Transmission mode in a cellular communication system

Abstract

The transmission mode of SS / PBCH bursts is used at high SCS values ​​to mitigate overlap between control signaling areas in transmission modes used at lower SCS values. A method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz includes the steps of: selecting a start position for each of a series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst having a duration of at least two OFDM symbols, wherein the start position is selected such that each burst does not overlap with an uplink or downlink control transmission area allocated to subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, and 480 kHz; and transmitting the series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst starting from one of the selected start positions and having a duration to avoid overlap with the uplink or downlink control transmission areas allocated to the subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, and 480 kHz.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to transmission modes, and more specifically, to synchronization signals. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless communication systems such as third-generation (3G) mobile phone standards and technologies are well-known. These 3G standards and technologies were developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (RTM). Third-generation wireless communication has been widely developed to support macrocell mobile phone communication. Communication systems and networks have evolved towards broadband and mobile systems.

[0003] In a cellular wireless communication system, User Equipment (UE) connects to the Radio Access Network (RAN) via a radio link. The RAN comprises a set of base stations and an interface to the Core Network (CN). These base stations provide radio links to UEs located in cells covered by the base stations, and the interface to the CN provides overall network control. It should be understood that the RAN and CN each perform their respective functions relevant to the overall network. For convenience, the term "cellular network" will be used to refer to the combined RAN & CN, and it should be understood that this term is used to refer to the respective systems used to perform the disclosed functions.

[0004] The 3G Partnership developed the so-called Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, also known as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunication System Territorial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), for mobile access networks, where one or more macro cells are supported by base stations called eNodeBs or eNBs (evolved NodeBs). More recently, LTE is further evolving into the so-called 5G or NR (New Radio) system, where one or more cells are supported by base stations called gNBs. NR is proposed to use the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) physical transmission format.

[0005] The NR protocol is designed to provide the option to operate in unlicensed radio bands (known as NR-U). When operating in unlicensed radio bands, the gNB and UE must compete with other devices for physical media / resource access. For example, Wi-Fi (RTM), NR-U, and LAA can use the same physical resources.

[0006] The trend in wireless communication is towards providing services with lower latency and higher reliability. For example, NR aims to support Ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), while Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) aims to provide low latency and high reliability for small packet sizes (typically 32 bytes). A user plane latency of 1ms with a reliability of 99.99999% is proposed, and a 10... -5 Or 10 -6 The packet loss rate.

[0007] mMTC services are designed to support a large number of devices over a long lifespan through energy-efficient communication channels, where data transmission between each device is sporadic and infrequent. For example, a single cell may need to support thousands of devices.

[0008] The present invention relates to various improvements to cellular wireless communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This invention provides a method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz. The method comprises the following steps: selecting a start position for each of a series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst having a duration of at least two OFDM symbols, wherein the start position is selected such that each burst does not overlap with an uplink or downlink control transmission area allocated to subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, and 480 kHz; and transmitting the series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst starting from one of the selected start positions and having a duration to avoid overlap with the uplink or downlink control transmission areas allocated to the subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, and 480 kHz.

[0010] The starting position can be located at OFDM symbol number {32,36,40,44,64,68,72,76,88,92,128,132,144,148,152,156,176,180,184,188}+224*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

[0011] The starting position can be located at OFDM symbol number {32,36,40,44,64,68,72,76}+112*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

[0012] The starting position can be located at OFDM symbol number {32,38,44,64,70,76,88,128,144,150,156,176,182,188}+224*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

[0013] The starting position can be located at OFDM symbol number {32,38,44,64,70,76}+112*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 10, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

[0014] A method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz is also provided, characterized in that the method includes the following steps: selecting a start position for each of a series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst having a duration of at least 4 OFDM symbols, wherein the start position is selected such that each burst does not overlap with an uplink or downlink control transmission area allocated to subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz; and transmitting the series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst starting from one of the selected start positions and having a duration to avoid overlapping with the uplink or downlink control transmission area allocated to the subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz.

[0015] The starting position can be located at OFDM symbol number {16,20,32,36,44,64,72,76,88,92}+112*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

[0016] The starting position can be located at OFDM symbol number {16,20,32,36}+56*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 15, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

[0017] A method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz is also provided, characterized in that the method includes the following steps: transmitting a series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst starting from a selected OFDM symbol {8,12,16,20,32,36,40,44}+56*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame in which the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted.

[0018] A method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz is also provided, characterized in that the method includes the following steps: transmitting a series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst starting from a selected OFDM symbol {4,8,16,20}+28*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 15, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame in which the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted.

[0019] A method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz is also provided, characterized in that the method includes the following steps: transmitting a series of SS / PBCH bursts, each burst starting from a selected OFDM symbol {8,14,20,32,38,44}+56*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame in which the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Further details, aspects, and embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Similar reference numerals have been included in the corresponding drawings for ease of understanding.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the components of a cellular communication system is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 The transmission modes of 120kHz and 240kHz SCS are shown; and

[0023] Figures 3 to 6 The transmission mode with a large SCS value is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Those skilled in the art will recognize and understand that the details of the described examples are merely illustrative of some embodiments and that the teachings set forth herein are applicable to various alternative settings.

[0025] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a cellular network formed by three base stations (e.g., eNB or gNB depending on the specific cellular standard and terminology). Typically, each base station will be deployed by a cellular network operator to provide geographic coverage for UEs in that area. The base stations form a Radio Area Network (RAN). Each base station provides radio coverage for UEs in its area or cell. The base stations interconnect via an X2 interface and connect to the core network via an S1 interface. It should be understood that only basic details are shown for the purpose of illustrating key characteristics of a cellular network. A PC5 interface is provided between UEs for sidelink (SL) communication. Figure 1 The related interface and component names are for illustrative purposes only. Different systems may use different naming conventions as they operate on the same principles.

[0026] Each base station contains the hardware and software for implementing RAN functions, including communication with the core network and other base stations, control and data signaling between the core network and UEs, and maintaining wireless communication with the UEs associated with each base station. The core network includes the hardware and software for implementing network functions, such as overall network management and control, and call and data routing.

[0027] This invention relates to wireless communication systems, primarily focusing on devices operating with large subcarrier spacing. The invention proposes a novel method for transmitting synchronization signals, potentially from a large number of base station beams, which will allow user equipment (UE) and other cellular devices to acquire them and synchronize with the network.

[0028] SS / PBCH block:

[0029] Cell search is the process by which the UE obtains time and frequency synchronization with a cell and detects the cell's physical layer identity (ID). The UE receives the following synchronization signals (SS) to perform cell search: the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS). The UE assumes that the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), PSS, and SSS are received in consecutive symbols, as defined below, and forms an SS / PBCH block. PSS and SSS allow the UE to synchronize, and by decoding the PBCH, the UE obtains system timing and minimal system information to complete configuration and receive and initiate downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) communications respectively.

[0030] 3GPP TS 38.211 Section 7.4.3.1—Time-Frequency Structure of SS / PBCH Blocks:

[0031] In the time domain, the SS / PBCH block consists of 4 OFDM symbols, which are numbered in ascending order from 0 to 3 within the SS / PBCH block. The PSS, SSS, and PBCH, as well as the associated DM-RS, are mapped to symbols as shown in Table 7.4.3.1-1 of TS 38.211.

[0032] Table 7.4.3.1-1: Resources within the SS / PBCH blocks of the DM-RS of PSS, SSS, PBCH and PBCH.

[0033]

[0034] In the frequency domain, an SS / PBCH block consists of 240 consecutive subcarriers (20 resource blocks, each containing 12 subcarriers), numbered sequentially from 0 to 239 within the SS / PBCH block. The quantities k and l represent the frequency and time indices within an SS / PBCH block, respectively. The quantity v in Table 7.4.3.1-1 is... Given, among which It's a community sign.

[0035] SS / PBCH block mode:

[0036] For beam-based operation, base stations can transmit beams using beam scanning in different directions. 3GPP specifies two frequency ranges, FR1 and FR2. FR1 was originally intended to reach 6 GHz, but was later extended to 7.125 GHz. FR2 was initially specified as 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Version 15 and 16 of the 5G New Radio (NR) operating system were specified for these frequency ranges. Version 17 aims to extend FR2 operation up to 71 GHz. These extensions may reach 100 GHz or even higher, as the extensive availability of spectrum and advancements in antenna / RF technology at such high carrier frequencies enable efficient communication, which was previously considered very difficult. 3GPP Version 15 allows up to 4 beams up to 3 GHz and 8 beams above 3 GHz in FR1. For FR2, base stations can use up to 64 beams. With beam scanning operation, each beam may need to transmit its own SS / PBCH block to allow UE synchronization and successful DL and UL data communication.

[0037] SS / PBCH block bursts span 5 milliseconds, during which the base station can transmit SS / PBCH blocks for the active beam according to the operating carrier frequency, up to a maximum number of beams. Therefore, SS / PBCH blocks used for active beams will always be limited to 5-millisecond bursts. 3GPP defines the SS / PBCH block mode in the RAN1 specification, which provides the symbol index in which the base station will transmit SS / PBCH blocks.

[0038] 3GPP TS38.213 defines SS / PBCH block transmission modes with different sub-carrier spacings (SCS). This is reproduced for reference.

[0039] Case A-15kHz SCS: The first symbol of the candidate SS / PBCH block has an index of {2,8}+14·n.

[0040] For operations without shared spectrum channel access:

[0041] For carrier frequencies less than or equal to 3 GHz, n = 0, 1.

[0042] For carrier frequencies greater than 3 GHz within FR1, n = 0, 1, 2, 3.

[0043] For operations using shared spectrum channel access, as described in [15, TS 37.213], n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.

[0044] Case B-30kHz SCS:The first symbol of a candidate SS / PBCH block has an index {4,8,16,20}+28·n. For carrier frequencies less than or equal to 3 GHz, n = 0. For carrier frequencies greater than 3 GHz within FR1, n = 0,1.

[0045] Case C-30kHz SCS: The first symbol of the candidate SS / PBCH block has an index of {2,8}+14·n.

[0046] For operations without shared spectrum channel access:

[0047] For paired spectrum operations:

[0048] For carrier frequencies less than or equal to 3 GHz, n = 0, 1. For carrier frequencies greater than 3 GHz within FR1, n = 0, 1, 2, 3.

[0049] For unpaired spectrum operations without shared spectrum channel access:

[0050] For carrier frequencies less than or equal to 2.4 GHz, n = 0, 1. For carrier frequencies greater than 2.4 GHz within FR1, n = 0, 1, 2, 3.

[0051] For operations using shared spectrum channel access, n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

[0052] Case D-120kHz SCS: The first symbol of the candidate SS / PBCH block has an index {4,8,16,20}+28·n. For the carrier frequency within FR2, n=0,1,2,3,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,18.

[0053] Case Study E-240kHz SCS: The first symbol of the candidate SS / PBCH block has an index {8,12,16,20,32,36,40,44}+56·n. For the carrier frequency within FR2, n = 0,1,2,3,5,6,7,8.

[0054] Since the objective of this invention is to operate in a higher frequency range, namely the so-called FR2 region and its extension to 71 GHz or higher, the modes of interest are those labeled Case D and Case E, applicable to 120 kHz and 240 kHz, respectively. Figure 2 As shown.

[0055] Design for high-frequency SS / PBCH block bursts:

[0056] 3GPP NR standardized beam-based operation in Release 15. In FR2, a base station can use up to 64 beams to transmit in different directions. The main principle behind beam-based operation is to compensate for the higher path loss at higher frequencies through beamforming and antenna gain. However, due to cost considerations, base stations may not have dedicated hardware for each individual beam direction they intend to use. Therefore, hybrid beamforming will be the typical operating mode, where a combination of digital and analog beamforming techniques will be employed.

[0057] Given the extended frequency range of FR2, up to 71.6 GHz in Release 17 and over 100 GHz under investigation, base stations will use multi-beams to serve users as their typical operating mode.

[0058] The 17th edition of work item “Extending Current NR Operation to 71 GHz”, agreed upon in RANP#86 of RP-193229, sets the following two objectives for RAN1 in its objectives section:

[0059] The physical layer includes [RAN1]:

[0060] a. A new parameter set or parameter set (μ values ​​in 38.211) operating within this frequency range. Address the impact on the physical signals / channels identified in the SI (if any).

[0061] b. Time-related aspects apply to each new parameter set, such as BWP and beam switching time, HARQ scheduling, UE processing, PDSCH, PUSCH / SRS, and CSI preparation and calculation time.

[0062] c. Supports up to 64 SSB beams for licensed and unlicensed operations within this frequency range.

[0063] The physical layer procedures include [RAN1]:

[0064] a. Assume a channel access mechanism based on beam operation to comply with regulatory requirements applicable to unlicensed spectrum between 52.6 GHz and 71 GHz.

[0065] The focus of this invention is the design of an SS / PBCH block transmission mode suitable for high-frequency operation. As stated in the objective, the FR2 extension will employ higher digitization. Typically, the transmission of multiple SS / PBCH blocks allows all UEs to occupy a certain amount of space in the time-frequency resource grid for synchronization in different beam directions, thereby reducing potential time-frequency resources used for control and communication purposes. Therefore, SS / PBCH blocks need to be transmitted at higher frequencies to reduce their space occupation in the resource grid. This will require defining SS / PBCH block transmission candidate locations for higher sub-carrier spacing (SCS), becoming part of the available parameter set in the FR2 extension.

[0066] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes a method for efficient SS / PBCH block transmission at higher SCSs of 480kHz and 960kHz. Furthermore, it provides guidelines on how to extend the proposed design to even higher SCSs for future expansion, thereby further improving the frequency regime.

[0067] This invention addresses the design of beam-based SS / PBCH block transmission modes. It provides SS / PBCH block modes suitable for high-frequency operation, which requires the introduction of a new set of parameters with higher sub-carrier spacing (SCS).

[0068] This invention proposes three SS / PBCH block transmission mode designs for 480kHz and 960kHz subcarrier spacing. The first design proposes a mode in which up to 64 SS / PBCH blocks can be transmitted within 1.75 milliseconds for a 960kHz SCS. The mode proposed in the second design provides up to 64 SS / PBCH candidate positions within a 2-millisecond interval for a 960kHz SCS. Furthermore, this mode is completely symmetrical within each 250-microsecond interval. Both designs allow the use of subcarrier spacing from 60kHz to 960kHz with zero overlap with typical downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) control of 60kHz to 480kHz SCS, and minimal overlap with DL / UL control at the 960kHz SCS. The third design proposes using existing 120kHz and 240kHz SS / PBCH candidate positions to higher SCSs of 480kHz and 960kHz. This design packs 64 SSB candidate locations within a 1-millisecond interval. By limiting the use of SCS to 240kHz or higher, overlap with DL / UL control applications can be avoided, making this design a potentially efficient and simple solution for SSB candidate locations.

[0069] To overcome the transients caused by beam switching, which can be problematic for back-to-back SS / PBCH blocks from different beams due to the very short symbol duration, this invention proposes a design extension for the SS / PBCH block mode that introduces a time interval. This is useful for maintaining synchronization accuracy and reliability despite beam switching transients.

[0070] In the final part of this invention, methods are proposed for adapting the proposed design to a number of beam positions other than 64, and for extending the design to higher SCS (e.g., 1920 kHz and 3840 kHz) above 960 kHz. Such extensions may be of interest for FR2 extensions and higher frequencies when higher SCS may be required.

[0071] Current disclosure requirements:

[0072] 1. The efficient SS / PBCH block design supports UE synchronization for high-frequency operation.

[0073] 2. The design minimizes or even eliminates overlap with typical DL / UL control events to reduce the impact on scheduling and data transmission.

[0074] Typical downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) control overlap is zero at kHz SCS, with minimal overlap with DL / UL control at 960kHz SCS. A third design proposes using existing 120kHz and 240kHz SS / PBCH candidate positions to higher SCSs at 480kHz and 960kHz. This design packs 64 SSB candidate positions within a 1ms interval. By limiting the use of SCS to 240kHz or higher, overlap with DL / UL control scenarios can be avoided, making this design a potentially efficient and simple solution for SSB candidate positions.

[0075] SS / PBCH block transfer mode design:

[0076] The SS / PBCH block design has been specified by 3GPP for subcarrier spacing up to 240 kHz. This invention extends the SS / PBCH block design to larger SCSs of 480 kHz and 960 kHz, which are candidate SCSs for higher frequency operation. Furthermore, guidelines are provided for the design of general SS / PBCH block modes that can be used for very large SCSs.

[0077] This invention proposes three designs for SS / PBCH block modes suitable for high-frequency operation. The key features and advantages of each design are highlighted in the description of each design approach. For all three proposed designs, a primary objective is to maintain the availability of typical DL and UL control despite SS / PBCH block transmissions within the time slot. DL control is typically transmitted in the first few symbols of a time slot, helping the base station schedule resources for DL ​​and UL transmissions. UL control is typically scheduled in the last few symbols of a time slot, helping the base station receive HARQ feedback and UL control information.

[0078] Design 1

[0079] 3GPP allows for high-frequency operation using 60kHz and larger subcarrier spacing. Rel-15 has standardized SS / PBCH block modes SCS at 120kHz and 240kHz, with 240kHz used solely for SS / PBCH block transmission and not for data. For high-frequency operation where carrier bandwidth can be very large, in GHz ranges, even larger SCSs may be required, potentially helping to address the issue of large FFT sizes, which can become a bottleneck when the number of subcarriers becomes very large. In this regard, for full-range frequency 2 (FR2) operation, choosing very large SCSs up to 960kHz or even 1920kHz may be advantageous. This would require designing new SS / PBCH block modes to accommodate SS / PBCH block transmissions in different beam directions and could potentially allow for different SCSs to be used for SS / PBCH blocks and other control and data transmissions.

[0080] Figure 3 A proposed design for SS / PBCH block modes with 480kHz and 960kHz subcarrier spacing is shown. This design supports harmonious operation of SS / PBCH blocks using 480kHz and 960kHz transmissions, while fully allowing DL / UL control transmission opportunities for all SCSs starting from 60kHz. Figure 3 The diagram shows a time slot (14 symbols) of a 60 kHz SCS, which in time corresponds to 28, 56, 112, and 224 symbols of 120 kHz, 240 kHz, 480 kHz, and 960 kHz SCS, respectively. The diagram consists of four stacked subplots, each showing a time slot (14 OFDM symbols) of a 240 kHz SCS.

[0081] In each subgraph, the first five rows display the symbols for the SCS from 60kHz to 960kHz, with the first column mentioning the SCS. For each SCS in its corresponding row, the first two symbols (0, 1, 14, 15, 28, 29, 42, 43, 56, 57, 70, 71, 84, 85, 98, 99) for each time slot (14 OFDM symbols) are highlighted to indicate potential downlink control transmissions, while the last two symbols (12, 13, 26, 27, 40, 41, 54, 55, 68, 69, 82, 83, 96, 97) are highlighted to indicate potential uplink control transmissions that may occur in these symbols. The bottom of each subgraph provides the SS / PBCH block mode design for the 480kHz and 960kHz SCS.

[0082] For the period shown in this figure, i.e., one time slot (250 microseconds) of 60kHz SCS or 16 time slots of 960kHz SCS, using the recommended design, the following are candidate positions for SS / PBCH blocks in one 60kHz time slot.

[0083] The top 20 SS / PBCH block candidate positions for the 960kHz SCS:

[0084] 32, 36, 40, 44, 64, 68, 72, 76, 88, 92, 128, 132, 144, 148, 152, 156, 176, 180, 184, 188.

[0085] The top 10 SS / PBCH block candidate positions for the 480kHz SCS:

[0086] 16, 20, 32, 36, 44, 64, 72, 76, 88, 92.

[0087] This design allocates the first 20 SS / PBCH block candidate positions for the 960kHz SCS within 250 microseconds and the first 10 candidate positions for the 480kHz SCS. This pattern repeats itself within the next 250 microsecond interval. If the number of candidate positions is limited to 64, the last interval will only have 4 SS / PBCH block candidate positions. It is recommended to use the first 4 candidate positions of the last interval to accommodate the last 4 candidates, achieving a total of 64 beams (requiring 64 SS / PBCH blocks). Through these repetitions, for the 960SCS, the 64 candidate positions will be completed within 1000 microseconds (4 60kHz SCS slots), and for the 480kHz SCSSSB transmission, it will be completed within 1750 microseconds (7 60kHz SCS slots).

[0088] The SS / PBCH position can be defined relative to the first symbol in a 5-millisecond half-frame. Therefore, reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame where the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted. For this proposed design, the first symbol index of the candidate SS / PBCH block, with respect to this reference symbol, is determined based on the SCS of the SS / PBCH block, as follows:

[0089] Candidate positions for 960kHz SCS:

[0090] {32, 36, 40, 44, 64, 68, 72, 76, 88, 92, 128, 132, 144, 148, 152, 156, 176, 180, 184, 188}+224*n.

[0091] Where n = 0, 1, 2, 3.

[0092] Using only the first 4 candidates, n=3 yields 64 candidate positions.

[0093] Candidate positions for 480kHz SCS:

[0094] {16,20,32,36,44,64,72,76,88,92}+112*n.

[0095] Where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

[0096] Using only the first 4 candidates, n=6 yields 64 candidate positions.

[0097] The reference symbol for the SS / PBCH candidate position can be considered a different reference from the first symbol of the half-frame. Similarly, if necessary, the duration of the SS / PBCH burst can be reduced from 5 milliseconds for high-frequency operation.

[0098] A key feature of the proposed design is the SS / PBCH burst design, which ensures that for any SCS from 60kHz to 480kHz, the proposed SS / PBCH block candidate positions will never overlap with any potential downlink control (the first two OFDM symbols in the time slot) and uplink control (the last two OFDM symbols in the time slot). This means that when this control transmission can be used with any SCS from 60kHz to 480kHz, the SS / PBCH block patterns proposed for 480kHz and 960kHz in this design allow for full downlink and uplink control resources.

[0099] When this control transmission uses a 960kHz SCS, the recommended SS / PBCH block location overlap is used for both downlink and uplink control. This design minimizes overlap, allowing most downlink and uplink control to be freely used for control transmissions. For the 16 slot periods shown in the figure (assuming slot numbers 0 to 15), downlink control (the first two symbols of the slot) may overlap only with slots 3, 5, 11, and 13, and uplink control (the last two symbols of the slot) may overlap only with slots 2, 4, 10, and 12. This means that even in these slots where all SS / PBCH block candidate positions are filled, only 4 DL and 4 UL control positions overlap, leaving 12 DL and 12 UL control positions available. Therefore, when all SS / PBCH block candidate positions are utilized, only 25% of the positions may overlap with SS / PBCH block candidate positions.

[0100] Basic principles and main advantages:

[0101] * Well-compressed SS / PBCH block candidate positions: 64 candidate positions within 1000 microseconds for 960kHz, and 64 candidate positions within 1750 microseconds for 480kHz SCS SS / PBCH blocks.

[0102] * There is no overlap with any DL control position (the first two symbols in the time slot) of the 60KHz, 120KHz, 240KHz and 480KHz SCS.

[0103] *There is no overlap with any UL control (PUCCH) (the last two symbols in the time slot) of the 60KHz, 120KHz, 240KHz and 480KHz SCS.

[0104] *Limited impact on the DL and UL control positions (maximum 25% overlap) of the 960kHz SCS.

[0105] Design 2

[0106] Design 1 for SS / PBCH bursts packs SS / PBCH candidate positions into the shortest possible intervals while avoiding overlap with DL and UL transmission opportunities. However, Design 1 has some limitations: one issue is its asymmetry. For example, in Design 1 with 64 candidates in a 480kHz SCS, the first six 250µs intervals have 10 SS / PBCH candidate positions, while the last interval has only 4 to achieve the total 64 candidate positions. A second issue relates to the temporally varying SS / PBCH candidate density. For each pair of 480kHz slots, the first pair has 2, the next two pairs have 3, and the fourth pair has 2 SS / PBCH candidate positions.

[0107] This can be problematic for the transmission of residual minimum system information that needs to be transmitted in each beam associated with its SS / PBCH block. This varying density of SS / PBCH candidate positions across different intervals leads to complex designs for residual minimum system information transmission and imposes additional constraints on beam-scan-based operations.

[0108] To overcome these limitations of the first SS / PBCH burst design, this section proposes a novel SS / PBCH burst mode. The design is constructed based on the principle of packing SS / PBCH candidate positions as close as possible. The problems of the first design are further overcome by eliminating SS / PBCH candidate positions in groups 2 and 3, each spanning two 480 kHz time slots. More precisely, individual SS / PBCH candidate positions, one in group 2 and one in group 3, are removed. This results in an optimized design that is (i) completely symmetric for all intervals where SS / PBCH candidates exist, and (ii) has a uniform density of SS / PBCH candidate positions in each of the two 480 kHz time slots, thereby facilitating the transmission of minimal remaining system information.

[0109] Figure 4 An optimized design for SS / PBCH block mode with 480kHz and 960kHz subcarrier spacing is shown. This design supports harmonious operation of SS / PBCH candidates using 480kHz and 960kHz transmissions and fully allows data transmission opportunities for all SCSs starting from 60kHz. Figure 4 The diagram shows a time slot (14 symbols) of a 60 kHz SCS, which in time corresponds to 28, 56, 112, and 224 symbols of 120 kHz, 240 kHz, 480 kHz, and 960 kHz SCSs, respectively. The diagram consists of four stacked subplots, each showing a time slot (14 OFDM symbols) of a 240 kHz SCS.

[0110] In each sub-diagram, the first five rows show the symbols / slots of the SCS from 60kHz to 960kHz, with the first column mentioning the SCS. For each SCS in the corresponding row, the first two symbols are highlighted to indicate potential downlink control transmissions, and the last two symbols are highlighted to indicate potential uplink control transmissions. The bottom section of each sub-diagram provides the SS / PBCH block mode design for the 480kHz and 960kHz SCSs.

[0111] For the period shown in this figure, i.e., one time slot (250 microseconds) of 60kHz SCS or 16 time slots of 960kHz SCS, using the recommended design, the following are the candidate locations of SS / PBCH blocks during the duration of one time slot of 60kHz.

[0112] The top 16 SS / PBCH block candidate positions for the 960kHz SCS:

[0113] 32, 36, 40, 44, 64, 68, 72, 76, 144, 148, 152, 156, 176, 180, 184, 188.

[0114] The first 8 SS / PBCH block candidate positions of the 480kHz SCS:

[0115] 16, 20, 32, 36, 72, 76, 88, 92.

[0116] This design allocates the first 16 SS / PBCH block candidate positions for the 960kHz SCS within 250 microseconds and the first 8 candidate positions for the 480kHz SCS. This pattern repeats itself in subsequent 250 microsecond intervals. If the number of candidate positions is limited to 64, four 250 microsecond cycles will provide 64 SS / PBCH block candidate positions for the 960kHz SCS, which will be completed within 1 millisecond. For the 480kHz SCS, one 250 microsecond interval provides 8 candidate SS / PBCH block positions, so eight such intervals spanning 2 milliseconds will provide 64 candidate SS / PBCH block positions.

[0117] The SS / PBCH position can be defined relative to the first symbol in a 5-millisecond half-frame. Therefore, reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame where the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted. For this proposed design, the first symbol index of the candidate SS / PBCH block, with respect to this reference symbol, is determined based on the SCS of the SS / PBCH block, as follows:

[0118] Candidate positions for 960kHz SCS:

[0119] {32,36,40,44,64,68,72,76}+112*n.

[0120] n=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

[0121] Candidate positions for 480kHz SCS:

[0122] {16,20,32,36}+56*n.

[0123] n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 15.

[0124] A key feature of the proposed design is that the SS / PBCH block pattern is designed so that the proposed SS / PBCH block candidate positions will never overlap with any potential downlink control (the first two OFDM symbols in the time slot) and uplink control (the last two OFDM symbols in the time slot) for any SCS from 60kHz to 480kHz. This means that the SS / PBCH block patterns proposed for 480kHz and 960kHz in this design allow for full downlink and uplink control resources when this control transmission can use any SCS from 60kHz to 480kHz.

[0125] When this control transmission uses a 960kHz SCS, the recommended SS / PBCH block location overlap is used for both downlink and uplink control. This design minimizes overlap, allowing most downlink and uplink control to be freely used for control transmissions. For the 16 slot periods shown in the figure (assuming slot numbers 0 to 15), downlink control (the first two symbols of the slot) may overlap only with slots 3, 5, 11, and 13, and uplink control (the last two symbols of the slot) may overlap only with slots 2, 4, 10, and 12. This means that even in these slots where all SS / PBCH block candidate positions are filled, only 4 DL and 4 UL control positions overlap, leaving 12 DL and 12 UL control positions available. Therefore, when all SS / PBCH block candidate positions are utilized, only 25% of the positions may overlap with SS / PBCH block candidate positions.

[0126] The design proposed in this section differs from the first design in that the 960kHz SCS lacks the four candidate positions starting from symbols 88, 92, 128, and 130, while the 480kHz SCS design lacks the two SS / PBCH block candidate positions starting from symbols 44 and 64. Although the first design completes 64 candidate bursts faster than the second design proposed in this section, it is asymmetrical because the last 250-microsecond interval has a different number of SS / PBCH block candidate intervals compared to the first and intermediate intervals. However, the design proposed in this section is perfectly symmetrical, with all 250-microsecond intervals carrying an equal number of 16 or 8 SS / PBCH block candidate positions for either the 960kHz or 480kHz SCS. This is beneficial for UE implementation and for searching synchronization blocks when attempting to synchronize with a given cell.

[0127] If the number of candidate beams increases to more than 64, the symmetry of the proposed design also makes it suitable for use. For example, if the number of beams increases to 128 or 256, the proposed mode can be easily extended by repeating the 250-microsecond interval multiple times. For a 960 kHz SCS, since a 250-microsecond period provides 16 SS / PBCH block candidate positions, modes repeated 8 times and 16 times will provide 128 and 256 positions, respectively. For a 480 kHz SCS, since a 250-microsecond period provides 8 SS / PBCH block candidate positions, modes repeated 16 times and 32 times will provide 128 and 256 positions, respectively.

[0128] A crucial aspect of this design is that the proposed SS / PBCH block transmission design for 480kHz and 960kHz SCS is combined with existing designs for 120kHz and 240kHz SCS, providing harmonious integration of control / data transmission from 60kHz to 960kHz SCS for four different SS / PBCH block designs. This can be easily projected to even higher SCS if needed. In one example, Figure 4 All SCSs in this design can be projected to the next level; the 960kHz SCS becomes 1920kHz, the 480kHz SCS becomes 960kHz, and so on. The same pattern shown in the diagram can reuse the SCS notation through this change, providing SS / PBCH patterns from the 240kHz SCS to the 1960kHz SCS, still exhibiting good characteristics with minimal or no overlap with DL and UL controls. In another example, all SCSs in this design can be extended to two levels or different higher levels, immediately providing an SS / PBCH block design for higher SCSs with good properties.

[0129] Basic principles and main advantages:

[0130] * Well-compressed SS / PBCH block candidate positions: 64 candidate positions are available within 1 millisecond for 960 kHz and within 2 milliseconds for 480 kHz SCS SS / PBCH blocks.

[0131] The candidate positions of the *SS / PBCH block are designed to be completely symmetrical from beginning to end, which facilitates UE implementation.

[0132] *Does not overlap with any DL control position (first 2 symbols in the time slot) of the 60KHz, 120KHz, 240KHz and 480KHz SCS.

[0133] *There is no overlap with any UL control (PUCCH) (the last two symbols in the time slot) of the 60KHz, 120KHz, 240KHz and 480KHz SCS.

[0134] *Limited impact on the DL and UL control positions (maximum 25% overlap) of the 960kHz SCS.

[0135] * Easily expandable to higher SCS for higher frequency operation.

[0136] Design 3

[0137] Figure 5 A third design for SS / PBCH block transmission modes with subcarrier spacing of 480kHz and 960kHz is shown. The basic principle behind this design is to reuse the SS / PBCH burst design for 120kHz and 240kHz SCS. Therefore, the design for 120kHz and 240kHz SCS is reused for 480kHz and 960kHz SCS. Figure 3 The diagram shows a 60kHz SCS time slot (14 symbols), which in time corresponds to 28, 56, 112, and 224 symbols for the 120kHz, 240kHz, 480kHz, and 960kHz SCSs, respectively. The diagram consists of four vertical subplots, each showing a 240kHz SCS time slot.

[0138] The design presented in this section essentially extends the 3GPP Release-15 SS / PBCH block pattern design, which is applicable to 120kHz and 240kHz SCS, to 480kHz and 960kHz SCS. Since the conventional design is intended to work with 60kHz and 120kHz control and data SCSs, the proposed scalable design works well when transmitting control and data using SCSs at 240kHz or higher (480kHz, 960kHz). Conversely, the figure shows significant overlap in DL / UL control locations for the lower SCSs of 60kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz. Therefore, using this design may impose certain limitations when all these SCSs can be used. To overcome the problem of significant overlap in DL / UL control locations from lower SCSs with SS / PBCH blocks, the use of 60kHz and 120kHz can be limited. Therefore, when the SS / PBCH block follows this design with 480kHz and 960kHz SCSs, control / data transmission can use SCSs at 240kHz or higher. When control / data uses a 240kHz or 480kHz SCS, it will result in zero overlap between DL control and UL control and the recommended SS / PBCH positions. For a 960kHz SCS, there will be partial overlap. For both DL and UL control, the overlap occurs in a 50% case, meaning that when all candidate SS / PBCH block positions are occupied, half of the DL control (the first two symbols of the time slot) and half of the UL control (the last two symbols of the time slot) cannot be used to transmit SS / PBCH blocks. On the other hand, since this design packs SS / PBCH candidate positions in very short intervals, the impact of overlapping control positions in the 960kHz SCS is acceptable.

[0139] Based on the above explanation, it is wise to limit the frequency carrier to SCS 60 to 240 kHz or 240 kHz to 960 kHz for operation (including SS / PBCH transmission and DL / UL control and data transmission).

[0140] The SS / PBCH position can be defined relative to the first symbol in a 5-millisecond half-frame. Therefore, reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame where the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted. For this proposed design, the first symbol index of the candidate SS / PBCH block, with respect to this reference symbol, is determined based on the SCS of the SS / PBCH block, as follows:

[0141] Candidate positions for 960kHz SCS:

[0142] {8,12,16,20,32,36,40,44}+56*n.

[0143] n=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

[0144] Candidate positions for 480kHz SCS:

[0145] {4,8,16,20}+28*n.

[0146] n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 15.

[0147] One interesting aspect of this design is that SS / PBCH block candidates are packaged in a very short time. For example, 64 SS / PBCH block candidate positions are filled within the 32 slots of the SCS of an SS / PBCH block, spanning 500 microseconds in the 960kHz SCS or 1 millisecond in the 480kHz SCS. Depending on the SS / PBCH block periodicity configured by the base station (network), this leaves a large portion of slots unused for SS / PBCH block transmission, allowing these slots to be fully utilized for scheduling, control, and data transmission.

[0148] Basic principles and main advantages:

[0149] * Highly compressed SS / PBCH block candidate positions: 64 candidate positions within 500 microseconds for 960kHz and 64 candidate positions within 1 millisecond for 480kHz SCS SS / PBCH blocks.

[0150] The candidate positions for the *SS / PBCH blocks are designed to be completely symmetrical from beginning to end, which facilitates UE implementation.

[0151] *This design is better suited for 480kHz or 960kHz SS / PBCH blocks if control / data uses a 240kHz SCS or higher. This design may be highly advantageous if control / data is limited to an SCS of 240kHz or higher.

[0152] *If the control / data uses an SCS with a 960kHz SCS, there is up to 50% overlap with the DL and UL control positions. This impact is acceptable, although considering the highly compressed nature of the entire SS / PBCH block burst in time.

[0153] Time interval between continuous beams

[0154] This invention proposes a design for high-frequency operation with very large SCS (Self-Content Segmentation) of 480 kHz and 960 kHz. When the symbol time is large, the beam switching delay is only a small fraction of the symbol time. Therefore, if some transients occur due to beam switching, they will only appear on a small portion of the boundary symbols and may be acceptable. At such high SCS, the symbol duration is very short, approximately a few microseconds. At such short symbol durations, beam switching delay can become a significant problem, and associated transient phenomena can occupy a large portion of the symbol. This means that SS / PBCH blocks placed back-to-back for different beams may degrade synchronization quality. To overcome this problem, we propose introducing a time interval between SS / PBCH blocks from different beams. This gap can be considered as one OFDM symbol (OS) or two OFDM symbol (OS) durations. In fact, careful investigation of the resulting patterns shows that patterns based on a single OFDM symbol gap do not offer any real advantage and result in highly asymmetric SS / PBCH block patterns. Therefore, we propose introducing a gap of two OFDM symbol durations between consecutive SS / PBCH blocks. Figure 6 This diagram shows three modes of the SS / PBCH block for the 960kHz SCS, each mode having at least two symbol gaps between SS / PBCH blocks from different beams. This diagram also shows a time slot (14 operating systems) for the 60kHz SCS, divided into four vertically stacked sub-diagrams, each showing a 240kHz SCS time slot. Each sub-diagram shows the DL / UL control symbols for the 60kHz to 960kHz SCS. The last three rows in each diagram are the gap-based SS / PBCH block modes for the 960kHz SCS.

[0155] These three modes are inspired by the three previously proposed designs, and therefore inherit all the technical features of the source designs. Taking the designs inspired by D1 and D2 as examples, represented in the figure as D1-960 kHz-2 OS gap and D2-960 kHz-2 OS gap respectively, they do not overlap with any DL / UL control from 60 kHz SCS to 480 kHz SCS. The first symbol positions of these SS / PBCH block candidates for these two designs can be represented as follows:

[0156] D1-960KHz SSB-2 OS Gap:

[0157] {32, 38, 44, 64, 70, 76, 88, 128, 144, 150, 156, 176, 182, 188}+224*n.

[0158] Where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.

[0159] Using only the first 8 candidates, n=4 yields 64 candidate positions.

[0160] D2-960KHz SSB-2 OS Gap:

[0161] {32,38,44,64,70,76}+112*n.

[0162] Where n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 10.

[0163] Using only the first two candidates, n=10 yields 64 candidate positions.

[0164] The design shown in the diagram, representing a D3-960kHz-2OS gap, originates from the basic principles of the D3 design, by appropriately introducing at least two OFDM symbols (OS) between consecutive SS / PBCH blocks. Starting with its parent design D3, this design is more suitable for situations where control and data use SCS frequencies of 240kHz and higher. The position of the first symbol in the SS / PBCH candidate block of this design can be represented as follows:

[0165] D3-960KHz SSB-2 OS Gap:

[0166] {8,14,20,32,38,44}+56*n.

[0167] Where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

[0168] Using only the first 4 candidate positions, n=10 to obtain 64 candidate positions.

[0169] Applicability of the proposed design

[0170] The discussion of the proposed SS / PBCH block design is primarily conducted in the context of licensed spectrum, but readers will understand that these designs are applied verbatim to shared spectrum.

[0171] The proposed design is primarily targeted at 480kHz and 960kHz SCS, although these SCS can be easily scaled up while maintaining the same SS / PBCH block pattern. Scaling to higher SCS while maintaining the same design will result in a shorter pattern due to the reduced symbol spacing, although it will retain the characteristics of the proposed design. This will make the proposed design easily scalable to a variety of SCS. To avoid overlap with DL / UL control applications using very low SCS, some lower SCS may be limited to control / data transmission.

[0172] If the SCS increases to above 960kHz, reaching 2*960kHz or 4*960kHz, one strategy could be to restrict a set of SCSs to data and SS / PBCH transmissions. Multiple sets are possible. One set could be from 60kHz to 240kHz, allowing data and SS / PBCH transmissions within that set. For higher SCSs, one or two additional sets can be formed. Each restricted set can have SS / PBCHs with minimal or no overlap within that set. This design strategy can then be applied to any formed sets. UE synchronization can be facilitated by defining a default SCS for SS / PBCH transmissions for each frequency set.

[0173] Another design for higher SCS SS / PBCH candidates is to place higher SCS (e.g., 1920 kHz) SS / PBCH candidates in the positions currently occupied in the design. Since the number of symbols at 1920 kHz is twice that at 960 kHz over a given duration, the number of SS / PBCH positions is also doubled. Among these indices, candidate positions that overlap with lower SCS control can be removed, and the first 64 (or the desired number) positions can be retained.

[0174] 3GPP NR Release-15 has limited the burst length to the duration of half a frame, or 5 milliseconds. This essentially means that all candidate positions within a given frequency range will always fit within this 5-millisecond duration. The design proposed in this invention provides a symbol position starting from reference symbol 0. To keep up with existing designs, this reference symbol 0 is considered the first symbol of the half-frame. However, for higher frequency operation, the symbol time will become very small with the use of very large SCS. This could lead to the burst length changing from 5 milliseconds to a smaller time interval. The proposed design remains effective even if the burst length changes to a different duration. Symbol 0 (the reference point) in the proposed design needs to be mapped to the new reference symbol as a minor adjustment to implement the design for any new burst duration.

[0175] The proposed design provides 64 candidate locations, and 3GPP has currently decided to support up to 64 beams in FR2 and FR2 extensions up to 71 GHz. Readers will understand that, although, the three proposed designs can be easily adapted to achieve fewer or more SS / PBCH candidate locations. To achieve fewer beam locations, such as 32 or 16, the first 32 or 16 candidate locations in the proposed design can be used. To achieve designs with more than 64 beams and ultimately more SS / PBCH block locations, additional locations can be implemented, extending the proposed design to the desired number of candidate locations.

[0176] It is important to emphasize that the three designs proposed in this invention use the same basic principles and concepts for both 480kHz and 960kHz SCSs, but the SS / PBCH burst design for each of these SCSs can be used independently for network operation. In practice, defining and allowing SS / PBCH blocks for multiple SCSs without any default configuration may increase the initial synchronization calculations for UEs, as they may need to blindly synchronize with two SCSs. To overcome this burden, defining one SS / PBCH block SCS as the default configuration for the frequency channel may be advantageous. Similarly, to limit the design work of SS / PBCH blocks and potential multiplexing issues, SS / PBCH blocks can only be defined as 960kHz, which also becomes the preferred SCS for high-frequency operation. In this case, any suitable 960kHz SCS SS / PBCH block mode can be selected from the proposed designs, depending on the frequencies allowed for control / data transmission.

[0177] It is obvious that the above disclosure recommendations are:

[0178] The SS / PBCH block transmission modes of the 480kHz and 960kHz SCS allow for no or minimal overlap with DL and UL controls.

[0179] Using the recommended guidelines, the suggested patterns can be easily extended to higher SCS levels.

[0180] Very high SCS beam-switching delay and transient gap-allowed mode.

[0181] Although not shown in detail, any device or apparatus forming part of the network may include at least a processor, memory, and a communication interface, wherein the processor, memory, and communication interface are configured to perform the methods of any aspect of the present invention. Further options and choices are described below.

[0182] The signal processing functions of embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using computing systems or architectures known to those skilled in the art, particularly gNBs and UEs. Computing systems, such as desktops, laptops or notebooks, handheld computing devices (PDAs, mobile phones, PDAs, etc.), mainframes, servers, clients, or any other type of dedicated or general-purpose computing device, may be ideal or suitable for a given application or environment. The computing system may include one or more processors, which can be implemented using general-purpose or dedicated processing engines such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, or other control modules.

[0183] A computing system may also include main memory, such as random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic memory, for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor. Such main memory can also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions to be executed by the processor. A computing system may also include read-only memory (ROM) or other static storage devices for storing static information and instructions for the processor.

[0184] The computing system may also include an information storage system, which may include, for example, media drives and removable storage interfaces. Media drives may include drives or other mechanisms that support fixed or removable storage media, such as hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape drives, optical disc drives, optical disc (CD) or digital video drive (DVD) (RTM) read or write drives (R or RW), or other removable or fixed media drives. Storage media may include, for example, hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, optical discs, CDs or DVDs, or other fixed or removable media read and written by media drives. Storage media may include computer-readable storage media in which specific computer software or data is stored.

[0185] In alternative embodiments, the information storage system may include other similar components for allowing computer programs or other instructions or data to be loaded into the computing system. Such components may include, for example, removable storage units and interfaces, such as program boxes and box interfaces, removable memory (e.g., flash memory or other removable memory modules) and memory slots, as well as other removable storage units and interfaces that allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage units to the computing system.

[0186] The computing system may also include a communication interface. Such a communication interface can be used to allow software and data to be transferred between the computing system and external devices. Examples of communication interfaces may include modems, network interfaces (such as Ethernet or other NIC cards), communication ports (such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports), PCMCIA slots and cards, etc. Software and data transmitted via the communication interface are in the form of signals, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals that can be received by the communication interface medium.

[0187] In this document, the terms "computer program product," "computer-readable medium," etc., are generally used to refer to tangible media, such as memory, storage devices, or storage units. These and other forms of computer-readable media may store one or more instructions for use by a processor constituting a computer system to cause the processor to perform specified operations. Such instructions, typically referred to as "computer program code" (which may be grouped as computer programs or other groups), when executed, enable the computing system to perform the functions of embodiments of the present invention. Note that code may directly cause the processor to perform specified operations, be compiled to perform such operations, and / or be combined with other software, hardware, and / or firmware components (e.g., libraries for performing standard functions) to perform such operations.

[0188] Non-transitory computer-readable media may include at least one from the group consisting of: hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable memory, EPROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, and flash memory. In embodiments using software-implemented components, the software may be stored in a computer-readable medium and loaded into a computing system using, for example, a removable storage drive. When executed by a processor in a computer system, a control module (in this example, software instructions or executable computer program code) causes the processor to perform the functions of the invention as described herein.

[0189] Furthermore, the inventive concept can be applied to any circuit used to perform signal processing functions within a network element. It is further envisioned that, for example, semiconductor manufacturers can incorporate the concepts of this invention into the design of standalone devices, such as microcontrollers for digital signal processors (DSPs), or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or any other subsystem components.

[0190] It should be understood that, for clarity, the above description has referred to embodiments of the invention with reference to a single processing logic. However, the inventive concept can also be implemented by multiple different functional units and processors to provide signal processing functions. Therefore, references to specific functional units are to be regarded only as references to suitable means for providing said functions, and not as indications of strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0191] The aspects of this invention can be implemented in any suitable form, including hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The invention can optionally be implemented, at least in part, as computer software running on one or more data processors and / or digital signal processors or configurable modular components such as FPGA devices.

[0192] Therefore, the components and elements of embodiments of the present invention can be implemented physically, functionally, and logically in any suitable manner. In fact, functionality can be implemented in a single unit, in multiple units, or as part of other functional units. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims. Furthermore, although features may appear to be described in conjunction with specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various features of the described embodiments can be combined according to the invention. In the claims, the term "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other components or steps.

[0193] Furthermore, although listed separately, multiple means, elements, or method steps can be implemented by, for example, a single unit or processor. Additionally, while individual features may be included in different claims, these can be advantageously combined, and inclusion in different claims does not imply that the combination of features is infeasible and / or unadvantageous. Moreover, including a feature in one class of claims does not imply a limitation on that class, but rather indicates that the feature is equally applicable to other claim classes, as the case may be.

[0194] Furthermore, the order of features in the claims does not imply any particular order in which these features must be performed; in particular, the order of the steps in a method claim does not imply that these steps must be performed in this order. Rather, these steps can be performed in any suitable order. Moreover, singular references do not exclude plural forms. Therefore, references to “a,” “an,” “first,” “second,” etc., do not exclude plural forms.

[0195] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims. Furthermore, although features may appear to be described in conjunction with specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various features of the described embodiments can be combined according to the invention. In the claims, the terms "comprising" or "including" do not exclude the presence of other components.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: For each of a series of SS / PBCH bursts, a start position is selected, each burst having a duration of at least two OFDM symbols, wherein the start position is selected such that each burst does not overlap with an uplink or downlink control transmission area allocated to subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, and 480 kHz; and The series of SS / PBCH bursts are transmitted, each burst starting from one of the selected start positions and having a duration to avoid overlapping with the uplink or downlink control transmission areas allocated to the subcarrier intervals of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz and 480 kHz. Wherein, reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame in which the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted; and the starting position is selected such that the SS / PBCH block does not overlap with potential downlink control transmissions and uplink control transmissions, or minimizes the overlap with the downlink control transmissions and uplink control transmissions. The starting position is located at OFDM symbol number {32, 36, 40, 44, 64, 68, 72, 76, 88, 92, 128, 132, 144, 148, 152, 156, 176, 180, 184, 188} + 224 * n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted; or The starting position is located at OFDM symbol number {32, 36, 40, 44, 64, 68, 72, 76} + 112 * n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted; or The starting position is located at OFDM symbol number {32, 38, 44, 64, 70, 76, 88, 128, 144, 150, 156, 176, 182, 188} + 224 * n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted; or The starting position is located at OFDM symbol number {32, 38, 44, 64, 70, 76} + 112 * n, where n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 10, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

2. A method for transmitting SS / PBCH bursts in an OFDM transmission system operating with a subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: For each of a series of SS / PBCH bursts, a start position is selected, each burst having a duration of at least 4 OFDM symbols, wherein the start position is selected such that each burst does not overlap with an uplink or downlink control transmission area allocated to subcarrier spacings of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz; and The series of SS / PBCH bursts are transmitted, each burst starting from one of the selected start positions and having a duration to avoid overlapping with the uplink or downlink control transmission areas allocated to the subcarrier intervals of 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz. Wherein, reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame in which the SS / PBCH block is being transmitted; and the starting position is selected such that the SS / PBCH block does not overlap with potential downlink control transmissions and uplink control transmissions, or minimizes the overlap with the downlink control transmissions and uplink control transmissions. The starting position is located at OFDM symbol number {16, 20, 32, 36, 44, 64, 72, 76, 88, 92} + 112 * n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame transmitting the SS / PBCH block; or The starting position is located at OFDM symbol number {16, 20, 32, 36} + 56 * n, where n = 0, 1, 2, ..., 15, and reference symbol index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in the half-frame of the SS / PBCH block being transmitted.

Images