Baseband processors and user equipment

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) monitors synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to synchronize with a cell of a network. The UE monitors a frequency band during a discovery reference signal (DRS) window of a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by the cell of the network, determines an SSB index based on information received from the cell of the network, and synchronizes with the cell based on the SSB index.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to synchronization signal block reception in wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] A user equipment (UE) can scan one or more frequency bands and monitor synchronization information broadcast by cells of the network. For example, a cell may transmit multiple synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) within a specific time window. Once detected, the UE can use the synchronization information to acquire time and frequency synchronization with the cell.

[0003] In some networks, signaling between UEs and network cells may be performed over unlicensed spectrum. Unlicensed spectrum is shared by different devices using different communication protocols. Access to unlicensed spectrum may involve various regulations and / or standards. For example, listen-before-talk (LBT) may be implemented in accordance with these regulations and / or standards to access unlicensed spectrum for communication.

[0004] For unlicensed operation, the number of candidate SSB positions may be increased to account for LBT failures. However, conventional techniques for acquiring cell timing cannot handle the increase in candidate SSB positions. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to enable the UE to determine cell timing when the number of candidate SSB positions for unlicensed operation is increased. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Some example embodiments relate to a baseband processor configured to perform operations including: monitoring a frequency band during a discovery reference signal (DRS) window of a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by a cell of a network; determining an SSB index based on information received from the cell of the network; and synchronizing with the cell based on the SSB index.

[0006] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with multiple networks; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations. The operations include monitoring a frequency band during a discovery reference signal (DRS) window of a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by a cell of a network; determining an SSB index based on information received from the cell of the network; and synchronizing with the cell based on the SSB index. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 An exemplary user equipment (UE) is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 Examples of extending the DRS window according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0010] Figure 4 An example of splitting a synchronization signal block (SSB) index into two parts is shown, according to various exemplary embodiments, which are jointly transmitted using a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) channel.

[0011] Figure 5 A table showing how a portion of an SSB index may be implicitly signaled based on the symbol positions of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization symbol (SSS) according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0012] Figure 6 Four different exemplary SSB configurations are shown that may be used to implicitly indicate a portion of an SSB index according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0013] Figure 7 Examples of exemplary SSS interleaved resource element (RE) mapping patterns are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0014] Figure 8 A table including various examples of different binary scrambling codes that may be used to scramble the PSS or SSS is shown, according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0015] Figure 9 Examples of four different circuits, each based on a different primitive polynomial, are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0016] Figure 10 A table showing values ​​of v for PBCH scrambling according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0017] Figure 11 Examples of generating reference symbols for PBCH transmission according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0018] Figure 12 Examples of extended master information block (MIB) payloads are shown according to various exemplary embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood by reference to the following description and associated drawings, wherein like elements have the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe devices, systems, and methods for implementing various exemplary techniques related to a user equipment (UE) acquiring synchronization with a cell of a network via a synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0020] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to a UE. However, the use of a UE is for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments can be utilized with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the term UE as used herein is intended to represent any electronic component.

[0021] Example embodiments are also described with reference to a UE communicating with a 5G New Radio (NR) network capable of operating in an unlicensed spectrum. However, reference to a 5G NR network is provided for illustrative purposes only. Example embodiments are applicable to any type of network operating in an unlicensed spectrum.

[0022] Unlicensed spectrum is a shared transmission medium that can be used by multiple different devices utilizing multiple different communication protocols. Access to unlicensed spectrum for 5G NR purposes may involve various regulations and / or standards. For example, listen-before-talk (LBT) may be implemented in accordance with these regulations and / or standards to access unlicensed spectrum for communication. LBT may involve determining whether a channel in the unlicensed spectrum is occupied by other signals before performing a transmission over the unlicensed spectrum.

[0023] In addition, exemplary embodiments are described further with reference to a discovery reference signal (DRS) window. Generally, DRS refers to a set of reference signals and / or synchronization signals transmitted by a cell. The UE may use the contents of the DRS for various operations, such as, but not limited to, cell detection, cell search procedures, channel state information (CSI) detection, CSI measurement, beam selection, beam management, and radio resource management (RRM). The DRS may be transmitted periodically in a time window referred to as a DRS window. Each DRS window is configured for a predetermined duration (e.g., 2 milliseconds (ms), 5 ms, 10 ms, etc.) and occurs at a predetermined periodicity (e.g., 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 140 ms, etc.). For example, a DRS window of (x) ms may be scheduled to occur every (y) ms. However, any reference to DRS and DRS windows is provided for illustrative purposes only, and different entities may refer to similar concepts by different names.

[0024] A cell may transmit multiple SSBs within a DRS window. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that SSBs may enable a UE to acquire time and frequency synchronization with a cell. For example, a cell of a 5G NR network may periodically transmit multiple SSBs. Each SSB may include content such as, but not limited to, a physical cell ID (PCI), at least one primary synchronization signal (PSS), at least one secondary synchronization signal (SSS), at least one physical broadcast channel (PBCH) demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), and PBCH data. During a cell search, a UE may receive one or more SSBs. The content of the SSBs may enable the UE to acquire time and frequency synchronization with a cell.

[0025] In 5G NR, a cell may transmit up to (L) SSBs in a half-frame, where (L) depends on the frequency range. Candidate SSBs in a half-frame may be indexed in ascending order from 0 to L-1 in time. The UE may determine the SSB index based on the configuration of the SSB. For example, when L is less than or equal to 8, the SSB index may be determined based on the detected PBCH DM-RS sequence. When L is greater than 8 and less than or equal to 64, the SSB index may be determined based on a combination of the detected PBCH DM-RS sequence and the PBCH payload. The UE may establish cell timing based on the SSB index, candidate position, and / or PBCH payload.

[0026] Example embodiments relate to expanding the number of candidate SSB locations within a DRS window (e.g., L is greater than 64). This expansion can be implemented to account for LBT failures during SSB transmission. In one aspect, example embodiments include implementing techniques that enable a UE to determine cell timing when the number of candidate SSB locations within a DRS window is expanded. In a second aspect, example embodiments describe a mechanism that allows a UE to determine a quasi-co-location (QCL) assumption for monitoring a control source set (CORESET) across different DRS windows.

[0027] Figure 1 A network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, tablet, smartphone, phablet, embedded device, wearable device, Cat-M device, Cat-M1 device, MTC device, eMTC device, other types of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. A practical network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, the example of a single UE 110 is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0028] UE 110 can be configured to communicate directly with one or more networks. In the example of network arrangement 100, UE 110 can wirelessly communicate with a 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR RAN) 120 and a wireless local access network (WLAN) 122. 5G NR RAN 120 can be configured to operate in an unlicensed spectrum. UE 110 can also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, next generation RAN (NG-RAN), LTE RAN, traditional RAN, etc.). UE 110 can also communicate with a network via a wired connection. Thus, UE 110 can include a 5G NR chipset for communicating with 5G NR RAN 120 and an ISM chipset for communicating with WLAN 122.

[0029] The 5G NR RAN 120 may be part of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network operator (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). The 5G NR RAN 120 may include, for example, a cell or base station (Node B, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base station, microcell base station, small cell base station, femtocell base station, etc.) configured to send and receive communication traffic from a UE equipped with an appropriate cellular chipset. The WLAN 122 may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.).

[0030] UE 110 may connect to 5G NR RAN 120 via cell 120A. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant procedures may be performed for UE 110 to connect to 5G NR RAN 120. For example, as described above, 5G NR RAN 120 may be associated with a specific network operator, for which UE 110 and / or its user has protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of 5G NR RAN 120, UE 110 may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with 5G NR RAN 120. More specifically, UE 110 may associate with a specific cell (e.g., cell 120A of 5G NR RAN 120). As described above, the use of 5G NR RAN 120 is for illustrative purposes only, and any type of network may be used. For example, UE 110 may also connect to an LTE-RAN (not shown) or a legacy RAN (not shown).

[0031] Cell 120A may be equipped with one or more communication interfaces. For example, cell 120A may be equipped with a communication interface configured to communicate with a UE via unlicensed spectrum. In addition, cell 120A may be equipped with various processing components configured to perform various operations, such as, but not limited to, receiving signals from the UE and other network components, processing received signals, and generating signals for transmission. For example, cell 120A may be equipped with one or more processors. The processors may include one or more baseband processors and / or one or more application processors. These processors may be configured to execute software and / or firmware. In another example, the cell may be equipped with an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuits for receiving signals, processing circuits for processing these signals, and output circuits for outputting generated signals and information to other components (e.g., communication interfaces, transceivers, etc.). The functionality described herein for cell 120A may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of cells for a network known in the art.

[0032] In addition to networks 120 and 122, network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130. Cellular core network 130 can be considered an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of a cellular network. Network arrangement 100 also includes the Internet 140, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network services backbone 160. Cellular core network 130 also manages traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. IMS 150 can generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to UE 110 using IP protocols. IMS 150 can communicate with cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to UE 110. Network services backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and cellular core network 130. Network services backbone 160 can generally be described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0033] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 10. The UE 110 may represent any electronic device and may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery providing a limited power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices, sensors for detecting conditions of the UE 110, and the like.

[0034] Processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of UE 110. For example, the engines may include a cell synchronization engine 235. Cell synchronization engine 235 may perform various operations related to synchronizing UE 110 with a cell, such as determining an SSB index and acquiring cell timing.

[0035] The above-described engines are each an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 205 for exemplary purposes only. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a separate integrated component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as one application or multiple independent applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is shared between two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0036] The memory 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables user input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen). The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120 and the WLAN 122. Thus, the transceiver 225 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies).

[0037] In order to synchronize with a 5G NR cell (e.g., cell 120A), UE 110 may obtain cell timing from the SSB. For example, a 5G NR cell may periodically broadcast the SSB on a specific frequency band using any appropriate subcarrier spacing (SCS) (e.g., 15 kilohertz (Khz), 30 Khz, 120 Khz, 240 Khz, etc.). When tuned to the frequency band, UE 110 may detect and decode the content of the SSB to synchronize with the 5G NR cell. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each SSB may include content such as, but not limited to, a cell ID, PSS, SSS, PBCH, a primary MIB, etc. However, any reference to an SSB or a specific SSB configuration is provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments may utilize any appropriate type of synchronization information.

[0038] Cell 120A may transmit multiple SSBs within the DRS window. As indicated above, candidate SSBs in a half-frame (e.g., a conventional DRS window size) may be indexed in ascending order in time from 0 to L-1. The UE may determine the SSB index based on the configuration of the SSBs. For example, when L is less than or equal to 8, the SSB index may be determined based on the detected PBCH DM-RS sequence. When L is greater than 8 and less than or equal to 64, the SSB index may be determined based on a combination of the detected PBCH DM-RS sequence and the PBCH payload. UE 110 may establish cell timing based on the SSB index, candidate position, and PBCH payload.

[0039] The exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the extended DRS window, and the following reference is made to Figure 3 An example of this extended DRS window is provided. Extending the DRS window allows for more candidate SSB positions (e.g., L is greater than 64) and, therefore, allows for a larger SSB index (e.g., 7 bits or any other appropriate size). Larger SSB indices cannot be determined in a conventional manner. The exemplary embodiments described below include techniques for determining the SSB index for an extended DRS window.

[0040] Figure 3 An example of an exemplary DRS window according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary DRS window may be extended to (X) ms for an SCS (e.g., 120 Khz, 240 Khz, etc.), where (x) equals 5*(N). Figure 3 In the example shown, N is equal to 2, and therefore, the exemplary DRS window extends to 5*N=5*2=10 ms. In some embodiments, the maximum number of candidate SSB positions (Y) within the DRS window can be 128. For example, Figure 3 As shown, for 120Khz or 240Khz SCS, the maximum number of candidate SSB positions can be 128.

[0041] As described above, the increase in candidate SSB positions can be used to account for LBT failures. The following example scenarios illustrate that when an SSB is dropped due to an LBT failure, the SSB can be looped around to the end of a burst set transmission. Example scenario 305 illustrates LBT success occurring before SSB candidate position 4 and subsequent burst set transmission using 64 SSB candidate positions. Additionally, example scenario 310 illustrates LBT success occurring before SSB candidate position 8 and subsequent burst set transmission using 64 SSB candidate positions.

[0042] A variety of different techniques may be implemented to signal the extended SSB index. In one exemplary technique, the SSB index may be indicated via the DM-RS sequence of the PBCH. For example, the cell 120A may utilize the following scrambling sequence initialization (c init ). In this example, the SSB index is for 128 candidate SSB positions {0,…,127} and is represented by express.

[0043]

[0044] In another exemplary technique, the SSB index may be included in the MIB payload. In another exemplary technique, the SSB index may be split into two parts. The first part of the SSB index may be signaled via a DM-RS sequence, and the second part of the SSB index may be signaled via a PBCH payload. Thus, the SSB index may be split into two parts and transmitted jointly using a DM-RS sequence and a payload of a PBCH channel, an example of which is shown in FIG. Figure 4 In Figure 4 In the example shown, the first least significant bit (LSB), second LSB, and third LSB of the SSB index (e.g., a(0), a(1), a(2)) are included in the DM-RS sequence, and the fourth LSB, fifth LSB, sixth LSB, and seventh LSB of the SSB index (e.g., a(3), a(4), a(5), a(6)) are included in the PBCH payload. This technique provides a reasonable tradeoff between UE complexity due to hypothetical detection of the DM-RS sequence and PBCH payload size and robustness.

[0045] In another exemplary technique, the SSB index may be split into three parts. For example, the first part of the 7-bit SSB index may include three bits (e.g., a(0), a(1), a(2)) signaled via different PBCH DM-RS sequences. The second part of the 7-bit SSB index may include three bits (e.g., a(3), a(4), a(5)) signaled in the PBCH payload. Thus, in this example, the signaling of the first and second parts may be similar to Figure 4 However, with Figure 4 Unlike the example shown, the third portion of the 7-bit SSB index may include one bit (e.g., a(6)) that is implicitly signaled through the configuration of the SSS, PSS, and / or PBCH. Example embodiments include a number of different ways in which the third portion of the SSB index (e.g., a(6)) may be implicitly signaled to UE 110. Specific examples are provided in more detail below.

[0046] In some embodiments, the third portion (e.g., a(6) bit) that signals the SSB index may be based on Figure 5 The symbol positions of the PSS and SSS are shown in Table 500 of FIG. Table 500 includes a first column 505 indicating whether bit a(6) is 0 or 1. In addition, the table includes a second column 510 indicating the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol number relative to the start of the SSB.<x,y> , where x represents PSS and y represents SSS. Four exemplary configurations (e.g., 605 to 620) are referenced in Table 500 and are referred to below. Figure 6 These four exemplary configurations are described in more detail.

[0047] Figure 6 Four different exemplary SSB configurations are shown that may be used to implicitly indicate the third portion of the SSB index (ie, a(6)). Figure 6 Will refer to Figure 5 In this example, a first configuration 605 may be used to indicate that a(6) is 0. Configuration 605 includes a PSS at symbol index 0 and an SSS at symbol index 2, i.e. Figure 5 Therefore, when UE 110 identifies the configuration 605 <0,2> of PSS and SSS, UE can Figure 5 It is implicitly determined that a(6) is equal to "0".

[0048] In this example, three different configurations 610, 615, and 620 may be used to indicate that a(6) is 1. Configuration 610 includes an SSS at symbol index 0 and a PSS at symbol index 2. Compared to configuration 605, configuration 610 swaps the positions of the PSS and the SSS. Therefore, when UE 110 identifies configuration 610, the UE may implicitly determine that a(6) is equal to "1."

[0049] Configuration 615 includes an SSS at symbol index 1 and a PSS at symbol index 3. Note that symbol index "0" is defined as the first symbol of an SSB transmission. Compared to configuration 605, configuration 615 relocates the PSS from symbol index 0 to symbol index 3. Therefore, when UE 110 identifies configuration 615, the UE can implicitly determine that a(6) is equal to "1."

[0050] Configuration 620 includes a PSS at symbol index 1 and an SSS at symbol index 3. Configuration 620 right-shifts the PSS and SSS by two symbols compared to configuration 605. Therefore, when UE 110 recognizes configuration 620, the UE may implicitly determine that a(6) is equal to "1."

[0051] In some embodiments, the value of a(6) may be indicated by different cyclic shifts of the PSS. The cyclic shift may be represented by the following formula:

[0052] d pss (n) = 1-2(m)

[0053] When a(6) is 0, m can be expressed as:

[0054]

[0055] When a(6) is 1, m can be expressed as:

[0056]

[0057] In this example, k may be equal to 21 (e.g., ). Therefore, based on the PSS cyclic shift, UE 110 can infer the value of a(6).

[0058] In other embodiments, the value of a(6) may be indicated by different cyclic shifts of the SSS. When a(6) is 0, the cyclic shift may be represented by the following formula:

[0059] d sss (n)=[1-2x0((n+m0)mod127)][1-2x1((n+m1)mod127)]

[0060] When a(6) is 1, the cyclic shift can be expressed by the following formula:

[0061] d sss (n)=[1-2x0((n+m0+N)mod127)][1-2x1((n+m1)mod127)]

[0062] In this example, N may be equal to Therefore, based on the SSS cyclic shift, UE 110 can infer the value of a(6).

[0063] In some embodiments, different maximum length sequences (m-sequences) are defined for SSS for signaling. For example, a first m-sequence may be used to indicate that a(6) is 1, and a second different m-sequence may be used to indicate that a(6) is 0.

[0064] In other embodiments, the value of a(6) may be signaled by different SSS resource element (RE) mapping modes. For example, if a(6) is 0, the generated symbol sequence d sss (0),…,d sss (126) can be sequentially mapped to RE(k,l) in ascending order of k, where k represents the frequency index and l represents the time index, respectively. If a(6) is 1, the generated symbol sequence d sss (0),…,d sss(126) may be first interleaved and then sequentially mapped to RE(k,l) in ascending order of k. Thus, an interleaved (eg, staggered) mapping mode may be used to indicate that a(6) is 1. Figure 7 An example of an exemplary SSS interleaved RE mapping pattern is shown.

[0065] In some embodiments, the PSS or SS sequence is scrambled with a binary scrambling code c(m), which can be expressed as follows:

[0066]

[0067] In this example, are generated from different primitive polynomials. Figure 8 A table 800 is shown that includes various examples of different binary scrambling codes that may be used to scramble the PSS or SSS. Figure 9 Examples of four different circuits 910 to 940 are shown, each based on a different primitive polynomial. Circuit 910 is based on 137 of table 800, circuit 920 is based on 157 of table 800, circuit 930 is based on 203 of table 800, and circuit 940 is based on 253 of table 800.

[0068] In some embodiments, a(6) may be carried by frozen bits of the PBCH polar code. When a(6) is carried by frozen bits, it is not part of the input to the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) encoding, and the CRC bits are not a function of a(6). Therefore, at cell 120A, CRC encoding is performed, followed by polar encoding, to incorporate a(6) into the SSB to be transmitted.

[0069] In other embodiments, a(6) may be obtained by using the scrambling sequence [W0, W1, ... W 23 ] is selected to carry. When a(6) is 0, the scrambling sequence [W0, W1, ... W 23 ] can be [0,0,…0]. When a(6) is 1, the scrambling sequence [W0,W1,…W 23 ] can be [1,1,…1].

[0070] In some embodiments, a(6) is carried by a scrambling sequence prior to the CRC attachment and encoding process. For example, the scrambling sequence may be based on the selection of the value v used to determine the fragment of the long gold sequence C. Figure 10 Table 1000 illustrating the values ​​of v used for PBCH scrambling is shown.

[0071] In other embodiments, the value of a(6) may be modulated to generate a single modulation symbol d(0). This modulation symbol may be used to generate reference symbols for PBCH transmission. Figure 11An example of generating reference symbols for PBCH transmission is shown.

[0072] In some embodiments, the candidate SSB index may be encoded separately from the CRC attachment. This can be performed at a low rate to ensure robustness. To minimize signaling overhead, the length of the CRC may be short (e.g., 8 bits). In addition, the candidate SSB index block (CSSIB) may be mapped to a predefined RS set to facilitate neighboring cell measurements. In addition, the resource partitioning between the traditional MIB and the CSSIB may be hard-coded or implemented via a linear split of the MIB-based payload and the CSSIB payload. For example, the CSSIB symbols may be mapped together with the frequency domain corresponding to the PSS / SS. This allows the UE to operate with the same bandwidth as the PSS / SS bandwidth used for inter-frequency neighboring cell measurements.

[0073] As described above, in a second aspect, exemplary embodiments describe a mechanism that allows a UE to determine a QCL hypothesis for monitoring a CORESET across different DRS windows. In some embodiments, a set of Q values ​​may be defined in a standard (e.g., a 3GPP standard) based on frequency range. The Q value may represent the number of SSBs and / or SSB candidate positions that can be used for SSB transmission. For example, above 6 GHz, a set of Q values ​​may be defined as {8, 16, 32, 64}.

[0074] In some embodiments, the Q value may be indicated as part of the extended MIB payload. Figure 12 An example of an extended MIB payload is shown. For example, the rel-15 MIB payload can be extended to indicate a Q value, where M Q =log2n and where n denotes the number of supported Q values.

[0075] In other embodiments, the Q value may be indicated by reinterpreting a field in the legacy MIB. For example, the UE 110 may assume the same parameter set for SSB and CORESET 0. Therefore, the UE 110 may interpret the following two information elements (IEs) of the rel-15MIN to provide the Q value. In one configuration, the LSBs of the IEssbSubcarrierSpacingCommon (1 bit) and IEssbSubarrierOffset (1 bit) may be configured by the cell 120A to indicate the Q value to the UE 110. In another configuration, the IEssbSubcarrierSpacingCommon (1 bit) and the Spare Bit (1 bit) may be configured by the cell 120A to indicate the Q value to the UE 110.

[0076] In other embodiments, the Q value may be indicated as part of a system information block (SIB).For example, cell 120A may configure the SIB to include an indication of the Q value.

[0077] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0078] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments, each with different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner not publicly denied, or with features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or described function of the device of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0079] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0080] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A baseband processor, the baseband processor being configured to perform the following operations: monitoring a frequency band during a discovery reference signal (DRS) window of a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by a cell of the network; receiving a subCarrierSpacingCommon information element (IE) from the cell of the network, wherein the subCarrierSpacingCommon IE is configured to indicate one of 32 or 64 SSB candidate locations for operation in unlicensed spectrum above 6 gigahertz; Determining an SSB index based on information received from the cell of the network, wherein the SSB index is at least a 7-bit SSB index, and determining the SSB index comprises: receiving a first signal including first, second, and third least significant bits (LSBs) of the SSB index; determining a first portion of the SSB index based on the first signal; receiving a second signal including fourth, fifth, and sixth LSBs of the SSB index; determining a second portion of the SSB index based on the second signal, wherein the first signal is a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) sequence and the second signal is a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) payload; and Synchronize with the cell based on the SSB index.

2. The baseband processor according to claim 1, wherein the third part of the SSB index is indicated by a scrambling sequence used to scramble cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits of the PBCH.

3. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein the third part of the SSB index is indicated based on symbol positions of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), Wherein the symbol positions are based on symbol indices defined relative to the start of the SSB.

4. The baseband processor according to claim 1, wherein the third part of the SSB index is indicated by a cyclic shift of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a cyclic shift of a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). 5 . The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein the third part of the SSB index is indicated by a maximum length sequence (m-sequence) for a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). 6 . The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein the third part of the SSB index is indicated by a symbol sequence sequentially mapped to resource elements in ascending order of frequency index.

7. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the third portion of the SSB index is indicated by an interleaved mapping pattern.

8. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the third part of the SSB index is indicated by a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) scrambled with a binary scrambling code.

9. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein the third part of the SSB index is indicated by frozen bits of a PBCH polar code.

10. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the third portion of the SSB index is carried by a scrambling sequence utilized before a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is attached.

11. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein the third portion of the SSB index is based on a single modulation symbol used to generate a reference symbol for PBCH transmission.

12. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of networks; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations comprising: monitoring a frequency band during a discovery reference signal (DRS) window of a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by a cell of the network; receiving a subCarrierSpacingCommon information element (IE) from the cell of the network, wherein the subCarrierSpacingCommon IE is configured to indicate one of 32 or 64 SSB candidate locations for operation in unlicensed spectrum above 6 gigahertz; Determining an SSB index based on information received from the cell of the network, wherein the SSB index is at least a 7-bit SSB index, and determining the SSB index comprises: receiving a first signal including first, second, and third least significant bits (LSBs) of the SSB index; determining a first portion of the SSB index based on the first signal; receiving a second signal including fourth, fifth, and sixth LSBs of the SSB index; determining a second portion of the SSB index based on the second signal, wherein the first signal is a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) sequence and the second signal is a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) payload; and Synchronize with the cell based on the SSB index.

13. The UE according to claim 12, wherein the number of SSBs to be transmitted is indicated by extending a Master Information Block (MIB) payload.

14. The UE according to claim 13, wherein the number of SSBs to be transmitted is indicated by a first information element (IE) and a second IE included in a master information block (MIB).

15. The UE according to claim 13, wherein the number of SSBs to be transmitted is indicated by a system information block (SIB).

16. The UE of claim 15, wherein the SSB index is included in a Master Information Block (MIB) payload.

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