WO2021176267A1

WO2021176267A1 - Cell measurement based on physical broadcasting channel payload

Info

Publication number: WO2021176267A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/060336
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yuanye WANG; Ping Hou
Original assignee: Zeku Inc
Current assignee: Zeku Inc
Priority date: 2020-03-02
Filing date: 2020-11-04
Publication date: 2021-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2022-09-02

Abstract

Embodiments of apparatus and method for cell measurement based on PBCH payload are disclosed. In an example, a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload is obtained by a terminal device. The PBCH payload is decoded by the terminal device. Whether the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria is determined by the terminal device. A PBCH signal is generated by the terminal device based on the decoded PBCH payload upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies the set of criteria. A first cell measurement is performed by the terminal device based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

Description

CELL MEASUREMENT BASED ON PHYSICAL BROADCASTING

CHANNEL PAYLOAD

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S . Provisional Patent Application

No. 62/984,079, filed March 2, 2020, entitled “USING PHYSICAL BROADCASTING CHANNEL PAYLOAD FOR 5G CELL MEASUREMENT,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and method for wireless communication.

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Cell measurement is a procedure carried out at the physical layer of the user equipment (UE) side to quantify the quality of its serving and neighboring cells. Such measurement results are used for Radio Resource Management (RRM) decision at the upper layer, or for some physical layer procedures, e.g., beam management. There are two types of physical layer cell measurement: Synchronization Signal/PBCH Block (SSB) based measurement and Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) based measurement.

SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of apparatus and method for cell measurement based on Physical

Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload are disclosed herein.

[0005] In one example, a terminal device includes at least one processor and memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to obtain a PBCH payload; decode the PBCH payload; upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, generate a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload; and perform a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

[0006] In another example, a baseband chip includes a Physical (PHY) Layer circuit including a receiving module, a decoding/demodulating module, a generation module, and a cell measurement module. The receiving module is configured to obtain a PBCH payload. The decoding/demodulating module is configured to decode the PBCH payload. The generation module is configured to, upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, generate a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload. The cell measurement module is configured to perform a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

[0007] In still another example, a method implemented by a terminal device for wireless communication is disclosed. A PBCH payload is obtained. The PBCH payload is decoded. Whether the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria is determined. Upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, a PBCH signal is generated based on the decoded PBCH payload. A first cell measurement is performed based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary SSB, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary use case of cell measurement based on PBCH payload, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus including a baseband chip, a radio frequency (RF) chip, and a host chip, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary terminal device for cell measurement based on PBCH payload, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method for cell measurement based on PBCH payload, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary node, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary protocols for generating PBCH signals, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure

[0017] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Although specific configurations and arrangements are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purposes only. A person skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that other configurations and arrangements can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the pertinent art that the present disclosure can also be employed in a variety of other applications.

[0019] It is noted that references in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “certain embodiments,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it would be within the knowledge of a person skilled in the pertinent art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. [0020] In general, terminology may be understood at least in part from usage in context.

For example, the term “one or more” as used herein, depending at least in part upon context, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or may be used to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, terms, such as “a,” “an,” or “the,” again, may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term “based on” may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for existence of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, depending at least in part on context.

[0021] Various aspects of wireless communication systems will now be described with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, units, components, circuits, steps, operations, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, firmware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0022] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) system, time division multiple access (TDMA) system, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) system, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) system, and other networks. The terms “network” and “system” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network may implement a Radio Access Technology (RAT) such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), CDMA 2000, etc. A TDMA network may implement a RAT such as GSM. An OFDMA network may implement a RAT, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or New Radio (NR). The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and RATs mentioned above, as well as other wireless networks and RATs.

[0023] Some existing solution performs cell measurement based on the Secondary

Synchronization Signal (SSS) and Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) sequence within an SSB. However, due to the limited number of reference signal samples in the SSS and PBCH DMRS per SSB, the performance of the cell search, particularly in terms of the measurement accuracy, is not ideal in the existing solutions.

[0024] Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide an improved cell measurement scheme based on the payload of PBCH in each SSB to achieve a higher measurement accuracy compared with the existing solutions. In some embodiments, in addition to the SSS and PBCH DMRS, the PBCH payload, which has a larger number of reference signal samples per SSB compared with the SSS or PBCH DMRS, is used for cell measurement to achieve higher accuracy. As a result, the cell measurement scheme disclosed herein can avoid wrong handover or cell re-selection decisions due to inaccurate measurement, allows a UE to quickly detect serving cell quality issue when moving out of coverage, and allows a UE to quickly detect handover target cell in Radio Resource Control (RRC)- Connected state or detect a cell for re-selection in RRC-Idle state. Moreover, the UE battery power consumption can be reduced as well due to the smaller number of measurement trials in order to get a reliable measurement.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network 100, in which certain aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, wireless network 100 may include a network of nodes, such as a terminal device 102, an access node 104, and a core network element 106. Terminal device 102 may be any terminal device, such as a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a vehicle computer, a gaming console, a printer, a positioning device, a wearable electronic device, a smart sensor, or any other device capable of receiving, processing, and transmitting information, such as any member of a vehicle to everything (V2X) network, a cluster network, a smart grid node, or an Internet-of-Things (IoT) node. It is understood that terminal device 102 is illustrated as a mobile phone simply by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

[0026] Access node 104 may be a device that communicates with terminal device 102, such as a wireless access point, a base station (BS), a Node B, an enhanced Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next-generation NodeB (gNodeB or gNB), a cluster master node, or the like. Access node 104 may have a wired connection to terminal device 102, a wireless connection to terminal device 102, or any combination thereof. Access node 104 may be connected to terminal device 102 by multiple connections, and terminal device 102 may be connected to other access nodes in addition to access node 104. Access node 104 may also be connected to other terminal devices. It is understood that access node 104 is illustrated by a radio tower by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

[0027] Core network element 106 may serve access node 104 and terminal device 102 to provide core network services. Examples of core network element 106 may include a home subscriber server (HSS), a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), or a packet data network gateway (PGW). These are examples of core network elements of an evolved packet core (EPC) system, which is a core network for the LTE system. Other core network elements may be used in LTE and in other communication systems. In some embodiments, core network element 106 includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) device, a session management function (SMF) device, or a user plane function (UPF) device, of a core network for the NR system. It is understood that core network element 106 is shown as a set of rack-mounted servers by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

[0028] Core network element 106 may connect with a large network, such as the Internet

108, or another Internet Protocol (IP) network, to communicate packet data over any distance. In this way, data from terminal device 102 may be communicated to other terminal devices connected to other access points, including, for example, a computer 110 connected to Internet 108, for example, using a wired connection or a wireless connection, or to a tablet 112 wirelessly connected to Internet 108 via a router 114. Thus, computer 110 and tablet 112 provide additional examples of possible terminal devices, and router 114 provides an example of another possible access node.

[0029] A generic example of a rack-mounted server is provided as an illustration of core network element 106. However, there may be multiple elements in the core network including database servers, such as a database 116, and security and authentication servers, such as an authentication server 118. Database 116 may, for example, manage data related to user subscription to network services. A home location register (HLR) is an example of a standardized database of subscriber information for a cellular network. Likewise, authentication server 118 may handle authentication of users, sessions, and so on. In the NR system, an authentication server function (AUSF) device may be the specific entity to perform terminal device authentication. In some embodiments, a single server rack may handle multiple such functions, such that the connections between core network element 106, authentication server 118, and database 116, may be local connections within a single rack.

[0030] As described below in detail, in some embodiments, terminal device 102 (e.g., a

UE) extracts the SSS, PBCH DMRS, and PBCH payload from an SSB received from access node 104 (e.g., a node). Terminal device 102 can then decode the PBCH payload. Depending on the result of the decoding, terminal device 102 can either regenerate a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload and perform the cell measurement based on the relatively large number of reference signal samples in the PBCH signal or perform the cell measurement based on the relatively smaller number of reference signal samples in the SSB and/or PBCH DMRS.

[0031] Each of the elements of FIG. 1 may be considered a node of wireless network 100.

More detail regarding the possible implementation of a node is provided by way of example in the description of a node 700 in FIG. 7. Node 700 may be configured as terminal device 102, access node 104, or core network element 106 in FIG. 1. Similarly, node 700 may also be configured as computer 110, router 114, tablet 112, database 116, or authentication server 118 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, node 700 may include a processor 702, a memory 704, a transceiver 706. These components are shown as connected to one another by a bus, but other connection types are also permitted. When node 700 is terminal device 102, additional components may also be included, such as a user interface (UI), sensors, and the like. Similarly, node 700 may be implemented as a blade in a server system when node 700 is configured as core network element 106. Other implementations are also possible.

[0032] Transceiver 706 may include any suitable device for sending and/or receiving data.

Node 700 may include one or more transceivers, although only one transceiver 706 is shown for simplicity of illustration. An antenna 708 is shown as a possible communication mechanism for node 700. Multiple antennas and/or arrays of antennas may be utilized. Additionally, examples of node 700 may communicate using wired techniques rather than (or in addition to) wireless techniques. For example, access node 104 may communicate wirelessly to terminal device 102 and may communicate by a wired connection (for example, by optical or coaxial cable) to core network element 106. Other communication hardware, such as a network interface card (NIC), may be included as well.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 7, node 700 may include processor 702. Although only one processor is shown, it is understood that multiple processors can be included. Processor 702 may include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), application- specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PFDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout the present disclosure. Processor 702 may be a hardware device having one or many processing cores. Processor 702 may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Software can include computer instructions written in an interpreted language, a compiled language, or machine code. Other techniques for instructing hardware are also permitted under the broad category of software.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 7, node 700 may also include memory 704. Although only one memory is shown, it is understood that multiple memories can be included. Memory 704 can broadly include both memory and storage. For example, memory 704 may include random- access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), ferro-electric RAM (FRAM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, hard disk drive (HDD), such as magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, Flash drive, solid-state drive (SSD), or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions that can be accessed and executed by processor 702. Broadly, memory 704 may be embodied by any computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0035] In some embodiments, processor 702, memory 704, and transceiver 706 of node

700 are implemented (e.g., integrated) on a system-on-chip (SoC). For example, processor 702, memory 704, and transceiver 706 may be integrated on a baseband SoC (also known as a modem SoC, or a baseband model chipset), which can run an operating system (OS), such as a real-time operating system (RTOS) as its firmware. Various aspects of the present disclosure related to cell measurement based on PBCH payload may be implemented as hardware, software, and/or firmware elements in a baseband SoC of terminal device 102. It is understood that in some examples, one or more of the software and/or firmware elements may be implemented as dedicated hardware elements in the SoC as well.

[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary structure of an SSB, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. An SSB includes three special signals and one physical channel: Primary Synchronization Signals (PSS), SSS, DMRS, and PBCH. Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is used as a multiplexing format. OFDM is a type of digital transmission and a method of encoding digital data on multiple carrier frequencies and is used in applications such as digital television and audio broadcasting, wireless networks, power line networks, and mobile communications. In OFDM, which is a frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) scheme, multiple closely spaced orthogonal subcarrier signals with overlapping spectra are transmitted to carry data in parallel. Demodulation is performed based on Fast Fourier Transform (FTT) algorithms. In some embodiments, OFDM uses a guard interval, which provides better orthogonality in transmission channels affected by multipath propagation. Each subcarrier (i.e., signal) can be modulated with a conventional modulation scheme, such as quadrature amplitude modulation or phase-shift keying, at a low symbol rate. Modulating subcarriers maintains total data rates similar to conventional single-carrier modulation schemes in the same bandwidth.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, PSS, which is a kind of binary pseudo-random m-sequence with a duration of 127 subcarriers (SCs), can occupy the first OFDM symbol and represents the physical-layer identity within the cell-identity group. In some embodiments, PSS occupies subcarriers with indexes from 57 to 183. SSS, which is located in the third OFDM symbol with a duration of 127 subcarriers, is generated from a combination of two m-sequences and, similar to PSS, occupies subcarriers with indexes from 57 to 183. DMRS is located on every 4th subcarrier in each synchronization block OFDM symbol. DMRS occupies 144 resource elements within the synchronization block. PBCH can occupy two full OFDM symbols and parts of a full OFDM symbol. In some embodiments, PBCH transmits 4 common information fields with service data, which must be demodulated by the terminal device. The 56 information bits are transmitted by PBCH in each SSB, of which the last 24 bits are the cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the 24 first bits are used for detection of the primary parameters of the cell configuration. Using the remaining 8 bits, the terminal device can find the sequence number of the SSB in the frame, after which it becomes possible detecting the radio frame beginning and then starting the procedure of time synchronization.

[0038] As can be seen in FIG. 2, within an SSB, there are 127 subcarriers in the frequency domain for SSS. On the other and, PBCH spans over 576 subcarriers, i.e., 240 + 240 + 28 + 48 = 576. Among the 576 subcarriers for PBCH, one-fourth are DMRS signals, i.e., 144 subcarriers. While existing solutions merely make use of SSS and PBCH DMRS subcarriers for cell measurement, which only amounts to 271 subcarriers, i.e., 127 (SSS) + 144 (DMRS) = 271, the present disclosure uses PBCH payload along with SSS and DMRS for more accurate cell measurement. [0039] Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that PBCH occupies two full OFDM symbols each spanning 240 subcarriers and parts of an OFDM symbol spanning 96 subcarriers below and above SSS. This results in PBCH (including PBCH DMRS) occupying 576 subcarriers across three OFDM symbols (i.e., 240+48+48+240 = 576). In other words, the total number of resource elements (also known as “resource signals” and “bits,” which is 1 subcarrier x lsymbol) occupied by PBCH per SSB is equal to 576. This includes resource elements for PBCH payload as well as resource elements for DMRS, which is required for coherent demodulation of PBCH. PBCH DMRS occupies 144 resource signals, which is one-fourth of total resource elements, and the remaining signals are occupied by PBCH payload (i.e., 432 resource elements). Existing solutions use only SSS and DMRS resource elements and discard PBCH for cell measurements. The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods thereof to include PBCH payload, which occupies three-fourths of the PBCH resource elements, i.e., 432 resource elements, along with the DMRS and SSS. The addition of the PBCH payload resource elements can improve the accuracy of cell measurement via increasing the reference signal samples.

[0040] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary use case of cell measurement based on PBCH payload, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, a terminal device 300 (e.g., an example of terminal device 102 in FIG. 1) can include a processor 302 (e.g., an example of processor 702 in FIG. 7) and memory 304 (e.g., an example of memory 704 in FIG. 7). In some embodiments, terminal device 300 obtains a PBCH payload from a base station 308 (e.g., an example of access node 104 in FIG. 1) in connection with terminal device 300. While base station 308 is depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that base station 308 may be replaced with any number of interconnected base stations and/or network elements. Base station 308 can generate SSBs as described above in FIG. 2 and transmit the SSBs to terminal device 300. In some embodiments, terminal device 300 obtains the SSS, PSS, and DMRS along with the PBCH payload from each SSB in consecutive OFDM symbols. Each SSB occupies four OFDM symbols in the time domain and spread over 240 subcarriers in the frequency domain, as shown in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, in order to obtain the PBCH payload, terminal device 300 receives the SSB from base station 308 and extracts the PBCH payload from the SSB. Terminal device 300 can extract the PBCH payload from the SSB using PBCH channel estimation.

[0041] In some embodiments, terminal device 300 decodes the PBCH payload, for example, using PSS and/or SSS as reference signals. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a reference signal that is dedicated to PBCH may be used for decoding. Subsequently, terminal device 300, upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, generates a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload and performs a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal. In order to perform the first cell measurement, terminal device 300 buffers a number of reference signal samples of the PBCH signal and performs the first cell measurement based on the reference signal samples. In some embodiments, the number of reference signal samples is 432, i.e., the number of resource elements occupied by the PBCH payload in each SSB.

[0042] In some embodiments, terminal device 300 also obtains the SSS and/or the PBCH

DMRS. In order to obtain the SSS and/or PBCH DMRS, terminal device 300 receives an SSB from base station 308 and extracts the SSS and/or the PBCH DMRS from the SSB. Upon determining that the decoding of the PBCH payload does not satisfy the set of criteria, terminal device 300 can perform a second cell measurement based on the SSS and/or the PBCH DMRS. To perform the second cell measurement, terminal device 300 buffers a number of reference signal samples of the SSS and/or the PBCH DMRS and performs the second cell measurement based on the reference signal samples. In some embodiments, the number of the reference signal samples, i.e., the number of resource elements occupied by the SSS and/or PBCH DMRS in each SSB, is 127 (SSS alone), 144 (PBCH DMRS alone), or 271 (SSS and PBCH DMRS).

[0043] In some embodiments, the functions for performing the PBCH payload-based cell measurement disclosed herein are implemented as software and/or firmware running on terminal device 300. For example, some or all of the functions for performing the PBCH payload-based cell measurement disclosed herein may be implemented as instructions stored in memory 304, which, when executed by processor 302, may cause terminal device 300 to perform some or all of the functions for performing the PBCH payload-based cell measurement disclosed herein.

[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus 400 including a baseband chip

402, an RF chip 404, and a host chip 406, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 400 may be an example of any suitable node of wireless network 100 in FIG. 1, such as terminal device 102 in FIG. 1 or terminal device 300 in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, apparatus 400 may include baseband chip 402, RF chip 404, host chip 406, and one or more antennas 410. In some embodiments, baseband chip 402 is implemented by processor 702 and memory 704, and RF chip 404 is implemented by processor 702, memory 704, and transceiver 706, as described above with respect to FIG. 7. The cell measurement scheme based on PBCH payload disclosed herein can be implemented as PHY layer components of baseband chip 402 of apparatus 400. Each chip 402, 404, or 406 can include on-chip memory (also known as “internal memory,” e.g., registers, buffers, or caches). As described below in detail, the on-chip memory of baseband chip 402 may be used to buffer the reference signal samples in the PBCH signal regenerated by the terminal device or the reference signal samples in the SSS and/or PBCH DMRS for performing the cell measurement. Besides the on-chip memory on each chip 402, 404, or 406, apparatus 400 may further include an external memory 408 (e.g., the system memory or main memory) that can be shared by each chip 402, 404, or 406 through the system/main bus. Although baseband chip 402 is illustrated as a standalone SoC in FIG. 4, it is understood that in one example, baseband chip 402 and RF chip 404 may be integrated as one SoC; in another example, baseband chip 402 and host chip 406 may be integrated as one SoC; in still another example, baseband chip 402, RF chip 404, and host chip 406 may be integrated as one SoC, as described above.

[0045] In the uplink, host chip 406 may generate raw data and send it to baseband chip 402 for encoding, modulation, and mapping. Baseband chip 402 may also access the raw data generated by host chip 406 and stored in external memory 408, for example, using the direct memory access (DMA). Baseband chip 402 may first encode (e.g., by source coding and/or channel coding) the raw data and modulate the coded data using any suitable modulation techniques, such as multi - phase pre-shared key (MPSK) modulation or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Baseband chip 402 may perform any other functions, such as symbol or layer mapping, to convert the raw data into a signal that can be used to modulate the carrier frequency for transmission. In the uplink, baseband chip 402 may send the modulated signal to RF chip 404. RF chip 404, through the transmitter (Tx), may convert the modulated signal in the digital form into analog signals, i.e., RF signals, and perform any suitable front-end RF functions, such as filtering, up-conversion, or sample-rate conversion. Antenna 410 (e.g., an antenna array) may transmit the RF signals provided by the transmitter of RF chip 404.

[0046] In the downlink, antenna 410 may receive RF signals and pass the RF signals to the receiver (Rx) of RF chip 404. RF chip 404 may perform any suitable front-end RF functions, such as filtering, down-conversion, or sample-rate conversion, and convert the RF signals into low-frequency digital signals (baseband signals) that can be processed by baseband chip 402. In the downlink, baseband chip 402 may demodulate and decode the baseband signals (including the SSBs) to extract raw data that can be processed by host chip 406. Baseband chip 402 may perform additional functions, such as error checking, de-mapping, channel estimation, descrambling, etc. The raw data provided by baseband chip 402 may be sent to host chip 406 directly or stored in external memory 408.

[0047] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary baseband chip 500 for cell measurement based on PBCH payload, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Baseband chip 500 (e.g., an example of baseband chip 402 in FIG. 4) may include a Physical (PHY) layer circuit 504 and a buffer 503. As described below in detail, baseband chip 500 in conjunction with a transceiver 502 (e.g., an example of RF chip 404 in FIG. 4) can implement PBCH payload-based cell measurement disclosed herein. In some embodiments, baseband chip 500 and transceiver 502 are integrated on a baseband SoC (also known as a modem SoC or a baseband model chipset).

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, PHY layer circuit 504 may include, for example, a receiving module 506, a decoding/demodulating module 508, a criteria determination module 510, a generation module 512, and a cell measurement module 514. In some embodiments, each module 506, 508, 510, 512, or 514 of PHY layer circuit 504 is a dedicated integrated circuit (IC) for performing the respective functions described below in detail, such as an ASIC circuit. It is understood that in some examples, one or more of modules 506, 508, 510, 512, and 514 of PHY layer circuit 504 may be implemented as a software module running on a generic processor (e.g., a microcontroller) on baseband chip 500. In other words, PHY layer circuit 504 may be replaced with hybrid hardware and software modules on baseband chip 500. Buffer 503 may be part of on-chip memory of baseband chip 500.

[0049] Transceiver 502 may be configured to receive signals from the network, such as a base station (e.g., an example of access node 104 in FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the network is a 5G wireless network having an NR. It is understood that the wireless network is not limited to including an NR, and may include any other suitable RAT, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) for cellular networks, and Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for wireless local area networks (WLANs), with any suitable combinations thereof. The terminal device having baseband chip 500 and transceiver 502 may be camped on an NR cell of an NR base station (e.g., eNB), and transceiver 502 may communicate with the NR base station, for example, by receiving SSBs from the NR base station in RRC-Connected state or in RRC-Idle state.

[0050] Receiving module 506 may be configured to receives SSS, PSS, and DMRS along with the PBCH from the base station in consecutive OFDM symbols of SSBs. Receiving module 506 is configured to operate with OFDM format to combine the benefits of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) and produce a high-data-rate communication system. In some embodiments, receiving module 506 is further configured to extract the SSS, PBCH DMRS, and PBCH payload from each SSB, for example, based on the arrangements of SSS, PBCH DMRS, and PBCH payload in the frequency domain and time domain in each SSB as described above with respect to FIG. 2.

[0051] Decoding/demodulating module 508 may be configured to demodulate and decode the PBCH payload. In some embodiments, decoding/demodulating module 508 uses PSS and/or SSS as reference signals for PBCH payload demodulation and/or decoding. Alternatively, in some embodiments, decoding/demodulating module 508 assigns a dedicated signal as a reference signal to PBCH payload. The dedicated reference signal may be self- contained within PBCH signals. Even without an additional signal or reference signal, decoding/demodulating module 508 may still be able to demodulate and decode PBCH payload. In some embodiments, decoding/demodulating module 508 uses a PBCH dedicated DMRS to decode and/or demodulate PBCH payload.

[0052] Criteria determination module 510 may be configured to determine whether a set of criteria is met in order to decide whether to perform or skip the cell measurement based on PBCH payload. In some embodiments, baseband chip 500 is pre-configured with the set of criteria prior to decoding/demodulation of the PBCH payload. The set of criteria may include whether the decoding of the PBCH payload is successful or any other suitable criteria. In some embodiments, upon a determination that the decoding PBCH payload was successfully performed, criteria determination module 510 transmits the PBCH payload to the generation module 512, which generates PBCH signals. Alternatively, in some embodiments, upon a determination that the decoding PBCH payload was not successful, criteria determination module 510 skips transmitting the PBCH to generation module 512 and transmits the SSS and PBCH DMRS signals to cell measurement module 514, which performs cell measurement based on the SSS and PBCH DMRS signals.

[0053] Generation module 512 may be configured to receive decoded PBCH payload from the criteria determination module 510 and generate PBCH signals based on the decoded PBCH payload. To generate the PBCH signal by baseband chip 500 at a terminal device, generation module 512 may follow a set of protocols, such as, but not limited to, interleaving, scrambling, CRC attachment, polar coding, rate matching, and modulation as described below in detail. It is understood that since PBCH signal is usually generated by the base station, the generation of the PBCH signal at the terminal device-side may be viewed as a “regeneration” process of the PBCH signal. Unlike SSS and PBCH DMRS signals which are known to baseband chip 500 of the terminal device, the decoded PBCH payload is unknown to baseband chip 500 of the terminal device and needs to be successfully decoded at the terminal device-side. Thus, in some embodiments, a feedback loop is provided to transmit decoded PBCH payload to cell measurement module 514. Further, baseband chip 500 of the terminal device is required to generate PBCH signals based on the decoded PBCH payload. Existing solutions generate the PBCH signals on the base station-side. However, the present disclosure provides a terminal device that is capable of generating the PBCH signals from the PBCH payload on the terminal device-side. FIG. 8 illustrates a non-exhaustive list of protocols that are performed to generate the PBCH signal based on the PBCH payload. The non-exhaustive list of protocols in FIG. 8 may be performed by generation module 512 depicted in FIG. 5.

[0054] Typically, condition changes in the wireless communication channel affect successive string of bits and cause bit error rate. If the bits of a successive string are interfered or lost, the terminal device cannot detect the interfered or lost bits. Thus, one or more methods are used to separate and transmit successive bits dispersedly so that the bit error is discrete. In some embodiments, generation module 512 follows an interleaving protocol 802, as illustrated in FIG. 8, to perform PBCH channel coding and recovering the bit errors. In some embodiments, generation module 512 follows a scrambling protocol 804, as illustrated in FIG. 8, to manipulate the bit stream before transmitting. In some embodiments, generation module 512 uses scrambling to replace one or more sequences into other sequences without removing undesirable sequences, and as a result, change the probability of occurrence of vexatious sequences.

[0055] In some embodiments, generation module 512 follows a CRC attachment protocol

806, as illustrated in FIG. 8 for generating PBCH signals. To that end, generation module 512 calculates parity bits based on Physical Downlink Control Channel (PBCCH) payload. Generation module 512 calculates and attaches the parity bits according to section 5.1.1 of “3GPP TS 36.212 version 10.0.0 Release 10.” In some embodiments, where terminal device transmit antenna selection is not configured or applicable, after attachment, generation module 512 scrambles the CRC parity bits with the corresponding Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) indices to form the sequence of bits. Alternatively, in some embodiments, where the terminal device transmits antenna selection is configured and applicable, after attachment, generation module 512 scrambles the CRC parity bits of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) with Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 0 with the antenna selection mask as indicated in “3GPP TS 36.212 version 10.0.0 Release 10” and the corresponding RNTI indices to form the sequence of bits.

[0056] In some embodiments, generation module 512 follows a rate matching protocol 808, as illustrated in FIG. 8, to generate PBCH signals. Generation module 512 delivers a tail biting convolutionally coded block to a rate matching block. Subsequently, generation module 512 matches the rate of the coded block according to section 5.1.4.2 of “3GPP TS 36.212 version 10.0.0 Release 10”.

[0057] In some embodiments, generation module 512 follows a polar coding protocol 810, as illustrated in FIG. 8, such as a linear block error correcting code, to generate PBCH signals. Generation module 512 may use a code construction based on a multiple recursive concatenation of a short kernel code to transform the physical channel into virtual outer channels. When a number of recursions pass a threshold, the virtual channels tend to either have high reliability or low reliability, i.e., the virtual channels polarize, and the bits are allocated to the most reliable channels. In some embodiments, generation module 512 uses a code with an explicit construction to achieve the channel capacity for symmetric binary-input, discrete, and memoryless channels (B-DMC) with polynomial dependence on the gap to capacity.

[0058] In some embodiments, generation module 512 follows a modulation protocol 812, as illustrated in FIG. 8, to generate PBCH signals. To that end, generation module 512 modulates the PBCH payload as described in clause 5.1.3 of “3GPP TS 38.211” based on Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), a type of phase-shift keying, which is a Double- SideBand Suppressed-Carrier (DSBCS) modulation scheme.

[0059] Referring back to FIG. 5, once the PBCH signal is generated by generation module

512, in some embodiments, the reference signal samples in the PBCH signal is buffered in buffer 503 to be processed by cell measurement module 514. Cell measurement module 514 may be configured to perform cell measurement based on the reference signal samples in the generated PBCH signal and buffered in buffer 503. For example, 432 reference signal samples in the PBCH signal in each SSB may be used by cell measurement module 514 to perform the cell measurement.

[0060] As described above, in case criteria determination module 510 skips transmitting the PBCH payload to generation module 512 and instead, transmits the SSS and/or DMRS signals to cell measurement module 514, cell measurement module 514 may perform cell measurement based on the SSS and/or PBCH DMRS signals. For example, the reference signal samples in the SSS and/or PBCH DMRS is buffered in buffer 503 to be processed by cell measurement module 514. Cell measurement module 514 may be configured to perform cell measurement based on the reference signal samples in the SSS and/or PBCH DMRS signals and buffered in buffer 503. For example, 271 reference signal samples in SSS and PBCH DMRS signals in each SSB may be used by cell measurement module 514 to perform the cell measurement.

[0061] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of exemplary method 600 for cell measurement based on PBCH payload, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Examples of the apparatus that can perform operations of method 600 include, for example, terminal device 300 and baseband chip 500 depicted in FIGs. 3 and 5, respectively, or any other apparatus disclosed herein. It is understood that the operations shown in method 600 are not exhaustive and that other operations can be performed as well before, after, or between any of the illustrated operations. Further, some of the operations may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order than shown in FIG. 6. It should be noted that the entire process of method 600 including operations 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614a, and 614b described below may be performed in the either idle state or connected state of terminal device.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 6, method 600 starts at operation 602, in which a terminal device obtains a PBCH payload. In some embodiments, to obtain the PBCH payload, terminal device receives an SSB from the base station and extracts the PBCH payload from the SSB. In some embodiments, the PHY layer of the terminal device receives the PBCH payload. As shown in FIG. 5, receiving module 506 may cause the terminal device to receive the PBCH payload through transceiver 502. The terminal device may obtain the PBCH payload from a base station in connection with the terminal device. By way of example, the base stations may be an NR base station, e.g., a gNB.

[0063] Method 600 proceeds to operations 604 and 606, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in which the terminal device obtains an SSS, as represented in operation 604, and PBCH DMRS as represented in operations 606. In some embodiments. In some embodiments, the terminal device obtains the SSS and PBCH DMRS along with the PBCH payload from the base station. SSS, PBCH DMRS, and PBCH payload may be obtained together in consecutive OFDM symbols. Each SSB occupies four OFDM symbols in the time domain and spread over 240 subcarriers in the frequency domain. OFDM recognizes that bandlimited orthogonal signals can be combined with significant overlap while avoiding inter-channel interference. In some embodiments, using OFDM, an array of orthogonal subcarriers is created that work together to transmit information over a range of frequencies. Similarly, in some embodiments, to obtain the SSS and PBCH DMRS, the terminal device receives an SSB from the base station and extracts the SSS and PBCH DMRS from the SSB.

[0064] Method 600 proceeds to operation 608, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in which the terminal device decodes the PBCH payload. In some embodiments, the terminal device demodulates and decodes the PBCH payload. In some embodiments, PSS and/or SSS may be used as a reference signal for PBCH demodulation. Alternatively, a reference signal that is dedicated to PBCH may be used. Such reference signal may be self-contained within the PBCH signal and channel. Even without an additional signal or reference signal, a terminal device may still be able to demodulate a PBCH signal and channel. Such a reference signal for demodulation or DMRS may be specific to PBCH and may be multiplexed and embedded within PBCH resource elements. In some embodiments, a PBCH dedicated DMRS may be used for PBCH demodulation. In order to use SS (i.e., either PSS or SSS) as a reference signal for PBCH demodulation, time-division multiplexing (TDM) of SS and PBCH may be used.

[0065] Method 600 proceeds to operation610, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in which the terminal device determines whether decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria. Criteria determination module 510 of the terminal device, as shown in FIG.5, may be configured to determine whether a set of criteria is met based on which to decide whether to perform or skip the cell measurement based on PBCH payload. In some embodiments, the terminal device receives and stores the set of criteria from the base station prior to decoding/demodulating the PBCH. Alternatively, the terminal device may receive the set of criteria from the base station after decoding/demodulating the PBCH payload. [0066] Method 600 proceeds to operation 612a, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in which upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload was successfully performed, the terminal device uses the decoded PBCH payload to generate a PBCH signal.

[0067] Method 600 proceeds to operation 614a, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in which the terminal device generates a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload. While SSS and DMRS signals are known to the terminal device, the PBCH payload is unknown to the terminal device and needs to be decoded at the terminal device-side to be used for cell measurement. Thus, the terminal device is configured to generate a PBCH signal based on the PBCH payload. In some embodiments, the terminal device follows an interleaving protocol to recover the bit errors. In some embodiments, the terminal device scrambles the bit stream to replace one or more sequences into other sequences without removing undesirable sequences, and as a result, changes the probability of occurrence of vexatious sequences. In some embodiments, the terminal device follows a CRC attachment protocol for generating PBCH signals and calculates and attaches the parity bits according to any suitable techniques known in the art, such as defined in “3GPP TS 36.212 version 10.0.0 Release 10.” In some embodiments, the terminal device delivers a tail biting convolutionally coded block to a rate matching block and matches the rate of coded block according to “3GPP TS 36.212 version 10.0.0 Release 10”. In some embodiments, the terminal device follows a polar coding protocol, such as a linear block error correcting code, to transform the physical channel into virtual outer channels. When the number of recursions passes a threshold, the virtual channels tend to either have high reliability or low reliability, and the bits are allocated to the most reliable channels. Subsequently, the terminal device may modulate the decoded PBCH payload to generate a PBCH signal. Any suitable protocols known in the art, such as defined in clause 5.1.3 of “3GPP TS 38.211,” may be be followed to modulate the decoded PBCH payload.

[0068] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, at operation 614b, upon a determination that the decoding PBCH was unsuccessful, the terminal device does not generate a PBCH signal and proceeds with performing a cell measurement based only on the SSS signal and/or DMRS signal.

[0069] It is understood that in some examples, the terminal device may perform the cell measurement based on all the reference signal samples (e.g., 432 + 271 = 703 reference signal samples) in the generated PBCH signal, SSS, and PBCH DMRS to improve the accuracy of the cell measurement.

[0070] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computing device. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, HDD, such as magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, Flash drive, SSD, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a processing system, such as a mobile device or a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, DVD, and floppy disk where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0071] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device includes at least one processor and memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to obtain a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload; decode the PBCH payload; upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, generate a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload; and perform a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

[0072] In some embodiments, to obtain the PBCH payload, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to receive, from a base station, a Synchronization Signal/PBCH Block (SSB), and extract the PBCH payload from the SSB.

[0073] In some embodiments, the PBCH payload is extracted from the SSB using PBCH channel estimation.

[0074] In some embodiments, the PBCH signal is generated following at least one of an interleaving protocol, a scrambling protocol, a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) attachment protocol, a polar coding protocol, a rate matching protocol, or a modulation protocol.

[0075] In some embodiments, to perform the first cell measurement, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to buffer a number of reference signal samples of the PBCH signal, and perform the first cell measurement based on the reference signal samples.

[0076] In some embodiments, the number of the refence signal samples is 432.

[0077] In some embodiments, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the terminal device to obtain at least one of a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) or a PBCH Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), and upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload does not satisfy the set of criteria, perform a second cell measurement based on the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS.

[0078] In some embodiments, to obtain the at least one SSS or PBCH DMRS, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to receive, from a base station, an SSB, and extract the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS from the SSB.

[0079] In some embodiments, to perform the second cell measurement, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to buffer a number of reference signal samples of the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS, and perform the cell measurement based on the reference signal samples.

[0080] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a baseband chip includes a

Physical (PHY) layer circuit including a receiving module, a decoding/demodulating module, a generation module, and a cell measurement module. The receiving module is configured to obtain a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload. The decoding/demodulating module is configured to decode the PBCH payload. The generation module is configured to, upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, generate a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload. The cell measurement module is configured to perform a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

[0081] In some embodiments, to obtain the PBCH payload, the receiving module is configured to receive, from a base station, a Synchronization Signal/PBCH Block (SSB), and extract the PBCH payload from the SSB.

[0082] In some embodiments, the baseband chip further includes a buffer configured to buffer a number of reference signal samples of the PBCH signal. In some embodiments, to perform the first cell measurement, the cell measurement module is configured to perform the first cell measurement based on the reference signal samples.

[0083] In some embodiments, the receiving module is further configured to obtain at least one of a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) or a PBCH Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS). In some embodiments, the cell measurement module is further configured to upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload does not satisfy the set of criteria, perform a second cell measurement based on the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS.

[0084] In some embodiments, to obtain the at least one SSS or PBCH DMRS, the receiving module is configured to receive, from a base station, an SSB, and extract the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS from the SSB.

[0085] According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a method implemented by a terminal device for wireless communication is disclosed. A Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload is obtained. The PBCH payload is decoded. Whether the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria is determined. Upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, a PBCH signal is generated based on the decoded PBCH payload. A first cell measurement is performed based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

[0086] In some embodiments, to obtain the PBCH payload, a Synchronization

Signal/PBCH Block (SSB) is received from a base station. The PBCH payload is then extracted from the SSB.

[0087] In some embodiments, a number of reference signal samples of the PBCH signal is buffered, and the first cell measurement is performed based on the reference signal samples.

[0088] In some embodiments, at least one of a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) or a PBCH Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) is obtained, and upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload does not satisfy the set of criteria, a second cell measurement is performed based on the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS.

[0089] In some embodiments, to obtain the at least one SSS or PBCH DMRS, an SSB is received from a base station, and the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS is extracted from the SSB.

[0090] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so reveal the general nature of the present disclosure that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.

[0091] Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.

[0092] The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present disclosure and the appended claims in any way.

[0093] Various functional blocks, modules, and steps are disclosed above. The particular arrangements provided are illustrative and without limitation. Accordingly, the functional blocks, modules, and steps may be re-ordered or combined in different ways than in the examples provided above. Likewise, certain embodiments include only a subset of the functional blocks, modules, and steps, and any such subset is permitted. [0094] The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; and memory storing instruction that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device at least to: obtain a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload; decode the PBCH payload; upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, generate a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload; and perform a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

2. The terminal device of claim 1 , wherein to obtain the PBCH payload, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to: receive, from a base station, a Synchronization Signal/PBCH Block (SSB); and extract the PBCH payload from the SSB.

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the PBCH payload is extracted from the SSB using PBCH channel estimation.

4. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the PBCH signal is generated following at least one of an interleaving protocol, a scrambling protocol, a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) attachment protocol, a polar coding protocol, a rate matching protocol, or a modulation protocol.

5. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein to perform the first cell measurement, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to: buffer a number of reference signal samples of the PBCH signal; and perform the first cell measurement based on the reference signal samples.

6. The terminal device of claim 5, wherein the number of the reference signal samples is 432.

7. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the terminal device to: obtain at least one of a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) or a PBCH Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS); and upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload does not satisfy the set of criteria, perform a second cell measurement based on the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS.

8. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein to obtain the at least one SSS or PBCH DMRS, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to: receive, from a base station, an SSB; and extract the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS from the SSB.

9. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein to perform the second cell measurement, the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to: buffer a number of reference signal samples of the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS; and perform the second cell measurement based on the reference signal samples.

10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the number of the reference signal samples is 127, 144, or 271.

11. A baseband chip, comprising: a Physical (PHY) layer circuit comprising: a receiving module configured to obtain a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload; a decoding/demodulating module configured to decode the PBCH payload; a generation module configured to upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria, generate a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload; and a cell measurement module configured to perform a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

12. The baseband chip of claim 11, wherein to obtain the PBCH payload, the receiving module is configured to: receive, from a base station, a Synchronization Signal/PBCH Block (SSB); and extract the PBCH payload from the SSB.

13. The baseband chip of claim 11, further comprising a buffer configured to buffer a number of reference signal samples of the PBCH signal, wherein to perform the first cell measurement, the cell measurement module is configured to perform the first cell measurement based on the reference signal samples.

14. The baseband chip of claim 11, wherein the receiving module is further configured to obtain at least one of a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) or a PBCH Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS); and the cell measurement module is further configured to upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload does not satisfy the set of criteria, perform a second cell measurement based on the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS.

15. The baseband chip of claim 14, wherein to obtain the at least one SSS or PBCH DMRS, the receiving module is configured to: receive, from a base station, an SSB; and extract the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS from the SSB.

16. A method implemented by a terminal device for wireless communication, comprising: obtaining a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload; decoding the PBCH payload; determining whether the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria; generating a PBCH signal based on the decoded PBCH payload upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload satisfies a set of criteria; and performing a first cell measurement based, at least in part, on the generated PBCH signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein obtaining the PBCH payload comprises: receiving, from a base station, a Synchronization Signal/PBCH Block (SSB); and extracting the PBCH payload from the SSB.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the first cell measurement comprises: buffering a number of reference signal samples of the PBCH signal; and performing the first cell measurement based on the reference signal samples.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: obtaining at least one of a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) or a PBCH Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS); and upon a determination that the decoding of the PBCH payload does not satisfy the set of criteria, performing a second cell measurement based on the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein obtaining the at least one SSS or PBCH DMRS comprises: receiving, from a base station, an SSB; and extracting the at least one of the SSS or the PBCH DMRS from the SSB.