WO2025229202A1 - Fourniture de bloc de signal de synchronisation à la demande sur la base d'un besoin d'équipement utilisateur - Google Patents

Fourniture de bloc de signal de synchronisation à la demande sur la base d'un besoin d'équipement utilisateur

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Publication number
WO2025229202A1
WO2025229202A1 PCT/EP2025/062112 EP2025062112W WO2025229202A1 WO 2025229202 A1 WO2025229202 A1 WO 2025229202A1 EP 2025062112 W EP2025062112 W EP 2025062112W WO 2025229202 A1 WO2025229202 A1 WO 2025229202A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
ssb
receiving
network node
information indicating
preference
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.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/EP2025/062112
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Ali Nader
Emre YAVUZ
Xu Zhu
Pål FRENGER
Sladana JOSILO
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.)
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Original Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
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Filing date
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Application filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB filed Critical Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Publication of WO2025229202A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025229202A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L5/00—Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path
    • H04L5/003—Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
    • H04L5/0048—Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L5/00—Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path
    • H04L5/003—Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
    • H04L5/0053—Allocation of signalling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L5/00—Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path
    • H04L5/0091—Signalling for the administration of the divided path, e.g. signalling of configuration information
    • H04L5/0094—Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W56/00—Synchronisation arrangements
    • H04W56/001—Synchronization between nodes

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods for on-demand Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) provisioning based on User Equipment (UE) need.
  • SSB Synchronization Signal Block
  • FIGURE 1 illustrates the Release 15 (Rel-15) New Radio (NR) Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), which consists of four Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.
  • Symbols 1 and 3 carry Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), respectively.
  • Symbols 2-4 carry Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) containing the Master Information Block (MIB) payload.
  • PSS Primary Synchronization Signal
  • SSS Secondary Synchronization Signal
  • Symbols 2-4 carry Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) containing the Master Information Block (MIB) payload.
  • PSS Primary Synchronization Signal
  • SSS Secondary Synchronization Signal
  • Symbols 2-4 carry Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) containing the Master Information Block (MIB) payload.
  • PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel
  • MIB Master Information Block
  • on-demand SSBs may be provided temporarily to UEs so that functionality or performance may be improved if additional SSBs are provided for loop convergence, synchronization, measurements, or other signal processing steps.
  • a cell may be transmitting baseline SSBs at a lower rate, e.g. 160 ms, or no SSBs may be transmitted as a baseline.
  • the network may then activate additional SSBs or SSB bursts such as, for example, with period 20 ms or 5 ms, respectively, in association with certain procedures.
  • On- demands SSBs may also be one-shot transmissions or limited-duration SSB bursts, without a recurrent structure.
  • the Work Item Description (WID) for NR Rel-19 “Enhancements of Network Energy Savings for NR” includes the following objective:
  • SCell Secondary Cell
  • CA Carrier Aggregation
  • On-demand SSB transmission can be used by UE for at least SCell time/frequency synchronization, Layer 1 (Ll)/Layer 3 (L3) measurements and SCell activation and is supported for Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2) in non-shared spectrum.
  • gNodeB gNodeB
  • RRM Radio Resource Management
  • the problem with SSB measurements is that SSB transmissions typically come in long time intervals, e.g., 20... 160 ms period, and sometimes (e.g., depending on hardware architecture, coverage level, etc.) the UE may need multiple SSB transmissions for its operations, such as monitoring for paging.
  • the UE may need to be active or in light sleep instead of being in deep sleep prior to a PO for longer time due to such infrequent SSB transmissions. This may lead to a waste of UE energy.
  • Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, methods and systems are provided for a UE to provide preference information related to extra SSBs (on-demand SSBs) that are desired in conjunction with certain operations in Idle/Inactive mode.
  • extra SSBs on-demand SSBs
  • a method by a UE for receiving SSBs includes transmitting, to a network node, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • a UE for receiving SSBs includes a memory and a processor.
  • the UE is configured to transmit, to a network node, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises information indicating that the UE requests to receive at least one extra SSB.
  • the at least one extra SSB comprises at least one SSB that is in addition to a number of SSBs expected by UE.
  • the UE provides preference information indicating if (i.e., whether) and potentially how, and potentially in which beams/directions extra SSBs (on- demand SSBs) are desired in conjunction with certain operations in idle/inactive mode.
  • a UE may report (i.e., transmit) information indicating a preference for receiving extra SSBs in conjunction to/associated with/for an operation.
  • a method by a network node for providing SSBs includes receiving, from a UE, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • a network node for providing SSBs includes a memory and a processor.
  • the network node is configured to receive, from a UE, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • the network node determines whether or not to provide the UE with the at least one SSB and transmits the at least one SSB to the UE if the network node determines to provide the UE with the at least one SSB.
  • the network node transmits a response to the UE, and the response indicates at least one of: the network node agrees with the preference; the network node does not agree with the preference; an acknowledgement; a non-acknowledgement; and a configuration for the at least one SSB.
  • a network node receives, from a UE, information indicating a preference for receiving extra SSBs in conjunction to/associated with/for an operation.
  • Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). For example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of enabling the network to be aware of whether there are UEs (especially UEs that are Idle/Inactive) in the area that benefit from extra SSB(s) transmission in conjunction with certain operations such as, for example, paging. As such, the network does not need to always assume the worst case scenario and overprovide SSBs and waste energy or underprovide at the cost of poor UE performance and energy consumption.
  • FIGURE 1 illustrates the Release 15 (Rel-15) New Radio (NR) Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), which consists of four Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols;
  • NR New Radio
  • SSB Synchronization Signal Block
  • FIGURE 2 illustrates an example method by a UE for on-demand SSBs, according to certain embodiments
  • FIGURE 3 illustrates another example method by a UE for receiving SSBs, according to certain embodiments
  • FIGURE 4 illustrates an example method by a network node for on-demand SSBs, according to certain embodiments
  • FIGURE 5 illustrates another example method by a network node for providing SSBs, according to certain embodiments
  • FIGURE 6 illustrates an example communication system, according to certain embodiments.
  • FIGURE 7 illustrates an example UE, according to certain embodiments.
  • FIGURE 8 illustrates an example network node, according to certain embodiments
  • FIGURE 9 illustrates a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized, according to certain embodiments.
  • node can be a network node or a UE.
  • network nodes are NodeB, base station (BS), multi -standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), Master eNB (MeNB), Secondary eNB (SeNB), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), Central Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g.
  • MSR multi -standard radio
  • gNB Baseband Unit
  • C-RAN access point
  • AP access point
  • RRU Remote Radio Unit
  • RRH Remote Radio Head
  • DAS distributed antenna system
  • core network node e.g. Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.
  • O&M Operations & Maintenance
  • OSS Operations Support System
  • SON Self-Organizing Network
  • positioning node e.g. E- SMLC
  • network node and radio network node are used interchangeably herein.
  • UE which is a non-limiting term and refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and/or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system.
  • Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, vehicular to vehicular (V2V), machine type UE, MTC UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), Unified Serial Bus (USB) dongles, etc.
  • D2D device to device
  • V2V vehicular to vehicular
  • MTC UE machine type UE
  • M2M machine to machine
  • PDA Personal Digital Assistant
  • Tablet mobile terminals
  • smart phone laptop embedded equipment
  • LME laptop mounted equipment
  • USB Unified Serial Bus
  • radio access technology may refer to any RAT such as, for example, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRA), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRA), narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), WiFi, Bluetooth, next generation RAT, NR, 4G, 5G, etc.
  • UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
  • E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
  • NB-IoT narrow band internet of things
  • WiFi next generation RAT
  • Bluetooth next generation RAT
  • next generation RAT NR, 4G, 5G, etc.
  • signal or radio signal used herein can be any physical signal or physical channel.
  • RS downlink
  • PSS Physical Signal
  • SSS Channel State Information-Reference Signal
  • CSI-RS Channel State Information-Reference Signal
  • DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal
  • SSB SS/PBCH block
  • DRS discovery reference signal
  • CRS Cell Specific Reference Signal
  • PRS Positioning Reference Signal
  • RS may be periodic.
  • RS occasions carrying one or more RSs may occur with certain periodicity (e.g., 20 ms, 40 ms, etc.).
  • the RS may also be aperiodic.
  • Each SSB carries New Radio-Primary Synchronization Signal (NR-PSS), New RadioSecondary Synchronization Signal (NR-SSS) and New Radio-Physical Broadcast Channel (NR- PBCH) in four successive symbols.
  • N-PSS New Radio-Primary Synchronization Signal
  • NR-SSS New RadioSecondary Synchronization Signal
  • NR- PBCH New Radio-Physical Broadcast Channel
  • One or multiple SSBs are transmitted in one SSB burst which is repeated with certain periodicity such as, for example, 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms.
  • the UE is configured with information about SSB on cells of certain carrier frequency by one or more SS/PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configurations.
  • SMTC SS/PBCH block measurement timing configuration
  • the SMTC configuration comprising parameters such as SMTC periodicity, SMTC occasion length in time or duration, SMTC time offset with regard to reference time (e.g., serving cell’s SFN) etc. Therefore, SMTC occasion may also occur with certain periodicity (e.g., 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms).
  • uplink (UL) physical signals are reference signals such as Sounding Reference Signals (SRS), Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS), etc.
  • SRS Sounding Reference Signals
  • DMRS Demodulation Reference Signals
  • the term physical channel refers to any channel carrying higher layer information e.g. data, control etc.
  • Examples of physical channels are Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Short PUSCH (sPUCCH), Short PDSCH (sPDSCH), Short PUCCH (sPUCCH), Short PUSCH (sPUSCH), MTC PDCCH (MPDCCH), Narrowband PBCH (NPBCH), Narrowband PDCCH (NPDCCH), Narrowband PDSCH (NPDSCH), Narrowband PUSCH (NPUSCH), Enhanced PDCCH (E-PDCCH), etc.
  • time resource used herein may correspond to any type of physical resource or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time. Examples of time resources are symbol, time slot, subframe, radio frame, transmission time interval (TTI), interleaving time, slot, sub-slot, minislot, system frame number (SFN) cycle, hyper-SFN (H-SFN) cycle, etc.
  • TTI transmission time interval
  • SFN system frame number
  • H-SFN hyper-SFN
  • paging might be an expensive example where a large number of additional SSB might be required to be transmitted over a large area.
  • the network doesn’t always know where the UE is located and may end up transmitting many SSBs in all cells in the paging area.
  • one solution is to only transmit the extra SSBs in the same cell/beam in which the UE provided assistance, or in which the UE was last connected, and not overprovide SSBs in an escalated paging scenario.
  • certain examples provided herein are in the context of a UE providing assistance/desire/capability information related to extra SSBs instances in conjunction with paging operations (PO decoding) in RRC Idle/Inactive state.
  • PO decoding paging operations
  • RRC Idle/Inactive state the desire for specific SSB pattern in conjunction with various operations is equally applicable to other operations in other states (e g., secondary carrier activation, wakeup after long Discontinuous Reception (DRX), measurements on non-serving cells and/or carriers, etc.).
  • a UE may report (i.e., transmit) information indicating a preference for receiving extra SSBs in conjunction to/associated with/for an operation.
  • the UE may provide preference information indicating if (i.e., whether) and potentially how extra SSBs (on-demand SSBs) are desired in conjunction with certain operations in idle/inactive mode.
  • An example of an idle/inactive mode operation is paging (PO) decoding.
  • a UE with a simple receiver such as a single receiver (Rx) in a Reduced Capability (RedCap) device
  • a UE that constantly or often experiences poor coverage may benefit from more than one SSB, which is the typical configuration, before the PO and may, thus, provide preference information indicating that the UE prefers to receive at least one extra SSB.
  • the benefit for the UE in this scenario is that, rather than staying awake while receiving/processing several SSBs that are sparsely provided by the network, the UE may affect the network SSB provision rate such that SSBs are provided in a denser manner prior to the PO.
  • the UE may have a preference to have a specific distance between the SSB and the PO and, thus, provide such preference information to the network.
  • the UE also specifies in what cell and/or direction/beam the UE requires and/or prefers to receive the SSBs.
  • the UE reports the need for extra SSBs in conjunction with one or more operations such as for POs, activation of secondary carriers, when waking up after a long DRX period, when performing measurements on non-serving cells or on other carriers, etc.
  • the UE reports/provides assistance including more details about SSB transmissions in conjunction with the one or more operations such as how many SSB instances and/or according to what pattern, and/or when (in time) in relation to an operation the UE desires the extra SSBs.
  • the UE provides assistance information to the network in terms of capability signaling.
  • the UE preference report can either be a general UE Capability (e.g., saying UE benefits from extra SSBs in Idle/Inactive) or UE capability related to a specific operation, such as in UERadioCapabilityForPaging ⁇ as part of the UEAssistancelnformation.
  • UECapability e.g., saying UE benefits from extra SSBs in Idle/Inactive
  • UE capability related to a specific operation such as in UERadioCapabilityForPaging ⁇ as part of the UEAssistancelnformation.
  • UECapability e.g., saying UE benefits from extra SSBs in Idle/Inactive
  • UE capability related to a specific operation such as in UERadioCapabilityForPaging ⁇ as part of the UEAssistancelnformation.
  • a UE supporting a high capability class may manage with only a single SSB, while
  • the preference information is gathered by the UE while in Idle mode and reported to the network later such as, for example, part of the Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT) reporting.
  • MDT Minimization of Drive Tests
  • the preference information may be provided by the UE to the network as part of UEInformationResponse upon receiving UEInformationRequest from the network.
  • these preferences may be local and, thus, provided separately on a per PLMN and/or per cell and/or per beam and/or per frequency band basis.
  • the UE provides the information via other signaling such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) UE Assistance Information.
  • RRC Radio Resource Control
  • the preference report is provided by the UE to the network node when in connected mode or upon transitions to connected mode such as, for example, within an RRCSetupComplete message or RRCResumeComplete message, while the preference itself may be applicable to Idle/Inactive mode operations such as paging reception.
  • the preference is provided by the UE to the network when the UE is in RRC inactive state by Small Data Transmission (SDT) via a payload of 2 step RACK & 4 step RACH such as, for example, provided before an RRCSetupComplete message or RRCResumeComplete message. Note that the UE stays in the RRC Inactive state during the whole process, in a particular embodiment.
  • SDT Small Data Transmission
  • the preference information includes detailed characteristics such as one or more of:
  • the UE prefers the SSBs.
  • timing in relation to an operation e.g., offset in milliseconds from a PO.
  • the number of SSBs a UE requires for a given operation is related to the pathloss (or Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Signal Interference to Noise Ratio (SINR), radio quality, etc.) of the channel. For example, in a further particular embodiment, if the pathloss is expected to be above a threshold with a certain probability (i.e., the channel is likely to be bad), the UE reports that the UE requires N SSB transmissions for a given operation. Otherwise, if the channel is likely to be good, the UE reports that the UE requires one SSB for the same operation.
  • SNR Signal to Noise Ratio
  • SINR Signal Interference to Noise Ratio
  • the number of SSBs the UE requires is inversely related to the peak data rate the UE can expect to be served by on a downlink data channel (e g., the PDSCH) and/or on an uplink data channel (e.g., the PUSCH).
  • high modulation orders e.g., 256 QAM or higher
  • high channel code rates e.g., rate 0.5 or higher
  • the preference characteristics that the UE reports are chosen from a limited set preconfigured by the network (e.g., as part of system information) or prespecified in the specifications.
  • the network may have provided one or more options as part of broadcast system information, and the UE may then only choose preference characteristics among these. If the UE chooses its preference based on a set preconfigured by the network, the UE provides the detailed values for its preferred configuration of extra SSBs (e.g., the number of SSBs, pattern or the SSB type) or an index for the preferred configuration of extra SSBs
  • the UE provides preference information to the network on if and/or whether and/or potentially how, and/or potentially in which beams/directions extra SSBs (on-demand SSBs) are desired in conjunction with certain operations in Idle/Inactive mode.
  • an example method by the UE may include one or more of:
  • the UE reports the preference for receiving extra SSBs in conjunction to an operation.
  • the UE preference report can be in the form of either:
  • ⁇ UE capability related to a specific operation such as in UERadioCapabilityF or Paging.
  • the preference may be separately provided per cell and/or per frequency band and/or per beam.
  • the preference is provided by the UE to the network when in connected mode or upon transitions to connected mode (e.g., provided within RRCSetupComplete or RRCResumeComplete), while the preference itself may be applicable to Idle/Inactive mode operations such as paging reception.
  • the preference is provided by the UE to the network when in RRC inactive state by SDT via a 2 step RACH & 4 step RACH (e.g. provided before RRCSetupComplete or RRCResumeComplete'). Note that the UE stays in the RRC inactive state during the whole process.
  • the preference information includes detailed characteristics such as one or more of:
  • the UE prefers the SSBs.
  • the payload of SDT is included in the preference information.
  • the network acquires this info as the UE preference reports.
  • the preference characteristics that the UE may report may be chosen from a limited set preconfigured by the network (e.g., as part of system information) or prespecified in the specifications.
  • the payload may indicate a configuration preconfigured by the network or prespecified in the specifications.
  • the preference for more SSBs is provided depending on the UE’s fulfillment of certain measurement related criteria configured by the network.
  • the network configures criteria for detecting Stationary condition and/or in poor coverage or at cell edge during a certain period, and the UE may, only if such condition was fulfilled, then ask for extra SSBs.
  • the UE may receive a network response specifying whether the network agrees or not to the preference, wherein one or more of the following can be specified: ⁇ Simple acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) in response to the preference of the UE where the network either agrees (ACK) to follow the UE preference or not (NACK)
  • ACK/NACK Simple acknowledgement
  • ⁇ Configuration for the on-demand SSB which the network will apply for the preferred operation (e.g., the network provides semi-static configuration saying that there will be a certain pattern of SSBs, and/or a certain distance prior to paging, and/or in certain cells and/or beam directions).
  • the UE receives a network response specifying whether the network agrees or not to the preference via Random Access Response (RAR).
  • RAR Random Access Response
  • the UE can be configured by the network to provide reports concerning extra SSBs.
  • the configuration can include the time interval during which the UE is not allowed to ask for extra SSBs (e.g., a prohibit timer, such that the UE can only ask for SSBs again once the timer expires) and/or conditions under which the UE is allowed to send a subsequent report (e.g., the UE can only send another report if it concerns different information compared to the previous report.)
  • the reporting may be controlled per UE such that certain UEs are not allowed to provide preference. Furthermore, in a particular embodiment, the reporting is subject to prohibit timers such that excessive number of reports towards the network are avoided.
  • the UE can be configured with the conditions to send a subsequent report. For example, if the UE has already sent a report, the UE may only send another report if the report concerns different information compared to the previous report.
  • the configuration related with the preference concerning extra SSBs is released by the UE.
  • the centralized unit i.e., gNB-Centralized Unit (gNB-CU)
  • the distributed unit i.e., gNB -Distributed Unit (gNB-DU)
  • a network may receive, from a UE, information indicating a preference for receiving extra SSBs in conjunction to/associated with/for an operation.
  • the network decides to provide or not provide the UE with the extra SSB transmissions.
  • the network in its response, provides the UE with configuration of (availability information for) the extra SSB transmissions, potentially in certain areas (e.g., beams) of the cell.
  • there is no configuration in the response message but the network may choose to always or occasionally follow the UE’s desire and provide the extra SSB transmissions.
  • the availability information is dynamically provided via, for example, lower layer signaling.
  • the network configures the UE to provide the UE’ s preference concerning the extra SSBs only in a time interval and/or in a geographical area and/or certain resources specified by the network. For example, in a particular embodiment, the network configures the UE to send its preference concerning the extra SSBs only during the intervals when an energy saving technique is applied (e.g., while the network provides sparse SSBs for the purpose of energy savings) or only in certain cells or beams or only in certain frequency bands.
  • an energy saving technique e.g., while the network provides sparse SSBs for the purpose of energy savings
  • the preference for more SSBs is provided depending on the UE’s estimate that the UE will be in a poor coverage area during certain period of time (e.g., if the UE is moving on a known trajectory such as highway or train tracks towards the area with poor coverage).
  • the preference for more SSBs is provided depending on the UE’ s fulfillment of certain measurement related criteria configured by the network.
  • the network configures criteria for detecting that the UE is in a stationary condition and/or that the UE has poor coverage or that the UE is at cell edge during a certain period. In this scenario, only if such condition is fulfilled may the UE, then ask for extra SSBs.
  • the network may optionally respond to the UE specifying whether the network agrees or not to the preference. In certain further particular embodiments, the network may respond indicating one or more of the following:
  • ACK/NACK Simple acknowledgement/non-acknowledgment in response to the preference of the UE where the network either agrees (ACK) to follow the UE preference or not (NACK)
  • the network provides semi-static configuration saying that there will be a certain pattern of SSBs, and/or a certain distance prior to paging, and/or in certain direction, in particular embodiments.
  • the network responses via the RAR in SDT Protocol may include:
  • FIGURE 2 illustrates an example method 100 by a UE for on-demand SSBs, according to certain embodiments.
  • the method includes a transmitting step at 102.
  • the UE transmits, to a network node, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • the UE may perform and/or be configured to perform any of the operations and example embodiments described herein such as, forthose, those included in the Group C Example Embodiments below.
  • FIGURE 3 illustrates another example method 200 by a UE for receiving SSBs, according to certain embodiments.
  • the UE transmits, to a network node, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB includes information indicating that the UE requests to receive at least one extra SSB.
  • the at least one extra SSB includes at least one SSB that is in addition to a number of SSBs expected by the UE.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB includes information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation.
  • the at least one operation includes at least one of: a paging operation, a secondary carrier activation, a wakeup operation after long DRX, and a measurement on a non-serving cell and/or carrier.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB includes information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation while in an Idle and/or Inactive state.
  • the UE is in a connected state and/or has transitioned into a connected state when the information is transmitted to the network node. In a further particular embodiment, the UE is in the Idle and/or Inactive state when the information is transmitted to the network node.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of: information indicating a capability of the UE to receive the at least one SSB, information indicating that the UE will benefit from receiving the at least one SSB, and information indicating a capability of the UE to perform an operation.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive for performing an operation; an indication of a SSB burst pattern the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a type of SSB that the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a cell in which the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of at least one direction the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB as measured and/or as related to a paging occasion; an indication of a timing
  • the UE determines the information to send to the network node based on a configuration, and the configuration indicates that the UE may select from a configured set of preferences.
  • the configured set of preferences includes at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive for performing an operation; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB as measured and/or as related to a performance of an operation; and an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is transmitted with or as part of at least one of UE assistance information and MDT reporting.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is on a per-cell and/or per-frequency and/or per beam basis.
  • the UE determines that a coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold and/or is expected to be below a minimum threshold during or within a time period.
  • the information is transmitted to the network node based on determining that the coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold and/or is expected to be below a minimum threshold during or within a time period.
  • the information is transmitted to the network node based on a hardware capability of the UE.
  • the UE determines that at least one criteria and/or at least one condition is fulfilled and transmits the information to the network node based on the at least one criteria and/or the at least one condition being fulfilled.
  • the at least one criteria comprises at least one of: at least one measurement related criteria; a time interval during which the UE may request the at least one SSB; a geographical area in which the UE may request the at least one SSB; and a resource in which the UE may request the at least one SSB.
  • the UE receives the at least one SSB from the network node
  • the UE receives a response from the network node, and the response indicates at least one of: the network node agrees with the preference; the network node does not agree with the preference; an acknowledgement; a non-acknowledgement; and a configuration for the at least one SSB.
  • the UE determines, based on a configuration, a time interval during which the UE is allowed to ask for the at least one SSB, and the UE transmits the information to the network node during the time interval.
  • the UE may perform and/or be configured to perform any of the operations and example embodiments described herein such as, forthose, those included in the Group C Example Embodiments below.
  • FIGURE 4 illustrates an example method 300 by a network node for on-demand SSBs, according to certain embodiments.
  • the method includes a receiving step at 302.
  • the network node may receive, from a UE, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • FIGURE 5 illustrates an example method 400 performed by a network node for providing SSBs, according to certain embodiments.
  • the method includes receiving, from a UE, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • the network node transmits the at least one SSB to the UE.
  • the network node determines whether or not to provide the UE with the at least one SSB and transmits the at least one SSB to the UE if the network node determines to provide the UE with the at least one SSB.
  • the network node transmits a response to the UE.
  • the response indicates at least one of: the network node agrees with the preference; the network node does not agree with the preference; an acknowledgement; a non-acknowledgement, and a configuration for the at least one SSB.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB includes information indicating that the UE requests to receive at least one extra SSB.
  • the at least one extra SSB includes at least one SSB that is in addition to a number of SSBs expected by UE.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB includes information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation.
  • the at least one operation comprises at least one of: a paging operation, a secondary carrier activation, a wakeup operation after long DRX, and a measurement on a non-serving cell and/or carrier.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation while in an Idle and/or Inactive state.
  • the UE is in a connected state and/or has transitioned into a connected state when the information is transmitted to the network node.
  • the UE is in the Idle and/or Inactive state when the information is transmitted to the network node.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB includes at least one of: information indicating a capability of the UE to receive the at least one SSB, information indicating that the UE will benefit from receiving the at least one SSB, and information indicating a capability of the UE to perform an operation.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive for performing an operation; an indication of a SSB burst pattern the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a type of SSB that the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a cell in which the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of at least one direction the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB as measured and/or as related to a paging occasion; an indication of a timing
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is received with or as part of at least one of UE assistance information and MDT reporting.
  • the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is on a per-cell and/or per-frequency and/or per beam basis.
  • the network node transmits, to the UE, a configuration for determining, by the UE, the information included in the message.
  • the configuration indicates that the UE may select from a configured set of preferences, and the configured set of preferences comprises at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive for performing an operation; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB as measured and/or as related to a performance of an operation; and an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB.
  • the configuration configures the UE to determine that a coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold and/or is expected to be below a minimum threshold during or within a time period.
  • the information is transmitted to the network node based on determining that the coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold.
  • the configuration configures the UE to transmit the information to the network node based on a hardware capability of the UE.
  • the configuration comprises at least one criteria and/or condition and configures the UE to determine that the at least one criteria and/or at least one condition is fulfilled and transmit the information to the network node based on the at least one criteria and/or the at least one condition being fulfilled.
  • the at least one criteria comprises at least one of: at least one measurement related criteria; a time interval during which the UE may request the at least one SSB, a geographical area in which the UE may request the at least one SSB, and a resource in which the UE may request the at least one SSB.
  • the configuration includes a time interval during which the UE is allowed to ask for the at least one SSB, and the configuration includes the UE to determine to transmit the information to the network node during the time interval.
  • the network node may perform and/or be configured to perform any of the operations and example embodiments described herein such as, forthose, those included in the Group D Example Embodiments below.
  • FIGURE 6 shows an example of a communication system 500 in accordance with some embodiments.
  • the communication system 500 includes a telecommunication network 502 that includes an access network 504, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 506, which includes one or more core network nodes 508.
  • the access network 504 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 510a and 510b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 510), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point.
  • 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project
  • the network nodes 510 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 512a, 512b, 512c, and 512d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 512) to the core network 506 over one or more wireless connections.
  • UE user equipment
  • Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors.
  • the communication system 500 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections.
  • the communication system 500 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.
  • the UEs 512 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 510 and other communication devices.
  • the network nodes 510 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 512 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 502 to enable and/or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and/or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 502.
  • the core network 506 connects the network nodes 510 to one or more hosts, such as host 516. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts.
  • the core network 506 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 508) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 508.
  • Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and/or a User Plane Function (UPF).
  • MSC Mobile Switching Center
  • MME Mobility Management Entity
  • HSS Home Subscriber Server
  • AMF Access and Mobility Management Function
  • SMF Session Management Function
  • AUSF Authentication Server Function
  • SIDF Subscription Identifier De-concealing function
  • UDM Unified Data Management
  • SEPP Security Edge Protection Proxy
  • NEF Network Exposure Function
  • UPF User Plane Function
  • the host 516 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 504 and/or the telecommunication network 502 and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider.
  • the host 516 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.
  • the communication system 500 of FIGURE 6 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts.
  • the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.
  • GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
  • UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
  • LTE Long Term Evolution
  • the telecommunication network 502 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 502 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 502. For example, the telecommunications network 502 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and/or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)/Massive loT services to yet further UEs.
  • URLLC Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication
  • eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband
  • mMTC Massive Machine Type Communication
  • the UEs 512 are configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction.
  • a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 504 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 504.
  • a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi -RAT or multi -standard mode.
  • a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).
  • MR-DC multi-radio dual connectivity
  • the hub 514 communicates with the access network 504 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e g., UE 512c and/or 512d) and network nodes (e g., network node 510b).
  • the hub 514 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs.
  • the hub 514 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 506 for the UEs.
  • the hub 514 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs.
  • the hub 514 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data.
  • the hub 514 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 514 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 14 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content.
  • the hub 514 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.
  • the hub 514 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 510b.
  • the hub 514 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 514 and UEs (e.g., UE 512c and/or 512d), and between the hub 514 and the core network 506.
  • the hub 514 is connected to the core network 506 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection.
  • the hub 514 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 504 and/or to another UE over a direct connection.
  • UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 510 while still connected via the hub 514 via a wired or wireless connection.
  • the hub 514 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to/from the UEs from/to the network node 510b.
  • the hub 514 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 510b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.
  • FIGURE 7 shows a UE 600, which may be an embodiment of the UE 112 of FIGURE 6, in accordance with some embodiments.
  • a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other UEs.
  • Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc.
  • Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.
  • 3 GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project
  • NB-IoT narrow band internet of things
  • MTC machine type communication
  • eMTC enhanced MTC
  • a UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), orvehicle-to-everything (V2X).
  • D2D device-to-device
  • DSRC Dedicated Short-Range Communication
  • V2V vehicle-to-vehicle
  • V2I vehicle-to-infrastructure
  • V2X vehicle-to-everything
  • a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and/or operates the relevant device.
  • a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller).
  • a UE may represent a device that is not
  • the UE 600 includes processing circuitry 602 that is operatively coupled via a bus 604 to an input/output interface 606, a power source 608, a memory 610, a communication interface 612, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof.
  • Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIGURE 7. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.
  • the processing circuitry 602 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 610.
  • the processing circuitry 602 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc ); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above.
  • the processing circuitry 602 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).
  • the input/output interface 606 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and/or output devices.
  • Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof.
  • An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 600.
  • Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like.
  • the presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user.
  • a sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof.
  • An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.
  • USB Universal Serial Bus
  • the power source 608 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used.
  • the power source 608 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 608 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 600 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 608.
  • Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 608 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 600 to which power is supplied.
  • the memory 610 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth.
  • the memory 610 includes one or more application programs 614, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 616.
  • the memory 610 may store, for use by the UE 600, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
  • the memory 610 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and/or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof.
  • RAID redundant array of independent disks
  • HD-DVD high-density digital versatile disc
  • HDDS holographic digital data storage
  • DIMM external mini-dual in-line memory module
  • SDRAM synchronous dynamic random access memory
  • SDRAM synchronous dynamic random access memory
  • the UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’
  • eUICC embedded UICC
  • iUICC integrated UICC
  • SIM card removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’
  • the memory 610 may allow the UE 600 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data.
  • An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 610, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.
  • the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 612.
  • the communication interface 612 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 622.
  • the communication interface 612 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network).
  • Each transceiver may include a transmitter 618 and/or a receiver 620 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth).
  • the transmitter 618 and receiver 620 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e g., antenna 622) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.
  • communication functions of the communication interface 612 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof.
  • GPS global positioning system
  • Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and/or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.
  • CDMA Code Division Multiplexing Access
  • WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
  • WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
  • GSM Global System for Mobile communications
  • LTE Long Term Evolution
  • NR New Radio
  • UMTS Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
  • WiMax Ethernet
  • TCP/IP transmission control protocol/internet protocol
  • SONET synchronous optical networking
  • ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
  • QUIC Hypertext Transfer Protocol
  • HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol
  • a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 612, via a wireless connection to a network node.
  • Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE.
  • the output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected, an alert is sent), in response to a request (e g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e g , a live video feed of a patient).
  • a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection.
  • the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change.
  • the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.
  • a UE when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare.
  • loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a flood/moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item- tracking
  • AR Augmented
  • a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another UE and/or a network node.
  • the UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device.
  • the UE may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard.
  • a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.
  • any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case.
  • a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone.
  • the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’ s speed.
  • the first and/or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above.
  • a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.
  • FIGURE 8 shows a network node 700, which may be an embodiment of the network node 110 of FIGURE 6, in accordance with some embodiments.
  • network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and/or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network.
  • network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).
  • APs access points
  • BSs base stations
  • eNBs evolved Node Bs
  • gNBs NR NodeBs
  • Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations.
  • a base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay.
  • a network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio.
  • RRUs remote radio units
  • RRHs Remote Radio Heads
  • Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio.
  • Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).
  • DAS distributed antenna system
  • network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and/or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).
  • MSR multi-standard radio
  • RNCs radio network controllers
  • BSCs base station controllers
  • BTSs base transceiver stations
  • OFDM Operation and Maintenance
  • OSS Operations Support System
  • SON Self-Organizing Network
  • positioning nodes e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)
  • the network node 700 includes a processing circuitry 702, a memory 704, a communication interface 706, and a power source 708.
  • the network node 700 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components.
  • the network node 700 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components)
  • one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes.
  • a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs.
  • each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node.
  • the network node 700 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs).
  • RATs radio access technologies
  • some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 704 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 710 may be shared by different RATs).
  • the network node 700 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 700, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 700.
  • RFID Radio Frequency Identification
  • the processing circuitry 702 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 700 components, such as the memory 704, to provide network node 700 functionality.
  • the processing circuitry 702 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 712 and baseband processing circuitry 714. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 712 and the baseband processing circuitry 714 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 712 and baseband processing circuitry 714 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.
  • SOC system on a chip
  • the memory 704 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 702.
  • volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-
  • the memory 704 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and/or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 702 and utilized by the network node 700.
  • the memory 704 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 702 and/or any data received via the communication interface 706.
  • the processing circuitry 702 and memory 704 is integrated.
  • the communication interface 706 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between a network node, access network, and/or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 706 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 716 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection.
  • the communication interface 706 also includes radio frontend circuitry 718 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 710. Radio front-end circuitry 718 comprises filters 720 and amplifiers 722.
  • the radio front-end circuitry 718 may be connected to an antenna 710 and processing circuitry 702.
  • the radio frontend circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 710 and processing circuitry 702.
  • the radio front-end circuitry 718 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection.
  • the radio front-end circuitry 718 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 720 and/or amplifiers 722.
  • the radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 710.
  • the antenna 710 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 718.
  • the digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 702.
  • the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
  • the network node 700 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 718, instead, the processing circuitry 702 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 710.
  • the processing circuitry 702 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 710.
  • all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 712 is part of the communication interface 706.
  • the communication interface 706 includes one or more ports or terminals 716, the radio front-end circuitry 718, and the RF transceiver circuitry 712, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 706 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 714, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).
  • the antenna 710 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals.
  • the antenna 710 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 718 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly.
  • the antenna 710 is separate from the network node 700 and connectable to the network node 700 through an interface or port.
  • the antenna 710, communication interface 706, and/or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 710, the communication interface 706, and/or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment.
  • the power source 708 provides power to the various components of network node 700 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component).
  • the power source 708 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 700 with power for performing the functionality described herein.
  • the network node 700 may be connectable to an external power source (e g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 708.
  • the power source 708 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.
  • Embodiments of the network node 700 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIGURE 8 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and/or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein.
  • the network node 700 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 700 and to allow output of information from the network node 700. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 700.
  • FIGURE 9 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 800 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.
  • virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources.
  • virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components.
  • Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 800 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host.
  • VMs virtual machines
  • the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host)
  • the node may be entirely virtualized.
  • Applications 802 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.
  • Hardware 804 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and/or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and/or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input/output interface, and so forth.
  • Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 806 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 808a and 808b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 808), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.
  • the virtualization layer 806 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 808.
  • the VMs 808 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 806.
  • a virtualization layer 806 Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 802 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 808, and the implementations may be made in different ways.
  • Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.
  • NFV network function virtualization
  • a VM 808 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine.
  • Each of the VMs 808, and that part of hardware 804 that executes that VM be it hardware dedicated to that VM and/or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements.
  • a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 808 on top of the hardware 804 and corresponds to the application 802.
  • Hardware 804 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 804 may implement some functions via virtualization.
  • hardware 804 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 810, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 802.
  • hardware 804 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas.
  • Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.
  • some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 812 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.
  • computing devices described herein may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • processing circuitry may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components.
  • a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and/or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface.
  • non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.
  • processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.
  • some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner.
  • the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and/or by end users and a wireless network generally.
  • Example Embodiment Al A method performed by a user equipment for on-demand Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), the method comprising: any of the user equipment steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.
  • SSBs Synchronization Signal Blocks
  • Example Embodiment A2 The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional user equipment steps, features or functions described above.
  • Example Embodiment A3 The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the network node.
  • Example Embodiment Bl A method performed by a network node for on-demand Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), the method comprising: any of the network node steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.
  • SSBs Synchronization Signal Blocks
  • Example Embodiment B2 The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional network node steps, features or functions described above.
  • Example Embodiment B3. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.
  • Example Embodiment Cl A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for receiving Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), the method comprising: transmitting, to a network node, information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • UE user equipment
  • SSBs Synchronization Signal Blocks
  • Example Embodiment C2 The method of Example Embodiment Cl, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of information indicating that the UE requests to receive at least one extra SSB.
  • Example Embodiment C3 The method of Example Embodiment C2, wherein the at least one extra SSB comprises at least one SSB that is in addition to a number of SSBs expected by the UE.
  • Example Embodiment C4 The method of Example Embodiment C3, wherein the number of SSBs required by the UE is inversely related to an expected peak data rate on a downlink data channel and/or an uplink data channel.
  • Example Embodiment C5 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C4, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation.
  • Example Embodiment C6 The method of Example Embodiment C5, wherein the at least one operation comprises at least one of: a paging operation, a secondary carrier activation, a wakeup operation after long DRX, and a measurement on a non-serving cell and/or carrier.
  • Example Embodiment C7 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C6, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation while in an Idle and/or Inactive state.
  • Example Embodiment C8 The method of Example Embodiment C7, wherein the UE is in a connected state and/or has transitioned into a connected state when the information is transmitted to the network node.
  • Example Embodiment C9. The method of Example Embodiment C8, wherein the information is transmitted in a RRCSetupComplete message or a RRCResumeC ample te message.
  • Example Embodiment CIO The method of Example Embodiment C7, wherein the UE is in the Idle and/or Inactive state when the information is transmitted to the network node, and wherein the information is transmitted via a Small Data Transmission.
  • Example Embodiment Cl l The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to CIO, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of: information indicating a capability of the UE to receive the at least one SSB, information indicating that the UE will benefit from receiving the at least one SSB, and information indicating a capability of the UE to perform an operation.
  • Example Embodiment C12 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 1, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB for performing an operation; an indication of a SSB burst pattern the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a type of SSB that the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of a cell in which the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of at least one direction the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of
  • Example Embodiment C13 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl l to
  • Cl 2 comprising determining the information to send to the network node based on a configuration.
  • Example Embodiment Cl 4 The method of Example Embodiment Cl 3, wherein the configuration indicates that the UE may select from a configured set of preferences, and wherein the configured set of preferences comprises at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive for performing an operation; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers to receive; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB as measured and/or as related to a performance of an operation; and an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB
  • Example Embodiment Cl 5 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 4, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is transmitted with or as part of at least one of UE assistance information and MDT reporting.
  • Example Embodiment C16 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C15, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is on a per-cell and/or per-frequency and/or per beam basis.
  • Example Embodiment Cl 7 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 6, comprising determining the information indicating at least the preference based on a configuration.
  • Example Embodiment C18 Themethod of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C17, comprising: determining that a coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold and/or is expected to be below a minimum threshold during or within a time period; and transmitting the information to the network node based on determining that the coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold and/or is expected to be below a minimum threshold during or within a time period.
  • Example Embodiment Cl 9 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 8, wherein the information is transmitted to the network node based on a hardware capability of the UE.
  • Example Embodiment C20 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 9, comprising: determining that at least one criteria is fulfilled; and transmitting the information to the network node based on the at least one criteria being fulfilled.
  • Example Embodiment C21 The method of Example Embodiment C20, wherein the at least one criteria comprises at least one measurement-related criteria.
  • Example Embodiment C22 The method of any one of Example Embodiments C20 to C21, wherein the at least one criteria comprises at least one of: a time interval during which the UE may request the at least one SSB; a geographical area in which the UE may request the at least one SSB; and a resource in which the UE may request the at least one SSB.
  • Example Embodiment C23 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C22, comprising receiving the at least one SSB from the network node.
  • Example Embodiment C24 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C23, comprising receiving a response from the network node, wherein the response indicates at least one of: the network node agrees with the preference; the network node does not agree with the preference; an acknowledgement; a non-acknowledgement; and a configuration for the at least one SSB
  • Example Embodiment C25 The method of Example Embodiment C24, wherein the response is received via a Random Access Response.
  • Example Embodiment C26 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C25, comprising determining, based on a configuration, a time interval during which the UE is allowed to ask for the at least one SSB, and wherein the UE transmits the information to the network node during the time interval.
  • Example Embodiment C27 The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C26, comprising determining, based on a configuration, at least one condition that must be fulfilled before requesting the at least one SSB, and wherein the UE transmits the information to the network node when the at least one condition is fulfilled.
  • Example Embodiment C28 The method of Example Embodiments Cl to C27, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.
  • Example Embodiment C29 A user equipment comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C28.
  • Example Embodiment C30 A user equipment configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C28.
  • Example Embodiment C31 A wireless device comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C28.
  • Example Embodiment C32 A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C8.
  • Example Embodiment C33 A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C28.
  • Example Embodiment C34 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C28.
  • Example Embodiment DI A method performed by a network node for providing Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), the method comprising: receiving, from a User Equipment (UE), information indicating at least a preference for receiving at least one SSB.
  • SSBs Synchronization Signal Blocks
  • Example Embodiment D2 The method of Example Embodiment DI, comprising transmitting the at least one SSB to the UE.
  • Example Embodiment D3 The method Example Embodiment DI, comprising: determining whether to provide or not provide the UE with the at least one SSB; and transmitting the at least one SSB to the UE if the network node determines to provide the UE with the at least one SSB.
  • Example Embodiment D4 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D3, comprising transmitting a response to the UE, wherein the response indicates at least one of: the network node agrees with the preference; the network node does not agree with the preference; an acknowledgement; a non-acknowledgement; and a configuration for the at least one SSB.
  • Example Embodiment D5 The method of Example Embodiment D4, wherein the response is received via a Random Access Response.
  • Example Embodiment D6 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D5, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of information indicating that the UE requests to receive at least one extra SSB
  • Example Embodiment D7 The method of Example Embodiment D6, wherein the at least one extra SSB comprises at least one SSB that is in addition to a number of SSBs required by UE.
  • Example Embodiment D8 The method of Example Embodiment D7, wherein the number of SSBs required by the UE is inversely related to an expected peak data rate on a downlink data channel and/or an uplink data channel.
  • Example Embodiment D9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D8, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation.
  • Example Embodiment DIO The method of Example Embodiment D9, wherein the at least one operation comprises at least one of: a paging operation, a secondary carrier activation, a wakeup operation after long DRX, and a measurement on a non-serving cell and/or carrier.
  • Example Embodiment DI 1 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DIO, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises information indicating that the UE requests the at least one SSB for performing at least one operation while in an Idle and/or Inactive state.
  • Example Embodiment DI 2 The method of Example Embodiment Dl l, wherein the UE is in a connected state and/or has transitioned into a connected state when the information is transmitted to the network node.
  • Example Embodiment D13 The method of Example Embodiment D12, wherein the information is transmitted in a RRCSetupComplete message or a RRCResumeComplete message.
  • Example Embodiment DI 4 The method of Example Embodiment Dl l, wherein the UE is in the Idle and/or Inactive state when the information is transmitted to the network node, and wherein the information is transmitted via a Small Data Transmission.
  • Example Embodiment DI 5 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 4, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of: information indicating a capability of the UE to receive the at least one SSB, information indicating that the UE will benefit from receiving the at least one SSB, and information indicating a capability of the UE to perform an operation.
  • Example Embodiment DI 6 The method of any one of Example Embodiments D 1 to D15, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB comprises at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB for performing an operation; an indication of a SSB burst pattern the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a type of SSB that the UE prefers for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of a cell in which the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of at least one direction the UE prefers to receive the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB; an
  • Example Embodiment DI 7 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 6, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is received with or as part of at least one of: UE assistance information; and MDT reporting.
  • Example Embodiment DI 8 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 7, wherein the information indicating at least the preference for receiving the at least one SSB is on a per-cell and/or per-frequency and/or per beam basis.
  • Example Embodiment DI 9 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 8, comprising transmitting, to the UE, a configuration, wherein the information included in the message is determined based on the configuration.
  • Example Embodiment D20 The method of Example Embodiment DI 9, wherein the configuration indicates that the UE may select from a configured set of preferences, and wherein the configured set of preferences comprises at least one of: a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive; a number of SSBs the UE prefers to receive for performing an operation; an indication of one or more beams the UE prefers to receive; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB; an indication of a timing for receiving the at least one SSB as measured and/or as related to a performance of an operation; and an indication of a time duration for receiving the at least one SSB
  • Example Embodiment D21 The method of any one of Example Embodiments D19 to D20, wherein the configuration configures the UE to: determine that a coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold and/or is expected to be below a minimum threshold during or within a time period; and transmit the information to the network node based on determining that the coverage level associated with the UE is below a minimum threshold.
  • Example Embodiment D22 The method of any one of Example Embodiments D19 to D21 , wherein the configuration configures the UE to transmit the information to the network node based on a hardware capability of the UE.
  • Example Embodiment D23 The method of any one of Example Embodiments D19 to D22, wherein the configuration comprises at least one criteria and configures the UE to: determine that the at least one criteria is fulfilled; and transmit the information to the network node based on the at least one criteria being fulfilled.
  • Example Embodiment D24 The method of Example Embodiment D23, wherein the at least one criteria comprises at least one measurement-related criteria.
  • Example Embodiment D25 The method of any one of Example Embodiments D23 to D24, wherein the at least one criteria comprises at least one of: a time interval during which the UE may request the at least one SSB; a geographical area in which the UE may request the at least one SSB; and a resource in which the UE may request the at least one SSB.
  • Example Embodiment D26 The method of any one of Example Embodiments D19 to D5, wherein the configuration comprises a time interval during which the UE is allowed to ask for the at least one SSB, and wherein the configuration configures the UE to determine to transmit the information to the network node during the time interval.
  • Example Embodiment D27 The method of any one of Example Embodiments D19 to D26, wherein the configuration comprises at least one condition that must be fulfilled before requesting the at least one SSB, and wherein the configuration configures the UE to transmit the information to the network node when the at least one condition is fulfilled.
  • Example Embodiment D28 The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D27, wherein the network node comprises a gNodeB (gNB).
  • gNB gNodeB
  • Example Embodiment D29 The method of any of the previous Example Embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.
  • Example Embodiment D30 A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D29.
  • Example Embodiment D31 A network node configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D29.
  • Example Embodiment D32 A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D29.
  • Example Embodiment D33 A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D29.
  • Example Embodiment D34 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D29.
  • Example Embodiment El A user equipment for receiving Signal Blocks (SSBs), the UE comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.
  • SSBs Signal Blocks
  • Example Embodiment E2 A network node for providing Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.
  • processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments
  • power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.
  • Example Embodiment E3 A user equipment (UE) for receiving Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.
  • UE user equipment
  • SSBs Synchronization Signal Blocks
  • Example Embodiment E4 A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the host.
  • Example Embodiment E5. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.
  • Example Embodiment E6 The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.
  • Example Embodiment E7 A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.
  • UE user equipment
  • Example Embodiment E8 The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.
  • Example Embodiment E9 The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.
  • Example Embodiment E10 A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.
  • OTT over-the-top
  • Example Embodiment El l The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.
  • Example Embodiment E12 The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.
  • Example Embodiment El 3 A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.
  • UE user equipment
  • Example Embodiment El 4 The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.
  • Example Embodiment El 5 The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application
  • Example Embodiment El 6 A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.
  • OTT over-the-top
  • Example Embodiment El 7 The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.
  • Example Embodiment El 8 A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.
  • Example Embodiment El 9 The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.
  • Example Embodiment E20 The method of any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.
  • Example Embodiment E21 A communication system configured to provide an over-the- top service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.
  • a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embod
  • Example Embodiment E22 The communication system of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and/or the user equipment.
  • Example Embodiment E23 A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.
  • OTT over-the-top
  • Example Embodiment E24 The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.
  • Example Embodiment E25 The host of the any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.
  • Example Embodiment E26 A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.
  • Example Embodiment E27 The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé (200) mis en œuvre par un équipement utilisateur, UE (512), pour recevoir des blocs de signaux de synchronisation, SSB. Le procédé consiste à transmettre (202), à un nœud de réseau (510), des informations indiquant au moins une préférence pour recevoir au moins un SSB. Dans un mode de réalisation particulier, les informations indiquant au moins la préférence pour recevoir le ou les SSB comprennent des informations indiquant que l'UE demande de recevoir au moins un SSB supplémentaire. Dans un mode de réalisation particulier, le ou les SSB supplémentaires comprennent au moins un SSB qui est en plus d'un nombre de SSB attendus par l'UE.
PCT/EP2025/062112 2024-05-03 2025-05-02 Fourniture de bloc de signal de synchronisation à la demande sur la base d'un besoin d'équipement utilisateur Pending WO2025229202A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US202463642424P 2024-05-03 2024-05-03
US63/642,424 2024-05-03

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WO2025229202A1 true WO2025229202A1 (fr) 2025-11-06

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Citations (3)

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US20180359716A1 (en) * 2017-06-13 2018-12-13 Qualcomm Incorporated Signaling for detected synchronization signal blocks
WO2020154666A1 (fr) * 2019-01-24 2020-07-30 Qualcomm Incorporated Techniques d'indication d'un faisceau préféré dans un accès aléatoire de communication sans fil
TW202333516A (zh) * 2022-02-09 2023-08-16 聯發科技股份有限公司 使用按需參考訊號或系統區塊進行網路節能的方法和裝置

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US20180359716A1 (en) * 2017-06-13 2018-12-13 Qualcomm Incorporated Signaling for detected synchronization signal blocks
WO2020154666A1 (fr) * 2019-01-24 2020-07-30 Qualcomm Incorporated Techniques d'indication d'un faisceau préféré dans un accès aléatoire de communication sans fil
TW202333516A (zh) * 2022-02-09 2023-08-16 聯發科技股份有限公司 使用按需參考訊號或系統區塊進行網路節能的方法和裝置
US20250112715A1 (en) * 2022-02-09 2025-04-03 Mediatek Inc. Method and apparatus for using on-demand reference signal or system information block for network energy saving

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