Method for segmenting a prach format transmission

Abstract

An apparatus may be configured to perform: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining a plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmitting a respective portion of the determined plurality of portions in a respective opportunity. An apparatus may be configured to perform: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving, from the user equipment, a respective portion of the plurality of portions of the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble in the respective occasion; and reconstructing a frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received plurality of portions to determine the random access preamble.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to PRACH procedures, and more particularly to preamble transmissions. Background Art

[0002] In the random access procedure, it is known that a preamble is transmitted as a part of message 1. Summary of the invention

[0003] The following summary is intended to be illustrative only. It is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0004] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generate a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generate a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determine multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmit corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts at corresponding timings.

[0005] According to one aspect, a method includes: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node using / by a user equipment; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmitting corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts at corresponding timings.

[0006] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for performing the following operations: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmitting corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts at corresponding timings.

[0007] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generate a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generate a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determine multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and cause corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts to be transmitted at corresponding opportunities.

[0008] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receive corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at corresponding opportunities; and reconstruct the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0009] According to one aspect, a method includes: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble code from the user equipment at corresponding opportunities; and reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble code based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble code.

[0010] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for performing the following operations: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble code from the user equipment at corresponding opportunities; and reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble code based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble code.

[0011] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the following operations: cause a physical random access channel configuration to be transmitted to a user equipment; cause corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble to be received from the user equipment at corresponding opportunities; and reconstruct the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0012] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example system in which example embodiments may be practiced;

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0017] Figure 4Ais a diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0018] Figure 4B is a diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0019] Figure 4C is a diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0020] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0021] Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the steps as described herein; and

[0022] Figure 7 is a flow chart showing the steps as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows: 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project 5G Fifth Generation 5GC 5G Core Network ACK AMF Access and Mobility Management Function CBRA Contention-based random access CRAN Cloud Radio Access Network CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check CU Central Unit DCI Downlink Control Information DU Distributed Unit eNB (or eNodeB) Evolved Node B (e.g., LTE base station) EN-DC E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity en-gNB or En-gNB A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and acts as a secondary node in EN-DC EPRE Energy per resource element E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, also known as LTE radio access technology FFT Fast Fourier Transform gNB (or gNodeB) is a base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface I / F Interface L1 Layer 1 LTE Long Term Evolution MAC Media Access Control MIB Master Information Block MME Mobility Management Entity Msg1 Message 1 Msg2 Message 2 Msg3 Message 3 Msg4 Message 4 ng or NG new generation ng-eNB or NG-eNB Next Generation eNB NR New Radio NTN Non-Terrestrial Network N / W or NW network OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing RAN Open Radio Access Network PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol PDU Payload Data Unit PHY Physical Layer PRACH Physical Random Access Channel PSD Power Spectral Density PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel RACH Random Access Channel RAN Radio Access Network RAPID Random Access Preamble ID RAR Random Access Response RA-RNTI Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier RB Resource Block RE Resource Element RF RLC Radio Link Control RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier RO Random access channel opportunity RRC Radio Resource Control RRH Remote Radio Head RS reference signal RU Radio Unit Rx Receiver SDAP Business Data Adaptation Protocol SGW Service Gateway SIB System Information Block SMF session management functions SNR Signal to Noise Ratio SSB Synchronous Signal Block TC-RNTI Temporary Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier Tx Transmitter UE User Equipment (e.g., wireless, usually mobile) UPF User Plane Function VNR Virtualized Network Function VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol

[0024] Go to Figure 1 , which shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which the example may be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, a radio access network (RAN) node 170, and a network element 190 are shown. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , a user equipment (UE) 110 wirelessly communicates with a wireless network 100. A UE is a wireless device that can access the wireless network 100. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected by one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication devices, etc. A "circuit" may include dedicated hardware or hardware associated with software that can be executed thereon. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a module 140, which includes one or both of the parts 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in a variety of ways. Module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, for example, as part of one or more processors 120. Module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware, such as a programmable gate array. In another example, module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. For example, one or more memories 125 and computer program code 123 may be configured to perform one or more operations as described herein with user equipment 110, together with one or more processors 120. UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via wireless link 111.

[0025] The RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access to the wireless network 100 for wireless devices, such as UE 110. The RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G (also referred to as New Radio (NR)). In 5G, the RAN node 170 may be a NG-RAN node, which is defined as a gNB or ng-eNB. A gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC (e.g., (multiple) network elements 190) via an NG interface. An ng-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface. An NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, which may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and a distributed unit (DU) (gNB-DU), of which DU 195 is shown. Note that a DU may include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU). The gNB-CU is a logical node that hosts the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP protocols of a gNB, or hosts the RRC and PDCP protocols of an en-gNB that controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. The F1 interface is shown as reference numeral 198, although reference numeral 198 also shows a link between a remote element of the RAN node 170 and a centralized element of the RAN node 170 (such as between gNB-CU 196 and gNB-DU 195). The gNB-DU is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of a gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or more cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface 198 connected to the gNB-CU. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of the RU, but some examples thereof may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under the control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station for LTE (Long Term Evolution) or any other suitable base station or node.

[0026] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected by one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor 152, the memory 155, and the network interface 161. Note that the DU 195 may also contain its own one or more memories and processors and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0027] The RAN node 170 includes a module 150, which includes one or both of the parts 150-1 and / or 150-2, which can be implemented in a variety of ways. The module 150 can be implemented in hardware as the module 150-1, for example, as part of one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware (such as a programmable gate array). In another example, the module 150 can be implemented as a module 150-2, which is implemented as a computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to, together with the one or more processors 152, cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more operations as described herein. It is noted that the functionality of the module 150 can be distributed, such as distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or implemented only in the DU 195.

[0028] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network, such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, for example, link 176. Link 176 may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0029] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication device, wireless channel, etc. For example, the one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for a gNB implementation for 5G, where other elements of the RAN node 170 may be physically located in a different location from the RRH / DU, and the one or more buses 157 may be partially implemented as, for example, a fiber optic cable or other suitable network connection to connect other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., central unit (CU), gNB-CU) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates those suitable network links.

[0030] It should be noted that the description herein indicates that a "cell" performs a function, but it should be clear that the equipment that forms the cell will perform the function. A cell constitutes part of a base station. That is, each base station can have multiple cells. For example, there may be three cells for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each covering one-third of a 360-degree area, so that a single base station coverage area covers an approximate ellipse or circle. In addition, each cell may correspond to a single carrier, and a base station may use multiple carriers. Therefore, if there are three 120-degree cells per carrier and there are two carriers, the base station has a total of 6 cells.

[0031] The wireless network 100 may include one or more network elements 190, which may include core network functionality and provide connectivity to another network (e.g., a telephone network and / or a data communications network (e.g., the Internet)) via one or more links 181. Such core network functionality for 5G may include access and mobility management functions (AMF) and / or user plane functions (UPF) and / or session management functions (SMF). Such core network functions for LTE may include MME (mobility management entity) / SGW (serving gateway) functions. These are merely illustrative functions that may be supported by the network element 190, and it is noted that both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled to the network element 190 via a link 131. The link 131 may be implemented, for example, as an NG interface for 5G, or an S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 180 interconnected by one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and computer program code 173 are configured to, together with the one or more processors 175, cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations.

[0032] The wireless network 100 can implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single software-based management entity (virtual network). Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, usually combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is classified as external, combining many networks or parts of networks into virtual units, or internal, providing network-like functions to software containers on a single system. For example, a network can be deployed in a remote cloud, where virtualized network functions (VNFs) run on, for example, data center servers. For example, network core functions and / or radio access networks (e.g., CloudRAN, O-RAN, edge cloud) can be virtualized. It is to be noted that the virtualized entities generated by network virtualization are still implemented at a certain level using hardware such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and such virtualized entities also produce technical effects.

[0033] It may also be noted that the operations of the example embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by multiple cooperating devices (eg, cRAN).

[0034] Computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be components for performing storage functions. As non-limiting examples, processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Processors 120, 152, and 175 may be components for performing functions such as controlling UE 110, RAN node 170, and other functions as described herein.

[0035] In general, various embodiments of user equipment 110 may include, but are not limited to, a cellular telephone (e.g., a smart phone), a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capabilities, a portable computer with wireless communication capabilities, an image capture device (e.g., a digital camera with wireless communication capabilities), a gaming device with wireless communication capabilities, a music storage and playback appliance with wireless communication capabilities, an Internet appliance permitting wireless Internet access and browsing, a tablet computer with wireless communication capabilities, and portable units or terminals incorporating a combination of such functionality.

[0036] Having thus introduced a suitable but non-limiting technical context for practicing example embodiments of the present disclosure, the example embodiments will now be described in more detail.

[0037] The features described herein generally relate to the random access channel (RACH) procedure. In 5G NR, two contention-based random access (CBRA) procedures are supported, namely 4-step RACH (Rel-15) and 2-step RACH (Rel-16). Example embodiments of the present disclosure may discuss the 4-step RACH procedure, but this is not restrictive; example embodiments of the present disclosure may also apply to the 2-step RACH procedure and / or other procedures.

[0038] Reference now Figure 2 , showing an example of a 4-step RACH procedure. In the 4-step RACH procedure, the UE (210) may transmit Msg1, also known as a physical random access channel (PRACH) message (230), to the gNB (220). The UE (210) may send a specific preamble to the gNB (220) via Msg1 / PRACH using a specific resource called a RACH opportunity (RO). In response, the gNB (220) may transmit Msg2, also known as a random access response (RAR) message (240), to the UE (210), which may include the detected preamble ID, a timing advance command, a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (TC-RNTI), and an UL grant for transmitting Msg3 on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In response, the UE (210) may transmit Msg3 (also known as a radio resource control (RRC) request (250)) to the gNB (220) on a scheduled PUSCH with an ID for contention resolution. The gNB (220) may transmit Msg4, also referred to as an RRC setup message (260), to the UE (210). The RRC setup message may be a contention resolution message with a contention resolution ID.

[0039] Upon receiving Msg4 (260), if the contention resolution ID of the UE (210) is carried by Msg4 (260), the UE (210) may send an ACK on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). This may complete the 4-step RACH. It may be noted that prior to Msg1 (230), there may also be a preliminary step of sending and receiving synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), i.e., DL beam scanning, which is not a formal part of the RACH process. As a result of this preliminary step, the UE (210) may select the index of the preferred SSB beam and decode the associated physical broadcast channel (PBCH) for the master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB), etc. The UE (210) may also use the index to identify the appropriate RO for the preamble transmission (Msg1, 230) based on the SSB to RO mapping implicitly conveyed by SIB1.

[0040] Reference now Figure 3 , shows several preamble formats currently defined in the 3GPP RAN1 specification (TS38.211). Each format is represented by a specific length (L RA ) and subcarrier spacing (Δf RA ), which determines their performance and characteristics. As an example, PRACH format B4 has a sequence length of 139 (for all SCSs) and appears as 12 repetitions of the same sequence of length 139. This allows format B4 to be quite robust in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) scenarios.

[0041] The generation of the PRACH sequence in the time domain follows a two-step process, as specified in TS38.211: "The set of random access preambles should be generated according to the following formula x u,v (n) = x u ((n+C v )mod(L RA ) Among them, the frequency domain representation should be generated according to the following formula: where L depends on the PRACH preamble format as given in Tables 6.3.3.1-1 and 6.3.3.1-2. RA =839, L RA =139, L RA =1151 or L RA =571.

[0042] In the first step, the length L RAThe Zadouff-Chu sequence is generated and cyclically shifted by a certain amount C v , and by the size L RA The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the PRACH is used to transform the representation in the frequency domain. In the second step, the frequency domain representation is transformed again in the time domain after being allocated in the predetermined subcarriers within the channel bandwidth. The final time domain sequence is continuously repeated M times based on the PRACH format within the random access channel opportunity. For format B4, the final sequence is repeated M = 12 times.

[0043] UEs in coverage shortage and low SNR typically present large propagation losses to the serving gNB and are therefore expected to transmit at maximum power. In this case, and considering the ability of the UE to adapt the power spectral density of the transmitted signal based on the allocated resources in the frequency domain, there is a relationship between the energy per resource element (EPRE) that the UE is able to deliver and the amount of resources allocated to the UE for transmission. More specifically, the larger the number of resources in the frequency domain (i.e., the transmission bandwidth), the lower the EPRE for the same transmission maximum power, and conversely, the smaller the number of frequency domain resources, the larger the EPRE at maximum power. This means that the optimal allocation for UEs in coverage shortage may appear as a small number of frequency domain resources and a large number of time domain resources to maximize the EPRE and ultimately maximize the received SNR per subcarrier. This optimization is generally possible and can be handled by the network scheduler when scheduling resources for PUSCH or PUCCH transmissions. In practice, the PUCCH format that is typically used (or scheduled) for UEs in low SNR is the so-called "long" format, which appears as a large extension in the time domain (up to 14 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols).

[0044] However, and unlike PUSCH or PUCCH, the PRACH frequency and time domain allocations are fixed and based on the sequence length, as described above. For example, for a so-called PRACH short format (such as format B4), the allocation may be 139 subcarriers, equivalent to 12 resource blocks (RBs) within the channel bandwidth, and the 12 repetitions in the time domain occupying one full RACH opportunity. As described above, such a constraint in the allocation in the frequency domain (12 RBs) imposes a constraint on the EPRE that a UE may be able to deliver at maximum power, which represents a limitation especially for coverage-short UEs. In fact, such UEs typically transmit at maximum power, and the fixed allocation in the frequency domain does not allow maximizing the achievable EPRE and, ultimately, the received SNR per subcarrier (at the gNB).

[0045] A technical effect of an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be to provide a method for reducing the allocation in the frequency domain of a PRACH format and thereby maximizing the achievable EPRE for the PRACH format and associated preambles. A technical effect of an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be to consider and address related challenges, such as poor detection performance for shorter sequences and backward compatibility with PRACH receivers.

[0046] As a non-exhaustive example, a PRACH receiver typically utilizes the PRACH preamble repetition structure (e.g., 12 preamble repetitions in one RACH opportunity for format B4) to perform correlation processing in the frequency domain to detect the transmitted preamble sequence. For this operation, it is essential that the back-to-back preamble repetitions are identical so that the receiver can transform the circularly convolved signal for each repetition in the frequency domain using a simple FFT. If, for example, a single preamble sequence in the frequency domain was split into two halves (e.g., to reduce its frequency span) and the second half was in the time domain and concatenated to the first half after the time domain transform, such processing would not be possible because the resulting sequences would not be identical, and thus circular convolution could not be achieved with the transmitted signal repetitions.

[0047] A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to optimize EPRE for UEs in coverage shortage and requiring maximum power to transmit a PRACH preamble for initial access.

[0048] In an example embodiment, a method for adapting an existing PRACH format and associated preamble to a smaller allocation in the frequency domain and a larger allocation in the time domain may be provided. In an example embodiment, the PRACH preamble may be adapted across multiple RACH opportunities belonging to the same SSB index. Now referring to Figure 4A , which shows an example of two UEs (UE 1 and UE 2) transmitting the same or different preambles in the same RO before and after the application (420) of the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The left part (405) represents the conventional operation, while the right part (430) represents the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. A single PRACH preamble for a UE (UE 1 or UE 2) can be split into two halves in the frequency domain and can be distributed in two consecutive ROs in the same or different frequency units (e.g., in Figure 4AIn the example of , one RO per time slot). For example, UE 1 may transmit a PRACH preamble across frequency 410 in a conventional process, but according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, UE 1 may transmit to a subset of frequencies 445 during a first RO 435, and may transmit to a different subset of frequencies 455 during a second RO 450. For example, UE 2 may transmit a PRACH preamble across frequency 410 in a conventional process, but according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, may transmit to a subset of frequencies 440 during a first RO 435, and may transmit to a different subset of frequencies 460 during a second RO 450. Also, as shown in FIG. Figure 4A As shown, in an example embodiment, the UE may be able to double its transmit power spectral density (PSD) in a single timeslot and thus improve the received SNR by, for example, 3 dB per subcarrier considering both RO 435 and 450, compared to conventional operation, utilizing the same number of occupied frequency resources.

[0049] In an example embodiment, multiple parts of the PRACH may be transmitted in corresponding timings, such as a random access channel timing, or a transmission timing defined as a random access timing and a subsequent transmission timing. In the case of a transmission timing, the first part of the multiple parts may be transmitted in a random access channel timing, and the subsequent parts may be transmitted in a transmission timing implicitly defined by the random access channel timing. Although the term "RO" is generally used in the present disclosure, this is not restrictive; a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that in the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the timing for transmission may be replaced in addition to the timing for random access channel transmission. In other words, the terms "RO", "corresponding timing", "transmission timing" and "subsequent transmission timing" may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure.

[0050] In the present disclosure, according to an example embodiment, a "part" may be one of a plurality of parts into which a PRACH preamble may be segmented. For example, a part may be a subset of a PRACH preamble in the frequency domain; Figure 4A In the example of , the PRACH preamble transmitted by UE 1 may be segmented into parts 445 and 455 in the frequency domain. Figure 4A In the example of , these parts (of the PRACH preamble) do not overlap in the frequency domain and can be transmitted at different times (e.g., during different time slots 435, 450). The corresponding parts of the PRACH preamble can be transmitted during corresponding transmission opportunities; Figure 4AIn the example of , a lower frequency portion of a PRACH preamble code transmitted by UE 1 (445) can be transmitted during a first transmission opportunity (435), and a higher frequency portion of a PRACH preamble code transmitted by UE1 (455) can be transmitted during a second transmission opportunity (450).

[0051] For example, the UE may determine an RO for transmitting a first part of multiple parts mapped to a synchronization signal block, and may then transmit a subsequent part of the multiple parts in a next subsequent RO mapped to the same synchronization signal block index.

[0052] In an example embodiment, the PRACH transmission may be segmented per RACH occasion.A non-limiting example of segmenting a PRACH sequence may be segmenting a frequency domain representation of the sequence into N parts in the frequency domain and transmitting the N parts in N different RACH occasions (RO) in the time domain.

[0053] In an example embodiment, the frequency domain representation of the PRACH sequence may consist of L symbols, which may be mapped into resource elements and / or resource blocks. The frequency domain representation may be divided into N parts before the L symbols are mapped into resource elements and / or resource blocks, such that each of the N parts includes L / N symbols of the PRACH sequence. These symbols of the PRACH sequence may be considered as elements of the frequency domain representation. The N parts may include L / N consecutive elements of the frequency domain representation. Alternatively, the N parts may include L / N non-continuous elements of the frequency domain representation, which may have the technical effect of increasing channel diversity by affecting the original consecutive symbols of the sequence.

[0054] In an example embodiment, the corresponding occasions may belong to the same or different time slots.

[0055] A technical effect of an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be to preserve the possibility of FFT processing at the receiver, since the same portion of the frequency domain representation of each repetition sequence may be transmitted back-to-back in the same RO. For example, in order for the receiver / gNB to determine the frequency domain representation of the received N portions, the channel may perform a circular convolution on the transmitted PRACH signal. The circular convolution may be achieved by the transmitter / UE introducing a cyclic prefix before the first repetition in a set of repetitions for each of the N portions. The cyclic prefix is ​​not necessary for the other repetitions of each of the N portions, since each repetition may be used as a cyclic prefix for the next repetition. In other words, the first repetition in one of the N portions includes a cyclic prefix, while the remaining repetitions in one of the N portions do not include a cyclic prefix.

[0056] For example, if format B4 is used, each sequence is repeated 12 times within the RO. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, if each sequence is divided into N parts, for example, N=2, the number of transmissions in the time domain can be 24 because there are two parts for each repetition. Figure 4A , each transmission opportunity (435, 450) may include 12 repetitions of a portion for each of UE 1 and UE 2. For example, each transmission opportunity (435, 450) may enable transmission of 12 RBs. For example, for UE 1, the sequence is split into 2 portions 445 and 455, each portion will be repeated 12 times within a corresponding RO (435, 450) to create 24 repetitions across two ROs. The lower frequency portion (445) may be repeated 12 times in RO 435, and the higher frequency portion (455) may be repeated 12 times in RO 450. The lower frequency portion (445) may be transmitted separately from the higher frequency portion (455). For example, for UE 2, the sequence is split into 2 portions 440 and 460, each portion will be repeated 12 times within a corresponding RO (435, 450) to create 24 repetitions across two ROs. The higher frequency portion (440) may be repeated 12 times in RO 435, and the lower frequency portion (460) may be repeated 12 times in RO 450. The higher frequency portion (440) may be transmitted separately from the lower frequency portion (460). A technical effect of this example embodiment may be that a receiver / gNB may perform an FFT on a received signal because the repetitions within each RO may act as cyclic prefixes to each other, such that the gNB may determine a frequency domain representation of each of the N portions.

[0057] Alternatively, the partial repetitions may be transmitted back-to-back (i.e., interleaved / concatenated), e.g., for Figure 4C In the example of N=2, repetitions of the lower frequency part (492) may be transmitted in an alternating manner in the RO (e.g., the example of RO1 (493)), followed by repetitions of the higher frequency part (491). In other words, each RO (493, 494) contains repetitions of both of the N parts. While this may have the technical effect of allowing complete repetitions of the sequence (i.e., for N=2, both the lower frequency part and the higher frequency part) to be received in the same RO (i.e., a shorter time, see eg495), these repetitions may not act as cyclic prefixes for each other, and the receiver may not be able to derive the correct frequency domain representation of each of the N parts (e.g., via FFT processing). This may present backward compatibility issues. The technical effects of the example embodiments of the present disclosure may provide advantages over, for example, interleaving the N parts of each repetition of a PRACH sequence.

[0058] In an example embodiment, N parts of a PRACH sequence may be transmitted in N different ROs, but in the same or different subsets of the frequency resources spanned by the RO.

[0059] exist Figure 4A In the example of , the UE may transmit N=2 parts of the PRACH sequence in different subsets (445, 455) of the frequency resources (410) spanned by the RO (435, 450). In the example, where the ROs in two consecutive time slots each span 12 RBs in the frequency domain, UE 1 may transmit the first part of the sequence in the first 6 RBs of the first RO (435), and UE 2 may transmit the first part of the sequence in the last 6 RBs of the first RO (435). Conversely, in the second RO (450), UE 1 may transmit the second part in the last 6 RBs, and UE 2 may transmit the second part in the first 6 RBs.

[0060] In an example embodiment, for example, also considering the case of N>2, a frequency hopping pattern may be followed for transmissions on subsets of frequency resources in N different ROs, where the pattern may depend on the subset of frequency resources of the RO in which the first of the multiple parts is transmitted. Such a subset may be referred to as a starting subset of frequency resources and may be randomly selected by the UE (e.g., based on the output of a random number generator).

[0061] For example, if the frequency domain representation of the preamble sequence is divided into N parts and transmitted in N different ROs in the time domain, where each RO spans a set of L frequency resources, then the first part of the N parts can be transmitted in the first lowest L / N resources in the set of L frequency resources, the second part of the N parts can be transmitted in the second lowest L / N resources in the set of L frequency resources, and the Nth part of the N parts can be transmitted in the Nth lowest L / N resource in the set of L frequency resources. For example, if L=144, and if the frequency resources are enumerated from 0 to 143, and N=2, then the first part of the two parts can be transmitted in resources from 0 to L / N-1=71, and the second part of the two parts can be transmitted in resources from L / N=72 to 144.

[0062] Reference now Figure 4B, an example of a frequency hopping pattern for N=4 is shown. The preamble sequence can be segmented into 4 parts, a first part (478), a second part (476), a third part (474), and a fourth part (472). This example is not limiting; in another example, the highest frequency part can be considered to be the first part, and the lowest frequency part can be considered to be the Nth part. In the example frequency hopping pattern, the first part (478) can be transmitted in a first RO (482); the second part (476) can be transmitted in a second RO (484); the third part (474) can be transmitted in a third RO (486); and the fourth part (472) can be transmitted in a fourth RO (488). This example frequency hopping pattern is not limiting; other patterns are possible.

[0063] In an example embodiment, the receiver (gNB) may be configured to process a segmented preamble. For example, the gNB may be configured to enable it to process a received segmented preamble.

[0064] In an example embodiment, since the receiver / gNB may not be able to reliably detect a single (N) part, the gNB may first wait across multiple ROs to receive all N parts. Figure 4A In the example of FIG. 4 , the gNB may wait to receive signals from two consecutive ROs ( 435 , 450 ).

[0065] In an example embodiment, the gNB can then reconstruct the entire sequence from the N parts and perform a cross-correlation of the entire sequence to detect which preamble was transmitted.

[0066] In an example embodiment, the UE may be configured to send a segmented preamble. For example, the UE may receive a configuration that is configured to enable it to generate and transmit a segmented preamble.

[0067] In an example embodiment, after generating the basic Zadouff-Chu sequence (based on the steps of TS38.211), the UE may partition the corresponding frequency domain representation into the indicated N parts.

[0068] In an example embodiment, the UE may transmit N parts in N different ROs, each part being constructed as indicated by the corresponding PRACH format. For example, for PRACH format B4, the base sequence may be repeated 12 times continuously (in the same RO), and a cyclic prefix may be added only at the beginning of the first repetition. For transmission of a segmented preamble, each of the N parts may be repeated 12 times in one RO and transmitted.

[0069] Reference now Figure 5, showing a flow chart according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. A UE (510) may receive an enhanced PRACH configuration (515) from a gNB (505) that includes, in addition to typical PRACH parameters, an indication of the number N of parts into which the PRACH sequence is to be segmented. The UE (510) may generate a PRACH sequence based on the preamble format indicated in the PRACH parameters first in time and then in the frequency domain (520). The UE (510) may segment the generated PRACH sequence into N parts (525) in the frequency domain. For example, for PRACH format B4 with a length of 139 and a value of N=2, the UE (510) may segment the original sequence occupying 12 RBs into two parts, each occupying 6 RBs. The UE (510) may transmit the N parts to the gNB (505) in N different ROs in the same or different subsets of the frequency resources spanned by the Ros (530, 535, 540, 545). The gNB (505) may wait across N ROs to receive N parts of the PRACH preamble, reconstruct the entire sequence from the N parts, and perform cross-correlation of the entire sequence to detect which preamble was transmitted (550).

[0070] The technical effect of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be to optimize the EPRE of UEs in coverage shortage and requiring maximum power to transmit the PRACH preamble for initial access. The technical effect of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be to allow the UE to double the PSD of its transmission in a single time slot and thus improve the received SNR per subcarrier by, for example, 3 dB compared to conventional operation with the same number of occupied frequency resources.

[0071] Figure 6 Potential steps of an example method 600 are shown. The example method 600 may include: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node, 610; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration, 620; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble, 630; determining a plurality of parts of the generated frequency domain representation, 640; and transmitting a respective part of the determined plurality of parts at a respective opportunity, 650. The example method 600 may be performed, for example, by a UE and / or a transmission entity.

[0072] Figure 7Potential steps of an example method 700 are shown. The example method 700 may include: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment, 710; receiving a respective portion of a plurality of portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment in respective opportunities, 720; and reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received plurality of portions to determine the random access preamble, 730. The example method 700 may be performed, for example, by a base station, a gNB, and / or a receiving entity.

[0073] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generate a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generate a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determine multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmit corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts at corresponding timings.

[0074] The example apparatus may be further configured to: determine that the apparatus is in a coverage shortage mode; and determine a maximum power to use to transmit a respective portion of the determined plurality of portions in a respective opportunity.

[0075] The corresponding opportunity may include one of the following: a random access channel opportunity, or a transmission opportunity including at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent transmission opportunities.

[0076] The received physical random access channel configuration may include a first value.

[0077] Determining the plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation may include the example apparatus being configured to segment the generated frequency domain representation into a number of respective portions equal to the first value.

[0078] The determined length of a corresponding portion of the plurality of portions may be equal to the length of the generated frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

[0079] Segmenting the generated frequency domain representation may include the example apparatus being configured to select consecutive elements of the generated frequency domain representation.

[0080] Segmenting the generated frequency domain representation may include the example apparatus being configured to select non-contiguous elements of the generated frequency domain representation.

[0081] Transmitting respective ones of the determined plurality of portions in respective opportunities may include the example apparatus being configured to transmit respective ones of the determined plurality of portions in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to the first value.

[0082] The corresponding opportunity may occupy a frequency resource set.

[0083] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

[0084] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

[0085] Corresponding occasions may be associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

[0086] Respective parts of the determined multiple parts may be transmitted in the same subset of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding opportunities, respectively.

[0087] Respective parts of the determined multiple parts are respectively transmitted in different subsets of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding occasions.

[0088] The different subsets of the set of frequency resources are determined based at least in part on a subset of the set of frequency resources used for transmission of a first respective portion of the determined plurality of portions.

[0089] The random access preamble is generated according to a determined physical random access channel format.

[0090] Transmitting respective portions of the determined plurality of portions at respective opportunities may include the example apparatus being configured to transmit respective portions at different respective opportunities in a time domain.

[0091] The corresponding occasions may belong to the same time slot.

[0092] The corresponding occasions may belong to different time slots.

[0093] The example apparatus may also be configured to determine a plurality of opportunities for transmission in the time domain, wherein the plurality of opportunities includes at least the respective opportunity.

[0094] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment, a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmitting a corresponding part of the determined multiple parts at a corresponding time.

[0095] The corresponding opportunity may include one of the following: a random access channel opportunity, or a transmission opportunity including at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent transmission opportunities.

[0096] The received physical random access channel configuration may include a first value.

[0097] Determining the plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation may include segmenting the generated frequency domain representation into a number of respective portions equal to the first value.

[0098] The determined length of a corresponding portion of the plurality of portions may be equal to the length of the generated frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

[0099] Segmentation of the generated frequency domain representation may include selecting consecutive elements of the generated frequency domain representation.

[0100] Segmentation of the generated frequency domain representation may include selecting non-contiguous elements of the generated frequency domain representation.

[0101] Transmitting respective ones of the determined plurality of portions in respective opportunities may include the example apparatus being configured to transmit respective ones of the determined plurality of portions in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to the first value.

[0102] The corresponding opportunity may occupy a frequency resource set.

[0103] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

[0104] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

[0105] Corresponding occasions may be associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

[0106] Respective parts of the determined multiple parts may be transmitted in the same subset of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding opportunities, respectively.

[0107] Respective parts of the determined multiple parts are respectively transmitted in different subsets of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding occasions.

[0108] The different subsets of the set of frequency resources are determined based at least in part on a subset of the set of frequency resources used for transmission of a first respective portion of the determined plurality of portions.

[0109] Transmitting corresponding parts of the determined plurality of parts at corresponding opportunities may include transmitting the corresponding parts at different corresponding opportunities in the time domain.

[0110] The corresponding occasions may belong to the same time slot.

[0111] The corresponding occasions may belong to different time slots.

[0112] The example method may also include determining a plurality of opportunities for transmission in the time domain, wherein the plurality of opportunities includes at least the respective opportunity.

[0113] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: a circuit system configured to execute: receiving a physical random access channel configuration by a user equipment from a network node; a circuit system configured to execute: generating a random access preamble code based on the received physical random access channel configuration; a circuit system configured to execute: generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble code; a circuit system configured to execute: determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and a circuit system configured to execute: transmitting a corresponding part of the determined multiple parts at a corresponding timing.

[0114] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: a processing circuit system; a memory circuit system including computer program code, the memory circuit system and the computer program code being configured to, together with the processing circuit system, enable the apparatus to: receive a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generate a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generate a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determine multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmit corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts at corresponding timings.

[0115] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation only (such as an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware and (ii) a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software, and any portion of memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions) and (c) a hardware circuit and / or processor that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when no software is required to operate. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or networking equipment.

[0116] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include a component for performing the following operations: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble code based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble code; determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmitting a corresponding part of the determined multiple parts at a corresponding timing.

[0117] The corresponding opportunity may include one of the following: a random access channel opportunity, or a transmission opportunity including at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent transmission opportunities.

[0118] The received physical random access channel configuration may include a first value.

[0119] The means configured to perform determining a plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation may include means configured to segment the generated frequency domain representation into a number of respective portions equal to the first value.

[0120] The determined length of a corresponding portion of the plurality of portions may be equal to the length of the generated frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

[0121] The means configured to perform segmentation of the generated frequency domain representation may include means configured to select consecutive elements of the generated frequency domain representation.

[0122] The means configured to perform segmentation of the generated frequency domain representation may include means configured to select non-contiguous elements of the generated frequency domain representation.

[0123] The means configured to transmit the respective ones of the determined plurality of portions in respective opportunities may include means configured to transmit the respective ones of the determined plurality of portions in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to the first value.

[0124] The corresponding opportunity may occupy a frequency resource set.

[0125] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

[0126] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

[0127] Corresponding occasions may be associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

[0128] Respective parts of the determined multiple parts may be transmitted in the same subset of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding opportunities, respectively.

[0129] Corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts may be transmitted in different subsets of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding occasions, respectively.

[0130] The different subsets of the set of frequency resources may be determined based at least in part on a subset of the set of frequency resources used for transmission of a first respective portion of the determined plurality of portions.

[0131] The random access preamble may be generated according to a determined physical random access channel format.

[0132] The means configured to transmit respective portions of the determined plurality of portions in respective opportunities may include means configured to transmit the respective portions in respective opportunities that may be different in the time domain.

[0133] The corresponding occasions may belong to the same time slot.

[0134] The corresponding occasions may belong to different time slots.

[0135] The apparatus may also be configured to perform: determining a plurality of opportunities for transmission in the time domain, wherein the plurality of opportunities may include at least the corresponding opportunity.

[0136] A processor, memory, and / or example algorithms (which may be encoded as instructions, programs, or code) may be provided as example components for providing or causing the performance of operations.

[0137] According to an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generate a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generate a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determine multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and cause corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts to be transmitted at corresponding opportunities.

[0138] According to another example embodiment, a machine-readable, non-transitory program storage device may be provided, tangibly embodying machine-executable instructions for performing operations, the operations comprising: causing a physical random access channel configuration to be received from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and causing corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts to be transmitted at corresponding timings.

[0139] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following operations: causing a physical random access channel configuration to be received from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and causing corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts to be transmitted at corresponding timings.

[0140] A computer-implemented system comprises: at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the system to at least perform: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and transmitting corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts at corresponding opportunities.

[0141] A computer-implemented system comprising: a component for receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; a component for generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; a component for generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; a component for determining multiple parts of the generated frequency domain representation; and a component for transmitting corresponding parts of the determined multiple parts in corresponding opportunities.

[0142] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receive corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at corresponding times; and reconstruct the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0143] The example apparatus may also be configured to: determine that the apparatus is in a coverage shortage mode; and determine a maximum power to use to transmit a respective portion of the determined plurality of portions in a respective opportunity.

[0144] The corresponding opportunity may include one of the following: a random access channel opportunity, or a reception opportunity including at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent reception opportunities.

[0145] The physical random access channel configuration may include a first value.

[0146] The number of the plurality of sections may be equal to the first value.

[0147] The number of corresponding opportunities may be equal to the first value.

[0148] A length of a respective portion of the plurality of portions may be equal to a length of the frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

[0149] Receiving respective ones of the plurality of portions in respective opportunities may include the example apparatus being configured to receive respective ones of the plurality of portions in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to the first value.

[0150] The corresponding opportunity may occupy a frequency resource set.

[0151] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

[0152] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

[0153] Corresponding occasions may be associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

[0154] The multiple parts may be respectively received in the same subset of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding opportunity.

[0155] Respective ones of the plurality of parts may be received in different subsets of the set of frequency resources occupied by the respective opportunities.

[0156] The different subsets of the set of frequency resources may be determined based at least in part on the subset of the set of frequency resources used to receive a first respective portion of the plurality of portions.

[0157] The corresponding parts may be transmitted at different corresponding timings in the time domain.

[0158] The corresponding occasions may belong to the same time slot.

[0159] The corresponding occasions may belong to different time slots.

[0160] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided, comprising: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving corresponding portions of multiple portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at corresponding moments; and reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple portions to determine the random access preamble.

[0161] The corresponding opportunity may include one of the following: a random access channel opportunity, or a reception opportunity including at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent reception opportunities.

[0162] The physical random access channel configuration may include a first value.

[0163] The number of the plurality of sections may be equal to the first value.

[0164] The number of corresponding opportunities may be equal to the first value.

[0165] A length of a respective portion of the plurality of portions may be equal to a length of the frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

[0166] Receiving the respective ones of the plurality of portions in respective opportunities may include receiving the respective ones of the plurality of portions in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to the first value.

[0167] The corresponding opportunity may occupy a frequency resource set.

[0168] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

[0169] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

[0170] Corresponding occasions may be associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

[0171] The multiple parts may be respectively received in the same subset of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding opportunity.

[0172] Respective ones of the plurality of parts may be received in different subsets of the set of frequency resources occupied by the respective opportunities.

[0173] The different subsets of the set of frequency resources may be determined based at least in part on the subset of the set of frequency resources used to receive a first respective portion of the plurality of portions.

[0174] The corresponding parts may be transmitted at different corresponding timings in the time domain.

[0175] The corresponding occasions may belong to the same time slot.

[0176] The corresponding occasions may belong to different time slots.

[0177] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: a circuit system configured to perform: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; a circuit system configured to perform: receiving a corresponding portion of multiple portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at corresponding moments; and a circuit system configured to perform: reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple portions to determine the random access preamble.

[0178] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: a processing circuit system; a memory circuit system including computer program code, the memory circuit system and the computer program code being configured to, together with the processing circuit system, enable the apparatus to: transmit a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receive corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at corresponding times; and reconstruct the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0179] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include a component for performing the following operations: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving a corresponding portion of multiple portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at a corresponding timing; and reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple portions to determine the random access preamble.

[0180] The corresponding opportunity may include one of the following: a random access channel opportunity, or a reception opportunity including at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent reception opportunities.

[0181] The physical random access channel configuration may include a first value.

[0182] The number of the plurality of sections may be equal to the first value.

[0183] The number of corresponding opportunities may be equal to the first value.

[0184] A length of a respective portion of the plurality of portions may be equal to a length of the frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

[0185] The means configured to receive the respective ones of the plurality of portions in respective opportunities may include means configured to receive the respective ones of the plurality of portions in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to a first value.

[0186] The corresponding opportunity may occupy a frequency resource set.

[0187] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

[0188] A first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

[0189] Corresponding occasions may be associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

[0190] The multiple parts may be respectively received in the same subset of the set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding opportunity.

[0191] Respective ones of the plurality of parts may be received in different subsets of the set of frequency resources occupied by the respective opportunities.

[0192] The different subsets of the set of frequency resources may be determined based at least in part on the subset of the set of frequency resources used to receive a first respective portion of the plurality of portions.

[0193] The corresponding parts may be transmitted at different corresponding timings in the time domain.

[0194] The corresponding occasions may belong to the same time slot.

[0195] The corresponding occasions may belong to different time slots.

[0196] According to an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: transmit a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receive corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at corresponding opportunities; and reconstruct the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0197] According to another example embodiment, a machine-readable, non-transitory program storage device may be provided, tangibly embodying machine-executable instructions for performing operations, the operations comprising: causing a physical random access channel configuration to be transmitted to a user device; causing corresponding portions of multiple portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble to be received from the user device at corresponding moments; and reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple portions to determine the random access preamble.

[0198] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following operations: cause a physical random access channel configuration to be transmitted to a user equipment; cause corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble to be received from the user equipment at corresponding times; and cause the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble to be reconstructed based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0199] A computer-implemented system comprises: at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions, which instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least perform: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment at corresponding opportunities; and reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0200] A computer-implemented system comprising: a component for transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; a component for receiving corresponding parts of multiple parts of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble from the user equipment in corresponding opportunities; and a component for reconstructing the frequency domain representation of the random access preamble based at least in part on the received multiple parts to determine the random access preamble.

[0201] The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a restriction to the medium itself (ie, tangible, not a signal), rather than to data storage persistence (eg, RAM vs. ROM).

[0202] It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only. Various alternatives and modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the features described in the various dependent claims may be combined with each other in any suitable combination. In addition, features from the different embodiments described above may be selectively combined into new embodiments. Therefore, this specification is intended to cover all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining a plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation; as well as A corresponding portion of the determined plurality of portions is transmitted at a corresponding opportunity.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the corresponding opportunity comprises one of the following: Random access channel opportunity, or The transmission opportunity includes at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent transmission opportunities.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the received physical random access channel configuration comprises a first value.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein determining the plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation comprises: The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: The generated frequency domain representation is divided into a number of respective parts equal to the first value. 5 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the determined length of the corresponding portion of the plurality of portions is equal to the length of the generated frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein segmenting the generated frequency domain representation comprises: The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Successive elements of the generated frequency domain representation are selected.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein segmenting the generated frequency domain representation comprises: The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Non-contiguous elements of the generated frequency domain representation are selected.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein transmitting the corresponding part of the determined plurality of parts in the corresponding opportunity comprises: The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: The determined respective ones of the plurality of parts are transmitted in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to the first value.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the corresponding opportunity occupies a frequency resource set.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, and wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

11. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a first opportunity among the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second opportunity among the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, and wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

12. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the corresponding opportunities are associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the respective ones of the determined plurality of parts are respectively transmitted in a same subset of a set of frequency resources occupied by the respective opportunities.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the respective ones of the determined multiple parts are transmitted in different subsets of a set of frequency resources occupied by the respective opportunities.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the different subset of the set of frequency resources is determined based at least in part on a subset of the set of frequency resources used for transmission of a first corresponding portion of the determined plurality of portions.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the random access preamble is generated according to a determined physical random access channel format.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein transmitting the corresponding portion of the determined plurality of portions in the corresponding opportunity comprises: The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: The corresponding parts are transmitted at different corresponding opportunities in the time domain.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the corresponding opportunities belong to the same time slot.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the corresponding occasions belong to different time slots.

20. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: A plurality of opportunities for transmission in the time domain is determined, wherein the plurality of opportunities includes at least the corresponding opportunity.

21. A method comprising: Receiving, by the user equipment, a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining a plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation; as well as The determined corresponding parts of the plurality of parts are transmitted at corresponding timings.

22. An apparatus comprising means for: receiving a physical random access channel configuration from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining a plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation; as well as The determined corresponding parts of the plurality of parts are transmitted at corresponding timings.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: causing a physical random access channel configuration to be received from a network node; generating a random access preamble based on the received physical random access channel configuration; generating a frequency domain representation of the generated random access preamble; determining a plurality of portions of the generated frequency domain representation; as well as The determined corresponding parts of the plurality of parts are caused to be transmitted in corresponding opportunities.

24. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving, in corresponding opportunities, from the user equipment a corresponding portion of a plurality of portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble; as well as The frequency domain representation of the random access preamble is reconstructed based at least in part on the received plurality of portions to determine the random access preamble.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the corresponding opportunity comprises one of the following: Random access channel opportunity, or The receiving opportunity includes at least one random access opportunity and one or more subsequent receiving opportunities.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 or 25, wherein the physical random access channel configuration comprises a first value.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the number of the plurality of portions is equal to the first value.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 or 27, wherein the number of corresponding opportunities is equal to the first value.

29. The apparatus of any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the length of the respective one of the plurality of parts is equal to the length of the frequency domain representation divided by the first value.

30. The apparatus of any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein receiving the respective portion of the plurality of portions in the respective opportunity comprises: The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: The respective ones of the plurality of portions are received in respective opportunities where the number of opportunities is equal to the first value.

31. The apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 30, wherein the corresponding occasions occupy a set of frequency resources.

32. An apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 31, wherein a first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a second set of frequency resources, and wherein the first set of frequency resources is at least partially different from the second set of frequency resources.

33. An apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 31, wherein a first one of the corresponding opportunities occupies a first set of frequency resources during a first time period, wherein a second one of the corresponding opportunities occupies the first set of frequency resources during a second time period, and wherein the first time period and the second time period are at least partially different.

34. An apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 33, wherein the corresponding opportunities are associated with the same synchronization signal block index.

35. The apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 34, wherein the plurality of parts are respectively received in the same subset of a set of frequency resources occupied by the corresponding opportunities.

36. The apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 34, wherein respective ones of the plurality of parts are received in different subsets of a set of frequency resources occupied by the respective opportunities.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the different subset of the set of frequency resources is determined based at least in part on a subset of the set of frequency resources used to receive a first respective portion of a plurality of portions.

38. The apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 37, wherein the respective parts are transmitted at different respective opportunities in the time domain.

39. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 38, wherein the corresponding opportunities belong to the same time slot.

40. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 38, wherein the respective occasions belong to different time slots.

41. A method comprising: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving, in corresponding opportunities, from the user equipment a corresponding portion of a plurality of portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble; as well as The frequency domain representation of the random access preamble is reconstructed based at least in part on the received plurality of portions to determine the random access preamble.

42. An apparatus comprising means for: transmitting a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; receiving, in corresponding opportunities, from the user equipment a corresponding portion of a plurality of portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble; and The frequency domain representation of the random access preamble is reconstructed based at least in part on the received plurality of portions to determine the random access preamble.

43. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to: enabling transmission of a physical random access channel configuration to a user equipment; causing a corresponding portion of a plurality of portions of a frequency domain representation of a random access preamble to be received from the user equipment in a corresponding opportunity; and The frequency domain representation of the random access preamble is reconstructed based at least in part on the received plurality of portions to determine the random access preamble.

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