IP Library Granted Patent US 12671483
Granted Patent B2
US 12671483 · App. 18/333,336 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

SSB specific PRACH configuration

Inventors: Roy Yang (Buffalo Grove, IL); Axel Mueller (Paris, FR); Kevin Wanuga (Souderton, PA); Shashika Manosha Kapuruhamy Badalge (Oulu, FI)
Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
H04B7/0695H04W56/0015H04W74/0833
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12671483
App. No.
18/333,336
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus may be configured to: receive information comprising at least: an indication of a first PRACH configuration, wherein the first PRACH configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one first radio beam, and an indication of a second PRACH configuration, at least partially different from the first PRACH configuration, wherein the second PRACH configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one second radio beam, wherein the at least one second radio beam comprises, at least, a radio beam for communicating with a network node via a repeater; select a radio beam; select a PRACH configuration based, at least partially, on the received information; and transmit, to the network node, a radio access preamble on the selected radio beam according to the selected PRACH configuration.

Claims (87)

1 . An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

receive information comprising at least:

an indication of a first physical random access channel configuration, wherein the first physical random access channel configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one first radio beam, and

an indication of a second physical random access channel configuration, wherein the second physical random access configuration is at least partially different from the first physical random access channel configuration, wherein the second physical random access channel configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one second radio beam, wherein the at least one second radio beam comprises, at least, a radio beam for communicating with a network node via a repeater;

select a radio beam;

select a physical random access channel configuration based, at least partially, on the received information; and

transmit, to the network node, a radio access preamble on the selected radio beam according to the selected physical random access channel configuration,

wherein the first physical random access channel configuration comprises at least one of an indication of a first preamble format or an indication of a first cyclic shift offset for determination of a first preamble sequence,

wherein the second physical random access channel configuration comprises an indication of at least one of a second preamble format or an indication of a second cyclic shift offset for determination of a second preamble sequence,

wherein the first preamble format is at least partially different from the second preamble format,

wherein the first cyclic shift offset is at least partially different from the second cyclic shift offset, and

wherein the second physical random access channel configuration is configured to enable a longer cell range than the first physical random access channel configuration.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein selecting the physical random access channel configuration comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

select the physical random access channel configuration based, at least partially, on an identifier of the selected radio beam;

determine a physical random access channel occasion based, at least partially, on the identifier of the selected radio beam; and

transmit the radio access preamble at the determined physical random access channel occasion.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein selecting the physical random access channel configuration for the selected radio beam comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

select the physical random access channel configuration based, at least partially, on at least one of:

the identifier of the selected radio beam,

a default configuration indicator received from the network node, or

an estimated propagation delay to the network node;

determine a physical random access channel occasion based, at least partially, on at least one of:

the identifier of the selected radio beam,

the default configuration indicator, or

the estimated propagation delay; and

transmit the radio access preamble at the determined physical random access channel occasion.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first radio beam is at least partially different from the at least one second radio beam.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the selected radio beam is associated with a synchronization signal block beam.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the selected physical random access channel configuration comprises the second physical random access channel configuration.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the identifier associated with the selected radio beam is associated with a plurality of physical random access channel configurations, wherein selecting the physical random access channel configuration comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

select the physical random access channel configuration based, at least partially, on at least one criterion.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

select the second physical random access channel configuration as the selected physical random access channel configuration in response to a determination that the selected radio beam is received from the network node via the repeater; or

select the first physical random access channel configuration as the selected physical random access channel configuration in response to a determination that the selected radio beam is received directly from the network node, without the repeater.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a cell of the network node comprises a plurality of radio beams, wherein the received information further comprises an indication that a subset of radio beams of the plurality of radio beams are respectively associated with at least two physical random access channel configurations.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein at least one radio beam of the plurality of radio beams is associated with at least one single physical random access channel configuration.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein two or more physical random access channel configurations are associated with an identifier of the selected radio beam, wherein the two or more physical random access channel configurations respectively indicate one or more random access channel slots that are placed at physical random access channel configuration-specific frequency areas.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the physical random access channel configuration-specific frequency areas do not overlap.

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the physical random access channel configuration-specific frequency areas partially or fully overlap.

14 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the physical random access channel configuration-specific frequency areas are specified with physical random access channel configuration-specific frequency offsets.

15 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the selected physical random access channel configuration comprises at least one of:

an indication of an associated radio beam identifier,

an indication of a radio access preamble format,

an indication of a physical random access channel occasion,

an indication of a cyclic prefix associated with the physical random access channel occasion,

an indication of a sequence length associated with the physical random access channel occasion,

an indication of a guard period length associated with the physical random access channel occasion,

an indication of a number of physical random access channel occasions associated with a physical random access channel slot,

an indication of a duration associated with the physical random access channel occasion,

an indication of a cyclic shift offset, or

an indication of a cyclic shift size.

16 . An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determine that a repeater is present in a cell of the apparatus;

transmit, to a user equipment, information comprising at least:

an indication of a first physical random access channel configuration,

wherein the first physical random access channel configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one first radio beam, and

an indication of a second physical random access channel configuration, wherein the second physical random access configuration is at least partially different from the first physical random access channel configuration, wherein the second physical random access channel configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one second radio beam, wherein the at least one second radio beam comprises, at least, a radio beam for communicating via the repeater; and

receive, from the user equipment, a radio access preamble on a radio beam according to a physical random access channel configuration indicated with the transmitted information,

wherein the first physical random access channel configuration comprises at least one of an indication of a first preamble format or an indication of a first cyclic shift offset for determination of a first preamble sequence,

wherein the second physical random access channel configuration comprises an indication of at least one of a second preamble format or an indication of a second cyclic shift offset for determination of a second preamble sequence,

wherein the first preamble format is at least partially different from the second preamble format,

wherein the first cyclic shift offset is at least partially different from the second cyclic shift offset, and

wherein the second physical random access channel configuration is configured to enable a longer cell range than the first physical random access channel configuration.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine a location of the user equipment based, at least partially, on:

the physical random access channel configuration according to which the radio access preamble is received on the radio beam, and

a physical random access channel occasion during which the radio access preamble is received on the radio beam.

18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the at least one first radio beam is at least partially different from the at least one second radio beam.

19 . An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

receive, from a user equipment, a radio access preamble on a radio beam according to a physical random access channel configuration, wherein the physical random access channel configuration comprises at least one of:

a first physical random access channel configuration, wherein the first physical random access channel configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one first radio beam, or

a second physical random access channel configuration, wherein the second physical random access configuration is at least partially different from the first physical random access channel configuration, wherein the second physical random access channel configuration is associated with an identifier of at least one second radio beam, wherein the at least one second radio beam comprises a radio beam for communicating via the apparatus; and

transmit the received radio access preamble to a network node,

wherein the first physical random access channel configuration comprises at least one of an indication of a first preamble format or an indication of a first cyclic shift offset for determination of a first preamble sequence,

wherein the second physical random access channel configuration comprises an indication of at least one of a second preamble format or an indication of a second cyclic shift offset for determination of a second preamble sequence,

wherein the first preamble format is at least partially different from the second preamble format,

wherein the first cyclic shift offset is at least partially different from the second cyclic shift offset, and

wherein the second physical random access channel configuration is configured to enable a longer cell range than the first physical random access channel configuration.