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WO2025102655A1 - Procédé de communication, appareil et support de stockage lisible - Google Patents

Procédé de communication, appareil et support de stockage lisible Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2025102655A1
WO2025102655A1 PCT/CN2024/094804 CN2024094804W WO2025102655A1 WO 2025102655 A1 WO2025102655 A1 WO 2025102655A1 CN 2024094804 W CN2024094804 W CN 2024094804W WO 2025102655 A1 WO2025102655 A1 WO 2025102655A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
synchronization signal
ssb
radio frame
polarization
pattern information
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Application number
PCT/CN2024/094804
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English (en)
Inventor
Aman JASSAL
Amine Maaref
Jianglei Ma
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of WO2025102655A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025102655A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W56/00—Synchronisation arrangements
    • H04W56/001—Synchronization between nodes
    • H04W56/0015—Synchronization between nodes one node acting as a reference for the others
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/14—Relay systems
    • H04B7/15—Active relay systems
    • H04B7/185—Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systems
    • H04B7/18502—Airborne stations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/14—Relay systems
    • H04B7/15—Active relay systems
    • H04B7/185—Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systems
    • H04B7/1851—Systems using a satellite or space-based relay
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/14—Relay systems
    • H04B7/15—Active relay systems
    • H04B7/185—Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systems
    • H04B7/1853—Satellite systems for providing telephony service to a mobile station, i.e. mobile satellite service

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to the communication field, and in particular, to a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium.
  • satellites as non-terrestrial base stations, can play the same role as terrestrial base stations in the communication system.
  • these parameters may include a frequency band carrier, a bandwidth, a radio frame number, a sub-frame number, a time slot number, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and the like.
  • these parameters may include a frequency band carrier, a bandwidth, a radio frame number, a sub-frame number, a time slot number, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and the like.
  • satellites inevitably move away from the original coverage area as they travel along the orbit, resulting in the need to re-establish the connection between the UE and the satellite, a phenomenon that is particularly common in scenarios based on non-terrestrial network technologies operating satellites in low orbit (e.g. NTN LEO) .
  • NTN LEO non-terrestrial network technologies operating satellites in low orbit
  • this may result in the UE not being able to perform communication operations in a timely manner.
  • the UE may not be able to send messages to or receive messages from other terminals in a timely manner, thereby affecting the efficiency of using the communication function of the UE.
  • a communication method applied to a non-terrestrial network device in a non-terrestrial network comprising: transmitting, to terminal device in a first area, a first synchronization signal comprising pattern information, wherein the pattern information indicates the sending pattern of the first synchronization signal and second synchronization signal; and transmitting, to the terminal device, the second synchronization signal.
  • a non-terrestrial network device when a non-terrestrial network device sends the first synchronization signal to the terminal device, e.g. UE, it also conveys pattern information.
  • This pattern information assists the UE in more efficiently searching for and detecting signals. For instance, by knowing the transmission timing of the second synchronization signal, the UE can more readily detect it. As a result, not only is synchronization efficiency improved, but also search resources are conserved.
  • the first synchronization signal comprises a synchronization signal (SS) and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) , the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carries the pattern information; and the second synchronization signal comprises at least one of a primary SS (PSS) , a secondary SS (SSS) , or a PBCH.
  • PSS primary SS
  • SSS secondary SS
  • PBCH physical broadcast channel
  • the first synchronization signal and second synchronization signal are different, and the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal both comprise a first repeat signal being at least one of PSS, SSS, PBCH.
  • the pattern information comprises at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of second synchronization signal.
  • the first radio frame position indicates the position of a subframe in a radio frame.
  • the pattern information comprises a sequence of first position parameter, each first position parameter in the sequence corresponds to one subframe of a radio frame respectively, and the first position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is a first value, such as 1; or the first position parameter not corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is a second value, such as 0.
  • the radio frame belongs to a radio frame group
  • the pattern information comprises a first radio frame group position of the first synchronization signal and second radio frame group position of the second synchronization signal.
  • the pattern information comprises a sequence of second position parameter, each second position parameter in the sequence corresponds to one radio frame of the radio frame group respectively, and the second position parameter corresponding to the radio frame of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is a third value, such as 1; or the second position parameter not corresponding to the radio frame of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is a fourth value, such as 0.
  • the pattern information further comprises frequency information, and the frequency information indicates at least one frequency of transmitting the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal; the frequency information comprises first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal of each frequency of the at least one frequency, and second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal of each frequency of the at least one frequency.
  • the transmitting, to terminal device in a first area, a first synchronization signal comprising: transmitting, to terminal device in the first area, the first synchronization signal via the first frequency and a first subframe; and transmitting, to terminal device in the first area, the first synchronization signal via the second frequency and the first subframe.
  • the first area comprises a first subarea and a second subarea
  • the at least one frequency comprises a first frequency and a second frequency
  • the transmitting, to terminal device in a first area, a first synchronization signal comprising: transmitting, to terminal device in the first subarea, the first synchronization signal via the first frequency and a first subframe; and transmitting, to terminal device in the second subarea, the first synchronization signal via the second frequency and the first subframe.
  • the pattern information comprises sequences of third position parameter for each of the at least one frequency, each third position parameter in the sequence corresponds to each subframe of a radio frame, and the third position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is a fifth value, such as 1; or the third position parameter not corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is a sixth value, such as 0.
  • the pattern information further comprises polarization information, and the polarization information indicates at least one polarization pattern of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal; the polarization information comprises first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal of each polarization pattern of the at least one polarization pattern, and second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal of each polarization pattern of the at least one polarization pattern.
  • the at least one polarization pattern comprises a first polarization pattern and a second polarization pattern
  • the transmitting, to terminal device in a first area, a first synchronization signal comprising: transmitting, to terminal device in the first area, the first synchronization signal via the first polarization pattern; and transmitting, to terminal device in the first area, the first synchronization signal via the second polarization pattern.
  • polarization pattern includes at least two of linear polarization, horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, circular polarization, right-handed circular polarization and left-handed circular polarization.
  • pattern information comprises sequences of fourth position parameter for each of the at least one polarization pattern, each fourth position parameter in the sequence corresponds to each subframe of a radio frame, and the fourth position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is a seventh value, such as 1; or the fourth position parameter not corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization is an eighth value, such as 0.
  • the second synchronization signal includes a plurality of signals
  • the second radio frame position includes radio frame positions of each second synchronization signal
  • a communication method applied to a terminal device in a non-terrestrial network comprising: receiving, from a non-terrestrial network device, a first synchronization signal comprising pattern information, wherein the pattern information comprises pattern information, and the pattern information comprises at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of second synchronization signal; and receiving, from the non-terrestrial network device, the second synchronization signal.
  • the terminal device Upon receiving the first synchronization signal, the terminal device can extract pattern information from it. This pattern information assists the terminal device, such as the UE, in searching for and detecting signals more efficiently. For example, if the UE is aware of the transmission timing of the second synchronization signal, it can probe for it at specific times, making the detection process easier. As a result, not only is synchronization efficiency improved, but also search resources are conserved.
  • the receiving, from the non-terrestrial network device, the second synchronization signal comprising: receiving, from the non-terrestrial network device, the second synchronization signal, based on the second radio frame position of second synchronization signal.
  • a first apparatus applied to a non-terrestrial network device comprising means for: transmitting, to terminal device in a first area, a first synchronization signal comprising pattern information, wherein the pattern information comprises pattern information, and the pattern information comprises at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of second synchronization signal; and transmitting, to the terminal device, the second synchronization signal.
  • a second apparatus applied to a terminal device comprising means for: receiving, from a non-terrestrial network device, a first synchronization signal comprising pattern information, wherein the pattern information comprises pattern information, and the pattern information comprises at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of second synchronization signal; and receiving, from the non-terrestrial network device, the second synchronization signal.
  • a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method described.
  • a communication apparatus configured to perform the method described.
  • an apparatus comprising one or more processors coupled with a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform the method described.
  • a communication system comprising a first communication apparatus configured to perform the method of the first aspect and a second communication apparatus configured to perform the method of the second aspect.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication system according to some examples
  • Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of more detailed example for communication system according to some examples
  • Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus wirelessly communicating with at least one of two apparatuses in a communication system according to some examples
  • Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of units or modules in a device or apparatus according to some examples
  • Fig. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example scenario where terrestrial TRPs are communicating with non-terrestrial TRPs that are part of a satellite constellation according to some examples
  • Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of another example scenario where the Satellite constellation effectively acts as the Gateway for terrestrial TRPs on the ground according to some examples;
  • Fig. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of another scenario where the non-terrestrial TRPs communicate with terrestrial TRPs through the Core Network according to some examples
  • Fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of transmission within a communication system according to some examples
  • Fig. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a coverage area according to some examples
  • Fig. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram of SSBs in a radio frame according to some examples
  • Fig. 11 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-inFrame according to some examples
  • Fig. 12 illustrates a schematic diagram of SSBs in a transmit beam according to some examples
  • Fig. 13 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-inFrame in SIB1 according to some examples
  • Fig. 14 illustrates a schematic diagram of SSBs in a transmit beam according to some examples
  • Fig. 15 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-perFrame according to some examples
  • Fig. 16 illustrates a schematic diagram of transmit beams across the radio frames according to some examples
  • Fig. 17 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-perFrame in SIB1 according to some examples
  • Fig. 18 illustrates a schematic diagram of transmit beams across three different frequencies according to some examples
  • Fig. 19 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-Freq in MIB according to some examples
  • Fig. 20 illustrates a schematic diagram of same wide beam used to transmit on 3 different frequencies according to some examples
  • Fig. 21 illustrates a schematic diagram of different wide beam used in reuse pattern according to some examples
  • Fig. 22 illustrates a schematic diagram of frequency reuse pattern using different beams cyclically according to some examples
  • Fig. 23 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-Freq in SIB1 according to some examples
  • Fig. 24 illustrates a schematic diagram of transmit beams across left/right-hand circular polarizations according to some examples
  • Fig. 25 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-LRpol, ssb-Repetition-Lhcp and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp according to some examples
  • Fig. 26 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-LRpol, ssb-Repetition-Lhcp and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp in SIB1 according to some examples;
  • Fig. 27 illustrates a schematic diagram of transmit beams across cross-polarizations according to some examples
  • Fig. 28 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-LXp and ssb-Repetition-RXp according to some examples
  • Fig. 29 illustrates a schematic diagram of possible SSB location in a radio frame according to some examples
  • Fig. 30 illustrates a schematic diagram of ssb-FullPartial-Repetition and ssb- FullPartial-RepPattern according to some examples
  • Fig. 31 illustrates a schematic diagram of position where SSB is partially transmitted according to some examples
  • Fig. 32 illustrates a schematic flowchart of communication method according to some examples
  • Fig. 33 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device 1000 according to some examples.
  • Illustrative implementations include, but are not limited to a communication method, system, apparatus, and readable storage medium for time series analysis.
  • Wireless communications system such as fourth generation (4G) system (for example, long-term evolution (LTE) system) , fifth generation (5G) system (for example, new radio (NR) system) have been deployed to provide various types of applications, such as message, voice, video and other data.
  • 4G fourth generation
  • 5G fifth generation
  • applications such as message, voice, video and other data.
  • non-terrestrial networks are developed, which may utilize spaceborne vehicles such as satellites (including low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites, medium earth orbiting (MEO) satellites, geostationary earth orbiting (GEO) satellites as well as highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellites) , or airborne vehicles (also called high-altitude platform) such as drones, or aircraft as a base station or relay for communications between different devices.
  • spaceborne vehicles such as satellites (including low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites, medium earth orbiting (MEO) satellites, geostationary earth orbiting (GEO) satellites as well as highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellites)
  • airborne vehicles also called high-altitude platform
  • drones or aircraft as a base station or relay for communications between different devices.
  • Either the satellites or the drones in NTNs may move at a high-speed relative to devices such as user equipment (UE) operating within the NTN, which is different from the scenario between UE and ground-based base station.
  • UE user equipment
  • the distance between the UE and the satellites or the drones is also much longer then the distance between UE and ground-based base station.
  • NTNs which may cooperate with terrestrial networks (TN) , to provide communications with acceptable cost (such as power consumption, and or complexity) are desired.
  • the communication system 100 (which may be a wireless system) comprises a radio access network 120.
  • the radio access network (RAN) 120 may be a next generation (e.g. sixth generation (6G) or later) radio access network, or a legacy (e.g. 5G, 4G, 3G or 2nd generation (2G) ) radio access network.
  • 6G sixth generation
  • 2G 2nd generation
  • One or more communication electronic device (ED) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j may be interconnected to one another or connected to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, generically referred to as 170) in the radio access network 120.
  • a core network 130 may be a part of the communication system and may be dependent or independent of the radio access technology used in the communication system 100.
  • the communication system 100 may also comprise a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the internet 150, and other networks 160.
  • PSTN public switched telephone network
  • the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to communicate data and other content.
  • the communication system 100 may provide content, such as voice, data, video, and/or text, via broadcast, multicast, groupcast, unicast, etc.
  • the communication system 100 may provide a wide range of communication services and applications (such as earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc. )
  • the services and/or applications may be mobile broadband (MBB) services, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services, or machine type communication (MTC) services.
  • MBB mobile broadband
  • URLLC ultra-reliable low-latency communication
  • MTC machine type communication
  • the communication system 100 may operate by sharing resources, such as carrier spectrum bandwidth, between its constituent elements.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates more detailed example for communication system 100.
  • the communication system 100 may include a terrestrial communication system and/or a non-terrestrial communication system.
  • the communication system 100 may provide a high degree of availability and robustness through a joint operation of a terrestrial communication system and a non-terrestrial communication system.
  • integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or components thereof) into a terrestrial communication system can result in what may be considered a heterogeneous network comprising multiple layers.
  • the heterogeneous network may achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible functionality sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks.
  • the terrestrial communication system and the non-terrestrial communication system could be considered sub-systems of the communication system.
  • the communication system 100 may include ED 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d (generically referred to as ED 110) , and RAN 120a, 120b.
  • the communication system 100 may also include a non-terrestrial communication network 120c.
  • the communication system 100 may also include one or more of a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.
  • the RANs 120a, 120b include respective RAN nodes such as base stations (BSs) 170a, 170b, which may be generically referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a, 170b.
  • BSs base stations
  • T-TRPs terrestrial transmit and receive points
  • the non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes a RAN node such as an access node (or base station) 172, which may be generically referred to as a non-terrestrial transmit and receive point (NT-TRP) 172.
  • a RAN node such as an access node (or base station) 172, which may be generically referred to as a non-terrestrial transmit and receive point (NT-TRP) 172.
  • N-TRP non-terrestrial transmit and receive point
  • the non-terrestrial communication network 120c may include at least one NTN device and at least one corresponding terrestrial network device, wherein the at least one non-terrestrial network device works as a transport layer device and the at least one corresponding terrestrial network device works as a RAN node, which communicates with the ED via the non-terrestrial network device.
  • a NTN gateway in the ground i.e., referred as a terrestrial network device
  • the RAN node communicates with the ED via the NTN device and the NTN gateway.
  • the NTN gateway and the RAN node may be located in the same device.
  • Any ED 110 may be alternatively or additionally configured to interface, access, or communicate with any T-TRP 170a, 170b and NT-TRP 172, the Internet 150, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, the other networks 160, or any combination of the preceding.
  • ED 110a may communicate an uplink (UL) and/or downlink (DL) transmission over a terrestrial air interface 190a with T-TRP 170a.
  • the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d may also communicate directly with one another via one or more sidelink (SL) air interfaces 190b.
  • ED 110d may communicate an uplink and/or downlink transmission over a non-terrestrial air interface 190c with NT-TRP 172.
  • An air interface (e.g., 190a, 190b, 190c) generally includes a number of components and associated parameters that collectively specify how a transmission is to be sent and/or received over a wireless communications link between two or more communicating devices.
  • an air interface may include one or more components defining the waveform (s) , frame structure (s) , multiple access scheme (s) , protocol (s) , coding scheme (s) and/or modulation scheme (s) for conveying information (e.g., data) over a wireless communications link.
  • the wireless communications link may support a link (e.g., a “Uu” link) between a radio access network (e.g., RAN 120) and user equipment (e.g., ED 110) and/or the wireless communications link may support a link (e.g., a “LS” ) between device (e.g., ED 110a) and device (e.g., ED 110b) , such as between two UE, and/or the wireless communications link may support a link between a non-terrestrial (NT) -communication network (e.g, RAN 120c) and user equipment (e.g., ED 110d) .
  • NT non-terrestrial
  • a waveform component may specify a shape and form of a signal being transmitted.
  • Waveform options may include orthogonal multiple access waveforms and non-orthogonal multiple access waveforms.
  • Non-limiting examples of such waveform options include OFDM, discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-OFDM) , filtered OFDM (f-OFDM) , time windowing OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) , universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC) , generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM) , wavelet packet modulation (WPM) , faster than Nyquist (FTN) waveform and low peak to average power ratio waveform (low PAPR WF) .
  • DFT-OFDM discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM
  • f-OFDM filtered OFDM
  • time windowing OFDM time windowing OFDM
  • FBMC filter bank multicarrier
  • UFMC universal filtered multicarrier
  • GFDM generalized frequency division multiplexing
  • WPM wavelet
  • a frame structure component may specify a configuration of a frame or group of frames.
  • the frame structure component may indicate one or more of a time, frequency, pilot signature, code, subcarrier spacing, cyclic prefix length or other parameter of the frame or group of frames. More details of frame structure will be discussed hereinafter.
  • a multiple access scheme component may specify multiple access technique options, including technologies defining how communicating devices share a common physical channel, such as: code division multiple access (CDMA) , space division multiple access (SDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) , single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) which is also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDMA (DFT-s-OFDMA) , low density signature multicarrier CDMA (LDS-MC-CDMA) ; non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) ; pattern division multiple access (PDMA) ; lattice partition multiple access (LPMA) ; resource spread multiple access (RSMA) ; and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) .
  • CDMA code division multiple access
  • SDMA space division multiple access
  • TDMA time division multiple access
  • FDMA frequency division multiple access
  • OFDMA orthogonal FDMA
  • SC-FDMA single-car
  • multiple access technique options may include: scheduled access vs. non-scheduled access, also known as grant-free access; non-orthogonal multiple access vs. orthogonal multiple access, e.g., via a dedicated channel resource (e.g., no sharing between multiple communicating devices) ; contention-based shared channel resources vs. non-contention-based shared channel resources; and cognitive radio-based access.
  • the air interfaces 190a and 190b may utilize other higher dimension signal spaces, which may involve a combination of orthogonal and/or non-orthogonal dimensions.
  • a coding and modulation component may specify how information being transmitted may be encoded/decoded and modulated/demodulated for transmission/reception purposes.
  • Coding may refer to methods of error detection and forward error correction.
  • Non-limiting examples of coding options include turbo trellis codes, turbo product codes, fountain codes, low-density parity check codes and polar codes.
  • Modulation may refer, simply, to the constellation (including, for example, the modulation technique and order) , or more specifically to various types of advanced modulation methods such as hierarchical modulation and low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) modulation.
  • PAPR peak-to-average power ratio
  • the air interfaces 190a and 190b may use similar communication technology, such as any suitable radio access technology.
  • the non-terrestrial air interface 190c can enable communication between the ED 110d and one or multiple NT-TRPs 172 via a wireless link or simply a link.
  • the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection between a group of EDs 110 and one or multiple NT-TRPs 172 for multicast transmission.
  • the RANs 120a and 120b are in communication with the core network 130 to provide the EDs 110a 110b, and 110c with various services such as voice, data, and other services.
  • the RANs 120a and 120b and/or the core network 130 may be in direct or indirect communication with one or more other RANs (not shown) , which may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not employ the same radio access technology as RAN 120a, RAN 120b or both.
  • the core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) the RANs 120a and 120b or EDs 110a 110b, and 110c or both, and (ii) other networks (such as the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and the other networks 160) .
  • the EDs 110a 110b, and 110c may include functionality for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links using different wireless technologies and/or protocols. Instead of wireless communication (or in addition thereto) , the EDs 110a 110b, and 110c may communicate via wired communication channels to a service provider or switch (not shown) , and to the Internet 150.
  • PSTN 140 may include circuit switched telephone networks for providing plain old telephone service (POTS) .
  • Internet 150 may include a network of computers and subnets (intranets) or both, and incorporate protocols, such as internet protocol (IP) , transmission control protocol (TCP) , user datagram protocol (UDP) .
  • IP internet protocol
  • TCP transmission control protocol
  • UDP user datagram protocol
  • EDs 110a 110b, and 110c may be multimode devices capable of operation according to multiple radio access technologies, and incorporate multiple transceivers necessary to support such.
  • the communication system 100 may comprising a sensing agent (not shown in the Figure) to manage the sensed data from ED110 and or the T-TRP 170 and/or NT-TRP 172.
  • the sensing agent is located in the T-TRP 170 and/or NT-TRP 172.
  • the sensing agent is a separate node which has interface to communicate with the core network 130 and/or the RAN 120 (e.g., the T-TRP 170 and/or NT-TRP 172) .
  • Fig. 3 illustrates example of an Apparatus 310 wirelessly communicating with at least one of two apparatuses (e.g., Apparatus 320a and Apparatus 320b, referred as Apparatus 320) in a communication system, e.g., the communication system 100, according to one implementation.
  • the Apparatus 310 may be a UE (e.g., ED 110 in Fig. 3) .
  • the Apparatus 320a may be a terrestrial network device (e.g., T-TRP 170 as shown in Fig. 3)
  • Apparatus 320b may be a non-terrestrial network device (e.g., NT-TRP 172 as shown in Fig. 3) .
  • Apparatus 320a may be a NT-TRP, and 320b may be a T-TRP, both Apparatus 320a and 320b may be T-TRPs or NT-TRPs, according to present disclosure.
  • the ED 110 as an example of the Apparatus 310 is described, and T-TRP 170 as an example of Apparatus 320a is described, and NT-TRP 172 as an example of Apparatus 320a is described.
  • the number of Apparatus 310 e.g.
  • ED 110 could be one or more, and the number of Apparatus 320a and/or 320b could be one or more.
  • one ED110 may be served by only one T-TRP 170 (or one NT-TRP172) , by more than one T-TRP 170, by more than one NT-TRP 172, or by one or more T-TRP 170 and one or more NT-TRP172.
  • the ED 110 is used to connect persons, objects, machines, etc.
  • the ED 110 may be widely used in various scenarios including, for example, cellular communications, device-to-device (D2D) , vehicle to everything (V2X) , peer-to-peer (P2P) , machine-to-machine (M2M) , MTC, internet of things (IoT) , virtual reality (VR) , augmented reality (AR) , mixed reality (MR) , metaverse, digital twin, industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.
  • D2D device-to-device
  • V2X vehicle to everything
  • P2P peer-to-peer
  • M2M machine-to-machine
  • MTC internet of things
  • IoT internet of things
  • VR virtual reality
  • AR augmented reality
  • Each ED 110 represents any suitable end user device for wireless operation and may include such devices (or may be referred to but not limited to) as a user equipment/device (UE) , a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) , a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a cellular telephone, a station (STA) , a MTC device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a smartphone, a laptop, a computer, a tablet, a wireless sensor, a consumer electronics device, a smart book, a vehicle, a car, a truck, a bus, a train, or an IoT device, wearable devices (such as a watch, a pair of glasses, head mounted equipment, etc.
  • UE user equipment/device
  • WTRU wireless transmit/receive unit
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • the base station 170a and 170b is a T-TRP and will hereafter be referred to as T-TRP 170. Also shown in Fig. 3, a non-terrestrial (NT) device will hereafter be referred to as NT-TRP 172.
  • NT non-terrestrial
  • Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and/or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned-on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled) , turned-off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled) and/or configured in response to one of more of: connection availability and connection necessity.
  • the ED 110 include at least one processor 210. Only one processor 210 is illustrated to avoid congestion in the drawing.
  • the ED 110 may further include a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is illustrated to avoid congestion in the drawing. One, some, or all of the antennas 204 may alternatively be panels.
  • the transmitter 201 and the receiver 203 may be integrated, e.g. as a transceiver.
  • the transceiver is configured to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 204 or network interface controller (NIC) .
  • NIC network interface controller
  • the transceiver is also configured to demodulate data or other content received by the at least one antenna 204.
  • Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and/or processing signals received wirelessly or by wire.
  • Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and/or receiving wireless or wired signals.
  • the ED 110 may include at least one memory 208. Only the transmitter 201, receiver 203, processor 210, memory 208, and antenna 204 is illustrated for simplicity, but the ED 110 may include one or more other components.
  • the memory 208 stores instructions.
  • the memory 208 may also stores data used, generated, or collected by the ED 110.
  • the memory 208 could store software instructions or modules configured to implement some or all of the functionality and/or implementations described herein and that are executed by one or more processing unit (s) (e.g., a processor 210) .
  • Each memory 208 includes any suitable volatile and/or non-volatile storage and retrieval device (s) . Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random access memory (RAM) , read only memory (ROM) , hard disk, optical disc, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, on-processor cache, and the like.
  • RAM random access memory
  • ROM read only memory
  • SIM subscriber identity module
  • SD secure digital
  • the ED 110 may further include one or more input/output devices (not shown) or interfaces (such as a wired interface to the Internet 150 in Fig. 1) .
  • the input/output devices or interfaces permit interaction with a user or other devices in the network.
  • Each input/output device or interface includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user, and/or for network interface communications. Suitable structures include, for example, a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, touch screen, etc.
  • the processor 210 performs (or controlling the ED110 to perform) operations described herein as being performed by the ED110. As illustrated below and elsewhere in the present disclosure. For example, the processor 210 performs or controls the ED110 to perform receiving transport blocks (TBs) , using a resource for decoding of one of the received TBs, releasing the resource for decoding of another of the received TBs, and/or receiving configuration information configuring a resource.
  • TBs transport blocks
  • the operation may include those operations related to preparing a transmission for uplink transmission to the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170; those operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170; and those operations related to processing sidelink transmission to and from another ED 110.
  • Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for uplink transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulating, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission.
  • Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating and decoding received symbols.
  • Processing operations related to processing sidelink transmissions may include operations such as transmit/receive beamforming, modulating/demodulating and encoding/decoding symbols.
  • a downlink transmission may be received by the receiver 203, possibly using receive beamforming, and the processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmission (e.g. by detecting and/or decoding the signaling) .
  • An example of signaling may be a reference signal transmitted by the NT-TRP 172 and/or by the T-TRP 170.
  • the processor 210 implements the transmit beamforming and/or the receive beamforming based on the indication of beam direction, e.g. beam angle information (BAI) , received from the T-TRP 170.
  • the processor 210 may perform operations relating to network access (e.g.
  • the processor 210 may perform channel estimation, e.g. using a reference signal received from the NT-TRP 172 and/or from the T-TRP 170.
  • the processor 210 may form part of the transmitter 201 and/or part of the receiver 203.
  • the memory 208 may form part of the processor 210.
  • the processor 210, the processing components of the transmitter 201, and the processing components of the receiver 203 may each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors that are configured to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g. in the memory 208) .
  • some or all of the processor 210, the processing components of the transmitter 201, and the processing components of the receiver 203 may each be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a programmed field-programmable gate array (FPGA) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , or a hardware accelerator such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or an artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator.
  • FPGA programmed field-programmable gate array
  • ASIC application-specific integrated circuit
  • AI artificial intelligence
  • the ED 110 may be an apparatus (also called component) for example, a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset, it includes at least one processor 210, and an interface or at least one pin.
  • the transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may be replaced by the interface or at least one pin, where the interface or at least one pin connects the apparatus (e.g., chip) and other apparatus (e.g., chip, memory, or bus) .
  • the transmitting information to the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170 and/or another ED 110 may be referred to as transmitting information to the interface or at least one pin, or as transmitting information to the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170 and/or another ED 110 via the interface or at least one pin.
  • the receiving information from the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170 and/or another ED 110 may be referred to as receiving information from the interface or at least one pin, or as receiving information from the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170 and/or another ED 110 via the interface or at least one pin.
  • the information may include control signaling and/or data. For other nodes/entities in this disclosure, similar rule may apply.
  • the T-TRP 170 include at least one processor 260. Only one processor 260 is illustrated to avoid congestion in the drawing.
  • the T-TRP 170 may further include at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is illustrated to avoid congestion in the drawing. One, some, or all of the antennas 256 may alternatively be panels.
  • the transmitter 252 and the receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver.
  • the T-TRP 170 may further include at least one memory 258.
  • the T-TRP 170 may further include scheduler 253. Only the transmitter 252, receiver 254, processor 260, memory 258, antenna 256 and scheduler 253 are illustrated for simplicity, but the T-TRP may include one or more other components.
  • the T-TRP 170 may be known by other names in some implementations, such as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS) , a radio base station, a network node, a network device, a device on the network side, a transmit/receive node, a Node B, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a Home eNodeB, a next Generation NodeB (gNB) , a transmission point (TP) , a site controller, an access point (AP) , a wireless router, a relay station, a terrestrial node, a terrestrial network device, a terrestrial base station, a base band unit (BBU) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , an active antenna unit (AAU) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a central unit (CU) , a distributed unit (DU) , a positioning node, among other possibilities.
  • BBU base band unit
  • RRU remote radio unit
  • the T-TRP 170 may be a macro base station (BS) , a pico BS, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or combinations thereof.
  • the T-TRP 170 may refer to the forgoing devices or refer to apparatus (e.g. a communication module, a modem, or a chip) in the forgoing devices.
  • the parts of the T-TRP 170 may be distributed.
  • some of the modules of the T-TRP 170 may be located remote from the equipment that houses the antennas 256 for the T-TRP 170, and may be coupled to the equipment that houses the antennas 256 over a communication link (not shown) sometimes known as front haul, such as common public radio interface (CPRI) .
  • the term T-TRP 170 may also refer to modules on the network side that perform processing operations, such as determining the location of the ED 110, resource allocation (scheduling) , message generation, and encoding/decoding, and that are not necessarily part of the equipment that houses the antennas 256 of the T-TRP 170.
  • the modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs.
  • the T-TRP 170 may actually be a plurality of T-TRPs that are operating together to serve the ED 110, e.g. through the use of coordinated multipoint transmissions.
  • the processor 260 performs operations including those related to: preparing a transmission for downlink transmission to the ED 110, processing an uplink transmission received from the ED 110, preparing a transmission for backhaul transmission to the T-TRP 170 and/or NT-TRP 172, and processing a transmission received over backhaul from the T-TRP 170 and/or NT-TRP 172.
  • Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulating, precoding (e.g. multiple input multiple output (MIMO) precoding) , transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission.
  • MIMO multiple input multiple output
  • Processing operations related to processing received transmissions in the uplink or over backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols.
  • the processor 260 may also perform operations relating to network access (e.g. initial access) and/or downlink synchronization, such as generating the content of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) , generating the system information, etc.
  • the processor 260 also generates an indication of beam direction, e.g. BAI, which may be scheduled for transmission by a scheduler 253.
  • the processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of the ED 110, determining where to deploy the NT-TRP 172, etc.
  • the processor 260 may generate signaling, e.g. to configure one or more parameters of the ED 110 and/or one or more parameters of the NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by the processor 260 is sent by the transmitter 252.
  • the scheduler 253 may be coupled to the processor 260 or integrated in the processor 260.
  • the scheduler 253 may be included within or operated separately from the T-TRP 170.
  • the scheduler 253 may schedule uplink, downlink, sidelink, and/or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling grants and/or configuring scheduling-free (e.g., “configured grant” ) resources.
  • the memory 258 is configured to store information, and optionally data.
  • the memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the T-TRP 170.
  • the memory 258 could store software instructions or modules configured to implement some or all of the functionality and/or implementations described herein and that are executed by the processor 260.
  • the processor 260 may form part of the transmitter 252 and/or part of the receiver 254. Also, although not illustrated, the processor 260 may implement the scheduler 253. Although not illustrated, the memory 258 may form part of the processor 260.
  • the processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components of the transmitter 252, and the processing components of the receiver 254 may each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors that are configured to execute instructions stored in a memory, e.g. in the memory 258.
  • some or all of the processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components of the transmitter 252, and the processing components of the receiver 254 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a programmed FPGA, a hardware accelerator (e.g., a GPU or AI accelerator) , or an ASIC.
  • the T-TRP 170 When the T-TRP 170 is an apparatus (also called as component) , for example, a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset in a device, it includes at least one processor, and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, the transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be replaced by the interface or at least one pin, where the interface or at least one pin connects the apparatus (e.g., chip) and other apparatus (e.g., chip, memory, or bus) . Accordingly, the transmitting information to the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170 and/or ED 110 may be referred to as transmitting information to the interface or at least one pin. The receiving information from the NT-TRP 172 and/or the T-TRP 170 and/or ED 110 may be referred to as receiving information from the interface or at least one pin. The information may include control signaling and/or data.
  • the NT-TRP 172 is illustrated as a drone only as an example, the NT-TRP 172 may be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form, such as satellites and high altitude platforms, including international mobile telecommunication base stations and unmanned aerial vehicles, for example. Also, the NT-TRP 172 may be known by other names in some implementations, such as a non-terrestrial node, a non-terrestrial network device, or a non-terrestrial base station.
  • the T-TRP 170 may further include at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is illustrated to avoid congestion in the drawing. One, some, or all of the antennas 256 may alternatively be panels.
  • the transmitter 252 and the receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver.
  • the T-TRP 170 may further include at least one memory 258.
  • the T-TRP 170 may further include scheduler 253. Only the transmitter 252, receiver 254, processor 260, memory 258, antenna 256 and scheduler 253 are illustrated for simplicity, but the T-TRP may include one or more other components.
  • the NT-TRP 172 include at least one processor 276. Only one processor 276 is illustrated to avoid congestion in the drawing.
  • the NT-TRP 172 may include a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is illustrated to avoid congestion in the drawing. One, some, or all of the antennas may alternatively be panels.
  • the transmitter 272 and the receiver 274 may be integrated as a transceiver.
  • the NT-TRP 172 may further include at least one memory 278.
  • the NT-TRP 172 may further include scheduler. Only the transmitter 272, receiver 274, processor 276, memory 278, antenna 280 are illustrated for simplicity, but the NT-TRP may include one or more other components.
  • the NT-TRP 172 include a processor 276 for performing operations including those related to: preparing a transmission for downlink transmission to the ED 110, processing an uplink transmission received from the ED 110, preparing a transmission for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170 and/or another NT-TRP 172, and processing a transmission received over backhaul from the T-TRP 170 and/or another NT-TRP 172.
  • Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulating, precoding (e.g. MIMO precoding) , transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission.
  • Processing operations related to processing received transmissions in the uplink or over backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols.
  • the processor 276 implements the transmit beamforming and/or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g. BAI) received from the T-TRP 170.
  • the processor 276 may generate signaling, e.g. to configure one or more parameters of the ED 110.
  • the NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing, but does not implement higher layer functions such as functions at the medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer. As this is only an example, more generally, the NT-TRP 172 may implement higher layer functions in addition to physical layer processing.
  • MAC medium access control
  • RLC radio link control
  • the memory 278 is configured to store information and optionally data.
  • the memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the NT-TRP 172.
  • the memory 278 could store software instructions or modules configured to implement some or all of the functionality and/or implementations described herein and that are executed by the processor 276.
  • the processor 276 may form part of the transmitter 272 and/or part of the receiver 274.
  • the memory 278 may form part of the processor 276.
  • the processor 276, the processing components of the transmitter 272, and the processing components of the receiver 274 may each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors that are configured to execute instructions stored in a memory, e.g. in the memory 278.
  • some or all of the processor 276, the processing components of the transmitter 272, and the processing components of the receiver 274 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a programmed FPGA, a hardware accelerator (e.g., a GPU or AI accelerator) , or an ASIC.
  • the NT-TRP 172 may actually be a plurality of NT-TRPs that are operating together to serve the ED 110, e.g. through coordinated multipoint transmissions.
  • the NT-TRP 172 When the NT-TRP 172 is an apparatus (e.g. a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset) in a device, it includes at least one processor, and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, the transmitter 272 and receiver 257 may be replaced by the interface or at least one pin, where the interface or at least one pin connects the apparatus (e.g., chip) and other apparatus (e.g., chip, memory, or bus) . Accordingly, the transmitting information to the T-TRP 170 and/or another NT-TRP 172 and/or ED 110 may be referred to as transmitting information to the interface or at least one pin.
  • the receiving information from the T-TRP 170 and/or another NT-TRP 172 and/or ED 110 may be referred to as receiving information from the interface or at least one pin.
  • the information may include control signaling and/or data.
  • TRP may refer to a T-TRP or a NT-TRP.
  • a T-TRP may alternatively be called a terrestrial network TRP ( “TN TRP” ) and a NT-TRP may alternatively be called a non-terrestrial network TRP ( “NTN TRP” ) .
  • the T-TRP 170, the NT-TRP 172, and/or the ED 110 may include other components, but these have been omitted for the sake of clarity.
  • Signaling may alternatively be called control signaling, control message, control information, or message for simplicity.
  • Signaling between a BS (e.g., the network node 170) and a terminal or sensing device (e.g., ED 110) , or signaling between a different terminal or sensing device (e.g., between ED 110i and ED110j) may be carried in physical layer signaling (also called as dynamic signaling) , which is transmitted in a physical layer control channel.
  • physical layer signaling may be known as downlink control information (DCI) which is transmitted in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) .
  • DCI downlink control information
  • PDCCH physical downlink control channel
  • the physical layer signaling may be known as uplink control information (UCI) which is transmitted in a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) .
  • UCI uplink control information
  • PUCCH physical uplink control channel
  • SCI sidelink control information
  • PSCCH physical sidelink control channel
  • Signaling may be carried in a higher-layer (e.g., higher than physical layer) signaling, which is transmitted in a physical layer data channel, e.g.
  • PDSCH physical downlink shared channel
  • PUSCH physical uplink shared channel
  • PSSCH physical sidelink shared channel
  • RRC radio resource control
  • MAC-CE media access control –control element
  • “information” when different from “message” , may be carried in one single message, or be carried in more than one separate message.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates units or modules in a device or apparatus, such as in the ED 110, in the T-TRP 170, or in the NT-TRP 172.
  • a signal may be transmitted by a transmitting unit or by a transmitting module.
  • a signal may be received by a receiving unit or by a receiving module.
  • a signal may be processed by a processing unit or a processing module.
  • Other steps may be performed by an AI or machine learning (ML) module.
  • the respective units or modules may be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices that execute software, or a combination thereof.
  • one or more of the units or modules may be a circuit such as an integrated circuit. Examples of an integrated circuit includes a programmed FPGA, a GPU, or an ASIC.
  • one or more of the units or modules may be logical such as a logical function performed by a circuit, by a portion of an integrated circuit, or by software instructions executed by a processor. It will be appreciated that where the modules are implemented using software for execution by a processor for example, the modules may be retrieved by a processor, in whole or part as needed, individually or together for processing, in single or multiple instances, and that the modules themselves may include instructions for further deployment and instantiation. For other nodes/entities in this disclosure, similar units or modules applies.
  • the disclosure of the present invention is aimed at devices such as UEs, IoT devices, cars, etc.
  • the type of network scenarios envisioned may include terrestrial TRPs such as base-stations and/or non-terrestrial TRPs such as drones, balloons, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) , satellites, and any such devices that support radio access technologies such as 5G NR, future 6G systems.
  • terrestrial TRPs such as base-stations and/or non-terrestrial TRPs such as drones, balloons, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) , satellites, and any such devices that support radio access technologies such as 5G NR, future 6G systems.
  • HAPS high-altitude platform stations
  • Fig. 5 shows an example scenario where terrestrial TRPs are communicating with non-terrestrial TRPs that are part of a satellite constellation.
  • a satellite constellation is typically constituted of a plurality of satellite orbits such that Earth is always provided with wireless coverage from the satellites, and each satellite orbits may have a plurality of satellites in it.
  • Terrestrial TRPs may be connected to the Core Network (CN) through terrestrial Gateways while satellite constellations may be connected to the Core Network through dedicated non-terrestrial Gateways.
  • Devices such as UEs may connect and communicate with a T-TRP or with a NT-TRP, depending on the conditions of traffic load, radio link quality, congestion, and so on.
  • Fig. 6 shows another example scenario where the Satellite constellation effectively acts as the Gateway for terrestrial TRPs on the ground. Satellites in the satellite constellation communicate with the Core Network through Gateways located on the ground using a wireless link, while the Gateways on the ground use a wired link (e.g. fiber optical link) to communicate with the Core Network.
  • Terrestrial TRPs communicate with satellites using a wireless link and satellites communicate between each-other using free space optical links (using e.g. lasers) .
  • Devices such as UEs may connect and communicate with a terrestrial TRP or with a non-terrestrial TRP, depending on the conditions of traffic load, radio link quality, congestion, and so on.
  • Fig. 7 shows another scenario where the non-terrestrial TRPs communicate with terrestrial TRPs through the Core Network.
  • Non-terrestrial TRPs may first communicate with dedicated non-terrestrial Gateways, which then communicate with the Core Network.
  • the Core Network may then relay the power saving commands from non-terrestrial TRPs to terrestrial TRPs via dedicated terrestrial Gateways.
  • Devices such as UEs may connect and communicate with a terrestrial TRP or with a non-terrestrial TRP, depending on the conditions of traffic load, radio link quality, congestion, and so on.
  • a UE could communicate with the CN via one NT-TRP and one NTN-gateway which may be called as one hop communication. In some other possible implementations, a UE could communicate with the CN via more than one NT-TRP and/or more than one NTN-gateway which may be called as multi-hop communication.
  • the UE can receive, detect and measure reference signals such as SS/PBCH blocks and NZP-CSI-RS.
  • reference signals are based on pseudo random noise (PRN) binary sequences such as Gold sequences and those sequences may be initialized using common or UE-specific scrambling identities.
  • PRN pseudo random noise
  • PSS primary synchronization signal
  • SSS secondary synchronization signal
  • PCI physical cell identity
  • NZP-CSI-RS sequences are initialized using UE-specific scrambling identities, which are configured by the network to the UE.
  • NTN was introduced allowing UEs to support DL/UL communication with satellites using the so-called "bent-pipe" scenario, where a ground station transmits signals towards satellites in space, and satellites reflect signals back to UEs on the ground.
  • Dedicating signaling related to NTN was introduced in order to assist UEs with NTN operation.
  • Higher-layer signaling such as RRC introduces signaling satellite ephemeris, satellite position, satellite signal polarization, timing advance offsets, satellite system information block (SIB) , satellite epochs in order to support NTN operation.
  • SIB satellite system information block
  • Other features that were introduced were the extension of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes to 32 in order to accommodate for large propagation delay scenarios and the disabling of HARQ-ACK feedback.
  • HARQ hybrid automatic repeat request
  • NTN was further enhanced to introduce Coverage enhancements for NTN, network-verified UE location, as well as support TN to NTN and NTN to NTN mobility scenarios.
  • 5G NR Rel-17 introduces support for non-terrestrial networks by introducing several enhancements on the timing relationships for the Timing Advance (TA) , the reference timing for channel state information (CSI) resources, the transmission timing of DCIs scheduling PUSCH, the transmission timing of Random Access response carried by a PDSCH, the transmission timing of HARQ-ACK on a PUCCH.
  • TA Timing Advance
  • CSI channel state information
  • 5G NR Rel-17 also introduces a solution combining closed-loop and open-loop Timing Advance compensation, where the closed-loop part is controlled by the network and the open-loop part is carried out by the UE.
  • the compensation from the UE may be based on the knowledge of the satellite’s ephemeris (e.g. parameters such as the satellite’s orbital angles) .
  • 5G NR Rel-17 supports so-called “bent-pipe” scenarios, i.e. the base-station is located behind a NTN gateway on the ground, the NTN gateway sends a transmission towards the satellite (this link is called the “feeder” link) and the satellite transmits the transmission towards UEs on the ground (this link is called the “service” link) .
  • Fig. 8 shows an example.
  • Satellites transmit multiple beams towards the ground and it is assumed that each beam is associated with a given “physical cell identity” . It is also assumed that satellites transmit beams in a “fixed” manner, where “fixed” means that the satellite isn’ t steering its beams towards a given direction, instead the beams “slide” on the surface of Earth and thus appear to be “moving” from the perspective of devices on the ground.
  • the support introduced in 5G NR Rel-17 for NTN is based on a non-transparent design in the sense that every satellite is effectively seen by devices such as UEs, IoT devices, cars, etc., as a serving cell. Devices are also made aware of the satellite’s ephemeris as well as the satellite’s position at any given time as the satellite explicitly broadcasts it within system information block 19 (SIB19) , which is transmitted by satellites in order to assist devices such as UEs with assistance information for NTN access. This results in a non-transparent radio access design which prevents smooth integration of transmit diversity schemes, multi-TRP transmission schemes and distributed satellite systems.
  • SIB19 system information block 19
  • LEO Low Earth Orbit
  • satellites are constantly in movement and therefore are in line-of-sight to devices on the ground for a limited amount of time.
  • a LEO satellite may be in line-of-sight of a given device on the ground for a duration in order of several minutes.
  • any information that the satellite transmits or broadcasts to devices on the ground becomes outdated within a few minutes and constantly needs to be updated in order for the satellite communication to be working (due to ever changing Timing Advance for Uplink synchronization, and the need to (re-) acquire Downlink synchronization) .
  • LEO satellites use the fixed-beam model in order to transmit signals and channels towards devices on the ground. This results in satellite beams “sliding” across the surface of Earth, which triggers mobility and handover procedures whenever devices are located at the edge between two beams. Mobility and handover procedures typically cause delays and interruptions as the RRC connection needs to be re-established upon entering the target cell, which hurts the overall user experience.
  • Random Access procedure may be another potential bottleneck in communication systems. There may be several millions of devices on the ground within a given coverage area, if these several million devices were to attempt Random Access within a short time interval, it may not be conceivable or feasible for non-terrestrial TRPs to be able to detect individual Random Access preambles transmitted by so many devices within this short time interval. This is because of the prohibitively high complexity this would incur on non-terrestrial TRPs. Non-terrestrial TRPs are ultimately embedded systems and they may not be able to do the processing related to receiving, detecting and measuring so many Random Access preambles within such a short time interval.
  • PCIs physical cell identities
  • LEO satellites As LEO satellites go along their orbits, inevitably they move away from a given coverage area and all UEs in that coverage area need to go through a mobility procedure in order to maintain their connection with the e.g. LEO satellites. This inherently incurs latency because of having to re-establish the RRC connection with the target satellites, and this problem is made even worse in NTN LEO scenarios because such handovers would occur continuously. As a result, the UE’s connectivity with the e.g. LEO satellites is interrupted and reset every time a handover needs to take place, which degrades the user experience for the UE.
  • Terrestrial network and Non-Terrestrial network are seen as “separate” networks by UEs because they are seen as individual “public land mobile networks” (PLMNs) with their own unique code.
  • the PLMN information consists of the mobile country code (MCC) and mobile network code (MNC) which are unique numbers allocated by the International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) .
  • MCC mobile country code
  • MNC mobile network code
  • ITU-T International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector
  • 5G NR UEs are requires to scan for all RF channels, detect the strongest cell and find the available PLMNs in order to report them to its non-access stratum (NAS) layer and register with the appropriate PLMN. This results in the UE having to run initial access procedures for each of the terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
  • NAS non-access stratum
  • the NTN access process is particularly affected by the constant movement of LEO satellites.
  • UE must frequently perform mobility management procedures to maintain connection with the satellites.
  • a handover process must be executed.
  • UEs may not be connected to the network, i.e. that UEs may not have an RRC connection with the network and are in idle mode or in inactive mode.
  • UEs may be in a power mode that is not associated with having an RRC connection (for idle more or inactive mode) .
  • the latency associated with the handover process can increase system consumption and degrade user experience. For instance, the UE needs to scan all channels, which is time-consuming.
  • PCI interference issues when two or more adjacent beams use the same PCI, PCI confusion occurs. This can result in devices struggling to ascertain the specific cell to which they are connected, consequently impacting the reliability and stability of the service quality.
  • the feature of pattern information is introduced as SSB repetition, in particular SSB repetition using the same transmit beam within time domain, frequency domain and in polarization domain is introduced.
  • SSB repetition may allow UEs to detect the same transmit beam from e.g. a non-terrestrial TRP in different resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of this SSB.
  • a frame may include 8 subframes, and the specific subframe is the 1st and 8th subframe, then the pattern information of the specific subframe can be ⁇ 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 ⁇ .
  • the UE After the UE receives the pattern information, it will know that the SSB will be transmitted in the 1st subframe, or the 8th subframe in a radio frame. Therefore, in the case where the UE loses connection to NT-TRP and needs reconnection, since the UE has the knowledge of the pattern information, it can recognize the SSB transmitted by the NT-TRP faster, thus realizing fast reconnection. Moreover, since the SSB is repeatedly sent within a plurality of subframes, the probability of UE detecting the SSB can be improved.
  • the devices on the ground are not connected to the network (either terrestrial or non-terrestrial) , they need to perform initial access in order to establish an RRC connection with the network.
  • SSB repetition implies that the binary sequences used by the PSS and SSS are the same, and the content of the PBCH is also the same.
  • SSB repetition in the time domain There may be several benefits from using SSB repetition in the time domain.
  • the usage of SSB repetition in the time domain allows UEs to detect the same transmit beam from e.g. a non-terrestrial TRP in different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of this SSB.
  • the pattern information may include timing information, which may also be referred to as SSB repetition.
  • the timing information may indicate a position of the SSB in a frame, such as subframe.
  • the pattern information may include frequency information, indicating at least one transmission frequency of the SSB.
  • the pattern information may include at least one SSB repetition, each SSB repetition corresponding to a frequency.
  • the pattern information may include polarization information indicating at least one polarization of the SSB.
  • the pattern information may include at least one SSB repetition, each SSB repetition corresponding to a polarization.
  • the NT-TRP may use the same pattern information for specific subframes. e.g., the pattern information for the specific subframes are all ⁇ 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 ⁇ , different non-terrestrial base stations for the same UE in the same coverage area are using the same SSB repetition of ⁇ 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 ⁇ to send SSBs.
  • the UE may detect SSBs based on the same pattern information to improve the connectivity efficiency.
  • SSBs may occupy certain positions within a radio frame.
  • the number of positions where SSBs may be located within the radio frame may vary and may depend on the frequency band, which means that the number of positions where SSBs may be e.g. ⁇ 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, ... ⁇ .
  • Fig. 10 shows an example, In Fig. 10, there may be 8 positions for SSBs to occupy in a radio frame. These positions are possible SSB time locations within radio frame. At each position, there may be a SSB or it may be empty.
  • an NT-TRP may transmit multiple SSBs in multiple time locations using the same transmit beam.
  • UEs may not know that SSBs may be repeated using the same transmit beam in such a manner, however if a UE is able to successfully detect one SSB, the UE may learn that the SSB is repeated in other time locations through broadcast information, e.g. the master information block (MIB) .
  • the MIB may include a higher-layer parameter e.g. ssb-Repetition-inFrame which may be a bit string whose length matches the number of SSB time locations.
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter may be e.g. “11001100” where the most significant bit(MSB) (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st SSB position, the 2nd MSB may represent the 2nd SSB position, all the way until the Least Significant Bit (or equivalently the bit on the right) may represent the 8th SSB position.
  • Every position where the value of “1” is found may means that the SSB in this position is transmitted using the same transmit beam.
  • the NT-TRP may be transmitting SS/PBCH blocks using the same transmit beam, and these SS/PBCH blocks are located in the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th positions within the radio frame.
  • the NT-TRP may be transmitting SS/PBCH blocks using different beams in the 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th positions within the radio frame.
  • the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter may be transmitted in a system information block (SIB) .
  • SIB system information block
  • the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter may be transmitted in SIB.
  • SIB system information block
  • SSB repetition may be several benefits from using SSB repetition within a radio frame.
  • the usage of SSB repetition in the time domain allows UEs to detect the same transmit beam from e.g. a non-terrestrial TRP in different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of this SSB.
  • SSB repetition implies that the binary sequences used by the PSS and SSS are the same, and the content of the PBCH is also the same.
  • the devices on the ground are not connected to the network (either terrestrial or non-terrestrial) and need to perform Initial Access in order to establish an RRC connection with the network.
  • SSB repetition in the time domain There may be several benefits from using SSB repetition in the time domain.
  • the usage of SSB repetition in the time domain allows UEs to detect the same transmit beam from e.g. a non-terrestrial TRP in different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of this SSB.
  • the NT-TRP transmits SSBs within a specific time slot within a time domain range, wherein the time domain range includes a given number of radio frames. For example, 1024 radio frames.
  • the pattern information may be represented by one 16-bit sequence, two 8-bit sequences. That is, the 1024 are divided into 16 subsets, and each subset has 64 time slots. Then the 64 time slots are divided into 8 smaller subsets, each smaller subset has 8 time slots.
  • the pattern information may include:
  • the efficiency of detecting SSBs can be improved, which make it easier for UE to establish a connection with NT-TRP.
  • a SS/PBCH block is repeated using the same transmit beam.
  • an NT-TRP may transmit multiple SSBs in multiple time locations across multiple radio frames using the same transmit beam.
  • UEs may not know that SSBs may be repeated using the same transmit beam in such a manner, however if a UE is able to successfully detect one SSB, the UE may learn that the SSB is repeated in other time locations in other radio frames through broadcast information, e.g. the MIB.
  • the MIB may include a higher-layer parameter called e.g. ssb-Repetition-perFrame which may be a bit string whose length matches the number of SSB time locations.
  • the ssb-Repetition-perFrame higher-layer parameter may have multiple parameters in order to define a time-domain pattern across a given number of radio frames. In the above example, we assume a time-domain pattern that applies across 1024 radio frames. Within each radio frame, SS/PBCH blocks may be repeated on the same transmit beam, as per the time pattern provided in the ssb-Repetition-inFrame higher-layer parameter.
  • the 1024 frames are first organized in a set of 16 subsets of 64 radio frames each, this is characterized by the higher-layer parameter called ssb-Repetition-perSet.
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-perFrame parameter may be e.g. “1000000010000000” where the MSB (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st set of 64 radio frames, e.g. these are radio frames whose system frame number (SFN) goes from 0 to 63.
  • the 2nd MSB may represent the 2nd set of 64 radio frames, e.g. these are radio frames whose SFN goes from 64 to 127. This would apply all the way until the Least Significant Bit (or equivalently the bit on the right) may represent the 16th set of 64 radio frames, e.g. these are radio frames whose SFN goes from 960 to 1023.
  • Each subset of 64 radio frames may be further broken into smaller subsets, this is characterized by the higher-layer parameters called ssb-Repetition-perSubset1 and ssb-Repetition-perSubset2.
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-perSubset1 parameter may be e.g. “10101010” and may represent a subset of 8 radio frames.
  • the MSB (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st radio frame of the subset, the 2nd MSB may represent the 2nd radio frame of the subset, all the way to the Least Significant Bit (LSB) may represent the 8th radio frame of the subset.
  • LSB Least Significant Bit
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-perSubset2 parameter may be e.g. “10000000” and may represent a set of 8 subsets of 8 radio frames each.
  • the value of the MSB of ssb-Repetition-perSubset2 may represent the 1st set of 8 radio frames, e.g. whose SFNs are in the range of ⁇ 0, ..., 7 ⁇
  • the value of the 2nd MSB of ssb-Repetition-perSubset2 may represent the 2nd set of 8 radio frames, e.g.
  • the above example effectively means that the NT-TRP is transmitting the same SS/PBCH block using the same transmit beam across the radio frames whose SFN is ⁇ 0, 2, 4, 6, 512, 514, 516, 518 ⁇ .
  • the NT-TRP may be transmitting SS/PBCH blocks using beams in the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th positions within the radio frame.
  • the ssb-Repetition-perFrame parameter may be transmitted in a SIB.
  • SIB As an example, as shown in Fig. 17, it may be included in SIB1,
  • SSB repetition may be several benefits from using SSB repetition across radio frames.
  • the usage of SSB repetition in the time domain allows UEs to detect the same transmit beam from e.g. a non-terrestrial TRP in different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of this SSB.
  • the NT-TRP may send the SSBs based on different frequency domain resources, wherein the SSB may include information about the frequency domain resources used by NT-TRP.
  • the NT-TRP may send the SSBs based on the first frequency, the second frequency, and the third frequency, respectively.
  • NT-TRP may send the identification information, e.g. identifier numbers of the first frequency, the second frequency, and the third frequency, to the UE via the SSBs.
  • SSB repetition in frequency is introduced in this implementation, in particular SSB repetition using the same transmit beam across different SS/PBCH block center frequencies is introduced.
  • SSB repetition implies that the binary sequences used by the PSS and SSS are the same, and the content of the PBCH is also the same.
  • the usage of SSB repetition in the frequency domain may allow the NT-TRP to use wide beams providing coverage to a much broader region without causing inter-beam interference. This may also allow the use of reuse patterns to further mitigate inter-beam interference and enhance downlink coverage for Initial Access.
  • a SS/PBCH block may be being repeated across three different SS/PBCH block center frequencies.
  • the SS/PBCH block may be repeated using the same transmit beam.
  • some SSB center frequencies may be located on the synchronization raster while some other SSB center frequencies may not be located on the synchronization raster.
  • the 1st SSB center frequency may be located on the synchronization raster, while we may assume that the 2nd and 3rd SSB center frequency may not be located on the synchronization raster.
  • Other combinations and scenarios may be contemplated and envisioned.
  • the UEs may not know that SSBs may be repeated using the same transmit beam in such a manner, however if a UE is able to successfully detect one SSB whose center frequency is located on the synchronization raster, the UE may learn that the SSB is repeated in other center frequencies through broadcast e.g. the MIB.
  • the MIB may include a higher-layer parameter e.g. ssb-Repetition-Freq which may be a sequence of values for the absolute radio frequency channel numbers.
  • the ssb-Repetition-Freq higher-layer parameter may have multiple values, where each value corresponds to a given absolute radio frequency channel number.
  • the corresponding SSB center frequencies are ⁇ 6.6 GHz, 6.61 GHz and 6.62 GHz ⁇ .
  • SSB center frequency 1 would be equal to 6.6 GHz
  • SSB center frequency 2 would be equal to 6.61 GHz
  • SSB center frequency 3 would be equal to 6.62 GHz.
  • Fig. 20 This reuse of the same transmit beam is illustrated in the Fig. 20. As shown in Fig. 20, same wide beam is used to transmit SS/PBCH blocks on 3 different frequencies, including SSB frequency 1, SSB frequency 2 and SSB frequency 3.
  • the above scheme may be used in conjunction with a reuse pattern in order to make use of wide beams to provide broader wireless coverage.
  • the NT-TRP may send the SSBs based on different frequency domain resources. Take Fig. 21 as an example, each beam may use e.g. SSB center frequencies ⁇ 1, 2, 3 ⁇ such that they don’t create any inter-beam interference to each-other.
  • the SSBs are sent to a first area based on a first frequency, and the SSBs are sent to a second area based on a second frequency; and in a second time period, the SSBs are sent to a first area based on a second frequency, and the SSBs are sent to a second area based on a first frequency.
  • the frequency domain resources of different coverage areas may be staggered, thereby avoiding inter-beam interference between beams of different coverage areas.
  • the frequency reuse pattern using different beams cyclically (using e.g. a time division pattern) is shown in the following Fig. 22.
  • the SSB beams may be different depending on the frequency. That is, the pattern information may also include SSB repetition at each frequency.
  • the MIB includes:
  • ssb-Repetition-FreqValue2 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0.
  • the higher-layer parameter ssb-Repetition-Freq may be included in a SIB, e.g. SIB1.
  • SSB repetition implies that the binary sequences used by the PSS and SSS are the same, and the content of the PBCH is also the same.
  • the NT-TRP may transmit the SSB through different polarizations, and send information of the different polarizations via the SSB.
  • the different polarizations may include, but are not limited to, linear polarization, horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, circular polarization, right-hand circular polarization, left-hand circular polarization, and so on.
  • SSBs of different polarization may be sent based on different SSB repetition, and in this implementation, the NT-TRP may send to the UE via the SSB repetition pattern corresponding to each polarization.
  • the usage of SSB repetition in the polarization domain may allow the NT-TRP to use transmit diversity in order to provide a coverage gain for devices on the ground.
  • the SSB of the left-hand circular polarization may be sent based on the 1st, 3rd subframes of the 8 time slots
  • the SSB of the right-hand circular polarization may be sent based on the 2nd, 4th subframes of the 8 time slots.
  • the NT-TRP may send pattern information ⁇ 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ⁇ for the left-handed circular polarization, and pattern information ⁇ 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ⁇ for the right-handed circular polarization.
  • a SS/PBCH block may be being repeated across different polarizations, e.g., the usage of so-called left-hand circular polarization and right-hand circular polarization. Such polarizations are orthogonal with each-other. As shown in the Fig. 24, the SS/PBCH block may be repeated using the same transmit beam. Whether it is left-hand polarization or right-hand polarization, the same repetitive pattern is used.
  • the UEs may not know that SSBs may be repeated using the same transmit beam in such a manner, however if a UE is able to successfully detect one SSB using e.g. the left-hand circular polarization, the UE may learn that the SSB is repeated using the right-hand circular polarization through e.g. the MIB.
  • the MIB may include higher-layer parameters e.g. ssb-Repetition-Lhcp and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp which may be a bit string indicating the positions where the SSBs using the same polarization are repeated.
  • the MIB may also include a higher-layer parameter called e.g. ssb-Repetition-LRpol which may be a bit string indicating whether one or more of left/right-hand circular polarization is used.
  • the ssb-Repetition-LRpol higher-layer parameter may have a 2-bit value, where each value corresponds to left-hand circular polarization only (e.g. “00” ) , right-hand circular polarization only (e.g. “01” ) , or both left/right-hand circular polarization (e.g. “10” ) .
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-Lhcp parameter may be e.g. “11001100” where the MSB (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st SSB position, the 2n MSB may represent the 2nd SSB position, all the way until the Least Significant Bit (or equivalently the bit on the right) may represent the 8th SSB position. Every position where the value of “1” is found may means that the SSB in this position is transmitted using the same transmit beam and using left-hand circular polarization.
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-Rhcp parameter may be e.g. “11001100” where the MSB (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st SSB position, the 2ndMSB may represent the 2nd SSB position, all the way until the Least Significant Bit (or equivalently the bit on the right) may represent the 8th SSB position. Every position where the value of “1” is found may means that the SSB in this position is transmitted using the same transmit beam and using right-hand circular polarization.
  • each polarization may be used to define a so-called “antenna port” and having two orthogonal polarization may help to establish a so-called “transmit diversity” scheme where the same physical layer signal/channel may be transmitted across different polarizations in order to achieve gain through diversity.
  • the higher-layer parameters ssb-Repetition-LRpol, ssb-Repetition-Lhcp and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp may be included in a SIB e.g. SIB1.
  • cross-polarizations may be used instead of left/right-hand circular polarization.
  • Fig. 27 An example of such a SSB repetition scheme is shown in Fig. 27. As shown in Fig. 27, +45 polarization and -45 polarization are used, as an alternative to the left/right-hand circular polarization.
  • the UEs may not know that SSBs may be repeated using the same transmit beam in such a manner, however if a UE is able to successfully detect one SSB using e.g. the +45 degrees polarization, the UE may learn that the SSB is repeated using the -45 degrees polarization through e.g. SIB1.
  • the MIB may include higher-layer parameters called e.g. ssb-Repetition-LXp and ssb-Repetition-RXp which may be a bit string indicating the positions where the SSBs using the same polarization are repeated.
  • SIB1 may also include a higher-layer parameter called e.g. ssb-Repetition-Xpol which may be a bit string indicating whether one or more of +45/-45 degrees polarization is used.
  • the ssb-Repetition-Xpol higher-layer parameter may have a 2-bit value, where each value corresponds to +45 degrees polarization only (e.g. “00” ) , -45 degrees polarization only (e.g. “01” ) , or both +45/-45 degrees polarization (e.g. “10” ) .
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-LXp parameter may be e.g. “11001100” where the MSB (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st SSB position, the 2ndMSB may represent the 2nd SSB position, all the way until the Least Significant Bit (or equivalently the bit on the right) may represent the 8th SSB position. Every position where the value of “1” is found may means that the SSB in this position is transmitted using the same transmit beam and using +45 degrees polarization.
  • the value in the ssb-Repetition-Rhcp parameter may be e.g. “10011001” where the MSB (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st SSB position, the 2ndMSB may represent the 2nd SSB position, all the way until the Least Significant Bit (or equivalently the bit on the right) may represent the 8th SSB position. Every position where the value of “1” is found may means that the SSB in this position is transmitted using the same transmit beam and using -45 degrees polarization.
  • the UE After detecting the SSB, the UE can know the polarization through which the NT-TRP transmits the SSB, so that the detection efficiency of the SSB can be improved. As a result, the usage of SSB repetition in the polarization domain may allow the NT-TRP to use transmit diversity in order to provide a coverage gain for devices on the ground.
  • SSBs may be sent based on different frequencies as well as different polarizations.
  • the pattern information may include at least one SSB repetition, wherein each SSB repetition corresponds to a frequency and a polarization.
  • the MIB may include a higher-layer parameter e.g. ssb-Repetition-FreqPolar which may be a bit string indicating the positions where the SSBs using the same polarization and same frequency are repeated.
  • SSB repetition is performed via e.g. only the PSS may be transmitted, or only the SSS may be transmitted, or the PSS+SSS may be transmitted.
  • SSB repetition implies that the binary sequences used by the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) are the same, and the content of the PBCH is also the same.
  • PSS Primary Synchronization Signal
  • SSS Secondary Synchronization Signal
  • At least one of PSS, SSS, PBCH is included in the SSB, and in implementations where the NT-TRP is required to send pattern information to the UE, the MIB or SIB1 included in the PBCH is used to carry the pattern information.
  • the usage of partial SSB repetition may allow the NT-TRP to reduce power consumption by not transmitting every signal or channel in the SS/PBCH block.
  • the SSBs sent by the NT-TRP in different subframes of the same radio frame may contain different contents, wherein the PSS, the SSS, and the PBCH may be sent in the first SBB, but only a portion of the above information may be sent in the subsequent SSBs.
  • the NT-TRP sends SSBs in a first subframe and a second subframe, wherein the SSB sent in the first subframe include PSS, SSS, PBCH, and the SSB sent in the second subframe include only PSS. i.e., only PSS is repeatedly sent.
  • PSS, SS/PBCH may be repeatedly sent. As a result, the consumption of sending resources of the NT-TRP may be reduced.
  • SSBs there may be 8 positions for SSBs to occupy in a radio frame.
  • an NT-TRP may transmit partial SSBs using the same transmit beam.
  • UEs may not know that SSBs may be repeated using the same transmit beam in such a manner, however if a UE is able to successfully detect one SSB, the UE may learn that the SSB is partially repeated in other time locations through e.g. the MIB.
  • the MIB may include higher-layer parameters called e.g. ssb-FullPartial-Repetition and ssb-FullPartial-RepPattern which may be a bit string.
  • the value in the ssb-FullPartial-Repetition parameter may be e.g. “01” where “00” may mean that only the PSS is repeated, “01” may mean that the PSS and SSS are repeated, “10” may mean that the PSS, SSS and PBCH are repeated (effectively a full repeat) .
  • the value in the ssb-FullPartial-RepPattern parameter may be the value “01000100” where the MSB (or equivalently the bit on the left) may represent the 1st SSB position, the 2ndMSB may represent the 2nd SSB position, all the way until the Least Significant Bit (or equivalently the bit on the right) may represent the 8th SSB position. Every position where the value of “1” is found may means that the SSB in this position is partially transmitted using the same transmit beam and based on the information in ssb-FullPartialRepetition. This is shown in the Fig. 31, PSS and SSS are repeated in the 2nd SSB position and the 6th SSB position
  • partial SSB repetition may allow the NT-TRP to reduce power consumption by not transmitting every signal or channel in the SS/PBCH block.
  • the term “receive” , “detect” and “decode” as used herein can have several different meanings depending on the context in which these terms are used.
  • the term “receive” may indicate that information (e.g., DCI, or MAC-CE, RRC signaling or TB) is received successfully by the receiving node, which means the receiving side correctly detect and decode it.
  • “receive” may cover “detect” and “decode” or may indicates same thing, e.g., “receive paging” means decoding paging correctly and obtaining the paging successfully, accordingly, “the receiving side does not receive paging” means the receiving side does not detect and/or decoding the paging.
  • “paging is not received” means the receiving side tries to detect and/or decoding the paging, but not obtain the paging successfully.
  • the term “receive” may sometimes indicate that a signal has arrived at the receiving side, but does not mean the information in the signal is detected and decoded correctly, then the receiving side need perform detecting and decoding on the signal to obtain the information carried in the signal.
  • “receive” , “detect” and “decode” may indicate different procedure at receiving side to obtain the information.
  • different repetitions of the same SS/PBCH block that may be transmitted using e.g. the same transmit beam, may carry a MIB that are coded using different redundancy versions.
  • Redundancy versions are defined as sets of coded bits that may be sent for transmission, and there may be one or more redundancy versions. Some redundancy versions may share some information bits with other redundancy versions. There may be a pre-defined sequence for how redundancy versions are transmitted, e.g. ⁇ redundancy version 0; redundancy version 2; redundancy version 3; redundancy version 1 ⁇ , ⁇ redundancy version 0; redundancy version 1; redundancy version 2; redundancy version 3 ⁇ , etc. In some implementations, different repetitions of SIB1 associated with the same SS/PBCH block, which may be transmitting using e.g. the same transmit beam on e.g.
  • redundancy version 0 may be used for the SIB1 transmission associated with the SS/PBCH block on the lowest frequency
  • redundancy version 1 may be used for the SIB1 transmission associated with the SS/PBCH block on the second lowest frequency, etc.
  • the UE in the absence of any higher-layer signaling, the UE may assume as a default behavior that a MIB may be transmitted using e.g. Redundancy Version 0. Similarly the UE may assume as a default behavior that SIB1 may be transmitted using e.g. Redundancy Version 0. In some implementations, some of the redundancy versions that are used to transmit e.g. a MIB or SIB1 may not be detectable.
  • the MIB may include a higher-layer parameter called e.g. “rvPattern” which may indicate to the UE which redundancy versions are used by a MIB in a given repetition of a SS/PBCH block.
  • MIB may carry the following information:
  • the 1st SSB position (the MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a MIB that may use redundancy version 0
  • the 2nd SSB position (the 2nd MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a MIB that may use redundancy version 3
  • the 3rd SSB position (the 5th MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a MIB that may use redundancy version 2
  • the 4th SSB position (the 6th MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame) may carry a MIB that may use a redundancy version 1.
  • Other redundancy version mappings may be contemplated and envisioned.
  • SIB1 may include a higher-layer parameter called e.g. “rvPattern” which may indicate to the UE which redundancy versions are used by SIB1 associated with a given repetition of a SS/PBCH block.
  • SIB1 may carry the following information:
  • the 1st SSB position (the MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a SIB1 that may use redundancy version 0 (denoted as the first value in the rvPattern parameter and set to “00” )
  • the 2nd SSB position (the 2nd MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a SIB1 that may use redundancy version 3 (denoted as the first value in the rvPattern parameter and set to “11” )
  • the 3rd SSB position (the 5th MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a SIB1 that may use redundancy version 2 (denoted as the third value in the rvPattern parameter and set to “10” )
  • the 4th SSB position (the 6th MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inF
  • the rv-Pattern higher-layer parameter may include the same number of fields as the number of “1” s in the ssb-Repetition-inFrame higher-layer parameter. Another example is shown below:
  • the 1st SSB position (the MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a SIB1 that may use redundancy version 0 (denoted as the first value in the rvPattern parameter and set to “00” )
  • the 2nd SSB position (the 2nd MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) may carry a SIB1 that may use redundancy version 1 (denoted as the second value in the rvPattern parameter and set to “01” ) .
  • one or more of the above mentioned methods of SS/PBCH block repetition may be combined to produce a new method of SS/PBCH block repetition to improve downlink coverage enhancement.
  • one or more of the above mentioned methods of SS/PBCH block repetition and the usage of redundancy versions may be used to improve the reliability of the transmission of other SIBs, e.g. SIB2, SIB19, etc.
  • SSB Synchronization Signal Block
  • the method described includes following steps:
  • S1: NT-TRP transmits a first SSB to the UE.
  • the NT-TRP may send a first SSB to the UE. It is understood that the first SSB may be one of the SSBs in the sequence of SSBs to be sent.
  • SSB signals are typically the first signals that UE looks for during this process because they are designed to be easily detectable and robust against various types of interference. Once an SSB signal is detected, the UE can then proceed to demodulate and decode other information-bearing signals from the NT-TRP.
  • a first SSB includes PSS, SSS and PBCH.
  • PSS consists of a sequence of complex symbols that are generated based on a specific mathematical algorithm, providing time synchronization at the OFDM symbol level.
  • the SSS has sequence being generated based on a different algorithm than the PSS, helping the UE to achieve more precise time synchronization, specifically at the slot level, which is a smaller unit of time than the OFDM symbol.
  • the PBCH contains various types of information, including the MIB, which includes critical system parameters such as the downlink configuration, system frame number, and information about the location of other SIBs.
  • pattern information may be included in MIB of the first SSB.
  • the pattern information indicates the sending pattern of the sequence of SSBs, which includes the first SSB and follow-up SSB (s) .
  • the pattern information can refer to the examples illustrated in Figures 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23, 25, 26, 28, and 30, as well as the introductions provided above for the aforementioned figures, which will not be elaborated upon here.
  • follow-up SSB (s) of the first SSB are referred to as a second SSB below. Note that in other implementations, a second SSB may also be replaced with second SSB (s) .
  • the pattern information may indicates the timing information of the second SSB. For example, the number of subframe in which the second SSB is located in a frame.
  • the pattern information may indicates other timing information of the second SSB. For example, the number of frame in which the second SSB is located in a frame group.
  • the pattern information may indicates frequency information of the second SSB. For example, . the frequency over which the second SSB is sent.
  • the pattern information may further includes the timing information for the second SSB sent on each frequency.
  • the pattern information may indicates polarization information of the second SSB. For example, . the polarization over which the second SSB is sent.
  • the pattern information may further includes the timing information for the second SSB sent on each polarization.
  • S2 UE obtains pattern information based on the first SSB.
  • UE can decodes the first SSB, to obtain pattern information. For example, obtain pattern information from MIB of the first SSB.
  • blind search can be very time-consuming, especially in scenarios with wide bandwidths or complex network configurations.
  • the UE has prior knowledge of the SSB's pattern information, which means the UE can predict when and where the next SSB, for example, a second SSB, will be transmitted. As a result, the UE can search for the SSB within the specific time points and frequency ranges indicated by the pattern information, rather than searching across the entire bandwidth.
  • the NT-TRP may send a second SSB to the UE. It is understood that the second SSB is sent after the first S SB.
  • the SBB in the first location is the first SSB
  • the SSB in the second location is the second SSB.
  • SSBs in the fifth, sixth location can also be considered as second SSB.
  • the SSB in the first location at SSB frequency 1 may be the first SSB
  • the other SSBs shown in the Fig. 18 can be considered as second SSBs.
  • the first SSB mentioned above is just examplary. Basically, the first SSB that the UE detects, which is transmitted by a NT-TRP, can be considered as the 'first SSB' .
  • the "first SSB” could also refer to an SSB in a different position. For instance, as shown in Fig. 12, the “first SSB” could also be the SSB in the 5th position. In this scenario, the "second SSB” could be the SSB in the 6th position.
  • the UE is aware of the pattern information carried in the first SSB.
  • the UE can employ more advanced signal processing algorithms to predict and identify the SSB. For instance, it can utilize a matched filter or an adaptive search algorithm to enhance the accuracy of detection. Additionally, it can allocate greater signal processing resources at the anticipated moments of SSB transmission, while reducing resource usage at other times. As a result, the will probability of the UE detecting the second SSB increases.
  • Fig. 33 shows a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to some implementations of this disclosure.
  • the apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1010.
  • the processor 1010 is coupled to a memory 1020.
  • the memory 1020 is configured to store a computer program or instructions and/or data.
  • the processor 1010 is configured to execute the computer program or instructions and/or data stored in the memory 1020, so that the methods in the foregoing method implementations are executed.
  • the apparatus 1000 includes one or more processors 1010.
  • the apparatus 1000 may further include a memory 1020.
  • the apparatus 1000 may include one or more memories 1020.
  • the memory 1020 may be integrated with the processor 1010 or disposed separately from the processor 1010.
  • the apparatus 1000 may further include a communication interface 1030, and the communication interface 1030 is configured to communicate with other apparatuses, chips, devices, or chipsets.
  • the processor 1010 is configured to receive a signal across a receiver or transmit a signal across a transmitter based on the communication interface 1030.
  • the processor 1010 may store data to a memory or read data from a memory based on the communication interface 1030.
  • the detailed description of the processor 1010 may refer to the processor 210/260/276 described above.
  • the detailed description of the memory 1020 may refer to the memory 208/258/278 described above.
  • the apparatus 1000 may comprise more modules. In some implementations, the apparatus 1000 may be applied as an NT-TRP or UE.
  • the apparatus 1000 may execute instructions to realize the steps executed in the above-mentioned communication method.
  • the apparatus 1000 might be a chip or a chipset.
  • an apparatus/chipset system comprising means (e.g., at least one processor) to implement a method implemented by (or at) a UE of the present disclosure.
  • the apparatus/chipset system may be the UE (that is, a terminal device) or a module/component in the UE.
  • the at least one processor may execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium to implement the method.
  • an apparatus/chipset system comprising means (e.g., at least one processor) to implement the method implemented by (or at) a network device (e.g., base station) of the present disclosure.
  • the apparatus/chipset system may be the network device or a module/component in the network device.
  • the at least one processor may execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium to implement the method.
  • a system comprising at least one of an apparatus in (or at) a UE of the present disclosure, or an apparatus in (or at) a network device of the present disclosure.
  • a method performed by a system comprising at least one of an apparatus in (or at) a UE of the present disclosure, and an apparatus in (or at) a network device of the present disclosure.
  • a computer program comprising instructions.
  • the instructions when executed by a processor, may cause the processor to implement a method of the present disclosure.
  • a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by a processor, may cause the processor to implement a method of the present disclosure.
  • next generation e.g. sixth generation (6G) or later
  • legacy e.g. 5G, 4G, 3G or 2G
  • any module, component, or device disclosed herein that executes instructions may include, or otherwise have access to, a non-transitory computer/processor readable storage medium or media for storage of information, such as computer/processor readable instructions, data structures, program modules and/or other data.
  • non-transitory computer/processor readable storage media includes magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, optical disks such as compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , digital video discs or digital versatile discs (i.e., DVDs) , Blu-ray Disc TM , or other optical storage, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology, random-access memory (RAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) , flash memory or other memory technology. Any such non-transitory computer/processor storage media may be part of a device/apparatus or accessible or connectable thereto. Computer/processor readable/executable instructions to implement a method, an application or a module described herein may be stored or otherwise held by such non-transitory computer/processor readable storage media.
  • message in the disclosure could be replaced with information, which may be carried in one single message, or be carried in more than one separate message.
  • the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” or “including” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one” , but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more” , “at least one” , and “one or more than one” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
  • the word “another” may mean at least a second or more unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
  • the words “first” , “second” , etc., when used before a same term does not mean an order or a sequence of the term.
  • the “first ED” and the “second ED” means two different EDs without specially indicated, and similarly, although the present disclosure describes methods and processes with steps in a certain order, one or more steps of the methods and processes may be omitted or altered as appropriate. One or more steps may take place in an order other than that in which they are described, as appropriate.
  • the “first step” and the “second step” means two different operating steps without specially indicated, but does not mean the first step have to happen before the second step. The real order depends on the logic of the two steps.
  • Coupled can have several different meanings depending on the context in which these terms are used.
  • the terms coupled, coupling, or connected can indicate that two elements or devices are directly connected to one another or connected to one another through one or more intermediate elements or devices via a mechanical element depending on the particular context.
  • the expression “at least one of A or B” is interchangeable with the expression “A and/or B” . It refers to a list in which you may select A or B or both A and B.
  • “at least one of A, B, or C” is interchangeable with “A and/or B and/or C” or “A, B, and/or C” . It refers to a list in which you may select: A or B or C, or both A and B, or both A and C, or both B and C, or all of A, B and C. The same principle applies for longer lists having a same format.
  • the present disclosure encompasses various implementations, including not only method implementations, but also other implementations such as apparatus implementations and implementations related to non-transitory computer readable storage media. Implementations may incorporate, individually or in combinations, the features disclosed herein.

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  • Signal Processing (AREA)
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Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé de communication, le procédé comprenant les étapes suivantes consistant à : transmettre un premier signal de synchronisation contenant des informations de configuration à un dispositif terminal dans une première zone, les informations de configuration indiquant la configuration d'envoi du premier signal de synchronisation et du second signal de synchronisation ; et transmettre le second signal de synchronisation au dispositif terminal. Tant que le dispositif terminal possède des informations sur la configuration d'envoi, il peut anticiper les informations de transmission du signal suivant, ce qui facilite la détection du second signal de synchronisation.
PCT/CN2024/094804 2023-11-14 2024-05-22 Procédé de communication, appareil et support de stockage lisible Pending WO2025102655A1 (fr)

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US63/598,668 2023-11-14

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Citations (4)

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US20210337494A1 (en) * 2020-04-28 2021-10-28 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for indication and transmission of downlink signal/channel for initial access
CN113703005A (zh) * 2020-05-21 2021-11-26 华为技术有限公司 卫星网络中定位的方法和通信装置
US20210385773A1 (en) * 2020-06-05 2021-12-09 Qualcomm Incorporated Synchronization signal block transmissions in non-terrestrial networks
US20230261825A1 (en) * 2020-10-22 2023-08-17 Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd. Synchronization signal block transmission method and apparatus, device, and storage medium

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20210337494A1 (en) * 2020-04-28 2021-10-28 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for indication and transmission of downlink signal/channel for initial access
CN113703005A (zh) * 2020-05-21 2021-11-26 华为技术有限公司 卫星网络中定位的方法和通信装置
US20210385773A1 (en) * 2020-06-05 2021-12-09 Qualcomm Incorporated Synchronization signal block transmissions in non-terrestrial networks
US20230261825A1 (en) * 2020-10-22 2023-08-17 Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd. Synchronization signal block transmission method and apparatus, device, and storage medium

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