Signal transmission method, device, and storage medium

Abstract

Systems and methods for signal transmission can include a wireless communication device receiving, from a wireless communication node, first information in signaling indicating a pattern of at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) or downlink (DL) signal transmission. The wireless communication device can transmit, to the wireless communication node, a PRACH signal corresponding to a DL signal index at a random access (RA) opportunity determined by the pattern.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems, devices, methods and computer-readable media for signal transmission. [Background technology]

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®), a standards organization, is currently specifying the Next Generation Packet Core Network (NG-CN or NGC) as well as a new air interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR). 5G NR will have three main components: the 5G Access Network (5G-AN), the 5G Core Network (5GC), and the User Equipment (UE). To facilitate the enablement of different data services and requirements, the elements of the 5GC, also called network functions, have been simplified; some of them are software-based and some are hardware-based, so that they can be adapted as needed. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed not only to solving problems associated with one or more of the problems presented in the prior art, but also to providing additional features that will become readily apparent from a review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In accordance with various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. It will be understood, however, that these embodiments are presented by way of example, and not limitation, and that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be made while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A wireless communication device may receive, from a wireless communication node, first information in signaling indicating a pattern of at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) or downlink (DL) signal transmission. The wireless communication device may transmit, to the wireless communication node, a PRACH signal corresponding to a DL signal index at a random access (RA) opportunity determined by the pattern.

[0005] The first information may include at least one of information of at least one paging occasion, information of at least one synchronization signal block (SSB), an indication of the number of RA opportunities, an indication of a PRACH configuration period, an indication of an association period, where the association period includes a configured number of PRACH configuration periods, an indication of an association pattern period, an indication of a validity duration for a certain number of RACH opportunities, an indication of a configured number of valid or available PRACH configuration periods, an indication of a duration for a configured number of valid or available PRACH configuration periods, an indication of a duration for a certain number of valid or available association periods, an indication of an offset for indicating a start position of the RA opportunities, or an indication of a start position of at least one of the validity duration for a certain number of RACH opportunities, the duration for a configured number of valid or available PRACH configuration periods, the duration for a certain number of valid or available association periods, the PRACH opportunities, the PRACH configuration periods, the association periods, or the association pattern periods.

[0006] At least a portion of the first information may be used to determine at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of a PRACH signal. The PRACH configuration period may satisfy at least one of the following: (i) the PRACH configuration period is at most max_x milliseconds (ms) or at least min_x ms in length, where min_x is less than or equal to 10 ms or max_x is greater than or equal to 160 ms; or (ii) the maximum value of the PRACH configuration index configured by higher layer signaling is greater than or equal to M and less than or equal to M+α*n, where M is a positive integer and n is the number of PRACH configuration periods, each greater than 160 ms. The parameter α may be a value in the range of 1 to 11, and the PRACH configuration period is configured for at least one of the following preamble formats: 0, 1, 2, 3, A1, A2, A3, B4, C0, or C2, or α may be a value in the range of 1 to 19, and the PRACH configuration period is configured for at least one of the following preamble formats: A1, A2, A3, B1, B4, C0, or C2, A1 / B1, A2 / B2, or A3 / B3.

[0007] At least one of the following may be satisfied: the configured number of PRACH configuration periods is an integer in a defined set greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2, or the PRACH configuration period (x) in milliseconds (ms) is an integer greater than or equal to min_x and less than or equal to max_x, where min_x is less than or equal to 10, or max_x is greater than or equal to 160, or n1 is less than or equal to 1 and n2 is

number

[0008] The association pattern period may include one or more association periods, where the pattern between RA opportunities and SSB indices occurs at most every max_x or min_x*n2, or T SSB It may be determined to repeat every T SSBis the period of the SSB and is greater than the maximum of the association pattern period or association period or PRACH configuration period, or greater than 160 ms. PRACH opportunities not associated with an SSB index after an integer number of association periods may not be used for PRACH transmission.

[0009] The SSBs may include one or more synchronization signals and physical broadcast channels (SS / PBCHs), SSBs with large periods, or small SSBs. If the PRACH configuration period is greater than 160 ms or min_x or max_x is greater than 160 ms, it is triggered by at least one of the following events: the wireless communication device is configured to support an SSB different from the SSB in New Radio (NR) Release 17; the wireless communication device is configured to support a release version different from NR Release 17; the wireless communication device is configured to support a PRACH configuration period greater than 160 ms; the wireless communication device is configured to support a preamble format; or the wireless communication device is configured to support an RA type.

[0010] The signaling may include at least one of cell-specific downlink control information (DCI) signaling, group-common DCI, wireless communication device-specific DCI, medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or system information block (SIB) signaling. The cell-specific DCI may include information for one or more wireless communication devices in a cell used to indicate at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of the PRACH signal. The group-common DCI may have DCI format 2_7 with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), or DCI format 1_0 with a CRC scrambled by a paging RNTI (P-RNTI), or DCI format 2_6 with a CRC scrambled by a power-saving RNTI (PS-RNTI), or DCI format 2-0, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, or 2-5, or a defined DCI format, to include the information of at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of the PRACH signal. The wireless communication device-specific DCI may have DCI format 0-1, 0-2, 1-1, or 1-2, or a defined DCI format for including information of at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of a PRACH signal.

[0011] The wireless communication device may further determine the number of contention-based RA preambles per SSB index per valid RA opportunity according to a result of dividing the total number of RA preambles by the number of SSB indices, and at least one of the following is satisfied: the number of contention-based RA preambles per SSB index per valid RA opportunity is equal to the result, the result rounded up to the nearest integer, or the result rounded down to the nearest integer; the total number of RA preambles is indicated via downlink control information (DCI) signaling; or the total number of RA preambles is greater than or less than the latest configured number of SSB indices associated with one RA opportunity.

[0012] When an SSB in New Radio (NR) Release 17, or an SSB new to the SSB in NR Release 17, is configured for the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device may determine, for each valid RA opportunity, that the SSB new to the SSB in NR Release 17 be selected with higher priority than the SSB in NR Release 17, or at least one of at least one defined parameter for a PRACH transmission associated with the SSB new to the SSB in NR Release 17. The at least one defined parameter may be configured to indicate a synchronization signal reference signal received power (SS-RSRP) threshold associated with the SSB new to the SSB in NR Release 17.

[0013] The wireless communications device may determine the number of contention-based preambles mapped to each extended SSB index according to a result of dividing the total number of contention-based preambles configured by the defined parameters by the extended SSB index, and the number of contention-based preambles mapped to each extended SSB index may be equal to the result, rounded up to the nearest integer, or rounded down to the nearest integer.

[0014] If an extended SSB is configured, or several extended SSB indices are configured, or an extended SSB is configured for a two-step RA type, a defined number of SSBs mapped to each RA opportunity for the two-step RA type and a defined number of contention-based RA preambles mapped to each SSB are used for each extended SSB, or parameters for the extended SSB are configured to indicate the number of SSB indices mapped to each PRACH opportunity for the two-step RA type and the number of contention-based RA preambles mapped to each SSB index.

[0015] When PRACH opportunities are shared between 2-step and 4-step RA types, a parameter for extended SSBs may be configured to indicate the number of contention-based RA preambles for 2-step RA types that are mapped to each SSB. A wireless communication device may be configured to support SSBs that differ from the SSBs in New Radio (NR) Release 17.

[0016] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A wireless communication node may transmit, to a wireless communication device, first information in signaling indicating a pattern of at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) or downlink (DL) signal transmission. The wireless communication node may receive, from the wireless communication device, a PRACH signal corresponding to a DL signal index at a random access (RA) opportunity determined by the pattern.

[0017] The systems, devices, methods, and computer-readable media described herein include novel signal transmission / reception techniques. Specifically, the systems, devices, methods, and computer-readable media described herein leverage the impact of downlink (DL) signaling on uplink UL random access procedures to ensure UE initial access performance and network energy savings without increasing UE power and degrading UE experience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following figures or drawings. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and merely depict exemplary embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of description, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary cellular communication network in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example base station and user equipment device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating an example signal transmission method performed by a user equipment or wireless communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating an exemplary signal reception method performed by a base station or wireless communication node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a diagram illustrating an example scenario in which a number of random access (RA) opportunities (ROs) occurring before a paging opportunity (PO) are available for PRACH signaling transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a diagram illustrating an example scenario in which the number of ROs occurring after a PO are available for PRACH signal transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a diagram illustrating an example scenario in which several ROs associated with four SSBs located before a PO are available for PRACH signal transmission in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 8]FIG. 8 shows a diagram illustrating an example scenario in which several ROs associated with three SSBs located before a PO are available for PRACH signal transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows a diagram illustrating an example mapping relationship from SSB to preamble for RA according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] (I. Mobile Communications Technology and Environment) FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication network and / or system 100 in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 may be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as “network 100.” Such example network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter “BS 102,” also referred to as a wireless communication node) and a user equipment device 104 (hereinafter “UE 104,” also referred to as a wireless communication device) that can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 that overlap a geographic region 101. In FIG. 1, the BS 102 and the UE 104 are contained within the respective geographic boundaries of the cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating in its assigned bandwidth to provide adequate wireless communication coverage to its intended users.

[0029] For example, the BS 102 may operate in an allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide adequate communication coverage to the UE 104. The BS 102 and the UE 104 may communicate via a downlink radio frame 118 and an uplink radio frame 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In this disclosure, the BS 102 and the UE 104 are generally described herein as non-limiting examples of “communication nodes” capable of implementing the methods disclosed herein. Such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication in accordance with various embodiments of the present solution.

[0030] 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) in accordance with some embodiments of the present solution. System 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operational features that need not be described in detail herein. In one exemplary embodiment, system 200 can be used to communicate (e.g., transmit and receive) data symbols in a wireless communication environment, such as wireless communication environment 100 of FIG. 1, as described above.

[0031] The system 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter “BS 202”) and a user equipment device 204 (hereinafter “UE 204”). The BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each of which is coupled and interconnected as needed via a data communication bus 220. The UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each of which is coupled and interconnected as needed via a data communication bus 240. The BS 202 communicates with the UE 204 over a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for the transmission of data as described herein.

[0032] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, system 200 may further include any number of modules other than those shown in FIG. 2 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this compatibility and adaptability of hardware, firmware, and software, the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software may depend on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those familiar with the concepts described herein may implement such functionality in a manner appropriate for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may also be referred to herein as an “uplink” transceiver 230, which includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each with circuitry coupled to an antenna 232. Alternatively, a duplexing switch (not shown) may couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-duplexed manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may also be referred to herein as a “downlink” transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each with circuitry coupled to an antenna 212. Alternatively, a downlink duplexing switch may couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time-duplexed manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 while the uplink receiver circuitry is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 for reception of transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. Conversely, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 at the same time that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 for reception of transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. In some embodiments, there is a truncated time synchronization with a minimum guard time between changes in duplex direction.

[0034] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with a suitably configured RF antenna arrangement 212 / 232 capable of supporting a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited in application to a particular standard and associated protocol. Rather, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0035] According to various embodiments, the BS 202 may be, for example, an evolved node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station, or a pico station. In some embodiments, the UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user devices, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a laptop computer, a wearable computing device, etc. The processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or realized using a general-purpose processor, an associative memory, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. As such, a processor may be realized as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0036] Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in software modules executed by processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or any practical combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 may be realized as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, such that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Each of the memory modules 216 and 234 may also include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0037] The network communications module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of the base station 202 that enable bidirectional communications between the base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the base station 202. For example, the network communications module 218 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX traffic. In a typical deployment, without limitation, the network communications module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface to enable the base station transceiver 210 to communicate with conventional Ethernet-based computer networks. As such, the network communications module 218 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC)). As used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, the terms “configured for,” “configured to,” and conjugations thereof refer to devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, signals, etc. that are physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function.

[0038] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "Open Systems Interconnection Model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by open systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) to interconnect and communicate with other systems. The model is divided into seven subcomponents or layers, each of which represents a conceptual collection of services provided to its upper and lower layers. The OSI model also defines logical networks and effectively describes computer packet transfers through the use of different layer protocols. The OSI model is sometimes referred to as the seven-layer OSI model or seven-layer model. In some embodiments, Layer 1 may be the physical layer. In some embodiments, Layer 2 may be the medium access control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, Layer 3 may be the radio link control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, Layer 4 may be the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, Layer 5 may be the radio resource control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, layer 6 may be a non-access stratum (NAS) layer or an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and layer 7 is some other layer.

[0039] To enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present solution, various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Thus, the present solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Additionally, any specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is merely an example approach. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in a disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or operations in a sample order, and the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented, unless otherwise specified.

[0040] II. SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SIGNAL TRANSMISSION In 5G NR, during microsleep TX (transmitting, transmission, or transmitter) in low traffic load scenarios, there are several always-on signals that may require power, even if these signals are transmitted with a long period, for example, a maximum period of 160 milliseconds (ms). In actual implementations, the majority of the transmissions are unnecessary. Therefore, solutions for signal transmission enhancement are needed to achieve lower power consumption.

[0041] Currently, 5G devices are being deployed to a large extent, whereby coverage is provided only by 5G carrier frequencies for both DL (downlink) and UL (uplink). It is observed that the UL coverage of 5G is smaller than that of 4G systems because the UL carrier frequency of 5G is different from that of 4G. Since efficient UL transmission enhancement can also obtain potential energy savings, a solution for UL coverage enhancement also needs to be provided.

[0042] Switching to sleep mode or turning off some RF components when not needed is an effective way to reduce network power consumption. For example, when there is no UE access, a carrier can be deactivated. When the traffic load is low, the number of Tx / Rx antennas can be reduced.

[0043] However, this energy saving method has several problems. First, NR has several common signals and required transmissions, such as SSB (Synchronization Signal Block), SIB1 (System Information Block), paging, and PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel) reception. Therefore, the network cannot easily enter a low power consumption state, such as sleep mode. Second, even if a device can enter a sleep state, waking it up is problematic. If a semi-static configuration is used, the device can only be woken up after a certain period of sleeping. If there are service requirements in the sleeping state, it cannot meet the requirements, which causes a large delay and affects the user experience.

[0044] In summary, to reduce the power consumption of a communication system, the network must be able to enter a low-power state for as long as possible. Furthermore, more dynamic wake-up mechanisms must be introduced to meet flexible service requirements and minimize the impact on the user experience. Obviously, the UE can be involved in this procedure to achieve better results.

[0045] A solution to the impact of DL (downlink) signals on UL (uplink) random access procedures is disclosed to ensure UE initial access performance and network energy savings without increasing UE power and degrading UE experience. Specifically, embodiments described herein enable a base station to control the number and timing of random access (RA) opportunities (ROs) and signal such information to the UE. From the UE side, knowing available or valid ROs allows them to more efficiently manage or use sleep mode or low power consumption mode. Knowing the timing of available or valid ROs also allows UEs to perform initial access more reliably.

[0046] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items followed by a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such as, 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). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as referring to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" is to be construed in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0047] In this disclosure, a base station (BS) may mean a communication node, or a 2G BTS (Base Transceiver Station), or a 3G NodeB, or a 4G eNB (E-UTRAN NodeB / Enhanced NodeB), or a 5G gNB, or an LTE (Long Term Evolution) or NR (New Radio Access Technology) base station, or a base station of a further generation communication system, or a cell in a normal state or an active state or an inactive state or a dormant state, or a cell providing basic communication coverage, or a capacity boost cell, or a small cell, or a primary cell, or a secondary cell.

[0048] SSB refers to a DL signal with a transmission mechanism new to NR Rel-17 or an enhanced DL signal based on an existing DL signal in NR Rel-17. SSB includes or refers to at least one of the following: a reduced number of SSBs in an SSB period; an SSB period greater than the maximum SSB period in NR Rel-17; a small SSB occupying fewer time and frequency domain resources than a regular SSB in NR Rel-17; or an SSB with a larger period configuration from a regular SSB in NR Rel-17; or a PSS or SSS, TRS, CSI-RS, CD-SSB, NCD-SSB (non-cell-defined SSB), or an inter-band SCell with no SSB.

[0049] As used herein, an SSB that is new to an SSB in NR Rel-17 includes at least one of a smaller-sized SSB that occupies less time and frequency domain resources than a regular SSB in NR Rel-17 compared to an SSB defined in NR Rel-17, or an SSB that has a larger period compared to an SSB in NR Rel-17. The larger period can be an integer equal to 2β*10 ms, where β can be greater than 4.

[0050] 3, a flowchart illustrates an example signal transmission method 300 performed by a user equipment or wireless communication device 104 or 204 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device 104 or 204 may receive first information in signaling from a wireless communication node 102 or 202 indicating a pattern of at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) or downlink (DL) signal transmission. The wireless communication device 104 or 204 may transmit a PRACH signal corresponding to a DL signal index to the wireless communication node 102 or 202 at a random access (RA) opportunity determined by the pattern.

[0051] 4, a flowchart illustrates an example signal reception method 400 performed by a wireless communication node 102 or 202 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The wireless communication node 102 or 202 may transmit first information in signaling indicating a pattern of at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) or downlink (DL) signal transmission to a wireless communication device 104 or 204. The wireless communication node may receive a PRACH signal corresponding to a DL signal index at a random access (RA) opportunity determined by the pattern from the wireless communication device 104 or 204. Method 400 may be considered similar to method 300, but performed by the wireless communication node 102 or 202.

[0052] Methods 300 and 400 are described in further detail below in relation to (1) RA opportunity availability patterns, (2) mapping relationships from SSB to RA opportunity availability, (3) mapping relationships from SSB to preambles for RA, and (4) UE characteristics related to RA opportunity availability.

[0053] (Determine availability or availability of RA opportunities) One issue is how to determine the availability or validity of RA opportunities for transmission of PRACH signals or other UL signals. Available or valid RA opportunities for PRACH signal or other UL signal transmission may follow a predefined or specified pattern. As used herein, the availability or validity of an RA opportunity means that the RA opportunity can be used by the wireless communication device 104 or 204 to transmit a PRACH or other uplink signal.

[0054] The pattern of availability or availability of RA opportunities may be defined or determined according to at least one of the following:

[0055] (1) Paging Occasion Information: The UE may assume that multiple RA opportunities associated with a paging occasion are available. The number of RA opportunities may be equal to n. For example, the UE 104 or 204 may assume that an RA opportunity located or occurring after the paging occasion is available for transmission of a PRACH signal or other UL signal. The UE 104 or 204 may assume that an RA opportunity not located after the paging occasion is not available for transmission of a PRACH signal or other UL signal. According to another example, the UE 104 or 204 may assume that an RA opportunity located or occurring before the paging occasion is available is available. The UE 104 or 204 may assume that an RA opportunity not located before the paging occasion is not available for transmission of a PRACH signal or other UL signal.

[0056] Figure 5 shows an example scenario in which n RA opportunities (ROs) occurring before a paging occasion (PO) are available for transmission of a PRACH signal or other UL signals. Figure 6 shows an example scenario in which n ROs occurring after a paging occasion are available for transmission of a PRACH signal or other UL signals. ROs shown with solid lines represent available or valid ROs, while ROs shown with dashed lines represent unavailable or invalid ROs.

[0057] (2) SSB Information: The UE 104 or 204 may assume that several RA opportunities associated with several SSBs are available for PRACH signal (or other UL signal) transmission. Some SSBs may precede paging opportunities. Some RA opportunities may follow paging opportunities.

[0058] The UE 104 or 204 may assume that some RA opportunities associated with some SSBs located before the paging occasion are available for PRACH signal (or other UL signal) transmission, and some RA opportunities located after the paging occasion. The UE 104 or 204 may assume that RA opportunities not associated with some SSBs located before the paging occasion are not available for PRACH signal (e.g., RA preamble) or other UL signal transmission, even if the RA opportunity is located after the paging occasion.

[0059] 7 illustrates an exemplary scenario in which several ROs associated with four SSBs located before a PO are available or valid for PRACH signaling or other uplink signaling. The four SSBs are located before the PO, and n ROs associated with the four SSBs (shown in solid lines) are located after the PO. The ROs shown in dashed lines are not associated with any of the four SSBs and are therefore unavailable or invalid for PRACH signaling.

[0060] 8 illustrates an exemplary scenario in which several ROs associated with three SSBs located before a PO are available or valid for PRACH signal transmission in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The relevant SSBs for RO availability or validity are the three SSBs shown with solid lines. There are n ROs associated with the three SSBs that are available or valid for PRACH signal transmission. The SSBs are located before the PO, and the n ROs associated with the three SSBs (shown with solid lines) are located after the PO. The ROs shown with dashed lines are not associated with any of the three SSBs and are therefore unavailable or invalid for PRACH signal transmission.

[0061] In some implementations, paging occasion (PO) information or SSB information used to determine the availability of RA opportunities is indicated or used for UEs in idle mode.

[0062] (3) A certain number of RA opportunities: The UE 104 or 204 may assume that a certain number of RA opportunities occurring or located in a particular resource are available or valid for PRACH signal or RA preamble transmission. The particular resource may be defined by PRACH transmission parameters, including a PRACH preamble format, a time resource, and a frequency resource for PRACH transmission.

[0063] (4) PRACH configuration period: The UE may assume that the number of RA opportunities available or available for PRACH signal (or RA preamble) transmission is determined by the PRACH configuration period. For example, in some implementations, the PRACH configuration period is 320 ms or less or 10 ms or more.

[0064] According to a first example, the maximum value of the PRACH configuration period can be greater than 160 ms, for example, for SCS configuration = 15 KHz for FR1 or SCS configuration = 60 KHz for FR2.

[0065] In some implementations of the first example, the maximum value of the PRACH configuration index configured by higher layer signaling is greater than or equal to M (e.g., 262) and less than or equal to M+α*n, where n is the number of PRACH configuration periods greater than 160 ms. M can be an integer in the range of 0 to 262. The parameter α can be any value in the range of 1 to 11. A PRACH configuration period value greater than 160 ms can be configured for FR1. A PRACH configuration period value greater than 160 ms can be configured for at least one of the following preamble formats: 0, 1, 2, 3, A1, A2, A3, B4, C0, or C2. The PRACH configuration period value greater than 160 ms can be or can include 320 ms, and the maximum value of the PRACH configuration index configured by higher layer parameters can be a value in the range of 263 to 273.

[0066] In some implementations of the first example, the maximum value of the PRACH configuration index configured by higher layer signaling is greater than or equal to M (e.g., 255) and less than or equal to M+α*n, where n is the number of PRACH configuration periods greater than 160 ms. M can be an integer in the range of 0 to 255. The parameter α can be any value in the range of 1 to 19. A PRACH configuration period value greater than 160 ms can be configured for FR2. A PRACH configuration period value greater than 160 ms can be configured for at least one of the following preamble formats: A1, A2, A3, B1, B4, C0, or C2, A1 / B1, A2 / B2, or A3 / B3. The PRACH configuration period value greater than 160 ms can be or can include 320 ms, and the maximum value of the PRACH configuration index configured by higher layer parameters can be a value in the range of 255 to 274.

[0067] (5) Association Period: The association period is or represents a (configured) number of PRACH configuration periods. The duration of the association period is equal to the PRACH configuration period multiplied by the number of PRACH configuration periods within the association period. The configured value of the association period (or association period units) represents the number of PRACH configuration periods within the association period, for example, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16. The maximum duration of the association period can be a fixed value (e.g., 160 ms), whereby the association period is determined (or limited) by the value of the PRACH configuration period. The value of the association period can be determined as the maximum duration of the association period divided by the PRACH configuration period. The association period starting from frame 0 for mapping SSB index to PRACH opportunity is the smallest value in the set determined by the PRACH configuration period.

[0068] According to a first example, if PRACH configuration period=x, the number of PRACH configuration periods during an association period is at least one of an integer in a predefined set, where the integers in the predefined set are greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2. The value x in ms can be an integer greater than or equal to min_x and less than or equal to max_x, where min_x is less than or equal to 10 or max_x is greater than or equal to 160. In some implementations, n1 is less than or equal to 1 and n2 is less than or equal to

number

[0069] In some implementations, when max_x=320 ms, min_x=10 ms, and the PRACH configuration period=10 ms, the candidate values for the association period can be at least one of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32; n1=1, n2=32. In some implementations, when max_x=640 ms, min_x=10 ms, and the PRACH configuration period=20 ms, the candidate values for the association period can be at least one of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32; n1=1, n2=64. In some implementations, when max_x=1280 ms, min_x=10 ms, and the PRACH configuration period=40 ms, the candidate values for the association period can be at least one of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32; n1=1, n2=128. In some implementations, when max_x=2560 ms, min_x=10 ms, and the PRACH configuration period=80 ms, the candidate values for the association period can be at least one of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32; n1=1, n2=256. In some implementations, when max_x=640 ms, min_x=320 ms, and the PRACH configuration period=320 ms, the candidate values for the association period can be 1 or 2; n1=1, n2=2. In some implementations, when max_x=640 ms, min_x=320 ms, and the PRACH configuration period=640 ms, the candidate values for the association period can be at least one of 1; n1=1, n2=2.

[0070] (6) Association Pattern Period: The association pattern period may include one or more association periods and may be determined such that the pattern between the PRACH opportunity and the SSB index repeats at most every max_x or min_x*n2. PRACH opportunities that are not associated with an SSB index after an integer number of association periods are not used for PRACH transmission.

[0071] (7) Validity duration for some RACH opportunities: The UE may assume that RA opportunities during the validity duration are valid or can be used for PRACH transmission.

[0072] (8) A (configured) number of valid / available PRACH configuration periods: The UE 104 or 204 can assume that RA opportunities during a configured valid or available PRACH configuration period, or within a certain number of configured valid or available PRACH configuration periods, can be used for PRACH transmission.

[0073] (9) Duration of a certain (configured) number of valid or available PRACH configuration periods: The UE 104 or 204 can assume that RA opportunities within the PRACH configuration period during the duration can be used for PRACH transmission.

[0074] (10) A certain number of available association periods: The UE 104 or 204 may assume that RA opportunities during the availability of a certain number of association periods can be used for PRACH transmission.

[0075] (11) (Duration of Availability for a Certain Number of Association Periods:) The UE 104 or 204 may assume that an RA opportunity during an association period (or during a configured or predefined duration) can be used for PRACH transmission.

[0076] (12) Offset: The UE 104 or 204 may assume that some RA opportunities located after the starting position determined by the offset are available or valid for PRACH signal transmission.

[0077] (13) Starting position for RACH opportunity duration: The UE 104 or 204 may assume that several RA opportunities located after the starting position are available or valid for PRACH signal transmission. In some examples, the UE 104 or 204 may assume that several RA opportunities located after the starting position are available. The starting position may be determined by at least one of the following: the position / SFN / slot index of the paging opportunity; the paging cycle / eDRX cycle in which the paging opportunity is located; the number of SSBs; the first RA opportunity mapping with the number of SSBs after the paging opportunity; the duration; the offset; or a SIB or DCI carrying indication information associated with the pattern of RA opportunity availability.

[0078] The wireless communication node (or base station) 102 or 202 may transmit indication information for the availability or validity of RA opportunities to the wireless communication device (or UE) 104 or 204. The indication information may indicate to the UE 104 or 204 how to identify available or valid RA opportunities for PRACH signal transmission. The indication information transmitted by the base station 102 or 202 and received by the UE 104 or 204 may include at least one of items (1) to (13).

[0079] Triggering or signaling an indication of available or valid RA opportunities can be achieved in various ways. Indication information related to the availability (validity) of RA opportunities for PRACH transmission can be indicated by at least one of the following signaling:

[0080] a. Cell-specific DCI: DCI carrying information for all UEs in a cell can be used to indicate or signal indication information regarding the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission to the UE. The CRC of the cell-specific DCI is scrambled by the P-RNTI, SI-RNTI, TC-RNTI, or RA-RNTI:

[0081] a) The information field can be designed according to at least one of the following approaches:

[0082] One information block in the i.DCI can be configured (e.g., by base station 102 or 202) for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission indication for a cell or cell group. The number of blocks can be less than or equal to the number of cells or cell groups configured by higher layer parameters, or can be equal to 1. The starting position of the block can be determined by parameters configured by higher layers for one or more cells or cell groups.

[0083] ii. A bitmap field in the DCI can be configured for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission indication for one or more cells or cell groups. The bit width of the bitmap field can be 0 bits if higher layer parameters associated with the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission are not configured, otherwise it can be an N-bit bitmap determined according to the number of cells or groups of cells provided by the higher layer parameters. Each bit can correspond to one cell or one cell group configured by the higher layer parameters.

[0084] iii. One indication field in the DCI may be configured for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission indication in the cell.

[0085] b) A group of cells can be configured by the base station 102 or 202. Cells that support the same eDRX parameters or default paging or DRX cycle can be configured in a cell group. The cells can be SCells, activated SCells, dormant SCells, or PCells.

[0086] The UE 104 or 204 may assume that the SCS configuration for PRACH transmission in a valid RACH opportunity is the same for a group of cells.

[0087] b. Group-common DCI: DCI format 2_7 with CRC scrambled by RNTI, or DCI format 1_0 scrambled by P-RNTI, or DCI format 2_6 with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI, or DCI formats 2-0, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, or a DCI format new to the Rel-17 DCI format can be used to carry indication information of the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission. The field of the indication information can be designed according to at least one of the following:

[0088] a) If an existing Rel-17 DCI format is used to indicate indication information associated with the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission, or if higher layer parameters associated with PRACH transmission are configured for a group of UEs, an existing information field or a new information field is used to indicate information associated with the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission. The existing field may include at least one of the following:

[0089] i. "Slot format indicator" or available RB set indicator or COT duration indicator or search space set group switching flag in DCI format 2_0 with CRC scrambled by SFI-RNTI.

[0090] ii. Preemption indication in DCI format 2_1 with CRC scrambled by INT-RNTI.

[0091] iii. A field in DCI format 2_2 having a CRC scrambled by the TPC-PUSCH-RNTI or TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, or DCI format 2_3 having a CRC scrambled by the TPC-SRS-RNTI, or DCI format 2_4 having a CRC scrambled by the CI-RNTI, or DCI format 2_5 having a CRC scrambled by the AI-RNTI.

[0092] iv. A "wake-up indication" or "SCell dormancy indication" field in a DCI format 2_6 block with a CRC scrambled by the PS-RNTI.

[0093] v. Paging indication field or TRS availability indication in DCI format 2_7 with CRC scrambled by PEI-RNTI.

[0094] b) The UE group may be determined or defined based on at least one of the following:

[0095] i. The UE identities of the UEs in the group are configured by higher layer parameters.

[0096] ii. The number of groups of UEs is configured by higher layer parameters.

[0097] iii. UEs that have valid POs in the same PF or several sequential PFs during an eDRX cycle or a default paging cycle are configured as a UE group.

[0098] c) The information field in the DCI may indicate one or more UEs according to at least one of the following processes:

[0099] One information block in i.DCI is configured for UEs in a UE group.

[0100] ii. One information block in the DCI is configured for a group of UEs.

[0101] iii. Bits in a bitmap in the DCI are configured for one or more groups of UEs.

[0102] c. UE-specific DCI: Existing DCI format 0-1 or DCI format 0-2, or DCI format 1-1 or DCI format 1-2, or a new DCI can be used to carry indication information of the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission.

[0103] a) One indication field in the DCI may be configured for the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission indication for the UE.

[0104] i. The indication field is a bitmap for indicating the availability of one or more validity durations or periodicities for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission.

[0105] ii. The indication field may be an n-bit field to indicate the reference point or starting SFN / slot / symbol for the validity duration or availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission.

[0106] b) The existing information field may be used to indicate the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission. The existing information field may include at least one of the following:

[0107] The fields for "Frequency domain resource allocation", "Time domain resource allocation", "Modulation and coding scheme", "New data indicator", "Redundancy version", "HARQ process number", or "UL / SUL indicator" in DCI format 0_0 with CRC scrambled by iC-RNTI or CS-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0108] ii. "HARQ-ACK bitmap" or "all remaining bits" used to indicate CG-DFI, "frequency domain resource allocation", "time domain resource allocation", "modulation and coding scheme", "new data indicator", "redundancy version", "HARQ process number", or "UL / SUL indicator" in DCI format 0_1 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or SP-CSI-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0109] iii. "Frequency domain resource allocation", "Time domain resource allocation", "Modulation and coding scheme", "New data indicator", "Redundancy version", "HARQ process number", or "UL / SUL indicator" in DCI format 0_2 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or SP-CSI-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0110] iv. "Random access preamble index", "UL / SUL indicator", "SS / PBCH index", "PRACH mask index", "reserved bits", "time domain resource allocation", "modulation and coding scheme", "new data indicator", "redundancy version", "HARQ process number", "downlink allocation index", "PUCCH resource indicator", "short message" or "TRS availability indication" in DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0111] "Frequency domain resource allocation", "Time domain resource allocation", "Modulation and coding scheme" for transport block 1, "New data indicator" for transport block 1, "Redundancy version", "HARQ process number", "PDSCH group index", "HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator", or "SCell dormancy indication" in DCI format 1_1 or DCI format 1_2 with CRC scrambled by vC-RNTI, CS-RNTI, or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0112] d. MAC CE: The MAC CE can be used to indicate indication information, such as activation / start of a RACH opportunity, deactivation / stop of a RACH opportunity, or a change in the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission.

[0113] e. RRC signaling: The parameter of the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission may include at least one of the following:

[0114] a) Indication information for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission as described above.

[0115] b) A parameter of the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission configured for a cell or group of cells.

[0116] c) A parameter for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission configured for a UE or group of UEs.

[0117] f.SIB: If the UE is configured to support PRACH transmission, the UE shall obtain SIB information during the valid modification period.

[0118] a) The UE may assume that the modification period for SIB acquisition is modification period n after modification period n-1 in which the SI change instruction was received, or the modification period according to the mechanism specified in NR Rel-17.

[0119] i. The availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission during modification period n+1 is available for the UE if the information carried by the SIB indicates the opening or availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission. If the SIB acquired by the UE does not carry indication information for a valid RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission, the UE assumes that the RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission is stopped, not opened, or unavailable.

[0120] b) The indication information carried by the SIB may include at least one of the following:

[0121] i.PRACH configuration index.

[0122] ii. Availability of one or more validity durations of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission.

[0123] iii. Availability of one or more RACH opportunities.

[0124] iv. Parameters associated with the RACH opportunity.

[0125] v. The number of RBs or OFDM symbols occupied by the RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission.

[0126] vi. The period or duration for the RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission.

[0127] vii. The starting offset for the validity duration or period of the RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission.

[0128] viii. The starting position or reference point for the validity duration or valid RACH opportunity.

[0129] ix. Whether the availability period of valid RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission is configured / started / stopped.

[0130] x. Whether the RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission is available.

[0131] g. BS Interaction: If the UE is configured to support indication of RACH opportunity availability, information related to PRACH transmissions can be interacted or exchanged between the BS and other peer or neighboring BSs. The interaction information can include at least one of the following:

[0132] a) Whether the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission is supported by the serving cell can be communicated between wireless communication nodes via the Xn interface.

[0133] b) Whether the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission is supported by a group of UEs can be communicated between wireless communication nodes via the Xn interface.

[0134] c) The Xn interface supports the exchange of signaling information between two NG-RAN nodes and the transfer of PDUs to their respective tunnel endpoints.

[0135] h. Event: If the UE is configured with the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission, the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission is triggered by an event. The event includes at least one of the following:

[0136] a) The events at the BS side that trigger the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission include at least one of the following:

[0137] The i.BS receives a request for availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission transmitted by a UE.

[0138] ii. The BS receives acknowledgement information for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission configurations by a certain number of UEs, where the number of UEs is greater than or equal to 1 or greater than a threshold; the threshold is equal to a multiple of the number of idle mode UEs or connected mode UEs in the cell, where the multiple is a fraction and greater than 0.

[0139] iii. The serving cell consists of DTX.

[0140] iv. The RSRP / RSRQ values reported by one or more UEs are lower than a threshold.

[0141] v. The load factor is less than the threshold value.

[0142] vi. The amount of DL or UL data is less than the threshold.

[0143] b) The UE-side events that trigger the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission may include at least one of the following:

[0144] i. The UE reports an acknowledgement for the availability of a RACH opportunity for the PRACH transmission configuration.

[0145] ii. The UE's DL transmission is restricted to the serving cell.

[0146] iii. The UE does not need to perform PDCCH monitoring for the duration.

[0147] iv. The measurement result based on the SSB or CSI-RS or TRS or PTRS or PRS resource is less than a threshold.

[0148] v. The measurement result of RSRP / RSRQ is greater than the threshold.

[0149] vi. The associated SSB and CSI-RS resources configured by higher layer parameters are quasi-co-located for the UE.

[0150] vii. The RRC configuration or reconfiguration including indication information associated with the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission includes at least one of the following:

[0151] 1. Indication information for the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission as described above.

[0152] 2. Amendment Period.

[0153] 3. Serving cell ID or serving cell group ID to support the availability of RACH opportunities for PRACH transmission.

[0154] c) A timer is introduced for the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission, the expiration of which stops or starts the availability of a RACH opportunity for PRACH transmission.

[0155] (Determine the mapping relationship from DL signals to RA opportunity availability:) The mapping relationship from DL signals to RA opportunity availability can be determined by the UE or defined by the base station according to at least one of the following:

[0156] (1) The association pattern period may include one or more association periods and may be determined such that the pattern between the PRACH opportunity and the SSB index repeats at most every max_x or min_x*n2. PRACH opportunities that are not associated with an SSB index after an integer number of association periods are not used for PRACH transmission.

[0157] (2) SSB period T SSBis greater than the association pattern period or association period or PRACH configuration period or a maximum of 160 ms;

[0158] 1) The association pattern period can include one or more association periods, and the pattern between the PRACH opportunity (or RO) and the SSB index is at most T SSB PRACH opportunities not associated with an SSB index after an integer number of association periods are not used for PRACH transmission; or

[0159] 2) The association pattern period may include one or more association periods and is determined such that the pattern between the PRACH opportunity and the SSB index repeats at most every max_x or min_x*n2. PRACH opportunities that are not associated with an SSB index after an integer number of association periods are not used for PRACH transmission; or

[0160] 3) The association pattern period may include one or more association periods and is determined such that the pattern between PRACH opportunities and SSB indices repeats at most every 160 ms. PRACH opportunities that are not associated with an SSB index after an integer number of association periods are not used for PRACH transmission.

[0161] In some embodiments, the SSB can be an SS / PBCH block in NR Rel-17, or a larger periodic or smaller SSB.

[0162] (3) If the base station (BS) or UE is configured with discontinuous transmission (DTX), the PRACH opportunity associated with the SSB index during the duration of the DTX state is not used for PRACH transmission.

[0163] In some implementations, if the PRACH configuration period is greater than 160 ms, or if min_x or max_x is greater than 160 ms, it can be triggered by at least one of the following events:

[0164] a) the wireless communications device is configured by signaling to support an SSB that is different from the SSB in New Radio (NR) Release 17; or

[0165] b) the wireless communications device is configured by signaling to support a release version other than NR Release 17; or

[0166] c) the wireless communications device is configured to support a PRACH configuration period greater than 160 ms via signaling; or

[0167] d) the wireless communication device is configured to support the preamble format via signaling; or

[0168] e) The wireless communication device is configured to support RA types via signaling.

[0169] f) The signaling can be higher layer parameters or UE capabilities. (Determine the mapping relationship from DL signals to preambles for PRACH transmission)

[0170] The mapping relationship from the DL signal to the preamble for RA can be determined or defined as described below.

[0171] The first technical problem regarding the mapping relationship from SSB to the preamble for RA can be disclosed as follows. Assume the following: - the total number of contention-based (CB) preambles given by totalNumberOfRA-Preambles or msgA-TotalNumberOfRA-Preamble

number

number

[0172] therefore,

number

number

number

number

number

number

number

[0173] The second issue is the number of SS / PBCH block indices associated with one PRACH opportunity.

number

number

[0174] The solution of the mapping relationship between the SSB and the contention-based preamble for RA can be described as follows:

[0175] (1) The number of contention-based random access preambles per SS / PBCH block index per valid PRACH opportunity can be determined by at least one of the following methods:

[0176] 1) Number of SSB indices in an SSB period, N SSB is indicated by DCI or the last most recently configured number of SS / PBCH block indices associated with one PRACH opportunity

number

number

number

number

[0177] a. SSB index n (0≦n≦N) per valid PRACH opportunity SSB -1)

number

number

number

[0178] b. In some embodiments, the last most recently configured number of SS / PBCH block indices associated with one PRACH opportunity

number

[0179] 2) Number of SSB indices in an SSB period, N SSB is indicated by the DCI or the last configured number of SS / PBCH block indices associated with one PRACH opportunity

number

[0180] FIG. 9 shows a diagram illustrating an example mapping relationship from SSB to preamble for RA according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0181] The second technical problem 2 regarding the mapping relationship from SSB to preamble for RA can be described as follows:

[0182] If SSBs in NR Rel-17, or SSBs with smaller or larger periodicity used for NR Rel-18, are configured for the UE, the selected type / kind of SSB associated with the PRACH opportunity should be determined to eliminate ambiguity in the use of the SSB associated with the PRACH opportunity between the BS and the UE.

[0183] The solution for parameters related to SSB types other than SSB in NR Rel-17 for PRACH procedures can be described as follows:

[0184] (1) If an SSB in NR Rel-17, or a small SSB, or an SSB with a larger period is configured for the UE, the UE may assume the following:

[0185] 1) SSBs with smaller or larger periods are selected with higher priority than SSBs in NR Rel-17 per available PRACH opportunity; or

[0186] 2) New parameters for PRACH transmission associated with the selected SSB type (except SSB in NR Rel-17) are introduced, where:

[0187] a. For example, the new parameter indicates the number of new SSBs (e.g., small SSBs or SSBs with a larger periodicity) relative to the SSBs in NR Rel-17 associated with a valid PRACH opportunity.

[0188] b. For example, a new parameter indicates the number of contention-based random access preambles associated with a new SSB for an SSB in NR Rel-17 per available PRACH opportunity.

[0189] c. New parameters for RA procedure initialization associated with SSB, e.g., new for SSB in NR Rel-17.

[0190] d. For example, the new parameter indicates the SS-RSRP threshold associated with the new SSB for the NR Rel-17 SSB. In some embodiments, if a new SSB is configured for the NR Rel-17 SSB, the rsrp threshold used for the RACH procedure associated with the new SSB for the NR Rel-17 SSB is determined based on the following: if rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB is configured by RRC, then rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB is used as the rsrp threshold; otherwise, if rsrp-ThresholdSSB for 4-step RA or msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB for 2-step RA is configured by RRC, then rsrp-ThresholdSSB or msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB is used as the rsrp-threshold for the 4-step or 2-step RACH procedure, respectively; otherwise, enhanced SSB cannot be selected for the RACH procedure.

[0191] e. In some embodiments, new parameters are used for NR Rel-18; or

[0192] 3) The current RACH procedure shall be ignored or cancelled when:

[0193] a. When at least one of the following conditions is met: the cell switches from DTX active time to outside DTX active time, or the cell switches from normal state to ES state, and a current RACH procedure is in progress.

[0194] b. When at least one of the following conditions is met: the cell switches from DTX active time to outside DTX active time, or the cell switches from normal state to ES state, and the current RACH procedure is ongoing except for at least one of the following conditions:

[0195] a) PREAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTER is greater than 0; or

[0196] b) No LBT failure indication is received from lower layers for this random access preamble transmission or for this MSGA RA preamble transmission; or

[0197] c) This is the first MSGA transmission within this random access procedure; or

[0198] d) A random access preamble or MSGA RA preamble is transmitted.

[0199] c. In some embodiments, the current RACH procedure performs RA preamble transmission.

[0200] 4) When a random access preamble is transmitted, regardless of the possibility of a measurement gap occurring, if the cell is switching from DTX active time to outside DTX active time or if the cell is switching from normal state to ES state, and if a current RACH procedure is in progress, the current RACH procedure shall be ignored or cancelled, except under at least one of the following conditions:

[0201] a. A contention-free random access preamble for a beam failure recovery request is transmitted by the MAC entity; or

[0202] b. While the ra-Response window is running, the MAC entity is monitoring the PDCCH of the SpCell for a random access response identified by the RA-RNTI; or, while the msgB-ResponseWindow is running, the MAC entity is monitoring the PDCCH of the SpCell for a random access response identified by the MSGB-RNTI or C-RNTI; or

[0203] c. The ra-ResponseWindow configured in BeamFailureRecoveryConfig on a PDCCH opportunity is fulfilled; or

[0204] d.recoverySearchSpaceId indicates receipt of a PDCCH transmission on the search space indicated by the lower layer of the serving cell from which the preamble was transmitted; or, d.recoverySearchSpaceId indicates receipt of a PDCCH transmission on the search space indicated by the lower layer of the serving cell from which the preamble was transmitted; or,

[0205] The ra-ResponseWindow configured in e.BeamFailureRecoveryConfig expires and a PDCCH transmission on the search space indicated by recoverySearchSpaceId addressed to the C-RNTI has not been received in the serving cell on which the preamble was transmitted; or

[0206] f. The ra-ResponseWindow configured in RACH-ConfigCommon has expired and no random access response has been received containing a random access preamble identifier that matches the transmitted PREAMBLE_INDEX; or

[0207] g. A valid downlink allocation is received on the PDCCH for MSGB-RNTI and the received TB is successfully decoded.

[0208] Embodiments of methods 1) and 2) are disclosed as follows:

[0209] 1. The parameters ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB or msgA-SSB-PerRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB are used for SSBs that are new to SSBs in NR Rel-17. In the following, SSBs other than SSBs in NR Rel-17 or new to it are referred to as extended SS / PBCH blocks or extended SSBs.

[0210] a. Consists of one of the parameters

number

[0211] b. Consists of one of the parameters

number

number

number

[0212] c. Configured by one of the parameters

number

number

number

number

[0213] d. Configured by one of the parameters

number

number

number

number

[0214] e. Configured by one of the parameters

number

number

number

[0215] f. Configured by any of the parameters

number

number

number

number

[0216] configured by one of the parameters

number

number

number

number

number

[0217] 2. If extended SSBs are configured, new parameters are introduced to indicate the number of extended SSBs mapped to each PRACH opportunity and the number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB, and are used for extended SSBs.

[0218] a.ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB: defines the number of SSBs mapped to each PRACH opportunity for a 4-step RA type and the number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB; or, if extended SSBs are configured and the number of extended SSBs is less than the number of SSBs, the defined number of SSBs mapped to each PRACH opportunity for a 4-step RA type is equal to the number of extended SSBs, and the number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB can be used for each extended SSB, or, The number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB is equal to the value of function (number of SSBs configured by the parameter * number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB configured by the parameter / number of extended SSBs), where function represents rounding up, down, or rounding the input value to an integer; or, introduce specific parameters for extended SSBs to define the number of extended SSBs mapped to each PRACH opportunity for 4-step RA types and the number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each extended SSB.

[0219] b. msgA-SSB-PerRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB: defines the number of SSBs mapped to each PRACH opportunity for a two-step RA type and the number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB; or, if extended SSBs are configured, or the number of extended SSBs is less than the number of SSBs, or if extended SSBs are configured for a two-step RA type, the defined number of SSBs mapped to each PRACH opportunity for a two-step RA type and the defined number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB are used for each extended SSB; or, introduces specific parameters for extended SSBs to define the number of SSBs mapped to each PRACH opportunity for a two-step RA type and the number of contention-based random access preambles mapped to each SSB.

[0220] 3. If the random access procedure is initiated in the serving cell, the parameters for the RA procedure initialization associated with the extended SSB should be at least one of the following:

[0221] a. The random access procedure is initiated by the PDCCH order, by the MAC entity itself, or by RRC in the event, according to the NR Rel-17 specifications.

[0222] b.rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB: RSRP threshold for selection of enhanced SSB for 4-step RA type. When a random access procedure is initiated for beam failure recovery, the rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB used to select the enhanced SSB in the candidateBeamRSList refers to the rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB in the BeamFailureRecoveryConfig IE.

[0223] c.rsrp-ThresholdCSI-RS: RSRP threshold for CSI-RS selection for 4-step RA type. When a random access procedure is initiated for beam failure recovery, if enhanced SSB is configured, rsrp-ThresholdCSI-RS is equal to rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB in the BeamFailureRecoveryConfig IE; otherwise, rsrp-ThresholdCSI-RS is equal to rsrp-ThresholdSSB in the BeamFailureRecoveryConfig IE.

[0224] d.msgA-RSRP-ThresholdEnhancedSSB: RSRP threshold for selection of enhanced SSB for 2-step RA type.

[0225] e.rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB-SUL: The RSRP threshold for selection between the NUL and SUL carriers when Enhanced SSB is configured.

[0226] f.offset is defined for msgA-RSRP-Threshold or rsrp-ThresholdMsg3 if extended SSB is configured; otherwise, offset is not configured or is equal to 0.

[0227] g.candidateBeamRSList: A list of reference signals (CSI-RS and / or SSB and / or extended SSB) identifying candidate beams for recovery and associated random access parameters.

[0228] h.ra-enhancedSsb-OccasionMaskIndex: defines the PRACH occasions associated with the enhanced SSBs on which the MAC entity may transmit the random access preamble.

[0229] i.msgA-CB-PreamblesPerSSB-PerSharedRO: defines the number of contention-based random access preambles for 2-step RA types that are mapped to each SSB when a PRACH opportunity is shared between 2-step RA types and 4-step RA types; or, if extended SSBs are configured or the number of extended SSBs is less than the number of SSBs, the number of contention-based random access preambles for 2-step RA types that are mapped to each SSB is also used to map to each extended SSB; or, if extended SSBs are configured or the number of extended SSBs is less than the number of SSBs, when a PRACH opportunity is shared between 2-step RA types and 4-step RA types, the number of contention-based random access preambles for 2-step RA types that are mapped to each SSB is equal to 0; or, if a PRACH opportunity is shared between 2-step RA types and 4-step RA types, introduces a specific parameter for extended SSBs to define the number of contention-based random access preambles for 2-step RA types that are mapped to each SSB.

[0230] If j.groupBconfigured is configured, random access preamble group B is configured for 4-step RA type. If extended SSB is configured, among the contention-based random access preambles associated with the extended SSB, the first numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA included in the groupBconfigured random access preamble belongs to random access preamble group A. The remaining random access preambles associated with the extended SSB belong to random access preamble group B (if configured).

[0231] If k.groupB-ConfiguredTwoStepRA is configured, random access preamble group B is configured for the two-step RA type. If extended SSB is configured, among the contention-based random access preambles for the two-step RA type associated with the extended SSB, the first numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA included in the GroupB-ConfiguredTwoStepRA random access preamble belongs to random access preamble group A. The remaining random access preambles associated with the extended SSB belong to random access preamble group B (if configured).

[0232] l. If random access preamble group B is supported by the cell and extended SSBs are configured, random access preamble group B is included for each SSB or each extended SSB.

[0233] m. If random access preamble group B is configured for a 4-step RA type, and if extended SSBs are configured, numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA: defines the number of random access preambles in random access preamble group A for each SSB or each extended SSB included in groupBconfigured.

[0234] n. If random access preamble group B is configured for a two-step RA type, and if extended SSBs are configured, numberOfRA-PreamblesGroupA: defines the number of random access preambles in random access preamble group A for each SSB or each extended SSB included in GroupB-ConfiguredTwoStepRA.

[0235] o. If Extended SSB is configured, a specific set of parameters for ra-ResponseWindow, ra-ContentionResolutionTimer, msgB-ResponseWindow, or ta-Report is configured by higher layers.

[0236] p. If an extended SSB is configured or an extended SSB is selected for the RA procedure, at least one of the following UE variables is used for the RA procedure:

[0237] a) PREAMBLE_INDEX for extended SSB.

[0238] b) REAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTER for enhanced SSB.

[0239] c) PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_COUNTER for extended SSB.

[0240] d) PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_STEP for extended SSB.

[0241] e) PREAMBLE_RECEIVED_TARGET_POWER for extended SSB.

[0242] f) PREAMBLE_BACKOFF for extended SSB.

[0243] g) PCMAX for extended SSB.

[0244] h) SCALING_FACTOR_BI for extended SSB.

[0245] i) RA_TYPE for extended SSB.

[0246] j) POWER_OFFSET_2STEP_RA for extended SSB.

[0247] k) MSGA_PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_STEP for extended SSB.

[0248] q. If Enhanced SSB is configured, the network configures the same value for rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB-SUL in all BWPs, so the UE can obtain this parameter from any random access configuration.

[0249] 4. When a random access procedure is initiated on the serving cell, if enhanced SS is configured, or

[0250] a. If the BWP selected for the RA procedure is configured with 2-step RA type RA resources, or if the random access procedure is initiated for reconfiguration with sync, and if contention-free random access resources for 2-step RA type are explicitly provided in rach-ConfigDedicated for the BWP selected for the random access procedure, the MAC entity shall set RA_TYPE to 2-step RA.

[0251] b.If the BWP selected for the RA procedure consists of only 4-step RA type RA resources, the MAC entity shall set RA_TYPE to 4-step RA. Extended SSB shall not be selected for the RA procedure.

[0252] 5. If DTX or ES state is configured, rsrp-ThresholdMsg3 is updated or adjusted based on indication by L1 signaling, where L1 signaling is also used to indicate information associated with DTX or ES state.

[0253] 6. If no contention-free random access resources are provided for this random access procedure and one or more of the features including extended SSB or DTX or ES state is applicable for the RA procedure,

[0254] a. If there is no set of random access resources available for the current random access procedure, the MAC entity shall select a set of RA resources that is not associated with any characteristic indication; or

[0255] b. If there are one or more sets of random access resources available and one of these sets of random access resources can be used to indicate all the characteristics that trigger this random access procedure, the MAC entity shall select the set of available random access resources for this random access procedure; or

[0256] c. In other cases (i.e., there is more than one set of available random access resources configured with indications for some of the features that trigger the RACH procedure), the MAC entity shall select a set of random access resources from the available set of random access resources based on the priorities indicated in the system information for this random access procedure.

[0257] 7. For each set of configured random access resources for a 4-step RA type and for each set of configured random access resources for a 2-step RA type: If the Enhanced SSB or DTX or ES state indication feature is configured for a set of RA resources, the MAC entity shall consider the set of random access resources as unavailable for RACH procedures that are not triggered for the Enhanced SSB or DTX or ES state or if the Enhanced SSB or DTX or ES state indication is not applicable.

[0258] 8. If a set of available random access resources configured with an enhanced SSB or DTX or ES state indication is identified, the MAC entity shall select one set of RA resources from among one or more sets of RA resources configured with characteristics applicable to the current RACH procedure: one set of RA resources configured with enhanced SSB, or one set of RA resources configured with DTX, or one set of RA resources configured in the current ES state or the target ES state.

[0259] 9. If an enhanced SSB is configured, the rsrp threshold used for the RACH procedure associated with the enhanced SSB is determined based on the following: if rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB is configured by RRC, then rsrp-ThresholdEnhancedSSB is used as the rsrp threshold; otherwise, if rsrp-ThresholdSSB for 4-step RA or msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB for 2-step RA is configured by RRC, then rsrp-ThresholdSSB or msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB is used as the rsrp-threshold for the 4-step or 2-step RACH procedure, respectively; otherwise, the enhanced SSB cannot be selected for the RACH procedure. For example,

[0260] a. If the selected RA_TYPE is set to 4-stepRA, if a random access procedure is initiated for SpCell beam failure recovery; and the beamFailureRecoveryTimer is running or not configured; and if contention-free random access resources for a beam failure recovery request associated with one of the extended SSBs are explicitly provided by RRC; and if at least one of the extended SSBs in the candidateBeamRSList with an SS-RSRP above the rsrp threshold is available, the MAC entity shall select an extended SSB in the candidateBeamRSList with an SS-RSRP above the rsrp threshold.

[0261] b.4 Step For the RACH procedure, if ra-PreambleIndex is not 0b000000, contention-free random access resources associated with the enhanced SSB have been explicitly provided by RRC, and at least one associated enhanced SSB with an SS-RSRP above the rsrp-threshold is available, the MAC entity shall select the associated enhanced SSB with an SS-RSRP above the rsrp-threshold and set PREAMBLE_INDEX to the ra-PreambleIndex corresponding to the selected enhanced SSB.

[0262] c. If contention-free 2-step RA type resources associated with the enhanced SSB are explicitly provided by higher layer parameters and at least one associated enhanced SSB with an SS-RSRP above the rsrp-threshold is available, the MAC entity shall select the associated enhanced SSB with an SS-RSRP above the rsrp-threshold and set PREAMBLE_INDEX to the ra-PreambleIndex corresponding to the selected enhanced SSB.

[0263] 10.4 Step Regarding the RACH procedure, if ra-PreambleIndex is not 0b000000 and an enhanced SSB is configured, the MAC entity shall select the enhanced SSB signaled by the PDCCH. If an enhanced SSB is not signaled by the PDCCH, the MAC entity shall select the SSB signaled by the PDCCH.

[0264] 11. If an enhanced SSB or SSB is configured, the enhanced SSB shall be selected if at least one of the enhanced SSBs with an SS-RSRP above rsrp-ThresholdSSB for a 4-step RACH and at least one of the SSBs with an SS-RSRP above msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB for a 2-step RACH is available; or if at least one of the enhanced SSBs with an SS-RSRP above rsrp-threshold is available, the enhanced SSB with an SS-RSRP above rsrp-threshold shall be selected; or if there are no enhanced SSBs above rsrp-threshold and no SSBs with an SS-RSRP above rsrp-ThresholdSSB for a 4-step RACH or above msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB for a 2-step RACH, the MAC entity shall select any SSB. For example,

[0265] a.4 Step For RACH, if random access resources for SI requests are explicitly provided by RRC, the MAC entity shall select the enhanced SSB with SS-RSRP above rsrp-threshold if at least one of the enhanced SSB with SS-RSRP above rsrp-threshold and the SSB with SS-RSRP above rsrp-ThresholdSSB is available.

[0266] b. For contention-based random access preamble selection, if at least one of the extended SSBs with SS-RSRP above the rsrp-threshold is available, the MAC entity shall select the extended SSB with SS-RSRP above the rsrp-threshold.

[0267] 12.4 Step For RACH, if, in the association period given by ra-AssociationPeriodIndex in si-RequestPeriod, enhanced SSB and SSB are allowed by the restrictions given by ra-enhancedSsb-OccasionMaskIndex or ra-ssb-OccasionMaskIndex (if configured), enhanced SSB shall be selected.

[0268] 13.2 Step For RACH, the UE uses the most recent unfiltered L1-RSRP measurement to determine whether there is an enhanced SSB with an SS-RSRP that exceeds msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB or msgA-RSRP-ThresholdEnhancedSSB.

[0269] 14. If DTX or ES state is configured and the BWP is not associated with any SSB during the duration of the external DTX active time or while maintaining ES state in the serving cell, SS-RSRP measurements are made based on the SSB associated with the BWP of another serving cell indicated by higher layer parameters. (UE Features:)

[0270] The UE 104 or 204 may include features related to the availability of RA opportunities. The UE 104 or 204 may include features related to support of PRACH transmissions associated with SSBs that are new for SSBs in NR Rel-17.

[0271] In the case of vacant and low resource utilization, common signal transmission, such as SSB or SIB, occupies a large portion in the time domain. System-level simulations show that if SSB or SIB transmission can be limited, the BS can achieve energy savings. Once a new SSB is configured for the SSB in NR Rel-17, the UE can perform PRACH transmission during the valid RACH opportunity associated with the new SSB for the SSB in NR Rel-17.

[0272] While various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various diagrams may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand example features and functionality of the present solution. However, such skilled artisans will understand that the present solution is not limited to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. Moreover, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the example embodiments described above.

[0273] It is also understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements can be used, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0274] Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referred to in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0275] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementations, analog implementations, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of programs or design code incorporating instructions (which may be referred to herein for convenience as “software” or “software modules”), or any combination of these techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions do not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0276] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various example logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein can be implemented in or by an integrated circuit (IC), which can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules, and circuits can further include an antenna and / or transceiver for communicating with various components within a network or device. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein.

[0277] If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Thus, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. A storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0278] As used herein, the term "module" refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, while for purposes of discussion, various modules are described as individual modules, those skilled in the art will appreciate that two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that performs associated functions according to embodiments of the present solution.

[0279] Furthermore, not only memory or other storage, but also communication components may be used in embodiments of the solution. It will be understood that, for clarity, the above description describes embodiments of the solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without detracting from the solution. For example, functionality illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Accordingly, references to specific functional units do not indicate a strict logical or physical structure or organization, but merely to suitable means for providing the described functionality.

[0280] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a wireless communication device, first information in signaling from a wireless communication node, the first information indicative of a pattern of at least one Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) or downlink (DL) signal transmission; transmitting, by the wireless communication device, to the wireless communication node, a PRACH signal corresponding to a DL signal index at a random access (RA) opportunity determined by the pattern; A method comprising:

2. The first information is at least one paging occasion information; at least one synchronization signal block (SSB) of information; Indication of the number of RA opportunities; PRACH configuration period indication; an association period indication, the association period comprising a configured number of PRACH configuration periods; Association pattern duration indication, an indication of the validity duration for a certain number of RACH opportunities; an indication of the configured number of valid or available PRACH configuration periods; an indication of a duration for the configured number of valid or available PRACH configuration periods; an indication of the duration for a number of valid or available association periods; An offset indication to indicate the starting position of the RA opportunity, or an indication of a starting position of at least one of the validity duration for the number of RACH opportunities, the duration for the configured number of valid or available PRACH configuration periods, the duration for the number of valid or available association periods, a PRACH opportunity, the PRACH configuration period, the association period, or the association pattern period. The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the first information is used to determine at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of the PRACH signal.

4. The PRACH configuration period is: the PRACH configuration period is at most max_x milliseconds (ms) or at least min_x ms in length, with at least one of min_x being less than or equal to 10 ms or max_x being greater than or equal to 160 ms; or The maximum value of the PRACH configuration index configured by higher layer signaling is greater than or equal to M and less than or equal to M+α*n. At least one of the following is satisfied: M is a positive integer, n is the number of PRACH configuration periods each greater than 160 ms, α is a value in the range of 1 to 11, and the PRACH configuration period is configured for at least one of the following preamble formats: 0, 1, 2, 3, A1, A2, A3, B4, C0, or C2; or 3. The method of claim 2, wherein α is a value in the range of 1 to 19, and the PRACH configuration period is configured for at least one of the following preamble formats: A1, A2, A3, B1, B4, C0, or C2, A1 / B1, A2 / B2, or A3 / B3.

5. the configured number of PRACH configuration periods is an integer in a defined set greater than or equal to n1 and less than or equal to n2; or The PRACH configuration period (x) in milliseconds (ms) is an integer greater than or equal to min_x and less than or equal to max_x, where min_x is less than or equal to 10, or max_x is greater than or equal to 160; or n1 is equal to or less than 1, and n2 is [Equation 47] That's all 3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of

6. The association pattern period includes one or more association periods, and the pattern between RA opportunities and SSB indices is at most max_x or min_x*n2, or T ＳＳＢ It is decided to repeat every T ＳＳＢ is the period of the SSB, and ＳＳＢ is greater than the maximum value of the association pattern period or the association period or the PRACH configuration period, or is greater than 160 ms; 6. The method of claim 5, wherein PRACH opportunities not associated with an SSB index after an integer number of association periods are not used for PRACH transmission.

7. The SSB is one or more synchronization signals and physical broadcast channels (SS / PBCH); SSB with a large period, or Small SSB The method of claim 6, comprising:

8. If the PRACH configuration period is greater than 160 ms or min_x or max_x is greater than 160 ms, the following events: The wireless communication device is configured to support an SSB that is different from the SSB in New Radio (NR) Release 17; or The wireless communication device is configured to support a release version other than NR Release 17; or the wireless communication device is configured to support a PRACH configuration period greater than 160 ms; or the wireless communication device is configured to support a preamble format; or The wireless communication device is configured to support an RA type. The method according to claims 4 to 6, wherein the method is triggered by at least one of the following:

9. The signaling cell-specific downlink control information (DCI) signaling, the cell-specific DCI signaling including information for one or more wireless communication devices within a cell, the information used to indicate the at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of the PRACH signal; a group-common DCI, the group-common DCI having DCI format 2_7 having a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), or DCI format 1_0 having a CRC scrambled by a paging RNTI (P-RNTI), or DCI format 2_6 having a CRC scrambled by a power-saving RNTI (PS-RNTI), or DCI format 2-0, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, or 2-5, or a defined DCI format, for including information of the at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of the PRACH signal; a wireless communication device-specific DCI having a DCI format 0-1, 0-2, 1-1, or 1-2, or a defined DCI format, for including information of the at least one valid or available RA opportunity for transmission of the PRACH signal; Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) signaling; Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or System Information Block (SIB) Signaling The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

10. determining, by the wireless communications device, a number of contention-based RA preambles per SSB index per valid RA opportunity according to a result of dividing a total number of RA preambles by a number of SSB indexes; At least one of the following: the number of contention-based RA preambles per SSB index per valid RA opportunity is the result, or the result rounded up to the nearest integer, or the result rounded down to the nearest integer; The total number of RA preambles is indicated via Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling; or 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the total number of RA preambles is greater than or less than the most recently configured number of SSB indices associated with one RA opportunity.

11. If SSB in New Radio (NR) Release 17 or SSB new to SSB in NR Release 17 is configured for the wireless communication device, the method includes: by the wireless communication device For each valid RA opportunity, the SSB new to the SSB in NR Release 17 is selected with a higher priority than the SSB in NR Release 17; or At least one defined parameter for PRACH transmission associated with the SSB that is new for SSB in NR Release 17 The method of claim 1 , comprising determining at least one of:

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one defined parameter is configured to indicate a threshold value of a synchronization signal reference signal received power (SS-RSRP) associated with the SSB that is new for SSBs in NR Release 17.

13. determining, by the wireless communication device, a number of contention-based preambles mapped to each extended SSB index; determining the number of contention-based preambles mapped to each extended SSB index according to a result of dividing a total number of contention-based preambles configured according to the defined parameters by the extended SSB index; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of contention-based preambles mapped to each extended SSB index is equal to the result, the result rounded up to the nearest integer, or the result truncated down to the nearest integer, or the result rounded to the nearest integer.

14. If an extended SSB is configured, or if several extended SSB indices are configured, or if the extended SSB is configured for a two-step RA type, a defined number of SSBs mapped to each RA opportunity for the two-step RA type and a defined number of contention-based RA preambles mapped to each SSB are used for each extended SSB; or 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters for enhanced SSB are configured to indicate the number of SSB indices mapped to each PRACH opportunity for a two-step RA type and the number of contention-based RA preambles mapped to each SSB index.

15. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter for enhanced SSB is configured to indicate the number of contention-based RA preambles for 2-step RA types that are mapped to each SSB when PRACH opportunities are shared between 2-step and 4-step RA types.

16. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to support an SSB that differs from an SSB in New Radio (NR) Release 17.

17. 1. A method, comprising: transmitting, by the wireless communications node to the wireless communications device, first information in signaling indicative of a pattern of at least one Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) or Downlink (DL) signal transmission; receiving, by the wireless communications node, from the wireless communications device at a random access (RA) opportunity determined by the pattern, a PRACH signal corresponding to a DL signal index; A method comprising:

18. 18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. Apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

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