Method and apparatus for synchronization signal block indexing and timing indication in wireless systems

Abstract

This disclosure relates to Pre-5G (5Generation) or 5G communication systems to be provided for supporting higher data rates in beyond fourth generation (4G) communication systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE). Apparatus and methods for indexing and timing synchronization signal (SS) blocks in a wireless communication system are provided. A user equipment (UE) includes: a transceiver configured to receive multiple sets of higher-layer configuration information from a base station (BS); and at least one processor operatively coupled to the transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to, if mobility measurement is performed on SS and Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) (SS / PBCH) blocks, determine a first set of SS / PBCH blocks configured for mobility measurement based on one of the multiple sets of higher-layer configuration information; and then measure and report mobility measurement quantities using the first set of SS / PBCH blocks. At least one processor is configured to: if a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is received, determine a second SS / PBCH block set configured for the UE based on another of the plurality of higher-layer configuration information sets; and receive, via the transceiver, rate-matched PDSCHs near the SS / PBCH blocks included in the second SS / PBCH block set.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of patent application No. 201880029025.0, filed on May 4, 2018, entitled "Method and apparatus for indexing and timing of synchronization signal blocks in a wireless system". Technical Field

[0002] This application generally relates to wireless communication systems. More specifically, this disclosure relates to synchronization signal (SS) block indexing and timing indication in wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0003] To meet the increased demand for wireless data services since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts are being made to develop improved 5G or pre-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are also referred to as "super 4G networks" or "post-LTE systems".

[0004] 5G communication systems are considered to be implemented in higher frequency (millimeter wave) bands (e.g., the 60 GHz band) to achieve higher data rates. To reduce radio wave propagation losses and increase transmission distance, beamforming, massive MIMO, full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive MIMO technologies are discussed in 5G communication systems.

[0005] In addition, in 5G communication systems, development is underway for system network improvements based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RAN), ultra-density networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, cooperative communication, coordinated multipoint (CoMP), and receiver interference cancellation.

[0006] In 5G systems, hybrid FSK and QAM modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) have been developed as advanced coding and modulation (ACM), and filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) have been developed as advanced access technologies.

[0007] In 5G systems, beamforming is performed on synchronization signals or broadcast signals. Therefore, suitable structures for synchronization signals and broadcast signals are discussed. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a synchronization signal (SS) block index and timing indication in a wireless communication system.

[0010] Solution to the problem

[0011] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE includes: a transceiver configured to receive multiple sets of higher-layer configuration information from a base station (BS); and at least one processor operatively coupled to the transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to, if mobility measurement is performed on synchronization signal (SS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) (SS / PBCH) blocks, determine a first set of SS / PBCH blocks configured for the mobility measurement based on one of the multiple sets of higher-layer configuration information; and measure and report mobility measurement quantities using the first set of SS / PBCH blocks. The at least one processor is configured to, if a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is received, determine a second set of SS / PBCH blocks configured for the UE based on another set of higher-layer configuration information in the multiple sets of higher-layer configuration information; and receive, via the transceiver, rate-matched PDSCHs near SS / PBCH blocks in the second set of SS / PBCH blocks.

[0012] In another embodiment, a BS is provided. The BS includes at least one processor configured to generate multiple higher-layer configuration information sets for a user equipment (UE); and a transceiver operatively coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to transmit the multiple higher-layer configuration information sets to the UE and receive reports from the UE based on the multiple higher-layer configuration information sets. When the UE is configured to perform mobility measurements on synchronization signal (SS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) (SS / PBCH) blocks, the at least one processor is configured to generate one of the multiple higher-layer configuration information sets to indicate a first SS / PBCH block set configured for the mobility measurements, for reporting mobility measurement quantities of the first SS / PBCH block set. When the UE is configured to receive a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the at least one processor is configured to generate another set of higher-layer configuration information from the plurality of higher-layer configuration information sets to indicate a second SS / PBCH block set configured for the UE; and to transmit, via the transceiver, the PDSCH that is rate-matched near the SS / PBCH blocks in the second SS / PBCH block set.

[0013] In another embodiment, a method for operating a UE is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of higher-layer configuration information sets from a BS. If mobility measurement is performed on SS / PBCH blocks, the UE determines a first set of SS / PBCH blocks configured for the mobility measurement based on one of the plurality of higher-layer configuration information sets; and measures and reports mobility measurement quantities using the first SS / PBCH block set. If a PDSCH is received, the UE determines a second set of SS / PBCH blocks configured for the UE based on another of the plurality of higher-layer configuration information sets; and receives the PDSCH with rate matching in the vicinity of SS / PBCH blocks in the second SS / PBCH block set.

[0014] Other technical features will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions and claims.

[0015] Before proceeding with the following specific description, it may be advantageous to define certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term “coupled” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, regardless of whether those elements are physically in contact with each other. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “communicate,” and their derivatives, encompass both direct and indirect communication. The terms “comprise” and “include,” and their derivatives, mean including but not limited to. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and / or. The phrase “associated with,” and its derivatives, are intended to include, be included in, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connected to or connected with, coupled to or coupled with, communicate with, cooperate with, intertwine, juxtapose, proximate, bound to or subject to, have, possess the nature of, relate to, etc. The term “controller” means any device, system, or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, regardless of whether it is local or remote. When the phrase “at least one of…” is used with a list of items, it means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and it may be necessary to use only one item from the list. For example, “at least one of A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

[0016] Furthermore, the various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each computer program being formed of computer-readable program code and specifically implemented in a computer-readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, associated data, or portions thereof adapted for implementation in suitable computer-readable program code. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium accessible by a computer, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of storage. "Non-transitory" computer-readable media does not include wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit transient electrical or other signals. Non-transitory computer-readable media includes media that permanently store data and media that can store and later rewrite data, such as rewritable optical discs or erasable memory devices.

[0017] Definitions of certain other words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in many (if not most) cases, such definitions apply to the prior and future use of the words and phrases so defined.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0019] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, information about synchronization signal block indexes and timing indications can be provided more effectively. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more fully understand this disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals denote similar parts:

[0021] Figure 1 An example wireless network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 An example eNB according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 3 An example UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 4A An example high-layer diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access transmission path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 4B An example high-layer diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM) receiving path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0026] Figure 5 An example network slice is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 An example number of digital chains according to embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 7 An example LTE cell search operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 8 An example frame structure for PSS / SSS / PBCH transmission in an FDD configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 9A An example SS burst in an LTE system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 9B An example SS block / burst / set is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 10 A flowchart of a method for beam ID report configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0033] Figure 11 A flowchart of a method for deriving a measurement quantity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0034] Figure 12A An example PBCH BW is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 12B An example PSS / SSS OFDM symbol according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0036] Figure 13 A flowchart is shown of a method for configuring a maximum number of frequency band-specific quantities of SS blocks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 14 A flowchart is shown for a method used to indicate network range and specific frequency band information;

[0038] Figure 15 An example mapping slot pattern according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Figure 16A An example measurement interval configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figure 16B and Figure 16CA configuration for rate matching near an SSB, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown;

[0041] Figure 17A An example mapping SS block according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0042] Figure 17B Another example of a mapped SS block is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0043] Figure 17C Another example of a mapped SS block is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0044] Figure 17D Another example of a mapped SS block is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0045] Figure 17E Another example of a mapped SS block is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0046] Figure 18A An example SS burst set composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0047] Figure 18B Another example SS burst set composition according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0048] Figure 18C Another example SS burst set composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0049] Figure 19A The illustration shows yet another example of SS burst set composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] Figure 19B The illustration shows yet another example of SS burst set composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] Figure 19C Another example SS burst set composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0052] Figure 20 An example split beam state information (BSI) in a PUCCH according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0053] Figure 21 An example implicit signaling of Tx beam index information according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0054] Figure 22 Another example of implicit signaling for Tx beam index information according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0055] Figure 23Another example of implicit signaling for Tx beam index information according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0056] Figure 24 An example implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group numbering according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0057] Figure 25 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group numbering according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0058] Figure 26 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group numbering according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0059] Figure 27 Example implicit signaling of Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information according to embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0060] Figure 28 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0061] Figure 29 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0062] Figure 30 An example short PUCCH transmission according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0063] Figure 31 An example long PUCCH transmission according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0064] Figure 32 An example PUCCH beam indication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0065] Figure 33 An example DCI triggering a non-periodic PUCCH is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0066] Figure 34 An example DL DCI triggering an aperiodic PUCCH is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure; and

[0067] Figure 35 An example UL DCI triggering non-periodic PUCCH and PUSCH is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0068] The following discussion Figures 1 to 35The various embodiments used to describe the principles of this disclosure in this patent document are merely exemplary and should not be construed in any way as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0069] The following documents are incorporated herein by reference, as if fully described herein: 3GPP TS 36.211 v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Physical channels and modulation;” 3GPP TS 36.212 v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Multiplexing and Channel coding;” 3GPP TS 36.213 v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Physical Layer Procedures;” 3GPP TS 36.214 v14.1.0, “Physical Layer Measurement;” 3GPP TS 36.321 v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification;” 3GPP TS 36.331 v13.0.0, “E-UTRA, Radio Resource Control (RRC) Protocol Specification,” and 3GPP TR 38.802v1.1.0, "Study on New Radio AccessTechnology Physical Layer Aspect."

[0070] The first commercialization of fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication is expected around 2020, and its development momentum is growing rapidly with the ongoing global technical activities of various candidate technologies from industry and academia. Potential drivers for 5G mobile communication include massive MIMO (Massively Multi-Track) technologies that provide beamforming gain and support capacity expansion from traditional cellular bands to higher frequencies; new waveforms that can flexibly adapt to services / applications with diverse requirements (e.g., new Radio Access Technologies (RATs)); and new multiple access schemes that support massive connectivity. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has categorized the use cases of International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in 2020 and beyond into three main categories: enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine-type communications (MTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communications. In addition, the ITC has specified target requirements, such as a peak data rate of 20 gigabits per second (Gb / s), a user experience data rate of 100 megabits per second (Mb / s), a 3x improvement in spectral efficiency, support for mobility up to 500 kilometers per hour (km / h), 1 millisecond (ms) latency, and 106 devices / km. 2 With its increased connection density, its network energy efficiency is improved by 100 times, and its regional traffic is 10 Mb / s / m. 2 While not all requirements need to be met simultaneously, 5G network design can provide flexibility on a use case basis to support a variety of applications that meet the aforementioned requirements.

[0071] The following Figures 1 to 4B Various embodiments of communication technologies, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), are described in wireless communication systems. Figures 1 to 3 The description is not intended to imply any physical or architectural limitation on the ways in which different embodiments may be implemented. Different embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged communication system.

[0072] Figure 1 An example wireless network according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 1 The wireless network embodiments shown are for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 can be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0073] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless network includes eNB 101, eNB 102, and eNB 103. eNB 101 communicates with eNB 102 and eNB 103. eNB 101 also communicates with at least one network 130 (such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network).

[0074] eNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to a first plurality of user equipments (UEs) within its coverage area 120. The first plurality of UEs includes: UE 111, which may be located in a small business (SB); UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise (E); UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); UE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R); UE 115, which may be located in a second residence (R); and UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M), such as a mobile phone, wireless laptop, wireless PDA, etc. eNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to a second plurality of UEs within its coverage area 125. The second plurality of UEs includes UE 115 and UE 116. In some embodiments, one or more of the eNBs 101-103 may use 5G, LTE, LTE-A, WiMAX, WiFi or other wireless communication technologies to communicate with each other and with the UEs 111-116.

[0075] Depending on the network type, the term "base station" or "BS" may refer to any component (or set of components) configured to provide wireless access to the network, such as a transmitting point (TP), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), an enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G base station (gNB), a macro cell, a femtocell, a WiFi access point (AP), or other wireless enabling devices. A base station may provide wireless access in accordance with one or more wireless communication protocols, such as 5G 3GPP New Radio Interface / Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For convenience, the terms "BS" and "TRP" are used interchangeably in this patent document to refer to network infrastructure components providing wireless access to remote terminals. Furthermore, depending on the network type, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may refer to any component such as a "mobile station," "user station," "remote terminal," "wireless terminal," "receiving point," or "user equipment." For convenience, the terms “user equipment” and “UE” are used in this patent document to refer to a remote wireless device that wirelessly accesses the BS, regardless of whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or smartphone) or a fixed device as commonly considered (such as a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0076] The dashed lines indicate the approximate extent of coverage areas 120 and 125, which are shown as approximately circular areas for illustrative purposes only. It should be clearly understood that, depending on the configuration of the eNB and variations in the wireless environment associated with natural and man-made obstacles, the coverage areas associated with the eNB (such as coverage areas 120 and 125) may have other shapes, including irregular shapes.

[0077] As described in more detail below, one or more of UEs 111-116 include circuitry, procedures, or combinations thereof for effective SS block indexing and timing indication in advanced wireless communication systems. In some embodiments, one or more of eNBs 101-103 include circuitry, procedures, or combinations thereof for effective SS block indexing and timing indication in advanced wireless communication systems.

[0078] although Figure 1 An example of a wireless network is shown, however, it is possible to... Figure 1 Various variations can be made. For example, the wireless network can include any number of eNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Furthermore, eNB 101 can communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access to network 130. Similarly, each eNB 102-103 can communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to network 130. In addition, eNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 can provide access to other or additional external networks (such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks).

[0079] Figure 2 An example eNB 102 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 The embodiment of eNB 102 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 1 eNBs 101 and 103 can have the same or similar configurations. However, eNBs come in a variety of configurations, and Figure 2 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the eNB.

[0080] like Figure 2 As shown, the eNB 102 includes multiple antennas 205a-205n, multiple RF transceivers 210a-210n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 215, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 220. The eNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 225, a memory 230, and a backhaul or network interface 235.

[0081] RF transceivers 210a-210n receive input RF signals, such as signals transmitted by a UE in network 100, from antennas 205a-205n. RF transceivers 210a-210n down-convert the input RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to RX processing circuitry 220, which generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. RX processing circuitry 220 sends the processed baseband signals to controller / processor 225 for further processing.

[0082] The TX processing circuit 215 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, web data, email, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 225. The TX processing circuit 215 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the output baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. RF transceivers 210a-210n receive the processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 215 and amplify the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via antennas 205a-205n.

[0083] The controller / processor 225 may include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the eNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 225 may control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals via RF transceivers 210a-210n, RX processing circuitry 220, and TX processing circuitry 215, according to known principles. The controller / processor 225 may also support additional functions, such as more advanced wireless communication functions. For example, the controller / processor 225 may support beamforming or directional routing operations, wherein the output signals from multiple antennas 205a-205n are weighted differently to effectively guide the output signals in a desired direction. Any of a variety of other functions can be supported in the eNB 102 via the controller / processor 225.

[0084] The controller / processor 225 can also execute programs and other processes, such as an operating system, residing in the memory 230. The controller / processor 225 can move data into or out of the memory 230 as needed by the executing process.

[0085] The controller / processor 225 is also coupled to a backhaul or network interface 235. The backhaul or network interface 235 allows the eNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or over a network. Interface 235 can support communication via any suitable wired or wireless connection. For example, when the eNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as a cellular communication system supporting 5G, LTE, or LTE-A), interface 235 allows the eNB 102 to communicate with other eNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the eNB 102 is implemented as an access point, interface 235 can allow the eNB 102 to communicate with a larger network (such as the Internet) via a wired or wireless local area network or via a wired or wireless connection. Interface 235 includes any suitable architecture supporting communication via a wired or wireless connection, such as an Ethernet or RF transceiver.

[0086] The memory 230 is coupled to the controller / processor 225. A portion of the memory 230 may include RAM, and another portion of the memory 230 may include flash memory or other ROM.

[0087] although Figure 2 An example of an eNB 102 is shown; however, more details can be found on other eNBs. Figure 2 Various changes can be made. For example, eNB 102 may include Figure 2 Each component can be any number shown. As a specific example, an access point may include a plurality of interfaces 235, and the controller / processor 225 may support routing functionality to route data between different network addresses. As another specific example, although shown as a single instance of TX processing circuitry 215 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 220, the eNB 102 may include multiple instances of each TX processing circuitry 215 and RX processing circuitry 220 (e.g., one per RF transceiver). Furthermore, Figure 2 The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed.

[0088] Figure 3 An example UE 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 The embodiment of UE 116 shown is for illustration only, and Figure 1 UEs 111-115 can have the same or similar configurations. However, UEs have various configurations, and Figure 3 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the UE.

[0089] like Figure 3As shown, UE 116 includes an antenna 305, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 310, a TX processing circuit 315, a microphone 320, and a receive (RX) processing circuit 325. UE 116 also includes a speaker 330, a processor 340, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 345, a touchscreen 350, a display 355, and memory 360. Memory 360 includes an operating system (OS) 361 and one or more applications 362.

[0090] RF transceiver 310 receives an input RF signal transmitted by an eNB of network 100 from antenna 305. RF transceiver 310 down-converts the input RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to RX processing circuitry 325, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. RX processing circuitry 325 sends the processed baseband signal to speaker 330 (e.g., for voice data) or to processor 340 for further processing (e.g., for web browsing data).

[0091] The TX processing circuit 315 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 320 or other output baseband data (such as web data, email, or interactive video game data) from the processor 340. The TX processing circuit 315 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the output baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 315 and amplifies the baseband or IF signal to convert it into an RF signal transmitted via the antenna 305.

[0092] Processor 340 may include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute OS 361 stored in memory 360 to control the overall operation of UE 116. For example, processor 340 can control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals through RF transceiver 310, RX processing circuitry 325 and TX processing circuitry 315 in accordance with known principles. In some embodiments, processor 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0093] Processor 340 is also capable of executing other processes and programs residing in memory 360, such as beam management processes. Processor 340 can move data into or out of memory 360 as needed by the executing processes. In some embodiments, processor 340 is configured to execute application 362 based on OS 361 or in response to signals received from the eNB or operator. Processor 340 is also coupled to I / O interface 345, which provides UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices, such as laptops and handheld computers. I / O interface 345 is the communication path between these accessories and processor 340.

[0094] The processor 340 is also coupled to the touchscreen 350 and the display 355. The operator of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen 350 to input data into the UE 116. The display 355 may be a liquid crystal display, a light-emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics from a website.

[0095] The memory 360 is coupled to the processor 340. A portion of the memory 360 may include random access memory (RAM), while another portion of the memory 360 may include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0096] although Figure 3 An example of UE 116 is shown, however, it is possible to... Figure 3 To make various changes. For example, Figure 3 The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed. As a specific example, processor 340 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Furthermore, although... Figure 3 The UE 116 is shown configured as a mobile phone or smartphone, but the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or fixed devices.

[0097] Figure 4A This is a high-level diagram of the transmit path circuitry. For example, the transmit path circuitry can be used in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication. Figure 4B This is a high-level diagram of the receive path circuitry. For example, the receive path circuitry can be used in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication. Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the process, for downlink communication, the transmission path circuit can be implemented in the base station (eNB) 102 or the relay station, and can be implemented in the user equipment (e.g., Figure 1 The receive path circuitry can be implemented in the user equipment 116. In other examples, for uplink communication, it can be implemented in the base station (e.g., Figure 1 The receive path circuit 450 can be implemented in the eNB 102 or relay station, and can be implemented in the user equipment (e.g., Figure 1 The transmission path circuit is implemented in the user equipment 116.

[0098] The transmit path circuitry includes a channel coding and modulation block 405, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 410, a big-N inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 415, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 420, a cyclic prefix addition block 425, and a frequency up converter (UC) 430. The receive path circuitry includes a frequency down converter (DC) 455, a cyclic prefix removal block 460, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 465, a big-N fast Fourier transform (FFT) block 470, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 475, and a channel decoding and demodulation block 480.

[0099] Figure 4A400 and Figure 4B At least some of the components in 450 can be implemented in software, while other components can be implemented using configurable hardware or a combination of software and configurable hardware. In particular, it should be noted that the FFT and IFFT blocks described in this disclosure can be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherein the value of size N can be modified according to the implementation method.

[0100] Furthermore, while this disclosure is dedicated to implementing embodiments of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), these are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. It should be understood that in alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the FFT and IFFT functions can be readily replaced by Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) functions, respectively. It should be understood that for the DFT and IDFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer (i.e., 1, 4, 3, 4, etc.), while for the FFT and IFFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer that is a power of 2 (i.e., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.).

[0101] In the transmit path circuit 400, the channel coding and modulation block 405 receives a set of information bits, applies coding (e.g., LDPC coding), and modulates the input bits (e.g., Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) or Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)) to produce a sequence of frequency-domain modulated symbols. The serial-to-parallel block 410 converts (i.e., demultiplexes) the serial modulated symbols into parallel data to produce N parallel symbol streams, where N is the IFFT / FFT size used in BS 102 and UE 116. The size NIFFT block 415 then performs an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams to produce a time-domain output signal. The parallel-to-serial block 420 converts (i.e., multiplexes) the parallel time-domain output symbols from the size N IFFT block 415 to produce a serial time-domain signal. The cyclic prefix addition block 425 then inserts a cyclic prefix into the time-domain signal. Finally, the frequency upconverter 430 modulates (i.e., upconverts) the output of the cyclic prefix addition block 425 to an RF frequency for transmission via the wireless channel. The signal can also be filtered at the baseband before being converted to the RF frequency.

[0102] The transmitted RF signal arrives at UE 116 after passing through the wireless channel and performs the opposite operations to those at eNB 102. Down-converter 455 down-converts the received signal to a baseband frequency, and cyclic prefix removal block 460 removes the cyclic prefix to generate a serial time-domain baseband signal. Serial-to-parallel block 465 converts the time-domain baseband signal into a parallel time-domain signal. Size N FFT block 470 then performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel frequency-domain signals. Parallel-to-serial block 475 converts the parallel frequency-domain signals into a sequence of modulated data symbols. Channel decoding and demodulation block 480 demodulates and then decodes the modulated symbols to recover the original input data stream.

[0103] Each of eNBs 101-103 can implement a transmission path similar to that used for sending to user equipment 111-116 in the downlink and a reception path similar to that used for receiving from user equipment 111-116 in the uplink. Similarly, each of user equipment 111-116 can implement a transmission path corresponding to the architecture used for sending to eNBs 101-103 in the uplink and a reception path corresponding to the architecture used for receiving from eNBs 101-103 in the downlink.

[0104] Use cases for 5G communication systems have been identified and described. These use cases can be roughly categorized into three distinct groups. In one example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) was identified as having high bit / second requirements and less stringent latency and reliability requirements. In another example, ultra-reliable and low-latency (URLL) was identified based on less stringent bit / second requirements. In yet another example, massive machine-type communication (mMTC) was identified as being suitable for applications where the number of devices can reach a certain level per kilometer. 2 The numbers could be as high as 100,000 to 1 million, but reliability / throughput / latency requirements might be less stringent. This scenario would also involve power efficiency requirements, as battery consumption should be minimized as much as possible.

[0105] Figure 5 A network slice 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 The embodiment of network slice 500 shown is for illustration only. Figure 5 One or more of the components shown may be implemented by a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0106] like Figure 5 As shown, network slice 500 includes operator network 510, multiple RANS 520, multiple eNBs 530a, 530b, multiple small cell base stations 535a, 535b, URLL slice 540a, smartwatch 545a, car 545b, truck 545c, smart glasses 545d, power supply 555a, temperature 555b, mMTC slice 550a, eMBB slice 560a, smartphone (e.g., mobile phone) 565a, laptop 565b, and tablet 565c (e.g., tablet PC).

[0107] The operator's network 510 includes numerous radio access networks 520—RANs—associated with network equipment (e.g., eNBs 530a and 530b, small cell base stations (femto / peep eNBs or Wi-Fi access points) 535a and 535b, etc.). The operator's network 510 can support various services relying on the concept of slicing. In one example, the network supports four slices 540a, 550a, 550b, and 560a. The URLL slice 540a serves UEs requiring URLL services (e.g., cars 545b, trucks 545c, smartwatches 545a, smart glasses 545d, etc.). Two mMTC slices 550a and 550b serve UEs requiring mMTC services, such as power meters and temperature controls (e.g., 555b), and one eMBB slice 560a, requiring eMBB, serves devices such as mobile phones 565a, laptops 565b, and tablets 565c.

[0108] In summary, network slicing is a method for handling various different Quality of Service (QoS) levels within the network layer. Slice-specific PHY optimization may also be necessary to effectively support these diverse QoS levels. Devices 545a / b / c / d, 555a / b, and 565a / b / c are examples of different types of User Equipment (UE). Figure 5 The different types of user equipment (UE) shown are not necessarily associated with a specific type of slice. For example, mobile phone 565a, laptop 565b, and tablet 565c are associated with eMBB slice 560a, but this is for illustration only, and these devices can be associated with any type of slice.

[0109] In some embodiments, a device is configured with more than one slice. In one embodiment, the UE (e.g., 565a / b / c) is associated with both URLL slice 540a and eMBB slice 560a. This can be useful for supporting online gaming applications where graphical information is sent via eMBB slice 560a, while user interaction-related information is exchanged via URLL slice 540a.

[0110] In the current LTE standard, there is no slice layer PHY, and most PHY functions are used as slice-agnostic. UEs are usually configured with a single set of PHY parameters (including transmission time interval (TTI) length, OFDM symbol length, subcarrier spacing, etc.), which may prevent the network from (1) quickly adapting to dynamically changing QoS; and (2) simultaneously supporting various QoS requirements.

[0111] In some embodiments, corresponding PHY designs for handling different QoS levels with the concept of network slicing are disclosed. It should be noted that "slice" is a term introduced for convenience only to refer to logical entities associated with common characteristics (e.g., parameter sets, upper layers (including Media Access Control / Radio Resource Control (MAC / RRC)) and shared UL / DL time-frequency resources). Alternative names for "slice" include virtual cell, super cell, cell, etc.

[0112] Figure 6 An example number of digital chains 600 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 The embodiment of the number of digital chains 600 shown is for illustration only. Figure 6 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0113] The LTE specification supports up to 32 CSI-RS antenna ports, allowing eNBs to be equipped with a large number of antenna elements (such as 64 or 128). In this case, multiple antenna elements are mapped to a single CSI-RS port. For next-generation cellular systems such as 5G, the maximum number of CSI-RS ports can remain the same or increase.

[0114] For the mmWave band, although the number of antenna elements can be large for a given form factor, the number of CSI-RS ports—which can correspond to the number of digital precoding ports—often exceeds the number of [other types of ports]. Figure 6 The hardware constraints shown (such as the feasibility of mounting a large number of ADCs / DACs at mmWave frequencies) limit the process. In this case, a CSI-RS port is mapped to a large number of antenna elements, which can be controlled by a set of analog phase shifters 601. A CSI-RS port can then correspond to a subarray that generates a narrow analog beam through analog beamforming 605. This analog beam can be configured to scan over a wider angle range 620 by changing the set of phase shifters between symbols or subframes. The number of subarrays (equal to the number of RF chains) is related to the number of CSI-RS ports N. CSI-PORT Same. Digital beamforming unit 610 pairs N CSI-PORT The analog beams are linearly combined to further increase the precoding gain. While the analog beams are wideband (and therefore not frequency-selective), the digital precoding changes between frequency subbands or resource blocks.

[0115] A gNB can use one or more transmit beams to cover the entire area of ​​a cell. By applying appropriate gain and phase settings to the antenna array, the gNB can form a transmit beam. Transmit gain (i.e., the power amplification of the transmitted signal provided by the transmit beam) is generally inversely proportional to the width or area of ​​the beam coverage. At lower carrier frequencies, greater benign propagation loss is feasible for the gNB to provide coverage with a single transmit beam; that is, it is feasible to ensure sufficient received signal quality at the UE location within the coverage area using a single transmit beam. In other words, at lower transmit signal carrier frequencies, the transmit power amplification provided by a transmit beam with sufficient width is sufficient to cover the area to overcome propagation loss, thereby ensuring sufficient received signal quality at the UE location within the coverage area.

[0116] However, at higher signal carrier frequencies, the transmit beam power amplification corresponding to the same coverage area may be insufficient to overcome the higher propagation loss, resulting in a degraded received signal quality at the UE's location within the coverage area. To overcome this degradation in received signal quality, the gNB can form multiple transmit beams, each covering an area narrower than the entire coverage area, but providing sufficient transmit power to overcome the higher signal propagation loss caused by using higher transmit signal carrier frequencies.

[0117] Figure 7 An example LTE cell search operation 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 The illustrated embodiment of LTE cell search operation 700 is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 7 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0118] Before a UE can receive data or send data to an eNB, it must first perform a cell search procedure to obtain time and frequency synchronization with the eNB. The four main synchronization requirements are: symbols, subframes, frame timing; carrier frequency offset (CFO) correction; sampling clock synchronization; physical cell ID (PCI) detection; and potentially several other cell-specific parameters.

[0119] The following steps are performed during synchronization. In one example of step 1, after startup, the UE tunes its RF and attempts to measure the Wideband Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) one by one at specific frequencies (channels commanded by higher layers) on a set of supported frequency bands, and ranks the associated units according to their respective RSSI values.

[0120] In one example of step 2, the UE uses the downlink synchronization channels (i.e., the locally stored primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) to correlate with the received signal. The UE first locates the PSS in the last symbol of the first time slot of the first subframe and the sixth subframe in the frame, for example, in an FDD system. This allows the UE to synchronize with the eNB on the subframe. PSS detection can be based on three sequences to help the UE perform slot timing detection and physical layer cell identity (PCI) detection (0, 1, 2). These three sequences are used for PSS to mitigate the so-called single-frequency network (SFN) effect, where the correlated output may exceed the cyclic prefix (CP) length.

[0121] In one example of step 3, the SSS symbol is also located in the same subframe as the PSS, rather than in the symbol preceding the PSS in an FDD system. The UE can obtain the PCI group number (0 to 167) from the SSS. The SSS enables the determination of additional parameters, such as radio subframe timing, CP length, and whether the eNB uses FDD or TDD. Figure 7 The process is described in the LTE cell search process shown.

[0122] In one example of step 4, once the UE knows the PCI of a given cell, it also knows the location of the Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS) used for channel estimation, cell selection / reselection, and handover procedures. After channel estimation using the CRS, equalization is performed to remove channel impairments from the received symbols.

[0123] In one example of step 5, during initial synchronization, the UE can decode the main broadcast channel (PBCH) to obtain the main information block (MIB) carrying key system information such as DL bandwidth, CRS transmit power, number of eNB transmitter antennas, system frame number (SFN), and configuration of the physical hybrid ARQ channel (PHICH).

[0124] Table 1 shows the SSS locations relative to the PSS locations for TDD-based and FDD-based systems. In the FDD case, the PSS is transmitted in the last symbol of the slot to allow the UE to acquire slot timing independent of the CP length. Since the UE does not know the CP length in advance, the UE needs to check a total of four possible SSS locations when searching for FDD or TDD cells. Two SSS codes are used, alternating between the first and second SSS transmissions in the subframe. This allows the UE to determine radio timing from a single observation of the SSS, which is beneficial for the UE switching from another RAT to LTE.

[0125] Table 1. SSS Location

[0126]

[0127] Figure 8 An example frame structure for PSS / SSS / PBCH transmission 800 under FDD configuration according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 8 The example of the frame structure for PSS / SSS / PBCH transmission 800 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 8 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0128] like Figure 8 As shown, PSS and SSS are transmitted in the middle 6 RBs, enabling even the UE with the smallest bandwidth to detect the signal. In the case of multiple transmit antennas, PSS and SSS are transmitted from the same antenna port in a given subframe, and PSS and SSS can be switched between subframes to achieve antenna diversity. The PBCH bearer has only 14 bits of MIB, which carry some of the most frequently transmitted parameters (e.g., DL system bandwidth, PHICH size, and SFN sequence number) used for initial access to the cell. This is repeated every 40 milliseconds.

[0129] The PSS and SSS are transmitted in the middle 6 resource blocks (RBs) of the DL system bandwidth. Therefore, assuming the minimum DL system bandwidth is 6 RBs, the UE can detect the PSS and SSS before determining the DL system bandwidth. The PSS is generated by a 63-bit Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence in the frequency domain, with the middle element punctured to avoid transmission on the DC subcarrier. The ZC sequence satisfies the constant amplitude zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) property, which gives the PSS time / frequency flatness (resulting in low PAPR / CM and no dynamic range in the frequency domain), good autocorrelation / cross-correlation characteristics, and low-complexity detection at the UE end (by utilizing complex conjugate properties, such as u1 = 29 and u2 = 63 - 29 = 34, and by utilizing centrosymmetry properties in the time and frequency domains).

[0130] However, due to the duality of CAZAC properties in the time and frequency domains, shifts in the ZC sequence in the frequency domain also occur in the time domain, and vice versa. Therefore, when using ZC sequences for timing synchronization, frequency / time offsets show time / frequency offsets separately, and the offsets in these two dimensions cannot be distinguished. The center root index in the available root ZC sequence index vector has low frequency offset sensitivity; therefore, root indices u = 25, 29, and 34 were chosen in LTE to provide three cell IDs in the cell ID group.

[0131] The selection of the root index also takes into account local correlations to overcome the large frequency offsets in the initial cell search. Since large frequency offsets result in phase rotation in the time domain, local correlations need to be considered not only for the ZC sequence but also for other sequences under large frequency offset operations (especially the initial cell search), although the specific window size for each local correlation may vary depending on the exact design.

[0132] The PSS sequence x(n) consists of a length of N ZC The root is u i The ZC sequence is composed of the following formula:

[0133]

[0134] The LTE ZC sequence is mapped to achieve central symmetry (i.e., index 5 corresponds to the DC carried by the RB subcarrier, which comprises 12 subcarriers indexed from 0 to 11). The SSS sequence depends on the M sequence. 168 sequences are generated by frequency-domain interleaving of two BPSK-modulated M sequences of length 31, where the two 31-length M sequences are derived from two distinct cyclic shifts of a single 31-length M sequence. The two-part structure of the SSS results in sidelobes during cross-correlation, and scrambling is used to mitigate the sidelobes. For the SSS, coherent detection can be performed when channel estimation can be obtained through PSS detection.

[0135] To achieve better performance for coherent SSS detection by estimating the channel from the PSS, multiple PSS sequences are used, with a trade-off made for PSS complexity detection. Different PSS sequences can improve the accuracy of channel estimation by relaxing the SFN effect, which exists due to obtaining a single PSS sequence from all cells. Therefore, the aforementioned PSS / SSS design can support both coherent and incoherent SSS detection. The UE needs to operate three parallel correlators for the three different PSS sequences.

[0136] However, root indices 29 and 34 are complex conjugates, thus enabling a “one-time” correlator where the two correlation outputs for u=29 and u=34 can be obtained from the correlation with either u=34 or u=29. The conjugate property holds true in both the time and frequency domains for any sampling rate, and has a centrosymmetric mapping in the frequency domain. Therefore, only two parallel correlators are needed (one for u=25 and the other for u=29 (or u=34)).

[0137] There is a need to enhance existing synchronization and cell search processes for new communication systems such as 5G for at least the following reasons.

[0138] In one example of beamforming support, beamforming is required for eNB (and possibly UE) transmissions to meet link budget requirements operating in high carrier bands such as above 6 GHz. Therefore, the aforementioned synchronization and cell search procedures need to be updated to support beamforming.

[0139] In one example of high bandwidth support, for operations with a large system bandwidth (e.g., 100 MHz or higher), a different subcarrier spacing can be applied than that used for operations with a smaller system bandwidth, and this design needs to be considered for the design of synchronization and cell search procedures.

[0140] In one example of improved coverage, for certain applications, such as those related to the requirement for increased coverage due to the placement of the UE in a location experiencing significant path loss, the synchronization and cell search process needs to support enhanced coverage and increase the number of synchronization signal repetitions.

[0141] In one example of performance improvement, the synchronization performance of the above process is limited by false alarms caused by dividing the cell ID into 1 PSS and 2 SSS, resulting in invalid PSS / SSS combinations that cannot be completely resolved by scrambling. A new synchronization process with improved false alarm performance can be designed.

[0142] In one example supporting variable TTI, the TTI duration is fixed in the current LTE specification. However, for 5G systems, the TTI is expected to be variable due to factors such as supporting different subcarrier spacings and low latency considerations. In this case with variable TTI, it is necessary to specify the mapping between intra-frame synchronization sequences and cell search.

[0143] In this disclosure, the SS burst set repeats periodically with a period P (where P is an integer), for example, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 100, etc. in milliseconds.

[0144] In this disclosure, an SS burst refers to a set of N2 consecutive SS blocks, where N2 is an integer, such as 1, 2, 3, 4.

[0145] In this disclosure, the SS block includes a combination of synchronization signals, broadcast signals, and reference signals, which are multiplexed in TDM, FDM, CDM, or a hybrid manner.

[0146] In this disclosure, cell coverage is provided over SS blocks, including SS burst sets, using beam scanning. Different Tx beams can be used for different SS blocks within the SS burst set.

[0147] In LTE design, there is no concept of SS burst / block / set. However, the current LTE architecture can be regarded as a special case of the SS burst / block / set framework, in which an SS burst set includes four SS bursts; each SS burst consists of only one SS block, and an SS block consists of PSS, SSS, and PBCH symbols.

[0148] Figure 9A An example SS burst 900 in an LTE system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 9A One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0149] Figure 9B An example SS block / burst / set 950 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 9B The embodiment of SS block / burst / set 950 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 9B One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0150] In some embodiments of this disclosure, "subframe" or "slot" refers to another name for "time interval X", or vice versa.

[0151] In some embodiments 1, timing information is carried by DMRS and explicit NR-PBCH content.

[0152] In one embodiment, a hybrid PBCHDMRS and PBCH content is considered for carrying the SS block index and half-frame timing indication. The SS block index is denoted as X. For NR above 6 GHz, X is 0-63; for NR between 1-6 GHz, X is 0-7; and for NR below 1 GHz, X is 0-3. M represents the overall DMRS assumption. Y represents the DMRS sequence number, and Z represents the half-frame timing index, where Z=0 indicates the first 5ms frame and Z=1 indicates the second 5ms frame. "W" represents a number in the NR-PBCH that indicates additional information about the SS block index in NR above 6 GHz. In an alternative, half-frame timing is communicated via DMRS assumptions. The relationship between X, Y, Z, W, and M can be determined by Y = X modular(M / 2) + (M / 2)*Z and W = floor(X / M*2).

[0153] In one example, the PBCH DMRS design is identical for both NR frequencies below and above 6 GHz. To indicate more SS block indices for NR frequencies above 6 GHz, an additional 3 bits of information are included in the PBCH. For NR frequencies below 6 GHz, the PBCH DMRS carries the SS block indices and half a radio frame timing. As specified in the LTE standard, a maximum of 8 SS blocks are indicated. The NR-PBCH DMRS likely has at least 16 assumptions before scrambling the cell ID. These 16 assumptions can be used to indicate half a radio frame timing and 8 SS block indices. Therefore, for NR frequencies below 6 GHz, there may be no other assumptions in the NR-PBCH.

[0154] The complexity of initial access can be no greater than that of initial access in LTE. For NR above 6 GHz, since the maximum SS block index is 64, an additional 3 bits are needed in the NR-PBCH to indicate this additional information. The SS block index is represented by X. For NR above 6 GHz, X is 0-63; for NR between 1-6 GHz, X is 0-7; and for NR below 1 GHz, X is 0-3. Y represents the DMRS sequence number (0-15), and Z represents the half-frame timing index, where Z=0 indicates the first 5ms frame, and Z=1 indicates the second 5ms frame. "W" represents a 3-bit number in the NR-PBCH that indicates the additional information about the SS block index in NR above 6 GHz.

[0155] The SS block index and half-frame indication can be achieved by sending the DMRS hypothesis number Y and the NR-PBCH information W. Note that the DMRS hypothesis here is different from the DMRS sequence. Because different cell IDs may be scrambled on top of the PBCH DMRS, the same DMRS hypothesis can be mapped to different DMRS sequences. The mapping from the SS block index and half-frame timing to the DMRS hypothesis and NR-PBCH information can be determined by the following equations: Y = X modular 8 + 8 * Z and W = floor(X / 8).

[0156] Using this mapping scheme, the UE can still obtain some coarse beam index indication information without decoding the PBCH. Alternatively, Table 2 captures the mapping from the SS block index and half-radio frame timing to the DMRS assumption and NR-PBCH information bits.

[0157] Table 2. Mapping of SS block index and half-wireless frame timing

[0158]

[0159]

[0160]

[0161]

[0162] In one embodiment, the timing of a half-radio frame is indicated by the PBCH information payload and the additional SS block index information. The relationship between X, Y, Z, W, and M can be determined by Y = X modular(M) and W = floor(X / Y) + M*Z.

[0163] In some embodiments 2, RRM reports based on instructions from the network are considered.

[0164] For NR frequencies above 6 GHz, the SS block index may be larger than the assumed number in the PBCH DMRS. For beam measurements, if the UE does not decode the PBCH, it may be unable to indicate / report the exact beam index and RSRP to the network. However, in some cases, the UE does not need to report the fine beam measurement RSRP to the network. Unless otherwise specified, the UE is configured to report the DMRS sequence index and the corresponding RSRP.

[0165] When a UE discovers multiple SS blocks with the same DMRS sequence index within an SS burst set, the UE averages the RSRP across the multiple SS blocks. The UE can be explicitly instructed to report the SS burst index for a given carrier frequency (RRC or SIB) via the network. When such an instruction is given, the UE is configured to measure the RSRP for each "beam" determined by the "SS burst index" and the "DMRS sequence index." The SS burst index can be conveyed via NR-PBCH payload information.

[0166] In one example, an SS burst is defined by every eight SS blocks starting from the beginning of the first SS block. The mapping from the SS block index and half a radio frame to the DMRS sequence index / hypothesis is defined by the above embodiments (e.g., Embodiment 1).

[0167] For each SS block within the same SS burst set, the SS blocks can share the same DMRS sequence index / hypothesis. The eNB can use consecutive beams to transmit these SS blocks. After receiving SS blocks with the same PBCH DMRS sequence, the UE can average the RSRP and report the average RSRP to the network.

[0168] In some embodiments of mobility beam index reporting, the X1-bit portion of the X-bit beam index is carried on the PBCH DMRS, while the other X2-bit portion of the beam index is carried as at least one of the PBCH payload and PBCH scrambling, where X = X1 + X2. In one example, X1 = 3. In another example, X1 = 4. Channel measurements are performed on the corresponding SS block (i.e., SSS) and optionally on the PBCH DMRS.

[0169] In such an embodiment, a (complete) beam index can refer to an SS block index, and the total number of such indices is 2^X. A partial beam index refers to a portion of the beam index carried by the PBCH DMRS, and the total number of such indices is 2^X1. A partial beam index can correspond to the LSB or MSB of the entire beam index.

[0170] Figure 10 A flowchart of a method 1000 for beam ID report configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 10 The embodiments of method 1000 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 10 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as dedicated circuitry configured to perform the indicated functions, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0171] For mobility measurement reports, it is expected that the UE may not need to decode the PBCH. This means that it would be feasible if the UE could generate the measurement report simply by detecting the PBCH DMRS sequence. This is likely feasible if the total number of beams, 2^X, is less than 2^X1. However, if the total number of beams is greater than 2^X, the UE must decode the PBCH.

[0172] Therefore, it is recommended that the UE be instructed whether to report both the SS block RSRP / RSRQ and the complete beam ID selected from 2^X beam IDs, or a portion of the beam IDs selected from only 2^X1 beam IDs detected on the PBCH DMRS. This scheme is as follows: Figure 10 As shown.

[0173] refer to Figure 10The UE determines which beam ID type is configured for reporting. When full beam ID reporting is configured, the UE derives and reports the SS block RSRP / RSRQ and the full beam ID, where each full beam ID is detected by detecting the sequence ID from the PBCH DMRS and decoding the explicit bits from the PBCH. When partial beam ID reporting is configured, the UE derives and reports the SS block RSRP / RSRQ and the partial beam ID, where each partial beam ID corresponds to the detected sequence ID in the PBCH DMRS from the SS block.

[0174] If the UE does not receive the indication signaling, a default UE behavior needs to be defined. In the first alternative, the default UE behavior is to report the complete beam ID. In the second alternative, the default UE behavior is to report a partial beam ID. The first alternative may be beneficial to the network (i.e., the complete beam ID can be obtained), but it increases the burden on the UE side (e.g., higher measured power consumption). The second alternative is beneficial to the UE side (e.g., lower measured power consumption).

[0175] Indications can be conveyed in RRC signaling or SIB / RMSI signaling for each cell or frequency band. When the UE is configured to report a complete beam ID selected from 2^X beam IDs, the UE derives the measurement quantity (e.g., RSRP / RSRQ) for each detected SS block by applying L3 filtering to the measurement results of SS blocks with the same complete beam ID in subsequent SS burst sets. For this measurement, the UE needs to derive the beam ID by detecting the PBCH DMRS sequence and decoding the explicit bits of the PBCH.

[0176] When the UE is configured to report only a subset of beam IDs selected from 2^x1 beam IDs detected on the PBCH DMRS, the UE needs to handle two scenarios. In one example, during the 5-millisecond SS burst set duration (or measurement window / duration), the UE has detected at most one SS block corresponding to each subset beam ID. In another example, during the same duration, the UE has detected more than one SS block corresponding to at least one subset beam ID.

[0177] In such an example, the UE can derive the measurement (e.g., RSRP / RSRQ) of each detected SS block by applying L3 filtering to the measurement results of SS blocks with the same partial beam ID in subsequent SS burst sets. In such an example, an SS block with a certain partial beam ID may appear multiple times in the detected SS blocks within the 5-millisecond SS burst set duration.

[0178] In one scenario, the UE is configured to acquire the average of measurements with the same partial beam ID within each SS burst set duration, and to perform L3 filtering on the average of the measurement results based on SS blocks with the same partial beam ID in subsequent SS burst sets.

[0179] In another example, the UE is configured to select the maximum value of measurements with the same partial beam ID within each SS burst set duration, and to perform L3 filtering on the maximum value of measurements based on SS blocks with the same partial beam ID in subsequent SS burst sets. Such examples and instances can be pre-configured or indicated via RRC or SIB signaling.

[0180] When the UE is configured to report a complete beam ID selected from 2^X beam IDs, the UE derives the measurement (e.g., RSRP / RSRQ) for each detected SS block by applying L3 filtering to the measurement results of SS blocks with the same complete beam ID in subsequent SS burst sets. To perform this measurement, the UE needs to derive the beam ID by detecting the PBCH DMRS sequence and decoding the explicit bits of the PBCH.

[0181] Figure 11 A flowchart of a method 1100 for deriving a measurement quantity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 11 The embodiments of method 1100 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 11 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0182] In one example, the design is identical for both the PBCH DMRS below 6 GHz and above 6 GHz. To indicate more SS block indices for NR above 6 GHz, an additional 3 bits of information are placed in the PBCH. An indication of half a radio frame is also carried in the PBCH. For NR below 6 GHz, the SS block index is carried by the PBCH DMRS. A maximum of 8 SS blocks are indicated, as described in the LTE standard. The NR-PBCH DMRS may have at least 8 assumptions before scrambling the cell ID.

[0183] Eight assumptions can be used to indicate eight SS block indices. For NR above 6 GHz, since the maximum SS block index is 64, an additional 3 bits in the NR-PBCH are needed to indicate this additional timing information for the SS block, and another bit is used to indicate the timing of half a radio frame.

[0184] Let X represent the SS block index. For NR above 6 GHz, X is 0-63; for NR between 3-6 GHz, X is 0-7; for NR below 3 GHz, X is 0-3. Let Y represent the DMRS sequence number (0-7), and let Z represent the half-frame timing index, where Z=0 represents the first 5ms frame, and Z=1 represents the second 5ms frame.

[0185] Let “W” represent a 3-bit number in the NR-PBCH, indicating additional information about the SS block index in NR above 6 GHz. The SS block index and half-frame indication can be achieved by sending the DMRS hypothesis number Y along with the NR-PBCH information W and Z. Note that the DMRS hypothesis here is different from the DMRS sequence. Because different cell IDs can be scrambled on top of the PBCH DMRS, the same DMRS hypothesis can be mapped to different DMRS sequences. The mapping of the SS block index to the PBCH and DMRS sequences is shown in detail in Table 2 below.

[0186] In one example, half a radio frame is indicated by two different scramblings of the PBCH DMRS. In another example, half a radio frame is indicated by two different scramblings of the PBCH. In yet another example, half a radio frame is indicated by explicit bits in the PBCH.

[0187] In some embodiments, an indication of the actual number of SS blocks is taken into account.

[0188] In NR, the maximum number of SS blocks in an SS burst can be 64 for frequencies from 6 GHz to 52 GHz; 8 for frequencies from 3 GHz to 6 GHz; and 4 for frequencies up to 3 GHz. The actual number of SS blocks transmitted can be less than the maximum. Therefore, the gNB needs to inform the UE of the actual number of SS blocks transmitted. After receiving information / indication from the gNB, the UE can determine the location of the SS blocks within the nominal SS block location defined by the SS block mapping mode. Different alternatives exist for indicating the actual number of SS blocks.

[0189] In an alternative, the actual number of SS blocks is indicated directly to the UE via PBCH, RMSI, or DCI. For example, 2 bits of information for NR below 3 GHz, 3 bits of information for NR between 3 GHz and 6 GHz, and 6 bits of information for NR above 6 GHz are sent to the UE in PBCH / RMSI / SIB / RRC / MAC CE / DCI to indicate the actual number of SS blocks.

[0190] In another alternative, the actual number of SS blocks is quantized as X bits of information and indicated to the UE, where X can be 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 bits. For example, for NR above 6 GHz, 3 bits of information can be sent to the UE to indicate one of the actual number of SS blocks from the following set {8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64}. In another example, 4 bits of information can be sent to the UE to indicate one of the actual number of SS blocks from the following set {4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64}.

[0191] In another example, 5 bits of information can be sent to the UE to indicate one of the actual SS blocks from the following set {2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64}. For frequencies from 3 GHz to 6 GHz, 2 bits of information can be sent to the UE to indicate one of the following actual SS blocks {2, 4, 6, 8}. For NR frequencies below 3 GHz, 1 bit of information can be sent to the UE to indicate one of the following actual SS blocks {2, 4}.

[0192] In some embodiments, it is considered to use a bitmap or quantized bitmap to indicate the actual location of the SS block. In such embodiments, a bitmap is used to indicate the actual location of the SS block. In an alternative, the number of bits used to indicate the location of the SS block is equal to the number of SS blocks per frequency band.

[0193] For example, the bitmap is 4 bits for frequencies up to 3 GHz; 8 bits for frequencies from 3 GHz to 6 GHz; and 64 bits for frequencies above 6 GHz. Each bit in the bitmap corresponds to whether an SS block defined in the SS block mapping mode is transmitted. For example, a "1" in the bitmap indicates that the corresponding SS block has been transmitted; a "0" in the SS block indicates that the corresponding SS block has not been transmitted. For example, if the bitmap for frequencies below 3 GHz is 1000, it means that only the first SS block defined in the SS block mapping mode is transmitted, and no other SS blocks are transmitted. The UE can determine the actual transmitted SS blocks by counting the total number of "1"s in the bitmap. The bitmap can be transmitted in RRC / DCI / SIB / RMSI.

[0194] In another alternative, the number of bits used to indicate the location of an SS block that is less than or equal to the maximum number of SS blocks per frequency band is reduced; that is, the transmission of two or more consecutive SS blocks is represented by 1 bit. This reduces the overhead of the bitmap. For example, for frequency bands above 6 GHz, a 32-bit bitmap can be used, and the i-th bit (i = 1, 2, ..., 32) in the bitmap can indicate whether (i-1) × 2 and (i-1) × 2 + 1 SS blocks are transmitted. Here, we assume the SS block indices are {0, 1, 2, ..., 63}.

[0195] In another example, for frequencies above 6 GHz, a 16-bit bitmap can be used, and the i-th bit (i = 1, 2, ..., 16) in the bitmap can indicate whether to send (i-1)×4, (i-1)×4+1, (i-1)×4+2, and (i-1)×4+3 SS blocks. In yet another example, for frequencies above 6 GHz, an 8-bit bitmap can be used, and the i-th bit (i = 1, 2, ..., 8) in the bitmap can indicate whether to send (i-1)×8, (i-1)×8+1, (i-1)×8+2, (i-1)×8+3, (i-1)×8+4, (i-1)×8+5, (i-1)×8+6, and (i-1)×8+7 SS blocks.

[0196] Furthermore, when using an 8-bit bitmap, the i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether an SS block with the same 3-bit timing indication in the PBCH payload was transmitted. In another example, for frequencies from 3 GHz to 6 GHz, a 4-bit bitmap is used, and the i-th bit in the bitmap (i = 1, 2, ..., 4) can indicate whether (i-1) × 2 and (i-1) × 2 + 1 SS blocks were transmitted.

[0197] For frequencies above 6 GHz, a 4-bit bitmap is used, and the i-th bit (i = 1, 2, ..., 4) in the bitmap can indicate whether to send (i-1)×16, (i-1)×16+1, (i-1)×16+2, (i-1)×16+3, (i-1)×16+4, (i-1)×16+5, (i-1)×16+6, (i-1)×16+7, (i-1)×16+8, (i-1)×16+9, (i-1)×16+10, (i-1)×16+11, (i-1)×16+12, (i-1)×16+13, (i-1)×16+14, and (i-1)×16+15 SS blocks. Actual SS blocks can be mapped continuously from the starting point of the nominal SS block location defined by the SS block mapping pattern.

[0198] In some embodiments that consider using DCI to indicate SS blocks, DCI information is used to indicate whether to send an SS block for a connected UE in an upcoming time slot. When the UE reads the information from the DCI, it can decide whether to send an SS block in the time slot. If no SS block is sent in the time slot, the UE can assume that potential data or control can be sent in the corresponding PRB. Several configuration schemes exist.

[0199] In one example, a 2-bit configuration information / bitmap (referred to as the "indicator bit") in the DCI is provided to indicate whether an SS block is sent, or which SS block is sent at the nominal SS block location in the time slot. Table 3 below specifies the four corresponding states of the 2-bit configuration information and SS block transmission.

[0200] Table 3. Bit Configuration Information

[0201]

[0202] Figure 12A An example PBCH BW 1200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 12A The PBCH BW1200 example shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 12A One or more of the components shown may be implemented as dedicated circuitry configured to perform the indicated functions, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0203] In one example, when instructing the UE to perform rate matching near the RE corresponding to the SS block, the UE can assume that the SS block occupies a rectangular resource area comprising four consecutive OFDM symbols and 288 REs corresponding to the PBCH BW, such as... Figure 12A As shown.

[0204] Figure 12B An example PSS / SSS OFDM symbol 1250 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 12B The embodiment of PSS / SSS OFDM symbol 1250 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 12B One or more of the components shown may be implemented as dedicated circuitry configured to perform the indicated functions, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0205] In another example, when instructing the UE to perform rate matching near the RE corresponding to the SS block, the UE can assume that the SS block only occupies the PSS / SSS / PBCH RE area (PSS / SSS / PBCH resource area). In this case, the UE can assume that the network is transmitting PDSCH data in a BW that does not map the PSS / SSS in the PSS / SSS OFDM symbol, such as... Figure 12B As shown.

[0206] In yet another example, in this embodiment, rate matching can be performed near "reserved resources," similar to the "SS block" in this embodiment. The UE is configured with numerous reserved resources. For a PDSCH scheduled in a time slot, one or more of the configured reserved resources overlap with the scheduled PDSCH. The "configured reserved resources" in this method may also include potential SS block locations. The network can then indicate via DCI whether rate matching can be performed, for example, near at least one of the one or more reserved resources listed in the table above. Here, "reserved resources" can be used for forward compatibility reasons, and the network can dynamically determine resource usage and indicate this usage to the UE.

[0207] In another example, when instructing the UE to perform rate matching near the RE corresponding to the SS block, the UE can assume that the SS block occupies 12 RBs for the PSS / SSS OFDM symbol while occupying 24 RBs for the two PBCH OFDM symbols. In this case, the UE can assume that the network is transmitting PDSCH data in a BW that does not map to the PSS / SSS in the PSS / SSS OFDM symbol.

[0208] In yet another example, a 4-bit configuration information / bitmap in the DCI is provided to indicate whether four SS blocks were transmitted in nominal SS block positions within two consecutive special time slots. Here, a special time slot is defined as a time slot that can map SS blocks according to an SS block mapping pattern.

[0209] In another example, a 2N-bit configuration information / bitmap in the DCI is provided to indicate whether 2N SS blocks are transmitted in the nominal SS block location if N specific time slots are aggregated. Each bit in the 2N-bit configuration information / bitmap can indicate whether the corresponding SS block has been transmitted.

[0210] In another example, an N-bit configuration information / bitmap in the DCI is provided to indicate whether 2N SS blocks should be sent in the nominal SS block location if N special time slots are aggregated. Each bit in the N-bit configuration information / bitmap can indicate whether to send the corresponding two SS blocks in the special time slot.

[0211] Depending on the slot type, the indicator bit may or may not be present. For example, if the PDCCH in the CORESET is transmitted in a slot whose slot number corresponds to a slot number that can transmit SS blocks, then the indicator bit is present in the PDCCH. Otherwise, the indicator bit is not present in the PDCCH.

[0212] In some embodiments of actual transmitted SS block network range and specific frequency band indication, the UE indicates to the UE via the network a superset of network range and specific frequency band information that typically applies to the locations of all cells in the network belonging to the same frequency band. This superset can be referred to as the "SS measurement set." The superset of SS block locations is a subset of the SS block locations for a specific frequency band as defined in the standard specification.

[0213] Alternatively, the network can configure an upper limit on the actual number of SS blocks in a specific frequency band, with a value less than or equal to the maximum number of SS blocks defined in the specification. The configuration of the superset or upper limit value can be communicated in MIB, SIB, or RRC messages. Benefits include saving UE power, reducing network overhead, and saving signaling overhead. Given a configured superset, the actual SS block location of the serving cell can be indicated to the UE for rate matching purposes and / or for mobility measurements of neighboring cells.

[0214] The actual SS block locations configured can be a subset of the superset. The actual SS block locations may be specific to a particular cell, thus information can be provided for each cell. The actual SS block locations can be provided using a bitmap. Assuming the superset has M SS blocks, the bitmap size is M bits, and the i-th bit indicates whether the i-th SS block among the M SS blocks is active or inactive.

[0215] Figure 13 A flowchart of a method 1300 for configuring a maximum number of frequency band-specific quantities of SS blocks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 13 The embodiments of method 1300 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 13 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as dedicated circuitry configured to perform the indicated functions, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0216] The actual SS block location can be provided in the MIB / SIB / RRC. If no further information beyond the superset is provided, the UE can assume that the actual SS block location used for rate matching and measurement is based on a superset of the SS block location. A similar design applies when an upper limit is configured. Figure 13 Details of UE processing based on the configuration of a superset of SS block locations are shown.

[0217] Figure 14 A flowchart of a method 1400 for indicating network range and specific frequency band information is shown. Figure 14 The embodiments of method 1400 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 14 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as dedicated circuitry configured to perform the indicated functions, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0218] Figure 14 The details of UE processing based on the configuration of the maximum number of SS blocks specific to the frequency band are shown in the figure.

[0219] There may be several alternatives to indicate the actual number of network ranges and specific frequency band information for SS block locations.

[0220] The first alternative is to indicate the network range and the location of SS blocks in a specific frequency band by using the actual number M of SS blocks. In this case, the M SS blocks can be mapped to the locations of the first M nominal SS blocks according to the SS block mapping pattern. For example, for a frequency band where the maximum number of SS blocks defined by the standard in the network is 64, it has proven that a maximum of 48 SS blocks are sufficient for all cells. The gNB can then indicate the value 48 to the UE.

[0221] The UE can know that neither the serving cell nor neighboring cells can use more than 48 SS blocks, and the UE can reduce its measurement window during RRM measurements or neighboring cell measurements to measure no more than 48 SS blocks. If more information about the actual number of SS blocks for a cell is provided, the UE can further reduce the measurement effectiveness. Information can be provided for the serving cell and / or a selected set of neighboring cells. For example, the maximum number of SS blocks within the network range could be 48, while the actual number of SS blocks for a cell is 32. The UE can then further reduce its measurement window for that cell to 32 to further reduce power consumption and complexity. If no number is provided for neighboring cells, the UE can assume an upper limit for SS blocks used for mobility measurements.

[0222] A second alternative is to indicate the network range and SS block location for a specific frequency band using a bitmap or quantized bitmap. For frequencies above 6 GHz, 64, 32, 16, 8, or 4 bits are sent from the network to the UE to indicate the maximum number of SS blocks within the UE's network range. If a 64-bit bitmap is used, the i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether SS block i in the SS block mapping pattern can be sent. If a 32-bit bitmap is used, the i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether SS blocks (i-1)×2 and (i-1)×2+1 in the SS block mapping pattern can be sent. If a 16-bit bitmap is used, the i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether SS blocks (i-1)×4, (i-1)×4+1, (i-1)×4+2, and (i-1)×4+3 in the SS block mapping pattern can be sent. If an 8-bit bitmap is used, the i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether SS blocks (i-1)×8, (i-1)×8+1, (i-1)×8+2, (i-1)×8+3, (i-1)×8+4, (i-1)×8+5, (i-1)×8+6 and (i-1)×8+7 in the SS block mapping mode can be sent.

[0223] In some embodiments, the actual SS block location is indicated separately for mobility measurement and rate matching purposes.

[0224] For mobility measurement purposes, the subsequent configuration and UE impact are explained below. In one example, there exists a complete set of SS bursts for a specific frequency band specified in the LTE specification. In another example, the UE can be additionally informed using a subset of the complete SS burst set, referred to as the "SS measurement set." This measurement set is valid for all cells on the same carrier frequency, i.e., carrier-specific. The motivation for introducing this is to ensure that the UE knows this information when the network decides to implement only a small number of SS blocks on the carrier frequency, thus reducing the UE's RSRP measurement burden. This reduction in UE burden can be explained as follows: if the UE is configured such that a certain SS block location may never have an SS block, then the UE does not need to measure RSRP at that SS block location.

[0225] In yet another example, the UE can also be configured with an SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) duration. In yet another example, when both the "SS measurement set" and the SMTC duration are configured, the UE can monitor RSRPs belonging to the "SS measurement set" only during the SMTC duration.

[0226] Although the SMTC is used for mobility measurement purposes, the SS blocks actually transmitted in the serving cell may differ from those indicated by the SMTC. For example, the network may configure the SMTC so that the UE performs mobility measurements for IDEL and CONNECTED UEs at 80-millisecond intervals. However, the network may still send SS blocks at 20-millisecond intervals to support initial access UEs. In this case, a CONNECTED UE receiving PDSCH in the serving cell can perform rate matching near SS blocks sent at 20-millisecond intervals instead of 80-millisecond intervals. This necessitates a separate SS block periodicity indication from the SS block periodicity indication in the SMTC for rate matching.

[0227] In some embodiments, for PDSCH rate matching purposes, SS block periodicity can be indicated, which is configured separately from the SMTC configuration. Additionally, the SS blocks to be rate matched in each SS burst set may not be consistent with the SS measurement set.

[0228] In one example, an SS measurement set is provided for all TRPs in the cell, but the UE cannot detect the energy in the resources of the SS blocks in the measurement set from a subset of the TRPs. In this case, the network can still decide which SS blocks to send PDSCH for the UE on the time-frequency resources, and although the time-frequency location still belongs to the measurement set, the UE can be allowed to not rate match near those time-frequency locations.

[0229] The network can indicate a separate set of SS blocks, i.e., an "SS rate matching set," which is a subset of the complete SS burst set or SS measurement set. Upon receiving a DL allocation on a time slot belonging to the SS measurement set, the expected UE behavior is as follows: if the SS block belongs to the rate matching set, rate matching is performed on the UE's PDSCH near the SS block; and / or if the SS block does not belong to the SS rate matching set, rate matching is not performed on the UE's PDSCH near the SS block.

[0230] To facilitate this indication scheme, a separate SS block set, "SS rate matching set," can be indicated to the UE. This set is a subset of the complete SS burst set, allowing the UE to perform rate matching on the PDSCH only near the SS blocks indicated in the SS rate matching set. This indication can be conveyed in SIB signaling, RRC signaling, MAC-CE signaling, or DCI signaling. Alternatively, the UE can / may assume that the SS rate matching set corresponds to SS blocks activated via MAC-CE.

[0231] As a result, the UE can be configured with parameters for the SS measurement set and parameters for the SS rate matching set. The periodicity of the SS measurement set is provided by the SMTC configuration, while the periodicity of the SS rate matching set is indicated separately from the periodicity provided by the SMTC configuration.

[0232] The SS measurement set is a subset of the SS burst set and is indicated by the SIB / RRC; it applies to all cells in the carrier frequency (i.e., a specific frequency band / carrier frequency configuration). The SS rate matching set is configured for each serving cell via the SIB / RRC / MAC-CE / DCI and is also a subset of the SS burst set. When an SS rate matching set is configured, the UE can perform rate matching near the time-frequency location of an SS block belonging to the SS rate matching set; the UE can choose not to perform rate matching near the time-frequency location of an SS block not belonging to the SS rate matching set.

[0233] In some embodiments where the actual SS block location is indicated according to the SS block mapping pattern, the actual SS block location is indicated according to the SS block mapping pattern.

[0234] Figure 15 An example mapping slot pattern 1500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 15 The illustrated example of the mapped time slot mode 1500 is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 15 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0235] In an alternative approach, a bitmap can be used to indicate whether the minimum repeating mapped slot pattern has been transmitted. For example, when SCS = 5kHz and L = 4, the minimum mapped slot pattern is 1ms, and there are a total of two 1ms mapped slot patterns, such as... Figure 15 As shown.

[0236] Therefore, a 2-bit bitmap is used in PBCH / DCI / RMSI / SIB to indicate which mapped time slot mode to send. "00" in the bitmap indicates that no 1ms mapped time slot mode is sent; "01" in the bitmap indicates that the second 1ms mapped time slot mode is sent; "10" in the bitmap indicates that the first 1ms mapped time slot mode is sent; and "11" in the bitmap indicates that two 1ms mapped time slot modes are sent simultaneously.

[0237] In another example, such as Figure 15 As shown, when SCS = 15kHz and L = 8, the smallest mapped time slot mode is 1ms, and there are a total of 4 1ms mapped time slot modes. Therefore, a 4-bit bitmap is used in PBCH / DCI / RMSI / SIB to indicate which 1ms mapped time slot mode to transmit. The i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether the corresponding i-th 1ms mapped time slot mode has been transmitted.

[0238] In another example, such as Figure 15 As shown, when SCS = 30kHz and L = 4, the minimum mapped time slot mode is 0.5ms, and there are a total of two 0.5ms mapped time slot modes. Therefore, a 2-bit bitmap is used in PBCH / DCI / RMSI / SIB to indicate which 0.5ms mapped time slot mode to transmit. The i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether the corresponding i-th 0.5ms mapped time slot mode has been transmitted.

[0239] In another example, such as Figure 15 As shown, when SCS = 30kHz and L = 8, the smallest mapped time slot pattern is 0.5ms, and there are a total of 4 0.5ms mapped time slot patterns. Therefore, a 4-bit bitmap is used in PBCH / DCI / RMSI / SIB to indicate which 0.5ms mapped time slot pattern to transmit. The i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether the corresponding i-th 0.5ms mapped time slot pattern has been transmitted.

[0240] In another example, such as Figure 15 As shown, when SCS = 120kHz and L = 64, the smallest mapped time slot pattern is 0.625ms, and there are a total of 8 0.625ms mapped time slot patterns. Therefore, an 8-bit bitmap is used in PBCH / DCI / RMSI / SIB to indicate which 0.625ms mapped time slot pattern to transmit. The i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether the corresponding i-th 0.625ms mapped time slot pattern has been transmitted.

[0241] In another example, such as Figure 15 As shown, when SCS = 240kHz and L = 64, the minimum mapped time slot mode is 0.625ms, and there are a total of 4 0.625ms mapped time slot modes. Therefore, a 4-bit bitmap is used in PBCH / DCI / RMSI / SIB to indicate which 0.625ms mapped time slot mode to transmit. The i-th bit in the bitmap can indicate whether the corresponding i-th 0.625ms mapped time slot mode has been transmitted.

[0242] In some embodiments of UE operation after receiving actual SS block location information from the network, after receiving information about the actually transmitted SS blocks (e.g., by the actual number of SS blocks, or a bitmap or quantization bitmap, or a combination of the actual number of SS blocks, SS block offset, and SS block interval), the UE may perform rate matching or adjust the UE's measurement window to perform neighboring cell measurements near the SS block indicating the location of the actually transmitted SS block.

[0243] Otherwise, the UE can assume that the maximum number of SS blocks is used and can perform rate matching near all nominal SS block locations, or use a measurement window of up to 5 ms for neighboring cell measurements. For example, in a network that sends the actual number of SS blocks to the UE to indicate the actual location of the SS blocks, the UE can know that SS blocks can be mapped from the beginning of the nominal SS block location defined in the specification.

[0244] Specifically, in this example, when SCS = 120kHz, if the UE receives 32 actually transmitted SS blocks, the UE can know that time slots {0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18} have SS blocks, while time slots {20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38} do not have SS blocks, and the corresponding time-frequency resources of the SS blocks can be used for data / control transmission. Furthermore, if the information of these 32 actual SS blocks is related to neighboring cells, the UE can only use a 2.5ms measurement window for neighboring cell measurements.

[0245] In some embodiments of rate matching behavior outside of comparison within the SMTC window / duration, the UE may be configured with an SMTC window for co-frequency measurements. Within each SMTC window, the UE is configured to perform mobility measurements or BM measurements based on SS blocks. During mobility measurements, the UE may perform an Rx beam scan to find the optimal Rx beam for each Tx beam. In this case, the UE may be allowed to use an Rx beam to receive OFDM symbols with SS blocks, which may be different from the Rx beam indicated by the network for receiving PDSCH data.

[0246] As seen in the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can be indicated by the transmitted SS block location, which may also be referred to as the "active SS block location". The UE can perform rate matching near the transmitted SS block location, which can be repeated at specified intervals. However, the detailed UE behavior for rate matching near the transmitted SS block location can be specified in different ways to allow Rx beam scanning for mobility measurement during the SMTC window and optimal DL signal reception during non-SMTC window / duration periods.

[0247] Assuming that the network and TRP can have multiple TXRUs to support multiple digital beams in the same OFDM symbol, then, as in the aforementioned embodiments, the UE can perform rate matching near the actual transmission BW of the SS block. Simultaneously, the UE can also perform rate matching near the active BWP BW of the OFDM symbol in the SS block, to address the case where the network / TRP has a single TXRU, in which case the analog beamforming constraints still apply.

[0248] Therefore, it seems necessary to introduce signaling to control the behavior of rate matching near an active SS block. This signaling could be a 1-bit RRC or MAC-CE signaling that specifies the UE behavior to perform rate matching near an active SS block. An indication (i.e., an SS block rate matching indication) is used to notify the UE to perform rate matching near (1) the active BWP BW of the OFDM symbol of the SS block or (2) near the BW of the SS block. This behavior can be maintained as long as the UE does not perform mobility measurement / BM measurement.

[0249] When the UE performs mobility measurement / BM measurement, it may be allowed to perform Rx beam scanning, in which case behavior (2) is not applicable. Therefore, it is also proposed to cover rate matching behavior near the SS block for PDSCH received within the SMTC window (i.e., using behavior (1)). Of course, outside the SMTC window, rate matching behavior is based on indication (i.e., (1) or (2)).

[0250] The UE treats the SMTC duration configured for inter-frequency measurements as the measurement interval, and based on applicable limitations, such as assuming rate matching and RE mapping of PDSCH in the vicinity of the entire active BWP BW of the active SS block OFDM symbol, the UE is still allowed to receive PDSCH during the SMTC duration configured for intra-frequency measurements.

[0251] The same mechanism (i.e., rate matching throughout the BW) also applies to P / SP-CSI-RS configured for beam management (which may correspond to a specific CSI-RS pattern index for a 1-port resource) to allow for Rx beam scanning. Alternatively, the UE can be explicitly configured with two state indications: (1) rate matching throughout the BW or (2) rate matching near the configured CSI-RS RE location.

[0252] For co-frequency measurements, the UE is already allowed to receive PDSCH / PDCCH during the measurement duration in LTE, and it is best to maintain the same principle. However, if the UE performs Rx beam scanning for SSB reception of a neighboring cell, it is unlikely that the UE will receive PDSCH / PDCCH in an SSB OFDM symbol with good Rx beam for the serving cell.

[0253] This problem can be analyzed in two different ways: (1) when network synchronization is indicated; (2) when network synchronization is not indicated. In case (1) where network synchronization is indicated, the UE may still be able to receive PDSCH / PDCCH in the remaining OFDM symbols that are not used for SSB mapping. For this purpose, an SSB set composition indicated for mobility measurement purposes (not one configured for rate matching purposes indicated in RRC / RMSI) can be used.

[0254] In case (2) where network synchronization is not indicated, the UE may need to attempt to receive SSBs from neighboring cells in OFDM symbols that are not used for SSB transmissions in the serving cell. To allow for the UE's Rx beam scanning, it appears impossible to transmit any PDSCH data during the SMTC when network synchronization is not indicated. Therefore, in case (2), it is recommended that the UE treat the entire duration of the co-frequency SMTC as the measurement interval.

[0255] In some embodiments, during the co-frequency SMTC duration, if network synchronization is indicated, rate matching of the scheduled PDSCH can be performed near the entire BWP BW corresponding to the SSB OFDM symbol. This is represented as Action 1. In such embodiments, for this purpose, an SSB set composition indicated for mobility measurement purposes (not one configured for rate matching purposes indicated in RRC / RMSI) can be used. In such embodiments, the UE is allowed to perform Rx beam scanning in the SSB OFDM symbol for co-frequency measurement during the SMTC duration.

[0256] In some embodiments, if network synchronization is not indicated during the co-frequency SMTC duration, the UE may treat the entire co-frequency SMTC duration as a measurement interval; that is, the UE does not wish to receive PDSCH / PDCCH during the co-frequency SMTC duration. This is referred to as behavior 2.

[0257] In some embodiments, outside of the co-frequency SMTC duration, the UE uses serving cell SSB set composition information for rate matching, as indicated by RRC / RMSI. Rate matching BW (the entire BWP BW and the PBCH BW) can be determined based on two state indications.

[0258] Alternatively, RRC or SIBx can explicitly instruct the UE on its behavior during the same-frequency SMTC duration: whether to perform rate matching near the indicated SS block (i.e., behavior 1) or to use the SMTC duration as the measurement interval (i.e., behavior 2) based on the frequency carrier (or component carrier, or serving cell).

[0259] Alternatively, the UE can be configured to use the union of two SSB sets (a first SSB set and a second SSB set) for rate matching near the PDSCH during the co-frequency SMTC duration, wherein the first SSB set is configured for serving cell rate matching purposes (i.e., SSB-transmitted RRC configuration or SSB-transmitted-SIB1 RMSI configuration), and the second SSB set is configured for mobility measurement purposes.

[0260] Figure 16A An example measurement interval configuration 1600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 16A The embodiment of measurement interval configuration 1600 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 16A One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0261] Figure 16A The diagram shows the UE's assumptions about the time slot, which depend on whether an MG (Measurement Interval) is configured for that time slot.

[0262] In some embodiments, the rate matching behavior of coverage during the duration of the SMTC window is determined based on at least one of the MG configuration, UE capabilities (related to Rx beam scanning), and the carrier frequency of the SMTC window.

[0263] When MG is not configured, the UE is allowed to receive FDM and / or TDM processed data via SSB. When the UE does not perform Rx beam scanning, the UE can receive FDM / TDM processed data and SSB, such as... Figure 16A As shown.

[0264] like Figure 16A As shown, when a UE performs an Rx beam scan, it can only receive TDM-processed data and SSBs. The UE can notify the network about its Rx beam scan capability. Then, if the UE has already instructed the network to perform an Rx beam scan, the UE can assume the TDM-processed data and SSBs (such as...) within the SMTC window duration. Figure 16AAs shown; otherwise, the UE may assume that the FDM / TDM processed data and SSB (such as) during the SMTC window duration. Figure 16A (As shown). Alternatively, the UE assumes it depends on the carrier frequency (i.e., the UE assumes a specific frequency band configuration, as specified by the LTE specification). For example, for the first frequency band (e.g., for a BW below 6 GHz),

[0265] The UE assumptions in the SMTC window duration can be FDM / TDM, such as... Figure 16A As shown; for the second frequency band (e.g., for BW above 6 GHz), the UE assumption during the SMTC window duration can be TDM, such as Figure 16A As shown. When MG is configured, it is not expected that the UE will receive PDSCH / PDCCH for the entire time slot that belongs to the measurement interval duration.

[0266] Figures 16B to 16C A configuration for rate matching near the SSB is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 16B to 16C The embodiment shown is for illustrative purposes only, illustrating the configuration for rate matching near the SSB. Figures 16B to 16C One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0267] In some embodiments, the rate-matched bandwidth is configured near the RE in the OFDM symbol of the SS block, such as Figure 16B Candidate scheme 1 (1650) is shown in the figure.

[0268] In some embodiments, the rate-matched bandwidth is configured near the PBCH BW in the OFDM symbol of the SS block, such as Figure 16B Candidate scheme 2 (1660) is shown in the figure.

[0269] In some embodiments, the rate-matched bandwidth is configured at the data PRB edge near the PBCH BW in the SS block OFDM symbol, such as Figure 16C Candidate scheme 3 (1670) is shown.

[0270] In some embodiments, the rate-matched bandwidth is configured around the entire SS block of the OFDM symbol, such as Figure 16C Candidate scheme 4 (1680) is shown in the table.

[0271] In some embodiments, rate matching behavior dependent on CORESET or the search space is considered. In this disclosure, SS burst set composition may refer to an SS block mapping within a half-frame.

[0272] In some embodiments, three different SS burst set compositions are considered on the UE side: the complete SS burst set composition of the carrier band, the first SS burst set composition indicated by RMSI, and the second SS burst set composition indicated by RRC.

[0273] When the UE receives the PDSCH, the UE can apply rate matching and RE mapping in the vicinity of the SS block based on the selected SS burst set.

[0274] The DCI carries at least one RNTI field, which indicates the purpose of the DCI. Some examples are described below. If C-RNTI (also known as UE-ID) is used, the PDSCH / PUSCH scheduled by the DCI is UE-specific. If SI-RNTI is used, the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI is cell-specific, and the PDSCH carries system information. If RA-RNTI is used, the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI is used for RACH responses.

[0275] During CONNECTED mode, a DCI containing the C-RNTI is received. A DCI containing both SI-RNTI and P-RNTI can be received in all CONNECTED and IDLE modes, as well as during initial cell selection. A DCI containing temporary C-RNTI and RA-RNTI can be received during the RACH procedure, initial cell selection, or handover.

[0276] For different purposes and considering the different use cases of RNTI types, it is recommended that the rate matching behavior of the corresponding PDSCH / PUSCH be determined by the RNTI type included in the DCI. When the first type of RNTI is used in the DCI, the rate matching and RE mapping of the PDSCH / PUSCH used for scheduling is based on a first indication value; when the second type of RNTI is used in the DCI, the rate matching and RE mapping of the PDSCH / PUSCH used for scheduling is based on a second indication value.

[0277] During the initial cell selection period, the UE receives the DCI via the PDCCH in the CORESET, and the PDCCH indicates the PDSCH containing the RMSI (or SIB1). Since the PBCH (or MIB) does not carry any information about the transmitted SS blocks, the UE can use the default SS burst set for rate matching and RE mapping to receive the PDCCH. In this disclosure, "rate matching" may imply "rate matching and RE mapping".

[0278] After the UE receives the RMSI containing the first indication of the SS burst set composition, it can perform PDSCH rate matching and RE mapping based on the SS burst set composition sent by the RMSI signal. The DL indications received during this phase (after the RMSI is received but before the RRC signaling for the updated SS burst set composition) include the RACH response (msg2, msg4) and SIBx (x>1).

[0279] Therefore, it is recommended that rate matching be performed on the PDSCH carrying SIBx (x>1) and RACH responses (msg2, msg4) near the SS block indicated by the first indication consisting of SS burst sets. To achieve this operation, which depends on the RNTI type, separate RNTIs can be assigned to SIB1 (or RMSI) and SIBx (x>1).

[0280] For paging, since paging PDSCHs can be received in both CONNECTED and IDLE modes, it seems expected that processing of SIBx (x>1) will be desirable. Therefore, if the RNTI type is P-RNTI, the UE can use the first indication of the SS burst set composition for PDSCH RE mapping and rate matching.

[0281] The UE can also receive a second indication via RRC signaling on SS burst sets in CONNECTED mode. Since the purpose of this indication is to facilitate PDSCH reception on these non-serving SS block time-frequency resources within the same cell, the information is UE-specific. Therefore, using the second indication for rate matching and RE mapping for cell-specific signaling seems inappropriate. The use of the second indication can be limited to UE-specific PDSCH reception.

[0282] In other words, when the UE receives a DCI with a C-RNTI that schedules PDSCH, the UE can assume that the PDSCH rate matching is performed near the SS block indicated by the second indication (and that PDSCH RE mapping is performed near the SS block).

[0283] Table 4 summarizes the rate matching and PDSCHRE mapping behavior of PDSCH / PUSCH determined based on PDSCH content and / or RNTI type. A “complete” SS burst set of the carrier band is used for RMSI PDSCH reception, which is scheduled for SIB1 by a DCI with SI-RNTI.

[0284] The first indication carried in the RMSI is used for SIBx, RACH msg2 / 4, and paging reception, which is scheduled by the DCI with SI-RNTI for SIBx (x>1), RA-RNTI, temporary C-RNTI, and P-RNTI. The first indication can also be used for UE-specific private message reception, which is scheduled by the DCI with C-RNTI until the UE receives RRC signaling containing the second indication. After the UE receives the second indication consisting of the SS burst set via RRC signaling, the second indication is used for UE-specific private message reception scheduled by the DCI with C-RNTI.

[0285] Table 4. Rate Pairing and PDSCH RE Mapping

[0286]

[0287]

[0288] Alternative embodiments are described in Table 5. PDSCH / PUSCH rate matching and PDSCH RE mapping behavior are determined based on the CORESET type and / or RNTI type, rather than the PDSCH content and / or RNTI type. A “complete” SS burst set of the carrier band is used for RMSI PDSCH reception, which is scheduled by a DCI with SI-RNTI for use in SIB1 carried in the CORESET configured in the MIB.

[0289] The first indication carried in the RMSI is used for SIBx, RACH msg2 / 4, and paging reception, and is scheduled by a DCI with SI-RNTIs carried in a CORESET configured in the MIB (x>1), RA-RNTI, temporary C-RNTI, and P-RNTI. The first indication can also be used for UE-specific dedicated message reception, which is scheduled by a DCI with C-RNTI carried in a CORESET configured in the MIB; or in a CORESET configured in the RRC, until the UE receives RRC signaling containing the second indication. The second indication is used for UE-specific dedicated message reception, which is scheduled by a DCI with C-RNTI carried in a CORESET configured in the RRC, after the UE receives the second indication consisting of an SS burst set via RRC signaling.

[0290] Table 5. Alternative rate pairings and PDSCH RE mappings

[0291]

[0292]

[0293] In an alternative embodiment, the protocol may use timing information transmitted with the RMSI instead of a separate SI-RNTI to indicate different rate matching behaviors for the SIB1 (or RMSI) PDSCH. Based on the configuration carried in the PBCH, a CORESET of the MIB configuration is periodically transmitted in designated time slots. When the UE receives a DCI in the PDCCH of a CORESET with a MIB configuration and SI-RNTI in these time slots, the UE may perform rate matching near the complete SS burst set used to receive the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI; when the UE receives a DCI with SI-RNTI in other time slots, the UE may perform rate matching near the SS block based on the first SS burst set composition.

[0294] The remaining UE behaviors related to rate matching can be determined according to Table 4 or Table 5. In one example, the SIB1PDSCH timing depends on the following.

[0295] In some embodiments, the network can activate / deactivate a subset of SS blocks by using MAC-CE in the SS burst set constructed from the full set. In this case, rate matching behavior can also be further updated based solely on the "activated SS blocks". Rate matching and RE mapping are performed on PDSCHs near the activated SS blocks, where PDSCHs are scheduled by a DCI with C-RNTI (or a DCI carried in a CORESET with RRC configuration).

[0296] In an alternative embodiment, the PDSCH rate matching behavior is determined differently based on the search space allocated by the DL scheduler on which the PDCCH is transmitted. In one such example: behavior 1 is used to receive RMSI PDSCHs (whose CRS is scrambled with SI-RNTI for SIB0) scheduled by the PDCCH in the type 0 PDCCH search space on the CORESET configured in MIB; behavior 2 is used to receive PDSCHs with SI-RNTI, RA-RNTI, temporary C-RNTI, P-RNTI, and C-RNTI for SIBx (x>1). In an alternative, all these PDSCHs are scheduled by the PDCCHs transmitted in the type 1 PDCCH search space on the RMRESET configured in RMSI (SIB1). In another alternative, a PDSCH with SI-RNTI for SIBx (x>1) is scheduled by a PDCCH sent on the type0 PDCCH search space on the CORESET configured in MIB; a PDSCH with RA-RNTI, temporary C-RNTI, P-RNTI, C-RNTI, etc., is scheduled by a PDCCH sent on the type1 PDCCH search space on the CORESET configured in RMSI (SIB1); action 3 is used to receive a PDSCH with C-RNTI to receive UE-specific dedicated data, which is scheduled by a PDCCH sent on the CORESET configured in RRC in the UE-specific search space.

[0297] In one embodiment, a method is proposed for indicating the composition of SS burst sets in multiple subbands of a broadband carrier.

[0298] If the SS burst set is transmitted by the same group of TXRUs in a broadband carrier, then due to the constraint of analog beamforming, the same analog beam can be used to beamform the SS blocks in different BWPs. Under this constraint, the composition of the SS burst set is the same across the various subbands of the broadband carrier.

[0299] For a WB UE configured with a single BWP across the entire bandwidth, the signaling content can indicate multiple frequency locations to map SS blocks (SSBs). This can be achieved by configuring a list of N starting PRB indices (common PRB indices) to map N SSBs in the frequency domain (via RRC signaling or SIB signaling).

[0300] In an alternative embodiment, the end or intermediate PRB index can be indicated instead. Upon receiving this signaling, the UE can assume that the SS burst set corresponds to a complete mapping, the first and second indications apply to all N SSBs in the frequency domain, and the UE can also assume that the indexes of SSBs with the same SSB mapped to different subbands are QCL processed within a set of parameters (subset or complete set of delays, Doppler, average gain, and spatial parameters). The UE can apply PDSCH rate matching based on this information and also according to the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0301] In this disclosure, "subframe" or "slot" refers to another name for "time interval X", and vice versa.

[0302] The mapping from SS blocks to SS burst sets needs to consider LTE-NR coexistence, especially when TDM sharing is used for both LTE and NR to share the same spectrum. In this case, the mapping of SS blocks can also avoid "always-on" LTE signals, such as CRS, synchronization signals (PSS / SSS / PBCH), and PDCCH, so as not to affect the operation of legacy LTE devices. In LTE-NR coexistence scenarios, the subcarrier spacing of LTE signals can be fixed at 15kHz. However, the subcarrier spacing of NR SS can be 15kHz and 30kHz. This disclosure considers specific configurations / designs for mapping SS blocks to time slots and the composition of SS burst sets regarding subcarrier spacing.

[0303] In some embodiments, a mapping structure / pattern from SS blocks to time slots is considered. Since SS blocks are “always-on” signals in NR, mapping SS blocks to time slots avoids the location of potential “always-on” signals such as PSS / SSS in LTE; mapping SS blocks to time slots also avoids the location of potential control / reference signals such as PDCCH / CRS / PBCH in LTE.

[0304] Figure 17A An example mapping SS block 1700 is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 17A The embodiment of the mapping SS block 1700 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 17A One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0305] In one embodiment, such as Figure 17AAs shown, the NR SS subcarrier spacing is 30kHz, and mapped SS blocks on OFDM symbols #4 to #7 are configured in the time slots. In this example, the SS in NR may not overlap with the control and reference signals in the LTE normal subframe.

[0306] Figure 17B Another example of mapping SS block 1720 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 17B The embodiment of the mapping SS block 1720 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 17B One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0307] In another embodiment, such as Figure 17B As shown, the NR SS subcarrier spacing is 30kHz, and the mapped SS blocks on OFDM symbols #4 to #11 are configured, and the two SS blocks are mapped to one NR time slot.

[0308] Figure 17C Another example of mapping SS block 1740 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 17C The embodiment of the mapping SS block 1740 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 17C One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0309] In yet another embodiment, some LTE subframes are configured as MBSFN subframes. Simultaneously, the NR uses a 15kHz subcarrier spacing, and in the time slot aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframes, an SS block is mapped to OFDM symbols #2 through #5, as shown below. Figure 17C As shown.

[0310] Figure 17D Another example of mapping SS block 1760 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 17D The embodiment of the mapping SS block 1760 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 17D One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0311] In yet another embodiment, some LTE subframes are configured as MBSFN subframes. Simultaneously, the NR uses a 15kHz subcarrier spacing and maps two SS blocks to OFDM symbols #2 to #5 and #8 to #11 in the time slot aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframes, as follows. Figure 17D As shown.

[0312] Figure 17E Another example of mapping SS block 1780 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 17E The embodiment of the mapping SS block 1780 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 17E One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0313] In yet another embodiment, some LTE subframes are configured as MBSFN subframes. Simultaneously, the NR uses a 30kHz subcarrier spacing and maps two SS blocks to OFDM symbols #4 to #7 and #8 to #11 in the time slots aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframes, as follows: Figure 17E As shown.

[0314] In some embodiments, the SS burst set mapping mode is different regardless of whether the frequency band is used for LTE-TDD or LTE-FDD.

[0315] In some embodiments, a common SS burst set mapping mode is configured regardless of whether the frequency band is used for LTE-TDD or LTE-FDD.

[0316] In some embodiments, in an LTE-FDD system, the SS (Subframe 0) resides in subframes 0 and 5. Furthermore, subframes 0, 4, 5, and 9 cannot be configured as MBSFN subframes. In LTE-NR coexistence scenarios, SS burst sets can avoid mapping SS blocks to subframes overlapping with LTE subframes 0 and 5. An alternative to this embodiment is to configure the subcarrier spacing of the NR SS to 30 kHz and map the SS blocks to two of the following LTE subframes: subframe 1, subframe 2, subframe 3, subframe 4, subframe 6, subframe 7, subframe 8, and subframe 9. These selected subframes can be ordinary subframes or MBSFN subframes.

[0317] Figure 18A An exemplary SS burst integration 1800 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 18A The embodiment of the SS burst set 1800 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 18AOne or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0318] In each selected NR slot, an SS block is mapped according to the SS block to slot pattern in the foregoing embodiments. Figure 18A An example of this alternative is shown. Figure 18A In this context, an NR time slot containing an NR SS block can be considered an SSB time slot. The NR SS block is mapped to time slots 2 through 5, aligned with LTE subframes 1 and 2. Within each selected time slot or SSB time slot, one SS block is mapped to OFDM symbols #4 through #7.

[0319] Figure 18B Another example SS burst set 1820 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 18B The embodiment of the SS burst set 1820 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 18B One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0320] In another alternative, LTE configures MBSFN subframes, allowing more SS blocks to be transmitted in NR slots. Other subframes can be either regular subframes or MBSFN subframes. Candidate MBSFN subframes can be subframe 1, subframe 2, subframe 3, subframe 6, subframe 7, and subframe 8. NR can configure the NR's SS subcarrier spacing to 30kHz and select a slot aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframe as the SSB slot. In the above embodiment, two SS blocks are transmitted using an SS block-to-slot pattern in each selected slot or SSB slot. Figure 18B An example is shown. In this example, LTE selects subframe 1 as the MBSFN subframe. In NR, slots 2 and 3 are aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframe, therefore slots 2 and 3 are selected as SSB slots. According to Embodiment 1, two SS blocks are mapped in each selected slot or SSB slot.

[0321] Figure 18C Another example SS burst set 1840 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 18C The embodiment of the SS burst set 1840 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 18COne or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0322] In another alternative, LTE configures MBSFN subframes, allowing more SS blocks to be transmitted in NR slots. Candidate MBSFN subframes can be subframes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8. NR can configure the NR's SS subcarrier spacing to 15 kHz and select a slot aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframe as the SSB slot. In the above embodiment, two SS blocks are transmitted using an SS block-to-slot pattern in each selected slot or SSB slot. Figure 18C An example is shown. In this example, LTE selects subframes 1 and 2 as MBSFN subframes. Other subframes can be MBSFN subframes or regular subframes. In NR, slots 1 and 2 (14 symbol slots) are aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframes, therefore slots 1 and 2 are selected as SSB slots. Within each selected slot or SSB slot, two SS blocks are mapped according to the foregoing embodiment.

[0323] Figure 19A Another example of an SS burst integration 1900 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 19A The embodiment of the SS burst set 1900 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 19A One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0324] In an LTE-TDD system, the SS (Secondary Frame) resides in subframes 0, 1, 5, and 6. Furthermore, subframes 0, 1, 2, 5, and 6 cannot be configured as MBSFN subframes. In LTE-NR coexistence scenarios, SS burst sets can avoid mapping SS blocks to subframes overlapping with LTE subframes 0, 1, 5, and 6. An alternative to this embodiment is to configure the NR SS subcarrier spacing to 30kHz and map SS blocks aligned with two subframes in LTE subframes such as 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9. In each selected NR slot, an SS block is mapped according to the SS block-to-slot pattern described in the foregoing embodiments. Figure 19AAn example of this alternative is shown. NR SS blocks are mapped to slots 4 through 7, aligned with LTE subframes 2 and 3. Within each selected slot or SSB slot, one SS block is mapped to OFDM symbols #4 through #7.

[0325] Figure 19B Another example of an embodiment of the present disclosure, SS burst integration 1920, is shown. Figure 19B The embodiment of the SS burst set 1920 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 19B One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0326] In another alternative, LTE configures MBSFN subframes to allow more SS blocks to be transmitted in NR slots. Candidate MBSFN subframes can be subframes 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9. NR can configure the NR's SS subcarrier spacing to 30kHz and select a slot aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframe as the SSB slot. In the above embodiment, two SS blocks are transmitted using an SS block-to-slot pattern in each selected slot or SSB slot. Figure 19B An example is shown. In this example, LTE selects subframe 3 as the MBSFN subframe. In NR, slots 6 and 7 are aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframe, therefore slots 6 and 7 are selected as SSB slots. Within each selected slot or SSB slot, two SS blocks are mapped according to the aforementioned embodiment.

[0327] Figure 19C Another example of an embodiment of this disclosure, SS burst integration 1940, is shown. Figure 19C The SS burst set example shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 19C One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0328] In another alternative, LTE configures two MBSFN subframes, allowing more SS blocks to be transmitted in the NR slots. Candidate MBSFN subframes can be subframes 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9. NR can configure the NR's SS subcarrier spacing to 15 kHz and select a slot aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframe as the SSB slot. In each selected slot or SSB slot (14 symbols), a maximum of two SS blocks are transmitted using the SS block-to-slot pattern of Example 1. An example is shown in... Figure 19C As shown in the example, LTE selects subframes 3 and 4 as MBSFN subframes. In NR, slots 3 and 4 are aligned with the LTE MBSFN subframes, therefore slots 3 and 4 are selected as SSB slots. Within each selected slot or SSB slot, two SS blocks are mapped according to the aforementioned embodiment. If the 15kHz subcarrier spacing in NR is defined as 7 symbols, the selected slots could be slots 6 and 7.

[0329] In one embodiment, the UL control channel can be transmitted for a short duration near the last UL symbol transmitted in the time slot. The UL control channel is time-division multiplexed and / or frequency-division multiplexed with the UL data channel within the time slot. For short-duration UL control channels, transmission within one symbol duration of the time slot is supported.

[0330] In one example, frequency division multiplexing of short UCI and data is performed within and between UEs, at least provided that the PRBs of short UCI and data do not overlap.

[0331] In one example, to support TDM of short PUCCHs from different UEs in the same time slot, a mechanism is supported at least above 6 GHz to inform the UE on which symbol in the time slot to transmit the short PUCCH.

[0332] During the duration of one symbol, the PUCCH supports at least the following: In one example, if the RS is multiplexed, the UCI and RS are multiplexed in FDM mode for a given OFDM symbol. In one example, the same subcarrier spacing between DL / UL data and PUCCH for a short duration within the same time slot.

[0333] In one example, PUCCH is supported for at least a short duration of 2 symbol durations across a time slot. In such an example, the same subcarrier spacing exists between DL / UL data and PUCCH for a short duration within the same time slot.

[0334] In one example, at least the following semi-static configuration is supported. In such an example, the PUCCH resources of a given UE within a time slot (i.e., short PUCCHs of different UEs) can be time-division multiplexed for a given duration within the time slot.

[0335] In one example, the PUCCH resource includes the time domain, the frequency domain, and, where applicable, the code domain.

[0336] In one example, from the UE's perspective, a short-duration PUCCH can span until the end of the time slot. In such an example, no explicit interval symbol is required after the short-duration PUCCH.

[0337] In an example of a time slot with a short UL portion (i.e., a time slot centered on the DL), if data is scheduled on the short UL portion, the "short UCI" and data can be frequency-division multiplexed by a single UE. UL control channels can be transmitted over multiple UL symbols for extended periods to improve coverage. The UL control channels are frequency-division multiplexed with the UL data channels within the time slot.

[0338] In one example, a UCI carried by a long-duration UL control channel with at least a low PAPR design can be transmitted in one or more time slots.

[0339] In one example, at least in some cases, transmission across multiple time slots can allow a total duration of, for example, 1 ms.

[0340] In one example, for a UL control channel with a long duration, at least TDM between RS and UCI is supported for DFT-S-OFDM.

[0341] In one example, the long UL portion of a time slot can be used for long-duration PUCCH transmission; that is, time slots used only for UL and time slots with a variable number of symbols, in which at least 4 symbols are used for PUCCH transmission, both support long-duration PUCCH.

[0342] In one example, at least one or two UCI bits can be repeated in N slots (N>1) that are either adjacent or non-adjacent, and these N slots allow for long-duration PUCCHs.

[0343] In one example, simultaneous transmission of PUSCH and PUCCH in at least the long PUCCH format is supported; that is, uplink control is transmitted on PUCCH resources even when data is present. In addition to simultaneous PUCCH-PUSCH transmission, UCI on PUSCH is also supported.

[0344] In one example, intra-TTI slot hopping is supported.

[0345] In one example, DFT-s-OFDM waveforms are supported.

[0346] In one example, transmit antenna diversity is supported.

[0347] For at least one UE within a time slot, TDM and FDM are supported between short-duration and long-duration PUCCHs. In the frequency domain, a PRB (or multiple PRBs) is the size of the smallest resource unit of the UL control channel. If frequency hopping is used, frequency resources and frequency hopping may not extend over the carrier bandwidth. UE-specific RSs are used for NR-PUCCH transmission. A set of PUCCH resources is configured by higher-layer signaling, and the PUCCH resources within the configured set are indicated by the DCI.

[0348] The timing between data reception and hybrid ARQ acknowledgment transmission, which is part of DCI, can be dynamically indicated (at least in conjunction with RRC). A combination of semi-static configuration and (at least for certain types of UCI information) dynamic signaling is used to determine PUCCH resources for "long PUCCH format and short PUCCH format," where PUCCH resources include the time domain, frequency domain, and, where applicable, the code domain. UCI on PUSCH is supported when UCI and data are simultaneous; that is, some scheduled resources are used for UCI.

[0349] To further discuss the short duration of PUCCH, we assume the UCI payload is 1 to at least tens of bits (or SR). To further discuss the long duration of PUCCH, we assume the UCI payload is 1 to at least hundreds of bits (or SR).

[0350] In one embodiment of a short PUCCH with more than 2 UCI bits and 1 symbol, the following is supported. In one example of Option 1, the QPSK for UCI and X1 to X2 PRBs can be configured to support various UCI payload sizes: supporting both local (contiguous) and distributed (non-contiguous) allocations; detailed PRB allocation and configuration signaling; and the values ​​of X1 and X2. In one example of DMRS overhead, a downward selection from the following options is provided: Option 1: a single value (e.g., 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 4, 1 / 5…); and Option 2: multiple values ​​depending on, for example, the UCI payload size.

[0351] Due to UE movement or obstruction from surrounding objects, radio channels (especially higher-frequency radio channels) can change rapidly. Therefore, the UE needs assistance to find and maintain the optimal or suitable Rx and Tx beams to ensure effective transmission and reception. For this purpose, future NR systems will require beam management procedures. In NR, beam management is defined as follows.

[0352] In one example of beam management, the L1 / L2 assembly is used to acquire and maintain a set of TRP and / or UE beams available for DL ​​and UL transmission / reception, which includes at least the following aspects:

[0353] In one example of beam determination, the TRP or UE selects its own Tx / Rx beam.

[0354] In one example of beam measurement, it is used for TRP or UE to measure the characteristics of the received beamforming signal.

[0355] In one example of beam reporting, information about beamforming signals is used by the UE to report based on beam measurements.

[0356] In one example of beam scanning, the operation covers a spatial region by sending and / or receiving beams in a predetermined manner during time intervals.

[0357] The following defines the Tx / Rx beam correspondence at the TRP and UE. A Tx / Rx beam correspondence at the TRP is valid if at least one of the following conditions is met: the TRP is able to determine the TRP Rx beams used for uplink reception based on downlink measurements of one or more Tx beams of the TRP by the UE; the TRP is able to determine the TRP Tx beams used for downlink transmission based on uplink measurements of one or more Rx beams of the TRP. A Tx / Rx beam correspondence at the UE is valid if at least one of the following conditions is met: the UE is able to determine the UE Tx beams used for uplink transmission based on downlink measurements of one or more Rx beams of the UE; the UE is able to determine the UE Rx beams used for downlink reception based on TRP indications of uplink measurements of one or more Tx beams; and the capability to indicate UE beam correspondence information to the TRP is supported.

[0358] Note that the definitions / terminology for Tx / Rx beam mapping are for ease of discussion. Detailed performance conditions are at most RAN4. The following DL L1 / L2 beam management procedures are supported within one or more TRPs. In one example, P-1 is used to enable the UE to measure different TRP Tx beams to support selection of TRP Tx beam / UE Rx beam.

[0359] In one example, beamforming at a TRP typically includes intra-TRP / inter-TRP Tx beamforming from a set of different beams. Beamforming at a UE typically includes UE Rx beamforming from a set of different beams.

[0360] In one example, P-2: enables the UE to measure different TRP Tx beams to potentially change the TRP Tx beams between / within TRPs.

[0361] In one example, beam refinement is performed from a beam set that may be smaller than P-1. Note that P-2 may be a special case of P-1.

[0362] In one example, when the UE uses beamforming, P-3 enables the UE to measure the same TRP Tx beam to change the UE Rx beam.

[0363] At least network-triggered aperiodic beam reporting is supported under operations related to P-1, P-2, and P-3. UE measurements (at least CSI-RS) based on the RSs for beam management consist of K (=total number of configured beams) beams, and the UE reports the measurement results of L selected Tx beams, where L is not necessarily a fixed number. Note that RS-based procedures for mobility are not excluded. If L < K, the reported information includes at least the measurement quantities of the L beams and information indicating the L DL Tx beams. Specifically, when the UE is configured with non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resources with K'> 1, the UE can report a set of L UE-selected CSI-RS resource-related indices.

[0364] The following higher-layer parameters for beam management can be configured for the UE: N ≥ 1 reporting settings, M ≥ 1 resource settings; the link between the reporting settings and the resource settings is configured in the agreed CSI measurement settings (the resource and reporting settings support P-1 and P-2 based on CSI-RS); P-3 can be supported regardless of whether there are reporting settings; the reporting settings include at least: information indicating the selected beams; L1 measurement reports; time-domain behavior: e.g., aperiodic, periodic, semi-permanent; if multiple frequency granularities are supported, include the frequency granularity; the resource settings include at least: time-domain behavior: e.g., aperiodic, periodic, semi-permanent; RS type: at least NZP CSI-RS; at least one CSI-RS resource set, each CSI-RS resource set having K ≥ 1 CSI-RS resources; and some parameters of the K CSI-RS resources can be the same, such as port number, time-domain behavior, density, and periodicity (if any).

[0365] Supports at least one of these two alternatives for beam reporting. In an example of Alternative 1, the UE reports information about TRP Tx beams that can be received using a selected UE Rx beam set, where the Rx beam set refers to the UE Rx beam set used to receive DL signals. How the Rx beam set is constructed is a matter for UE implementation. One example is that each Rx beam in the UE Rx beam set corresponds to a selected Rx beam in each panel. For a UE with more than one UE Rx beam set, the UE can report the TRP Tx beams and the identifier of the associated UE Rx beam set for each reported TX beam.

[0366] Different TRP Tx beams reported for the same Rx beam set can be received simultaneously at the UE.

[0367] It may not be possible to simultaneously receive different TRP TX beams reported for different UE Rx beam sets at the UE.

[0368] In one example of Alternative Option 2, the UE reports information about the TRP Tx beams on a per-UE antenna group basis, where a UE antenna group refers to a receiving UE antenna panel or subarray. For a UE with more than one UE antenna group, the UE can report the TRP Tx beams and the identifier of the associated UE antenna group for each reported TX beam.

[0369] The UE can simultaneously receive different TX beams reported for different antenna groups.

[0370] It may not be possible to simultaneously receive different TX beams reported for the same UE antenna group at the UE.

[0371] Figure 20 An example split beam status information (BSI) in a PUCCH 2000 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 20 The example of a split BSI in PUCCH 2000 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 20 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0372] When reporting BSI via PUCCH, at least the beam set / group number, Tx beam information, and RSRP can be provided to the gNB explicitly or implicitly. It can be part of or a combination of the CSI-RS resource ID, antenna port index, and Tx beam time index.

[0373] If the BSI report is based on Rx beamset, beam group, beam pair link (BPL), or even Tx beam, such as Figure 20 As shown, split BSIs can be transmitted in different transmission instances. Transmission instances can be frequency domain instances, time domain instances, or even code domain instances. Reporting the BSI for each Rx beam group or group, or for each BPL or each Tx beam, is helpful for carrying the BSI for the following reasons.

[0374] In one example, it is useful when the UE can have a varying number of Rx beam sets or Rx beam groups or BPL or Tx beams that will constitute a varying payload. By splitting the BSI, scalability for different numbers of Rx beam sets or Rx beam groups or BPL or Tx beams and variations in payload size can be supported, while the payload remains the same in each PUCCH.

[0375] In one example, a short PUCCH can be transmitted for a short duration near the last one or two UL symbols transmitted in a time slot. This is particularly useful for DL-centric time slots. It can be used for each transmission instance to carry a split BSI. After measurement, the short PUCCH can provide fast UCI feedback over several symbols, thus improving scheduling efficiency. The maximum payload supported by the short PUCCH can be up to tens of bits, which is sufficient to support a split BSI. For example, consider a BSI report that reports the beam Rx set / group number, Tx beam index information, and RSRP. The corresponding bit counts could be, for example, 4 bits, 3 bits, and 7 bits, respectively, and the total payload bits would be 14 bits. Considering beam management listening, it is possible that only one serving beam RSRP is reported, so the Tx beam index information does not need to be reported, and the payload would then be 11 bits. If a reference RSRP has been configured and is known to the UE that a reference RSRP has been configured, the BSI report can provide a differential RSRP, and for a 4-bit differential RSRP, the total payload of the split BSI would be 8 bits.

[0376] In one example, for a long PUCCH, a split BSI can be used to carry a similar payload as a short PUCCH when better coverage is required.

[0377] In one example, a long PUCCH or long PUSCH can be used in conjunction with a short PUCCH. A longer period can be configured for the long PUCCH or long PUSCH when the entire payload of L BSIs is reported. A short PUCCH can be used to transmit small BSI payloads of a selected BPL or serving BPL with a shorter period.

[0378] In one example, when does the gNB need to know the beam quality information for the selected BPL or the serving BPL? This BSI information can be very small, as only the beam quality information for the selected BPL or the serving BPL needs to be reported. The short PUCCH used in this case can be periodic or non-periodic.

[0379] At least semi-static configuration can support PUCCH resource allocation for a given UE within a time slot. PUCCH resources include time domain, frequency domain, and, where applicable, code domain. When PUCCH is used to carry BSI, a set of N PUCCH resources can be semi-statically allocated and configured, where periodic transmission instances are configured via RRC signaling, and these transmission instances can be frequency domain instances, time domain instances, or code domain instances. In resource allocation, each transmission instance is linked to the sequence number of the Rx beamset / group or the Tx beam index or a combination of the Rx beamset / group sequence number and the Tx beam index. This link implicitly indicates the Rx beamset / group sequence number or the Tx beam index or the combination of the Rx beamset / group sequence number, and can save some signaling bits in the PUCCH.

[0380] A set of N PUCCH resources can be configured using an indication of a PUCCH resource index. For example, for the first PUCCH resource in the set, the UE is indicated by an OFDM symbol number (i.e., l). Then, the OFDM symbols for the remaining (N-1) PUCCH resources are determined using the l function. In one example, the OFDM symbols for the N PUCCH resources are: l, l+1, ..., l+N-1. In another example, the OFDM symbols for the N PUCCH resources are L-1, L-2, ..., LN, where L is the number of OFDM symbols in the time slot. All these N PUCCH resources are allocated within the same time slot.

[0381] Figure 21 An example implicit signaling of Tx beam index information 2100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 21 The embodiment of the implicit signaling of the Tx beam index information 2100 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 21 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0382] In one embodiment, the PUCCH resource allocation for BSI reporting in PUCCH is as follows: Figure 21As shown. A set of PUCCH resources is configured for each Tx beam index via RRC signaling, and the Tx beam index is implicitly reported in the PUCCH. If a set of PUCCH resources is semi-statically allocated for each Tx beam index, where each transmission instance corresponds to one Tx beam index in an Rx beam set / group sequence number, the correspondence between the Tx beam index information and the transmission instance can be implicit, thus eliminating the need to explicitly send the Tx beam index information in the payload, resulting in a smaller payload. For example, when the Rx beam set / group sequence number, Tx beam index information, and RSRP are reported in each PUCCH, the number of bits can be 4 bits, 3 bits, and 7 bits, respectively, and the total payload is 14 bits. Then, if only the beam Rx set / group sequence number and RSRP are reported, the total payload in each PUCCH will be reduced to 11 bits. The Tx beam index information is implicitly indicated by the selected resource index, for which the UE is configured with 2 3 = 8 PUCCH resources. In one such case, the UE transmits a PUCCH in resource n to report the Rx set / group sequence number and the RSRP n of the Tx beam. The network can be configured for the UE to report N reports corresponding to N Tx beams. In this case, the selected N resource sets will indicate the selected N Tx beams for reporting.

[0383] The foregoing embodiments can also be applied to replace beam pair links (i.e., a pair of Tx beam indices and Rx beam set indices) with beam pair links. Figure 21 The Tx beam index is used. In this case, the RSRP for beampup link n is reported in each PUCCH report in resource n. In this case, the network is also configured with N beampup links and N PUCCH resources for PUCCH reporting. Beampup links can be updated via MAC / CE signaling, or N beampup links can be indicated in the DCI.

[0384] Figure 22 Another example of implicit signaling for Tx beam index information 2200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 22 The embodiment of the implicit signaling of the Tx beam index information 2200 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 22 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0385] In one embodiment, the UE sends PUCCH in all allocated resources. In such cases... Figure 22In the example shown, Tx beam index information is implicitly conveyed. In this example, it can be assumed that PUCCH resources for four Tx beams are configured separately. PUCCHs in instances 1-4 are sent for Tx beam indices 1-4 respectively.

[0386] Figure 23 Another example of implicit signaling for Tx beam index information 2300 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 23 The embodiment of the implicit signaling of the Tx beam index information 2300 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 23 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0387] In one embodiment, because not all Tx beams are suitable for reporting, the UE only transmits PUCCH from a portion of all allocated resources. In one example, it can be assumed that PUCCH resources are configured for four Tx beams respectively. Figure 23 As shown, PUCCH instance 3 implicitly indicates that information about Tx beam index 3 in an Rx beam set / group sequence number is reported in the BSI report, without sending the PUCCH as in instances 1, 2 and 4.

[0388] Figure 24 An example implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number 2400 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 24 The example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number 2400 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 24 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0389] In one embodiment, the PUCCH resource allocation for BSI reporting in PUCCH is as follows: Figure 24As shown, a set of PUCCH resources is configured for each Rx beamset / group via RRC signaling, and the Rx beamset / group sequence number is implicitly reported in the PUCCH. If a set of PUCCH resources is semi-statically allocated for each Rx beamset / group sequence number, where each transmission instance belongs to one of the Rx beamset / groups, the correspondence between the Rx beamset / group sequence number and the transmission instance can be implicit. Therefore, it is not necessary to explicitly send the Rx beamset / group sequence number in the payload, resulting in a smaller payload. For example, when the Rx beamset / group sequence number, Tx beam index information, and RSRP are reported in each PUCCH, the number of bits can be 4 bits, 3 bits, and 7 bits, respectively, and the total payload is 14 bits. Then, if only the Tx beam index information and RSRP are reported, the total payload in each PUCCH will be reduced to 10 bits.

[0390] Figure 25 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number 2500 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 25 The embodiment of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number 2500 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 25 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0391] In one embodiment, the UE sends PUCCH across all allocated resources. Figure 25 In the example shown, the Rx beamset / group sequence number is implicitly transmitted. In this example, it can be assumed that four Rx beamsets / groups of PUCCH resources are configured respectively. PUCCH instance 3 implicitly indicates that Rx beamset / group 3 is reported in the BSI report, while PUCCHs in instances 1, 2, and 4 are sent for Rx beamset / group sequence numbers 1, 2, and 4, respectively.

[0392] Figure 26 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number 2600 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 26 The example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number 2600 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 26 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0393] In one embodiment, since not all Rx beamsets / groups are eligible to report, the UE only sends PUCCHs on a subset of all allocated resources. In the example, it can be assumed that PUCCH resources for four Rx beamsets / groups are configured separately. Figure 26 As shown, PUCCH instance 3 implicitly indicates that Rx beam set / group 3 was reported in the BSI report, while the PUCCH in instances 1, 2 and 4 was not sent.

[0394] In one embodiment, the PUCCH resource allocation for performing BSI reporting in the PUCCH is as follows: Figure 27 As shown, a set of PUCCH resources is configured for each Rx beamset / group and Tx beam index via RRC signaling, and the Rx beamset / group sequence number and Tx beam index are implicitly reported in the PUCCH. If a set of PUCCH resources is semi-statically allocated for each Rx beamset / group sequence number, where each transmission instance in one Rx beamset / group sequence number corresponds to one of the Tx beam index information in that Rx beamset / group sequence number, the correspondence between the Tx beam index information and the transmission instance can be implicit, thus eliminating the need to explicitly transmit the Tx beam index information in the payload, resulting in a smaller payload. Each set of PUCCH resources also corresponds to a specific Rx beamset / group sequence number, which can then also be implicitly sent in the payload. For example, when the Rx beamset / group sequence number, Tx beam index information, and RSRP are reported in each PUCCH, the number of bits can be 4 bits, 3 bits, and 7 bits, respectively, and the total payload is 14 bits. Then, if only RSRP is reported, the total payload in each PUCCH will be reduced to 7 bits.

[0395] Figure 27 An example implicit signaling of Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information 2700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 27 The embodiment of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information 2700 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 27 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0396] Figure 28 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information 2800 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 28 The embodiment of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information 2800 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 28 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0397] In one embodiment, the UE sends PUCCH across all allocated resources. Figure 28 In the example shown, the Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information are implicitly conveyed. In this example, it can be assumed that n Rx beam sets / groups of PUCCH resources and 4 Tx beams are configured in each Rx beam set / group. Each PUCCH instance implicitly indicates which Rx beam set / group and Tx beam index information is reported in the BSI report.

[0398] Figure 29 Another example of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information 2900 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 29 The embodiment of implicit signaling for Rx beam set / group number and Tx beam index information 2900 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 29 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0399] In one embodiment, since not all Rx beam sets / groups or Tx beams are eligible to report, the UE only transmits PUCCH within a portion of all allocated resources. In the example, it can be assumed that n Rx beam sets / groups of PUCCH resources and 4 Tx beams are configured in each Rx beam set / group. Figure 29 As shown, PUCCH instance 3 in Rx beamset / group 1 and PUCCH instance 2 in Rx beamset / group n implicitly indicate that Tx beam index 3 in Rx beamset / group 1 and Tx beam index 2 in Rx beamset / group n are reported in the BSI report without sending other PUCCH instances.

[0400] Figure 30 An example short PUCCH transmission 3000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 30 The example of the short PUCCH transmission 3000 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 33One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0401] For short PUCCH, such as Figure 30 As shown, each short PUCCH can have a separate Tx beam configured by implicit signaling or semi-static RRC signaling. The Tx beams used for different PUCCHs can be directed to different TRPs, for example, to support multiple connections (e.g., multiple BSIs used for different TRPs in the case of non-ideal backhaul).

[0402] In one embodiment, if the beam correspondence is not established, the Tx beam of each short PUCCH is configured as semi-static RRC signaling.

[0403] In one embodiment, when configuring each short PUCCH resource for each BPL, if the beam correspondence is valid, the Tx beam of each short PUCCH is selected based on each configured BPL, wherein the Tx beam and the Rx beam are associated through the beam correspondence.

[0404] In one embodiment, each short PUCCH resource is configured for each Rx beam set. If a beam mapping is established, a Tx beam for each short PUCCH is selected based on each configured Rx beam set, wherein the Tx beam is associated with an Rx beam in each Rx beam set by the beam mapping.

[0405] Figure 31 An example long PUCCH transmission 3100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 31 The embodiment of the long PUCCH transmission 3100 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 31 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0406] The aforementioned embodiments for short PUCCHs are also applicable to long PUCCHs. For long PUCCHs, such as... Figure 31 As shown, each PUCCH symbol can use a separate Tx beam.

[0407] In one embodiment, time-domain beam looping is used, where each PUCCH symbol uses a Tx beam predefined by a specific beam selection function. In another embodiment, each PUCCH symbol uses a Tx beam explicitly transmitted by RRC semi-statically.

[0408] Depending on the content carried by the PUCCH channel and whether the beam correspondence is valid, the network can dynamically execute PUCCH beam indication through implicit signaling of PDCCH, semi-static RRC signaling, or DCI signaling. PUCCH beam indication can be SRI or (SRI + antenna port). When different UCIs are multiplexed in the same resource or the same OFDM symbol, there may be mechanisms to resolve beam indication conflicts.

[0409] Common solutions for PUCCH beam indication are as follows. In one example, a PUCCH beam is configured separately for each UCI case. The PUCCH Tx beam can be configured via DCI, RRC, or MAC CE. A first PUCCH beam is configured for PUCCHs that include A / N / SR; a second PUCCH beam is configured for PUCCHs that do not include A / N / SR. In one example, a common PUCCH beam is configured for all PUCCHs. In another example, separate beams or a common beam are configured for both PUCCH and PUSCH.

[0410] In one embodiment, for some reason, the PUCCH and PUSCH can be configured separately for the Tx beam. For example, for better reliability, the PUCCH can have a wider beam than the PUSCH, and the PUCCH and PUSCH can be directed to different TRPs.

[0411] In one embodiment, the Tx beams may also change and be configured separately for different UCI scenarios if they are directed to different TRPs. They may conflict or be the same, depending on their respective configurations.

[0412] Figure 32 An example PUCCH beam indicator 3200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 32 The embodiment of the PUCCH beam indicator 3200 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 32 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0413] The process of resolving beam conflicts for all UCI scenarios is as follows: Figure 32 As shown.

[0414] When the PDCCH and PUCCH beams are in a beam correspondence for PUCCHs used only for A / N / SR, the PUCCH beam for A / N / SR is implicitly selected by the PDCCH beam, or indicated by DCI signaling, MAC CE, or RRC signaling.

[0415] When the PDCCH and PUCCH beams are in the beam correspondence for PUCCH only A / N / SR, the PUCCH beam for only A / N / SR is indicated by DCI signaling or MAC CE or RRC signaling.

[0416] For CQI / BSI PUCCH, the beam can be configured via semi-static RRC for periodic reporting, or via DCI for non-periodic reporting.

[0417] When CQI / BSI PUCCH and A / N / SR PUCCH are transmitted in different OFDM symbols, different beams are used for CQI / BSI PUCCH and A / N / SR PUCCH through different beam indications.

[0418] When multiplexing CQI / BSI and A / N / SR in PUCCH, if a common beam is configured for CQI / BSI and A / N / SR, the common beam is used; otherwise, the A / N / SR beam can be selected.

[0419] When UCI is multiplexed on PUSCH, if a common beam is configured for PUCCH and PUSCH, the common beam is selected; otherwise, the UE can select the PUSCH beam.

[0420] For reporting L BSIs, PUSCH, long PUCCH, or short PUCCH can be considered. PUSCH can be used for non-periodic BSI reporting. Long and short PUCCHs can be used for both periodic and non-periodic reporting. When long and short PUCCHs are used for non-periodic reporting, CSI / BSI triggering is embedded in the PDCCH transmitted in the same time slot as the PUCCH. For example, the PDCCH can trigger the UE to report beam quality corresponding to a pre-configured DL BPL or the served BPL. PUSCH and long PUCCH can carry the entire payload of L BSIs without compression. However, short PUCCH may be insufficient to carry the entire payload of L BSIs.

[0421] For non-periodic PUSCH reports, the entire payload of DL BPLs for L BSIs, gNBs, and BPLs / services can be carried in a single report.

[0422] For aperiodic PUCCH reporting, aperiodic PUCCH is used to send BSI reports in one scenario: when the gNB needs to know the beam quality information of the BPL configured by the gNB or the BPL it serves. This BSI information may be small, as only the beam quality information of a single BPL (e.g., the BPL configured by the gNB or the BPL it serves) needs to be reported. Aperiodic PUCCH is also very useful for faster BSI reporting in self-contained subframes when the triggering of aperiodic PUCCH reporting in the DCI is in the same subframe as the PUCCH.

[0423] Figure 33 An example DCI-triggered non-periodic PUCCH3300 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 33 The embodiment of the DCI-triggered non-periodic PUCCH 3300 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 33 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0424] Figure 33 This illustrates DCI-triggered aperiodic PUCCHs within the same subframe. Both short and long PUCCHs can be used for aperiodic PUCCH reporting. Coverage can be improved when using a long PUCCH.

[0425] Figure 34 An example DL DCI triggering a non-periodic PUCCH 3400 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 34 The illustrated example of a non-periodic PUCCH 3400 triggered by DL DCI is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 34 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0426] In one embodiment, such as Figure 34 As shown, DCI triggers PUCCH non-periodic reporting via DL DCI.

[0427] Figure 35 An example UL DCI triggering non-periodic PUCCH and PUSCH3500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 35The embodiments of UL DCI-triggered non-periodic PUCCH and PUSCH 3500 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 35 One or more of the components shown may be implemented as a dedicated circuit configured to perform the indicated function, or one or more of these components may be implemented by a processor executing one or more instructions to perform the indicated function. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0428] In one embodiment, DCI-triggered PUCCH aperiodic reporting is performed via UL DCI, where PUCCH and PUSCH are triggered by a single UL DCI and multiplexed across different resources via TDM, FDM, or other methods. For example, PUCCH and PUSCH are triggered together by the UL DCI for transmission in different time slots, such as... Figure 35 As shown. This is advantageous when the gNB needs to report the PUCCH immediately and there are insufficient resources for PUSCH transmission in the same time slot as the UL DCI. Another advantage is that if the PUSCH is completed in the following time slot instead of the same time slot as the UL DCI, the UE may have more time to process the PUSCH, but the gNB needs to report the UCI immediately in the same time slot as the UL DCI.

[0429] For multi-beam operation of aperiodic PUSCH and PUCCH reporting, the network needs to indicate the UE Tx beams to be used for these UL signals so that the network can apply the appropriate TRP Rx beams to UL signal reception. Considering the case where UE beam correspondence is valid, the UE Tx beams for both aperiodic PUCCH and PUSCH can be implicitly derived from the DL Rx beams. However, when UE beam correspondence is invalid, the UE Tx beams for aperiodic PUCCH and PUSCH need to be explicitly specified, either semi-static, dynamic, or both. More specifically, in the case of aperiodic PUSCH reporting, the UE Tx beams can be dynamically indicated in the UL DCI signaling. On the other hand, in the case of aperiodic PUCCH reporting, the UE Tx beams can be configured semi-statically or dynamically, or both.

[0430] When reporting a configured DL BPL or a service's DL BPL in an aperiodic BSI report, the configured BPL or service's BPL can be dynamically indicated or derived from a semi-statically configured resource. For example, a PUCCH resource pool can be semi-statically configured for each DL BPL, while a PUCCH resource selected from the pool can be dynamically indicated in the DCI to implicitly indicate the DL BPL to be reported in the aperiodic BSI report. Similarly, when reporting the entire BSI report, a request for the entire BSI report can be dynamically indicated.

[0431] For non-periodic PUCCH resource allocation, a pool of PUCCH resources that can be shared by multiple users can be configured semi-statically, while the DCI dynamically indicates which PUCCH resource to select from the pool. One advantage is that this approach can utilize uplink resources more efficiently.

[0432] In one embodiment, a DCI indication is provided for aperiodic (short or long) PUCCH BSI. In one example of Alternative 1, when a PUCCH Tx beam is configured in a PUCCH resource, 1 bit is used to trigger a BPL BSI report on a semi-statically configured PUCCH resource (where the PUCCH Tx beam is also semi-statically configured).

[0433] In one example of Alternative 2, when the PUCCH Tx beam is not configured in the PUCCH resource, (1 bit is used to trigger a BPL BSI report on a semi-statically configured PUCCH resource) + (x bits are used to indicate the PUCCH beam).

[0434] In one example of Alternative Solution 3, when a PUCCH Tx beam is configured in a PUCCH resource, X bits are used to trigger on a PUCCH resource selected from a pool of semi-statically configured PUCCH resources.

[0435] In one example of Alternative 4, when a PUCCH Tx beam is not configured in the PUCCH resource, the X bits are used to trigger on the PUCCH resource selected from the pool of semi-statically configured PUCCH resources (x bits are used to indicate the PUCCH beam). In such an example, the following applies to all the above alternatives to indicate the BPL of the DL service or the selected BPL: an additional Y bit indicating the DL-selected BPL; 0 bits if the BPL BSI of the service is reported; 0 bits if the indicated PUCCH resource is associated with the selected DL BPL. In such an example, the following applies to the entire BSI request indicating a long PUCCH: 1 bit indicating the entire BSI request.

[0436] In one embodiment, a DCI indication is provided for a non-periodic (PUSCH) BSI. In such an embodiment, a 1-bit is provided to trigger a BPL BSI report. In such an embodiment, the following applies to indicating a BPL serving a DL service or a selected BPL: an additional Y-bit indicating a DL-selected BPL; or, 0 bits if a BPLBSI for a service is reported. In such an embodiment, the following applies to indicating the entire BSI request: a 1-bit indicating the entire BSI request.

[0437] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to those skilled in the art. This disclosure is intended to include such changes and modifications as those falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0438] The descriptions in this application should not be interpreted as implying that any particular element, step, or function is essential and must be included within the scope of the claims. The scope of the patent subject matter is defined solely by the claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: The configuration information of the serving cell is received from the base station, including information for indicating the time position of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block; as well as Based on the configuration information of the serving cell, the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is received from the base station in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols that are not mapped for receiving SS / PBCH blocks in the first SS / PBCH block set. The information used to indicate the time position of the SS / PBCH block includes a bitmap. Each bit of the bitmap indicates whether an SS / PBCH block is transmitted in the corresponding OFDM symbol, and The number of bits in the bitmap is equal to the maximum number of SS / PBCH blocks per half-frame according to the frequency band.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: According to the SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration SMTC configured for the terminal, the measurement results for the second SS / PBCH block set are sent to the base station. The SMTC also includes SS block periodicity for measurement, and The configuration information also includes information about the periodicity of SS blocks used for rate matching.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One or more of the measured quantities include the synchronization signal reference signal received power SS-RSRP for the second SS / PBCH block set.

4. The method according to claim 1, in, The PDSCH is received on the Physical Resource Block (PRB). The PRB set does not overlap with the PRB set in the OFDM symbol used to receive the SS / PBCH block.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration information is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or System Information Block (SIB).

6. A method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: The configuration information of the serving cell is sent to the terminal, the configuration information including information for indicating the time position of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block; as well as Based on the configuration information of the serving cell, the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is transmitted to the terminal in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols that are not mapped to transmit SS / PBCH blocks in the first SS / PBCH block set. The information used to indicate the time position of the SS / PBCH block includes a bitmap. Each bit of the bitmap indicates whether an SS / PBCH block is transmitted in the corresponding OFDM symbol, and The number of bits in the bitmap is equal to the maximum number of SS / PBCH blocks per half-frame according to the frequency band.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: According to the SMTC configured for SS / PBCH block measurement timing assigned to the terminal, the measurement results for the second SS / PBCH block set are received from the terminal. The SMTC also includes SS block periodicity for measurement, and The configuration information also includes information about the periodicity of SS blocks used for rate matching.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, One or more of the measured quantities include the synchronization signal reference signal received power SS-RSRP for the second SS / PBCH block set.

9. The method according to claim 6, in, The PDSCH is sent on the Physical Resource Block (PRB). The PRB set does not overlap with the PRB set in the OFDM symbol used to transmit the SS / PBCH block.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The configuration information is sent via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or System Information Block (SIB).

11. A terminal in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprising: At least one transceiver; At least one processor, said at least one processor being coupled to said at least one transceiver; as well as At least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor alone or in any combination, the instructions causing the terminal to: The system receives configuration information for the serving cell from the base station. This configuration information includes information indicating the time position of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block. Based on the configuration information of the serving cell, the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is received from the base station in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols that are not mapped for receiving SS / PBCH blocks in the first SS / PBCH block set. The information used to indicate the time position of the SS / PBCH block includes a bitmap. Each bit of the bitmap indicates whether an SS / PBCH block is transmitted in the corresponding OFDM symbol, and The number of bits in the bitmap is equal to the maximum number of SS / PBCH blocks per half-frame according to the frequency band.

12. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein, The instruction also causes the terminal to: According to the SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration SMTC configured for the terminal, the measurement results for the second SS / PBCH block set are sent to the base station. The SMTC also includes SS block periodicity for measurement, and The configuration information also includes information about the periodicity of SS blocks used for rate matching.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein, One or more of the measured quantities include the synchronization signal reference signal received power SS-RSRP for the second SS / PBCH block set.

14. The terminal according to claim 11, in, The PDSCH is received on the Physical Resource Block (PRB). The PRB set does not overlap with the PRB set in the OFDM symbol used to receive the SS / PBCH block.

15. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein, The configuration information is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or System Information Block (SIB).

16. A base station in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: At least one transceiver; At least one processor, said at least one processor being coupled to said at least one transceiver; as well as At least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor alone or in any combination, the instructions causing the base station to: The system sends configuration information of the serving cell to the terminal. This configuration information includes information indicating the time position of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block, as well as... Based on the configuration information of the serving cell, the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is transmitted to the terminal in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols that are not mapped to transmit SS / PBCH blocks in the first SS / PBCH block set. The information used to indicate the time position of the SS / PBCH block includes a bitmap. Each bit of the bitmap indicates whether an SS / PBCH block is transmitted in the corresponding OFDM symbol, and The number of bits in the bitmap is equal to the maximum number of SS / PBCH blocks per half-frame according to the frequency band.

17. The base station according to claim 16, wherein, The instruction also causes the base station to: According to the SMTC configured for SS / PBCH block measurement timing assigned to the terminal, the measurement results for the second SS / PBCH block set are received from the terminal. The SMTC also includes SS block periodicity for measurement, and The configuration information also includes information about the periodicity of SS blocks used for rate matching.

18. The base station according to claim 17, wherein, One or more of the measured quantities include the synchronization signal reference signal received power SS-RSRP for the second SS / PBCH block set.

19. The base station according to claim 16, in, The PDSCH is sent on the Physical Resource Block (PRB). The PRB set does not overlap with the PRB set in the OFDM symbol used to transmit the SS / PBCH block.

20. The base station according to claim 16, wherein, The configuration information is sent via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or System Information Block (SIB).

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