Methods for synchronization signal block (ssb) transmission adaptation in wireless communications

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and apparatus for network energy saving (NES), including methods for synchronization signal block (SSB) pattern indication, including receiving, by a user equipment (UE), in a serving cell, a set of SSB patterns in a SIB1 message, each SSB pattern including: an information element (IE) indicating positioning of one or more transmitted SSBs in a SSB burst, an IE indicating periodicity of the SSB pattern, and an IE indicating power of the one or more transmitted SSBs; receiving, by the UE, a SSB pattern index (SPI) indicating a SSB pattern from the set of SSB patterns to be used by the UE; and performing synchronization with the network using one or more transmitted SSBs in the indicated SSB pattern.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to wireless devices and wireless networks including the devices, computer-readable media, and methods for adaptive transmission of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) for implementing network power saving (NES) in wireless communications. Background Technology

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become increasingly complex and sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices now offer access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex applications that utilize these functionalities. Furthermore, many different wireless communication technologies and standards exist. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A (Advanced LTE), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth. ™ 5G New Radio (NR), etc.

[0003] The increasing number of features and functionalities introduced into wireless communication devices also creates a continuous need for improvements in wireless communication and the devices themselves. One such improvement is the process of energy-efficient design. While much attention has been paid to power savings on the user equipment (UE) side (due to battery life), less attention has been given to energy-efficient processes on the network side. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and apparatus for SSB pattern adaptation in wireless networks. The embodiments establish a set of SSB patterns in the UE and introduce an SSB Pattern Index (SPI) to indicate the SSB pattern to be used. Different patterns of adaptation are established according to the embodiments. Furthermore, the embodiments include a triggered beam reassociation (BRA) procedure for updating the SSB patterns used by the UE.

[0005] In one aspect, the implementation relates to a method for SSB pattern indication, the method comprising: a UE receiving a set of SSB patterns in a serving cell in an SIB1 message, each SSB pattern including an information element (IE) indicating the location of a transmitted SSB index within an SSB burst, an IE indicating the periodicity of the SSB pattern, and an IE indicating the power of the transmitted SSB index. The UE receives an SPI indicating SSB patterns from the set of SSB patterns to be used by the UE, and the UE uses the transmitted SSB in the indicated SSB pattern to perform synchronization with the network.

[0006] In some implementations of the above embodiments, the set of SSB patterns is included in the non-critical extended fields of the SIB1 message.

[0007] In some embodiments described above, the SPI is included in a field of a downlink control information (DCI) message. This DCI message may be a format 1_0 message with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). This field may be part of the short message field of a format 1_0 DCI message, or it may be part of a format 1_0 DCI message with reused bits.

[0008] In some embodiments described above, the SPI is included in a field of a DCI format 2_7 message having a CRC scrambled by Paging Early Indication (PEI) - RNTI. This field may be introduced by reusing bits from the DCI format.

[0009] In some embodiments described above, the SPI is included in a field of a new DCI format 2_X message configured by the SIB1 message. The DCI format 2_X message can be scrambled by the SPI-RNTI included in the SIB1 message.

[0010] In some aspects, the implementation relates to a method for updating an SSB pattern, the method comprising: a UE receiving an SSB pattern update indication signal indicating an update to the SSB pattern; the UE determining whether to perform a beam association procedure based on the mode of the updated SSB pattern; and the UE performing a beam association procedure if a first mode is used for the updated SSB pattern.

[0011] In some implementations of the above embodiments, the beam association process is a contention-free random access (CFRA) preamble-based beam reassociation (BRA) process. This BRA process includes: the UE receiving, via RRC signaling, a threshold for the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) for one or more SSB indices, a search space identifier (ID) and a time window for monitoring responses to preamble transmission, and a set of random access preambles. The UE measures the RSRP for the one or more SSB indices and determines that the measured RSRP for one SSB index is greater than the threshold and greater than the measurements for the remaining SSB indices. The UE transmits a random access preamble from the set of random access preambles associated with the SSB index having the highest measured RSRP. The UE monitors and receives the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) based on the search space identifier and the time window. The UE then uses the SSB index to communicate with the network.

[0012] In some embodiments of the above implementation, the beam association process is a schedule request (SR)-based BRA process, which includes: the UE receiving SR resources for one or more candidate SSB indices and a threshold for the RSRP of the one or more SSB indices via RRC signaling; the UE measuring the RSRP for the one or more SSB indices and determining that the measured RSRP for the SSB index is greater than the threshold and greater than the measurements for the remaining SSB indices; the UE transmitting the SR resources corresponding to the SSB index associated with the highest measured RSRP; the UE monitoring and receiving uplink granted DCI format from the network; and then the UE using the SSB index to communicate data with the network.

[0013] In some embodiments described above, the UE further determines a mapping of the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) timing based on the SSB pattern indicated by the most recent SPI, and transmits a Random Access Channel (RACH) preamble on the PRACH timing based on this mapping. This mapping may be a mapping between the SSB index indicated by the most recent SPI or by the SSB pattern in SIB1 and the PRACH timing.

[0014] The technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to any one of cellular phones, wireless devices, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and various other computing devices.

[0015] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0016] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of the various aspects in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system is illustrated based on some aspects.

[0018] Figure 2 Example block diagrams of a UE based on some aspects are shown.

[0019] Figure 3 An example is given of a base station (BS) communicating with a UE device based on some aspects.

[0020] Figure 4 An example of DCI enhancement for SSB patterns is shown based on several aspects.

[0021] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Different modes for SSB pattern adaptation are described based on several aspects.

[0022] Figure 6 The process for the BRA procedure is described based on several aspects.

[0023] Although the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, their specific aspects are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Recently (e.g., version 18), spatial domain and power domain adaptive techniques have provided energy savings for networks in response to different load scenarios in wireless communication. Spatial domain and power domain adaptation helps control the network's active-time energy consumption. In addition, techniques for specifying cell discontinuous transmission / reception (DTX / DRX) mechanisms have been introduced, which also contribute to network energy conservation.

[0025] In previous wireless communication standard protocols (e.g., versions 15 to 18), when a UE initially selects a cell, the UE may assume that half-frames with a Signal Synchronization (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) block occur periodically every two frames. That is, if the cell supports initial access operation using a Signal Synchronization Block (SSB) at the Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN) point, the network must send an SSB every 20 milliseconds.

[0026] To further support NES, the embodiments disclosed herein provide devices and methods for SSB pattern adaptation in wireless networks. By changing the SSB pattern, the system has the opportunity to implement NES. For example, if one or more SSB indices are underutilized, the embodiments can use similar or different SSB distribution patterns to reduce the number of available SSB indices, thereby reducing the amount of energy used by the network.

[0027] The implementation scheme establishes a set of SSB patterns and introduces an SSB Pattern Index (SPI) to indicate the SSB pattern to be used by the UE. The set of SSB patterns can be provided in the SIB1 message with minimal impact on current radio standards. The SPI field can be sent to the UE in the Downlink Control Information (DCI) according to the implementation scheme.

[0028] Different pattern adaptation modes are established based on the implementation plan. For example, one mode reduces the number of SSB indices and downlink beams while maintaining quasi-co-addressability (QCL) with the remaining SSB indices and beams. Another mode reduces the number of SSB indices, but there is no QCL relationship between the new SSB pattern and the previous pattern used.

[0029] The implementation also includes a triggered BRA procedure for updating the SSB pattern used by the UE. This procedure includes: the UE receiving an SSB pattern update indication and establishing appropriate measurements and authorizations to establish communication using the updated SSB pattern.

[0030] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure:

[0031] Memory medium – any device of any type of nontransitory memory device or storage device. The term “memory medium” is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROM, floppy disk, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory medium may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory medium may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network (such as the Internet). In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or more memory media residing in different locations in different computer systems connected via, for example, a network. Memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0032] Carrier medium – such as memory media as described above, and physical transmission media, such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media for transmitting signals (such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals).

[0033] Programmable hardware elements encompass a variety of hardware devices that include multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "reconfigurable logic units."

[0034] Computer system—any of all types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, networked appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0035] User equipment (UE) (also referred to as "user equipment" or "UE device")—any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone).™ Based on Android ™ Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ This includes laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument clusters, head-up displays (HUD) devices, on-board diagnostics (OBD) devices, dashboard moving equipment (DME), mobile data terminals (MDT), electronic engine management systems (EEMS), electronic / engine control units (ECU), electronic / engine control modules (ECM), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), connected or "smart" appliances, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications equipment (or combination of equipment) capable of being transported by a user and enabling wireless communication.

[0036] A wireless device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0037] A communication device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, which may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0038] Base station—The term “base station” or “wireless station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system. For example, if a base station is implemented in an LTE environment, it may alternatively be referred to as an “eNodeB” or “eNB”. If a base station is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a “gNodeB” or “gNB”. Although certain aspects are described in the context of LTE or 5G NR, references to “eNB,” “gNB,” “nodeB,” “base station,” “NB,” etc., may also refer to one or more wireless nodes serving a cell to provide wireless connectivity between user equipment and, generally, a wider network, and the concepts discussed are not limited to any particular wireless technology. Although certain aspects are described in the context of LTE or 5G NR, references to “eNB,” “gNB,” “nodeB,” “base station,” “NB,” etc., are not intended to limit the concepts discussed herein to any particular wireless technology, and the concepts discussed can be applied to any wireless system.

[0039] Node – As used herein, the term “node” or “wireless node” can refer to one or more devices associated with a cell that provides a wireless connection between a user equipment and a typically wired network.

[0040] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device, such as a user equipment or cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, a portion or circuitry of a standalone processor core, an entire processor core, a standalone processor, a processor array, circuitry such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable hardware components such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0041] A channel is a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on the wireless protocol, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standardized manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, for example, different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0042] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0043] Automatic—means an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform that action or operation. Therefore, the term "automatic" contrasts with an action performed or specified manually by the user (where the user provides input to directly perform the action). An automatic process may be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input to specify information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be filled out automatically by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) which analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without any user input of answers to specify the fields. As indicated above, users can invoke autofill for forms but do not participate in the actual filling of the forms (e.g., instead of manually specifying answers to fields, they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of actions that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0044] Approximately—means a value close to the correct or precise value. For example, approximately can refer to a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can be application-dependent. For example, in some respects, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of some specified or expected value, while in various other respects, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of a particular application.

[0045] Concurrency refers to the parallel execution or implementation of tasks, processes, or programs in a manner that overlaps at least partially. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0046] "Configured as"—Various components can be described as being "configured as" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured as" is a broad expression generally meaning "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured as" can be a broad expression generally meaning "having a circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Generally, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured as" can include hardware circuitry.

[0047] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 USC § 112(f) for that component.

[0048] Example wireless communication system

[0049] Now go to Figure 1 This illustrates a simplified example of a wireless communication system based on some aspects. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described herein is a non-limiting example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0050] As shown in the figure, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106Z via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0051] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (e.g., a “cellular base station”), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UEs 106A to 106Z.

[0052] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, and 3GPP2 CDMA2000. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in an LTE context, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR context, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0053] In some aspects, UE 106 can be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed to utilize low-power IoT applications with short-lived UE connectivity. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), Proximity Service (ProSe), or Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, sensor network, or IoT network. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connectivity. As an example, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) may utilize ProSe features using a PC5 interface to communicate directly between devices. The IoT UE may also execute background applications (e.g., keeping track of activity messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, UEs 106 (such as UE 106A and UE 106B) can directly exchange communication data via PC5 interface 108A. Furthermore, UEs 106C, 106N, and 106Z can jointly exchange communication data via PC5 interfaces 108B, 108C, and 108D. Generally, this type of PC5 interface is referred to as an SL connection.

[0055] For example, the PC5 interface 108 may include one or more physical channels, including but not limited to the Physical Side Link Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Side Link Control Channel (PSCCH), Physical Side Link Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), and Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH). According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the PC5 interface 108 can handle direct communication (unicast) between devices, selective group message transmission and reception (multicast) between devices, and broadcast message transmission and reception.

[0056] In a V2X scenario, one or more base stations in base station 102 may be roadside units (RSUs) or act as roadside units (RSUs). The term RSU can refer to any transport infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU may be in or implemented by a suitable radio node or a stationed (or relatively stationed) UE, wherein the RSU is in or implemented by a UE, an eNB, or a gNB. For example, an RSU is a computing device coupled to radio frequency circuitry located on the roadside that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs.

[0057] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and / or the Internet, and various other possibilities). Therefore, base station 102A facilitates communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various telecommunications capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0058] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B to 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UEs 106A to 106Z and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0059] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1 The illustrated "serving cells" are UEs 106A to 106Z, but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B to 102Z and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. These cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells, and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing service area size. For example, in Figure 1 Base stations 102A and 102B illustrated can be macro cells, while base station 102Z can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0060] In some respects, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station (e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or "gNB"). In some respects, the gNB may connect to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) / 5G core (5GC) network. Furthermore, the gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating under 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs. For example, base station 102A and one or more other base stations 102 may support joint transmission, enabling UE 106 to receive transmissions from multiple base stations (and / or multiple TRPs provided by the same base station). For example, as... Figure 1 As illustrated, both base station 102A and base station 102C are shown as serving UE 106A.

[0061] It should be noted that UE 106 may be able to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to some of the cellular communication protocols discussed herein, UE 106 may also be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, UE 106 may also be configured, or alternatively, to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) (e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0062] In one or more embodiments, UE 106 can be a cellular communication-enabled device, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, laptop, tablet, smartwatch or other wearable device or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0063] UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may execute any method aspect of the method aspects described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include any programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), integrated circuit, and / or any other possible hardware component configured to execute (e.g., independently or in combination) any method aspect of the method aspects described herein or any part of any method aspect of the method aspects described herein.

[0064] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some aspects, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, NR or LTE using at least some shared radio components. As an additional possibility, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processors, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, and amplifiers) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0065] In some aspects, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therein. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or either LTE or 1xRTT, or either LTE or GSM, and various other possibilities), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0066] In some respects, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmission from any of the base stations in base station 102 to UE 106, while uplink transmission can utilize similar techniques. This grid can be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which represents the physical resources in the downlink within each time slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is standard practice for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems, making radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid can include multiple resource blocks, which describe the mapping from a specific physical channel to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0067] One such channel is the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) that carries user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 106. Among other information, the PDCCH can carry information about the transmission format and resource allocation associated with the PDSCH channel. It can also inform UE 106 of the transmission format, resource allocation, and HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information associated with the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 102 within the cell) can be performed at any base station in base station 102 based on channel quality information fed back from any UE in UE 106. Downlink resource assignment information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each UE in the UE.

[0068] The PDCCH can use Control Channel Elements (CCEs) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the complex-valued symbols of the PDCCH are first organized into quadruplets, which are then arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE corresponds to a set of four physical resource elements (REGs) of nine. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8) can exist.

[0069] Example communication device

[0070] Figure 2Examples include user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) or other user equipment 106 communicating with base station 102 according to some aspects. UE 106 can be a device with cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, laptop, tablet, smartwatch, or other wearable device, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0071] UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may execute any method aspect of the method aspects described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include any programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), integrated circuit, and / or any other possible hardware component configured to execute (e.g., independently or in combination) any method aspect of the method aspects described herein or any part of any method aspect of the method aspects described herein.

[0072] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some aspects, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, NR or LTE using at least some shared radio components. As an additional possibility, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processors, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0073] In some aspects, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therein. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or either LTE or 1xRTT, or either LTE or GSM, and various other possibilities), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0074] In some respects, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmission from any of the base stations in base station 102 to UE 106, while uplink transmission can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which represents the physical resources in the downlink within each time slot. This time-frequency representation is common practice for OFDM systems, making radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid can include multiple resource blocks, which describe the mapping from a specific physical channel to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0075] The PDSCH carries user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 106. Among other information, the PDCCH carries information about the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It also informs UE 106 of the transmission format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 102 within the cell) can be performed at any base station in base station 102 based on channel quality information fed back from any UE in UE 106. Downlink resource assignment information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each UE.

[0076] The PDCCH can use Control Channel Elements (CCEs) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the complex-valued symbols of the PDCCH are first organized into quadruplets, which are then arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE corresponds to a set of four physical resource elements (REGs) of nine. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8) can exist.

[0077] Figure 2 A simplified block diagram illustrating a communication device 106 according to some aspects is shown. Note that... Figure 2 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. Depending on the aspects, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 200 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 200 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 200 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of the communication device 106.

[0078] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 210), input / output interfaces (such as connector I / F 220) (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 260 that may be integrated with or external to communication device 106, and wireless communication circuitry 230 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, UMTS, GSM, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.). In some aspects, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card for Ethernet, for example.

[0079] The wireless communication circuit 230 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antenna 335 as shown in the figure. The wireless communication circuit 230 may include cellular communication circuitry and / or short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry, and may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0080] In some aspects, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 230 may include one or more receive chains (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) of multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Furthermore, in some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 230 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT (e.g., LTE) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with a second radio component. A second radio component may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain. In some aspects, the second RAT is capable of operating at millimeter-wave frequencies. Because millimeter-wave systems operate at frequencies higher than those typically found in LTE systems, signals in the millimeter-wave frequency range are significantly attenuated due to environmental factors. To help address this attenuation problem, millimeter-wave systems typically utilize beamforming and include more antennas compared to LTE systems. These antennas may be organized into antenna arrays or panels consisting of individual antenna elements. These antenna arrays can be coupled to a radio link.

[0081] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as display 260 (which may be a touch screen display), keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), mouse, microphone and / or speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any other element among a variety of other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0082] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 245 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards 245.

[0083] As shown in the figure, the SOC 200 may include a processor 202 and display circuitry 204. The processor executes program instructions from the communication device 106, and the display circuitry performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 260. The processor 202 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 202 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 206, read-only memory (ROM) 250, NAND flash memory 210) and / or into other circuitry or devices (such as display circuitry 204, wireless communication circuitry 230, connector I / F 220, and / or display 260). The MMU 240 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some aspects, the MMU 240 may be included as part of the processor 202.

[0084] As noted above, communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), processor 202 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or further), processor 202 may be configured as a programmable hardware element (such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 200, 204, 206, 210, 220, 230, 240, 245, 250, 260, processor 202 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0085] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 202 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 202 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 202. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 202.

[0086] Furthermore, as described herein, the wireless communication circuit 230 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the wireless communication circuit 230. Therefore, the wireless communication circuit 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the wireless communication circuit 230. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the wireless communication circuit 230.

[0087] Example base station

[0088] Figure 3 An example block diagram of base station 102 is shown, illustrating some aspects. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include processor 304, which executes program instructions for base station 102. Processor 304 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 304 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 360 and read-only memory (ROM) 350) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0089] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 370. Network port 370 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices, such as UE device 106, as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described in the text.

[0090] Network port 370 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to couple to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 370 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0091] In some respects, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In such respects, base station 102 may connect to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) / 5G core (5GC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0092] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 334, and may include multiple antennas. At least one antenna 334 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may also be configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 330. Antenna 334 communicates with radio component 330 via communication link 332. Communication link 332 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 330 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0093] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. When base station 102 supports millimeter wave, the 5G NR radio component may be coupled to one or more millimeter wave antenna arrays or panels. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies, such as 5G NR and LTE, 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.

[0094] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 304 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 304 may be configured as a programmable hardware element (such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 330, 332, 334, 340, 350, 360, 370, the processor 304 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support implementations of some or all of the features described herein.

[0095] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 304 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 304 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 304. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 304.

[0096] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 330 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, radio component 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 330. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 330.

[0097] SSB transmission adaptive

[0098] As noted above, the embodiments disclosed herein provide methods and apparatus for establishing a set of SSB patterns and using SPI to indicate the SSB patterns to be used by the UE in communications. The set of patterns can be provided in a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) message with minimal impact on current radio standards. More specifically, the set of SSB patterns (e.g., SSB pattern #0, pattern #1…pattern #(N-1)) can be provided in the SIB1 message using the nonCriticalExtension field at the end of a known SIB1 message. According to the embodiments, each SSB pattern configuration may include an Information Element (IE) describing the SSB location in a burst (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst), SSB periodicity (e.g., ssb-periodicity), and SSB power (e.g., ss-PBCH-BlockPower).

[0099] After receiving the SSB pattern information in the SIB1 message, the UE receives the SPI field in the DCI according to the implementation scheme. The implementation scheme described herein introduces an SPI field to indicate which SSB pattern from the SSB patterns has been applied. The SPI field size can be defined as M, where M = [log2(N)]. In this equation, N represents the number of SSB patterns.

[0100] In some implementations, an SPI field can be introduced for DCI format 1_0 with a CRC scrambled by P-RNTI. For example, the SPI field can be indicated by reusing the reserved code point of the 8-bit short message in DCI 1_0, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0101] Table 1:

[0102] In these implementations, the reserved "00" is reused to indicate that the SPI is indicated in the short message. In the short message field, as shown in Table 2, bits "5 / 6 / 7 / 8" in the 8-bit short message field are used to indicate the 4-bit SPI field. These implementations allow for up to 16 SSB patterns.

[0103] Table 2:

[0104] Figure 4 An example of DCI enhancement for SSB patterns is shown based on several aspects. Figure 4 This is a representation of DCI 400 used for paging / dispatch using format 1_0. DCI 400 includes a short message indicator field 410, a short message field 420, other fields, a reserved field 430, and a CRC field.

[0105] As described above with respect to Tables 1 and 2, the Short Message Indicator field 410 and Short Message field 420 can be used to indicate the SPI to the UE in the DCI. In other embodiments, the SPI field can be indicated by reusing bits in the reserved field 430 of DCI1_0 with a CRC scrambled using P-RNTI.

[0106] When the SPI field is introduced for DCI format 1_0 with a CRC scrambled by P-RNTI, the UE will receive the SPI update in the paging cycle. Therefore, the updated SSB pattern can only be used after both the RRC_CONNECTED UE and the RRC_IDLE / inactive UE in the cell have received paging. Thus, if the UE receives the SPI update in paging cycle "i", the SSB pattern indicated by the SPI field can be used starting from paging cycle "i+1". Therefore, the lower bound of the achievable delay for SSB pattern adaptation is the minimum paging cycle (32ms).

[0107] According to some implementations, the SPI field can be transmitted using DCI format 2_7 with a CRC scrambled by PEI-RNTI. In such implementations, the SPI field can be transmitted by reusing bits in the reserved field. When the Paging Early Indication (PEI) feature is enabled on the network, these implementations avoid unnecessary paging DCI transmissions used only for SSB pattern updates.

[0108] In some implementations, a new group common DCI format 2_X may be introduced to inform the SPI to be used by the UE. In such implementations, DCI format 2_X includes a variable number of blocks, e.g., block number 1, block number 2... block number N, where each block includes (at least) an SPI field. The starting location of each block may be provided by parameters in the cell's SIB1.

[0109] In some implementations, the block sent on cell "i" can be used to indicate the SSB pattern of cell "j", where i ≠ j. Other information about cell "j" (e.g., Physical Cell ID (PCI) and cell frequency) can also be provided in the SIB1 message. In these implementations, the network has the flexibility to configure different blocks in the DCI to be associated with different cells.

[0110] According to the implementation plan, the size of DCI format 2_X can be configured by SIB1. It should be noted that the size of DCI format 2_X must be known to both the RRC_CONNECTED UE and the RRC_IDLE UE.

[0111] Following the last block (i.e., "block number N"), DCI format 2_X includes CRC bits scrambled by SPI-RNTI, depending on some implementations. SPI-RNTI can also be provided by SIB1.

[0112] In the implementation, the public search space can be configured by SIB1 to monitor DCI format 2_X. The aggregation level and the number of PDCCH candidates can be hardcoded according to the standard or provided by SIB1 messages.

[0113] Different pattern adaptation modes can be established based on the implementation scheme in this paper. Specifically, two adaptive modes are proposed for NES. The two proposed adaptive modes reduce the number of SSB indices currently in use from "k1" to "k2". Figure 5A and Figure 5B Different modes for SSB pattern adaptation are described based on several aspects. Figure 5A and Figure 5B In the mode, the SSB pattern is adaptively changed from "k1=4" to "k2=2".

[0114] exist Figure 5A The adaptive mode, as shown, reduces the number of SSB indices and downlink beams. Specifically, in this adaptive mode, SSB indices 3 and 4 can be disabled. For example, during non-operating hours, SSB indices 3 and 4 can be disabled, thereby reducing the number of SSBs directed toward operating location 504. SSB indices 1 and 2, directed to buildings 502A and 502B, for example, maintain the same transmit beam properties, such as beamwidth, direction, and power, in this mode. In these implementations, the UE assumes that the remaining SSB indices (and beams) and their corresponding portions before updating the SSB pattern are used to maintain the QCL.

[0115] exist Figure 5BThe diagram illustrates another adaptive mode that reduces the number of SSB indices and downlink beams, and further modifies the remaining SSB indices. In other words, the QCL relationship between the adapted SSB pattern and the previous SSB pattern is different. This adaptive mode can be used when the number of SSB indices is reduced, and the beamwidth of the remaining SSB indices can be changed to ensure similar cell coverage.

[0116] Figure 5B The use of the first SSB pattern 510 at time T0 is illustrated. The first SSB pattern 510 includes four SSB indices: SSB #1, SSB #2, SSB #3, and SSB #4. According to the implementation, the UE receives an SPI indicating an update to the SSB pattern. At time T1, the SSB pattern is updated to include two SSB indices: SSB #5 and SSB #6. Compared to the SSBs in the first SSB pattern 510, SSB #5 and SSB #6 may have a larger beamwidth, a changed direction, and / or different power.

[0117] In some implementations, the SSB pattern adaptation mode is indicated on a per-cell basis in an SIB message (e.g., an SIB1 message). This mode can also be indicated on a per-UE basis via RRC message transmission.

[0118] In other implementations, the SPI field can be used to indicate the SSB pattern adaptation mode. Specifically, one bit in the DCI, which includes the SPI, can be used to explicitly indicate the SSP pattern adaptation mode.

[0119] The implementation plan also includes a BRA procedure, which can be triggered once the UE receives the SSB pattern update indication signal. Figure 6 The process for the BRA procedure is described based on several aspects. Figure 6 At position 602, SSB pattern #1 is being used for communication between the base station and the UE. At position 604, the UE receives RRC configuration information.

[0120] In some implementations, the process uses a BRA procedure based on a contention-free random access (CFRA) preamble. In such procedures, the set of random access preambles and / or PRACH timings used for the BRA procedure is configured by RRC signaling. Each preamble in the set is associated with a candidate SSB index. The RRC signaling may also configure an RSRP threshold to determine whether the UE should attempt the BRA procedure using an SSB index. The RRC signaling also configures a BRA search space ID and a BRA RAR window, whereby the BRA search space ID identifies the search space used to monitor responses to CFRA preambles, and the BRA RAR window defines the time window used to monitor that response.

[0121] In other implementations, the process uses an SR-based BRA procedure. In these implementations, RRC signaling is used to configure SR resources for each candidate SSB index to enable the BRA procedure. The PUCCH format used in these implementations may be limited to format 0 or format 1.

[0122] return Figure 6 The UE performs a check at 606 to see if an SSB pattern update has been indicated. If no SSB pattern update has been indicated (no at 606), the procedure waits until an update has been indicated. Otherwise, the procedure continues using the indicated SSB pattern update.

[0123] At 610, the UE activates and receives SSB pattern #2. Then, at 612, the UE measures the new SSB pattern and determines whether the SSB index indicated in the new SSB pattern is higher than the RSRP threshold. If at least one SSB index in the new SSB pattern that is higher than the RSRP threshold is available, the UE sends an SSB selection at 614. In some embodiments, the UE selects a dedicated CFRA preamble corresponding to the SSB index with the highest RSRP for the SSB selection at 614. In other embodiments, the UE selects a dedicated SR corresponding to the SSB index with the highest RSRP for the SSB selection at 614.

[0124] At 615, the UE monitors the search space in response to the SSB selection indication sent at 614. In implementations using the CFRA preamble, the UE monitors PDCCH transmission over the BRA search space identified by the C-RNTI while the BRA RAR window is active. If the UE receives a PDCCH addressed to the C-RNTI at 616, the UE considers the selection to have been successfully completed. In some implementations, the UE may provide a complete L1-RSRP measurement report at 618 using a PUSCH scheduled by the BRA in response to the PDCCH.

[0125] In implementations using a dedicated SR, after the SR is transmitted at 615, the UE utilizes the C-RNTI (or Modulation and Decoding Scheme (MCS)-C-RNTI) to monitor for normal UL grant. If the UE receives UL grant addressed to the C-RNTI, the UE considers the selection process to have been successfully completed. In some implementations, the UE may use the PUSCH scheduled by the UL grant to provide a complete L1-RSRP measurement report.

[0126] When a PDCCH transmit / UL grant is received at 616, the UE will apply the beam with the new identifier having the highest RSRP to both DL and UL communications.

[0127] As noted above, when the SSB patterning process is enabled, the implementation described herein can associate SSB indices with PRACH timing. The implementation includes the UE determining the mapping between SSB indices and PRACH timing based on the newly established SSB pattern. For example, when an SSB pattern with four SSB indices {0,1,2,3} is reduced to two SSB indices {0,1} (similar to...) Figure 5A and Figure 5B When the number of SSB indices decreases, the UE can determine the mapping based on two SSB index patterns. That is, if there are four RACH timings (e.g., based on prach-ConfigurationIndex) and two SSBs per RACH timing (e.g., based on ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB) within a radio frame, the UE can determine that a RACH timing previously mapped to index 2 / 3 can be used as a second RACH timing for index 0 / 1. Therefore, when the number of SSB indices decreases, the density of RACH timings can be increased for the UE.

[0128] However, it is conceivable that the UE could enter the network after the SSB pattern has been updated but before the UE has been updated to the SSB pattern via RRC signaling. This could lead to misalignment in SSB and RSRP measurements.

[0129] Therefore, in some implementations, the UE can map RACH timings based on a reference SSB pattern. The reference SSB pattern can be configured via an SIB1 message. For example, a RACH timing for an SSB pattern with four SSB indices {0,1,2,3} as described above can be used as a reference mapping. Therefore, when the SSB pattern is updated to include two SSB indices {0,1}, the UE will not transmit on RACH timings mapped to SSB indices 2 / 3. Thus, the UE can save energy by not transmitting on every RACH timing. Furthermore, RACH timings not associated with SSB indices may not be monitored by the network, further contributing to NES.

[0130] Various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some aspects may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. Other aspects may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other aspects may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0131] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein, when the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system performs a method, such as any aspect of the method described herein, or any combination of the method aspects described herein, or any subset of any method aspects of the method aspects described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0132] In some aspects, an apparatus (e.g., UE 106, BS 102) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and wherein the processor is configured to read from the memory medium and execute the program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method aspects described herein (or any combination of the method aspects described herein, or any subset of any method aspects described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The apparatus may be implemented in any of the various forms.

[0133] Although the foregoing aspects have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the foregoing disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for indicating a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) pattern, the method comprising: The user equipment (UE) receives a set of SSB patterns in the serving cell in an SIB1 message. Each SSB pattern includes: an information element (IE) indicating the location of one or more transmitted SSBs in an SSB burst, an IE indicating the periodicity of the SSB pattern, and an IE indicating the power of the one or more transmitted SSBs. The UE receives an SSB pattern index (SPI), the SSB pattern index (SPI) indicating an SSB pattern from the set of SSB patterns to be used by the UE; and Synchronization with the network is performed using one or more of the SSBs sent in the indicated SSB pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of SSB patterns is included in the non-critical extended fields of the SIB1 message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the SPI is included in a field of a downlink control information (DCI) format 1_0 message having a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the synchronization with the network using the one or more transmitted SSBs in the indicated SSB pattern is applied after at least one paging cycle.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the field is part of the short message field of a DCI format 1_0 message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when the 2-bit Short Message Indicator field is set to 00, the SPI is indicated by bits 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 of the Short Message field of the DCI format 1_0.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the field is part of a DCI format 1_0 message that reuses reserved bits.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the SPI is included in a field of a downlink control information (DCI) format 2_7 message having a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a paging early indication-radio network temporary identifier (PEI-RNTI), wherein the field is introduced by reusing reserved bits in the DCI format 2_7.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the SPI is included in a field of a downlink control information (DCI) format 2_X message configured by the SIB1 message, the DCI format 2_X message being scrambled by the SPI-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (SPI-RNTI) included in the SIB1 message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the DCI format 2_X message includes a plurality of SPI fields, wherein each of the plurality of SPI fields is associated with a cell via the SIB1 message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the number of control channel element (CCE) aggregation levels and physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates is configured by the SIB1 for monitoring the DCI format 2_7 messages.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The UE receives an SSB pattern update indication signal that indicates an update to the SSB pattern; as well as The UE determines the beam association procedure to be performed based on the mode of the updated SSB pattern, wherein if a first mode is used for the updated SSB pattern, the UE performs the beam association procedure.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the pattern of the updated SSB pattern is indicated in the SIB1 message.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the mode is indicated in the SSB pattern update indication signal.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the beam association process is a beam reassociation (BRA) process based on a contention-free random access (CFRA) preamble, and the beam reassociation (BRA) process based on a contention-free random access (CFRA) preamble includes: The threshold for the reference signal received power (RSRP) for one or more SSB indices is received via RRC signaling, along with the search space identifier (ID) and time window used to monitor the response to the preamble transmission, and the set of randomly accessed preambles. Measure the RSRP for the one or more SSB indices; The RSRP of the measurement for the SSB index is determined to be greater than the threshold and greater than the measurement for the other SSB indices; Send the random access preamble associated with the SSB index that has the highest measured RSRP from the set of random access preambles; The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is monitored and received based on the search space identifier and the time window. as well as The SSB index is used to communicate data with the network.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the beam association process is a beam reassociation (BRA) process based on a scheduling request (SR), the beam reassociation (BRA) process based on a scheduling request (SR) comprising: SR resources for one or more candidate SSB indices and a threshold for the reference signal received power (RSRP) for the one or more SSB indices are received via RRC signaling. Measure the RSRP for the one or more SSB indices; The RSRP of the measurement for the SSB index is determined to be greater than the threshold and greater than the measurement for the other SSB indices; Send the SR resource corresponding to the SSB index associated with the highest measured RSRP; Monitor and receive uplink granted DCI format from the network; as well as The SSB index is used to communicate data with the network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) associated with the SR resource is limited to PUCCH format 0 or PUCCH format 1.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: The UE uses the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) scheduled by the uplink-permitted DCI format to transmit a report including one or more RSRPs of the measured RSRPs for the one or more SSB indices.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The UE determines the mapping of Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) timing based on the SSB pattern indicated by the SPI, and Based on the mapping between one or more SSBs indicated by the SPI and the PRACH timing, a random access channel (RACH) preamble is transmitted on the PRACH timing.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The UE determines the mapping of the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) timing based on the SSB pattern indicated by the indication in the S1B1 message; as well as Based on the mapping between one or more SSBs indicated by the SSB pattern in the SIB1 and the PRACH timing, a random access channel (RACH) preamble is transmitted during the PRACH timing.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the SSB pattern indicated in SIB1 is a reference SSB pattern in the set of SSB patterns.

22. A wireless device configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store and execute instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

24. A baseband processor configured to execute instructions to cause a wireless device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

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