Synchronizing signal blocks using non-cell definition

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to using non-cell-defined synchronization signal blocks. In an aspect, a terminal device receives configuration information related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB) from a network device. The at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than cell-defined synchronization signal blocks (CD-SSBs). The terminal device performs a measurement for the at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information. According to the embodiment of the invention, better measurement performance can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communications, and particularly to terminal devices, network devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for using non-cell-defined synchronization signal blocks. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of communications, continuous evolution is underway to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks. Each new generation presents its own technological challenges, addressing the different situations and processes required to handle connections and services connected to wireless networks. To meet the increased demand for wireless data services since the deployment of fourth-generation (4G) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved fifth-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication systems. These new communication systems are capable of supporting a wide range of service applications for terminal devices.

[0003] Several communication technologies involve Narrowband New Radio Operation (NB NR). A work item regarding NR (New Radio, also known as 5G) support for dedicated spectrum of less than 5 MHz for FR1 has been approved on RAN#94-e. This involves so-called dedicated networks used to provide mission-critical communications for industry verticals such as smart energy and infrastructure, public safety, and rail communications. These networks will benefit not only from the high spectral efficiency of 5G NR but also from its ultra-reliability and low latency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the example embodiments of this disclosure provide solutions for using non-cell-defined synchronization signal blocks.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the terminal device to: receive configuration information from a network device relating to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and, based on the configuration information, perform measurements for the at least one NCD-SSB.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the network device to: determine, for a terminal device, configuration information associated with at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and send the configuration information associated with the at least one NCD-SSB to the terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a terminal device and from a network device, configuration information related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and performing a measurement for the at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: determining, at a network device and for a terminal device, configuration information associated with at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and sending the configuration information associated with the at least one NCD-SSB to the terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: components for receiving configuration information associated with at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB) at a terminal device and from a network device, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and components for performing measurements for the at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: components for determining configuration information related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB) at a network device and for a terminal device, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and components for transmitting the configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB to the terminal device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions for causing a device to execute at least the method according to any one of the third to fourth aspects described above.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer program is provided, the computer program including instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: receive configuration information from a network device relating to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and perform a measurement for the at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a computer program is provided, the computer program including instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: determine configuration information related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB) for a terminal device, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and send the configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB to the terminal device.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: a receiving circuitry configured to receive configuration information from a network device relating to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and an execution circuitry configured to perform a measurement for the at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes: a determining circuitry configured to determine configuration information for a terminal device related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and a transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB to the terminal device.

[0016] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1A An example system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is illustrated;

[0019] Figure 1B The illustration shows an example structure of an SSB at a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz;

[0020] Figure 1C The diagram illustrates the principle of synchronization grid points in the frequency range of 0-3000MHz;

[0021] Figure 1D The diagram illustrates the considerations for a synchronization grid with a bandwidth of 3MHz;

[0022] Figure 1E The illustration shows an example structure of a 12RBs SSB with a 15kHz subcarrier spacing in a 3MHz bandwidth;

[0023] Figure 2 The illustration shows a flowchart of the interaction between a terminal device and a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 3 An example of the 15PRBsNCD-SSB location via absoluteFrequencySSB according to some embodiments of this disclosure is illustrated;

[0025] Figure 4 The illustration shows an example of the 15PRBs NCD-SSB position via NCD-SSBscsoffset according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5 The illustration shows an example comparing a CD-SSB period of 10ms and an NCD-SSB timeoffset of 5ms with a CD-SSB period of 5ms according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 The illustration shows a flowchart of the use of 15RBs NCD-SSB according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7 The figure illustrates a comparison of measurement performance for 12PRBs CD-SSB and 15PRBs NCD-SSB.

[0029] Figure 8 The illustration shows a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 9 The illustration shows a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 10 A simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated; and

[0032] Figure 11 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0033] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0035] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0036] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it should be assumed that incorporating other embodiments to affect such a feature, structure, or characteristic is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, whether explicitly described or not.

[0037] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0038] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms “comprise,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “include,” and / or “including” as used herein specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0039] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuit systems); and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of analog and / or (multiple) digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of the (multiple) hardware processors having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories working together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions; and (c) (Multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may be absent when no software is required for operation.

[0040] This definition of circuit system applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As a further example, as used herein, the term circuit system also covers only the implementation of hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion thereof and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuit system also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices or other computing or network devices.

[0041] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE, also known as 4G or E-UTRA), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be utilized and embodied therein. The scope of this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the systems described above.

[0042] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB (5G base station)), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relays, low-power nodes such as femtoseconds, picoseconds, etc., depending on the terminology and technology used.

[0043] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0044] Some embodiments of this disclosure relate to narrowband new radio (NB NR) operation, such as the use of NCD-SSB in a 3MHz bandwidth. Some embodiments of this disclosure relate to emerging scenarios, such as those driven by the future of rail communications needs (globally) and by some smart grid operators in the US and public safety in the EU. NB NR operation is an NR Rel-18 work item. In embodiments of this disclosure, the focus is on the transmission and reception of punched SSB transmissions at different bandwidths for narrowband NR operation, and the associated synchronization grid design.

[0045] A work item regarding NR support for dedicated spectrum of less than 5 MHz for FR1 has been approved on RAN#94-e. This involves so-called dedicated networks used to provide mission-critical communications for industry verticals such as smart energy and infrastructure, public safety, and rail communications. These networks will benefit not only from the high spectral efficiency of 5G NR but also from its ultra-reliability and low latency. Some objectives of WID related to the embodiments of this disclosure can be listed below.

[0046] Based on the latest RAN1 #113 protocol, a 12RBs SSB will be used at a 3MHz bandwidth. However, the SSB transmission bandwidth is 12 PRBs (Physical Resource Blocks), which will affect issues 3, 4, 5, 13, and 14 in R4-2304589 (38.133 RRM). In these cases, the performance is poor. Compared to the traditional 20RBs SSB, the performance of using a 12RBs SSB will be significantly reduced in areas such as handover, reselection, and re-establishment. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a better performance solution.

[0047] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, refer to... Figure 1A , Figure 1A An example system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is illustrated. System 100 includes multiple terminal devices, such as terminal device 110, and multiple network devices, such as network device 120. Terminal device 110 and network device 120 may communicate with each other. In some examples, network device 120 may send multiple configurations to terminal device 110, and terminal device 110 may perform multiple operations based on the configurations, such as measurement-related operations.

[0048] It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices appropriate for implementing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0049] Communication in communication system 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), and fifth-generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0050] The Synchronization Signal / PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) block (SSB) is a core building block of the NR system. For example... Figure 1B As shown, Figure 1BThe illustration shows an example structure of an SSB at a 15kHz subcarrier (SCS) spacing. Two challenges associated with the SSB can be identified: the PBCH occupies a bandwidth of 3.6MHz or 20 RBs, and the existing set of possible frequency locations for the SSB is rather coarse for bandwidths below 5MHz. The PBCH needs to be narrowed to the desired transmission bandwidth, preferably by puncturing. Additionally, the set of possible SSB frequency locations needs to be redesigned to support NR bandwidths below 5MHz.

[0051] During cell search, the UE acquires time and frequency synchronization with the cell and determines the physical layer cell ID. The UE does this by searching for the PSS (Primary Synchronization Signal) and SSS (Secondary Synchronization Signal) and decoding the PBCH. 3GPP work items to date have assumed that the current PSS / SSS design is reused without puncturing, which is possible because its bandwidth of 1.905MHz is narrower than the transmission bandwidth that needs to be considered (down to approximately 2.16MHz).

[0052] The channel grid defines a subset of RF reference frequencies that can be used to identify RF channel locations in the uplink and downlink. The RF reference frequencies used for RF channels are mapped to resource elements on the carrier. The channel grid for the n8, n26, and n28 bands is 100kHz. The synchronization grid indicates the frequency location of a synchronization block, which can be acquired by the UE for the system when explicit signaling for the synchronization block location is unavailable. To accelerate cell search, the synchronization grid is much sparser than the channel grid. In the band of interest, the channel grid typically has a 100kHz spacing, but synchronization grid points are defined in clusters of three points, where points within a cluster are separated by 100kHz (grid offsets within the cluster are 50kHz, 150kHz, and 250kHz), and the clusters are separated from each other by 1200kHz. This principle is based on... Figure 1C It is depicted in the middle.

[0053] For a permitted bandwidth of 3MHz, and utilizing the principle of not modifying PSS and SSS, the clusters of synchronization grid points need to be separated by less than 1.2MHz to facilitate the two synchronization clusters, such as... Figure 1D As shown. In Figure 1D In the diagram, two channels with a 3MHz bandwidth separated by 100kHz are shown. If an SSB with more than 12 RBs is used, various types of puncturing will occur, and the UE's performance during the initial cell search will be degraded.

[0054] Currently, Non-Cell Defined SSB (NCD-SSB) is defined only for Capability Degradation (RedCap UE). Some existing schemes for describing NCD-SSBs related to RedCap UEs are as follows.

[0055] Continue to refer to Figure 1D The SSB will use the GSCN (Globally Synchronous Channel Number) when searching for cells, therefore it will have some limitations, such as Figure 1D As shown above, if an SSB with more than 12 RBs is used, multiple types of puncturing will exist, which will degrade UE performance during initial cell search. Therefore, a 12RBs SSB scheme may be more suitable for a 3MHz (15 RBs) SSB bandwidth, at least it will have only one type of puncturing, otherwise multiple types of puncturing will exist. Based on the latest RAN1#113 protocol, a 12RBs SSB will be used at a 3MHz bandwidth. For a 3MHz channel bandwidth in all frequency bands (as per the maximum channel utilization of 15 PRBs agreed in RAN1 / RAN4): the PBCH transmission bandwidth is 12 PRBs. (Reference) Figure 1E An example structure of a 12RBs SSB at a 15kHz subcarrier spacing within a 3MHz bandwidth is shown. As mentioned above, the fact that the SSB transmission bandwidth is 12 PRBs will affect some issues 3, 4, 5, 13, and 14 in R4-2304589. For example, it will affect handover requirements, RRC re-establishment requirements, RRC connection release requirements with redirection, intra-UE frequency measurement requirements, and inter-UE frequency measurement requirements.

[0056] In the embodiments of this disclosure, a novel approach is proposed to reduce the bandwidth of 3MHz bandwidth by additionally using 15 PRBs of non-cell-defined SSBs (time-division multiplexed with 12 PRBs of CD-SSB (Cell-Defining SSB)). More than one SSB with different numbers of PRBs will exist within a single cell. The UE can receive and measure more than one SSB with different numbers of PRBs in one or different cells. In this way, the network performance on the UE side will be significantly improved.

[0057] Now for reference Figure 2 , Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the interaction between a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is provided. Figure 2 As shown, process 200 may involve, for example, Figure 1A The diagram shows terminal device 110 and network device 120. It will be understood that although process 200 has already... Figure 1A The process is described in system 100, but it can also be applied to systems with... Figure 1A The scenario shown is different from other communication scenarios.

[0058] In process 200, network device 120 may determine (210) configuration information 205 related to at least one Non-Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (NCD-SSB) for terminal device 110. The at least one NCD-SSB may include a different number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) than a Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (CD-SSB). Network device 120 may then send (220) the configuration information 205 related to the at least one NCD-SSB to terminal device 110. On the terminal device 110 side, terminal device 110 may receive (230) the configuration information 205 related to the at least one NCD-SSB from network device 120.

[0059] In some examples, terminal device 110 can operate within a 3MHz bandwidth. In some examples, at least one NCD-SSB may include a first number of PRBs, and the CD-SSB may include a second number of PRBs, and the first number may be greater than the second number. For example, the NCD-SSB may include 14, 15, or 16 PRBs, etc., and the specific values ​​are not limited in the embodiments of this disclosure. The CD-SSB may include 12 PRBs. In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit, and terminal device 110 may receive, configuration information 205 via System Information Block (SIB) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages or combinations thereof.

[0060] Configuration information 205 can be implemented in various ways, such as the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB, or the offset associated with a subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB. Terminal device 110 can calculate at least one frequency position of at least one NCD-SSB and, based on at least one frequency position of at least one NCD-SSB, perform puncturing on the bandwidth associated with at least one NCD-SSB. Details will be further described in some example embodiments.

[0061] In some embodiments, in order to send configuration information 205, network device 120 may send the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB. On the terminal device 110 side, terminal device 110 may receive the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB. As an example, network device 120 indicates, and the UE (an example of terminal device 110) receives the configuration of 15 PRBs NCD-SSB. The UE may perform NCD-SSB calculation based on the absolute frequency of the 15 PRBs NCD-SSB. NonCellDefining SSB is defined as follows (3GPP TS 38.331 V17.4.0 (2023-03)). NonCellDefiningSSB Information Element NonCellDefiningSSB-r17 ::= SEQUENCE { absoluteFrequencySSB-r17 ARFCN-ValueNR ssb-Periodicity-r17 ENUMERATED {ms5, ms10, ms20, ms40, ms80,ms160, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need S ssb-TimeOffset-r17 ENUMERATED {ms5, ms10, ms15, ms20, ms40, ms80, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need S ... }

[0062] refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 An example of 15 PRBs NCD-SSB locations via absoluteFrequencySSB according to some embodiments of this disclosure is illustrated. AbsoluteFrequencySSB, as an example of the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB, can refer to the absoluteFrequencySSB-r17 above. The UE is able to perform NCD-SSB location calculation based on the configured (e.g., SIB or RRC) absoluteFrequencySSB-r17 and the 15 RB locations of a known 3MHz bandwidth (BW), and then remove the puncture from the 3MHz BW portion based on this calculation.

[0063] In some embodiments, in order to send configuration information 205, network device 120 may send an offset associated with a subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB. On the terminal device 110 side, terminal device 110 may receive the offset associated with a subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB. In some examples, the offset may be indicated based on an integer, an enumerated value, an absolute frequency value, or any combination thereof.

[0064] As an example, Figure 4 The illustration shows an example of the 15PRBs NCD-SSB location via NCD-SSBscsoffset according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, with reference to Figure 4The RRCCNonCellDefiningSSB information element is enhanced using the explicit NCD-SSBscsoffset-r18. New offset values ​​are defined, and these offset values ​​can be based on integers, enumerations, or ARFCN-ValueNR. ARFCN represents the absolute radio frequency channel number. Two examples are shown below.

[0065] In Example 1, the NCD-SSBscsoffset-r18 configuration is used, which has enumerated values ​​for both negative and positive offsets: NonCellDefiningSSB Information Element NonCellDefiningSSB-r18 ::= SEQUENCE { NCD-SSBscsoffset-r18 ENUMERATED {-36, -35…0,1,2…36} ssb-Periodicity-r17 ENUMERATED {ms5, ms10, ms20, ms40, ms80,ms160, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need S ssb-TimeOffset-r17 ENUMERATED {ms5, ms10, ms15, ms20, ms40, ms80, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need S ... }

[0066] In Example 2, the ARFCN-ValueNR configuration is used: NonCellDefiningSSB Information Element NonCellDefiningSSB-r18 ::= SEQUENCE { NCD-SSBscsoffset-r18 ARFCN-ValueNR, ssb-Periodicity-r17 ENUMERATED {ms5, ms10, ms20, ms40, ms80,ms160, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need S ssb-TimeOffset-r17 ENUMERATED {ms5, ms10, ms15, ms20, ms40, ms80, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need S ... }

[0067] After receiving the configuration, the terminal device 110 (e.g., UE) is able to perform NCD-SSB position calculation based on NCD-SSBscsoffset-r18 (corresponding to the offset associated with the subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB) and 15 RB positions of the 3MHz BW, and then the UE can perform bandwidth punching on the 3MHz BW that falls outside the expected bandwidth.

[0068] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform puncturing at the resource block (RB) level or the subcarrier level. That is, NCD-SSB puncturing can be used as an integer RB or a non-integer RB, such as subcarrier-level puncturing.

[0069] Based on the configuration information 205 received from network device 120, terminal device 110 can perform (240) a measurement for at least one NCD-SSB. In some embodiments, to perform the measurement, terminal device 110 can measure at least one NCD-SSB, or measure at least one SSB (which is based on CD-SSB and at least one NCD-SSB is partially soft-combined), or a combination thereof. As an example, the UE uses 15PRBs NCD-SSB measurement in serving cell and neighbor cell measurements. The UE can measure 15PRBs NCD-SSB. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can utilize TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) to measure 12PRBs CD-SSB + 15PRBs NCD-SSB, and can partially soft-combine CD-SSB and NCD-SSB (since the content of NCD-SSB is larger than the content of CD-SSB). The partial soft-combining of CD-SSB and NCD-SSB can be based on the same content between CD-SSB and NCD-SSB.

[0070] In some embodiments, CD-SSBs are periodic. For terminal device 110 and network device 120, at least one NCD-SSB may be discarded if at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs overlap, but not if at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are frequency-center aligned and completely overlapped. That is, if CD-SSB and NCD-SSB resources overlap, the NCD-SSB is discarded, except when the NCD-SSB and CD-SSB are frequency-center aligned and completely overlapped.

[0071] Figure 5The illustration shows an example comparing a CD-SSB period of 10ms and an NCD-SSB timeoffset of 5ms with a CD-SSB period of 5ms, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. (Refer to...) Figure 5 (a) and (b) compare a CD-SSB period of 10ms and an NCD-SSB timeoffset of 5ms with a CD-SSB period of 5ms. Clearly, even with the 12RBsSSB configured at its shortest period, performance is still worse than the NCD-SSB configuration. It should be noted that while NCD-SSB is described in some embodiments of this disclosure, the naming of NCD-SSB may differ for lower RB scenarios.

[0072] Figure 6 The illustration shows a flowchart of the use of 15RBs NCD-SSB according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example... Figure 6 As shown, in process 600, terminal device 110 can first search for CD-SSB (12 PRBs) to access the 3MHz network, and then receive the configuration NCD-SSB (15 PRBs) for mobile network measurements via SIB or RRC signaling after access. Specifically, at block 610, terminal device 110 can initially detect PSS / SSS. For example, the UE searches for the network PSS and SSS, obtaining the 12RBs CD-SSB, which allows the UE to then read the MIB and SIB to know the size of the 3MHz bandwidth and the position of the reduced RBs (e.g., 15 RBs) relative to the SSS / PSS. At block 620, terminal device 110 can obtain the CD-SSB index and decode the PBCH based on the 12RBs PBCH. At block 630, terminal device 110 can obtain the 15RBs NCD-SSB configuration (i.e., configuration information related to the NCD-SSB) via SIB or RRC. At box 640, terminal device 110 can detect / measure NCD-SSBs used for switching, reselection, re-establishment, redirection, release, SDT (small data transfer), etc.

[0073] In embodiments of this disclosure, SSBs with different punch points are used in the same frequency band, and they can be used together to improve measurements of the same cell at the same frequency. In some examples, the UE receives SSBs with different PRBs (e.g., 12 PRBs + 15 PRBs) in a single cell and can (soft) combine SSBs with different PRBs for measurement. In some examples, the UE receives SSBs with different PRBs (e.g., 12 PRBs + 15 PRBs) in neighboring cells within the same frequency range and can (soft) combine SSBs with different PRBs for measurement. Compared to using 12 PRBs SSBs, better measurement performance can be achieved in many scenarios, such as handover and re-establishment.

[0074] Some simulation results can be used for reference. Figure 7 . Figure 7 The figure illustrates a comparison of measurement performance for 12PRBs CD-SSB and 15PRBs NCD-SSB. (For example...) Figure 7 As shown, quantitatively, this gain is between 2 dB and 3 dB. This should lead to the conclusion that once moved to 15 PRBs, lower complexity can be applied, resulting in improved overall performance. Therefore, since one attempt with 15 PRBs equals the performance of five attempts with 12 PRBs, the same performance can be achieved using the schemes described in this disclosure with reduced complexity, timing constraints (and power usage). Figure 7 In the diagram, the reference markers correspond to the number of attempts. For example, reference marker "1" corresponds to "1 attempt", and reference marker "15" corresponds to "15 attempts", etc.

[0075] Figure 8 The illustration shows a flowchart of a method implemented at terminal device 110 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 800 will be referred to from the perspective of terminal device 110. Figure 1A To describe.

[0076] At block 810, terminal device 110 can receive configuration information from network device 120 related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB). At block 820, terminal device 110 can perform measurements for at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information.

[0077] In some embodiments, in order to receive configuration information, the terminal device 110 may receive the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0078] In some embodiments, in order to receive configuration information, terminal device 110 may receive an offset associated with a subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0079] In some embodiments, the offset may be indicated based on an integer, an enumerated value, an absolute frequency value, or any combination thereof.

[0080] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may calculate at least one frequency position of at least one NCD-SSB, and perform puncturing on the bandwidth associated with at least one NCD-SSB based on at least one frequency position of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0081] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may perform puncturing at the resource block (RB) level or the subcarrier level.

[0082] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform a measurement by measuring at least one NCD-SSB or by measuring at least one SSB, wherein the at least one SSB is based on CD-SSB and at least one NCD-SSB is partially soft-combined.

[0083] In some embodiments, CD-SSB is periodic. Terminal device 110 may discard at least one NCD-SSB if at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of CD-SSB are overlapped, and not if at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of CD-SSB are aligned at the frequency center and are completely overlapped.

[0084] In some embodiments, configuration information is received via a System Information Block (SIB), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a combination thereof.

[0085] In some embodiments, at least one NCD-SSB includes a first number of PRBs, and the CD-SSB includes a second number of PRBs, and the first number may be greater than the second number.

[0086] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can be operated in a 3MHz bandwidth.

[0087] Figure 9 A flowchart of an example method 900 implemented at network device 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, method 900 will be referred to from the perspective of network device 120. Figure 1A To describe.

[0088] At block 910, network device 120 can determine configuration information related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signaling block (NCD-SSB) for terminal device 110. The at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signaling block (CD-SSB). At block 920, network device 120 can send the configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB to terminal device 110.

[0089] In some embodiments, in order to send configuration information, network device 120 may send the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0090] In some embodiments, in order to send configuration information, network device 120 may send an offset associated with a subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0091] In some embodiments, the offset may be indicated based on an integer, an enumerated value, an absolute frequency value, or any combination thereof.

[0092] In some embodiments, configuration information may be sent via a System Information Block (SIB), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a combination thereof.

[0093] In some embodiments, at least one NCD-SSB includes a first number of PRBs, and the CD-SSB includes a second number of PRBs, wherein the first number is greater than the second number.

[0094] In some embodiments, CD-SSBs are periodic. Network device 120 may discard at least one NCD-SSB if at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are overlapped, and not if at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are aligned at the frequency center and are completely overlapped.

[0095] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 800 (e.g., terminal device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 800. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0096] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for receiving configuration information from network device 120 associated with at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and components for performing measurements for the at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information.

[0097] In some embodiments, the component for receiving configuration information includes a component for receiving the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0098] In some embodiments, the component for receiving configuration information includes a component for receiving an offset associated with a subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0099] In some embodiments, the offset is indicated based on an integer, an enumerated value, an absolute frequency value, or any combination thereof.

[0100] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for calculating at least one frequency position of at least one NCD-SSB; and components for performing puncturing on the bandwidth associated with at least one NCD-SSB based on at least one frequency position of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0101] In some embodiments, the components used to perform puncturing perform puncturing at the resource block (RB) level or the subcarrier level.

[0102] In some embodiments, the components for performing the measurement include components for measuring at least one NCD-SSB, or components for measuring at least one SSB, or both, wherein at least one SSB is based on CD-SSB and at least one NCD-SSB is partially soft-combined.

[0103] In some embodiments, the CD-SSB is periodic. The device includes a component for discarding at least one NCD-SSB based on the condition that at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are overlapped, and that at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are not aligned at the frequency center and are completely overlapped.

[0104] In some embodiments, the configuration information is received via a System Information Block (SIB), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a combination thereof.

[0105] In some embodiments, at least one NCD-SSB includes a first number of PRBs; and the CD-SSB includes a second number of PRBs, wherein the first number is greater than the second number.

[0106] In some embodiments, the device is operated in a 3MHz bandwidth.

[0107] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 800. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to execute.

[0108] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 900 (e.g., network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 900. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0109] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for determining configuration information related to at least one non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB) for terminal device 110, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) than a cell-defined synchronization signal block (CD-SSB); and components for sending the configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB to terminal device 110.

[0110] In some embodiments, the component for transmitting configuration information includes a component for transmitting the absolute frequency of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0111] In some embodiments, the component for transmitting configuration information includes a component for transmitting an offset associated with a subcarrier of at least one NCD-SSB.

[0112] In some embodiments, the offset is indicated based on an integer, an enumerated value, an absolute frequency value, or a combination thereof.

[0113] In some embodiments, the configuration information is transmitted via a System Information Block (SIB), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a combination thereof.

[0114] In some embodiments, at least one NCD-SSB includes a first number of PRBs; and the CD-SSB includes a second number of PRBs, wherein the first number is greater than the second number.

[0115] In some embodiments, the CD-SSB is periodic. The device includes a component for discarding at least one NCD-SSB based on the condition that at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are overlapped, and that at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are not aligned at the frequency center and are completely overlapped.

[0116] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 900. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to execute.

[0117] Figure 10 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1000 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1A The terminal device 110 and network device 120 are shown. As shown, device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010, one or more memories 1020 coupled to processor 1010, and one or more communication modules 1040 coupled to processor 1010.

[0118] The communication module 1040 is used for bidirectional communication. The communication module 1040 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0119] Processor 1010 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 1000 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-subordinate to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0120] Memory 1020 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1024, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compressed optical disc (CD), digital video optical disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1022 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0121] Computer program 1030 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1010. Program 1030 may be stored in ROM 1024. Processor 1010 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1030 into RAM 1022.

[0122] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using program 1030, enabling device 1000 to execute as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 9 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0123] In some embodiments, program 1030 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 1000 (such as in memory 1020) or in other storage devices accessible by device 1000. Device 1000 may load program 1030 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 1022 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 11 An example of a computer-readable medium 1100 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer-readable medium has a program 1030 stored thereon.

[0124] In general, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof, as non-limiting examples.

[0125] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the functions described above. Figures 2 to 9 Method 800 or Method 900 are described. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions used for a program module can be executed on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0126] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0127] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0128] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compressed optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transient” is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0129] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or that all described operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0130] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that this disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: Receive configuration information from a network device related to at least one Non-Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (NCD-SSB), wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) than a Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (CD-SSB); and Based on the configuration information, measurements are performed for the at least one NCD-SSB.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is configured to receive the configuration information by: The absolute frequency of the at least one NCD-SSB is received.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is configured to receive the configuration information by: Receive the offset associated with the subcarrier of the at least one NCD-SSB.

4. The terminal device of claim 3, wherein the offset is indicated based on at least one of the following: Integer; Enumerated values; or Absolute frequency value.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Calculate at least one frequency position of the at least one NCD-SSB; and Based on the at least one frequency location of the at least one NCD-SSB, puncturing is performed on the bandwidth associated with the at least one NCD-SSB.

6. The terminal device of claim 5, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform the punching at the resource block (RB) level or the subcarrier level.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform the measurement by at least one of the following: Measure at least one NCD-SSB; or At least one SSB is measured, the at least one SSB being partially soft-merged based on the CD-SSB and the at least one NCD-SSB.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the CD-SSB is periodic, and the terminal device is further configured such that: If at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are overlapping, and the at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are not aligned at the frequency center and are completely overlapping, then the at least one NCD-SSB is discarded.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the configuration information is received via at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB); or Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The at least one NCD-SSB includes a first number of PRBs; and The CD-SSB includes a second number of PRBs, and wherein: The first quantity is greater than the second quantity.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the terminal device is operated in a 3MHz bandwidth.

12. A network device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: For a terminal device, configuration information related to at least one Non-Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (NCD-SSB) is determined, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) than a Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (CD-SSB); and The configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB is sent to the terminal device.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the network device is configured to send the configuration information by: The absolute frequency of the at least one NCD-SSB is transmitted.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the network device is configured to send the configuration information by: Transmit the offset associated with the subcarrier of the at least one NCD-SSB.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the offset is indicated based on at least one of the following: Integer; Enumerated values; or Absolute frequency value.

16. The network device according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the configuration information is transmitted via at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB); or Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

17. The network device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein: The at least one NCD-SSB includes a first number of PRBs; and The CD-SSB includes a second number of PRBs, and wherein: The first quantity is greater than the second quantity.

18. The network device according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the CD-SSB is periodic, and the network device is further configured such that: If at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are overlapping, and the at least one NCD-SSB and one or more of the CD-SSBs are not aligned at the frequency center and are completely overlapping, then the at least one NCD-SSB is discarded.

19. A method comprising: At the terminal device and from the network device, configuration information related to at least one Non-Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (NCD-SSB) is received, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) than the Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (CD-SSB); and Based on the configuration information, measurements are performed for the at least one NCD-SSB.

20. A method comprising: At the network device and for the terminal device, configuration information related to at least one Non-Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (NCD-SSB) is determined, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) than a Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (CD-SSB); and The configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB is sent to the terminal device.

21. An apparatus comprising: Components for receiving configuration information related to at least one Non-Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (NCD-SSB) at a terminal device and from a network device, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) than a Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (CD-SSB); and A component for performing measurements for the at least one NCD-SSB based on the configuration information.

22. An apparatus comprising: Components for determining configuration information related to at least one Non-Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (NCD-SSB) at a network device and for a terminal device, wherein the at least one NCD-SSB includes a different number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) than a Cell Defined Synchronization Signal Block (CD-SSB); and A component for sending the configuration information related to the at least one NCD-SSB to the terminal device.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to claim 19 or 20.

Images