Method and device for configuring, activating, and deactivating synchronization signal block in wireless communication system

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and a device for configuring, activating, and / or deactivating a synchronization signal block in a wireless communication system. The method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise the steps of: receiving, by a terminal, configuration information for a synchronization signal block from a network; and receiving, by the terminal, the synchronization signal block from the network on the basis of the configuration information. The configuration information may include a first field related to activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block.

Description

Method and device for setting, enabling, and disabling synchronization signal blocks in a wireless communication system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for setting, enabling, and / or disabling a synchronization signal block in a wireless communication system.

[0002] The 5th generation (5G) wireless communication system is a successor technology to 4G LTE (long term evolution) and is a new clean-slate type mobile communication system with characteristics such as high performance, low latency, and high availability. In the case of 5G NR (New Radio), all available spectrum resources can be utilized, ranging from low-frequency bands below 1 GHz to intermediate frequency bands between 1 GHz and 10 GHz, and high-frequency (or millimeter wave) bands above 24 GHz. Based on the foundational technology of 5G wireless communication, 6G wireless communication systems are being developed.

[0003] 6G wireless communication systems are being developed with the goal of (i) very high data rates per device, (ii) a very large number of connected devices, (iii) global connectivity, (iv) very low latency, (v) reduced energy consumption of battery-free IoT (internet of things) devices, (vi) ultra-reliable connectivity, and (vii) connected intelligence with machine learning capabilities. The vision of 6G systems can be seen in four aspects: intelligent connectivity, deep connectivity, holographic connectivity, and ubiquitous connectivity. Various technologies are being researched in consideration of the requirements for 6G systems, such as a peak data rate of 1 Tbps per device, an end-to-end (E2E) latency of 1ms, a maximum spectrum efficiency of 100 bps / Hz, support for mobility of 1000 km / h, satellite integration, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, extended reality (XR), and haptic communication.

[0004] The technical problem of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for setting, enabling, and / or disabling a synchronization signal block in a wireless communication system.

[0005] The technical problems to be solved in this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0006] A method according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include the step of receiving configuration information for a synchronization signal block from a network by a terminal; and the step of receiving the synchronization signal block from the network by the terminal based on the configuration information. The configuration information may include a first field related to the activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block.

[0007] A method according to a further aspect of the present disclosure may include the step of transmitting configuration information for a synchronization signal block to a terminal by a network node; and the step of transmitting the synchronization signal block to the terminal by the network node based on the configuration information. The configuration information may include a first field related to the activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a method and apparatus for setting, enabling, and / or disabling a synchronization signal block in a wireless communication system may be provided.

[0009] The effects obtainable from the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the detailed description to aid in understanding the present disclosure, provide embodiments of the present disclosure and explain the technical features of the present disclosure together with the detailed description.

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary flexible network topology to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary communication system to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary wireless device to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary communication procedure between a first node and a second node to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary functional framework for AI operations to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of operations related to AI model training and AI model inference to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates another example of operations related to AI model training and AI model inference to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates another example of operations related to AI model training and AI model inference to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0019] FIG. 9 shows an electromagnetic spectrum to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary system information transmission / reception procedure to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0021] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary beam management procedure to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0022] FIGS. 12 and FIGS. 13 show examples of NTN scenarios to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0023] FIG. 14 shows examples of sensing operations to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0024] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a cell DTX / DRX operation to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0025] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a carrier aggregation (CA) operation including an SSB-free cell to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0026] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a conditional handover operation to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0027] FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a procedure for CSI measurement and reporting to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0028] FIG. 19 shows examples of on-demand SIB1 operations to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0029] FIG. 20 is a drawing for explaining an example of a method performed by a terminal according to the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 21 is a drawing illustrating an example of a method performed by a network node according to the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing exemplary formats of MAC-CE related to SSB transmission according to the present disclosure.

[0032] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description disclosed below, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only embodiment in which the present disclosure may be practiced. The following detailed description includes specific details to provide a complete understanding of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will know that the present disclosure may be practiced without such specific details.

[0033] In some cases, to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, known structures and devices may be omitted or illustrated in the form of a block diagram focusing on the core functions of each structure and device.

[0034] In the present disclosure, when a component is described as being “connected,” “combined,” or “joined” with another component, this may include not only a direct connection but also an indirect connection in which another component exists between them. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the terms “comprising” or “having” specify the presence of the mentioned features, steps, actions, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, actions, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0035] In the present disclosure, terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another and are not used to limit the components, nor do they limit the order or importance of the components unless specifically stated otherwise. Accordingly, within the scope of the present disclosure, a first component in one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment, and likewise, a second component in one embodiment may be referred to as a first component in another embodiment.

[0036] The terms used in this disclosure are for the description of specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the claims. As used in the description of embodiments and the appended claims, the singular form is intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0037] In the present disclosure, "A or B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." Alternatively, in the present disclosure, "A or B" may be interpreted as "A and / or B." For example, in the present disclosure, "A, B or C" may mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C."

[0038] A slash ( / ) or a comma used in the present disclosure may mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" may mean "A and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" may mean "A, B or C."

[0039] In the present disclosure, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." Additionally, in the present disclosure, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may be interpreted as synonymous with "at least one of A and B."

[0040] Additionally, in the present disclosure, "at least one of A, B and C" may mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C." Additionally, "at least one of A, B or C" or "at least one of A, B and / or C" may mean "at least one of A, B and C."

[0041] Additionally, parentheses used in the present disclosure may mean "for example." Specifically, when indicated as "control information (PDCCH)," "PDCCH" may be described as an example of "control information." In other words, the "control information" of the present disclosure is not limited to "PDCCH," and "PDCCH" may be described as an example of "control information." Furthermore, even when indicated as "control information (i.e., PDCCH)," "PDCCH" may be described as an example of "control information."

[0042] In the following explanation, '...when, if, in case of' can be replaced with '...based on'.

[0043] Technical features described individually within one drawing in this disclosure may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0044] In the present disclosure, a terminal or user equipment (UE) may be a portable device and may be a first node that receives a signal from a base station / second node / integrated access backhaul (IAB) node.

[0045] In the present disclosure, the base station (BS, Base Station) may be a second node / IAB node / Transmission-Reception Point (TRP).

[0046] In the present disclosure, a higher layer parameter may be a parameter configured, pre-configured, or pre-defined for a terminal. For example, a base station or network may transmit the higher layer parameter to the terminal. For example, the higher layer parameter may be transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control (MAC) signaling.

[0047] In the present disclosure, "set or defined" may be interpreted as being set to a device through predefined signaling (e.g., System Information Block (SIB), MAC, RRC) from a base station or network. In the present disclosure, "set or defined" may be interpreted as being set to a device through separate signaling or being predefined without separate signaling.

[0048] In the present disclosure, transmitting or receiving a channel includes the meaning of transmitting or receiving information or a signal through said channel. For example, transmitting a control channel means transmitting control information or a signal through the control channel. Similarly, transmitting a data channel means transmitting data information or a signal through the data channel.

[0049] The technology described in this disclosure can be used in various wireless communication systems such as CDMA (code division multiple access), FDMA (frequency division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access), and SC-FDMA (single carrier frequency division multiple access). CDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as UTRA (universal terrestrial radio access) or CDMA2000. TDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as GSM (global system for mobile communications), GPRS (general packet radio service), and EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution). OFDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as IEEE (institute of electrical and electronics engineers) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802-20, E-UTRA (evolved UTRA), LTE (long term evolution), and 5G NR.

[0050] The technology described in this disclosure can be implemented as 6G wireless technology and applied to various 6G systems. For example, 6G systems may have key factors such as eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband), URLLC (ultra-reliable low latency communications), mMTC (massive machine-type communication), AI (artificial intelligence) integrated communication, tactile internet, high throughput, high network capacity, high energy efficiency, low backhaul and access network congestion, and enhanced data security.

[0051] Network structure

[0052] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary flexible network topology to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0053] To compensate for incomplete areas of network coverage, a network topology in which the split radio access network (RAN) is configured more flexibly and resiliently may be considered. To this end, various nodes such as integrated access backhaul (IAB) nodes, relays, and radio frequency (RF) repeaters, as exemplified in Fig. 1, may be applied, and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) may be integrated. For example, an IAB node may correspond to a node that provides wireless backhaul. For example, a relay may refer to any intermediate point, and in the case of a sidelink relay where a terminal functions as a relay, it may collectively refer to a terminal-to-network (U2N) relay and a terminal-to-terminal (U2U) relay. For example, an RF repeater may correspond to a node that performs simple signal amplification and forwarding functions, and in the case of a network-controlled repeater, it may adjust transmit / receive settings based on information provided by the network as well as signal amplification and forwarding. For example, NTN nodes can correspond to satellites or aircraft that provide NTN coverage that is difficult for terrestrial networks to provide. In addition to these examples, various intermediate points can be introduced to improve the network topology.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 1, a split RAN can support the division of a base station into one centralized unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DU). The CU and DU may correspond to logical units. The CU may be further divided into a control plane (CP) portion and one or more user plane (UP) portions. Since a failure in the CU-CP affects not only the CU-UP but also the DU, various intermediate points may be introduced to compensate for this.

[0055] An intermediate point may correspond to a terminal or a base station depending on its relative relationship with other nodes. For example, an IAB node may include a mobile-termination (MT) portion and a DU. The MT may connect the IAB node to a donor node. The DU of the IAB node may serve other terminals or connect to other IAB nodes to provide multi-hop wireless backhaul to terminals. For example, an IAB node may correspond to a base station in its relative relationship with a user-side node and to a terminal in its relative relationship with a network-side node.

[0056] In some examples of the present disclosure, the description of a terminal may apply equally to an intermediate point corresponding to a terminal in relation to a network-side endpoint as well as to a user-side endpoint. Similarly, in some examples of the present disclosure, the description of a base station may apply equally to an intermediate point corresponding to a base station in relation to a user-side endpoint as well as to a network-side endpoint. In most cases where there is no additional description of the operation of three or more subjects, the communication subjects in the present disclosure are briefly described by the term terminal and / or base station (or first node and / or second node), wherein the term terminal and / or base station (or first node and / or second node) is interpreted to include or replace any endpoint or any intermediate point in relation to other nodes.

[0057] As such, in some examples of the present disclosure, for the sake of brevity of description, the subject of the operation may be referred to as a terminal and / or base station (or a first node and / or a second node). Additionally, the term terminal and / or base station (or a first node and / or a second node) may be interpreted or substituted as in the following examples: for example, the terminal (or first node) and the base station (or second node) may correspond to a first endpoint and a second endpoint, respectively; may correspond to an endpoint and an intermediate point, respectively; may correspond to an intermediate point and an endpoint, respectively; or may correspond to a first intermediate point and a second intermediate point, respectively.

[0058] In the present disclosure, there may be no intermediate points between the base station and the terminal, or there may be one or more. If intermediate points exist, the intermediate points may correspond to IAB nodes, relays, RF repeaters, NTN nodes, or nodes supporting other functions. The intermediate points may be nodes with a fixed location or nodes with an indefinite location.

[0059] Systems applicable to the present disclosure

[0060] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary communication system to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0061] The communication system (100) to which the present disclosure applies includes a wireless device (110), a network device (120), and a network (130). Here, the wireless device (110) refers to a device that performs communication using wireless access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A pro, NR, 5G, 5G-A, 6G) and may be referred to as a communication / wireless / 5G / 6G device. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device (110) may include a robot (110a), a vehicle (110b-1, 110b-2), an XR (extended reality) device (110c), a hand-held device (110d), a home appliance (110e), an IoT (Internet of Thing) device (110f), and an AI (artificial intelligence) device / server (110g). For example, the vehicle may include a vehicle equipped with wireless communication capabilities, an autonomous vehicle, a vehicle capable of performing inter-vehicle communication, etc. Here, the vehicle (110b-1, 110b-2) may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (e.g., a drone). The XR device (110c) includes an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) / mixed reality (MR) device and may be implemented in the form of a head-mounted device (HMD), a head-up display (HUD) equipped in a vehicle, a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device, a home appliance, digital signage, a vehicle, a robot, etc. The portable device (110d) may include a smartphone, a smart pad, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses), a computer (e.g., a laptop, etc.). The home appliance (110e) may include a TV, a refrigerator, a washing machine, etc. The IoT device (110f) may include a sensor, a smart meter, etc. The wireless device (110) may correspond to a terminal (or first node) or an intermediate point.The network device (120) may correspond to a base station (or a second node) or another intermediate point. For example, the network device (120) may also be implemented as a wireless device (110), and a specific wireless device (120a) may operate as a network device (120) to another wireless device (110).

[0062] Wireless devices (110a to 110f) can be connected to a network (130) through a network device (120). AI technology may be applied to the wireless devices (110a to 110f), and the wireless devices (110a to 110f) can be connected to an AI server (110g) through the network (130). The network (130) can be configured using a 3G network, a 4G (e.g., LTE) network, a 5G (e.g., NR) network, or a 6G network. The wireless devices (110a to 110f) may communicate with each other through the network device (120) / network (130), but may also communicate directly (e.g., sidelink communication) without going through the network device (120) / network (130). For example, vehicles (110b-1, 110b-2) can communicate directly (e.g., V2V (vehicle to vehicle) / V2X (vehicle to everything) communication). Also, an IoT device (110f) (e.g., a sensor) can communicate directly with another IoT device (e.g., a sensor) or other wireless devices (110a to 110f).

[0063] Wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can be established between wireless devices (110a to 110f) / network devices (120) and between network devices (120). Here, wireless communication / connection can be established through various wireless access technologies such as uplink / downlink communication (150a), sidelink communication (150b) (or D2D communication), and communication between network devices (150c) (e.g., relay, IAB (integrated access backhaul)). Through wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c), wireless devices and network devices / wireless devices, and network devices and network devices can transmit / receive wireless signals to / from each other. For example, wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can transmit / receive signals through various physical channels. To this end, based on the various descriptions of the present disclosure, at least some of the following may be performed: a process for setting various configuration information for transmitting / receiving wireless signals, a process for various signal processing (e.g., channel encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, resource mapping / demapping, etc.), a resource allocation process, etc.

[0064] Devices applicable to the present disclosure

[0065] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary wireless device to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 3, the wireless device (200) can transmit and receive wireless signals through various wireless access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A pro, NR, 5G, 5G-A, 6G). The wireless device (200) includes at least one processor (202) and at least one memory (204), and may additionally include at least one transceiver (206) and / or at least one antenna (208).

[0067] The processor (202) controls the memory (204) and / or the transceiver (206) and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or sequences of operation disclosed in this document. For example, the processor (202) may process information within the memory (204) to generate a first information / signal and then transmit a wireless signal containing the first information / signal through the transceiver (206). Additionally, the processor (202) may receive a wireless signal containing a second information / signal through the transceiver (206) and then store information obtained from the signal processing of the second information / signal in the memory (204). The memory (204) may be connected to the processor (202) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (202). For example, memory (204) may store software code containing instructions for performing some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (202) or for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or sequences of operations disclosed in this document. Here, the processor (202) and memory (204) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless communication technology. A transceiver (206) may be connected to the processor (202) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals through at least one antenna (208). The transceiver (206) may include a transmitter and / or receiver. The transceiver (206) may be interchangeable with a radio frequency (RF) unit. In this disclosure, a wireless device may mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0068] Hereinafter, hardware elements of the wireless device (200) will be described in more detail. Although not limited thereto, at least one protocol layer may be implemented by at least one processor (202). For example, at least one processor (202) may implement at least one layer (e.g., functional layers such as PHY (physical), MAC (media access control), RLC (radio link control), PDCP (packet data convergence protocol), RRC (radio resource control), and SDAP (service data adaptation protocol). At least one processor (202) may generate at least one PDU (Protocol Data Unit) and / or at least one SDU (service data unit) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequences disclosed in this document. At least one processor (202) may generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation sequences disclosed in this document. At least one processor (202) may generate a signal (e.g., a baseband signal) including a PDU, SDU, message, control information, data, or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals, and / or methods disclosed in this document and provide it to at least one transceiver (206). At least one processor (202) may receive a signal (e.g., a baseband signal) from at least one transceiver (206) and may obtain a PDU, SDU, message, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequences disclosed in this document.

[0069] At least one processor (202) may be referred to as a controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, or microcomputer. At least one processor (202) may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), at least one digital signal processor (DSP), at least one digital signal processing device (DSPD), at least one programmable logic device (PLD), or at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA) may be included in at least one processor (202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequences disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. Firmware or software configured to perform the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequences disclosed in this document may be included in at least one processor (202) or stored in at least one memory (204) and driven by at least one processor (202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of code, instructions, and / or sets of instructions.

[0070] At least one memory (204) may be connected to at least one processor (202) and may store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands. At least one memory (204) may be composed of ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random access memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), flash memory, hard drive, registers, cache memory, computer read storage media, and / or combinations thereof. At least one memory (204) may be located inside and / or outside of at least one processor (202). Additionally, at least one memory (204) may be connected to at least one processor (202) via various technologies, such as wired or wireless connections.

[0071] At least one transceiver (206) may transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the methods and / or operation flowcharts, etc. of this document to at least one other device. At least one transceiver (206) may receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation flowcharts, etc. disclosed in this document from at least one other device. For example, at least one transceiver (206) may be connected to at least one processor (202) and may transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, at least one processor (202) may control at least one transceiver (206) to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to at least one other device. Additionally, at least one processor (202) may control at least one transceiver (206) to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from at least one other device. Additionally, at least one transceiver (206) may be connected to at least one antenna (208), and at least one transceiver (206) may be configured to transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as described in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation sequence diagrams disclosed in this document through at least one antenna (208). In this document, at least one antenna may be a plurality of physical antennas or a plurality of logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). At least one transceiver (206) may convert the received wireless signals / channels, etc., from RF band signals to baseband signals in order to process the received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., using at least one processor (202).At least one transceiver (206) can convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. processed using at least one processor (202) from a baseband signal to an RF band signal. To this end, at least one transceiver (206) may include an (analog) oscillator and / or filter.

[0072] The components of the wireless device described with reference to FIG. 3 may be referred to by other terms in terms of their function. For example, the processor (202) may be referred to as the control unit, the transceiver (206) as the communication unit, and the memory (204) as the storage unit. In some cases, the communication unit may be used to mean at least a part of the processor (202) and the transceiver (206).

[0073] The structure of the wireless device described with reference to FIG. 3 can be understood as the structure of at least part of various devices. For example, the structure of the wireless device illustrated in FIG. 3 may be at least part of the various devices described with reference to FIG. 2 (e.g., robot (110a), vehicle (110b-1, 110b-2), XR device (110c), portable device (110d), home appliance (110e), IoT device (110f), AI device / server (110g)). Furthermore, according to various embodiments, the device may include other components in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0074] For example, the device may be a portable device such as a smartphone, smartpad, wearable device (e.g., smart watch, smart glasses), or portable computer (e.g., laptop, etc.). In this case, the device may further include at least one of a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc., an interface unit that includes at least one port for connection with another device (e.g., an audio input / output port, a video input / output port), and an input / output unit for inputting and outputting video information / signals, audio information / signals, data, and / or information input by a user.

[0075] For example, the device may be a mobile device such as a mobile robot, vehicle, train, manned / unmanned aerial vehicle (AV), or ship. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a drive unit comprising at least one of an engine, motor, power train, wheel, brake, and steering device of the device; a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, battery, etc.; a sensor unit that senses state information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings; an autonomous driving unit that performs functions such as path maintenance, speed control, and destination setting; and a position measurement unit that acquires position information of the moving body through a GPS (global positioning system) and various sensors.

[0076] For example, the device may be an XR device such as an HMD, a HUD (head-up display) equipped in a vehicle, a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device, a home appliance, digital signage, a vehicle, a robot, etc. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc., an input / output unit that acquires control information, data, etc. from the outside and outputs a generated XR object, and a sensor unit that senses state information, environment information, and user information of the device or the surroundings of the device.

[0077] For example, the device may be a robot that can be classified into industrial, medical, household, military, etc., depending on the purpose or field of use. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a sensor unit that senses state information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings, and a drive unit that performs various physical actions, such as moving robot joints.

[0078] For example, the device may be an AI device such as a TV, projector, smartphone, PC, laptop, digital broadcasting terminal, tablet PC, wearable device, set-top box (STB), radio, washing machine, refrigerator, digital signage, robot, vehicle, etc. In this case, the device may further include at least one of an input unit that acquires various types of data from the outside, an output unit that generates output related to sight, hearing, or touch, a sensor unit that senses state information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings, and a training unit that learns a model composed of an artificial neural network using training data.

[0079] The structure of the wireless device illustrated in FIG. 3 may be understood as part of a terminal (or first node), or part of an intermediate point, or part of a base station (or second node). If the device illustrated in FIG. 3 is a base station (or second node), the device may further include a wired transceiver for front haul and / or back haul communication. If the front haul and / or back haul communication is based on wireless communication, at least one transceiver (206) illustrated in FIG. 3 is used for front haul and / or back haul communication, and a wired transceiver may not be included.

[0080] Communication procedures

[0081] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary communication procedure between a first node and a second node to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0082] FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of a first node (110) (e.g., a terminal) and a second node (120) (e.g., a base station) transmitting and / or receiving data, and the operation performed prior to this.

[0083] In step S101, the first node (110) and the second node (120) can perform synchronization. For example, the terminal (110) performs an initial cell search operation. Specifically, the terminal (110) can detect at least one synchronization signal transmitted from the base station (120) according to a predefined rule. Here, the synchronization signal may include a plurality of synchronization signals (e.g., a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal) classified according to structure or use. Through this, the terminal (110) can identify the boundaries of the frame, subframe, slot, and / or symbol of the base station (120) and obtain information about the base station (120) (e.g., a cell identifier).

[0084] In step S103, the first node (110) can obtain system information transmitted from the second node (120). For example, the system information is information related to the attributes, characteristics, and / or capabilities of the base station (120) required to connect to the base station (120) and use the service, and can be classified according to content (e.g., whether it is essential for connection), transmission structure (e.g., the channel used, whether it is provided on-demand), etc., and can be classified, for example, into a master information block (MIB) and a system information block (SIB). If necessary, the terminal (110) may transmit a signal requesting system information prior to receiving the system information. Such request and provision of system information may be performed after a random access procedure described later.

[0085] In step S105, the first node (110) and the second node (120) can perform a random access procedure. For example, the terminal (110) can transmit and / or receive at least one message for a random access procedure (e.g., a random access preamble, a RAR (random access response) message, etc.) based on information related to the random access channel of the base station (120) obtained through system information (e.g., channel location, channel structure, structure of a supported preamble, etc.). For example, the terminal (110) may transmit a preamble (e.g., message 1 (MSG1)) through a random access channel, receive a random access response (RAR) message (e.g., message 2 (MSG2)), transmit a message (e.g., message 3 (MSG3)) containing information related to the terminal (110) (e.g., identification information) to the base station (120) using scheduling information included in the RAR message, and receive a message (e.g., message 4 (MSG4)) for contention resolution and / or connection establishment. As another example, MSG1 and MSG3 may be transmitted and received as a single message (e.g., message A (MSG A), or MSG2 and MSG4 may be transmitted and received as a single message (e.g., message B (MSG B).

[0086] In step S107, the first node (110) and the second node (120) can perform signaling of control information. For example, the control information may be defined in various layers, such as a layer that controls the connection (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) layer), a layer that handles mapping between logical channels and transmission channels (e.g., a media access control (MAC) layer), and a layer that handles physical channels (e.g., a physical (PHY) layer). For example, the terminal (110) and the base station (120) may perform at least one of signaling to establish a connection, signaling to determine settings related to communication, and signaling to indicate allocated resources.

[0087] In step S109, the first node (110) and the second node (120) can transmit and / or receive data. For example, the terminal (110) and the base station (120) can process data based on the signaling of control information and transmit and / or receive data. For example, when transmitting data, the terminal (110) or the base station (120) can perform at least one of channel encoding, rate matching, scrambling, constellation mapping, layer mapping, waveform modulation, antenna mapping, and resource mapping on the information bits. For example, when receiving data, the terminal (110) or the base station (120) can perform at least one of extracting a signal from a resource, antenna-specific waveform demodulation, signal placement considering layer mapping, constellation demapping, descrambling, and channel decoding.

[0088] 6G System Core Technology

[0089] As core implementation technologies for 6G systems, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), THz (Terahertz) communication, optical wireless technology, free space optics (FSO) backhaul network, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology, blockchain, 3D networking, quantum communication, unmanned aerial vehicles, cell-free communication, wireless information and energy transfer (WIET), integration of sensing and communication, integration of access backhaul networks, holographic beamforming, big data analysis, and large intelligent surface (LIS) can be adopted.

[0090] artificial intelligence

[0091] The introduction of AI into communications can streamline and enhance real-time data transmission. AI can determine how complex target tasks are performed using numerous analyses. AI can increase efficiency and reduce processing latency. Time-consuming tasks such as handover, network selection, and resource scheduling can be performed instantly using AI. AI can also play a significant role in machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-to-human, and human-to-machine communication. Furthermore, AI can enable rapid communication in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). AI-based communication systems can be supported by metamaterials, intelligent structures, intelligent networks, intelligent devices, intelligent cognitive radios, self-sustaining wireless networks, and machine learning.

[0092] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary functional framework for AI operations to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0093] Below, to provide a more specific explanation of AI (or AI / ML (machine learning)), terms can be defined as follows.

[0094] - Data collection: Data collected from network nodes, management entities, or terminals, serving as a basis for AI model training, data analysis, and inference.

[0095] - AI model: A data-driven algorithm that applies AI technology to generate a set of outputs containing predictive information and / or decision parameters based on a set of inputs.

[0096] - AI / ML Training: An online or offline process of training an AI model by learning features and patterns that best represent data and acquire an AI / ML model trained for inference.

[0097] - AI / ML Inference: A process of making predictions or deriving decisions based on collected data and an AI model using a trained AI model.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 5, the data collection function (10) is a function that collects input data and provides processed input data to the model training function (20) and the model inference function (30).

[0099] Examples of input data may include measurements from terminals or other network entities, feedback from actors, and outputs from AI models.

[0100] The data collection function (10) performs data preparation based on input data and provides the input data processed through data preparation. Here, the data collection function (10) does not perform specific data preparation (e.g., data pre-processing and cleaning, forming and transformation) for each AI algorithm, and can perform data preparation common to AI algorithms.

[0101] After the data preparation process is performed, the data collection function (10) can provide training data (11) to the model training function (20) and provide inference data (12) to the model inference function (30). Here, the training data (11) corresponds to data required as input for the AI ​​model training function (20), and the inference data (12) corresponds to data required as input for the AI ​​model inference function (30).

[0102] The data collection function (10) may be performed by a single entity (e.g., terminal, RAN node, network node, etc.) but may also be performed by multiple entities. In this case, training data (11) and inference data (12) from multiple entities may be provided to the model training function (20) and the model inference function (30), respectively.

[0103] The model training function (20) may correspond to a function that performs AI model training, validation, and testing, which can generate model performance metrics as part of the AI ​​model testing procedure. If necessary, the model training function (20) may also be responsible for data preparation (e.g., data pre-processing and cleaning, formatting and transformation, etc.) based on training data (11) provided by the data collection function (10).

[0104] Here, model deployment / update (13) can be used to initially deploy a trained, validated, and tested AI model to the model inference function (30) or to provide an updated model to the model inference function (30).

[0105] The model inference function (30) may correspond to a function that provides an AI model inference output (16) (e.g., a prediction or a decision). The model inference function (30) may provide model performance feedback (14) to the model training function (20) where applicable. Additionally, the model inference function (30) may be responsible for data preparation (e.g., data pre-processing and cleaning, formatting and transformation, etc.) based on the inference data (12) provided by the data collection function (10) if necessary.

[0106] Here, output (16) refers to the inference output of an AI model generated by the model inference function (30), and the details of the inference output may vary depending on the use case.

[0107] Model performance feedback (14) can be used to monitor the performance of the AI ​​model if available, and this feedback may be omitted.

[0108] The actor function (40) is a function that receives an output (16) from the model inference function (30) and triggers or performs a corresponding operation / action. The actor function (40) can trigger an operation / action on another entity (e.g., one or more terminals, one or more RAN nodes, one or more network nodes, etc.) or on itself.

[0109] Feedback (15) can be used to derive training data (11) and inference data (12), or to monitor the performance of the AI ​​model, the impact on the network, etc.

[0110] Meanwhile, the definitions of training, validation, and testing in data sets used in AI / ML can be distinguished as follows.

[0111] - Training data: Refers to the dataset used to train a model.

[0112] - Validation data: This refers to a dataset used to validate a model that has already been trained. Validation data typically refers to a dataset used to prevent overfitting of the training dataset. Additionally, validation data can refer to a dataset used to select the best model among the various models trained during the learning process. Therefore, validation can be viewed as a type of training.

[0113] - Test data: Refers to the dataset for final evaluation. This data is unrelated to training.

[0114] For example, within the entire dataset, training data and validation data can be divided in a ratio of approximately 8:2 or 7:3. Alternatively, within the entire dataset, training data:validation data:test data can be divided in a ratio of 6:2:2.

[0115] Depending on whether the base station and the terminal possess the capability for AI / ML functions, the cooperation level can be defined as follows, and variations resulting from the combination of multiple levels below or the separation of any one level are also possible.

[0116] Category 0a: This corresponds to a no collaboration framework. In this case, the AI / ML algorithm is based on pure implementation and may not require changes to the wireless interface.

[0117] Category 0b: Corresponds to a framework that involves a wireless interface modified to fit efficient implementation-based AI / ML algorithms but lacks cooperation.

[0118] Category 1: This applies to cases involving inter-node support to improve the AI / ML algorithms of each node. For example, it applies when a terminal receives support from a base station (for training, adaptation, etc.), and vice versa. At this level, model exchange between network nodes is not required.

[0119] Category 2: This applies to cases where joint ML operations between a terminal and a base station can be performed. This level requires AI / ML model commands or exchanges between network nodes.

[0120] The functions exemplified in Figure 5 above may be implemented at RAN nodes (e.g., base station, TRP, base station CU, etc.), network nodes, network operator's OAM (operation administration maintenance), or terminals.

[0121] Alternatively, two or more entities among a RAN, a network node, a network operator's OAM, or a terminal may cooperate to implement the functions exemplified in FIG. 5. For example, one entity may perform some of the functions of FIG. 5, and another entity may perform the remaining functions. As such, some of the functions exemplified in FIG. 5 are performed by a single entity (e.g., a terminal, a RAN node, a network node, etc.), the transmission / provision of data / information between each function may be omitted. For example, if the model training function (20) and the model inference function (30) are performed by the same entity, the transmission / provision of model distribution / update (13) and model performance feedback (14) may be omitted.

[0122] Alternatively, any one of the functions exemplified in FIG. 5 may be performed by two or more entities among the RAN, network node, network operator's OAM, or terminal in collaboration. This may be referred to as a split AI operation.

[0123] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of operations related to AI model training and AI model inference to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0124] For example, the AI ​​model training function can be performed by network nodes (e.g., core network nodes, network operator's OAM, etc.), and the AI ​​model inference function can be performed by RAN nodes (e.g., base station, TRP, base station's CU, etc.).

[0125] Step 1: RAN Node 1 and RAN Node 2 can transmit input data (e.g., training data) for training an AI model to a network node. Here, RAN Node 1 and RAN Node 2 can also transmit data collected from terminals to the network node (e.g., terminal measurements related to RSRP (reference signal received power), RSRQ (reference signal received quality), and SINR (signal to interference-plus-noise ratio) of the serving cell and neighboring cells, terminal location, speed, etc.).

[0126] Step 2: Network nodes can train AI models using the received training data.

[0127] Step 3: The network node can distribute / update the AI ​​model to RAN Node 1 and / or RAN Node 2. RAN Node 1 (and / or RAN Node 2) may also continue model training based on the received AI model.

[0128] For the sake of convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the AI ​​model was deployed / updated only to RAN Node 1.

[0129] Step 4: RAN Node 1 can receive input data (e.g., inference data) for AI model inference from the terminal and RAN Node 2.

[0130] Step 5: RAN Node 1 can perform AI model inference using the received inference data to generate output data (e.g., prediction or decision).

[0131] Step 6: If applicable, RAN node 1 can send model performance feedback to network nodes.

[0132] Step 7: RAN Node 1, RAN Node 2, and the terminal (or 'RAN Node 1 and the terminal', or 'RAN Node 1 and RAN Node 2') can perform an action based on the output data. For example, in the case of a load balancing action, the terminal may move from RAN Node 1 to RAN Node 2.

[0133] Step 8: RAN Node 1 and RAN Node 2 can transmit feedback information to network nodes.

[0134] FIG. 7 illustrates another example of operations related to AI model training and AI model inference to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0135] For example, both AI model training and AI model inference functions can be performed by RAN nodes (e.g., base station, TRP, base station's CU, etc.).

[0136] Step 1: The terminal and RAN node 2 can transmit input data (e.g., training data) for training an AI model to RAN node 1.

[0137] Step 2: RAN Node 1 can train an AI model using the received training data.

[0138] Step 3: RAN Node 1 can receive input data (e.g., inference data) for AI model inference from the terminal and RAN Node 2.

[0139] Step 4: RAN Node 1 can perform AI model inference using the received inference data to generate output data (e.g., prediction or decision).

[0140] Step 5: RAN Node 1, RAN Node 2, and the terminal (or 'RAN Node 1 and the terminal', or 'RAN Node 1 and RAN Node 2') can perform an action based on the output data. For example, in the case of a load balancing action, the terminal may move from RAN Node 1 to RAN Node 2.

[0141] Step 6: RAN Node 2 can send feedback information to RAN Node 1.

[0142] FIG. 8 illustrates another example of operations related to AI model training and AI model inference to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0143] For example, the AI ​​model training function may be performed by a RAN node (e.g., base station, TRP, base station CU, etc.), and the AI ​​model inference function may be performed by a terminal.

[0144] Step 1: A terminal can transmit input data (e.g., training data) for training an AI model to a RAN node. Here, the RAN node can collect data (e.g., terminal measurements related to RSRP, RSRQ, SINR of the serving cell and neighboring cells, terminal location, velocity, etc.) from various terminals and / or other RAN nodes.

[0145] Step 2: The RAN node can train an AI model using the received training data.

[0146] Step 3: The RAN node can distribute / update the AI ​​model to the terminal. The terminal may also continue model training based on the received AI model.

[0147] Step 4: Input data (e.g., inference data) for AI model inference can be received from terminals and RAN nodes (and / or other terminals).

[0148] Step 5: The terminal can perform AI model inference using the received inference data to generate output data (e.g., prediction or decision).

[0149] Step 6: If applicable, the terminal can transmit model performance feedback to the RAN node.

[0150] Step 7: The terminal and the RAN node can perform actions based on the output data.

[0151] Step 8: The terminal can transmit feedback information to the RAN node.

[0152] THz communication

[0153] Data transmission rates can be increased by expanding bandwidth. This can be achieved by using sub-THz communication with wide bandwidth and applying advanced large-scale MIMO technology. THz waves, also known as sub-millimeter radiation, generally refer to a frequency band between 0.1 THz and 10 THz with corresponding wavelengths ranging from 0.03 mm to 3 mm. The 100 GHz–300 GHz band range (sub-THz band) is considered the primary portion of the THz band for cellular communication. Adding the sub-THz band to the mmWave band increases 6G cellular communication capacity. Among the defined THz bands, the 300 GHz–3 THz band is located in the far-infrared (IR) frequency band. Although the 300 GHz–3 THz band is part of the broadband, it lies at the boundary of the broadband and immediately following the RF band. Therefore, this 300 GHz–3 THz band exhibits similarities to RF.

[0154] FIG. 9 shows an electromagnetic spectrum to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0155] Key characteristics of THz communication include (i) widely available bandwidth to support very high data transmission rates, and (ii) high path loss occurring at high frequencies (highly directional antennas are indispensable). The narrow beam width generated by highly directional antennas reduces interference. The small wavelength of THz signals allows a much larger number of antenna elements to be integrated into devices and BSs operating in this band. This enables the use of advanced adaptive array technologies that can overcome range limitations.

[0156] When transmitting system information (e.g., MIB) of a cell in the THz frequency band, it can be inefficient because, in the case of high frequency bands, beam sweeping must be performed more frequently to cover the entire area of ​​the cell as the beam width becomes narrower. In particular, transmitting system information using this method is even more inefficient when there are not many users in the cell.

[0157] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary system information transmission / reception procedure to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0158] The example of FIG. 10 is applicable not only to THz communication environments but also to 6G communication environments where THz communication is not applied. In addition, the procedure exemplified in FIG. 10 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure described below. For example, embodiments described below can be performed based on system information obtained by the procedure exemplified in FIG. 10.

[0159] In step S1010, the second node (120) (e.g., a base station) can transmit system information of cell #1 through cell #2. For example, the base station provides at least two cells, cell #1 uses a THz frequency band, and cell #2 uses a frequency band other than the THz frequency band. Here, the system information may include at least one of a system frame number (SFN) generated at a higher layer, a PDCCH configuration for SIB1, cell barring, cell re-selection, and subcarrier spacing, and may include at least one of a synchronization signal / PBCH (physical broadcast channel) block index generated at a physical layer. To this end, as an example, cell #1 and cell #2 may have a secondary cell and primary cell relationship.

[0160] In step S1030, the first node (110) (e.g., a terminal) can acquire synchronization for cell #1. Synchronization can be acquired by detecting a synchronization signal. Generally, synchronization is acquired prior to receiving system information, but since the system information of cell #1 is received in cell #2, the acquisition of synchronization for cell #1 can be performed after receiving system information. For example, the terminal can acquire synchronization based on system information. Alternatively, the acquisition of synchronization may be performed prior to step S1010.

[0161] In step S1050, the first node (110) may transmit a signal to connect to cell #1. For example, the signal may include a random access preamble. The structure of such a signal and the resource for transmitting the signal (e.g., a channel) may be identified through system information. Subsequently, in step S1070, the first node (110) and the second node (120) may perform a connection procedure to cell #1 and perform communication.

[0162] The procedure described with reference to FIG. 10 may be performed when the first node (110) first connects to cell #1 of the second node (120). Alternatively, a similar procedure may be performed when the first node (110) handovers to cell #1 of the second node (120). However, in the case of a handover, the system information of cell #1 may be received from a cell of a different base station other than cell #2 of the second node (120).

[0163] Communication in the THz band is expected to experience severe path loss, and to overcome this, terminals and base stations may be required to use very sharp beams. The use of sharp beams implies that terminals and base stations must perform beam control in addition to beamforming, meaning that a very large number of beams are utilized. Consequently, aligning the transmit and receive beams between the base station and the terminal takes a very long time. Furthermore, if the beam alignment between the base station and the terminal is disrupted due to the movement of the terminal, time is frequently required to realign the beams, which may lead to link instability.

[0164] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary beam management procedure to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0165] Figure 11 illustrates an example of a procedure for searching and / or selecting beams for THz communication, but this procedure is not limited to a THz environment and can also be applied in a 6G communication environment where THz communication is not applied.

[0166] Here, the term "beam" can be interpreted as other terms having equivalent technical meanings capable of distinguishing beams, such as "spatial domain filter," "spatial domain transmit filter," "spatial domain receive filter," reference signal (RS) resources for distinguishing beams, and SSB index.

[0167] In step S1110, the second node (120) (e.g., base station) may set resources for beam management to the first node (110) (e.g., terminal). Here, the resources may include at least one of time-frequency resources, channels, and spatial resources (e.g., antenna ports). For example, the base station may utilize a beam search signal (BSS) that is transmitted spatially separated from the existing downlink signal / channel for beam search. Here, the BSS may be transmitted based on a dedicated port for beam search. The dedicated port may be a port different from the port used for transmitting the existing downlink signal / channel (e.g., SSB, PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel), etc.). BSS is a term defined for convenience of explanation, and the technical concept according to the present embodiment is not limited to the term BSS itself. For example, a signal transmitted based on a dedicated port defined / set for beam search may be included in the technical concept according to the present embodiment.

[0168] In step S1130, the second node (120) (e.g., a base station) transmits measurement signals using multiple transmission beams. For example, the measurement signals may include at least one of a reference signal and a synchronization signal. At this time, the measurement signals may be transmitted as many times as the number of beams requiring measurement, and may be transmitted using a multi-beam transmission method that forms multiple beams simultaneously to reduce sweeping time. Here, multi-beam transmission may be performed based on at least one of a multi-panel, a sub-array, or a true time delay (TTD).

[0169] In step S1050, the first node (110) (e.g., a terminal) may transmit a feedback signal to the second node (120) (e.g., a base station). The feedback signal may indicate at least one beam selected by the terminal. The terminal may select at least one preferred beam based on the measurement signals received in step S1030.

[0170] In step S1070, the first node (110) and the second node (120) can perform communication. For example, the second node (120) can perform transmission to the first node (110) using the receiving beam of the first node (110) selected in step S1050. If channel reciprocity is established, the transmission beam of the first node (110) can also be determined through steps S1030 and S1050, so the transmission operation from the first node (110) can also be performed using a beam that has a reciprocity relationship with the beam selected in step S1050. If channel reciprocity is not established, a procedure including the transmission of measurement signal(s) by the first node (110) and the transmission of feedback signal(s) by the second node (120) may be performed first to determine the transmission beam of the first node (110).

[0171] Non-terrestrial networks (NTN)

[0172] FIGS. 12 and FIGS. 13 show examples of NTN scenarios to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0173] NTN can represent a network or network segment that uses RF (radio frequency) resources mounted on a satellite (or UAS (unmanned aerial system) platform).

[0174] Figure 12 shows an example of a typical scenario of an NTN based on a transparent payload, and Figure 13 shows an example of a typical scenario of an NTN based on a regenerative payload.

[0175] Referring to FIG. 12, the satellite (or UAS platform) can establish a service link with a terminal. The satellite (or UAS platform) can be connected to a gateway via a feeder link. The satellite can be connected to a data network via the gateway. A beam footprint may refer to an area where signals transmitted by the satellite can be received.

[0176] Referring to FIG. 13, a satellite (or UAS platform) can establish a service link with a terminal. The satellite (or UAS platform) connected to the terminal can be connected to another satellite (or UAS platform) via inter-satellite links (ISL). Another satellite (or UAS platform) can be connected to a gateway via a feeder link. Based on a regenerated payload, the satellite can be connected to a data network via another satellite and a gateway. If no ISL exists between the satellite and another satellite, a feeder link between the satellite and the gateway may be required.

[0177] FIGS. 12 and 13 are merely examples of NTN scenarios, and NTN can be implemented based on various scenarios. For example, a satellite (or UAS platform) can implement a transparent or regenerative (with on-board processing) payload. For example, a satellite (or UAS platform) can generate multiple beams across a designated service area depending on the field of view of the satellite (or UAS platform). For example, the field of view of the satellite (or UAS platform) may vary depending on the on-board antenna diagram and the minimum elevation angle.

[0178] For example, the transparent payload may include radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification. Therefore, the waveform signal repeated by the payload may not be altered.

[0179] For example, the regeneration payload may include radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification, demodulation / decoding, switching and / or routing, and coding / modulation. For example, the regeneration payload may be substantially the same as carrying all or part of the base station functions on a satellite (or UAS platform).

[0180] Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)

[0181] Wireless sensing is a technology that uses radio frequencies to determine the instantaneous linear velocity, angle, distance (or range) of an object, thereby obtaining information about the characteristics of the environment and / or objects within the environment. Since radio frequency sensing capabilities do not require connecting to objects via devices within a network, they can provide services for determining object locations without the need for devices. The ability to obtain range, velocity, and angle information from radio frequency signals can provide a wide range of new functions, such as various object detection, object recognition (e.g., vehicles, humans, animals, UAVs), high-precision localization, tracking, and activity recognition. Wireless sensing services can provide information to various industries (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles, smart homes, V2X, factories, railways, public safety, etc.) that enable applications such as intruder detection, assisted vehicle steering and navigation, trajectory tracking, collision avoidance, traffic management, and health and traffic management. In some cases, wireless sensing may utilize non-3GPP type sensors (e.g., radar, cameras) to further support 3GPP-based sensing. For example, the operation of a wireless sensing service, such as sensing operations, may depend on the transmission, reflection, and scattering processing of wireless sensing signals. Therefore, wireless sensing can provide an opportunity to enhance existing communication systems from communication networks to wireless communication and sensing networks.

[0182] FIG. 14 shows examples of sensing operations to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0183] Specifically, FIG. 14(a) illustrates an example of monostatic sensing operation using a sensing receiver and a sensing transmitter located at the same position. FIG. 14(b) illustrates an example of bistatic sensing operation using a sensing receiver and a sensing transmitter located at separate positions. A sensing receiver receives a signal that is reflected or scattered by a sensing object from a sensing signal transmitted from a sensing transmitter, and can extract or acquire sensing data based on the received signal. A sensing result can be generated or determined through appropriate processing of this sensing data. The sensing result can be provided to a trusted third-party entity or service outside the 3GPP system via an entity or service within the 3GPP system.

[0184] Network Energy Saving (NES)

[0185] Energy conservation in base stations is considered important in wireless communication systems, including 3GPP, because it can contribute to building eco-friendly networks by reducing carbon emissions and lowering the operational expenditure (OPEX) of telecommunication operators. In particular, as the introduction of 5G communication requires high transmission rates, base stations must be equipped with a larger number of antennas and provide services through wider bandwidths and frequency bands. Consequently, according to recent studies, the energy cost of base stations has reached the level of 20% of total OPEX. For example, in 5G wireless communication systems, various technologies for reducing energy consumption are being discussed under the name NES (network energy savings).

[0186] With the application of NES technology, the base station can perform operations such as controlling on / off for a certain duration in the time axis, controlling transmission and reception resources for terminal-common or terminal-specific signals / channels, changing the amount of resources in the frequency axis, controlling transmission power, or turning on / off antenna ports, TRPs (transmission-reception points), etc. in the spatial domain.

[0187] For example, the base station can identify the NES solution(s) to be applied, perform signaling for the NES, and perform operations on the NES.

[0188] NES solution(s) may relate to the control of signal transmission and reception (e.g., on / off), beam operation, handover procedures, channel measurement and reporting, etc. Which NES solution(s) to apply may be adaptively selected based on the current situation (e.g., cell load level, characteristics of connected terminals, etc.) or may be predefined.

[0189] A base station that has identified the NES solution(s) performs signaling for the NES. The specific signaling procedure may vary depending on the identified NES solution(s). For example, the base station may transmit common information regarding the NES solution(s), transmit configuration information necessary for NES operation to at least one terminal, or transmit control information regarding the progress of NES operation to at least one terminal. Additionally, the base station may receive capability information related to the NES from at least one terminal.

[0190] Based on signaled NES-related information, the base station can perform operations for the NES. For example, depending on system information, configuration information, and control information transmitted via signaling, the base station can turn the transmission and reception of specific signals on or off, turn elements of the spatial domain on or off, or adjust resources for the transmission and reception of measurement signals.

[0191] Examples of NES solutions that can be implemented through this procedure are as follows.

[0192] Intra-system energy saving: A RAN node may request a neighboring RAN node to switch at least one SSB beam into its inactive cell, or perform paging using a limited set of beams to an inactive terminal (e.g., a stationary terminal).

[0193] Inter-system energy saving: An NG-RAN node owning a capacity booster cell can autonomously switch the cell to an inactive state.

[0194] SSB-less cell: When no SSB or SMTC (SSB-based RRM (radio resource management) measurement timing configuration) setting is provided for a specific cell (e.g., secondary cell (SCell) or primary cell (PCell))(s), the terminal may obtain timing reference and automatic gain control (AGC) sources from other serving cells. In frequency range 1 (FR1) or FR2, the base station may establish intra-band carrier aggregation (CA) or inter-band CA that includes cells without SSB transmission, in which case SSB / SIB transmission may be triggered by the terminal's wake-up signal (WUS). Accordingly, the period of common channels / signals such as SSB is increased, so the base station may remain in a sleep state for a longer time.

[0195] Cell DTX (discontinuous transmission) / DRX (discontinuous reception): To reduce the downlink transmission / uplink reception activity time of a base station, periodic cell DTX / DRX patterns (e.g., active and inactive periods) may be set commonly for terminals within a cell having the corresponding feature. Here, the cell DTX pattern and the cell DRX pattern may be set and activated separately, and up to two cell DTX / DRX patterns may be set per MAC entity. When cell DTX is set and activated, at least one of monitoring for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) opportunities or monitoring for PDCCH may be suspended during the cell DTX inactive period. When cell DRX is set and activated, at least one of transmission from configured grant (CG) resources or scheduling request (SR) transmission may be suspended during the cell DRX inactive period. Cell DTX / DRX can be enabled / disabled through RRC signaling or L1 (layer 1) group common signaling.

[0196] Parameters such as active duration and cycle may be set for Cell DTX / DRX. Active duration is the period during which a terminal waits to transmit an SR or CG after receiving a PDCCH or SPS opportunity, and cycle may specify the periodic repetition of active duration and inactive duration. When both Cell DTX and Cell DRX are set, parameters such as active duration and cycle may be common. If the base station recognizes an emergency call or public safety-related service (e.g., Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) or Mission Critical Service (MCS)), the network may release or disable the Cell DTX / DRX settings so as not to affect the service. Additionally, at least some overlap may be required between the active period of the terminal's connected mode DRX and the active period of the Cell DTX / DRX. For example, the period of the terminal's connected mode DRX may be a multiple of the Cell DTX / DRX period, or vice versa.

[0197] Conditional Handover (CHO): A CHO procedure performed in such a manner that the execution of a handover is determined by the terminal may be used while NES technology is applied (e.g., when a cell enables or disables the cell DTX / DRX). In this case, the terminal may use an NES-specific CHO event to execute a CHO for a candidate cell, and as an additional triggering condition for this, the reception of a DCI that enables CHO condition(s) set as an NES event indication may be applied.

[0198] Spatial and power domain adaptation: To support the base station for transceiver muting and / or transmit power adaptation, the terminal may be configured to report multiple CSI quantities in the CSI report based on multiple sub-configurations. Each sub-configuration corresponds to a spatial domain adaptation pattern (e.g., a subset of available spatial elements) and / or a power offset between a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) and CSI-RS. Depending on the application of the spatial and power domain adaptation solution, CSI configuration, measurement, and / or reporting behavior may be affected.

[0199] Cell DTX / DRX

[0200] To operate the base station in sleep mode for a relatively long period without frequent wake-ups, the base station's DTX / DRX was introduced for NES purposes. By configuring the cell DTX and setting the on-duration of the terminals' C-DRX within the active period of the cell DTX, the base station can reduce energy consumption by utilizing DTX transmission under low system load conditions.

[0201] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a cell DTX / DRX operation to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0202] The second node (120) (e.g., a base station) can transmit system information to the first node (110) (e.g., a terminal). Accordingly, the first node (110) can check information related to the cell DTX / DRX of the second node (120).

[0203] For example, system information may include MIB, SIB1, etc. In relation to NES technology, MIB may include information related to cell barring (e.g., cellBarred), and SIB1 may include information related to the cell barring state (e.g., cellBarredNES). For example, if cellBarred included in MIB is set to a value indicating that it is not barred (e.g., notBarred), the terminal may determine that the cell is not barred, regardless of whether it supports NES cell DTX / DRX. For example, if cellBarred included in the received MIB is set to a value indicating that the cell is barred (e.g., barred), a terminal that does not support NES cell DTX / DRX may determine that the cell is barred.

[0204] For example, if a terminal has the capability to support NES cell DTX / DRX, the terminal can check SIB1 to determine the cell blocking status. For example, if cellBarred in the MIB is set to barred and cellBarredNES is absent in SIB1, a terminal supporting NES cell DTX / DRX can treat the cell as blocked and perform cell-reselection to another cell. For example, if cellBarred in the MIB is set to barred and cellBarredNES is included in SIB1, a terminal supporting NES cell DTX / DRX can determine that the cell is not blocked.

[0205] In the example of FIG. 15, it is assumed that the terminal has the capability to support NES cell DTX / DRX, and that cellBarred in the MIB is set to notBarred or cellBarred in the MIB is set to barred, and cellBarredNES is included in SIB1. Accordingly, the terminal can perform a random access procedure to connect to the base station and then perform communication. For example, the base station can perform a cell DTX / DRX operation and transmit configuration information related to the cell DTX / DRX operation to the terminal. The configuration information related to the cell DTX / DRX operation (e.g., CellDTXDRX-Config) includes at least one parameter related to the cell DTX / DRX, and may include at least one of, for example, an on-duration timer, a cycle start offset, a slot offset, a configuration type (e.g., DTX, DRX, or DTX-DRX), and an activation state of the DTX / DRX (e.g., active, inactive). In addition, the configuration information may further include information for receiving and interpreting control information related to cell DRX / DRX (e.g., DCI-related information such as cellDTRX-RNTI included in physicalCellGroupConfig, size of DCI format 2_9, etc.).

[0206] Subsequently, the base station may transmit control information related to cell DTX / DRX to the terminal. The control information related to cell DTX / DRX may include DCI having a specified format (e.g., DCI format 2_9). When an operation for a serving cell according to at least one of cell DTX operation and cell DRX operation is configured by configuration information (e.g., cellDTXDRX-Config included in servingcell-config), the terminal may identify a set of search spaces (e.g., Type3-PDCCH CSS set) for monitoring a PDCCH that transmits control information of the specified format during the active time through an upper-level parameter (e.g., SearchSpace included in PDCCH-Config), and obtain the location of information about the serving cell within the control information through an upper-level parameter (e.g., positionInDCI-cellDTRX included in ServingCell-config). Then, the terminal may obtain the control information based on the identified set of search spaces and location.

[0207] Control information related to cell DTX / DRX may be used to indicate the activation or deactivation of cell DTX and / or cell DRX, and / or to provide NES-mode indicators (e.g., NES-specific CHO execution conditions, etc.), and may include, for example, at least one block including cell DTX / DRX indicators and NES-mode indicators. In this case, if the serving cell is set as a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier, the instruction to activate or deactivate cell DRX by the cell DTX / DRX indicator may be applied to both the uplink (UL) carrier and the SUL carrier.

[0208] Subsequently, the terminal and the base station can communicate based on the cell DTX / DRX. Specifically, the base station can turn the transmission and reception of signals on or off according to the settings related to the cell DTX / DRX, and accordingly, the terminal can selectively monitor signals from the base station. During the DTX-OFF duration, the base station can enter sleep mode to reduce energy consumption. For example, the base station DTX cycle can be aligned with the terminal DRX cycle. The base station DTX-ON duration can fully cover the terminal's DRX-ON duration. Furthermore, for NES purposes, the base station can align transmissions on Xn (interface between base stations) / NG (interface between 5G RAN and 5G core network) with transmissions on Uu (interface between terminal and network). The DTX / DRX mechanism triggers the switching of reference signal resource set groups, and the base station may perform dormancy-like behavior of infrequently transmitting or not transmitting SSB, SIB, and CSI-RS to reduce energy consumption. Depending on the base station's configuration, the terminal may infrequently receive or not receive downlink signals / channels. Once the base station DTX / DRX operation is triggered, during the DTX / DRX OFF duration, the terminal may receive the corresponding CSI-RS, SSB, or PDCCH discontinuously.

[0209] SSB-less cell

[0210] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a carrier aggregation (CA) operation including an SSB-free cell to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0211] In the example of Fig. 16, it is assumed that the SSB-free cell is a SCell in CA, but the SSB-free cell may also be a PCell in CA.

[0212] A second node (120) (e.g., a base station) can transmit configuration information for a SCell to a first node (110) (e.g., a terminal). For example, the base station can transmit configuration information for CA to provide services to the terminal through CA operation. Here, the CA operation may be intra-band CA or inter-band CA. For example, the configuration information for a SCell may include information containing information for adding a SCell (e.g., sCellToAddModList), and specifically, may include a cell index, a physical cell identifier, information related to DL-UL settings, information related to BWP, information related to cell DTX / DRX, information related to downlink frequency (e.g., FrequencyInfoDL), etc. Accordingly, the terminal can determine the settings for CA operation and perform communication using the base station's PCell and SCell.

[0213] For example, the terminal can verify that the SCell is an SSB-less SCell based on information related to the downlink frequency included in the configuration information, and can verify the relevant parameters. For example, the terminal can determine that the SCell is an SSB-less SCell by verifying the existence of a parameter indicating that it is an SSB-less SCell (e.g., SSBlessSCell), and can verify the timing reference and AGC source for the SCell based on information about the reference cell (e.g., referenceCell). In the example of FIG. 16, the reference cell may be a PCell. Therefore, the terminal can use the PCell as a timing reference and AGC source for communication in the SCell. For example, the reference of the SSB-less cell may be (another) cell, TRP, CORESET pool (control resource set pool), (additional) PCI (physical cell ID), etc.

[0214] Conditional Handover (CHO)

[0215] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a conditional handover operation to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0216] The order of the operations exemplified in Fig. 17 may vary depending on the case.

[0217] A second node (120) (e.g., a base station) may transmit configuration information for a CHO to a first node (110) (e.g., a terminal). The configuration information for a CHO may include information related to conditional reconfiguration (e.g., ConditionalReconfiguration, CondReconfigToAddModList) and information related to configuration for reporting (e.g., ReportConfigNR). For example, information related to configuration for reporting may include information related to events related to reporting, identifiers of events (e.g., condEventId), information indicating whether it is an NES-specific CHO event (e.g., nesEvent), etc. In the example of FIG. 17, it is assumed that event information indicating that it is an NES-specific CHO event is received.

[0218] The base station may transmit information to the terminal that enables NES-specific CHO execution conditions. The information that enables NES-specific CHO execution conditions may be transmitted via control information of a specified format (e.g., DCI format 2_9). The information that enables NES-specific CHO execution conditions may be referred to as an NES-mode indicator, and may indicate that NES-specific CHO execution conditions are enabled, for example, as 1-bit information, if the relevant upper layer parameter (e.g., nesEvent) is set and the serving cell of the relevant block in the corresponding DCI is the primary cell.

[0219] Subsequently, the terminal may perform a measurement and transmit the measurement report to the base station. The base station may determine the CHO based on the measurement report and perform signaling for a handover request with the adjacent / neighboring base station(s) indicated by the measurement report. The base station may determine the adjacent base station(s) that have affirmed admission through signaling as candidate base station(s) and transmit information about the candidate base station(s) to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal may evaluate the CHO execution conditions for the candidate base station(s). Based on the evaluation results, if a candidate cell satisfying the conditions is determined, the terminal may perform detachment from the previous / old cell and perform synchronization for the new cell.

[0220] For example, based on event information indicating that the event received by the terminal in the previous procedure is an NES-specific CHO event, and information enabling the NES-specific CHO execution condition, the terminal can determine whether the event is satisfied. For example, if an NES-mode indicator is received through a lower layer and conditional triggering configuration information (e.g., condTriggerConfig) includes information indicating that the event is an NES-specific CHO event (e.g., nesEvent), the terminal can determine that the event associated with the corresponding measurement identifier (e.g., measId) is satisfied, and accordingly, determine that the CHO execution condition is satisfied.

[0221] Measurement and Reporting of Channel Status Information (CSI)

[0222] FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a procedure for CSI measurement and reporting to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0223] The second node (120) (e.g., base station) can transmit configuration information for CSI to the first node (110) (e.g., terminal). The configuration information for CSI may include information related to a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) resource or resource set for CSI (e.g., time-frequency resource information, sequence information, power information, etc.), information related to CSI reporting (e.g., quantity information, report type information, report resource information, codebook information, etc.), information related to CSI measurement, etc.

[0224] For example, to assist the base station with base station transceiver muting and / or transmit power adaptation, the terminal may be configured to report multiple CSI entries in a CSI report based on multiple sub-configs. For example, each sub-config may correspond to a spatial domain adaptation pattern (e.g., a subset of available spatial elements) and / or a power offset. In relation to CSI reporting, a higher-level parameter included in the configuration information (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) may include a list of sub-configs, and each sub-config may be identified by an identifier (e.g., csi-ReportSubConfigID). For example, each sub-setting may correspond to a list of at least one CSI-RS resource, a subset of CSI-RS antenna ports, and / or power-related parameters of the CSI-RS resource(s) (e.g., power control offset related parameters (e.g., powerControlOffset) and / or power offset for PDSCH related to CSI-RS).

[0225] For example, an information element (IE) for a list of aperiodic trigger states for CSI may include a trigger list parameter for a CSI reporting sub-setting. This parameter may include a list of sub-setting ID(s) of N sub-setting(s) out of L configured sub-settings within a CSI reporting setting associated with a triggering state for an aperiodic CSI reporting on an uplink data channel (e.g., PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel)).

[0226] For example, an IE for a CSI reporting configuration may include a parameter for a list of CSI reporting sub-configuration ID(s) to be added, modified, or released. A list of port subset indicators and non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resources may not be configured simultaneously in the same CSI reporting configuration.

[0227] For example, IE for CSI reporting sub-settings may include port-subset indicator parameters, NZP CSI-RS resource list parameters, and power offset parameters.

[0228] The port-subset indicator parameter may indicate the number of ports of NZP CSI-RS resources indicated in the NZP CSI-RS resource list (the value being equal to the number of ports of the corresponding NZP CSI-RS resources) and a (sub)set of CSI-RS antenna ports used for CSI calculation of the sub-configuration. Each bit in the bit string of the port-subset indicator corresponds to an antenna port, and if any bit is set to 1, the corresponding port may be enabled for CSI calculation corresponding to the sub-configuration, and if any bit is set to 0, the corresponding port may not be enabled for CSI calculation corresponding to the sub-configuration.

[0229] The NZP CSI-RS resource list parameter may indicate a list of NZP CSI-RS resources for a sub-setting that is a (sub)set of NZP CSI-RS resource(s) of a set of CSI-RS resources for channel measurements associated with the sub-setting of a CSI reporting setting. Values ​​0, 1, 2, ... may mean the first, second, third, ... NZP CSI-RS resources of the set of CSI-RS resources.

[0230] When the power offset parameter is set for an NZP CSI-RS resource, it may indicate that a power offset between the PDSCH RE (resource element) and the NZP CSI-RS RE is applied by the difference between the value of the power offset parameter and the value of the power control offset parameter.

[0231] When a configuration for CSI includes multiple sub-configurations, the terminal may determine CSI-RS resources, CSI-RS port mapping, power offset, codebook type, report items, etc., by considering the sub-configurations when interpreting the configuration information for CSI. When configuration information related to CSI reporting that includes sub-configurations (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) is provided to the terminal, the terminal may not expect that a higher-level parameter related to a report item (e.g., reportQuantity) is set to 'cri-RSRP', 'cri-SINR', 'cri-SINR-Index', 'cri-RSRP-Index', 'none', 'ssb-Index-RSRP', 'ssb-Index-SINR', 'ssb-Index-RSRP-Index', 'ssb-Index-SINR-Index', or 'tdcp' (where CRI corresponds to the CSI-RS resource index and tdcp corresponds to time domain channel properties). Additionally, if the type of CSI report is set to semi-persistent CSI report or aperioditic CSI report, the base station may activate / trigger only some of the sub-settings configured for the terminal via MAC-CE (control element) or DCI (downlink control information). For example, the trigger state of the aperioditic CSI report may be set as needed, and the activation of the semi-persistent CSI report may be controlled by an activation command.

[0232] For example, regarding the setting of a report quantity, the terminal may determine CSI-RS port index(s) for each CSI-RS resource based on information related to a port-subset per sub-setting (hereinafter referred to as 'port-subset indicator'). The port-subset indicator may include a bitmap for specifying some of the antenna ports for the corresponding CSI-RS resource. Thus, the terminal may identify at least one antenna port for the corresponding sub-setting based on the positions of bits set to a positive value (e.g., 1) in the port-subset indicator.

[0233] For example, regarding the settings for a report quantity, the terminal can determine the codebook type based on the existence of sub-settings. Specifically, if sub-settings are configured for a CSI report, the terminal may exclude the configuration of at least one codebook type. For example, if the terminal's capability supports it, the corresponding at least one codebook type may be configured.

[0234] For example, regarding the settings for report quantities, a power offset value and an NZP CSI-RS resource set may be set for each sub-setting. For example, depending on whether a power offset value and an NZP CSI-RS resource set are set for each sub-setting, the interpretation of the NZP CSI-RS resource set for each sub-setting may vary.

[0235] In determining the CQI (channel quality indicator), a higher-level parameter related to the time limit for channel measurements (e.g., timeRestrictionForChannelMeasurements) may be set. In this case, the terminal can derive a channel estimate to determine the CSI based on the most recent CSI reference resource. For example, if Cell DTX for the base station is enabled, the Cell DTX activation time may be considered to determine the CSI reference resource.

[0236] The CSI is derived based on the CSI reference resource. The CSI reference resource is defined as a group of downlink physical resource blocks corresponding to the bands related to the CSI derived in the frequency domain, and is defined as a single downlink slot determined in the time domain based on upper-layer parameters and subcarrier spacing. The terminal may transmit the CSI report no later than the CSI reference resource after receiving the CSI-RS. For example, if sub-configurations are configured for the CSI report, the CSI reference resource may be considered for each sub-configuration.

[0237] When configured to report at least one of the CQI index, PMI (precoding matrix index), and RI (rank indicator), in a CSI reference resource, the terminal may assume specific values ​​for the symbol location and number occupied in control signaling, the number of PDSCH and DMRS (demodulation reference signal) symbols, the subcarrier spacing of the BWP (bandwidth part), the bandwidth for CQI reporting, the CP (cyclic prefix) length and subcarrier spacing of the reference resource, and the RV (redundancy version), for the purpose of deriving at least one of the CQI index, PMI, and RI. In this case, if sub-settings are configured for CSI reporting, assumptions regarding the antenna port, EPRE (energy per resource element), etc., may be determined based on the sub-settings.

[0238] Based on the configuration as described above, the base station may transmit at least one CSI-RS to the terminal. Based on the configuration as described above, the terminal may receive at least one CSI-RS and perform a measurement thereon. For example, at least one CSI-RS may be transmitted through a CSI-RS resource or resource set configured by the configuration information.

[0239] When the terminal is configured for DRX (discontinuous reception), the terminal may perform measurements as follows. For example, if the terminal is configured to monitor power saving-related control information (e.g., DCI format 2_6) and, in a situation where the DRX-related timer (e.g., drx-onDurationTimer) is not started by the upper layer parameter (e.g., ps-TransmitOtherPeriodicCSI), and is configured to report CSI using a reporting configuration type set to periodic reporting and a reporting item set to an item other than cri-RSRP and ssb-index-RSRP, the most recent CSI measurement opportunity occurs during the time indicated by drx-onDurationTimer in the DRX-related configuration information (e.g., DRX-Config), in addition to the DRX active time or the DRX active time for the CSI to be reported. As another example, if the terminal is configured to monitor power saving-related control information (e.g., DCI format 2_6) and, under conditions where drx-onDurationTimer is not initiated by a higher-level parameter (e.g., ps-TransmitPeriodicL1-RSRP), is configured to report L1-RSRP using a report setting type configured for periodic reporting and a report item configured for cri-RSRP, the most recent CSI measurement opportunity occurs during the time indicated by drx-onDurationTimer within the DRX-related setting information (e.g., DRX-Config), excluding the DRX active time or the DRX active time for the CSI to be reported. Additionally, the most recent CSI measurement opportunity occurs within the DRX active time for the CSI to be reported.

[0240] The base station may perform cell DTX and / or cell DRX operations. In this case, during the non-active period of the cell DTX, the terminal configured as the cell DTX may not expect to receive periodic CSI-RS and semi-static CSI-RS, which are configured in the CSI reporting configuration associated with a reporting item including at least RI. When the cell DTX is activated for the serving cell, the most recent CSI measurement opportunity of the semi-static CSI-RS resource or periodic CSI-RS resource may occur within the active periods of the cell DTX for CSI reporting, which are configured by the configuration information (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) associated with the CSI reporting associated with a reporting item including at least RI.

[0241] A terminal that has received at least one CSI-RS can determine the CSI. For example, the terminal can perform a CSI calculation. The terminal can perform a CSI calculation based on CSI processing criteria. The terminal can indicate the number of supported concurrent CSI calculations, for example, the number of concurrently run CSI processing units (CPUs), which is the NCPU. The terminal can determine the number of CPUs for the corresponding CSI report based on at least one of the NCPU, the number of CPUs for each CSI report, the number of currently occupied CPUs, and the settings of the report item. For example, for configuration information related to CSI reporting (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) containing a report item parameter (e.g., reportQuantity) that is not set to 'none', the CPU(s) may be occupied for at least one OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) symbol, wherein the number of at least one symbol may be determined based on the CSI-RS resource or CSI-IM (interference measurement) resource associated with the sub-configurations.

[0242] If configuration information related to CSI reporting (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) includes multiple sub-configurations, the number of CPUs occupied by CSI reporting may be determined based on the number of CSI-RS resources corresponding to the sub-configurations. For example, the number of CSI-RS resources may be determined based on the number of times the configuration information related to CSI reporting (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) is referred or the number of sub-configurations referencing the CSI-RS resources.

[0243] A terminal that has determined the CSI may transmit a CSI report to a base station. The terminal may transmit CSI(s) for at least one sub-configuration according to a report item parameter (e.g., reportQuantity) configured for configuration information related to the CSI report (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig). For example, the CSI report may include at least one of PMI, CQI, RI, CRI, SSBRI (SSB resource index), LI (layer indicator), and RSRP. In this case, the CSI report may include a Part 1 CSI report and a Part 2 CSI report. Additionally, the CSI report may be transmitted via at least one of a PUCCH (physical uplink control channel) or a PUSCH.

[0244] When a terminal multiplexes CSI reports containing Part 2 CSI reports to a PUCCH resource, the terminal determines the number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) or Part 2 CSI reports for the PUCCH resource and the PUCCH resource, assuming that each CSI report or each CSI sub-report included in the CSI report indicates Rank 1 or a Rank combination {1, 1}. When a higher-level parameter related to the CSI report mode (e.g., csi-ReportMode) is set to 'Mode2', the terminal determines the number of PRBs or Part 2 CSI reports for the PUCCH resource and the PUCCH resource, assuming that each CRI of the CSI report is associated with a resource pair.

[0245] If a CSI report in PUSCH contains two parts, the terminal may omit part of the Part 2 CSI. The omission of the Part 2 CSI follows the priority order. Except where the corresponding CSI report contains at least one CSI sub-report including Part 2 that corresponds to a sub-configuration from a list of sub-configurations provided by a higher-level parameter (e.g., csi-ReportSubConfigList) included in the information related to the CSI report (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig), if the terminal omits Part 2 CSI information for a specific priority level, the terminal must exclude all information for that priority level.

[0246] For report configurations related to information (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) containing a list of sub-configurations for a CSI report, the following processing is possible. For a corresponding CSI report containing at least one CSI sub-report, the omission of Part 2 CSI is performed at the sub-configuration level within the same priority level. Here, the sub-configuration having a lower index value has a higher priority.

[0247] If a CSI report consists of two parts, the terminal may omit part of the Part 2 CSI. The omission of the Part 2 CSI follows the priority order. For a given CSI report containing at least one CSI sub-report, the omission of the Part 2 CSI may be applied according to the CSI reporting procedure using PUSCH, for a report configuration related to information (e.g., CSI-ReportConfig) containing a list of sub-configurations related to the CSI report. The Part 2 CSI may be omitted starting from the lowest priority level up to a Part 2 CSI code rate that is less than or equal to the code rate set by the upper-level parameter (e.g., maxCodeRate).

[0248] Additionally, if a CQI request (or CSI request) field within a DCI triggers CSI report(s) in a PUSCH, the first uplink symbol carrying the CSI report(s) may not precede a symbol specified after a certain interval from the last symbol of the PDCCH carrying the DCI. Accordingly, the CSI calculation time may be guaranteed. For example, if multiple sub-configurations are configured for a CSI report, the starting position of the aforementioned interval may be determined based on all triggered sub-configurations.

[0249] CSI is transmitted via PUCCH or PUSCH and can be represented as a bit sequence of a fixed size. When CSI is transmitted via PUCCH, if a parameter (e.g., csi-ReportSubConfig) specifying sub-configuration settings for the CSI report is configured, the mapping order of CSI fields for each CSI sub-report can be applied according to a predefined rule.

[0250] When a CSI is transmitted via PUSCH, if a parameter (e.g., csi-ReportSubConfig) that specifies settings per sub-configuration for the CSI report is configured, the mapping order of CSI fields for each CSI sub-report can be applied according to a predefined rule.

[0251] Some or all of the examples of FIGS. 1 to 18 described above may be combined with some or all of the examples of the present disclosure described below, and such combined examples are included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0252] Improved NES

[0253] To enhance NES technology, on-demand SSB, on-demand SIB1, and adaptation of common signal / channel transmissions are being discussed.

[0254] The following describes the on-demand SSB.

[0255] On-demand SSB corresponds to an NES scheme in which an SSB is transmitted when triggered on a specific cell, and not transmitted when not triggered. In existing NR systems, it is required to periodically transmit SSB at all times for purposes such as time / frequency synchronization or RRM measurement, so it was difficult to reduce energy consumption even when the base station had no data to receive or send. Considering this, the energy consumption of the base station can be reduced by ensuring that the base station does not perform SSB transmission and only performs SSB transmission when the on-demand SSB process is performed.

[0256] This on-demand SSB process can be triggered through one or more of the following examples:

[0257] - The terminal requests the base station's SSB transmission by transmitting an uplink signal / channel (e.g., PRACH (physical random access channel), PUCCH, PUSCH, SRS (sounding reference signal), etc. in 5G NR systems; in 6G systems, it may be a signal / channel with a different name).

[0258] - The first base station (or TRP) requests the second base station (or TRP) to transmit an SSB via an inter-base station interface (e.g., the Xn interface in a 5G NR system, or an interface with a different name in a 6G system) or backhaul signaling, etc.

[0259] - Signals whether the corresponding SCell transmits SSB through SCell activation / deactivation signaling

[0260] Considering coexistence with existing NR terminals, on-demand SSB operation for connected mode terminals and SCells may be limited. In subsequent releases or next-generation communication systems, on-demand SSB operation (e.g., support for on-demand SSB on PCells) may be defined for inactive or idle mode terminals or for initial connection terminals. Additionally, carrier aggregation (CA) including SCells to which on-demand SSB is applicable may be applied to both intra-band CA and inter-band CA. The SSB on the SCell transmitted through the on-demand SSB process may be utilized for at least time / frequency synchronization, L1 / L3 measurement, SCell activation, etc.

[0261] The following describes the on-demand SIB1.

[0262] On-demand SIB1 corresponds to an NES scheme in which SIB1 is transmitted when triggered on a specific cell, and not transmitted when not triggered. In existing NR systems, it is required to periodically and constantly transmit SIB1 containing system information, random access information, etc., to support cell access for initial access terminals or idle mode terminals; therefore, it was difficult to reduce energy consumption even when the base station had no data to receive or send. By having the base station not perform SIB1 transmission and only perform SIB1 transmission when the on-demand SIB1 process is performed, the energy consumption of the base station can be reduced.

[0263] This on-demand SIB1 process may include the terminal transmitting an uplink signal / channel (e.g., PRACH in a 5G NR system, or a signal / channel with a different name in a 6G system) to trigger the base station's SIB1 transmission.

[0264] FIG. 19 illustrates examples of on-demand SIB1 operations to which some examples of the present disclosure may be applied. FIG. 19 illustrates examples only, and on-demand SIB1 operations are not limited to the examples of FIG. 19.

[0265] In FIG. 19(a), the terminal may receive an SSB (and / or other downlink signal / channel) from the first cell (cell#1) and recognize that SIB1 is not being transmitted on cell#1. The terminal may trigger the transmission of SIB1 on cell#1 by transmitting a signal requesting SIB1 (e.g., a wake-up signal (WUS)) based on information provided in the SSB (and / or other downlink signal / channel) and / or predetermined information. For example, a base station that receives the WUS may transmit a specific DL signal / channel (e.g., ACK) on cell#1 in response and transmit SIB1 on cell#1. Alternatively, the base station may transmit SIB1 on cell#1 without transmitting a specific DL signal / channel (e.g., ACK).

[0266] In FIG. 19(b), the terminal may receive an SSB (and / or other downlink signal / channel such as SIB1) from the first cell (cell#1) and recognize that SIB1 is not being transmitted from the second cell (cell#2). The terminal may attempt to camp-on through cell#2. The terminal may trigger the transmission of SIB1 to cell#2 by transmitting a signal (e.g., WUS) requesting SIB1 on cell#1 based on information provided in the SSB (and / or other downlink signal / channel such as SIB1) received from cell#1 and / or predetermined information. For example, a base station receiving the WUS may transmit a specific DL signal / channel (e.g., ACK) on cell#1 (or on cell#2) in response and transmit SIB1 to cell#2 (or on cell#2). Alternatively, the base station may transmit SIB1 for cell #2 on cell #1 (or on cell #2) without transmitting a specific DL signal / channel (e.g., ACK).

[0267] In FIG. 19(c), the terminal may receive an SSB (and / or other downlink signal / channel such as SIB1) from the first cell (cell#1) and recognize that SIB1 is not being transmitted from the second cell (cell#2). The terminal may attempt to camp-on through cell#2. The terminal may trigger the transmission of SIB1 to cell#2 by transmitting a signal (e.g., WUS) requesting SIB1 on cell#2 based on information provided in the SSB (and / or other downlink signal / channel such as SIB1) received from cell#1 and / or predetermined information. For example, a base station that receives the WUS may transmit a specific DL signal / channel (e.g., ACK) on cell#2 (or on cell#1) in response and transmit SIB1 to cell#2 (or on cell#1). Alternatively, the base station may transmit SIB1 for cell #2 on cell #2 (or on cell #1) without transmitting a specific DL signal / channel (e.g., ACK).

[0268] The following describes the adaptation of common signal / channel transmission.

[0269] Base stations may apply NES schemes that regulate the transmission of common signals / channels such as SSB, PRACH, and paging. While energy consumption can be significantly reduced by transmitting SSB only as needed rather than fully, stable operation of terminals in the corresponding cell may not be guaranteed if SSB, which supports time / frequency synchronization or RRM measurement, is not fully transmitted. Considering this, energy savings in the base station can be achieved by adjusting or changing the SSB transmission pattern (e.g., transmission period, period per SSB candidate index(s), SSB candidate index(s) transmitted within a single transmission period, transmission power, etc.) according to the situation.

[0270] In the case of PRACH resources, for contention-based random access, network energy consumption may increase because the base station is required to always attempt reception from the PRACH resources configured for the terminal, as it does not know when the terminal will transmit PRACH. Considering this, measures to adjust the amount of PRACH resources can be applied. For example, the cycle of PRACH resources can be adjusted to be longer so that the base station attempts to receive PRACH less frequently. For example, the number of PRACH resources can be reduced, such as by pre-configuring PRACH resource sets #1 and #2 and activating only one of the sets or activating both sets. For example, the amount of PRACH resources corresponding to each SSB index can be provided uniformly or non-uniformly.

[0271] In the case of paging, it is conventionally defined that paging frames (PF) and / or paging occasions (PO) are distributed along the time axis within a DRX cycle (or paging cycle), and terminals attempt to receive paging at specific PF / POs derived from formulas based on their identification information. From the perspective of a base station, if it is intended to transmit paging to multiple terminals simultaneously, it may be necessary to transmit paging messages frequently based on various terminal identification information values. To reduce base station energy consumption resulting from this, methods such as placing the PF and / or PO as close as possible along the time axis or placing them on distinct frequency resources within the same time resource may be applied.

[0272] Type of synchronization signal

[0273] In the examples of the present disclosure, two types of synchronization signals are assumed and described. In the following description, the term SSB is used as an example of a synchronization signal, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by that term, and a unit of other names containing a synchronization signal may replace SSB.

[0274] For example, assuming an on-demand SSB on a specific cell where transmission is initiated by a command from a base station or a request from a terminal, Type-1 SSB and Type-2 SSB can be distinguished as follows.

[0275] Type-1 SSB may refer to an SSB that is periodically transmitted on a first cell or a second cell. If the period, etc., for the SSB is determined / defined / set, the SSB may be continuously transmitted according to the period. Continuous transmission may include transmission without distinction between on and off periods for SSB transmission, or without activation or deactivation. If Type-1 SSB refers to an SSB transmitted on a first cell, the first cell may correspond to a timing reference cell. If Type-1 SSB refers to an SSB transmitted on a second cell, the second cell may be in an intra-band CA or inter-band CA relationship with the first cell. For example, (particularly in an inter-band CA environment) the second cell may be set as a timing reference cell for the first cell, or (in an intra-band CA environment) the second cell may be determined / defined as a timing reference cell for the first cell (e.g., a specific cell or PCell or PSCell within the same timing advance group, i.e., a primary secondary cell within a secondary cell group (SCG)). Additionally, only a Type-2 SSB may be transmitted on a specific cell without a Type-1 SSB.

[0276] Type-2 SSB may refer to an SSB in which transmission on a specific cell is enabled through a configuration / instruction from a base station (via RRC / MAC-CE / DCI, etc.) or by a request from a terminal. For an enabled SSB, SSB deactivation may be explicitly configured / instructed via RRC / MAC-CE / DCI, etc. Alternatively, for an enabled SSB where a transmission count or transmission interval is configured / instructed by the RRC / MAC-CE / DCI instructing SSB activation, the SSB may be deactivated when the configured transmission count or transmission interval expires. Alternatively, if there is a pre-configured / defined transmission count or transmission interval, the SSB may be deactivated after activation when the configured transmission count or transmission interval expires. Alternatively, (if the specific cell is a SCell) the SSB may be deactivated when activation for the specific cell is completed (or when the CSI report for the specific cell is successfully completed). Alternatively, (if the specific cell is a SCell) the SSB may be deactivated when the specific cell is deactivated. Alternatively, (if a specific cell is a PCell) the SSB may be disabled after performing a handover from the specific cell to another cell. Alternatively, the SSB may be disabled at the request of the terminal.

[0277] As another example, it can be assumed that at least one or more SSB settings are configured among different SSB settings with different SSB period values, and an SSB corresponding to one or more SSB settings is transmitted by a base station instruction or a terminal request. In this case, adaptation to the SSB period can be performed by changing the activated SSB setting. In this case, Type-1 SSB and Type-2 SSB can be distinguished as follows.

[0278] Type-1 SSB may refer to a reference SSB setting among the configured SSB setting(s). For example, the reference SSB setting may correspond to the SSB setting with the largest SSB period value. For example, if the SSB setting corresponding to Type-2 SSB is not enabled, the SSB setting corresponding to Type-1 SSB may be enabled. Or, if the SSB setting corresponding to Type-2 SSB is enabled, the SSB setting corresponding to Type-1 SSB may be disabled. Or, if the SSB opportunities specified based on a specific SSB setting (e.g., the reference SSB setting) among the configured SSB settings (e.g., referred to as "reference SSB opportunities") are a subset of SSB opportunities specified based on another SSB setting (e.g., referred to as "extended SSB opportunities"), the reference SSB opportunities may be defined as Type-1 SSB (regardless of the actual enabled SSB setting). In this case, Type-2 SSB can be defined as the remaining SSB opportunities among the extended SSB opportunities (included in the actual active SSB configuration), excluding the reference SSB opportunities.

[0279] For a Type-2 SSB, in addition to the SSB configuration corresponding to a Type-1 SSB, one or more SSB configurations for the Type-2 SSB may be configured. When the SSB configuration corresponding to a Type-2 SSB is enabled, all SSBs belonging to the enabled SSB configuration may be defined as Type-2 SSBs. Alternatively, if SSB opportunities configured based on a specific SSB configuration (e.g., a reference SSB configuration) among the configured SSB configurations (referred to as "reference SSB opportunities" for convenience) are a subset of SSB opportunities configured based on another configuration (referred to as "extended SSB opportunities" for convenience), the reference SSB opportunities may be defined as Type-1 SSBs (regardless of the actual enabled SSB configuration), in which case the Type-2 SSB may be defined as the remaining SSB opportunities among the extended SSB opportunities (included in the actual enabled configuration) excluding the reference SSB opportunities. One or more SSB settings may be activated by a setting / instruction of the base station (via RRC / MAC-CE / DCI) or by a request of the terminal. For an activated SSB setting, SSB deactivation may be explicitly set / instructed via RRC / MAC-CE / DCI, etc. Alternatively, for an activated SSB where a transmission count or transmission interval is set / instructed in the RRC / MAC-CE / DCI instructing the activation of the SSB setting, the SSB may be deactivated when the said transmission count or transmission interval expires. Alternatively, if there is a pre-set / defined transmission count or transmission interval, the SSB may be deactivated after activation when the said transmission count or transmission interval expires. Alternatively, (if a specific cell is a SCell) the SSB may be deactivated when activation for the said specific cell is completed (or when the CSI report for the said specific cell is successfully completed). Alternatively, (if a specific cell is a SCell) the SSB may be deactivated when the said specific cell is deactivated.Alternatively, (if a specific cell is a PCell) the SSB may be disabled after performing a handover from the specific cell to another cell. Alternatively, the SSB may be disabled at the request of the terminal.

[0280] As another example, one can assume a case where one or more SSB settings are configured, and an SSB corresponding to one of the SSB setting(s) is transmitted upon a base station instruction or a request from a terminal. In this case, there exists an SSB (e.g., Type-1 SSB) that is transmitted periodically and continuously regardless of the activation / deactivation of the corresponding SSB setting(s), and additionally, an SSB setting to be transmitted may be activated / deactivated for this SSB. At least the SSB period value or SSB time pattern may differ between different SSB settings. In this case, adaptation to the SSB period may be performed by changing the activated SSB setting. In this case, Type-1 SSB and Type-2 SSB can be distinguished as follows.

[0281] Type-1 SSB may refer to an SSB corresponding to the default SSB setting, and continuous periodic transmission for the Type-1 SSB can be guaranteed regardless of the activation / deactivation of the SSB setting(s) corresponding to the Type-2 SSB.

[0282] One or more SSB settings may be configured for a Type-2 SSB. One of these one or more SSB settings may be activated by a configuration / instruction from the base station (via RRC / MAC-CE / DCI) or by a request from the terminal. For an activated SSB setting, SSB deactivation may be explicitly configured / instructed via RRC / MAC-CE / DCI, etc. Alternatively, for an activated SSB where a transmission count or transmission interval is configured / instructed in the RRC / MAC-CE / DCI instructing the activation of the SSB setting, the SSB may be deactivated when the configured transmission count or transmission interval expires. Alternatively, if there is a pre-configured / defined transmission count or transmission interval, the SSB may be deactivated after activation when the configured transmission count or transmission interval expires. Alternatively, (if the specific cell is a SCell) the SSB may be deactivated when activation for the specific cell is completed (or when the CSI report for the specific cell is successfully completed). Alternatively, (if a specific cell is SCell) the SSB may be disabled when the specific cell is disabled. Alternatively, (if a specific cell is PCell) the SSB may be disabled after a handover from the specific cell to another cell. Alternatively, the SSB may be disabled at the request of the terminal.

[0283] In the various examples described above, Type-1 SSB corresponds to an SSB that can assume continuous periodic transmission, and Type-2 SSB corresponds to an SSB that cannot assume continuous periodic transmission. In some examples described below, the always-on SSB corresponds to or can be replaced by the aforementioned Type-1 SSB, and the on-demand SSB corresponds to or can be replaced by the aforementioned Type-2 SSB.

[0284] Enable / Enable / Disable synchronization signal blocks

[0285] This disclosure describes various examples for configuring, enabling, and / or disabling an SSB transmitted based on triggering / instruction / activation (e.g., On-Demand (OD)-SSB) which is advantageous in terms of network energy saving and interference reduction in control signaling compared to an SSB that is always transmitted (e.g., Always-On (AO) SSB).

[0286] In this disclosure, triggering / instruction / activation related to the transmission of an on-demand SSB may be used interchangeably. In this disclosure, triggering / instruction / activation for the transmission of an on-demand SSB corresponds to a description from the perspective of a base station, and this can be understood as triggering / instruction / activation for the reception of an on-demand SSB from the perspective of a terminal.

[0287] FIG. 20 is a drawing for explaining an example of a method performed by a terminal according to the present disclosure.

[0288] In step S2010, the terminal can receive configuration information for a synchronization signal block from the network.

[0289] In some examples, the configuration information may include either a first field related to the activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block. For example, the configuration information may include only one of the first field or the second field, and not both. For example, the configuration information may correspond to an RRC / L3 information element.

[0290] In some examples, if the first field is absent in the configuration information, the second field may be included in the configuration information. For example, the network may only configure the second field when the first field is absent in the configuration information element.

[0291] In some examples, the first field may indicate the activation status of the associated synchronization signal block pattern upon configuration. The synchronization signal block pattern may be based on, for example, the positionInBurst, periodicity, etc. of the synchronization signal block, or specified by these. The activation status of the synchronization signal block may indicate that the synchronization signal block is activated.

[0292] In some examples, the second field may indicate the number of bursts of the synchronization signal block to be transmitted after the synchronization signal block is activated (or the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block).

[0293] In step S2020, the terminal can receive a synchronization signal block from the network based on the configuration information.

[0294] In some examples, if information regarding the number of transmissions of a synchronization signal block is not provided to the terminal, the transmission of the synchronization signal block may occur until it is deactivated (e.g., the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block corresponds to infinite / permanent).

[0295] For example, if the configuration information includes a first field and does not include a second field, the terminal can expect to be transmitted from the network until the synchronization signal block is deactivated.

[0296] For example, if the configuration information does not include a first field but includes a second field, the terminal can expect the synchronization signal block to be transmitted from the network as many times as the number of transmissions provided by the second field (or a specific number of transmissions indicated by the MAC CE among the candidate transmission counts provided by the second field) when the synchronization signal block is activated through separate signaling (e.g., MAC CE).

[0297] In some examples, the synchronization signal block can be disabled by the RRC information element (IE) or by the MAC CE.

[0298] In some examples, based on the absence of another synchronization signal block (e.g., first SSB or AO-SSB) on the cell (e.g., SCell) to which the synchronization signal block (e.g., second SSB or OD-SSB) is associated, the transmission of the synchronization signal block (e.g., second SSB or OD-SSB) may be maintained while the SCell is active. Alternatively, based on the absence of another synchronization signal block (e.g., first SSB or AO-SSB) on the cell (e.g., SCell) to which the synchronization signal block (e.g., second SSB or OD-SSB) is associated, the transmission of the synchronization signal block (e.g., second SSB or OD-SSB) may not be disabled while the SCell is active, and when the SCell is disabled, the transmission of the synchronization signal block (e.g., second SSB or OD-SSB) may also be disabled without separate signaling.

[0299] The method described in the example of FIG. 20 can be performed by the wireless device (200) of FIG. 3 corresponding to the first node (110) of FIG. 2 described above. For example, one or more processors (202) of the wireless device (200) of FIG. 3 may receive setting information for a synchronization signal block from a network through one or more transceivers (206), and may be configured to receive the synchronization signal block from a network through one or more transceivers (206) based on the setting information. Furthermore, one or more memories (204) of the wireless device (200) may store instructions for performing the method described in the example of FIG. 20 or the examples described below when executed by one or more processors (202).

[0300] FIG. 21 is a drawing illustrating an example of a method performed by a network node according to the present disclosure.

[0301] In step S2110, a network node (e.g., a base station) can transmit configuration information for a synchronization signal block to a terminal.

[0302] In step S2120, the network node can transmit a synchronization signal block to the terminal based on the configuration information.

[0303] In the example of FIG. 21, the specific features of the synchronization signal block and setting information are the same as those described with reference to the example of FIG. 20, so redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0304] The method described in the example of FIG. 21 can be performed by the wireless device (200) of FIG. 3 corresponding to the second node (120) of FIG. 2 described above. For example, one or more processors (202) of the wireless device (200) of FIG. 3 can be configured to transmit setting information for a synchronization signal block to a terminal through one or more transceivers (206), and to transmit a synchronization signal block to a terminal through one or more transceivers (206) based on the setting information. Furthermore, one or more memories (204) of the wireless device (200) can store instructions for performing the method described in the example of FIG. 21 or the examples described below when executed by one or more processors (202).

[0305] Various examples of the present disclosure regarding the setting / enabling / disabling of a synchronization signal block are described below.

[0306] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing exemplary formats of MAC-CE related to SSB transmission according to the present disclosure.

[0307] FIG. 22(a) shows an exemplary format of a MAC-CE for conventional SCell activation / deactivation compared with the examples of the present disclosure. For example, when one wishes to activate or deactivate a SCell, through the MAC-CE of FIG. 22(a), the index of each SCell (C1 to C 31 Up to 31 SCell(s) can be simultaneously enabled or disabled depending on ). Each SCell index can be represented by a single bit of the bitmap. For example, C1 to C 31Among them, SCell(s) corresponding to the bit set to a value of 1 may be indicated as enabled, and SCell(s) corresponding to the bit set to a value of 0 may be indicated as disabled. Although not illustrated, if the number of SCells is 7 or less, SCell enable / disable may be indicated through the bitmaps of C1-C7, and C1 to C of the examples described below 31 The examples of may be replaced with the examples of C1-C7.

[0308] For example, one could consider adding SSB transmission-related information immediately after the SCell enable / disable MAC-CE. Alternatively, a MAC-CE indicating SSB transmission-related information could be defined independently of the SCell enable / disable MAC-CE.

[0309] Information regarding SSB transmission may include some or all of the parameters included in the table below, or additionally include parameters not included in the table. Some or all of these parameters may be pre-configured via the RRC Information Element (IE), and some or all of the others may be dynamically indicated via MAC-CE.

[0310] Parameter Name Description Number of SSB Burst Transmissions (or Window Size or Timer) This parameter indicates how many times a burst is transmitted, considering sweeping from SSB#0 to SSB#x as one transmission (i.e., one SSB burst). If the number of transmissions is 2, SSB#0 to SSB#x can be transmitted again after completing transmission and a predetermined time interval. The number of transmissions can be set / indicated as one or two or more values. Additionally, the number of transmissions may be replaced by a time window size or a timer (dividing the time remaining until the time window size or timer expires by the SSB transmission period corresponds to the number of transmissions). SSB Transmission Status This parameter is 1-bit information indicating whether an SSB is transmitted or not. The SSB transmission status parameter may be associated with a specific ID indicating that the SSB is not being transmitted, in which case the SSB transmission status parameter may not be required. The SSB#x ID parameter is an identification information (ID) assigned to an SSB of a specific direction. For Type-2 SSBs (e.g., On-Demand SSBs), a new format of identification information distinct from the identification information for Type-1 SSBs (e.g., existing Always-On SSBs) may be assigned. For example, the new SSB ID may be provided in a bitmap format, and the maximum number of bits may be 64, as the SSB ID supports 64 SSBs. Candidate values ​​for the new SSB ID may include a value indicating that the SSB is not being transmitted, or a value indicating that it is being transmitted (i.e., swept) once for all SSB IDs configured on the cell. The SSB Group ID parameter is a group ID for managing SSB IDs of a specific direction as a single group. For example, SSB group ID#0={SSB0,SSB1,SSB2}, SSB group ID#1={SSB3,SSB4,SSB5}, ...It can be defined as SSB group ID#x={SSBx,SSBy,SSBz}. The number of SSB IDs belonging to multiple groups may be the same or different. The SSB IDs belonging to each group may be consecutive or partially / completely discontinuous. SSB Transmission Time: This parameter represents the time interval (or offset) between the time referenced when a command instructing SSB transmission (e.g., SSB trigger / activation instruction information such as MAC-CE) is received, and the time when the SSB is transmitted in accordance with that command. For example, the reference time may be the time when the SSB instruction information is received, or it may be defined as another time. Reference Cell ID (or Index): This parameter is information indicating the other cell when a specific cell is configured / instructed to perform operations such as synchronization by referencing the SSB of another cell without transmitting an SSB from that cell. For example, the reference cell ID may be defined as a new type of cell identifier different from the existing serving cell index or SCell index (or TRP identifier, CORESET pool index, (additional) PCI, etc.). The SSB transmit duration parameter may indicate the time interval during which SSB transmit is maintained. For example, the SSB transmit duration may be specified as a multiple of the SSB transmit cycle (e.g., for several cycles). The BWP ID parameter may indicate the BWP to which the on-demand SSB is enabled / disabled.

[0311] In cases where SMTC is not configured in a specific cell, periodic transmission of SSBs may not be easy. For example, assuming SMTC is configured, in an SSB-free cell, it is sufficient for the base station to transmit SSBs only when there is a request for an on-demand SSB over the uplink (e.g., from a terminal). Assuming SMTC is not configured, information such as the SSB transmission time in Table 1 may be required to clearly determine when to transmit SSBs in response to requests for on-demand SSBs. If the SSB transmission period of the SMTC configuration is included in the RRC parameter, if there is a request for an on-demand SSB according to that period, the SSB can be transmitted starting from the time when the next period returns.

[0312] In the present disclosure, an SSB configuration ID may be assigned to a list containing on-demand SSB-related parameters (e.g., parameters of Table 1) configured by an upper layer (e.g., RRC). For example, a set of one SSB-related parameter may correspond to one parameter list, and one or more parameter lists may be configured. Different parameter lists are assigned different IDs / indexes, which are referred to as SSB configuration IDs in the present disclosure. At a lower layer (e.g., L1 or L2), the SSB configuration ID may be used to indicate one of the configured parameter lists. The parameter list indicated by such an SSB configuration ID may include parameters for an SSB burst related to SSB-PositionsInBurst(bitmap), which is an RRC parameter for a group of SSB IDs rather than an individual SSB transmission.

[0313] In the present disclosure, regarding the SCell activation state, two sub-states may be defined. The SCell state from the last slot in which MAC-CE or RRC signaling containing a command to activate the SCell is received until the first slot in which a CSI report is transmitted to the SCell may be referred to as the SCell activating state. The SCell state after the first slot in which a CSI report is transmitted to the SCell may be referred to as the activated state.

[0314] In the present disclosure, the number of transmissions may be replaced by the concept of a timer or a window size. For example, the number of transmissions, the timer, and the window size may be interchangeable in that they indicate when transmission is terminated (or transmission is performed only within a finite number of times / interval) while indicating the activation of on-demand SSB transmission.

[0315] The present disclosure describes various examples of the number of transmissions for an SSB burst (sweeping that transmits SSB beams one by one). In this regard, the number of transmissions for an SSB burst may be represented by N. N may include an infinite or permanent value, in which case the on-demand SSB may be deactivated (e.g., stopped transmitting / receiving) only when explicitly indicated, and the transmission / reception of the SSB may be maintained after the on-demand SSB is indicated (e.g., triggering or activating) without an explicit deactivation instruction. The infinite or permanent value may be defined or referred to as a non-numerical value having such meaning, not limited to a specific value.

[0316] Triggering / instruction of an on-demand SSB may be expressed as activation, and interruption of a transmitting / activated / triggered on-demand SSB may be expressed as deactivation.

[0317] The number of transmissions of an on-demand SSB may refer to the timer size or window size corresponding to the time interval during which the on-demand SSB is transmitted.

[0318] A parameter indicating the number of transmissions (e.g., N) of an on-demand SSB can be set / indicated through RRC information elements and / or MAC CE. For example, the parameter for the number of transmissions of an on-demand SSB in RRC / L3 (layer 3) signaling and the parameter for the number of transmissions of an on-demand SSB in MAC / L2 (layer 2) signaling may correspond to different parameters. For example, candidate(s) of the number of transmissions may be set through RRC / L3 signaling, and a specific value among the candidate(s) of the number of transmissions may be indicated through MAC / L2 signaling.

[0319] In addition, the number of transmissions of an on-demand SSB may have the same meaning as the number of on-demand SSB bursts or the number of half frames in which the on-demand SSB is transmitted.

[0320] In the following examples, where PCell and SCell are not distinguished and are referred to as "cell," it is assumed that activation / deactivation of the cell applies to SCell. Otherwise, the cell is assumed to correspond to PCell and / or SCell.

[0321] In the description of the present disclosure, the statement that certain operations / information are predefined may include the meaning that the terminal assumes that said operations / information are applied without separate signaling from the network. In the description of the present disclosure, the statement that certain information is set for the terminal may include that said information is provided / set to the terminal through upper layer (e.g., RRC or L3) signaling from the network. In the description of the present disclosure, the statement that certain information is indicated for the terminal may include that said information is provided / instructed to the terminal through lower layer (e.g., MAC or L2, or PHY or L1) signaling from the network.

[0322] Example 1

[0323] This embodiment relates to a method for enabling / disabling an on-demand SSB through RRC (or L3) signaling.

[0324] Assume that the name of the RRC information element (IE) for the on-demand SSB configuration is X. The IE named X may contain one or more parameter sets named Y. The maximum number of parameter sets named Y may be 256 (this is merely an example, and powers of 2 such as 128, 64, etc., or specific integer values ​​may be defined as the maximum value). A single parameter set may contain multiple parameters. For example, parameter A corresponds to the SSB pattern (e.g., PositionInBurst) and may have values ​​such as a1, a2, a3, ... Parameter B corresponds to the SSB transmission time and may have values ​​such as b1, b2, b3, ... Parameter C corresponds to the number of SSB transmissions and may have values ​​such as c1, c2, c3, ... The number of transmissions may be replaced by information indicating limited transmission (or implying that it will be disabled after a finite number of transmissions), such as a window size or a timer. In addition, the number of parameters included in a single parameter set is not limited to three, and more or fewer parameters may be included in a single parameter set.

[0325] x

[0326] In such cases, multiple parameters included in an RRC IE named X can be grouped (e.g., as a parameter set) and assigned an index (or ID). For example, index #1 may correspond to the parameter set {a1, b1, c1}, index #2 to the parameter set {a2, b2, c2}, and index #3 to the parameter set {a3, b3, c3}.

[0327] As in this example, a single OD-SSB setting IE may contain one or more (less than a maximum number) OD-SSB setting fields, and each OD-SSB setting field may contain its own index (or ID) and one or more OD-SSB parameters (e.g., OD-SSB patterns).

[0328] The OD-SSB configuration IE may also include additional information related to the A-TRS tracking reference signal. In this case, the SSB-related settings and the A-TRS-related settings may be configured / instructed at once through a single RRC IE.

[0329] After multiple OD-SSB parameter sets are set through RRC IE, if the index / ID of one of the parameter sets is indicated through MAC CE, the corresponding OD-SSB can be triggered / activated.

[0330] Alternatively, the OD-SSB may be triggered / activated along with the OD-SSB configuration via RRC IE. In this case, additional MAC CE for OD-SSB activation may not be provided. For example, SCell activation and OD-SSB related (re)configuration may be provided through (re)configuration messages such as SCell add / modify, and the OD-SSB may be activated along with this.

[0331] In this way, when the OD-SSB is configured and the OD-SSB is enabled through RRC IE, the number of transmissions of the OD-SSB may be infinite or permanent.

[0332] For example, if the OD-SSB activation status is indicated along with the OD-SSB settings through the RRC IE, even if the RRC IE contains information on the number of OD-SSB transmissions, the value may be set to a value corresponding to infinite / persistent (e.g., OD-SSB transmissions are maintained until explicitly disabled) (e.g., a non-numerical value).

[0333] Alternatively, if the activation status of the OD-SSB is indicated along with the configuration of the OD-SSB through the RRC IE, the OD-SSB transmission count information may not be included in the RRC IE (e.g., the OD-SSB transmission count information may be omitted / absent in the RRC IE). In other words, only when the RRC IE does not include information regarding the activation status of the OD-SSB, the OD-SSB transmission count information (e.g., transmission count information indicating a finite value) may be included in the RRC IE. The fact that the OD-SSB transmission count information is not included in the RRC IE may mean that the OD-SSB transmission count is infinite / permanent (e.g., OD-SSB transmission is maintained until explicitly disabled).

[0334] Example 1-1

[0335] When OD-SSB activation is signaled along with a SCell activation command through an RRC IE (e.g., provided through a single signaling), the number of OD-SSB transmissions is infinite / permanent, and parameters / fields for the number of OD-SSB transmissions can be omitted in the RRC IE. Accordingly, signaling overhead related to OD-SSB configuration / activation can be reduced.

[0336] For example, if the AO-SSB and the on-demand SSB are transmitted in the same cell / BWP, the value of the number of OD-SSB transmissions (e.g., N) may be limited to a finite value. If the AO-SSB and the on-demand SSB are not transmitted in the same cell / BWP, the terminal may consider the value of N to be infinite. For example, if no other SSB (e.g., AO-SSB) exists in the active SCell and only the OD-SSB is active, the terminal may assume that the OD-SSB will be maintained while the SCell is active.

[0337] If the value of N is finite, a parameter / field for the value of N may exist in the RRC IE to allow the value to be specified / set. If there is no AO-SSB in a specific cell (e.g., if the number of transmissions of the OD-SSB is infinite / continuous), the terminal may ignore the parameter / field for the value of N or the parameter / field for the value of N may not be included in the RRC IE (e.g., not set / specified).

[0338] In the present disclosure, the fact that the value of the on-demand SSB transmission count parameter N is set / indicated as an infinite value (or that the on-demand SSB is an infinite transmission) may mean that the number of transmissions of valid / numerical values ​​is not set / indicated, or that the number of transmissions of invalid / infinite / persistent / non-numerical values ​​is set / indicated. Additionally, in the present disclosure, the fact that the value of the on-demand SSB transmission count parameter N is set / indicated as a finite value (or that the on-demand SSB is a finite transmission) may mean that the number of transmissions of valid / numerical values ​​is set / indicated, or that the number of transmissions of invalid / infinite / persistent / non-numerical values ​​is not set / indicated.

[0339] Examples 1-2

[0340] The on-demand SSB may be disabled via explicit signaling only when the current on-demand SSB is performing an infinite number of transmissions rather than a finite number of transmissions. Alternatively, the on-demand SSB may be disabled during the completion of the SCell activation process only when the current on-demand SSB is performing an infinite number of transmissions rather than a finite number of transmissions, and additional explicit signaling for the on-demand SSB disablement may not be required.

[0341] If the on-demand SSB is a finite transmission, it may be implicitly indicated that it will be deactivated after being transmitted that many times.

[0342] For example, when enabling an on-demand SSB through RRC signaling, if the number of transmissions N is infinite, the transmission and reception of the on-demand SSB may be predefined or pre-configured to be valid only until the time of CSI report transmission when SCell activation is completed.

[0343] Examples 1-3

[0344] The minimum transmission guarantee count M of the on-demand SSB can be specified or set.

[0345] For example, if the minimum transmission guarantee count M is set / specified to 30 times, even if an on-demand SSB disable RRC signaling is provided to the terminal before 30 transmissions are completed, the terminal expects that on-demand SSB will be transmitted up to the minimum transmission guarantee count of 30 times and attempts / performs reception, and thereafter, OD-SSB transmission may be disabled (without separate signaling).

[0346] Alternatively, if the minimum transmission guarantee count M is set / specified to 30 times, and after the OD-SSB is transmitted 30 times, if a disable RRC signaling for the OD-SSB is provided to the terminal, the terminal may perform a disable operation for the OD-SSB (e.g., stop reception attempt).

[0347] Examples 1-4

[0348] When an on-demand SSB is disabled via RRC signaling, if the number of transmissions is set / instructed to be above (or exceed) a specific threshold (e.g., K), the terminal may perform a disable operation (e.g., stop reception attempts) for the OD-SSB. For example, K may include infinite / persistent / non-numeric values.

[0349] For example, if K is 50, OD-SSB can be disabled via RRC signaling only when a transmission count value N of 50 or more (including infinite transmission counts) is set / instructed. If a transmission count value N of less than 50 or less than 50 is set / instructed, the terminal for on-demand SSB transmission can receive / measure OD-SSB only up to N times or receive / measure OD-SSB only up to K times.

[0350] The method of disabling on-demand SSBs via RRC signaling applies only to on-demand SSBs that have an infinite number of transmissions set / specified, and may not apply to on-demand SSBs that are transmitting a finite number of transmissions.

[0351] Examples 1-5

[0352] In a method of disabling the on-demand SSB through RRC signaling, the terminal may be notified that the on-demand SSB is disabled after it has been transmitted a few more times.

[0353] For example, if the on-demand SSB is disabled through RRC signaling, an additional transmission count value A may be provided. After receiving the RRC signaling, at a specific point in time (e.g., the point in time for applying the disablement), if the value A is 0, the device is disabled / stopped immediately, and if the value A is 1 or greater, the device is disabled / stopped after attempting to receive / measure the OD-SSB A times.

[0354] In this case, the value of A cannot have an infinite / persistent / non-numeric value and can be restricted to have a finite value.

[0355] Examples 1-6

[0356] When enabling / disabling an on-demand SSB through RRC signaling, the enable / disable status may be distinguished based on the value of the number of transmissions. For example, if the number of transmissions is 0, it corresponds to disablement, and if the number of transmissions is not 0 (or greater than 0), it corresponds to enablement.

[0357] Alternatively, the on / off (or activation / deactivation) of the on-demand SSB may be set / instructed using specific parameters. If such specific parameters do not exist, the transmission count may be considered to be 0.

[0358] Examples 1-7

[0359] When disabling an on-demand SSB via RRC signaling, OD-SSB disabling may be applied only to SCells that are in the activation process based on the SCell enable command or SCells that have already completed the activation process and are in an activated state. If OD-SSB is disabled via RRC signaling for SCells that are not activated (including those in the activation process) or are in a disabled state, the RRC signaling may be ignored.

[0360] Examples 1-8

[0361] When enabling or disabling an on-demand SSB via RRC signaling, the activation or deactivation may be distinguished based on the presence or absence of specific parameters. For example, the presence of a specific parameter may correspond to activation, while its absence may correspond to deactivation. In the case of disabling an on-demand SSB, signaling overhead can be reduced because specific parameters are omitted. These specific parameters may be included within SCell configuration messages.

[0362] Examples 1-9

[0363] When enabling on-demand SSB via RRC signaling, if SCell activation related parameters / commands (e.g., SCellstate=activated) are provided, the number of OD-SSB transmissions N may be set to a finite value. Alternatively, if SCell activation related parameters / commands are not provided, the number of OD-SSB transmissions N may be indicated as an infinite value (or one of the candidate values ​​including the infinite value). Since the terminal does not operate at full performance when SCell is disabled, having an infinite number of OD-SSB transmissions may be disadvantageous for power saving.

[0364] Examples 1-10

[0365] After the SCell enable command is provided, restrictions can be placed to prevent the on-demand SSB from being enabled via RRC signaling. For example, after the SCell enable command is provided, the on-demand SSB can be enabled via MAC CE.

[0366] Example 2

[0367] This embodiment relates to a method for enabling / disabling an on-demand SSB through MAC CE (or L2) signaling.

[0368] Referring to FIG. 22(b), a bitmap indicating on-demand SSB on / off (or enabled / disabled) for each SCell can be configured. There may be up to 31 SCells (C1 to C31), and 4 bytes (=32 bits) can be used to indicate which SCell's SSB is enabled / disabled. R may correspond to a PCell. If R is not used for PCells but only for SCells, the corresponding bit may be left empty as R, or filled in the index order of the SCells starting from that bit (a total of 32 SCells). Additionally, the structure may be such that information related to on-demand SSB activation mapped to each bit is concatenated.

[0369] If it is assumed that on-demand SSB can be enabled for each BWP ID and / or TRP ID within a SCell, 4 bits may correspond to one SCell, and the 4 bits may indicate which BWP ID and / or TRP ID of that SCell the OD-SSB is enabled for. Alternatively, 1 bit may indicate whether the OD-SSB is enabled for the SCell, and information regarding the BWP ID and / or TRP ID may be indicated through another field.

[0370] After a set / list of configuration parameters for the OD-SSB (e.g., period, pattern (e.g., position within burst), number of transmissions, etc.) is pre-configured through RRC signaling, the configuration index of one of the sets / lists may be indicated through MAC CE. Alternatively, the set of configuration parameters for the OD-SSB may not be pre-configured in RRC and may be indicated directly through MAC CE.

[0371] For example, in the example of FIG. 22(b), the setting indices #x, ..., #y may correspond to the indices of the OD-SSB setting parameter set / list that are applied to the SCell where the OD-SSB is activated (e.g., sequentially corresponding to the target being activated).

[0372] In the example of FIG. 22(c), the parameter set / list index may not be provided in advance via RRC, and the OD-SSB setting parameter set / list may be provided directly via MAC CE. One of the parameter candidates corresponding to A1 (e.g., four candidates may be pre-set via RRC or pre-defined without separate signaling) may be indicated through the A1 field (e.g., a 2-bit field) within MAC CE. A2 to A4 may also indicate one of the candidate values ​​for each distinct parameter.

[0373] The example in FIG. 22(d) corresponds to a combination of the examples in (b) and (c), where some of the set / list indices among the OD-SSB parameters are pre-set and the corresponding indices are indicated through MAC CE (e.g., RRC set index #x, ..., #y), and the remaining parameters can be directly indicated through MAC CE (e.g., A1 field).

[0374] OD-SSB configuration parameters can be provided to the terminal in various ways. Among them, the transmission count parameter N may be included in the parameter set / list configured in the RRC, or it may correspond to a parameter directly indicated through MAC CE.

[0375] When parameter sets / lists are pre-configured in RRC, a single set / list may generally contain the period, the actual SSB transmission bitmap (or pattern), and SSB transmission time information, and for the number of transmissions N, a list of multiple candidate values ​​for the number of transmissions (e.g., {10, 20, 40, infinity}) may be configured instead of a single value. For example, multiple parameter sets may be configured, and each set may contain the values ​​of individual parameters (e.g., period, actual SSB transmission bitmap, SSB transmission time information, etc.) and additionally include a list of multiple candidate values ​​for the number of transmissions N. In the example of FIG. 22(d), the A1 field may correspond to a field indicating one of the values ​​in the transmission count list. The remaining parameters may be indicated through the RRC configuration index.

[0376] Example 2-1

[0377] The on-demand SSB may be disabled via explicit signaling only when the current on-demand SSB is performing an infinite number of transmissions rather than a finite number of transmissions. Alternatively, the on-demand SSB may be disabled during the completion of the SCell activation process only when the current on-demand SSB is performing an infinite number of transmissions rather than a finite number of transmissions, and additional explicit signaling for the on-demand SSB disablement may not be required.

[0378] If the on-demand SSB is a finite transmission, it may be implicitly indicated that it will be deactivated after being transmitted that many times.

[0379] For example, when enabling an on-demand SSB through MAC CE, if the number of transmissions N is infinite, the transmission and reception of the on-demand SSB may be predefined or pre-set to be valid only until the time of CSI report transmission when SCell activation is completed.

[0380] Example 2-2

[0381] The minimum transmission guarantee count M of the on-demand SSB can be specified or set.

[0382] For example, if the minimum transmission guarantee count M is set / specified to 30 times, even if the on-demand SSB disable MAC CE signaling is provided to the terminal before the 30 transmissions are completed, the terminal expects the on-demand SSB to be transmitted up to the minimum transmission guarantee count of 30 times and attempts / performs reception, and thereafter the OD-SSB transmission may be disabled (without separate signaling).

[0383] Alternatively, if the minimum transmission guarantee count M is set / specified to 30 times, and after the OD-SSB is transmitted 30 times, if a deactivation MAC CE signaling for the OD-SSB is provided to the terminal, the terminal may perform a deactivation operation for the OD-SSB (e.g., stop reception attempt).

[0384] Examples 2-3

[0385] In a method of disabling an on-demand SSB through MAC CE signaling, the terminal may be notified that the on-demand SSB is disabled after it has been transmitted a few more times.

[0386] For example, if the on-demand SSB is disabled through MAC CE signaling, an additional transmission count value A may be provided. After receiving the MAC CE signaling, at a specific point in time (e.g., the point in time for applying the disablement), if the value A is 0, the device is immediately disabled / stopped, and if the value A is 1 or greater, the device is disabled / stopped after attempting to receive / measure the OD-SSB A times.

[0387] In this case, the value of A cannot have an infinite / persistent / non-numeric value and can be restricted to have a finite value.

[0388] Examples 2-4

[0389] Assume a case where the on / off (or activation / deactivation) of an on-demand SSB is indicated by SCell index as in the examples of (b), (c), and (d) of FIG. 22, and transmission-related information of the on-demand SSB (e.g., RRC setting index related to SSB transmission, A1, A2, A3, A4, etc.) is provided. In this case, transmission-related information of the on-demand SSB may be added (e.g., may exist) only for the SCell where the on / activation of the on-demand SSB is indicated (e.g., only when the value of the corresponding SCell bit is set to 1). For the SCell where the off / deactivation of the on-demand SSB is indicated (e.g., when the value of the corresponding SCell bit is set to 0), transmission-related information of the on-demand SSB may not be added (e.g., may be omitted).

[0390] Alternatively, even if the on-demand SSB is instructed to be off / disabled, if it is disabled after being transmitted a number of times more as in Example 2-3, the transmission-related information of the on-demand SSB may be added / concatenated.

[0391] For example, it can be assumed that on-demand SSBs can be set for 31 SCells, and that the transmission information field of one on-demand SSB (a field containing information such as period, number of transmissions, and SSB positionInBurst (e.g., bitmap / pattern information of which beam is actually transmitted in the SSB burst)) is 8 bits (1 byte). Assuming that transmission information fields for on-demand SSBs are provided for all 31 SCells, up to 31 bytes of information can be appended / concatenated to the MAC CE.

[0392] Alternatively, regardless of what value is indicated in the on-demand SSB on / off (enable / disable) bit, the transmission information field of the on-demand SSB for all SCells may always be appended / concatenated without being omitted.

[0393] Alternatively, even if the On-Demand SSB On / Off (enable / disable) bit indicates Off (disable), the transmission information field of the On-Demand SSB for the corresponding SCell may be appended / concatenated (if A additional transmissions are made). In this case, if A is the number of transmissions applied from a specific test after receiving the signaling related to the termination of the OD-SSB, the value of A cannot be set to an infinite / persistent / non-numeric value and may be restricted to be set to a finite value.

[0394] Examples 2-5

[0395] When an on-demand SSB is disabled via MAC CE signaling, if the number of transmissions is set / instructed to be above (or exceed) a specific threshold (e.g., K), the terminal may perform a disable operation (e.g., stop reception attempts) for the OD-SSB. For example, K may include infinite / persistent / non-numeric values.

[0396] For example, if K is 50, OD-SSB can be disabled via MAC CE signaling only when a transmission count value N of 50 or more (including infinite transmission counts) is set / instructed. If a transmission count value N of less than 50 or less than 50 is set / instructed, the terminal for on-demand SSB transmission may receive / measure OD-SSB only up to N times or receive / measure OD-SSB only up to K times.

[0397] The method of disabling on-demand SSBs via MAC CE signaling applies only to on-demand SSBs that have an infinite number of transmissions set / specified, and may not apply to on-demand SSBs that are transmitting a finite number of transmissions.

[0398] Examples 2-6

[0399] When an instruction for an on-demand SSB is provided while SCell is disabled, the number of transmissions (N) of the OD-SSB cannot be set to an infinite / persistent / non-numerical value and may be limited to a finite value. Since SCell disabling is an operation that requires a long cycle in the measurement operation of the terminal, the number of transmissions of the OD-SSB may be limited so that it is not set / instructed to be infinite / persistent.

[0400] Examples 2-7

[0401] The value of the OD-SSB transmission count parameter (N) provided through MAC CE signaling can be restricted so that it does not include infinite / persistent / non-numeric values. Unlike the case of OD-SSB activation through RRC signaling, only a finite number of transmissions can be indicated / allowed for OD-SSB activation through MAC CE signaling. Accordingly, only temporary (for a finite time interval) on-demand SSB activation is allowed through MAC CE signaling, while on-demand SSB activation can be restricted to an infinite number of transmissions (e.g., maintained until deactivation is indicated) through RRC signaling (e.g., the transmission count parameter is set to a value corresponding to infinite / persistent, or the transmission count parameter is not provided) or an infinite number of transmissions can be allowed (e.g., the candidate value of the transmission count parameter includes a value corresponding to infinite / persistent).

[0402] Accordingly, MAC CE signaling-based OD-SSB activation can be controlled dynamically and temporarily compared to RRC signaling-based OD-SSB activation.

[0403] Examples 2-8

[0404] When disabling an on-demand SSB via MAC CE signaling, OD-SSB disabling may be applied only to SCells that are in the activation process based on the SCell enable command or SCells that have already completed the activation process and are in an activated state. If OD-SSB is disabled via MAC CE signaling for SCells that are not activated (including those in the activation process) or are in an inactive state, such MAC CE signaling may be ignored.

[0405] Example 3

[0406] This embodiment relates to a method for linking SCell deactivation with the deactivation of an on-demand SSB.

[0407] For a cell that supports on-demand SSB operation, as a method to disable the on-demand SSB from the terminal's perspective, the disablement of the on-demand SSB may be explicitly indicated through MAC CE signaling that directs the transmission of the on-demand SSB or through RRC signaling that establishes the transmission of the on-demand SSB. Alternatively, the disablement of the on-demand SSB may be implicitly indicated by setting / directing the number of on-demand SSB bursts to be transmitted (e.g., the number of transmissions) after the on-demand SSB is directed.

[0408] In this embodiment, in addition to the method of disabling on-demand SSBs via MAC-CE / RRC (or L2 / L3) signaling in the aforementioned examples, a method for disabling on-demand SSBs currently in transmission is described. For example, when an on-demand SSB is applied to a SCell, the on-demand SSB can be automatically disabled (e.g., without separate signaling) when the SCell is disabled based on SCell disable signaling or a SCell enable expiration timer. More specifically below, examples of OD-SSB disabling related to SCell disablement (e.g., timer-based or explicit signaling-based) are described.

[0409] Example 3-1

[0410] When SCell is switched from an active state to an inactive state, the OD-SSB in the active state, which is set / instructed to have an infinite number of transmissions, may be automatically disabled (e.g., without separate signaling). Whether or not the OD-SSB is disabled based on such SCell disabled may be predefined or pre-set.

[0411] Example 3-2

[0412] When SCell is switched from an active state to an inactive state, the number of transmissions is set / instructed to a finite value, and the OD-SSB in the active state may be automatically disabled (e.g., without separate signaling). Whether or not the OD-SSB is disabled based on such SCell disabled may be predefined or pre-set.

[0413] If, at the time of SCell deactivation instruction / application among the finite number of transmissions of OD-SSB, the remaining number of transmissions exceeds (or is greater than) the threshold X, the remaining transmissions are not performed and the OD-SSB transmission is immediately deactivated, and if the remaining number of transmissions is less than (or less than) the threshold X, the remaining number of transmissions may be transmitted (and thus deactivated after the remaining transmissions are completed).

[0414] Example 3-3

[0415] It is assumed that when an on-demand SSB is disabled based on two cases of SCell disablement (e.g., timer-based SCell disablement or explicit signaling-based SCell disablement), the number of transmissions of the OD-SSB is set / instructed to a finite value. In this case, if there are some remaining OD-SSB transmissions at the time of SCell disablement instruction / application, the OD-SSB may not be disabled even if SCell is disabled, but may be disabled after all remaining transmissions have been transmitted.

[0416] For example, if there is no AO-SSB in the cell / BWP, the on-demand SSB may not be disabled. Alternatively, in two cases regarding SCell disablement, if a signaling indicating disablement of the on-demand SSB is provided before the time when SCell disablement is applied, or if the signaling indicates disablement after A additional transmission of the OD-SSB, the on-demand SSB may not be disabled at the time when SCell disablement is applied, but may be disabled after A additional transmission.

[0417] Examples 3-4

[0418] When an on-demand SSB is in continuous transmission after being indicated (enabled / triggered) via RRC signaling, the OD-SSB can be disabled only via MAC CE disable signaling. For example, if OD-SSB disablement cannot be signaled via RRC signaling, OD-SSB disablement can be indicated via MAC CE signaling.

[0419] Examples 3-5

[0420] When switching from an active SCell to a disabled state, if an AO-SSB exists within the cell / BWP, the disabled of the on-demand SSB currently in transmission can be automatically applied (e.g., without separate signaling) based on the disabled SCell.

[0421] Alternatively, if the AO-SSB is not in the cell / BWP, automatic deactivation for the on-demand SSB being transmitted may not be applied.

[0422] More specifically, if no other SSB (e.g., AO-SSB) exists on the cell / BWP (e.g., SCell to which the OD-SSB is associated), the transmission of the OD-SSB may be maintained (or not deactivated) while the cell is active.

[0423] In this way, whether or not the OD-SSB disablement based on SCell disablement according to the presence or absence of AO-SSB is applied may be predefined or pre-set.

[0424] Examples 3-6

[0425] If on-demand SSB disable signaling is provided to the terminal after the SCell enable command is received and before the CSI report for the SCell is transmitted, it can be applied immediately, and on-demand SSB disable can be applied along with the CSI report.

[0426] Examples 3-7

[0427] If there is an AO-SSB within the cell / BWP associated with the OD-SSB, the number of transmissions for the OD-SSB can be set / indicated to a finite value. If there is no AO-SSB within the cell / BWP associated with the OD-SSB, infinite / perpetual transmission of the OD-SSB may be applied (e.g., the transmission count parameter is set / indicated to a value corresponding to infinite / perpetual, or transmission is maintained until separately disabled by not providing the transmission count parameter). In the case where there is no AO-SSB on the cell, infinite transmission of the OD-SSB may always be applied.

[0428] For example, if there is an AO-SSB within the BWP / cell, the number of transmissions (N) of the OD-SSB can always be applied as infinite. In this case, the indication / setting of information related to the number of transmissions N can be omitted. If the number of OD-SSB transmissions is indicated through MAC CE signaling, the field / bit corresponding to the number of transmissions parameter in MAC CE may be meaningless (or reserved). If the set of transmission-related parameters for the on-demand SSB is set through RRC signaling, the information related to the number of transmissions, in addition to the period, actual SSB transmission bitmap information (e.g., pattern or position information within the burst), and SSB transmission time information within the parameter set, may be set differently depending on whether an AO-SSB exists. For example, if there is an AO-SSB in the BWP / cell, an OD-SSB transmission count parameter (e.g., a transmission count parameter set to a finite value) may be included in the parameter set, and if there is no AO-SSB in the BWP / cell, an OD-SSB transmission count parameter may not be included in the parameter set (accordingly, an infinite number of OD-SSB transmissions may be applied).

[0429] According to some examples of the present disclosure described above, since the SSB is transmitted only during the required time interval for a specific cell / BWP, the purpose of energy saving and / or interference reduction can be achieved. Additionally, according to some examples of the present disclosure, the termination / deactivation of an on-demand SSB currently being transmitted can be performed efficiently (e.g., by reducing signaling overhead by removing unnecessary signaling based on the number of transmissions, etc.). Accordingly, the OD-SSB can be enabled to transmit indefinitely when necessary and deactivated via explicit signaling, but can also be deactivated without separate signaling by being instructed to transmit only a specific number of times, thereby reducing energy consumption for both the network and the terminal.

[0430] The embodiments described above are combinations of the components and features of the present disclosure in a specific form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless otherwise explicitly stated. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form not combined with other components or features. Additionally, it is possible to construct embodiments of the present disclosure by combining some components and / or features. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment, or may be replaced with corresponding components or features of another embodiment. It is obvious that embodiments may be constructed by combining claims that are not explicitly related in the claims, or that they may be included as new claims by amendment after filing.

[0431] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential features of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the detailed description set forth above should not be interpreted restrictively in all respects and should be considered exemplary. The scope of the present disclosure shall be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0432] The scope of the present disclosure includes software or machine-executable instructions (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) that enable operations according to the methods of various embodiments to be executed on a device or computer, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium on which such software or instructions, etc. are stored and executable on a device or computer. Instructions that may be used to program a processing system to perform the features described in the present disclosure may be stored on or within a storage medium or a computer-readable storage medium, and the features described in the present disclosure may be implemented using a computer program product comprising such a storage medium. The storage medium may include, but is not limited to, high-speed random access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices, and may include non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory may optionally include one or more storage devices located remotely from the processor(s). Memory or alternatively, non-volatile memory device(s) within memory comprises a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. The features described in this disclosure may be stored in any one of the machine-readable media and integrated into software and / or firmware that can control the hardware of a processing system and allow the processing system to interact with other mechanisms utilizing results according to the embodiments of this disclosure. Such software or firmware may include, but is not limited to, application code, device drivers, operating systems, and execution environments / containers.

[0433] Here, the wireless communication technology implemented in the device of the present disclosure may include LTE, NR, and 6G, as well as Narrowband Internet of Things for low-power communication. In this case, for example, NB-IoT technology may be an example of LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology and may be implemented according to standards such as LTE Cat NB1 and / or LTE Cat NB2, but is not limited to the names mentioned above. Additionally, or generally, the wireless communication technology implemented in the device of the present disclosure may perform communication based on LTE-M technology. In this case, for example, LTE-M technology may be an example of LPWAN technology and may be referred to by various names such as eMTC (enhanced Machine Type Communication). For example, LTE-M technology may be implemented in at least one of various standards such as 1) LTE CAT 0, 2) LTE Cat M1, 3) LTE Cat M2, 4) LTE non-BL (non-Bandwidth Limited), 5) LTE-MTC, 6) LTE Machine Type Communication, and / or 7) LTE M, and is not limited to the names mentioned above. Additionally or generally, wireless communication technology implemented in the device (100, 200) of the present disclosure may include at least one of ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) for low-power communication, and is not limited to the names mentioned above. As an example, ZigBee technology may create personal area networks (PANs) related to small / low-power digital communication based on various standards such as IEEE 802.15.4, and may be referred to by various names.

[0434] Although the method proposed in this disclosure has been described with an example applied to 3GPP LTE / LTE-A, 5G, and 6G systems, it is possible to apply it to various wireless communication systems in addition to 3GPP LTE / LTE-A, 5G, and 6G systems.

Claims

1. In a method performed by a terminal, the method comprises: A step of receiving configuration information for a synchronization signal block from a network by the terminal; and The method includes the step of receiving the synchronization signal block from the network by the terminal based on the above setting information, A method comprising the above setting information including a first field related to the activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block.

2. In Paragraph 1, A method in which the second field is included in the setting information based on the absence of the first field in the setting information.

3. In Paragraph 1, A method in which the second field is included in the setting information only when the first field is absent from the setting information.

4. In Paragraph 1, A method in which the first field above indicates the activation status of an associated synchronization signal block pattern upon configuration.

5. In Paragraph 1, A method in which the second field indicates the number of bursts of the synchronization signal block to be transmitted after the synchronization signal block is activated.

6. In Paragraph 1, A method in which, based on the fact that information regarding the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block is not provided to the terminal, the transmission of the synchronization signal block occurs until it is deactivated.

7. In Paragraph 1, A method in which the above synchronization signal block is disabled by an RRC (radio resource control) information element or a MAC (medium access control) CE (control element).

8. In Paragraph 1, A method in which, based on the fact that there is no other synchronization signal block on the secondary cell (SCell) associated with the synchronization signal block, the transmission of the synchronization signal block is maintained or not disabled while the SCell is active.

9. In Paragraph 1, The above synchronization signal block is an on-demand SSB (synchronization signal / PBCH (physical broadcast channel) block), method.

10. In the terminal, One or more transceivers; and It includes one or more processors connected to the above one or more transmitters and receivers, and The above one or more processors are: Receive configuration information for a synchronization signal block from a network through one or more transceivers; and Based on the above setting information, the synchronization signal block is configured to be received from the network through the one or more transceivers, and The above setting information comprises a first field related to the activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block, a terminal.

11. In a method performed by a network node, the method comprises: A step of transmitting configuration information for a synchronization signal block to a terminal by a network node; and The method includes the step of transmitting the synchronization signal block to the terminal by the network node based on the above setting information. A method comprising the above setting information including a first field related to the activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block.

12. In network nodes, One or more transceivers; and It includes one or more processors connected to the above one or more transmitters and receivers, and The above one or more processors are: Configuration information for a synchronization signal block is transmitted to a terminal through one or more transceivers; and Based on the above setting information, the synchronization signal block is configured to be transmitted to the terminal through the one or more transceivers, and A network node, wherein the above configuration information includes a first field related to the activation of the synchronization signal block or a second field related to the number of transmissions of the synchronization signal block.

13. One or more processors; and A processing device comprising one or more computer memories that are operably connected to one or more processors and store instructions for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 based on execution by one or more processors.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more instructions that are executed by one or more processors to control the execution of a method according to any one of claims 1 through 9.

Images