Control search space overlap indication

Abstract

To provide a method, a system, a device, and an apparatus for supporting control search space overlap indication.SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system, user equipment (UE) may receive, from a base station, a synchronization signal block (SSB) of a set of quasi-collocated (QCL) SSBs, the SSB comprising an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The UE may determine, based at least in part on the parameter, the plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The UE may receive a downlink grant for system information based at least in part on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations of the plurality of downlink control channel locations. The UE may receive the system information based at least in part on the downlink grant. The UE may establish a connection with the base station based at least in part on the SSB and the received system information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-reference This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 681,554, filed Nov. 12, 2019, by SUN et al. entitled "CONTROL SEARCH SPACE OVERLAP INDICATION," and Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 201841042779, filed Nov. 14, 2018, by SUN et al. entitled "CONTROL SEARCH SPACE OVERLAP INDICATION," which have been assigned to the assignee of this application.

[0002] The following generally relates to wireless communication and, more particularly, to control search space overlap indication.

Background Art

[0003] Wireless communication systems have been widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multi-connectivity systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems sometimes referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ techniques such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multi-connectivity communication system may include several base stations or network access nodes that each simultaneously support communication for a plurality of communication devices, sometimes known as user equipment (UE).

[0004] A wireless communication system typically supports various communication techniques to support wireless communication between a base station and a UE. For example, the base station may transmit various synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal blocks (SSBs)) to support collection by the UE. Generally, an SSB may carry or convey various parameters associated with the base station that are used by the UE to align (in terms of time, frequency, etc.) with the base station to at least some extent to establish a connection between the base station and the UE. Conventionally, typically, a limited number or a defined number of SSBs are transmitted by the base station. In a millimeter wave (mmW) network, the base station may transmit an SSB in a beamforming transmission in a sweeping manner around the coverage area of the base station.

[0005] Conventionally, a limited number or a defined number of SSBs available for transmission supported a one-to-one mapping between the SSB and various control signal resources. For example, each SSB may have a corresponding set of control signal (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) resources associated therewith. For example, the index number for an SSB may correspond to a specific PDCCH resource. However, conventional techniques do not support a configuration where additional SSBs can be used for transmission, and may not provide a mechanism to support, for example, an indication of PDCCH search space duplication. Thus, in a situation where additional SSBs are available for transmission, a conventional wireless network may not support the mapping from multiple SSBs to a specific control channel resource. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM

[0006] The techniques described relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support control search space duplication indication. Generally, the techniques described provide various mechanisms for improving the indication of overlapping control channel locations corresponding to a set of quasi-co-located (QCL) synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). For example, a base station may transmit a plurality of SSBs from a set of QCL SSBs. In some aspects, each of the SSBs within the plurality of SSBs conveys or otherwise communicates an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs within the set of QCL SSBs. Generally, the offset may refer to a parameter conveyed or communicated in an SSB (e.g., the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) portion of the SSB) that enables or otherwise supports overlapping control channel locations for different SSBs. A user equipment (UE) may receive one of the SSBs transmitted from the base station and determine the indicated offset. Based on this offset, the UE may determine a plurality of downlink control channel locations (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) locations) corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The UE may use the determined downlink control channel locations to receive a downlink grant for a system information signal (e.g., remaining minimum system information (RMSI)) by, for example, monitoring the downlink control channel locations. The UE may receive system information according to the downlink grant and use the information within the system information (e.g., RMSI), as well as the SSB, to establish a connection with the base station.

[0007] In other aspects, the techniques described may support the rate matching operation of the UE. For example, system information (e.g., RMSI) may carry or convey a bitmap indicating a subset of the SSBs actually transmitted from a set of SSBs. For example, a bit in the bitmap may be set to "1" to indicate that the SSB is transmitted at that location, or vice versa. In some aspects, the system information may additionally carry or convey an indication of the maximum number of SSBs available for use, which is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. For example, the bitmap may be configured as "10101010" to indicate that SSB positions 0, 2, 4, and 6 are actually transmitted within a set of SSBs consisting of SSB positions (or indices) 0 to 7. The indication of the maximum number of SSBs may be set to the number of the maximum SSB positions used, e.g., 12, 16, 18, or some other number of the maximum SSB positions that can be used. The UE may, in at least some aspects, configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use. In some aspects, this may include the UE having rules for repeating the actually transmitted SSBs (e.g., the subset of SSBs within the set of SSBs) and the pattern of punctured SSB positions within the set of used SSB positions. For example, the UE may repeat the pattern "10101010" from SSB position 8 to the end of the maximum number of SSBs available for use. Thus, the UE may receive data transmissions (e.g., physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions) using the configured rate matching.

[0008] A method of wireless communication in a UE will be described. The method includes steps of receiving, from a base station, an SSB among a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; determining, based on the parameter, a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; receiving a downlink grant for system information based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations among the set of downlink control channel locations; receiving system information based on the downlink grant; and establishing a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information.

[0009] An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE will be described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to receive, from a base station, an SSB among a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; determine, based on the parameter, a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; receive a downlink grant for system information based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations among the set of downlink control channel locations; receive system information based on the downlink grant; and establish a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information.

[0010] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a UE will be described. The apparatus includes means for receiving, from a base station, an SSB of a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; means for determining, based on the parameter, a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; means for receiving, based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations of the set of downlink control channel locations, a downlink grant for system information; means for receiving system information based on the downlink grant; and means for establishing a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information.

[0011] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a UE will be described. The code includes instructions executable by a processor to receive, from a base station, an SSB of a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; determine, based on the parameter, a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; receive, based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations of the set of downlink control channel locations, a downlink grant for system information; receive system information based on the downlink grant; and establish a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information.

[0012] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the parameter includes an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs within the set of QCL SSBs.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving the SSB is receiving the PBCH portion of the SSB, where the PBCH portion of the SSB may include operations, features, means, or instructions for performing the act that the PBCH portion of the SSB includes an indication of a parameter.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving the PBCH portion of the SSB may include operations, features, means, or instructions for performing soft combining over a set of SSBs.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the indication of the parameter may be common across each SSB of a set of SSBs.

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the set of SSBs includes at least one of a set of QCL SSBs, a set of different sets of QCL SSBs, each SSB associated with a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0017] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining an index for each SSB of a set of QCL SSBs, where determining a set of downlink control channel locations may be based on the determined index for each SSB of the set of QCL SSBs.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining a set of downlink control channel locations may be based on a frame in which the SSB may be received and parameters indicated in the SSB.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a downlink grant may include operations, features, means, or instructions for monitoring each downlink control channel location in a set of downlink control channel locations.

[0020] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a downlink grant may include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that no downlink control information was detected during a first instance of a set of downlink control channel locations, and for monitoring a second instance of the set of downlink control channel locations to detect a downlink grant based on a parameter.

[0021] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a downlink control channel location in a set of downlink control channel locations includes a type 0 PDCCH common search space.

[0022] A method of wireless communication at a base station is described. The method may include transmitting a set of SSBs, wherein the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and wherein each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; transmitting a downlink grant for system information on the set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs based on the parameter; transmitting the system information according to the grant; and establishing a connection with a UE based on the SSBs and the system information.

[0023] An apparatus for wireless communication in a base station will be described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to transmit a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; transmit a downlink grant for system information on the set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs based on the parameter; transmit the system information according to the grant; and establish a connection with a UE based on the SSBs and the system information.

[0024] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a base station will be described. The apparatus may include means for transmitting a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; means for transmitting a downlink grant for system information on the set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs based on the parameter; means for transmitting the system information according to the grant; and means for establishing a connection with a UE based on the SSBs and the system information.

[0025] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a base station is described. The code is to transmit a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and where each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. Based on the parameter, on a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, to transmit a downlink grant for system information, to transmit system information according to the grant, and to include instructions executable by a processor to establish a connection with a UE based on the SSB and the system information.

[0026] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the parameter includes an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs within the set of QCL SSBs.

[0027] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting the set of SSBs is to transmit a PBCH portion of the SSB, and the PBCH portion of the SSB may include operations, features, means, or instructions for including an indication of the parameter.

[0028] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the indication of the parameter may be common across each SSB in the set of SSBs.

[0029] A method of wireless communication in a UE will be described. The method includes the step of receiving system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs; the step of configuring rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use; and the step of receiving PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching.

[0030] An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE will be described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to receive system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs; configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use; and receive PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching.

[0031] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a UE will be described. The apparatus includes means for receiving system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, means for configuring rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and means for receiving PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching.

[0032] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a UE will be described. The code includes instructions executable by a processor to receive system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and receive PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching.

[0033] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, configuring rate matching may include operations, features, means, or instructions for repeating a pattern in the bitmap for a subset of SSBs within the set of SSBs and for SSBs occurring within the maximum number of SSBs available for use after the subset of SSBs.

[0034] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving system information can involve receiving a previous PDSCH transmission that includes the system information and decoding the system information to identify a bitmap, where rate matching may not be performed on the previous PDSCH. The operations, features, means, or instructions for doing so may be included.

[0035] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a PDSCH transmission can be received during the same discovery period in which the maximum number of SSBs available for use can be transmitted.

[0036] A method of wireless communication at a base station is described. The method can include transmitting system information that includes a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs; configuring rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use; and performing a PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching.

[0037] An apparatus for wireless communication in a base station will be described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions are to cause the processor to perform, for the apparatus, transmitting system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, configuring rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and performing PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching.

[0038] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a base station will be described. The apparatus may include means for transmitting system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, means for configuring rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and means for performing PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching.

[0039] A non - transitory computer - readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station is described. The code includes a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs for transmitting system information, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap, and configuring rate matching based on the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and for performing PDSCH transmission based on the rate matching, may include instructions executable by a processor.

[0040] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non - transitory computer - readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for repeating a pattern in a bitmap for transmitting a subset of SSBs within a set of SSBs and for an additional set of SSBs transmitted within the maximum number of SSBs available for use after the subset of SSBs.

[0041] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non - transitory computer - readable media described herein, transmitting system information may include operations, features, means, or instructions for performing a previous PDSCH transmission that includes the system information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] A wireless communication system typically supports various communication techniques to support wireless communication between a base station and a user equipment (UE). For example, the base station may transmit various synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal blocks (SSBs)) to support collection by the UE. Generally, an SSB may carry or convey various parameters associated with the base station that are used by the UE to align with the base station (in terms of time, frequency, etc.) to at least some extent to establish a connection between the base station and the UE. Conventionally, typically, a limited number or a defined number of SSBs are transmitted by the base station. In a millimeter wave (mmW) network, the base station may transmit an SSB in a beamforming transmission in a sweeping manner around the coverage area of the base station.

[0044] Conventionally, a limited or defined number of SSBs available for transmission supported a one-to-one mapping between the SSBs and various control signal resources. For example, each SSB may have a corresponding set of control signal (e.g., Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)) resources associated therewith, and for example, an index number for an SSB may correspond to a specific PDCCH resource. However, conventional techniques do not support a configuration where additional SSBs may be used for transmission and, depending on the result of the Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure on the carrier, which requires the LBT procedure to be performed before transmission, some SSBs may not be transmitted, for example, may not provide a mechanism to support an indication of PDCCH search space duplication. Thus, in situations where additional SSBs are available for transmission, conventional wireless networks may not support the mapping from multiple SSBs to specific control channel resources.

[0045] First, aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communication system. The techniques described relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support control search space duplication indication. Generally, the techniques described provide various mechanisms for improving the indication of overlapping control channel locations corresponding to a set of quasi - co - located (QCL) synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). For example, a base station may transmit multiple SSBs from a set of QCL SSBs. The SSBs selected for transmission from the set of QCL SSBs may be based on the result of a LBT procedure. In some aspects, each of the SSBs within the multiple SSBs conveys or otherwise communicates an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs within the set of QCL SSBs. Generally, the offset may refer to a parameter conveyed or communicated in an SSB (e.g., the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) portion of the SSB) that enables or otherwise supports overlapping control channel locations for different SSBs. A UE may receive one of the SSBs transmitted from the base station and determine the indicated offset. Based on this offset, the UE may determine multiple downlink control channel locations (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) locations) corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The UE may use the determined downlink control channel locations to receive a downlink grant for a system information signal (e.g., remaining minimum system information (RMSI)), for example, by monitoring the downlink control channel locations. The UE may receive system information according to the downlink grant and use the information within the system information (e.g., RMSI), as well as the SSB, to establish a connection with the base station.

[0046] In other aspects, the techniques described may support the rate matching operation of a UE. For example, system information (e.g., RMSI) may carry or convey a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs actually transmitted from a set of SSBs. For example, a bit in the bitmap may be set to "1" to indicate that an SSB is transmitted at its location, or vice versa. In some aspects, the system information may additionally carry or convey an indication of the maximum number of SSBs available for use, which is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. For example, the bitmap may be configured as "10101010" to indicate that SSB positions 0, 2, 4, and 6 are actually transmitted within a set of SSBs consisting of SSB positions (or indices) 0 to 7. The indication of the maximum number of SSBs may be set to the number of the maximum SSB positions used, e.g., 12, 16, 18, or some other number of the maximum SSB positions that can be used. The UE may, in at least some aspects, configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use. In some aspects, this may include the UE having rules such as repeating the actually transmitted SSBs (e.g., the subset of SSBs within the set of SSBs) and the pattern of punctured SSB positions within the set of SSB positions used. For example, the UE may repeat the pattern "10101010" from SSB position 8 to the end of the maximum number of SSBs available for use. Thus, the UE may receive data transmission (e.g., physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission) using the configured rate matching.

[0047] Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated by apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts relating to control search space duplication indication and will be described with reference thereto.

[0048] FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communication system 100 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 includes a base station 105, a UE 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can support extended broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communication, low-latency communication, or communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices.

[0049] The base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with the UE 115 via one or more base station antennas. The base station 105 described herein can include a transceiver base station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation Node B or a giga Node B (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), a home Node B, a home eNB, or some other suitable term, or may be so called by those skilled in the art. The wireless communication system 100 can include different types of base stations 105 (e.g., macrocell base stations or small cell base stations). The UE 115 described herein can be capable of communicating with various types of base stations 105 and network devices, including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, and the like.

[0050] Each base station 105 may be associated with a specific geographic coverage area 110 that supports communication with various UEs 115. Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage to its respective geographic coverage area 110 via a communication link 125, and the communication link 125 between the base station 105 and the UE 115 may utilize one or more carriers. The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include an uplink transmission from the UE 115 to the base station 105 or a downlink transmission from the base station 105 to the UE 115. Downlink transmissions may sometimes be referred to as forward link transmissions, and uplink transmissions may sometimes be referred to as reverse link transmissions.

[0051] The geographic coverage area 110 for the base station 105 may be divided into sectors that make up a portion of the geographic coverage area 110, and each sector may be associated with a cell. For example, each base station 105 may provide communication coverage for macrocells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or various combinations thereof. In some examples, the base station 105 is mobile and thus may provide communication coverage to a moving geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, and overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by the same base station 105 or by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous LTE / LTE-A / LTE-A Pro or NR network in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage to various geographic coverage areas 110.

[0052] The term "cell" refers to a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station 105 (e.g., via a carrier), and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), a Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)) for distinguishing adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), or others) that provide access for different types of devices. In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) over which the logical entity operates.

[0053] UEs 115 may be distributed throughout the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. UEs 115 may also be referred to by mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term, and the "device" may also be called a unit, station, terminal, or client. UEs 115 can also be personal electronic devices such as cellular phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, laptop computers, or personal computers. In some examples, UEs 115 may also refer to Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, any Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or MTC devices, etc., which can be implemented in various articles such as appliances, vehicles, meters, etc.

[0054] Some UEs 115, such as MTC devices or IoT devices, can be low-cost or low-complexity devices and can provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that enable devices to communicate with each other or with the base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from a device that incorporates sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay that information to a central server or application program that can utilize the information, or present the information to a human who can interact with the program or application. Some UEs 115 can be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security detection, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing.

[0055] Some UEs 115 can be configured to adopt an operating mode that reduces power consumption, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports unidirectional communication by transmission or reception but does not support transmission and reception simultaneously). In some examples, half-duplex communication can be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power-saving techniques for UEs 115 include entering a power-saving "deep sleep" mode when not participating in active communication, or operating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., in accordance with narrowband communication). In some cases, UEs 115 may be designed to support critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions), and the wireless communication system 100 can be configured to provide ultra-reliable communication for these functions.

[0056] In some cases, UE115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UE115s (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol or a device-to-device (D2D) protocol). One or more of the groups of UE115s that utilize D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UE115s within such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105 or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station 105. In some cases, the group of UE115s communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE115 transmits to every other UE115 in the group. In some cases, the base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication occurs between UE115s without the involvement of the base station 105.

[0057] The base station 105 can communicate with the core network 130 and with each other. For example, the base station 105 can interface with the core network 130 through a backhaul link 132 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). The base station 105 can communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130) on a backhaul link 134 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces).

[0058] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access functions, routing functions, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC), which may include at least one mobility management entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME may manage non-access stratum (e.g., control plane) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UE 115 served by the base station 105 associated with the EPC. User IP packets may be forwarded through the S-GW, which itself may be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW may provide IP address allocation and other functions. The P-GW may be connected to the network operator's IP services. The operator's IP services may include access to the Internet, intranet, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched (PS) streaming services.

[0059] At least some of the network devices such as the base station 105 may include sub-components such as access network entities, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity may communicate with the UE 115 through several other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission and reception points (TRPs). In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity or the base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and access network controllers) or integrated within a single network device (e.g., the base station 105).

[0060] Wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range from 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or the decimeter band, because the wavelength ranges from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by building and environmental characteristics. However, these waves can penetrate structures well enough to provide service to UE115 located indoors with a macrocell. Transmissions at UHF waves can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 km) compared to transmissions using lower frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0061] Wireless communication system 100 can also operate within the super high frequency (SHF) region using frequency bands from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as the centimeter band. The SHF region includes bands such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band, which can be opportunistically used by devices that may be able to tolerate interference from other users.

[0062] The wireless communication system 100 can also operate within the millimeter wave (EHF: extremely high frequency) region of the spectrum, also known as the millimeter band (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can support millimeter wave (mmW) communication between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of each device may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some cases, this can facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the UE 115. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions is subject to greater atmospheric attenuation than SHF or UHF transmissions and may have a shorter range. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the specified use of the bands across these frequency regions may vary by country or regulatory body.

[0063] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can employ License Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz ISM band. When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wireless devices such as the base station 105 and the UE 115 may employ a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure to ensure that the frequency channel is clear before transmitting data. In some cases, operation in the unlicensed band may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration that coordinates with a component carrier operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operation within the unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, peer-to-peer transmissions, or combinations thereof. Duplexing in the unlicensed spectrum may be based on frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination of both.

[0064] In some examples, base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, and these antennas can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. For example, wireless communication system 100 can use a transmission mode between a transmitting device (e.g., base station 105) and a receiving device (e.g., UE 115), where the transmitting device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receiving device is equipped with one or more antennas. MIMO communication may employ multipath signal propagation to increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers, which may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals can be transmitted by the transmitting device via, for example, different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, the multiple signals can be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams. The different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0065] Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that can be used in a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., base station 105 or UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals communicated via the antenna elements of an antenna array such that signals propagating in a particular orientation with respect to the antenna array experience constructive interference and signals propagating in other orientations experience destructive interference. Adjusting the signals communicated via the antenna elements can include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying some amplitude and phase offsets to the signals carried via each of the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustment associated with each of the antenna elements can be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation).

[0066] In one example, base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to perform a beamforming operation for directional communication with UE 115. For example, some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by base station 105 in different directions, which can include the signals being transmitted according to different sets of beamforming weights associated with different directions of transmission. Transmission in different beam directions can be used to identify (e.g., by a receiving device such as base station 105 or UE 115) a beam direction for subsequent transmission and / or reception by base station 105.

[0067] Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, can be transmitted by base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with a receiving device such as UE115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission along a single beam direction can be determined based at least in part on signals transmitted in different beam directions. For example, UE115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions, and UE115 may report to base station 105 an indication of the signal that UE115 received with the highest signal quality or otherwise acceptable signal quality. These techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, but UE115 may employ similar techniques to transmit signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by UE115) or to transmit signals in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

[0068] A receiving device (e.g., UE115 which can be an example of a mmW receiving device) can attempt multiple receive beams when receiving various signals such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals from base station 105. For example, the receiving device can attempt multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, processing the received signals according to different antenna subarrays, processing the signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to the signals received at the multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, or processing the received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to the signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, and any of them may be called "listening" according to different receive beams or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive beam to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving data signals). The single receive beam can be aligned with a beam direction determined at least in part based on listening according to different receive beam directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, the highest signal-to-noise ratio, or otherwise acceptable signal quality based at least in part on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0069] In some cases, the antennas of base station 105 or UE115 can be located within one or more antenna arrays that can support MIMO operation or can transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays can be collocated with an antenna assembly such as an antenna tower. In some cases, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 can be located in various geographical locations. Base station 105 can have an antenna array with several rows and columns of antenna ports that it can use to support beamforming for communication with UE115. Similarly, UE115 can have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO operations or beamforming operations.

[0070] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network operating according to a hierarchical protocol stack. In the user plane, communication in the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer can be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer can perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer can perform prioritization and multiplexing of logical channels onto transport channels. The MAC layer can also use Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) to perform retransmissions in the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer can establish, configure, and maintain an RRC connection between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or the core network 130 that supports radio bearers for user plane data. In the physical layer, transport channels can be mapped to physical channels.

[0071] In some cases, the UE 115 and the base station 105 can support retransmission of data to increase the likelihood of successful reception. HARQ feedback is one technique to increase the likelihood that data is correctly received over the communication link 125. HARQ can include a combination of error detection (e.g., using Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ)). HARQ can improve throughput in the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., signal-to-noise conditions). In some cases, a wireless device can support same-slot HARQ feedback, where the device provides HARQ feedback within the same slot for data received in a previous symbol within the same slot. In other cases, the device can provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot or according to some other time interval.

[0072] Time intervals in LTE or NR can be represented as multiples of a basic time unit, for example, T s = 1 / 30,720,000 seconds, which may be the sampling period. The time intervals of communication resources may be organized according to radio frames, each having a duration of 10 milliseconds (ms), where the frame period is T f = 307,200T s and can be expressed as such. Radio frames can be identified by a system frame number (SFN) ranging from 0 to 1023. Each frame may include 10 subframes numbered from 0 to 9, and each subframe may have a duration of 1 ms. A subframe may be further divided into two slots, each having a duration of 0.5 ms, and each slot may include six or seven modulated symbol periods (for example, depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period). Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may include 2048 sampling periods. In some cases, a subframe may be the minimum scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In other cases, the minimum scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be shorter than a subframe or may be dynamically selected (for example, in a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs) or in a selected component carrier using sTTIs).

[0073] In some wireless communication systems, a slot can be further divided into a plurality of mini-slots, each containing one or more symbols. In some cases, the symbols or mini-slots of a mini-slot can be the minimum unit of scheduling. The duration of each symbol may vary, for example, according to the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of the operation. Further, some wireless communication systems can implement slot aggregation, where a plurality of slots or mini-slots are aggregated together and used for communication between the UE 115 and the base station 105.

[0074] The term "carrier" refers to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication over communication link 125. For example, a carrier of communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band operating according to a physical layer channel for a given radio access technology. Each physical layer channel may carry user data, control information, or other signaling. A carrier may be associated with a predefined frequency channel (e.g., an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)) and may be arranged according to a channel raster for discovery by UE 115. A carrier may be downlink or uplink (e.g., in FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink communication and uplink communication (e.g., in TDD mode). In some examples, the signal waveform transmitted via a carrier may be composed of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., using a multi-carrier modulation (MCM) technique such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)).

[0075] The organizational structure of carriers may vary depending on the radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). For example, communication on a carrier may be organized according to a TTI or a slot, each of which may include user data, as well as control information or signaling to support decoding of the user data. A carrier may also include dedicated acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals or system information, etc.) and control signaling to coordinate the operation for the carrier. In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate the operation with respect to other carriers.

[0076] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels can be multiplexed on a downlink carrier using, for example, time-division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, the control information transmitted in a physical control channel can be distributed in a cascaded manner between different control regions (e.g., between a common control region or common search space and one or more UE-specific control regions or UE-specific search spaces).

[0077] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum. In some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the "system bandwidth" of the carrier or the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth can be one of several predetermined bandwidths (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 MHz) for a carrier of a particular radio access technology. In some examples, each served UE 115 can be configured to operate over a portion or all of the carrier bandwidth. In other examples, some UEs 115 can be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type associated with a predefined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or RBs) within the carrier (e.g., "in-band" deployment of the narrowband protocol type).

[0078] In a system that employs the MCM technique, a resource element may consist of one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme). Therefore, the higher the number of resource elements received by UE115 and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate of UE115 can be. In a MIMO system, the wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and space resources (e.g., spatial layers), and the use of multiple spatial layers can further increase the data rate for communication with UE115.

[0079] A device (e.g., base station 105 or UE115) of the wireless communication system 100 may have a hardware configuration that supports communication via a specific carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communication via one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include base station 105 and / or UE115 that support simultaneous communication via carriers associated with two or more different carrier bandwidths.

[0080] The wireless communication system 100 may support a function sometimes called communication with UE115 on multiple cells or carriers, i.e., carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. UE115 may be configured using multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both FDD component carriers and TDD component carriers.

[0081] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may utilize an Extended Component Carrier (eCC). The eCC may be characterized by one or more features including a wider carrier or frequency channel bandwidth, a shorter symbol duration, a shorter TTI duration, or a modified control channel configuration. In some cases, the eCC may be associated with a carrier aggregation configuration or a dual connectivity configuration (e.g., when multiple serving cells have sub-optimal or non-ideal backhaul links). The eCC may also be configured for use in unlicensed spectrum or shared spectrum (e.g., when two or more operators are permitted to use the spectrum). The eCC characterized by a wide carrier bandwidth may include one or more segments that can be monitored for the full carrier bandwidth or otherwise utilized by a UE 115 configured to use a limited carrier bandwidth (e.g., to conserve power).

[0082] In some cases, the eCC may utilize a symbol duration different from other component carriers, which may include the use of a reduced symbol duration compared to the symbol duration of other component carriers. The shorter symbol duration may be associated with an increase in the spacing between adjacent sub-carriers. A device such as a UE 115 or a base station 105 that utilizes the eCC may transmit a wideband signal at the reduced symbol duration (e.g., 16.67 microseconds) according to a frequency channel or carrier bandwidth such as 20, 40, 60, 80 MHz, etc. The TTI in the eCC may consist of one or more symbol periods. In some cases, the TTI duration (i.e., the number of symbol periods within the TTI) may be variable.

[0083] The wireless communication system 100 can be an NR system that can utilize any combination of licensed spectrum, shared spectrum, and unlicensed spectrum bands in particular. The flexibility of the eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing can enable the use of eCC across multiple spectrums. In some examples, the NR shared spectrum can increase spectrum utilization and spectral efficiency, particularly through dynamic (e.g., across the frequency domain) and horizontal (e.g., across the time domain) sharing of resources.

[0084] In some aspects, the UE 115 can receive, from the base station 105, an SSB from a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB comprises an indication of parameters indicating information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The UE 115 can determine a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, at least partially based on the parameters. The UE 115 can receive a downlink grant for system information, at least partially based on monitoring one or more of the plurality of downlink control channel locations. The UE 115 can receive system information, at least partially based on the downlink grant. The UE 115 can establish a connection with the base station 105, at least partially based on the SSB and the received system information.

[0085] In some aspects, the base station 105 may transmit a plurality of SSBs, where the plurality of SSBs comprises a set of QCL SSBs, and each SSB among the plurality of SSBs comprises an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The base station 105 may transmit a downlink grant for system information on a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, at least partially based on the parameter. The base station 105 may transmit system information in accordance with the grant. The base station 105 may establish a connection with the UE 115, at least partially based on the synchronization signal block and the system information.

[0086] In some aspects, the UE 115 may receive system information comprising a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. The UE 115 may configure rate matching, at least partially based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use. The UE 115 may receive PDSCH transmissions, at least partially based on the rate matching.

[0087] In some aspects, the base station 105 may transmit system information comprising a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. The base station 105 may configure rate matching, at least partially based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs in use. The base station 105 may perform PDSCH transmissions, at least partially based on the rate matching.

[0088] FIG. 2 shows an example of a wireless communication system 200 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. Generally, the wireless communication system 200 may include a base station 205 and a UE 210, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein. In some aspects, the base station 205 may be regarded as a potential or current serving base station from the perspective of the UE 210.

[0089] In some aspects, the wireless communication system 200 may be configured to support various aspects of the techniques for the control search space duplication indication described. Generally, conventional networks have typically defined a one-to-one correspondence between an SSB and a downlink control channel location (e.g., a PDCCH location). For example, each SSB may have an associated index, and that index may correspond to or otherwise be associated with a particular downlink control channel location (e.g., the location of a control channel carrying a grant for additional system information). A UE (such as UE210) attempting to establish a connection with the base station 205 will typically monitor for an SSB with the associated index, detect it, and based on the index of the SSB, identify the corresponding downlink control channel location. As a non-limiting example, an initial access UE (e.g., UE210) may detect an SSB with an index of 5. The initial access UE may know, for example, based on a look-up table or some other configured information, that SSB index 5 corresponds to a particular downlink control channel location. The initial access UE may monitor the downlink control channel location corresponding to SSB index 5 to receive a downlink grant for resources (e.g., resources for a PDSCH carrying RMSI, sometimes called RMSI PDSCH) carrying additional system information. Conventionally, the location of the downlink control channel may be carried or transmitted in a bit or field of a broadcast channel (such as a physical broadcast channel (PBCH)) of the base station 205.

[0090] However, such conventional techniques may not be usable in some configurations. For example, in some embodiments, the number of SSBs that may be available or otherwise used by base station 205 may exceed the number of available downlink control channel locations, and thus, for example, a 1-to-1 mapping technique may not be usable. Moreover, in an mmW network, base station 205 may transmit its SSB using beamformed transmissions that are transmitted in a sweeping manner within the coverage area of base station 205. In some embodiments, this may include base station 205 transmitting multiple QCL SSBs within its coverage area that are more than the number of available corresponding downlink control channel locations. However, it should be understood that QCL SSBs are not limited to mmW networks and may instead refer to non-mmW networks.

[0091] Moreover, some wireless networks may operate within a shared or unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, in which case listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures must be performed on the channel before any transmission can occur. In this example, the LBT procedures performed by base station 205 may fail in some instances of the configured SSB transmissions, thereby potentially causing further disruption to the network.

[0092] In some aspects, the SSB may be transmitted within a specific discovery period (e.g., a Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) period, etc.). Also in this case, in some instances, the LBT procedure may succeed for some SSB transmissions within the DRS period but may fail for other SSB transmission instances within the DRS period. Thus, the configured pattern of SSB transmissions may be interrupted within the DRS depending on the result of the LBT procedure, e.g., based on the success or failure of the LBT procedure. Accordingly, aspects of the techniques described provide a mechanism by which an overlapping (e.g., many-to-one) relationship between multiple SSB indexes corresponding to downlink control channel locations can be supported by the base station 205 and / or the UE 210.

[0093] For example, the base station 205 may support that multiple SSBs 215 are available for transmission. In some aspects, this may include that a set of QCL SSBs are transmitted in a sweeping manner around the coverage area of the base station 205 in beamforming transmissions. For example, a first SSB 215-a may be transmitted in a first beamforming direction, a second SSB 215-b may be transmitted in a second beamforming direction, a third SSB 215-c may be transmitted in a third beamforming direction, a fourth SSB 215-d may be transmitted in a fourth beamforming direction, a fifth SSB 215-e may be transmitted in a fifth beamforming direction, and so on. Generally, each SSB 215 may carry or convey an indication of some synchronization information that is usable by an initial access UE (e.g., UE 210) looking for the serving base station. For example, each SSB 215 may carry or convey synchronization information (e.g., timing information, frequency information, spatial information, etc.). The initial access UE may use this information to detect or otherwise receive additional system information from the base station 205 in order to establish a connection between the base station 205 and the initial access UE. Thus, the base station 205 may transmit multiple SSBs 215, where at least one of the SSBs 215 (e.g., SSB 215-d) may be detected or otherwise received by the UE 210.

[0094] According to an aspect of the described technique, the SSB 215 transmitted by the base station 205 may comprise or otherwise form a set of QCL SSBs. For example, the base station 205 may transmit multiple instances of the SSB 215 within a defined period such as a DRS period, or within a certain number of slots / frames. In some aspects, the set of QCL SSBs may consist of SSBs 215 having the same (or substantially similar) QCL configuration. For example, when the base station 205 transmits the SSB 215 in a sweeping manner twice within a period, two instances of the SSB 215-d may be regarded as a set of QCL SSBs. In an example where the base station 205 transmits the SSB 215 three times within a period, three instances of the SSB 215-d may be regarded as a set of QCL SSBs. Thus, the base station 205 may repeatedly transmit multiple SSBs 215 (e.g., SSB 215-a, 215-b, 215-c, 215-d, and 215-e) such that the set of QCL SSB 215 may include multiple instances of the same SSB 215 being transmitted (e.g., multiple instances of the SSB 215-d). However, it should be understood that each instance of the SSB 215 within the set of QCL SSBs will have its own index number. For example, the first instance of the SSB 215-d may have an index of 0, while the next instance of the SSB 215-d may have an index of 4 (or some other pattern). In some aspects, the transmitted SSB 215 may also have a broadcast channel, such as the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) portion of the SSB 215.

[0095] In some aspects, each SSB 215 transmitted by base station 205 may also carry or convey an indication of a parameter that indicates or otherwise conveys information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to a set of QCL SSBs. In some aspects, a parameter (e.g., parameter “X”) may enable the locations of downlink control channels to overlap (e.g., the locations of downlink control channels may correspond to SSB indexes from a set of QCL SSBs). In some aspects, the downlink control channel may refer to a type 0 PDCCH, such as a common search space PDCCH. In some aspects, parameter X may be an integer that is not greater than a defined value (e.g., 8 or less, which may be the maximum number of SSBs 215 available for transmission that has been agreed upon). Parameter X may use 3 bits to carry or convey information. In some aspects, parameter X may be a subset of integers, and the set of values that X may take may have a size such as 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 (e.g., be a power of 2) to save the number of bits required to convey information. In some aspects, parameter X may be common across all SSBs 215 transmitted by base station 205. For example, parameter X may be common across all PBCHs and in all actually transmitted SSBs 215. This may support the use of soft combining techniques by UE 210 for broadcast channel detection of the parameter. In an example where base station 205 transmits SSB 215 in beamformed transmission, parameter X may not necessarily be the same as the number of beams and may be larger, for example, depending on the base station 205 selection.

[0096] Accordingly, UE 210 (e.g., in this case, the initial access UE) may receive SSB 215 (e.g., SSB 215-d) from a set of QCL SSBs (e.g., multiple instances of SSB 215-d, and / or multiple SSBs 215 having the same or similar QCL configuration). UE 210 may recover parameter X from the received SSB and use the parameter to determine a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. As described, each instance of SSB 215 may have its own associated index value (e.g., SSB 215 index “x”). As an example, UE 210 may receive SSB 215-d having an SSB index of 1 (e.g., x = 1), and the parameter may indicate a value (e.g., X = 4) corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. For downlink control channel (e.g., PDCCH carrying a grant for RMSI PDSCH) detection, UE 210 may search or monitor each downlink control channel location corresponding to SSB z, provided that z mod X = x mod X. In the example where x = 1 and X = 4, UE 210 receives or otherwise monitors downlink control channel locations (PDCCH locations) corresponding to SSB indices such as 1, 5, 9, etc. In some aspects, the PDCCH monitoring opportunity “z” may occur only within the slot and radio frame in which an SSB may potentially be transmitted, and in addition to the modulo condition z mod X = x mod X, UE 210 can confirm whether the PDCCH monitoring opportunity is a potential SSB slot in order to determine whether to monitor the PDCCH for control channel information during that monitoring opportunity. In some aspects, the downlink control channel location may be a function of the radio frame number determined through the PBCH and the maximum number of SSB transmission opportunities.

[0097] Therefore, UE210 can detect or otherwise receive SSB215 with an index of 1 and, based on parameter X, determine that SSB indexes such as 5, 9, etc. are also associated with several downlink control channel locations. In some aspects, the downlink control channel (e.g., RMSI PDCCH) can be transmitted within the next frame, the LBT procedure can be irrelevant, and the starting point can be after x = 1, so UE210 can continue the search. This can support that UE210 can identify the location for monitoring the downlink control channel corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs.

[0098] Therefore, based on monitoring and receiving a downlink control channel (e.g., PDCCH) that carries or conveys a downlink grant, UE210 can receive a downlink grant for system information (e.g., PDSCH RMSI). Based on the downlink grant, UE210 can receive the system information (e.g., RMSI) and, in this example, establish a connection with base station 205 according to the received SSB215-d and the system information.

[0099] Another problem related to conventional networks may relate to SSB215 rate matching. For example, in some examples of conventional techniques, system information (e.g., RMSI) may carry or convey a bitmap (e.g., an 8-bit bitmap) indicating which of the set of available SSB215s is being transmitted. For example, the base station 205 may have a set of SSB215s that can be transmitted (e.g., each of SSB215-a to 215-e), but in practice, only a subset of the SSB215s (e.g., SSB215-a, 215-c, 215-e, etc.) may be transmitted. Conventionally, the UE210 receives system information in a single PDSCH transmission and uses the information indicated in the bitmap to configure or otherwise perform rate matching around the resource blocks / symbols used by the indicated SSB in subsequent PDSCH transmissions. However, such conventional techniques are based on the fact that the set of SSB215s and / or the actually transmitted SSB215s are the same across all frames. Such conventional techniques do not support configurations where the available and / or actually transmitted SSB215s change (e.g., during the discovery period, between different frames or sets of frames, etc.). Thus, the UE210 may not be able to configure or otherwise perform rate matching in situations where the available and / or actually transmitted SSB215s change.

[0100] Additionally, conventional techniques size the bitmap to correspond to the maximum size of the available SSB transmission opportunities for the authorized carrier on which the SSB can always be transmitted. For unlicensed carriers where the transmission has to undergo an LBT procedure before transmission, conventional techniques do not configure a far greater number of available SSB transmission opportunities despite the fact that a large number of SSB transmission opportunities may not be available in any given instance due to LBT failures. Thus, the bitmap size may be increased for the maximum size expected to be used in an unlicensed system, thereby incurring a high overhead. Thus, an alternative solution is desirable.

[0101] Accordingly, aspects of the techniques described provide a mechanism (e.g., a rule) that supports the UE 210 in being able to configure or otherwise perform rate matching for situations where the available and / or actually transmitted SSB 215 changes. In some aspects, a bitmap indicated in the system information may be used (e.g., an 8-bit bitmap). However, the system information may also carry or convey an indication of the maximum number of SSB 215s available for use. In some aspects, the maximum number of SSB 215s available for use may be greater than the total number of SSB 215s indicated by the bitmap (e.g., for the bitmap size).

[0102] For example, the system information (e.g., RMSI) may carry or convey a bitmap indicating a subset of the SSB 215s transmitted from a set of SSB 215s. As an example, the bitmap may be set to 10101010 to indicate that the SSB 215s with indices 0, 2, 4, and 6 are actually transmitted and the SSB 215s with indices 1, 3, 5, and 7 are not transmitted. Thus, while the set of SSB 215s may include SSB 215s with indices 0-7, the subset of SSB 215s that are actually transmitted includes only the SSB 215s with indices 0, 2, 4, and 6.

[0103] In some aspects, the maximum number of SSB215s available for use can be greater than the set of SSB215s indicated by the bitmap (e.g., for the size of the bitmap). For example, system information (e.g., RMSI) can indicate (e.g., in a parameter) the maximum number of SSB215 positions available for use. As a non-limiting example, the maximum number of SSB215s available for use can be 12, 16, 24, 32, or some other number of SSB215s. In some aspects, the maximum number of SSB215s available for use can refer to potential SSB215 locations that occur within a particular time window such as a DRS, within a particular set of slots or frames, etc.

[0104] Based on receiving the system information, the UE 210 can determine or otherwise confirm that (in one example) there are 16, the maximum number of SSBs 215 available for use, and that the bitmap indicates the pattern of SSBs 215 actually transmitted within the set of SSBs 215 indicated by the bitmap (e.g., in the above example for the first 8 SSBs where the size of the bitmap is 8, on, off, on, off, etc.). According to an aspect of the described technique, the UE 210 may repeat the pattern in the bitmap for SSBs 215 transmitted after the set of SSBs 215 indicated by the bitmap. For example, at the first 8 SSB 215 positions, the UE 210 may determine that SSBs 215 with indices 0, 2, 4, and 6 are actually transmitted and SSBs 215 with indices 1, 3, 5, and 7 are not transmitted. Repeating the pattern may include the UE 210 determining that SSBs 215 with indices 8, 10, 12, 14, etc. are transmitted and SSBs 215 with indices 9, 11, 13, 15, etc. are not transmitted for subsequent rate matching for the PDSCH. Thus, based on the bitmap and parameters indicated in the system information, the UE 210 may use the rule that SSBs 215 occurring within the maximum number of SSBs 215 are repeated according to the pattern indicated in the bitmap after (or rather, after the set of) the subset of SSBs 215.

[0105] Accordingly, UE210 may receive a bitmap (e.g., in the first RMSI PDSCH) and an indication of the maximum number of SSB215s available for use, and use this information to configure rate matching for receiving PDSCH transmissions. In some aspects, UE210 may configure or otherwise perform rate matching in subsequent PDSCH transmissions from base station 205 using the bitmap and the indication of the maximum number of SSB215s available for use. For example, UE210 may use the configured rate matching for subsequent PDSCH transmissions by rate matching around the SSB215s indicated as being transmitted in (or at the same time as) subsequent PDSCH transmissions. This may support UE210 in rate matching around all potential SSB215 transmissions as indicated by the bitmap, using repetitions up to the maximum number of SSB215s available for use. In some aspects, UE210 may further configure a rate matching resource set to rate match to SSBs that are not transmitted (e.g., SSB215s having indices such as 1, 3, 5 up to the maximum number of SSB215s available for use). Accordingly, UE210 may receive PDSCH transmissions in accordance with rate matching configured based on the bitmap and the indication of the maximum number of SSB215s available for use.

[0106] In some aspects, the techniques described for rate matching configuration may be associated with a particular discovery period (e.g., DRS, etc.). For example, various aspects of SSB215 transmissions may change periodically, as needed, according to a schedule, etc. Accordingly, base station 205 may update SSB215 in response to changes in SSB215 transmission configuration and the associated time period or window. In one example, the configuration for transmission of SSB215 may change for each DRS period, or for some or all DRS periods.

[0107] FIG. 3 shows an example of an SSB configuration 300 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In some examples, the SSB configuration 300 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100 and / or 200. Aspects of the SSB configuration 300 may be implemented by a base station and / or a UE, which may be an example of a corresponding device described herein.

[0108] Generally, the SSB configuration 300 shows an example of how an SSB 305 can be transmitted according to aspects of the described techniques. In some aspects, a base station may be configured to transmit multiple SSBs 305 (labeled with only one SSB 305 for ease of reference) to one or more UEs operating within its coverage area. For example, SSBs 305 having indices from 0 to 7 may be considered as a first plurality of SSBs configured for potential transmission during a specified time period or window, such as a DRS window 310. Thus, the base station may transmit multiple SSBs 305 having indices from 0 to 7 during a first DRS window 310-a, transmit multiple SSBs 305 having indices from 0 to 7 during a second DRS window 310-b, and transmit multiple SSBs 305 having indices from 0 to 7 during a third DRS window 310-c. In some aspects, the number and / or configuration for the SSBs 305 may change from one DRS window 310 to the next.

[0109] Generally, the SSB 305 may be used by an initial access UE to ascertain (at least to some extent) synchronization information for the transmitting base station. For example, each SSB 305 may carry or convey information such as various frequencies, timings, spaces, etc. that can be used by the UE to establish a connection with the base station. In some aspects, multiple SSBs may be transmitted within a given window or time period, such as a DRS window 310.

[0110] In some aspects, the plurality of SSBs 305 may include a set of QCL SSBs. In some aspects, the number of SSBs 305 within a set of QCL SSBs may be constant for a given DRS window 310, but may or may not be the same from one DRS window 310 to the next. In some aspects, the plurality of SSBs 305 may include multiple sets of QCL SSBs. As a non-limiting example, SSBs 305 having indices 0 and 4 may form a first set of QCL SSBs (indicated by the downward-slanted hatching pattern), SSBs 305 having indices 1 and 5 may form a second set of QCL SSBs (indicated by the cross-hatching pattern), SSBs 305 having indices 2 and 6 may form a third set of QCL SSBs (indicated by the upward-slanted hatching pattern), and SSBs 305 having indices 3 and 7 may form a fourth set of QCL SSBs (indicated by the horizontal-line hatching pattern).

[0111] Conventionally, an initial access UE may receive an SSB 305, and based on the index of the received SSB 305, the UE may know that the index is associated with a downlink control channel location (e.g., time, frequency, space, or other location for the UE to use to monitor PDCCH signals). However, aspects of the techniques described support a mechanism by which additional candidate SSB 305 positions may be configured. That is, the plurality of SSBs 305 may include more than the eight SSBs 305 shown in the illustration in FIG. 3, and may include, for example, 12, 16, or some other number of potential SSB 305 positions. In some aspects, the number of actually transmitted SSBs may be less than the number of possible SSB 305 positions. In this situation, each set of QCL SSBs may include more than the two SSBs 305 described in the above example. For example, the first set of QCL SSBs may include SSBs 305 having indices 0, 4, 8 (not shown), 12 (also not shown), etc.

[0112] Moreover, some wireless networks can operate in mmW networks where the base station must perform an LBT procedure before transmitting each (or some or all) of the SSBs 305. As can be appreciated, not every LBT procedure may succeed, and thus the base station may not be able to transmit the SSB 305 until the LBT procedure succeeds. As a first example, during the DRS window 310-a, the LBT procedure may succeed, enabling the base station to begin transmitting the SSB 305 starting at SSB index 0. However, in a second example, during the DRS window 310-b, the LBT procedure may first fail, but instead may pass or succeed at a time when the base station begins transmitting the SSB 305 starting at SSB index 2. In a third example, during the DRS window 310-c, the LBT procedure may not pass until the time when the SSB 305 having an index of 4 is scheduled for transmission. Accordingly, the number of SSBs 305 transmitted may vary depending on whether the LBT procedure succeeds. In some examples, the base station may choose to transmit only 4 out of the 8 configured SSBs in order to minimize the number of SSBs actually transmitted while ensuring that at least one transmission of an SSB from each of the 4 sets of QCL SSBs occurs.

[0113] All of these problems can pose issues for an initial access UE that desires to establish a connection with a base station. For example, the UE may detect or otherwise receive an SSB 305 having an index of 1. Conventionally, the UE would use the index of the received SSB 305 to identify a location for monitoring the downlink control channel (e.g., PDCCH), because conventional techniques utilized a one-to-one mapping between the SSB 305 index and the corresponding downlink control channel location. However, this approach can become problematic when multiple SSB indexes overlap with the same (or substantially the same) downlink control channel location, such as when a set of QCL SSBs is used or when some of the SSB locations are not transmitted due to LBT failures. For example, upon detecting an SSB at location 1, in a conventional system, the UE may search for the PDCCH corresponding to the same QCL in the vicinity of SSB location 1 during subsequent DRS opportunities. However, in subsequent DRS opportunities, the SSB and system information may not be sent at location 1 due to LBT failures and may be sent at location 5. Since location 5 and location 1 have the same QCL, if the UE were searching for PDSCH / system information in the vicinity of location 5, it would have been possible to receive the system information.

[0114] Accordingly, aspects of the described techniques provide a mechanism in which each SSB 305 has a corresponding index, and a set of QCL SSBs can be associated with the same (or substantially similar) downlink control channel location. In some aspects, this may include configuring the SSBs such that the base station includes or otherwise conveys an indication of a parameter that indicates the downlink control channel location associated with the set of QCL SSBs. For example, the parameter (e.g., parameter "X") can be an integer or a subset of integers, depending on the number of bits used to convey the indication of the parameter in each SSB 305. Generally, each SSB 305 within a set of QCL SSBs can have the same or substantially similar QCL configuration. In some examples, the parameter may not necessarily be related to the number of beams used to transmit the SSB 305.

[0115] The UE may receive an SSB 305 (e.g., SSB index 1, or x = 1) and determine the parameter indicated in the SSB 305. The UE may use this information to determine the downlink control channel location corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. Generally, the downlink control channel location can refer to the time, frequency, space, or some other resource used by the base station to transmit the downlink control channel. The UE may receive (e.g., by monitoring) the determined downlink control channel location corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs to receive a downlink grant for system information (e.g., RMSI PDSCH) on at least one of the downlink control channel locations. The UE may receive the system information according to the grant and establish a connection to the base station based on the received SSB 305, system information, etc.

[0116] As described, in some aspects, a parameter may carry or convey an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs 305 within a set of QCL SSBs. In the example described above, the SSBs 305 having indices 0 and 4 may be considered as a first set of QCL SSBs, where, in this example, the parameter may indicate a value of "4" to notify the UE that every fourth SSB 305 has the same or a similar QCL configuration or can otherwise be used and / or can be associated with the same or a similar PDCCH location. Thus, a UE receiving an SSB 305 with index 1 may know that an SSB 305 with index 5 may use the same or substantially the same QCL configuration.

[0117] In some aspects, some or all of the SSB 305 may be carried or conveyed in the PBCH. Since the same parameter may be repeated in each SSB 305, the UE may perform soft combining across multiple SSB 305s to determine the indicated parameter.

[0118] Figures 4A and 4B show examples of an SSB configuration 400 that supports a control search space overlap indication, according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the SSB configuration 400 may implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100 and / or 200 and / or the SSB configuration 300. Aspects of the SSB configuration 400 may be implemented by a base station and / or a UE, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

[0119] As described, conventional techniques typically involve an RMSI PDSCH that conveys or transmits an 8-bit bitmap indication that indicates which set of up to 8 SSBs is actually being transmitted. The PDSCH transmission will rate match around the resource blocks / symbols used by the indicated SSB. However, this design is based on the fact that the set of SSBs actually transmitted is the same across all frames. Thus, conventional techniques do not support scenarios where the actual number of SSBs being transmitted and / or available can vary from one frame to the next, from one DRS period to the next, etc. Additionally, conventional techniques sized the bitmap to correspond to the maximum size of the available SSB transmission opportunities for the authorized carriers where an SSB can always be transmitted. For unlicensed carriers where the transmission has to undergo an LBT procedure before transmission, we may desire to configure a much larger number of available SSB transmission opportunities since a number of SSB transmission opportunities may not be available in any given instance due to LBT failures. Thus, we may increase the bitmap size for the maximum size expected to be used in an unlicensed system, thereby incurring a high overhead. Thus, an alternative solution is desirable. Thus, aspects of the techniques described support improved rate matching behavior in such scenarios.

[0120] For example, a base station may transmit the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use. Generally, the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use may refer to the possible locations where an SSB transmission can occur. In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use may include 16 SSB positions, whereas the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use shown in FIG. 4B may include 12 SSB positions. Other configurations for the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use may also be used.

[0121] In some aspects, the bitmaps used in conventional networks can be applied according to the techniques described, at least in some aspects. For example, a base station may transmit (and a UE may receive) system information (e.g., RMSI PDSCH) that carries or conveys an indication of a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs. Referring to SSB configurations 400-a and 400-b, the bitmap can be set to "10101010" to indicate that the set of SSBs includes SSBs with indices 0 to 7. In this context, the set of SSBs may refer to each of the SSBs with indices 0 to 7, where the subset of SSBs actually transmitted from the set of SSBs may include SSBs with indices 0, 2, 4, and 6 (as indicated by the hatch pattern). The information or pattern shown in the bitmap may refer to per / bitmap SSB 410.

[0122] However, the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use in this scenario can be greater than the set of SSBs (e.g., the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use can be 16 as shown in Figure 4A, or 12 as shown in Figure 4B). Thus, the base station may also configure the system information to carry or convey an indication of the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use (e.g., the maximum SSB position being used). For example, the system information may include a bit or field configured to convey an indication of the maximum number of SSBs available for use (e.g., a fixed count of SSBs used, an end location for the last SSB used, etc.).

[0123] In some aspects, the UE may receive system information, decode a bitmap, and an indication of the maximum number of SSBs available for use. The UE may use this information to configure rate matching for PDSCH transmission. In some aspects, this may include the UE repeating the pattern indicated in the bitmap for SSBs that occur after the SSB in a set of SSBs (e.g., after a subset of the actually transmitted SSBs). In the example described above, the pattern may generally refer to the first SSB being transmitted (SSB index 0), the second SSB not being transmitted (SSB index 1), the third SSB being transmitted (SSB index 2), the fourth SSB not being transmitted (SSB index 3), etc. The UE may use this pattern for the remaining SSBs within the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use. For example, the UE may know that SSB index 8 will come to be transmitted, SSB index 9 will not come to be transmitted, SSB index 10 will come to be transmitted, etc. (which is shown as the repeated bitmap indicated SSBs 415). Thus, the UE may use this information for PDSCH rate matching based on the bitmap and the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use. The reference to the SSB corresponding to the SSB index that comes to be transmitted may also refer to the UE's assumption of SSB transmission for PDSCH rate matching, that the base station may not actually be transmitting that particular SSB at that time. In some aspects, the UE may receive the bitmap and an indication of the maximum number of SSBs 405 available for use in the first PDSCH (e.g., RMSI PDSCH) and use the configured rate matching in subsequent PDSCH transmissions (e.g., and non - RMSI PDSCH transmissions). For example, the UE may rate match around the SSBs being transmitted during subsequent PDSCH transmissions.

[0124] In the example shown in FIG. 4B, the UE may use the bitmap (or the pattern shown in the bitmap) and the indication of the maximum number of SSBs used to determine that SSB index 8 is transmitted, SSB index 9 is not transmitted, SSB index 10 is transmitted, and SSB index 11 is not transmitted (in this case as well, this is shown as the SSB repetition 415 shown by the bitmap). Thus, in subsequent PDSCH transmissions, the UE may use this information to rate match around the actually transmitted SSBs.

[0125] FIG. 5 shows an example of a process 500 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In some examples, process 500 may implement aspects of wireless communication systems 100, 200, and / or SSB configurations 300, 400. Aspects of process 500 may be performed by base station 505 and / or UE 510, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

[0126] At 515, the base station 505 may transmit (and the UE 510 may receive) an SSB from a set of QCL SSBs. In some aspects, the SSB may carry or convey an indication of a parameter that indicates information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. In some aspects, the parameter may carry or convey an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs within the set of QCL SSBs. In some aspects, this may include the base station 505 transmitting (and the UE 510 receiving) the PBCH portion of the SSB; for example, the PBCH portion may carry or convey an indication of the parameter. In some aspects, the UE 510 may receive multiple instances of the SSB (or the PBCH portion of the SSB) and may use soft combining across the multiple SSBs to recover the parameter.

[0127] In some aspects, the base station 505 may transmit multiple SSBs to one or more UEs located within its coverage area. In some aspects, each SSB may further convey or indicate various synchronization information that can be used by such UEs to synchronize with the base station 505 to at least some extent.

[0128] At 520, the UE 510 may determine a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to a set of QCL SSBs, based at least in part on parameters. In some aspects, this may include the UE 510 determining the index of each SSB in the set of QCL SSBs. The UE 510 may use the index to determine a plurality of downlink control channel locations. In some aspects, this may be based on the frame in which the SSB is received and the parameters indicated in the SSB. In some aspects, the plurality of downlink control channel locations may refer to a type 0 PDCCH common search space.

[0129] At 525, the base station 505 may transmit (and the UE 510 may receive) a downlink grant for system information, based at least in part on the UE 510 monitoring one or more of the downlink control channel locations. In some aspects, this may include the UE 510 monitoring each downlink control channel location of the plurality of downlink control channel locations to receive the downlink grant. For example, the UE 510 may determine that no downlink control information was detected during a first instance of the plurality of downlink control channel locations (e.g., at a first downlink control channel location). Thus, the UE 510 may monitor a second instance of the plurality of downlink control channel locations (e.g., at a second, third, fourth, etc. downlink control channel location) to detect the downlink grant, if necessary.

[0130] At 530, the base station 505 may transmit (and the UE 510 may receive) system information according to the downlink grant. In some aspects, the system information may refer to the RMSI indicated in the PDSCH transmission from the base station 505. At 535, the base station 505 and the UE 510 may establish a connection based at least in part on the SSB received at 515 and the system information.

[0131] FIG. 6 shows an example of a process 600 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In some examples, the process 600 may implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100, 200, and / or the SSB configurations 300, 400. Aspects of the process 600 may be implemented by a base station 605 and / or a UE 610, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

[0132] At 615, the base station 605 may transmit (and the UE 610 may receive) system information that carries or conveys an indication of a bitmap that indicates a subset of the SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs. In some aspects, the system information may also carry or convey an indication of the maximum number of SSBs available for use. In some aspects, the maximum number of SSBs available for use may be greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. In some aspects, the system information is transmitted in a previous PDSCH transmission. In some aspects, the system information may refer to the RMSI indicated in a previous PDSCH transmission.

[0133] At 620, the UE 610 may configure rate matching based at least in part on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use. In some aspects, this may include the UE 610 repeating the pattern in the bitmap for the subset of SSBs within the set of SSBs and for the SSBs that occur within the maximum number of SSBs available for use after the subset of SSBs.

[0134] At 625, the base station 605 may transmit (and the UE 610 may receive) a PDSCH transmission, at least partially based on rate matching. As described, this may include the system information being transmitted in a previous PDSCH transmission, whereas the UE 610 performs a PDSCH transmission with the base station 605 by rate matching around the SSB transmitted in a subsequent PDSCH transmission. In some aspects, the PDSCH transmission may be received during the same discovery period (e.g., DRS period) in which the maximum number of SSBs available for use may be transmitted.

[0135] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a device 705 that supports control search space duplication indication, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of an aspect of the UE 115 as described herein. The device 705 may include a receiver 710, a communication manager 715, and a transmitter 720. The device 705 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0136] The receiver 710 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information regarding control search space duplication indication, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 705. The receiver 710 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1020 described with reference to FIG. 10. The receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0137] The communication manager 715 is to receive, from a base station, an SSB of a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, determine, based on the parameter, a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, receive a downlink grant for system information based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations of the set of downlink control channel locations, receive the system information based on the downlink grant, and establish a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information. The communication manager 715 may also receive system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and receive physical downlink shared channel transmissions based on the rate matching. The communication manager 715 may be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1010 described herein.

[0138] The communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. When implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0139] The communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be physically located at various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical components. In some examples, the communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be distinct and different components according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components including, but not limited to, input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or combinations thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0140] The transmitter 720 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 705. In some examples, the transmitter 720 may be collocated with the receiver 710 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 720 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1020 described with reference to FIG. 10. The transmitter 720 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0141] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a device 805 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 805 may be an example of an aspect of the device 705 or UE 115 as described herein. The device 805 may include a receiver 810, a communication manager 815, and a transmitter 850. The device 805 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0142] Receiver 810 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., information regarding control channels, data channels, and control search space duplication indications). The information can be passed to other components of device 805. Receiver 810 can be an example of an aspect of transceiver 1020 described with reference to FIG. 10. Receiver 810 can utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0143] Communication manager 815 can be an example of an aspect of communication manager 715 as described herein. Communication manager 815 can include a QCL SSB manager 820, a PDCCH location manager 825, an RMSI manager 830, a connection manager 835, an SSB parameter manager 840, and a rate matching manager 845. Communication manager 815 can be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1010 described herein.

[0144] The QCL SSB manager 820 can receive, from a base station, an SSB from a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs.

[0145] The PDCCH location manager 825 can determine a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to a set of QCL SSBs based on parameters, and receive a downlink grant for system information based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations from the set of downlink control channel locations.

[0146] The RMSI manager 830 can receive system information based on the downlink grant.

[0147] The connection manager 835 can establish a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information.

[0148] The SSB parameter manager 840 is to receive system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of the SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs.

[0149] The rate matching manager 845 can configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and can receive physical downlink shared channel transmissions based on the rate matching.

[0150] The transmitter 850 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 805. In some examples, the transmitter 850 can be collocated with the receiver 810 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 850 can be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1020 described with reference to FIG. 10. The transmitter 850 can utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0151] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a communication manager 905 that supports control search space duplication indication, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The communication manager 905 may be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 715, the communication manager 815, or the communication manager 1010 described herein. The communication manager 905 may include a QCL SSB manager 910, a PDCCH location manager 915, an RMSI manager 920, a connection manager 925, a PBCH manager 930, an SSB index manager 935, an SSB parameter manager 940, a rate matching manager 945, an SSB pattern manager 950, and a PDSCH location manager 955. Each of these modules may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0152] The QCL SSB manager 910 may receive, from a base station, an SSB of a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. In some cases, the parameter includes an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs within the set of QCL SSBs.

[0153] The PDCCH location manager 915 may determine a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs based on a parameter. In some examples, the PDCCH location manager 915 may receive a downlink grant for system information based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations of the set of downlink control channel locations. In some examples, the PDCCH location manager 915 may determine a set of downlink control channel locations based on the frame in which the SSB is received and the parameter indicated in the SSB.

[0154] In some examples, the PDCCH location manager 915 may monitor each downlink control channel location in a set of downlink control channel locations. In some examples, the PDCCH location manager 915 may determine that no downlink control information was detected during a first instance of a set of downlink control channel locations. In some examples, the PDCCH location manager 915 may monitor a second instance of a set of downlink control channel locations to detect a downlink grant, based on a parameter. In some cases, the downlink control channel locations in a set of downlink control channel locations include a type 0 physical downlink control channel common search space.

[0155] The RMSI manager 920 may receive system information based on a downlink grant.

[0156] The connection manager 925 may establish a connection with a base station based on the SSB and the received system information.

[0157] The SSB parameter manager 940 may receive system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs.

[0158] The rate matching manager 945 may configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use.

[0159] In some examples, the rate matching manager 945 may receive physical downlink shared channel transmissions based on the rate matching.

[0160] The PBCH manager 930 may perform by receiving the physical broadcast channel portion of the SSB, where the physical broadcast channel portion of the SSB includes an indication of a parameter. In some examples, the PBCH manager 930 may perform soft combining across a set of SSBs. In some cases, the indication of the parameter is common across each SSB of the set of SSBs.

[0161] The SSB index manager 935 may determine the index of each SSB of the set of QCL SSBs. In some examples, the SSB index manager 935 may determine a set of downlink control channel locations based on the determined index of each SSB of the set of QCL SSBs.

[0162] The SSB pattern manager 950 may repeat the pattern in the bitmap for a subset of SSBs within the set of SSBs and for SSBs that occur within the maximum number of SSBs available for use after the subset of SSBs.

[0163] The PDSCH location manager 955 may receive a previous physical downlink shared channel transmission including system information.

[0164] In some examples, the PDSCH location manager 955 may perform by decoding the system information to identify a bitmap, where rate matching is not performed on the previous physical downlink shared channel. In some cases, the physical downlink shared channel transmission is received during the same discovery period where the maximum number of SSBs available for use can be transmitted.

[0165] FIG. 10 shows a diagram of a system 1000 including a device 1005 that supports control search space duplication indication. The device 1005 can be an example of, or include, the components of device 705, device 805, or UE 115 as described herein. The device 1005 includes components for transmitting and receiving communication, including components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including a communication manager 1010, an I / O controller 1015, a transceiver 1020, an antenna 1025, a memory 1030, and a processor 1040. These components can be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1045).

[0166] The communication manager 1010 can receive, from a base station, an SSB of a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, determine, based on the parameter, a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, receive, based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations of the set of downlink control channel locations, a downlink grant for system information, receive, based on the downlink grant, system information, and establish a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information. The communication manager 1010 can also receive system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from the set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates a maximum number of SSBs available for use, where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and receive physical downlink shared channel transmissions based on the rate matching.

[0167] The I / O controller 1015 can manage input and output signals for the device 1005. The I / O controller 1015 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated with the device 1005. In some cases, the I / O controller 1015 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1015 can utilize an operating system such as iOS (registered trademark), ANDROID (registered trademark), MS-DOS (registered trademark), MS-WINDOWS (registered trademark), OS / 2 (registered trademark), UNIX (registered trademark), LINUX (registered trademark), or another known operating system. In other cases, the I / O controller 1015 can represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1015 can be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user can interact with the device 1005 via the I / O controller 1015 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1015.

[0168] As described above, the transceiver 1020 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links. For example, the transceiver 1020 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1020 can also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission and for demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0169] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1025. However, in some cases, the device may have two or more antennas 1025 that can be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0170] Memory 1030 may include a RAM and a ROM. When executed, memory 1030 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1035 that includes instructions to cause a processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1030 may include a BIOS that can control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices.

[0171] Processor 1040 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1040 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated within processor 1040. Processor 1040 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1030) to cause device 1005 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks that support control search space duplication).

[0172] Code 1035 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1035 may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, code 1035 may not be directly executable by processor 1040 but may cause a computer to perform the functions described herein (e.g., when compiled and executed).

[0173] FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 that supports control search space duplication indication, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 1105 can be an example of an aspect of the base station 105 as described herein. The device 1105 can include a receiver 1110, a communication manager 1115, and a transmitter 1120. The device 1105 can also include a processor. Each of these components can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0174] The receiver 1110 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information regarding control search space duplication indication, etc.). The information can be passed on to other components of the device 1105. The receiver 1110 can be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1420 described with reference to FIG. 14. The receiver 1110 can utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0175] The communication manager 1115 is to transmit a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. Based on the parameter, on the set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs, it is to transmit a downlink grant for system information, transmit the system information according to the grant, and may establish a connection with the UE based on the SSB and the system information. The communication manager 1115 is also to transmit system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from the set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, and here, the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. Based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, it is to configure rate matching and may perform physical downlink shared channel transmission based on the rate matching. The communication manager 1115 may be an example of the aspect of the communication manager 1410 described herein.

[0176] The communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. When implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0177] The communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that functional parts are implemented in different physical locations by one or more physical components. In some examples, the communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be distinct and different components according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components including, but not limited to, input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or combinations thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0178] The transmitter 1120 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 1105. In some examples, the transmitter 1120 may be collocated with the receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 1120 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1420 described with reference to FIG. 14. The transmitter 1120 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0179] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram 1200 of a device 1205 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 1205 may be an example of an aspect of the device 1105 or the base station 105 as described herein. The device 1205 may include a receiver 1210, a communication manager 1215, and a transmitter 1250. The device 1205 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0180] The receiver 1210 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., information regarding control channels, data channels, and control search space duplication indications). The information can be passed to other components of the device 1205. The receiver 1210 can be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1420 described with reference to FIG. 14. The receiver 1210 can utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0181] The communication manager 1215 can be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1115 as described herein. The communication manager 1215 can include a QCL SSB manager 1220, a PDCCH location manager 1225, an RMSI manager 1230, a connection manager 1235, an SSB parameter manager 1240, and a rate matching manager 1245. The communication manager 1215 can be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1410 described herein.

[0182] The QCL SSB manager 1220 can perform the act of transmitting a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs.

[0183] The PDCCH location manager 1225 can transmit a downlink grant for system information on a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs based on a parameter.

[0184] The RMSI manager 1230 can transmit system information according to the grant.

[0185] The connection manager 1235 can establish a connection with the UE based on the SSB and the system information.

[0186] The SSB parameter manager 1240 is to transmit system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs, and this can be done.

[0187] The rate matching manager 1245 can configure rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, and execute physical downlink shared channel transmission based on the rate matching.

[0188] The transmitter 1250 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 1205. In some examples, the transmitter 1250 can be collocated with the receiver 1210 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 1250 can be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1420 described with reference to FIG. 14. The transmitter 1250 can utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0189] FIG. 13 shows a block diagram 1300 of a communication manager 1305 that supports control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The communication manager 1305 can be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1115, the communication manager 1215, or the communication manager 1410 described herein. The communication manager 1305 can include a QCL SSB manager 1310, a PDCCH location manager 1315, an RMSI manager 1320, a connection manager 1325, a PBCH manager 1330, an SSB parameter manager 1335, a rate matching manager 1340, an SSB pattern manager 1345, and a PDSCH location manager 1350. Each of these modules can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0190] The QCL SSB manager 1310 may perform the operation of transmitting a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. In some cases, the parameter includes an indication of an offset between consecutive SSBs within the set of QCL SSBs.

[0191] Based on the parameter, the PDCCH location manager 1315 may transmit a downlink grant for system information on a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs.

[0192] The RMSI manager 1320 may transmit system information according to the grant.

[0193] The connection manager 1325 may establish a connection with the UE based on the SSB and the system information.

[0194] The SSB parameter manager 1335 may perform the operation of transmitting system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from the set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, and here, the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs.

[0195] Based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use, the rate matching manager 1340 may configure rate matching. In some examples, based on the rate matching, the rate matching manager 1340 may perform physical downlink shared channel transmission.

[0196] The PBCH manager 1330 may perform by transmitting the physical broadcast channel portion of the SSB, where the physical broadcast channel portion of the SSB may include an indication of a parameter. In some cases, the indication of the parameter is common across each SSB in a set of SSBs.

[0197] The SSB pattern manager 1345 may repeat the pattern in the bitmap for transmitting a subset of SSBs within a set of SSBs and for a set of additional SSBs transmitted within the maximum number of available SSBs for use after the subset of SSBs.

[0198] The PDSCH location manager 1350 may execute a previous physical downlink shared channel transmission including system information.

[0199] FIG. 14 shows a diagram of a system 1400 including a device 1405 that supports a control search space duplication indication, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 1405 may be an example of or include components of the device 1105, the device 1205, or the base station 105 as described herein. The device 1405 may include components for transmitting and receiving communication, including components for two-way voice and data communication, including a communication manager 1410, a network communication manager 1415, a transceiver 1420, an antenna 1425, a memory 1430, a processor 1440, and an inter-station communication manager 1445. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1450).

[0200] The communication manager 1410 may perform the following: transmitting a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; based on the parameter, transmitting a downlink grant for system information on the set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs; transmitting system information according to the grant; and establishing a connection with the UE based on the SSB and the system information. The communication manager 1410 may also perform the following: transmitting system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from the set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, and the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs; configuring rate matching based on the subset of SSBs indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of SSBs available for use; and performing physical downlink shared channel transmission based on the rate matching.

[0201] The network communication manager 1415 may manage communication with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1415 may manage the transfer of data communication for client devices such as one or more UEs 115.

[0202] As described above, the transceiver 1420 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links. For example, the transceiver 1420 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1420 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission and for demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0203] In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 1425. However, in some cases, the device may have two or more antennas 1425 that may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0204] Memory 1430 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. Memory 1430 may store computer-readable code 1435 that includes instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1440), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1430 may include BIOS that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices, in particular.

[0205] Processor 1440 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1440 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated within processor 1440. Processor 1440 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1430) to cause the device 1405 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks that support control search space duplication).

[0206] The inter-cell communication manager 1445 can manage communication with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communication with the UE 115 in cooperation with other base stations 105. For example, the inter-cell communication manager 1445 may coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to the UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-cell communication manager 1445 may provide an X2 interface within the LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology for communicating between base stations 105.

[0207] The code 1435 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. The code 1435 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code 1435 may not be directly executable by the processor 1440 but may cause a computer to perform the functions described herein (e.g., when compiled and executed).

[0208] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 for supporting a control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be performed by the UE 115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be executed by a communication manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7-10. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions for controlling the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0209] At 1505, the UE may receive, from the base station, an SSB among a set of QCL SSBs, where the SSB includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The operation of 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operation of 1505 may be performed by a QCL SSB manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7 - 10.

[0210] At 1510, the UE may determine a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs based on the parameter. The operation of 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operation of 1510 may be performed by a PDCCH location manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7 - 10.

[0211] At 1515, the UE may receive a downlink grant for system information based on monitoring one or more downlink control channel locations among the set of downlink control channel locations. The operation of 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operation of 1515 may be performed by a PDCCH location manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7 - 10.

[0212] At 1520, the UE may receive system information based on the downlink grant. The operation of 1520 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operation of 1520 may be performed by an RMSI manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7 - 10.

[0213] At 1525, the UE may establish a connection with the base station based on the SSB and the received system information. The operation of 1525 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operation mode of 1525 may be performed by the connection manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7-10.

[0214] FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 for supporting control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1600 may be performed by the base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1600 may be executed by a communication manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11-14. In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions for controlling the base station functional elements to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0215] At 1605, the base station may transmit a set of SSBs, where the set of SSBs includes a set of QCL SSBs, and where each SSB in the set of SSBs includes an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs. The operation of 1605 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operation mode of 1605 may be performed by a QCL SSB manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11-14.

[0216] At 1610, the base station may transmit a downlink grant for system information on a set of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of QCL SSBs based on the parameters. The operation of 1610 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operation mode of 1610 may be performed by a PDCCH location manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11-14.

[0217] At 1615, the base station may transmit system information according to permission. The operation of 1615 may be executed according to the method described in this specification. In some examples, the operation mode of 1615 may be executed by the RMSI manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14.

[0218] At 1620, the base station may establish a connection with the UE based on the SSB and system information. The operation of 1620 may be executed according to the method described in this specification. In some examples, the operation mode of 1620 may be executed by the connection manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14.

[0219] FIG. 17 shows a flowchart showing a method 1700 for supporting a control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1700 may be performed by UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1700 may be executed by a communication manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform the aspects of the functions described below.

[0220] At 1705, the UE may receive system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of the SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. The operation of 1705 may be executed according to the method described in this specification. In some examples, the operation mode of 1705 may be executed by the SSB parameter manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

[0221] In 1710, the UE may configure rate matching based on a subset of SSBs indicated by a bitmap and the maximum number of SSBs available for the indicated use. The operation of 1710 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1710 may be performed by a rate matching manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7-10.

[0222] In 1715, the UE may receive physical downlink shared channel transmissions based on rate matching. The operation of 1715 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1715 may be performed by a rate matching manager as described with reference to FIGS. 7-10.

[0223] FIG. 18 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 for supporting control search space duplication indication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1800 may be performed by base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1800 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11-14. In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0224] In 1805, the base station may transmit system information including a bitmap indicating a subset of SSBs transmitted from a set of SSBs, where the system information further indicates the maximum number of SSBs available for use, and where the maximum number of SSBs available for use is greater than the total number of SSBs in the set of SSBs. The operation of 1805 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1805 may be performed by an SSB parameter manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11-14.

[0225] In 1810, the base station may configure rate matching based on a subset of SSBs indicated by a bitmap and the maximum number of SSBs available for the indicated use. The operation of 1810 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1810 may be performed by a rate matching manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11-14.

[0226] In 1815, the base station may perform physical downlink shared channel transmission based on rate matching. The operation of 1815 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1815 may be performed by a rate matching manager as described with reference to FIGS. 11-14.

[0227] Note that the methods described herein represent possible implementations, that operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

[0228] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems. CDMA systems may implement wireless technologies such as CDMA2000, universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA). CDMA2000 covers the IS-2000 standard, IS-95 standard, and IS-856 standard. The IS-2000 release may generally be referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) may generally be referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, high rate packet data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes wideband CDMA (WCDMA (registered trademark)) and other variants of CDMA. TDMA systems may implement wireless technologies such as the global system for mobile communications (GSM).

[0229] The OFDMA system can implement wireless technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE, LTE-A, and LTE-A Pro are releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, and GSM are described in documents from a group named the "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP (registered trademark)). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from a group named the "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The techniques described herein can be used in the systems and wireless technologies described herein, as well as in other systems and wireless technologies. Aspects of the LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described as examples, and the LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terms may be used in most of the description, but the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR use cases.

[0230] Macro cells generally cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may enable unrestricted access by UEs subscribed to the network provider's service. Small cells may be associated with low-power base stations as compared to macro cells, and small cells may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may include, according to various examples, picocells, femtocells, and microcells in some cases. Picocells may, for example, cover a small geographical area and may enable unrestricted access by UEs subscribed to the network provider's service. Femtocells may also cover a small geographical area (e.g., a home), and may provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femtocell (e.g., UEs within a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users within the home, etc.). The eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. The eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, pico eNB, femto eNB, or home eNB. An eNB may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells and may also support communication using one or more component carriers.

[0231] The wireless communication system described in this specification may support synchronous operation or asynchronous operation. In the case of synchronous operation, base stations may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations may be approximately time-aligned. In the case of asynchronous operation, base stations may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations may not be time-aligned. The techniques described in this specification may be used for either synchronous operation or asynchronous operation.

[0232] The information and signals described in this specification can be represented using any of a variety of techniques and technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout this description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0233] The various exemplary blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure of this specification can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0234] The functions described in this specification can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementation forms fall within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described in this specification can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. The features implementing the functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0235] A computer-readable medium includes both a non-transitory computer storage medium and a communication medium including any medium that can facilitate transfer of a computer program from one location to another. The non-transitory storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or a general purpose or special purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, the terms disk and disc include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disk typically magnetically reproduces data and disc optically reproduces data with a laser. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0236] In the lists of items used herein, including within the scope of the claims (e.g., lists of items ending with phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of"), the "or" used indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, the phrase "based on" as used herein shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the phrase "based on" as used herein should be construed in the same manner as the phrase "at least partially based on".

[0237] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference labels. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes the similar components. When only the first reference label is used herein, the description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label or any other subsequent reference labels.

[0238] The description set forth herein with respect to the accompanying drawings describes exemplary configurations and is not necessarily representative of all examples that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples". The detailed description of the embodiments includes specific details for bringing about an understanding of the techniques described. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the examples being described.

[0239] The description in this specification is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various changes to the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0240] 100, 200 Wireless communication systems 105, 205 Base stations 110 Geographical coverage area 115, 210 UEs 125 Communication link 130 Core network 132, 134 Backhaul links 215 SSB, QCL SSB 215-a First SSB, SSB 215-b Second SSB, SSB 215-c Third SSB, SSB 215-d Fourth SSB, SSB 215-e Fifth SSB, SSB 300, 400, 400-a, 400-b SSB configurations 305, 405 SSB 310 DRS window 310-a First DRS window, DRS window 310-b Second DRS window, DRS window 310-c Third DRS window, DRS window 410 SSB per bitmap 415 Repetition of SSB indicated by bitmap 705, 805, 1005, 1105, 1205, 1405 Devices 710, 810, 1110, 1210 Receivers 715, 815, 905, 1010, 1115, 1215, 1305, 1410 Communication Manager 720, 850, 1120, 1250 Transmitter 820, 910, 1220, 1310 QCL SSB Manager 825, 915, 1225, 1315 PDCCH Location Manager 830, 920, 1230, 1320 RMSI Manager 835, 925, 1235, 1325 Connection Manager 840, 940, 1240, 1335 SSB Parameter Manager 845, 945, 1245, 1340 Rate Matching Manager 930, 1330 PBCH Manager 935 SSB Index Manager 950, 1345 SSB Pattern Manager 955, 1350 PDSCH Location Manager 1000, 1400 System 1015 I / O Controller 1020, 1420 Transceiver 1025, 1425 Antenna 1030, 1430 Memory 1035 Computer Readable, Computer Executable Code, Code 1040, 1440 Processor 1045, 1450 Bus 1415 Network Communication Manager 1435 Computer Readable Code, Code 1445 Inter-Station Communication Manager

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a base station, a synchronization signal block from a set of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks, the synchronization signal block comprising an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks; determining, at least partially based on the parameter, the plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks; receiving a downlink grant for system information, at least partially based on monitoring one or more of the plurality of downlink control channel locations; receiving the system information, at least partially based on the downlink grant; and establishing a connection with the base station, at least partially based on the synchronization signal block and the received system information. A method comprising the above.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises an indication of an offset between consecutive synchronization signal blocks within the set of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks.

3. The step of receiving the synchronization signal block comprises: receiving a physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block, the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block comprising the indication of the parameter. The method of claim 1 comprising the above step.

4. The step of receiving the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block comprises: performing soft combining over a plurality of synchronization signal blocks. The method of claim 3 comprising the above step.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication of the parameter is common across each of the plurality of synchronization signal blocks.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of synchronization signal blocks comprises at least one of a set of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks, each synchronization signal block associated with the base station, a plurality of different sets of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks, or a combination thereof.

7. wherein the method further comprises determining an index for each of the set of pseudo - collocated synchronization signal blocks and the step of determining the plurality of downlink control channel locations is at least partially based on the determined index of each of the set of pseudo - collocated synchronization signal blocks, the method of claim 1. **Claim 8** The step of determining the plurality of downlink control channel locations is at least partially based on the frame in which the synchronization signal block is received and the parameters indicated in the synchronization signal block, the method of claim 1. **Claim 9** The step of receiving the downlink grant comprises monitoring each of the plurality of downlink control channel locations the method of claim 1. **Claim 10** The step of receiving the downlink grant comprises determining that no downlink control information was detected during a first instance of the plurality of downlink control channel locations; and monitoring a second instance of the plurality of downlink control channel locations to detect the downlink grant, at least partially based on the parameters the method of claim 1. **Claim 11** The downlink control channel location among the plurality of downlink control channel locations comprises a type 0 physical downlink control channel common search space, the method of claim 1. **Claim 12** A method for wireless communication at a base station, the method comprising transmitting a plurality of synchronization signal blocks, wherein the plurality of synchronization signal blocks comprises a set of pseudo - collocated synchronization signal blocks, and each of the plurality of synchronization signal blocks comprises an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of pseudo - collocated synchronization signal blocks; and transmitting a downlink grant for system information on the plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of pseudo - collocated synchronization signal blocks, at least partially based on the parameter transmitting the system information in accordance with the permission; establishing a connection with a user equipment based at least in part on the synchronization signal block and the system information A method comprising: **Claim 13** The method according to claim 12, wherein the parameter comprises an indication of an offset between consecutive synchronization signal blocks within the set of pseudo-collocated synchronization signal blocks. **Claim 14** The step of transmitting the plurality of synchronization signal blocks comprises transmitting a physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block, the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block comprising the indication of the parameter The method according to claim 12, comprising: **Claim 15** The method according to claim 14, wherein the indication of the parameter is common across each synchronization signal block of the plurality of synchronization signal blocks. **Claim 16** A method for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving system information comprising a bitmap indicating a subset of synchronization signal blocks transmitted from a set of synchronization signal blocks, the system information further indicating a maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use being greater than a total number of synchronization signal blocks in the set of synchronization signal blocks; configuring rate matching based at least in part on the subset of synchronization signal blocks indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use; receiving a physical downlink shared channel transmission based at least in part on the rate matching A method comprising: **Claim 17** The step of configuring rate matching comprises repeating a pattern in the bitmap for the subset of synchronization signal blocks within the set of synchronization signal blocks and for synchronization signal blocks occurring within the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use after the subset of synchronization signal blocks The method according to claim 16, comprising: **Claim 18** The step of receiving the system information comprises receiving a previous physical downlink shared channel transmission comprising the system information; A step of decoding the system information to identify the bitmap, wherein rate matching is not performed on the previous physical downlink shared channel The method according to claim 16, comprising **Claim 19** The method according to claim 16, wherein the physical downlink shared channel transmission is received during the same discovery period in which the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use can be transmitted **Claim 20** A method for wireless communication in a base station, comprising A step of transmitting system information comprising a bitmap indicating a subset of synchronization signal blocks transmitted from a set of synchronization signal blocks, wherein the system information further indicates a maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use, and the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use is greater than the total number of synchronization signal blocks in the set of synchronization signal blocks A step of configuring rate matching based at least in part on the subset of synchronization signal blocks indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use A step of performing physical downlink shared channel transmission based at least in part on the rate matching A method comprising **Claim 21** A step of repeating a pattern in the bitmap for transmitting the subset of synchronization signal blocks within the set of synchronization signal blocks and for a plurality of additional synchronization signal blocks transmitted within the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use after the subset of synchronization signal blocks The method according to claim 20, further comprising **Claim 22** The step of transmitting the system information comprises A step of performing a previous physical downlink shared channel transmission comprising the system information The method according to claim 20, comprising **Claim 23** An apparatus for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising Means for receiving, from a base station, a synchronization signal block from a set of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks, wherein the synchronization signal block comprises an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of quasi-collocated synchronization signal blocks means for determining the plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of pseudo-collocated synchronization signal blocks, based at least in part on the parameters; means for receiving a downlink grant for system information, based at least in part on monitoring one or more of the plurality of downlink control channel locations; means for receiving the system information, based at least in part on the downlink grant; means for establishing a connection with the base station, based at least in part on the synchronization signal block and the received system information; A device comprising the above. **Claim 24** The device according to claim 23, wherein the parameter comprises an indication of an offset between consecutive synchronization signal blocks within the set of pseudo-collocated synchronization signal blocks. **Claim 25** The means for receiving the synchronization signal block comprises means for receiving the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block, wherein the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block comprises the indication of the parameter. The device according to claim 23, further comprising the above. **Claim 26** The means for receiving the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block further comprises means for performing soft combining over a plurality of synchronization signal blocks. The device according to claim 25, further comprising the above. **Claim 27** The device according to claim 26, wherein the indication of the parameter is common across each synchronization signal block of the plurality of synchronization signal blocks. **Claim 28** The device further comprises means for determining an index for each synchronization signal block of the set of pseudo-collocated synchronization signal blocks, and determining the plurality of downlink control channel locations is based at least in part on the determined index for each synchronization signal block of the set of pseudo-collocated synchronization signal blocks. The device according to claim 23, further comprising the above. **Claim 29** The device according to claim 23, wherein determining the plurality of downlink control channel locations is based at least in part on the frame in which the synchronization signal block is received and the parameter indicated in the synchronization signal block.

30. the means for receiving the downlink permission, means for monitoring each downlink control channel location among the plurality of downlink control channel locations The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising.

31. the means for receiving the downlink permission, means for determining that no downlink control information was detected during a first instance of the plurality of downlink control channel locations; and means for monitoring a second instance of the plurality of downlink control channel locations to detect the downlink permission, at least in part based on the parameter The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising.

32. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the downlink control channel location among the plurality of downlink control channel locations comprises a type 0 physical downlink control channel common search space.

33. An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, means for transmitting a plurality of synchronization signal blocks, the plurality of synchronization signal blocks comprising a set of quasi - collocated synchronization signal blocks, each synchronization signal block among the plurality of synchronization signal blocks comprising an indication of a parameter indicating information associated with a plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of quasi - collocated synchronization signal blocks; means for transmitting a downlink permission for system information on the plurality of downlink control channel locations corresponding to the set of quasi - collocated synchronization signal blocks, at least in part based on the parameter; means for transmitting the system information in accordance with the permission; means for establishing a connection with a user equipment, at least in part based on the synchronization signal block and the system information An apparatus comprising.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the parameter comprises an indication of an offset between consecutive synchronization signal blocks within the set of quasi - collocated synchronization signal blocks.

35. the means for transmitting the plurality of synchronization signal blocks, Means for transmitting the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block, wherein the physical broadcast channel portion of the synchronization signal block comprises the indication of the parameter The apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising **Claim 36** The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the indication of the parameter is common across each synchronization signal block among the plurality of synchronization signal blocks **Claim 37** An apparatus for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising Means for receiving system information comprising a bitmap indicating a subset of synchronization signal blocks transmitted from a set of synchronization signal blocks, wherein the system information further indicates a maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use, and the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use is greater than the total number of synchronization signal blocks in the set of synchronization signal blocks Means for configuring rate matching based at least in part on the subset of synchronization signal blocks indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use Means for receiving physical downlink shared channel transmission based at least in part on the rate matching An apparatus comprising **Claim 38** The means for configuring rate matching comprises Means for repeating a pattern in the bitmap for the subset of synchronization signal blocks within the set of synchronization signal blocks and for synchronization signal blocks occurring within the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use after the subset of synchronization signal blocks The apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising **Claim 39** The means for receiving the system information comprises Means for receiving a previous physical downlink shared channel transmission comprising the system information Means for decoding the system information to identify the bitmap, wherein rate matching is not performed on the previous physical downlink shared channel The apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising **Claim 40** The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the physical downlink shared channel transmission is received during the same discovery period in which the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use can be transmitted **Claim 41** An apparatus for wireless communication in a base station, means for transmitting system information, comprising a bitmap indicating a subset of synchronization signal blocks transmitted from a set of synchronization signal blocks, wherein the system information further indicates a maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use, and the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use is greater than the total number of synchronization signal blocks in the set of synchronization signal blocks; means for configuring rate matching based at least in part on the subset of synchronization signal blocks indicated by the bitmap and the indicated maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use; means for performing physical downlink shared channel transmission based at least in part on the rate matching; An apparatus comprising.

42. means for repeating a pattern in the bitmap for transmitting the subset of synchronization signal blocks within the set of synchronization signal blocks and for a plurality of additional synchronization signal blocks transmitted within the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks available for use after the subset of synchronization signal blocks; The apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising.

43. The means for transmitting the system information further comprises means for performing previous physical downlink shared channel transmission comprising the system information; The apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising.

Images