WO2025239417A1 - Method and apparatus for sib1 request operation - Google Patents

Abstract

A method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) request operation is provided. The method receives, from a first cell, a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration. The method receives, from a second cell, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB. The method determines that a SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value. The method transmits, to the second cell, an Uplink (UL) WUS based on the WUS configuration to request the SIB1 in response to determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast.　

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SIB1 REQUEST OPERATION

The present disclosure is related to wireless communication and, more specifically, to a User Equipment (UE), Base Station (BS), and method for System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) request operation.

Various efforts have been made to improve different aspects of wireless communication for the cellular wireless communication systems, such as the 5^th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), by improving data rate, latency, reliability, and mobility. The 5G NR system is designed to provide flexibility and configurability to optimize network services and types, accommodating various use cases, such as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). As the demand for radio access continues to grow, however, there exists a need for further improvements in the next-generation wireless communication systems, such as improvements in network energy saving.

The present disclosure is related to a UE, a BS, and a method for a SIB1 request operation.

In a first aspect of the present application, a UE for performing a SIB1 request operation is provided. The UE includes at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that is coupled to the at least one processor and that stores one or more computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to: receive, from a first cell, a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration; receive, from a second cell, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB; determine that a SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value; and transmit, to the second cell, an Uplink (UL) WUS based on the WUS configuration to request the SIB1 in response to determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast.

In some implementations of the first aspect, the specific value is 30 in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) or the specific value is 14 in Frequency Range 2 (FR2).

In some implementations of the first aspect, the WUS configuration includes a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) for indicating the second cell.

In some implementations of the first aspect, the WUS configuration includes at least one of a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) of the second cell, a preamble index, a mapping between the SSB and a Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, a Control Resource Set Zero (CORESET#0), and a Search Space Zero (SS#0).

In some implementations of the first aspect, the UE receives the SIB1 of the second cell based on the CORESET#0 and the SS#0.

In some implementations of the first aspect, the UE transmits another UL WUS to the second cell in response to not receiving a feedback for the UL WUS from the second cell after a specific duration configured in the WUS configuration.

In some implementations of the first aspect, the UE monitors a latest SSB transmitted by the second cell before transmitting the UL WUS.

In a second aspect of the present application, a BS configured to support a SIB1 request operation is provided. The BS includes at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that is coupled to the at least one processor and that stores one or more computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the BS to: transmit, via a second cell to a User Equipment (UE), a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB, after the UE receives a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration from a first cell; and receive, via the second cell from the UE, an Uplink (UL) WUS requesting a SIB1 of the second cell, the UL WUS being transmitted by the UE based on the WUS configuration in response to the UE determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast. The UE determines that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value.

In some implementations of the second aspect, the specific value is 30 in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) or the specific value is 14 in Frequency Range 2 (FR2).

In some implementations of the second aspect, the WUS configuration includes a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) for indicating the second cell.

In some implementations of the second aspect, the WUS configuration includes at least one of a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) of the second cell, a preamble index, a mapping between the SSB and a Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, a Control Resource Set Zero (CORESET#0), and a Search Space Zero (SS#0).

In some implementations of the second aspect, the BS transmits the SIB1 of the second cell based on the CORESET#0 and the SS#0.

In some implementations of the second aspect, the BS receives, via the second cell from the UE, another UL WUS in response to that the UE does not receive a feedback for the UL WUS from the second cell after a specific duration configured in the WUS configuration.

In some implementations of the second aspect, the UE monitors a latest SSB transmitted by the second cell before transmitting the UL WUS.

In a third aspect of the present application, a method performed by a UE for SIB1 request operation is provided. The method includes receiving, from a first cell, a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration; receiving, from a second cell, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB; determining that a SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value; and transmitting, to the second cell, an Uplink (UL) WUS based on the WUS configuration to request the SIB1 in response to determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast.

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed disclosure when read with the accompanying drawings. Various features are not drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method/process performed by a UE for performing a SIB1 request operation, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method/process performed by a BS configured to support a SIB1 request operation, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a node for wireless communication, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

Some of the abbreviations used in the present disclosure include:
Abbreviation　　　　　　　　Full name
3GPP　　　　　　　　　　　　3rd Generation Partnership Project
5G　　　　　　　　　　　　5th generation
5GC　　　　　　　　　　　　5G Core Network
ACK　　　　　　　　　　　　Acknowledgement
ARFCN　　　　　　　　　　　　Absolute Radio-Frequency Channel Number
BA　　　　　　　　　　　　Bandwidth Adaptation
BFR　　　　　　　　　　　　Beam Failure Recovery
BS　　　　　　　　　　　　Base Station
BWP　　　　　　　　　　　　Bandwidth Part
C-RNTI　　　　　　　　　　　　Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier
CA　　　　　　　　　　　　Carrier Aggregation
CC　　　　　　　　　　　　Component Carrier
CCCH　　　　　　　　　　　　Common Control CHannel
CCE　　　　　　　　　　　　Control Channel Element
CD-SSB　　　　　　　　　　　　Cell-Defining Synchronization Signal Block
CE　　　　　　　　　　　　Control Element
CFRA　　　　　　　　　　　　Contention-Free RA
CHO　　　　　　　　　　　　Conditional Handover
CMAS　　　　　　　　　　　　Commercial Mobile Alert System
CORESET　　　　　　　　　　　　Control Resource Set
CORESET#0　　　　　　　　Control Resource Set Zero
COT　　　　　　　　　　　　Channel Occupancy Time
CRC　　　　　　　　　　　　Cyclic Redundancy Check
CSC　　　　　　　　　　　　Cell Switch Command
CSI　　　　　　　　　　　　Channel State Information
CSS　　　　　　　　　　　　Common search space
CU　　　　　　　　　　　　Central Unit
DAPS　　　　　　　　　　　　Dual Active Protocol Stack
DC　　　　　　　　　　　　Dual Connectivity
DCI　　　　　　　　　　　　Downlink Control Information
DCP　　　　　　　　　　　　DCI with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI
DL　　　　　　　　　　　　Downlink
DMRS　　　　　　　　　　　　Demodulation Reference Signal
DRX　　　　　　　　　　　　Discontinuous Reception
E-UTRA　　　　　　　　　　　　Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access
EN-DC　　　　　　　　　　　　E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity
EPC　　　　　　　　　　　　Evolved Packet Core
ETWS　　　　　　　　　　　　Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System
FDM　　　　　　　　　　　　Frequency-Division Multiplexing
FR　　　　　　　　　　　　Frequency Range
FR1　　　　　　　　　　　　Frequency Range 1
FR1-2　　　　　　　　　　　　Frequency Range 1-2
FR2　　　　　　　　　　　　Frequency Range 2
FR2-2　　　　　　　　　　　　Frequency Range 2-2
GNSS　　　　　　　　　　　　Global Navigation Satellite System
GSCN　　　　　　　　　　　　Global Synchronization Channel Number
GSO　　　　　　　　　　　　GeoSynchronous Orbit
GW　　　　　　　　　　　　GateWay
HARQ　　　　　　　　　　　　Hybrid Automatic Repeat request
HARQ-ACK　　　　　　　　Hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement
ID　　　　　　　　　　　　Identifier
IE　　　　　　　　　　　　Information Elements
L1　　　　　　　　　　　　Layer-1
L1/L2/L3　　　　　　　　　　　　Layer 1/Layer 2/Layer 3
L2　　　　　　　　　　　　Layer-2
L3　　　　　　　　　　　　Layer-3
LCID　　　　　　　　　　　　Logical Channel IDentifier
LSB　　　　　　　　　　　　Least Significant Bit
LTE　　　　　　　　　　　　Long Term Evolution
LTM　　　　　　　　　　　　Layer1/Layer2 Triggered Mobility
MAC　　　　　　　　　　　　Medium Access Control
MCG　　　　　　　　　　　　Master Cell Group
MIB　　　　　　　　　　　　Master Information Block
MIMO　　　　　　　　　　　　Multiple Input Multiple Output
MN　　　　　　　　　　　　Master Node
MR-DC　　　　　　　　　　　　Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity
MSB　　　　　　　　　　　　Most Significant Bit
Msg1　　　　　　　　　　　　Message 1
Msg3　　　　　　　　　　　　Message 3
MsgA　　　　　　　　　　　　Message A
MsgB　　　　　　　　　　　　Message B
NACK　　　　　　　　　　　　Non-Acknowledgement
NAS　　　　　　　　　　　　Non-Access Stratum
NCGI　　　　　　　　　　　　NR Cell Global Identifier
NDI　　　　　　　　　　　　New Data Indicator
NE-DC　　　　　　　　　　　　NR-E-UTRA Dual Connectivity
NES　　　　　　　　　　　　Network Energy Saving
NG-RAN　　　　　　　　　　　　Next Generation Radio Access Network
NGEN-DC　　　　　　　　　　　　NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity
NGSO　　　　　　　　　　　　Non-GeoSynchronous Orbit
NR　　　　　　　　　　　　New RAT/Radio
NR-DC　　　　　　　　　　　　NR-NR Dual Connectivity
NTN　　　　　　　　　　　　Non-Terrestrial Network
NUL　　　　　　　　　　　　Normal Uplink
NW　　　　　　　　　　　　Network
OSI　　　　　　　　　　　　Other SI/On-demand SI
PBCH　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Broadcast CHannel
PCI　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Cell Identity
PCell　　　　　　　　　　　　Primacy Cell
PDCCH　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Downlink Control CHannel
PDCP　　　　　　　　　　　　Packet Data Convergence Protocol
PDSCH　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Downlink Shared CHannel
PDU　　　　　　　　　　　　Protocol Data Unit
PH　　　　　　　　　　　　Power Headroom
PHR　　　　　　　　　　　　Power Headroom Report
PHY　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Layer
PL-RS　　　　　　　　　　　　Path-Loss Reference Signal
PLMN　　　　　　　　　　　　Public Land Mobile Network
PRACH　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Random Access CHannel
PS　　　　　　　　　　　　Power Saving
PSCell　　　　　　　　　　　　Primary SCG Cell
PSS　　　　　　　　　　　　Primary Synchronization Signal
PTAG　　　　　　　　　　　　Primary Timing Advance Group
PUCCH　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Uplink Control CHannel
PUSCH　　　　　　　　　　　　Physical Uplink Shared CHannel
QCL　　　　　　　　　　　　Quasi Co-Location
RA　　　　　　　　　　　　Random Access
RACH　　　　　　　　　　　　Random Access CHannel
RAN　　　　　　　　　　　　Radio Access Network
RAR　　　　　　　　　　　　Random Access Response
RAT　　　　　　　　　　　　Radio Access Technology
RLC　　　　　　　　　　　　Radio Link Control
RLF　　　　　　　　　　　　Radio Link Failure
RNTI　　　　　　　　　　　　Radio Network Temporary Identifier
RO　　　　　　　　　　　　RACH Occasion
RRC　　　　　　　　　　　　Radio Resource Control
RRM　　　　　　　　　　　　Radio Resource Management
RS　　　　　　　　　　　　Reference Signal
RSRP　　　　　　　　　　　　Reference Signal Received Power
RTT　　　　　　　　　　　　Round-Trip Time
RV　　　　　　　　　　　　Redundancy Version
Rel　　　　　　　　　　　　Release
SCG　　　　　　　　　　　　Secondary Cell Group
SCS　　　　　　　　　　　　SubCarrier Spacing
SCell　　　　　　　　　　　　Secondary Cell
SDAP　　　　　　　　　　　　Service Data Adaptation Protocol
SDU　　　　　　　　　　　　Service Data Unit
SFN　　　　　　　　　　　　System Frame Number
SI　　　　　　　　　　　　System Information
SIB　　　　　　　　　　　　System Information Block
SIB1　　　　　　　　　　　　System Information Block Type 1
SMTC　　　　　　　　　　　　SSB Measurement Timing Configuration
SN　　　　　　　　　　　　Secondary Node
SP　　　　　　　　　　　　Semi-Persistent
SR　　　　　　　　　　　　Scheduling Request
SRI　　　　　　　　　　　　SRS Resource Indicator
SRS　　　　　　　　　　　　Sounding Reference Signal
SS　　　　　　　　　　　　Synchronization Signal
SSB　　　　　　　　　　　　SS/PBCH block
SSS　　　　　　　　　　　　Secondary Synchronization Signal
SS#0　　　　　　　　　　　　Search Space Zero
STAG　　　　　　　　　　　　Secondary Timing Advance Group
SUL　　　　　　　　　　　　Supplementary Uplink
SpCell　　　　　　　　　　　　Special Cell
TA　　　　　　　　　　　　Timing Advance
TAG　　　　　　　　　　　　Timing Advance Group
TB　　　　　　　　　　　　Transport Block
TCI　　　　　　　　　　　　Transmission Configuration Indication
TNL　　　　　　　　　　　　Transport Network Layer
TPC　　　　　　　　　　　　Transmission Power Control
TR　　　　　　　　　　　　Technical Report
TRP　　　　　　　　　　　　Transmission Reception Point
TS　　　　　　　　　　　　Technical Specification
TX　　　　　　　　　　　　Transmission
UCI　　　　　　　　　　　　Uplink Control Information
UE　　　　　　　　　　　　User Equipment
UL　　　　　　　　　　　　Uplink
UL-SCH　　　　　　　　　　　　Uplink Shared Channel
URLLC　　　　　　　　　　　　Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication
WUS　　　　　　　　　　　　Wake-Up Signal
XR　　　　　　　　　　　　eXtended Reality

The following contains specific information related to implementations of the present disclosure. The drawings and their accompanying detailed disclosure are merely directed to implementations. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these implementations. Other variations and implementations of the present disclosure will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Unless noted otherwise, like or corresponding elements among the drawings may be indicated by like or corresponding reference numerals. Moreover, the drawings and illustrations in the present disclosure are generally not to scale and are not intended to correspond to actual relative dimensions.

For the purposes of consistency and ease of understanding, like features may be identified (although, in some examples, not illustrated) by the same numerals in the drawings. However, the features in different implementations may be different in other respects and may not be narrowly confined to what is illustrated in the drawings.

References to “one implementation,” “an implementation,” “example implementation,” “various implementations,” “some implementations,” “implementations of the present application,” etc., may indicate that the implementation(s) of the present application so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every possible implementation of the present application necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “In some implementations,” or “in an example implementation,” “an implementation,” do not necessarily refer to the same implementation, although they may. Moreover, any use of phrases like “implementations” in connection with “the present application” are never meant to characterize that all implementations of the present application must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic, and should instead be understood to mean “at least some implementations of the present application” includes the stated particular feature, structure, or characteristic. The term “coupled” is defined as connected, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physical connections. The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series, and the equivalent.

The expression “at least one of A, B and C” or “at least one of the following: A, B and C” means “only A, or only B, or only C, or any combination of A, B and C.” The terms “system” and “network” may be used interchangeably. The term “and/or” is only an association relationship for describing associated objects and represents that three relationships may exist such that A and/or B may indicate that A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, or B exists alone. The character “/” generally represents that the associated objects are in an “or” relationship.

For the purposes of explanation and non-limitation, specific details, such as functional entities, techniques, protocols, and standards, are set forth for providing an understanding of the disclosed technology. In other examples, detailed disclosure of well-known methods, technologies, systems, and architectures are omitted so as not to obscure the present disclosure with unnecessary details.

Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any network function(s) or algorithm(s) disclosed may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware. Disclosed functions may correspond to modules which may be software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

A software implementation may include computer executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as memory or other type of storage devices. One or more microprocessors or general-purpose computers with communication processing capability may be programmed with corresponding executable instructions and perform the disclosed network function(s) or algorithm(s).

The microprocessors or general-purpose computers may include Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays, and/or one or more Digital Signal Processor (DSPs). Although some of the disclosed implementations are oriented to software installed and executing on computer hardware, alternative implementations implemented as firmware, as hardware, or as a combination of hardware and software are well within the scope of the present disclosure. The computer-readable medium includes but is not limited to Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or any other equivalent medium capable of storing computer-readable instructions.

A radio communication network architecture such as a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, an LTE-Advanced Pro system, or a 5G NR Radio Access Network (RAN) typically includes at least one base station (BS), at least one UE, and one or more optional network elements that provide connection within a network. The UE communicates with the network such as a Core Network (CN), an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network, an Evolved Universal Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN), a 5G Core (5GC), or an internet via a RAN established by one or more BSs.

A UE may include, but is not limited to, a mobile station, a mobile terminal or device, or a user communication radio terminal. The UE may be a portable radio equipment that includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet, a wearable device, a sensor, a vehicle, or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capability. The UE is configured to receive and transmit signals over an air interface to one or more cells in a RAN.

The BS may be configured to provide communication services according to at least a Radio Access Technology (RAT) such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) that is often referred to as 2G, GSM Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) that is often referred to as 3G based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), LTE, LTE-A, evolved LTE (eLTE) that is LTE connected to 5GC, NR (often referred to as 5G), and/or LTE-A Pro. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these protocols.

The BS may include, but is not limited to, a node B (NB) in the UMTS, an evolved node B (eNB) in LTE or LTE-A, a radio network controller (RNC) in UMTS, a BS controller (BSC) in the GSM/GERAN, an ng-eNB in an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) BS in connection with 5GC, a next generation Node B (gNB) in the 5G-RAN, or any other apparatus capable of controlling radio communication and managing radio resources within a cell. The BS may serve one or more UEs via a radio interface. Although the gNB is used as an example in some implementations within the present disclosure, it should be noted that the disclosed implementations may also be applied to other types of base stations.

The BS may be operable to provide radio coverage to a specific geographical area using multiple cells forming the RAN. The BS may support the operations of the cells. Each cell may be operable to provide services to at least one UE within its radio coverage.

Each cell (may often referred to as a serving cell) may provide services to one or more UEs within the cell’s radio coverage, such that each cell schedules the DL (and optionally UL resources) to at least one UE within its radio coverage for DL (and optionally UL packet transmissions from the UE). The BS may communicate with one or more UEs in the radio communication system via the cells.

A cell may allocate sidelink (SL) resources for supporting the Proximity Services (ProSe) or Vehicle to Everything (V2X) services. Each cell may have overlapped coverage areas with other cells.

In Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) cases, the primary cell of a Master Cell Group (MCG) or a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) may be referred to as a Special Cell (SpCell). A Primary Cell (PCell) may include the SpCell of an MCG. A Primary SCG Cell (PSCell) may include the SpCell of an SCG. MCG may include a group of serving cells associated with the Master Node (MN), including the SpCell and optionally one or more Secondary Cells (SCells). An SCG may include a group of serving cells associated with the Secondary Node (SN), including the SpCell and optionally one or more SCells.

As discussed above, the frame structure for NR may support flexible configurations for accommodating various next generation (e.g., 5G) communication requirements, such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), while fulfilling high reliability, high data rate, and low latency requirements. The Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology in the 3GPP may serve as a baseline for an NR waveform. The scalable OFDM numerology, such as adaptive sub-carrier spacing, channel bandwidth, and Cyclic Prefix (CP), may also be used.

Two coding schemes may be considered for NR, specifically, Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) code and Polar Code. The coding scheme adaption may be configured based on channel conditions and/or service applications.

At least the DL transmission data, a guard period, and UL transmission data should be included in a transmission time interval (TTI) of a single NR frame. The respective portions of the DL transmission data, the guard period, and the UL transmission data should also be configurable based on, for example, the network dynamics of NR. SL resources may also be provided in an NR frame to support ProSe services or V2X services.

Any two or more than two of the following paragraphs, (sub)-bullets, points, actions, behaviors, terms, or claims described in the present disclosure may be combined logically, reasonably, and properly to form a specific method.

Any sentence, paragraph, (sub)-bullet, point, action, behaviors, terms, or claims described in the present disclosure may be implemented independently and separately to form a specific method.

Dependency, e.g., “based on”, “more specifically”, “preferably”, “in one embodiment”, “in some implementations”, etc., in the present disclosure is just one possible example which would not restrict the specific method.

In some implementations, all the designs/embodiment/implementations introduced within this disclosure are not limited to be applied for dealing with the problems discussed within this disclosure. For example, the described embodiments may be applied to solve other problems that exist in the RAN of wireless communication systems. In some implementations, all of the numbers listed within the designs/embodiment/implementations introduced within this disclosure are just examples and for illustration, for example, of how the described methods are executed.

Examples of some selected terms in the present disclosure are provided as follows.

UE: The UE may be referred to as the PHY/MAC/RLC/PDCP/SDAP entity. The PHY/MAC/RLC/PDCP/SDAP entity may also be referred to as the UE.

NW: The NW may include a network node, a TRP, a cell (e.g., SpCell, PCell, PSCell, and/or SCell), an eNB, or a gNB.

Serving Cell: The serving cell may include a PCell, a PSCell, or an SCell. The serving cell may be an activated or a deactivated serving cell.

Special Cell (SpCell): For a Dual Connectivity operation, the term Special Cell may include the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG depending on whether the MAC entity is associated with the MCG or the SCG, respectively. Otherwise, the term Special Cell may include the PCell. A Special Cell may support the PUCCH transmission and the contention-based Random Access and may be always activated.

Network energy saving (NES) is of great importance for environmental sustainability, to reduce environmental impact (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions), and for operational cost savings. As 5G is becoming pervasive across industries and geographical areas, handling more advanced services and applications requiring very high data rates (e.g., XR), networks are becoming denser and are using more antennas, larger bandwidths and more frequency bands. Novel solutions may be needed to improve network energy savings and mitigate the environmental impact of 5G.

One of the identified key techniques is on-demand SIB1. In legacy, SIB1 is always transmitted by at least the PCell and cannot be turned off. If SIB1 in a cell can be turned off, the cell may enter a deep sleep mode, which can save much power. When a UE in RRC_IDLE/RRC_INACTIVE state needs SIB1 (e.g., for accessing the cell), the UE may transmit an UL WUS to the NW (e.g., through this cell) and the cell may transmit SIB1. This technique may be referred to as “on-demand SIB1”.

In this disclosure, the technical aspects to support on-demand SIB1 are described.

In this disclosure, CORESET#0 and controlResourceSetZero may be used interchangeably.

In this disclosure, SS#0 and SearchSpaceZero may be used interchangeably.

In some implementations, a Cell A may be defined as a cell that is periodically transmitting at least its own SIB1.

In some implementations, an NES cell may be defined as a cell that may transmit SIB1 in response to UL WUS from a UE. In some implementations, the NES cell may transmit SSB, which may also be referred to as “NES SSB”.

In this disclosure, implementations regarding how a UE receives/detects/monitors SIB1 from an NES cell are provided. The UE may detect an SSB transmitted by an NES cell and the UE may identify that the SSB is transmitted by the NES cell. The UE may receive a WUS configuration from a cell A, where the WUS configuration may include at least one of the following: information related to the UL WUS, RACH information, SSB information related to NES cell(s), and SIB1 information related to the NES cell. Therefore, the UE may transmit UL WUS, receive feedback after transmitting the UL WUS, receive SSB transmitted by the NES cell, and receive the SIB1 transmitted by the NES cell, based on the WUS configuration. If the WUS configuration provides SIB1 configuration of the NES cell explicitly, the UE may receive the SIB1 transmitted by the NES cell after transmitting the UL WUS. However, if the WUS configuration does not provide SIB1 configuration of the NES cell explicitly, the UE may need to monitor/receive SSB transmitted by the NES cell after transmitting the UL WUS since the NES cell may change SSB content after receiving the UL WUS. The UE may need to monitor/receive SSB with a new content, which may indicate to the UE to find CORESET#0, SS#0 or SIB1 of the NES cell. The present disclosure describes implementations regarding whether the UE may stop SSB monitoring/receiving after transmitting the UL WUS until the NES cell changes the SSB contents. The present disclosure also describes implementations regarding what information may be indicated by the SSB content, such as time/frequency resource of CORSET#0, SS#0, and/or SIB1.

The present disclosure describes implementations regarding the UE behavior after the UE transmits the UL WUS to the NES cell and the NES cell does not change SSB according to the UL WUS.

The present disclosure describes implementations regarding a WUS configuration (e.g., with more than one NES SIB1 resources configuration) provided to the UE via the cell A, where the UE may determine one of the NES SIB1 resources via the NES SSB content (e.g., pdcchConfig-SIB1 or k_SSB). The parameter k_SSB may also be represented as k_SSB.

The present disclosure describes implementations regarding whether the UE may check, before transmitting the UL WUS, the latest NES SSB providing NES SIB1 or CORESET#0/SS#0 for monitoring the NES SIB1 (e.g., via pdcchConfig-SIB1 or k_SSB).

UE identifies NES cell

In some implementations, when a UE receives/monitors one or more first NES SSBs from the NES cell, the UE may determine whether one or more of the following conditions are satisfied:

- the spare field in the MIB in the one or more first NES SSBs is set to a specific value,

- the cellBarred field in the MIB in the one or more first NES SSBs is set to “barred”,

- the k_SSB determined from the one or more first NES SSBs is set to a specific range (e.g., larger than or equal to 24 and smaller than or equal to 31 in FR1, or larger than or equal to 12 and smaller than or equal to 15 in FR2),

- the k_SSB determined from the one or more first NES SSBs is set to a specific value (e.g., 30 in FR1, or 14 in FR2), and

- the UE receives/detects/monitors information related to the UL WUS (e.g., WUS configuration in SIBx) from the cell A. In some implementations, the WUS configuration may include: (1) one or more configurations related to the UL WUS (e.g., PCI list of the NES cell, PCI of the NES cell, preamble index, the RACH/preamble occasion, time and/or frequency resource for the UL WUS transmission, mapping between the one or more first NES SSBs and the RO, and mapping between the one or more first NES SSBs and the UL WUS resource, RA-RNTI, a parameter SSB-PositionInBurst, a parameter tdd-UL-DL-configurationCommon, and a parameter absoluteFrequencyPointA); (2) the NES SSB configuration related to one or more second NES SSBs (e.g., NES SSB periodicity, NES SSB-RO mapping, NES SSB position in burst, CORESET#0, and SS#0), configurations related to PDCCH/search space for receiving the NES SIB1 (e.g., CORESET#0, SS#0, DCI scrambled by SI-RNTI, DCI scrambled by a specific RNTI (e.g., NES-RNTI)); and (3) configurations related to the NES SIB1, such as time/frequency resource of the NES SIB1, one or more time/frequency resources of the NES SIB1, number of the NES SIB1 to be transmitted, transmitting duration of the NES SIB1, CORESET#0, SS#0, RA-RNTI, DCI scrambled by SI-RNTI, DCI scrambled by a specific RNTI (e.g., NES-RNTI). More specifically, the one or more second NES SSB may refer to one or more SSBs transmitted from the NES cell after receiving the UL WUS by the NES cell.

In some implementations, if at least one of the above-mentioned conditions are satisfied, the UE may determine that the SIB1 of the NES cell, which may also be referred to as the “NES SIB1”, is on-demand. In some implementations, the UE may be expected to transmit the UL WUS to the NES cell to request the NES SIB1.

In some implementations, the one or more second NES SSBs may be included in the same SS burst set or in different SS burst sets. An SS burst set may be contained within a 5ms window.

UE receives WUS configuration

In some implementations, the UE may receive a WUS configuration transmitted by the cell A. The WUS configuration may include at least one of the following:

- one or more configurations related to the UL WUS (e.g., PCI of the NES cell, preamble index, mapping between RACH/preamble occasion and the one or more first NES SSBs, a parameter prach-ConfigurationIndex, a UE Contention Resolution Identity, RA-RNTI),

- NES SSB configuration related to the one or more second NES SSBs (e.g., NES SSB periodicity, NES SSB-RO mapping, NES SSB position in burst, CORESET#0, and SS#0),

- configurations related to PDCCH for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1 (e.g., CORESET#0, SS#0, PDCCH scrambled by RA-RNTI, PDCCH scrambled by SI-RNTI), and

- configurations related to the NES SIB1 (e.g., time/frequency resource of NES SIB1, the number of NES SIB1 to transmit, NES SIB1 transmitting duration, CORESET#0, SS#0, DCI scrambled by SI-RNTI, DCI scrambled by a specific RNTI, such as NES-RNTI).

UE transmits UL WUS

In some implementations, the UE may transmit a UL WUS to the NES cell. The UL WUS may be a preamble, a Msg1, or a Msg3. The WUS configuration may indicate the preamble index, time and/or frequency resource(s) for UL WUS transmission, and/or a relation between the UL WUS transmission and the NES SSB. The WUS configuration related to the UL WUS may include one or more PCI(s) of one or more NES cell(s), preamble index, RACH/preamble occasion, time and/or frequency resource for UL WUS transmission, and the one or more first NES SSBs and UL WUS resource mapping. In some implementations, the UE may transmit a Msg3 that includes a UE Contention Resolution Identity. The Msg3 may be transmitted on a UL-SCH containing a CCCH SDU, submitted from upper layer and associated with a UE Contention Resolution Identity. The UE Contention Resolution Identity may be provided by the NES cell after receiving the Msg3. In some implementations, if the CCCH SDU transmitted in the Msg3 matches the UE Contention Resolution Identity in the UE Contention Resolution Identity MAC CE, the UE may consider that the UL WUS is received by the NES cell.

In some implementations, if a first specific parameter associated with on-demand SIB1 request configured in the WUS configuration is set to a specific value (e.g., the onDemandSIB1-request is set to “true” or “enabled”), the UE may trigger a SIB1 request, which may be referred to as on-demand SIB1, random access procedure. Otherwise, the UE may trigger (e.g., a legacy) SI request rather than the SIB1 request.

In some implementations, if a second specific parameter associated with on-demand SIB1 requested by Msg3 configured in the WUS configuration is set to a specific value (e.g., the onDemandSIB1-request-Msg3 is set to “true” or “enabled”), the UE may trigger a SIB1 request, which may be referred to as on-demand SIB1, random access procedure via Msg3. Otherwise, the UE may trigger a SIB1 request random access procedure via Msg1.

In some implementations, if a specific parameter associated with on-demand SIB1 request configured in the WUS configuration is set to a specific value (e.g., the onDemandSIB1 is set to “true” or “enabled”) and if the UE Contention Resolution Identity in the MAC CE matches the CCCH SDU transmitted in Msg3, the UE may consider this Contention Resolution successful and finish the disassembly and demultiplexing of the MAC PDU. If the random access procedure was initiated for SIB1 request or on-demand SIB1, the UE may indicate the reception of an acknowledgement for the SIB1 request or on-demand SIB1 to upper layers. In some implementations, the LCID of the Msg3 triggering the on-demand SIB1 may have a value different from that of the Msg3 not triggering the on-demand SIB1. In some implementations, a new LCID value used for the Msg3 triggering the on-demand SIB1 may be added to values of LCID for the UL-SCH.

In some implementations, a parameter prach-ConfigurationIndex may be provided by the WUS configuration, and the parameter may provide the preamble format and the available set of PRACH occasions for the transmission of a random access preamble for the Msg1.

In some implementations, the UE may be configured (e.g., via the WUS configuration) with an indication of whether to use Msg1 or Msg3 to transmit the UL WUS.

Feedback from NES cell

In some implementations, the UE may monitor/receive feedback (e.g., RAR, Msg4) from the NES cell after transmitting the UL WUS. The NES cell may transmit/broadcast the feedback (e.g., RAR, Msg4) after receiving the UL WUS. The feedback may include at least one of the following: Temporary C-RNTI, timing advance value, UL grant, UE Contention Resolution Identity, NES SSB information (e.g., the time/frequency resources, the broadcasting duration, and the starting/ending symbol/slot/frame of the one or more second NES SSBs, and the number of the one or more second NES SSBs that will be broadcasted), and NES SIB1 information (e.g., time/frequency resources of the NES SIB1, how long the NES SIB1 will be broadcasted, the starting/ending time of the broadcasting NES SIB1, and the number of the NES SIB1 that will be broadcasted).

In some implementations, there may be one or more NES SSB information and/or NES SIB1 information configured in the WUS configuration (e.g., in the NES SSB/SIB1 configuration configured in the WUS configuration) and the feedback may indicate one of the NES SSB information and/or the NES SIB1 information in the WUS configuration (e.g., in the NES SSB/SIB1 configuration configured in the WUS configuration). If the UE receives the feedback and the feedback includes the NES SIB1 information, the UE may receive/monitor the NES SIB1 according to the NES SIB1 information. If the UE receives the feedback and the feedback includes the NES SSB information, the UE may receive/monitor the one or more second NES SSB(s) according to the NES SSB information. The UE may receive/monitor the NES SIB1 according to the one or more second NES SSB(s). In some implementations, the UE may skip monitoring/receiving the feedback (e.g., RAR, Msg4) from the NES cell after transmitting the UL WUS. The UE may transmit the UL WUS and may not monitor/receive the feedback (e.g., RAR, Msg4) from the NES cell.

In some implementations, the RA-RNTI for the UE to monitor/receive the RAR/feedback may be provided via the WUS configuration or calculated by the UE according to the UL WUS resource. In some implementations, the SI-RNTI for the UE to monitor the NES SIB1 may be provided via the WUS configuration or may be a predefined value.

In some implementations, UE Contention Resolution Identity may be included in the feedback after the preamble/UL WUS/Msg3 is transmitted. The UE may monitor the feedback after transmitting the preamble/UL WUS/Msg3, where the feedback may include, but not limited to, the UE Contention Resolution Identity.

In some implementations, whether the UE may receive feedback form the NES cell may be configured in the WUS configuration.

UE receives the NES SIB1/CORESET#0 via the WUS configuration

In some implementations, the UE may receive/detect the NES SIB1 based on a WUS configuration transmitted by the cell A.

In some implementations, the WUS configuration may include the one or more configurations related to the UL WUS (e.g., PCI of NES cell, preamble index, mapping between the RACH/preamble occasion and the NES SSB, mapping between the one or more first SSBs and RO) and configurations related to the NES SIB1 (e.g., time/frequency resource of the NES SIB1, the number of NES SIB1 to be transmitted, the NES SIB1 transmitting duration, CORESET#0, SS#0, DCI scrambled by SI-RNTI, DCI scrambled by a specific RNTI, such as NES-RNTI). In some implementations, the UE may expect the SSB (burst) periodicity may change after transmitting the UL WUS. In some implementations, the NES cell may change the SSB (burst) periodicity after receiving the UL WUS.

In some implementations, the WUS configuration may include the one or more configurations related to the UL WUS (e.g., PCI of the NES cell, preamble index, the RACH/preamble occasion, the mapping of the NES SSB, mapping between the one or more first SSBs and RO) and the NES SSB configuration related to the one or more second NES SSBs (e.g., the NES SSB periodicity, NES SSB-RO mapping, NES SSB position in burst, CORESET#0, and SS#0).

In some implementations, the WUS configuration may include the one or more configurations related to the UL WUS (e.g., PCI of NES cell, preamble index, RACH/preamble occasion and NES SSB mapping, mapping between the one or more first SSBs and RO) and configurations related to the PDCCH/search space (set) for monitoring the NES SIB1 monitoring (e.g., CORESET#0, SS#0, DCI scrambled by SI-RNTI, DCI scrambled by a specific RNTI, such as NES-RNTI). The WUS configuration related to the PDCCH/search space (set) for monitoring the NES SIB1 may include the one or more CORESETs for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1 (e.g., CORESET#0), search space (set) for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1 (e.g., SS#0), RNTI for PDCCH/DCI receiving/monitoring (e.g., SI-RNTI, RA-RNTI, NES-RNTI). After the UE receives/monitors the DCI in the PDCCH/search space, the UE may receive the NES SIB1 based on the DCI.

In some implementations, the UE may skip/stop monitoring SSB (e.g., the one or more first NES SSBs) for a specific duration after transmitting the UL WUS since the UE may detect/monitor the NES SIB1 via the WUS configuration. In some implementations, the UE may monitor/detect SSB in a longer periodicity after transmitting the UL WUS. For example, the UE may change SSB periodicity from 20ms to 160ms after transmitting the UL WUS. In some implementations, the UE may monitor the NES SSB again before transmitting the WUS. If the NES SSB content and/or the MIB payload indicate that the NES SIB1 is not broadcasted (e.g., k_SSB is set to a specific value or a specific range, which indicates that no NES SIB1 is broadcasting), the UE may transmit the UL WUS and start monitoring the NES SSB, the configured PDCCH, or the NES SIB1 after the N slots/symbols or the Nms from the UL WUS transmission, where N is a positive number. On the contrary, based on monitoring the NES SSB content and/or the MIB payload, if the UE identifies that the scheduling NES SIB1 is indicated as valid, the UE may not be permitted to transmit the UL WUS. The UE may follow the legacy procedure to acquire the NES SIB1 even though the UL WUS configuration provides relevant information.

UE receives the NES SIB1/CORESET#0 via the WUS configuration and the NES SSB after transmitting the UL WUS

In some implementations, after transmitting the UL WUS (or after receiving the feedback of the UL WUS), the UE may determine a time and/or frequency resource of the NES SIB1 based on the content in the one or more first NES SSBs (e.g., k_SSB, spare bit, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field, and the cellBarred field in the MIB). In some implementations, after transmitting the UL WUS (or after receiving the feedback of the UL WUS), the UE may receive/detect the time and/or frequency resource of the NES SIB1 (e.g., CORESET#0, or SS#0) based on at least one of k_SSB, spare bit, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field, and the cellBarred field in the MIB of the one or more first SSBs.

For example, after the UE transmits the UL WUS (, or after the UE receives the feedback of the UL WUS), if the UE receives/detects the one or more first SSBs with the cellBarred field set to “barred”, the UE may interpret that the value of k_SSB is used to indicate an index corresponding to one of time/frequency resource of the NES SIB1 configured in the WUS configuration. For example, after the UE transmits the UL WUS (, or after the UE receives the feedback of the UL WUS), if the UE receives/detects the one or more first SSBs with k_SSB set to a specific value (e.g., 30 or 31 in FR1, or 14 or 15 in FR2) or a specific range (e.g., 24 to 29 in FR1, or 12 to 13 in FR2), the value in the pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field may be used to indicate an index corresponding to one of time/frequency resource of the NES SIB1 (e.g.,CORESET#0, or SS#0) configured in the WUS configuration. More specifically, the one or more time/frequency resources of the NES SIB1 (e.g., CORESET#0, or SS#0) may be configured/provided by the WUS configuration and the k_SSB field or pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field the in the one or more first NES SSB may indicate one of the time and/or frequency resources of NES SIB1 (e.g., CORESET#0, or SS#0) configured in the WUS configuration.

In some implementations, before the UE transmits the UL WUS, the UE may monitor the latest one or more first SSBs. If the k_SSB in the MIB in the one or more first SSBs is set to a specific value (e.g., 30 or 31 in FR1, or 14 or 15 in FR2) or a specific range (e.g., 24 to 29 in FR1, or 12 to 13 in FR2), the UL may transmit the UL WUS.

UE receives the NES SIB1 via the NES cell, which may change the NES SSB contents

UE receives/monitors one or more second NES SSBs

In some implementations, the UE may monitor/receive the one or more second NES SSBs from the NES cell.

In some implementations, after transmitting the UL WUS, the UE may monitor/receive one or more second NES SSBs from the NES cell.

In some implementations, after transmitting the UL WUS, the UE may start monitoring/receiving the one or more second NES SSBs after a first specific duration. The first specific duration may be predefined (e.g., 80ms, or multiple symbols/ slots/radio frames) after the UE transmits the UL WUS, since the UE may expect that the NES cell may not change its NES SSB content from the one or more first NES SSBs to the one or more second NES SSBs in 80ms. The first specific duration may be in unit of ms/slot/symbol/radio frame. In some implementations, the first specific duration may be provided by the WUS configuration or by the feedback of the UL WUS.

In some implementations, the UE may stop monitoring/receiving the one or more second NES SSBs for a first specific duration after transmitting the UL WUS. The first specific duration may be predefined (e.g., 80ms, or multiple symbols/ slots/radio frames) since the UE may expect that the NES cell may not change its NES SSB content from the one or more first NES SSBs to the one or more second NES SSBs in 80ms. More specifically, the UE may save power by stopping monitoring/receiving the one or more second NES SSBs for the first specific duration after transmitting the UL WUS.

In some implementations, the first specific duration may be in unit of ms/slot/symbol/frame.

In some implementations, the NES cell may change the content in the NES SSB after receiving the UL WUS. More specifically, the one or more first NES SSBs may refer to the NES SSB(s) transmitted before the UE receives the UL WUS, and the one or more second NES SSBs may refer to the NES SSB(s) after the UE receives the UL WUS. More specifically, the NES cell may change the content in the NES SSB(s) from the one or more first NES SSBs to the one or more second NES SSBs.

In some implementations, the UE may expect to receive/monitor the one or more second NES SSBs from the NES cell, feedback of the UL WUS, or PDCCH for the SIB1 no later than a second specific duration after transmitting the UL WUS. Otherwise, the UE may determine that the UL WUS is not well received by the NES cell. More specifically, the UE may not (re)transmit another UL WUS to the NES cell in the second specific duration after the UL WUS transmission. More specifically, the UE may expect to receive/monitor the one or more second NES SSBs from the NES cell no later than the second specific duration after the last/first symbol of the slot that includes the UL WUS transmission.

In some implementations, the second specific duration may be provided in the WUS configuration and/or by the feedback of the UL WUS. In some implementations, the second specific duration may be in unit of ms/slot/symbol/frame. In some implementations, the second specific duration may be a processing time for the NES cell to change the SSB content, or a processing time for the NES cell to broadcast the SIB1.

In some implementations, the UE may (re)transmit another UL WUS to the NES cell if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, the feedback of the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 from the NES cell after the second specific duration from the UL WUS transmission (e.g., RAR window), where the content in the one or more second NES SSBs may include information related to the NES SIB1, CORESET (e.g., CORESET#0) for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1 and/or the resource of search space set (e.g., SS#0) for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1.

In some implementations, the UE may set the frequency priority of the NES cell to the lowest if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, the feedback for the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 from the NES cell in a second specific duration after transmitting the UL WUS. More specifically, a first counter may be increased by 1 if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, the feedback for the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 from the NES cell. In some implementations, the UE may set the frequency priority of the NES cell to the lowest if the first counter equals to a specific value or a predefined value. More specifically, if the one or more first NES SSBs are detected, the UE may increase the first counter by 1.

In some implementations, the UE may (re)transmit another UL WUS to the NES cell if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, the feedback of the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 after the second specific duration from the UL WUS transmission (e.g., RAR window), and the UE may increase a second counter by 1 when the UE (re)transmits the UL WUS. More specifically, the UE may set the frequency priority of the NES cell to the lowest if the second counter equals to a specific value or a predefined value.

In some implementations, the UE may monitor/detect another SSB (set) on the other synchronization raster according to the one or more field(s) (e.g., k_SSB, spare bit, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field, and the cellBarred field) in the one or more first SSBs (, or in the MIB of the one or more first SSBs) if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, the feedback for the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 from the NES cell in second specific duration after the UL WUS is transmitted. More specifically, a first counter may be increased by 1 if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, the feedback for the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 from the NES cell. More specifically, the UE may monitor/detect another SSB (set) according to the one or more field(s) (e.g., k_SSB, spare bit, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field, and the cellBarred field) in the one or more first SSBs (, or in the MIB of the one or more first SSBs) if the first counter equals to a specific value or a predefined value. More specifically, if the one or more first NES SSBs are detected, the UE may still increase the first counter by 1.

For example, if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, the feedback for the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 from the NES cell in second specific duration after the UL WUS is transmitted and the k_SSB is set to 24 to 29 in FR1 (, or k_SSB is set to 12 to 13 in FR2), the UE may detect/monitor another SSB on another GSCN according to N^Reference _GSCN + N^Offset _GSCN, where N^Reference _GSCN is the current GSCN and N^Offset _GSCN may be found in Table 1 and Table 2. For example, if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs or the feedback for the UL WUS from the NES cell in second specific duration after the UL WUS is transmitted and the k_SSB is set to 24 to 29 in FR1 (, or k_SSB is set to 12 to 13 in FR2), the UE may detect/monitor another SSB on another GSCN outside [N^Reference _GSCN - N^Start _GSCN, N^Reference _GSCN + N^Start _GSCN], where N^Reference _GSCN is the current GSCN and N^Start _GSCN may be determined by CORESET#0 and SS#0 in Table 1 and Table 2. More specifically, CORESET#0 and SS#0 are provided by PDCCH-ConfigSIB1 in the MIB in the one or more first NES SSBs. In some implementations, the UE may (re)transmit another UL WUS to the NES cell if the UE does not receive the one or more second NES SSBs, feedback of the UL WUS, or the PDCCH for the SIB1 after the second specific duration from the UL WUS transmission (e.g., RAR window). The UE may increase a second counter by 1 when the UE (re)transmits the UL WUS. More specifically, the UE may set the frequency priority of the NES cell to the lowest if the second counter is equal to a specific value or a predefined value.

Table 1 below illustrates the values of N^Start _GSCN and N^Offset _GSCN corresponding to specific values of k_SSB in FR1, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

Table 2 below illustrates the values of N^Start _GSCN and N^Offset _GSCN corresponding to specific values of k_SSB in FR2, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, if the UE does not receive/monitor one or more second NES SSBs from the NES cell in the second specific duration after transmitting the UL WUS, the UE may not expect to (re)transmit the UL WUS while a specific timer is running.

UE determines the NES SIB1 from the one or more second NES SSBs

In some implementations, after transmitting the UL WUS, the UE may determine a time and/or frequency resource of the NES SIB1 based on the content in the one or more second NES SSBs (e.g., k_SSB, spare bit, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field, and the cellBarred field in the MIB).

UE determines CORESET#0, SS#0 from one or more second NES SSBs

In some implementations, the UE may determine a time and/or frequency resource of CORESET (e.g., CORESET#0) for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1 and/or a time and/or frequency resource of the PDCCH (e.g., SS#0) for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1 based on the content in the one or more second NES SSBs (e.g., k_SSB, spare bit, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field, and the cellBarred field in the MIB) and monitor the NES SIB1 based on the CORESET (e.g., CORESET#0) for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1 and/or the resource of PDCCH (e.g., SS#0) for receiving/monitoring the NES SIB1.

In the present disclosure, many implementations to support on-demand SIB1 are described. With the techniques described in this disclosure, the NES can be achieved.

In some implementations, a method performed by a UE may include one or more of the following:

- receiving a WUS configuration from cell A, where the WUS configuration includes at least one of configuration related to UL WUS and configuration related to one or more second SSBs;

- detecting one or more first SSBs transmitted from a first cell;

- determining whether the first cell is an NES cell via at least one of: the contents in the one or more first SSBs, and the WUS configuration;

- if the k_SSB in the MIB in the one or more first SSBs is set to a specific value or a specific range indicating that no NES SIB1 is transmitted and the NES SIB1 is on-demand, the UE transmits a UL WUS according to the WUS configuration to the NES cell;

- start detecting one or more second SSBs according to the WUS configuration;

- if the UE cannot detect/monitor the one or more second SSBs in a specific duration after transmitting the UL WUS or after receiving the feedback of the UL WUS, the UE may detect the SSB on the other synchronization raster according to the one or more first SSBs;

- otherwise, the UE may receive a PDCCH according to the content in the one or more second SSBs; and

- receiving the SIB1 of the NES cell indicated by the PDCCH.

In some implementations, a method performed by a UE may include one or more of the following:

- receiving a WUS configuration from the cell A, where the WUS configuration may include at least one of the UL WUS configuration and the NES SIB1 configuration, and the NES SIB1 configuration may include one or more resource(s) of the NES SIB1;

- detecting one or more first SSBs transmitted from a first cell;

- determining whether the first cell is an NES cell via at least one of: the contents in the one or more first SSBs and the WUS configuration;

- if the k_SSB in the MIB in the one or more first SSB is set to a specific value or a specific range indicating that no NES SIB1 is transmitted and the NES SIB1 is on-demand, the UE may transmit the UL WUS according to the WUS configuration to the NES cell; and

- start detecting NES SIB1 according to the pddchConfig-SIB1 field in MIB in the one or more first SSBs, where the value of the pddchConfig-SIB1 field maps to one of the one or more resource(s) of the NES SIB1.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method/process 100 performed by a UE for performing a SIB1 request operation, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

In the action 102, the process 100 may start by receiving, from a first cell, a WUS configuration. In the action 104, the process 100 may receive, from a second cell, an SSB including a parameter k_SSB. In some implementations, the first cell may correspond to the cell A, and the second cell may correspond to the NES cell.

In the action 106, the process 100 may determine that a SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value. In the action 108, the process may transmit, to the second cell, a UL WUS based on the WUS configuration to request the SIB1 in response to determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast. The process 100 may then end. In some implementations, if the parameter k_SSB of the SSB from the second cell is set to the specific value, it may indicate that the SIB1 of the second cell is not broadcast and the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand.

In some implementations, the specific value may be 30 in FR1 or the specific value may be 14 in FR2. In other words, the parameter k_SSB of the SSB from the second cell may be set to 30 in FR1 or the parameter k_SSB of the SSB from the second cell may be set to 14 in FR2. More specifically, if the parameter k_SSB of the SSB from the second cell is set to 30 in FR1 or 14 in FR2, it may indicate that the SIB1 of the second cell is not broadcast and the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand.

In some implementations, the WUS configuration may include a PCI for indicating the second cell. In some implementations, the WUS configuration may include at least one of a PCI of the second cell, a preamble index, a mapping between the SSB and a RACH occasion, a Control Resource Set Zero (CORESET#0), and a Search Space Zero (SS#0). In some implementations, the UE may receive the SIB1 of the second cell based on the CORESET#0 and the SS#0. More specifically, the WUS configuration may include one or more configurations related to the UL WUS (e.g., the PCI of the NES cell, preamble index, mapping between the RACH/preamble occasion and the NES SSB, mapping between the one or more first SSBs and the RO) and configuration related to the NES SIB1 (e.g., time/frequency resource of the NES SIB1, the number of the NES SIB1 to be transmitted, transmitting duration of the NES SIB1, CORESET#0, SS#0, the DCI scrambled by the SI-RNTI, the DCI scrambled by the NES-RNTI).

In some implementations, the UE may transmit another UL WUS to the second cell in response to not receiving a feedback for the UL WUS from the second cell after a specific duration configured in the WUS configuration. More specifically, the feedback may correspond to the SSB of the second cell, configured PDCCH, or the SIB1 of the second cell. The specific duration may be N slots/symbols or Nms, where N is a positive number.

In some implementations, the UE may monitor a latest SSB transmitted by the second cell before transmitting the UL WUS. More specifically, the UE may transmit the UL WUS in response to that the parameter k_SSB of the latest SSB monitored by the UE is set to the specific value (e.g., 30 in FR1 or 14 in FR2).

The steps/actions shown in FIG. 1 should not be construed as necessarily order dependent. The order in which the process is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation. Moreover, some of the actions shown in FIG. 1 may be omitted in some implementations and one or more actions shown in FIG. 1 may be combined.

The technical problem addressed by the method illustrated in FIG. 1 is how to enhance SIB1 request operation. By checking the parameter k_SSB included in the SSB from the second cell, the UE may determine whether the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and not broadcast. In response, the UE may selectively transmit the UL WUS to the second cell based on the WUS configuration received from the first cell. Such adaptability in requesting the SIB1 may contribute to improved synchronization between the UE and the second cell, and may further enhance energy efficiency and reliability of the communication between the UE and the second cell.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method/process 200 performed by a BS configured to support a SIB1 request operation, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. In the action 202, the process 200 may start by transmitting, via a second cell to a User Equipment (UE), a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB, after the UE receives a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration from a first cell. In some implementations, the first cell may correspond to another BS. In the action 204, the process 200 may receive, via the second cell from the UE, an Uplink (UL) WUS requesting a SIB1 of the second cell, the UL WUS being transmitted by the UE based on the WUS configuration in response to the UE determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast. The UE may determine that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value. The process 200 may then end. The method illustrated in FIG. 2 is similar to that in FIG. 1, except that it is described from the perspective of the BS (instead of the UE).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a node for wireless communication, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a node 300 may include a transceiver 320, a processor 328, a memory 334, one or more presentation components 338, and at least one antenna 336. The node 300 may also include a radio frequency (RF) spectrum band module, a BS communications module, a network communications module, and a system communications management module, Input / Output (I/O) ports, I/O components, and a power supply (not illustrated in FIG. 3).

Each of the components may directly or indirectly communicate with each other over one or more buses 340. The node 300 may be a UE or a BS that performs various functions disclosed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 2.

The transceiver 320 has a transmitter 322 (e.g., transmitting/transmission circuitry) and a receiver 324 (e.g., receiving/reception circuitry) and may be configured to transmit and/or receive time and/or frequency resource partitioning information. The transceiver 320 may be configured to transmit in different types of subframes and slots including, but not limited to, usable, non-usable, and flexibly usable subframes and slot formats. The transceiver 320 may be configured to receive data and control channels.

The node 300 may include a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media may be any available media that may be accessed by the node 300 and include volatile (and/or non-volatile) media and removable (and/or non-removable) media.

The computer-readable media may include computer-storage media and communication media. Computer-storage media may include both volatile (and/or non-volatile media), and removable (and/or non-removable) media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or data.

Computer-storage media may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory (or other memory technology), CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) (or other optical disk storage), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage (or other magnetic storage devices), etc. Computer-storage media may not include a propagated data signal. Communication media may typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transport mechanisms and include any information delivery media.

The term “modulated data signal” may mean a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Communication media may include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media, such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above listed components should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The memory 334 may include computer-storage media in the form of volatile and/or non-volatile memory. The memory 334 may be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Example memory may include solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the memory 334 may store a computer-readable and/or computer-executable instructions 332 (e.g., software codes) that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor 328 to perform various functions disclosed herein, for example, with reference to FIGS. 1 through 2. Alternatively, the instructions 332 may not be directly executable by the processor 328 but may be configured to cause the node 300 (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform various functions disclosed herein.

The processor 328 (e.g., having processing circuitry) may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc. The processor 328 may include memory. The processor 328 may process the data 330 and the instructions 332 received from the memory 334, and information transmitted and received via the transceiver 320, the baseband communications module, and/or the network communications module. The processor 328 may also process information to send to the transceiver 320 for transmission via the antenna 336 to the network communications module for transmission to a CN.

One or more presentation components 338 may present data indications to a person or another device. Examples of presentation components 338 may include a display device, a speaker, a printing component, a vibrating component, etc.

In view of the present disclosure, it is obvious that various techniques may be used for implementing the disclosed concepts without departing from the scope of those concepts. Moreover, while the concepts have been disclosed with specific reference to certain implementations, a person of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of those concepts. As such, the disclosed implementations are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular implementations disclosed and many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (15)

1. A User Equipment (UE) for performing a System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) request operation, the UE comprising:
   　　　　at least one processor; and
   　　　　at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to:
   　　　　　　　　receive, from a first cell, a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration;
   　　　　　　　　receive, from a second cell, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB;
   　　　　　　　　determine that a SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value; and
   　　　　　　　　transmit, to the second cell, an Uplink (UL) WUS based on the WUS configuration to request the SIB1 in response to determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast.
2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the specific value is 30 in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) or the specific value is 14 in Frequency Range 2 (FR2).
3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the WUS configuration comprises a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) for indicating the second cell.
4. The UE of claim 1 wherein:
   　　　　the WUS configuration comprises at least one of a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) of the second cell, a preamble index, a mapping between the SSB and a Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, a Control Resource Set Zero (CORESET#0), and a Search Space Zero (SS#0).
5. The UE of claim 4, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the UE to:
   　　　　receive the SIB1 of the second cell based on the CORESET#0 and the SS#0.
6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the UE to:
   　　　　transmit another UL WUS to the second cell in response to not receiving a feedback for the UL WUS from the second cell after a specific duration configured in the WUS configuration.
7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the UE to:
   　　　　monitor a latest SSB transmitted by the second cell before transmitting the UL WUS.
8. A Base Station (BS) configured to support a System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) request operation, the BS comprising:
   　　　　at least one processor; and
   　　　　at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the BS to:
   　　　　　　　　transmit, via a second cell to a User Equipment (UE), a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB, after the UE receives a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration from a first cell; and
   　　　　　　　　receive, via the second cell from the UE, an Uplink (UL) WUS requesting a SIB1 of the second cell, the UL WUS being transmitted by the UE based on the WUS configuration in response to the UE determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast, wherein:
   　　　　the UE determines that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value.
9. The BS of claim 8, wherein the specific value is 30 in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) or the specific value is 14 in Frequency Range 2 (FR2).
10. The BS of claim 8, wherein the WUS configuration comprises a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) for indicating the second cell.
11. The BS of claim 8, wherein:
    　　　　the WUS configuration comprises at least one of a Physical Cell Identity (PCI) of the second cell, a preamble index, a mapping between the SSB and a Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, a Control Resource Set Zero (CORESET#0), and a Search Space Zero (SS#0).
12. The BS of claim 11, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the BS to:
    　　　　transmit the SIB1 of the second cell based on the CORESET#0 and the SS#0.
13. The BS of claim 8, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the BS to:
    　　　　receive, via the second cell from the UE, another UL WUS in response to that the UE does not receive a feedback for the UL WUS from the second cell after a specific duration configured in the WUS configuration.
14. The BS of claim 8, wherein the UE further monitors a latest SSB transmitted by the second cell before transmitting the UL WUS.
15. A method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) request operation, the method comprising:
    　　　　receiving, from a first cell, a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration;
    　　　　receiving, from a second cell, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) including a parameter k_SSB;
    　　　　determining that a SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast in response to determining that the parameter k_SSB is set to a specific value; and
    　　　　transmitting, to the second cell, an Uplink (UL) WUS based on the WUS configuration to request the SIB1 in response to determining that the SIB1 of the second cell is on-demand and is not broadcast.