Patent Description:
<NPL>, relates to a discussion of remaining issues on PDCCH structure addressing URLLC.

<NPL>, relates to a discussion on whether to support compact PDCCH and/or PDCCH repetition.

The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller/processor <NUM>) and memory <NUM> to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein (for example, as described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>).

The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller/processor <NUM>) and memory <NUM> to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein (for example, as described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>).

Controller/processor <NUM> of base station <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM> of UE <NUM>, and/or any other component(s) of <FIG> may perform one or more techniques associated with PDCCH and synchronization signal block (SSB) collision, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, controller/processor <NUM> of base station <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM> of UE <NUM>, and/or any other component(s) of <FIG> may perform or direct operations of, for example, process <NUM> of <FIG>, process <NUM> of <FIG>, and/or other processes as described herein. Memories <NUM> and <NUM> may store data and program codes for base station <NUM> and UE <NUM>, respectively. In some aspects, memory <NUM> and/or memory <NUM> may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and/or program code) for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed (e.g., directly, or after compiling, converting, and/or interpreting) by one or more processors of the base station <NUM> and/or the UE <NUM>, may cause the one or more processors, the UE <NUM>, and/or the base station <NUM> to perform or direct operations of, for example, process <NUM> of <FIG>, process <NUM> of <FIG>, and/or other processes as described herein. In some aspects, executing instructions may include running the instructions, converting the instructions, compiling the instructions, and/or interpreting the instructions, among other examples.

In some aspects, UE <NUM> may include means for receiving information indicating resource locations in which one or more SSBs, of a set of SSBs, are to be transmitted, means for determining whether at least one SSB, of the one or more SSBs, is to collide with one or more of a plurality of sets of REGs of PDCCH repetitions, means for selectively monitoring the plurality of sets of REGs based at least in part on whether the at least one SSB is to collide with the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs, and/or the like. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of UE <NUM> described in connection with <FIG>, such as controller/processor <NUM>, transmit processor <NUM>, TX MIMO processor <NUM>, MOD <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, DEMOD <NUM>, MIMO detector <NUM>, receive processor <NUM>, and/or the like.

In some aspects, base station <NUM> may include means for transmitting, to a UE, information indicating resource locations in which one or more SSBs, of a set of SSBs, are to be transmitted, means for determining whether the UE is to monitor a plurality of sets of REGs of PDCCH repetitions, means for selectively transmitting in the plurality of sets of REGs based at least in part on whether at least one SSB, of the one or more SSBs, is to collide with one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs, and/or the like. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of base station <NUM> described in connection with <FIG>, such as antenna <NUM>, DEMOD <NUM>, MIMO detector <NUM>, receive processor <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM>, transmit processor <NUM>, TX MIMO processor <NUM>, MOD <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, and/or the like.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example resource structure <NUM> for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure. Resource structure <NUM> shows an example of various groups of resources described herein. As shown, resource structure <NUM> may include a subframe <NUM>. Subframe <NUM> may include multiple slots <NUM>. While resource structure <NUM> is shown as including <NUM> slots per subframe, a different number of slots may be included in a subframe (e.g., <NUM> slots, <NUM> slots, <NUM> slots, <NUM> slots, and/or the like). In some aspects, different types of transmission time intervals (TTIs) may be used, other than subframes and/or slots. A slot <NUM> may include multiple symbols <NUM>, such as <NUM> symbols or <NUM> symbols per slot.

The potential control region of a slot <NUM> may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET) <NUM> and may be structured to support an efficient use of resources, such as by flexible configuration or reconfiguration of resources of the CORESET <NUM> for one or more PDCCHs, one or more physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), and/or the like. In some aspects, the CORESET <NUM> may occupy the first symbol <NUM> of a slot <NUM>, the first two symbols <NUM> of a slot <NUM>, or the first three symbols <NUM> of a slot <NUM>. Thus, a CORESET <NUM> may include multiple resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain, and either one, two, or three symbols <NUM> in the time domain. In <NUM>, a quantity of resources included in the CORESET <NUM> may be flexibly configured, such as by using radio resource control (RRC) signaling to indicate a frequency domain region (e.g., a quantity of resource blocks) and/or a time domain region (e.g., a quantity of symbols) for the CORESET <NUM>.

As illustrated, a symbol <NUM> that includes CORESET <NUM> may include one or more control channel elements (CCEs) <NUM>, shown as two CCEs <NUM> as an example, that span a portion of the system bandwidth. A CCE <NUM> may include downlink control information (DCI) that is used to provide control information for wireless communication. A base station may transmit DCI during multiple CCEs <NUM> (as shown), where the quantity of CCEs <NUM> used for transmission of DCI represents the aggregation level used by the BS for the transmission of DCI. In <FIG>, an aggregation level of two is shown as an example, corresponding to two CCEs <NUM> in a slot <NUM>. In some aspects, different aggregation levels may be used, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or the like.

Each CCE <NUM> may include a fixed quantity of resource element groups (REGs) <NUM>, shown as four REGs <NUM>, or may include a variable quantity of REGs <NUM>. In some aspects, the quantity of REGs <NUM> included in a CCE <NUM> may be specified by a REG bundle size. A REG <NUM> may include one resource block, which may include <NUM> resource elements (REs) <NUM> within a symbol <NUM>. A resource element <NUM> may occupy one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain.

A search space may include all possible locations (e.g., in time and/or frequency) where a PDCCH may be located. A CORESET <NUM> may include one or more search spaces, such as a UE-specific search space, a group-common search space, and/or a common search space. A search space may indicate a set of CCE locations where a UE may find PDCCHs that can potentially be used to transmit control information to the UE. The possible locations for a PDCCH may depend on whether the PDCCH is a UE-specific PDCCH (e.g., for a single UE) or a group-common PDCCH (e.g., for multiple UEs), an aggregation level being used, and/or the like. A possible location (e.g., in time and/or frequency) for a PDCCH may be referred to as a PDCCH candidate, and the set of all possible PDCCH locations may be referred to as a search space. For example, the set of all possible PDCCH locations for a particular UE may be referred to as a UE-specific search space. Similarly, the set of all possible PDCCH locations across all UEs may be referred to as a common search space. The set of all possible PDCCH locations for a particular group of UEs may be referred to as a group-common search space.

A CORESET <NUM> may be interleaved or non-interleaved. An interleaved CORESET <NUM> may have CCE-to-REG mapping such that adjacent CCEs are mapped to scattered REG bundles in the frequency domain (e.g., adjacent CCEs are not mapped to consecutive REG bundles of the CORESET <NUM>). A non-interleaved CORESET <NUM> may have a CCE-to-REG mapping such that all CCEs are mapped to consecutive REG bundles (e.g., in the frequency domain) of the CORESET <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example <NUM> of a synchronization signal (SS) hierarchy, in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the SS hierarchy may include an SS burst set <NUM>, which may include multiple SS bursts <NUM>, shown as SS burst <NUM> through SS burst N-<NUM>, where N is a maximum number of repetitions of the SS burst <NUM> that may be transmitted by the base station. As further shown, each SS burst <NUM> may include one or more SSBs <NUM>, shown as SSB <NUM> through SSB M-<NUM>, where M is a maximum number of SSBs <NUM> that can be carried by an SS burst <NUM>. In some aspects, different SSBs <NUM> may be beamformed differently (e.g., transmitted using different beams in a beam sweep), and may be used for beam management, beam selection, and/or the like (e.g., as part of an initial network access procedure). An SS burst set <NUM> may be periodically transmitted by a wireless node (e.g., base station <NUM>), such as every X milliseconds (ms), as shown in <FIG>. In some aspects, an SS burst set <NUM> may have a fixed or dynamic length (e.g., a length of <NUM>, such as a first half or a second half of a frame), shown as Y ms in <FIG>. In some aspects, a maximum quantity of SSBs <NUM> in an SS burst set <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> burst set) may be four (e.g., in a sub-<NUM> band), eight (e.g., in a sub-<NUM> band), <NUM> (e.g., in FR2), and/or the like. In some cases, an SS burst set <NUM> or an SS burst <NUM> may be referred to as a discovery reference signal (DRS) transmission window, an SSB measurement time configuration (SMTC) window, and/or the like.

In some aspects, an SSB <NUM> may include resources that carry a PSS <NUM>, an SSS <NUM>, a physical broadcast channel (PBCH)/ master information block (MIB) <NUM>, and/or the like. In some aspects, multiple SSBs <NUM> are included in an SS burst <NUM> (e.g., with transmission on different beams), and the PSS <NUM>, the SSS <NUM>, and/or the PBCH/MIB <NUM> may be the same across each SSB <NUM> of the SS burst <NUM>. In some aspects, a single SSB <NUM> may be included in an SS burst <NUM>. In some aspects, the SSB <NUM> may be at least four symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols) in length, where each symbol carries one or more of the PSS <NUM> (e.g., occupying one symbol), the SSS <NUM> (e.g., occupying one symbol), and/or the PBCH/MIB <NUM> (e.g., occupying two symbols). In some aspects, an SSB <NUM> may be referred to as an SS/PBCH block.

In some aspects, the symbols of an SSB <NUM> are consecutive, as shown in <FIG>. In some aspects, the symbols of an SSB <NUM> are non-consecutive. Similarly, in some aspects, one or more SSBs <NUM> of the SS burst <NUM> may be transmitted in consecutive radio resources (e.g., consecutive symbols) during one or more slots. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more SSBs <NUM> of the SS burst <NUM> may be transmitted in non-consecutive radio resources.

In some aspects, the SS bursts <NUM> may have a burst period, and the SSBs <NUM> of the SS burst <NUM> may be transmitted by a wireless node (e.g., base station <NUM>) according to the burst period. In this case, the SSBs <NUM> may be repeated during each SS burst <NUM>. In some aspects, the SS burst set <NUM> may have a burst set periodicity (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> (which may be a default periodicity), <NUM>, and/or the like), whereby the SS bursts <NUM> of the SS burst set <NUM> are transmitted by the wireless node according to the fixed burst set periodicity. In other words, the SS bursts <NUM> may be repeated during each SS burst set <NUM>.

In some aspects, an SSB <NUM> may include an SSB index (e.g., SSB index <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>,. , <NUM>, such as for <NUM> SSBs), which may correspond to a beam used to carry the SSB <NUM>. A UE <NUM> may monitor for and/or measure SSBs <NUM> using different receive (Rx) beams during an initial network access procedure. Based at least in part on the monitoring and/or measuring, the UE <NUM> may indicate one or more SSBs <NUM> with a best signal parameter (e.g., an RSRP parameter and/or the like) to a base station <NUM>. The base station <NUM> and the UE <NUM> may use the one or more indicated SSBs <NUM> to select one or more beams to be used for communication between the base station <NUM> and the UE <NUM> (e.g., for a random access channel (RACH) procedure and/or the like). Additionally, or alternatively, the UE <NUM> may use the SSB <NUM> and/or the SSB index to determine a cell timing for a cell via which the SSB <NUM> is received (e.g., a serving cell).

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example <NUM> of SSB locations, in accordance with the present disclosure. In particular, example <NUM> shows SSB locations within a half frame that is <NUM> in length. The time domain location (e.g., slots and/or OFDM symbols) of an SSB (e.g., within a <NUM> half frame) may be according to a defined (e.g., fixed) pattern. As shown in example <NUM>, the time domain locations of SSBs may be based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing (SCS), which may be <NUM> or <NUM> in FR1, <NUM> or <NUM> in FR2, and/or the like. For example, for a <NUM> SCS, there may be <NUM> SSBs in a <NUM> half frame, and <FIG> shows an example pattern for four SSBs (SSBs <NUM>-<NUM>, where <NUM>-<NUM> refer to SSB indices) in two slots at the <NUM> SCS. As another example, for a <NUM> SCS, there may be <NUM> SSBs in a <NUM> half frame, and <FIG> shows an example pattern for eight SSBs (SSBs <NUM>-<NUM>, where <NUM>-<NUM> refer to SSB indices) in four slots at the <NUM> SCS.

The time domain locations for SSBs, according to the patterns described above, are possible locations for SSBs. Accordingly, any set of the time domain locations may be used for actual SSB transmissions. In this case, a UE may receive an indication of the time domain locations where SSBs are to be transmitted. For example, the indication may identify the SSB positions (e.g., SSB indices) where SSBs are to be transmitted, and the SSB positions may correspond to the time domain locations of a pattern, as described above. In some aspects, the indication (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst) may be in a system information block (SIB) message (e.g., a SIB1 message) or a serving cell configuration common (ServingCellConfigCommon) message.

In some aspects, a UE may refrain from monitoring a PDCCH candidate when at least one RE of the PDCCH candidate overlaps with at least one RE of a time domain location (e.g., associated with an SSB index) for an SSB transmission indicated to the UE (e.g., in ssb-PositionsInBurst). In some aspects, a UE may rate match a PDSCH around physical resource blocks (PRBs) containing an SSB transmission (e.g., according to an SSB index provided in ssb-PositionsInBurst) when the PDSCH resource allocation overlaps with the PRBs containing the SSB transmission.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example <NUM> of using beams for communications between a base station and a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, a base station <NUM> and a UE <NUM> may communicate with one another.

The base station <NUM> may transmit to UEs <NUM> located within a coverage area of the base station <NUM>. The base station <NUM> and the UE <NUM> may be configured for beamformed communications, where the base station <NUM> may transmit in the direction of the UE <NUM> using a directional BS transmit beam, and the UE <NUM> may receive the transmission using a directional UE receive beam. Each BS transmit beam may have an associated beam ID, beam direction, or beam symbols, among other examples. The base station <NUM> may transmit downlink communications via one or more BS transmit beams <NUM>.

The UE <NUM> may attempt to receive downlink transmissions via one or more UE receive beams <NUM>, which may be configured using different beamforming parameters at receive circuitry of the UE <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may identify a particular BS transmit beam <NUM>, shown as BS transmit beam <NUM>-A, and a particular UE receive beam <NUM>, shown as UE receive beam <NUM>-A, that provide relatively favorable performance (for example, that have a best channel quality of the different measured combinations of BS transmit beams <NUM> and UE receive beams <NUM>). In some examples, the UE <NUM> may transmit an indication of which BS transmit beam <NUM> is identified by the UE <NUM> as a preferred BS transmit beam, which the base station <NUM> may select for transmissions to the UE <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may thus attain and maintain a beam pair link (BPL) with the base station <NUM> for downlink communications (for example, a combination of the BS transmit beam <NUM>-A and the UE receive beam <NUM>-A), which may be further refined and maintained in accordance with one or more established beam refinement procedures.

A downlink beam, such as a BS transmit beam <NUM> or a UE receive beam <NUM>, may be associated with a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state. A TCI state may indicate a directionality or a characteristic of the downlink beam, such as one or more quasi-co-location (QCL) properties of the downlink beam. A QCL property may include, for example, a Doppler shift, a Doppler spread, an average delay, a delay spread, or spatial receive parameters, among other examples. In some examples, each BS transmit beam <NUM> may be associated with an SSB, and the UE <NUM> may indicate a preferred BS transmit beam <NUM> by transmitting uplink transmissions that are associated with the preferred BS transmit beam <NUM>. A particular SSB may have an associated TCI state (for example, for an antenna port or for beamforming). The base station <NUM> may, in some examples, indicate a downlink BS transmit beam <NUM> based at least in part on antenna port QCL properties that may be indicated by the TCI state. A TCI state may be associated with one downlink reference signal set (for example, an SSB and an aperiodic, periodic, or semi-persistent channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)) for different QCL types (for example, QCL types for different combinations of Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread, or spatial receive parameters, among other examples). In cases where the QCL type indicates spatial receive parameters, the QCL type may correspond to analog receive beamforming parameters of a UE receive beam <NUM> at the UE <NUM>. Thus, the UE <NUM> may select a corresponding UE receive beam <NUM> from a set of BPLs based at least in part on the base station <NUM> indicating a BS transmit beam <NUM> via a TCI indication.

The base station <NUM> may maintain a set of activated TCI states for downlink shared channel transmissions and a set of activated TCI states for downlink control channel transmissions. The set of activated TCI states for downlink shared channel transmissions may correspond to beams that the base station <NUM> uses for downlink transmission on a PDSCH. The set of activated TCI states for downlink control channel communications may correspond to beams that the base station <NUM> may use for downlink transmission on a PDCCH or in a CORESET. The UE <NUM> may also maintain a set of activated TCI states for receiving the downlink shared channel transmissions and the CORESET transmissions. If a TCI state is activated for the UE <NUM>, then the UE <NUM> may have one or more antenna configurations based at least in part on the TCI state, and the UE <NUM> may not need to reconfigure antennas or antenna weighting configurations. In some examples, the set of activated TCI states (for example, activated PDSCH TCI states and activated CORESET TCI states) for the UE <NUM> may be configured by a configuration message, such as an RRC message.

Similarly, for uplink communications, the UE <NUM> may transmit in the direction of the base station <NUM> using a directional UE transmit beam, and the base station <NUM> may receive the transmission using a directional BS receive beam. Each UE transmit beam may have an associated beam ID, beam direction, or beam symbols, among other examples. The UE <NUM> may transmit uplink communications via one or more UE transmit beams <NUM>.

The base station <NUM> may receive uplink transmissions via one or more BS receive beams <NUM>. The base station <NUM> may identify a particular UE transmit beam <NUM>, shown as UE transmit beam <NUM>-A, and a particular BS receive beam <NUM>, shown as BS receive beam <NUM>-A, that provide relatively favorable performance (for example, that have a best channel quality of the different measured combinations of UE transmit beams <NUM> and BS receive beams <NUM>). In some examples, the base station <NUM> may transmit an indication of which UE transmit beam <NUM> is identified by the base station <NUM> as a preferred UE transmit beam, which the base station <NUM> may select for transmissions from the UE <NUM>. The UE <NUM> and the base station <NUM> may thus attain and maintain a BPL for uplink communications (for example, a combination of the UE transmit beam <NUM>-A and the BS receive beam <NUM>-A), which may be further refined and maintained in accordance with one or more established beam refinement procedures. An uplink beam, such as a UE transmit beam <NUM> or a BS receive beam <NUM>, may be associated with a spatial relation. A spatial relation may indicate a directionality or a characteristic of the uplink beam, similar to one or more QCL properties, as described above.

In some wireless systems (e.g., according to 3GPP Release <NUM> or Release <NUM>), a PDCCH may be associated with a single TCI state. For example, a PDCCH candidate may be defined in a search space set, a search space set may be associated with a single CORESET, and the CORESET may be associated with a single TCI state that is configured and activated for the CORESET.

However, it is possible that a PDCCH may be associated with a plurality of (e.g., two) TCI states. In this case, a CORESET may be associated with a plurality of (e.g., two) TCI states, a search space set may be associated with a plurality of (e.g., two) CORESETs (and the plurality of CORESETs are associated with different TCI states), a PDCCH candidate may be defined across a plurality of (e.g., two) search space sets, and/or the like. Accordingly, some REGs (e.g., a first set of REGs) of a PDCCH candidate may be associated with a first TCI state, and other REGs (e.g., a second set of REGs) of the PDCCH candidate may be associated with a second TCI state. The first set of REGs and the second set of REGs may be multiplexed in a frequency domain or multiplexed in a time domain. A set of REGs of a PDCCH candidate (e.g., a set of REGs associated with a particular TCI state) may also be referred to as a PDCCH transmission occasion or a PDCCH repetition.

In some aspects, a TCI state may be defined by QCL information that configures a reference signal, such as a CSI-RS resource and/or an SSB index. In some aspects, a first set (e.g., a primary set) of SSBs may be associated with (e.g., defined or specified for) a serving cell, and a second set (e.g., a secondary set) of SSBs may be associated with a non-serving cell. A physical cell identifier (PCI) for a serving cell may be determined from a PSS and an SSS of an initial access procedure, as described above. A PCI for a non-serving cell may be RRC-configured. In addition, a secondary SSB set may be configured for a UE and associated with the PCI for the non-serving cell. Moreover, the UE may receive an indication of which SSB indices from the secondary SSB set are to be transmitted (e.g., a secondary ssb-PositionsInBurst may be configured for the secondary SSB set). In this way, multiple TRP (multi-TRP) SSB transmission may be enabled, where the multiple TRPs are associated with different PCIs (e.g., inter-cell multi-TRP transmission). In some aspects, a plurality of TCI states associated with a PDCCH candidate may be associated with the same PCI or different PCIs (e.g., a serving cell PCI and a non-serving cell PCI associated with the same component carrier).

In current wireless systems, a UE may not be enabled to determine whether to monitor a PDCCH candidate that includes a plurality of (e.g., two) sets of REGs associated with different TCI states. For example, the UE may not be enabled to determine whether to monitor the PDCCH candidate when an SSB indicated for actual transmission is to collide with one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs. Some techniques and apparatuses described herein enable a UE to determine whether to monitor a PDCCH candidate when an indicated SSB is to collide with one or more of a plurality of sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate. In this way, collisions between SSBs and PDCCHs may be avoided, thereby improving a performance of SSBs and/or communications carried in a PDCCH. In addition, PDCCHs may be utilized more efficiently (e.g., if an SSB is to collide with one set of REGs but not another set of REGs), thereby conserving network resources.

<FIG> are diagrams illustrating examples <NUM> of PDCCH and SSB collision, in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, a base station <NUM> and a UE <NUM> may communicate with one another. In some aspects, the base station <NUM> may be associated with a serving cell for the UE <NUM>, and the serving cell may be associated with a PCI. In some aspects, the base station <NUM>, or another base station <NUM>, may be associated with a non-serving cell for the UE <NUM>, and the non-serving cell may be associated with a different PCI. In some aspects, the serving cell and the non-serving cell may be associated with the same component carrier. In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may be configured to monitor a set of PDCCH candidates, and each PDCCH candidate may include a plurality of (e.g., two) sets of REGs that are associated with respective TCI states. For example, each PDCCH candidate may include a first set of REGs associated with a first TCI state, a second set of REGs associated with a second TCI state, and so forth.

As shown in <FIG>, and by reference number <NUM>, the base station <NUM> may transmit, and the UE <NUM> may receive, information (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst) indicating one or more SSBs, of a set of SSBs, that are to be transmitted (e.g., actually transmitted) by the base station <NUM>. In some aspects, the base station <NUM> may transmit to the UE <NUM> first information (e.g., a first ssb-PositionsInBurst) indicating one or more SSBs, of a first set of SSBs associated with a first PCI, that are to be transmitted by the base station <NUM>, and the base station <NUM> (or another base station <NUM>) may transmit to the UE <NUM> second information (e.g., a second ssb-PositionsInBurst) indicating one or more SSBs, of a second set of SSBs associated with a second PCI, that are to be transmitted by the base station <NUM> (or the other base station <NUM>).

In some aspects, the information (e.g., the first information and/or the second information) may identify one or more SSB indices of a set of SSBs (e.g., an SSB burst set) configured for the UE <NUM>. The one or more SSB indices may identify resource locations (e.g., time domain locations) in which SSBs are to be transmitted (e.g., according to a pattern of SSB positions, as described above). In some aspects, the one or more SSB indices may be identified by SSB positions in an SSB burst set (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst). For example, the information may include a bitmap that identifies the SSB indices, of a set of SSBs, that are to be transmitted. In some aspects, the information (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst) may be carried in a system information message (e.g., a SIB1 message) or in an RRC configuration, such as a serving cell common configuration (e.g., ServingCellConfigCommon) message.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may determine whether the one or more SSBs that are to be transmitted (e.g., the one or more SSB indices) are to collide with a PDCCH candidate (e.g., whether at least one of the one or more SSBs is to collide with the PDCCH candidate). For example, the UE <NUM> may determine whether an SSB is to collide with one or more of a plurality of (e.g., two) sets of REGs (e.g., a plurality of PDCCH transmission occasions, a plurality of PDCCH repetitions, and/or the like) of the PDCCH candidate. As an example, the UE <NUM> may determine whether an SSB is to collide with a first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate, whether an SSB is to collide with a second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate, and so forth.

In some aspects, an SSB may collide with a set of REGs when at least one RE in which the SSB is to be transmitted overlaps with at least one RE of the set of REGs. As described above, the plurality of sets of REGs may be associated with respective TCI states. For example, a first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate may be associated with a first TCI state, a second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate may be associated with a second TCI state, and so forth.

In some aspects, the base station <NUM> may determine whether the one or more SSBs that are to be transmitted (e.g., the one or more SSB indices) are to collide with a PDCCH candidate for the UE <NUM> (e.g., whether at least one of the one or more SSBs is to collide with the PDCCH candidate), in a manner similar to that described above. In this way, the base station <NUM> may determine the PDCCH candidates, and/or the sets of REGs of a PDCCH candidate, that the UE <NUM> is to monitor.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may selectively monitor (e.g., monitor or refrain from monitoring) the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether at least one of the one or more SSBs that are to be transmitted (e.g., the one or more SSB indices) is to collide with the PDCCH candidate. For example, the UE <NUM> may selectively monitor one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether at least one of the one or more SSBs is to collide with the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs. As an example, the UE <NUM> may selectively monitor a first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether an SSB is to collide with the first set of REGs, selectively monitor a second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether an SSB is to collide with the second set of REGs, and so forth.

In some aspects, as also shown by reference number <NUM>, the base station <NUM> may transmit in the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether the UE <NUM> is to monitor the PDCCH candidate. For example, the base station <NUM> may transmit in one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether the UE <NUM> is to monitor the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs. As an example, the base station <NUM> may transmit in a first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether the UE <NUM> is to monitor the first set of REGs, transmit in a second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether the UE <NUM> is to monitor the second set of REGs, and so forth.

As described above, the base station <NUM> may determine whether the UE <NUM> is to monitor the PDCCH candidate, or monitor a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate, based at least in part on determining whether an SSB is to collide with the PDCCH candidate and/or the set of REGs. In some aspects, the base station <NUM> may transmit a PDCCH (e.g., carrying downlink control information) in the PDCCH candidate or in one or more sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate (e.g., based at least in part on determining that there is no SSB collision in the PDCCH candidate and/or in the one or more sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate).

<FIG> shows examples in which the UE <NUM> selectively monitors the PDCCH candidate. As shown in <FIG>, the PDCCH candidate may include a first set of REGs and a second set of REGs associated with different TCI states. In some aspects, the PDCCH candidate may include additional sets of REGs (e.g., a third set of REGs associated with a TCI state, and so forth).

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may monitor the PDCCH candidate in a first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate, and not in a second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate, when an SSB (e.g., an SSB index indicated by ssb-PositionsInBurst) is to collide with the second set of REGs and is not to collide with the first set of REGs (this may be referred to herein as Technique <NUM>). For example, as shown by example <NUM>, an SSB may collide with the second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate, but the SSB may not collide with the first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate. Accordingly, the UE <NUM> may monitor the PDCCH candidate in the first set of REGs (e.g., regardless of the SSB collision with the second set of REGs), and may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in the second set of REGs (e.g., because of the SSB collision with the second set of REGs). In this way, if only one set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate collides with an SSB, the UE <NUM> monitors the PDCCH candidate in the other set of REGs that does not collide with an SSB. Accordingly, if the PDCCH candidate collides with one or more SSBs, the UE <NUM> does not drop the PDCCH candidate unless all sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate collide (e.g., overlap) with the one or more SSBs.

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may not monitor the PDCCH candidate (e.g., may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in any set of REGs of the plurality of sets of REGs) when an SSB collides with at least one of the plurality of sets of REGs (this may be referred to herein as Technique <NUM>). For example, as shown by example <NUM>, an SSB may collide with the second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate, but the SSB may not collide with the first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate. Accordingly, the UE <NUM> may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in the first set of REGs and the second set of REGs (e.g., because of the SSB collision with the second set of REGs). In this way, if at least one set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate collides with an SSB, the UE <NUM> does not monitor the PDCCH candidate.

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may receive a configuration (e.g., via an RRC message), from the base station <NUM>, that indicates whether the UE <NUM> is to use Technique <NUM> or Technique <NUM> for determining whether to monitor a PDCCH candidate. In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may determine whether the UE <NUM> is to use Technique <NUM> or Technique <NUM> for determining whether to monitor a PDCCH candidate based at least in part on a capability of the UE <NUM>.

Moreover, in <FIG>, SSBs that are to be transmitted (e.g., actually transmitted) may be associated with different sets of SSBs (e.g., different SSB burst sets). For example, one or more first SSBs (e.g., one or more first SSB indices) that are to be transmitted may be associated with a first set of SSBs, and one or more second SSBs (e.g., one or more second SSB indices) that are to be transmitted may be associated with a second set of SSBs. In some aspects, the SSBs that are to be transmitted may be associated with additional sets of SSBs (e.g., a third set of SSBs, and so forth). In some aspects, the first set of SSBs may be associated with a first TCI state that is also associated with the first set of REGs, and the second set of SSBs may be associated with a second TCI state that is also associated with the second set of REGs.

In some aspects, the first set of SSBs and the second set of SSBs may be associated with the same PCI. For example, the first set of SSBs and the second set of SSBs may be subsets of a set of SSBs associated with a serving cell. In this case, the base station <NUM> may transit information that indicates (e.g., using a single indication, such as a single ssb-PositionsInBurst parameter) SSBs (e.g., SSB indices), of the set of SSBs, that are to be transmitted for the serving cell. In some aspects, the indicated SSBs may be configured to be associated with either the first set of SSBs or the second set of SSBs.

In some aspects, the first set of SSBs and the second set of SSBs may be associated with different PCIs. For example, the first set of SSBs may be associated with a serving cell PCI, and the second set of SSBs may be associated with a non-serving cell PCI (e.g., of the same component carrier). In this case, the base station <NUM> may transmit information that indicates (e.g., using a first indication, such as a first ssb-PositionsInBurst parameter, associated with a first PCI) SSBs (e.g., SSB indices), of the first set of SSBs, that are to be transmitted for the serving cell. Additionally, the base station <NUM>, or another base station <NUM>, may transit information that indicates (e.g., using a second indication, such as a second ssb-PositionsInBurst parameter, associated with a second PCI) SSBs (e.g., SSB indices), of the second set of SSBs, that are to be transmitted for the non-serving cell.

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when an SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, regardless of whether a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is also associated with a set of SSBs that includes the SSB (this may be referred to herein as Technique <NUM>). For example, as shown by example <NUM>, an SSB from the first set of SSBs (associated with the first TCI state) may collide with the first set of REGs (associated with the first TCI state) of the PDCCH candidate, and an SSB from the first set of SSBs may collide with the second set of REGs (associated with the second TCI state) of the PDCCH candidate. Accordingly, the UE <NUM> may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in the first set of REGs, and may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in the second set of REGs (e.g., even though the second set of REGs is associated with a different TCI state than the first set of SSBs to which the colliding SSB belongs).

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may monitor the PDCCH candidate in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when an SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, and a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is not associated with a set of SSBs that includes the SSB (this may be referred to herein as Technique <NUM>). Conversely, the UE <NUM> may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when an SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, and a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is also associated with a set of SSBs that includes the SSB. For example, as shown by example <NUM>, an SSB from the first set of SSBs (associated with the first TCI state) may collide with the first set of REGs (associated with the first TCI state) of the PDCCH candidate, and an SSB from the first set of SSBs may collide with the second set of REGs (associated with the second TCI state) of the PDCCH candidate. Accordingly, the UE <NUM> may not monitor the PDCCH candidate in the first set of REGs (e.g., because the first set of REGs is associated with the same TCI state as the first set of SSBs to which the colliding SSB belongs), and may monitor the PDCCH candidate in the second set of REGs (e.g., because the second set of REGs is associated with a different TCI state from the first set of SSBs to which the colliding SSB belongs).

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example process <NUM> performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process <NUM> is an example where the UE (e.g., UE <NUM> and/or the like) performs operations associated with PDCCH and SSB collision.

As shown in <FIG>, in some aspects, process <NUM> may include receiving information indicating resource locations in which one or more SSBs, of a set of SSBs, are to be transmitted (block <NUM>). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna <NUM>, DEMOD <NUM>, MIMO detector <NUM>, receive processor <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM>, and/or the like) may receive information indicating resource locations in which one or more SSBs, of a set of SSBs, are to be transmitted, as described above.

As further shown in <FIG>, in some aspects, process <NUM> may include determining whether at least one SSB, of the one or more SSBs, is to collide with one or more of a plurality of sets of REGs of a PDCCH candidate, the plurality of sets of REGs being associated with respective TCI states (block <NUM>). For example, the UE (e.g., using receive processor <NUM>, transmit processor <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and/or the like) may determine whether at least one SSB, of the one or more SSBs, is to collide with one or more of a plurality of sets of REGs of a PDCCH candidate, as described above. In some aspects, the plurality of sets of REGs are associated with respective TCI states.

As further shown in <FIG>, in some aspects, process <NUM> may include selectively monitoring the PDCCH candidate in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs based at least in part on determining whether the at least one SSB is to collide with the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs (block <NUM>). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna <NUM>, DEMOD <NUM>, MIMO detector <NUM>, receive processor <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM>, and/or the like) may selectively monitor the PDCCH candidate in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs based at least in part on determining whether the at least one SSB is to collide with the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs, as described above.

In a first aspect, the plurality of sets of REGs includes a first set of REGs and a second set of REGs, and the PDCCH candidate is monitored in the first set of REGs and not in the second set of REGs when the at least one SSB is to collide with the second set of REGs and is not to collide with the first set of REGs.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the PDCCH candidate is not monitored when the at least one SSB is to collide with at least one of the plurality of sets of REGs.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the PDCCH candidate is not monitored in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when the at least one SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, regardless of whether a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is also associated with the set of SSBs.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, the PDCCH candidate is monitored in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when the at least one SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, and a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is not associated with the set of SSBs.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, the PDCCH candidate is not monitored in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when the at least one SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, and a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is also associated with the set of SSBs.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, a first set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate is associated with a first TCI state that is also associated with a first set of SSBs, and a second set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate is associated with a second TCI state that is also associated with a second set of SSBs.

In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, the first set of SSBs is associated with a first PCI and the second set of SSBs is associated with a second PCI.

In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, receiving the information includes receiving first information, associated with the first PCI, indicating resource locations in which SSBs of the first set of SSBs are to be transmitted, and receiving second information, associated with the second PCI, indicating resource locations in which SSBs of the second set of SSBs are to be transmitted.

In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, the first set of SSBs and the second set of SSBs are associated with a same PCI.

In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, selectively monitoring the PDCCH candidate in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs is further based at least in part on an RRC configuration or a capability of the UE.

In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, the information is received in a SIB or an RRC configuration.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example process <NUM> performed, for example, by a base station, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process <NUM> is an example where the base station (e.g., base station <NUM> and/or the like) performs operations associated with PDCCH and SSB collision.

As shown in <FIG>, in some aspects, process <NUM> may include transmitting, to a UE, information indicating resource locations in which one or more SSBs, of a set of SSBs, are to be transmitted (block <NUM>). For example, the base station (e.g., using controller/processor <NUM>, transmit processor <NUM>, TX MIMO processor <NUM>, MOD <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, and/or the like) may transmit, to a UE, information indicating resource locations in which one or more SSBs, of a set of SSBs, are to be transmitted, as described above.

As further shown in <FIG>, in some aspects, process <NUM> may include determining whether the UE is to monitor a PDCCH candidate in one or more of a plurality of sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on whether at least one SSB, of the one or more SSBs, is to collide with the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs, the plurality of sets of REGs being associated with respective TCI states (block <NUM>). For example, the base station (e.g., using transmit processor <NUM>, receive processor <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and/or the like) may determine whether the UE is to monitor a PDCCH candidate in one or more of a plurality of sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on whether at least one SSB, of the one or more SSBs, is to collide with the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs, as described above. In some aspects, the plurality of sets of REGs are associated with respective TCI states.

As further shown in <FIG>, in some aspects, process <NUM> may include selectively transmitting in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether the UE is to monitor the PDCCH candidate in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs (block <NUM>). For example, the base station (e.g., using controller/processor <NUM>, transmit processor <NUM>, TX MIMO processor <NUM>, MOD <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, and/or the like) may selectively transmit in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs of the PDCCH candidate based at least in part on determining whether the UE is to monitor the PDCCH candidate in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs, as described above.

In a first aspect, the plurality of sets of REGs includes a first set of REGs and a second set of REGs, and the PDCCH candidate is to be monitored in the first set of REGs and not in the second set of REGs when the at least one SSB is to collide with the second set of REGs and is not to collide with the first set of REGs.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the PDCCH candidate is not to be monitored when the at least one SSB is to collide with at least one of the plurality of sets of REGs.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the PDCCH candidate is not to be monitored in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when the at least one SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, regardless of whether a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is also associated with the set of SSBs.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, the PDCCH candidate is to be monitored in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when the at least one SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, and a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is not associated with the set of SSBs.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, the PDCCH candidate is not to be monitored in a set of REGs of the PDCCH candidate when the at least one SSB is to collide with the set of REGs, and a TCI state, associated with the set of REGs, is also associated with the set of SSBs.

In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, transmitting the information includes transmitting first information, associated with the first PCI, indicating resource locations in which SSBs of the first set of SSBs are to be transmitted, and transmitting second information, associated with the second PCI, indicating resource locations in which SSBs of the second set of SSBs are to be transmitted.

In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, determining whether the UE is to monitor the PDCCH candidate in the one or more of the plurality of sets of REGs is further based at least in part on an RRC configuration for the UE or a capability of the UE.

In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, the information is transmitted in a SIB or an RRC configuration.

Claim 1:
A mobile station (<NUM>) for wireless communication, the mobile station (<NUM>) comprising:
a memory (<NUM>); and
one or more processors (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), coupled to the memory (<NUM>), configured to:
receive, from a base station, information indicating resource locations in which one or more synchronization signal blocks, SSBs, of a set of SSBs, are to be transmitted, wherein a first set of resource element groups, REGs, of a plurality of sets of REGs, is associated with a first transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state, and a second set of REGs, of the plurality of sets of REGs, is associated with a different second TCI state; and
selectively monitor one of the first set of REGs and the second set of REGs of physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, repetitions based at least in part on whether at least one SSB, of the one or more SSBs, is to collide with the one of the first and second sets of REGs, and based on a capability of the mobile station.