Method and apparatus for PBCH payload in higher frequency ranges

1. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) block, and

a processor operably connected to the transceiver, the processor configured to:

decode content of a PBCH in the SS/PBCH block;

determine whether the wireless communication system operates with shared spectrum channel access based on a first portion of the content of the PBCH;

determine a second portion of the content of the PBCH in a first manner, if the wireless communication system operates with shared spectrum channel access; and

determine the second portion of the content of the PBCH in a second manner, if the wireless communication system operates without shared spectrum channel access.

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein:

the wireless communication system is determined as operating with shared spectrum channel access, if a QCL parameter (N SSB QCL ) in the content of the PBCH is determined as a numerical value; and

the wireless communication system is determined as operating without shared spectrum channel access, if the QCL parameter (N SSB QCL ) in the content of the PBCH is determined as a non-numerical value.

3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a bit (ā Ā ) in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a seventh lowest significant bit (LSB) of a candidate SS/PBCH block index.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a first field in master information block (MIB) in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a fourth lowest significant bit (LSB) of a system frame number (SFN).

5. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a second field in MIB in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a configuration of a control resource set (CORESET) for monitoring a Type0 physical downlink control channel (Type0-PDCCH).

6. The UE of claim 5 , wherein:

the configuration of the CORESET includes a multiplexing pattern between the CORESET and the SS/PBCH block, and

the multiplexing pattern is one from a first, a second, or a third pattern for a combination of a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) of the CORESET and a SCS of the SS/PBCH block.

7. The UE of claim 5 , wherein the configuration of the CORESET includes a frequency offset from a first resource block of the CORESET to a first resource block of the SS/PBCH block.

8. A base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the BS comprising:

a processor configured to:

determine whether the wireless communication system operates with shared spectrum channel access;

configure a first portion of content of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to determine whether the wireless communication system operates with shared spectrum channel access;

configure a second portion of the content of the PBCH according to a first manner, if the wireless communication system operates with shared spectrum channel access;

configure the second portion of the content of the PBCH according to a second manner, if the wireless communication system operates without shared spectrum channel access; and

encode the configured first and second portions content of the PBCH in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) block; and

a transceiver operably connected to the processor, the transceiver configured to transmit the SS/PBCH block over downlink channels.

9. The BS of claim 8 , wherein:

if the wireless communication system is determined as operating with shared spectrum channel access, a QCL parameter (N SSB QCL ) is included in the content of the PBCH as a numerical value; and

if the wireless communication system is determined as operating without shared spectrum channel access, the QCL parameter (N SSB QCL ) is included in the content of the PBCH as a non-numerical value.

10. The BS of claim 8 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a bit (ā Ā ) in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a seventh lowest significant bit (LSB) of a candidate SS/PBCH block index.

11. The BS of claim 8 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a first field in master information block (MIB) in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a fourth lowest significant bit (LSB) of a system frame number (SFN).

12. The BS of claim 8 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a second field in MIB in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a configuration of a control resource set (CORESET) for monitoring Type 0 physical downlink control channel (Type0-PDCCH).

13. The BS of claim 12 , wherein:

the configuration of the CORESET includes a multiplexing pattern between the CORESET and the SS/PBCH block,

the multiplexing pattern is one from a first, a second, or a third pattern for a combination of a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) of the CORESET and a SCS of the SS/PBCH block, and

a frequency offset from a first resource block of the CORESET to a first resource block of the SS/PBCH block.

14. A method of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) block;

decoding a content of a PBCH in the SS/PBCH block;

determining whether the wireless communication system operates with shared spectrum channel access based on a first portion of the content of the PBCH; and

determining a second portion of the content of the PBCH in a first manner based on determining that the wireless communication system operates with shared spectrum channel access or determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH in a second manner based on determining that the wireless communication system operates without shared spectrum channel access.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:

the wireless communication system is determined as operating with shared spectrum channel access based on determining that a QCL parameter (N SSB QCL ) in the content of the PBCH is a numerical value; or

the wireless communication system is determined as operating without shared spectrum channel access based on determining that the QCL parameter (N SSB QCL ) in the content of the PBCH is a non-numerical value.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a bit (ā Ā ) in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a seventh lowest significant bit (LSB) of a candidate SS/PBCH block index.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a first field in master information block (MIB) in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a fourth lowest significant bit (LSB) of a system frame number (SFN).

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first manner of determining the second portion of the content of the PBCH includes determining a second field in MIB in the second portion of the content of the PBCH as a configuration of a control resource set (CORESET) for monitoring a Type0 physical downlink control channel (Type0-PDCCH).

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the configuration of the CORESET includes a multiplexing pattern between the CORESET and the SS/PBCH block, and

the multiplexing pattern is one from a first, a second, or a third pattern for a combination of a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) of the CORESET and a SCS of the SS/PBCH block.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the configuration of the CORESET includes a frequency offset from a first resource block of the CORESET to a first resource block of the SS/PBCH block.