Method and apparatus for idle mode operation related to low power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block cluster in mobile communication

Abstract

Various solutions are described for low power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block cluster related idle mode operation of user equipment (UE) and network equipment in mobile communications. A UE can receive a configuration of a low power synchronization signal block cluster. A bandwidth of the low power synchronization signal block cluster can be defined by a synchronization signal block bandwidth. Further, the UE can receive a paging indication transmitted within the low power synchronization signal block cluster. Further, the UE can perform paging occasion monitoring if the paging indication indicates a paging occasion. By using a low power synchronization signal block cluster for synchronization signal block and paging indication reception, the UE can use a low power receiver, thereby reducing its idle mode power consumption.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing

[0002] This disclosure is a non-provisional application that claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 627,156, filed January 31, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically, to idle mode operation of low-power synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) clusters associated with user equipment and network equipment in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] Unless otherwise stated herein, the methods described in this section are not prior art as claimed in the following claims, and are not considered prior art because they are included in this section.

[0005] In fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) networks, a process called paging is used to determine the location of a user equipment (UE) before an actual connection is established between the UE and the base station. In most cases, the paging process occurs when the UE is in radio resource control (RRC) idle mode. This means that the UE must monitor the network for any paging messages and must consume energy to run this "monitoring" process. However, the current paging monitoring framework can lead to significant power consumption on the UE side. Therefore, it is necessary to provide appropriate power optimization schemes for UEs in idle mode. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following abstract is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following abstract aims to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Some embodiments will be further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following abstract is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide solutions or schemes to address the aforementioned problems related to the idle mode operation of low-power synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block clusters associated with user equipment (UE) and network equipment in mobile communications.

[0008] In one aspect, a method may involve configuring a device to receive a low-power synchronization signal block cluster. The bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster may be defined by the synchronization signal block bandwidth. The method may also involve the device receiving a paging indication transmitted within the low-power synchronization signal block cluster. The method may further involve the device performing paging timing monitoring if the paging indication indicates that a paging timing has been received.

[0009] In one aspect, an apparatus may include a transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a network during operation. The apparatus may also include a processor communicatively connected to the transceiver. During operation, operations that the processor can perform include receiving configurations of low-power synchronization signal block clusters via the transceiver. The bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster may be defined by the synchronization signal block bandwidth. Further operations that the processor can perform include receiving paging indications transmitted within the low-power synchronization signal block cluster via the transceiver. Further operations that the processor can perform include performing paging timing monitoring if the paging indication indicates that a paging timing has been received.

[0010] In another aspect, a method may involve a processor of a network node configuring a low-power synchronization signaling block cluster for a user equipment (UE), wherein the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signaling block cluster may be defined by the synchronization signaling block bandwidth. The method may also involve the processor transmitting a paging indication within the low-power synchronization signaling block cluster. The method may further involve the processor transmitting at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging, provided that the paging indication indicates that a paging timing is received.

[0011] It is worth noting that although the content described herein may be presented in the context of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G, NR, 5G-Advanced, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Beyond 5G (B5G), and 6th Generation (6G), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings are intended to further understand this disclosure and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this disclosure. The drawings illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to actual dimensions in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 1A This is a diagram illustrating an example scenario of a single-cluster or multi-cluster bandwidth portion that can be implemented according to this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 1B This is an illustration depicting an example scenario of low-power synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block clusters that can be implemented according to this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of an example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of another example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claims of this application are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claims of this application, and the claims may be implemented in various forms. This disclosure may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are intended to make the description of this disclosure exhaustive and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0019] Overview

[0020] According to embodiments of this disclosure, various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions relate to idle mode operation related to low-power synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block clusters in mobile communications, ensuring that user equipment (UE) can simultaneously receive synchronization signal blocks and paging indications using a low-power receiver. According to this disclosure, multiple possible solutions can be implemented separately or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more possible solutions can be implemented in different combinations.

[0021] The current carrier aggregation (CA) framework supports multi-carrier (MC) cells composed of multiple component carriers (CCs). CCs belonging to the same MC cell share the same physical cell ID (PCI) obtained from the cell-defined synchronization block, and CCs can be intra-band or inter-band. When MC cells are supported, CCs belonging to the same MC cell can exist in different duplex modes (e.g., frequency-division duplexing (FDD) mode, time-division duplexing (TDD) mode). For co-located CCs (i.e., CCs provided by the same network node) within an MC cell, the cell-defined synchronization block is transmitted on one of the CCs. There is an active bandwidth part (BWP) within an MC cell. Within an MC cell, one or more data channels can be supported (e.g., physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and / or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)). On the other hand, for non-co-located CCs (i.e., CCs provided by different network nodes) within an MC cell, a cell-defined (or non-cell-defined) synchronization signal block is transmitted on one CC in each timing advance (TA) group. Within the MC cell, each TA group has one active BWP. CCs within each TA group can support one or more data channels (e.g., PDSCH and / or PUSCH).

[0022] Each MC cell can be configured with a maximum of four downlink (DL) BWPs and a maximum of four uplink (UL) BWPs. A BWP can consist of one or more clusters, where each cluster is defined as a physically contiguous radio resource within the CC. Figure 1AThis is a schematic diagram illustrating example scenarios of single-cluster or multi-cluster BWPs achievable according to the scheme of this disclosure. As shown in scenario 110, a BWP consisting of a single cluster is called a single-cluster BWP (e.g., single-cluster BWP 111). A BWP consisting of multiple clusters from different CCs is called a distributed multi-cluster BWP (e.g., distributed multi-cluster BWP 113), while a BWP consisting of multiple clusters from a single CC is called a localized multi-cluster BWP (e.g., localized multi-cluster BWP 115). Clusters within the same BWP can have the same values ​​(i.e., subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP)). Within a BWP, a CC can contain one or more clusters, and the maximum number of clusters supported in a BWP depends on the UE capability.

[0023] This disclosure supports specific clusters (referred to as low-power synchronization block clusters) to allow the network to flexibly place synchronization blocks at any location within the carrier of the MC cell without causing high UE power consumption and / or data interruption. To support simultaneous downlink reception, the UE can have mandatory UE capabilities and optional UE capabilities. Mandatory UE capability refers to simultaneously receiving low-power synchronization block clusters and active single-cluster downlink BWPs through different receivers. Optional UE capability refers to simultaneously receiving low-power synchronization block clusters and active multi-cluster downlink BWPs through different receivers.

[0024] In one embodiment, the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is defined by the synchronization signal block bandwidth. For example, in Figure 1BIn scenario 120, the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster 121 is equal to the synchronization signal block bandwidth. It should be noted that the presence of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is independent of the downlink BWP configured for the UE. That is, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster does not need to be located within the active downlink BWP. When the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is not within the active downlink BWP, the UE can receive the low-power synchronization signal block cluster without data interruption. When the UE's serving cell is an MC cell with a co-address CC, the UE can expect only one low-power synchronization signal block cluster to exist within the MC cell. On the other hand, when the UE's serving cell is an MC cell with a non-co-address CC, the UE can expect only one low-power synchronization signal block (whether cell-defined or non-cell-defined) cluster to exist within each TA group of the MC cell. The UE can have different options for performing downlink reception on the low-power synchronization signal block cluster. In option 1a, the UE is required to receive the synchronization signal block only within the low-power synchronization signal block cluster and not receive other downlink physical channels and / or signals. Option 1b requires the UE to receive synchronization blocks only within the low-power synchronization block cluster, and not to receive the UE-dedicated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0025] This disclosure defines some operations of low-power synchronization signaling block clusters related to the user equipment (UE) initial access procedure. For the initial downlink bandwidth portion (DLBWP) based on the master information block (MIB), a single bandwidth portion cluster (BWP cluster) can be configured. This initial downlink bandwidth portion includes control resource set (CORESET) #0 and system information block (SIB). The low-power synchronization signaling block cluster is implicitly defined by the synchronization signaling block bandwidth and is searched by the UE during the cell search procedure. For the low-power synchronization signaling block cluster, at least one of the following options 2a and 2b can be used. In option 2a, the low-power synchronization signaling block cluster must reside within the initial downlink bandwidth portion based on the master information block. That is, the synchronization signaling block, control resource set #0 (i.e., containing the search space for broadcast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring), and system information block are within the same bandwidth portion cluster. However, the relative positions of the synchronization signaling block and control resource set #0 are not specifically specified. User equipment can use a low-power receiver for synchronization block reception, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In option 2b, the low-power synchronization block cluster does not necessarily reside within the initial downlink bandwidth portion based on the master information block. Specifically, the low-power synchronization block cluster and the initial downlink bandwidth portion based on the master information block reside on the same carrier but can be allocated in different frequency radio resources. These radio resources can completely overlap, partially overlap, or not overlap. Generally, option 2b provides more network flexibility than option 2a.

[0026] For the initial downlink bandwidth portion based on system information blocks, one or more bandwidth portion clusters can be configured, one of which may contain control resource set #0 and system information blocks. For low-power synchronization signal block clusters, at least one of the following options 3a to 3c can be used. In option 3a, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster may reside within the bandwidth portion cluster containing control resource set #0 and system information blocks. In option 3b, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster may reside within the initial downlink bandwidth portion based on system information blocks. For example, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster may reside within a bandwidth portion cluster that belongs to the initial downlink bandwidth portion based on system information blocks but does not contain control resource set #0 and system information blocks. In option 3c, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster does not necessarily need to be located within the initial downlink bandwidth portion based on system information blocks.

[0027] In the above embodiments, for a user equipment in the initial access process, the system information block can be received through the broadcast channel in the downlink bandwidth portion. The synchronization signal block may or may not be in the same bandwidth portion cluster as the control resource set #0 and the system information block.

[0028] For user equipment (UE) in idle mode (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) idle mode or inactive mode), a paging indication transmitted within a low-power synchronization block cluster can be received, and paging timing monitoring can be performed if the paging indication indicates that a paging timing should be received. Since the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization block cluster is equal to the bandwidth of the synchronization block, paging indication monitoring is limited to the synchronization block bandwidth. UE can use its low-power receiver to receive the synchronization block and the paging indication. UE only activates its primary receiver to receive paging timing when necessary.

[0029] In one embodiment, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster for transmitting paging indication may reside within a downlink bandwidth portion configured for the user equipment. In another embodiment, the residency of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster for transmitting paging indication is independent of the downlink bandwidth portion configured for the user equipment. In yet another embodiment, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster may reside within a bandwidth portion cluster containing a control resource set (e.g., control resource set #0) and system information blocks. More specifically, the downlink bandwidth portion configured for the user equipment may include a specific bandwidth portion cluster containing control resource set #0 and system information blocks, within which the low-power synchronization signal block cluster may reside. In one example, the user equipment may monitor and receive the physical downlink control channel and / or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging within this specific bandwidth portion cluster. The physical downlink control channel for paging may be transmitted within a control resource set (e.g., control resource set #0) or a configured control resource set. In another example, the user equipment can monitor and receive the physical downlink control channel and / or physical downlink shared channel for paging within a bandwidth portion cluster that is different from the bandwidth portion cluster used for control resource set #0 and system information block.

[0030] For receiving emergency messages (such as Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) messages and Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) messages) in idle mode, the user equipment can receive the emergency message in either the physical downlink control channel used for paging or a low-power synchronization signaling block. When received in a low-power synchronization signaling block, the emergency message can be delivered via sequence-based signaling or physical downlink control channel-based signaling. In one example, the emergency message may be an additional sequence. In another example, the emergency message may be delivered bundled with a paging indication.

[0031] By supporting low-power synchronization signal block clusters and transmitting paging indications within them, user equipment can utilize low-power receivers to simultaneously receive synchronization signal blocks and paging indications, thereby reducing its power consumption in idle mode.

[0032] Exemplary Implementation

[0033] Figure 2 An example communication system 200 according to one implementation of this disclosure is shown, having at least one example communication device 210 and one example network device 220. The communication device 210 and the network device 220 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein for idle mode operation related to low-power synchronization signal block clusters in mobile communications, including the scenarios / schemes described above and processes 300 and 400 described below.

[0034] Communication device 210 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a user device, such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, communication device 210 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, digital camera, or computing device (such as a tablet, laptop, or mobile phone). Communication device 210 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) device, such as a non-movable or fixed device, a home appliance, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, communication device 210 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 210 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 210 may include... Figure 2 The components shown include at least some of the components, such as processor 212. Communication device 210 may also include one or more other components unrelated to this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for the sake of brevity, Figure 2 These components are not shown and will not be described below.

[0035] Network device 220 may be part of a network device, which may be a network node such as a satellite, base station, cell, router, or gateway. For example, network device 220 may be implemented in an eNB in ​​an LTE network, a gNB in ​​a 5G / NR, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network, or in a satellite or base station in a 6G network. Network device 220 may include... Figure 2 The diagram shows at least some components, such as processor 222. Processor 222 may also include a protocol stack and a set of control function modules and circuitry. Network device 220 may also include one or more other components unrelated to this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for the sake of brevity, Figure 2The components of these network devices 220 are not shown, nor are they described below.

[0036] In one aspect, each of processors 212 and 222 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processors 212 and 222, each of processors 212 and 222 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in others, depending on the different implementations of this disclosure. In another aspect, each of processors 212 and 222 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) form, including electronic components such as, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more transformers, which are configured and arranged to achieve a particular purpose according to the requirements of this disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processors 212 and 222 is a special-purpose machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks in devices (e.g., represented by communication device 210) and networks (e.g., represented by network device 220), conforming to various implementations of this disclosure.

[0037] In some implementations, the communication device 210 may also include a transceiver 216 connected to the processor 212, capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the communication device 210 may also include a memory 214 connected to the processor 212, accessible by the processor 212 and capable of storing data therein.

[0038] In some implementations, network device 220 may also include memory 224 connected to processor 222, which can be accessed by processor 222 and stores data therein. Therefore, communication device 210 and network device 220 can communicate wirelessly via transceiver 216 and transceiver 226, respectively.

[0039] For illustrative purposes and without limitation, the capabilities of communication device 210 and network device 220 are described below, in conjunction with processes 300 and 400, wherein communication device 210 is implemented as a communication device or user equipment (UE), and network device 220 is implemented as a network node (e.g., a base station) of a communication network.

[0040] Explanatory process

[0041] Figure 3An example flow 300 implemented according to this disclosure is shown. Flow 300 can be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether partial or complete, involving idle mode operation related to low-power synchronization signal block clusters in mobile communication. Flow 300 can represent one aspect of the functional implementation of communication device 210. Flow 300 can include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in flow blocks 310, 320, and 330. Although shown as independent flow blocks, the flow blocks of flow 300 can be divided into more flow blocks, merged into fewer flow blocks, or omitted as needed for the desired implementation. Furthermore, the flow blocks of flow 300 can be arranged according to... Figure 3 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 300 can be implemented by communication device 210 or any suitable user equipment or machine type device. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 300 is described below with communication device 210 as the user equipment (UE). Process 300 may begin with process block 310.

[0042] In process block 310, process 300 may involve the configuration of the processor 212 of communication device 210 receiving a low-power synchronization signal block cluster via transceiver 216. The bandwidth of this low-power synchronization signal block cluster can be defined by the synchronization signal block bandwidth. Process 300 can proceed from process block 310 to process block 320.

[0043] In process block 320, process 300 may involve processor 212 receiving a paging instruction transmitted within a low-power synchronization signal block cluster via transceiver 216. Process 300 may proceed from process block 320 to process block 330.

[0044] In process block 330, process 300 may involve processor 212 performing paging timing monitoring when the paging indication indicates that a paging timing has been received.

[0045] In some implementations, the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster can be equal to the bandwidth of the synchronization signal block.

[0046] In some implementations, low-power synchronization signal clusters reside within the downlink bandwidth portion configured for communication device 210.

[0047] In some implementations, the downlink bandwidth portion configured for communication device 210 may include a first cluster containing at least one of a control resource set and a system information block.

[0048] In some implementations, the low-power synchronization signal block cluster resides within this first cluster.

[0049] In some implementations, when paging timing monitoring is performed and a paging indication indicates paging timing reception, process 300 may involve processor 212 monitoring at least one of the physical downlink control channel and physical downlink shared channel for paging within the first cluster.

[0050] In some implementations, the physical downlink control channel used for paging can be transmitted in a control resource set or a configured control resource set.

[0051] In some implementations, the downlink bandwidth portion configured for communication device 210 may include a second cluster different from the first cluster. When paging timing monitoring is performed and a paging indication indicates that paging timing reception is being performed, process 300 may involve processor 212 monitoring at least one of the physical downlink control channel and physical downlink shared channel used for paging within this second cluster.

[0052] In some implementations, the dwell of low-power synchronization signal clusters is independent of the downlink bandwidth portion configured for communication device 210.

[0053] In some implementations, process 300 may also involve processor 212 receiving emergency messages via transceiver 216 in a low-power synchronization signal block cluster or a physical downlink control channel for paging.

[0054] In some implementations, emergency messages can be delivered via sequence-based signaling or signaling based on the physical downlink control channel.

[0055] Figure 4 Another example flow 400 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. Flow 400 may be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether in part or in whole, for idle mode operation related to low-power synchronization signal block clusters in mobile communications. Flow 400 may represent one aspect of the implementation features of network device 220 or any suitable network node. Flow 400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown by one or more blocks 410, 420, and 430. Although shown in discrete blocks, the individual blocks of flow 400 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or omitted according to desired implementations. Furthermore, the individual blocks of flow 400 may be arranged according to... Figure 4 The processes can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 400 may begin from process block 410.

[0056] In process block 410, process 400 may involve the processor 222 of network device 220 configuring a low-power synchronization signaling block cluster for user equipment (UE). The bandwidth of this low-power synchronization signaling block cluster may be defined by the synchronization signaling block bandwidth. Process 400 may continue from process block 410 to process block 420.

[0057] In process block 420, process 300 may involve processor 222 transmitting a paging instruction to user equipment via transceiver 226 within a low-power synchronization signal block cluster. Process 400 may continue from process block 420 to process block 430.

[0058] In process block 430, process 300 may involve processor 222 transmitting at least one of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging when receiving a paging indication via transceiver 226 at the paging indication timing.

[0059] Additional Notes

[0060] The topics described herein sometimes demonstrate different components contained within or connected to other different components. It should be understood that these illustrated architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined in this document to achieve a specific function can be considered “associated” to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operationally connected” or “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operational coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0061] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. Various singular / plural arrangements are explicitly listed herein for clarity.

[0062] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein, particularly in appended claims, such as the body portion of appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” and the word “includes” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a particular quantity is intended to be introduced in a claim, that intention will be explicitly stated in the claim; otherwise, there is no such intention. For example, for ease of understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the content of the claim. However, the use of these phrases should not be construed as limiting any particular claim containing that content to containing only one instance of that content by introducing the content of the claim with the indefinite article “a” or “an,” even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an,” for example, “a” and / or “an” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to definite articles used to introduce the content of the claim. Furthermore, even if a specific number of introduced elements is explicitly stated in the claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as at least the number stated. For example, stating only "two elements" without any other modifiers means at least two elements, or two or more elements. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C, etc.", this structure is generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A, B, and C together. When using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C, etc.", this structure is generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A, B, and C together. Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any extractive term and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms in the specification, claims, or drawings should be understood to include one, any, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” should be understood as including the possibility of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0063] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of this disclosure have been described for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The device's processor receives the configuration of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster and the physical broadcast channel block cluster, wherein the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is defined by the synchronization signal block bandwidth; The processor receives the paging indication transmitted within the low-power synchronization signal block cluster; as well as The processor performs paging timing monitoring when the paging timing is received as indicated by the paging indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is equal to the bandwidth of the synchronization signal block.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the low-power synchronization signal block cluster resides within a downlink bandwidth portion configured for the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink bandwidth portion configured for the device includes a first cluster, the first cluster including at least one of a control resource set and a system information block.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the low-power synchronization signal block cluster resides within the first cluster.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, when the paging indication indicates that the paging timing is received, performing the paging timing monitoring operation further comprises: Within this first cluster, at least one of the physical downlink control channel and the physical downlink shared channel used for paging is monitored.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the physical downlink control channel used for paging is transmitted in the control resource set or the configured control resource set.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the downlink bandwidth portion configured for the device includes a second cluster different from the first cluster, and the operation of performing the paging timing monitoring when the paging indication indicates that the paging timing is received further includes: Within this second cluster, at least one of the physical downlink control channel and the physical downlink shared channel used for paging is monitored.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the residence of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is independent of the downlink bandwidth portion configured for the device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor receives emergency messages in the low-power synchronization signal block cluster or in the physical downlink control channel used for paging.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the emergency message is transmitted via sequence-based signaling or signaling based on the physical downlink control channel.

12. An apparatus comprising: A transceiver that enables wireless communication during operation; as well as A processor, communicatively coupled to the transceiver, performs the following operations during operation: The transceiver receives the configuration of low-power synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block clusters, wherein the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is defined by the synchronization signal block bandwidth; The transceiver receives paging instructions transmitted within the low-power synchronization signal block cluster; and Paging timing monitoring is performed when the paging timing is received as indicated by the paging instruction.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is equal to the bandwidth of the synchronization signal block.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the low-power synchronization signal block cluster resides within a downlink bandwidth portion configured for the device.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the downlink bandwidth portion configured for the device includes a first cluster, the first cluster including at least one of a control resource set and a system information block.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the low-power synchronization signal block cluster resides within the first cluster.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein, when the paging indication indicates that the paging timing is received, performing the paging timing monitoring operation further comprises: Within this first cluster, at least one of the physical downlink control channel and the physical downlink shared channel used for paging is monitored.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the downlink bandwidth portion configured for the device includes a second cluster different from the first cluster, and the operation of performing the paging timing monitoring when the paging indication indicates that the paging timing is received further includes: Within this second cluster, at least one of the physical downlink control channel and the physical downlink shared channel used for paging is monitored.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein during operation, the processor further performs the following operations: This transceiver receives emergency messages in the low-power synchronization signal block cluster or the physical downlink control channel used for paging.

20. A method comprising: The processor of the network node configures low-power synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block clusters for user equipment, wherein the bandwidth of the low-power synchronization signal block cluster is defined by the synchronization signal block bandwidth; The processor transmits a paging instruction to the user equipment within the low-power synchronization signal block cluster; as well as When the paging indication is received by the processor, it transmits at least one of the physical downlink control channel and the physical downlink shared channel for paging to the user equipment.

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