Synchronization raster based indication of narrowband system information modifications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12567930-B2
Application number	US-202118572527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2021
Priority date	Jun 28, 2021
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

Disclosed are example embodiments of method and apparatus supporting narrowband system information modification indications based on synchronization raster positions. A terminal device may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to determine a first frequency position of a synchronization signal, and apply a first scheme to decode at least a part of system information received from a network, responsive to the determined first frequency position of the synchronization signal. The first frequency position is different from a second frequency position, and the first scheme is different from a second scheme which is applicable for decoding the part of the system information when the synchronization signal is at the second frequency position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A terminal device comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to:
determine whether a frequency position of a synchronization signal is a first frequency position or a second frequency position, the first frequency position being different from the second frequency position; and
select a decoding scheme, responsive to the determined frequency position of the synchronization signal, the decoding scheme being selected from a first decoding scheme applicable for decoding a part of system information when the synchronization signal is at the first frequency position and a second decoding scheme applicable for decoding the part of the system information when the synchronization signal is at the second frequency position, wherein the first decoding scheme includes filtering out one or more subcarriers that have been punctured which according to the second decoding scheme are used for transmission of the part of the system information; and
apply the selected decoding scheme to decode the part of the system information received from a network.

2 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein the first frequency position is used for the synchronization signal when a carrier associated with the synchronization signal has a bandwidth smaller than a predetermined bandwidth, and the second frequency position is used for the synchronization signal when the carrier has a bandwidth larger than or equal to the predetermined bandwidth.

3 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein the first frequency position is one of frequency positions on a first synchronization raster, and the second frequency position is one of frequency positions on a second synchronization raster.

4 . The terminal device of claim 3 wherein the first synchronization raster comprises at least one frequency position that is not included in the second synchronization raster.

5 . The terminal device of claim 3 wherein the first synchronization raster comprises a smaller frequency range and/or a finer frequency step size than the second synchronization raster.

6 . The terminal device of claim 3 wherein the first synchronization raster indicates candidate frequency positions for the synchronization signal when the carrier has a bandwidth smaller than the predetermined bandwidth, and the second synchronization raster indicates candidate frequency positions for the synchronization signal when the carrier has a bandwidth larger than or equal to the predetermined bandwidth.

7 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein the part of the system information comprises a master information block carried on a physical broadcast channel and/or scheduling information carried on a physical downlink control channel for other system information.

8 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein filtering out one or more subcarriers that have been punctured comprises determining a position and/or number of the one or more subcarriers based on the first frequency position of the synchronization signal.

9 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein applying the first decoding scheme to decode the part of system information further comprises: determining the one or more subcarriers that have been punctured by testing of decoding the part of the system information with and without one or more subcarriers ignored.

10 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein the one or more subcarriers that have been punctured are positioned at a lower edge, at an upper edge, or at both edges of a frequency range for transmission of the part of the system information according to the second scheme.

11 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to:
exclude reference signals on the punctured subcarriers from channel estimation.

12 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein applying the first decoding scheme comprises:
decoding the part of the system information with modified payload size, payload content, channel coding and/or resource mapping that are different from the respective payload size, payload content, channel coding and/or resource mapping according to the second scheme.

13 . The terminal device of claim 12 wherein the part of the system information has a smaller payload size, includes fewer information elements, includes one or more information elements having a new or modified definition, has a higher coding rate, is mapped to fewer resource elements, is shifted in frequency relative to the synchronization signal, and/or is mapped to more time-domain resources in a case where the synchronization signal is positioned at the first frequency position than in a case where the synchronization signal is positioned at the second frequency position.

14 . The terminal device of claim 1 wherein the first frequency position is one of frequency positions on a first synchronization raster, and at least one frequency position on the first synchronization raster corresponds to a different modification to payload size, payload content, channel coding, subcarrier puncturing and/or resource mapping of the part of the system information from the modification to payload size, payload content, channel coding, subcarrier puncturing and/or resource mapping to which another frequency position on the first synchronization raster corresponds.

15 . A network device comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to:
transmit a synchronization signal at a selected frequency position, the selected frequency position being one of a first frequency position or a second frequency position, the first frequency position being different from the second frequency position; and
transmit a part of system information using a selected encoding scheme, the encoding scheme being selected from a first encoding scheme applicable for transmission of a part of system information when the synchronization signal is at the first frequency position and a second encoding scheme applicable for transmission of the part of the system information when the synchronization signal is transmitted at the second frequency position, wherein the first encoding scheme punctures one or more subcarriers which according to the second encoding scheme are used for transmission of the part of the system information.

16 . The network device of claim 15 wherein the first frequency position is selected for transmission of the synchronization signal when a carrier associated with the synchronization signal has a bandwidth smaller than a predetermined bandwidth, and the second frequency position is applicable for transmission of the synchronization signal when the carrier has a bandwidth larger than or equal to the predetermined bandwidth.

17 . The network device of claim 15 wherein the first frequency position is one of frequency positions on a first synchronization raster, and the second frequency position is one of frequency positions on a second synchronization raster.

18 . The network device of claim 17 wherein the first synchronization raster comprises at least one frequency position that is not included in the second synchronization raster.

19 . The netw

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Baker Matthew
• Kaikkonen Jorma Johannes
• Braun Volker
• Toskala Antti Anton

Classifications

• H04W48/08

  Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery (signalling during connection H04W76/00) · CPC title

• H04J11/0086

  Search parameters, e.g. search strategy, accumulation length, range of search, thresholds (code acquisition in DSSS H04B1/7075) · CPC title

• H04J11/0076

  Acquisition of secondary synchronisation channel, e.g. detection of cell-ID group · CPC title

• H04J11/0073

  Acquisition of primary synchronisation channel, e.g. detection of cell-ID within cell-ID group · CPC title

• H04L5/0092

  Indication of how the channel is divided · CPC title