System information block 31 (SIB31) acquisition in non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

A user equipment may be configured to implement a procedure for implementing a procedure for updating cell-specific parameters used by a UE in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some aspects, the UE may receive system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information. Further, the UE may enter a Radio Resource Configuration (RRC) connected mode based on receiving the system information, and send an acquisition indication of receiving the system information, the acquisition indication identifying instances within the modification period in which the system information is received.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 63 / 395633, filed on August 5, 2022, entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR UPDATE OF CELL-SPECIFIC KOFFSET IN NTN,” and U.S. patent application No. 18 / 066,702, filed on December 15, 2022, entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR UPDATE OF CELL-SPECIFIC KOFFSET IN NTN,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Background Art Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to implementing a process for updating cell-specific parameters used by devices in a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0004] Introduction

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcast. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (such as with the Internet of Things (IoT)) and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). Certain aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. It is necessary to further improve 5G NR technology. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following presents the summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or important elements of all aspects, nor to describe the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0008] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a method for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information; entering a radio resource configuration (RRC) connection mode based on receiving the system information; and sending an acquisition indication of the received system information, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within the modification period in which the system information was received. In addition, the present disclosure also provides: an apparatus comprising a component for performing the above method; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the above method.

[0009] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a user equipment (UE) for non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications, the user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to: receive system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information; enter a radio resource configuration (RRC) connected mode based on receiving the system information; and send an acquisition indication of the received system information, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within the modification period when the system information was received.

[0010] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a method for non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communication by a network entity and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending system information including one or more cell-specific parameters to the UE during a modification period of the system information; receiving an acquisition indication of the received system information from the UE, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within the modification period in which the system information was received; and communicating with the UE based on the one or more cell-specific parameters. In addition, the present disclosure also provides: an apparatus comprising a component for performing the above method; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the above method.

[0011] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a network entity for non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications with a user equipment (UE), the network entity comprising: a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to: update a first SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) from one or more old cell-specific parameters to a second SIB31 including one or more new cell-specific parameters; determine that the UE has not yet acquired the one or more new cell-specific parameters via the second SIB31; and send the second SIB31 to the UE via a dedicated message based on the UE not acquiring the one or more new cell-specific parameters via the second SIB31.

[0012] To achieve the aforementioned and related purposes, one or more aspects include features fully described below and specifically pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail some exemplary features of one or more aspects. However, these features are merely indicative of some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this specification is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first 5G / NR frame according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G / NR subframe according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2Cis a diagram illustrating an example of a second 5G / NR frame according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G / NR subframe according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a UE in an access network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of communications of network entities and devices according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of reporting an acquisition indication including an acquisition identifier identifying a sub-period of a modification period according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a report including an acquisition indication of an acquisition identifier identifying a modification period according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a first example of acquiring cell-specific parameters without reporting according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second example of acquiring cell-specific parameters without reporting according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a network entity employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of user equipment employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Fig.12 is a flow chart of an example method of reporting cell-specific parameters acquired by a UE in an NTN system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig.13 is a flow chart of an example method of receiving a report of cell-specific parameters acquired by a UE in an NTN system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Fig.14is a flow chart of an example method of sending fresh system information to a UE in an NTN system according to some aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid diluting such concepts.

[0031] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0032] As an example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system", which includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic components, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities described throughout the present disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, processes, functions, etc., whether it is described in software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other terms.

[0033] Therefore, in one or more examples, the described functions can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media, which can be referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media may not include transient signals. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, a combination of the aforementioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0034] Various specific implementations as a whole relate to a process for updating cell-specific parameters used by a device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some aspects, NTN may refer to a network involving non-terrestrial flying objects (e.g., a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform system (HAPS), and an air-to-ground network). In some aspects (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED mode), it is not necessary for a UE (e.g., an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) IoT device and a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device) to obtain system information or monitor paging for notification of any status. Therefore, the network may change the cell-specific K_mac and K_offset in SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) without notifying the UE, and as a result of the change to the cell-specific K_mac and K_offset, this may cause the UE and the network to be out of sync in response to the cell-specific K_offset or K_mac adopted by the UE (e.g., in RRC-CONNECTED mode) being different from the current cell-specific K_offset or K_mac in SIB31 broadcast by the network. In addition, when the UE starts RACH near the state information modification boundary, the probability that the UE and the network are out of synchronization may increase. In some other aspects, the network can use the validity duration to limit when to update cell-specific parameters. However, this method may cause inefficient power consumption when acquiring system information when the cell-specific parameters are updated close to the network, because the UE will have to immediately re-acquire the cell-specific parameters. In some other aspects, the UE can be configured to report the start or end of the validity period. However, this method has borne significant overhead costs at the UE.

[0035] Thus, in some aspects, the UE or network entity may be configured to manage the freshness of the cell-specific parameters adopted by the UE. As described in detail herein, the UE may report an acquisition indication to the network entity, wherein the acquisition indication indicates when the UE has acquired the cell-specific parameters. In addition, the network entity may use the acquisition indication to determine whether updated system information should be sent to the UE. In some other aspects, the network entity may be configured to determine the freshness of the cell-specific parameters owned by the UE (i.e., whether the cell-specific parameters are the most recent cell-specific parameters) and send updated cell-specific parameters when the cell-specific parameters owned by the UE are outdated. Thus, in some aspects, the UE and the network may maintain synchronization, ensuring that the network is aware of when the UE's uplink (UL) synchronization timer (T317) expires and the cell-specific parameters being adopted by the UE, and sends system information to the UE before the T317 currently used by the UE expires.

[0036] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a UE 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell includes a base station. A small cell includes a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell.

[0037] In one aspect, the UE 104 may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as (eMTC) or (NB-IoT). In addition, the UE 104 may include a state information (SI) synchronization (sync) component 140, which is configured to receive and adopt non-terrestrial network (NTN) state information (e.g., SIB31 and SystemInformationBlockType19 (SIB19) NTN-Config-r17) received from the base station 102 / 180. In addition, in some aspects, the SI synch component 140 may report acquisition information indicating that the state information from the base station 102 / 180 is received. Additionally, the base station 102 / 180 may include an SI sync management component 198, which is configured to periodically send state information to the UE 104, receive acquisition information from the UE 104 in response to receiving the state information, and manage the freshness of the state information provided to the UE 104.

[0038] The base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). The base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with the core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184. Among other functions, the base station 102 can perform one or more of the following functions: delivery of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, via the EPC 160 or the core network 190) via a third backhaul link 134 (eg, an X2 interface). The third backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0039] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 100. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 100. For example, a small cell 102a can have a coverage area 100a that overlaps with the coverage area 100 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 can include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming or transmit diversity. The communication link can be through one or more carriers. For each carrier allocated in the carrier aggregation for a total of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction, the base station 102 / UE 104 can use a spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, etc.) bandwidth. The carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL). The component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0040] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on IEEE 802.10 standards, LTE, or NR.

[0041] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether the channel is available prior to communication.

[0042] The small cell 102a may operate in a licensed or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102a may employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102a employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum may boost the coverage of the access network or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0043] Whether a small cell 102a or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station), the base station 102 may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations (such as gNB 180) may operate in one or more frequency bands within the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency ranges designated FR1 (416MHz-7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz-52.6GHz). Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are typically referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, FR1 is typically (interchangeably) referred to as the "below 6GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes arises with FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as the “millimeter wave” band in various documents and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30GHz-300GHz) that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has identified as the “millimeter wave” (mmW) band.

[0044] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "below 6 GHz" or the like is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as a frequency that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" or the like is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as a frequency that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, or can be within the EHF band. Communications using mmW radio frequency bands have extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW base station 180 can utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for this path loss and short range. The base station 180 and the UE 104 can each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, or antenna arrays to facilitate beamforming.

[0045] The base station 180 may transmit a beamformed signal in one or more transmit directions 182a to the UE 104. The UE 104 may receive the beamformed signal from the base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182b. The UE 104 may also transmit a beamformed signal in one or more transmit directions to the base station 180. The base station 180 may receive the beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. The base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive direction and transmit direction for each of the base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit direction and receive direction of the base station 180 may be the same or may not be the same. The transmit direction and receive direction of the UE 104 may be the same or may not be the same.

[0046] The EPC 160 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are passed through the serving gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN gateway 172. The PDN gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP services 176. The IP services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS delivery, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS delivery. The MBMS gateway 168 may be used to allocate MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area that broadcasts a specific service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS-related billing information.

[0047] The core network 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 may communicate with a unified data management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and the core network 190. Generally speaking, AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are passed through UPF 195. UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. UPF 195 is connected to IP services 197. IP services 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, or other IP services.

[0048] A base station may include or be referred to as a gNB, a Node B, an eNB, an access point, a base transceiver station, a wireless base station, a wireless transceiver, a transceiver functional unit, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), or some other appropriate term. A base station 102 provides an access point to an EPC 160 or a core network 190 for a UE 104. Examples of UEs 104 include satellite phones, cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablet devices, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, health care devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similar functional device. Some UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, ovens, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0049] Although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar areas such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies.

[0050] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D Included are example diagrams 200, 230, 250, and 280 illustrating example structures that may be used for wireless communications by a base station 102 and a UE 104 (e.g., for 5G NR communications). Figure 2A200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2B FIG230 is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G / NR subframe. Figure 2C 250 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2D 280 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G / NR subframe. The 5G / NR frame structure can be FDD, where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), the subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to DL or UL, or can be TDD, where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), the subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to DL and UL. Figure 2A , Figure 2C In the example provided, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (most of which are DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (most of which are UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown with slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are both DL and both UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mixture of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The slot format is configured for the UE by a received slot format indicator (SFI) (dynamically configured by DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Note that the description presented herein also applies to the 5G / NR frame structure for TDD.

[0051] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures or different channels. A frame (10ms) can be divided into 10 subframes of the same size (1ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a microslot, which may include 7, 4 or 2 symbols. Each time slot may contain 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot configuration. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. The symbols on the DL may be cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on the UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-limited scenarios; limited to single stream transmission). The number of time slots in a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and parameter set. For slot configuration 0, different parameter sets μ0 to 5 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow 2, 4 and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 0 and parameter design μ, there are 14 symbols per slot and 2μ slots per subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 5. Therefore, the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=0 is 15kHz, and the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=5 is 480kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ=0 with 1 slot per subframe. The subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz and the symbol duration is about 66.7 μs.

[0052] A resource grid may be used to represent a frame structure. Each slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as a physical RB (PRB)) extending over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0053] like Figure 2A As illustrated, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) (denoted as Rx for a particular configuration, where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are also possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0054] Figure 2B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more CCEs, each CCE includes nine RE groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) can be within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of the frame. The PSS is used by UE 104 to determine the subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identification. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) can be within symbol 4 of a specific subframe of the frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identification group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identification and the physical layer cell identification group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (SSB). The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of RBs in the system bandwidth. The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information such as System Information Blocks (SIBs) not sent through the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0055] like Figure 2C As illustrated, some of the REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for a particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may send DM-RS for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be sent in the first or first two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. Although not shown, the UE may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0056] Figure 2D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data, and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), or UCI.

[0057] Figure 31 is a block diagram of a base station 102 / 180 in an access network communicating with a UE 104. In the DL, IP packets from the EPC 160 may be provided to the controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (such as MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (such as RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification) and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling and logical channel prioritization.

[0058] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 (which includes the physical (PHY) layer) may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (such as binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time domain or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived based on a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 104. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0059] At the UE 104, each receiver 354RX receives a signal through its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for the UE 104. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 104, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation point most likely to be sent by the base station 102 / 180. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent by the base station 102 / 180 on the physical channel.The data and control signals are then provided to the controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0060] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0061] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by base station 102 / 180, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0062] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 102 / 180 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select the appropriate coding and modulation scheme, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via corresponding transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0063] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 102 / 180 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 104. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 370.

[0064] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 104. The IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0065] In the UE 104, at least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to perform the same Figure 1 In the base station 102 / 180, at least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to perform the Figure 1 The report management component 198 combines various aspects.

[0066] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G New Radio (NR) system) can be arranged with various components or constituent parts in a variety of ways. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element or a network equipment (such as a base station (BS), or one or more units (or one or more components) that perform base station functionality can be implemented in an aggregated architecture or a decomposed architecture. For example, a BS (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc.) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0067] The aggregated base station can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. The decomposed base station can be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), or one or more radio units (RU). In some aspects, the CU can be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs can be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, can be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. The DU can be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU can also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0068] Base station type operations or network designs may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (network configurations such as those initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Individual units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0069] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station 400 architecture is shown. The decomposed base station 400 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 410 that may communicate directly with a core network 420 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with a core network 420 through one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 425 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 415 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 405, or both. The CU 410 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 430 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 430 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 440 via respective fronthaul links. The RU 440 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 440.

[0070] Each of the units (i.e., CU 410, DU 430, RU 440, and near-RT RIC 425, non-RT RIC 415, and SMO framework 405) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of these units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, the unit may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units on a wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or send signals, or both, to one or more of the other units on a wireless transmission medium.

[0071] In some aspects, CU 410 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 410. CU 410 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 410 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, CU 410 may be implemented to communicate with DU430 for network control and signaling.

[0072] DU 430 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 440. In some aspects, DU 430 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least in part according to a functional split such as those defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 430 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 430 or with control functions hosted by CU 410.

[0073] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 440. In some deployments, a RU 440 controlled by a DU 430 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 440 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 440 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 430. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 430 and the CU 410 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0074] The SMO framework 405 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 405 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 405 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 490) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 410, DU 430, RU 440, and near-RT RIC 425. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 405 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 410, via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 405 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 440 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 405 may also include a non-RT RIC 415 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 405 .

[0075] The non-RT RIC 415 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 425. The non-RT RIC 415 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 425 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 425 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 410, one or more DUs 430, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 425.

[0076] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 425, the non-RT RIC 415 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 425 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 405 or the non-RT RIC 415. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 415 or the near-RT RIC 425 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 415 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 405 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0077] refer to Figures 5 to 13 In one non-limiting aspect, the system 500 is configured to implement a process for updating cell-specific parameters used by a UE in a non-terrestrial network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0078] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating example communications and components of network entities and devices. Figure 5 As illustrated, system 500 may include one or more network entities 502(1)-(n) (e.g., base stations 102 / 180), one or more UEs 504(1)-(n) (e.g., UE 104), and one or more satellites 506(1)-(n). Further, in some aspects, network entities 502(1)-(n) and / or satellites 506(1)-(n) may serve UEs 504(1)-(n). In addition, satellites 506(1)-(n) may relay communications between network entities 502(1)-(n) and UEs 504(1)-(n).

[0079] In some aspects, the four-step RACH / PRACH procedure may include: the network entity 502 receives a first message (i.e., Msg1) including a random access preamble from the UE 504, and sends a second message (i.e., Msg2) including a random access response to the UE 504. The four-step RACH / PRACH procedure may also include: the network entity 502 receives a third message (i.e., Msg3) scheduled from the UE 404, and sends a fourth message (i.e., Msg4) including contention resolution to the UE 504. Additionally, the network entity 502 and the UE 504 may exchange additional messages (e.g., Msg5) after the four-step RACH / PRACH procedure is completed. In some other aspects, the RACH / PRACH procedure may be a two-step PRACH procedure (i.e., a type 2 random access procedure) between the network entity 502 and the UE 504. For example, the two-step PRACH procedure may include the network entity 502 receiving a first message (MsgA) from the UE 504, the first message (MsgA) including a random access preamble and a MsgA-PUSCH transmission, and sending a second message (MsgB) including a random access response to the UE 504. In addition, in some aspects, the UE may acquire NTN system information during the RACH / PRACH procedure.

[0080] like Figure 5 As illustrated, in some aspects, a network entity may periodically send periodic NTN system information (SI) 508(1)-(n) to a UE 504(1)-(n) during a plurality of modification periods. The periodic NTN SI 508 may include satellite assistance information for a serving cell. Some examples of the periodic NTN system information 508 may include k_offset, k_mac, epochTime, nta_Common, nta_commondrift, nta-CommonDriftVariation, orbitalParameters, and ul-SyncValidationDuration. In some aspects, k_offset may be a scheduling offset used in a timing relationship in NTN. In some aspects, k_mac may be a scheduling offset used when downlink and uplink frame timing are not aligned at an eNB. In some aspects, epochTime may be an epoch time of satellite ephemeris data and common tracking area (TA) parameters. In addition, UL-SyncValidationDuration may include the validity duration of the satellite ephemeris data and the common TA parameters, ie, the maximum time during which the UE may apply the satellite ephemeris without acquiring new satellite ephemeris.

[0081] Each modification period may have multiple sub-periods of the same duration. In addition, a periodic NTN SI 508 may be sent during a sub-period, wherein each of the periodic NTN SIs 508 is sent within the same modification period with the same cell-specific parameters. For example, a first modification period may have four sub-periods, and four NTN SIs 508(1)-(4) with the same cell-specific parameters may be sent within each of the sub-periods, respectively. In addition, a second modification period may have four sub-periods, and four NTN SIs 508(5)-(8) with the same cell-specific parameters may be sent within each of the sub-periods, respectively. In addition, in response to an update of the cell-specific parameters by the sending network entity 502, the cell-specific parameters of the first modification period may be different from the cell-specific parameters of the second modification period.

[0082] In some aspects, the periodic NTN SI 508(1)-(n) may be SIB31 relayed by the satellite 506(1) between the network entity 502 and the UEs 504(1)-(n). In some other aspects, the periodic NTN SI 508(1)-(n) may be SIB19 transmitted by the satellite 506 to the UEs 504(1)-(n), or SIB19 transmitted by the network entity 502 to the UEs 504(1)-(n) via the satellite 506. In addition, in response to receiving the periodic NTN SI 508(1)-(n), the UE 504 may transmit an acquisition indication 510(1)-(n) to a source of the periodic NTN SI 508. For example, UE 504(1) may receive a periodic NTN SI 508(3) from network entity 502(1), locally update cell-specific parameters associated with network entity 502(1), and send an acquisition indication 510(1) indicating that UE 504(1) received one or more cell-specific parameters of network entity 502(1). In addition, as described in detail herein, acquisition indication 510(1) may include an acquisition identifier 512. Acquisition identifier 512 may identify an instance within a modification period when UE 504(1) received the periodic NTN SI 508(3). In some aspects, acquisition identifier 512 may identify a sub-period of the modification period when periodic NTN SI 508(3) was received. For example, acquisition identifier 512(3) within acquisition indication 510(3) may indicate that NTN SI 508(3) was received during a third sub-period of a first modification period. In some instances, UE 504 may only send acquisition indication 510(3) when the sub-period in which periodic NTN SI 508(3) is received is the last sub-period in multiple sub-periods of the modification period. For example, if the modification has four sub-periods, UE 504 may not send acquisition indication 510 for periodic NTN SI 508(3) because periodic NTN SI 508(3) is received in the third sub-period of the modification period instead of the fourth sub-period. In some other aspects, acquisition identifier 512 may identify the modification period in which periodic NTN SI 508(3) is received. Specifically, acquisition identifier 512 may identify whether periodic NTN SI 508(3) is received in the first half of the modification period (i.e., the current modification period) or in the second half of the modification period (i.e., the previous modification period). For example, acquisition identifier 512(3) within acquisition indication 510(3) may indicate that NTNSI 508(3) was received during the first half of the current modification period.

[0083] In some aspects, the UE 504 may send the acquisition indication 510 in response to a report request 514 sent by a source of the periodic NTN SI 508 (e.g., the network entity 502). In other words, the network may enable or disable reporting of the received periodic NTN SI 508. In addition, the report request 514 may indicate the type of report to be sent and the type of communication to be used to send the acquisition indication 510. For example, the report request 514 may request the UE 504 to send an acquisition identifier 512 that identifies a sub-period or an acquisition identifier 512 that identifies a modification period. In addition, the report request 514 may request the UE 504 to send the acquisition identifier 512 within message 1 of a RACH procedure, message 3 of a RACH procedure, message 5 after completing a RACH procedure, or a MAC-CE message.

[0084] In some aspects, the network entity 502 may send a periodic NTN SI 508 including a report request 514. For example, the periodic NTN SI 508 may include a bit indicating that the report request 514 may request the UE 504 to send an acquisition indication 510 within message 3 of a RACH procedure, message 5 after the RACH procedure is completed, or a MAC-CE message. In some other aspects, the network entity 502 may send message 4 of a RACH procedure including the report request 514. Additionally, the report request 514 within message 4 may request the UE 504 to send an acquisition indication 510 within message 5 of a RACH procedure.

[0085] In addition, upon receiving the acquisition indication 510, the network entity 502 may determine whether the cell-specific parameters to be sent to the UE 504 need to be updated. For example, the network entity 502 may determine that the network entity 502 has updated the cell-specific parameters after receiving the periodic NTN SI 508 associated with the acquisition indication 510. In response to determining that the cell-specific parameters of the UE 504 are out-of-date, the network entity 502 may send an updated NTN SI 516 to the UE 504. For example, the network entity 502(1) may send an RRC message or a MAC-CE message including the updated cell-specific parameters to the UE 504(1) in response to determining that the UE 504(1) has out-of-date cell-specific parameters using the acquisition indication 510(1). In some other examples, the network entity 502(1) may send a SIB message (e.g., SIB31) including the updated cell-specific parameters to the UE 504(1) in response to determining that the UE 504(1) has out-of-date cell-specific parameters using the acquisition indication 510(1). In addition, the updated NTN SI 516 may include updated cell-specific parameters. For example, the updated NTN SI 516 may include the most recent K_offset and K_mac generated by the network entity 502.

[0086] In some aspects, network entity 502 may update the cell-specific parameters without reporting. For example, network entity 502 may determine that UE 504 has outdated cell-specific parameters and send updated SI 516 to UE 504. For example, when network entity 502(1) changes K_offset and K_mac, network entity 502(1) may determine that UE 504(1) has not received the updated cell-specific parameters and send the updated K_offset and K_mac within updated NTN SI 516(1). In some aspects, network entity 502 may determine that UE 504 has outdated cell-specific parameters based at least on comparing a time when UE 504 performs a successful RACH procedure to a time when the cell-specific parameters are updated at network entity 502. For example, network entity 502(1) may send updated NTN SI 516(1) in response to network entity 502(1) determining that the cell-specific parameters are updated after UE 504(1) successfully performs a RACH. Additionally, in some aspects, the updated NTNSI 516(1) may be sent within a dedicated RRC message. Alternatively, in some other aspects, the SIB (e.g., updated SI 516(1)) may be sent within message 4 of a RACH procedure, an RRC message after AS security is established, or a MAC-CE message. Alternatively, in some other aspects, updated cell-specific parameters (such as K_offset or K_mac) may be sent within message 4 of a RACH procedure, an RRC message after AS security is established, or a MAC-CE message.

[0087] In yet other aspects, the periodic NTN SI 508 (e.g., SIB31) may indicate whether K_offset and / or K_mac will be updated in the next modification boundary (i.e., the period between two modification periods). For example, the periodic NTN SI 508 may include a k_OffsetChangeNextBoundary parameter indicating whether K_offset and / or K_mac will be updated in the next modification boundary. In some instances, if the UE 502 (1) determines based on the periodic NTN SI 508 that the cell-specific parameters will be updated in the next modification boundary, the UE 502 (1) may send Msg3 or Msg5 of the RACH procedure before the next modification boundary. If the next modification boundary is approaching, the UE 502 (1) may delay the RACH procedure until it reacquires the periodic NTN SI 508 in the next modification boundary with the updated cell-specific parameters. In some instances, the next modification boundary may be the starting subframe of the SI modification period or SI periodicity or SI window.

[0088] like Figure 5 As illustrated, UE 504(1) includes SI Sync component 140, which may include reporting component 518, which is configured to determine acquisition identifier 512 and transmit acquisition indication 510 including acquisition identifier 512. Additionally, UE 504(1) may include receiver component 520 and transmitter component 522. Receiver component 520 may include, for example, an RF receiver for receiving signals as described herein. Transmitter component 522 may be configured to generate signals for transmission operations, as described herein. Transmitter component 522 may include, for example, an RF transmitter for transmitting signals as described herein. In one aspect, receiver component 520 and transmitter component 522 may be co-located on a transceiver (e.g., Fig.11 In addition, in some aspects, the UE 504 may also include a RACH component 523 for performing RACH / PRACH and entering RRC connected mode.

[0089] like Figure 5 As illustrated, the network entity 502 may include an SI sync management component 198. Further, in some aspects, the SI sync management component 198 may be configured to periodically send periodic NTN SIs 508(1)-(n) to the UE 104, receive acquisition indications 510(1)-(n) from the UE 104 in response to receiving the periodic NTN SIs 508(1)-(n), and manage the freshness of the periodic NTN SIs 508(1)-(n) provided to the UE 104. Additionally or alternatively, the SI sync management component 198 may be configured to determine that the UE 504(1)-(n) possesses outdated cell-specific parameters and send updated NTN SIs 516(1)-(n) to the UE 50(1)-(n).

[0090] In addition, network entity 502 may include a receiver component 524 and a transmitter component 526. Receiver component 524 may include, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver for receiving signals as described herein. Transmitter component 526 may include, for example, an RF transmitter for transmitting signals as described herein. In one aspect, receiver component 524 and transmitter component 526 may be co-located on a transceiver (e.g., Fig.10 In the transceiver 1010 shown in .

[0091] Figure 6 600 is a diagram illustrating an example of reporting an acquisition indication including an acquisition identifier identifying a sub-period of a modification period according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 6As illustrated, the network may send multiple periodic NTN SIs 602(1)-(n) across multiple SI modification periods 604(1)-(n). At 606, the UE may acquire NTN SI 602(4) from the network, the NTN SI including one or more first cell-specific parameters (e.g., K_mac, K_offset, etc.). In addition, at 608, the network may update the one or more cell-specific parameters and begin to send one or more second cell-specific parameters via multiple periodic NTN SIs 602(5)-(8). At 610, the UE may successfully enter a connected mode (e.g., RRC connected mode) and report an acquisition identifier (e.g., acquisition identifier 512) via an acquisition indication (e.g., acquisition indication 510(1)). As described herein, the acquisition identifier may identify that the UE acquired NTN SI 602(4) from the network during the 4th subperiod of the first modification period 604(1).

[0092] Figure 7 FIG. 700 is a diagram illustrating an example of a report including an acquisition indication identifying an acquisition identifier of a modification period according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 7 As illustrated, the network may send multiple periodic NTN SIs 702(1)-(n) across multiple SI modification periods 704(1)-(n). At 706, the UE may obtain NTN SI 702(4) from the network, the NTN SI including one or more first cell-specific parameters (e.g., K_mac, K_offset, etc.). In addition, at 708, the network may update the one or more cell-specific parameters and begin sending one or more second cell-specific parameters via multiple periodic NTN SIs 702(5)-(8). At 710, the UE may successfully enter a connected mode (e.g., RRC connected mode) and report an acquisition identifier (e.g., acquisition identifier 512) via an acquisition indication (e.g., acquisition indication 510(1)). As described herein, the acquisition identifier may identify that the UE acquired NTN SI 702(4) from the network during the first half of the first modification period 704(1).

[0093] Figure 8 800 is a diagram illustrating an example of reporting an acquisition indication including an acquisition identifier identifying a sub-period of a modification period in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 8As illustrated, the network may send multiple periodic NTN SIs 802(1)-(n) across multiple SI modification periods 804(1)-(n). At 806, the UE may obtain NTN SI 802(4) from the network, which includes one or more first cell-specific parameters (e.g., K_mac, K_offset, etc.). In addition, at 808, the network may update the one or more cell-specific parameters and begin sending one or more second cell-specific parameters via multiple periodic NTN SIs 802(5)-(8). At 810, the UE may successfully enter a connected mode (e.g., RRC connected mode) without reporting. As a result, the network will not be aware of the cell-specific parameters being used by the UE, which may cause the UE to be out of synchronization with the network. This may occur when the UE initiates a RACH near an SI modification boundary between the first and second modification boundaries 804(1)-(2).

[0094] Fig. 9 9 is a diagram illustrating a second example of obtaining cell-specific parameters without reporting in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As illustrated, the network may send multiple periodic NTN SIs 902(1)-(n) across multiple SI modification periods 904(1)-(n). At 906, the network may initiate a validity period for one or more cell-specific parameters sent via the periodic NTN SIs 902(1)-(4). Fig. 9 As illustrated, the validity timer may start with a first SI modification period 904(1). At 908, the UE may obtain NTN SI 902(4) from the network, the NTN SI including one or more first cell-specific parameters (e.g., K_mac, K_offset, etc.). Given that the validity period ends at 908 with the first sub-period of the next modification period 904(2), the UE will have to re-acquire updated cell-specific parameters within a short time frame, which may result in inefficient power consumption.

[0095] Fig.101000 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a network node 1002 that employs a processing system 1014. The processing system 1014 may be implemented using a bus architecture, which is generally represented by a bus 1024. The bus 1024 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 1014. The bus 1024 links together various circuits including one or more processors and / or hardware components (represented by the processor 1004, the SI sync management component 198, and the computer-readable medium / memory 1006). The bus 1024 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further.

[0096] The processing system 1014 can be coupled to the transceiver 1010. The transceiver 1010 is coupled to one or more antennas 1020. The transceiver 1010 provides components for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. The transceiver 1010 receives signals from the one or more antennas 1020, extracts information from the received signals, and provides the extracted information to the processing system 1014 (specifically, the receiver component 524). The receiver component 524 can receive acquisition indications 510 (1)-(n). In addition, the transceiver 1010 receives information from the processing system 1014 (specifically, the transmitter component 526) and generates a signal to be applied to the one or more antennas 1020 based on the received information. In addition, the transmitter component 526 can transmit periodic NTN SI 508 (1)-(n), report requests 514 (1)-(n), and updated NTN SI 516 (1)-(n).

[0097] The processing system 1014 includes a processor 1004 coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1006 (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The processor 1004 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory 1006. The software, when executed by the processor 1004, causes the processing system 1014 to perform the various functions described above for any particular device. The computer-readable medium / memory 1006 can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 1004 when executing the software. The processing system 1014 also includes an SI sync management component 198. The aforementioned components may be software components running in the processor 1004, resident / stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 1006, one or more hardware components coupled to the processor 1004, or some combination thereof. The processing system 1014 may be a component of the base station 310 and may include the memory 376 and / or at least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375. Alternatively, the processing system 1014 may be the entire base station (e.g., see Figure 3 310 Figure 5 network entity 502).

[0098] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the network entity 1002 and / or the processing system 1014 of the network entity 1002 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the processing system 1014 may include the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0099] Fig.11 1 is a diagram 1100 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a device 1102 (e.g., UE 104, UE 504, etc.) that employs a processing system 1114. The processing system 1114 can be implemented using a bus architecture, which is generally represented by a bus 1124. The bus 1124 may include any number of interconnecting buses and / or bridges, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 1114. The bus 1124 links together various circuits including one or more processors and / or hardware components (represented by the processor 1104, SI sync component 140, reporting component 518, RACH component 523, and computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory computer-readable media) / memory 1106). The bus 1124 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further.

[0100] The processing system 1114 can be coupled to the transceiver 1110. The transceiver 1110 can be coupled to one or more antennas 1120. The transceiver 1110 provides components for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. The transceiver 1110 receives signals from one or more antennas, extracts information from the received signals, and provides the extracted information to the processing system 1114 (specifically, the receiver component 520). The receiver component 520 can receive periodic NTN SI 508 (1)-(n), report requests 514 (1)-(n), and updated NTN SI 516 (1)-(n). In addition, the transceiver 1110 receives information from the processing system 1114 (specifically, the transmitter component 522) and generates a signal to be applied to one or more antennas based on the received information. In addition, the transmitter component 522 can transmit acquisition indications 510 (1)-(n).

[0101] The processing system 1114 includes a processor 1104 coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1106 (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The processor 1104 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory 1106. The software, when executed by the processor 1104, causes the processing system 1114 to perform the various functions described above for any particular device. The computer-readable medium / memory 1106 may also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 1104 when executing the software. The processing system 1114 also includes at least one of the SI sync component 140, the reporting component 518, or the RACH component 523. The aforementioned components may be software components running in the processor 1104, resident / stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 1106, one or more hardware components coupled to the processor 1104, or some combination thereof. The processing system 1114 may be a component of the device 1102 and may include at least one of the memory 360 and / or the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359. Alternatively, the processing system 1114 may be the entire UE (see, for example, Figure 3 350 Figure 5 UE 504).

[0102] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the device 1102 and / or the processing system 1114 of the device 1102 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the processing system 1114 may include the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0103] Fig.12 is a flow chart of an example method 1200 for reporting cell-specific parameters acquired by a UE in an NTN system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0104] The method may be performed by a UE (eg, Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104, which may include memory 360 and which may be the entire UE 104 or a component of the UE 104 (such as SI sync component 140, reporting component 518, RACH component 523, TX processor 368, RX processor 356 and / or controller / processor 359; Figure 5 UE 504; and / or Fig.11 Device 1102) is executed.

[0105] At block 1210, method 1200 may include receiving system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information. For example, UE 504(1) may receive periodic NTN SI 508(1) from network entity 502. Thus, UE 104, UE 504, device 1102, TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 executing SI sync component 140 may provide means for receiving system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information.

[0106] At block 1220, method 1200 may include entering a radio resource configuration (RRC) connected mode based on receiving the system information. For example, UE 504 may enter the RRC connected mode. Thus, UE 104, UE 504, device 1102, TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 executing RACH component 523 may provide a means for entering a radio resource configuration (RRC) connected mode based on receiving the system information.

[0107] At block 1230, method 1200 may include sending an acquisition indication of received system information, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within a modification period at which updated system information was received. For example, UE 504(1) may send acquisition indication 510(3) indicating receipt of periodic NTN SI 508(3). Additionally, acquisition indication 510(3) may include acquisition identifier 512(3) identifying an instance within a modification period at which periodic NTN SI 508(3) was received. As described herein, acquisition identifier 512(3) may identify a subperiod of a modification period and / or a modification period.

[0108] Thus, the UE 104, UE 504, device 1102, TX processor 368, RX processor 356 and / or controller / processor 359 executing reporting component 518 may provide a component for sending an acquisition indication of received system information, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within a modification period in which updated system information was received.

[0109] Fig.13 1 is a flow chart of an example method 1300 for receiving a report of a cell-specific parameter acquired by a UE in an NTN system according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a base station (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 The base station 102 / 180 may include a memory 376 and may be the entire base station or a component of the base station (such as the SI sync management component 198, the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370 and / or the controller / processor 375; Figure 5 A network entity 502; Fig.10 The network entity 1002) is executed.

[0110] At block 1310, method 1300 includes updating a first SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) from one or more old cell-specific parameters to a second SIB31 including one or more new cell-specific parameters. For example, network entity 502 may update the cell-specific parameters of network entity 502 at a modification boundary between two boundary SI modification periods.

[0111] Therefore, the base station 102, network entity 502, network entity 1002, TX processor 316, RX processor 370 and / or controller / processor 375 executing the SI sync management component 198 can provide components for updating a first SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) from one or more old cell-specific parameters to a second SIB31 including one or more new cell-specific parameters.

[0112] At block 1320, method 1300 may include determining that the UE has not yet acquired one or more new cell-specific parameters via the second SIB31. For example, network entity 502 may determine that the UE has not yet acquired one or more current cell-specific parameters. In some aspects, network entity 502(1) may send updated NTN SI 516(1) in response to network entity 502(1) determining that the cell-specific parameters are updated after UE 504(1) successfully performs a RACH.

[0113] Therefore, the base station 102, network entity 502, network entity 1002, TX processor 316, RX processor 370 and / or controller / processor 375 executing the SI sync management component 198 can provide a component for determining that the UE has not yet acquired one or more new cell-specific parameters via the second SIB31.

[0114] At block 1330, method 1300 may include determining to communicate with the UE using one or more cell-specific parameters from the first SIB31 or the second SIB31. For example, the network entity 502 may determine to communicate with the UE using the cell-specific parameters of the second SIB31. Thus, the network entity may send the second SIB31 to the UE via a dedicated message based on the UE not obtaining one or more new cell-specific parameters through the second SIB31. For example, the network entity 502 may send an updated NTN SI 516(1) to the UE 504 and communicate to the UE 504(1) based on the cell-specific parameters of the updated NTN SI 516(1).

[0115] Therefore, the base station 102, network entity 502, network entity 1002, TX processor 316, RX processor 370 and / or controller / processor 375 executing the SI sync management component 198 may provide a component for sending a second SIB31 to the UE via a dedicated message based on the UE not obtaining one or more new cell-specific parameters through the second SIB31.

[0116] Fig.14 is a flow chart of a first example method for sending fresh system information to a UE in an NTN system according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a base station (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 The base station 102 / 180 may include a memory 376 and may be the entire base station or a component of the base station (such as the SI sync management component 198, the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370 and / or the controller / processor 375; Figure 5 A network entity 502; Fig.10 The network entity 1002) is executed.

[0117] At block 1410, method 1400 includes sending system information including one or more cell-specific parameters to the UE during a modification period of the system information. For example, network entity 502 may broadcast periodic NTN SI 508(1)-(n). In addition, UE 504(1) may receive periodic NTN SI 508(1).

[0118] Therefore, the base station 102, network entity 502, network entity 1002, TX processor 316, RX processor 370 and / or controller / processor 375 executing the SI sync management component 198 may provide a component for sending system information including one or more cell-specific parameters to the UE during a modification period of the system information.

[0119] At block 1420, method 1400 may include receiving, from the UE, an acquisition indication for the received system information, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within a modification period of the received system information. For example, the network entity may receive acquisition indication 501(1) from UE 504(1) in response to receiving periodic NTN SI 508(1) by UE 504(1).

[0120] Therefore, the base station 102, network entity 502, network entity 1002, TX processor 316, RX processor 370 and / or controller / processor 375 executing the SI sync management component 198 may provide a component for receiving an acquisition indication of received system information from the UE, wherein the acquisition indication identifies an instance within a modification period of the received system information.

[0121] At block 1430, method 1400 may include communicating with the UE based on one or more cell-specific parameters. For example, network entity 502 and UE 504 may exchange communications based on cell-specific parameters of periodic NTN SI 508(1).

[0122] Thus, the base station 102, network entity 502, network entity 1002, TX processor 316, RX processor 370, and / or controller / processor 375 executing SI sync management component 198 may provide means for communicating with a UE based on one or more cell-specific parameters.

[0123] The previous description is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be easily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, and the universal principles defined in this article can be applied to other aspects. The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown in this article, but should be granted the full scope consistent with the claims in language, wherein the singular reference of the elements is not intended to represent "there is and only one", but "one or more", unless otherwise stated. Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B or C", "one or more of A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C", "one or more of A, B and C" and "A, B, C or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may include one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure that are known or will later become known to a person of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be disclosed to the public. Words such as "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," etc. cannot replace the word "component." Therefore, no claim element will be understood to be a part plus function unless the element is explicitly recited using the phrase "component for..."

[0124] The following example clauses describe various aspects of the disclosure.

[0125] A method for non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information; entering a radio resource configuration (RRC) connected mode based on receiving the system information; and sending an acquisition indication of the received system information, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within the modification period at which the system information was received.

[0126] B. A method as described in clause A, wherein the system information is one of four type thirty-one system information blocks (SIB31) sent periodically by the network entity during the modification period.

[0127] C. A method according to clause A, wherein the system information is one of four type thirty-one system information blocks (SIB31) or type nineteen system information blocks (SIB19) periodically sent by the network entity during the modification period, and the system information includes cell-specific K_offset and K_mac.

[0128] D. A method according to clause A, wherein the acquisition indication includes an index identifier, which identifies a specific sub-period among multiple sub-periods of the modification period as the sub-period in which the acquisition indication is received, and wherein the network entity sends a separate SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) or SystemInformationBlockType19 (SIB19) during each sub-period of the multiple sub-periods.

[0129] E. A method according to clause D, wherein sending the acquisition indication includes: determining that system information is received within a last sub-cycle of the multiple sub-cycles; and sending the acquisition indication including the index identifier in response to the system information being received within the last sub-cycle of the multiple sub-cycles.

[0130] F. A method according to any of clauses A to C, wherein the acquisition indication comprises a modification period identifier that identifies a specific half of the modification period as the half of the modification period in which the acquisition indication was received.

[0131] G. A method according to any one of clauses A to F, wherein the acquisition indication is a radio resource configuration (RRC) message or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE)

[0132] information.

[0133] H. A method according to any one of clauses A to G, wherein the acquisition indication is message 1, message 3, message 4 or message A for a random access procedure for entering the RRC connected mode.

[0134] I. A method as described in any of clauses A to H, wherein the system information includes a request to send the acquisition indication in response to receiving the system information.

[0135] J. A method according to any one of clauses A to G, the method further comprising: receiving a request for a random access channel procedure and sending the acquisition indication message 4 in response to receiving the system information.

[0136] K. A method according to clause A, wherein the system information includes first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, the one or more cell-specific parameters are one or more first cell-specific parameters, and the method further comprises: in response to the network entity determining that the one or more first cell-specific parameters are outdated based on the acquisition indication, receiving second system information including one or more second cell-specific parameters from the network entity during a second modification period of the system information.

[0137] L. A method according to any one of clauses A to J, wherein the system information includes first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, and the method further comprises: receiving second system information including updated timing information for the one or more cell-specific parameters from the network entity during a second modification period of the system information in response to the network entity evaluating the acquisition indication.

[0138] M. A method as described in any of clauses A to L, wherein the system information includes cell-specific K_offset and K_mac.

[0139] N. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, configure a computing device to perform a computer-implemented method as described in any of clauses A to M.

[0140] O. A device comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are encoded with instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the computer to perform a computer-implemented method as described in any one of clauses A to M.

[0141] P. An apparatus comprising: means for performing a method according to any one of clauses A to H.

[0142] Q. A method for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications with a user equipment (UE) at a network entity, the method comprising: updating a first SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) from one or more old cell-specific parameters to a second SIB31 including one or more new cell-specific parameters; determining that the UE has not yet acquired the one or more new cell-specific parameters via the second SIB31; and determining to communicate with the UE using the one or more cell-specific parameters from the first SIB31 or the second SIB31.

[0143] R. A method according to clause Q, wherein the first SIB31 comprises an indication indicating whether the cell-specific parameter is to be updated in the next frame boundary.

[0144] S. A method according to any of clauses Q to R, wherein the next frame boundary is a start frame of a modification period or a periodic or system information window.

[0145] T. A method according to any one of clauses Q to S, wherein the network entity determines to use the one or more cell-specific parameters from the second SIB31; and sends the one or more cell-specific parameters from the second SIB31 to the UE via a dedicated message.

[0146] U. A method according to any one of clauses Q to T, wherein in order to determine that the UE has not yet acquired the one or more new cell-specific parameters, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to determine that the update that occurs before the random access channel procedure is performed between the network entity and the UE and during a modification period associated with the first SIB31.

[0147] V. A method according to any of clauses Q to U, wherein the one or more new cell-specific parameters include a cell-specific K_offset and K_mac.

[0148] W. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, configure a computing device to perform a computer-implemented method as described in any one of clauses Q to V.

[0149] X. A device comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the computer to perform a computer-implemented method as described in any one of clauses Q to V.

[0150] Y. An apparatus comprising: means for performing a method according to any one of clauses Q to V.

[0151] Z. A method for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications between a network entity and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending system information including one or more cell-specific parameters to the UE during a modification period of the system information; receiving an acquisition indication of received system information from the UE, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within the modification period in which the system information was received; and communicating with the UE based on the one or more cell-specific parameters.

[0152] AA. A method according to clause Z, wherein the system information is one of four SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) periodically sent by the network entity during the modification period, and the system information includes K_offset and K_mac.

[0153] AB. A method according to any of clauses Z to AA, wherein the acquisition indication is a radio resource configuration (RRC) message or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) message.

[0154] AC. A method according to any one of clauses Z to AB, wherein the acquisition indication is included in message 1, message 3, message 5 or message A of a random access procedure for entering RRC connected mode.

[0155] AD. A method as described in any of clauses Z to AC, wherein the system information includes a request to send the acquisition indication in response to receiving the system information.

[0156] AE. A method according to any one of clauses Z to AC, the method further comprising: sending a message 4 of a random access channel procedure comprising a request to send the acquisition indication in response to receiving the system information.

[0157] AF. A method according to any one of clauses Z to AE, wherein the acquisition indication comprises: an index identifier, which identifies a specific sub-period among multiple sub-periods of the modification period as the sub-period in which the acquisition indication is received; or a modification period identifier, which identifies a specific half of the modification period as the half of the modification period in which the acquisition indication is received.

[0158] AG. A method according to any one of clauses Z to AF, wherein the system information includes first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, the one or more cell-specific parameters are one or more first cell-specific parameters, and the method further includes: determining that the one or more first cell-specific parameters are outdated based on the acquisition indication; and sending second system information including one or more second cell-specific parameters to the UE during a second modification period of the system information in response to the network entity based on the one or more first cell-specific parameters being outdated.

[0159] AH. A method according to any one of clauses Z to AA, wherein the system information includes first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, and the method further includes: modifying the validity period of the one or more cell-specific parameters; and sending second system information including an update to the validity period of the one or more cell-specific parameters to the UE during a second modification period of the system information based on the one or more cell-specific parameters being modified.

[0160] AI. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, configure a computing device to perform a computer-implemented method as described in any one of clauses Z to AH.

[0161] AJ. A device comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the computer to perform a computer-implemented method as described in any one of clauses Z to AH.

[0162] AK. An apparatus comprising means for performing a method according to any of clauses Z to AH.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communication, the user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory storing computer executable instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to: receiving system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information; Entering a radio resource configuration (RRC) based on receiving the system information Connection mode; as well as An acquisition indication is sent for receiving the system information, wherein the acquisition indication identifies an instance within the modification period in which the system information is received.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the system information is one of four type thirty-one system information blocks (SIB31) periodically sent by the network entity during the modification period.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition indication includes an index identifier, which identifies a specific sub-period in multiple sub-periods of the modification period as the sub-period in which the acquisition indication is received, and wherein the network entity sends a separate SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) during each sub-period in the multiple sub-periods.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein to send the acquisition indication, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer executable instructions to: determining that the system information is received in a last sub-period of the plurality of sub-periods; and The acquisition indication including an index identifier is sent in response to the system information being received in the last sub-cycle of the plurality of sub-cycles.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the acquisition indication comprises a modification period identifier, the modification period identifier identifying a specific half of the modification period as the half of the modification period in which the acquisition indication is received.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition indication is a radio resource configuration (RRC) message or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, or wherein the acquisition indication is included in message 1, message 3, message 5 or message A of a random access procedure for entering the radio resource configuration (RRC) connected mode. 7 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the system information comprises a request to send the acquisition indication in response to receiving the system information.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein message 4 of a random access channel procedure requests sending the acquisition indication in response to receiving the system information.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein the system information comprises first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, the one or more cell-specific parameters are one or more first cell-specific parameters, and the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to: Second system information including one or more second cell-specific parameters is received from the network entity during a second modification period of system information in response to the network entity determining that the one or more first cell-specific parameters are out of date based on the acquisition indication.

10. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the system information comprises cell-specific K_offset and K_mac.

11. A method for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving system information including one or more cell-specific parameters from a network entity during a modification period of the system information; entering a radio resource configuration (RRC) connected mode based on receiving the system information; as well as An acquisition indication is sent for receiving the system information, wherein the acquisition indication identifies an instance within the modification period in which the system information is received.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the system information is one of four type thirty-one system information blocks (SIB31) or type nineteen system information blocks (SIB19) periodically sent by the network entity during the modification period, and the system information includes a cell-specific K_offset and K_mac.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the acquisition indication comprises an index identifier identifying a specific sub-period among multiple sub-periods of the modification period as the sub-period in which the acquisition indication is received, wherein the network entity sends a separate SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) or SystemInformationBlockType19 (SIB19) during each of the multiple sub-periods.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the acquisition indication comprises: determining that the system information is received in a last sub-period of the plurality of sub-periods; as well as The acquisition indication including the index identifier is sent in response to system information being received in the last sub-cycle of the plurality of sub-cycles.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the acquisition indication includes a modification period identifier that identifies a particular half of the modification period as the half of the modification period in which the acquisition indication was received.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the acquisition indication is a radio resource configuration (RRC) message or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, or wherein the acquisition indication is included in message 1, message 3, message 5, or message A of a random access procedure for entering the RRC connected mode.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the system information comprises first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, the one or more cell-specific parameters are one or more first cell-specific parameters, and the method further comprises: Second system information including one or more second cell-specific parameters is received from the network entity during a second modification period of system information in response to the network entity determining that the one or more first cell-specific parameters are out of date based on the acquisition indication.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the system information comprises first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, and the method further comprises: Second system information including updates of timing information for the one or more cell-specific parameters is received from the network entity during a second modification period of system information in response to the network entity evaluating the acquisition indication.

19. A network entity for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communications with a user equipment (UE), the network entity comprising: a memory storing computer executable instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to: updating a first SystemInformationBlockType31 (SIB31) from one or more old cell-specific parameters to a second SIB31 including one or more new cell-specific parameters; determining that the UE has not acquired the one or more new cell-specific parameters via the second SIB31; as well as Determine to communicate with the UE using the one or more cell-specific parameters from the first SIB31 or the second SIB31.

20. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the first SIB31 comprises an indication indicating whether the cell-specific parameter is to be updated in a next frame boundary.

21. The network entity of claim 20, wherein the next frame boundary is a start frame of a modification period or a periodicity or a system information window.

22. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the network determines to use the one or more cell-specific parameters from the second SIB31; and The one or more cell-specific parameters from the second SIB31 are sent to the UE via a dedicated message.

23. The network entity of claim 19, wherein in order to determine that the UE has not yet acquired the one or more new cell-specific parameters, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to determine that an update occurring before a random access channel procedure is performed between the network entity and the UE and during a modification period associated with the first SIB31.

24. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the one or more new cell-specific parameters include cell-specific K_offset and K_mac.

25. A method for performing non-terrestrial network (NTN) wireless communication between a network entity and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending system information including one or more cell-specific parameters to the UE during a modification period of the system information; receiving, from the UE, an acquisition indication of the received system information, the acquisition indication identifying an instance within the modification period in which the system information is received; as well as Communicating with the UE is performed based on the one or more cell-specific parameters.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the system information is one of four type thirty-one system information blocks (SIB31) periodically sent by the network entity during the modification period, and the system information includes a cell-specific K_offset and K_mac.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the acquisition indication is a radio resource configuration (RRC) message or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, or wherein the acquisition indication is included in message 1, message 3, message 5, or message A of a random access procedure for entering an RRC connected mode.

28. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: Sending a message 4 of a random access channel procedure including a request to send said acquisition indication in response to receiving said system information.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the system information comprises first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, the one or more cell-specific parameters are one or more first cell-specific parameters, and the method further comprises: determining, based on the acquisition indication, that the one or more first cell-specific parameters are out-of-date; as well as In response to the network entity, second system information including one or more second cell-specific parameters is sent to the UE during a second modification period of the system information based on the one or more first cell-specific parameters being out-of-date.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the system information comprises first system information, the modification period is a first modification period, and the method further comprises: modifying a validity period of the one or more cell-specific parameters; as well as Second system information including an update of a validity period of the one or more cell-specific parameters is sent to the UE during a second modification period of the system information based on the one or more cell-specific parameters being modified.

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