Systems and methods for wake-up receiver friendly 6g synchronization signal

Abstract

A method (1300) by a network node (910) for transmitting a hybrid synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402) includes transmitting (1304) a first On-Off Key, OOK, modulated synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402), which includes a plurality of On-periods (108) and Off-periods (106). At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal 5 (104) is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

Description

[0001] SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR WAKE-UP RECEIVER FRIENDLY 6G SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods for Wake-Up Receiver (WUR) friendly 6thGeneration (6G) Synchronization Signal (SS).

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Wake-up receiver (WUR), sometimes also referred to as ‘wake-up radio’, enables a low power receiver in User Equipments (UEs), which, in case of the detection of a wake-up signal (WUS), wakes up the main receiver, which may be a baseband / higher power receiver, to detect an incoming message such as, for example a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in paging occasions (PO) for scheduling a paging message on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The main benefit of employing WUR is lower energy consumption and longer device battery life. At a fixed energy consumption, the downlink latency can be reduced, including shorter Discontinuous Reception (DRX) / duty-cycles and more frequent checks for incoming transmissions. FIGURE 1 illustrates a location of a WUS and the paging occasion to which it is associated.

[0006] In Release 15 (Rel-15), WUS was specified for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and Long Term Evolution-Machine Type Communication (LTE-M). FIGURE 2 illustrates WUS for NB-IoT and LTE-M. The main motivation was UE energy consumption reduction since with the coverage enhancement PDCCH could be repeated many times, and the WUS is relatively much shorter and, thus, requires less reception time for the UE. The logic is that a UE would check for a WUS a certain time before its PO, and only if a WUS is detected the UE would continue to check for PDCCH in the PO. If WUS was not detected, which is most of the time, the UE can go back to a sleep state to conserve energy. Due to the coverage enhancements, the WUS can be of variable length, depending on the UE’s coverage, as shown in FIGURE 2.

[0007] A WUS is based on the transmission of a short signal that indicates to the UE that it should continue to decode the downlink (DL) control channel such as, for example, a full Narrowband- PDCCH (NPDCCH) for NB-IoT. If such signal is absent and / or the UE does not detect it, the UE can go back to sleep without decoding the DL control channel. The decoding time for a WUS is considerably shorter than that of the full NPDCCH since the WUS only needs to contain one bit of information whereas the NPDCCH may contain up to 35 bits of information. This, in turn, reduces UE power consumption and leads to longer UE battery life. The WUS would be transmitted only when there is a paging for the UE. But if there is no paging for the UE, the WUS will not be transmitted (i. e. , implying a discontinuous transmission (DTX)), and the UE goes back to deep sleep upon detecting DTX instead of WUS, for example. Returning to FIGURE 1, the white blocks indicate possible WUS and PO positions, and the black boxes indicate actual WUS and PO positions.

[0008] The specification of Rel-15 WUS is spread out over several parts of the LTE 36-series standard. See, for example, 3GPP TS 36.211, 3GPP TS 36.213, 3GPP TS 36.304, and 3GPP TS 36.331.

[0009] A UE will report its WUS capability and WUS gap capability to the network. Further WUS information was added to the paging message / request from Mobility Management Entity (MME) to eNodeB (eNB). eNB will use WUS for paging the UE if WUS is enabled in the cell (i.e., WUS- Conflg present in System Information (SI)) and the UE supports WUS according to the wakeUpSignal-r 15 UE capability. Radio paging capabilities and WUS gap are discussed in more detail below.

[0010] WUS was introduced for both LTE-M and NB-IoT with support for both DRX and extended DRX (eDRX). For DRX, there is a 1-to-l mapping between the WUS and the PO. For eDRX, there is a possible configuration of l-to- V (many) POs. eNB can configure one WUS gap for UEs using DRX, and another one for UEs using eDRX. 3GPP TS 36.331 discloses example WUS-Conflg-NB information elements for NB-IoT, LTE-M as being similar:

[0011] WUS-Conflg-NB information element

[0012] WUS-Config-NB-rl5 ::= SEQUENCE { maxDurationFactor-rl 5 WUS-MaxDurationFactor-NB-rl 5, numPOs-rl5 ENUMERATED {n 1 , n2, n4 } DEFAULT n 1 , mimDRX-CyclesRelaxed-r 15 ENUMERATED {nl, n2, n4, n8}, timeOffsetDRX-rl 5 ENUMERATED {ms40, ms80, msl60, ms240}, timeOffs et-eDRX- Short-r 15 ENUMERATED {ms40, ms80, ms 160, ms240}, timeOffset-eDRX-Long-r 15 ENUMERATED {mslOOO, ms2000} OPTIONAL, - Need OP

[0013] WUS-ConfigPerCarrier-NB-rl5 ::= SEQUENCE { maxDurationFactor-rl 5 WUS-MaxDurationF actor-NB-rl 5 WUS-MaxDurationFactor-NB-rl5 ::= ENUMERATED {one!28th, one64th, one32th, one 16th, oneEighth, oneQuarter, oneHalf} i WUS-Config-NB field descriptions i timeOffsetDRX

[0014] When DRX is used, non-zero gap from the end of the configured maximum WUS duration to the associated PO, see TS 36.304 [4], clause 7.4 and TS 36.211

[0021] , In milliseconds. Value ms 40 corresponds to 40ms, value ms80 corresponds to 80 ms and so on. i timeOffset-eDRX-Short

[0015] When eDRX is used, the short non-zero gap from the end of the configured maximum WUS duration to the associated PO, see TS 36.304 [4], clause 7.4 and TS 36.211

[0021] , In milliseconds. Value ms 40 corresponds to 40ms, value ms80 corresponds to 80 ms and so on.

[0016] E-UTRAN configures timeOffset-eDRX-Short to a value longer than or equal to

[0017] { timeOffsetDRX.

[0018] The UE capabilities can also indicate the minimum WUS gaps required for the UE to be able to decode PDCCH in the associated PO, for DRX and eDRX, respectively, as disclosed in 3GPP TS 36.331:

[0019] UE-RadioPaginglnfo-NB information element

[0020] UE-RadioPagingInfo-NB-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE { ue-Category-NB-rl3 ENUMERATED {nbl}

[0021] OPTIONAL,

[0022] [[ multiCarrierPaging-rl4 ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL

[0023] ]],

[0024] [[ mixedOperationMode-rl5 ENUMERATED {supported}

[0025] OPTIONAL, wakeUpSignal-rl5 ENUMERATED {true}

[0026] OPTIONAL, wakeUpSignalMinGap-eDRX-rl5 ENUMERATED {ms40, ms240, mslOOO, ms2000} OPTIONAL, multiCarrierPagingTDD-rl5 ENUMERATED {true}

[0027] OPTIONAL

[0028] ]],

[0029] [[ ue-Category-NB-rl6 ENUMERATED {nb2}

[0030] OPTIONAL, groupWakeUpSignal-rl6 ENUMERATED {true}

[0031] OPTIONAL, groupWakeUpSignalAltemation-rl6 ENUMERATED {true}

[0032] OPTIONAL

[0033] ]] wake UpSignalMinGap-eDRX

[0034] Indicates the minimum gap the UE supports between WUS or GWUS and associated PO in case of eDRX in FDD, as specified in TS 36.304 [4], Value ms40 corresponds to 40 ms, value ms240 corresponds to 240 ms and so on. If this field is included, the UE shall also indicate support for WUS or GWUS for paging in DRX.

[0035] At the end of Rel-15, a longer WUS gap of Is or 2s was introduced to enable the use of WUR. That is, if a WUR is used for the detection of WUS, starting up the main baseband receiver may take longer time. If this is supported in the cell, the eNB would include timeOffset-eDRX- Long in the WUS-Config in SI. Section 7.4 of 3GPP TS 36.304 specifies the UE behavior for monitoring paging with WUS and indicates which WUS time gap the UE (and eNB) should apply depending on the reported UE capability:

[0036] 7.4 Paging with Wake Up Signal

[0037] Paging with Wake Up Signal is only used in the cell in which the UE most recently entered RRC IDLE triggered by:

[0038] - reception of RRCEarlyDataCompletc, or

[0039] - reception of RRCConnectionRelease not including noLastCellUpdate,' or

[0040] - reception of RRCConnectionRelease including noLastCellUpdate and the UE was using (G)WUS in this cell prior to this RRC connection attempt.

[0041] If the UE is in RRC IDLE, the UE is not using GWUS according to clause

[0042] 7.5 and the UE supports WUS and WUS configuration is provided in system information, the UE shall monitor WUS using the WUS parameters provided in System Information. When DRX is used and the UE detects WUS the UE shall monitor the following PO. When extended DRX is used and the UE detects WUS the UE shall monitor the following numPOs POs or until a paging message including the UE's NAS identity is received, whichever is earlier. If the UE does not detect WUS the UE is not required to monitor the following PO(s). If the UE missed a WUS occasion (e.g. due to cell reselection), it monitors every PO until the start of next WUS or until the PTW ends, whichever is earlier.

[0043] - numPOs = Number of consecutive Paging Occasions (PO) mapped to one WUS provided in system information where (numPOs>l).

[0044] The WUS configuration, provided in system information, includes time-offset between end of WUS and start of the first PO of the numPOs POs UE is required to monitor. The timeoffset in subframes, used to calculate the start of a subframe gO (see TS 36.213 [6]), is defined as follows:

[0045] - for UE using DRX, it is the signalled timeoffsetDRX,'

[0046] - for UE using eDRX, it is the signalled timeoffset-eDRX-Short if timeoffset-eDRX-Long is not broadcasted;

[0047] - for UE using eDRX, it is the value determined according to Table 7.4-1 if timeoffset-eDRX-Long is broadcasted

[0048] Table 7.4-1: Determination of GAP between end of WUS and associated PO

[0049] The timeoffset is used to determine the actual subframe gO as follows (taking into consideration resultant SFN and / or H-SFN wrap-around of this computation): gO = PO - timeoffset, where PO is the Paging Occasion subframe as defined in clause 7.1

[0050] For UE using eDRX, the same timeoffset applies between the end of WUS and associated first PO of the numPOs POs for all the WUS occurrences for a PTW.

[0051] The timeoffset, gO, is used to calculate the start of the WUS as defined in TS

[0052] 36.213 [6],

[0053] In essence, the UE will only use WUR, or timeOffset-eDRX-Long, if it is capable of starting up the main receiver as quickly as indicated by the value used in SI. If not, it will fall back to using timeOffset-eDRX-Short (without WUR).

[0054] FIGURE 3 illustrates use of eDRX and DRX WUS gaps for NB-IoT and LTE-M. Since UEs share PO, the eNB may, in the worst case, have to transmit up to 3 WUSs for one PO (i.e., timeoffsetDRX, timeoffset-eDRX-Short, and timeoffset-eDRX-Long).

[0055] In the Release 16 (Rel-16) Work Item Description (WID), it was agreed that WUS should be further developed to also include UE grouping, such that the number of UEs that are triggered by a WUS is further narrowed down to a smaller subset of the UEs that are associated with a specific paging occasion (PO):

[0056] The objective is to specify the following set of improvements for machine-type communications for BL / CE UEs.

[0057] Improved DL transmission efficiency and / or UE power consumption:

[0058] • Specify support for UE-group wake-up signal (WUS) [RANI, RAN2, RAN4]

[0059] The purpose is to reduce the false paging rate to avoid a UE being unnecessarily woken up by a WUS transmission intended for another UE. This features is referred to as Rel-16 group WUS, or GWUS.

[0060] In Release 17 (Rel-17), a WUS for NR is introduced, and is referred to as Paging Early Indication (PEI). However, since at the time no coverage enhancement was specified for NR, the only gain for Rel-17 PEI was for scenarios where the small fraction of UEs are in bad coverage and with large synchronization error due to the use of longer DRX cycles. The gain for such UEs were that with the use of PEI they would typically only have to acquire one Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) before decoding PEI, instead of up to 3 SSBs if PEI is not used (value according to UE vendors). So, for most UEs, Rel-17 PEI will result in gains or increased performance. Rel-17 PEI will also support UE grouping for false paging reduction, similar to the Rel-16 GWUS above, which will have some gains at higher paging load.

[0061] In RAN#93e it was agreed that PEI will be PDCCH-based, making it much less interesting for WUR (i.e., the main baseband receiver is required for decoding PEI).

[0062] In IEEE, the support for WUR has been specified to a greater extent than in 3GPP. That is, the focus was on low power WUR from the start, and the design uses WUR not only for receiving the WUS but also other control signals and signaling, such as synchronization and mobility information. This allows the stations (corresponding to UEs in 3GPP) to only use the WUR when there is no user-plane data transmission ongoing.

[0063] Similar to the 3GPP solution, the use of WUR is only enabled in stations and not in access points (APs), that is for DL communication only. The AP advertises that it has WUR operation capability, along with WUR configuration parameters (among other info, in which band / channel WUR is operational), which can be different from the band / channel used for data transmission using the main receiver (e.g., WUR in 2.4 GHz band but data communication in 5 GHz band). It is also noted that the WUR operating channel is advertised in the beacon, and that the WUR discovery operating channel may be different from the WUR operating channel. Stations can then request to be configured with WUR mode of operation.

[0064] This request has to be granted by the AP. In case it is granted, the station is further configured / setup for WUR mode of operation (the configuration is only valid for the connection to the associated AP, and further the configuration must be tom down / de-configured if WUR is not used anymore). Both continuous WUR (receiver open all the time) and duty-cycled WUR (receiver only open during preconfigured time slots) mode of operations are supported. For the latter, the length of the duty-cycles and on-time during wake up is part of the WUR configuration.

[0065] Unlike the 3GPP solution, the WUR operation mode is a sub-state of the regular operation. Upon the detection of a WUS transmission from the AP, the station will resume the power saving mechanism it was configured with before entering the WUR operation mode. That is, IEEE has specified a number of different power saving mechanisms , for example, if duty-cycled monitoring of the DL has been configured for the station, it will switch to that upon detection of the WUS (i.e., unlike the specified 3GPP mechanism which only covers paging), and the UE will continue to monitor PDCCH if WUS is detected.

[0066] A station receiving the IEEE WUS must synchronize to the wireless medium prior to performing any transmissions (i.e., using sync info in the beacon from the AP (typically transmitted every 100ms). Synchronization to the wireless medium refers to the following in IEEE 802.11; a station changing from sleep to awake in order to transmit must perform channel clear assessment until it receives one or more frames that allow it to correctly set the virtual carrier sensing. This is to prevent collisions with transmissions from hidden nodes. Essentially the virtual carrier sensing tells a station to defer for a time period even if the wireless medium appears to be idle, and can be set by receiving frames that indicate the duration of an ongoing frame exchange. Note that in WiFi typically one beacon transmission is enough to sync for the station (i.e., no need to acquire several transmission due to poor coverage). Unlike operation in licensed bands, the station also has to apply carrier sensing, and also possibly re-acquire channel sensing parameters, before uplink transmission.

[0067] The physical WUS in IEEE contains complete frames which much be processed by the station. The drawback with this design is that is requires more processing and handling and processing in the station as compared to a simple WUR design, which triggers one pre-defined activity in case WUS is detected. The benefit is that it contains more information and the solution is more general. The IEEE WUS contains information to indicate if the WUS is a WUR sync beacon, a WUR discovery beacon, or a regular WUS intended to wake the station up. The WUS can also contain proprietary frames, which could, for example, be used to directly turn actuators on / off. The transmission uses on / off keying (OOK) modulation and Manchester coding but multicarrier OOK can be generated by an Orthogonal Frequency Domain Multiplexing (OFDM) transmitter (i.e., WUR can be enabled as a software upgrade in APs). The WUS is 4 MHz wide, but a whole 20 MHz channel is reserved. The WUS starts with a 20 MHz legacy preamble to allow other stations to perform carrier sense, and follows with a 4 MHz Manchester coded OOK. Two data rates are supported: 62.5 kbps and 250 kbps, and link adaptation is up to the AP (i.e., each packet is self-contained and includes the data rate since in the WUR there are two possible sync words used to signal the data rate).

[0068] The WUS can contain the following information:

[0069] • Station identifier (ID) or group ID (grouping of stations is supported),

[0070] • Payload up to 22 bytes.

[0071] • Short frames contain only basic info; which WUR frame type + addressing.

[0072] • Ordinary frames contain control info, and in addition proprietary info.

[0073] • WUR beacons contain Basic Service Set Identifier (BSS-ID), sync information, time counter.

[0074] • Similar structure for WUS and WUR beacons (sync words indicate the data rate, the station can then detect the header, from this the station can tell if it is WUS or beacon, then check body). WUR discovery frames contain mobility related information to allow for lower power scan.

[0075] Regarding mobility, both WUR sync beacons and WUR discovery beacons has been specified, which only requires the WUR to be used for reception, such that stations can stay in the WUR operation mode unless there is data transmission for the station. For example, stations only need to switch back to legacy Power Saving Mode (PSM) upon WUS detection (or when moving to a new AP). WUR sync beacons are used by stations to obtain rough synchronization (for data transmission the legacy beacon must still be acquired), and WUR discovery beacons are used to carry (legacy) mobility information to enable quick / low energy scanning (allowing stations, only using the WUR, to get information related to local and roaming scans for nearby APs, e.g. Service Set Identifier (SSID) and main radio operating channels, if the channel quality should deteriorate).

[0076] That is, in the WUR discovery beacon, the AP can indicate one or more BSS , and the BSS- ID has a one-to-one mapping with the assigned SSID name in which WUR is supported such that stations do not have to scan all frequencies / channels. Since the WUR discovery beacon contains the legacy mobility information, there is some duplication / redundancy in the broadcasted information. This allows for low power scanning, using only the WUR. Note however that mobility in IEEE is restricted to the same AP, and that hand-over between APs is not supported in the same way as in 3GPP. If a station in WUR operation mode moves to a new AP, it would have to move out of WUR operation mode and use the main receiver to obtain the beacon, sync, configuration, and associate to the new AP.

[0077] In Rel-18, WUR has been studied for NR. The output of the Rel-18 study item on “low- power wake-up signal and receiver for NR” is collected in technical report 3GPP TR 38.869, “Study on low-power Wake-up Signal and Receiver for NR”. According to the outcome of this study, one important aspect of designing WUR / WUS is synchronization (called low power sync signal, LP-SS) is:

[0078] RANI studied synchronization of LP-WUR. At least for LP-WUR that cannot receive existing PSS / SSS, periodic LP-SS signal is beneficial for the following functionalities: (a) RRM measurements by LP-WUR, if supported (b) At least coarse time synchronization of LP-WUR. (c) At least coarse frequency synchronization of LP-WUR. Additional periodic LP-SS system overhead depends on LP-SS periodicity, system BW, number of beams, and resource required to fulfill the target functionality, etc. Periodic signal if used for coarse synchronization may reduce the overhead of signal preceding LP-WUS, if any. LP-SS can be designed to be common among UE groups (cell-specific) and further reduce system overhead. For LP-WUR that can receive existing PSS / SSS potentially assisted by PBCH DMRS / TRS for synchronization, existing PSS / SSS potentially assisted by PBCH DMRS / TRS may be used for above functionality. Periodic LP-SS coverage should be equal or better than that of LP-WUS. For fine time and frequency synchronization, a signal (e.g., preamble) preceding or part of LP-WUS may be used.

[0079] OFDMA waveform can provide coverage for LP-WUS with lower resource overhead. LP-WUR receiving OFDMA waveform can reuse PSS / SSS to perform RRM measurement and synchronization avoiding the introduction of periodic LP- SS within the carrier. Timing error robustness can be further improved using a sliding window at the receiver.

[0080] For Rel-19, a work item has been agreed to specify the wake-up signal for both RRC Idle / Inactive and RRC Connected states. See, RP -234056, New WID: Low-power wake-up signal and receiver for NR (LP WUS / WUR). The objectives are the following:

[0081] The objectives of the work item are the following:

[0082] • To specify an LP-WUS design commonly applicable to both IDLE / INACTIVE and CONNECTED modes (RANI, RAN4)

[0083] • Specify OOK (OOK-1 and / or OOK-4) based LP-WUS with overlaid OFDM sequence(s) over OOK symbol

[0084] • The LP-WUS design shall ensure that for IDLE / INACTIVE operation, the same information is delivered irrespective of LP-WUR type. The OFDM sequence can carry information.

[0085] • At least duty-cycled monitoring of LP-WUS is supported

[0086] • For IDLE / INACTIVE modes

[0087] • Specify procedure and configuration of LP-WUS indicating paging monitoring triggered by LP-WUS, including at least configuration, sub-grouping and entry / exit condition for LP-WUS monitoring (RAN2, RANI, RAN3, RAN4)

[0088] • Specify LP-SS with periodicity with Yms for LP-WUR, for synchronization and / or RRM for serving cell. (RANI, RAN4) • LP-SS is based on OOK-1 and / or OOK-4 waveform with or without overlaid OFDM sequences. Further down selection between with and without overlaid OFDM sequences is to be done within WI.

[0089] • Note: For LP-WUR that can receive existing PSS / SSS, existing PSS / SSS can be used for synchronization and RRM instead of LP-SS.

[0090] • Y will be decided within WI. 320ms is the start point.

[0091] • Specify further RRM relaxation of UE MR for both serving and neighbor cell measurements, and UE serving cell RRM measurement offloaded from MR to LP-WUR, including the necessary conditions (RAN4, RAN2)

[0092] • For CONNECTED mode, specify procedures to allow UE MR PDCCH monitoring triggered by LP-WUS including activation and deactivation procedure of LP-WUS monitoring (RAN2, RANI)

[0093] • Check in RAN#105 for potential TU adjustment in RAN2

[0094] • Note: In CONNECTED mode, UE MR ultra-deep sleep is not considered, and UE RRM / RLM / BFD / CSI measurements are performed by MR

[0095] • Note: The target coverage of LP-WUS and LP-SS shall be the coverage of PUSCH for messages.

[0096] • Note: The optimization of LP-WUS signal design for idle / inactive mode is prioritized over the optimization for connected mode.

[0097] • Specify the necessary RAN4 core requirement(s) to support the feature (RAN4).

[0098] • This objective is to be further refined in RAN# 103

[0099] The Work Item (WI) objective on the LP-WUS design refers to a “harmonized” WUS design, which allows the WUS to be decoded by either an envelope detection based (e.g. OOK) WUR or an OFDM-based WUR:

[0100] Specify OOK (OOK-1 and / or OOK-4) based LP-WUS with overlaid OFDM sequence(s) over OOK symbol This was introduced as a compromise for the opposing views of companies, and FIGURE 4 illustrates a unified LP-WUS design.

[0101] With the solution, a gNodeB (gNB) will always transmit a harmonized LP-WUS signal, where the On-periods for the OOK modulation means OFDM subcarriers are being transmitted and the Off-periods means nothing is being transmitted, but the LP-WUS signal can either be received by an OOK-based WUR or an OFDM-based WUR. In general, a UE can either implement one WUR type or both. The OOK-based WUR can have somewhat lower energy consumption, but he OFDM-based WUR will have better link performance and coverage(. FIGURE 5 illustrates different coverage for OOK and OFDM parts of unified LP-WUS.

[0102] The OFDM-based WUS is also more efficient than the OOK-based WUS, allowing for a larger WUS pay load, more redundancy bits for improved decoding performance, and multiple WUS monitoring occasions during one WUS monitoring occasion for OOK-based WUS. (FIGURE 6 illustrates unified LP-WUS content.

[0103] During cell search a UE aims at acquiring time and frequency synchronization with a cell and to detect physical layer cell ID (PCI) of the cell. In NR, the synchronization signal block (SS block or SSB) consists of primary synchronization signals (PSS) and secondary synchronization signals (SSS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH). During the initial cell search, the UE first aims at detecting PSS and then SSS. Time and frequency synchronization as well as cell ID detection are done using PSS and SSS. Proper detection of PSS and SSS is an essential step for Physical Broadcasts Channel (PBCH) demodulation. PBCH carries basic system information such as master information block (MIB) and determines essential parameters for initial access of the cell including the downlink system bandwidth and the system frame number. For PBCH, polar coding and QPSK modulation are used.

[0104] FIGURE 7 illustrates the time-frequency structure of the SSB. The most fundamental aspects of SSB in 5thGeneration (5G) can be summarized as follows:

[0105] • An SSB contains the PSS), SSS, PBCH along with the Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS). o PBCH carriers the MIB

[0106] • In the frequency domain, one SSB occupies 20 contiguous resource blocks which is equivalent to 240 subcarriers, as illustrated in FIGURE 7. In the time domain, one SSB spans over 4 OFDM symbols. Among the four symbols, one symbol is for PSS, one symbol is for SSS, and 2 symbols are for PBCH. Specifically, PSS occupies the first OFDM symbol of SSB and spans over 127 subcarriers. SSS is located in the third OFDM symbol of SSB and spans over 127 subcarriers. The total number of resource elements (REs) used for PBCH transmission per SSB is 576. There are, however, 113 unused subcarriers in the first symbol, and 17 unused subcarriers in the thirds symbol, as shown in FIGURE 4. Therefore, there are 130 unused resource elements (REs) within an SSB. In the current NR design, the complex-valued symbols corresponding to these unused REs are set to zero. One or more SSBs can be transmitted per SS burst according with the table 3 below.

[0107] • “Cell search” for “SS / PBCH block” accounting for different carrier frequencies and subcarrier spacings: o Within one half-frame there are several occurrences of SSBs. o The SSBs can be located in the first or second half of the frame as indicated via MIB. o One or multiple SSBs (i.e., a group of occurrences) compose a Synchronization Signal (SS) burst. o The SS burst periodicity can be 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms. There currently exist certain challenge(s), however. For example, the drawback of OOK- based WUR is that a new broadcast signal, referred to as the low-power synchronization signal (LP-SS), must be transmitted by the network periodically when WUR is supported in a cell. This negatively impacts the control signaling overhead and network energy consumption just to be able to support a single feature which is not aligned with the goal of lean deign in 5G.

[0108] SUMMARY

[0109] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, methods and systems are provided for making the 6G synchronization signal compatible with OOK-based WUR in the first release of 6G. That is, anew harmonized and / or hybrid synchronization signal is provided, which can be read by either UEs with an OOK-based WUR or regular Mobile Broadband (MBB) UEs with a more capable receiver that can detect existing OFDM-based signals (i.e., capable In-phase and Quadrature (I / Q) sampling and detection of PSS and SSS similar to the LTE and NR designs).

[0110] According to certain embodiments, a method by a network node for transmitting a hybrid synchronization signal includes transmitting a first OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods. At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal. According to certain embodiments, a network node for transmitting a hybrid synchronization signal is configured to transmit a first OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods. At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

[0111] According to certain embodiments, a method by a UE for receiving a hybrid synchronization signal includes receiving, from a network node, a first OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods. At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

[0112] According to certain embodiments, a UE for receiving a hybrid synchronization signal is configured to receive, from a network node, a first OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods. At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

[0113] According to certain embodiments, a system for transmitting a hybrid synchronization signal includes a network node configured to transmit a first OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods. At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal. The system also includes at least one UE configured to decode the first OOK modulated synchronization signal using OOK-based WUR and at least one UE configured to decode the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal.

[0114] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). For example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of enabling OOK-based WUR UEs to operate in 6G network without the broadcast of any additional always-on signals, such as a Low Power-Synchronization Signal (LP-SS).

[0115] Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skill in the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of the recited advantages.

[0116] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0117] For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0118] FIGURE 1 illustrates a location of a WUS and the paging occasion to which it is associated; FIGURE 2 illustrates a WUS for NB-IoT and LTE-M;

[0119] FIGURE 3 illustrates use of eDRX and DRX WUS gaps for NB-IoT and LTE-M;

[0120] FIGURE 4 illustrates a unified LP-WUS design;

[0121] FIGURE 5 illustrates a different coverage for OOK and OFDM parts of unified LP-WUS;

[0122] FIGURE 6 illustrates unified LP-WUS content;

[0123] FIGURE 7 illustrates the time-frequency structure of the SSB;

[0124] FIGURE 8 illustrates a first example for generating a hybrid SS compatible with the OOK- based WUR, according to certain embodiments;

[0125] FIGURE 9 illustrates a second example for generating a first hybrid SS and a second hybrid SS, according to certain embodiments;

[0126] FIGURE 10 illustrates a third example for generating a first hybrid S S, according to certain embodiments;

[0127] FIGURE 11 illustrates an example for generating a hybrid SS that includes dividing an OOK-based SS into segments 406 such that each part contains a full first non-OOK modulated SS that are spread over time, according to a particular embodiment;

[0128] FIGURE 12 illustrates example time-frequency span of a 5G SS and a 6G hybrid SS, according to certain embodiments;

[0129] FIGURE 13 illustrates an example of multi-bit OOK waveform generated by the OFDM transmitter of the gNB, according to certain embodiments;

[0130] FIGURE 14 illustrates an example of new frequency domain sequences defined for the 6G hybrid SS based on OOK patterns of multi-bit OOK waveforms in time domain, according to certain embodiments;

[0131] FIGURE 15 illustrates an example of multiple frequency domain sequences being associated with one OOK waveform / pattem in time domain, according to certain embodiments;

[0132] FIGURE 16 illustrates an example communication system, according to certain embodiments;

[0133] FIGURE 17 illustrates an example UE, according to certain embodiments;

[0134] FIGURE 18 illustrates an example network node, according to certain embodiments;

[0135] FIGURE 19 illustrates an example method by a UE for receiving a hybrid SS, according to certain embodiments; and

[0136] FIGURE 20 illustrates an example method by a network node for transmitting a hybrid SS, according to certain embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0137] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0138] As used herein, ‘node’ can be a network node or a UE. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), Master eNB (MeNB), Secondary eNB (SeNB), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), Central Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Baseband Unit, Centralized Baseband, C-RAN, access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g. Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.), Operations & Maintenance (O&M), Operations Support System (OSS), Self Organizing Network (SON), positioning node (e.g. E- SMLC), etc. The terms network node and radio network node are used interchangeably herein.

[0139] Another example of a node is user equipment (UE), which is a non-limiting term and refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, vehicular to vehicular (V2V), machine type UE, MTC UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), Unified Serial Bus (USB) dongles, etc.

[0140] The term radio access technology (RAT), may refer to any RAT such as, for example, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRA), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRA), narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), WiFi, Bluetooth, next generation RAT, NR, 4G, 5G, etc. Any of the equipment denoted by the terms node, network node or radio network node may be capable of supporting a single or multiple RATs.

[0141] The term signal or radio signal used herein can be any physical signal or physical channel. Examples of downlink (DL) physical signals are reference signal (RS) such as Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) signals in SS / PBCH block (SSB), discovery reference signal (DRS), Cell Specific Reference Signal (CRS), Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), etc. RS may be periodic. For example, RS occasions carrying one or more RSs may occur with certain periodicity (e.g., 20 ms, 40 ms, etc.). The RS may also be aperiodic.

[0142] Each SSB carries New Radio-Primary Synchronization Signal (NR-PSS), New RadioSecondary Synchronization Signal (NR-SSS) and New Radio-Physical Broadcast Channel (NR- PBCH) in four successive symbols. One or multiple Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) are transmitted in one SSB burst which is repeated with certain periodicity such as, for example, 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. The UE is configured with information about SSB on cells of certain carrier frequency by one or more SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configurations. The SMTC configuration comprising parameters such as SMTC periodicity, SMTC occasion length in time or duration, SMTC time offset with regard to reference time (e.g., serving cell’s SFN) etc. Therefore, SMTC occasion may also occur with certain periodicity (e.g., 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms). Examples of uplink (UL) physical signals are reference signals such as Sounding Reference Signals (SRS), Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS), etc. The term physical channel refers to any channel carrying higher layer information e.g. data, control etc. Examples of physical channels are Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Short PUSCH (sPUCCH), Short PDSCH (sPDSCH), Short PUCCH (sPUCCH), Short PUSCH (sPUSCH), MTC PDCCH (MPDCCH), Narrowband PBCH (NPBCH), Narrowband PDCCH (NPDCCH), Narrowband PDSCH (NPDSCH), Narrowband PUSCH (NPUSCH), Enhanced PDCCH (E-PDCCH), etc.

[0143] The term time resource used herein may correspond to any type of physical resource or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time. Examples of time resources are symbol, time slot, subframe, radio frame, transmission time interval (TTI), interleaving time, slot, sub-slot, mini-slot, system frame number (SFN) cycle, hyper-SFN (H-SFN) cycle, etc.

[0144] According to certain embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed for making the 6G SS compatible with the OOK-based WUR included in the first release of 6G. More specifically, a new harmonized and / or hybrid SS is provided that can be read by either UEs with an OOK-based WUR or regular UEs with a more capable receiver that can detect existing OFDM-based signals (i.e., capable In-phase and Quadrature (I / Q) sampling and detection of PSS and SSS similar to the LTE and NR designs). Stated differently, as used herein the terms harmonized SS and hybrid SS refer to a 6G SS that is composed of (or represents) two types of SSs. One is detected by (or intended for) non-OOK receiver (such as OFDM-based receiver), the other one is detected by (or intended for) OOK receiver (such as low-power receiver) For example, according to certain embodiments, a regular SS that is non-OOK-based is incorporated into the On-periods of the OOK-based SS. In a particular embodiment, the OOK- based signal is encoded using Manchester coding and is split into several parts that can individually be used for sync by a non-OOK based receiver, though all parts are required for an OOK-based WUR. In this way, a joint SS can support both regular UEs and UEs using OOK-based WUR with a minimum of increased radio resource consumption and no increase in network energy consumption, with the only drawback being somewhat longer acquisition time for the OOK-based WUR.

[0145] 6G SS

[0146] In a particular embodiment, similar to PSS and SSS for LTE and NR, the 6G SS is extended in time, by inserting the Off-periods required for the OOK-modulation of signal in order to be decodable by an OOK-based receiver. FIGURE 8 illustrates a first example 100 for generating a hybrid SS 102 compatible with the OOK-based WUR, according to certain embodiments. As used herein, the term hybrid SS refers to a 6G synchronization signal that is composed of and / or represents two types of SS. One of the types of SS may be detected by and / or is intended for a non-OOK receiver (such as, for example, an OFDM-based receiver), and the other type of SS may be detected by and / or intended for a OOK receiver (such as, for example, a low-power receiver). For example, in the depicted embodiment, the top portion of FIGURE 8 illustrates a first non-OOK modulated SS 104, which is suited for a more capable OFDM-based WUR (capable of I / Q sampling for SSS detection). By contrast, the bottom portion of FIGURE 8 illustrates the hybrid SS 102 that is also compatible with the OOK-based WUR.

[0147] According to certain embodiments, the hybrid SS 102 is the same as the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 except the hybrid SS 102 is generated by extending the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 in time by inserting Off-periods 106 between On-periods 108. The hybrid SS 102 may also be referred to herein as a first OOK modulated SS.

[0148] In a particular embodiment, Manchester coding is used for the OOK part of hybrid SS 102 to generate Off-periods 106 and On-periods 108. Manchester coding ensures that all symbols / content of the hybrid SS 102 that are not OOK-based (i.e., the regular PSS / SSS portions of the hybrid SS 102) can always be transmitted independent of the OOK-based bit string. Without Manchester coding, the number of On-periods 108 could vary. However, a drawback of the hybrid SS 102 illustrated in FIGURE 8 is that sync acquisition for an MBB UE, which is capable of I / Q sampling and PSS / SSS reception, will be somewhat longer, which may be unwanted in some scenarios. Accordingly, FIGURE 9 illustrates a second example 200 for generating a first hybrid SS 202 and a second hybrid SS 204, which are compatible with the OOK-based WUR and may be transmitted simultaneously.

[0149] In a particular embodiment, first hybrid SS 202 and second hybrid SS 204 are generated similar to as described above with regard to first hybrid SS 102 depicted in FIGURE 9. However, the Off-periods 106 of first hybrid SS 202 and second hybrid SS 204 are opposite one another. Stated differently, first hybrid SS 202 includes an Off-period 106 during the portion of time that second hybrid SS 204 is in an On-period 108, and first hybrid SS 202 includes an On-period 108 during the portion of time that first hybrid SS 204 is in an OFF period 106.

[0150] In a particular embodiment, first hybrid SS 202 is transmitted on a first frequency resource, and second hybrid SS 204 is transmitted on a second frequency resource. In certain embodiments, a UE such as, for example, an MBB UE with a more capable receiver, performs a SS frequency hop to avoid the OOK Off-periods and, thus, not have an extended sync acquisition time. Though such SS frequency hop reduces synchronization time for non-OOK-based receivers, it may be recognized that a drawback is the consumption of more radio resources.

[0151] FIGURE 10 illustrates a third example 300 for generating a first hybrid SS 302, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated example 300, first non-OOK modulated SS 104 depicted in FIGURE 8 is incorporated into a On-period 304. As illustrated the length of the On- period 304 is longer than a regular On-period such as, for example the On-periods illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9. In a particular embodiment, the longer On-period 304is known by the OOK-based WUR. Thus, for example, information including the length, duration, start time, and / or end time of the longer On-period 304 may be sent from a network node (such as, for example, a gNB) to the OOK- based WUR. In a particular embodiment, Off-periods 306 are inserted immediately before and after the On-period 304 that includes the first non-OOK modulated SS 104.

[0152] FIGURE 11 illustrates an example 400 for generating a hybrid SS 402 that includes dividing an OOK-based signals 404 into segments 406 such that each part contains a full first non-OOK modulated SS 104 that are spread over time, according to a particular embodiment. For example, if the sequence used for OOK-based sync is [01101001] as shown in FIGURE 11, where Manchester coding is applied, the Manchester encoded bits,

[0001] ,

[0010] ,

[0010] , and

[0001] are spread periodically in time. Since each such segment 406 contains an On-period 408 and an Off-period 410. In the example illustrated in FIGURE 11, the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 is included in each On-period 408. The periodicity with which the segments 406 are spread then corresponds to the periodicity of the first non-OOK modulated SS 104. For OOK-based sync, all segments 406 must be considered by the UE and, in the example 400, the periodicity would then be four times longer (assuming the first segment of the next segment starts with the same periodicity after the last segment). For example, if the hybrid SS 402 has a periodicity of 40ms, the On-periods 408, which include the first non-OOK modulated SS 104, will have a 10ms periodicity. It is noted that having a longer periodicity for the OOK-based sync than four times the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 is also a viable option. In such an example, this would mean clusters of four non-OOK modulated SS 104 being distributed with a longer periodicity (e.g., 160ms, in a particular embodiment), corresponding to the periodicity of the hybrid SS 402.

[0153] A technical advantage of certain embodiments may be that the hybrid SS will have no negative impact on the non-OOK based sync acquisition (e.g., for regular MBB UEs) and performance would be similar to, for example, NR. It is noted that, in a particular embodiment, the UE is made aware of the OOK sync sequence. For example, in particular embodiments, the UE may receive information from the network that indicates which sequence will be used. Therefore, a UE not using a OOK-based WUR, knows the OOK Off-periods and, thus, knows exactly when sync is transmitted. As such, in contrast to previous techniques for sync, the non- OOK modulated SS is not perfectly periodic and, in the example above, the periodicity may vary from 9 to 11ms depending on the OOK sequence.

[0154] Time-Frequency Span of 6G SS

[0155] For low-power and low-complexity receivers such as the WUR, the supported bandwidth is typically smaller than regular eMBB devices. In order to have a unified SS that can be received by both OFDM receivers and OOK receivers, the bandwidth of the harmonized SS in 6G can be reduced compared to 5G.

[0156] FIGURE 12 illustrates example time-frequency span 500 of a 5G SS 502 and a 6G hybrid SS 504, according to certain embodiments. In the depicted embodiment, the bandwidth of the 6G hybrid SS 504 is smaller than the SSS / PSS bandwidth of the 5G NR SS 502. However, the 6G hybrid SS 504 may be longer in the time domain. In one example embodiment, as compared to SSS / PSS in NR, the bandwidth of the 6G hybrid SS 504 is scaled down and is expanded in time. In a special case, if the same scaling factor is used for time and frequency, the time-frequency overhead of the 6G hybrid SS 504 becomes the same as that of the 5G NR syncs 502.

[0157] In general, the 6G hybrid SS 504 occupies N subcarriers over K OFDM symbols, whereas the 5G NR SS 502 spans over 12 RBs (127 subcarriers) and one OFDM symbol. Examples of time-frequency span of the 6G hybrid SS, according to various particular embodiments, include:

[0158] • 2 symbols, 6 RBs

[0159] • 4 symbols, 3 RBs

[0160] • 6 symbols, 2 RBs 12 symbols, 1 RB

[0161] Sync Signal Compatible with Multi-bit OOK

[0162] There are two variants of the OOK waveform that can be generated using an OFDM-based transmitter (i.e., gNB):

[0163] • Single-bit OOK: One OOK segment in each OFDM symbol. Within the context of Release 19 WUR, this waveform is referred to as OOK1. o ON and OFF symbols

[0164] • Multi-bit OOK: Multiple OOK segments in each OFDM symbol. Within the context of Release 19 WUR, this waveform is referred to as OOK4. o an ON / OFF pattern (e.g., [0,1,0,!]) within one OFDM symbol

[0165] The embodiments described above primarily target the single-bit OOK; however, the previously described embodiments are also applicable to the multi-bit OOK case. For the multibit OOK waveform, the number of OOK segments within an OFDM symbol can be, for example, {2, 4, 6, 8}.

[0166] The benefit of the multi-bit OOK is the increase of data rate as compared to the single-bit OOK. However, the waveform generation of multi-bit OOK can be more challenging than the single bit case. The multi-bit OOK waveform can be generated via OFDM transmitter (e.g., gNB) by proper setting of frequency domain symbols as inputs to the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) such that the output of IFFT can represent a desired time-domain signal. FIGURE 13 illustrates an example 600 of multi-bit OOK waveform generated by the OFDM transmitter of the gNB, according to certain embodiments. In the depicted example 600, four OOK segments [0,1, 0,1] are transmitted within one OFDM symbol.

[0167] The time domain waveform of the NR SSS does not represent the multi-bit OOK. However, for the 6G hybrid SS, new frequency domain sequences may be introduced such that their associated time domain can represent multi-bit OOK waveforms, in certain embodiments.

[0168] FIGURE 14 illustrates an example 700 of new frequency domain sequences 702 defined for the 6G hybrid SS based on OOK patterns of multi-bit OOK waveforms 704 in time domain. In this case, regular OFDM receivers perform sequence detection in the frequency domain while OOK receivers perform envelop detection in the time domain. The benefit of this approach is that there is no need to extend the duration of the 6G hybrid SS as compared to the existing SSs in 5G. Specifically, the time-frequency span of the 6G hybrid SS is the same as SSS yet the sequences can be different. Though certain embodiments are described herein as using Manchester encoding for the OOK waveform, it is not necessary to use Manchester encoding. That is, the solutions and techniques described herein are applicable to a general OOK pattern with or without Manchester encoding.

[0169] According to certain embodiments, he amount of information required for synchronization of OOK devices can be smaller than that of regular OFDM devices. Therefore, in a particular embodiment, the hybrid SS can carry more information for OFDM devices (performing frequency domain detection) than OOK devices (performing time domain envelope detection).

[0170] In another particular embodiment, a single OOK pattern in the time domain is associated with multiple frequency domain sequences. Thus, FIGURE 15 illustrates an example 800 of multiple frequency domain sequences 802a, 802b, ... 802m being associated with one OOK waveform / pattem 804 in time domain, according to certain embodiments. This corresponds to a one-to-many mapping of the time domain to the frequency domain of the signal.

[0171] In a particular embodiment, the hybrid SS is only transmitted in cells that support WUR operation. In other cells a regular sync signal (without the OOK-part) would be transmitted. The support of WUR in the cell could be implicit from the presence of the hybrid SS. For example, if a UE cannot detect the sync with a WUR, the UE concludes that the cell does not support WUR operation, in a particular embodiment.

[0172] FIGURE 16 shows an example of a communication system 900 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 900 includes a telecommunication network 902 that includes an access network 904, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 906, which includes one or more core network nodes 908. The access network 904 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 910a and 910b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 910), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 910 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 912a, 912b, 912c, and 912d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 912) to the core network 906 over one or more wireless connections.

[0173] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 900 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 900 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0174] The UEs 912 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 910 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 910 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 912 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 902 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 902.

[0175] In the depicted example, the core network 906 connects the network nodes 910 to one or more hosts, such as host 916. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 906 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 908) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 908. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0176] The host 916 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 904 and / or the telecommunication network 902, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 916 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0177] As a whole, the communication system 900 of FIGURE 16 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0178] In some examples, the telecommunication network 902 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 902 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 902. For example, the telecommunications network 902 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0179] In some examples, the UEs 912 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 904 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 904. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0180] In the example, the hub 914 communicates with the access network 904 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 912c and / or 912d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 910b). In some examples, the hub 914 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 914 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 906 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 914 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 910, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 914. As another example, the hub 914 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 914 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 914 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 914 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 914 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0181] The hub 914 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 910b. The hub 914 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 914 and UEs (e.g., UE 912c and / or 912d), and between the hub 914 and the core network 906. In other examples, the hub 914 is connected to the core network 906 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 914 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 904 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 910 while still connected via the hub 914 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 914 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 910b. In other embodiments, the hub 914 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 910b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0182] FIGURE 17 shows a UE 1000 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0183] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0184] The UE 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1004 to an input / output interface 1006, apower source 1008, amemory 1010, a communication interface 1012, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIGURE 17. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0185] The processing circuitry 1002 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1010. The processing circuitry 1002 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1002 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0186] In the example, the input / output interface 1006 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1000. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0187] In some embodiments, the power source 1008 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1008 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1008 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1000 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1008. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1008 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1000 to which power is supplied.

[0188] The memory 1010 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1010 includes one or more application programs 1014, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1016. The memory 1010 may store, for use by the UE 1000, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0189] The memory 1010 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1010 may allow the UE 1000 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1010, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0190] The processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1012. The communication interface 1012 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1022. The communication interface 1012 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1018 and / or a receiver 1020 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1018 and receiver 1020 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1022) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0191] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1012 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0192] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1012, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0193] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0194] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, amotion detector, a thermostat, asmoke detector, adoor / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or itemtracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1000 shown in FIGURE 17.

[0195] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0196] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0197] FIGURE 18 shows a network node 1100 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)). Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0198] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0199] The network node 1100 includes a processing circuitry 1102, a memory 1104, a communication interface 1106, and a power source 1108. The network node 1100 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1100 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1100 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1104 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1110 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1100 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1100, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1100. The processing circuitry 1102 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1100 components, such as the memory 1104, to provide network node 1100 functionality.

[0200] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1112 and baseband processing circuitry 1114. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1112 and the baseband processing circuitry 1114 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1112 and baseband processing circuitry 1114 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0201] The memory 1104 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1102. The memory 1104 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1102 and utilized by the network node 1100. The memory 1104 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1102 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1106. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 and memory 1104 is integrated.

[0202] The communication interface 1106 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between anetwork node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1106 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1116 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1106 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1118 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1110. Radio front-end circuitry 1118 comprises filters 1120 and amplifiers 1122. The radio frontend circuitry 1118 may be connected to an antenna 1110 and processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1110 and processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1120 and / or amplifiers 1122. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1110. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1110 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1118. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1102. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0203] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1100 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1118, instead, the processing circuitry 1102 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1110. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1112 is part of the communication interface 1106. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1106 includes one or more ports or terminals 1116, the radio frontend circuitry 1118, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1112, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1106 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1114, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0204] The antenna 1110 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1110 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1118 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1110 is separate from the network node 1100 and connectable to the network node 1100 through an interface or port.

[0205] The antenna 1110, communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1110, the communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0206] The power source 1108 provides power to the various components of network node 1100 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1108 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1100 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1100 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1108. As a further example, the power source 1108 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0207] Embodiments of the network node 1100 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIGURE 18 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1100 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1100 and to allow output of information from the network node 1100. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1100.

[0208] FIGURE 19 illustrates an example method 1200 by a UE 912 for receiving a hybrid SS, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the method incudes the UE 912 receiving, at an optional step 1202, an OOK signal pattern from a network node. In a particular embodiment, the OOK signal pattern is associated with a first Ook modulated SS and includes a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods. , at an optional step 1202. At step 1204, the UE 912 receives a hybrid SS (which may also be referred to herein as a first OOK modulated SS) that includes the plurality of On-periods and Off-periods. At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the hybrid SS. At an optional 1206, the UE 912 decodes the first non-OOK modulated SS based on the OOK signal pattern.

[0209] In various particular embodiments, the hybrid SS may include any one of hybrid SS 102, hybrid SS 202, hybrid SS 204, hybrid SS 302, hybrid SS 402, or any other hybrid SS described herein.

[0210] In a particular embodiment,

[0211] In a particular embodiment, the UE 912 extracts, from the at least one On-period 108 of the first OOK modulated SS 102, at least the portion of the first non-OOK modulated SS 104.

[0212] In a further particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS 102 is for decoding by at least one UE configured for OOK-based WUR.

[0213] In a particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS 102 is Manchester encoded. In a particular embodiment, the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 includes a plurality of portions, and each of the plurality of portions of the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 are transmitted in a respective one of the plurality of On-periods 108.

[0214] In a particular embodiment, the first non-OOK modulated SS comprises a plurality of portions, and at least a first On-period of the first OOK modulated SS is longer than at least a second On-period of the first OOK modulated SS. The first On-period that is longer than the second On-period comprises an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated SS.

[0215] In a particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS 202 and the portion of the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 are transmitted on a first frequency. In a further particular embodiment, the UE 912 receives, on a second frequency, a second OOK modulated SS 204 comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods, and at least one portion of a second non- OOK modulated SS 204 is transmitted in at least one On-period of the second OOK modulated SS. Each On-period of the second OOK modulated SS corresponds to a respective one of the Off- periods of the first OOK modulated SS.

[0216] In a particular embodiment, a first On-period 304 of the first OOK modulated SS 302 is longer than at least one other On-period of the first OOK modulated SS, and an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 is transmitted during the longer, first On-period 304.

[0217] In a particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS 102 that includes the first non- OOK modulated SS 104 is of a duration of K Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM, symbols and a bandwidth of N resource blocks. For example, any one of the following may be true in various particular embodiments: T is 2 and N is 6, T is 4 and TV is 3,

[0218] AT is 6 and N is 2, or

[0219] AT is 12 symbols and TV is 1.

[0220] In a particular embodiment, at least one frequency domain sequence is defined for the first OOK modulated synchronization signal based on at least one time domain pattern of at least one multi -bit OOK waveform.

[0221] In a particular embodiment, the at least one UE configured to decode the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is configured to perform sequence detection in a frequency domain and / or the at least one UE configured to decode the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is configured to use OOK-based WUR by performing envelope pattern in a time domain.

[0222] FIGURE 20 illustrates an example method 1300 by a network node 910 for transmitting a hybrid SS, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the network node 910, optionally, transmits, to at least one UE, an OOK signal pattern associated with a first OOK modulated SS signal for use in decoding a first non-OOK modulated SS, at step 1302. At step 1304, the network node transmits the first OK, modulated SS, which incudes a plurality of On- periods and Off-periods. At least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated SS is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated SS.

[0223] In various particular embodiments, the hybrid SS may include any one of hybrid SS 102, hybrid SS 202, hybrid SS 204, hybrid SS 302, hybrid SS 402, or any other hybrid SS described herein.

[0224] In a particular embodiment, for example, the network node 910 transmits, to the UE 912, an OOK signal pattern associated with the first OOK modulated SS 102. Based on the OOK signal pattern, the UE 912 decodes the first non-OOK modulated SS 104. For example, the OOK signal pattern may include a plurality of On-periods 108 and Off-periods 106.

[0225] In a particular embodiment, the network node 910 configures the UE 912 to extract, from the at least one On-period 108 of the first OOK modulated SS 102, at least the portion of the first non-OOK modulated SS 104.

[0226] In a further particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS 102 is for decoding by at least one UE configured for OOK-based WUR.

[0227] In a particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS 102 is Manchester encoded.

[0228] In a particular embodiment, the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 includes a plurality of portions, and each of the plurality of portions of the first non-OOK modulated SS 104 are transmitted in a respective one of the plurality of On-periods 108.

[0229] In a particular embodiment, the first non-OOK modulated SS comprises a plurality of portions, and at least a first On-period of the first OOK modulated SS is longer than at least a second On-period of the first OOK modulated SS. The first On-period that is longer than the second On-period comprises an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated SS.

[0230] In a particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS and the portion of the first non- OOK modulated SS are transmitted on a first frequency.

[0231] In a particular embodiment, the network node 910 transmits, on a second frequency, a second OOK modulated SS comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods, and at least one portion of a second non-OOK modulated SS is transmitted in at least one On-period of the second OOK modulated SS. Each On-period of the second OOK modulated SS corresponds to a respective one of the Off-periods of the first OOK modulated SS.

[0232] In a particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS is for decoding by at least one UE 912 configured for OOK-based WUR. In a particular embodiment, a first On-period of the first OOK modulated SS is longer than at least one other On-period of the first OOK modulated SS, and an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated SS is transmitted during the longer, first On-period.

[0233] In a particular embodiment, the first OOK modulated SS 102 that includes the first non- OOK modulated SS 104 is of a duration of K Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM, symbols and a bandwidth of N resource blocks. For example, any one of the following may be true in various particular embodiments: T is 2 and N is 6, T is 4 and TV is 3,

[0234] AT is 6 and N is 2, or

[0235] AT is 12 symbols and TV is 1.

[0236] In a particular embodiment, at least one frequency domain sequence is defined for the first OOK modulated synchronization signal based on at least one time domain pattern of at least one multi -bit OOK waveform.

[0237] In a particular embodiment, the at least one UE configured to decode the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is configured to perform sequence detection in a frequency domain and / or the at least one UE configured to decode the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is configured to use OOK-based WUR by performing envelope pattern in a time domain.

[0238] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0239] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (1300) by a network node (910) for transmitting a hybrid synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402), the method comprising: transmitting (1304) afirst On-Off Key, OOK, modulated synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402) comprising a plurality of On-periods (108) and Off-periods (106), and wherein at least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal (104) is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

2. The method of Claim 1, comprising: transmitting (1302), to at least one User Equipment, UE (912), an OOK signal pattern associated with the first OOK modulated synchronization signal for decoding, by the at least one MBB UE, the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal.

3. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 2, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is Manchester encoded.

4. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal comprises a plurality of portions, and each of the plurality of portions of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal are transmitted in a respective one of the plurality of On-periods.

5. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal comprises a plurality of portions, and at least a first On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is longer than at least a second On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal, and wherein the first On-period that is longer than the second ON period comprises an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal.

6. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal and the portion of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal are transmitted on a first frequency.

7. The method of Claim 6, comprising: transmitting, on a second frequency, a second OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods, and wherein at least one portion of a second non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the second OOK modulated synchronization signal, andwherein each On-period of the second OOK modulated synchronization signal corresponds to a respective one of the Off-periods of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is for decoding by at least one User Equipment, UE (912), configured for OOK-based WUR.

9. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein a first On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is longer than at least one other On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal, and an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted during the longer, first On-period.

10. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal that includes the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is of a duration of K Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM, symbols and a bandwidth of N resource blocks, and wherein: T is 2 and N is 6, T is 4 and TV is 3,AT is 6 and N is 2, orAT is 12 symbols and TV is 1.

11. A method (1200) by a User Equipment, UE (912), for receiving a hybrid synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402), the method comprising: receiving (1204), from a network node (910), a first On-Off Key, OOK, modulated synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402) comprising a plurality of On-periods (108) and Off-periods (106), and wherein at least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal (104) is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

12. The method of Claim 11, comprising: receiving (1202), from the network node, an OOK signal pattern associated with the first OOK modulated synchronization signal; and based on the OOK signal pattern, decoding (1206) the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal.

13. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 12, comprising extracting, from the at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal, at least the portion of the first non- OOK modulated synchronization signal.

14. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 13, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is for decoding by at least one UE configured for OOK-based WUR.

15. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 14, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is Manchester encoded.

16. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 15, wherein: the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal comprises a plurality of portions, and each of the plurality of portions of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal are transmitted in a respective one of the plurality of On-periods.

17. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 15, wherein: the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal comprises a plurality of portions, and at least a first On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is longer than at least a second On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal, and wherein the first On-period that is longer than the second On-period comprises an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal.

18. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 17, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal and the portion of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal are transmitted on a first frequency.

19. The method of Claim 18, comprising: receiving, on a second frequency, a second OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods, and wherein at least one portion of a second non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the second OOK modulated synchronization signal, and wherein each On-period of the second OOK modulated synchronization signal corresponds to a respective one of the Off-periods of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

20. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 19, wherein a first On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is longer than at least one other On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal, and an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted during the longer, first On-period.

21. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 20, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal that includes the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is of a duration of K Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM, symbols and a bandwidth of N resource blocks, and wherein:? is 2 and N is 6,AT is 4 and TV is 3,AT is 6 and N is 2, orAT is 12 symbols and TV is 1.

22. A system for transmitting a hybrid synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402), the system comprising: a network node (910) configured to transmit a first On-Off Key, OOK, modulated synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402) comprising a plurality of On-periods (108) and Off-periods (106), wherein at least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal (104) is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal; at least one UE (912) configured to decode the first OOK modulated synchronization signal using OOK-based WUR; and at least one UE (912), configured to decode the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal.

23. The system of Claim 22, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal uses Manchester coding.

24. The system of any one of Claims 22 to 23, wherein: the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal comprises a plurality of portions, and each of the plurality of portions of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal are transmitted in a respective one of the plurality of On-periods.

25. The system of any one of Claims 22 to 23, wherein: the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal comprises a plurality of portions, and at least a first On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is longer than at least a On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal, and wherein the first On-period that is longer than the second On-period comprises an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal.

26. The system of any one of Claims 22 to 25, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal and the portion of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal are transmitted on a first frequency.

27. The system of Claim 26, wherein: the network node is configured to transmit, on a second frequency, a second OOK modulated synchronization signal comprising a plurality of On-periods and Off-periods, andwherein at least one portion of a second non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted in at least one On-period of the second OOK modulated synchronization signal, and wherein each On-period of the second OOK modulated synchronization signal corresponds to a respective one of the Off-periods of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

28. The method of any one of claims 22 to 27, wherein: the network node is configured to transmit, to the at least one MBB UE, an OOK signal pattern associated with the first OOK modulated synchronization signal; and the at least one MBB UE is configured to decode the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal based on the OOK signal pattern.

29. The system of any one of Claims 22 to 28, wherein a first On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is longer than at least one other On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal, and an entirety of the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is transmitted during the longer, first On-period.

30. The system of any one of Claims 22 to 29, wherein the first OOK modulated synchronization signal that includes the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is of a duration of K Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM, symbols and a bandwidth of N resource blocks, and wherein: T is 2 and N is 6, T is 4 and TV is 3,AT is 6 and N is 2, orAT is 12 symbols and TV is 1.

31. The system of any one of Claims 22 to 30, wherein at least one frequency domain sequence is defined for the first OOK modulated synchronization signal based on at least one time domain pattern of at least one multi-bit OOK waveform.

32. The system of any one of Claims 22 to 31, wherein: the at least one UE configured to decode the first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal is configured to perform sequence detection in a frequency domain; and the at least one UE configured to decode the first OOK modulated synchronization signal is configured to use OOK-based WUR by performing envelope pattern in a time domain.

33. A network node (910) for transmitting a hybrid synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402), the network node configured to:transmit (1602) a first On-Off Key, OOK, modulated synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402) comprising a plurality of On-periods (108) and Off-periods (106), and wherein at least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal (104) is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

34. The network node of Claim 33, configured to perform any of the methods of Claims 2 to10.

35. A User Equipment, UE (912), for receiving a hybrid synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402), the UE configured to: receive (1502), from a network node (910), a first On-Off Key, OOK, modulated synchronization signal (102, 202, 204, 302, 402) comprising a plurality of On-periods (108) and Off-periods (106), and wherein at least a portion of a first non-OOK modulated synchronization signal (104) is transmitted in at least one On-period of the first OOK modulated synchronization signal.

36. The UE of Claim 35, configured to perform any of the methods of Claims 12 to 21.

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