between base stations and backhaul transmission between base stations. Backhaul communication between base stations of wireless network 100 can occur using wired and / or wireless communication links.

[0047] In operation at wireless network 100, base stations 105a to 105c use 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques (such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity) to serve UEs 115a and 115b. Macro base station 105d performs backhaul communications with base stations 105a to 105c and small cell base station 105f. Macro base station 105d also transmits multicast services that are subscribed to and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber Alerts or Gray Alerts.

[0048] The wireless network 100 of an embodiment supports mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices, such as UE 115e, which is a drone. The redundant communication links with UE 115e include redundant communication links from macro base stations 105d and 105e, as well as small cell base station 105f. Other machine-type devices, such as UE 115f (a thermometer), UE 115g (a smart meter), and UE 115h (a wearable device), can communicate directly with base stations, such as small cell base station 105f and macro base station 105e, via the wireless network 100, or in a multi-hop configuration by communicating with another user device, such as UE 115f, which relays its information to the network. The other user device transmits temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which then reports the temperature measurement information to the network via small cell base station 105f. The wireless network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency, such as through dynamic low-latency TDD / FDD communications in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mesh network between UEs 115i through 115k communicating with a macro base station 105e.

[0049] Figure 2 A block diagram shows a design of a base station 105 and a UE 115, which may be Figure 1 For restricted association scenarios (as mentioned above), the base station 105 can be Figure 1 The small cell base station 105f in the example, and the UE 115 may be a UE 115c or 115D operating in the service area of ​​the base station 105f. In order to access the small cell base station 105f, the UE 115c or 115D will be included in the list of accessible UEs for the small cell base station 105f. The base station 105 may also be some other type of base station. Figure 2 As shown in , the base station 105 may be equipped with antennas 234a through 234t, and the UE 115 may be equipped with antennas 252a through 252r, to facilitate wireless communications.

[0050] At the base station 105, the transmit processor 220 may receive data from the data source 212 and control information from the controller / processor 240. The control information may be used for the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), the physical hybrid ARQ (automatic repeat request) indicator channel (PHICH), the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), the MTC physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH), and the like. Data may be used for the PDSCH and the like. The transmit processor 220 may process the data and control information (e.g., encode and symbol map the data and control information) to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols, for example, for the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS), as well as cell-specific reference signals. The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​the data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs) 232a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Additionally or alternatively, each modulator 232 may 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 232a through 232t may be transmitted via antennas 234a through 234t, respectively.

[0051] At UE 115, antennas 252a through 252r may receive downlink signals from base station 105 and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a through 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols (if applicable), and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 115 to a data sink 260, and provide decoding control information to a controller / processor 280.

[0052] On the uplink, at the UE 115, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 (e.g., for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and control information from a controller / processor 280 (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 (if applicable), further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 105. At the base station 105, the uplink signal from the UE 115 may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236 (if applicable), and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 115. The processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240.

[0053] The controllers / processors 240 and 280 may direct the operation at the base station 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The controller / processor 240 and / or other processors and modules at the base station 105 and / or the controller / processor 280 and / or other processors and modules at the UE 115 may perform or direct various processes for the techniques described herein (such as performing or directing Figure 8 and Figure 9 ) and / or execution of other processes for the techniques described herein. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 105 and UE 115, respectively. Scheduler 244 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0054] Wireless communication systems operated by different network operating entities (e.g., network operators) may share spectrum. In some cases, a network operating entity may be configured to use the entire designated shared spectrum for at least one time period before another network operating entity uses the entire designated shared spectrum for a different time period. Thus, to allow network operating entities to use the entire designated shared spectrum and to mitigate interfering communications between different network operating entities, certain resources (e.g., time) may be partitioned and allocated to different network operating entities for certain types of communications.

[0055] For example, a network operating entity may be allocated certain time resources reserved by the network operating entity for dedicated communications using the entire shared spectrum. Other time resources may also be allocated to a network operating entity where the entity is given priority over other network operating entities for communications using the shared spectrum. If the prioritized network operating entity does not utilize these time resources prioritized for use by the network operating entity, these resources may be utilized on an opportunistic basis by other network operating entities. Additional time resources may be allocated to any network operator for use on an opportunistic basis.

[0056] Arbitration of access to shared spectrum and time resources between different network operating entities can be centrally controlled by a single entity, autonomously determined by a predefined arbitration scheme, or dynamically determined based on interactions between wireless nodes of the network operator.

[0057] In some cases, the UE 115 and the base station 105 may operate in a shared radio frequency spectrum band, which may include authorized or unauthorized (e.g., contention-based) spectrum. In the unlicensed frequency portion of the shared radio frequency spectrum band, the UE 115 or the base station 105 may traditionally perform a medium sensing process to compete for access to the spectrum. For example, the UE 115 or the base station 105 may perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) process, such as a clear channel assessment (CCA), before communicating to determine whether the shared channel is available. The CCA may include an energy detection process to determine whether there are any other active transmissions. For example, the device may infer that a change in the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the power meter indicates that the channel is occupied. Specifically, the signal power concentrated in a particular bandwidth and exceeding a predetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter. The CCA may also include detecting a particular sequence that indicates the use of the channel. For example, another device may send a particular preamble before sending a data sequence. In some cases, the LBT process may include the wireless node acting as the conflicting agent adjusting its own backoff window based on the amount of energy detected on the channel and / or acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) feedback for its own transmitted packets.

[0058] Figure 3 An example conventional timing diagram 300 of SSB transmissions and corresponding RACH opportunities is illustrated. Figure 3 , the timing diagram 300 illustrates 12 SSB transmissions and 12 corresponding RACH opportunities occurring within 120 time slots. Figure 3 In the example, each SSB transmission (e.g., SSB2 to SSB15) has a corresponding RACH opportunity (e.g., RACH2 to RACH15). In addition, each SSB transmission and each RACH opportunity have time diversity, that is, they do not overlap and occur in different time slots or different sub-time slots of the same time slot. Figure 3As illustrated in the example, the first SSB and the second SSB are transmitted during the second time slot 310 (i.e., time slot 1), the third SSB and the fourth SSB are transmitted during the third time slot (i.e., time slot 2), the fifth SSB and the sixth SSB are transmitted during the fourth time slot (i.e., time slot 3), the seventh SSB and the eighth SSB are transmitted during the sixth time slot (i.e., time slot 5), the ninth SSB and the tenth SSB are transmitted during the seventh time slot (i.e., time slot 6), and the eleventh SSB and the twelfth SSB are transmitted during the eighth time slot (i.e., time slot 7).

[0059] SSB transmissions have corresponding RACH opportunities in subsequent time slots, some of which are in Figure 3 Indicated by lines. The first SSB transmission (SSB2) is associated with / corresponds to the first RACH opportunity (RACH2), the second SSB transmission (SSB3) is associated with / corresponds to the second RACH opportunity (RACH3), and so on. Figure 3 As illustrated in the example of , the first RACH opportunity and the second RACH opportunity occur during the thirty-sixth time slot (i.e., time slot 35), the third RACH opportunity and the fourth RACH opportunity occur during the fortieth time slot (i.e., time slot 39), the fifth RACH opportunity and the sixth RACH opportunity occur during the seventy-sixth time slot (i.e., time slot 75), the seventh RACH opportunity and the eighth RACH opportunity occur during the eightieth time slot (i.e., time slot 79), the ninth RACH opportunity and the tenth RACH opportunity occur during the one hundred and sixteenth time slot (i.e., time slot 115), and the eleventh RACH opportunity and the twelfth RACH opportunity occur during the one twentieth time slot (i.e., time slot 119). Therefore, in Figure 4 In the example in , for a total overhead of twelve slots, the SSB scan occupies six slots and the associated RACH opportunity occupies six slots. In some example 5G deployments, twelve SSBs are used with a period of 20 milliseconds and an SCS of 120 kHz. However, current 5G standards propose supporting up to 64 beams (e.g., 64 SSBs) and more. Therefore, this single SSB transmission occupies a considerable amount of bandwidth.

[0060] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication system 400 that supports SSB spatial overloading according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some examples, the wireless communication system 400 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 400 can include a UE 115 and a network entity 405. SSB spatial overloading operations can reduce network overhead and thus improve throughput and reliability by performing beam management operations in fewer time slots.

[0061] The network entity 405 and the UE 115 may be configured to communicate via a frequency band, such as for mmWave, FR1 having a frequency of 410 to 7125 MHz, or FR2 having a frequency of 24,250 to 52,600 MHz. It should be noted that for some data channels, the subcarrier spacing (SCS) may be equal to 15, 30, 60, or 120 kHz. The network entity 405 and the UE 115 may be configured to communicate via one or more component carriers (CCs), such as a representative first CC 481, a second CC 482, a third CC 483, and a fourth CC 484. Although four CCs are shown, this is for illustration only, and more or fewer CCs may be used. One or more CCs may be used to transmit control channel transmissions, data channel transmissions, and / or side channel transmissions.

[0062] Such transmissions may include the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), or the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH). Such transmissions may be scheduled by aperiodic grants and / or periodic grants.

[0063] Each periodic grant may have a corresponding configuration, such as configuration parameters / settings. The periodic grant configuration may include a configuration grant (CG) configuration and settings. Additionally or alternatively, one or more periodic grants (e.g., their CGs) may have or be assigned a CC ID, such as an expected CC ID.

[0064] Each CC may have a corresponding configuration, such as configuration parameters / settings. The configuration may include bandwidth, bandwidth portion, HARQ process, TCI state, RS, control channel resources, data channel resources, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, one or more CCs may have or be assigned a cell ID, a bandwidth portion (BWP) ID, or both. The cell ID may include a unique cell ID for the CC, a virtual cell ID, or a specific cell ID for a specific CC in the plurality of CCs. Additionally or alternatively, one or more CCs may have or be assigned a HARQ ID. Each CC may also have corresponding management functionality, such as beam management, BWP switching functionality, or both. In some implementations, two or more CCs are quasi-co-located such that the CCs have the same beam and / or the same symbols.

[0065] In some implementations, the control information may be transmitted via the network entity 405 and the UE 115. For example, the control information may be transmitted using a MAC-CE transmission, an RRC transmission, a DCI transmission, another transmission, or a combination thereof.

[0066] The UE 115 may include various components (e.g., structural hardware components) for performing one or more functions described herein. For example, these components may include a processor 402, a memory 404, a transmitter 410, a receiver 412, an encoder 413, a decoder 414, an SSB manager 415, a RACH manager 416, and antennas 252a-r. The processor 402 may be configured to execute instructions stored at the memory 404 to perform the operations described herein. In some implementations, the processor 402 includes or corresponds to the controller / processor 280, and the memory 404 includes or corresponds to the memory 282. The memory 404 may also be configured to store SSB data 406, RACH data 408, beam data 442, setting data 444, or a combination thereof, as further described herein.

[0067] The SSB data 406 includes or corresponds to data associated with or corresponding to an SSB transmission. For example, the SSB data 406 may include SSB timing data, SSB index data, measurement data, SSB transmission data, etc. The RACH data 408 includes or corresponds to data associated with or corresponding to a RACH opportunity and / or a RACH opportunity transmission (e.g., a RACH opportunity message). For example, the RACH data 408 may include RACH opportunity timing data, RACH opportunity to SSB index / transmission association data, RACH opportunity message data, etc.

[0068] Beam data 442 includes or corresponds to data associated with one or more beams supported by the wireless communication device and / or the network. Beam data 442 may also include or correspond to data associated with uplink beams and / or downlink beams (such as SSB beams and / or RACH opportunity message beams). Settings data 444 includes or corresponds to data associated with network settings, standard settings, device settings, etc., or a combination thereof. For example, settings data 444 may indicate the number of SSB overloads, the ratio of SSB to RACH, the number of beams supported, beam pattern data, etc., or a combination thereof.

[0069] The transmitter 410 is configured to send data to one or more other devices, and the receiver 412 is configured to receive data from one or more other devices. For example, the transmitter 410 may send data via a network (such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof), and the receiver 412 may receive data via a network (such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof). For example, the UE 115 may be configured to send and / or receive data via a direct device-to-device connection, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a modem-to-modem connection, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a cable transmission system, a cellular communication network, any combination of the above, or any other communication network now known or later developed that allows two or more electronic devices to communicate therein. In some implementations, the transmitter 410 and the receiver 412 may be replaced by a transceiver. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 410, the receiver 412, or both may include or correspond to reference 1. Figure 2 One or more components of UE 115 are described.

[0070] The encoder 413 and the decoder 414 may be configured to encode and decode data for transmission. The SSB manager 415 may be configured to determine and perform SSB operations. For example, the SSB manager 415 may be configured to determine SSB settings and / or modes and perform SSB scanning and / or measurement operations. For example, the SSB manager 415 may cause the UE 115 to monitor control signals such as SSB. The RACH manager 416 may be configured to determine and perform RACH operations. For example, the RACH manager 415 may be configured to determine RACH settings and / or modes and perform RACH transmission and / or monitoring operations. For example, the RACH manager 416 may be configured to determine a RACH opportunity associated with an SSB transmission and generate a RACH opportunity message in response to the selected SSB transmission.

[0071] The network entity 405 includes a processor 430, a memory 432, a transmitter 434, a receiver 436, an encoder 437, a decoder 438, an SSB manager 439, a RACH manager 440, and antennas 234a-t. The processor 430 may be configured to execute instructions stored at the memory 432 to perform the operations described herein. In some implementations, the processor 430 includes or corresponds to the controller / processor 240, and the memory 432 includes or corresponds to the memory 242. The memory 432 may be configured to store the SSB data 406, the RACH data 408, the beam data 442, the setting data 444, or a combination thereof, similar to the UE 115 and as further described herein.

[0072] The transmitter 434 is configured to transmit data to one or more other devices, and the receiver 436 is configured to receive data from one or more other devices. For example, the transmitter 434 may transmit data via a network (such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof), and the receiver 436 may receive data via a network (such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof). For example, the network entity 405 may be configured to transmit and / or receive data via a direct device-to-device connection, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a modem-to-modem connection, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a cable transmission system, a cellular communication network, any combination of the above, or any other communication network now known or later developed that allows two or more electronic devices to communicate therein. In some implementations, the transmitter 434 and the receiver 436 may be replaced by a transceiver. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 434, the receiver 436, or both may include or correspond to reference 1. Figure 2 One or more components of the network entity 405 are described.

[0073] The encoder 437 and the decoder 438 may include the same functionality as described with reference to the encoder 413 and the decoder 414, respectively. The SSB manager 439 may include similar functionality as described with reference to the SSB manager 415. For example, the SSB manager 439 is configured to determine, generate, and transmit SSB transmissions. For illustration, the SSB manager 439 may schedule multiple SSB transmissions transmitted via different beams at once, i.e., spatially separated SSBs. As another example, the RACH manager 440 is configured to determine RACH opportunity timing and monitor for RACH opportunity messages. For illustration, the RACH manager 440 may cause the network entity 405 to transmit monitoring for one or more RACH opportunity messages from the UE 115. In some implementations, the network entity 405 may monitor for RACH opportunities using two different beams simultaneously.

[0074] The network entity 405 may determine to use spatially separated SSB (e.g., SSB overload). For example, the network entity 405 may determine to use spatially separated SSB based on network load, congestion, device mobility, bandwidth allocation, one or more other metrics, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity 405 may be configured to always use spatially separated SSB, or may be switched to use spatially separated SSB in response to manual input.

[0075] During operation of the wireless communication system 400, devices of the wireless communication system 400 establish communication links. For example, the UE 115 and the network entity 405 perform a link establishment operation. For illustration, the UE 115 performs a conventional link establishment operation. One such example is the UE 115 listening for an SSB burst from the network entity 405 and requesting to join the network entity 405. In some implementations, the SSB burst performed by the network entity 405 includes spatially separated SSBs.

[0076] After establishing the communication link, the UE 115 and the network entity 405 may periodically perform SSB operations to maintain the communication link. For illustration, the network entity 405 may scan multiple SSB transmissions through multiple transmission windows (also referred to as one or more transmission time slots). Figure 4 As illustrated in the example of , the network entity 405 transmits a first SSB transmission 462 and a second SSB transmission 464 at least partially simultaneously via two spatially separated beams (such as via two different antenna elements). The UE 115 may receive one, both, or none of the SSB transmissions. If the UE 115 receives one or both of the transmissions and the SSB transmission meets the quality metric or performs better than other SSB transmissions of the SSB scan, then the UE 115 selects the SSB transmission and determines a corresponding RACH opportunity. The UE 115 generates a RACH opportunity message 466 and sends the RACH opportunity message 466 during the corresponding RACH opportunity, as described with reference to FIG. Figure 5 and Figure 6 further illustrated and described.

[0077] The network entity 405 monitors one or more corresponding RACH opportunities (corresponding to SSB transmissions 462 and 464) and receives a RACH opportunity message 466 from the UE 115. In some implementations, a single RACH opportunity is associated with both SSB transmissions 462 and 464; and in other implementations, a RACH opportunity is individually associated with each SSB transmission (e.g., 462 and 464).

[0078] After receiving the RACH opportunity message 466, the network entity 405 selects a specific beam associated with the SSB transmission corresponding to the RACH opportunity at which the RACH opportunity message 466 was received. As an illustrative, non-limiting example, the network entity 405 may then transmit data via the specific beam until a time period has passed in which link degradation (e.g., no ACK is received) occurs after establishing another link with another UE, reestablishing a link with UE 115, or upon UE request. Thus, as described with reference to Figure 5 and Figure 6As further described, the network entity 405 can send spatially separated SSB transmissions to increase the number of beams used or to reduce overhead (eg, dedicated time slots for SSB and RACH opportunities).

[0079] therefore, Figure 4 Enhanced beam management operations for beamforming network operations are described. When operating in multiple networks, improvements can be achieved using spatially separated SSB operations. Spatially separated SSB operations enable networks to increase throughput and reliability.

[0080] Figure 5 and Figure 6 Example timing diagram illustrating overloaded or spatially separated SSB transmissions and corresponding RACH opportunities. Figure 5 , Figure 5 5 is an example of a timing diagram 500 with an SSB overloading order of 2 (i.e., one RACH opportunity for two or more SSBs). In other words, two spatially separated SSBs transmitted at least partially concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) are associated with the same RACH opportunity (ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCBPreamblesPerSSB=1). The SSB overloading order or factor is the number of SSB beams / SSBs transmitted over the same SSB resource.

[0081] exist Figure 5 In , twelve SSB transmissions (pairs of SSB2 to SSB7) are scanned (sent) within three time slots. Figure 5 In the example illustrated in FIG, a first SSB, a second SSB, a third SSB, and a fourth SSB are transmitted during the second time slot (i.e., time slot 1), a fifth SSB, a sixth SSB, a seventh SSB, and an eighth SSB are transmitted during the third time slot (i.e., time slot 2), and a ninth SSB, a tenth SSB, an eleventh SSB, and a twelfth SSB are transmitted during the fourth time slot (i.e., time slot 3). Although the SSBs are illustrated as being transmitted in sequential time slots, in other implementations, one or more of the SSBs may be transmitted in non-sequential time slots.

[0082] for Figure 5 For the twelve SSB transmissions, six corresponding RACH opportunities (RACH2 to RACH7) occur during three time slots distributed over a duration of 76 time slots. Figure 5As illustrated in the example of , the first RACH opportunity and the second RACH opportunity occur during the thirty-sixth time slot (i.e., time slot 35), the third RACH opportunity and the fourth RACH opportunity occur during the fortieth time slot (i.e., time slot 39), the fifth RACH opportunity and the sixth RACH opportunity occur during the seventy-sixth time slot (i.e., time slot 75), the seventh RACH opportunity and the eighth RACH opportunity occur during the eightieth time slot (i.e., time slot 79), the ninth RACH opportunity and the tenth RACH opportunity occur during the one hundred and sixteenth time slot (i.e., time slot 115), and the eleventh RACH opportunity and the twelfth RACH opportunity occur during the one twentieth time slot (i.e., time slot 119).

[0083] In addition, the first RACH opportunity (RACH2) is associated with both the first SSB and the second SSB (the first pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 2, SSB2). The second RACH opportunity (RACH3) is associated with both the third SSB and the fourth SSB (the second pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 3, SSB3). The third RACH opportunity (RACH4) is associated with both the fifth SSB and the sixth SSB (the third pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 4, SSB4). The fourth RACH (RACH5) opportunity is associated with both the seventh SSB and the eighth SSB (the fourth pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 5, SSB5). The fifth RACH (RACH6) opportunity is associated with both the ninth SSB and the tenth SSB (the fifth pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 6, SSB6). The sixth RACH (RACH7) opportunity is associated with both the eleventh SSB and the twelfth SSB (the sixth pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 7, SSB7).

[0084] Therefore, in Figure 5 In the example in , for a total overhead of six slots, the SSB scan occupies three slots and the associated RACH opportunity occupies three slots. Figure 3 Compared with the timing diagram 300, Figure 5 The timing diagram 500 uses fewer time slots. In the specific example shown, Figure 5 The spatial separation of SSB is achieved using Figure 3 The amount of time slots is halved to achieve a 50% reduction in network overhead.

[0085] See Figure 6 , Figure 66 is an example of a timing diagram 600 with an SSB overloading order of 2 per beam (i.e., in this case, there are two RACH opportunities per SSB). In other words, two spatially separated SSB beams are used to transmit the same SSB ID and transmit concurrently or at least partially concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) and are associated with the same doubled RACH opportunity resource, or in other words, two RO resources (this means that in the case of an SSB overloading order of 2, each SSB ID or SSB resource will be associated with two RO resources).

[0086] and Figure 5 Compared to the timing diagram 600, the timing diagram 600 has the same overload sequence. However, with respect to RACH, the timing diagram 600 has a different number of RACH opportunities. For example, Figure 5 In the case of the scenario, for the receiver side, it is assumed that multiple receive beams are used simultaneously to receive RACH opportunity messages that may come from different UEs / different directions (assuming that each UE receives a different SSB beam transmitted on the same SSB resource associated with the same shared RACH opportunity message resource). Figure 6 In the present invention, each of the SSBs transmitted on the same SSB resource and associated with the same SSB ID will have double RACH opportunity resources (e.g., each UE will transmit a RACH message on two corresponding RACH opportunity resources), so that a single receive beam can be used at a time on the network side to receive each of these RACH opportunity resources. Each receive beam of the network device (e.g., base station) will receive one of the UE RACH messages on a corresponding RACH opportunity resource in the two RACH opportunity resources.

[0087] exist Figure 6 In the case of an overload factor of 2, each UE can respond to an SSB transmission with its RACH message using two RACH opportunities (RO resources) associated with a particular SSB ID. A particular UE will transmit twice on two RO resources, and the network equipment can scan both resources each time using one of the beams used to transmit the spatially overloaded SSB ID (in this case, the two beams with an overload factor of 2). Therefore, when a UE receives an SSB ID on different spatial beams (two beams in this example), each receive beam of the network can "capture" one of the UE's RACH messages. Therefore, when using a factor of 0.5 SSB resources per RACH resource, each spatially overloaded SSB resource has two RO resources.

[0088] exist Figure 6 In, similar to Figure 5 , twelve SSB transmissions (pairs of SSB2 to SSB7) are scanned (sent) within three time slots. However, in Figure 6In the example of , each SSB transmission has a corresponding RACH opportunity, and the twelve corresponding RACH opportunities (RACH2 to RACH7 and RACH10 to RACH15) occur during six time slots distributed over a duration of 120 time slots. Figure 6 In some implementations illustrated in , spatially separated SSBs are associated with consecutive RACH opportunities (eg, two consecutive RACH opportunities).

[0089] like Figure 6 As illustrated in the example of , the first RACH opportunity and the second RACH opportunity occur during the thirty-sixth time slot (i.e., time slot 35), the third RACH opportunity and the fourth RACH opportunity occur during the fortieth time slot (i.e., time slot 39), the fifth RACH opportunity and the sixth RACH opportunity occur during the seventy-sixth time slot (i.e., time slot 75), the seventh RACH opportunity and the eighth RACH opportunity occur during the eightieth time slot (i.e., time slot 79), the ninth RACH opportunity and the tenth RACH opportunity occur during the one hundred and sixteenth time slot (i.e., time slot 115), and the eleventh RACH opportunity and the twelfth RACH opportunity occur during the one twentieth time slot (i.e., time slot 119).

[0090] In addition, the first RACH opportunity and the second RACH opportunity (RACH2 and RACH3) are associated with both the first SSB and the second SSB (the first pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 2, SSB2). The third RACH opportunity and the fourth RACH opportunity (RACH4 and RACH5) are associated with both the third SSB and the fourth SSB (the second pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 3, SSB3). The third RACH opportunity (RACH6 and RACH7) is associated with both the fifth SSB and the sixth SSB (the third pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 4, SSB4). The fifth RACH opportunity and the sixth RACH opportunity (RACH10 and RACH11) are associated with both the seventh SSB and the eighth SSB (the fourth pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 5, SSB5). The fifth RACH opportunity (RACH12 and RACH13) is associated with both the ninth SSB and the tenth SSB (the fifth pair of SSBs with an SSB ID of 6, SSB6). The sixth RACH opportunity (RACH14 and RACH15) is associated with both the eleventh SSB and the twelfth SSB (the sixth pair of SSBs with SSB ID 7, SSB7).

[0091] Therefore, in Figure 6 In the example in , for a total overhead of nine slots, the SSB scan occupies three slots and the associated RACH opportunity occupies six slots. Figure 5 Compared with the timing diagram 500, Figure 6The timing diagram 600 uses more time slots for RACH opportunities, but does not enable the base station to monitor with dual simultaneous beams during RACH opportunities. A particular base station may be configured to operate in one mode based on hardware capabilities, or may be configured to operate in another mode based on one or more conditions or inputs. Figure 3 、 Figure 5 and / or Figure 6 to switch between the modes.

[0092] Despite Figure 5 and Figure 6 Twelve SSBs (SSB transmissions) are illustrated in the example of FIG, but fewer or more SSBs may be used in other implementations. For example, 64 or 128 SSB transmissions may be used in some implementations. As another example, more than two SSBs may be sent completely or partially simultaneously (i.e., an SSB overload sequence greater than two). For illustration, three, four, or more SSB transmissions may be sent at least partially simultaneously. Furthermore, although in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , pairs of spatially separated SSBs are illustrated as partially overlapping each other with respect to sub-slots / time, but in other implementations, pairs of spatially separated SSBs may be transmitted simultaneously (e.g., completely overlapping each other).

[0093] Additionally, while some benefits of spatially separating SSBs (e.g., SSB overload) have been described with reference to reduced overhead, in addition to or as an alternative to reducing overhead, spatially separating SSBs can enable networks and devices to increase coverage, throughput, and quality via improved signal-to-noise ratios for SSBs, specifically RACH reception, and other types of downlink signals. For example, a network or standard may be designed to use a first number of beams N (e.g., 64). A wireless communication device (such as a gNB) may be able to use a second number M of beams (e.g., 128). The wireless communication device may use the second number M of beams and send multiple (e.g., two) SSB transmissions in each transmission window (e.g., a set of subslots) corresponding to multiple (e.g., two) of the M beams, and the receiving device may operate normally without being aware of the SSB overload. The receiving device will normally monitor each transmission window for SSB transmissions and report the best SSB transmission of the SSB scan during the corresponding RACH opportunity, which indicates the best beam. During a RACH opportunity, a wireless communication device (e.g., a gNB) will monitor multiple (e.g., two) beams defined by the beam used to transmit the SSB associated with a particular RACH opportunity. As a result, the wireless communication device can use more SSB transmissions and more beams and / or finer beams to improve signal quality, thereby improving throughput and / or reliability (finer SSB beams will allow for the use of finer TRS beams and PDSCH beams according to different QCL-related definitions and restrictions in the specification). This quality improvement can occur without any increase in overhead (i.e., network overhead or bandwidth). For illustration, with Figure 3 In contrast, there may be no increase in the time slots of SSB and RACH opportunities.

[0094] Figure 7 is an exemplary beam diagram 700 illustrating twelve beams of SSB. Figure 7 , the beam pattern 700 has two beam sets for a given SSB set (SSB0 to SSB5), namely, a first beam set 712 (e.g., beams 0 to 5 associated with SSB0 to SSB5) and a second beam set 714 (e.g., beams 6 to 11 associated with SSB0 to SSB5). Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 5 , the beam sets 712 , 714 are divided into two groups, a top group and a bottom group, where the first beam set 712 corresponds to the first / top group and the second beam set 714 corresponds to the second / bottom group. Figure 7 The example diagram of FIG. 4 shows a partial diagram of an SSB overload factor of 4, that is, 4 beams at a time or 4 beams within a limited area (e.g., 360 degrees).

[0095] In other implementations, the beam sets 712, 714 can be divided into any number of groups and partitioned in other ways (such as interleaved, random, pseudo-random, by quadrant, etc.) while maintaining spatial separation of the grouped beams. Thus, with respect to the above example, two beams, one beam from each set (e.g., beam 0 associated with SSB0 and beam 6 associated with SSB0), will be transmitted at least partially simultaneously during the SSB transmission window / interval. Thus, a single SSB index (e.g., SSB0) can be transmitted in multiple directions during a certain time period and on the same SSB resource using multiple beams rather than using a different SSB index and a different SSB resource to represent each of these directions / beams.

[0096] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating example blocks executed by a UE configured according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 10 The example blocks are described with reference to the UE 115 illustrated in FIG. Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a UE 115 configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The UE 115 includes Figure 2 1. For example, the UE 115 includes a controller / processor 280 that operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in a memory 282 and controls the components of the UE 115 that provide the features and functionality of the UE 115. The UE 115 transmits and receives signals via radios 1000a-r and antennas 252a-r under the control of the controller / processor 280. Figure 2 As illustrated for UE 115 in FIG, radios 1000a-r include various components and hardware, including modulators / demodulators 254a-r, a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, and a TX MIMO processor 266. Figure 10 As illustrated in the example of , the memory 282 stores SSB logic 1002 , RACH logic 1003 , beamforming logic 1004 , SSB beam data 1005 , and setup data 1006 .

[0097] In block 800, a wireless communication device (such as a UE) receives a first SSB transmission during a first time slot. For example, UE 115 receives the first SSB transmission from a base station (such as base station 105), as shown in FIG. Figures 4 to 6 Descriptive.

[0098] In block 801, the UE 115 receives a second SSB transmission during a first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission. The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are received using spatially separated beams. For example, the UE 115 receives the second SSB transmission, which is identical to the first SSB transmission and is spatially separated from the first SSB transmission, as described with reference to FIG. Figures 4 to 6 Descriptive.

[0099] Additionally or alternatively, another UE may receive the second SSB transmission. For example, UE 115 may receive only the first SSB transmission, while another UE (second UE) receives the second SSB transmission. The first UE and the second UE may then send RACH messages (RO messages) in corresponding RO resources, such as Figures 4 to 6 In some implementations, the RACH opportunities are the same. In other implementations, the RACH opportunities are different (e.g., different parts of a time slot or different time slots).

[0100] In other implementations, UE 115 may execute additional blocks (or UE 115 may be configured to further perform additional operations). For example, UE 115 may perform one or more of the operations described above. In some implementations, UE 115 establishes a communication link with the master node. For example, UE 115 establishes a communication link with base station 105 through normal operation. To illustrate, base station 105 may send an SSB burst set, and UE 115 may send a join request. In some implementations, UE 115 sends a request to establish a link in response to a spatially separated SSB burst scan performed by base station 105. As another example, UE 115 may send a RACH opportunity message corresponding to a first SSB transmission, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 Described in .

[0101] Therefore, the UE and the base station can perform enhanced SSB operation, which can improve throughput and reliability.

[0102] Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating example blocks executed by a wireless communication device configured according to another aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 11 The base station 105 (e.g., gNB) illustrated in FIG. 1 depicts an example box. Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating a base station 105 configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The base station 105 includes Figure 21. The base station 105 of FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a base station 105. For example, the base station 105 includes a controller / processor 240 that operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in a memory 242 and controls the components of the base station 105 that provide the features and functionality of the base station 105. The base station 105 transmits and receives signals via the radios 1101a-t and antennas 234a-t under the control of the controller / processor 240. Figure 2 As illustrated for base station 105 in FIG, radios 1101a-t include various components and hardware, including modulators / demodulators 232a-t, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and TX MIMO processor 230. Figure 11 As illustrated in the example of , the memory 242 stores SSB logic 1102, RACH logic 1103, beamforming logic 1104, SSB to RACH ratio data 1105, SSB beam data 1106, and setup data 1007. One of more of 1102 to 1107 may include or correspond to one of 1002 to 1006.

[0103] In block 900, a wireless communication device (such as a base station) transmits a first SSB transmission during a first time slot. For example, the base station 105 transmits the first SSB transmission as shown in FIG. Figures 4 to 6 Descriptive.

[0104] In block 901, the base station 105 transmits a second SSB transmission during a first time slot, and the second SSB transmission is identical to the first SSB transmission. The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams. For example, the base station 105 transmits the second SSB transmission as shown in FIG. Figures 4 to 6 The transmission of two SSBs in 900 and 901 corresponds to the transmission of spatially separated SSBs.

[0105] In other implementations, the base station 105 may perform additional blocks (or the base station 105 may be configured to further perform additional operations). For example, the base station 105 may perform one or more of the operations described above. In a particular implementation, the base station 105 establishes a communication link with the node. For example, the base station 105 establishes a communication link with the UE 115 through normal operation. To illustrate, the base station 105 may transmit an SSB burst set, and the UE 115 may transmit a join request. In other implementations, the UE 115 transmits a request to establish a link in response to receiving one or more SSBs of a spatially separated SSB burst scan performed by the base station 105.

[0106] As another example, the base station 105 may monitor at least one first corresponding RACH opportunity of the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 In some such implementations, the base station 105 may receive a RACH opportunity message for a first SSB transmission from the UE 115 during a corresponding RACH opportunity, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may receive a RACH opportunity message for a second SSB transmission from the UE 115 during a corresponding RACH opportunity, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 Described in .

[0107] As another example, the base station 105 may transmit data to the UE 115 based on using a specific beam corresponding to the second SSB transmission and indicated by the RACH opportunity message, such as Figure 4 Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may receive data from the UE 115 based on using a specific beam corresponding to the second SSB transmission and indicated by the RACH opportunity message, such as Figure 4 Described in .

[0108] In some implementations, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are spatially separated. In some such implementations, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted partially simultaneously. In a specific implementation, the first SSB transmission is transmitted during a first sub-slot of a first time slot, and wherein the second SSB transmission is transmitted during a second sub-slot of the first time slot.

[0109] In some other implementations, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are sent simultaneously. Additionally or alternatively, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have the same SSB index, the same digital signal, the same scrambling code, the same timing, the same frequency, or a combination thereof.

[0110] As another example, the base station 105 may send a third SSB transmission during a first time slot, wherein the first SSB transmission has a first corresponding RACH opportunity in a second time slot, wherein the second SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot, and wherein the second SSB transmission has a third corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot.

[0111] In some implementations, when the network is configured for N SSBs, the base station may be configured to transmit M SSBs, where M is greater than N. In some implementations, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are associated with a single corresponding RACH opportunity. In some implementations, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission share a corresponding RACH opportunity in a second time slot, and wherein the first time slot and the second time slot are non-sequential.

[0112] As another example, the base station 105 may send a third SSB transmission and a fourth SSB transmission during a first time slot, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission share a first corresponding RACH opportunity in a second time slot, and wherein the third SSB transmission and the fourth SSB transmission share a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot. In some implementations, the first time slot and the second time slot are not sequential.

[0113] As another example, the base station 105 may be configured to monitor multiple beams simultaneously, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 For illustration, the base station 105 may monitor a first RACH opportunity using a first beam and monitor a second RACH opportunity using a second beam, the first RACH opportunity corresponding to both a first SSB transmission and a second SSB transmission. In some implementations, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are associated with two corresponding RACH opportunities. In some such implementations, the two corresponding RACH opportunities are consecutive RACH opportunities. In some such implementations, the two corresponding RACH opportunities are located in the second time slot.

[0114] As another example, the base station 105 may send a third SSB transmission during a first time slot, wherein the first SSB transmission and the third SSB transmission have corresponding RACH opportunities in different time slots. In some such implementations, the first SSB transmission has a first corresponding RACH opportunity in a second time slot, wherein the second SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot, and wherein the third SSB transmission has a third corresponding RACH opportunity in a third time slot. In some such implementations, the first time slot, the second time slot, and the third time slot are not sequential. In some other implementations, the base station 105 is configured to monitor a single beam, as described with reference to FIG. Figure 6 Descriptive.

[0115] As another example, the base station 105 may establish a communication link with the node before sending the first SSB transmission.In some such implementations, the communication link is established by the base station 105 sending the spatially separated SSBs.

[0116] In one or more aspects, techniques for supporting SSB spatial overloading may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below or in combination with one or more other processes or devices described elsewhere herein. In one or more aspects, supporting SSB spatial overloading may include an apparatus configured to transmit a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission during a first time slot. The apparatus is further configured to transmit a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission. The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams. Additionally, the apparatus may be performed or operated according to one or more aspects described below. In some implementations, the apparatus includes a wireless device, such as a UE. In some implementations, the apparatus may include at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor may be configured to perform the operations described herein with respect to the apparatus. In some other implementations, the apparatus may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, and the program code may be executed by a computer to cause the computer to perform the operations described herein with reference to the apparatus. In some implementations, the apparatus may include one or more components configured to perform the operations described herein. In some implementations, a method of wireless communication may include one or more operations described herein with reference to the apparatus.

[0117] In the first aspect, the apparatus is further configured to monitor at least one first corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity associated with the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission using corresponding spatially separated receive beams.

[0118] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the apparatus is further configured to receive a message from a second wireless communication device regarding random access channel (RACH) opportunity resources and associated with a first SSB transmission using a first receive beam during a corresponding RACH opportunity.

[0119] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with the second aspect, the apparatus is further configured to receive a message from a third wireless communication device regarding random access channel (RACH) opportunity resources and associated with a second SSB transmission using a second receive beam during a corresponding RACH opportunity.

[0120] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with the third aspect, the apparatus is further configured to transmit data to a second wireless communication device based on using a specific beam corresponding to the second SSB transmission and associated with the corresponding RACH opportunity and a message received using the second receive beam.

[0121] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the third to fourth aspects, the apparatus is further configured to receive data from a second wireless communication device based on a message received using a specific beam corresponding to a second SSB transmission and associated with a corresponding RACH opportunity and using a second receive beam.

[0122] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are spatially separated.

[0123] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are sent simultaneously.

[0124] In the eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have the same SSB index, the same digital signal, the same scrambling code, the same timing, the same frequency or a combination thereof, and are sent on the same resources.

[0125] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 8, the apparatus is further configured to transmit a third SSB transmission during a first time slot. The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have a first corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot. The third SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot.

[0126] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are associated with a single corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity.

[0127] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to tenth aspects, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission share a corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot. The first time slot and the second time slot are not sequential.

[0128] In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to eleven, the apparatus is further configured to transmit a third SSB transmission and a fourth SSB transmission during a first time slot. The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission share a first corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot. The third SSB transmission and the fourth SSB transmission share a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot.

[0129] In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the twelfth aspect, the first time slot and the second time slot are not sequential.

[0130] In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to thirteen, the apparatus is further configured to transmit a third SSB transmission during a first time slot. The first SSB transmission, the second SSB transmission, and the third SSB transmission have corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunities in different time slots.

[0131] In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the fourteenth aspect, the first SSB transmission has a first corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot, the second SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the third time slot, and the third SSB transmission has a third corresponding RACH opportunity in the fourth time slot.

[0132] In a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the fifteenth aspect, the first time slot, the second time slot, the third time slot, and the fourth time slot are not sequential.

[0133] In the seventeenth aspect, when the network of the wireless communication device is configured for N SSBs and the wireless communication device is configured to use M SSB beams, M is greater than N.

[0134] In an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the seventeenth aspect, the wireless communication device is configured to monitor multiple beams simultaneously, and the device is further configured to use a first beam to monitor a first random access channel (RACH) opportunity; and use a second beam to monitor a first RACH opportunity, which corresponds to both a first SSB transmission and a second SSB transmission.

[0135] In a nineteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of aspects seventeen to eighteen, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are sent at least partially simultaneously.

[0136] In a 20th aspect, alone or in combination with the 19th aspect, the apparatus is further configured to transmit a third SSB transmission during a first time slot. The first SSB transmission, the second SSB transmission, and the third SSB transmission have a first corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot. The third SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot.

[0137] In a twenty-first aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of aspects seventeen to twentieth, the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are associated with two corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunities.

[0138] In a twenty-second aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-first aspect, the two corresponding RACH opportunities are consecutive RACH opportunities.

[0139] In a twenty-third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of aspects twenty-first to twenty-second, the two corresponding RACH opportunities are located in the second time slot.

[0140] In a twenty-fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the above aspects, the apparatus is further configured to establish a communication link with the node prior to sending the first SSB transmission.

[0141] In a twenty-fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with the twenty-fourth aspect, a communication link is established by a wireless communication device transmitting spatial separation SSB.

[0142] In a twenty-sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the above aspects, the wireless communication device is configured to monitor a single beam.

[0143] Therefore, the UE and the base station can perform enhanced SSB operation, which can improve throughput and reliability.

[0144] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0145] The functional blocks and modules described herein (e.g. Figure 2 The functional blocks and modules in the present invention may include processors, electronic devices, hardware devices, electronic components, logical circuits, memories, software codes, firmware codes, etc., or any combination thereof. In addition, the features related to spatially separated SSB discussed herein may be implemented via dedicated processor circuitry, via executable instructions, and / or a combination thereof.

[0146] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps (e.g., Figure 8 and Figure 9The logic blocks in the system (or the logic blocks in the system) can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also readily recognize that the order or combination of components, methods, or interactions described herein are merely examples, and that the components, methods, or interactions of various aspects of the present disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than those illustrated and described herein.

[0147] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure herein 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, 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 conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors together with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0148] The steps of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0149] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented using software, these functions can be stored on or sent via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that facilitates transferring a computer program from one place to another. A computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. As an example and not a limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code components in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Moreover, a connection can be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL), the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or DSL is included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), hard drive, solid state drive, and Blu-ray disc. Disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0150] As used herein, including in the claims, the term "and / or," when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items may be employed alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items may be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, the composition may contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Furthermore, as used herein, including in the claims, "or," as used in a list of items beginning with "at least one of," indicates a transitional list such that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means any one of A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or any combination thereof.

[0151] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method performed by a network entity, comprising: sending a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission during a first time slot; transmitting a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams; Using the first beam to monitor a first random access channel (RACH) opportunity; as well as monitoring the first RACH opportunity using a second beam, the first RACH opportunity corresponding to both the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission, The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have the same SSBID.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are sent simultaneously, and wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are spatially separated.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have the same SSB index, the same digital signal, the same scrambling code, the same timing, the same frequency, or a combination thereof, and are transmitted on the same resources.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending, by the network entity, a third SSB transmission during the first time slot, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have a first corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot, and wherein the third SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are associated with a single corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission share a corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot, and wherein the first time slot and the second time slot are not sequential.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending, by the network entity, a third SSB transmission and a fourth SSB transmission during the first time slot, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission share a first corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot, and wherein the third SSB transmission and the fourth SSB transmission share a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first time slot and the second time slot are not sequential.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the network entity, a third SSB transmission during the first time slot, wherein the first SSB transmission, the second SSB transmission, and the third SSB transmission have corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunities in different time slots.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first SSB transmission has a first corresponding RACH opportunity in a second time slot, wherein the second SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in a third time slot, and wherein the third SSB transmission has a third corresponding RACH opportunity in a fourth time slot.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first time slot, the second time slot, the third time slot, and the fourth time slot are not sequential.

12. An apparatus configured for wireless communication at a network entity, the apparatus comprising: means for transmitting a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission during a first time slot; as well as means for transmitting a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams; means for monitoring a first random access channel (RACH) opportunity using a first beam; as well as means for monitoring the first RACH opportunity using a second beam, the first RACH opportunity corresponding to both the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission, The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have the same SSBID.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the network of apparatuses is configured for N SSBs and the apparatus is configured to use M SSB beams, and wherein M is greater than N.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are sent at least partially simultaneously.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: Means for sending a third SSB transmission during the first time slot, wherein the first SSB transmission, the second SSB transmission, and the third SSB transmission have a first corresponding random access channel (RACH) opportunity in a second time slot, and wherein the third SSB transmission has a second corresponding RACH opportunity in the second time slot.

16. A computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code causing a computer of a network entity to execute a method comprising: sending a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission during a first time slot; as well as transmitting a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams; Using the first beam to monitor a first random access channel (RACH) opportunity; as well as monitoring the first RACH opportunity using a second beam, the first RACH opportunity corresponding to both the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission, The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have the same SSBID.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, the method further comprising establishing a communication link with a node prior to sending the first SSB transmission.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the communication link is established by sending spatially separated (SSB) transmissions.

19. An apparatus configured for wireless communication at a network entity, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as a memory coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to: sending a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission during a first time slot; as well as transmitting a second SSB transmission during the first time slot, the second SSB transmission being identical to the first SSB transmission, wherein the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission are transmitted using spatially separated beams; Using the first beam to monitor a first random access channel (RACH) opportunity; as well as monitoring the first RACH opportunity using a second beam, the first RACH opportunity corresponding to both the first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission, The first SSB transmission and the second SSB transmission have the same SSBID.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is configured to monitor a single beam.

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