WO2018145081A1

WO2018145081A1 - Generation node-b (gnb), user equipment (ue) and methods of synchronization based on synchronization signal (ss) blocks in new radio (nr) systems

Info

Publication number: WO2018145081A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/017048
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ansab ALI; Daewon Lee; Gregory Morozov; Seunghee Han
Original assignee: Intel IP Corporation
Priority date: 2017-02-06
Filing date: 2018-02-06
Publication date: 2018-08-09
Also published as: CN110178324B; CN110178324A

Abstract

Embodiments of a generation Node-B (gNB), User Equipment (UE) and methods for communication are generally described herein. The gNB may transmit a synchronization signal (SS) block that includes: a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The PBCH may include an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame. The SS block index may be based on a summation of: an intra-slot index of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted, and a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted.

Description

GENERATION NODE-B (GNB), USER EQUIPMENT (UE) AND METHODS OF SYNCHRONIZATION BASED ON SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL (SS)

BLOCKS IN NEW RADIO (NR) SYSTEMS

PRIORITY CLAIM [0001] This application claims priority to United States Provisional

Patent Application Serial No. 62/455,229, filed February 6, 2017, and to United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/455,405, filed February 6, 2017, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to wireless networks including 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) networks, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, and 3GPP LTE-A (LTE Advanced) networks. Some embodiments relate to Fifth Generation (5G) networks. Some embodiments relate to New Radio (NR) networks. Some embodiments relate to usage of synchronization signal (SS) blocks. Some embodiments relate to synchronization. BACKGROUND

[0003] Base stations and mobile devices operating in a cellular network may exchange data. Various techniques may be used to improve capacity and/or performance, in some cases, including communication in accordance with new radio (NR) techniques. In an example, a mobile device may synchronize to a base station by reception of one or more synchronization signals. Some operations may be challenging, such as monitoring for the synchronization signals and detection of the synchronization signals. For instance, such operations may result in a reduction in battery life of the mobile device in some cases, such as when the mobile device remains in a monitoring mode for a relatively long time. Accordingly, there is a general need for methods and systems to perform operations related to synchronization in these and other scenarios.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0004] FIG. 1 A is a functional diagram of an example network in accordance with some embodiments;

[0005] FIG. IB is a functional diagram of another example network in accordance with some embodiments;

[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordance with some embodiments;

[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a user device in accordance with some aspects;

[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a base station in accordance with some aspects;

[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary communication circuitry according to some aspects;

[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a radio frame structure in accordance with some embodiments;

[0011] FIGs. 7A and 7B illustrate example frequency resources in accordance with some embodiments;

[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of a method of communication in accordance with some embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of another method of communication in accordance with some embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 10 illustrates an example format for synchronization signal

(SS) blocks in accordance with some embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 11 illustrates example arrangements of time resources and frequency resources for primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) in accordance with some embodiments; [0016] FIG. 12 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources and frequency resources for PSS, SSS, and PBCH in accordance with some embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 13 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources and frequency resources for PSS, SSS, and PBCH in accordance with some embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 14 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources and frequency resources for PSS, SSS, and PBCH in accordance with some embodiments;

[0019] FIG. 15 illustrates an example arrangement of time resources for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), SS blocks, and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in accordance with some embodiments;

[0020] FIG. 16 illustrates another example arrangement of time resources for PDCCH, SS blocks, and PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments;

[0021] FIG. 17 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources for PDCCH, SS blocks, and PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments;

[0022] FIG. 18 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources for PDCCH, SS blocks, and PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 19 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources for PDCCH, SS blocks, and PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments;

[0024] FIG. 20 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources for PDCCH, SS blocks, and PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0025] FIG. 21 illustrates additional example arrangements of time resources for PDCCH, SS blocks, and PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0027] FIG. 1A is a functional diagram of an example network in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. IB is a functional diagram of another example network in accordance with some embodiments. In some

embodiments, the network 100 may be a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network. In some embodiments, the network 150 may be a 3GPP network. In a non-limiting example, the network 150 may be a new radio (NR) network. It should be noted that embodiments are not limited to usage of 3GPP networks, however, as other networks may be used in some embodiments. As an example, a Fifth Generation (5G) network may be used in some cases. As another example, a New Radio (NR) network may be used in some cases. As another example, a wireless local area network (WLAN) may be used in some cases. Embodiments are not limited to these example networks, however, as other networks may be used in some embodiments. In some embodiments, a network may include one or more components shown in FIG. 1A. Some embodiments may not necessarily include all components shown in FIG. 1 A, and some embodiments may include additional components not shown in FIG. 1A. In some embodiments, a network may include one or more components shown in FIG. IB. Some embodiments may not necessarily include all components shown in FIG. IB, and some embodiments may include additional components not shown in FIG. IB. In some embodiments, a network may include one or more components shown in FIG. 1A and one or more components shown in FIG. IB. In some embodiments, a network may include one or more components shown in FIG. 1A, one or more components shown in FIG. IB and one or more additional components. [0028] The network 100 may comprise a radio access network (RAN)

101 and the core network 120 (e.g., shown as an evolved packet core (EPC)) coupled together through an S I interface 1 15. For convenience and brevity sake, only a portion of the core network 120, as well as the RAN 101, is shown. In a non-limiting example, the RAN 101 may be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN). In another non-limiting example, the RAN 101 may include one or more components of a New Radio (NR) network. In another non-limiting example, the RAN 101 may include one or more components of an E-UTRAN and one or more components of another network (including but not limited to an NR network) .

[0029] The core network 120 may include a mobility management entity

(MME) 122, a serving gateway (serving GW) 124, and packet data network gateway (PDN GW) 126. In some embodiments, the network 100 may include (and/or support) one or more Evolved Node-B 's (eNBs) 104 (which may operate as base stations) for communicating with User Equipment (UE) 102. The eNBs 104 may include macro eNBs and low power (LP) eNBs, in some embodiments.

[0030] In some embodiments, the network 100 may include (and/or support) one or more Generation Node-B's (gNBs) 105. In some embodiments, one or more eNBs 104 may be configured to operate as gNBs 105.

Embodiments are not limited to the number of eNBs 104 shown in FIG. 1A or to the number of gNBs 105 shown in FIG. 1A. In some embodiments, the network 100 may not necessarily include eNBs 104. Embodiments are also not limited to the connectivity of components shown in FIG. 1A.

[0031] It should be noted that references herein to an eNB 104 or to a gNB 105 are not limiting. In some embodiments, one or more operations, methods and/or techniques (such as those described herein) may be practiced by a base station component (and/or other component), including but not limited to a gNB 105, an eNB 104, a serving cell, a transmit receive point (TRP) and/or other. In some embodiments, the base station component may be configured to operate in accordance with a New Radio (NR) protocol and/or NR standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the base station component may be configured to operate in accordance with a Fifth Generation (5G) protocol and/or 5G standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0032] In some embodiments, one or more of the UEs 102 and/or eNBs

104 may be configured to operate in accordance with an NR protocol and/or NR techniques. References to a UE 102, eNB 104 and/or gNB 105 as part of descriptions herein are not limiting. For instance, descriptions of one or more operations, techniques and/or methods practiced by a gNB 105 are not limiting. In some embodiments, one or more of those operations, techniques and/or methods may be practiced by an eNB 104 and/or other base station component.

[0033] In some embodiments, the UE 102 may transmit signals (data, control and/or other) to the gNB 105, and may receive signals (data, control and/or other) from the gNB 105. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may transmit signals (data, control and/or other) to the eNB 104, and may receive signals (data, control and/or other) from the eNB 104. These embodiments will be described in more detail below.

[0034] The MME 122 is similar in function to the control plane of legacy

Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSN). The MME 122 manages mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The serving GW 124 terminates the interface toward the RAN 101, and routes data packets between the RAN 101 and the core network 120. In addition, it may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-eNB handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement. The serving GW 124 and the MME 122 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes. The PDN GW 126 terminates an SGi interface toward the packet data network (PDN). The PDN GW 126 routes data packets between the EPC 120 and the external PDN, and may be a key node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. It may also provide an anchor point for mobility with non-LTE accesses. The external PDN can be any kind of IP network, as well as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) domain. The PDN GW 126 and the serving GW 124 may be implemented in one physical node or separated physical nodes.

[0035] In some embodiments, the eNBs 104 (macro and micro) terminate the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for a UE 102. In some embodiments, an eNB 104 may fulfill various logical functions for the network 100, including but not limited to RNC (radio network controller functions) such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0036] In some embodiments, UEs 102 may be configured to communicate Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with an eNB 104 and/or gNB 105 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique. In some embodiments, eNBs 104 and/or gNBs 105 may be configured to communicate OFDM communication signals with a UE 102 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with an OFDMA communication technique. The OFDM signals may comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0037] The S 1 interface 115 is the interface that separates the RAN 101 and the EPC 120. It may be split into two parts: the Sl-U, which carries traffic data between the eNBs 104 and the serving GW 124, and the S l-MME, which is a signaling interface between the eNBs 104 and the MME 122. The X2 interface is the interface between eNBs 104. The X2 interface comprises two parts, the X2-C and X2-U. The X2-C is the control plane interface between the eNBs 104, while the X2-U is the user plane interface between the eNBs 104.

[0038] In some embodiments, similar functionality and/or connectivity described for the eNB 104 may be used for the gNB 105, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In a non-limiting example, the S 1 interface 115 (and/or similar interface) may be split into two parts: the Sl-U, which carries traffic data between the gNBs 105 and the serving GW 124, and the Sl-MME, which is a signaling interface between the gNBs 104 and the MME 122. The X2 interface (and/or similar interface) may enable

communication between eNBs 104, communication between gNBs 105 and/or communication between an eNB 104 and a gNB 105.

[0039] With cellular networks, LP cells are typically used to extend coverage to indoor areas where outdoor signals do not reach well, or to add network capacity in areas with very dense phone usage, such as train stations. As used herein, the term low power (LP) eNB refers to any suitable relatively low power eNB for implementing a narrower cell (narrower than a macro cell) such as a femtocell, a picocell, or a micro cell. Femtocell eNBs are typically provided by a mobile network operator to its residential or enterprise customers. A femtocell is typically the size of a residential gateway or smaller and generally connects to the user's broadband line. Once plugged in, the femtocell connects to the mobile operator's mobile network and provides extra coverage in a range of typically 30 to 50 meters for residential femtocells. Thus, a LP eNB might be a femtocell eNB since it is coupled through the PDN GW 126. Similarly, a picocell is a wireless communication system typically covering a small area, such as in-building (offices, shopping malls, train stations, etc.), or more recently in-aircraft. A picocell eNB can generally connect through the X2 link to another eNB such as a macro eNB through its base station controller (BSC)

functionality. Thus, LP eNB may be implemented with a picocell eNB since it is coupled to a macro eNB via an X2 interface. Picocell eNBs or other LP eNBs may incorporate some or all functionality of a macro eNB. In some cases, this may be referred to as an access point base station or enterprise femtocell. In some embodiments, various types of gNBs 105 may be used, including but not limited to one or more of the eNB types described above.

[0040] In some embodiments, the network 150 may include one or more components configured to operate in accordance with one or more 3GPP standards, including but not limited to an NR standard. The network 150 shown in FIG. IB may include a next generation RAN (NG-RAN) 155, which may include one or more gNBs 105. In some embodiments, the network 150 may include the E-UTRAN 160, which may include one or more eNBs. The E- UTRAN 160 may be similar to the RAN 101 described herein, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0041] In some embodiments, the network 150 may include the MME

165. The MME 165 may be similar to the MME 122 described herein, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. The MME 165 may perform one or more operations or functionality similar to those described herein regarding the MME 122, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. [0042] In some embodiments, the network 150 may include the SGW

170. The SGW 170 may be similar to the SGW 124 described herein, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. The SGW 170 may perform one or more operations or functionality similar to those described herein regarding the SGW 124, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0043] In some embodiments, the network 150 may include

component(s) and/or module(s) for functionality for a user plane function (UPF) and user plane functionality for PGW (PGW-U), as indicated by 175. some embodiments, the network 150 may include component(s) and/or module(s) for functionality for a session management function (SMF) and control plane functionality for PGW (PGW-C), as indicated by 180. In some embodiments, the component(s) and/or module(s) indicated by 175 and/or 180 may be similar to the PGW 126 described herein, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. The the component(s) and/or module(s) indicated by 175 and/or 180 may perform one or more operations or functionality similar to those described herein regarding the PGW 126, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. One or both of the components 170, 172 may perform at least a portion of the functionality described herein for the PGW 126, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0044] Embodiments are not limited to the number or type of components shown in FIG. IB. Embodiments are also not limited to the connectivity of components shown in FIG. IB.

[0045] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from an eNB 104 to a UE 102, while uplink

transmission from the UE 102 to the eNB 104 may utilize similar techniques. In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from a gNB 105 to a UE 102, while uplink transmission from the UE 102 to the gNB 105 may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time- frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid correspond to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted as a resource element (RE). There are several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks. With particular relevance to this disclosure, two of these physical downlink channels are the physical downlink shared channel and the physical down link control channel.

[0046] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software.

[0047] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine in accordance with some embodiments. The machine 200 is an example machine upon which any one or more of the techniques and/or methodologies discussed herein may be performed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 200 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 200 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 200 may act as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 200 may be a UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, access point (AP), station (STA), user, device, mobile device, base station, personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set- top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations.

[0048] Examples as described herein, may include, or may operate on, logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) capable of performing specified operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example, circuits may be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to external entities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. In an example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a module that operates to perform specified operations. In an example, the software may reside on a machine readable medium. In an example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform the specified operations.

[0049] Accordingly, the term "module" is understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform part or all of any operation described herein. Considering examples in which modules are temporarily configured, each of the modules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example, where the modules comprise a general -purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may be configured as respective different modules at different times. Software may accordingly configure a hardware processor, for example, to constitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitute a different module at a different instance of time.

[0050] The machine (e.g., computer system) 200 may include a hardware processor 202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit

(GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory

204 and a static memory 206, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 208. The machine 200 may further include a display unit 210, an alphanumeric input device 212 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 214 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 210, input device 212 and UI navigation device 214 may be a touch screen display. The machine 200 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit) 216, a signal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 220, and one or more sensors 221, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 200 may include an output controller 228, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.).

[0051] The storage device 216 may include a machine readable medium

222 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 224 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 224 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 204, within static memory 206, or within the hardware processor 202 during execution thereof by the machine 200. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 202, the main memory 204, the static memory 206, or the storage device 216 may constitute machine readable media. In some embodiments, the machine readable medium may be or may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, the machine readable medium may be or may include a computer-readable storage medium.

[0052] While the machine readable medium 222 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 224. The term "machine readable medium" may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 200 and that cause the machine 200 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine readable medium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable

Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; Random Access Memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, machine readable media may include non-transitory machine readable media. In some examples, machine readable media may include machine readable media that is not a transitory propagating signal.

[0053] The instructions 224 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 226 using a transmission medium via the network interface device 220 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) family of standards, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 220 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 226. In an example, the network interface device 220 may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. In some examples, the network interface device 220 may wirelessly communicate using Multiple User MIMO techniques. The term "transmission medium" shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 200, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

[0054] FIG. 3 illustrates a user device in accordance with some aspects.

In some embodiments, the user device 300 may be a mobile device. In some embodiments, the user device 300 may be or may be configured to operate as a User Equipment (UE). In some embodiments, the user device 300 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a new radio (NR) protocol. In some embodiments, the user device 300 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a Third Generation Partnership Protocol (3GPP) protocol. The user device 300 may be suitable for use as a UE 102 as depicted in FIG. 1, in some embodiments. It should be noted that in some embodiments, a UE, an apparatus of a UE, a user device or an apparatus of a user device may include one or more of the components shown in one or more of FIGs. 2, 3, and 5. In some embodiments, such a UE, user device and/or apparatus may include one or more additional components.

[0055] In some aspects, the user device 300 may include an application processor 305, baseband processor 310 (also referred to as a baseband module), radio front end module (RFEM) 315, memory 320, connectivity module 325, near field communication (NFC) controller 330, audio driver 335, camera driver 340, touch screen 345, display driver 350, sensors 355, removable memory 360, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 365 and smart battery 370. In some aspects, the user device 300 may be a User Equipment (UE).

[0056] In some aspects, application processor 305 may include, for example, one or more CPU cores and one or more of cache memory, low drop- out voltage regulators (LDOs), interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as serial peripheral interface (SPI), inter-integrated circuit (I²C) or universal programmable serial interface module, real time clock (RTC), timer-counters including interval and watchdog timers, general purpose input-output (IO), memory card controllers such as secure digital / multi-media card (SD/MMC) or similar, universal serial bus (USB) interfaces, mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) interfaces and Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access ports. [0057] In some aspects, baseband module 310 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-down substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, and/or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0058] FIG. 4 illustrates a base station in accordance with some aspects.

In some embodiments, the base station 400 may be or may be configured to operate as an Evolved Node-B (eNB). In some embodiments, the base station 400 may be or may be configured to operate as a Generation Node-B (gNB). In some embodiments, the base station 400 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a new radio (NR) protocol. In some embodiments, the base station 400 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a Third Generation Partnership Protocol (3 GPP) protocol. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the base station 400 may be a stationary non-mobile device. The base station 400 may be suitable for use as an eNB 104 as depicted in FIG. 1, in some embodiments. The base station 400 may be suitable for use as a gNB 105 as depicted in FIG. 1, in some embodiments. It should be noted that in some embodiments, an eNB, an apparatus of an eNB, a gNB, an apparatus of a gNB, a base station and/or an apparatus of a base station may include one or more of the components shown in one or more of FIGs. 2, 4, and 5. In some embodiments, such an eNB, gNB, base station and/or apparatus may include one or more additional components.

[0059] FIG. 4 illustrates a base station or infrastructure equipment radio head 400 in accordance with an aspect. The base station 400 may include one or more of application processor 405, baseband modules 410, one or more radio front end modules 415, memory 420, power management circuitry 425, power tee circuitry 430, network controller 435, network interface connector 440, satellite navigation receiver module 445, and user interface 450. In some aspects, the base station 400 may be an Evolved Node-B (eNB), which may be arranged to operate in accordance with a 3GPP protocol, new radio (NR) protocol and/or Fifth Generation (5G) protocol. In some aspects, the base station 400 may be a generation Node-B (gNB), which may be arranged to operate in accordance with a 3GPP protocol, new radio (NR) protocol and/or Fifth Generation (5G) protocol. [0060] In some aspects, application processor 405 may include one or more CPU cores and one or more of cache memory, low drop-out voltage regulators (LDOs), interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I²C or universal programmable serial interface module, real time clock (RTC), timer- counters including interval and watchdog timers, general purpose IO, memory card controllers such as SD/MMC or similar, USB interfaces, MIPI interfaces and Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access ports.

[0061] In some aspects, baseband processor 410 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-down substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0062] In some aspects, memory 420 may include one or more of volatile memory including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and nonvolatile memory (NVM) including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as Flash memory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM) and/or a three-dimensional cross-point memory. Memory 420 may be implemented as one or more of solder down packaged integrated circuits, socketed memory modules and plug-in memory cards.

[0063] In some aspects, power management integrated circuitry 425 may include one or more of voltage regulators, surge protectors, power alarm detection circuitry and one or more backup power sources such as a battery or capacitor. Power alarm detection circuitry may detect one or more of brown out (under- voltage) and surge (over-voltage) conditions.

[0064] In some aspects, power tee circuitry 430 may provide for electrical power drawn from a network cable to provide both power supply and data connectivity to the base station 400 using a single cable. In some aspects, network controller 435 may provide connectivity to a network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet. Network connectivity may be provided using a physical connection which is one of electrical (commonly referred to as copper interconnect), optical or wireless. [0065] In some aspects, satellite navigation receiver module 445 may include circuitry to receive and decode signals transmitted by one or more navigation satellite constellations such as the global positioning system (GPS), Globalnaya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS), Galileo and/or BeiDou. The receiver 445 may provide data to application processor 405 which may include one or more of position data or time data. Application processor 405 may use time data to synchronize operations with other radio base stations. In some aspects, user interface 450 may include one or more of physical or virtual buttons, such as a reset button, one or more indicators such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a display screen.

[0066] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary communication circuitry according to some aspects. Circuitry 500 is alternatively grouped according to functions. Components as shown in 500 are shown here for illustrative purposes and may include other components not shown here in Fig. 5. In some aspects, the communication circuitry 500 may be used for millimeter wave

communication, although aspects are not limited to millimeter wave communication. Communication at any suitable frequency may be performed by the communication circuitry 500 in some aspects.

[0067] It should be noted that a device, such as a UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, the user device 300, the base station 400, the machine 200 and/or other device may include one or more components of the communication circuitry 500, in some aspects.

[0068] The communication circuitry 500 may include protocol processing circuitry 505, which may implement one or more of medium access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol

(PDCP), radio resource control (RRC) and non-access stratum (NAS) functions. Protocol processing circuitry 505 may include one or more processing cores (not shown) to execute instructions and one or more memory structures (not shown) to store program and data information.

[0069] The communication circuitry 500 may further include digital baseband circuitry 510, which may implement physical layer (PHY) functions including one or more of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) functions, scrambling and/or descrambling, coding and/or decoding, layer mapping and/or de-mapping, modulation symbol mapping, received symbol and/or bit metric determination, multi-antenna port pre -coding and/or decoding which may include one or more of space-time, space-frequency or spatial coding, reference signal generation and/or detection, preamble sequence generation and/or decoding, synchronization sequence generation and/or detection, control channel signal blind decoding, and other related functions.

[0070] The communication circuitry 500 may further include transmit circuitry 515, receive circuitry 520 and/or antenna array circuitry 530. The communication circuitry 500 may further include radio frequency (RF) circuitry 525. In an aspect of the disclosure, RF circuitry 525 may include multiple parallel RF chains for one or more of transmit or receive functions, each connected to one or more antennas of the antenna array 530.

[0071] In an aspect of the disclosure, protocol processing circuitry 505 may include one or more instances of control circuitry (not shown) to provide control functions for one or more of digital baseband circuitry 510, transmit circuitry 515, receive circuitry 520, and/or radio frequency circuitry 525

[0072] In some embodiments, processing circuitry may perform one or more operations described herein and/or other operation(s). In a non-limiting example, the processing circuitry may include one or more components such as the processor 202, application processor 305, baseband module 310, application processor 405, baseband module 410, protocol processing circuitry 505, digital baseband circuitry 510, similar component(s) and/or other component(s).

[0073] In some embodiments, a transceiver may transmit one or more elements (including but not limited to those described herein) and/or receive one or more elements (including but not limited to those described herein). In a non- limiting example, the transceiver may include one or more components such as the radio front end module 315, radio front end module 415, transmit circuitry 515, receive circuitry 520, radio frequency circuitry 525, similar component(s) and/or other component(s).

[0074] One or more antennas (such as 230, 312, 412, 530 and/or others) may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some multiple -input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, one or more of the antennas (such as 230, 312, 412, 530 and/or others) may be effectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result.

[0075] In some embodiments, the UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, user device 300, base station 400, machine 200 and/or other device described herein may be a mobile device and/or portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a wearable device such as a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), or other device that may receive and/or transmit information wirelessly. In some embodiments, the UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, user device 300, base station 400, machine 200 and/or other device described herein may be configured to operate in accordance with 3GPP standards, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, user device 300, base station 400, machine 200 and/or other device described herein may be configured to operate in accordance with new radio (NR) standards, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, user device 300, base station 400, machine 200 and/or other device described herein may be configured to operate according to other protocols or standards, including IEEE 802.1 1 or other IEEE standards. In some embodiments, the UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, user device 300, base station 400, machine 200 and/or other device described herein may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

[0076] Although the UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, user device 300, base station 400, machine 200 and/or other device described herein may each be illustrated as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software -configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements.

[0077] Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be read and executed by at least one processor to perform the operations described herein. A computer-readable storage device may include any non-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storage device may include read- only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and other storage devices and media. Some embodiments may include one or more processors and may be configured with instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device.

[0078] It should be noted that in some embodiments, an apparatus used by the UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105, machine 200, user device 300 and/or base station 400 may include various components shown in FIGs. 2-5. Accordingly, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the UE 102 may be applicable to an apparatus of a UE. In addition, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the eNB 104 may be applicable to an apparatus of an eNB. In addition, techniques and operations described herein that refer to the gNB 105 may be applicable to an apparatus of a gNB.

[0079] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a radio frame structure in accordance with some embodiments. FIGs. 7 A and 7B illustrate example frequency resources in accordance with some embodiments. It should be noted that the examples shown in FIGs. 6, 7A and 7B may illustrate some or all of the concepts and techniques described herein in some cases, but embodiments are not limited by the examples. For instance, embodiments are not limited by the name, number, type, size, ordering, arrangement and/or other aspects of the time resources, symbol periods, frequency resources, PRBs and other elements as shown in FIGs. 6, 7A and 7B. Although some of the elements shown in the examples of FIGs. 6, 7A and 7B may be included in a 3GPP LTE standard, 5G standard, NR standard and/or other standard, embodiments are not limited to usage of such elements that are included in standards.

[0080] An example of a radio frame structure that may be used in some aspects is shown in FIG. 6. In this example, radio frame 600 has a duration of 10ms. Radio frame 600 is divided into slots 602 each of duration 0.5 ms, and numbered from 0 to 19. Additionally, each pair of adjacent slots 602 numbered 2i and 2i+l, where /^' is an integer, is referred to as a subframe 601.

[0081] In some aspects using the radio frame format of FIG. 6, each subframe 601 may include a combination of one or more of downlink control information, downlink data information, uplink control information and uplink data information. The combination of information types and direction may be selected independently for each subframe 602.

[0082] FIGs. 7A and 7B. In some aspects, a sub-component of a transmitted signal consisting of one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one symbol interval in the time domain may be termed a resource element. Resource elements may be depicted in a grid form as shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B.

[0083] In some aspects, illustrated in FIG. 7A, resource elements may be grouped into rectangular resource blocks 700 consisting of 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain and the P symbols in the time domain, where P may correspond to the number of symbols contained in one slot, and may be 6, 7, or any other suitable number of symbols.

[0084] In some alternative aspects, illustrated in FIG. 7B, resource elements may be grouped into resource blocks 700 consisting of 12 subcarriers (as indicated by 702) in the frequency domain and one symbol in the time domain. In the depictions of FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, each resource element 705 may be indexed as (k, 1) where k is the index number of subcarrier, in the range 0 to N.M-1 (as indicated by 703), where N is the number of subcarriers in a resource block, and M is the number of resource blocks spanning a component carrier in the frequency domain. [0085] In accordance with some embodiments, a gNB 105 may transmit a synchronization signal (SS) block that includes: a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The PBCH may include an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame. The radio frame may include a plurality of slots. The slots may be configured for multiple SS blocks per slot. The SS block index may be based on a summation of: an intra-slot index of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted, and a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted. These embodiments are described in more detail below.

[0086] FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of a method of communication in accordance with some embodiments. It is important to note that embodiments of the method 800 may include additional or even fewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated in FIG. 8. In addition, embodiments of the method 800 are not necessarily limited to the chronological order that is shown in FIG. 8. In describing the method 800, reference may be made to one or more of FIGs. 1A, IB, 2-6, 7A, 7B, and 10-21, although it is understood that the method 800 may be practiced with any other suitable systems, interfaces and components.

[0087] In some embodiments, a gNB 105 may perform one or more operations of the method 800, but embodiments are not limited to performance of the method 800 and/or operations of it by the gNB 105. In some

embodiments, an eNB 104 configured to operate as a gNB 105 may perform one or more operations of the method 800 (and/or similar operations). In some embodiments, an eNB 104 may perform one or more operations of the method 800 (and/or similar operations). In some embodiments, the UE 102 may perform one or more operations of the method 800 (and/or similar operations).

Accordingly, although references may be made to performance of one or more operations of the method 800 by the gNB 105 in descriptions herein, it is understood that the eNB 104 and/or UE 102 may perform one or more of the same operations, in some embodiments. It is also understood that the eNB 104 and/or UE 102 may perform one or more operations that are similar to one or more operations of the method 800, in some embodiments. It is also understood that the eNB 104 and/or UE 102 may perform one or more operations that are reciprocal to one or more operations of the method 800, in some embodiments.

[0088] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a New Radio (NR) standard and/or protocol, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. While the method 800 and other methods described herein may refer to eNBs 104, gNBs 105 or UEs 102 operating in accordance with 3GPP standards, 5G standards, NR standards and/or other standards, embodiments of those methods are not limited to just those eNBs 104, gNBs 105 or UEs 102 and may also be practiced on other devices, such as a Wi-Fi access point (AP) or user station (STA). In addition, the method 800 and other methods described herein may be practiced by wireless devices configured to operate in other suitable types of wireless communication systems, including systems configured to operate according to various IEEE standards such as IEEE 802.1 1. The method 800 may also be applicable to an apparatus of a UE 102, an apparatus of an eNB 104, an apparatus of a gNB 105 and/or an apparatus of another device described above.

[0089] It should also be noted that embodiments are not limited by references herein (such as in descriptions of the methods 800, 900 and/or other descriptions herein) to transmission, reception and/or exchanging of elements such as frames, messages, requests, indicators, signals or other elements. In some embodiments, such an element may be generated, encoded or otherwise processed by processing circuitry (such as by a baseband processor included in the processing circuitry) for transmission. The transmission may be performed by a transceiver or other component, in some cases. In some embodiments, such an element may be decoded, detected or otherwise processed by the processing circuitry (such as by the baseband processor). The element may be received by a transceiver or other component, in some cases. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry and the transceiver may be included in a same apparatus. The scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect, however, as the transceiver may be separate from the apparatus that comprises the processing circuitry, in some embodiments. [0090] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a New Radio (NR) protocol and/or standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0091] At operation 805, the gNB 105 may encode one or more elements of an SS block. In some embodiments, the one or more elements may include one or more of: a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). In some embodiments, the SS block may include one or more of: the PSS, the SSS, the PBCH and/or other element(s).

[0092] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may encode one or more elements for multiple SS blocks of a slot, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may encode one or more elements for one or more slots of the radio frame, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0093] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may encode one or more elements for multiple SS blocks of a radio frame, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the radio frame may include a plurality of slots. In some embodiments, the slots may be configured for multiple SS blocks per slot. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may encode one or more elements for one or more SS blocks of multiple radio frames, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may encode one or more elements for multiple SS blocks for periodic transmission in multiple radio frames, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. For instance, an SS block may be transmitted at a time position within a radio frame and at the same time position in one or more subsequent radio frames.

[0094] In some embodiments, the PSS may be based on a cell group of the gNB 105. In a non-limiting example, the cell group of the gNB 105 may be included in candidate cell groups. Predetermined sequences may be mapped to the candidate cell groups. The PSS may be based on the predetermined sequence that corresponds to the cell group of the gNB 105. For instance, the predetermined sequence may be mapped to REs for OFDM transmission. Any suitable number of candidate cell groups (including but not limited to three) may be used.

[0095] In some embodiments, the SSS may be based on a cell identifier

(cell ID) of the gNB 105 within the cell group. In a non-limiting example, the cell ID of the gNB 105 may be included in candidate cell IDs. Predetermined sequences may be mapped to the candidate cell IDs. The SSS may be based on the predetermined sequence that corresponds to the cell ID of the gNB 105. For instance, the predetermined sequence may be mapped to REs for OFDM transmission. Any suitable number of candidate cell IDs may be used.

[0096] In some embodiments, the PBCH may include an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within the radio frame. In some embodiments, the PBCH may include a system frame number (SFN) that indicates an index of the radio frame. In some embodiments, the PBCH include one or more additional parameters.

[0097] In a non-limiting example, the SS block index may be based on a summation of: 1) an intra-slot index of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted; and 2) a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted.

[0098] In some embodiments, the intra-slot index may indicate a start position of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted. In a non-limiting example, the start position may be included in a plurality of candidate SS block positions of a size equal to the number of SS blocks per slot.

[0099] In some embodiments, the slots may be configured for multiple

SS blocks per slot in accordance with a predetermined pattern. Allocations per SS block may include a predetermined number of contiguous symbol periods. The slots may include a predetermined number of symbol periods. The allocations may begin at predetermined symbol periods within the slots.

[00100] In a non-limiting example, the allocations per SS block may include four contiguous symbol periods, the slots may include 14 symbol periods, and the number of SS blocks per slot may be two. Embodiments are not limited to these example numbers, as any suitable numbers may be used. The allocations per SS block may begin at any suitable symbol period. For instance, the allocations per SS block may begin at third symbol periods of the slots and at ninth symbol periods of the slots, although embodiments are not limited to these example numbers.

[00101] At operation 810, the gNB 105 may map the one or more elements of the SS block to symbol periods and resource elements (REs). In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may map the SS block to REs of a plurality of symbol periods for OFDM transmission. In some embodiments, the SSS and at least a portion of the PBCH may be multiplexed within a same symbol period.

[00102] In a non-limiting example, the gNB 105 may map the SS block to a plurality of symbol periods for OFDM transmission. The PSS may be mapped to a first chronological symbol period. A portion of the PBCH may be mapped to a second chronological symbol period. The SSS may be mapped to first REs in a third chronological symbol period. Another portion of the PBCH may be mapped to second REs in the third chronological symbol period. Another portion of the PBCH may be mapped to a fourth chronological symbol period of the plurality of symbol periods.

[00103] At operation 815, the gNB 105 may transmit the SS block. At operation 820, the gNB 105 may transmit a plurality of SS blocks.

[00104] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple SS blocks in a slot, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple SS blocks in a slot in accordance with a predetermined pattern of symbol periods. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit one or more SS blocks in multiple slots, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00105] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple SS blocks in the radio frame, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit one or more SS blocks in multiple radio frames, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple SS blocks in multiple radio frames in accordance with periodic transmission, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple SS blocks in a radio frame in accordance with a predetermined pattern of symbol periods and/or slots.

[00106] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit a first SS block at a first time position of a slot. The first SS block may include a first SS block index that indicates the first time position. The gNB 105 may transmit a second SS block at a second time position of the same slot. The second SS block may include a second SS block index that indicates the second time position. The gNB 105 may transmit the first SS block in accordance with a first beam. The gNB 105 may transmit the second SS block in accordance with a second beam. Embodiments may be extended to more than two SS blocks. Embodiments may be extended to more than two SS block positions. Embodiments may be extended to more than two beams.

[00107] In some embodiments, different predetermined patterns may be used based at least partly on a resource element (RE) spacing. In a non-limiting example, if the gNB 105 is configured for OFDM transmission of an SS block in accordance with an RE spacing of 15 kHz, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple SS blocks in the radio frame in accordance with a first predetermined pattern. If the gNB 105 is configured for OFDM transmission in accordance with an RE spacing of 30 kHz, the gNB may transmit multiple SS blocks the radio frame in accordance with a second predetermined pattern. Embodiments are not limited to the numbers in this example. This example may be extended to two or more RE spacings. This example may be extended to two or more predetermined patterns. This example may be extended to two or more SS blocks.

[00108] In some embodiments, different numbers of SS blocks per slot may be used based at least partly on an RE spacing. In a non-limiting example, if the gNB 105 is configured for OFDM transmission of an SS block in accordance with an RE spacing of 15 kHz, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple SS blocks in the radio frame in accordance with a first number of SS blocks per SS slot. If the gNB 105 is configured for OFDM transmission in accordance with an RE spacing of 30 kHz, the gNB may transmit multiple SS blocks the radio frame in accordance with a second first number of SS blocks per SS slot. Embodiments are not limited to the numbers in this example. This example may be extended to two or more RE spacings. This example may be extended to two or more numbers of SS blocks per slot.

[00109] In some embodiments, one or more parameters may be used based at least partly on an RE spacing. Such parameters may include, but are not limited to: a number of SS blocks per slot, a number of SS blocks per radio frame, a number of slots per radio frame, a predetermined pattern of slots, a predetermined pattern of SS blocks, and/or other parameter(s). In a non-limiting example, if the gNB 105 is configured for OFDM transmission of an SS block in accordance with an RE spacing of 15 kHz, the gNB 105 may transmit one or more SS blocks in accordance with a first set of parameter values (which may include one or more of the parameters described above, in some cases). If the gNB 105 is configured for OFDM transmission in accordance with an RE spacing of 30 kHz, the gNB may transmit one or more SS blocks in accordance with a first set of parameter values (which may include one or more of the parameters described above, in some cases). Embodiments are not limited to the numbers in this example. Embodiments are also not limited to the parameters described above.

[00110] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may encode, for inclusion in an SS block: a PSS, an SSS, and a PBCH that includes an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame. The gNB 105 may map the PSS, the SSS, and the PBCH for OFDM transmission in an allocation of symbol periods for the SS block. The PSS may be mapped to one of the symbol periods of the allocation. The SSS and at least a portion of the PBCH may be multiplexed in one of the other symbol periods of the allocation.

[00111] In a non-limiting example, the allocation may include four contiguous symbol periods. The portion of the PBCH may be a first portion of the PBCH. The gNB 105 may map the PSS to first REs in a first chronological symbol period of the allocation. The gNB 105 may map the SSS and the first portion of the PBCH to second REs in a third chronological symbol period of the allocation. A bandwidth of the first REs may be less than an aggregated bandwidth of the second REs.

[00112] In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and/or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). In some embodiments, the PDCCH may include information related to downlink transmission. For instance, the gNB 105 may transmit a PDCCH in a slot, and the PDCCH may include information related to downlink transmission in the slot. In some embodiments, additional information may be included.

[00113] In some embodiments, the PUCCH may include information related to uplink transmission. For instance, the gNB 105 may transmit a PUCCH in a slot, and the PUCCH may include information related to uplink transmission in the slot. In some embodiments, additional information may be included.

[00114] In some embodiments, the PDCCH may be transmitted in one or more symbol periods, including but not limited to contiguous symbol periods. In some embodiments, the PUCCH may be transmitted in one or more symbol periods, including but not limited to contiguous symbol periods. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple PDCCHs in the radio frame, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the gNB 105 may transmit multiple PDCCHs in the radio frame, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00115] In a non-limiting example, the gNB 105 may transmit a PDCCH in each slot of the radio frame. In another non-limiting example, the gNB 105 may transmit a PDCCH in each slot of a plurality of slots of the radio frame. In some cases, the gNB 105 may not necessarily transmit a PDCCH in all slots of the radio frame. In another non-limiting example, the gNB 105 may transmit a PUCCH in each slot of the radio frame. In another non-limiting example, the gNB 105 may transmit a PUCCH in each slot of a plurality of slots of the radio frame. In some cases, the gNB 105 may not necessarily transmit a PUCCH in all slots of the radio frame. In another non-limiting example, the gNB 105 may transmit, in at least some of the slots of the radio frame, a PDCCH and a PUCCH.

[00116] One or more of the messages described herein may be included in a standard and/or protocol, including but not limited to Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fourth Generation (4G), Fifth Generation (5G), New Radio (NR) and/or other. The scope of embodiments is not limited to usage of elements that are included in standards, however.

[00117] In some embodiments, an apparatus of a gNB 105 may comprise memory. The memory may be configurable to store an SS block. The memory may store one or more other elements and the apparatus may use them for performance of one or more operations. The apparatus may include processing circuitry, which may perform one or more operations (including but not limited to operation(s) of the method 800 and/or other methods described herein). The processing circuitry may include a baseband processor. The baseband circuitry and/or the processing circuitry may perform one or more operations described herein, including but not limited to encoding of the SS block. The apparatus of the gNB 105 may include a transceiver to transmit the SS block. The transceiver may transmit and/or receive other blocks, messages and/or other elements.

[00118] FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of another method of

communication in accordance with some embodiments. Embodiments of the method 900 may include additional or even fewer operations or processes in comparison to what is illustrated in FIG. 9 and embodiments of the method 900 are not necessarily limited to the chronological order that is shown in FIG. 9. In describing the method 900, reference may be made to one or more of the figures described herein, although it is understood that the method 900 may be practiced with any other suitable systems, interfaces and components. In addition, embodiments of the method 900 may be applicable to UEs 102, eNBs 104, gNBs 105, APs, STAs and/or other wireless or mobile devices. The method 900 may also be applicable to an apparatus of a UE 102, eNB 104, gNB 105 and/or other device described above.

[00119] In some embodiments, a UE 102 may perform one or more operations of the method 900, but embodiments are not limited to performance of the method 900 and/or operations of it by the UE 102. In some embodiments, the eNB 104 and/or gNB 105 may perform one or more operations of the method 900 (and/or similar operations). Although references may be made to performance of one or more operations of the method 900 by the UE 102 in descriptions herein, it is understood that the eNB 104 and/or gNB 105 may perform one or more of the same operations, in some embodiments. It is also understood that the eNB 104 and/or gNB 105 may perform one or more operations that are similar to one or more operations of the method 900, in some embodiments. It is also understood that the eNB 104 and/or gNB 105 may perform one or more operations that are reciprocal to one or more operations of the method 900, in some embodiments.

[00120] In a non-limiting example, an operation of the method 800 may include transmission of an element (such as a frame, block, message and/or other) by the gNB 105, and an operation of the method 900 may include reception of a same element (and/or similar element) from the gNB 105 by the UE 102. In some cases, descriptions of operations and techniques described as part of one of the methods 800 and 900 may be relevant to the other method.

[00121] In addition, previous discussion of various techniques and concepts may be applicable to the method 900 in some cases, including but not limited to SS block, PSS, SSS, PBCH, and/or other. In addition, the examples shown in one or more of the figures may also be applicable, in some cases, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00122] In some embodiments, a UE 102 may perform one or more operations of the method 900, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may be arranged to operate in accordance with a New Radio (NR) protocol and/or standard, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00123] At operation 905, the UE 102 may detect a PSS of an SS block. At operation 910, the UE 102 may detect an SSS of the SS block. The PSS, SSS and/or SS block may be received from a gNB 105, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In a non-limiting example, the PSS may be based at least partly on a cell group of the gNB 105. In another non- limiting example, the SSS may be based at least partly on a cell group of the gNB 105.

[00124] At operation 915, the UE 102 may determine, based on the PSS and/or SSS, a start time of the SS block. At operation 920, the UE 102 may decode a PBCH of the SS block based at least partly on the determined start time. At operation 925, the UE 102 may determine a time position of the SS block within the radio frame based at least partly on an SS block index included in the PBCH.

[00125] In some embodiments, the radio frame may include a plurality of slots. The slots may be configured for multiple SS blocks per slot. The SS block index may be based on a summation of: 1) an intra-slot index of the SS block within a slot in which the SS block is received, and 2) a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is received. The intra- slot index may indicate a start position of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is received. The start position may be included in a plurality of candidate SS block positions of a size equal to the number of SS blocks per slot.

[00126] In some embodiments, the intra-slot index may indicate a start position of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is received. The start position may be included in a plurality of candidate SS block positions of a size equal to the number of SS blocks per slot.

[00127] In some embodiments, the slots may be configured for multiple

SS blocks per slot in accordance with a predetermined pattern. The allocations per SS block may include a predetermined number of contiguous symbol periods. The slots may include a predetermined number of symbol periods. The allocations may begin at predetermined symbol periods within the slots. The UE 102 may determine start positions of multiple SS blocks, in some embodiments.

[00128] In a non-limiting example, the allocations per SS block may include four contiguous symbol periods. The slots may include 14 symbol periods. The number of SS blocks per slot may be two. The allocations per SS block may begin at third symbol periods of the slots and at ninth symbol periods of the slots. Examples are not limited to the example numbers in this example, as any suitable numbers may be used.

[00129] FIG. 10 illustrates an example format for synchronization signal

(SS) blocks in accordance with some embodiments. FIGs. 11-14 illustrate example arrangements of time resources and frequency resources for primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGs. 15-21 illustrates example arrangements of time resources for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), SS blocks, and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in accordance with some embodiments. It should be noted that the examples shown in FIGs. 10-21 may illustrate some or all of the concepts and techniques described herein in some cases, but embodiments are not limited by the examples. For instance, embodiments are not limited by the name, number, type, size, ordering, arrangement and/or other aspects of the operations, messages, frames, blocks, time resources (such as symbol periods and/or other), frequency resources (such as REs and/or other), and other elements as shown in FIGs. 10-21. Although some of the elements shown in the examples of FIGs. 10-21 may be included in a 3GPP LTE standard, 5G standard, NR standard and/or other standard, embodiments are not limited to usage of such elements that are included in standards.

[00130] In FIG. 10, the example 1000 illustrates an example of an SS transmission structure comprising SS blocks 1015, SS bursts 1010, SS burst set 1005. In this example 1000, a burst periodicity 1020 is used.

[00131] In some embodiments, an SS block 1015 may include one or more of: a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). In some embodiments, a Tertiary Synchronization Signal (TSS) may be included in the SS block 1015. In some embodiments, the NR-PBCH may carry/include some system information, such as an MIB (Master Information Block) and/or other.

[00132] In a non-limiting example, a PSS, an SSS, and a PBCH may be transmitted in a TDM manner. In another non-limiting example, a PSS, an SSS, a TSS, and a PBCH may be transmitted in a TDM manner. In some cases, transmission bandwidths (BWs) for PSS and SSS may be identical and the BW may be a fixed value (such as 5 MHz or other value). In such cases, an overhead to send PSS/SSS/PBCH may be significant.

[00133] In some embodiments, a PSS BW may be smaller than SSS BW, and the frequency resources outside PSS or SSS may be used for the PBCH. Accordingly, a spanning time to send the SS block 1015 (possibly comprising PSS, SSS and/or PBCH) may become shorter than in other implementations, in some cases. Accordingly, a relatively low overhead transmission may be realized, in some cases. In addition, little or no performance loss may be realized, in some cases.

[00134] In some embodiments, the PSS and SSS may be multiplexed in the time domain. The PBCH may be frequency multiplexed with the PSS and/or SSS. In a non-limiting example, the PSS may be sent in a first symbol period, the SSS may be sent in a second symbol period, and the PBCH may be frequency multiplexed with the SSS in the second symbol period. For instance, in the second symbol period, first frequency resources may be allocated for the SSS and second frequency resources may be allocated for the PBCH. Additional examples are described herein. In some or all of the embodiments and examples described herein, a symbol period may be an OFDM symbol period, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00135] In examples and embodiments described herein, it may be assumed that BW(s) for PSS, SSS, TSS, and/or PBCH are equal to or smaller than channel bandwidth, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In addition, in examples and embodiments described herein, an ordering of PSS followed by SSS in the SS block is used, but the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. Other orderings are possible, including but not limited to orderings in which the SSS is followed by the SSS within the SS block. In addition, some of the embodiments and examples described herein may include usage of a PBCH, but some or all of the embodiments and examples described herein may be modified to include the TSS instead of the PBCH.

[00136] In some embodiments, the BW of the PSS may be equal to or smaller than a BW of the SSS. The frequency regions outside PSS and/or SSS can be used for sending PBCH.

[00137] In some embodiments, the BW of the SSS may be equal to or smaller than a BW of the PSS, and the frequency regions outside PSS and/or SSS can be used for sending PBCH.

[00138] In some embodiments, the aggregated BWs of PSS and PBCH may be equal to the BW of SSS. For instance, in 1100 in FIG. 11, the PSS 1105 and PBCH 1115 are multiplexed in a first symbol period and the SSS 1110 is sent in a second symbol period. The aggregated BWs of PSS 1105 and PBCH 1115 may be equal to the BW of SSS 1110.

[00139] Additional non-limiting examples are shown in FIG. 12. In the examples 1200, 1220, 1240, a BW of a PSS is greater than a BW of an SSS, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In the example 1200, the PSS 1205 is sent in a first symbol period. The SSS 1210 and PBCH 1215 are multiplexed in a second symbol period. An aggregated BW of the SSS 1210 and PBCH 1215 may be equal to a BW of the PSS 1205, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00140] In the example 1220, the PSS 1225 is sent in a first symbol period. The SSS 1230 and PBCH 1235 are multiplexed in a second symbol period. An aggregated BW of the SSS 1210 and PBCH 1215 may be greater than a BW of the PSS 1225, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00141] In the example 1240, the PSS 1245 and a first portion of a PBCH

(labeled as 1253) are multiplexed in a first symbol period. The SSS 1250 and a second portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1255) are multiplexed in a second symbol period. An aggregated BW of the SSS 1250 and the first portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1253) may be equal to an aggregated BW of the SSS 1250 and the second portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1255), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00142] Additional non-limiting examples are shown in FIG. 13. In the example 1300, the PSS 1302 and PBCH 1306 are multiplexed in a first symbol period and the SSS 1304 is sent in a second symbol period. A BW of the PSS 1302 may be less than a BW of the SSS 1304 (such as shown in the example 1300), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00143] In the example 1310, the PSS 1312 and a first portion of a PBCH

(labeled as 1316) are multiplexed in a first symbol period. The SSS 1314 and a second portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1318) are sent in a second symbol period. A BW of the PSS 1312 may be less than a BW of the SSS 1314 (such as shown in the example 1310), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. [00144] In the example 1320, the PSS 1322 and PBCH 1326 are multiplexed in a first symbol period and the SSS 1324 is sent in a second symbol period. A BW of the PSS 1322 may be equal to a BW of the SSS 1324 (such as shown in the example 1320), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00145] In the example 1330, the PSS 1332 is sent in a first symbol period. The SSS 1334 and PBCH 1336 are multiplexed in a second symbol period. A BW of the PSS 1332 may be equal to a BW of the SSS 1334 (such as shown in the example 1330), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00146] In the example 1340, the PSS 1342 and a first portion of a PBCH

(labeled as 1346) are multiplexed in a first symbol period. The SSS 1344 and a second portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1348) are sent in a second symbol period. A BW of the PSS 1342 and a BW of the SSS 1344 may be equal (such as shown in the example 1340), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00147] In the example 1350, the PSS 1352 and the PBCH 1356 are multiplexed in a first symbol period, and the SSS 1354 are sent in a second symbol period. A BW of the PSS 1352 may be greater than a BW of the SSS 1354 (such as shown in the example 1350), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00148] In the example 1360, the PSS 1362 and a first portion of a PBCH

(labeled as 1366) are multiplexed in a first symbol period. The SSS 1364 and a second portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1368) are sent in a second symbol period. A BW of the PSS 1362 may be greater than a BW of the SSS 1364 (such as shown in the example 1360), although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00149] In FIG. 14, an example SS block 1400 is shown. In a first symbol period, the PSS 1420 is sent. In a second symbol period, a portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1430) is sent. In a third symbol period, the SSS 1440 is sent in a portion of frequency resources. Additional portions of the PBCH (labeled as

1442 and 1444) are sent in other portions of the frequency resources (outside of the portion of frequency resources used for the SSS 1440) in the third symbol period. Guard bands 1446 are also used, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect. In a fourth symbol period, another portion of the PBCH (labeled as 1450) is sent. As indicated by 1410, 144 sub-carriers may be used in the first symbol period for transmission of the PSS 1420. Accordingly, a first BW equal to a sub-carrier spacing multiplied by 144 may be used in the first symbol period. As indicated by 1412, 240 sub-carriers may be used in the second symbol period for transmission of the portion of the PBCH labeled as 1430; in the third symbol period for transmission of the SSS 1440 and the additional portions of the PBCH labeled as 1444 and 1446; and in the fourth symbol period for transmission of the portion of the PBCH labeled as 1450. Accordingly, a second BW equal to the sub-carrier spacing multiplied by 240 may be used in those symbol periods.

[00150] In some embodiments, a BW of the PSS may be smaller than a BW of the SSS. In some embodiments, the BW of the PSS may be equal to the BW of the SSS. In some embodiments, the BW of the PSS may be larger than the BW of the SSS. In some embodiments, an aggregated BW of the PSS and the PBCH may be smaller than the BW of the SSS. In some embodiments, the aggregated BW of the PSS and the PBCH may be equal to the BW of the SSS. In some embodiments, the aggregated BW of the PSS and the PBCH may be greater than the BW of the SSS. In some embodiments, an aggregated BW of the SSS and the PBCH may be smaller than the BW of the PSS. In some embodiments, the aggregated BW of the SSS and the PBCH may be equal to the BW of the PSS. In some embodiments, the aggregated BW of the SSS and the PBCH may be greater than the BW of the PSS.

[00151] In some or all of the embodiments and examples described herein, one or more guard bands (including but not limited to one or more contiguous sub-carriers) may be used. In a non-limiting example, a guard band between the SSS and the PBCH may be used. This may facilitate filtering operations for SSS, in some cases. The guard band may be defined separately from SSS definition (that is, the guard band is not a part of the SSS), or may be defined as a part of SSS definition (the guard band is a part of SSS). In another non- limiting example, a guard band between the PSS and the PBCH may be used.

This may facilitate filtering operations for PSS, in some cases. The guard band may be defined separately from PSS definition (that is, the guard band is not a part of the PSS), or may be defined as a part of PSS definition (the guard band is a part of PSS).

[00152] In some embodiments, in an NR system, because of the presence of multiple candidate positions for the SS blocks within an SS slot, techniques may be used to identify the positioning of the SS blocks within the SS slots. In some embodiments, a technique to identify the positioning may also take into account the potential presence of the new radio physical downlink control channel (NR-PDCCH) and/or NR physical uplink control channel (NR-PUCCH) in the same slot.

[00153] In some embodiments, a time indexing technique to specify a position of a particular SS block within a radio frame may be used. With the time indexing and radio frame identification, the UE 102 may be able to identify one or more SS blocks within the SS burst set period.

[00154] In some embodiments, SS block candidate positions within a slot may be defined, and the same SS block candidate position pattern may be repeated in multiple slots within the SS burst set period. The available SS block candidate positions may change, in some cases, depending on the usage of the NR PDCCH and NR PUCCH transmission in the same slot that SS block is occupied.

[00155] In some embodiments, an SS block may include a PSS, SSS and/or PBCH. In some embodiments, the PBCH may include broadcasted information about one or more parameters that may be used (and may be essential in some embodiments) for initial access. Such parameters may include, but are not limited to, a DL system bandwidth, System Frame Number (SFN) and/or other.

[00156] In the example 1500 in FIG. 15, slots 1510, 1520, 1530 may include 14 OFDM symbols. The slots may be repeated across radio frames, in some embodiments. The slot 1510 includes a PDCCH 1512, two SS blocks 1516 and 1518, and a PUCCH 1514. The types of elements are indicated in the legend 1505. Depending on the structure and duration of the SS blocks 1516,

1518 (such as a number of OFDM symbols), there are many different candidate positions within a single slot. In order to uniquely identify a SS block within a particular slot, a time indexing mechanism may be embedded in the SS block. Essentially, each SS block may include an indicator (such as an indicator that includes one or more bits) which may indicate an SS slot index and/or position of the SS block within that slot. This indicator and a radio frame number provided by the NR-PBCH may provide a hierarchical structure for signaling the SS block time index, in some cases.

[00157] In some embodiments, the system frame number (SFN) may be used for synchronization and/or timing reference. The time index (for the SS block) discussed above may be used by the UE 102, in some cases, to identify RSRP measurements for different cells and/or different beams (such as in multi- beam operation).

[00158] It should be noted that the number of OFDM symbols for the NR-

PDCCH and NR-PUCCH within a slot may not necessarily be fixed. This may, in some cases, impart an additional degree of variation to be captured in the design of the time indexing mechanism.

[00159] In some embodiments, a radio frame may include a fixed number of SS slots. An example technique for computation of a time index for the SS block (which may be referred to as an SS block index, in some cases) is given below, but it is understood that alternate techniques and/or similar techniques may be used, in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the number of SS blocks per slot may be different. The time index may be determined as below - [00160] Time index for SS block = (Position index within slot) + (slot index) x (number of SS blocks per slot)

[00161] Referring to FIG. 16, the position index within the slot is indicated by 1602 and the slot index within the radio frame is indicated by 1604.

In a non-limiting example, the time index for SS block 1614 may be 1 + 2*m, as the position index within the slot 1610 is 1 (selected from 0 or 1), the slot index for slot 1610 is m, and the number of SS blocks per slot is two. The time index for SS block 1612 may be 0 + 2*m, as the position index within the slot 1610 is 0, the slot index for slot 1610 is m, and the number of SS blocks per slot is two.

The time index for SS block 1624 may be 1 + 2*(m+l), as the position index within the slot 1620 is 1, the slot index for slot 1620 is (m+1), and the number of

SS blocks per slot is two. In some embodiments, a number of bits may be used to represent the time index determined above, and those bits may be included as part of the SS block.

[00162] In some embodiments, there may be multiple options for the number of OFDM symbols (which may be referred to as symbol periods, in some cases) of an SS block, each of which may have multiple sub options depending on how many symbols are occupied by NR-PDCCH and NR- PUCCH. In examples herein, the SS block includes 4 or 2 OFDM symbol periods, but embodiments are not limited to those numbers. In some embodiments, the network may be configured to transmit on any subset of the possible positions for the SS blocks. Also, the examples described herein and shown in the FIGs. are not exhaustive.

[00163] Referring to FIG. 17, example configurations with different number of symbols for NR-PDCCH are shown. The SS blocks are of size 4 OFDM symbols in these examples. The NR-PUCCH are of size 2 OFDM symbols in these examples. In the example 1710, the PDCCH 1712 includes 3 OFDM symbols, the SS blocks 1714, 1716 include four OFDM symbols, and the PUCCH 1718 includes two OFDM symbols. The types of elements are indicated in the legend 1705. In the examples 1710, 1720, 1730, the NR- PDCCH includes three OFDM symbols. In the examples 1740, 1750, 1760, the NR-PDCCH includes two OFDM symbols. In the examples 1770, 1780, 1790, the NR-PDCCH includes one OFDM symbol.

[00164] Referring to FIG. 18, example configurations with different number of symbols for NR-PDCCH are shown. The SS blocks are of size 4 OFDM symbols in these examples. The NR-PUCCH are of size equal to one OFDM symbol in these examples. The types of elements are indicated in the legend 1805. In the examples 1810, 1820, 1830, the NR-PDCCH includes three OFDM symbols. In the examples 1840, 1850, 1860, the NR-PDCCH includes two OFDM symbols. In the examples 1870, 1880, 1890, the NR-PDCCH includes one OFDM symbol.

[00165] Referring to FIG. 19, example configurations with different number of symbols for NR-PDCCH are shown. The SS blocks are of size 4

OFDM symbols in these examples. The NR-PUCCH is not included in these examples. The types of elements are indicated in the legend 1905. In the examples 1910, 1920, 1930, the NR-PDCCH includes three OFDM symbols. In the examples 1940, 1950, 1960, the NR-PDCCH includes two OFDM symbols. In the examples 1970, 1980, 1990, the NR-PDCCH includes one OFDM symbol.

[00166] Referring to FIG. 20, example configurations with different number of symbols for NR-PDCCH and/or NR-PUCCH are shown. It should be noted that examples 2030, 2060, 2090 do not include the NR-PUCCH. The SS blocks are of size 4 OFDM symbols in these examples. The examples include different numbers of SS blocks: the examples 2010 and 2020 include one SS block; the examples 2030, 2040, 2050, 2070, 2080 include two SS blocks; and the examples 2060, 2090 include three SS blocks. The types of elements are indicated in the legend 2005.

[00167] Referring to FIG. 21, example configurations with different number of symbols for NR-PDCCH and/or NR-PUCCH are shown. It should be noted that examples 2130, 2160, 2190 do not include the NR-PUCCH. The SS blocks are of size 2 OFDM symbols in these examples. The examples include different numbers of SS blocks: the examples 2110, 2120, and 2140 include four SS blocks; the examples 2130, 2150, 2170, 2180 include five SS blocks; and the examples 2160, 2190 include six SS blocks. The types of elements are indicated in the legend 2105.

[00168] In some embodiments, a plurality of synchronization signal (SS) block candidate positions may be defined within a slot. Available SS blocks may be dependent on usage of first one, two, or three OFDM symbols in a slot for downlink control signaling and usage of last one or two OFDM symbols in a slot for uplink and downlink switching gap and uplink control signaling. In some embodiments, a slot may include 14 OFDM symbols. In some

embodiments, three SS block candidates may be defined in a slot. In some embodiments, a first SS block candidate within a slot may occupy 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th OFDM symbols; a second SS block candidate within the slot may occupy 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th OFDM symbols; a third synchronization signal block candidate within the slot may occupy 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th OFDM symbols.

[00169] In some embodiments, SS block candidates may be numerated within a slot, and the time index value of the SS block may be determined by a combination of the enumerated index of the SS block candidates within a slot and the slot index. The slot index may be the enumerated values of slot within a radio frame. In some embodiments, the time index value may be determined based on: a product of the slot index and the maximum number of SS block candidate position that is defined for a slot; and addition of the SS block candidate position index to that product.

[00170] In Example 1, an apparatus of a Generation Node-B (gNB) may comprise memory. The apparatus may further comprise processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to encode, for transmission, a synchronization signal (SS) block that includes: a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) that includes an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame. The radio frame may include a plurality of slots. The slots may be configured for multiple SS blocks per slot. The SS block index may be based on a summation of: an intra-slot index of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted; and a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted. The memory may be configured to store the SS block.

[00171] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the intra- slot index may indicate a start position of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted. The start position may be included in a plurality of candidate SS block positions of a size equal to the number of SS blocks per slot.

[00172] In Example 3, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-2, wherein the slots may be configured for multiple SS blocks per slot in accordance with a predetermined pattern, wherein allocations per SS block may include a predetermined number of contiguous symbol periods, the slots may include a predetermined number of symbol periods, the allocations may begin at predetermined symbol periods within the slots.

[00173] In Example 4, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-3, wherein the allocations per SS block may include four contiguous symbol periods. The slots may include 14 symbol periods. The number of SS blocks per slot may be two. The allocations per SS block may begin at third symbol periods of the slots and at ninth symbol periods of the slots.

[00174] In Example 5, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-4, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to encode multiple SS blocks for transmission in the radio frame in accordance with the predetermined pattern.

[00175] In Example 6, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-5, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to, if the gNB is configured for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission in accordance with a resource element (RE) spacing of 15 kilohertz (kHz): encode the multiple SS blocks for transmission in the radio frame in accordance with a first predetermined pattern. The processing circuitry may be further configured to, if the gNB is configured for OFDM transmission in accordance with an RE spacing of 30 kHz: encode the multiple SS blocks for transmission in the radio frame in accordance with a second predetermined pattern.

[00176] In Example 7, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-6, wherein the PBCH may further include a system frame number (SFN) that indicates an index of the radio frame.

[00177] In Example 8, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-7, wherein the PSS may be based on a cell group of the gNB. The SSS may be based on a cell identifier (cell ID) of the gNB within the cell group.

[00178] In Example 9, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-8, wherein the cell group of the gNB may be included in candidate cell groups. The PSS may be based on a predetermined sequence mapped to the cell group. The cell ID of the gNB may be included in candidate cell IDs. The SSS may be based on a predetermined sequence mapped to the cell ID.

[00179] In Example 10, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-9, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to map the SS block to resource elements (REs) of a plurality of symbol periods for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission. The SSS and at least a portion of the PBCH may be multiplexed within a same symbol period. [00180] In Example 11, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-10, wherein the processing circuitry may be further configured to map the SS block to a plurality of symbol periods for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission, wherein: the PSS is mapped to a first chronological symbol period, a portion of the PBCH is mapped to a second chronological symbol period, the SSS is mapped to first resource elements (REs) in a third chronological symbol period, another portion of the PBCH is mapped to second REs in the third chronological symbol period, and another portion of the PBCH is mapped to a fourth chronological symbol period of the plurality of symbol periods.

[00181] In Example 12, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-11, wherein the SS block is a first SS block, the time position is a first time position, the PBCH is a first PBCH, the SS block index is a first SS block index. The processing circuitry may be further configured to encode, for transmission, a second SS block that includes a second PBCH that includes a second SS block index that indicates a second time position of the second SS block within the radio frame. The first SS block may be encoded for transmission in accordance with a first beam. The second SS block may be encoded for transmission in accordance with a second beam.

[00182] In Example 13, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-12, wherein the gNB may be arranged to operate in accordance with a new radio (NR) protocol.

[00183] In Example 14, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-13, wherein the processing circuitry may include a baseband processor to encode the SS block.

[00184] In Example 15, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 1-14, wherein the apparatus may further include a transceiver to transmit the SS block.

[00185] In Example 16, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for communication by a Generation Node-B (gNB). The operations may configure the one or more processors to encode, for inclusion in a synchronization signal

(SS) block: a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) that includes an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to map the PSS, the SSS, and the PBCH for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission in an allocation of symbol periods for the SS block, wherein: the PSS is mapped to one of the symbol periods of the allocation, and the SSS and at least a portion of the PBCH are multiplexed in one of the other symbol periods of the allocation.

[00186] In Example 17, the subject matter of Example 16, wherein the allocation may include four contiguous symbol periods. The portion of the

PBCH is a first portion of the PBCH. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to map the PSS to first resource elements (REs) in a first chronological symbol period of the allocation. The operations may further configure the one or more processors to map the SSS and the first portion of the PBCH to second REs in a third chronological symbol period of the allocation. A bandwidth of the first REs may be less than an aggregated bandwidth of the second REs.

[00187] In Example 18, an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) may comprise memory. The apparatus may further comprise processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to detect a primary synchronization signal (PSS) of a synchronization signal (SS) block or a secondary

synchronization signal (SSS) of the SS block. The SS block may be received from a Generation Node-B (gNB). The processing circuitry may be further configured to determine, based on the PSS or SSS, a start time of the SS block. The processing circuitry may be further configured to decode a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) of the SS block based at least partly on the start time. The processing circuitry may be further configured to determine a time position of the SS block within a radio frame based at least partly on an SS block index included in the PBCH. The radio frame may include a plurality of slots. The slots may be configured for multiple SS blocks per slot. The SS block index may be based on a summation of: an intra-slot index of the SS block within a slot in which the SS block is received; and a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is received. The memory may be configured to store the SS block index.

[00188] In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18, wherein the intra-slot index may indicate a start position of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is received. The start position may be included in a plurality of candidate SS block positions of a size equal to the number of SS blocks per slot.

[00189] In Example 20, the subject matter of one or any combination of

Examples 18-19, wherein the slots may be configured for multiple SS blocks per slot in accordance with a predetermined pattern, wherein: allocations per SS block include a predetermined number of contiguous symbol periods, the slots include a predetermined number of symbol periods, and the allocations begin at predetermined symbol periods within the slots.

[00190] In Example 21, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 18-20, wherein the allocations per SS block may include four contiguous symbol periods. The slots may include 14 symbol periods. The number of SS blocks per slot may be two. The allocations per SS block may begin at third symbol periods of the slots and at ninth symbol periods of the slots.

[00191] In Example 22, an apparatus of a Generation Node-B (gNB) may comprise means for encoding, for inclusion in a synchronization signal (SS) block: a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) that includes an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame. The apparatus may further comprise means for mapping the PSS, the SSS, and the PBCH for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission in an allocation of symbol periods for the SS block, wherein: the PSS is mapped to one of the symbol periods of the allocation, and the SSS and at least a portion of the PBCH are multiplexed in one of the other symbol periods of the allocation.

[00192] In Example 23, the subject matter of Example 22, wherein the allocation may include four contiguous symbol periods. The portion of the

PBCH is a first portion of the PBCH. The apparatus may further comprise means for mapping the PSS to first resource elements (REs) in a first chronological symbol period of the allocation. The apparatus may further comprise means for mapping the SSS and the first portion of the PBCH to second REs in a third chronological symbol period of the allocation. A bandwidth of the first REs may be less than an aggregated bandwidth of the second REs.

[00193] The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section

1.72(b) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of a Generation Node-B (gNB), the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry, configured to:

encode, for transmission, a synchronization signal (SS) block that includes:

a primary synchronization signal (PSS),

a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and

a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) that includes an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame,

wherein the radio frame includes a plurality of slots, wherein the slots are configured for multiple SS blocks per slot,

wherein the SS block index is based on a summation of:

an intra-slot index of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted, and

a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted,

wherein the memory is configured to store the SS block.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the intra-slot index indicates a start position of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is to be transmitted,

the start position is included in a plurality of candidate SS block positions of a size equal to the number of SS blocks per slot.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the slots are configured for multiple SS blocks per slot in accordance with a predetermined pattern, wherein:

allocations per SS block include a predetermined number of contiguous symbol periods, the slots include a predetermined number of symbol periods, the allocations begin at predetermined symbol periods within the slots.

4. The apparatus according to any of claims 1-3, wherein:

the allocations per SS block include four contiguous symbol periods, the slots include 14 symbol periods,

the number of SS blocks per slot is two, and

the allocations per SS block begin at third symbol periods of the slots and at ninth symbol periods of the slots.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, the processing circuitry further configured to:

encode multiple SS blocks for transmission in the radio frame in accordance with the predetermined pattern.

6. The apparatus according to any of claims 1, 3, and 5, the processing circuitry further configured to:

if the gNB is configured for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission in accordance with a resource element (RE) spacing of 15 kilohertz (kHz), encode the multiple SS blocks for transmission in the radio frame in accordance with a first predetermined pattern; and

if the gNB is configured for OFDM transmission in accordance with an RE spacing of 30 kHz, encode the multiple SS blocks for transmission in the radio frame in accordance with a second predetermined pattern.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the PBCH further includes a system frame number (SFN) that indicates an index of the radio frame.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the PSS is based on a cell group of the gNB, and the SSS is based on a cell identifier (cell ID) of the gNB within the cell group.

9. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 and 7-8, wherein:

the cell group of the gNB is included in candidate cell groups, the PSS is based on a predetermined sequence mapped to the cell group, the cell ID of the gNB is included in candidate cell IDs, and

the SSS is based on a predetermined sequence mapped to the cell ID.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to:

map the SS block to resource elements (REs) of a plurality of symbol periods for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission, wherein the SSS and at least a portion of the PBCH are multiplexed within a same symbol period.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to:

map the SS block to a plurality of symbol periods for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission, wherein:

the PSS is mapped to a first chronological symbol period, a portion of the PBCH is mapped to a second chronological symbol period,

the SSS is mapped to first resource elements (REs) in a third chronological symbol period,

another portion of the PBCH is mapped to second REs in the third chronological symbol period, and

another portion of the PBCH is mapped to a fourth chronological symbol period of the plurality of symbol periods.

12. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 and 10-11, wherein: the SS block is a first SS block, the time position is a first time position, the PBCH is a first PBCH, the SS block index is a first SS block index, and the processing circuitry is further configured to:

encode, for transmission, a second SS block that includes a second PBCH that includes a second SS block index that indicates a second time position of the second SS block within the radio frame,

wherein the first SS block is encoded for transmission in accordance with a first beam,

wherein the second SS block is encoded for transmission in accordance with a second beam.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gNB is arranged to operate in accordance with a new radio (NR) protocol.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry includes a baseband processor to encode the SS block.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further includes a transceiver to transmit the SS block.

16. A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for communication by a Generation Node-B (gNB), the operations to configure the one or more processors to:

encode, for inclusion in a synchronization signal (SS) block:

a primary synchronization signal (PSS),

a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and

a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) that includes an SS block index that indicates a time position of the SS block within a radio frame; and map the PSS, the SSS, and the PBCH for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission in an allocation of symbol periods for the SS block, wherein:

the PSS is mapped to one of the symbol periods of the allocation, and the SSS and at least a portion of the PBCH are multiplexed in one of the other symbol periods of the allocation.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein:

the allocation includes four contiguous symbol periods,

the portion of the PBCH is a first portion of the PBCH,

the operations further configure the one or more processors to:

map the PSS to first resource elements (REs) in a first chronological symbol period of the allocation; and

map the SSS and the first portion of the PBCH to second REs in a third chronological symbol period of the allocation,

wherein a bandwidth of the first REs is less than an aggregated bandwidth of the second REs.

18. An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry, configured to:

detect a primary synchronization signal (PSS) of a synchronization signal (SS) block or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) of the SS block, the SS block received from a Generation Node-B (gNB);

determine, based on the PSS or SSS, a start time of the SS block;

decode a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) of the SS block based at least partly on the start time;

determine a time position of the SS block within a radio frame based at least partly on an SS block index included in the PBCH,

wherein the radio frame includes a plurality of slots, wherein the slots are configured for multiple SS blocks per slot, wherein the SS block index is based on a summation of:

an intra-slot index of the SS block within a slot in which the SS block is received, and

a product of a number of SS blocks per slot and a slot index, with respect to the plurality of slots of the radio frame, of the slot in which the SS block is received, wherein the memory is configured to store the SS block index.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the intra-slot index indicates a start position of the SS block within the slot in which the SS block is received,

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

allocations per SS block include a predetermined number of contiguous symbol periods,

the slots include a predetermined number of symbol periods, and the allocations begin at predetermined symbol periods within the slots.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein:

the number of SS blocks per slot is two, and