SSB to Paging CORESET Mapping Mechanism in NR

Abstract

To provide an integrated circuit that facilitates efficient monitoring of paging messages by user equipment (UE).SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system, user equipment includes a circuit that, during operation, calculates a starting location of a paging area that includes resources on which the user equipment is paged and that includes paging information for paging the user equipment, and determines an offset with respect to the starting location of the paging area that relatively indicates a location of paging information for paging the user equipment relative to the starting location of the paging area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to paging user devices in a communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] New Radio (NR) is a 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) technology that will be submitted to the International Telecommunication Union as a 5G candidate technology. rd This technology is being developed by the NR Generation Partnership Project. One of the most notable features of NR is that it is designed to operate using beamforming (Non-Patent Document 1), which is particularly useful in high frequency bands. Roughly speaking, beamforming allows the energy of a given radio transmission to be concentrated in a specific direction, for example, to extend the range to compensate for high propagation loss at high frequencies. Since 5G is expected to operate at higher frequencies where more frequency bands are available, beamforming operation is important in NR. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Dahlman et al. “4G,LTE-Advanced Pro and The Road to 5G”, 3rd Ed.Elsevier.2016 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One non-limiting exemplary embodiment facilitates efficient monitoring of paging messages by User Equipment (UE). [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one general aspect, the techniques disclosed herein provide a user device for transmitting and / or receiving data to / from a base station in a communication system, the user device including circuitry that, during operation, calculates a starting location of a paging area that includes resources on which the user device is paged, the paging area including paging information for paging the user device, and determines an offset with respect to the starting location of the paging area that indicates the location of the paging information for paging the user device relative to the starting location of the paging area.

[0006] It should be noted that the general or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any combination thereof.

[0007] Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the specification and drawings. Benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually from various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, and it is not necessary for all embodiments and features to be provided in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of the allocation of synchronization blocks within a resource. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram of beamforming performed by a base station. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram of allocation of paging information within resources. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a base station and a transmitting device according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram of a paging area calculation according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic diagram of a paging area calculation according to another embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating indication of synchronization blocks by a synchronization bitmap. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram of determining an optimal synchronization block. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 illustrates the use of a paging bitmap to determine the location of paging information. [Figure 10] 1 is an example of RRC signaling according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 illustrates determining the location of paging information using a signaled offset value. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates determining the location of paging information using a signaled offset value. [Figure 13] 1 is an example of RRC signaling according to one embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 illustrates determining the location of paging information using a signaled offset value. [Figure 15] 1 is an example of RRC signaling according to one embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is an illustration of determining the location of paging information using paging occasion (PO) calculations. [Figure 17] 1 is an example of RRC signaling according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] To support beamforming operation, several features of NR need to be redesigned, including functionality such as time / frequency synchronization and paging, among others. This disclosure relates to paging design in NR. In the context of cellular systems, paging is a mechanism by which the network locates a UE (in IDLE mode) within a given geographical area, called a tracking area, which may consist of several cells, and initiates connection setup. Because the network does not know the exact geographical location of the paged UE, beamformed paging messages (used in NR) need to be transmitted in different directions and at different times to ensure that the paged UE is found. Similar behavior has already been observed for synchronization signals, which provide time and frequency references to UEs. That is, these signals are beam-searched (i.e., transmitted on different beams at different times) within a cell so that the UE can access the system after obtaining the time-frequency reference and some other information from so-called synchronization blocks (SSBs). For this reason, it is expected that SSBs and paging signals / messages will behave similarly, i.e., both need to be beam searched and may utilize a certain association or relationship. An SSB is a block of resources consisting of a predetermined number of symbols in the time domain, e.g., four symbols, and a predetermined number of subcarriers or physical resource blocks. The number of symbols and / or subcarriers or physical resource blocks may be standardly defined or may be configurable within the system resources. An SSB can carry PPS, SSS, and PBCH.

[0010] This disclosure provides several schemes / mechanisms that exploit these relationships to achieve more efficient paging operations, specifically to avoid the UE having to monitor the entire time interval in which paging signals are transmitted. Instead, the goal is to provide a means by which the UE can listen for potential paging messages only at specific times when the network transmits beamformed paging signals in the appropriate direction that matches the UE's location. Here, "means" refers to the necessary signaling / information, for example, indicating the actual frequency and time location at which the associated beamformed paging signal is transmitted.

[0011] This disclosure relates to an ongoing work item on NR access technology (RP-171418 - "Revision of WI: New Radio Access Technology," S.Y. Lien, S.L. Shieh, Y. Huang, B. Su, Y.L. Hsu and H.Y. Wei, "5G New Radio: Waveform, Frame Structure, Multiple Access, and Initial Access," in IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 55, no. 6, pp. 64-71, 2017). It relates to an "initial access" framework. Initial access includes, among other things, synchronization signals and paging design. Specifically, some embodiments provide a mechanism that can associate SSBs with paging to make paging reception at the UE more efficient.

[0012] The following points summarize paging operations in LTE and highlight similarities and differences in NR.

[0013] As already pointed out, paging is used to locate a UE within a so-called tracking area and to initiate a connection setup when the UE is essentially in IDLE mode. Thus, in LTE, a paging message is broadcast within each cell of a tracking area. This behavior based on tracking areas is expected to be similar in NR.

[0014] In LTE, a mechanism similar to that of "normal" data transmission is used to receive paging messages. That is, the UE first receives and monitors control information (L1 / L2 signaling, which refers to Layer 1 / Layer 2 signaling, referring to the physical layer and MAC layer) to know where and when the actual paging message will be transmitted. Hereafter, this L1 / L2 signaling and the actual paging message are referred to as paging DCI (Downlink Control Information) and paging message, respectively. This behavior is also adopted in NR, at least as a standard. Furthermore, in the context of NR, paging DCI is included in a set of resources generally called CORESET (Configuration Resource Set). Therefore, the UE needs to locate and receive the paging CORESET to receive the paging message.

[0015] In LTE, paging DCI / messages are broadcast within cells in the tracking area, whereas in NR, beaming is generally supported, i.e., paging messages are transmitted in different directions and in different time slots.

[0016] To enable energy-efficient operation in LTE, UEs in IDLE mode sleep most of the time and only wake up when they are potentially paged. The time instance at which a UE can be paged is called a Paging Occasion (PO), hence the paging cycle. Using a given formula and UE ID and other parameters, each UE determines when it needs to monitor for paging, i.e., PO (frame and subframe). Hereafter, this is PO calculation In NR, a similar behavior is expected, but with some differences. UEs also determine the time-position of their corresponding POs using a predefined formula and periodically monitor the POs. However, to support beam search operations, a PO is defined as a time interval possibly consisting of several time slots (in which all required beams are transmitted). Therefore, what the UE determines through the PO calculation is the start time of the PO. In principle, therefore, the UE would need to listen during every PO interval to see if a paging message related to it has been transmitted, which is an inefficient behavior in terms of energy consumption.

[0017] In LTE, PO indicates the frame and subframe in which paging DCI may be transmitted (using a reserved ID: P-RNTI). In NR, the operation is more flexible. Paging CORESET can be transmitted in different OFMD symbols (hereafter symbols) within a slot, and its duration is also variable. That is, the paging CORESET duration can be one or more symbols. Therefore, an indication of the symbol resolution is required to indicate to the UE the exact time-position of the paging CORESET to monitor. Recall that a slot consists of 14 symbols in the time domain.

[0018] As already noted, one fundamental feature of NR is support for beamforming-based operation. One important function in a cellular system is to provide a reliable time-frequency reference for UEs. While the signal used for this purpose in LTE is broadcast within the cell, in NR this signal must be transmitted at different times in different directions (beams). Therefore, SSBs are defined to contain the time-frequency reference and information required to enable UEs to access the system. Since SSBs are transmitted in all directions, in principle, a UE can catch, i.e., successfully receive, at least one of these time-multiplexed SSBs and ultimately access the system. Therefore, a UE determines its location by the SSBs it receives. 1) these signals are monitored periodically for other purposes, e.g., radio resource management, and 2) in principle even IDLE UEs can always determine which SSB they belong to, so as long as any association exists and is signaled to or known by the UE, this knowledge can be used to know when a PO (one transmitted in that direction) is to be transmitted. This disclosure relates to schemes for creating and signaling these associations.

[0019] · Research into paging in multi-beam operation, support beam search for paging, and the following methods: Alt-1: Multiplexing paging using SS blocks (details of paging left for further study). ○Alt-2: Add another cycle of beam searching for paging (Note: Another cycle of beam searching is different from beam searching for SS burst sets). Other alternatives are not excluded. Operators should report their assumptions regarding paging.

[0020] Supporting paging channel design for at least RRC idle mode is as follows: Paging messages are transmitted in the NR-PDSCH, which is scheduled and associated with the DCI carried by the NR-PDCCH.

[0021] Regarding paging, RAN1 (3GPP Working Group on Radio Access Network, Layer 1) will have the following options to choose from: Option 1: Paging DCI followed by a paging message Note: This does not mean that they are consecutive. Option 2: Paging DCI followed by paging group indicator and paging message triggering UE feedback Option 3: Paging DCI followed by a paging group indicator and a paging message Option 4: Paging DCI indicates use of option 1 or 2.

[0022] · RAN2 (3GPP Working Group RAN, Layer 2) will clarify whether the paging DCI and paging message can be in the same or different POs, including the above options.

[0023] At least option 1 (paging scheduling DCI followed by paging message) is supported. Paging scheduling DCI and paging messages are transmitted at least in the same slot. NR supports LTE-like UE grouping if the UE is explicitly configured with its PO / slots. This is considered part of Option 1. ○The details of UE grouping are up to RAN2.

[0024] At least some parameters for the paging occasion are explicitly signaled. ○RAN1 understands that this involves the UE at least periodically monitoring paging scheduling DC1.

[0025] It is up to RAN2 to decide whether such information is in RMSI or OSI.

[0026] The UE can assume a QCL between SS blocks, paging DCI and paging messages. Details regarding the association between SS blocks and paging DCI possible subsets / messages will be considered in the future.

[0027] In short, some relevant agreements in 3GPP can be summarized as follows:

[0028] In NR (similar to LTE) paging is a network-initiated mechanism that determines the location of a UE in IDLE mode within a tracking area (possibly consisting of multiple cells) and then initiates a connection setup.

[0029] In RAN1#87, For paging in multi-beam operation Support has been agreed. Later agreement in RAN1#88 further details that paging messages will be sent in the NR-PDSCH, which is scheduled by and associated with the DCI carried by the NR-PDCCH.

[0030] Several paging mechanisms were proposed in RAN1 NR#3 and agreed upon at the most recent meeting, RAN1 90B, including: At least option 1, i.e., paging DCI followed by a paging message, is supported, ○ For Paging Occasions (PO) at least Some parameters are explicitly signaled , and ○UE is Synchronization Block (SSB) and Paging Signals(DCI and Message) Quasi-colocation (QCL) between can be assumed.

[0031] Details regarding the association between SSB and possible subsets / messages of paging DCIs are left for further study.

[0032] It was also agreed that the time-position of the actual transmitted SSBs would be signaled in the remaining minimum system information (RMSI) (RAN1#90b).

[0033] In NR, the UE is also expected to wake up periodically to monitor the corresponding PO (similar behavior in LTE).

[0034] In LTE, and possibly also in NR, for initial synchronization after detecting a synchronization signal (when the UE is not yet camped on or connected to an LTE cell), the UE decodes the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), from which important system information is derived. Specifically, PSS and SSS are periodically transmitted, allowing the terminal to acquire slot boundary timing. The UE can then read the cell's PBCH, which carries configuration information. The configuration information can be common configuration information read by all terminals and / or groups of terminals. This can include, for example, configuration of cell resources such as paging resources. The RMSI and OSI mentioned above are resources intended to form the PBCH, which further carries (cell) broadcast common information read by any terminal in the cell. This information can further carry configuration. The configuration information can be carried by a resource control protocol (RRC).

[0035] Figure 1 shows the rationale for using several blocks as a means for time / frequency synchronization in NR. The candidate SSB locations, as well as their total number, can be standardized and numerologically specific, with a maximum value of L = 64 SSBs for a 240 kHz subcarrier spacing. The numerology is defined by the subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) overhead. In Figure 1, candidate locations are represented as boxes. In this representation, five of the L = 8 possible SSBs are actually transmitted by the network (indicated by their respective SSB indices, "SSB1," "SSB2," etc.) and signaled via RMSI. Here, this indication is represented by the bitmap B1 = 10110101. Generally, a base station (called a gNB in ​​NR, similar to an eNB / eNodeB in LTE) transmits different SSBs at different times using different beams to cover a cell / sector, as shown in Figure 2.

[0036] It should be noted that the UE monitors the SSB to perform some other functions, such as Radio Resource Management (RRM) (e.g., handover), and therefore the UE knows the best receiving beam. Furthermore, since the gNB does not know the location of an IDLE mode UE within the tracking area, paging messages also need to be beam searched, and therefore the usual design is to associate SSB operation with paging.

[0037] Among the above agreements, an important agreement for this disclosure states that the QCL (Quasi-colocation) between SSB and paging (DCI / message) can be estimated by the UE. Pseudo-collocationsThe concept of quasi-co-location (QCL) means that wireless channels affected by signals transmitted by different antenna ports have the same large-scale characteristics (e.g., average delay rate, Doppler spread / shift, average gain, etc.) if and only if they are quasi-co-located. In practice, this means that signals corresponding to two different channels (e.g., SSB and paging) are transmitted from the same Transmission and Reception Point (TRP) using the same beam structure. This agreement is important for creating a link through the QCL between each SSB and the paging message; how such an association is made / created remains to be determined, and this is the purpose of this disclosure.

[0038] As mentioned above, it is not efficient for the UE to monitor all POs where potentially many paging messages are transmitted in different directions. It is desirable to take advantage of the QCL principle and the fact that both paging and SSBs need to be beam searched within the cell by creating a link between each SSB and the corresponding / associated paging message.

[0039] In NR, according to the RAN2 understanding, a Paging Occasion (PO) is defined as a time interval during which a paging signal (DCI or message) is transmitted, and consists of one or more time slots. Figure 3 shows a PO that includes a Paging CORESET (PC).

[0040] Similarly to LTE, the UE needs to determine the time location of its corresponding PO, which is referred to as PO calculation. For example, the PO calculation can have as input the UE ID, other system parameters, and in the case of NR, the UE's corresponding (optimal) SSB index can further be used to utilize the QCL between SSB and paging.

[0041] However, in general, it is desirable to avoid a UE monitoring the entire PO where several paging CORESETs are transmitted using different beams, which can be inefficient (energy intensive), and therefore utilizing QCL is the preferred approach.

[0042] Therefore, the objective of the present disclosure can be stated as how to associate and signal SSB-to-CORESET mapping so that each UE focuses exclusively on the corresponding paging CORESET.

[0043] An exemplary concept of the present disclosure is to indicate to the UE via RMSI or OSI (other system information) the offset (within the PO) of the paging CORESET symbols / slots relative to their corresponding first slot / symbol or SSB symbol / slot of the PO.

[0044] To implement this concept, the following steps can be taken:

[0045] 1. PO calculation, possibly including SSB index, is required to obtain the first symbol / slot of the PO. (The LTE paging formula specified in 3GPP TS 36.304, v.14.4.0, "User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode", Section 7) is the basis.

[0046] 2. Once the first symbol / slot of the PO is obtained, an offset (shift) for it is determined to indicate the exact location of the associated paging CORESET, as shown in the main concept.

[0047] A user device and its corresponding base station according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are shown in Figure 4. A user device 410 (i.e., user equipment (UE) or user terminal) and a base station 460 (i.e., a gNB in ​​NR) communicate with each other over a wireless channel 450.

[0048] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to transmitting and receiving paging signals and, in particular, determining the location of paging signals.

[0049] To efficiently signal the paging information, in some embodiments, the location of the paging information is determined by the starting point and one or more offsets of the respective resources actually used to carry the paging information, where the offsets are defined relative to the starting point.

[0050] Generally, paging information can be transmitted by a network (e.g., a base station over the air interface) within a paging area of ​​system resources. The paging area is read by a group of terminals (which can be all terminals). To conserve power, a terminal reads only paging resources configured to carry paging information among resources generally configurable by the network for carrying paging information.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the user device 410 shown in FIG. 4 comprises a transceiver 420 including a transmitter and / or receiver for transmitting and / or receiving data to / from a base station, and circuitry 430.

[0052] During operation, the processing circuitry 430 of the user device 410 calculates a starting location of a paging area that includes a resource for which the user device is to be paged and that includes paging information for paging the user device. The circuitry further determines an offset relative to the starting location of the paging area. The offset indicates the location of the paging information for paging the user device (e.g., the location of a CORESET) relative to the starting location of the paging area. During operation, the circuitry of the user device pages the user device using the paging information at the location indicated by the starting location and the offset relative to the starting location.

[0053] The base station 460 includes a processing circuit 480 that, during operation, determines a paging area in which a user device is to be paged. The circuit 480 further determines an offset with respect to a start location of the paging area, the offset indicating a location of paging information for paging the user device relative to the start location of the paging area, and further allocates the paging information for paging the user device to resources at the location indicated by the offset. The base station 460 further includes a transmitter 470 (transceiver) that, during operation, transmits the paging information on the resources indicated by the offset to the user device.

[0054] A method of transmitting and / or receiving data performed by a user device transmitting and / or receiving data to / from a base station in a communication system is further disclosed.

[0055] The method includes calculating a start location of a paging area that includes a resource for which a user device is to be paged, the paging area including paging information for paging the user device, and further includes determining an offset with respect to the start location of the paging area that indicates a location of paging information for paging the user device relative to the start location of the paging area.

[0056] A method of transmitting and / or receiving data by a base station in a communication system is further disclosed, the method including the steps of determining a paging area in which a user device is to be paged, determining an offset with respect to a start position of the paging area, the offset indicating a location of paging information for paging the user device relative to the start position of the paging area, allocating the paging information for paging the user device to resources at the location indicated by the offset, and transmitting the paging information on the resources indicated by the offset to the user device.

[0057] In the described operation of the user device 410 and the base station 460, the paging area may correspond to the paging occasion (PO) mentioned above. Accordingly, the starting position of the paging area may correspond to the boundary of the paging area, e.g., the position of the first slot or the first symbol in the time direction (i.e., in the direction of slot / symbol numbering). The paging area is an area within the resources of the communication system. The paging area may start at the first resource configurable to carry paging information within the communication system. However, more generally, the starting position may also be understood to refer to any position (e.g., slot or symbol) relative to which an offset indicating the location of the paging information is determined, possibly within the paging area.

[0058] For example, the paging information for paging the user device 410 corresponds to the paging CORESET mentioned above. The offset indicates the location of the paging information (e.g., the location of the CORESET) relative to the start of the paging area. Thus, the offset corresponds to the shift from the start to the location of the paging information for paging the user device, or in other words, the distance between the start of the paging area and the actual paging information for the user device.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the resource on which the user device is paged is a resource in the time domain. Therefore, the starting position of the paging area and the position of the paging information for paging the user device are positions of resources in the time domain. Therefore, for example, the starting position of the paging area can indicate a symbol or a slot. Therefore, the offset indicating the position of the paging information for paging the user device also indicates a symbol and / or a slot. However, the present disclosure is also applicable to the case where the position in the frequency domain (i.e., the carrier or subcarrier / subcarriers) where the paging information for paging the user device is located is in transmission / reception. Otherwise, the position / positions of the paging information in the frequency domain can be determined in another manner, for example, by signaling.

[0060] However, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular approach, and additionally or alternatively, the frequency resource may be determined by blind decoding using a predetermined raster (a predetermined pattern of synchronization signals within each subcarrier).

[0061] The synchronization and paging procedures share some common characteristics, such as being transmitted using the same beam structure from the same (or substantially the same) transmission and reception point (TRP), such as a base station. Therefore, it may be practical to associate these two procedures. A synchronization resource may be a synchronization block (SSB). An SSB may be defined by its location among communication system resources. For example, in NR, an SSB may be given as a block in a time-frequency grid, i.e., a specific number of symbols (in the time domain) and subcarriers (in the frequency domain).

[0062] Regarding the determination of a paging area such as a PO, there are two alternative exemplary possibilities: a paging area common to all SSBs (embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 5) and a paging area dedicated to each SSB (embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 6), which will be explained below.

[0063] Embodiment 1 The paging area is common to all SSBs. That is, the paging area is a common paging area common to each of multiple synchronization blocks. Therefore, the starting position of the paging area (i.e., the first slot or symbol of the PO) is unique and common to all SSBs transmitted by the base station in each beam corresponding to various directions. This means that all candidate positions for paging information associated with different beams are adjacent to each other. Therefore, the paging area, and therefore the starting position calculated by the circuitry of the user device, is the same regardless of which of several beams the user device sees and which SSBs transmitted on each beam the user device receives. Such a common PO is shown in FIG. 5.

[0064] Embodiment 1 includes an association method (e.g., via RMSI or OSI) to indicate the offset symbol / slot of the paging CORESET, for example, when the PO is common for all SSBs. This method includes a paging bitmap of symbols / slots, absolute or relative symbol offset depending on the type of value calculated in the PO calculation, and a combination to indicate the slot offset from a given slot / symbol and the symbol index / offset within the slot.

[0065] In the following, some example alternatives associated with embodiment 1 (common paging area) are described, in which the UE will perform the PO calculation and will then obtain the starting position (e.g., in the time domain, the starting symbol / slot of the PO), hereafter also denoted as X.

[0066] In some exemplary embodiments associated with alternative 1), the circuitry of the user device further receives, during operation, from the base station, an indicator of an offset of the paging location for paging the user device relative to the starting location of the paging area. Finally, the target location of the paging information for the user device (e.g., the target paging CORESET) is transmitted by the base station using several different exemplary options. Below, several examples of transmitted / received indicators indicating the offset are described. For example, the offset indicator may be included in the remaining minimum system information, RMSI, or other system information, OSI, transmitted by and received from the base station.

[0067] Example 1-1 For example, the information indicating the offset (i.e., indicator) is a paging bitmap indicating the location of paging information within a paging area containing paging information for paging the user device. The paging bitmap is composed of bits, each corresponding to a resource unit (e.g., resource block, slot) assigned to a location of paging information, such as a paging CORESET. Each resource unit carries a configured resource set that actually carries paging information for the user device. A paging occasion is one resource unit among a set of resource units that can be configured by a base station to carry paging information.

[0068] For example, the user device, specifically its processing circuitry, may further receive from the base station a synchronization bitmap indicating a plurality of locations at which synchronization blocks are to be transmitted among a set of candidate locations for transmitting synchronization blocks. The user device then determines, from the plurality of locations indicated by the synchronization bitmap, an ordinal value of a location of a synchronization block that is optimal for synchronization of the user device, where the ordinal value of the location of a synchronization block that is optimal for synchronization of the user device corresponds to the ordinal value of a location of paging information for paging the user device indicated by the first bitmap.

[0069] Therefore, the user device determines the location of the paging information from the bit set in one of the paging bitmaps corresponding to the sequence value determined in the synchronization bitmap. Here, the user device applies beamforming using the communication system, and periodically switches between beams pointing in different directions to carry each synchronization block. Determining the sequence value of the optimal synchronization block corresponds to finding the "best beam" among the beams. For the user device, the best beam is the beam in which the user device detects the maximum energy, i.e., the energy that is better detected. Typically, the user device will be able to detect energy from only one beam depending on its relative location with respect to the base station / TRP (unless the user device is located in a boundary area between areas covered by two different beams). The user device knows the sequence number of the best beam because different beams associated with each sequence number are transmitted during different predetermined time intervals known to the user device. The user device determines the location of the paging information by counting bits indicating the time position where the paging information is actually transmitted from the paging bitmap. For example, a value of "1" indicates a candidate location with paging information, and a value of "0" indicates a candidate location without paging information. If the nth SSB is the SSB associated with the best beam, the nth bit among the bits indicating paging information for the actual location among the candidate locations indicates the location of paging information for paging a particular user device.

[0070] According to the above description, for example, the paging bitmap is a bitmap spanning a period of multiple slots / symbols starting from slot / symbol X. Each bit represents a symbol or slot, and depending on its value, the UE knows whether a paging message or a paging CORESET is transmitted in the respective symbol or slot. In this case, the connection by SSB is given by the order of the best SSBs actually transmitted by the UE.

[0071] An example of SSBs actually transmitted from candidate locations is shown in Figure 7. The gNB transmits N SSBs out of L opportunities. In this example, N=5, L=8, and slot-level indication are assumed. Similar to Figure 1, this figure shows how the network uses synchronization bitmap B1 to indicate which SSBs will actually be transmitted from a set of candidate locations (B1=10110101, as in Figure 1). In this way, the UE can determine the best SSB ordering.

[0072] 8 and 9 show an example in which a UE can detect the third SSB at t1 and determine the corresponding order (3). The target PO consists of M=10 slots in which a paging CORESET can be transmitted. When a paging bitmap B2 (length 10, B2=1110110000) is transmitted at t2, the UE can use the order value (3) to determine the symbol / slot (this example assumes slot-level indication) in which the associated paging message will be transmitted, i.e., the slot with the third "1" in B2. In the corresponding PO, the UE looks for a paging at t2-3, which is the slot with order 3, i.e., n=3. The paging bitmap indicates the slot position (offset within the PO) in which the associated paging CORESET is located. Within the slot, a symbol index can be obtained, for example, using a formula that takes into account the corresponding best SSB beam / index. The assumption of slot-level indication in FIGS. 8 and 9 is merely illustrative. As an alternative example, symbol-level indication is also possible.

[0073] An example of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling according to Example 1-1 is shown in Figure 10. Parts newly added by the present disclosure are indicated by boxes. Specifically, RRC signaling can be carried in broadcast system resources such as a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and / or in RMSI or OSI.

[0074] As can be seen in Fig. 10, information elements common to all paging CORESETs include CORESET-CCE-REG mapping type, CORESET-interleaver sequence, etc. Furthermore, the information element CORESET-freq-dom is added to indicate the frequency resources used to carry the paging CORESET. Hence, CORESET-freq-dom represents the location of the common PO in the frequency domain. This could be a specific subcarrier and / or resource block, etc. It is noted that in general, the resources in the frequency domain do not need to be signaled and can be further defined by a standard.

[0075] In addition to the information common to all paging CORESETs, the RRC signaling embodiment of Figure 10 also includes information about specific SSBs. For example, in this embodiment, an information element CORESET-SSB-Slot Mapping is added to each CORESET information corresponding to a respective SSB. The CORESET-SSB-Slot Mapping can be, for example, the above-mentioned bitmap B2. Thus, a terminal (UE) reading any of the broadcast SSBs can obtain information B2 and access the associated paging information based on it.

[0076] In Figure 10, only SSB[0] and SSB[1] corresponding to respective CORESET[0] and [1] are shown. However, in general, there may be more SSBs / CORESETs (SSB[i] and CORESET[i]) defined by index i. Because the CORESET-SSB-slot mapping is defined within each SSB, the user terminal can derive its value independent of the particular beam it sees. The number and order of beams are configurable.

[0077] Examples 1-2 In another example of embodiment 1, the value is the symbol X, orIndicates the absolute symbol offset with respect to the symbol index if X represents a slot.

[0078] For example, the calculated starting position indicates a symbol, and the offset indication is a value indicating an absolute symbol offset relative to the start. This case is shown in Figure 11, where the starting position (start symbol) of PO(X) is obtained by the PO calculation, where a value Y is shown representing the offset by a symbol relative to X.

[0079] Alternatively, the calculated starting position indicates a slot, and the offset indication is a symbol index within the slot of the starting position. This case is shown in Figure 12, where the starting slot of PO(X) is obtained by the PO calculation. Here, the value Y indicates a symbol index (offset) within the slot indicated by X. Note that in this case, the starting position of PO refers to a slot, while Y indicates a symbol.

[0080] An example of RRC signaling according to Example 1-2 is shown in Figure 13. Again, newly added parts according to the present disclosure are indicated by boxes. In this case, the common information elements include CORESET-CCE-REG-mapping-type, CORESET-interleaver sequence, etc. In contrast to Example 1-1, no elements need to be added to the information common to all SSBs.

[0081] However, the signaling embodiment of Figure 13 also includes information related to specific SSBs. Specifically, in this embodiment, the element CORESET-freq-dom is signaled within the information directed to individual SSBs, such as SSB[0] and SSB[1]. Additionally, another signal element, CORESET-start-symb, indicating the frequency offset, for example, as an absolute signal value within a slot, is added to the signaling portion directed to each SSB. Again, there are more signaling fields for additional SSBs than SSB[0] and SSB[1] shown in the figure.

[0082] Alternatives 1-3 In yet another example of embodiment 1, the offset relative to the start position is a slot offset relative to symbol X. and , the symbol index within the slot and That is, the calculated starting position indicates a symbol, and the offset indication is a combination of the slot offset relative to the starting position symbol and the symbol index within the slot indicated by the slot offset.

[0083] An example of alternatives 1-3 is shown in Figure 14. This figure shows the exemplary case where the starting position X obtained by the PO calculation represents any symbol. Here, the value Y represents a combination indicating the slot offset (with respect to X) and the symbol index / offset within the slot indicating the location of the paging CORESET. That is, the transmitted value Y is the slot offset (2 in this example) and , the symbol index in the target slot (slot i in this example) and Furthermore, the frequency location for the corresponding SSB can be shown as an offset.

[0084] Figure 15 shows an example of RRC signaling corresponding to alternatives 1-3. Here again, newly added parts according to the present disclosure are indicated by boxes. Furthermore, elements common to all paging CORESETs, such as CORESET-CCE-REG-mapping-type, CORESET-interleaver-sequence, and CORESET-bundle-size, are again signaled in the area common to all paging CORESETs, as already seen in Figure 13. Furthermore, as in Figure 13, CORESET-freq-dom and CORESET-start-symb are signaled in the signaling areas SSB[0], SSB[1], etc., each directed to a specific SSB. Furthermore, a CORESET-start-slot is signaled for each SSB. Here, the two elements CORESET-start-slot and CORESET-start-symb correspond to values ​​indicating the slot offset and the symbol index within the slot, respectively. Since a slot consists of 14 symbols in the time domain, 4 bits are sufficient to signal the value of the CORESET-Start symbol.

[0085] Embodiment 2 The paging areas are dedicated to different SSBs transmitted on different beams, and each paging area from the multiple paging areas, including the paging area containing paging information for paging the user device, is associated with a respective synchronization block. In this case, each SSB corresponding to a particular beam has its corresponding paging area. The different paging areas corresponding to different beams / SSBs can be separated from each other by resources (e.g., one or more slots or symbols in the time domain) that do not belong to any paging area. Depending on the specific beam that the user device sees, different starting positions can be obtained in calculating the paging area. Paging areas (POs) dedicated to separate SSBs / beams are shown in Figure 6.

[0086] Embodiment 2 includes an association method to indicate the offset symbol / slot of the paging CORESET when the PO is SSB-specific. This association will be based on the PO calculation to obtain the starting symbol / slot and symbol / slot offset of the PO.

[0087] Another example of separate paging areas (POs) is shown in Figure 16. In this case, a PO is dedicated to each SSB (beam). Again, two variables are needed to determine the location of the paging CORESET: the starting symbol / slot of the PO and its associated symbol / slot offset.

[0088] In one example of embodiment 2, the circuitry calculates the starting position of the paging area during operation and determines the offset indicating the location of the paging information by performing a calculation for each paging occasion (PO). The UE performs the PO calculation, from which it obtains 1) the starting symbol / slot of the PO and 2) the corresponding symbol / slot offset relative to the starting symbol / slot of the PO. This behavior is shown in Figure 16. As depicted in this figure, both the absolute time-position of the PO and the relative CORESET position within the PO are specific to SSB and can be obtained from the PO calculation.

[0089] One possible embodiment is a compound of the formula: i_s=floor(UE_ID / N)mod Ns+SSB_index_number*OffsetBetweenCORESET is the formula for obtaining PO, where: SSB_index_number counts the nth SSB index number within the TDMed SSB, Ns = number of locations / positions, N=min(T,nB), which means the minimum value (smallest value) of T and nB. nB can be any one of 4T, 2T, T, T / 2, T / 4, T / 8, T / 16, T / 32 coming from SIB2 (IE nB). T is the DRX cycle of the UE. OffsetBetweenCORESET is the symbol distance between two CORESETs.

[0090] Each PO location can then be obtained directly by the above formula: Such PO calculation corresponds to the PO calculation performed in LTE (using the LTE paging formula specified in TS 36.304, Sec. 7:page 39, which is incorporated herein by reference).

[0091] The starting position and offset of the paging area can be calculated by the PO calculation performed by the user device without the need to introduce additional signaling. Therefore, RRC signaling can be performed by the base station as shown in Figure 17. As can be seen, only the signaling common to all paging CORESETs is performed using the same elements as in the embodiments of Figures 13 and 15, e.g., CORESET-CCE-REG-mapping-type, CORESET-interleaver-sequence, CORESET-bundle-size, etc. However, to signal the location of the paging area, no new elements need to be added either in the common signaling for all paging CORESETs or in the SSB-specific signaling. This is because the offset of the CORESET location relative to the starting position is calculated by the user device in the PO calculation, rather than being received in the signaling.

[0092] This proposed embodiment provides flexibility to signal the location of the target PO under several assumptions: common PO for different SSBs or SSB-specific PO. Furthermore, the UE does not need to monitor all possible paging transport instances (slots or symbols) within the PO.

[0093] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software cooperating with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment above can be partially or completely realized by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be partially or completely controlled by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI can be formed as an individual chip, or a single chip can be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI can include a data input section and an output section coupled thereto. Here, the LSI can refer to an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for implementing an integrated circuit is not limited to LSI, and can be realized using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a special-purpose processor. Furthermore, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor, which can reconfigure the connections and adjustments of circuit cells arranged within the LSI, can be used. The present disclosure can be realized as digital processing or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technologies replace LSI as a result of developments in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, functional blocks could be integrated using future integrated circuit technologies. Biotechnology could also be applied.

[0094] According to one general aspect, a user device for transmitting and / or receiving data to / from a base station in a communication system is provided, the user device comprising: circuitry that, during operation, calculates a starting location of a paging area that includes a resource on which the user device is paged, the paging area including paging information for paging the user device, and determines an offset with respect to the starting location of the paging area that indicates a location of the paging information for paging the user device relative to the starting location of the paging area.

[0095] In some embodiments, during operation, the circuitry of the user device further receives from the base station an indication of an offset regarding the starting location of the paging area, and determines, based on the information received from the base station, an offset for locating paging information for paging the user device.

[0096] In one exemplary embodiment, the indicator of the offset is a paging bitmap that indicates the location of the paging information within a paging area that contains the paging information for paging the user device.

[0097] For example, the circuitry of the user device further receives from the base station a synchronization bitmap indicating a plurality of locations at which synchronization blocks are to be transmitted among a set of candidate locations for transmitting synchronization blocks, and determines an optimal synchronization block location order value for synchronization of the user device from the plurality of locations indicated by the synchronization bitmap, where the optimal synchronization block location order value for synchronization of the user device corresponds to the optimal synchronization block location order value indicated by the first bitmap.

[0098] In another exemplary embodiment, the calculated start position indicates a symbol and the offset indication is a value indicating an absolute symbol offset relative to the start.

[0099] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the calculated starting position indicates a slot and the offset indication is a symbol index within the slot of the starting position.

[0100] In another exemplary embodiment, the calculated starting position indicates a symbol, and the offset indication is a combination of a slot offset relative to the starting position symbol and a symbol index within the slot indicated by the slot offset.

[0101] For example, an indicator of the offset may be included in the remaining minimum system information, RMSI, or other system information, OSI, received from the base station.

[0102] In another exemplary embodiment, during operation, the circuitry of the user device calculates the starting location of the paging area and determines an offset indicating the location of the paging information by performing calculations for each paging occasion, PO.

[0103] In some embodiments, the paging area is a common paging area common to each of the multiple synchronization blocks.

[0104] In another embodiment, each paging area from a plurality of paging areas, including a paging area containing paging information for paging the user device, is associated with a respective synchronization block.

[0105] In some embodiments, the starting location of the paging area and the location of the paging information for paging the user device are resource locations in the time domain.

[0106] For example, the start of a paging area indicates a symbol or slot.

[0107] In some embodiments, the offset indicating the location of paging information for paging the user device indicates a symbol and / or a slot.

[0108] Further provided is a base station for transmitting and / or receiving data to / from a user device in a communication system. The base station includes a circuit for, during operation, determining a paging area in which the user device is to be paged. The circuit further determines an offset relative to a start location of the paging area, the offset indicating a location of paging information for paging the user device relative to the start location of the paging area. The circuit further allocates the paging information for paging the user device to a resource at a location indicated by the offset. The base station also includes a transmitter for, during operation, transmitting the paging information on the resource indicated by the offset to the user device.

[0109] According to another general aspect, there is provided a method of transmitting and / or receiving data by a user device transmitting and / or receiving data to / from a base station in a communication system, the method comprising: calculating a start location of a paging area including a resource on which the user device is paged, the paging area including paging information for paging the user device; and determining an offset for the start location of the paging area indicating a location of the paging information for paging the user device relative to the start location of the paging area.

[0110] Further provided is a method for transmitting and / or receiving data by a base station in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of: determining a paging area in which a user device is to be paged; determining an offset with respect to a start position of the paging area, the offset indicating a location of paging information for paging the user device relative to the start position of the paging area; allocating the paging information for paging the user device to resources at the location indicated by the offset; and transmitting the paging information on the resources indicated by the offset to the user device.

[0111] In summary, the present invention relates to a user device, a base station, and methods of data transmission and reception performed by the user device and the base station in a communication system, the user device comprising circuitry that, during operation, calculates a start position of a paging area including resources on which the user device is paged, the paging area including paging information for paging the user device, and determines an offset for the start position of the paging area indicating the location of the paging information for paging the user device relative to the start position of the paging area.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit for controlling a user equipment, comprising: a calculation for calculating a starting location of a paging area that includes resources on which a user equipment is paged, the paging area including paging information for paging the user equipment; receiving, from a base station, a paging bitmap indicator indicating a location of the paging information within the paging area; The calculation process determines an offset to obtain the location of the paging information for paging the user equipment based on the indicator; The receiving process includes receiving, from the base station, a synchronization bitmap indicating a plurality of positions from which the synchronization block is to be transmitted among a set of candidate positions for transmitting the synchronization block; The calculation process determines an order value of a position of a synchronization block that is optimal for synchronization of the user equipment from the plurality of positions indicated by the synchronization bitmap; the order value of the synchronization block optimal for synchronization of the user equipment corresponds to the order value of a bit indicated by the paging bitmap that indicates a time position at which the paging information is actually transmitted. Integrated circuit.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the calculated starting position indicates a symbol, and the indicator of the offset is a value indicating an absolute symbol offset relative to the starting position.

3. 2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the calculated starting position indicates a slot, and the indicator of the offset is a symbol index within the slot of the starting position.

4. 2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the calculated starting position indicates a symbol, and the indicator of the offset is a combination of a slot offset relative to the symbol of the starting position and a symbol index within the slot indicated by the slot offset.

5. 10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the indicator of the offset is included in remaining minimum system information, RMSI, or other system information, OSI, received from the base station.

6. 2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising: an integrated circuit for determining the offset indicating the location of the paging information by calculating the starting location of the paging area and performing a calculation for each paging occasion, PO.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the paging area is a common paging area common to each of a plurality of synchronization blocks.

8. 10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein each paging area from a plurality of paging areas, including the paging area containing paging information for paging the user equipment, is associated with a respective synchronization block.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the starting location of the paging area and the location of the paging information for paging the user equipment are resource locations in the time domain.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the starting location of the paging area indicates a symbol or a slot.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the offset indicating the location of the paging information for paging the user equipment indicates a symbol and / or a slot.

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