Systems and methods for synchronization signal block-to-random access channel occasion association for physical random access channel repetition using configuration information

Abstract

This application discusses systems and methods for synchronization signal block (SSB) to random access channel (RACH) occasion (RO) association to enable use of physical random access channel (PRACH) repetition. A network (e.g., a radio access network (RAN)) may provide RACH configuration information to a user equipment (UE) that enables the UE to identify a set of configured ROs. In some cases, the UE uses an RO group that includes a plurality of time domain multiplexed (TDM) ROs that are used for PRACH repetition of one or more random access procedures for a corresponding SSB. The UE may use the RACH configuration information to determine a mapping of the RO groups to the configured RO, determine a repetition level for each of the RO groups, identify a correspondence between an SSB of an RO group and the repetition level of the RO group, and the like. Other embodiments that do not use a formal RO group are also described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including wireless communication systems that use random access channel (RACH) opportunity (RO) groups in physical random access channel (PRACH) repetitions. Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless communication devices. For example, wireless communication system standards and protocols may include the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs) (commonly referred to within industry organizations as IEEE). ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) to facilitate communication between base stations of the RAN (which may also sometimes be generally referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices, referred to as user equipment (UEs). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN can use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communications between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RATs, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RATs or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements LTE RATs (sometimes referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RATs (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RATs, 5G NR RATs, or simply NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RATs. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RATs.

[0005] The base stations used by the RAN may correspond to the RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also referred to as a gNode B or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services with external entities through its connection to the Core Network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN may utilize the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), while NG-RAN may utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC).

[0007] The frequency bands of 5G NR can be divided into two or more different frequency ranges. For example, frequency range 1 (FR1) may include frequency bands operating at frequencies below 6 gigahertz (GHz), some of which may be used by previous standards and may potentially be expanded to cover new spectrum products from 410 megahertz (MHz) to 7125 MHz. Frequency range 2 (FR2) may include frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Note that in some systems, FR2 may also include frequency bands from 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz (or higher). The frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have smaller coverage than the frequency bands in FR1 but potentially higher available bandwidth. Technicians will recognize that these frequency ranges, provided by way of example, may change over time or across regions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the most significant digit(s) in a reference number refers to the drawing number that first introduces that element.

[0009] Figure 1 A portion of RACH configuration information according to embodiments herein is illustrated, which gives a binary indication that PRACH repetition is configured for use.

[0010] Figure 2 A portion of RACH configuration information according to embodiments herein is illustrated, the RACH configuration information providing a priority indication for PRACH repetition behavior.

[0011] Figure 3 A portion of RACH configuration information according to embodiments herein is illustrated, the RACH configuration information providing multiple binary indications of the repetition levels configured for use.

[0012] Figure 4 A portion of RACH configuration information according to embodiments herein is illustrated, the RACH configuration information providing repetition level configuration information indicating a first repetition level of first one or more random access preambles.

[0013] Figure 5 A table illustrating mapping between a PRACH configuration period and an SSB to (single) RO association period (indicating the number of PRACH configuration periods within an SSB to (single) RO association period) according to embodiments herein is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 6 The use of a set of configured ROs according to embodiments herein is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 7 A diagram for determining a starting RO for PRACH repetition according to embodiments herein is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 8A and Figure 8B Each illustrates an example of processing an invalid RO in a set of configured ROs as part of SSB to RO group mapping according to embodiments herein.

[0017] Figure 9 A portion of RACH configuration information for associating an SSB with a repetition number according to an embodiment of this document is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 10 A method of a UE according to the embodiments of this document is illustrated.

[0019] Figure 11 A method of a UE according to the embodiments of this document is illustrated.

[0020] Figure 12 A method of a UE according to the embodiments of this document is illustrated.

[0021] Figure 13 A method of a UE according to the embodiments of this document is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 14 A method of RAN according to embodiments of this document is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 15 A method of a UE according to the embodiments of this document is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 16 A method of RAN according to embodiments of this document is illustrated.

[0025] Figure 17 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0026] Figure 18 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Various embodiments are described with respect to a UE. However, reference to a UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The example embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, as described herein, a UE is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0028] To improve NR coverage enhancement, it may be beneficial to improve the physical random access channel (PRACH) coverage mechanism used in wireless communication systems. For example, for a 4-step RACH procedure, it may be beneficial to use multiple PRACH transmissions using the same beam. In addition, in some cases, it may be beneficial to specify PRACH transmissions using different beams for the 4-step RACH procedure. In some configurations, such enhancements to the PRACH mechanism may be performed for FR2, but may also be applied to FR1 in various cases. In some configurations, such enhancements to the PRACH mechanism may be performed for the short PRACH format, but may also be applied with respect to other formats in other cases.

[0029] In the case of multiple PRACH transmissions on the same uplink (UL) transmit (Tx) beam, one of various options may be implemented. In a first such option, the base station may configure a single value for the number of (multiple) RACH transmissions, which is used relative to all UL Tx beams. In a second such option, the base station may configure one or more values ​​for the number of (multiple) PRACH transmissions (e.g., each UL Tx beam is assigned a specific number of PRACH transmissions, where different beams may be assigned different such numbers). Note that under the second option, it is understood that the system accordingly supports multiple PRACH repetition levels (where each PRACH repetition level corresponds to a different number of PRACH transmissions used).

[0030] In this document, it is understood that references to multiple PRACH transmissions for a random access procedure on the same UL Tx beam refer to repeated transmissions of the same random access preamble for the random access procedure on the UL Tx beam. The terms "PRACH repetition" and "PRACH repetition behavior" herein are understood to correspond to these situations.

[0031] Options for determining the random access channel (RACH) opportunity (RO) used as part of the PRACH repetition behavior are now discussed. For multiple PRACH transmissions using the same UL Tx beam under this PRACH repetition behavior, various options can be considered to distinguish between the case where multiple PRACH transmissions are performed on the same UL Tx beam and the case where a single PRACH transmission is used on the UL Tx beam. In the first option, the multiple PRACH transmissions can be sent using a preamble different from the preamble used for the single PRACH transmission and on a shared RO used by both the PRACH repetition and the single PRACH transmission. In the second option, the PRACH repetition can be sent on a different RO from the RO used for the single PRACH transmission. In a third option, some PRACH repetitions in a PRACH repetition set may be transmitted using a preamble different from that used by a single PRACH transmission and on a shared RO used by both the PRACH repetitions and the single PRACH transmission, while another portion of the PRACH repetitions in the PRACH repetition set may be transmitted on an RO different from that used by the single PRACH transmission. Note that in such cases, using a shared RO or a separate RO means that the RO is shared with or separated from the RO used by the single PRACH transmission.

[0032] Therefore, various issues may need to be addressed regarding specific implementations of the PRACH coverage enhancement mechanism.

[0033] The first problem relates to the following PRACH repetition configuration: for the case of using the same RO as that used for a single PRACH transmission and / or the case of using a different RO from that used for a single PRACH transmission, it is necessary to distinguish the preambles used for PRACH repetition.

[0034] The second issue relates to the manner in which synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) are associated with ROs to support PRACH repetition. For example, in an NR system implementing time division duplexing (TDD), the temporal density of available (e.g., configured) ROs is relatively limited (due to the more limited density of UL time slots under TDD compared to that in full duplexing (FDD)). However, some SSB to RO mapping mechanisms may first map PRACH transmissions to ROs in the frequency domain and then map PRACH transmissions to ROs in the time domain. This may result in ROs of the same SSB having longer transmission delays. Assuming that such frequency-domain-first mapping mechanisms continue to be used, the access delay experienced by a UE (which operates with the network in TDD) may increase once the UE implements the use of the PRACH repetition behavior.

[0035] The third issue involves determining / identifying the starting RO for the PRACH repetition to be used.

[0036] The fourth issue concerns the UE behavior when there are invalid ROs (relative to the PRACH repetition scheme). For example, it may not be clear whether such invalid ROs are merely deferred or completely discarded.

[0037] The fifth issue concerns the manner in which different RACH repetition levels are provided for different SSBs within the system.

[0038] Implementation of PRACH reconfiguration

[0039] RACH configuration information for configuring the use of PRACH repetition at the UE may be provided by the network to the UE in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. For example, the base station may broadcast one or more system information blocks (SIBs) (e.g., SIB1) with some or all of the RACH configuration information. Alternatively or additionally, the RRC signaling provided by the base station to the UE in the context of dual connectivity (DC) may include some or all of the RACH configuration information (e.g., in the case of E-UTRAN NR DC (EN-DC), the RACH configuration information may be provided in whole or in part by the LTE base station in the ServingCellConfigCommon information element (IE)).

[0040] In some embodiments, an indication (e.g., a binary indication) that PRACH repetition is configured for at least one random access procedure that can be performed by the UE may be provided in the RACH configuration information. For example, a FeatureCombination IE that indicates the RACH and partitioning functions used within the system may use a spare bit to make this indication.

[0041] Figure 1 A portion 100 of RACH configuration information according to embodiments herein is illustrated that provides a binary indication that PRACH repetition is configured for use. The portion 100 includes a FeatureCombination IE 102. The FeatureCombination IE 102 may include a PRACH-Repetition-r18 bit 104 that provides a binary indication that PRACH repetition is configured for use in at least one random access procedure that can be performed by a UE.

[0042] In some embodiments, the RACH configuration information may include an indication of the priority of the PRACH repetition behavior at the UE.This information may be conveyed in SIB1 and / or ServingCellConfigCommon IE (eg, in the case of EN-DC).

[0043] Figure 2 A portion 200 of RACH configuration information according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, which provides a priority indication for PRACH repetition behavior. The portion 200 includes a featurePriorities-r17 IE 202. The featurePriorities-r17 IE 202 may include a PRACH-Repetition-Priority-r18 IE 204 that indicates the priority of the PRACH repetition behavior to the UE.

[0044] Within the configurations discussed herein, the preambles used for PRACH repetitions may be configured in a different RO than the RO used for a single PRACH transmission. Alternatively, these preambles may be configured for use in a shared RO (e.g., ROs for RACH features such as contention-free random access (CFRA), contention-based random access (CBRA), small data transmission (SDT), etc.). The configuration of the RO for the PRACH repetition behavior may be configured via the same message (e.g., the same msg1-FreqeuncyStart) that configures the RO for these other RACH features, or may be configured in separate signaling (e.g., a separate msg1-FreqeuncyStart specifically for the PRACH repetition behavior).

[0045] In some cases, multiple PRACH repetition levels are used (where the number of PRACH repetitions used corresponding to each repetition level is different). In a first option for configuring the use of multiple PRACH repetition levels, PRACH resources can be configured separately for each PRACH repetition level in the FeatureCombination IE. In such cases, one PRACH repetition level can be considered one feature, another PRACH repetition level can be considered a second feature, and so on. For example, the first PRACH repetition level can use the first spare bit of the FeatureCombination IE, the second PRACH repetition level can use the second spare bit of the FeatureCombination IE, and so on.

[0046] Figure 3A portion 300 of RACH configuration information according to embodiments herein is illustrated, the RACH configuration information providing multiple binary indications of repetition levels configured for use. Portion 300 includes a FeatureCombination IE 302. FeatureCombination IE 302 includes a RACH-RepetitionLevel1 bit 304 corresponding to a first repetition level, which can be set to indicate that the first repetition level is configured for use. FeatureCombination IE 302 also includes a RACH-RepetitionLevel2 bit 306 corresponding to a second repetition level, which can be set to indicate that the second repetition level is configured for use.

[0047] In other cases, as described herein, PRACH repetition can alternatively be considered a single feature (regardless of the number of repetition levels implemented). In such cases, each repetition level can be distinguished by a preamble in a shared RO. In such cases, additional signaling may be required to configure the preamble for each repetition level.

[0048] Figure 4 A portion 400 of RACH configuration information according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, which provides repetition level configuration information indicating a first repetition level of one or more random access preambles. The portion 400 includes a FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE 402. The FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE 402 includes a PRACHRepititionLevelList-r18 IE 404 corresponding to the repetition levels that can be used. The information provided by the PRACHRepititionLevelList-r18 IE 404 (such as the startPreambleForThisPartition-r18 integer and the numberOfPreamblesPerSSB-ForThisPartition-r18 integer, as shown in FIG. 2 ) is a block diagram of a RACH configuration information. The block diagram of the RACH configuration information includes a FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE 402. The FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE 402 includes a PRACHRepititionLevelList-r18 IE 404 corresponding to the repetition levels that can be used. Figure 4 ) can be used to identify one or more preambles used at that repetition level.

[0049] FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE 402 also includes ssb-PositionsInBurst-r18IE 406, which can use a bitmap (such as Figure 4 ) associates one or more SSBs with the preamble indicated by the PRACHRepititionLevelList-r18 IE 404.

[0050] Note that although Figure 4 The example uses repetition level configuration information including a single PRACHRepititionLevelList-r18 IE 404 and a single associated ssb-PositionsInBurst-r18 IE 406, but multiple PRACHRepititionLevelList-r18 IEs (along with corresponding ssb-PositionsInBurst-r18 IEs) may be provided as repetition level configuration information. In this way, multiple sets of one or more preambles can be assigned to multiple different repetition levels configured for use.

[0051] SSB to RO association

[0052] Various SSB to RO association options that can reduce the PRACH repetition delay are now discussed.

[0053] The first option of SSB to RO association defines a mechanism for mapping RO groups (PRACH repetitions used for the random access procedure corresponding to the SSB) to a set of configured ROs. In such a case, each RO group can be understood as comprising ROs used by the PRACH repetition set of the random access procedure corresponding to the SSB, where the PRACH repetition set occurs on the UL Tx beam associated with the SSB.

[0054] First, the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to one SSB are mapped in the time domain to the ROs of the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to the SSB in the RO group. In other words, the ROs of the PRACH repetitions of the SSB are time domain multiplexed (TDM) within the RO group (for example, these ROs may occur consecutively at different times and all use the same frequency resources). In these cases, the RO group can be used within a single PRACH slot or, if necessary, can be extended across PRACH slots.

[0055] A similar arrangement is applicable to RO groups corresponding to multiple SSBs.

[0056] Then, a plurality of such RO groups, which may be these SSBs, are first mapped to the configured RO in the time domain and on the first frequency resource. Then, if the remaining unused time domain resources on the first frequency resource are insufficient for the next RO group during the mapping, the subsequent RO groups corresponding to the SSBs are mapped in the time domain, but using the second frequency resource / next frequency resource in the frequency domain (if the second such frequency resource / next such frequency resource is available). In other words, the RO groups of the random access procedure corresponding to the SSBs are first mapped in a TDM manner and then mapped in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) manner.

[0057] In the case of defining multiple PRACH repetition levels, when an RO group is associated with a PRACH repetition level, the RO group can be understood as using a certain number of consecutive TDM ROs for the repetition number of the PRACH repetition level. For example, if an RO group is associated with a PRACH repetition level using a PRACH repetition number of 4, four consecutive TDM ROs will be used as part of the RO group. In such cases, the PRACH repetition level and the preamble in the associated RO group can be indicated via SIB1.

[0058] Under the first option, an SSB to RO group association period (also referred to herein as "RO group association period") may be used. The RO group association period may have a duration of one or more PRACH configuration periods used at the UE.

[0059] Figure 5 A table 500 is illustrated that maps between a PRACH configuration period and an SSB to (single) RO association period (indicating the number of PRACH configuration periods within an SSB to (single) RO association period) according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, a 10 millisecond (ms) PRACH configuration period allows one, two, four, eight, or 16 PRACH configuration periods within an SSB to (single) RO association period; a 20 ms PRACH configuration period allows one, two, four, or eight PRACH configuration periods within an SSB to (single) RO association period; a 40 ms PRACH configuration period allows one, two, or four PRACH configuration periods within an SSB to (single) RO association period; an 80 ms PRACH configuration period allows one or two PRACH configuration periods within an SSB to (single) RO association period; and a 160 ms PRACH configuration period allows one PRACH configuration period within an SSB to (single) RO association period.

[0060] Therefore, it will be appreciated that in such embodiments, the RO group association period may be an integer multiple of one of 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and / or 160 ms as provided in table 500 .

[0061] In some embodiments, it is understood that an RO group association period within a set of configured ROs has at least one RO group for each SSB associated with the RO group association period. Note that this can be considered a minimum condition for an RO group association period, which allows for the possibility that an RO group association period may have more than these ROs (e.g., the RO group association period may have one or more second ROs / third ROs / additional ROs for one or more of the SSBs in the RO group association period).

[0062] In some embodiments, RO groups are sorted first in the time domain and then in the frequency domain according to their corresponding SSBs in the SSB set during the RO group association period. In some of these cases, the system can expect at least one RO group for each SSB (excluding any second / third / additional ROs for those SSBs) to be on the same frequency resource during the association period.

[0063] In other embodiments, the RO groups are first sorted in the frequency domain and then sorted in the time domain according to their corresponding SSBs in the SSB set within the RO group association period.

[0064] In some embodiments, different RO groups for different SSBs are associated with different PRACH repetition levels. In such cases, the RO groups for these SSBs may be arranged according to different RO group association periods for each such PRACH repetition level. In other cases, the same RO group association period is used for all RO groups for all SSBs in the cell, regardless of the repetition number. In such cases, the RO group association period may be determined by using the RO group with the highest repetition number in the set.

[0065] It is envisioned that new RRC parameters may be introduced and used by the network to indicate to the UE that the SSB to RO group mapping described with respect to the first option is used. This signaling may be found, for example, in SIB1. In some embodiments, if SSB to RO group mapping according to the first option is indicated, the SSB to RO group mapping (e.g., within the RO group association period) is first performed in the time domain and then in the frequency domain.

[0066] Figure 6The use of a set of configured ROs 600 according to embodiments herein is illustrated. The set of RACH configuration information 602 may indicate that time-domain-first mapping will be used, there is a single SSB per RO ("ssb-perRACH-Occasion=1"), two frequency resources are configured for the configured RO 600 ("msg1-FDM=2"), and there are two ROs per RO group.

[0067] The example RO group 604 illustrates the composition of the RO group that can be mapped to the configured RO 600 under the RACH configuration information 602, as will be described below. Note that the different shading of each example RO group in the example RO group 604 means that different example RO groups 604 may correspond to different SSBs.

[0068] In view of the RACH configuration information 602 and the example RO group 604, the use of the configured RO 600 is now described in more detail. The RO group association period 606 used at the UE has been shown. Figure 6 In the example, there may be four SSBs (“SSB#0,” “SSB#1,” “SSB#2,” and “SSB#3”) associated with the RO group association period 606, and the system may expect at least one RO group for each SSB associated with the RO group association period 606 to be located on the first frequency resource of the RO group association period 606.

[0069] Therefore, RO group #0 608 consisting of the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#0, RO group #1 610 consisting of the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#1, RO group #2 612 consisting of the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#2, and RO group #3 614 consisting of the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#3 are all mapped within the RO group association period 606 in the configured RO 600 and on the first frequency resource 624.

[0070] In addition, RO group #4 616 consisting of PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#0, RO group #5 618 consisting of PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#1, RO group #6 620 consisting of PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#2, and RO group #7 622 consisting of PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to SSB#3 are all mapped within the RO group association period 606 in the configured RO 600 and on the remaining ROs in the configured RO 600 (in this case, these remaining ROs are located on the second frequency resources 626).

[0071] In the second option of SSB to RO association, it may be possible not to use a formal RO group for PRACH repetition (as discussed in the first option). Instead, the network may configure a new RO for PRACH repetition behavior (different from the RO used by the random access procedure using a single PRACH transmission). In such a case, the new RO for PRACH repetition may be configured in the same frequency domain position as the first RO used for a single PRACH transmission. In addition, the new RO may follow the RO associated with the same SSB in the first RO in the time domain. The new RO may occupy, for example, an uplink timeslot of a TDD timeslot configuration that follows the timeslot of the first RO used for a single PRACH transmission.

[0072] In the third option for SSB-to-RO association, the network may configure a new RO for the PRACH repetition behavior (different from the RO used for the random access procedure using a single PRACH transmission). Furthermore, under the third option, the RO used for PRACH repetition may be at a different frequency domain location than the RO used for the random access procedure using a single PRACH transmission. In such a case, the PRACH configuration index may configure more ROs for the PRACH repetition behavior than for the single PRACH transmission case.

[0073] Determination of the starting RO for PRACH repetition

[0074] In some wireless communication systems, a starting RO for a PRACH repetition set for a random access procedure set corresponding to an SSB set may be determined as follows.

[0075] First, the starting RO offset may be indicated by the network to the UE. The offset may be understood as being relative to the system frame number (SFN) zero. In other cases, the offset may be understood / measured in ms relative to the association pattern period or RO group association period used by the UE. The starting RO offset may be indicated by SIB1. Examples of values ​​that the starting RO offset may take include zero or the association pattern period or an integer multiple (including one) of the association pattern period used at the UE.

[0076] In addition, the starting RO periodicity may be indicated by the network to the UE. The starting RO periodicity may be configured by the network so that at least one RO group for each SSB in the SSB set occurs within one starting RO periodicity. Therefore, the starting RO periodicity defines the duration between UE transmissions of the PRACH repetition set for the random access procedure set of the SSB set (after applying the starting RO offset / relative to applying the starting RO offset). The starting RO periodicity may be an integer multiple (including one) of the association pattern period used by the UE, or relative to the association period or RO group association period used by the UE.

[0077] Therefore, the network can adjust the overall RO density by providing different starting RO periodicities to the UE, thereby correspondingly changing the frequency of the PRACH repetition set of the random access procedure set for the UE to transmit the SSB set. It should be noted that a larger starting RO periodicity means fewer resources are reserved for PRACH transmission (especially for a single RO scenario), and such resources can then be used instead for UL data transmission.

[0078] Figure 7 A diagram 700 is illustrated for determining a starting RO for PRACH repetitions according to embodiments herein. Diagram 700 illustrates determining a starting RO offset 702 relative to SFN zero (e.g., as provided by the network to the UE). Once the offset is accounted for, a first set of PRACH repetitions for a random access procedure set for a set of SSBs may be transmitted.

[0079] The network may also provide the UE with a starting RO periodicity 704. After the initial transmission of the first set of PRACH repetitions, transmission of additional sets of PRACH repetitions for the set of random access procedures for the SSB set may reoccur according to the starting RO periodicity 704. As illustrated, the duration of the starting RO periodicity 704 may be a multiple of the associated mode period 706 used at the UE (which may be up to 160 ms in some cases).

[0080] Handling of invalid RO for SSB to RO group mapping

[0081] In some embodiments where an RO group is mapped to a configured RO as described herein, the RO group is considered as a whole / single unit as part of the mapping process. Thus, if all ROs in an RO group for the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure for (e.g., the next) SSB cannot be mapped consecutively / in a TDM manner to unused configured ROs within the RO group association period and on a single frequency resource, then any unused configured ROs in that frequency resource are considered invalid ROs and are discarded / not used for the SSB to RO group mapping scheme.

[0082] Figure 8A and Figure 8B Each illustrates an example of processing an invalid RO in a set of configured ROs as part of SSB to RO group mapping according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8A and Figure 8B In each of the two SSBs ("SSB#1" and "SSB#2"), the random access procedures corresponding to the two SSBs each use two PRACH repetitions, thereby corresponding to using an RO group with two ROs.

[0083] exist Figure 8A , a set of configured ROs 800 uses two frequency resources: a first frequency resource 816 and a second frequency resource 818 (e.g., "msg1-FDM=2" is received by the UE from the network in RACH configuration information). In addition, as illustrated, an applicable RO group association period 802 has a duration equal to 7 ROs.

[0084] The UE continues to map RO group #0 804, RO group #1 806, and RO group #2 808 to the first frequency resource 816 in a TDM manner within the RO group association period 802. However, once the first unused RO 820 is reached, there is insufficient space for an additional RO group having two ROs because there is only one unused RO (the first unused RO 820) on the first frequency resource 816. Therefore, since the first unused RO 820 is correspondingly determined to be invalid, it is discarded (not used).

[0085] In contrast, RO group #3 810 (corresponding to SSB #1, continuing mapping mode) is mapped to the available configured ROs on the second frequency resource 818. RO group #4 812 and RO group #5 814 are correspondingly mapped on the second frequency resource 818 in a TDM manner.

[0086] Subsequently, once the second unused RO 822 is reached, there is insufficient space for an additional RO group having two ROs because there is only one unused RO (the second unused RO 822) on the second frequency resource 818. Therefore, since the second unused RO 822 is correspondingly determined to be invalid, it is discarded (not used).

[0087] exist Figure 8B In FIG, a set of configured ROs 824 uses a single frequency resource, namely, frequency resource 826. In addition, a first RO group association period 828 and a second RO group association period 830 use a duration equal to seven ROs, as illustrated in the figure. Note that the example herein (in which each of the first RO group association period 828 and the second RO group association period 830 uses an equal duration) is provided by way of example and not limitation (in other embodiments, the RO group association periods may have different durations).

[0088] Figure 8BFurther illustrated is the use of an association mode period 832 (which may be, for example, 160 ms) at the UE to make the configured RO set available within / according to the association mode period. Note that the association mode period 832 may include more RO group association periods than the first RO group association period 828 and the second RO group association period 830 that have been explicitly illustrated. Furthermore, the association mode period 832 may be spaced apart from the next association mode period that uses the same RO group association period pattern as that used in the association mode period 832, wherein the spacing occurs according to the starting RO periodicity (e.g., as described with respect to FIG. 1 ). Figure 7 described).

[0089] Assuming the illustrated characteristics, the UE continues to map RO group #0 834, RO group #1 836, and RO group #2 838 onto the frequency resource 826 and within the first RO group association period 828 in a TDM manner. However, once the first unused RO 846 is reached, there is insufficient space for an additional RO group having two ROs because there is only one unused RO (the first unused RO 846) within the first RO group association period 828. Therefore, since the first unused RO 820 is correspondingly determined to be invalid, it is discarded (not used).

[0090] The UE continues to map RO group #3 840 to the next available configured RO, which in the illustrated case is in the second RO group association period 830. Note that the pattern restarts due to the change from the first RO group association period 828 to the second RO group association period 830 between the mapping of RO group #2 838 and the mapping of RO group #3 840. RO group #3 840 corresponds to SSB #0. RO group #4 812 and RO group #5 814 are correspondingly mapped in the second RO group association period 830 in a TDM manner.

[0091] Subsequently, once the second unused RO 848 is reached, there is insufficient space for an additional RO group having two ROs because there is only one unused RO (the second unused RO 848) within the second RO group association period 830. Therefore, since the second unused RO 822 is correspondingly determined to be invalid, the second unused RO is discarded (not used).

[0092] Note that although Figure 8A and Figure 8BThe example of a single unused RO being determined to be invalid is provided by way of example and not limitation. For example, the next RO group to be mapped to the configured RO set may use three ROs, but within the current frequency resource and the same association period, there are only two remaining unused ROs within the configured ROs. In this case, the two remaining ROs will (e.g., together) be discarded / unused / determined to be invalid, similar to what is described herein. Similarly, embodiments are contemplated that result in a number of invalid ROs other than one or two.

[0093] Implementation of PRACH repetition per SSB

[0094] In a live network deployment, it may be possible that different beams for different SSB beams have different coverage (eg, due to coupling loss differences, shadowing by buildings, etc.).

[0095] Therefore, in some embodiments, the RACH configuration information may include information about one or more SSBs corresponding to a repetition level. For example, when the RACH configuration information provides a repetition level or RO group configuration, the RACH configuration information may also indicate the SSBs associated with the repetition level or RO group. In such cases, only the indicated SSBs may be used / associated with the configured repetition number or RO group.

[0096] Figure 9 A portion 900 of RACH configuration information for associating SSBs with repetition numbers according to embodiments herein is illustrated. The illustrated portion 900 of RACH configuration information includes a FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE 902. The FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE 902 includes a FeatureCombination-r17 IE 904 indicating the repetition level. A startPreambleForThisPartition-r17 integer 906 and a numberofPreamblesPerSSB-ForThisPartition-r17 integer 908 indicate the preambles allocated for the repetition level indicated in the FeatureCombination-r17 IE 904. Finally, an ssb-PositionsInBurst-r18 IE 910 uses a bitmap to associate one or more SSBs with a given repetition level.

[0097] Note that in cases where there are multiple levels of repetition, such as Figure 9The described multiple FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IEs (one FeatureCombinationPreambles-r17 IE per repetition level) may be included in the RACH configuration information.

[0098] Implementation of UE capabilities to support PRACH repetition behavior

[0099] The handling with respect to the UE capability to support the PRACH repetition behavior is now discussed.

[0100] In some cases, it may be that the UE does not have the capability to support / use PRACH repetition under one or more SSB to RO mapping mechanisms as described herein. In some such cases, it may be that the UE does not generally support the use of PRACH repetition behavior. In other such cases, it may be that the UE may still send PRACH repetitions if an additional preamble specific to the PRACH repetition behavior is assigned to the UE.

[0101] In some cases, the UE may not have the capability to use PRACH configuration information that distinguishes multiple repetition levels between different SSBs. If the UE is unable to support such per-SSB PRACH repetition level configuration information, the UE may assume that all SSBs use / correspond to the same repetition level.

[0102] Figure 10 A flow chart illustrating a method 1000 of a UE according to embodiments herein is shown. The method 1000 includes identifying 1002 a configured RO based on RACH configuration information received from a network.

[0103] Method 1000 also includes: mapping 1004 a first RO group to the configured RO, the first RO group including a first plurality of ROs, the first plurality of ROs being used to send a first PRACH repetition of a first random access process corresponding to a first SSB of a cell on a first UL Tx beam, wherein the first plurality of ROs is TDM, and wherein the first PRACH repetition includes repeated transmission of a first random access preamble code of the first random access process.

[0104] The method 1000 further includes sending 1006 the first PRACH repetition to the network using the first plurality of ROs in the first RO group.

[0105] In some embodiments, method 1000 further includes mapping a second RO group to the configured RO, the second RO group including a second plurality of ROs for transmitting a second PRACH repetition of a second random access procedure corresponding to a second SSB of the cell on a second UL Tx beam, wherein the second plurality of ROs are time-divided. In some such embodiments, the second RO group uses the same frequency resources as the first RO group and is time-divided with the first RO group. In some such embodiments, the second RO group is frequency-divided with the first RO group.

[0106] In some such embodiments, wherein each of the first RO group and the second RO group is mapped to the configured RO within a first RO group association period, the first RO group association period includes an RO group set having at least one RO group for each SSB in the SSB set used by the cell. In some such cases, the RO group set is sorted first in the time domain and then in the frequency domain according to the corresponding SSBs of the RO group in the SSB set within the RO group association period. In some such cases, the RO group set is sorted first in the frequency domain and then in the frequency domain according to the corresponding SSBs of the RO group in the SSB set within the RO group association period. In some such cases, the association pattern period used at the UE is an integer multiple of the RO group association period.

[0107] In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information further includes: first repetition level configuration information indicating a first repetition level, the first repetition level defining a first PRACH repetition number and a first RSRP corresponding to the first PRACH repetition number; and second repetition level configuration information indicating a second repetition level, the second repetition level defining a second PRACH repetition number different from the first PRACH repetition number and a second RSRP corresponding to the second PRACH repetition number. In some such cases, the first RO group uses the first repetition level such that the first number of first PRACH repetitions of the first RO group is equal to the first PRACH repetition number of the first repetition level; the second RO group uses the second repetition level such that the second number of second PRACH repetitions of the second RO group is equal to the second PRACH repetition number of the second repetition level; and the first RO group and the second RO group are part of the same RO group association period, the same RO group association period being determined based on the maximum value between the first PRACH repetition number of the first repetition level and the second PRACH repetition number of the second repetition level. In some such cases, the first RO group uses the first repetition level such that the first number of times the first PRACH of the first RO group is repeated is equal to the first PRACH number of repetitions of the first repetition level; the second RO group uses the second repetition level such that the second number of times the second PRACH of the second RO group is repeated is equal to the second PRACH number of repetitions of the second repetition level; the first RO group is part of a first RO group association period of the RO group using the first repetition level, and the second RO group is part of a second RO group association period of the RO group using the second repetition level.

[0108] In some embodiments of method 1000, the first RO group is within a first RO group association period and is located on a first frequency resource, and the method further includes: determining that a second RO group cannot be mapped to one or more unused ROs in the configured RO in a TDM manner, the second RO group including a second plurality of ROs for sending a second PRACH repetition for a second random access process, the one or more unused ROs being located on the first frequency resource and within the first RO group association period; and discarding the one or more unused ROs.

[0109] In some embodiments, method 1000 includes: sending a capability message to the network indicating that the UE is capable of using an RO grouping scheme, in which RO groups including TDMed PRACH repetitions are ordered within the configured RO; and receiving a system information message from the network indicating that the UE will use the RO grouping scheme.

[0110] Figure 11 A flow chart illustrating a method 1100 of a UE according to embodiments herein is shown. The method 1100 includes identifying 1102 first one or more configured ROs that can be used for random access without PRACH repetition behavior based on first RACH configuration information received from a network.

[0111] The method 1100 further includes identifying 1104 second one or more configured ROs dedicated for random access with the PRACH repetition behavior based on second RACH configuration information received from the network.

[0112] Method 1100 also includes: using the first one or more configured ROs and the second one or more configured ROs to send 1106 a first PRACH repetition of a first random access process corresponding to an SSB to the network on a first UL Tx beam, wherein the first PRACH repetition includes repeated transmission of a first random access preamble code of the first random access process.

[0113] In some embodiments of method 1100, the second one or more configured ROs immediately follow the first one or more configured ROs in the time domain. In some such embodiments, the second one or more configured ROs use the same frequency resources as the first one or more configured ROs.

[0114] In some embodiments of method 1100, when the first RACH configuration information is applied at the UE, the first one or more configured ROs are associated with the SSB.

[0115] Figure 12 A flow chart of a method 1200 of a UE according to embodiments herein is illustrated. The method 1200 includes identifying 1202 a first configured RO dedicated for random access with PRACH repetition behavior based on first RACH configuration information received from a network.

[0116] Method 1200 also includes: using the first configured RO to send 1204 a first PRACH repetition of a first random access process corresponding to an SSB to the network on a first UL Tx beam, wherein the first PRACH repetition includes repeated transmission of a first random access preamble code of the first random access process; wherein the first PRACH transmission does not use the second configured RO that can be used for random access without PRACH repetition behavior.

[0117] In some implementations of method 1200, the RO of the first configuration uses different frequency resources than the RO of the second configuration.

[0118] In some embodiments of method 1200, the first number of ROs of the first configuration is greater than the second number of ROs of the second configuration.

[0119] Figure 13 A flow chart illustrating a method 1300 of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The method 1300 includes receiving 1302 RACH configuration information from a network, the RACH configuration information including a binary indication indicating that a first random access procedure capable of being performed by the UE implements a PRACH repetition behavior, wherein the random access procedure corresponds to a first SSB associated with a UL Tx beam.

[0120] The method 1300 further includes transmitting 1304 a first PRACH repetition of the first random access procedure to the network on the UL Tx beam based on the binary indication, wherein the first PRACH repetition includes repeated transmission of a first random access preamble of the first random access procedure.

[0121] In some embodiments of method 1300, the first PRACH repetition is transmitted in a RO that can be used for random access without the PRACH repetition behavior.

[0122] In some embodiments of method 1300, the first PRACH repetition is transmitted in a RO dedicated for random access with the PRACH repetition behavior.

[0123] In some embodiments of method 1300, the RACH configuration information further includes a priority indication for PRACH repetition behavior.

[0124] In some embodiments of method 1300, the RACH configuration information further includes first repetition level configuration information, the first repetition level configuration information indicating a first repetition level of the first random access preamble, and wherein the number of times the first PRACH is repeated corresponds to the first repetition level. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information further includes second repetition level configuration information indicating a second repetition level of the second random access preamble. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information further instructs the first SSB to use the first repetition level.

[0125] In some embodiments of method 1300, the binary indication further indicates that the first random access procedure implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a first repetition level, and wherein the number of first PRACH repetitions corresponds to the first repetition level. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information further indicates that the first SSB uses the first repetition level. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information also includes a second binary indication indicating that a second random access procedure capable of being performed by the UE implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a second repetition level, wherein the second random access procedure corresponds to a second SSB, and wherein the second RACH configuration information further indicates that the second SSB uses the second repetition level.

[0126] Figure 14 A flow chart illustrating a method 1400 of a RAN according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The method 1400 includes: sending 1402 RACH configuration information to a UE, the RACH configuration information including a binary indication indicating that a first random access procedure that can be performed by the UE implements a PRACH repetition behavior, wherein the random access procedure corresponds to a first SSB associated with a UL Tx beam used by the UE.

[0127] The method 1400 further includes receiving 1404 a first PRACH repetition of the first random access procedure transmitted on the UL Tx beam from the UE based on the binary indication, wherein the first PRACH repetition includes repeated transmissions of the first random access preamble of the first random access procedure.

[0128] In some embodiments of method 1400, the first PRACH repetition is received in a RO that can be used for random access without the PRACH repetition behavior.

[0129] In some embodiments of method 1400, the first PRACH repetition is received in a RO dedicated for random access with the PRACH repetition behavior.

[0130] In some embodiments of method 1400, the RACH configuration information further includes a priority indication for PRACH repetition behavior.

[0131] In some embodiments of method 1400, the RACH configuration information further includes first repetition level configuration information, the first repetition level configuration information indicating a first repetition level of the first random access preamble, and wherein the number of times the first PRACH is repeated corresponds to the first repetition level. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information further includes second repetition level configuration information indicating a second repetition level of the second random access preamble. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information further instructs the first SSB to use the first repetition level.

[0132] In some embodiments of method 1400, the binary indication further indicates that the first random access procedure implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a first repetition level, and wherein the number of times the first PRACH is repeated corresponds to the first repetition level. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information further indicates that the first SSB uses the first repetition level. In some such embodiments, the RACH configuration information also includes a second binary indication indicating that a second random access procedure capable of being performed by the UE implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a second repetition level, wherein the second random access procedure corresponds to a second SSB associated with a second UL Tx beam, and wherein the second RACH configuration information further indicates that the second SSB uses the second repetition level.

[0133] Figure 15 A flowchart of a method 1500 of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The method 1500 includes receiving 1502 RACH configuration information from a network, the RACH configuration information including a starting RO offset and a first starting RO periodicity, the starting RO offset being used for timing a first set of PRACH repetitions for a first set of random access procedures corresponding to a set of SSBs, the first starting RO periodicity defining a first duration between the set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs.

[0134] The method 1500 further includes transmitting 1504 the first set of PRACH repetitions to the network at a first time determined according to the starting RO offset.

[0135] The method 1500 also includes transmitting 1506 to the network a second set of PRACH repetitions for a second set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs at a second time after the first time, the second time being an integer multiple of the first duration.

[0136] In some embodiments of method 1500, the starting RO offset is measured relative to SFN zero.

[0137] In some embodiments of method 1500, the starting RO offset is measured in milliseconds relative to an association mode period used by the UE.

[0138] In some embodiments of method 1500, the first starting RO periodicity is an integer multiple of an association mode period used by the UE.

[0139] In some embodiments, method 1500 also includes: receiving second RACH configuration information from the network, the second RACH configuration information including a second starting RO periodicity, the second starting RO periodicity defining a second duration between the PRACH repetition sets of the random access process set corresponding to the SSB set; and transmitting a third set of PRACH repetitions of a third set of random access processes corresponding to the SSB set to the network at a third time after the second time, the third time being an integer multiple of the second duration.

[0140] Figure 16 A flow chart illustrating a method 1600 of a RAN according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The method 1600 includes: sending 1602 RACH configuration information to a UE, the RACH configuration information including a starting RO offset and a first starting RO periodicity, the starting RO offset being used for timing a first set of PRACH repetitions for a first set of random access procedures corresponding to a set of SSBs, the first starting RO periodicity defining a first duration between the set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs.

[0141] The method 1600 further includes receiving 1604 the first set of PRACH repetitions from the UE at a first time determined according to the starting RO offset.

[0142] The method 1600 also includes receiving 1606 from the UE a second set of PRACH repetitions for a second set of random access procedures corresponding to the SSB set at a second time after the first time, the second time being an integer multiple of the first duration.

[0143] In some implementations of method 1600, the starting RO offset is measured relative to SFN zero.

[0144] In some embodiments of method 1600, the starting RO offset is measured in milliseconds relative to an association mode period used by the UE.

[0145] In some embodiments of method 1600, the first starting RO periodicity is an integer multiple of an association mode period used by the UE.

[0146] In some embodiments, method 1600 also includes: sending second RACH configuration information to the UE, the second RACH configuration information including a second starting RO periodicity, the second starting RO periodicity defining a second duration between the PRACH repetition sets of the random access process set corresponding to the SSB set; and receiving a third set of PRACH repetitions of a third set of random access processes corresponding to the SSB set from the UE at a third time after the second time, the third time being an integer multiple of the second duration.

[0147] Figure 17 An example architecture of a wireless communication system 1700 according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The following description is provided for an example wireless communication system 1700 operating in conjunction with the LTE system standard and / or the 5G or NR system standard provided in the 3GPP technical specifications.

[0148] like Figure 17 As shown, wireless communication system 1700 includes UE 1702 and UE 1704 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 1702 and UE 1704 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0149] UE 1702 and UE 1704 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 1706. In an embodiment, RAN 1706 may be an NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, or the like. UE 1702 and UE 1704 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 1708 and connection 1710, respectively) with RAN 1706, where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 1706 may include one or more base stations (such as base station 1712 and base station 1714) that implement connection 1708 and connection 1710.

[0150] In this example, connection 1708 and connection 1710 are the air interfaces that enable such communicative coupling and may conform to the RAT used by RAN 1706, such as, for example, LTE and / or NR.

[0151] In some embodiments, UE 1702 and UE 1704 may also directly exchange communication data via side link interface 1716. UE 1704 is shown as being configured to access an access point (shown as AP 1718) via connection 1720. By way of example, connection 1720 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection compliant with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 1718 may include a local wireless connection. In this example, AP 1718 may not be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) through CN 1724.

[0152] In an embodiment, UE 1702 and UE 1704 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 1712 and / or base station 1714 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. An OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0153] In some embodiments, all or part of base station 1712 or base station 1714 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Additionally, or in other embodiments, base station 1712 or base station 1714 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 1722. In embodiments where wireless communication system 1700 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 1724 is an EPC), interface 1722 may be an X2 interface. This X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to an EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to an EPC. In embodiments where wireless communication system 1700 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 1724 is a 5GC), interface 1722 may be an Xn interface. This Xn interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to a 5GC, between base station 1712 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to a 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to a 5GC (e.g., CN 1724).

[0154] RAN 1706 is shown as being communicatively coupled to CN 1724. CN 1724 may include one or more network elements 1726 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 1702 and users of UE 1704) connected to CN 1724 via RAN 1706. Components of CN 1724 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices that include components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0155] In an embodiment, CN 1724 may be an EPC, and RAN 1706 may be connected to CN 1724 via an S1 interface 1728. In an embodiment, S1 interface 1728 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 1712 or base station 1714 and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 1712 or base station 1714 and an MME.

[0156] In an embodiment, CN 1724 may be a 5GC, and RAN 1706 may be connected to CN 1724 via an NG interface 1728. In an embodiment, NG interface 1728 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 1712 or base station 1714 and a user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 1712 or base station 1714 and an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0157] Generally speaking, the application server 1730 may be an element that provides applications (e.g., packet-switched data services) that utilize Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources with the CN 1724. The application server 1730 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for the UE 1702 and the UE 1704 via the CN 1724. The application server 1730 may communicate with the CN 1724 via an IP communication interface 1732.

[0158] Figure 18 A system 1800 is illustrated for performing signaling 1834 between a wireless device 1802 and a network device 1818 according to embodiments disclosed herein. System 1800 can be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. Wireless device 1802 can be, for example, a UE of the wireless communication system. Network device 1818 can be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) of the wireless communication system.

[0159] The wireless device 1802 may include one or more processors 1804. The processor 1804 may execute instructions to perform various operations for the wireless device 1802, as described herein. The processor 1804 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof, configured to perform the operations as described herein.

[0160] The wireless device 1802 may include a memory 1806. The memory 1806 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 1808 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 1804). The instructions 1808 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 1806 may also store data used by the processor 1804 and results computed by the processor.

[0161] The wireless device 1802 may include one or more transceivers 1810, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 1812 of the wireless device 1802 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 1834) to and / or from the wireless device 1802 with other devices (e.g., network device 1818) in accordance with a corresponding RAT.

[0162] The wireless device 1802 may include one or more antennas 1812 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For embodiments with multiple antennas 1812, the wireless device 1802 may exploit the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 1812 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resources. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting and receiving devices to implement this aspect). MIMO transmissions by the wireless device 1802 may be implemented based on precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to the wireless device 1802, which multiplexes the data streams across the antennas 1812 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, such that each data stream is received at an appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with the data stream). Certain embodiments may use single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) methods (where data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) methods (where separate data streams may be directed to separate (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0163] In certain embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 1802 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of the signals transmitted by the antennas 1812 are adjusted relative to each other so that the (joint) transmissions of the antennas 1812 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0164] The wireless device 1802 may include one or more interfaces 1814. The interfaces 1814 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 1802. For example, a wireless device 1802 that is a UE may include interfaces 1814, such as a microphone, a speaker, a touch screen, and buttons, to allow a user of the UE to provide input to and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be composed of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 1810 / antenna 1812 already described) that allow the UE to communicate with other devices, and may be configured according to known protocols (e.g., and etc.) to perform the operation.

[0165] The wireless device 1802 may include an SSB to RO association module 1816. The SSB to RO association module 1816 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the SSB to RO association module 1816 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 1808 stored in the memory 1806 and executed by the processor 1804. In some examples, the SSB to RO association module 1816 may be integrated within the processor 1804 and / or the transceiver 1810. For example, the SSB to RO association module 1816 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 1804 or the transceiver 1810.

[0166] The SSB to RO association module 1816 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 16 The SSB to RO association module 1816 may be configured to use the RACH configuration information to map the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to the SSB to the set of configured ROs in one or more of the various ways described herein.

[0167] The network device 1818 may include one or more processors 1820. The processor 1820 may execute instructions to cause various operations of the network device 1818 to be performed, as described herein. The processor 1820 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0168] Network device 1818 may include memory 1822. Memory 1822 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 1824 (which may include, for example, instructions to be executed by processor 1820). Instructions 1824 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. Memory 1822 may also store data used by processor 1820 and results computed by the processor.

[0169] The network device 1818 may include one or more transceivers 1826, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 1828 of the network device 1818 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 1834) to and / or from the network device 1818 with other devices (e.g., wireless device 1802) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0170] The network device 1818 may include one or more antennas 1828 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 1828, the network device 1818 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, etc., as described above.

[0171] The network device 1818 may include one or more interfaces 1830. The interfaces 1830 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 1818. For example, the network device 1818 (base station) may include an interface 1830 consisting of a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 1826 / antenna 1828 already described) that enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or enables the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the base station or other equipment operatively connected to the base station.

[0172] The network device 1818 may include an SSB to RO association module 1832. The SSB to RO association module 1832 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the SSB to RO association module 1832 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 1824 stored in the memory 1822 and executed by the processor 1820. In some examples, the SSB to RO association module 1832 may be integrated within the processor 1820 and / or the transceiver 1826. For example, the SSB to RO association module 1832 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 1820 or the transceiver 1826.

[0173] The SSB to RO association module 1832 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 16 The SSB to RO association module 1832 may be configured to provide RACH configuration information to another wireless device (such as the wireless device 1802) for mapping the PRACH repetitions of the random access procedure corresponding to the SSB to a set of configured ROs in one or more of the various manners described herein.

[0174] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of any of methods 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1500. The apparatus may be, for example, a UE, such as wireless device 1802 (UE), as described herein.

[0175] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of any of methods 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1500. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as memory 1806 of wireless device 1802 (UE), as described herein).

[0176] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logical components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of any of methods 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1500. The apparatus may be, for example, a UE, such as wireless device 1802 (UE), as described herein.

[0177] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of any of methods 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1500. The apparatus may be, for example, a UE, such as wireless device 1802 (UE), as described herein.

[0178] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of any of method 1000 , method 1100 , method 1200 , method 1300 , and method 1500 .

[0179] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform one or more elements of any of methods 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1500. The processor may be a processor of a UE (such as processor 1804 of wireless device 1802 (UE), as described herein). The instructions may reside, for example, in a processor and / or in a memory of a UE (such as memory 1806 of wireless device 1802 (UE), as described herein).

[0180] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of either method 1400 and method 1600. The apparatus may be, for example, a base station, such as network device 1818 (base station), as described herein.

[0181] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions for causing the electronic device, when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of any of method 1400 and method 1600. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a base station (such as memory 1822 of network device 1818 (base station), as described herein).

[0182] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logical components, modules, or circuits operable to perform one or more elements of any of method 1400 and method 1600. The apparatus may be, for example, a base station, such as network device 1818 (base station), as described herein.

[0183] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of any of method 1400 and method 1600. The apparatus may be, for example, a base station, such as network device 1818 (base station), as described herein.

[0184] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of either of method 1400 and method 1600 .

[0185] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of any of the methods 1400 and 1600. The processor may be a processor of a base station (such as processor 1820 of network device 1818 (base station), as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, in a processor and / or in a memory of a base station (such as memory 1822 of network device 1818 (base station), as described herein).

[0186] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, or the like as described above in conjunction with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein.

[0187] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible or can be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0188] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic for performing the operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0189] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, separated into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment may be used in conjunction with another embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in relation to one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless expressly stated otherwise herein.

[0190] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0191] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and the apparatus described herein. The embodiments of the present invention are therefore to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving random access channel (RACH) configuration information from a network, the RACH configuration information comprising a binary indication indicating that a first random access procedure capable of being performed by the UE implements a physical random access channel (PRACH) repetition behavior, wherein the random access procedure corresponds to a first synchronization signal block (SSB) associated with an uplink (UL) transmit (Tx) beam; and A first PRACH repetition of the first random access procedure is transmitted to the network on the UL Tx beam based on the binary indication, wherein the first PRACH repetition includes repeated transmission of a first random access preamble code of the first random access procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PRACH repetition is transmitted in a RACH opportunity (RO) that can be used for random access without the PRACH repetition behavior.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PRACH repetition is transmitted in a RACH opportunity (RO) dedicated for random access with the PRACH repetition behavior. 4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the RACH configuration information further comprises a priority indication for the PRACH repetition behavior.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RACH configuration information further includes first repetition level configuration information, the first repetition level configuration information indicating a first repetition level of the first random access preamble, and wherein the number of times the first PRACH is repeated corresponds to the first repetition level. 6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the RACH configuration information further includes second repetition level configuration information, and the second repetition level configuration information indicates a second repetition level of the second random access preamble.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the RACH configuration information further indicates that the first SSB uses the first repetition level.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the binary indication further indicates that the first random access procedure implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a first repetition level, and wherein the number of first PRACH repetitions corresponds to the first repetition level.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the RACH configuration information further indicates that the first SSB uses the first repetition level.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the RACH configuration information further includes a second binary indication, the second binary indication indicating that a second random access procedure that can be performed by the UE implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a second repetition level, wherein the second random access procedure corresponds to a second SSB, and wherein the second RACH configuration information further indicates that the second SSB uses the second repetition level.

11. A method of a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: transmitting random access channel (RACH) configuration information to a user equipment (UE), the RACH configuration information comprising a binary indication indicating that a first random access procedure capable of being performed by the UE implements a physical random access channel (PRACH) repetition behavior, wherein the random access procedure corresponds to a first synchronization signal block (SSB) associated with an uplink (UL) transmit (Tx) beam used by the UE; and A first PRACH repetition of the first random access procedure transmitted on the UL Tx beam is received from the UE based on the binary indication, wherein the first PRACH repetition includes repeated transmission of a first random access preamble code of the first random access procedure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first PRACH repetition is received in a RACH opportunity (RO) that can be used for random access without the PRACH repetition behavior.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first PRACH repetition is received in a RACH opportunity (RO) dedicated for random access with the PRACH repetition behavior.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the RACH configuration information further includes a priority indication for the PRACH repetition behavior.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the RACH configuration information further includes first repetition level configuration information, the first repetition level configuration information indicating a first repetition level of the first random access preamble, and wherein the number of times the first PRACH is repeated corresponds to the first repetition level. 16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the RACH configuration information further comprises second repetition level configuration information indicating a second repetition level of the second random access preamble.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the RACH configuration information further indicates that the first SSB uses the first repetition level.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the binary indication further indicates that the first random access procedure implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a first repetition level, and wherein the number of first PRACH repetitions corresponds to the first repetition level.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the RACH configuration information further indicates that the first SSB uses the first repetition level.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the RACH configuration information further includes a second binary indication indicating that a second random access procedure that can be performed by the UE implements the PRACH repetition behavior according to a second repetition level, wherein the second random access procedure corresponds to a second SSB associated with a second UL Tx beam, and wherein the second RACH configuration information further indicates that the second SSB uses the second repetition level.

21. A method of a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive random access channel (RACH) configuration information from the network, where the RACH configuration information includes: a starting RACH opportunity (RO) offset for timing a first set of physical random access channel (PRACH) repetitions for a first set of random access procedures corresponding to a set of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs); and a first starting RO periodicity defining a first duration between a set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs; and transmitting the first set of PRACH repetitions to the network at a first time determined according to the starting RO offset; and A second set of PRACH repetitions for a second set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs is transmitted to the network at a second time after the first time, the second time being an integer multiple of the first duration.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the starting RO offset is measured relative to system frame number (SFN) zero.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the starting RO offset is measured in milliseconds relative to an association mode period used by the UE.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first starting RO periodicity is an integer multiple of an associated mode period used by the UE.

25. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: receiving second RACH configuration information from the network, the second RACH configuration information including a second starting RO periodicity, the second starting RO periodicity defining a second duration between PRACH repetition sets of the random access procedure set corresponding to the SSB set; as well as A third set of PRACH repetitions for a third set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs is transmitted to the network at a third time after the second time, the third time being an integer multiple of the second duration.

26. A method of a Radio Access Network (RAN), the method comprising: Sending random access channel (RACH) configuration information to a user equipment (UE), the RACH configuration information including: a starting RACH opportunity (RO) offset for timing a first set of physical random access channel (PRACH) repetitions for a first set of random access procedures corresponding to a set of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs); and a first starting RO periodicity defining a first duration between a set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs; and receiving the first set of PRACH repetitions from the UE at a first time determined according to the starting RO offset; and A second set of PRACH repetitions for a second set of random access procedures corresponding to the set of SSBs is received from the UE at a second time after the first time, the second time being an integer multiple of the first duration.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the starting RO offset is measured relative to system frame number (SFN) zero.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the starting RO offset is measured in milliseconds relative to an association mode period used by the UE.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the first starting RO periodicity is an integer multiple of an associated mode period used by the UE.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising: Sending second RACH configuration information to the UE, the second RACH configuration information including a second starting RO periodicity, the second starting RO periodicity defining a second duration between PRACH repetition sets of the random access procedure set corresponding to the SSB set; as well as A third set of PRACH repetitions for a third set of random access procedures corresponding to the SSB set is received from the UE at a third time after the second time, the third time being an integer multiple of the second duration.

31. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

32. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

33. An apparatus comprising logic components, modules or circuits operable to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 30.

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