WO2025097836A1

WO2025097836A1 - Methods and apparatus of association between ssb and geographical area

Info

Publication number: WO2025097836A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/105949
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hongmei Liu; Yuantao Zhang; Zhi YAN; Ruixiang MA
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2024-07-17
Filing date: 2024-07-17
Publication date: 2025-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 2027-01-17

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus of association between a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a geographical area. Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: receive at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and determine a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUS OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SSB AND GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to methods and apparatus of association between a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a geographical area.

BACKGROUND

A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations, which may support wireless communications for one or multiple user communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE) , or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, or the like) . Additionally, the wireless communications system may support wireless communications across various radio access technologies including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G) ) .

SUMMARY

An article "a" before an element is unrestricted and understood to refer to "at least one" of those elements or "one or more" of those elements. The terms "a, " "at least one, " "one or more, " and "at least one of one or more" may be interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of" or "one or both of" ) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) . Also, as used herein, the phrase "based on" shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as "based on condition A" may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on. Further, as used herein, including in the claims, a "set" may include one or more elements.

Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: receive at least one of first information associated with one or more synchronization signal block (SSB) time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and determine a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, each SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is predefined or configured by a network.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the first information is associated with at least two SSB time domain positions, and the at least two SSB time domain positions are separated from one another.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the one or more SSB time domain positions are determined based on a first duration between two neighboring SSB bursts and a total number of SSBs in an SSB burst; or wherein an SSB time domain position with an SSB index is determined based on a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB burst and the SSB index.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, an SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is shifted to a next nearest downlink or flexible time resource in the case that the SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions overlaps with an uplink time resource.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, different SSB time domain positions or SSBs with different indices are associated with different geographical area groups or associated with different geographical areas.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, a unit of the first information is determined by at least one of the following: a frame index and one of a first half frame or a second half frame; a first duration between two neighboring SSB bursts; or a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB burst.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, at least one of the first information or the second information is indicated by a new signalling, by system information, or by reusing an existing signalling.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, reusing the existing signaling includes reusing existing bits in system information or reusing an existing reference signal (RS) index indication.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to: determine an index of an SSB burst of the SSB; and determine the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group based on at least one of the index of the SSB burst of the SSB, a total number of SSB in the SSB burst or a total number of SSB bursts in a mapping period, and the index of the SSB.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to: map an SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB to a corresponding first identifier of a geographical area or a corresponding second identifier of a geographical area group identifier periodically.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, a starting time domain position for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, a periodicity for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined, or determined based on at least one of a total number of satellite beams, a total number of geographical areas, a time domain duration between neighboring SSBs, or a default SSB periodicity.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the geographical area with the first identifier or the geographical area group with the second identifier is associated with an detected SSB, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to perform at least one of: perform physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission with all random access channel occasions associated with the detected SSB; or perform paging physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring with all paging monitoring occasions associated the detected SSB.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to: receive an indication indicating association between SSB and geographical area, wherein the indication is based on: an operating band of a network; a position of the UE; or an indication in system information.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the SSB associated with a geographical area is associated with a joint transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state for both uplink transmission and downlink reception after the UE enters a radio resource control (RRC) connected state.

In some embodiments of the UE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to: receive the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group from a network.

Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include a network equipment (NE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the NE to: determine an first identifier of a geographical area or an second identifier of a geographical area group for the geographical area based on at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB for the geographical area; and transmit the at least one of the first information or the second information.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, each SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is predefined or configured by a network associated with the NE.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, the first information is associated with at least two SSB time domain positions, and the at least two SSB time domain positions are separated from one another.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, the one or more SSB time domain positions are determined based on a first duration between two neighboring SSB bursts and a total number of SSBs in an SSB burst; or wherein an SSB time domain position with an SSB index is determined based on a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB burst and the SSB index.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, an SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is shifted to a next nearest downlink or flexible time resource in the case that the SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions overlaps with an uplink time resource.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, different SSB time domain positions or SSBs with different indices are associated with different geographical area groups or associated with different geographical areas.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, a unit of the first information is determined by at least one of the following: a frame index and one of a first half frame or a second half frame; a first duration between two neighboring SSB occasions; or a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB occasion.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, at least one of the first information or the second information is indicated by a new signalling, by system information, or by reusing an existing signalling.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, reusing the existing signaling includes reusing existing bits in system information or reusing an existing RS index indication.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the NE to: determine an index of an SSB burst of the SSB for the geographical area or the geographical area group; and determine the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group based on the index of the SSB burst of the SSB, a total number of SSB in the SSB burst or a total number of SSB bursts in a mapping period, and the index of the SSB for the geographical area or the geographical area group.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the NE to: map an SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB to a corresponding first identifier of a geographical area or a corresponding second identifier of a geographical area group identifier periodically.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, a starting time domain position for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, a periodicity for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined, or determined based on at least one of a total number of satellite beams, a total number of geographical areas, a time domain duration between neighboring SSBs, or a default SSB periodicity.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, the geographical area with the first identifier or the geographical area group with the second identifier is associated with the SSB, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause the NE to perform at least one of: perform PRACH reception with all random access channel occasions associated with the SSB; or perform paging PDCCH transmission with all paging monitoring occasions associated with the SSB.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the NE to: transmit an indication indicating association between SSB and geographical area, wherein the indication is based on: an operating band of a network; a position of the UE; or an indication in system information.

In some embodiments of the NE described herein, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the NE to: transmit the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group.

Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include a processor for wireless communication, comprising: at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: receive at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and determine a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.

Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include a method performed by a UE, the method comprising: receiving at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and determining a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.

Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include a processor for wireless communication, comprising: at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: determine an first identifier of a geographical area or an second identifier of a geographical area group based on at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB for the geographical area or the geographical area group; and transmit the at least one of the first information or the second information.

Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include a method performed by a NE, the method comprising: determining an first identifier of a geographical area or an second identifier of a geographical area group based on at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB for the geographical area or the geographical area group; and transmitting the at least one of the first information or the second information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of geographical areas in one cell in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 illustrates examples of SSB bursts and SSB indices in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 4 illustrates an example of geographical area groups in one cell in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 illustrates an example of a user equipment (UE) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 6 illustrates an example of a processor in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 7 illustrates an example of a network equipment (NE) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 8 illustrate a flowchart of an exemplary method performed by a UE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 9 illustrate a flowchart of an exemplary method performed by an NE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communications system.

Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more NEs 102, one or more UEs 104, and a core network (CN) 106. The wireless communications system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a 4G network, such as a long-term evolution (LTE) network or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a new radio (NR) network, such as a 5G network, a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network, or a 5G ultra-wideband (5G-UWB) network. In other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technology including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20. The wireless communications system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, for example, 6G. Additionally, the wireless communications system 100 may support technologies, such as time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , or code division multiple access (CDMA) , etc.

The one or more NEs 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100. One or more of the NE 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a base station, a network element, a network function, a network entity, a radio access network (RAN) , a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB (gNB) , or other suitable terminology. An NE 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

An NE 102 may provide a geographic coverage area for which the NE 102 may support services for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. ) according to one or multiple radio access technologies. In some implementations, an NE 102 may be moveable, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN) , which may include low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites orbiting around the Earth, medium earth orbiting (MEO) satellites, geostationary earth orbiting (GEO) satellites with fixed location to the Earth, as well as highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellites. The NE 102 provides a geographic cell for serving UE 101 located in the geographic cell. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas may be associated with different NEs 102.

In order to improve the coverage ratio of the satellites, the SSB periodicity may be increased from 20 ms to 80 ms and beam hopping is applied. In addition, extending SSB periodicity is a necessary enhancement to support beam hopping in an NTN. In legacy NR, the default SSB periodicity is 20 ms. In the NTN, the default SSB periodicity may be increased to 80 ms or 320 ms or other values, so as to improve the coverage ratio.

The one or more UEs 104 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. A UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a subscriber device, a transmitter device, a receiver device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device, an Internet-of-Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples.

A UE 104 may be able to support wireless communication directly with other UEs 104 over a communication link. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a PC5 interface.

An NE 102 may support communications with the CN 106, or with another NE 102, or both. For example, an NE 102 may interface with other NE 102 or the CN 106 through one or more backhaul links (e.g., S1, N2, N2, or network interface) . In some implementations, the NEs 102 may communicate with each other directly. In some other implementations, the NEs 102 may communicate with each other indirectly (e.g., via the CN 106. In some implementations, one or more NEs 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC) . An ANC may communicate with the one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission-reception points (TRPs) .

The CN 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The CN 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) , or a 5G core (5GC) , which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) ) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) , a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc. ) for the one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more NEs 102 associated with the CN 106.

The CN 106 may communicate with a packet data network over one or more backhaul links (e.g., via an S1, N2, N2, or another network interface) . The packet data network may include an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server. A UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the like) with the CN 106 via an NE 102. The CN 106 may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between the UE 104 and the application server using the established session (e.g., the established PDU session) . The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the CN 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the CN 106) .

In the wireless communications system 100, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may use resources of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers) ) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications) . In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures) . The NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

One or more numerologies may be supported in the wireless communications system 100, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., μ=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., μ=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., μ=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., μ=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

A time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames) . Each frame may have a duration, for example, a 10 millisecond (ms) duration. In some implementations, each frame may include multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, a 1 ms duration. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

Additionally or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on the one or more numerologies supported in the wireless communications system 100. For instance, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., μ=0, μ=1, μ=2, μ=3, μ=4) associated with respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. Each slot may include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols) . In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing) , a slot may include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that reference to a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

In the wireless communications system 100, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be split, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the wireless communications system 100 may support one or multiple operating frequency bands, such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz –7.125 GHz) , FR2 (24.25 GHz –52.6 GHz) , FR3 (7.125 GHz –24.25 GHz) , FR4 (52.6 GHz –114.25 GHz) , FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz –71 GHz) , and FR5 (114.25 GHz –300 GHz) . In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may perform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data) . In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

FR1 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies) . For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) , which includes 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., μ=1) , which includes 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., μ=2) , which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies) . For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology (e.g., μ=2) , which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) , which includes 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

In Figure 2, there is one cell in an NTN including 19 geographical areas, each geographical area is associated with an ID, i.e., #1, #2, …, #19. For each geographical area, there is only one satellite beam. The cell IDs for the 19 geographical areas are identical.

Since there is only one satellite beam in one geographical area, from the UE's perspective, it may use an omni-directional antenna or can set its antenna directly to the NE, i.e., the satellite when it is within a geographical area, such as geographical area #1. It is not necessary for the UE to change the direction of the antenna within one geographical area. From the NE's perspective, it is also not necessary to change the direction of the antenna within one geographical area.

Accordingly, for a geographical area, spatial domain transmission or reception beam sweeping at the NE side and spatial domain reception or transmission beam sweeping at the UE side is not necessary.

In view of the above, different SSBs with different indices in NR may be used for different geographical areas in an NTN. Meanwhile, as the total number of satellite beams or geographical areas for a satellite may be as large as about 1058, it is preferred that different SSB bursts in addition to the different SSBs with different indices can also be used for different geographical areas.

However, there are no solutions of association between an SSB and a geographical area, for example, there is no detailed information regarding how to map the SSB to the geographical area. Therefore, solutions of association between an SSB and a geographical area are necessary. More specifically, solutions of the association between an SSB time domain position or an SSB index and a geographical area are necessary. The present disclosure also discusses the impact on SSB-RO association and paging PDCCH monitoring.

The present disclosure proposes that at least one of an SSB burst index (atype of time domain position) or an SSB index (another type of time domain position) may be used to differentiate different geographical areas. In some other embodiments, the geographical areas may be grouped, and the same satellite beam may be used for a geographical area group which is served simultaneously by the NE, thus, at least one of an SSB burst index or an SSB index may also be used to differentiate different geographical area groups. In this embodiment, a further indication may be used for indicating the geographical areas in a geographical area group. As a satellite beam may correspond to one geographical area group or one geographical area, at least one of the SSB burst index or the SSB index may also be used to differentiate different satellite beams.

There are three SSB bursts in Figure 3, i.e., SSB burst #0, SSB burst #1 and SSB burst #2. The SSB bursts may also be referred to as SSB occasions, or the like. There are four SSBs with different indices in each SSB burst, i.e., SSB #0, SSB #1, SSB #2 and SSB #3. It should be noted that three SSB bursts and four SSBs in each SSB burst are only exemplary, the solution of the subject application also applies to other numbers of SSB bursts or other numbers of SSBs in each SSB burst. The periodicity of the SSB bursts may be 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 160 ms, 320 ms, or other values. For example, the duration from SSB #0 in SSB burst #0 to SSB #0 in SSB burst #1 may be 80 ms, or the value of D1 may be 80 ms.

In option 1, the SSBs with different indices, i.e., SSB #0, SSB #1, SSB #2 and SSB #3 have the same time domain positions as those in legacy releases. The four SSBs may be transmitted in the first 5 ms of a frame, or the second 5 ms of a frame.

In option 2, the SSBs are separated from each other. Compared with option 1, the time domain positions for these SSBs are adjusted in a distributed way. In this way, the system information with or without data transmission or reception for a geographical area may be located after the corresponding SSB for the geographical area. For example, for SSB #0 in SSB burst #0, which may be used for geographical area #0, the system information for geographical area #0 may be transmitted in the time duration between SSB #0 and SSB #1, and the data transmission for geographical area #0 may also be transmitted in the time duration between SSB #0 and SSB #1, thus this information (i.e., SSB, system information and/or data transmission) for geographical area #0 is placed in a compact way compared with option 1. In other words, SSB #0, the system information and the data transmission for geographical area #0 may be transmitted within the duration D2.

The time domain positions of each SSB in one SSB burst, i.e., SSB #0, SSB #1, SSB #2 and SSB #3 may be predefined or configured. For example, the NE may transmit an indication indicating the time domain positions of each SSB to the UE. In some embodiments, the time domain position for the first SSB in an SSB burst may be identical to the time domain position as option 1, and the NE may indicate the time domain positions of other SSB (s) in an SSB burst to the UE. As shown in Figure 3, the time domain position for SSB #0 in SSB burst #0 in option 1 is the same as SSB #0 in SSB burst #0 in option 2, similarly the time domain position for SSB #0 in SSB burst #1 in option 2 is the same as SSB #0 in SSB burst #2 in option 2.

In another embodiment, the time domain position for the first SSB in an SSB burst may be identical to the time domain position as option 1, and the time domain position (s) for other SSB (s) in an SSB burst may be determined based on the following approaches. In one approach, the time domain position (s) for the other SSB (s) in the SSB burst may be predefined or configured. In another approach, the time domain position (s) for the other SSB(s) may be based on the duration between adjacent SSB bursts in the SSB burst and the total number of SSBs in the SSB burst. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the duration between adjacent SSB bursts is D1, and the total number of SSBs in the SSB burst is 4, then the time domain positions of SSB #1, SSB #2 and SSB #3 in SSB burst #0 may be determined based on the value of D1 and 4. Assuming the value of D1 as 80 ms, and the time domain position of SSB #0 is at 0, dividing the value of D1 by 4, which is 20, then the time domain position of SSB #1 is 20 ms, the time domain position of SSB #2 is 40 ms, and the time domain position of SSB #3 is 60 ms.

In still another approach, the time domain position (s) of the other SSB (s) may be based on the duration between adjacent SSBs in an SSB burst and the index of other SSB (s) . For example, as shown in Figure 3, the time domain positions of SSB #2 in SSB burst #0 may be determined based on the value of D2 and the index of SSB #2. Assuming the value of D2 as 20 ms, and the time domain position for SSB #0 is at 0, then the time domain position of SSB #2 is 0 + 20 ms × 2 = 40 ms.

In some embodiments, the time domain position (s) of the SSB (s) may overlap with an uplink time resource, such as an uplink slot, an uplink symbol, or the like, and the time domain position (s) of the SSB (s) may be delayed or shifted to the next nearest downlink or flexible time resource.

In option 3, there is one SSB in an SSB burst. For example, the one SSB may be the first SSB in an SSB burst as option 1, i.e., SSB #0. In some other cases, other SSBs, such as SSB #1, SSB #2 or SSB #3 may be the one SSB in the SSB burst. The time duration between SSB bursts may be configured or predefined, i.e., the value of D1 may be configured or predefined. In the case that the time domain location of the kept SSB overlaps with an uplink time resource, such as an uplink slot, an uplink symbol, or the like, the time domain position of the kept SSB may be delayed or shifted to the next nearest downlink or flexible time resource. The SSB, i.e., SSB #0 has the same time domain position as the SSB in legacy releases.

In some other cases, other numbers of SSBs may be kept in an SSB burst, such as 2 SSBs, 3 SSBs, etc. These SSBs may also have the same time domain positions as those in legacy releases, have the same time domain positions determined based on option 2, or have the time domain positions indicated by the network or the NE.

Different SSB time domain positions or SSB indices may be associated with different geographical area groups, different geographical areas, or different satellite beams. For example, SSB #1 in SSB burst #0 may be associated with geographical area #1 (or a geographical area group) , and satellite beam #1 may be used in this area, and SSB #2 in SSB burst #0 may be associated with geographical area #2, and satellite beam #2 may be used in this area.

Therefore, it is necessary for both the NE and the UE to map the SSB time position or the SSB index with the geographical area group, the geographical area, or the satellite beam. In other words, to determine the geographical area group, the geographical area, or the satellite beam based on the SSB time position and/or the SSB index.

In one embodiment, the mapping between an SSB time domain position or SSB index and a geographical area group (or a geographical area or a satellite beam) may be up to the NE implementation, i.e., satellite implementation. Then the NE may transmit the mapping information to the UE.

In another embodiment, both the NE and the UE may determine the mapping with the following options:

Option A: the geographical area group may be determined based on the index of the SSB burst, the total number of SSBs in the SSB burst, and the index of the SSB. The ID of the geographical area group is denoted as N, the index of the SSB burst as k, the total number of SSBs in the SSB burst as M, and the index of the SSB as p, then the ID of the geographical area group may be calculated as follows:
N = M × k+ p

Taking option 2 in Figure 3 as an example, for SSB #0 in SSB burst #0, the corresponding ID of the geographical area group is N = 4 × 0 + 0 = 0, thus SSB #0 in SSB burst #0, or the first SSB time domain position for option 2 corresponds to geographical area group #0. Similarly, for SSB #0 in SSB burst #1, the corresponding ID of the geographical area group is N = 4 × 1 + 0 = 4.

Option B: the geographical area group may be determined based on the index of the SSB burst, the total number of SSBs in the mapping period, and the index of the SSB. The ID of the geographical area group is denoted as N, the index of the SSB burst as k, the total number of SSBs in the mapping period as L, and the index of the SSB as p, then the ID of the geographical area group may be calculated as follows:
N = L × p + k

Still taking option 2 in Figure 3 as an example, for SSB #0 in SSB burst #0, and the total number of SSBs in the mapping period is 4, the corresponding ID of the geographical area group is N = 4 × 0 + 0 = 0, thus SSB #0 in SSB burst #0, or the first SSB time domain position for option 2 corresponds to geographical area group #0. Similarly, for SSB #0 in SSB burst #1, the corresponding ID of the geographical area group is N = 4 × 0 + 1 = 1.

In some other embodiments, the mapping period may be different from the duration of the SSB burst. For example, the mapping period may include two SSB bursts. In this case, the SSBs in the mapping period may include SSB #0 –SSB #3 in both SSB burst #0 and SSB burst #1. The SSBs in SSB burst #1 may be indexed as SSB #4, SSB #5, SSB #6 and SSB #7.

Based on the above, the NE or the UE may determine the geographical area group based on the SSB time position and the SSB index. The UE may further receive the information regarding the geographical area. In the case that any value of the SSB time position or the SSB index is not indicated or not determined, a default value of the SSB time position and/or a default value of the SSB index may be used, the default value may include SSB burst #0 or SSB #0, or other preconfigured value.

In some other embodiments, the geographical area may not be grouped, and the NE or the UE may determine the ID of the geographical area in a similar fashion. That is, the ID of the geographical area may be determined based on the index of the SSB burst, the total number of SSBs in the SSB burst, and the index of the SSB as option A; or the ID of the geographical area may be determined based on the index of the SSB burst, the total number of SSBs in the mapping period, and the index of the SSB as option B.

The mapping between the SSB time domain position (or SSB index) to the geographical area group ID (or geographical area ID or satellite beam ID) is performed periodically, i.e., the above determination of the geographical area group ID based on the SSB time domain position and/or the SSB index is performed periodically. Therefore, two different SSB time domain positions (or two different SSB indices) may be mapped to the same geographical group ID (or the same geographical area ID or the same satellite beam ID) after mapping to all geographical area group IDs or satellite beam IDs one or multiple times.

In Figure 4, there is one cell in an NTN including 19 geographical areas, each geographical area is associated with an ID, i.e., #1, #2, …#19. Three geographical area groups are configured in these geographical areas. Geographical area group #0 may include geographical area #11, #14 and #18, geographical area group #1 may include geographical area #4, #10 and #19, and geographical area group #2 may include geographical area #6, #9 and #13. The NE may provide service in these geographical areas simultaneously with the same satellite beam.

The starting time domain position for the mapping may be predefined or configured. For example, the starting position may be frame #0 or slot #0. The time duration between two neighboring starting time domain positions may also be predefined or configured. In some embodiments, the time duration may be determined based on at least one of the total number of satellite beams, the total number of geographical areas, a time domain duration between two SSBs (i.e., D2 as shown in Figure 3) , or a default SSB periodicity. E. g. If the number of geographical areas is 24, each geographical area group contains 3 areas, time domain spacing between adjacent SSBs (or the time duration between neighboring SSBs) is 5ms, then the mapping period is 24/3×5 = 40ms. In other words, periodicity for the mapping may be predefined or configured.

At the UE side, in order to perform the mapping, the UE needs the information regarding the SSB time domain positions and/or the SSB indices. The present disclosure proposes some solutions for indicating this information to the UE. The SSB index may be indicated by at least one of demodulation reference signal (DMRS) configuration or system information. Regarding the SSB time domain positions, then may be indicated by a new signalling in system information, by a re-interpretation of an SSB index indication in legacy NR, by system information, or by reusing an existing signalling.

For example, a new signalling in system information may indicate the index of an SSB burst and/or the SSB index. Or, some left bits of the bits for indicating the index of an SSB burst are re-interpreted to indicate the index of an SSB burst.

In FR2, there may be 64 beams, and there are 16 bits indicating the selected SSB index. In FR1, the SSB index may be indicated by both the signaling in system information block (e.g. SIB1) and DMRS resource.

The SSB time domain positions in an SSB burst is defined as follows:

Some of the bits are used to indicate an SSB index among 8, 16 or 64 beams. Assuming there are 64 beams to indicate, since 2^6 = 64, thus at most 6 bits are necessary for indicating these beams, thus the present disclosure proposes reusing the remaining bits for indicating the time domain positions of the SSB bursts and/or the index of the SSB. For example, for option 2 in Figure 3, the remaining bits may indicate SSB burst #0 or SSB burst #1, or the like.

The legacy bits for indicating an SSB index is used to indicate the SSB time domain positions (including the index of the SSB burst and/or the SSB index) . In some other cases, the bits for indicating the SSB index may be used for indicating the geographical area group ID, the geographical area ID, or satellite beam ID.

As shown in Figure 3, the SSB time domain positions may be different for different options, thus the indication for the SSB time domain positions may also be different. In particular, the unit of the indication may be as follows:

For option 1 in Figure 3, the unit of the indication may be a half frame, i.e., 5ms. That is, the indication may indicate the index of the frame, and the first half frame or the second half frame. For example, the indication may indicate, frame #0 and the first half frame.

For option 2 in Figure 3, the unit of the indication may be based on the duration between neighboring SSB bursts and the duration between neighboring SSB indices, i.e., the unit of the indication may be based on D1 and D2.

For option 3 in Figure 3, when there is one SSB in one SSB burst, the unit of the indication may be based on the duration between neighboring SSB bursts or neighboring SSB indices, i.e. D1 or D2 since they have the same value. When there are more SSBs in one SSB burst, the unit of the indication may be based on the duration between neighboring SSB bursts and the duration between neighboring SSB indices, i.e., the unit of the indication may be based on D1 and D2.

With the above information, the UE may determine the geographical area group ID (or the geographical area ID, or the satellite beam ID) .

In some other embodiments, the UE may directly receive the geographical area group ID (or the geographical area ID, or the satellite beam ID) . The NE may broadcast the geographical area group ID (or the geographical area ID, or the satellite beam ID) in the system information for this geographical area. For example, the legacy bits for indicating an SSB index may be used to indicate the geographical area group ID (or the geographical area ID, or the satellite beam ID) .

In legacy releases, there are multiple SSB indices in a cell coverage area, and different RO and paging monitoring occasions are associated with different SSB indices for beam sweeping.

In the present disclosure, there is one SSB index for one geographical area or for one geographical area group. Therefore, at the UE side, all ROs in one geographical area may be used for PRACH transmission, and all paging monitoring occasions in one geographical area may be used for paging PDCCH monitoring. At the NE side, all ROs in one geographical area may be used for PRACH reception, and all paging monitoring occasions in one geographical area may be used for paging PDCCH transmission.

In other words, the present disclosure proposes a new association between an SSB index and RO or paging monitoring occasion, which is different from existing associations. The present disclosure further proposes an indication for indicating a new association. The indication may be based on the following:

Option a) : operating frequency band

Different networks may be associated with different operating frequency bands. For example, an NTN may be associated with operating frequency bands different from a TN.When the UE determines that the network is associated with an operating frequency band of the NTN, it may determine that it may apply the new association, i.e., all ROs in one geographical area may be used for PRACH transmission, and all paging monitoring occasions in one geographical area may be used for paging PDCCH monitoring. On the other hand, when the UE determines that the network is associated with an operating frequency band of the TN, it may not apply such association.

Option b) : position of the UE

As the coverage of the NTN and that of the TN are different, the geographical area with one SSB index and the geographical area with multiple SSB indices may also be different. Based on the position of the UE, the UE may determine that it is in a geographical area with one SSB index, thus it may apply the new association, i.e., all ROs in one geographical area may be used for PRACH transmission, and all paging monitoring occasions in one geographical area may be used for paging PDCCH monitoring. On the other hand, when determining that it is in a geographical area with more than one SSB indices, the UE may not apply such association.

Option c) : indication from the network

In some embodiments, the NE may transmit an indication to the UE, to indicate the UE to apply the new association, and the UE may perform the PRACH transmission with all ROs in one geographical area, and perform the paging PDCCH monitoring with all paging monitoring occasions.

In some embodiments, the SSB index associated with the geographical area may be associated with a joint TCI state for both uplink transmission and downlink reception after the UE enters the RRC connected state.

Figure 5 illustrates an example of a UE 500 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The UE 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a controller 506, and a transceiver 508. The processor 502, the memory 504, the controller 506, or the transceiver 508, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

The processor 502, the memory 504, the controller 506, or the transceiver 508, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

The processor 502 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof) . In some implementations, the processor 502 may be configured to operate the memory 504. In some other implementations, the memory 504 may be integrated into the processor 502. The processor 502 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 504 to cause the UE 500 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

The memory 504 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 504 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 502 cause the UE 500 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 504 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

In some implementations, the processor 502 and the memory 504 coupled with the processor 502 may be configured to cause the UE 500 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 502, instructions stored in the memory 504) . For example, the processor 502 may support wireless communication at the UE 500 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The UE 500 may be configured to support a means for performing the operations of the methods described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the processor 502 may be configured to cause the UE 500 to: receive at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and determine a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.

The controller 506 may manage input and output signals for the UE 500. The controller 506 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the UE 500. In some implementations, the controller 506 may utilize an operating system such as or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 506 may be implemented as part of the processor 502.

In some implementations, the UE 500 may include at least one transceiver 508. In some other implementations, the UE 500 may have more than one transceiver 508. The transceiver 508 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 508 may include one or more receiver chains 510, one or more transmitter chains 512, or a combination thereof.

A receiver chain 510 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 510 may include one or more antennas for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 510 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA) ) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 510 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 510 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

A transmitter chain 512 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) . The transmitter chain 512 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM) , frequency modulation (FM) , or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) . The transmitter chain 512 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 512 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

Figure 6 illustrates an example of a processor 600 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The processor 600 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 600 may include a controller 602 configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 600 may optionally include at least one memory 604, which may be, for example, an L1/L2/L3 cache. Additionally, or alternatively, the processor 600 may optionally include one or more arithmetic-logic units (ALUs) 606. One or more of these components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses) .

The processor 600 may be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 600) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , dynamic RAM (DRAM) , synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM) , static RAM (SRAM) , ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM) , magnetic RAM (MRAM) , resistive RAM (RRAM) , flash memory, phase change memory (PCM) , and others) .

The controller 602 may be configured to manage and coordinate various operations (e.g., signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the processor 600 to cause the processor 600 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. For example, the controller 602 may operate as a control unit of the processor 600, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the processor 600. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating timing of operations.

The controller 602 may be configured to fetch (e.g., obtain, retrieve, receive) instructions from the memory 604 and determine subsequent instruction (s) to be executed to cause the processor 600 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The controller 602 may be configured to track memory address of instructions associated with the memory 604. The controller 602 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, the controller 602 may be configured to interpret the instruction and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor 600 to cause the processor 600 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 602 may be configured to manage flow of data within the processor 600. The controller 602 may be configured to control transfer of data between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs) , and other functional units of the processor 600.

The memory 604 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor 600 or other memory, such RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementations, the memory 604 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., local to the processor 600) . In some other implementations, the memory 604 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., remote to the processor 600) .

The memory 604 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 600, cause the processor 600 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. The controller 602 and/or the processor 600 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 604 to cause the processor 600 to perform various functions. For example, the processor 600 and/or the controller 602 may be coupled with or to the memory 604, the processor 600, the controller 602, and the memory 604 may be configured to perform various functions described herein. In some examples, the processor 600 may include multiple processors and the memory 604 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein.

The one or more ALUs 606 may be configured to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, the one or more ALUs 606 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the processor 600) . In some other implementations, the one or more ALUs 606 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 600) . One or more ALUs 606 may perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 606 may receive input operands and an operation code, which determines an operation to be executed. One or more ALUs 606 be configured with a variety of logical and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate the data according to the operation. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more ALUs 606 may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR) , not-OR (NOR) , and not-AND (NAND) , enabling the one or more ALUs 606 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

The processor 600 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The processor 600 may be configured to or operable to support a means for performing the operations of the methods described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the processor 600 may be applicable for a UE or a device with similar functions. The controller 602 may be configured to cause the processor 600 to: receive at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and determine a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.

In an embodiment, the processor 600 may be applicable for an NE (e.g., a base station) or a device with similar functions. The controller 602 may be configured to cause the processor 600 to: determine an first identifier of a geographical area or an second identifier of a geographical area group for the geographical area based on at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB for the geographical area; and transmit the at least one of the first information or the second information.

Figure 7 illustrates an example of NE 700 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The NE 700 may include a processor 702, a memory 704, a controller 706, and a transceiver 708. The processor 702, the memory 704, the controller 706, or the transceiver 708, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

The processor 702, the memory 704, the controller 706, or the transceiver 708, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

The processor 702 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof) . In some implementations, the processor 702 may be configured to operate the memory 704. In some other implementations, the memory 704 may be integrated into the processor 702. The processor 702 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 704 to cause the NE 700 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

The memory 704 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 704 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 702 cause the NE 700 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 704 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

In some implementations, the processor 702 and the memory 704 coupled with the processor 702 may be configured to cause the NE 700 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 702, instructions stored in the memory 704) . For example, the processor 702 may support wireless communication at the NE 700 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The NE 700 may be configured to support a means for performing the operations of the methods described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the processor 702 may be configured to cause the NE 700 to: determine an first identifier of a geographical area or an second identifier of a geographical area group for the geographical area based on at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB for the geographical area; and transmit the at least one of the first information or the second information.

The controller 706 may manage input and output signals for the NE 700. The controller 706 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the NE 700. In some implementations, the controller 706 may utilize an operating system such as or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 706 may be implemented as part of the processor 702.

In some implementations, the NE 700 may include at least one transceiver 708. In some other implementations, the NE 700 may have more than one transceiver 708. The transceiver 708 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 708 may include one or more receiver chains 710, one or more transmitter chains 712, or a combination thereof.

A receiver chain 710 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 710 may include one or more antennas for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 710 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA) ) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 710 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 710 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

A transmitter chain 712 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) . The transmitter chain 712 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM) , frequency modulation (FM) , or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) . The transmitter chain 712 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 712 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

Figure 8 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method may be implemented by a UE as described herein. In some implementations, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the UE to perform the described functions.

At 802, the method may include receiving at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB. The operations of 802 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 802 may be performed by a UE as described with reference to Figure 5.

At 804, the method may include determining a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information. The operations of 804 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 804 may be performed by a UE as described with reference to Figure 5.

It should be noted that the method described herein describes a possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, each SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is predefined or configured by a network.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the first information is associated with at least two SSB time domain positions, and the at least two SSB time domain positions are separated from one another.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the one or more SSB time domain positions are determined based on a first duration between two neighboring SSB bursts and a total number of SSBs in an SSB burst; or wherein an SSB time domain position with an SSB index is determined based on a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB burst and the SSB index.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, an SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is shifted to a next nearest downlink or flexible time resource in the case that the SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions overlaps with an uplink time resource.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, different SSB time domain positions or SSBs with different indices are associated with different geographical area groups or associated with different geographical areas.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, a unit of the first information is determined by at least one of the following: a frame index and one of a first half frame or a second half frame; a first duration between two neighboring SSB bursts; or a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB burst.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, at least one of the first information or the second information is indicated by a new signalling, by system information, or by reusing an existing signalling.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, reusing the existing signaling includes reusing existing bits in system information or reusing an existing reference signal (RS) index indication.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising: determining an index of an SSB burst of the SSB; and determine the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group based on at least one of the index of the SSB burst of the SSB, a total number of SSB in the SSB burst or a total number of SSB bursts in a mapping period, and the index of the SSB.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising: mapping an SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB to a corresponding first identifier of a geographical area or a corresponding second identifier of a geographical area group identifier periodically.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, a starting time domain position for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, a periodicity for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined, or determined based on at least one of a total number of satellite beams, a total number of geographical areas, a time domain duration between neighboring SSBs, or a default SSB periodicity.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the geographical area with the first identifier or the geographical area group with the second identifier is associated with an detected SSB, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to perform at least one of: perform physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission with all random access channel occasions associated with the detected SSB; or perform paging physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring with all paging monitoring occasions associated the detected SSB.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising: receiving an indication indicating association between SSB with geographical area, wherein the indication is based on: an operating band of a network; a position of the UE;or an indication in system information.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the SSB associated with a geographical area is associated with a joint transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state for both uplink transmission and downlink reception after the UE enters a radio resource control (RRC) connected state.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising: receiving the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group from a network.

Figure 9 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method may be implemented by an NE as described herein. In some implementations, the NE may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the NE to perform the described functions.

At 902, the method may include determining an first identifier of a geographical area or an second identifier of a geographical area group for the geographical area based on at least one of first information associated with one or more SSB time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB for the geographical area. The operations of 902 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 902 may be performed by an NE as described with reference to Figure 7.

At 904, the method may include transmitting the at least one of the first information or the second information. The operations of 904 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 904 may be performed by an NE as described with reference to Figure 7.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, each SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is predefined or configured by a network associated with the NE.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, a unit of the first information is determined by at least one of the following: a frame index and one of a first half frame or a second half frame; a first duration between two neighboring SSB occasions; or a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB occasion.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, reusing the existing signaling includes reusing existing bits in system information or reusing an existing RS index indication.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising determining an index of an SSB burst of the SSB for the geographical area or the geographical area group; and determine the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group based on the index of the SSB burst of the SSB, a total number of SSB in the SSB burst or a total number of SSB bursts in a mapping period, and the index of the SSB for the geographical area or the geographical area group.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising mapping an SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB to a corresponding first identifier of a geographical area or a corresponding second identifier of a geographical area group identifier periodically.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the geographical area with the first identifier or the geographical area group with the second identifier is associated with the SSB, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause the NE to perform at least one of: perform PRACH reception with all random access channel occasions associated with the SSB; or perform paging PDCCH transmission with all paging monitoring occasions associated with the SSB.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising transmitting an indication indicating association between SSB with geographical area, wherein the indication is based on: an operating band of a network; a position of the UE; or an indication in system information.

In some embodiments of the method described herein, the method further comprising determining transmitting the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group.

The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to:

receive at least one of first information associated with one or more synchronization signal block (SSB) time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and

determine a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.
The UE of claim 1, wherein each SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is predefined or configured by a network.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the first information is associated with at least two SSB time domain positions, and the at least two SSB time domain positions are separated from one another.
The UE of claim 3, wherein the one or more SSB time domain positions are determined based on a first duration between two neighboring SSB bursts and a total number of SSBs in an SSB burst; or wherein an SSB time domain position with an SSB index is determined based on a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB burst and the SSB index.
The UE of claim 1, wherein an SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions is shifted to a next nearest downlink or flexible time resource in the case that the SSB time domain position of the one or more SSB time domain positions overlaps with an uplink time resource.
The UE of claim 1, wherein different SSB time domain positions or SSBs with different indices are associated with different geographical area groups or associated with different geographical areas.
The UE of claim 1, wherein a unit of the first information is determined by at least one of the following:

a frame index and one of a first half frame or a second half frame;

a first duration between two neighboring SSB bursts; or

a second duration between two neighboring SSBs in an SSB burst.
The UE of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first information or the second information is indicated by a new signalling, by system information, or by reusing an existing signalling.
The UE of claim 8, wherein reusing the existing signaling includes reusing existing bits in system information or reusing an existing reference signal (RS) index indication.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:

determine an index of an SSB burst of the SSB; and

determine the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group based on at least one of the index of the SSB burst of the SSB, a total number of SSB in the SSB burst or a total number of SSB bursts in a mapping period, and the index of the SSB.
The UE of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:

map an SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB to a corresponding first identifier of a geographical area or a corresponding second identifier of a geographical area group identifier periodically.
The UE of claim 11, wherein a starting time domain position for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined..
The UE of claim 11, wherein a periodicity for mapping the SSB time domain position or the index of the SSB is configured or predefined, or determined based on at least one of a total number of satellite beams, a total number of geographical areas, a time domain duration between neighboring SSBs, or a default SSB periodicity.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the geographical area with the first identifier or the geographical area group with the second identifier is associated with an detected SSB, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to perform at least one of:

perform physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission with all random access channel occasions associated with the detected SSB; or

perform paging physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring with all paging monitoring occasions associated the detected SSB.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:

receive an indication indicating association between SSB and geographical area, wherein the indication is based on:

an operating band of a network;

a position of the UE; or

an indication in system information.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the SSB associated with a geographical area is associated with a joint transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state for both uplink transmission and downlink reception after the UE enters a radio resource control (RRC) connected state.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:

receive the first identifier of a geographical area or the second identifier of a geographical area group from a network.
A network equipment (NE) for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the NE to:

determine an first identifier of a geographical area or an second identifier of a geographical area group for the geographical area based on at least one of first information associated with one or more synchronization signal block (SSB) time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB for the geographical area; and

transmit the at least one of the first information or the second information.
A processor for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to:

receive at least one of first information associated with one or more synchronization signal block (SSB) time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and

determine a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.
A method performed by a user equipment (UE) , the method comprising:

receiving at least one of first information associated with one or more synchronization signal block (SSB) time domain positions, or second information associated with an index of an SSB; and

determining a first identifier of a geographical area or a second identifier of a geographical area group based on the received at least one of the first information or the second information.