IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,389,236
Granted Patent B2
US 12,389,236 · App. 16/824,137 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Random access channel frequency multiplexing for a non-terrestrial network

Inventors: Xiao Feng Wang (San Diego, CA); Iyab Issam Sakhnini (San Diego, CA); Jun Ma (San Diego, CA); Huilin Xu (San Diego, CA); Dan Zhang (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04W74/0833H04W16/28
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,389,236
App. No.
16/824,137
Filed
Mar 19, 2020
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2411
USPC
370/329
Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may receive configuration information identifying locations of respective random access channel (RACH) resources for a plurality of beams associated with a non-terrestrial network, wherein the plurality of beams are associated with respective frequency regions. The UE may perform a RACH procedure with regard to the selected beam using a RACH resource associated with the selected beam. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims (77)

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving, from a network node, configuration information identifying locations of each respective random access channel (RACH) resource of a plurality of RACH resources corresponding to a plurality of beams associated with a non-terrestrial network, the plurality of beams being associated with respective frequency regions;

detecting a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, in accordance with the configuration information; and

performing a RACH procedure using a RACH resource, of the plurality of RACH resources,

the RACH resource being outside of a frequency region associated with the network node, and

the RACH resource being associated with a guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a first type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the first type of network node not supporting a bandwidth wider than the frequency region associated with the network node,

the guard region providing an amount of time for a performance, by the network node, of a retuning operation,

the network node configured to perform the retuning operation comprising retuning to or from the frequency region associated with the network node, and

the RACH resource not being associated with the guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a second type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the second type of network node supporting the bandwidth wider than the frequency region associated with the network node.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, in accordance with the configuration information, wherein the RACH resource is outside of a frequency region associated with the selected beam.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each RACH resource, of the respective RACH resources, is within a corresponding frequency region associated with a respective beam of the plurality of beams.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective RACH resources are configured jointly.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective RACH resources are configured independently from each other, and the configuration information is beam-specific.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective RACH resources are within a particular frequency region corresponding to a particular beam of the plurality of beams.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more second RACH resources, of the respective RACH resources, are in a particular frequency region of a particular beam of the plurality of beams.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective RACH resources are multiplexed with each other.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

performing an operation to resolve a conflict between the RACH resource and another uplink transmission in the guard region.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one RACH resource, of the respective RACH resources, is provided adjacent to an edge or in an overlapped area of a frequency region associated with a corresponding beam.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein one or more first RACH resources, corresponding to one or more first beams of the plurality of beams, are multiplexed with one or more second RACH resources, corresponding to one or more second beams of the plurality of beams, in a frequency region in which the one or more first RACH resources are located.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, in accordance with the configuration information;

receiving information indicating an association between a synchronization signal block (SSB) time index associated with the selected beam and the RACH resource; and

identifying the RACH resource in accordance with the information indicating the association.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, in accordance with the configuration information; and

identifying the RACH resource in accordance with an association between a synchronization signal block (SSB) time index, of the selected beam, and the RACH resource.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective RACH resources are not contiguous in a frequency domain.

15. A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising:

transmitting configuration information for a plurality of beams for a non-terrestrial network, the configuration information identifying each of a plurality of random access channel (RACH) resources corresponding to the plurality of beams, and the plurality of beams being associated with respective frequency regions;

transmitting a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, in accordance with the configuration information; and

performing a RACH procedure using a RACH resource, of the plurality of RACH resources,

the RACH resource being outside of a frequency region associated with the network node, and

the RACH resource being associated with a guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a first type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the first type of network node not supporting a bandwidth wider than the frequency region associated with the network node,

the guard region providing an amount of time for a performance, by the network node, of a retuning operation,

the network node configured to perform the retuning operation comprising retuning to or from the frequency region associated with the network node, and

the RACH resource not being associated with the guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a second type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the second type of network node supporting the bandwidth wider than the frequency region associated with the network node.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the RACH resource is outside of a frequency region associated with the selected beam.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein each RACH resource, of the respective RACH resources, is within a corresponding frequency region associated with a respective beam of the plurality of beams.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the respective RACH resources are configured jointly.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the respective RACH resources are configured independently from each other.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the respective RACH resources are within a particular frequency region corresponding to a particular beam of the plurality of beams.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein one or more second RACH resources, of the respective RACH resources, are in a frequency region of a particular beam of the plurality of beams.

22. The method of claim 15 , wherein the respective RACH resources are multiplexed with each other.

23. The method of claim 15 , wherein the RACH resource selectively uses an expanded time window in accordance with the bandwidth capability of the network node.

24. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors, coupled to the memory, configured to:

receive, from a network node, configuration information identifying locations of each of a plurality of random access channel (RACH) resources corresponding to a plurality of beams associated with a non-terrestrial network, wherein the plurality of beams are associated with respective frequency regions;

detect a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, based at least in part on the configuration information; and

perform a RACH procedure using a RACH resource, of the plurality of RACH resources,

the RACH resource being outside a frequency region associated with the network node, and

the RACH resource being associated with a guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a first type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the first type of network node not supporting a bandwidth wider than the frequency region associated with the network node,

the guard region providing an amount of time for a performance, by the network node, of a retuning operation,

the network node configured to perform the retuning operation comprising the retuning to or from the frequency region associated with the network node, and

the RACH resource not being associated with the guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a second type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the second type of network node supporting the bandwidth wider than the frequency region associated with the network node.

25. The UE of claim 24 , further comprising:

detecting a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, in accordance with the configuration information, wherein the RACH resource is outside of a frequency region associated with the selected beam.

26. The UE of claim 24 , wherein at least one of:

the respective RACH resources are on a bandwidth part or subband that does not overlap a respective frequency region associated with any of the plurality of beams, or

one or more second RACH resources, of the respective RACH resources, are in a frequency region of a particular beam of the plurality of beams.

27. The UE of claim 24 , wherein each RACH resource, of the respective RACH resources, is within a corresponding frequency region associated with a respective beam of the plurality of beams.

28. A network node for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, configured to:

transmit configuration information for a plurality of beams for a non-terrestrial network, the configuration information identifying a plurality of random access channel (RACH) resources corresponding to the plurality of beams, and the plurality of beams being associated with respective frequency regions;

transmit a selected beam, of the plurality of beams, in accordance with the configuration information; and

perform a RACH procedure using a RACH resource, of the plurality of RACH resources, and

the RACH resource being associated with a guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a first type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the first type of network node not supporting a bandwidth wider than a frequency region associated with the network node,

the guard region providing an amount of time for a performance, by the network node, of a retuning operation,

the network node configured to perform the retuning operation comprising retuning to or from the frequency region associated with the network node, and

the RACH resource not being associated with the guard region in accordance with the network node comprising a second type of network node, a bandwidth capability of the second type of network node supporting the bandwidth wider than the frequency region associated with the network node.

29. The network node of claim 28 , wherein the RACH resource is outside of a frequency region associated with the selected beam.

30. The network node of claim 28 , wherein at least one of:

the respective RACH resources are on a bandwidth part or subband that does not overlap a respective frequency region associated with any of the plurality of beams, or

one or more second RACH resources, of the respective RACH resources, are in a frequency region of a particular beam of the plurality of beams.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 29, 2020
From: WANG, XIAO FENG; SAKHNINI, IYAB ISSAM; MA, JUN; XU, HUILIN; ZHANG, DAN
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 052784/0637 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62826463 · Mar 29, 2019
Related Publication 20200314912A1 · Oct 1, 2020
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