WO2025161653A1

WO2025161653A1 - Method and apparatus for idle mode operations associated with low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block cluster in mobile communications

Info

Publication number: WO2025161653A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/135475
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yi-ju LIAO; Chi-Hsuan Hsieh; Pei-Kai Liao
Original assignee: MediaTek Inc
Current assignee: MediaTek Inc
Priority date: 2024-01-31
Filing date: 2024-11-29
Publication date: 2025-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-31

Abstract

Various solutions for idle mode operations associated with low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster with respect to user equipment (UE) and network apparatus in mobile communications are described. A UE may receive a configuration for a low-power SSB cluster. The bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster may be defined by an SSB bandwidth. Also, the UE may receive a paging indication transmitted within the low-power SSB cluster. Further, the UE may perform a paging occasion (PO) monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception. Using the low-power SSB cluster for both SSB and paging indication reception, the UE may utilize a low-power receiver, thereby reducing its idle mode power consumption.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDLE MODE OPERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW-POWER SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL AND PHYSICAL BROADCAST CHANNEL BLOCK CLUSTER IN MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION (S)

The present disclosure is part of a non-provisional application claiming the priority benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/627,156, filed 31 January 2024, the content of which herein being incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to mobile communications and, more particularly, to idle mode operations associated with low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster with respect to user equipment and network apparatus in mobile communications.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted as prior art by inclusion in this section.

In fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) network, a procedure called paging is used to find out the location of a user equipment (UE) before the actual connection between the UE and the base station has been established. In most cases, the paging process happens while UE is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle mode. This means that UE has to monitor whether the network is sending any paging message to it and it has to spend some energy to run this “monitoring” process. However, the current paging monitoring framework could cause significant power consumption at UE side. Therefore, there is a need to provide proper schemes for power consumption enhancement for UE in idle mode.

SUMMARY

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Select implementations are further described below in the detailed description. Thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

An objective of the present disclosure is to propose solutions or schemes that address the aforementioned issue pertaining to idle mode operations associated with low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster with respect to user equipment (UE) and network apparatus in mobile communications.

In one aspect, a method may involve an apparatus receiving a configuration for a low-power SSB cluster. The bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster may be defined by an SSB bandwidth. The method may also involve the apparatus receiving a paging indication transmitted within the low-power SSB cluster. The method may further involve the apparatus performing a paging occasion (PO) monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.

In one aspect, an apparatus may comprise a transceiver which, during operation, wirelessly communicates with a network. The apparatus may also comprise a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor, during operation, may perform operations comprising receiving a configuration for a low-power SSB cluster via the transceiver. The bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster may be defined by an SSB bandwidth. The processor may also perform operations comprising receiving a paging indication transmitted within the low-power SSB cluster via the transceiver. The processor may further perform operations comprising performing a PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.

In another aspect, a method may involve a processor of a network node configuring a low-power SSB cluster for a UE, in which the bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster may be defined by an SSB bandwidth. The method may also involve the processor transmitting a paging indication within the low-power SSB cluster. The method may further involve the processor transmitting at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.

It is noteworthy that, although description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G, NR, 5G-Advanced, Internet-of-Things (IoT) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) , Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) , beyond 5G (B5G) , and 6th Generation (6G) , the proposed concepts, schemes and any variation (s) /derivative (s) thereof may be implemented in, for and by other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate implementations of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is appreciable that the drawings are not necessarily in scale as some components may be shown to be out of proportion than the size in actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the concept of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1A is a diagram depicting an example scenario of a single-cluster or multi-cluster bandwidth part (BWP) under schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 1B is a diagram depicting an example scenario of a low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example communication system in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another example process in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED IMPLEMENTATIONS

Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matters are disclosed herein. However, it shall be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matters which may be embodied in various forms. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that description of the present disclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the description below, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.
Overview

Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions pertaining to idle mode operations associated with low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster in mobile communications, ensuring that user equipment (UE) may utilize a low-power receiver to receive both SSB and paging indication. According to the present disclosure, a number of possible solutions may be implemented separately or jointly. That is, although these possible solutions may be described below separately, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

In current carrier aggregation (CA) framework, a multi-carrier (MC) cell consisting of multiple component carriers (CCs) is supported. The CCs within the same MC cell share the identical physical cell ID (PCI) obtained from the cell-defining SSB, and the CCs may either be intra-band or inter-band. When the MC cell is supported, there may be different duplex modes (e.g., the frequency-division duplexing (FDD) mode, the time-division duplexing (TDD) mode) across the CCs within one MC cell. For the co-located CCs (i.e., the CCs provided by the same network node) within one MC cell, a cell-defining SSB is transmitted on one of the CCs. There is a single active bandwidth part (BWP) within the MC cell. And one or multiple data channels (e.g., the physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) and/or the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCHs) ) across the CCs within the MC cell may be supported. On the other hand, for the non-collocated CCs (i.e., the CCs provided by different network nodes) within one MC cell, a cell-defining (or non-cell-defining) SSB is transmitted on one CC per timing advance (TA) group. There is a single active BWP per TA group within the MC cell. One or multiple data channels (e.g., the PDSCHs and/or the PUSCHs) across the CCs within each TA group may be supported.

Up to four downlink (DL) BWPs and up to four uplink (UL) BWPs may be configured for each MC cell. A BWP may consist of one or more clusters, where each cluster is defined as a physically contiguous radio resource within a CC. FIG. 1A is a diagram depicting an example scenario of a single-cluster or multi-cluster BWP under schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in scenario 110, the BWP consisting of one cluster is referred to as a single-cluster BWP (e.g., the single-cluster BWP 111) . The BWP consisting of multiple clusters from different CCs is referred to as a distributed multi-cluster BWP (e.g., the distributed multi-cluster BWP 113) , while the BWP consisting of multiple clusters from one CC is referred to as a localized multi-cluster BWP (e.g., the localized multi-cluster BWP 115) . The clusters within the same BWP may have the same numerology (i.e., the sub carrier spacing (SCS) and the cyclic prefix (CP) ) . There may be one or multiple clusters inside one CC for a BWP, and the maximum supported cluster number in a BWP is based on UE capability.

In the present disclosure, a specific cluster (referred to as the low-power SSB cluster) is supported to allow network flexibility for placing the SSB at any location within a carrier of an MC cell without leading to high UE power consumption and/or data interruption. To support simultaneous DL receptions, a UE may have a mandatory UE capability and an optional UE capability. The mandatory UE capability is to simultaneously receive a low-power SSB cluster and an active single-cluster DL BWP by different receivers. The optional UE capability is to simultaneously receive a low-power SSB cluster and an active multi-cluster DL BWP by different receivers.

In one embodiment, the bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster is defined by the SSB bandwidth. For example, in scenario 120 shown in FIG. 1B, the bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster 121 is equal to the SSB bandwidth. It should be noted that the residence of the low-power SSB cluster is independent of the DL BWP configured for the UE. That is, the low-power SSB cluster does not need to be located within the active DL BWP. When the low-power SSB cluster is not within the active DL BWP, the UE can receive the low-power SSB cluster without data interruption. When the serving cell of the UE is an MC cell with co-located CCs, the UE may expect only one low-power SSB cluster existing within the MC cell. On the other hand, when the serving cell of the UE is an MC cell with non-collocated CCs, the UE may expect only one low-power SSB (either cell-defining or non-cell-defining) cluster existing per TA group within the MC cell. There may be different options for the UE to perform the DL reception on the low-power SSB cluster. In option 1a, the UE is required to receive only SSB within the low-power SSB cluster, and no other DL physical channels and/or signals. In option 1b, the UE is required to receive only SSB within the low-power SSB cluster, and no UE-specific physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and PDSCH.

In the present disclosure, some operations associated with the low-power SSB cluster for the initial access process of the UE are defined. For the master information block (MIB) -based initial DL BWP, a single BWP cluster may be configured. The initial DL BWP includes a control resource set (CORESET) #0 and a system information block (SIB) . The low-power SSB cluster is implicitly defined by the SSB bandwidth and is searched by the UE during the cell search procedure. At least one of the following options 2a and 2b may be adopted for the low-power SSB cluster. In option 2a, the low-power SSB cluster must reside within the MIB-based initial DL BWP. That is, the SSB, the CORESET #0 (i.e., control region including search space (s) for broadcast PDCCH monitoring) and the SIB are in the same BWP cluster. However, there is no specific regulation regarding the relative position of the SSB and CORESET #0. The UE may use a low-power receiver for the SSB reception, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In option 2b, the low-power SSB cluster does not have to reside within the MIB-based initial DL BWP. Specifically, the low-power SSB cluster and the MIB-based initial DL BWP are within the same carrier, but they can be allocated in different frequency radio resources. These radio resources may be fully overlapped, partially overlapped, or non-overlapped. Generally, option 2b allows more network flexibility than option 2a.

For the system information block (SIB) -based initial DL BWP, one or more BWP clusters may be configured, and one of the BWP clusters may include the CORESET #0 and the SIB. At least one of the following options 3a to 3c may be adopted for the low-power SSB cluster. In option 3a, the low-power SSB cluster may reside within the BWP cluster that includes the CORESET #0 and the SIB. In option 3b, the low-power SSB cluster may reside within the SIB-based initial DL BWP. For example, the low-power SSB cluster may reside within a BWP cluster which belongs to the SIB-based initial DL BWP but does not include the CORESET #0 and the SIB. In option 3c, the low-power SSB cluster does not have to be within the SIB-based initial DL BWP.

In the foregoing embodiments, for the UE in the initial access process, it may receive the SIB through broadcast channel in the DL BWP. The SSB may or may not be within the same BWP cluster for the CORESET #0 and the SIB.

For the UE in an idle mode (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) idle mode or an inactive mode) , it may receive a paging indication transmitted within the low-power SSB cluster, and may perform a paging occasion (PO) monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception. As the bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster is equal to the SSB bandwidth, the paging indication monitoring is confined within the SSB bandwidth. The UE may use its low-power receiver for receiving the SSB and the paging indication. The UE may turn on its main receiver to receive the PO only when necessary.

In one embodiment, the low-power SSB cluster for transmitting the paging indication may reside within the DL BWP configured for the UE. In another embodiment, the residence of the low-power SSB cluster for transmitting the paging indication is independent of the DL BWP configured for the UE. In yet another embodiment, the low-power SSB cluster may reside within the BWP cluster that includes the CORESET (e.g., the CORESET #0) and the SIB. More specifically, the DL BWP configured for the UE may include a specific BWP cluster that includes the CORESET #0 and the SIB, and the low-power SSB cluster may reside within that specific BWP cluster. In one example, the UE may monitor and receive the PDCCH and/or the PDSCH for paging within that specific BWP cluster. The PDCCH for paging may be transmitted in the CORESET (e.g., the CORESET #0) or a configured CORESET. In another example, the UE may monitor and receive the PDCCH and/or the PDSCH for paging in a different BWP cluster than that used for the CORESET #0 and the SIB.

For receiving an emergency message such as the earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) message and commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) message in the idle mode, the UE may receive the emergency message in the PDCCH for paging or in the low-power SSB cluster. When receiving in the low-power SSB cluster, the emergency message may be delivered via a sequence-based signal or a PDCCH-based signal. In one example, the emergency message may be an additional sequence. In another example, the emergency message may be bundled with the paging indication.

By supporting the low-power SSB cluster and transmitting paging indications within it, the UE may utilize a low-power receiver for both SSB and paging indication reception, thereby reducing its power consumption in idle mode.
Illustrative Implementations

FIG. 2 illustrates an example communication system 200 having at least an example communication apparatus 210 and an example network apparatus 220 in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Each of the communication apparatus 210 and network apparatus 220 may perform various functions to implement schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein pertaining to idle mode operations associated with low-power SSB cluster in mobile communications, including scenarios/schemes described above as well as process 300 and process 400 described below.

Communication apparatus 210 may be a part of an electronic apparatus, which may be a UE such as a portable or mobile apparatus, a wearable apparatus, a wireless communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. For instance, communication apparatus 210 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing equipment such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a notebook computer. Communication apparatus 210 may also be a part of a machine type apparatus, which may be an IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT apparatus such as an immobile or a stationary apparatus, a home apparatus, a wire communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. For instance, communication apparatus 210 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart fridge, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker or a home control center. Alternatively, communication apparatus 210 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chips such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. Communication apparatus 210 may include at least some of those components shown in FIG. 2 such as a processor 212, for example. Communication apparatus 210 may further include one or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/or user interface device) , and, thus, such component (s) of communication apparatus 210 are neither shown in FIG. 2 nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity.

Network apparatus 220 may be a part of a network apparatus, which may be a network node such as a satellite, a base station, a small cell, a router or a gateway. For instance, network apparatus 220 may be implemented in an eNB in an LTE network, in a gNB in a 5G/NR, IoT, NB-IoT or IIoT network or in a satellite or base station in a 6G network. Network apparatus 220 may include at least some of those components shown in FIG. 2 such as a processor 222, for example. Processor 222 may further include protocol stacks and a set of control functional modules and circuits. Network apparatus 220 may further include one or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/or user interface device) , and, thus, such component (s) of network apparatus 220 are neither shown in FIG. 2 nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity.

In one aspect, each of the processor 212 and processor 222 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even though a singular term “a processor” is used herein to refer to processor 212 and processor 222, each of the processor 212 and processor 222 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in other implementations in accordance with the present disclosure. In another aspect, each of the processor 212 and processor 222 may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, optionally, firmware) with electronic components including, for example and without limitation, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and/or one or more varactors that are configured and arranged to achieve specific purposes in accordance with the present disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of the processor 212 and processor 222 is a special-purpose machine specifically designed, arranged and configured to perform specific tasks in a device (e.g., as represented by communication apparatus 210) and a network (e.g., as represented by network apparatus 220) in accordance with various implementations of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, communication apparatus 210 may also include a transceiver 216 coupled to processor 212 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, communication apparatus 210 may further include a memory 214 coupled to processor 212 and capable of being accessed by processor 212 and storing data therein.

In some implementations, network apparatus 220 may further include a memory 224 coupled to processor 222 and capable of being accessed by processor 222 and storing data therein. Accordingly, communication apparatus 210 and network apparatus 220 may wirelessly communicate with each other via transceiver 216 and transceiver 226, respectively.

For illustrative purposes and without limitation, descriptions of capabilities of the communication apparatus 210 and network apparatus 220 are provided below with process 300 and process 400. In which, communication apparatus 210 is implemented in or as a communication apparatus or a UE, and network apparatus 220 is implemented in or as a network node of a communication network (e.g., a base station) .
Illustrative Processes

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process 300 in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Process 300 may be an example implementation of above scenarios/schemes, whether partially or completely, with respect to idle mode operations associated with low-power SSB cluster in mobile communications. Process 300 may represent an aspect of implementation of features of communication apparatus 210. Process 300 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 310, 320, and 330. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process 300 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Moreover, the blocks of process 300 may be executed in the order shown in FIG. 3 or, alternatively, in a different order. Process 300 may be implemented by communication apparatus 210 or any suitable UE or machine type devices. Solely for illustrative purposes and without limitation, process 300 is described below in the context of communication apparatus 210 as a UE. Process 300 may begin at block 310.

At block 310, process 300 may involve processor 212 of communication apparatus 210 receiving, via transceiver 216, a configuration for a low-power SSB cluster. The bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster may be defined by an SSB bandwidth. Process 300 may proceed from block 310 to block 320.

At block 320, process 300 may involve processor 212 receiving, via transceiver 216, a paging indication transmitted within the low-power SSB cluster. Process 300 may proceed from block 320 to block 330.

At block 330, process 300 may involve processor 212 performing a PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.

In some implementations, the bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster may be equal to the SSB bandwidth.

In some implementations, the low-power SSB cluster resides within a DL BWP configured for communication apparatus 210.

In some implementations, a DL BWP configured for communication apparatus 210 may include a first cluster having at least one of a CORESET and a SIB.

In some implementations, the low-power SSB cluster resides within the first cluster.

In some implementations, when performing the PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates the PO reception, process 300 may involve processor 212 monitoring at least one of a PDCCH and a PDSCH for paging within the first cluster.

In some implementations, the PDCCH for paging may be transmitted in the CORESET or a configured CORESET.

In some implementations, the DL BWP configured for communication apparatus 210 may include a second cluster different from the first cluster. When performing the PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates the PO reception, process 300 may involve processor 212 monitoring at least one of a PDCCH and a PDSCH for paging within the second cluster.

In some implementations, a residence of the low-power SSB cluster is independent of a DL BWP configured for communication apparatus 210.

In some implementations, process 300 may further involve processor 212 receiving, via transceiver 216, an emergency message in the low-power SSB cluster or a PDCCH for paging.

In some implementations, the emergency message may be delivered via a sequence-based signal or a PDCCH-based signal.

FIG. 4 illustrates another example process 400 in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Process 400 may be an example implementation of above scenarios/schemes, whether partially or completely, with respect to idle mode operations associated with low-power SSB cluster in mobile communications. Process 400 may represent an aspect of implementation of features of network apparatus 220 or any suitable network node. Process 400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 410, 420, and 430. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process 400 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Moreover, the blocks of process 400 may be executed in the order shown in FIG. 4 or, alternatively, in a different order. Process 400 may begin at block 410.

At block 410, process 400 may involve processor 222 of network apparatus 220 configuring a low-power SSB cluster for a UE. The bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster may be defined by an SSB bandwidth. Process 400 may proceed from block 410 to block 420.

At block 420, process 300 may involve processor 222 transmitting, via transceiver 226, a paging indication within the low-power SSB cluster to the UE. Process 400 may proceed from block 420 to block 430.

At block 430, process 300 may involve processor 222 transmitting, via transceiver 226, at least one of a PDCCH and a PDSCH for paging in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.
Additional Notes

The herein-described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected" , or "operably coupled" , to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable" , to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components.

Further, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g., bodies of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms, e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to, ” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least, ” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to, ” etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an, " e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more; ” the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations, " without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc. ” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc. ” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B. ”

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementations of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various implementations disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of an apparatus, a configuration for a low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster, wherein a bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster is defined by an SSB bandwidth;

receiving, by the processor, a paging indication transmitted within the low-power SSB cluster; and

performing, by the processor, a paging occasion (PO) monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster is equal to the SSB bandwidth.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the low-power SSB cluster resides within a downlink bandwidth part (BWP) configured for the apparatus.
The method of Claim 1, wherein a downlink bandwidth part (BWP) configured for the apparatus comprises a first cluster including at least one of a control resource set (CORESET) and a system information block (SIB) .
The method of Claim 4, wherein the low-power SSB cluster resides within the first cluster.
The method of Claim 4, wherein the performing of the PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates the PO reception further comprises:

monitoring at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging within the first cluster.
The method of Claim 6, wherein the PDCCH for paging is transmitted in the CORESET or a configured CORESET.
The method of Claim 4, wherein the downlink BWP configured for the apparatus comprises a second cluster different from the first cluster, and the performing of the PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates the PO reception further comprises:

monitoring at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging within the second cluster.
The method of Claim 1, wherein a residence of the low-power SSB cluster is independent of a downlink bandwidth part (BWP) configured for the apparatus.
The method of Claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an emergency message in the low-power SSB cluster or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for paging.
The method of Claim 10, wherein the emergency message is delivered via a sequence-based signal or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) -based signal.
An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver which, during operation, communicates wirelessly; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver such that, during operation, the processor performs operations comprising:

receiving, via the transceiver, a configuration for a low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster, wherein a bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster is defined by an SSB bandwidth;

receiving, via the transceiver, a paging indication transmitted within the low-power SSB cluster; and

performing a paging occasion (PO) monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.
The apparatus of Claim 12, wherein the bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster is equal to the SSB bandwidth.
The apparatus of Claim 12, wherein the low-power SSB cluster resides within a downlink bandwidth part (BWP) configured for the apparatus.
The apparatus of Claim 12, wherein a downlink bandwidth part (BWP) configured for the apparatus comprises a first cluster including at least one of a control resource set (CORESET) and a system information block (SIB) .
The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein the low-power SSB cluster resides within the first cluster.
The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein the performing of the PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates the PO reception further comprises:

monitoring at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging within the first cluster.
The apparatus of Claim 15, wherein the downlink BWP configured for the apparatus comprises a second cluster different from the first cluster, and the performing of the PO monitoring in an event that the paging indication indicates the PO reception further comprises:

monitoring at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging within the second cluster.
The apparatus of Claim 11, wherein, during operation, the processor further performs operations comprising:

receiving, via the transceiver, an emergency message in the low-power SSB cluster or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for paging.
A method, comprising:

configuring, by a processor of a network node, a low-power synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) cluster for a user equipment (UE) , wherein a bandwidth of the low-power SSB cluster is defined by an SSB bandwidth;

transmitting, by the processor to the UE, a paging indication within the low-power SSB cluster; and

transmitting, by the processor to the UE, at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for paging in an event that the paging indication indicates a PO reception.