SSB-Based Random Access Occasion Mapping for Lower Terminal Overhead

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Solution Overview

Problem

The current 3GPP protocol increases overheads for terminal devices due to the need to search for multiple access occasions based on synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) in different beams, leading to inefficient resource utilization.

Innovation Solution

The method involves determining a first SSB in one of N rounds of SSB transmissions with distinct coverage areas and associating it with a unique random access channel (RO) resource, ensuring that SSBs with the same index in different rounds have different RO resources, and setting time intervals between these resources to be within specific thresholds to optimize access performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the terminal device determines multiple access occasions based on received SSBs, then the access performance is improved, but the overheads of the terminal device increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess performanceVSAvoidoverheads
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the access occasion determination process by introducing a first threshold to filter SSBs. The terminal device determines a first access occasion based on a first SSB that satisfies the threshold condition, dividing the complex task of processing multiple SSBs into manageable segments based on quality thresholds.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of SSB selection by introducing a threshold condition. Instead of processing all received SSBs, the terminal device selects only those SSBs that satisfy the threshold requirement, thereby reducing the number of access occasions to be processed while maintaining access performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If the terminal device searches for multiple SSBs in different beams, then the coverage is improved, but the time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovecoverageVSAvoidtime consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing a threshold condition for SSB selection. The terminal device uses this pre-defined threshold to quickly filter and select appropriate SSBs during the search process, avoiding the need to thoroughly evaluate all possible SSBs in different beams.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial action by requiring the terminal device to search for SSBs in multiple beams but only process and determine access occasions for SSBs that satisfy the threshold condition. This partial processing approach reduces time consumption while maintaining adequate coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4709024A1Access occasion determination method and communication apparatus
Publication Date: 2026.03.11 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4709024A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4709024A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4c
  • EP4709024A1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

Embodiments of this application disclose an access occasion determining method and a communication apparatus, to enable a terminal device to determine an RO resource for the terminal device, to reduce overheads of the terminal device. Embodiments of this application provide an access occasion determining method, which may include: determining a first SSB in an ith round of SSB transmission in N rounds of SSB transmissions, where coverage areas of the ith round of SSB transmission and a jth round of SSB transmission in the N rounds of SSB transmissions are different, N, i, and j are integers, and i is not equal to j; and determining a first RO resource associated with the first SSB, where SSBs that have a same index in the ith round of SSB transmission and the jth round of SSB transmission are associated with different RO resources.