Time domain offset for non-cell defined synchronization signal blocks

Abstract

The application relates to devices and components, including apparatuses, systems, and methods of configuring time domain offsets for non-cell-defined synchronization signal blocks.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 395,661, filed on August 5, 2022, entitled “Time-Domain Offset for Non-CellDefining Synchronization Signal Block,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specifications (TS) define standards for wireless networks. These TSs describe aspects related to user equipment designed with reduced capabilities. The 3GPP network provides reference signals that can be used for various synchronization operations such as time domain synchronization, frequency synchronization, and / or identification of cells and corresponding key system information. For example, a base station of the network can send a synchronization signal block (SSB) to a user equipment (UE) of the network for synchronization operations.

[0004] The base station sends different reference signals for different UEs. Specifically, the base station sends a cell-defined synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (CD-SSB) for UEs with full capabilities, and sends a non-cell-defined synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (NCD-SSB) for UEs with reduced capabilities (RedCap). In traditional methods, the CD-SSB has a maximum periodicity of 20 milliseconds (ms). In addition, the NCD-SSB is limited to an offset of 5ms, 10ms, or 15ms from the CD-SSD. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 A network environment according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0006] Figure 2 Example synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) information elements (IEs) according to some embodiments are illustrated.

[0007] Figure 3 An example non-cell definition (NCD)-SSB information element (IE) is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0008] Figure 4 An example resource diagram showing SSB arrangement according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0009] Figure 5 Another example resource diagram showing SSB placement according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 6 Another example resource diagram showing SSB placement according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 7 Another example resource diagram showing SSB placement according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 8 An example NCD SSB IE is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0013] Fig. 9 An example NCD-SSB IE is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0014] Fig.10 Signaling diagrams according to some embodiments are illustrated.

[0015] Fig.11 A User Equipment (UE) Capabilities IE is illustrated according to some embodiments.

[0016] Fig.12 Signaling diagrams according to some embodiments are illustrated.

[0017] Fig.13 An example UE according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0018] Fig.14 An example next generation Node B (gNB) according to some embodiments is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following specific embodiments refer to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces and technologies are described for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments can be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the descriptions of various embodiments due to unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrases "A / B" and "A or B" refer to (A), (B) or (A and B); and the phrase "based on A" means "based at least in part on A", for example, it can be "based only on A" or it can be "based in part on A".

[0020] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0021] The term "circuit" as used herein refers to the part of or includes the hardware component configured to provide the described functionality.Hardware components may include electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated or group) or memories (shared, dedicated or group), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs or programmable systems on chip (SoCs)) or digital signal processors (DSPs).In some embodiments, circuits may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some functionality in the functionality.The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and the program code for executing the functionality of a program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system).In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a circuit of a particular type.

[0022] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes).

[0023] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to, is a part of, or includes a circuit that enables information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, and a network interface card.

[0024] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device with radio communication capabilities that can allow a user to access network resources in a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous with the following and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment or reconfigurable mobile device. In addition, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0025] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing resources or networked resources.

[0026] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, a processor / CPU time, a processor / CPU usage rate, a processor and accelerator load, a hardware time or usage rate, a power supply, an input / output operation, a port or a network socket, a channel / link allocation, a throughput, a memory usage rate, a storage, a network, a database, and an application or a unit of workload. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage, or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage, or network resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to an application, device, or system. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources that can be accessed by a computer device / system via a communication network. The term "system resources" may refer to any type of shared entity that provides a service, and may include computing resources or network resources. System resources may be viewed as a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and may be clearly identified.

[0027] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for communicating data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier" or any other similar term representing a path or medium through which data is communicated. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection made between two devices for sending and receiving information.

[0028] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0029] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer have an established signaling relationship with each other through a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0030] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure for providing wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, or virtualized network function.

[0031] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0032] Figure 1 1 illustrates a network environment 100 according to some embodiments. The network environment 100 may include a user equipment (UE) 104 communicatively coupled to a base station 108 of a radio access network (RAN). The UE 104 may include a UE 1300 ( Fig.13 ) features. The base station 108 may include a next generation Node B (gNB) 1400 ( Fig.14 ) features. The UE 104 and the base station 108 may communicate over an air interface compatible with a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS), such as those defining interfaces for a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) system or higher. The base station 108 may provide user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 104 through the serving cell 112.

[0033] The base station 108 may send (via broadcast or direct communication) one or more synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) to UEs (such as UE 104) in the network environment 100. The SSBs may be used as reference signals for various synchronization activities by the UE 104. These synchronization activities may include time domain synchronization, frequency synchronization, and / or identification of a serving cell and corresponding key system information (e.g., a set of parameters for a broadcast channel, etc.).

[0034] In some embodiments, UE 104 may be a reduced capability (RedCap) UE that operates with “reduced capability.” These reduced capabilities may mean that UE 104 can only operate in a 20 MHz bandwidth; can only operate in a non-carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC) configuration; and / or can only work using 12-bit radio link control (RLC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) modes, etc.

[0035] Even when a legacy base station supports cells and bandwidth parts (BWP) with bandwidth wider than 20 MHz, the legacy base station 'can' support RedCap UEs (if configured to do so).

[0036] In certain situations where RedCap UEs cannot operate with existing SSBs, the base station 108 'can' broadcast a separate SSB intended for RedCap UEs. For example, consider that a dedicated BWP is configured for a RedCap UE 104, and it is inefficient from a network perspective for the RedCap UE 104 to use a traditional SSB in that BWP. In this case, the base station 108 may configure the UE 104 with a non-cell defined (NCD) SSB. As long as the UE 104 operates in that BWP, the RedCap UE 104 may (only) use this NCD-SSB in CONNECTED mode as if it were a traditional SSB (which may be referred to as a cell defined (CD)-SSB). In some embodiments, the CD-SSB may include information identifying the cell, while the NCD-SSB may omit any information identifying the cell.

[0037] If UE 104 switches to another BWP, it depends on the base station configuration, that is, whether UE 104 should use NCD-SSB or UE 104 should use CD-SSB in the BWP. For example, when UE 104 switches to another BWP, base station 108 can send a configuration message to UE 104 to configure UE 104 to utilize NCD-SSB or CD-SSB.

[0038] NCD-SSB may be configured for each BWP of UE 104. Although BWPs without NCD-SSB are possible. UE 104 may be given a periodicity and / or offset of NCD-SSB relative to CD-SSB. The periodicity and / or offset may be in the time domain. NCD-SSB may have a greater periodicity than conventional CD-SSB.

[0039] A legacy NCD-SSB configuration may have an offset based on a default SSB assumption of a 20 millisecond (ms) periodicity. NCD-SSB may be set to an offset from the existing legacy CD-SSB in increments of half a frame (e.g., 5 ms). In a legacy NCD-SSB configuration, the offset of NCD-SSB is limited to 5 ms, 10 ms, and 15 ms. CD-SSB can have a periodicity of 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, or 160 ms.

[0040] Figure 2 An example SSB information element (IE) 200 is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. The SSB IE 200 may be used to define the periodicity and / or offset of the CD-SSB.

[0041] The SSB IE 200 may include one or more periodicities and corresponding offset selections 202 that a base station (such as base station 108 ( Figure 1 ) and / or gNB 1400( Fig.14 )) may select from these periodicity and offset selections to configure a UE (such as UE 104 ( Figure 1 ) and / or UE 1300( Fig.13 )). The periodicity and / or offset may be a periodicity and / or offset in the time domain. In the illustrated embodiment, the periodicity and corresponding offset selection 202 may include a first selection 204 corresponding to a periodicity of 5 ms, a second selection 206 corresponding to a periodicity of 10 ms, a third selection 208 corresponding to a periodicity of 20 ms, a fourth selection 210 corresponding to a periodicity of 40 ms, a fifth selection 212 corresponding to a periodicity of 80 ms, and a sixth selection 214 corresponding to a periodicity of 160 ms. The base station may select the first selection 204, the second selection 206, the third selection 208, the fourth selection 210, the fifth selection 212, or the sixth selection 214 to be used for CD-SSB. Thus, the base station may configure CD-SSB transmission with a periodicity of 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, or 160 ms.

[0042] Each of the periodicity of the SSB IE 200 and the corresponding offset selections 202 may provide an offset selection for the CD-SSB. In the illustrated embodiment, the first selection 204 may provide an offset value selection from 0 to 4. The second selection 206 may provide an offset value selection from 0 to 9. The third selection 208 may provide an offset value selection from 0 to 19. The fourth selection 210 may provide an offset value selection from 0 to 39. The fifth selection 212 may provide an offset value selection from 0 to 79. The sixth selection 214 may provide an offset value selection from 0 to 159.

[0043] The base station may select a periodicity and an offset from a selection of periodicities and corresponding offsets 202. The base station may send (via broadcast or direct communication) a configuration message with an SSB IE 200 indicating the selected periodicity and offset to configure one or more UEs to receive the CD-SSB. The base station may send the CD-SSB according to the selected periodicity and offset.

[0044] Figure 3 An example NCD-SSB IE 300 is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. The NCD-SSB IE 300 may be used to define the periodicity and / or offset of the NCD-SSB.

[0045] NCD-SSB IE 300 may include a periodicity field 302 and a time offset field 304. Periodicity field 302 may be used to define the periodicity of NCD-SSB transmission. Periodicity may be periodicity in the time domain. In the illustrated embodiment, periodicity field 302 may include options for periods of 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, and 160ms for NCD-SSB. One of the periods from periodicity field 302 may be selected for NCD-SSB. Time offset field 304 may be used to define the time offset of NCD-SSB transmission. The time offset may be a time offset in the time domain. In the illustrated embodiment, time offset field 304 may include options for time offsets of 5ms, 10ms, and 15ms for NCD-SSB. One of the time offsets from time offset field 304 may be selected for NCD-SSB.

[0046] A base station (such as base station 108 ( Figure 1 ) and / or gNB 1400( Fig.14 )) may select a period from the periodicity field 302 and a time offset from the time offset field 304. The base station may generate a configuration message including an NCD-SSB IE 300 indicating the selected period and the selected time offset, and may send the configuration message to one or more UEs (via broadcast or direct communication) to configure the UEs to receive the NCD-SSB. The base station may then send the NCD-SSB transmission according to the selected period and the selected time offset.

[0047] Figure 4 An example resource graph 400 showing an SSB arrangement according to some embodiments is illustrated. Specifically, the resource graph 400 illustrates example radio resources for CD-SSB transmissions and NCD-SSB transmissions according to some embodiments.

[0048] Resource diagram 400 includes CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 402. CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 402 illustrates radio resources that may be used for CD-SSB transmissions. In the illustrated embodiment, CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a periodicity of 20 ms and an offset value of 0. In addition, CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a duration of 5 ms. Radio frame 404 may have a duration of 10 ms. Thus, CD-SSB transmissions may have a duration of half of radio frame 406. In the illustrated embodiment, a first CD-SSB transmission 408 is transmitted at the beginning of CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 402, a second CD-SSB transmission 410 is transmitted 20 ms after the first CD-SSB transmission 408, a third CD-SSB transmission 412 is transmitted 20 ms after the second CD-SSB transmission 410, and a fourth CD-SSB transmission 414 is transmitted 20 ms after the third CD-SSB transmission 412.

[0049] Resource diagram 400 includes NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 416. NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 416 illustrates some examples of radio resources with which NCD-SSB transmissions can be sent based on different configurations. The radio resources used for NCD-SSB transmissions can be based on a configured offset. The offset can be determined by an NCD-SSB IE (such as NCD-SSB IE 300 ( Figure 3 )) can be configured and can be configured with an offset value of 5ms, 10ms or 15ms. The offset can be measured from the CD-SSB. In the illustrated embodiment, the offset of the illustrated NCD-SSB transmission can be relative to the first CD-SSB transmission 408. The NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 416 illustrates possible times for NCD-SSB transmissions based on possible offsets. Specifically, the NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 416 illustrates a first NCD-SSB resource 418 corresponding to an offset of 5ms, a second NCD-SSB resource 420 corresponding to an offset of 10ms, and a third NCD-SSB resource 422 corresponding to an offset of 15ms. The NCD-SSB transmission can be sent by any one of the three NCD-SSB resources based on the offset configured by the base station.

[0050] If the CD-SSB has a periodicity greater than 20 ms, then conventional signaling may not provide the UE with an accurate offset. As can be seen from resource diagram 400, the resources for NCD-SSB are limited. In instances where the periodicity of CD-SSB is greater than the illustrated 20 ms, there may be additional resources available for transmission that cannot be used for NCD-SSB transmissions because the offset is limited to 5 ms, 10 ms, or 15 ms.

[0051] Figure 5 Another example resource diagram 500 showing an SSB arrangement according to some embodiments is illustrated. Specifically, resource diagram 500 illustrates example resources for CD-SSB transmission and NCD-SSB transmission according to some embodiments.

[0052] Resource diagram 500 includes CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 502. CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 502 illustrates radio resources that may be used for CD-SSB transmissions. In the illustrated embodiment, CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a periodicity of 40 ms and an offset value of 0. In addition, CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a duration of 5 ms. Radio frame 504 may have a duration of 10 ms. Thus, CD-SSB transmissions may have a duration of half that of radio frame 506. In the illustrated embodiment, a first CD-SSB transmission 508 is transmitted at the beginning of CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 502, and a second CD-SSB transmission 510 is transmitted 40 ms after the first CD-SSB transmission 508.

[0053] Resource diagram 500 includes NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 512. NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 512 illustrates examples of some resources with which NCD-SSB transmissions can be sent based on different configurations. The radio resources used for NCD-SSB transmissions can be based on a configured offset. The offset can be determined by an NCD-SSB IE (such as NCD-SSB IE 300 ( Figure 3 )) can be configured and can be configured with an offset value of 5ms, 10ms, or 15ms. The offset can be measured from the CD-SSB. In the illustrated embodiment, the offset of the illustrated NCD-SSB transmission can be relative to the first CD-SSB transmission 508. The NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 512 illustrates possible radio resources for NCD-SSB transmissions based on possible offsets. Specifically, the NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 512 illustrates a first NCD-SSB radio resource 514 corresponding to an offset of 5ms, a second NCD-SSB radio resource 516 corresponding to an offset of 10ms, and a third NCD-SSB radio resource 518 corresponding to an offset of 15ms. The NCD-SSB transmission can be sent on any one of the three NCD-SSB radio resources based on the offset configured by the base station.

[0054] As can be seen from resource chart 500, the radio resources available for NCD-SSB transmissions based on 5ms, 10ms, and 15ms offsets are the first three radio resources after the CD-SSB transmission is used as a reference. However, since the periodicity of CD-SSB is 40ms, the offset based on NCD-SSB is limited to 5ms, 10ms, and 15ms, and there are additional radio resources between adjacent CD-SSB transmissions that cannot be used for NCD-SSB. For example, see Figure 5 The radio resources within the NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 512 of FIG. 5 , where the CD-SSB periodicity is 40 ms. With conventional signaling, NCD-SSB is limited to the three radio resources shown, and the radio resources marked with an X in the NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 512 cannot be used.

[0055] UEs and networks (NWs) implementing legacy versions of TS may not understand any future changes to the specification. For example, UEs implementing current versions of TS may not be configured with NCD-SSBs having an offset greater than 15 ms. Specifically, legacy NCD-SSB IEs (such as NCD-SSB IE 300 ( Figure 3 ) may not be defined to have an offset greater than 15 ms for NCD-SSB, and attempts to enter an offset greater than 15 ms into the legacy NCD-SSB IE may cause problems and / or errors in the 3GPP network due to the inability of UEs and / or network elements within the network to interpret and implement offsets greater than 15 ms.

[0056] Even in the case where the network and UE support processing CD-SSB with a periodicity greater than 20ms and NCD-SSB with a periodicity greater than 20ms, there is ambiguity in how the UE references the CD-SSB / NCD-SSB offset for legacy signaling. For example, the network and / or UE may not be able to determine the CD-SSB to which the offset for the NCD-SSB will be applied to determine the radio resources for the NCD-SSB.

[0057] Figure 6 Another example resource diagram 600 showing an SSB arrangement according to some embodiments is illustrated. Specifically, resource diagram 600 illustrates example resources for CD-SSB transmission and NCD-SSB transmission according to some embodiments.

[0058] Resource diagram 600 includes CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 602. CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 602 may be used for resources for CD-SSB transmissions. In the illustrated embodiment, CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a periodicity of 80 ms and an offset value of 0. In addition, CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a duration of 5 ms. Radio frame 604 may have a duration of 10 ms. Thus, CD-SSB transmissions may have a duration of half a radio frame. In the illustrated embodiment, a first CD-SSB transmission 606 is transmitted at a first time. A second CD-SSB transmission 608 is transmitted 80 ms after the first CD-SSB transmission 606, and a second CD-SSB transmission 610 is transmitted 80 ms after the second CD-SSB transmission 608.

[0059] Resource diagram 600 includes NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 612. NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 612 illustrates examples of some resources with which NCD-SSB transmissions can be sent based on different configurations. In the illustrated embodiment, NCD-SSB can be configured with an offset of 120ms. However, a UE configured with an offset of 120ms may not know which CD-SSB the offset for NCD-SSB will be applied to. In the illustrated embodiment, NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 612 includes a first NCD-SSB radio resource 614 and a second NCD-SSB radio resource 616. The first NCD-SSB radio resource 614 is offset by 120ms from the first CD-SSB transmission 606. The second NCD-SSB radio resource 616 is offset by 120ms from the second CD-SSB transmission 608. However, the configuration of the offset for NCD-SSB may only involve one of the first CD-SSB transmission 606 or the second CD-SSB transmission 608. Therefore, only one of the first NCD-SSB radio resource 614 and the second NCD-SSB radio resource 616 may be used by the base station for NCD-SSB transmission, although the UE may not know which one of the first NCD-SSB radio resource 614 and the second NCD-SSB radio resource 616 will be used by the base station for NCD-SSB transmission. For example, a UE using conventional signaling may not know that there is a position to be assumed for NCD-SSB between the first NCD-SSB radio resource 614 and the second NCD-SSB radio resource 616.

[0060] Various embodiments describe configurations of NCD-SSB to provide greater flexibility. A network (eg, base station 108 ( Figure 1)) can configure an offset that satisfies all legal CD-SSB configurations so that the NCD-SSB can be offset to that extent. Specifically, the NCD-SSB can be offset to 40ms, 80ms, and 160ms CD-SSB periodicities. The configuration corresponding to the 40ms CD-SSB periodicity can carry NCD-SSB offset values ​​from 5ms to 35ms. The configuration corresponding to the 80ms CD-SSB periodicity can carry NCD-SSB offset values ​​from 5ms to 75ms. The configuration corresponding to the 160ms CD-SSB periodicity can carry NCD-SSB offset values ​​from 5ms to 155ms. For example, in an instance where the periodicity of the CD-SSB is 40ms, an NCD-SSB IE (such as NCD-SSB IE300( Figure 3 )) can have offset values ​​of 5ms, 10ms, 15ms, 20ms, 25ms, 30ms, and 35ms. In an example where the periodicity of CD-SSB is 80ms, the NCD-SSB IE can have offset values ​​of 5ms, 10ms, 15ms, 20ms, 25ms, 30ms, 35ms, 40ms, 45ms, 50ms, 55ms, 60ms, 65ms, 70ms, and 75ms. In an instance where the periodicity of CD-SSB is 160ms, the NCD-SSB IE can have offset values ​​of 5ms, 10ms, 15ms, 20ms, 25ms, 30ms, 35ms, 40ms, 45ms, 50ms, 55ms, 60ms, 65ms, 70ms, 75ms, 80ms, 85ms, 90ms, 95ms, 100ms, 105ms, 110ms, 115ms, 120ms, 125ms, 130ms, 135ms, 140ms, 145ms, 150ms, and 155ms.

[0061] The configuration that carries the offset for the NCD-SSB may also carry a reference SSB from which the offset will be calculated. For example, a configuration message indicating an offset for the NCD-SSB may indicate which CD-SSB will be used as a reference for the offset. This may be signaled in a variety of different ways, according to various embodiments. Where UE 104 ( Figure 1 ) The window assuming the start of a CD-SSB may be based on the maximum of the periodicity of the CD-SSB and NCD-SSB, and an offset may be applied from the first CD-SSB in the window. The window start may be given with explicit signaling with a system frame number (SFN) / timeslot value, or the window start may come from a CD-SSB with SFN / timeslot 0.

[0062] Figure 7Another example resource graph 700 showing SSB placement according to some embodiments is illustrated. Specifically, the resource graph 700 illustrates example resources for CD-SSB transmission and NCD-SSB transmission according to some embodiments. The resource graph 700 also illustrates a method for determining which CD-SSB to apply an offset of the NCD-SSB to in order to determine in which radio resource the NCD-SSB will be transmitted.

[0063] Resource diagram 700 includes a CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 702. CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 702 illustrates resources that may be used for CD-SSB transmissions. In the illustrated embodiment, the CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a periodicity 704 of 80 ms and an offset value of 0. Additionally, the CD-SSB transmissions may be configured with a duration of 5 ms. In the illustrated embodiment, a first CD-SSB transmission 706 is transmitted within a first radio resource within the CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 702. A second CD-SSB transmission 708 is transmitted 80 ms after the first CD-SSB transmission 706, and a third CD-SSB transmission 710 is transmitted 80 ms after the second CD-SSB transmission 708. The first radio resource in which the first CD-SSB transmission 706 is transmitted may be associated with a SFN value of 0 or a time slot value of 0.

[0064] Resource diagram 700 includes NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 712. NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 712 illustrates resources with which NCD-SSB transmissions can be sent based on a configuration. The radio resources used for NCD-SSB transmissions can be based on a configured offset. The offset can be determined by an NCD-SSB IE (such as NCD-SSB IE 300 ( Figure 3 )) can be configured. In the illustrated embodiment, the offset can be configured for 120ms. In the illustrated embodiment, a first NCD-SSB radio resource 714, a second NCD-SSB radio resource 716, and a third NCD-SSB radio resource 718 are illustrated in the NCD-SSB radio resource arrangement 712. The first NCD-SSB radio resource 714 can be offset by 120ms from the CD-SSB sent before the radio resource shown in the CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 702. The second NCD-SSB radio resource 716 can be offset by 120ms from the first CD-SSB transmission 706. The third NCD-SSB radio resource 718 can be offset by 120ms from the second CD-SSB transmission 708.

[0065] Although three NCD-SSB radio resources are illustrated, the base station may be configured to transmit NCD-SSB only during a portion of the three NCD-SSB radio resources. For example, the base station may be configured to reference an offset for NCD-SSB using a portion of the CD-SSB transmission within the CD-SSB radio resource arrangement 702.

[0066] A UE coupled to a base station may determine which CD-SSB will be used for an offset of an NCD-SSB based on information related to CD-SSB transmission. For example, the UE may determine a window 720 in which the CD-SSB to be used for the offset will be located. Window 720 may define a time period in which the CD-SSB to be used for the offset will be received. In some embodiments, window 720 may have a duration based on a maximum value of the periodicity of the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB. Specifically, the duration of window 720 may be equal to the larger of the periodicity of the CD-SSB or the periodicity of the NCD-SSB. In some embodiments, the start of window 720 may be indicated by explicit signaling, wherein the explicit signaling may indicate the SFN or time slot value at which window 720 is to start. In other embodiments, window 720 starts with a CD-SSB associated with SFN or time slot value 0. The UE may determine that the first CD-SSB occurring within the window is the CD-SSB to which the offset of the NCD-SSB will be applied.

[0067] In the illustrated embodiment, window 720 may have been configured to start from a CD-SSB associated with SFN 0. In the illustrated embodiment, first CD-SSB transmission 706 may be associated with SFN 0. Based on window 720 being configured to start from a CD-SSB associated with SFN 0 and first CD-SSB transmission 706 being associated with SFN 0, the UE may determine that window 720 will start from first CD-SSB transmission 706.

[0068] The UE may compare the periodicity of the CD-SSB with the periodicity of the NCD-SSB to determine the duration of the window 720. The UE may determine that the duration of the window 720 is equal to the larger of the periodicity of the CD-SSB and the periodicity of the NCD-SSB. In the illustrated embodiment, the CD-SSB may be configured with a periodicity of 80ms and the NCD-SSB may be configured with a periodicity of 120ms. The UE may compare the periodicities and determine that the periodicity of the NCD-SSB of 120ms is the larger of the periodicities. The UE may determine that the duration of the window 720 will be equal to 120ms based on the NCD-SSB having a larger periodicity of 120ms. The UE may define the window to run for a duration of 120ms from the start of the first CD-SSB transmission 706.

[0069] In the illustrated embodiment, the UE may determine that the first CD-SSB transmission 706 and the second CD-SSB transmission 708 are within the window 720. The UE may be configured to determine that the first CD-SSB transmission within the window will be used as the CD-SSB to which the offset will be applied to determine the radio resources to be used for the NCD-SSB transmission. When the first CD-SSB transmission 706 is received before the second CD-SSB transmission 708, the UE may determine that the first CD-SSB transmission 706 is the first CD-SSB transmission within the window.

[0070] The UE may apply an offset to the first CD-SSB transmission within the window to determine the radio resources in which the NCD-SSB is to be received. In the illustrated embodiment, the UE may apply the configured 120ms offset to the first CD-SSB transmission 706 to determine the radio resources for the NCD-SSB. Applying the 120ms offset to the first CD-SSB transmission 706 may indicate that the second NCD-SSB radio resource 716 is the radio resource in which the NCD-SSB is to be received. Since the second CD-SSB transmission 708 is the second CD-SSB within the window 720, and the third NCD-SSB radio resource 718 is defined based on applying the 120ms offset to the second CD-SSB transmission 708, the UE may determine that the NCD-SSB is not received within the third NCD-SSB radio resource 718 (as indicated by the "X" below the radio resource) because the second CD-SSB transmission 708 will not be used to determine the NCD-SSB.

[0071] In instances where the window 720 is defined to start from a CD-SSB associated with a SFN value of 0 or a time slot value of 0, it should be understood that the CD-SSB associated with a SFN value of 0 or a time slot value of 0 will be the first CD-SSB within the window 720. Therefore, it should be understood that in these instances, an offset will be applied from the CD-SSB associated with a SFN value of 0 or a time slot value of 0 to determine when an NCD-SSB will be received. Therefore, the UE may determine that an offset will be applied to the first CD-SSB transmission 706 to determine when an NCD-SSB will be received based on the first CD-SSB transmission 706 associated with a SFN value of 0 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0072] The UE may be configured with information to determine which CD-SSB will be used to determine when the NCD-SSB will be received. The base station may send the NCD-SSB IE to the UE to configure the UE to determine when the NCD-SSB will be received.

[0073] Figure 8An example NCD-SSB IE 800 is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. The NCD-SSB IE 800 may be used to configure an NCD-SSB with an offset greater than 15 ms. For example, a base station (such as base station 108 ( Figure 1 ) and / or gNB 1400( Fig.14 )) may provide a UE (such as UE 104 ( Figure 1 ) and / or UE 1300( Fig.13 )) Send NCD-SSB IE 800 to configure the UE for an offset for NCD-SSB greater than 15 ms. The base station may send NCD-SSB IE 800 to the UE in a configuration message.

[0074] The NCD-SSB IE 800 may include a periodicity field 802. The periodicity field 802 may be used to define the periodicity of the NCD-SSB. The periodicity field 802 may provide one or more values ​​that can be selected for the periodicity used for the NCD-SSB. In the illustrated embodiment, the periodicity field 802 can allow for the selection of a periodicity of 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. The NCD-SSB IE 800 may be sent with one of the values ​​in the periodicity field 802 to define the periodicity of the NCD-SSB.

[0075] The NCD-SSB IE 800 may include a first time offset field 804. The first time offset field 804 may be used to define an offset for the NCD-SSB for UEs that do not support an offset greater than 15 ms. For example, the first time offset field 804 may allow the NCD-SSB IE 800 to be backward compatible with UEs that support a legacy method for configuring an offset for the NCD-SSB. The first time offset field 804 may allow selection of an offset of 5 ms, 10 ms, and 15 ms. The NCD-SSB IE 800 may be sent along with one of the values ​​in the first time offset field 804 to define the offset of the NCD-SSB. In an embodiment where the NCD-SSB IE 800 is sent to a UE that supports an offset greater than 15 ms, the first time offset field 804 may be omitted from the NCD-SSB IE 800.

[0076] The NCD-SSB IE 800 may include a second time offset field 806. The second time offset field 806 may be used to define an offset for the NCD-SSB for UEs that support an offset greater than 15 ms. The second time offset field 806 may allow selection of an offset of 5 ms, 10 ms, 15 ms, 20 ms, 25 ms, 30 ms, 35 ms, 40 ms, 45 ms, 50 ms, 55 ms, 60 ms, 65 ms, 70 ms, 75 ms, 80 ms, 85 ms, 90 ms, 95 ms, 100 ms, 105 ms, 110 ms, 115 ms, 120 ms, 125 ms, 130 ms, 135 ms, 140 ms, 145 ms, 150 ms, and 155 seconds. The NCD-SSB IE 800 may be sent with one of the values ​​in the second time offset field 806 to define the offset for the NCD-SSB. In an embodiment where the NCD-SSB IE 800 is sent to a UE that does not support an offset greater than 15 ms, the second time offset field 806 may be omitted from the NCD-SSB IE 800 .

[0077] NCD-SSB IE 800 may include SFN field 808. SFN field 808 may be used to define a window (such as window 720 ( Figure 7 )) The SFN to start from and / or the CD-SSB to which the offset of the NCD-SSB is to be applied. The SFN field 808 may indicate the SFN number for the start of the window and / or the CD-SSB. In the illustrated embodiment, for the SFN field 808, the SFN value can be selected as a value between 0 and 1023. The NCD-SSB IE 800 may be sent along with one of the values ​​in the SFN field 808 to define the SFN to be used to start the window and / or select the CD-SSB to apply the offset from.

[0078] Fig. 9 An example NCD-SSB IE 900 is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. The NCD-SSB IE 900 may be used to configure an NCD-SSB with an offset greater than 15 ms. For example, a base station (such as base station 108 ( Figure 1 ) and / or gNB 1400( Fig.14 )) may provide a UE (such as UE 104 ( Figure 1 ) and / or UE 1300( Fig.13 )) Send NCD-SSB IE 800 to configure the UE for an offset for NCD-SSB greater than 15 ms. The base station may send NCD-SSB IE 900 to the UE in a configuration message.

[0079] The NCD-SSB IE 900 may include a periodicity field 902. The periodicity field 902 may be used to define the periodicity of the NCD-SSB. The periodicity field 902 may provide one or more values ​​that can be selected for the periodicity used for the NCD-SSB. In the illustrated embodiment, the periodicity field 902 can allow for the selection of a periodicity of 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. The NCD-SSB IE 900 may be sent with one of the values ​​in the periodicity field 902 to define the periodicity of the NCD-SSB.

[0080] The NCD-SSB IE 900 may include a first time offset field 904. The first time offset field 904 may be used to define an offset for the NCD-SSB for UEs that do not support an offset greater than 15 ms. For example, the first time offset field 904 may allow the NCD-SSB IE 900 to be backward compatible with UEs that support a legacy method for configuring an offset for the NCD-SSB. The first time offset field 904 may allow selection of an offset of 5 ms, 10 ms, and 15 ms. The NCD-SSB IE 900 may be sent along with one of the values ​​in the first time offset field 904 to define the offset of the NCD-SSB. In an embodiment where the NCD-SSB IE 900 is sent to a UE that supports an offset greater than 15 ms, the first time offset field 904 may be omitted from the NCD-SSB IE 900.

[0081] The NCD-SSB IE 900 may include a second time offset field 906. The second time offset field 906 may be used to define an offset for the NCD-SSB for UEs that support an offset greater than 15 ms. The second time offset field 906 may allow selection of an offset of 5 ms, 10 ms, 15 ms, 20 ms, 25 ms, 30 ms, 35 ms, 40 ms, 45 ms, 50 ms, 55 ms, 60 ms, 65 ms, 70 ms, 75 ms, 80 ms, 85 ms, 90 ms, 95 ms, 100 ms, 105 ms, 110 ms, 115 ms, 120 ms, 125 ms, 130 ms, 135 ms, 140 ms, 145 ms, 150 ms, and 155 seconds. The NCD-SSB IE 900 may be sent with one of the values ​​in the second time offset field 906 to define the offset for the NCD-SSB. In an embodiment where the NCD-SSB IE 900 is sent to a UE that does not support an offset greater than 15 ms, the second time offset field 906 may be omitted from the NCD-SSB IE 900 .

[0082] For the NCD-SSB IE 900, the UE may apply an offset relative to the CD-SSB transmission from SFN 0. For example, the UE may identify the CD-SSB transmission associated with SFN value 0. The UE may apply the offset indicated in the first time offset field 904 and / or the second time offset field 906 to the CD-SSB transmission associated with SFN value 0 to determine when the NCD-SSB will be received.

[0083] Fig.10 A signaling diagram 1000 according to some embodiments is illustrated. Specifically, the signaling diagram 1000 illustrates example signals and / or operations that can be sent and / or performed within a network for configuring an offset for NCD-SSB according to the methods described by the present disclosure. In the signaling diagram 1000, the UE may indicate support for configuration of NCD-SSB offsets for all legal CD-SSB configurations. If the UE indicates that it supports a new offset configuration, the network may only configure the UE with the new offset configuration.

[0084] Signaling diagram 1000 may include UE 1002. UE 1002 may include UE 104 ( Figure 1 ) and / or UE 1300( Fig.13 ) features. UE 1002 may be a RedCap UE. Therefore, UE 1002 may have reduced capabilities, such as operating in 20MHz BW.

[0085] Signaling diagram 1000 may include base station 1004. Base station 1004 may include base station 108 ( Figure 1 ) and / or gNB 1400( Fig.14 ) features. The base station 1004 may operate a cell, which may be a new radio (NR) cell.

[0086] Signaling diagram 1000 may include a core network (CN) 1006. CN 1006 may include one or more hardware elements and / or one or more software elements capable of providing connectivity to the Internet and / or to one or more application servers.

[0087] At 1026, base station 1004 may broadcast system information (SI) to one or more UEs, such as UE 1002. The SI may include access restrictions in system information block 1 (SIB1). The access restrictions may be used to determine which UEs can access the network via base station 1004.

[0088] UE 1002 may receive SI sent by base station 1004. In 1008, UE 1002 may determine whether access criteria are met. If UE 1002 determines that access criteria for base station 1004 are met, UE 1002 may initiate registration procedure 1010.

[0089] The registration procedure 1010 may include performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure 1012 between the UE 1002 and the base station 1004. The RACH procedure 1012 may enable establishment of a RACH connection between the UE 1002 and the base station 1004.

[0090] Based on the RACH procedure 1012, the base station 1004 may query the CN 1006 to determine whether the CN 1006 has information indicating whether the UE 1002 supports the NCD-SSB IE described herein that includes an NCD-SSB offset greater than 15 ms (referred to as the "Extended NCD-SSB IE" for clarity). If the CN 1006 has information about whether the UE 1002 supports the Extended NCD-SSB IE, the CN 1006 may respond with an indication of whether the UE 1002 supports the Extended NCD-SSB IE. If the CN 1006 does not have information about whether the UE 1002 supports the Extended NCD-SSB IE, the CN 1006 may respond with an indication that the CN 1006 does not have information about whether the UE 1002 supports the Extended NCD-SSB IE.

[0091] The base station 1004 may receive an indication from the CN 1006 indicating whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE or the CN 1006 does not have information about whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE. In 1016, the base station 1004 may determine whether the CN 1006 has information about whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE. If the indication from the CN 1006 indicates whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE, the registration procedure 1010 may be completed and the flow proceeds to 1024. If the indication from the CN 1006 indicates that the CN 1006 does not have information about whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE, the registration procedure 1010 continues.

[0092] In an instance where the registration procedure 1010 continues after 1016, the base station 1004 may send a UE capability query 1018 to the UE 1002. The UE capability query 1018 may query whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE.

[0093] The UE 1002 may receive a UE capability query 1018 from the base station 1004. The UE 1002 may send UE capability information 1020 to the base station 1004 based on the UE capability query 1018. The UE capability information may indicate whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE.

[0094] The base station 1004 may receive UE capability information from the UE 1002. The base station 1004 may determine whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE based on the UE capability information. The base station 1004 may also send the UE capability information, or an indication of whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE, to the CN 1006. The CN 1006 may store the UE capability and / or the indication of whether the UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE for future use. The registration procedure 1010 may be completed after the UE capability information or indication is sent to the CN 1006.

[0095] Configuration procedure 1024 may be performed to configure UE 1002 and base station 1004 based on UE capabilities of UE 1002. For example, UE 1002 and base station 1004 may be configured based on whether UE 1002 supports extended NCD-SSB IE.

[0096] As part of the configuration procedure 1024, the base station 1004 may send a message having an NCD-SSB IE (such as NCD-SSB IE 800 ( Figure 8 ) and / or NCD-SSB IE 900( Fig. 9 )) to configure UE 1002 to receive NCD-SSB. In an instance where UE 1002 does not support the extended NCD-SSB IE, the NCD-SSB IE sent by base station 1004 may include a backward compatible time offset field, such as the first time offset field 804 ( Figure 8 ) and / or the first time offset field 904 ( Fig. 9 In an instance where UE 1002 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE, the NCD-SSB IE sent by base station 1004 may include a time offset field capable of indicating a time offset greater than 15 ms, such as the second time offset field 806 ( Figure 8 ) and / or the second time offset field 906 ( Fig. 9). The UE 1002 may determine when the NCD-SSB will be received, and the base station 1004 may send the NCD-SSB based on the information provided in the NCD-SSB IE. For example, the UE 1002 may utilize one or more of the methods described throughout the present disclosure to determine when the NCD-SSB will be received based on the periodicity and / or offset indicated in the NCD-SSB IE.

[0097] As part of the configuration procedure 1024, the base station 1004 may also provide the UE 1002 with an SSB IE (such as SSB IE 200 ( Figure 2 )). The base station 1004 may provide the SSB IE in the same configuration message as the NCD-SSB IE or in a configuration message different from the NCD-SSB IE. The UE 1002 may determine the periodicity and / or offset of the CD-SSB based on the SSB IE. In addition, the base station 1004 may send the CD-SSB according to the periodicity and offset indicated in the SSB IE.

[0098] Fig.11 104( a) and 105( b) illustrate a UE capability IE 1100 according to some embodiments. The UE capability IE 1100 may be used to indicate whether the UE supports the extended NCD-SSB IE. For example, a UE (such as UE 104( Figure 1 ) and / or UE 1300( Fig.13 )) may send a signal to a base station (such as base station 108 ( Figure 1 ) and / or gNB 1400( Fig.14 )) sends the UE capability IE 1100 to indicate whether the UE supports the extended NCD-SSB IE. The UE may use the UE capability IE 1100 as UE capability information (such as UE capability information 1020 ( Figure 1 )) to send as part of the message.

[0099] The UE Capability IE 1100 may include a RedCap Long Offset Support field 1102. The RedCap Long Offset Support field 1102 may indicate whether the UE supports the Extended NCD-SSB IE. In some embodiments, the RedCap Long Offset Support field 1102 may be set to a first value to indicate that the UE supports the Extended NCD-SSB IE, and may be set to a second value to indicate that the UE does not support the Extended NCD-SSB IE. In other embodiments, the RedCap Long Offset Support field 1102 may be included in the UE Capability IE 1100 to indicate that the UE supports the Extended NCD-SSB IE, and may be omitted from the UE Capability IE 1100 to indicate that the UE does not support the Extended NCD-SSB IE.

[0100] The UE may indicate that it supports configuration of NCD-SSB offsets for all legal CD-SSB configurations. For example, the UE may use UE Capability IE 1100 to indicate whether the UE supports extended NCD-SSB, which provides NCD-SSB offsets for all legal CD-SSB configurations. If the UE indicates support for this case, the network (NW) may configure the UE with only the new offset configuration. If the UE does not support this case, but the NW supports it, the NCD_SSB configured to the UE will be within 3 half frames of the CD-SSB, or there will be no offset in the time domain. For example, if the UE indicates that it does not support extended NCD-SSB, even if the NW supports extended NCD-SSB, the NW may use NCD-SSB to configure the UE with no offset, an offset of 5ms, an offset of 10ms, or an offset of 15ms.

[0101] Fig.12 A signaling diagram 1200 is illustrated according to some embodiments. The signaling diagram 1200 may illustrate concepts related to UE capabilities to handle new offsets across various base stations. For example, the signaling diagram 1200 illustrates example signals and / or operations that can be sent and / or performed as part of a handover to indicate whether the extended NCD-SSB IE is supported.

[0102] The network nodes (e.g., source and target base stations) may exchange the capability and ensure that all UEs supporting the new offset are configured for its use. If a RedCap UE that does not support the long offset feature is handed over to a target base station, the UE may assume that the target base station understands that the UE does not support the long offset feature and the long offset configuration may not be configured for the UE.

[0103] The signaling diagram 1200 may include a UE 1202. The UE 1202 may include a UE 104 ( Figure 1 ) and / or UE 1300( Fig.13 ) features. UE 1202 may be a RedCap UE. Therefore, UE 1202 may have reduced capabilities, such as operating in 20MHz BW.

[0104] The signaling diagram 1200 may include a source base station 1204. The source base station 1204 may include a base station 108 ( Figure 1 ) and / or gNB1400( Fig.14 )'s features. At the beginning of signaling diagram 1200, UE 1202 may establish a connection with source base station 1204.

[0105] The signaling diagram 1200 may include a target base station 1206. The target base station 1206 may include one or more of the features of the base station 108 and / or the gNB 1400. The handover may be a transition of the connection between the UE 1202 and the source base station 1204 to a connection between the UE 1202 and the target base station 1206.

[0106] The source base station 1204 may send a UE capability query 1208 to the UE 1202. The UE capability query 1208 may query whether the UE 1202 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE.

[0107] UE 1202 may receive UE capability query 1208. UE 1202 may send UE capability information 1210 to source base station 1204 to indicate whether UE 1202 supports extended NCD-SSB IE. UE capability information 1210 may include a UE capability IE (such as UE capability IE 1100 ( Fig.11 )).

[0108] The source base station 1204 may perform a handover preparation negotiation 1212 with the target base station 1206. The handover preparation negotiation 1212 may prepare the target base station 1206 for handing over the connection with the UE 1202.

[0109] The source base station 1204 may send a UE capability container message 1214 to the target base station 1206. The UE capability container message 1214 may indicate the capabilities of the UE 1202. For example, the UE capability container message 1214 may indicate whether the UE 1202 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE.

[0110] The target base station 1206 may identify a UE capabilities container message 1214 received from the source base station 1204. The target base station 1206 may determine whether the UE 1202 supports the extended NCD-SSB IE based on the UE capabilities container message 1214. The target base station 1206 may send a target base station configuration message 1216 to the source base station 1204. In instances where the target base station 1206 determines that the UE 1202 supports the NCD-SSB IE, the target base station configuration message 1216 may include an extended NCD-SSB IE that indicates an offset and / or periodicity for NCD-SSB provided by the target base station 1206 and / or may indicate an offset and / or periodicity greater than 15 ms for NCD-SSB provided by the target base station 1206.

[0111] The source base station 1204 may identify the target base station configuration message 1216 received from the target base station 1206. In instances where the target base station configuration message 1216 includes an indication of an extended NCD-SSB IE and / or an offset and / or a periodicity, the source base station 1204 may identify the extended NCD-SSB IE and / or the offset and / or the periodicity.

[0112] The source base station 1204 may send a handover configuration message 1218 to the UE 1202. The handover configuration message 1218 may configure the UE 1202 for handover to the target base station 1206. In instances where the source base station 1204 identifies an extended NCD-SSB IE and / or an offset and / or a periodicity in the target base station configuration message 1216, the handover configuration message 1218 may include an extended NCD-SSB IE indicating an offset and / or a periodicity for an NCD-SSB provided by the target base station 1206.

[0113] The UE 1202 may identify a handover configuration message 1218 received from the source base station 1204. The UE 1202 may identify the extended NCD-SSB IE in the handover configuration message 1218. The UE 1202 may determine an offset and / or periodicity for the NCD-SSB to be provided by the target base station 1206. Based on the offset and / or periodicity, the UE 1202 may determine when the NCD-SSB will be sent by the target base station 1206. Thus, the UE 1202 may be configured for the NCD-SSB to be sent by the target base station 1206 when the UE's connection is transferred to the target base station 1206. Configuring the UE 1202 for the NCD-SSB prior to handover to the target base station 1206 may allow the UE 1202 to synchronize with the target base station 1206 more quickly than if the configuration is performed after the handover.

[0114] Fig.13 An example of an example UE 1300 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 1300 can be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (e.g., microphone, carbon dioxide sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensor, thermometer, motion sensor, accelerometer, laser scanner, fluid level sensor, inventory sensor, voltage / current meter, actuator, etc.), video monitoring / surveillance equipment (e.g., camera, camcorder, etc.), a wearable device (e.g., smart watch), a loose IoT device. In some embodiments, UE 1300 can be a RedCap UE or an NR-Light UE.

[0115] UE 1300 may include a processor 1304, RF interface circuitry 1308, memory / storage 1312, a user interface 1316, a sensor 1320, a driver circuit 1322, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1324, antenna structures 1326, and a battery 1328. The components of UE 1300 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion of an integrated circuit, a discrete electronic device or other module, logic component, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Fig.13 The block diagram of UE 1300 is intended to show a high-level view of certain of the components of UE 1300. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0116] Components of UE 1300 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1332, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extended), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that allows various circuit components (on a common or different chip or chipset) to interact with each other.

[0117] The processor 1304 may include processor circuits such as, for example, a baseband processor circuit (BB) 1304A, a central processor unit circuit (CPU) 1304B, and a graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 1304C. The processor 1304 may include any type of circuit or processor circuit that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program codes, software modules, or functional processes from the memory / storage device 1312) to cause the UE 1300 to perform operations as described herein.

[0118] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit 1304A can access the communication protocol stack 1336 in the memory / storage device 1312 to communicate through a 3GPP compatible network. Generally speaking, the baseband processor circuit 1304A can access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access layer. In some embodiments, the PHY layer operations can be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the RF interface circuit 1308.

[0119] The baseband processor circuit 1304A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compatible network. In some embodiments, the waveforms used for NR may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0120] The memory / storage 1312 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions (e.g., the communication protocol stack 1336) that may be executed by one or more processors in the processor 1304 to cause the UE 1300 to perform various operations described herein. The memory / storage 1312 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 1300. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 1312 may be located on the processor 1304 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 1312 is located external to the processor 1304 but accessible via a memory interface. The memory / storage 1312 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0121] The RF interface circuit 1308 may include a transceiver circuit and a radio frequency front end module (RFEM), which allows the UE 1300 to communicate with other devices through a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 1308 may include various elements arranged in a transmit path or a receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, etc.

[0122] In the receive path, the RFEM can receive the radiated signal from the air interface via the antenna structure 1326 and continue to filter and amplify the signal (using a low noise amplifier). The signal can be provided to the receiver of the transceiver, which down-converts the RF signal to a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processor 1304.

[0123] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before the signal is radiated across the air interface via the antenna 1326.

[0124] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit 1308 can be configured to send / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technology.

[0125] Antenna 1326 may include antenna elements to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. These antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. Antenna 1326 may have an antenna panel that is omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to achieve beamforming and multiple input / multiple output communications. Antenna 1326 may include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna manufactured on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, etc. Antenna 1326 may have one or more panels that are designed for a specific frequency band including a band in FR1 or FR2.

[0126] The user interface circuit 1316 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable a user to interact with the UE 1300. The user interface 1316 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for accepting input, including in particular one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., reset buttons), physical keyboards, keypads, mice, touch pads, touch screens, microphones, scanners, headphones, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for displaying information or otherwise delivering information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuit may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including in particular one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary state indicators, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced by the operation of the UE 1300.

[0127] Sensors 1320 may include devices, modules, or subsystems that are designed to detect events or changes in their environment and communicate information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit including an accelerometer, gyroscope, or magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system or nanoelectromechanical system including a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.); a depth sensor; an ambient light sensor; an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; and the like.

[0128] The driver circuit 1322 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1300. The driver circuit 1322 may include various drivers to allow other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE 1300. For example, the driver circuit 1322 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 1320 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 1320, a driver for obtaining an actuator position of an electromechanical component or controlling and allowing access to an electromechanical component, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0129] The PMIC 1324 may manage the power provided to various components of the UE 1300. Specifically, with respect to the processor 1304, the PMIC 1324 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0130] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1324 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 1300. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the UE 1300 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the UE 1300 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the UE is disconnected from the network and no operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. are performed. The UE 1300 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the platform again periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers off again. The UE 1300 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data transmitted during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0131] The battery 1328 can power the UE 1300, but in some examples, the UE 1300 can be installed to be deployed in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 1328 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 1328 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0132] Fig.14 An example gNB 1400 is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. The gNB 1400 may include a processor 1404, RF interface circuitry 1408, core network (CN) interface circuitry 1412, memory / storage circuitry 1416, and antenna structures 1426.

[0133] The components of gNB 1400 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1428.

[0134] The processor 1404, RF interface circuit 1408, memory / storage circuit 1416 (including communication protocol stack 1410), antenna structure 1426 and interconnect 1428 may be similar to those described with reference to Fig.13 Like-named elements are shown and described.

[0135] The CN interface circuitry 1412 may provide connectivity to a core network (e.g., a 5th Generation Core Network (5GC) using a 5th Generation Core Network (5GC) compatible network interface protocol such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol). Network connectivity may be provided to / from the gNB 1400 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1412 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1412 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0136] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0137] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the example section.

[0138] Example

[0139] In the following sections, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0140] Embodiment 1 may include a method of operating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message providing an offset value for defining an offset between a reference synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) and a non-cell definition (NCD)-SSB; based on the offset value, determining a period in which the NCD-SSB is to be sent; and receiving the NCD-SSB within the period.

[0141] Embodiment 2 may include the method of embodiment 1, wherein the offset value is greater than 15 milliseconds (ms).

[0142] Embodiment 3 may include a method according to embodiment 1, wherein the reference SSB comprises a cell definition (CD) SSB having a system frame number (SFN) equal to 0.

[0143] Embodiment 4 may include the method according to embodiment 1, wherein the reference SSB has a periodicity of 40 milliseconds (ms) and the offset value is in the range of 5ms to 35ms; the reference SSB has a periodicity of 80 milliseconds (ms) and the offset value is in the range of 5ms to 75ms; or the reference SSB has a periodicity of 160 milliseconds (ms) and the offset value is in the range of 5ms to 155ms.

[0144] Embodiment 5 may include a method according to embodiment 1, wherein determining the period comprises: determining a window having an assumed start of the reference SSB based on configuration information associated with the reference SSB; and applying the offset value to a first SSB in the window.

[0145] Embodiment 6 may include a method according to embodiment 5, wherein determining the window comprises: determining the start of the window based on explicit signaling of a system frame number or a time slot value; or determining the start of the window based on a cell definition (CD)-SSB where the system frame number or the time slot value is equal to 0.

[0146] Embodiment 7 may include a method according to embodiment 5, wherein determining the window comprises: determining a first periodicity associated with the reference SSB; determining a second periodicity associated with the NCD-SSB; and determining a length of the window, the length being equal to the larger value of the first periodicity or the second periodicity.

[0147] Embodiment 8 may include the method according to embodiment 1, the method further comprising: sending an indication to the network that the UE supports configuration of NCD-SSB offset for CD-SSB configuration.

[0148] Embodiment 9 may include the method according to embodiment 1, wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

[0149] Embodiment 10 may include a method of operating a base station, the method comprising: determining an offset value for defining an offset between a cell definition synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (CD-SSB) and a non-cell definition synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (NCD-SSB), the offset value being greater than 15 milliseconds (ms); sending a configuration message indicating the offset value; and sending the NCD-SSB within a period defined by the offset value.

[0150] Embodiment 11 may include a method according to embodiment 10, wherein the CD-SSB includes a CD-SSB having a system frame number (SFN) equal to 0, and wherein the method further includes: determining the period for sending the NCD-SSB based on the CD-SSB having the SFN equal to 0 and the offset value.

[0151] Embodiment 12 may include a method according to embodiment 10, wherein the periodicity of the CD-SSB is 40ms and the offset value is less than or equal to 35ms; the periodicity of the CD-SSB is 80ms and the offset value is less than or equal to 75ms; or the periodicity of the CD-SSB is 160ms and the offset value is less than or equal to 155ms.

[0152] Embodiment 13 may include a method according to embodiment 12, wherein the configuration message indicates the periodicity of the CD-SSB.

[0153] Embodiment 14 may include the method according to embodiment 10, the method further comprising: performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to connect with a user equipment (UE); and determining that the UE supports the configuration of the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB, wherein based on the determination that the UE supports the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB, the base station sends a configuration message indicating the offset value to the UE.

[0154] Embodiment 15 may include a method according to embodiment 14, wherein determining that the UE supports the configuration of the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB includes: receiving UE capability information from a core network, the UE capability information indicating that the UE supports the configuration of the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB.

[0155] Embodiment 16 may include the method of embodiment 10, wherein the base station sends the configuration message to a user equipment (UE), and wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

[0156] Embodiment 17 may include a method of operating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a configuration message providing the offset value for the non-cell defined synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (NCD-SSB); receiving a cell defined synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (CD-SSB) with a system frame number (SFN) equal to 0; based on the CD-SSB and the offset value for the NCD-SSB, determining a period for receiving the NCD-SSB; and receiving the NCD-SSB within the period.

[0157] Embodiment 18 may include the method of embodiment 17, wherein the offset value is greater than 15 milliseconds (ms).

[0158] Embodiment 19 may include the method according to embodiment 17, wherein the CD-SSB has a periodicity of 40 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in a range of 5 ms to 35 ms; the CD-SSB has a periodicity of 80 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in a range of 5 ms to 75 ms; or the CD-SSB has a periodicity of 160 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in a range of 5 ms to 155 ms;

[0159] Embodiment 20 may include the method according to embodiment 17, wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

[0160] Embodiment 21 includes a method of operating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message providing: an offset value for defining an offset between a reference synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) and a non-cell definition (NCD)-SSB; and configuration information associated with the reference SSB; based on the offset value and the configuration information associated with the reference SSB, determining a period in which the NCD-SSB is to be sent; and receiving the NCD-SSB within the period.

[0161] Embodiment 22 includes a method according to embodiment 21 or some other embodiment herein, wherein: the configuration information indicates that the reference SSB has a periodicity of 40 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5ms to 35ms; the configuration information indicates that the reference SSB has a periodicity of 80 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5ms to 75ms; or the configuration information indicates that the reference SSB has a periodicity of 160 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5ms to 155ms.

[0162] Embodiment 23 includes a method according to embodiment 21 or some other embodiment herein, wherein determining the period includes: determining a window with an assumed start of the reference SSB based on the configuration information; and applying the offset value to the first SSB in the window.

[0163] Embodiment 24 includes a method according to embodiment 23 or some other embodiment of the present invention, wherein determining the window includes: determining the start of the window based on explicit signaling of the system frame number or time slot value; or determining the start of the window based on a cell definition (CD)-SSB with a system frame number or time slot value equal to 0.

[0164] Embodiment 25 includes a method according to embodiment 23 or some other embodiment herein, wherein determining the window includes: determining a first periodicity associated with the reference SSB; determining a second periodicity associated with the NCD-SSB; determining a length of the window, the length being equal to the larger value of the first periodicity or the second periodicity.

[0165] Embodiment 26 includes a method according to embodiment 21 or some other embodiment herein, the method further comprising: sending an indication to the network that the UE supports configuration of NCD-SSB offset for CD-SSB configuration.

[0166] Embodiment 27 includes a method according to embodiment 21 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

[0167] Embodiment 28 includes a method of operating a base station, the method comprising: performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to connect with a user equipment; and determining whether the UE supports configuration of a non-cell definition (NCD)-synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) offset for a cell definition (CD)-SSB configuration.

[0168] Embodiment 29 includes a method according to embodiment 28 or some other embodiment herein, wherein determining whether the UE supports the configuration of the NCD-SSB offset for the CD-SSB configuration includes: receiving UE capability information from the core network; and determining that the UE supports the configuration of the NCD-SSB offset for the CD-SSB configuration based on the UE capability information.

[0169] Embodiment 30 includes a method according to embodiment 28 or some other embodiment herein, wherein determining whether the UE supports the configuration of NCD-SSB offset for CD-SSB configuration includes: receiving first UE capability information from a core network; determining that the first UE capability information does not have NCD-SSB offset information; receiving second UE capability information from the UE; and determining that the UE supports the configuration of NCD-SSB offset for CD-SSB configuration based on the second UE capability information.

[0170] Embodiment 31 includes a method according to embodiment 28 or some other embodiment herein, wherein determining whether the UE supports the configuration of the NCD-SSB offset for the CD-SSB configuration includes determining that the UE supports the configuration of the NCD-SSB offset for the CD-SSB configuration, and the method further includes: sending a configuration message to the UE, the configuration message including: an offset value for defining the offset between a reference SSB and the NCD-SSB; and configuration information associated with the reference SSB.

[0171] Embodiment 32 includes a method according to embodiment 28 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

[0172] Embodiment 33 includes a method for operating a target base station, the method comprising: receiving information associated with a switching of a connection with a user equipment (UE) from a source base station; receiving a UE capability container from the source base station, the UE capability container indicating whether the UE supports configuration of a non-cell definition (NCD)-synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) offset for a cell definition (CD)-SSB configuration; and configuring the UE based on the UE capability container.

[0173] Embodiment 34 includes a method according to embodiment 33 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the UE capability container is used to indicate that the UE supports the configuration of the NCD-SSB offset for CD-SSB configuration, and configuring the UE further includes: sending a configuration message to the UE, the configuration message including: an offset value for defining the offset between a reference SSB and the NCD-SSB; and configuration information associated with the reference SSB.

[0174] Embodiment 35 includes a method according to embodiment 33 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

[0175] Embodiment 36 may include an apparatus comprising components for performing one or more elements of a method as described or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 35, or any other method or process described herein.

[0176] Embodiment 37 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 35 or any other method or process described herein.

[0177] Embodiment 38 may include a device comprising logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 35 or any other method or process described herein.

[0178] Embodiment 39 may include methods, techniques or processes described in accordance with or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 35, or parts or components thereof.

[0179] Embodiment 40 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or part thereof, described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 35.

[0180] Embodiment 41 may include a signal according to or in connection with any one of Embodiments 1 to 35, or a portion or component thereof.

[0181] Embodiment 42 may include a datagram, information element, packet, frame, segment, PDU or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 35, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0182] Embodiment 43 may include a signal encoded with data as described or associated with any one of Embodiments 1 to 35, or a portion or component thereof, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0183] Embodiment 44 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described or associated with any of Embodiments 1 to 35, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0184] Embodiment 45 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or portion thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 35.

[0185] Embodiment 46 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform a method, technique or process, or part thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 35.

[0186] Embodiment 47 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0187] Embodiment 48 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0188] Embodiment 49 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0189] Embodiment 50 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0190] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible or can be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0191] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a user equipment (UE): receiving a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message providing an offset value for defining an offset between a reference synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) and a non-cell definition (NCD)-SSB; Based on the offset value, determining a period at which the NCD-SSB is to be sent; as well as The NCD-SSB is received within the period.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the offset value is greater than 15 milliseconds (ms).

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the reference SSB comprises a cell definition (CD)-SSB having a system frame number (SFN) equal to 0.

4. One or more computer-readable media according to claim 1, wherein: The reference SSB has a periodicity of 40 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in a range of 5 ms to 35 ms; The reference SSB has a periodicity of 80 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5 ms to 75 ms; or The reference SSB has a periodicity of 160 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5 ms to 155 ms.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein determining the period comprises: determining a window having a presumed start of the reference SSB based on configuration information associated with the reference SSB; as well as The offset value is applied to the first SSB in the window.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein determining the window comprises: determining the start of the window based on explicit signaling of a system frame number or a timeslot value; or The start of the window is determined based on a cell definition (CD)-SSB having a system frame number or time slot value equal to 0.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein determining the window comprises: determining a first periodicity associated with the reference SSB; determining a second periodicity associated with the NCD-SSB; as well as A length of the window is determined, the length being equal to a larger value of the first periodicity or the second periodicity.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the UE to: Sending an indication to the network that the UE supports configuration of NCD-SSB offset for CD-SSB configuration.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

10. A method of operating a base station, the method comprising: determining an offset value for defining an offset between a cell definition synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (CD-SSB) and a non-cell definition synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (NCD-SSB), the offset value being greater than 15 milliseconds (ms); sending a configuration message indicating the offset value; and The NCD-SSB is sent within a period defined by the offset value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the CD-SSB comprises a CD-SSB having a system frame number (SFN) equal to 0, and wherein the method further comprises: The period for sending the NCD-SSB is determined based on the CD-SSB with the SFN equal to 0 and the offset value.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The periodicity of the CD-SSB is 40 ms, and the offset value is less than or equal to 35 ms; The periodicity of the CD-SSB is 80 ms, and the offset value is less than or equal to 75 ms; or The periodicity of the CD-SSB is 160ms, and the offset value is less than or equal to 155ms.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the configuration message indicates the periodicity of the CD-SSB.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to connect with a user equipment (UE); as well as Determine that the UE supports the configuration of the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB, wherein based on the determination that the UE supports the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB, the base station sends the configuration message indicating the offset value to the UE.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the UE supports the configuration of the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB comprises: UE capability information is received from a core network, and the UE capability information indicates that the UE supports configuration of the offset between the CD-SSB and the NCD-SSB.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the base station sends the configuration message to a user equipment (UE), and wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

17. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising: a memory for storing an offset value for a non-cell definition synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (NCD-SSB); and One or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to: receiving a configuration message providing the offset value for the NCD-SSB; Receiving a Cell Definition Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (CD-SSB) with a System Frame Number (SFN) equal to 0; determining a period for receiving the NCD-SSB based on the CD-SSB and the offset value for the NCD-SSB; as well as The NCD-SSB is received within the period. The UE of claim 17 , wherein the offset value is greater than 15 milliseconds (ms).

19. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The CD-SSB has a periodicity of 40 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5 ms to 35 ms; The CD-SSB has a periodicity of 80 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5 ms to 75 ms; or The CD-SSB has a periodicity of 160 milliseconds (ms), and the offset value is in the range of 5 ms to 155 ms; 20. The UE of claim 17, wherein the UE is a reduced capability UE.

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