Synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block method detection and management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12273289-B2
Application number	US-202017761004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2020
Priority date	Oct 2, 2019
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

Synchronization signal and Physical Broadcast Channel, SS/PBCH, block management. A network node determines whether a network condition is met, signals to a communication terminal to apply a first detection method for SS/PBCH block detection when the network condition is determined to be met, signals to the communication terminal to apply a second detection method for SS/PBCH block detection when the network condition is determined as not met, and transmits SS/PBCH blocks according to the first or the second SS/PBCH block detection method, based on whether the network condition is met. The communication terminal receives the signalling from the network node associated with the communication network, determines whether the indicated SS/PBCH block detection method is a first or a second SS/PBCH block detection method based on the received signalling, and applies, based on the determination, the first or the second SS/PBCH block detection method for SS/PBCH block detection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, of a network node operating in a communication network, for Synchronization Signal/Physical Broadcast Channel, SS/PBCH, block management, the method comprising:
determining whether a network condition is met;
signalling to a communication terminal to apply a first SS/PBCH block detection method for SS/PBCH block detection when the network condition is determined to be met, the signalling being comprised in a master information block, MIB;
signalling to the communication terminal to apply a second SS/PBCH block detection method for SS/PBCH block detection when the network condition is determined not be met, the signalling being comprised in a master information block, MIB;
transmitting SS/PBCH blocks according to the second SS/PBCH block detection method or according to the first SS/PBCH block detection method, based on whether the network condition is met, transmitting the SS/PBCH blocks according to the first SS/PBCH block detection method including transmitting the SS/PBCH blocks at fixed time positions, transmitting the SS/PBCH blocks according to the second SS/PBCH block detection method including transmitting the SS/PBCH at a variable position within the length of a transmission window; and
determining a modulo parameter Q for determination of quasi co-location, QCL, of the SS/PBCH blocks, the variable position being a position i that is to be quasi co-located with an SS/PBCH block transmitted in position i+k*Q, where k=0, 1, 2 . . . and where available positions in the transmission window are determined by sub-carrier spacing for the transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the network condition relates to:
at least one from a group consisting of a current and a historical Listen Before Talk, LBT, success rate in the communication network;
a delay of SS/PBCH block transmissions;
a measured Received Signal Strength Indicator, RSSI; frequency band of operation;
one of a length and duration information about a transmission window; and
a channel occupancy.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the network condition is determined to be met when at least one of the following is determined to be true:
the one of the current and historical LBT success rate is above a predetermined LBT-threshold;
the delay of the SS/PBCH block transmissions is below a predetermined SS/PBCH-threshold;
the measured RSSI is below a predetermined RSSI-threshold; and
the measured channel occupancy is below a predetermined occupancy-threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the variable position is dependent on the outcome of one of a channel access procedure, a clear channel assessment procedure, or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein signalling to the communication terminal to apply the first detection method comprises at least one of:
signalling a flag to the communication terminal;
using a codepoint of one or more reserved bits in a PBCH-payload for indicating use of the first detection method;
coupling the first detection method to a first SS/PBCH block pattern; and
coupling the first detection method to a first SS/PBCH BLOCK block synchronization, sync, raster point group.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein signalling the flag comprises at least one of:
setting the flag in a system information, SI, message to be transmitted to the communication terminal; and
signalling the flag to the communication terminal through dedicated Radio Resource Control, RRC-signalling.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein signalling to the communication terminal to apply the second detection method comprises at least one of:
configuring the transmission window with at least a length or a duration parameter;

configuring a message comprising the determined Q parameter for the communication terminal;
using a codepoint in one or more reserved bits in a PBCH-payload to indicate use of the second detection method;
coupling the second detection method to a second SS/PBCH block pattern; and

coupling the second detection method to a second SS/PBCH BLOCK sync raster point group.

8. A method, of a communication terminal operating in a communication network, for Synchronization Signal/Primary Block Channel, SS/PBCH, block, detection, the method comprising:
receiving signalling from a network node associated with the communication network, the signalling being indicative of a SS/PBCH block detection method and comprised in a master information block, MIB;
determining whether the indicated SS/PBCH block detection method is a first SS/PBCH block detection method or a second SS/PBCH block detection method based on the received signalling;
applying, based on the determination, the first or the second SS/PBCH block detection method for SS/PBCH block detection, the first SS/PBCH block detection method including receiving the SS/PBCH blocks at fixed time positions, the second SS/PBCH block detection method including receiving the SS/PBCH at a variable position within the length of a transmission window; and
the received signalling including a modulo parameter Q for determination of quasi co-location, QCL, of the SS/PBCH blocks, the variable position being a position i that is to be quasi co-located with an SS/PBCH block transmitted in position i+k*Q, where k=0, 1, 2 . . . and where available positions in the transmission window are determined by sub-carrier spacing for the transmission.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein one of:
the applying of the first or second SS/PBCH block detection method for SS/PBCH block detection is further based on a used frequency band of operation; and
the applying of the first or second SS/PBCH block detection method for SS/PBCH block detection is further based on one of length and duration information about a transmission window.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein receiving signalling and determining whether the indicated SS/PBCH block detection is the first or the second detection method comprises:
receiving a configuration of a transmission window;
determining whether the transmission window configuration comprises at least one of a length and duration parameter; and
applying the second SS/PBCH block detection method when it is determined that the transmission window configuration does comprise at least one of a length and duration parameter.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein receiving signalling and determining whether the indicated SS/PBCH block detection is the first or the second detection method comprises:
receiving one of a system information, SI, message and a dedicated Radio Resource Control, RRC, signalling;
determining whether the received signalling comprises a flag; and

applying the first SS/PBCH block detection method when it is determined that the received signalling comprises a flag.

12. An apparatus of a network node comprising controlling circuitry and configured for Synchronization Signal/Physical Broadcast Channel, SS/PBCH, block management, the controlling circuitry configured to cause:
determination of whether a network condition is met;
signalling to a communication terminal, to apply a first detection method for SS/PBCH block detection when it is determined that the network condition is met, the signalling being comprised in a master information block, MIB;
signalling to the communication terminal to apply a second detection method for SS/PBCH block detection when it is determined that the network condition is not met, the signalling being comprised in a master information block, MIB;
transmission of SS/PBCH blocks according to the fir

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Alriksson Peter
• Wittenmark Emma
• Grant Stephen

Classifications

• H04W74/0808

  using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA] · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04W52/0216

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title

• H04L5/0048 Primary

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title

• H04W56/0015 Primary

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title