Synchronization Signal Block Reception in Wireless Communication

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) is configured to monitor synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) transmitted by a base station of a network. The UE receives a configuration that includes a first indication of a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship between SSB positions and a second indication of the positions of one or more sets of target SSBs, where the SSBs in each of the one or more sets of target SSBs are quasi co-located, determines the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each of the one or more sets of target SSBs to be transmitted by the base station, and determines a monitoring scheme for the one or more sets of target SSBs based at least on the configuration and the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each set of target SSBs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application generally relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to the reception of synchronization signal blocks in wireless communication. Background Art

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

[0003] In some networks, signaling between a UE and a cell of a network may be performed over unlicensed spectrum. The unlicensed spectrum is shared by different devices using different communication protocols. Access to the unlicensed spectrum may involve various regulations and / or standards. For example, listen-before-talk (LBT) may be implemented according to these regulations and / or standards to access the unlicensed spectrum for communication. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) having: a transceiver configured to communicate with a base station; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations. The operations include receiving a configuration that includes a first indication of a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between synchronization signal block (SSB) positions and a second indication of the positions of one or more target SSB sets, where the SSBs in each of the one or more target SSB sets are quasi-co-located, determining the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each of the one or more target SSB sets to be transmitted by the base station, and determining a monitoring scheme for the one or more target SSB sets based at least on the configuration and the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each target SSB set.

[0005] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a processor of a user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations. The operations include receiving a configuration that includes a first indication of a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between synchronization signal block (SSB) positions and a second indication of the positions of one or more target SSB sets, where the SSBs in each of the one or more target SSB sets are quasi-co-located, determining the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each of the one or more target SSB sets to be transmitted by the base station, and determining a monitoring scheme for the one or more target SSB sets based at least on the configuration and the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each target SSB set.

[0006] Another exemplary embodiment relates to a base station having: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations. The operations include configuring one of a synchronization signal block (SSB) burst or an SSB-based radio resource management (RRM) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, which includes a first indication of a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between SSB positions and a second indication of the positions of one or more target SSB sets, where the SSBs in each of the one or more target SSB sets are quasi-co-located, and transmitting one of the SSB burst or the SMTC window to the UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

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

[0009] Figure 3 A timeline showing an exemplary SSB burst is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4 A timeline showing another exemplary SSB burst is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related drawings, in which like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. Exemplary embodiments describe devices, systems, and methods for implementing various exemplary techniques related to a user equipment (UE) monitoring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) transmitted by a cell of a network.

[0012] Exemplary embodiments are described with respect to a UE. However, the use of the UE is for illustrative purposes only. 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. Thus, the UE described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0013] Exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a UE that communicates with a 5G New Radio (NR) network (e.g., 5G NR-U) capable of operating in unlicensed spectrum. However, the reference to the 5G NR network is provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments can be applied to any type of network operating in unlicensed spectrum.

[0014] Unlicensed spectrum is a shared transmission medium that can be used by multiple different devices utilizing multiple different communication protocols. Access to unlicensed spectrum may involve various regulations and / or standards. For example, listen-before-talk (LBT) may be implemented according to 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.

[0015] Those skilled in the art will understand that SSB may be monitored for any of a variety of reasons including radio resource management (RRM). Examples of RRM operations that may use SSB are provided below. Exemplary embodiments may be used to monitor SSB for any purpose or any other purpose including the RRM operations described below. For example, RRM operations for which SSB may be monitored may include radio link monitoring (RLM), beam failure detection (BFD), candidate beam detection (CBD), layer 1 received signal reference power (L1-RSRP) measurement, layer 3 (L3) cell measurement, transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state switching, secondary cell (SCell) activation, primary SCell (PSCell) addition / release, handover, radio resource control (RRC) reestablishment, RRC release, L3 cell detection, etc.

[0016] It should also be understood that the term "monitoring" SSB may encompass any operation related to SSB including, but not limited to, evaluating, detecting, identifying, activating, etc.

[0017] Figure 1 A network arrangement 100 is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. Network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will understand that UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet, a smart phone, a phablet, an embedded device, a wearable device, a Cat-M device, a Cat-M1 device, an MTC device, an eMTC device, other types of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. An actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Thus, the example of a single UE 110 is provided merely for illustrative purposes.

[0018] The UE 110 may be configured to communicate directly with one or more networks. In an example of the network arrangement 100, the UE 110 may wirelessly communicate with a 5G New Radio (NR) Radio Access Network (5G NR RAN) 120. The 5G NR RAN 120 may be configured to operate in unlicensed spectrum. The UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G Cloud RAN, Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN), LTE RAN, legacy RAN, WLAN, etc.). The UE 110 may also communicate with the network via a wired connection. Thus, the UE 110 may include a 5G NR chipset for communicating with the 5G NR RAN 120 and other chipsets for communicating with other types of networks, e.g., an ISM chipset for communicating with a WLAN.

[0019] The 5G NR RAN 120 may be part of a cellular network deployable by a network operator (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). The 5G NR RAN 120 may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node B, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macro cell base station, micro cell base station, small cell base station, femto cell base station, etc.) configured to send and receive communication traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets. The WLAN 122 may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.).

[0020] The UE 110 may be connected to the 5G NR RAN 120 via cell 120A. Those skilled in the art will understand that any relevant processes may be performed for the UE 110 to connect to the 5G NR RAN 120. For example, as described above, the 5G NR RAN 120 may be associated with a specific network operator where the UE 110 and / or its user has protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR RAN 120, the UE 110 may transmit the corresponding credential information in order to associate with the 5G NR RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a specific cell (e.g., cell 120A of the 5G NR RAN 120). As described above, the use of the 5G NR RAN 120 is for illustrative purposes, and any type of network may be used. For example, the UE 110 may also be connected to an LTE-RAN (not shown) or a legacy RAN (not shown).

[0021] 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 over unlicensed spectrum. In addition, Cell 120A may be configured with various processing components that are configured to perform various operations, such as but not limited to receiving signals from the UE and other network components, processing the 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 an input circuit for receiving signals, a processing circuit for processing these signals, and an output circuit for outputting the generated signals and information to other components (e.g., communication interfaces, transceivers, etc.). The functions described herein for Cell 120A may be implemented in any of these configurations or other configurations of cells for networks known in the art.

[0022] In addition to networks 120 and 122, network arrangement 100 further includes a cellular core network 130. The cellular core network 130 may be regarded as an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of a cellular network. Network arrangement 100 further includes the Internet 140, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 also manages the traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 may generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using IP protocols. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 may 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 the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0023] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. The UE 110 will be described with reference to Figure 1 network arrangement 100. 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, a sensor for detecting the condition of the UE 110, etc.

[0024] The processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 110. For example, the engines may include an SSB monitoring engine 235. The SSB monitoring engine 235 may perform various operations related to monitoring the SSBs transmitted by a cell of the network. (For example, the gNB 120A of the 5GNR RAN 120).

[0025] The above engines, each as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205, are merely exemplary. The functions associated with the engines may also be represented as standalone integrated components of the UE 110, or may be modular components coupled to the UE 110, e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing the signals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as one application or multiple independent applications. Additionally, 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.

[0026] 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, while the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables a user to make inputs. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touchscreen). The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish connections with the 5G NR-RAN 120 and the WLAN 122. Thus, the transceiver 225 may operate on various different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of contiguous frequencies).

[0027] A cell (e.g., cell 120A) may transmit multiple target SSBs for radio resource management (RRM) purposes. Examples of different RRM operations were described above. Each target 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. The UE 110 may monitor one or more of the target SSBs. However, as described above, when operating in unlicensed spectrum, the cell 120A may have to perform carrier sensing operations such as LBT. If the channel is busy, the cell 120A may not transmit one or more of the multiple target SSBs.

[0028] Figure 3 A timeline 300 showing an exemplary SSB burst is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. InFigure 3 In it, it can be considered that two SSB bursts 305 and 310 are shown. The SSB bursts 305 and 310 have an SSB burst periodicity 315. In 5G NR, cell 120A can transmit up to L MAX 320 target SSBs in a half-frame, where L MAX 320 depends on the frequency range. In NR-U, the upper limit number of transmitted SSBs is limited by min{SSB-PositionQCL-Relation-r16, LMAX 320}. Therefore, in Figure 3 's example, L MAX 320 = 4, which means (for example, min{SSB-PositionQCL-Relation-r16, L MAX 320} = 4) target SSBs can be transmitted. In the following, referring to SSB burst 305, the actual SSB index 325 refers to the index of the actual maximum number of target SSBs in ascending order of time from 0 to L MAX - 1 (0 - 3 in this example).

[0029] However, as described above, since the target SSBs are transmitted in the unlicensed spectrum, there may be a situation where the channel on which cell 120A intends to transmit the target SSBs is busy with other transmissions. In this case, cell 120A cannot use the expected time / frequency resources to transmit the target SSBs. Therefore, another parameter 330 can be defined as the maximum number of SSB occasions or candidates that may occur during the burst. In Figure 3 's example, 330 = 10, which means up to 4 target SSBs (for example, min{SSB-PositionQCL-Relation-r16, L MAX 320} = 4) can be transmitted among 10 SSB occasions or candidates. Again, in the following, referring to SSB burst 305, the candidate SSB index 335 refers to the index of the maximum number of SSB occasions in ascending order of time from 0 to (0 - 9 in this example).

[0030] Continue Figure 3 's example, when L MAXWhen n320 = 4, cell 120A transmits only two actual target SSBs in bursts 305 and 310. These target SSBs are shown as the hatched target SSB 340 at candidate SSB index 0 and the target SSB 345 at candidate SSB index 2. Candidate SSB indices 1 and 3 can be considered unconfigured SSB transmission occasions. Thus, in this example, UE 110 may receive SSB configuration information that includes a bitmap indicating the positions of target SSBs 340 and 345 in the bursts (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst = 1010).

[0031] In Figure 3 the example, it can be considered that cell 120A cannot actually transmit target SSB 440 at candidate SSB index 0 and SSB 345 at candidate SSB index 2 because of LBT failure (e.g., the channel is being used for other communications). However, because there are other SSB occasions (e.g., candidate SSB indices 4 - 9), cell 120A can transmit target SSBs 340 and 345 in one or more of these SSB occasions. To select the SSB occasion(s) in which the SSB can be transmitted, additional parameters can be defined. This parameter can allow UE 110 to determine the quasi - co - location (QCL) assumptions for monitoring the SSB. According to 3GPP standards, two antenna ports are considered quasi - co - located (QCL) if the properties of the channel for transmitting symbols on one antenna port can be inferred from the channel for transmitting symbols on another antenna port. For example, radio channel properties that may be common across antenna ports can include Doppler spread and / or frequency shift, average delay, delay spread, average gain, spatial receiver parameters, etc. The QCL parameter can be referred to as a Q value (e.g., the SSB - PositionQCL - Relation - r16 information element (IE)). In some embodiments, the set of Q values can be defined in a standard (e.g., 3GPP standard) according to the frequency range, can be provided to UE 110 in the system information block (SIB) from cell 120A, etc.

[0032] In Figure 3 the example, it can be considered that Q = n4. Thus, the SSB can be repeated every 4 SSB transmission occasions. In this example, this means that the target SSB 340 with an actual SSB index of 0 can be transmitted as an SSB set in the SSB occasions with candidate SSB indices 0, 4, and 8. The target SSB 345 with an actual SSB index of 2 can be transmitted as an SSB set in the SSB occasions with candidate SSB indices 2 and 6. Thus, in this example, the target SSB 340 can be transmitted in three (3) SSB occasions, while the target SSB 345 can be transmitted in only two (2) SSB occasions.

[0033] However, the 3GPP standard has defined that the UE needs to monitor the first two SSB occasions of each target SSB. Therefore, in Figure 3 the example of, even if the target SSB 340 can be transmitted in the SSB occasion with candidate index 8, the UE 110 will monitor the SSB occasions with candidate SSB indexes 0 and 4 for the set of target SSB 340. The UE 110 will monitor the SSB occasions with candidate SSB indexes 2 and 6 for the set of target SSB 345.

[0034] Figure 4 A timeline 400 showing another exemplary SSB burst is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 4 The SSB bursts of Figure 3 are generally the same as the SSB bursts in MAX There are two SSB bursts 405 and 410 with an SSB burst period 415. One difference is that L MAX 420 = 8 (e.g., min{SSB-PositionQCL-Relation-r16, L 420} = 8) and the actual SSB indexes 425 are numbered from 0 - 7.

[0035] Similarly, there are only two actual target SSBs, namely, the target SSB 440 at candidate SSB index 0 and the target SSB 445 at candidate SSB index 2. In Figure 4 the example of, it can be considered that Q = n8. Therefore, the SSB can be repeated every 8 SSB transmission occasions. In this example, this means that the target SSB 440 with actual SSB index 0 can be transmitted as an SSB set in the SSB occasions with candidate SSB indexes 0 and 8. The target SSB 445 with actual SSB index 2 can be transmitted in the SSB occasion with candidate SSB index 2. Therefore, in this example, the set of target SSB 440 can be transmitted in two (2) SSB occasions, while the target SSB 445 can be transmitted in only one (1) SSB occasion.

[0036] As described above, the 3GPP standard has defined that the UE needs to monitor the first two SSB occasions of each target SSB. Therefore, in Figure 4 the example of, the UE 110 will monitor the SSB occasions with candidate SSB indexes 0 and 8 for the set of target SSB 440. However, there is only one (1) SSB occasion associated with the target SSB 445 (e.g., candidate SSB index 2). Therefore, the UE 110 may violate the standard by not monitoring the second SSB occasion of the target SSB 445.

[0037] In some exemplary embodiments, the UE 110 may be configured to monitor only a single SSB occasion in an SSB burst for a target SSB when there is only one SSB occasion defined for the specific target SSB. Referring Figure 4 to the example of, the UE 110 may be configured to monitor only one (1) SSB occasion (e.g., candidate SSB index 2) associated with the target SSB 445.

[0038] In other exemplary embodiments, the UE 110 may be configured with an equation that defines the number of SSB occasions that the UE 110 should monitor during an SSB burst. The equation may be as follows:

[0039]

[0040] It should be understood that the numerator of the above equation refers to the highest candidate SSB index of the target SSB set, and the denominator refers to the Q value. When X > is 1, the UE 110 may monitor the first two (2) consecutive SSB occasions of the target SSB in an SSB burst. When X < 1, the UE may monitor one (1) SSB occasion of the target SSB in an SSB burst.

[0041] To provide an example, the above equation may be used to evaluate the parameters associated with Figure 4 the SSBs 440 and 445 of. For SSB 440, the highest candidate SSB index = 8 and the Q value = 8. Thus, 8 / 8 = 1, which means X > is 1 and the UE 110 should monitor the first two consecutive SSB occasions associated with the target SSB 440, e.g., candidate SSB indices 0 and 8. For the target SSB 445, the highest candidate SSB index = 2 and the Q value = 8. Thus, 2 / 8 is less than 1, which means the UE 110 should only monitor the first SSB occasion associated with the target SSB 445, e.g., candidate index 2.

[0042] In yet some other exemplary embodiments, the UE 110's monitoring of the SSB may be based on the percentage (Y) of target SSBs that have only a single candidate SSB position in an SSB burst. The percentage (Y) is determined as the number of target SSBs that have only a single candidate SSB position compared to the total number of target SSBs in the SSB burst. Then the percentage (Y) may be compared with a threshold percentage (Z). If the percentage (Y) is greater than the threshold percentage (Z), then the UE 110 will cancel the measurement or evaluation of all target SSBs in the SSB burst.

[0043] Again, providing the use of Figure 4Examples of parameters. In Figure 4 the example of Figure 4 , there are two target SSBs 440 and 445, and one of those target SSBs 445 has only a single candidate SSB occasion. Thus, Figure 4 the percentage (Y) of the example of Figure 4 is 50%. If it is considered that the threshold percentage (Z) is set to 0%, this means that the UE 110 will not monitor any of the target SSBs in the SSB bursts 405 and 410 because Y = 50% is greater than the threshold percentage of Z = 0%. On the other hand, if the threshold percentage (Z) is set to 60%, this means that the UE 110 will monitor the target SSBs in the bursts 405 and 410 (e.g., will monitor candidate indices 0 and 8 for the target SSB 440 and will monitor candidate index 2 for the SSB 445) because Y = 50% is less than the threshold percentage of Z = 60%.

[0044] To provide another example, the example of Figure 3 Figure 3 can be used. In this example, there are two target SSBs 340 and 345, and none of these target SSBs has only a single candidate SSB occasion. Thus, Figure 3 the percentage (Y) of the example of Figure 3 is 0%. Thus, it does not matter what the threshold percentage (Z) value is set to because all target SSBs have at least two (2) associated SSB monitoring occasions. Thus, the UE 110 will monitor the first two consecutive SSB occasions of each of the target SSBs 340 and 345.

[0045] The above examples are for the UE 110 operation regarding SSB monitoring. However, the network (e.g., cell 120A) can also be configured to transmit the target SSB in a manner that there will be an expected UE behavior.

[0046] In some exemplary embodiments, the network (e.g., cell 120A) can configure or ensure that there are at least two SSB candidate locations that are quasi - co - located or associated with the target SSB. For example, the network configures the target SSB similar to the example of Figure 3 Figure 3 , where it is ensured that each target SSB has at least two (2) associated SSB occasions. In some embodiments, if the network cannot configure the target SSB in this way, the network can assume that the UE 110 monitors only one SSB occasion for a target SSB that is not configured with at least two (2) SSB occasions.

[0047] In some exemplary embodiments, the network (e.g., cell 120A) can configure or ensure that there is at least one target SSB that satisfies the scenario according to the above equation X > 1. For those target SSBs where X < 1, the network can assume that the UE110 monitors only one SSB occasion for the target SSB.

[0048] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the network (e.g., cell 120A) may configure or ensure that the percentage of target SSBs having at least two SSB candidate positions in an SSB burst will be equal to or greater than the above-mentioned threshold percentage (Z). For example, once the percentage threshold (Z) is set, the network may configure the SSB burst to meet the threshold (e.g., the percentage of target SSBs having at least two SSB candidate positions is greater than the percentage threshold compared to the total number of target SSBs), thereby allowing the UE 110 to monitor the SSB burst instead of skipping the SSB burst for all target SSBs when the percentage of target SSBs having less than two (2) SSB opportunities is greater than the percentage threshold compared to the total number of target SSBs.

[0049] It should be understood that the SSB bursts described above with respect to Figure 3 and Figure 4 are merely examples. Exemplary embodiments may be applied to SSB bursts configured in different ways, e.g., having one or more different values of parameters L MAX , Q, etc. Additionally, although the exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to SSB bursts, the exemplary embodiments may also be applied to SS block-based RRM measurement timing configuration (SMTC) windows.

[0050] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or a 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. Exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program including lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0051] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments each having 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 precluded by the disclosure or features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the devices of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention or the described functions.

[0052] As is well known, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0053] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the present disclosure without departing from the essence or scope thereof. Accordingly, 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 user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with a base station; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: receiving a configuration including a first indication of a quasi - co - location (QCL) relationship between synchronization signal block (SSB) positions and a second indication of the positions of one or more sets of target SSBs, wherein the SSBs in each of the one or more sets of target SSBs are quasi - co - located; determining the number of SSB opportunities corresponding to each of the one or more sets of target SSBs to be transmitted by the base station in an unlicensed band; and determining a monitoring scheme for the one or more sets of target SSBs based at least on the configuration and the number of SSB opportunities corresponding to each set of target SSBs, wherein the monitoring scheme includes monitoring two consecutive SSB opportunities for a first set of target SSBs having two or more corresponding SSB opportunities and monitoring one SSB opportunity for a second set of target SSBs having less than two corresponding SSB opportunities.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sets of target SSBs are transmitted in one of an SSB burst or an SSB - based radio resource management (RRM) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include: determining a value by dividing the highest candidate SSB index of a target SSB set by a value corresponding to the first indication, wherein when the value is greater than or equal to 1, the monitoring scheme includes monitoring two consecutive SSB opportunities for the target SSB set, and wherein when the value is less than 1, the monitoring scheme includes monitoring one SSB opportunity for the target SSB set.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include: determining a percentage value based on the number of target SSB sets having less than two corresponding SSB opportunities compared to the total number of target SSB sets; and comparing the percentage value with a threshold percentage.

5. The UE according to claim 4, wherein when the percentage value is greater than the threshold percentage, the monitoring scheme includes skipping the monitoring of the one or more sets of target SSBs.

6. The UE according to claim 4, wherein when the percentage value is less than the threshold percentage, the monitoring scheme includes monitoring two consecutive SSB opportunities for a first set of target SSBs having two or more corresponding SSB opportunities and monitoring one SSB opportunity for a second set of target SSBs having less than two corresponding SSB opportunities.

7. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the UE monitors the one or more sets of target SSBs for performing radio resource management (RRM) operations, and the RRM operations include one of the following: radio link monitoring (RLM), beam failure detection (BFD), candidate beam detection (CBD), layer 1 received signal reference power (L1-RSRP) measurement, layer 3 (L3) cell measurement, transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state switching, secondary cell (SCell) activation, primary SCell (PSCell) addition or release, handover, radio resource control (RRC) reestablishment, RRC release, or L3 cell detection.

8. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sets of target SSBs are transmitted by the base station in a new radio unlicensed (NR-U) band.

9. A processor of a user equipment (UE), the processor being configured to perform operations including the following: Receiving a configuration, the configuration including a first indication of a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship between synchronization signal block (SSB) positions and a second indication of positions of one or more sets of target SSBs, wherein the SSBs in each of the one or more sets of target SSBs are quasi co-located; Determining the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each of the one or more sets of target SSBs to be transmitted by the base station in an unlicensed band; And Determining a monitoring scheme for the one or more sets of target SSBs based at least on the configuration and the number of SSB occasions corresponding to each set of target SSBs, wherein the monitoring scheme includes monitoring two consecutive SSB occasions for a first set of target SSBs having two or more corresponding SSB occasions, and monitoring one SSB occasion for a second set of target SSBs having less than two corresponding SSB occasions.

10. The processor according to claim 9, wherein the one or more sets of target SSBs are transmitted in one of an SSB burst or an SSB-based radio resource management measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window.

11. The processor according to claim 9, wherein the operations further include: Determining a value by dividing the highest candidate SSB index of a target SSB set by a value corresponding to the first indication, wherein when the value is greater than or equal to 1, the monitoring scheme includes monitoring two consecutive SSB occasions for the target SSB set, and wherein when the value is less than 1, the monitoring scheme includes monitoring one SSB occasion for the target SSB set.

12. The processor according to claim 9, wherein the operations further include: Determining a percentage value based on the number of target SSB sets having less than two corresponding SSB occasions compared to the total number of target SSB sets; And Comparing the percentage value with a threshold percentage.

13. The processor according to claim 12, wherein when the percentage value is greater than the threshold percentage, the monitoring scheme includes skipping the monitoring of the one or more sets of target SSBs.

14. The processor according to claim 12, wherein when the percentage value is less than the threshold percentage, the monitoring scheme includes monitoring two consecutive SSB occasions for a first set of target SSBs having two or more corresponding SSB occasions, and monitoring one SSB occasion for a second set of target SSBs having less than two corresponding SSB occasions.

15. The processor according to claim 9, wherein the UE monitors the one or more sets of target SSBs for performing radio resource management (RRM) operations, the RRM operations including one of the following: radio link monitoring (RLM), beam failure detection (BFD), candidate beam detection (CBD), layer 1 received signal reference power (L1-RSRP) measurement, layer 3 (L3) cell measurement, transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state switching, secondary cell (SCell) activation, primary SCell (PSCell) addition or release, handover, radio resource control (RRC) reconstruction, RRC release, or L3 cell detection.

16. The processor according to claim 9, wherein the one or more sets of target SSBs are transmitted by the base station in a new radio unlicensed (NR-U) band.

17. A base station, comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: configuring one of a synchronization signal block (SSB) burst or an SSB-based radio resource management (RRM) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, which includes a first indication of a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between synchronization signal block (SSB) positions and a second indication of positions of one or more sets of target SSBs, wherein the SSBs in each of the one or more sets of target SSBs are quasi-co-located; and transmitting to the UE the one of the SSB burst or the SMTC window, wherein the UE determines that the monitoring scheme includes monitoring two consecutive SSB occasions for a first set of target SSBs having two or more corresponding SSB occasions, and monitoring one SSB occasion for a second set of target SSBs having less than two corresponding SSB occasions.

18. The base station according to claim 17, wherein the base station configures the one of the SSB burst or the SMTC window to include at least two corresponding SSB occasions for each of the one or more sets of target SSBs.

19. The base station according to claim 17, wherein the base station configures one of the SSB burst or the SMTC window to include each set of target SSBs having a value greater than or equal to 1 calculated by dividing the highest candidate SSB index of the target SSB set by a value corresponding to the first indication.

20. The base station according to claim 17, wherein the base station configures one of the SSB burst or the SMTC window to include a percentage value less than a threshold percentage based on the number of target SSB sets having fewer than two corresponding SSB occasions compared to the total number of target SSB sets.

21. The base station according to claim 17, wherein the base station transmits one of the SSB burst or the SMTC window in a New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) band.

Images