PSS / SSS mapping for mrss

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for accessing a network and differentiating a 5G network from a 6G network in a SSB. Methods can include searching for a SSB, detecting a valid PSS sequence, and decoding a SSS by matching a mapping of sequence elements of the SSS to resource elements of an OFDM time-frequency grid to a mapping of SSS sequence elements to resource elements of the OFDM time-frequency grid.

Description

PSS / SSS MAPPING FOR MRSSCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED INFORMATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of United States of America priority application No. 63 / 703,746 filed on December 04, 2024, titled “PSS / SSS MAPPING FOR MRSS.”TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for accessing networks, including differentiating 5th generation, 5G, networks from 6th generation, 6G, networks, for multi radio access technology, RAT, spectrum sharing, MRSS.BACKGROUND

[0003] Spectrum Sharing

[0004] Valuable spectrum for mobile communication is in the low-band and midband due to its advantageous propagation condition. In the transition from 4th generation, 4G, to new radio, NR, new spectrum in these bands was very scarce. There are very few if any spectrum bands solely assigned to NR and not 4G. The same situation can be expected with the transition from NR to 6G. In other words, there will be very few or no spectrum bands in low-band and midband that are only allocated to 6G and not NR. It is therefore important to enable efficient spectrum sharing between NR and 6G so that it is possible to operate NR and 6G simultaneously on the same spectrum resource.

[0005] NR Frame Structure

[0006] In NR, the time-domain is divided into radio frames which are 10ms long. Each radio frame is divided into 10 subframes of 1ms duration. A subframe is divided into multiple slots, with a slot being defined as 14 contiguous symbols. Depending on the NR numerology / / (subcarrier spacing A = 2^ ■ 15sjotsfltjnt0 a SLlbframe, see Table 1. Higher subcarrier spacings are used at higher carrier frequencies, since larger subcarrier spacing provideshigher robustness towards phase noise and enables wider carrier bandwidths (with at most 3300 subcarriers).Table 1: Slots per subframe, depending on NR numerology p

[0007] In a scenario with 5G-6G dynamic spectrum sharing, there will be one 5G frame structure for the 5G transmissions and one 6G frame structure for the 6G transmissions. The 6G frame structure may use 10ms long frames and 1ms long subframes in a similar way as in NR. Furthermore, the NR and 6G frame structures may be time aligned, such as by a 6G frame starting at the same time instant as an NR frame. This simplifies inter-RAT handovers and other radioresource management spanning both the NR carrier and the 6G carrier.

[0008] NR SSB composition

[0009] When an NR user equipment, UE, is switched on or searches for a new cell in handover, the UE tries to detect the synchronization signal block, SSB. Fig. 1 shows two examples of the signal structure of the SSB, which includes primary synchronization signal, PSS, secondary synchronization signal, SSS, and physical broadcast channel, PBCH. As shown in Fig. 1, 1 physical resource block, PRB, is 12 subcarriers and 10 indicates the start symbol of the SSB.

[0010] The UE searches for the PSS using, for example, a time-domain filter and performs rough time and frequency synchronization based on the PSS. Once the UE finds the PSS, it can process the next three symbols to detect the SSS. Since the UE is already time and frequency synchronized, this step typically happens in frequency-domain. In other words, the UE transforms each symbol into the frequency-domain and correlates the received SSS symbols with SSS candidates. The found PSS, which may be 1 of 3 PSS sequences that exist, together with the found SSS sequence, which may be 1 of 336 SSS sequences that exist, define the cell ID (in total 3 x 336 = 1008). After successful detection of PSS and SSS, the UE can demodulate and decodethe PBCH, which contains the master information block, MIB, as well as some physical-layer created payload, which together enable the UE to proceed in accessing the cell.

[0011] The NRPSS is based on a cyclic-shifted (in frequency-domain) m-sequence of length 127 and the NR SSS is based on a Gold sequence of length 127. Both synchronization signals are binary phase shift keying, BPSK, modulated.

[0012] During initial access, the UE has no notion about the timing of the cell. The SSB is therefore periodically transmitted so that a UE - irrespective of when it is switched on - always finds an SSB. An SSB is repeated with the SSB periodicity which can vary in NR from 5ms to 160ms and is assumed to be 20ms for initial access.

[0013] At higher frequencies the coverage of SSB may be insufficient to cover the desired cell area. It is therefore possible to transmit multiple SSBs within an SSB period. Even though the standard does not prescribe how (e.g., with respect to spatial domain) the different SSBs are transmitted. One approach is to transmit SSBs within an SSB period with different beams, such as spatial precoders, to cover the desired cell area. Fig. 2 together with Fig. 3 show the placement in time of SSB candidates within an SSB period, which is sometimes called SSB composition. The SSB composition of Fig. 2 shows the symbols within two slots that can carry SSB candidates, depending on the SSB composition pattern A to E. Since two slots are not sufficient to carry the maximum number of SSB candidates, more than two slots per SSB period can carry SSBs, as shown with the slot positions of SSB blocks in Fig. 3.

[0014] Since coverage is worse at higher frequencies, narrower beams are needed at higher frequencies to achieve the desired coverage. Therefore, SSB compositions contain more SSB candidates at higher frequencies than at lower frequencies, see Table 2. Depending on the carrier frequency, with numerology / / = 0 or / / = 1, up to 4 or 8 SSB candidates are supported per SSB period, respectively.Table 2: Number of possible SSB candidates per SSB period

[0015] SSB Location

[0016] In principle, a 5G NR carrier could be positioned anywhere within the spectrum. The basic NR physical-layer specification does not refer to an exact frequency location of an NR carrier, including the frequency band. However, in practice there is a need for restrictions on where an NR carrier can be positioned in the frequency domain to simplify RF implementation and to provide some structure to carrier assignments in a frequency band between different operators. With NR, the channel raster has a fine granularity of 5kHz up to 3 GHz carrier frequency, 15kHz for 3GHz to 24.25 GHz, and 60kHz above 24.25GHz. This channel raster has the benefit of being a factor in the subcarrier spacings relevant for each frequency range, as well as being compatible with the 100kHz long-term evolution, LTE, raster in bands where LTE is deployed, such as below 3 GHz.

[0017] Performing an initial cell search on all possible channel raster positions would be too time consuming. Instead, to reduce the overall complexity and not spend an unreasonable time on cell search, NR also defines a sparser search raster which is used when an NR device searches for an SSB upon initial access. Thus, when searching for candidate cells, the NR device UE only needs to search for SSBs on the search raster points, not the complete channel raster, as shown in the NR carrier raster of Fig. 4.

[0018] Energy Performance

[0019] An important energy performance enabler is maximizing the idle or sleep time of radio and baseband components, such as digital signal processors and power amplifiers. During times without user data transmission, as few signals as possible should be transmitted. It is also advantageous to concentrate signals in time, such as when a signal is transmitted, to transmit other signals that need to be transmitted in the same or adjacent symbols.SUMMARY

[0020] One embodiment under the present disclosure includes a method performed by a user equipment for accessing a network. The method comprises searching for a synchronization signal block, SSB, the SSB comprising a primary synchronization signal, PSS. The method also comprises detecting a valid PSS sequence, and decoding a secondary synchronization signal, SSS, by matching a mapping of sequence elements of the SSS to resourceelements of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, OFDM, time-frequency grid to one of a plurality of mappings of SSS sequence elements to resource elements of the OFDM timefrequency grid.

[0021] Another embodiment under the present disclosure includes a method performed by a network node for differentiating a 5th generation, 5G, network from a 6th generation, 6G, network in a synchronization signal block, SSB. The method comprises mapping one or more sequence elements of either a secondary synchronization signal, SSS, of the 5G network or a SSS of the 6G network to one or more resource elements of the SSB at a first set of one or more locations in the SSB.

[0022] Another embodiment under the present disclosure includes a user equipment, UE, configured to access a network. The UE comprises processing circuitry configured to perform any of embodiments 1 through 9, and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0023] Yet another embodiment under the present disclosure includes a network node configured to differentiate a 5th generation, 5G, network from a 6th generation, 6G, network in a synchronization signal block, SSB. The network node comprises processing circuitry configured to perform any of embodiments 10 through 12, and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0024] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an indication of the scope of the claimed subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Fig. 1 illustrates examples of SSB signal;

[0027] Fig. 2 illustrates a first example of the placement in time of SSB candidates within an SSB period;

[0028] Fig. 3 illustrates a second example of the placement in time of SSB candidates within an SSB period;

[0029] Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a NR carrier raster;

[0030] Fig. 5 illustrates a mapping for SSS in 5G, and examples of different mappings for 6G under the present disclosure;

[0031] Fig. 6 illustrates an example of using different search rasters according to an embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0032] Fig. 7 illustrates a flow-chart of a method embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0033] Fig. 8 illustrates a flow-chart of a method embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0034] Fig. 9 illustrates a flow-chart of a method embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0035] Fig. 10 shows a schematic of a communication system embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0036] Fig. 11 shows a schematic of a user equipment embodiment under the present disclosure;

[0037] Fig. 12 shows a schematic of a network node embodiment under the present disclosure; and

[0038] Fig. 13 shows a schematic of a virtualization environment embodiment under the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Before describing various embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the parameters of the particularly exemplified systems, methods, apparatus, products, processes, and / or kits, which may, of course, vary. Thus, while certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail, with reference to specific configurations, parameters, components, elements, etc., the descriptions are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed embodiments. Inaddition, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claimed embodiments.

[0040] There currently exist certain challenges in the state of the technology in the prior art. No SSB design and SSB composition exists for 6G. The SSB design for NR is not desirable to be reused for 6G. If it were, an NR UE may find a 6G SSB and proceed to access the 6G cell, learning only during subsequent processing steps that it cannot access this cell because it is a 6G cell and not an NR cell. The identification of a 6G cell as a 6G cell should occur before or during SSB reception in order to avoid having an NR UE do a lot of processing steps to only later determine it cannot access the cell. This avoids an unnecessary consumption of UE power and a prolonged search time. Similarly, the same applies for a 6G UE that should access a 6G cell, the 6G UE should not spend unnecessary time decoding NR signals. Furthermore, a 5G UE doing mobility measurements does not typically read the MIB, relying on measurements on the PSS / SSS only. It is therefore desirable to prevent 5GUEs from finding non-accessible 6G cells and reporting those to the 5G network.

[0041] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Prior work included a method for differentiating 5G and 6G based on different PSS and / or SSS sequences. This present disclosure provides a different solution to the problem. For example, by using different mapping for the PSS and / or SSS, 5G and 6G may be differentiated. Specifically, 6G SSBs may differ from NR SSBs in the mapping of PSS / SSS sequence elements to resource elements, thereby allowing a UE to differentiate between 5G and 6G.

[0042] As discussed herein, the term maximize may refer to maximizing a true detection rate, or minimizing a missed detection rate, given a certain (low) probability of a false alarm rate (for a given signal and noise level). The term minimize may refer to minimizing a false alarm rate (for a given signal and noise level) given a certain (high) true detection rate or a certain (small) missed detection rate.

[0043] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The UE may, at an early stage of cell search, determine whether it has found a 5G cell or a 6G cell. Additionally, it may be beneficial for 5G and 6G networks to share fundamental time and frequency synchronization that is achieved by decoding the PSS in order to reduce initialnetwork access delay and computational complexity. The teachings of certain embodiments may improve the latency and power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, better responsiveness, and extended battery lifetime.

[0044] 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.

[0045] As disclosed in the embodiments herein, a 6G SSB may be differentiated from a 5G SSB by one or more of: (1) different mappings of the PSS and / or SSS to the resource elements, (2) using a different search raster for 5G and 6G so that the set of allowed frequencies where SSB transmission may take place differs between 5G and 6G, or (3) having different modulation schemes or sequences for PSS / SSS in 6G compared to 5G.

[0046] As discussed herein, mapping refers to the mapping of PSS / SSS sequence elements to resource elements in the OFDM time-frequency grid. Fig. 5 illustrates different mappings (502a-c) for SSS in 5G and 6G. Similar differences can be made to the 6GPSS compared to the 5G PSS (not shown).

[0047] When 5G and 6G use the same PSS design, the UE, to access the network or cell, first decodes PSS and upon detection of a valid PSS sequence, attempts to decode an SSS according to either 5G legacy mapping (502a) or specified 6G mapping (502b, 502c), which is different from the 5G mapping.

[0048] The detection of the valid PSS sequence may include performing a correlation and selecting a maximum. When included, the UE will perform correlation of the received samples on the resources occupied by SSS with all possible SSS sequences and then select the candidate sequence resulting in the maximum absolute value of the correlation. Other possible requirements may be imposed on the value of the correlation. For example, the absolute value of the correlation may need to be above a threshold that is set according to some performance criterion. As another example, and in one embodiment, an additional correlation threshold is set to maximize the probability of correctly detecting 6G SSS when the total footprint, TF, resources of the received symbol - over which correlation with 6G SSS candidates is performed - are occupied by a 6G SSS. In another embodiment, the threshold is set to minimize the probability of detecting the presence of a 6G SSS when the TF resources of the received symbol - over which correlatingwith 6G SSS candidates is performed - are occupied by a 5G SSS. This other embodiment may be considered a false alarm. Analogous embodiments can be constructed for a 5 GUE correlating with 5G SSS candidates with a 6G SSS possibly present in the resources over which the correlation is performed.

[0049] The SSS sequences may belong to the same set of sequences or a different set of sequences. For example, the 5G SSS and 6G SSS sequences may both be gold sequences with the same or different lengths and / or the same or offset cell IDs used as seeds in the sequence generation. Alternatively, the 6G sequence may be a completely different sequence, such as an m- sequence. In one embodiment, the 6G SSS sequence may be chosen such that the correlation of 6G SSS sequence elements and 5G SSS sequence elements occupying the same resources in the SSB is minimum among all known sequences.

[0050] Fig. 5 illustrates an example where the total resource footprint of an SSB is the same for 5G and 6G. However, different mappings may occur within this boundary, such as placement of SSS (502a-c), PBCH, and PBCH demodulation reference signal, DM-RS, (not shown). By reusing the same SSB footprint, a 6G SSB occurs to a 5G UE as yet another 5G SSB from an interference and resource usage perspective, allowing 5G’s built-in capabilities to handle this case.

[0051] 5G and 6G may also be differentiated by relaxing the constraint that 5G and6G SSB have the same resource footprint. For example, if a 6G SSB would, in either time or frequency domain, be “bigger” than a 5G SSB, 5G UEs can be configured to rate match around 6G SSBs using reserved resources, which is a 5G functionality. This method would be advantageous if the 6G PBCH / MIB has to carry more information than its 5G counterpart. However, the 6G SSB should not be too wide / big because that could: (1) have a negative impact on massive-IoT devices because for these devices it is important that the minimum device bandwidth they need to support be not too large, (2) set a limit on how sparse the frequency-domain sync grid can be made because at least one SSB must fit into any possible channel allocation, and (3) set a limit on the smallest possible carrier bandwidth. Extending SSB in time should also be used with care, in other words not overly extend SSB in time, because extending SSB in time extends the duration of always-on signals for SSB, incurring additional energy consumption — a negative from a network energy performance perspective.

[0052] An additional way to differentiate 5G and 6G is to use different searchrasters (610, 620). In 5G, the frequency-domain location of an SSB is restricted to a search raster, as shown by search raster (610) in Fig. 6. A search raster reduces the UE complexity because the UE has to perform the cell search at only a limited set of frequencies. A 6G SSB not centered around one of the search raster points will not be detected by a 5G UE, as illustrated by the 6G SSB (620a) between the 5G search raster points (610a, 610b), the 6G SSB (620b) between the 5G search raster points (610b, 610c), and the 6G SSB (620c) between the 5G search raster points (610c, 610d) in Fig. 6. With search rasters, 5G and 6G may be differentiated by locating the 6G SSB at a different set of search raster points (620b, 620c), as shown by search raster (620) in Fig. 6. A UE may leverage this knowledge by, for example, only searching for SSBs on the 6G search raster points (620b, 620c) when accessing a 6G network.

[0053] Regardless of how the differentiation between 5G and 6G is performed, the UE may determine, based on whether a 5G SSB or a 6G SSB was found, that it is accessing a 5G cell or a 6G cell and may continue to decode a subsequent PBCH according to the determined cell type (5G or 6G). Consequently, the UE may decode either a 5G PBCH specified with a 5G PBCH mapping and containing 5G PBCH information, or a 6G PBCH specified with a 6G PBCH mapping and containing 6G PBCH information. Decoding the PBCH with the correct mapping and information allows the UE to retrieve said information.

[0054] Although the embodiments herein center on differentiating between 5G and 6G SSBs, different 6G SSBs may be differentiated according to the same embodiments. Having different SSB in 6G for different purposes, such as an M-SSB for mobility measurements in connected mode and an I-SSB for idle-mode cell search, may improve energy efficiency. In such a system, the UE may need to know the SSB type found. One way this can be achieved is by using different SSB mappings for the different SSB types (e.g., 5G SSB, 6G M-SSB, or 6G I-SSB). Depending on the UE state and the SSB type found, the UE can perform the appropriate procedure (e.g., initial access, mobility reports).

[0055] Method (700) of Fig. 7 can comprise a variety of additional, alternative or optional steps. Each of the steps in method (700) of Fig. 7 can take a variety of alternative forms or embodiments. In this embodiment, method (700) provides a user equipment with access to a network. At (702), the UE may search for a synchronization signal block, SSB, which may comprise a primary synchronization signal, PSS. At (704), the UE may detect a valid PSSsequence. At (706), the UE may decode a secondary synchronization signal, SSS, based on a mapping of sequence elements of the SSS to resource elements of an orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing, OFDM, time-frequency grid.

[0056] In some embodiments, decoding the SSS comprises correlating received samples of resources occupied by the SSS with a plurality of SSS sequences comprising possible SSS sequences, and selecting a candidate sequence from the plurality of SSS sequences based on the candidate sequence having an absolute value of the correlation that is maximum among the plurality of SSS sequences.

[0057] In other embodiments, the absolute value of the correlation of the candidate sequence is above a threshold.

[0058] In yet other embodiments, the threshold is set according to a performance criterion.

[0059] In some embodiments, the threshold is set to maximize the probability of detecting a 6th generation, 6G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 6G SSS.

[0060] In other embodiments, the threshold is set to minimize the probability of detecting a 6th generation, 6G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 5th generation, 5G, SSS.

[0061] In yet other embodiments, the threshold is set to maximize the probability of detecting a 5th generation, 5G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 5G SSS.

[0062] In some embodiments, the threshold is set to minimize the probability of detecting a 5th generation, 5G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 6th generation, 6G, SSS.

[0063] In other embodiments, the plurality of mappings comprise a first mapping that includes 5thgeneration, 5G, resource elements, and a second mapping that includes 6thgeneration, 6G, resource elements.

[0064] Method (800) of Fig. 8 can comprise a variety of additional, alternative or optional steps. Each of the steps in method (800) of Fig. 8 can take a variety of alternative forms or embodiments. In this embodiment, method (800) provides a user equipment with access to 5Gor 6G networks. At (802), the UE may search for a synchronization signal block, SSB, based on a set of search raster points. The set of search raster points may comprise one or more 5G search raster points and one or more 6G search raster points. In this embodiment, only the one or more 5G search raster points may be searched when accessing the 5G network and only the one or more 6G search raster points may be searched when accessing the 6G network.

[0065] Method (900) of Fig. 9 can comprise a variety of additional, alternative or optional steps. Each of the steps in method (900) of Fig. 9 can take a variety of alternative forms or embodiments. In this embodiment, method (900) allows a network node to differentiate a 5G network from a 6G network in a SSB. At (902), one or more sequence elements of the 5G network may be mapped to one or more resource elements of the SSB at a first set of one or more locations in the SSB. Or, one or more sequence elements of the 6G network may be mapped to one or more resource elements of the SSB at a second set of one or more locations in the SSB. In this embodiment, at least one of the first set of one or more locations may be different than at least one of the second set of one or more locations. Optionally, at (904), a PBCH may be mapped to the SSB based on the chosen SSS mapping.

[0066] In some embodiments, the SSB comprises a total resource footprint that remains fixed.

[0067] In other embodiments, the method further comprises mapping a physical broadcast channel, PBCH, to one of the one or more resource elements of the SSB based on the SSS of the 5G network, or the SSS of the 6G network.

[0068] Additional Embodiments

[0069] Fig. 10 shows an example of a communication system 4100 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 4100 includes a telecommunication network 4102 that includes an access network 4104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 4106, which includes one or more core network nodes 4108. The access network 4104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 4110a and 4110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 4110), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarilylimited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 4102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 4102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 4102, including one or more network nodes 4110 and / or core network nodes 4108.

[0070] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 4110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 4112a, 4112b, 4112c, and 4112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 4112) to the core network 4106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0071] 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 4100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / orany 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 4100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0072] The UEs 4112 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 4110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 4110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 4112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 4102 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 4102.

[0073] In the depicted example, the core network 4106 connects the network nodes 4110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host 4116. 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 4106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 4108) 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 4108. 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).

[0074] The host 4116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 4104 and / or the telecommunication network 4102. The host 4116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. 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 otherwiseinteracting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0075] As a whole, the communication system 4100 of Fig. 11 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.

[0076] In some examples, the telecommunication network 4102 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 4102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 4102. For example, the telecommunications network 4102 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.

[0077] In some examples, the UEs 4112 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 4104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 4104. 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).

[0078] In the example, the hub 4114 communicates with the access network 4104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 4112c and / or 4112d) andnetwork nodes (e.g., network node 4110b). In some examples, the hub 4114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 4114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 4106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 4114 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 4110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 4114. As another example, the hub 4114 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 4114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 4114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 4114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 4114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0079] The hub 4114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 4110b. The hub 4114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 4114 and UEs (e.g., UE 4112c and / or 4112d), and between the hub 4114 and the core network 4106. In other examples, the hub 4114 is connected to the core network 4106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 4114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 4104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 4110 while still connected via the hub 4114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 4114 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 4110b. In other embodiments, the hub 4114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 4110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0080] Fig. 11 shows a UE 4200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 4200 presents additional details of some embodiments ofthe UE4112 of Figure 10. 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 / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, 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.

[0081] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehi cl e-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).

[0082] The UE 4200 includes processing circuitry 4202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 4204 to an input / output interface 4206, a power source 4208, a memory 4210, a communication interface 4212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 11. 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.

[0083] The processing circuitry 4202 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 4210. The processing circuitry 4202 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 4202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0084] In the example, the input / output interface 4206 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 4200. 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 presencesensitive 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.

[0085] In some embodiments, the power source 4208 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 4208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 4208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 4200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 4208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 4208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 4200 to which power is supplied.

[0086] The memory 4210 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 4210 includes one or more application programs 4214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 4216. The memory 4210 may store, for use by the UE 4200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0087] The memory 4210 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 4210 may allow the UE 4200 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 4210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0088] The processing circuitry 4202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 4212. The communication interface 4212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 4222. The communication interface 4212 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 4218 and / or a receiver 4220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 4218 and receiver 4220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 4222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0089] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 4212 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 / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0090] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 4212, 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).

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smokedetector, a door / 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 wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking 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 4200 shown in Fig. 11.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] Fig. 12 shows a network node 4300 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 (gNodeB (i.e., gNBs))), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0096] 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, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) 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).

[0097] 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).

[0098] The network node 4300 includes a processing circuitry 4302, a memory 4304, a communication interface 4306, and a power source 4308. The network node 4300 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 4300 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 4300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 4304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 4310 may be shared by different RATs). Thenetwork node 4300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 4300, 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 4300.

[0099] The processing circuitry 4302 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 4300 components, such as the memory 4304, to provide network node 4300 functionality.[000100] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 4302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 4302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 4312 and baseband processing circuitry 4314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 4312 and the baseband processing circuitry 4314 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 4312 and baseband processing circuitry 4314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.[000101] The memory 4304 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), readonly 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 4302. The memory 4304 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 4302 and utilized by the network node 4300. The memory 4304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 4302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 4306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 4302 and memory 4304 is integrated.[000102] The communication interface 4306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 4306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 4316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 4306 also includes radio front-end circuitry 4318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 4310. Radio front-end circuitry 4318 comprises filters 4320 and amplifiers 4322. The radio front-end circuitry 4318 may be connected to an antenna 4310 and processing circuitry 4302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 4310 and processing circuitry 4302. The radio front-end circuitry 4318 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 4318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 4320 and / or amplifiers 4322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 4310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 4310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 4318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 4302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.[000103] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 4300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 4318, instead, the processing circuitry 4302 includes radio frontend circuitry and is connected to the antenna 4310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 4312 is part of the communication interface 4306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 4306 includes one or more ports or terminals 4316, the radio front-end circuitry 4318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 4312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 4306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 4314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).[000104] The antenna 4310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 4310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 4318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 4310 is separate from the network node 4300 and connectable to the network node 4300 through an interface or port.[000105] The antenna 4310, communication interface 4306, and / or the processing circuitry 4302 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 4310, the communication interface 4306, and / or the processing circuitry 4302 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.[000106] The power source 4308 provides power to the various components of network node 4300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 4308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 4300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 4300 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 4308. As a further example, the power source 4308 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.[000107] Embodiments of the network node 4300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 12 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 4300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 4300 and to allow output of information from the network node 4300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 4300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 4108 of Fig. 10, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 4318 and the RF transceiver circuitry 4312 may be omitted.[000108] Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 4400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context,virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 4400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 4400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.[000109] Applications 4402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.[000110] Hardware 4404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 4406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 4408a and 4408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 4408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 4406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 4408.[000111] The VMs 4408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 4406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 4402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 4408, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualizationof the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.[000112] In the context of NFV, a VM 4408 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 4408, and that part of hardware 4404 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 4408 on top of the hardware 4404 and corresponds to the application 4402.[000113] Hardware 4404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 4404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 4404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 4410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 4402. In some embodiments, hardware 4404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 4412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.[000114] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) 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 toinformation 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.[000115] 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.[000116] Additional Embodiments - Group A Embodiments[000117] 1. A method performed by a user equipment for accessing a network, the method comprising: searching for a synchronization signal block, SSB, the SSB comprising a primary synchronization signal, PSS; detecting a valid PSS sequence; and decoding a secondary synchronization signal, SSS, based on a mapping of sequence elements of the SSS to resource elements of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, OFDM, time-frequency grid.[000118] 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein detecting the valid PSS sequence comprises: correlating received samples of resources occupied by the SSS with aplurality of SSS sequences comprising all possible SSS sequences; and determining a candidate sequence from the plurality of SSS sequences based on the candidate sequence having an absolute value of the correlation that is maximum.[000119] 3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein the absolute value of the correlation of the candidate sequence is above a threshold.[000120] 4. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the threshold is set according to a performance criterion.[000121] 5. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the threshold is set to maximize the probability of detecting a 6th generation, 6G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 6G SSS.[000122] 6. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the threshold is set to minimize the probability of detecting a 6th generation, 6G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 5th generation, 5G, SSS.[000123] 7. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the threshold is set to maximize the probability of detecting a 5th generation, 5G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 5G SSS.[000124] 8. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the threshold is set to minimize the probability of detecting a 5th generation, 5G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 6th generation, 6G, SSS.[000125] 9. A method (800) performed by a user equipment, UE, for accessing a 5th generation, 5G, network or a 6th generation, 6G, network, the method comprising: searching (802) for a synchronization signal block, SSB, based on a set of search raster points; wherein the set of search raster points comprises one or more 5G search raster points and one or more 6G search raster points.[000126] 10. The method of embodiment 9, wherein only the one or more 5G search raster points are searched when accessing the 5G network.[000127] 11. The method of embodiment 9, wherein only the one or more 6G search raster points are searched when accessing the 6G network.[000128] Additional Embodiments - Group B Embodiments[000129] 12. A method (900) performed by a network node for differentiating a5th generation, 5G, network from a 6th generation, 6G, network in a synchronization signal block, SSB, the method comprising: mapping (902) one or more sequence elements of the 5G network to one or more resource elements of the SSB at a first set of one or more locations in the SSB; and mapping (904) one or more sequence elements of the 6G network to one or more resource elements of the SSB at a second set of one or more locations in the SSB; wherein at least one of the first set of one or more locations is different than at least one of the second set of one or more locations.[000130] 13. The method of embodiment 12, wherein the SSB comprises a total resource footprint that remains fixed.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method (700) performed by a user equipment for accessing a network, the method comprising: searching (702) for a synchronization signal block, SSB, the SSB comprising a primary synchronization signal, PSS; detecting (704) a valid PSS sequence; and decoding (706) a secondary synchronization signal, SSS, by matching a mapping of sequence elements of the SSS to resource elements of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, OFDM, time-frequency grid to one of a plurality of mappings of SSS sequence elements to resource elements of the OFDM time-frequency grid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein decoding the SSS comprises: correlating received samples of resources occupied by the SSS with a plurality of SSS sequences comprising possible SSS sequences; and selecting a candidate sequence from the plurality of SSS sequences based on the candidate sequence having an absolute value of the correlation that is maximum among the plurality of SSS sequences.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the absolute value of the correlation of the candidate sequence is above a threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold is set according to a performance criterion.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold is set to maximize the probability of detecting a 6th generation, 6G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 6G SSS.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold is set to minimize the probability of detectinga 6th generation, 6G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 5th generation, 5G, SSS.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold is set to maximize the probability of detecting a 5th generation, 5G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 5G SSS.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold is set to minimize the probability of detecting a 5th generation, 5G, SSS type when resources of the received symbol are occupied by a 6th generation, 6G, SSS.

9. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of mappings comprise: a first mapping that includes 5thgeneration, 5G, resource elements; and a second mapping that includes 6thgeneration, 6G, resource elements.

10. A method (900) performed by a network node for differentiating a 5th generation, 5G, network from a 6th generation, 6G, network in a synchronization signal block, SSB, the method comprising: mapping (902) one or more sequence elements of either a secondary synchronization signal, SSS, of the 5G network or a SSS of the 6G network to one or more resource elements of the SSB at a first set of one or more locations in the SSB.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the SSB comprises a total resource footprint that remains fixed.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising mapping (904) a physical broadcast channel, PBCH, to one of the one or more resource elements of the SSB based on: the SSS of the 5G network; or the SSS of the 6G network.

13. A user equipment, UE, ( 112, 4200) configured to access a network (4104), the UE comprising:processing circuitry (4202) configured to perform any of claims 1 through 9; and power supply circuitry (4208) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

14. A network node (4110, 4300) configured to differentiate a 5th generation, 5G, network from a 6th generation, 6G, network in a synchronization signal block, SSB, the network node comprising: processing circuitry (4302) configured to perform any of claims 10 through 12; and power supply circuitry (4308) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

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