WO2018232743A1

WO2018232743A1 - System information delivery in multi-beam configuration

Info

Publication number: WO2018232743A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/089797
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zhennian SUN; Hongmei Liu; Chenxi Zhu; Lianhai WU
Original assignee: Motorola Mobility Llc
Priority date: 2017-06-23
Filing date: 2017-06-23
Publication date: 2018-12-27

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration. One apparatus (300) includes a processor (305) and a transmitter (330). The processor (305) arranges system information contents for a cell into a common content (245) shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and a plurality of beam-specific contents (250) belonging to one beam of the multi-beam configuration. The transmitter (330) transmits, on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration, system information comprising the common content (245) and the beam-specific contents (250) belonging to the particular beam.

Description

SYSTEM INFORMATION DELIVERY IN MULTI-BEAM CONFIGURATION

FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to wireless communications and more particularly relates to transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration.

BACKGROUND

The following abbreviations are herewith defined， at least some of which are referred to within the following description.

Third Generation Partnership Project ( “3GPP” ) ， Positive-Acknowledgment ( “ACK” ) ， Access and Mobility Management Function ( “AMF” ) ， Binary Phase Shift Keying ( “BPSK” ) ， Carrier Aggregation ( “CA” ) ， Clear Channel Assessment ( “CCA” ) ， Control Channel Element ( “CCE” ) ， Cyclic Prefix ( “CP” ) ， Channel State Information ( “CSI” ) ， Common Search Space ( “CSS” ) ， Discrete Fourier Transform Spread ( “DFT-S” ) ， Downlink Control Information ( “DCI” ) ， Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM ( “DFT-S-OFDM” ) ， Downlink ( “DL” ) ， Downlink Pilot Time Slot ( “DwPTS” ) ， Enhanced Clear Channel Assessment ( “eCCA” ) ， Enhanced Mobile Broadband ( “eMBB” ) ， Evolved Node B ( “eNB” ) ， European Telecommunications Standards Institute ( “ETSI” ) ， Frame Based Equipment ( “FBE” ) ， Frequency Division Duplex ( “FDD” ) ， Frequency Division Multiple Access ( “FDMA” ) ， Guard Period ( “GP” ) ， Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request ( “HARQ” ) ， Internet-of-Things ( “IoT” ) ， Key Performance Indicators ( “KPI” ) ， Licensed Assisted Access ( “LAA” ) ， Load Based Equipment ( “LBE” ) ， Listen-Before-Talk ( “LBT” ) ， Long Term Evolution ( “LTE” ) ， LTA Advanced ( “LTE-A” ) ， Medium Access Control ( “MAC” ) ， Multiple Access ( “MA” ) ， Modulation Coding Scheme ( “MCS” ) ， Minimum System Information ( “MSI” ) ， Machine Type Communication ( “MTC” ) ， Massive MTC ( “mMTC” ) ， Multiple Input Multiple Output ( “MIMO” ) ， Multi User Shared Access ( “MUSA” ) ， Narrowband ( “NB” ) ， Negative-Acknowledgment ( “NACK” ) or ( “NAK” ) ， Network Function ( “NF” ) ， Next Generation Node B ( “gNB” ) ， Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access ( “NOMA” ) ， New Radio ( “NR” ) ， Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing ( “OFDM” ) ， Primary Cell ( “PCell” ) ， Physical Broadcast Channel ( “PBCH” ) ， Physical Downlink Control Channel ( “PDCCH” ) ， Physical Downlink Shared Channel ( “PDSCH” ) ， Pattern Division Multiple Access ( “PDMA” ) ， Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel ( “PHICH” ) ， Physical Random Access Channel ( “PRACH” ) ， Physical Resource Block ( “PRB” ) ， Physical Uplink Control Channel ( “PUCCH” ) ， Physical Uplink Shared Channel ( “PUSCH” ) ， Primary Synchronization Signal ( “PSS” ) ， Quality of Service ( “QoS” ) ， Quadrature Phase Shift Keying ( “QPSK” ) ， Quasi Co-Location ( “QCL” ) ， Radio Resource Control ( “RRC” ) ， Random Access Procedure ( “RACH” ) ， Random Access Response ( “RAR” ) ， Reference Signal ( “RS” ) ， Reference Signal Received Power ( “RSRP” ) ， Remaining Minimum System Information ( “RMSI” ) ， Resource Spread Multiple Access ( “RSMA” ) ， Round Trip Time ( “RTT” ) ， Receive ( “RX” ) ， Sparse Code Multiple Access ( “SCMA” ) ， Scheduling Request ( “SR” ) ， Secondary Synchronization Signal ( “SSS” ) ， Session Management Function ( “SMF” ) ， Sounding Reference Signal ( “SRS” ) ， Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access ( “SC-FDMA” ) ， Secondary Cell ( “SCell” ) ， Shared Channel ( “SCH” ) ， Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio ( “SINR” ) ， System Information Block ( “SIB” ) ， Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) ， Transport Block ( “TB” ) ， Transport Block Size ( “TBS” ) ， Time-Division Duplex ( “TDD” ) ， Time Division Multiplex ( “TDM” ) ， Transmission and Reception Point ( “TRP” ) ， Transmission Time Interval ( “TTI” ) ， Transmit ( “TX” ) ， Uplink Control Information ( “UCI” ) ， User Entity/Equipment (Mobile Terminal) ( “UE” ) ， Uplink ( “UL” ) ， User Plane Function ( “UPF” ) ， Universal Mobile Telecommunications System ( “UMTS” ) ， Uplink Pilot Time Slot ( “UpPTS” ) ， Ultra-reliability and Low-latency Communications ( “URLLC” ) ， and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ( “WiMAX” ) . As used herein， “HARQ-ACK” may represent collectively the Positive Acknowledge ( “ACK” ) and the Negative Acknowledge ( “NAK” ) . ACK means that a TB is correctly received while NAK means a TB is erroneously received.

In wireless communication systems， the minimum system information is important for a UE to access the network. In 5G radio access networks， the system information includes minimum system information ( “MIB” ) ， the remaining minimum system information ( “RMSI” ) ， and the other system information ( “OSI” ) . The MIB is transmitted in the SS block. The RMSI is carried by NR-PDSCH scheduled using PDCCH， and the NR-PBCH provides configuration information for the NR-PDCCH scheduling the NR-PDSCH carrying RMSI. The broadcast delivery of OSI is carried by NR-PDSCH， and the scheduling information can be carried by NR-PDCCH or RMSI. In many 5G systems， both single-beam based operation and multi-beam based operation are supported.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Methods for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration are disclosed. Apparatuses and systems also perform the functions of the methods. The methods may also be embodied in one or more computer program products comprising executable code.

In one embodiment， a method for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration includes operating a cell of a mobile communication network in a multi- beam configuration and arranging system information contents for the cell into a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and a plurality of beam-specific contents belonging to one beam of the multi-beam configuration. The method additionally includes transmitting， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprising the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam.

One apparatus for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration includes a processor and a transmitter that transmits in a multi-beam configuration. The processor arranges system information contents for a cell into a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and a plurality of beam-specific contents belonging to one beam of the multi-beam configuration. The transmitter transmits， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprising the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam.

Another apparatus for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration includes a remote unit that： receives system information on a particular beam of a base unit operating in a multi-beam configuration. Here， the system information contains a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam. The remote unit also accesses the base unit using the received system information， wherein the base unit arranges its system information contents into the common content and a plurality of beam-specific contents belonging to each beam of the multi-beam configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more particular description of the embodiments briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only some embodiments and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of scope， the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings， in which：

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a wireless communication system for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration；

Figure 2 illustrates one embodiment of a network architecture used for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration；

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an apparatus for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration；

Figure 4 illustrates a first embodiment of a scheme for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration；

Figure 5 illustrates a second embodiment of a scheme for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration；

Figure 6 illustrates a third embodiment of a scheme for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration；

Figure 7 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a scheme for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration； and

Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art， aspects of the embodiments may be embodied as a system， apparatus， method， or program product. Accordingly， embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment， an entirely software embodiment (including firmware， resident software， micro-code， etc. ) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.

For example， the disclosed embodiments may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom very-large-scale integration ( “VLSI” ) circuits or gate arrays， off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips， transistors， or other discrete components. The disclosed embodiments may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays， programmable array logic， programmable logic devices， or the like. As another example， the disclosed embodiments may include one or more physical or logical blocks of executable code which may， for instance， be organized as an object， procedure， or function.

Furthermore， embodiments may take the form of a program product embodied in one or more computer readable storage devices storing machine readable code， computer readable code， and/or program code， referred hereafter as code. The storage devices may be tangible， non-transitory， and/or non-transmission. The storage devices may not embody signals. In a certain embodiment， the storage devices only employ signals for accessing code.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be a storage device storing the code. The storage device may be， for example， but not limited to， an electronic， magnetic， optical， electromagnetic， infrared， holographic， micromechanical， or semiconductor system， apparatus， or device， or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

More specific examples (anon-exhaustive list) of the storage device would include the following： an electrical connection having one or more wires， a portable computer diskette， a hard disk， a random-access memory ( “RAM” ) ， a read-only memory ( “ROM” ) ， an erasable programmable read-only memory ( “EPROM” or Flash memory) ， a portable compact disc read-only memory ( “CD-ROM” ) ， an optical storage device， a magnetic storage device， or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document， a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain， or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system， apparatus， or device.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment， ” “an embodiment， ” or similar language means that a particular feature， structure， or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus， appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment， ” “in an embodiment， ” and similar language throughout this specification may， but do not necessarily， all refer to the same embodiment， but mean “one or more but not all embodiments” unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “including， ” “comprising， ” “having， ” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to， ” unless expressly specified otherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive， unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a， ” “an， ” and “the” also refer to “one or more” unless expressly specified otherwise.

Furthermore， the described features， structures， or characteristics of the embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. In the following description， numerous specific details are provided， such as examples of programming， software modules， user selections， network transactions， database queries， database structures， hardware modules， hardware circuits， hardware chips， etc.， to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize， however， that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details， or with other methods， components， materials， and so forth. In other instances， well-known structures， materials， or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of an embodiment.

Aspects of the embodiments are described below with reference to schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagrams of methods， apparatuses， systems， and program products according to embodiments. It will be understood that each block of the schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagrams， and combinations of blocks in the schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagrams， can be implemented by code. This code may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer， special purpose computer， or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine， such that the instructions， which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus， create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagrams.

The code may also be stored in a storage device that can direct a computer， other programmable data processing apparatus， or other devices to function in a particular manner， such that the instructions stored in the storage device produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagrams.

The code may also be loaded onto a computer， other programmable data processing apparatus， or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer， other programmable apparatus， or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the code which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagram.

The schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture， functionality， and operation of possible implementations of apparatuses， systems， methods， and program products according to various embodiments. In this regard， each block in the schematic flowchart diagrams and/or schematic block diagrams may represent a module， segment， or portion of code， which includes one or more executable instructions of the code for implementing the specified logical function (s) .

It should also be noted that， in some alternative implementations， the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example， two blocks shown in succession may， in fact， be executed substantially concurrently， or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order， depending upon the functionality involved. Other steps and methods may be conceived that are equivalent in function， logic， or effect to one or more blocks， or portions thereof， of the illustrated Figures.

The description of elements in each figure may refer to elements of proceeding figures. Like numbers refer to like elements in all figures， including alternate embodiments of like elements.

In order to deliver the minimum system information in a multi-beam system (e.g.， having a base station in a multi-beam configuration) ， disclosed are methods， apparatus， and systems that arrange system information contents for a cell into a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and a plurality of beam-specific contents and further transmit， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprising the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam. In certain embodiments， the system information may include beam-specific contents for one or more neighboring (e.g.， spatially adjacent) beams， as described in further detail below.

Figure 1 depicts a wireless communication system 100 for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration， according to embodiments of the disclosure. In one embodiment， the wireless communication system 100 includes remote units 105， base units 110， and communication links 115. Even though a specific number of remote units 105， base units 110， and communication links 115 are depicted in Figure 1， one of skill in the art will recognize that any number of remote units 105， base units 110， and communication links 115 may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

In one implementation， the wireless communication system 100 is compliant with the 5G system specified in the 3GPP specifications. More generally， however， the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication network， for example， LTE-A or WiMAX， among other networks. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementation of any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol.

In one embodiment， the remote units 105 may include computing devices， such as desktop computers， laptop computers， personal digital assistants ( “PDAs” ) ， tablet computers， smart phones， smart televisions (e.g.， televisions connected to the Internet) ， smart appliances (e.g.， appliances connected to the Internet) ， set-top boxes， game consoles， security systems (including security cameras) ， vehicle on-board computers， network devices (e.g.， routers， switches， modems) ， or the like. In some embodiments， the remote units 105 include wearable devices， such as smart watches， fitness bands， optical head-mounted displays， or the like. Moreover， the remote units 105 may be referred to as subscriber units， mobiles， mobile stations， users， terminals， mobile terminals， fixed terminals， subscriber stations， user equipment ( “UE” ) ， user terminals， a device， or by other terminology used in the art. The remote units 105 may communicate directly with one or more of the base units 110 via uplink ( “UL” ) and downlink ( “DL” ) communication signals. Furthermore， the UL and DL communication signals may be carried over the communication links 115.

The base units 110 may be distributed over a geographic region. In certain embodiments， a base unit 110 may also be referred to as an access terminal， a base， a base station， a Node-B， an eNB， a gNB， a Home Node-B， a relay node， a device， or by any other terminology used in the art. The base units 110 are generally part of a radio access network ( “RAN” ) that may include one or more controllers communicably coupled to one or more corresponding base units 110. The RAN is generally communicably coupled to one or more core networks， which in turn may be coupled to other networks， like the Internet and public switched telephone networks， among other networks. These and other elements of radio access and core networks are not illustrated but are well known generally by those having ordinary skill in the art. The base units 110 connect to the mobile core network 130 via the RAN.

The base units 110 may serve a number of remote units 105 within a serving area， for example， a cell or a cell sector via a wireless communication link. The base units 110 may communicate directly with one or more of the remote units 105 via communication signals. Generally， the base units 110 transmit downlink ( “DL” ) communication signals to serve the remote units 105 in the time， frequency， and/or spatial domain. Furthermore， the DL communication signals may be carried over the communication links 115. The communication links 115 may be any suitable carrier in licensed or unlicensed radio spectrum. The communication links 115 facilitate communication between one or more of the remote units 105 and/or one or more of the base units 110.

In one embodiment， the mobile core network 130 is a 5G core ( “5GC” ) or the evolved packet core ( “EPC” ) ， which may be coupled to other data network 125， like the Internet and private data networks， among other data networks. Each mobile core network 130 belongs to a single public land mobile network ( “PLMN” ) . The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementation of any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol.

The mobile core network 130 includes several network functions ( “NFs” ) . As depicted， the mobile core network 130 includes an access and mobility management function ( “AMF” ) 135， a session management function ( “SMF” ) 140， and a user plane function ( “UPF” ) 145. Although a specific number of AMFs 135， SMFs 140， and UPFs 145 are depicted in Figure 1， one of skill in the art will recognize that any number of AMFs 135， SMFs 140， and UPFs 145 may be included in the mobile core network 130.

The AMF 135 provides services such as UE registration， UE connection management， and UE mobility management. The SMF 140 manages the data sessions of the remote units 105， such as a PDU session. The UPF 145 provides user plane (e.g.， data) services to the remote units 105. A data connection between the remote unit 105 and a data network 125 is managed by a UPF 145.

Figure 2 depicts a network architecture 200 used for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration， according to embodiments of the disclosure. Here， the network architecture 200 includes a UE 205 and a gNB 210. The network architecture 200 depicts a simplified embodiment of the wireless communication system 100. The UE 205 may be one embodiment of the remote unit 105， while the gNB 210 may be one embodiment of the base unit 110. Here， the gNB 210 may be a gNB or other 5G base station. Although only one UE 205 is depicted， in other embodiments the gNB 210 may serve a plurality of UEs 205.

The gNB 210 operates in a multi-beam configuration 215. In the depicted embodiment， the multi-beam configuration includes four TX beams： a first beam 220 (labeled “beam_0” ) ， a second beam 225 (labeled “beam_1” ) ， a third beam 230 (labeled “beam_2” ) ， and a fourth beam 235 (labeled “beam_3” ) . While four TX beams are depicted， in other embodiments the multi-beam configuration 215 of the gNB 210 may include more beams or fewer beams. Further， the shape and size of the beams may differ from that shown in Figure 2. Indeed， the present disclosure is not limited to any particular number， size， shape， pattern， etc. of TX beams in the multi-beam configuration 215.

The gNB 210 sends system information 240 over the TX beams 220-235 in the multi-beam configuration. As described in greater detail below， the gNB 210 generates the system information 240 by arranging (e.g.， organizing) system information contents into one of common content 245 and beam-specific content 250. The gNB 210 transmits， on each of the beams 220-235， system information 240 that contains the common content 245 and beam-specific content 250 for the particular beam. Various embodiments of the content of the system information 240 are discussed below with reference to Figures 4-7. In certain embodiments， the gNB 210 transmits in beam sweeping manner. In some embodiments， the processor 305 controls transmission of the system information the particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， to perform Quasi Co-Location ( “QCL” ) with a beam used by a Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) block.

The UE 205 receives the system information 240 on one or more beams of the multi-beam configuration 215. Where the UE 205 is located in an overlap area of spatially adjacent beams， then the UE 205 receives system information 240 for each of the overlapping beams. Otherwise， the UE 205 receives system information 240 for one of the beams. Having received the system information on a particular one of the beams 220-235， the UE 205 is then able to connect to the gNB 210 using the system information received on the beam. Where the UE 205 is in an overlap area and receives beam-specific content 250 for multiple beams， the UE 205 may connect to one of the overlapping beams.

In one embodiment， the system information contents comprise Remaining Minimum System Information ( “RMSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network. Here， the beam-specific contents of the particular beam may include association information between occasions for synchronization signal ( “SS” ) blocks (e.g.， PSS and/or SSS blocks) and PRACH time/frequency resources and/or PRACH preamble indices. In another embodiment， the system information contents comprise Other System Information ( “OSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network.

In some embodiments， the gNB 210 may transmit the RMSI and SS blocks using FDM， thereby allowing the RMSI transmission and SS block transmission to occur during the same round of beam sweeping. Beneficially， the FDM scheme has lower detection complexity and lower energy consumption for the UE 205 as compared to TDM. However， considering the minimum bandwidth of UE 205， the remaining resource for RMSI delivery is limited which will degrade the performance of RMSI transmission， e.g.， it will result in a higher code rate of RMSI. For example， a UE 205 with a bandwidth of 5MHz (e.g.， 27 PRBs) and subcarrier spacing ( “SCS” ) of 15 kHz， the SS block symbols use 12 PRBs leaving 36 PRBs which can be used to transmit the RMSI. In other embodiments， the gNB 210 may transmit the RMSI and SS blocks using TDM； however， with TDM the RMSI and SS blocks cannot be transmitted during the same round of beam sweeping. Therefore， an additional round of beam sweeping is needed to deliver the RMSI when using TDM.

Additionally， the gNB 210 may transmit the PRACH configuration in RMSI. The association between one or multiple occasions for SS block and a subset of RACH resources and/or subset of preamble indices is informed to UE by RMSI. Accordingly， the UE 205 transmits the PRACH according to the association information received on the TX beam (s) .

Figure 3 depicts one embodiment of a base station apparatus 300 that may be used for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration， according to embodiments of the disclosure. The base station apparatus 300 may be one embodiment of the base unit 110 and/or gNB 210， described above. Furthermore， the base station apparatus 300 may include a processor 305， a memory 310， an input device 315， an output device 320， a transceiver 325 for communicating with one or more remote units 105 and/or a mobile core network 130.

As depicted， the transceiver 325 may include a transmitter 330 and a receiver 335. The transceiver 325 may also support one or more network interface， such as the Uu interface， N2 interface， N3 interface， and/or other network interfaces suitable for communication with a remote unit and/or core network. In some embodiments， the input device 315 and the output device 320 are combined into a single device， such as a touchscreen. In certain embodiments， the base station apparatus 300 may not include any input device 315 and/or output device 320.

The processor 305， in one embodiment， may include any known controller capable of executing computer-readable instructions and/or capable of performing logical operations. For example， the processor 305 may be a microcontroller， a microprocessor， a central processing unit ( “CPU” ) ， a graphics processing unit ( “GPU” ) ， an auxiliary processing unit， a field programmable gate array ( “FPGA” ) ， or similar programmable controller. In some embodiments， the processor 305 executes instructions stored in the memory 310 to perform the methods and routines described herein. The processor 305 is communicatively coupled to the memory 310， the input device 315， the output device 320， and the transceiver 325.

In some embodiments， the processor 305 arranges system information contents for a cell into a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration (e.g.， common content 245) and a plurality of beam-specific contents belonging to one beam of the multi-beam configuration (e.g.， beam-specific content 250) . In one embodiment， the system information contents comprise Remaining Minimum System Information ( “RMSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network. In another embodiment， the system information contents comprise Other System Information ( “OSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network.

Here， the common content shared by all beams contains configuration information for the cell that is common to all beams. In some embodiments， the beam-specific contents of the particular beam contain configuration information unique to the particular beam. Further， the beam-specific contents of the particular beam may be inapplicable to the other beams in the cell.

The processor 305 controls the transmitter to transmit， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprising the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam. In certain embodiments， the transmitter transmits system information on the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration in a beam sweeping manner.

In some embodiments， the transmitter also transmits， on the particular beam， beam-specific contents of a beam of the multi-beam configuration that is immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain. In certain embodiments， the processor 305 may organize the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration into at least two subsets， each subset comprising at least one beam. In such embodiments， the system information transmitted on the particular beam may include only the common content and beam-specific contents belonging to each beam of the subset to which the particular beam belongs.

In certain embodiments， the system information transmitted on the particular beam consists of the common content， the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam， and the beam-specific contents of one or more beams immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain. In other embodiments， the system information transmitted on the particular beam includes only the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam.

Where the system information contents are the RMSI， the beam-specific contents of the particular beam may include association information between occasions for SS blocks and PRACH time/frequency resources and/or PRACH preamble indices. In some embodiments， the processor 305 controls transmission of the system information the particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， to perform Quasi Co-Location ( “QCL” ) with a beam used by a Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) block.

The memory 310， in one embodiment， is a computer readable storage medium. In some embodiments， the memory 310 includes volatile computer storage media. For example， the memory 310 may include a RAM， including dynamic RAM ( “DRAM” ) ， synchronous dynamic RAM ( “SDRAM” ) ， and/or static RAM ( “SRAM” ) . In some embodiments， the memory 310 includes non-volatile computer storage media. For example， the memory 310 may include a hard disk drive， a flash memory， or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments， the memory 310 includes both volatile and non-volatile computer storage media.

In some embodiments， the memory 310 stores data relating to transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration. For example， the memory may store multi-beam arrangements， minimum system information， RMSI， OSI， common contents， beam-specific contents， SS block occasions， PRACH resources， PRACH preamble indices， and the like. In some embodiments， the memory 310 also stores program code and related data， such as an operating system or other controller algorithms operating on the remote unit 105 and one or more software applications.

The input device 315， in one embodiment， may include any known computer input device including a touch panel， a button， a keyboard， a stylus， a microphone， or the like. In some embodiments， the input device 315 may be integrated with the output device 320， for example， as a touchscreen or similar touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments， the input device 315 includes two or more different devices， such as a keyboard and a touch panel. In certain embodiments， the input device 315 may include a camera for capturing images or otherwise inputting visual data.

The output device 320， in one embodiment， may include any known electronically controllable display or display device. The output device 320 may be designed to output visual， audible， and/or haptic signals. In some embodiments， the output device 320 includes an electronic display capable of outputting visual data to a user. For example， the output device 320 may include， but is not limited to， an LCD display， an LED display， an OLED display， a projector， or similar display device capable of outputting images， text， or the like to a user.

In certain embodiments， the output device 320 includes one or more speakers for producing sound. For example， the output device 320 may produce an audible alert or notification (e.g.， a beep or chime) . In some embodiments， the output device 320 includes one or more haptic devices for producing vibrations， motion， or other haptic feedback. In some embodiments， all or portions of the output device 320 may be integrated with the input device 315. For example， the input device 315 and output device 320 may form a touchscreen or similar touch-sensitive display. In other embodiments， the output device 320 may be located near the input device 315.

The transceiver 325 communicates with remote unit within a mobile communication network. The transceiver 325 may also communicate with a core network， such as the mobile core network 130. The transceiver 325 may include one or more transmitters 330 and one or more receivers 335. Here， each transmitter 330 and receiver 335 may include a plurality of antenna to support beamforming. As discussed above， the transceiver 325 may support one or more the network interface 340 for communicating with remote units 105 and the mobile core network 130.

Figure 4 illustrates a first scheme 400 for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration. The first scheme 400 depicts a gNB 405 generating four TX beams 410 (labeled “beam_0， ” “beam_1， ” “beam_2， ” and “beam_3” ) . Here， the gNB 405 may be one embodiment of the base unit 110 and/or the gNB 210 discussed above. In the first scheme 400， the whole system information contents are transmitted on each beam 410 in a beam sweeping manner. Note that the system information is organized into a common content 415， beam_0-specific content 420， beam_1-specific content 425， beam_2-specific content 430， and beam_3-specific content 435. The common content 415 and the beam-specific contents 420-435 are embodiments of the common content 245 and beam-specific content 250， respectively， as described above.

For TDM transmission， a UE need only monitor one TX beam 410 occasion， e.g.， the best DL TX beam based on the SS block reference signal received power ( “RSRP” ) ， assuming that the time occasions for beam sweeping are predefined. While four beams 410 are depicted， in other embodiments the gNB 405 may generate more beams or fewer beams. Further， the shape and size of the beams may differ from that shown in Figure 4. Indeed， the present disclosure is not limited to any particular number， size， shape， pattern， etc. of beams generated by the gNB 405.

Figure 5 illustrates a second scheme 500 for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration. The second scheme 500 depicts a gNB 505 generating four TX beams 510 (labeled “beam_0， ” “beam_1， ” “beam_2， ” and “beam_3” ) . The gNB 505 may be one embodiment of the base unit 110 and/or the gNB 210 discussed above. Here， the system information is organized into a common content 515， beam_0-specific content 520， beam_1-specific content 525， beam_2-specific content 530， and beam_3-specific content 535. The common content 515 and the beam-specific contents 520-535 are embodiments of the common content 245 and beam-specific content 250， respectively， as described above.

As depicted， in the second scheme 500 the system information included in each TX beam 510 is limited to only the common content 515 and the beam-specific contents 520-535 belonging to that TX beam 510. For example， in beam_0 the system information is limited to only the common content 515 and the beam_0-specific content 520. As another example， in beam_2 the system information is limited to only the common content 515 and the beam_2-specific content 530.

For TDM transmission， a UE may need to receive the system information on multiple TX beams if the UE detects multiple SS blocks with similar reception quality with the second scheme 500. Note that in the second scheme 500， no TX beam 510 transmits the entire system information contents.

Figure 6 illustrates a third scheme 600 for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration. The third scheme 600 depicts a gNB 605 generating four TX beams 610 (labeled “beam_0， ” “beam_1， ” “beam_2， ” and “beam_3” ) . The gNB 605 may be one embodiment of the base unit 110 and/or the gNB 210 discussed above. Here， the system information is organized into a common content 615， beam_0-specific content 620， beam_1-specific content 625， beam_2-specific content 630， and beam_3-specific content 635. The common content 615 and the beam-specific contents 620-635 are embodiments of the common content 245 and beam-specific content 250， respectively， as described above. In the third scheme 600 the system information included in each TX beam 610 is limited to the common content 615， the beam-specific contents 620-635 belonging to that TX beam 610， and the beam-specific contents 620-535 belonging to one or more spatially adjacent TX beams 610.

As depicted， in beam_0 the system information is limited to the common content 615， the beam_0-specific content 620， and the beam_1-specific content 625 (note that beam_0 is adjacent to beam_1 in the spatial domain) . In beam_1 the system information is limited to the common content 615， the beam_0-specific content 620， the beam_1-specific content 625， and the beam_2-specific content 630 (note that beam_1 is adjacent to both beam_0 and beam_2 in the spatial domain) . In beam_2 the system information is limited to the common content 615， the beam_1-specific content 625， the beam_2-specific content 630， and the beam_3-specific content 635， (note that beam_2 is adjacent to both beam_1 and beam_3 in the spatial domain) . In beam_3 the system information is limited to the common content 615， the beam_2-specific content 630， and the beam_3-specific content 635 (note that beam_3 is adjacent to beam_2 in the spatial domain) .

With the third scheme 600， a UE only needs to receive the system information on one TX beam even if the UE detected multiple SS blocks with similar reception quality. Accordingly， the UE can know the PRACH association information for multiple adjacent beams， and the size of the subset of PRACH resource may be different among these beams. Further， the UE may randomly select the preamble from these subsets if the UE receives comparable SS Block RSRP. This reduces the collision probability for the UEs located in the overlap area of two beams. Note that in the third scheme 600， no TX beam 610 transmits the entire system information contents.

Figure 7 illustrates a fourth scheme 700 for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration. The fourth scheme 700 depicts a gNB 705 generating six TX beams 710 (labeled “beam_0， ” “beam_1， ” “beam_2， ” “beam_3， ” “beam_4， ” and “beam_5” ) . The gNB 705 may be one embodiment of the base unit 110 and/or the gNB 210 discussed above. Here， the system information is organized into a common content 715， beam_0-specific content 720， beam_1-specific content 725， beam_2-specific content 730， beam_3-specific content 735， beam_4-specific content 740， and beam_5-specific content 745. The common content 715 and the beam-specific contents 720-745 are embodiments of the common content 245 and beam-specific content 250， respectively， as described above.

In the fourth scheme 700， the gNB 705 divides the TX beams 710 into multiple beam groups. As depicted， “beam_0， ” “beam_1， ” and “beam_2” are placed into a first beam group 750 and “beam_3， ” “beam_4， ” and “beam_5” are placed into a second beam group 755. More generally， the gNB 705 may divide the TX beams 710 into any number of beam groups， each beam group containing two or more TX beams 710.

The system information included in each TX beam 710 is limited to the common content 715 and the beam-specific contents 720-745 of each TX beam 710 in the beam group (e.g.， first beam group 750 or second beam group 755) to which that TX beam 710 belongs. Thus， for the first beam group 750， each TX beam transmits only the common content 715， the beam_0-specific content 720， the beam_1-specific content 725， and the beam_2-specific content 730. For the second beam group 755， each TX beam transmits only the common content 715， the beam_3-specific content 735， the beam_4-specific content 740， and the beam_5-specific content 745.

With the fourth scheme 700， a UE only needs to receive the system information on more than one TX beam if the UE is located in an overlap are between spatially adjacent beams that are in different beam groups (note that beam_2 and beam_3 are adjacent in the spatial domain， but belong to different beam groups) . Similar to the third scheme 600， in the fourth scheme 700 the UE can know the PRACH association information for multiple adjacent beams， and the size of the subset of PRACH resource may be different among these beams. Further， the UE may randomly select the preamble from these subsets if the UE receives comparable SS block RSRP to reduce the collision probability for the UEs located in the overlap area of two beams. Note that in the fourth scheme 700， no TX beam 710 transmits the entire system information contents.

In the

schemes

400， 500， 600， and 700 discussed above， the first scheme 400 has the highest payload size as the entire system information contents are transmitted in each beam. In the

schemes

500， 600， and 700 the payload size is reduced as no one beam transmits the entire system information contents. Additionally， the second scheme 500 has the smallest payload size， as each beam transmits only the common content and the beam-specific content corresponding to that beam.

In some embodiments of the

schemes

400， 500， 600， and 700， the beam for system information delivery and SS block are the same， allowing for Quasi Co-Location (QCL) . Additionally， where the system information contents are RMSI， the beam-specific system information contents should at least include the association information of SS block/beam and PRACH resource for this beam.

Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method 800 for transmitting system information in a multi-beam configuration， according to embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments， the method 800 is performed by a base station， such as the base unit 110， the gNB 210， the base station apparatus 300， the gNB 405， the gNB 505， the gNB 605， and/or the gNB 705， described above. In certain embodiments， the method 800 may be performed by a processor executing program code， for example， a microcontroller， a microprocessor， a CPU， a GPU， an auxiliary processing unit， a FPGA， or the like.

The method 800 begins with operating 805 a cell of a mobile communication network in a multi-beam configuration. In the multi-beam configuration， the cell generates a plurality of beams (e.g.， via beamforming) ， each beam capable of serving one or more UEs.

The method 800 includes arranging 810 system information contents for the cell into a common content shared by ail beams of the multi-beam configuration and a plurality of beam-specific contents belonging to one beam of the multi-beam configuration. Here， the common content shared by all beams contains configuration information for the cell. Further， the beam-specific contents of the particular beam contain configuration information unique to the particular beam. In one embodiment， the beam-specific contents of a beam are inapplicable to the other beams in the cell.

In some embodiments， the system information contents comprise Remaining System Information ( “RMSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network. In such embodiments， the beam-specific contents of the particular beam comprise an association information between occasions for Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) blocks and one of Physical Random Access Channel ( “PRACH” ) resources and PRACH preamble indices. In other embodiments， the system information contents comprise Other System Information ( “OSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network.

The method 800 includes transmitting 815， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprising the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam. In certain embodiments， transmitting 815 system information includes transmitting， on the particular beam， beam-specific contents of a beam of the multi-beam configuration that is immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain.

In one embodiment， the system information transmitted 815 on the particular beam consists of the common content， the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam， and the beam-specific contents of one or more beams immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain. In another embodiment， transmitting 815 system information includes organizing the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration into at least two subsets， each subset comprising at least one beam， such that the system information transmitted 815 on the particular beam consists of the common content and beam-specific contents belonging to each beam of the subset to which the particular beam belongs. In other embodiments， the system information transmitted 815 on the particular beam consists solely of the common content and the beam-specific contents of the particular beam. In such embodiments， no beam-specific contents of neighboring (e.g.， spatially adjacent) beams are transmitted in the system information of the particular beam.

In some embodiments， transmitting 815 the system information includes transmitting system information on the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration in a beam sweeping manner. In certain embodiments， transmitting 815 the system information includes performing Quasi Co-Location ( “QCL” ) with a beam used by a Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) block using the particular beam. The method 800 ends.

Embodiments may be practiced in other specific forms. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is， therefore， indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

An apparatus comprising：

a transmitter that transmits in a multi-beam configuration； and

a processor that arranges system information contents for a cell into a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and a plurality of beam-specific contents belonging to one beam of the multi-beam configuration，

wherein the transmitter transmits， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprising the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein the transmitter further transmits， on the particular beam， beam-specific contents of a beam of the multi-beam configuration that is immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain.
The apparatus of claim 2， wherein the system information transmitted on the particular beam consists of the common content， the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam， and the beam-specific contents of one or more beams immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain.
The apparatus of claim 2，

wherein the processor further organizes the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration into at least two subsets， each subset comprising at least one beam，

wherein the system information transmitted on the particular beam consists of the common content and beam-specific contents belonging to each beam of the subset to which the particular beam belongs.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein the system information transmitted on the particular beam consists of the common content and the beam-specific contents of the particular beam.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein the system information contents comprise Remaining Minimum System Information ( “RMSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network.
The apparatus of claim 6， wherein the beam-specific contents of the particular beam comprise an association information between occasions for Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) blocks and one of Physical Random Access Channel “ (PRACH” ) time/frequency resources and PRACH preamble indices.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein the system information contents comprise Other System Information ( “OSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein the common content shared by all beams comprises configuration information for the cell.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein the beam-specific contents of the particular beam comprises configuration information unique to the particular beam.
The apparatus of claim 10， wherein the beam-specific contents of the particular beam are inapplicable to the other beams in the cell.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein the transmitter further transmits system information on the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration in a beam sweeping manner.
The apparatus of claim 1， wherein transmitting， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprises performing Quasi Co-Location ( “QCL” ) with a beam used by a Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) block using the particular beam.
A method comprising：

operating a cell of a mobile communication network in a multi-beam configuration；

arranging system information contents for the cell into a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and a plurality of beam- specific contents belonging to one beam of the multi-beam configuration； and

transmitting， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprising the common content and the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam.
The method of claim 14， further comprising transmitting， on the particular beam， beam-specific contents of a beam of the multi-beam configuration that is immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain.
The method of claim 15， wherein the system information transmitted on the particular beam consists of the common content， the beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam， and the beam-specific contents of one or more beams immediately adjacent to the particular beam in the spatial domain.
The method of claim 15， further comprising：

organizing the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration into at least two subsets， each subset comprising at least one beam，

wherein the system information transmitted on the particular beam consists of the common content and beam-specific contents belonging to each beam of the subset to which the particular beam belongs.
The method of claim 14， wherein the system information transmitted on the particular beam consists of the common content and the beam-specific contents of the particular beam.
The method of claim 14， wherein the system information contents comprise Remaining System Information ( “RMSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network.
The method of claim 19， wherein the beam-specific contents of the particular beam comprise an association information between occasions for Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) blocks and one of Physical Random Access Channel ( “PRACH” ) resources and PRACH preamble indices.
The method of claim 14， wherein the system information contents comprise Other System Information ( “OSI” ) of a 5G mobile communication network.
The method of claim 14， wherein the common content shared by all beams comprises configuration information for the cell.
The method of claim 14， wherein the beam-specific contents of the particular beam comprises configuration information unique to the particular beam.
The method of claim 23， wherein the beam-specific contents of the particular beam are inapplicable to the other beams in the cell.
The method of claim 14， further comprising transmitting system information on the multiple beams of the multi-beam configuration in a beam sweeping manner.
The method of claim 14， wherein transmitting， on a particular beam of the multi-beam configuration， system information comprises performing Quasi Co-Location ( “QCL” ) with a beam used by a Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) block using the particular beam.
An apparatus comprising：

a remote unit that：

receives system information on a particular beam of a base unit operating in a multi-beam configuration， the system information comprising a common content shared by all beams of the multi-beam configuration and beam-specific contents belonging to the particular beam； and

accesses the base unit using the received system information， wherein the base unit arranges system information contents into the common content and a plurality of beam-specific contents for each beam of the multi-beam configuration.
The apparatus of claim 27， wherein the beam-specific contents of the particular beam comprise information associating a Synchronization Signal ( “SS” ) block with a Physical Random Access Channel ( “PRACH” ) resource， wherein the remote unit accessing the base unit comprises the remote unit transmitting on the PRACH based on the received system information.