CN113364566B

CN113364566B - Method and apparatus for PDCCH monitoring enhancement for carrier aggregation in mobile communication

Info

Publication number: CN113364566B
Application number: CN202110235822.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 阿布戴拉提夫·沙拿; 穆罕默德·S·阿利比·艾勒马利
Original assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte Ltd
Current assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-03
Filing date: 2021-03-03
Publication date: 2024-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 2041-03-03
Also published as: CN113364566A

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring enhancements for Carrier Aggregation (CA) for user equipment and network equipment in mobile communications. The apparatus may send a capability report to the network node to indicate the supported PDCCH monitoring capability. The apparatus may receive a PDCCH monitoring configuration from a network node that conforms to supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The apparatus may determine a monitoring budget based on the PDCCH monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The apparatus may perform PDCCH monitoring based on a monitoring budget. According to the method and the device for enhancing the monitoring of the carrier aggregation physical downlink control channel, the PDCCH can be correctly/properly configured and monitored based on the newly introduced capability report in the CA scene.

Description

Method and apparatus for PDCCH monitoring enhancement for carrier aggregation in mobile communication

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present invention is a priority of U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 62/984,343 filed 3/2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to mobile communications and, more particularly, to physical downlink control channel (physical downlink control channel, PDCCH) monitoring enhancements with respect to carrier aggregation (carrier aggregation, CA) for user equipment and network equipment in mobile communications.

Background

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

In Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or New Radio (NR), the PDCCH candidate refers to the region in the downlink resource grid where the PDCCH may be carried. The UE needs to perform blind decoding in all these PDCCH candidates that try to find PDCCH data (e.g., downlink control information (downlink control information, DCI)). The UE is configured with PDCCH candidates to be monitored by means of the search space set. Monitoring a large number of PDCCH candidates may increase the complexity of the UE. Thus, NR specifies the maximum number of PDCCH candidates requiring blind decoding and the maximum number of control channel elements (control channel element, CCEs) requiring channel estimation. This limits the UE complexity to a reasonable level with acceptable limits on the set of search spaces for PDCCH monitoring.

In Release 15 (Release-15, rel-15) of the third generation partnership project (the 3rd Generation Partnership Project,3GPP) technical specification of NR, a limit of the maximum number of PDCCH candidates to be monitored in a CA scenario is defined for each slot. Each slot specifies a maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs or Blind Decoding (BD). In Release 16 (rel-16) of the 3GPP technical specification of NR, an increased PDCCH monitoring capability for the number of non-overlapping CCEs is proposed to obtain a better delay. Each monitoring span (span) explicitly specifies the maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs or BDs.

However, PDCCH monitoring capability in CA scenarios has not been well defined. One problem is that component carriers (component carrier, CCs) configured to the same span (X, Y) may have staggered spans (i.e., CCs sharing the same span (X, Y) are not configured to be fully synchronized). If the span is not synchronized, the Rel-15 equation for the CCE/BD budget cannot be used, and other methods are defined. The newly defined method may introduce additional complexity to UE implementation. Not every UE can support this additional complexity on UE implementation. When a UE supports only the method of synchronizing spans, some errors may occur if an unsynchronized span is configured to such a UE. To avoid PDCCH monitoring failure and dyssynchrony, the network node needs to configure a PDCCH monitoring configuration based on UE capabilities. Thus, the UE needs to report the ability to support synchronous and/or asynchronous spans.

Therefore, how to determine/configure PDCCH monitoring capabilities for synchronous and/or asynchronous spans in a CA scenario becomes an important issue for newly developed wireless communication networks. Thus, there is a need to provide a suitable UE capability reporting scheme for PDCCH monitoring in CA scenarios.

Disclosure of Invention

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, emphasis, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Selected embodiments are further described in the detailed description below. Accordingly, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

It is an object of the present invention to propose a solution or a solution that solves the aforementioned problems of PDCCH monitoring enhancement for CAs of user equipment and network devices in mobile communication.

In one aspect, a method of carrier aggregated physical downlink control channel monitoring enhancement may include an apparatus sending a capability report to a network node to indicate supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The method may also include the apparatus receiving a PDCCH monitoring configuration from the network node that conforms to the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The method may further include the apparatus determining a monitoring budget based on the PDCCH monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The method may further include the apparatus performing PDCCH monitoring based on the monitoring budget. The supported PDCCH monitoring capability may include a supported span arrangement.

In an aspect, an apparatus for carrier aggregated physical downlink control channel monitoring enhancement may include a transceiver in wireless communication with a network node of a wireless network during operation. The apparatus may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor may perform operations during operation including sending, via the transceiver, a capability report to indicate supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities to the network node. The processor may also perform operations including receiving, via the transceiver, a PDCCH monitoring configuration from the network node conforming to the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The processor may further perform operations including determining a monitoring budget based on the PDCCH monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The processor may further perform operations including performing PDCCH monitoring in accordance with the monitoring budget. The supported PDCCH monitoring capability may include a supported span arrangement.

According to the method and the device for enhancing the monitoring of the carrier aggregation physical downlink control channel, the PDCCH can be correctly/properly configured and monitored based on the newly introduced capability report in the CA scene.

Notably, although the description provided by the present invention may be in the context of certain Radio access technologies, networks and network topologies (e.g., LTE-Advanced Pro-enhanced, fifth generation (5th Generation,5G), new Radio (NR), internet of Things (Internet-of-thins, ioT), narrowband Internet of Things (Narrow Band Internet of Things, NB-IoT), and industrial Internet of Things (Industrial Internet of Things, IIoT)), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variants/derivatives may be implemented in, for, and by other types of Radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited to the examples described herein.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It will be appreciated that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, since certain components may be shown out of scale in actual embodiments for clarity of illustration of the concepts of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under a scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram depicting an example table of CCE and BD budgets under a scheme in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under a scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under a scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under a scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an example communication device and an example network device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example process according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

Detailed examples and implementations of the claimed subject matter are disclosed. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed examples and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matter, which may be embodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, well-known features and technical details are omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

Overview

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions for PDCCH monitoring enhancements for CAs of user equipment and network equipment in mobile communications. Many possible solutions may be implemented according to the invention, either individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one or another combination.

In LTE or NR, PDCCH candidates refer to regions in the downlink resource grid where PDCCHs can be carried. The UE needs to perform blind decoding in all of these PDCCH candidates that attempt to find PDCCH data (e.g., DCI). The UE is configured with PDCCH candidates to be monitored by means of the search space set. Monitoring a large number of PDCCH candidates may increase the complexity of the UE. Thus, NR specifies the maximum number of PDCCH candidates requiring blind decoding and the maximum number of CCEs requiring channel estimation. This limits the UE complexity to a reasonable level with acceptable limits on the set of search spaces for PDCCH monitoring.

In Rel-15 of the 3GPP technical specification of NR, a limit of the maximum number of PDCCH candidates to be monitored in a CA scenario is defined in each slot. Each slot specifies a maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs or BDs. In Rel-16 of the 3GPP technical specification of NR, an increased PDCCH monitoring capability for the number of non-overlapping CCEs is proposed to obtain a better delay. Each monitoring span explicitly specifies a maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs or BDs.

Fig. 1 shows an example scenario 100 under an approach according to an embodiment of the invention. Scenario 100 includes a UE and a plurality of network nodes, which may be part of a wireless communication network (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G network, an NR network, an IoT network, an NB-IoT network, or an IIoT network). In Rel-16 span-based monitoring is used for explicit BD/CCE budgets. The UE reports one or more combinations of (X, Y) symbols, where X+.Y, for PDCCH monitoring. A span is a set of consecutive symbols in a slot in which a UE is configured to monitor PDCCH candidates. The UE supports the case of PDCCH monitoring in any symbol of a slot with a minimum time interval of X symbols between the first symbol of two consecutive spans, including the case across multiple slots. The duration of the span is d _span ＝max(d _CORSET，max ，Y _min ) Wherein d is _CoRSET，max Is the maximum duration of the duration of CORESET configured to the UE, Y _min Is the minimum value of Y in the (X, Y) combination reported by the UE. The last span in a slot may have a shorter duration than the other spans in the slot. UE capability of monitoring PDCCH per time slot or per span on active Downlink (DL) bandwidth part (BWP) of a serving cell by UE the UE may monitor PDCCH candidates per time slot or per span on active DL BWP of the serving cell The maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs is selected and defined separately.

Scenario 100 illustrates an example of span determination. The UE may report the spans that it can support. For example, the UE may report supported spans (X, Y) = { (7, 3), (4, 3) } to the network node. The network node may select at least one of them and configure the selected span to the UE. If the span arrangement satisfies the gap interval of at least one (X, Y) of the UE-reported candidate values set in each slot (including across slot boundaries), a specific PDCCH monitoring configuration satisfying the UE capability constraint may be configured. For example, the network node may determine span duration = max { the maximum of all CORESET durations, the minimum of Y } = max {3,3} = 3. The span arrangement does not satisfy the gap interval of (X, Y) = (7, 3), and may satisfy the gap interval of (X, Y) = (4, 3). Accordingly, the PDCCH monitoring configuration corresponding to the monitoring span (X, Y) = (4, 3) may be configured by the network node to the UE.

In Rel-15, the maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs and the maximum number of PDCCH candidates to be monitored (e.g., the maximum number of BDs) are specified for each slot for different subcarrier spacing (SCS) (e.g., μ=0, 1,2, or 3). In Rel-16, for a combination of (X, Y) and different SCS (e.g., μ=0 or 1), the maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs and the maximum number of PDCCH candidates to be monitored (e.g., the maximum number of BDs) are specified for each span. Fig. 2 shows an example table 200 under an arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention. Table 200 shows the CCE budget and BD budget corresponding to the Rel-15 slot based configuration and the Rel-16 span based configuration, respectively. 3 monitoring spans were introduced in Rel-16, including (2, 2), (4, 3) and (7, 3). The UE may be configured to determine the CCE budget and BD budget from a table 200, which table 200 is also defined in the 3GPP technical specification for NR.

Fig. 3 shows an example scenario 300 under an approach according to an embodiment of the invention. Scenario 300 includes a UE and a plurality of network nodes, which may be part of a wireless communication network (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G network, an NR network, an IoT network, an NB-IoT network, or an IIoT network). Scenario 300 illustrates an example of CCE/BD budget determination. For scs=15 kHz (e.g. μ=0) and 30kHz (e.g. μ=1), a CCE/BD budget is defined in Rel-16 for each span. Assuming that the PDCCH monitoring configuration corresponding to the monitoring span (X, Y) = (4, 3) is configured and the SCS is 15kHz, the UE may be configured to determine the CCE/BD budget according to the table 200 defined in the 3GPP technical specification of NR. As shown in fig. 3, for (X, Y) = (4, 3) and scs=15 kHz, the UE may determine that the CCE budget is equal to 36 and the BD budget is equal to 28 for each span.

However, the PDCCH monitoring function in CA scenarios has not been well defined. One problem is that CCs configured for the same span (X, Y) may have staggered spans (i.e., CCs sharing the same span (X, Y) are not configured for fully synchronized spans). If the span is not synchronized, the Rel-15 equation for the CCE/BD budget cannot be used, and other methods are defined. The newly defined method may introduce additional complexity to UE implementation. Not every UE can support this additional complexity on UE implementation. When a UE supports only the method of synchronizing spans, some errors may occur if an unsynchronized span is configured to such a UE. To avoid PDCCH monitoring failure and dyssynchrony, the network node needs to configure a PDCCH monitoring configuration based on UE capabilities. Thus, the UE needs to report the ability to support synchronous and/or asynchronous spans.

In view of this, the present invention proposes various schemes regarding PDCCH monitoring enhancement for CAs of UEs and network devices. According to the scheme of the present invention, since a span-based PDCCH monitoring capability is introduced and both synchronized spans and unsynchronized spans can be configured, the UE can be configured to report its capability to inform the network node which PDCCH monitoring capability it can support. Some UEs may only support synchronization spans across CCs with the same parameter set or different parameter sets. Some UEs may support both synchronized and unsynchronized spans across CCs having the same parameter set or different parameter sets. These two options may be defined as one or two UE capabilities. The UE may report the capabilities that it may support. With capability information from the UE, the network node may be able to configure the UE with an appropriate PDCCH monitoring configuration. The UE may also desire to receive a particular PDCCH monitoring configuration that meets its capabilities. Therefore, there is a need to properly specify/determine PDCCH monitoring capability for CA scenarios of Rel-15 slot based PDCCH monitoring. The network node and UE may correctly/properly configure and monitor the PDCCH based on the newly introduced capability report.

Fig. 4 shows example scenarios 401 and 402 under an approach according to an embodiment of the invention. Scenarios 401 and 402 include one UE and multiple network nodes, which may be part of a wireless communication network (e.g., LTE network, 5G network, NR network, ioT network, NB-IoT network, or IIoT network). The UE may support 2 CCs and report pdcchmotoringca-r16=1 at (7, 3, 56) (e.g., for the combination (X, Y) = (7, 3), the maximum number of non-overlapping cces=56). The UE may be configured with a Rel-16 PDCCH monitoring configuration with the same span arrangement on both CCs. Scenario 401 shows an example of a synchronization span. For the case of synchronization, for each span in each carrier, there is one span starting from the same symbol in each other carrier. If not, then this is the case for asynchronization. In scenario 401, PDCCH monitoring configurations on CC #1 and CC #2 are synchronized. For example, the start points of A1 and B1 are at the same symbol position. In scenario 402, PDCCH monitoring configurations on CC #1 and CC #2 are not synchronized. For example, the starting points of A1 and B1 are at different symbol positions.

In some embodiments, if all spans appear to be synchronized but there are some empty spans, they should be considered unsynchronized for simplicity. Handling all extremes adds additional complexity and discourages implementation of this function. Also, a combination of cells in which some cells (cells) have synchronized spans and the remaining cells have unsynchronized spans should be considered unsynchronized.

In particular, in the case where each scheduling CC supports Rel-16 PDCCH per span (per-span) monitoring capabilities, the UE may be configured to send a capability indication to the network node to indicate the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The supported PDCCH monitoring capability includes a supported span arrangement. For example, the supported span arrangement may include only synchronous spans across CCs. In other words, the UE only supports PDCCH monitoring across the synchronization span of CCs. In another example, the supported span arrangement may include both synchronous spans and asynchronous spans across CCs. In other words, the UE may support PDCCH monitoring across both synchronous and asynchronous spans of CCs.

Upon receiving the capability report from the UE, the network node may select a span arrangement supported by the UE and configure a PDCCH monitoring configuration to the UE based on the supported span arrangement. The UE may be configured to receive a monitoring configuration from the network node that conforms to the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The UE may then determine a monitoring budget based on the monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. The UE may perform PDCCH monitoring according to a monitoring budget.

In release 16, the method (e.g., formula) for determining the monitoring budget (e.g., maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs or BDs) for the synchronized span and the unsynchronized span is different. The UE may be configured to determine which span arrangement is configured by the network node and apply/use the corresponding method to determine the monitoring budget. For example, in case of a configured synchronization span, the UE may determine the monitoring budget according to a first method. In case of an unsynchronized span being configured, the UE may determine the monitoring budget according to a second method. The second method may be different from the first method.

In some embodiments, if the UE is configured only with a capability to provide it with monitoringcapability config-r16=r16 monitoringcapabilityA plurality of downlink units and configured with monitored PDCCH candidates related in an active DL bandwidth BWP of a scheduling unit using SCS configuration μ and configured with +.>Is->A downlink unit, wherein->The DL BWP of the activated cell is the active DL BWP of the activated cell and the DL BWP of the deactivated cell is the DL BWP with the index provided by the first actiondownlinkbwp-Id for the deactivated cell, then the UE is not required to monitor the information from +. >More active DL BWP per span sets for all scheduling units of the downlink unitsMultiple PDCCH candidates or more->Non-overlapping CCEs, otherwise, if from +.>The union of PDCCH monitoring opportunities on all scheduling units of the downlink units constitutes PDCCH monitoring and any pair of spans in the span set is within Y symbols, with the first X symbols starting at the first symbol of the PDCCH monitoring opportunity and the next X symbols starting at the first symbol of the PDCCH monitoring opportunity not included in the first X symbols (i.e. the synchronization span), or spanning from>Each span set of active DL BWP of all scheduling units of the downlink units, at most one span per scheduling unit for each span set (i.e. unsynchronized spans).

Is the number of configured cells with the relevant PDCCH candidates monitored in the active DL BWP of the scheduling cell using SCS configuration j. If the UE is configured with a lower that provides monitoringcapability config-r16=r15 monitoringcapability and monitoringcapability config-r16=r16 monitoringcapability for itA downlink unit, then->Replaced by->

In some embodiments, after determining the monitoring budget, the UE may be configured to divide the monitoring budget among the plurality of CCs having the synchronization span. CCs with a synchronization span may be grouped and a monitoring budget corresponding to the CCs with the synchronization span may be determined/calculated together and shared among the CCs. The UE may determine a monitoring budget for all synchronization spans.

In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to determine whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration meets the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. In case that the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capability, the UE may consider the PDCCH monitoring configuration as an error condition. The UE may ignore the PDCCH monitoring configuration if the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. For example, the UE may send a capability report to indicate that it supports only synchronization spans. In case the network node configures the UE with an unsynchronized span between CCs, the UE may consider such PDCCH monitoring configuration to be an error condition and ignore the configuration.

In some embodiments, the capability report sent by the UE may include an indication of whether only the synchronization span of the cross-carrier component is supported (e.g., a first bit indicating whether the synchronization span of the cross-carrier component is supported). The UE-transmitted capability report may further include an indication of whether or not the synchronization span and the non-synchronization span of the cross-carrier component are supported (e.g., a second bit indicating whether or not both the synchronization span and the non-synchronization span of the cross-carrier component are supported). For example, a parameter or information field (e.g., supported span arrangement-r 16) may be used/defined in the capability report of the UE. The parameter/information field may include a first indication (e.g., 0 or 1) to indicate whether a synchronous span is supported, and a second indication (e.g., 0 or 1) to indicate whether both synchronous and asynchronous spans are supported (e.g., ENUMERATED { aligned Only, aligned NonAlGagned }).

In some embodiments, the UE is a serviceThe maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs per span monitored by an individual unit is +.>Given. />One possible calculation of (1) consists of +.>Given. Fig. 5 shows an example scenario 500 under a scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention. The UE may be configured to have the combination (X, Y) = (2, 2) on CC1 and the combination (X, Y) = (4, 3) on CC2 and CC3 for PDCCH monitoring. Fig. 5 shows one possible method of calculating the maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs. For example, assuming c_max=16 for (2, 2) and c_max=32 for (4, 3), then c_total (4, 3) =2×32×2/3=42 and c_total (2, 2) =2×16×1/3=10. Therefore, for CC1, cce_max=10, and for CC2 and CC3, cce_max=21 (assuming equal division). This is not the best choice, and 10 CCEs of CC1 do not allow for scheduling of aggregation level 16. However, in this calculation, the sum spans all units irrespective of span (X, Y) in the denominator, which is suboptimal and leads to problems of CCE and BD budget allocation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, one possible solution is to divide the configured units into groups, wherein in each group a plurality of units share the same span pattern (X, Y). This can be reflected in the previous equation of the denominator where the sum will span all cells with the same span pattern (X, Y) instead of all cells. The CCE/BD budget will be derived separately for each group of elements sharing the same span.

In some embodiments, another alternative approach to dividing CCE/BD budgets across configured CCs is to useA formula is presented in which the network node ensures that the formula is validated against CCE/BD budgets allocated to different elements to make them compatible. In a first step, from the number of CCE/BD configured to the UE, the UE or network node may passThe equivalent (virtual) number of cells is derived. />Is the number of CCEs or BDs allocated/configured for element j with parameter i using the span pattern (X, Y) of a particular configuration span. />Is the maximum number of CCEs or BDs allocated for the unit with parameter set i using the span pattern (X, Y). N (N) _cells Is the equivalent number of virtual units that the UE or network node will derive. It calculates the number of equivalent units the UE is configured with based on/assuming its monitoring capabilities. In another embodiment, the number of equivalent (virtual) units may be derived from a combination of spans of all units, one span, any span of each unit. Thus, a plurality of N _cells One for each combination and compares the maximum value to the capacity. The second step is to compare the number obtained with the monitoring capacity, wherein +.>The UE may be configured to verify that the number of equivalent cells meets its monitoring capabilities. If verified, the UE is properly configured within its capability span.

In some embodiments, in a first step, the UE/network node may be able toDeriving an equivalent (virtual) cell number, wherein +.>C ^(X，Y)，i Is across allThe maximum total number of CCE/BD possible span combinations is formed by taking one span, an arbitrary span, from each service unit. The maximum value is derived from the parameter i using the span pattern (X, Y). In another embodiment, the maximum may span the overlap span between CCs. />Is the number of CCEs or BDs allocated/configured for element j with parameter i using the span pattern (X, Y) of a particular configured span. />Is the maximum number of CCEs or BDs allocated for the unit with parameter i using the span pattern (X, Y). N (N) _cells Is the equivalent number of virtual units that the UE or network node will derive. It calculates the number of equivalent units the UE is configured with based on/assuming its monitoring capabilities. The second step is to compare the number obtained with the monitoring capacity, wherein +.>The UE may be configured to verify that the number of equivalent cells meets its monitoring capabilities. If verified, the UE is properly configured within its capability span.

For example, based on the assumption in fig. 5, c1_max=16 and c2_max=32. In this case, for example, the following combinations are effective: cce= [2 14 4 4 5 7 8] of CC1, cce= [1 15 1] of CC2, and cce= [17 17 5] of CC 3. For example, the following combinations are not valid: cce= [7 10 16 2 16 14 14] of CC1, cce= [31 4 18] of CC2, cce= [13 25 6] of CC 3.

Illustrative embodiments

Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary communication device 610 and an exemplary network device 620 according to an embodiment of the invention. Each of the communication apparatus 610 and the network apparatus 620 may perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein with respect to PDCCH monitoring enhancements for CAs of user equipment and network equipment in wireless communications, including the scenarios/schemes described above and process 700 described below.

The communication device 610 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a UE such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 610 may be implemented in a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a notebook computer. The communication device 610 may also be part of a machine type device, which may be, for example, an IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT device that is a non-removable device or a fixed device, a home device, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 610 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 610 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set-computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 610 may include at least some of those components shown in fig. 6 (e.g., such as the processor 612). The communication apparatus 610 may further include one or more other components (e.g., an internal power source, a display device, and/or a user interface device) not relevant to the proposed solution of the present invention, and thus, for simplicity and brevity, such components of the communication apparatus 610 are not shown in fig. 6 nor described below.

The network device 620 may be part of an electronic device that may be a network node such as a base station, small cell, router, or gateway. For example, network device 620 may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE, LTE-Advanced, or LTE-Advanced Pro network, or in a gNB in a 5G, NR, ioT, NB-IoT or IIoT network. Alternatively, network device 620 may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. Network device 620 may include at least some of those components shown in fig. 6 (e.g., such as processor 622). The network apparatus 620 may further include one or more other components (e.g., internal power supplies, display devices, and/or user interface devices) not related to the proposed solution of the present invention, and thus, for simplicity and brevity, such components of the communication apparatus 620 are not shown in fig. 6 nor described below.

In an aspect, each of processor 612 and processor 622 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even though the singular term "processor" is used in the present disclosure to refer to the processor 612 and the processor 622, each of the processor 612 and the processor 622 may include multiple processors in some embodiments and may include a single processor in other embodiments according to the present disclosure. In another aspect, each of the processor 612 and the processor 622 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) having electronic components including, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and/or one or more varactors, configured and arranged to achieve a particular objective in accordance with the present invention. In other words, in at least some embodiments, each of processor 612 and processor 622 is a special purpose machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks including reducing power consumption in devices (e.g., as represented by communication apparatus 610) and networks (e.g., as represented by network apparatus 620) according to various embodiments of the invention.

In some implementations, the communication device 610 may also include a transceiver 616 coupled to the processor 612 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the communication device 610 may further include a memory 614 coupled to the processor 612 and capable of being accessed by the processor 612 and storing data therein. Memory 614 includes non-volatile computer-readable storage media or volatile computer-readable storage media. In some implementations, the network device 620 may also include a transceiver 626 coupled to the processor 622 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the network device 620 may further include a memory 624 coupled to the processor 622 and capable of being accessed by the processor 622 and storing data therein. Memory 624 includes a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium or a volatile computer-readable storage medium. Accordingly, communication device 610 and network device 620 may wirelessly communicate with each other via transceiver 616 and transceiver 626, respectively. To facilitate a better understanding, the following description of the operation, functionality, and capabilities of each of the communication device 610 and the network device 620 is provided in the context of a mobile communication environment in which the communication device 610 is implemented in or as a communication device/UE. The network means 620 is implemented in or as a network node of the communication network.

In some implementations, the processor 612 may be configured to send a capability report to the network device 620 via the transceiver 616 to indicate the supported PDCCH monitoring capability. The supported PDCCH monitoring capability includes a supported span arrangement. For example, the supported span arrangement may include only synchronous spans across CCs. In other words, processor 612 only supports PDCCH monitoring across the synchronization span of CCs. In another example, the supported span arrangement may include a synchronous span and an asynchronous span across CCs. In other words, processor 612 may support PDCCH monitoring across both synchronous and asynchronous spans of CCs.

In some implementations, after receiving the capability report from the communication device 610, the network device 620 may select a span arrangement supported by the communication device 610 and configure the PDCCH monitoring configuration based on the supported span arrangement for the communication device 610. Processor 612 may be configured to receive a PDCCH monitoring configuration from network device 620 via transceiver 616 that conforms to supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. Processor 612 may then determine a monitoring budget based on the PDCCH monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. Processor 612 may perform PDCCH monitoring based on the monitoring budget via transceiver 616.

In some embodiments, the method (e.g., formula) for determining the monitoring budget (e.g., maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs or BDs) for the synchronized span and the unsynchronized span is different. The processor 612 may be configured to determine which span arrangement is configured by the network device 620 and apply/use the corresponding method to determine the monitoring budget. For example, in the case of configuring synchronized spans, the processor 612 may determine the monitoring budget according to a first method. In the case of configuring an unsynchronized span, the processor 612 may determine the monitoring budget according to a second method. The second method may be different from the first method.

In some implementations, after determining the monitoring budget, the processor 612 may be configured to divide the monitoring budget among the plurality of CCs having the synchronization span. Processor 612 may group CCs with a synchronization span and together determine/calculate a monitoring budget corresponding to CCs with a synchronization span. Processor 612 may share a monitoring budget among CCs. The processor 612 may determine a monitoring budget for all synchronization spans.

In some implementations, processor 612 may be configured to determine whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration meets the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. If the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capability, the processor 612 can treat the PDCCH monitoring configuration as an error condition. In the event that the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capability, the processor 612 may ignore the PDCCH monitoring configuration. For example, the processor 612 may send a capability report via the transceiver 616 to indicate that it only supports synchronization spans. In the case where network device 620 configures the communication device 610 with an unsynchronized span between CCs, processor 612 may consider such PDCCH monitoring configuration to be an error condition and ignore the configuration.

In some implementations, the capability report sent by the processor 612 can include an indication of whether only the synchronization span of the cross-carrier component is supported (e.g., a first bit indicating whether the synchronization span of the cross-carrier component is supported). The capability report sent by processor 612 may further include an indication of whether or not the synchronous and asynchronous spans of the cross-carrier component are supported (e.g., a second bit indicating whether or not both the synchronous and asynchronous spans of the cross-carrier component are supported). For example, a parameter or information field (e.g., supplanted span arrangement-r 16) may be used/defined in the capability report. Processor 612 may use a first indication (e.g., 0 or 1) to indicate whether a synchronous span is supported, and may use a second indication (e.g., 0 or 1) to indicate whether both synchronous and asynchronous spans are supported (e.g., ENUMERATED { aligned only, aligned randonaligned }).

In some implementations, the processor 612 may be configured to divide the configured units into groups, where in each group, multiple units share the same span pattern (X, Y). This can be reflected in the previous equation of the denominator where the sum will span all cells with the same span pattern (X, Y) instead of all cells. The processor 612 may derive CCE/BD budgets separately for each group of units sharing the same span.

Illustrative Process

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process 700 according to an embodiment of the invention. Process 700 may be an example implementation of some or all of the above-described aspects of PDCCH monitoring enhancement for CA with respect to the present invention. Process 700 may represent an aspect of an implementation of features of communication device 610. Process 700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 710, 720, 730, and 740. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 700 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Further, the blocks of process 700 may be performed in the order shown in fig. 7, or in a different order. Process 700 may be implemented by communication apparatus 610 or any suitable UE or machine type device. For illustrative purposes only and not limitation, process 700 is described below in the context of communication device 610. Process 700 may begin at block 710.

At 710, process 700 may include processor 612 of apparatus 610 sending a capability report to a network node to indicate PDCCH monitoring capability. Process 700 may proceed from 710 to 720.

At 720, process 700 may include processor 612 receiving a PDCCH monitoring configuration from the network node that conforms to the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. Process 700 may proceed from 720 to 730.

At 730, process 700 may include processor 612 determining a monitoring budget based on the PDCCH monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. Process 700 may proceed from 730 to 740.

At 740, process 700 may include processor 612 performing PDCCH monitoring according to a monitoring budget. The supported PDCCH monitoring capability may include a supported span arrangement.

In some implementations, the supported span arrangement may include only synchronization spans across component carriers.

In some implementations, the supported span arrangement may include both synchronous and asynchronous spans across component carriers.

In some implementations, the process 700 can include the processor 612 determining a monitoring budget according to a first method with the synchronization span configured.

In some implementations, process 700 may include processor 612 determining a monitoring budget according to a second method with the unsynchronized spans configured.

In some implementations, process 700 may include processor 612 dividing a monitoring budget among a plurality of component carriers having a synchronization span.

In some embodiments, process 700 may include processor 612 determining whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration meets supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. Process 700 may further include processor 612 treating the PDCCH monitoring configuration as an error condition if the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities.

In some embodiments, process 700 may include processor 612 determining whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration meets supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities. Process 700 may further include processor 612 ignoring the PDCCH monitoring configuration if the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities.

In some implementations, the capability report can include an indication of whether only synchronization spans across carrier components are supported.

In some implementations, the capability report may include an indication of whether a synchronous span and an asynchronous span of the cross-carrier component are supported.

Additional description

The subject matter described in this specification sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected to, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Thus, any two components of the invention combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected," or "operably coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable," to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include, but are not limited to: physically matable and/or physically interactive components and/or wirelessly interactable components and/or logically interactable components.

Further, with respect to the numerous uses of any plural and/or singular terms of the present invention, those of skill in the art may translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. For clarity, the invention may explicitly set forth various singular/plural reciprocity.

Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that: the introduction of one claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those cases where a convention analogous to "A, B and at least one of C, etc." is used, in general such an explanation will be understood by one skilled in the art that this sentence meaning means, for example: the "system with at least one of A, B and C" shall include, but not be limited to, systems with a alone, B alone, C alone, a and B together, a and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B and C together, etc. In those cases where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B or C, etc." is used, in general such an explanation will be understood by one skilled in the art that this sentence meaning means, for example: "a system having at least one of A, B or C" would include, but is not limited to, a system having a alone, B alone, C alone, a and B together, a and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B together, C together, etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternatives, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the items, either of the items, or both of the items. For example, the phrase "a or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "a" or "B" or "a and B".

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the various embodiments of the disclosed invention are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for physical downlink control channel monitoring enhancement for carrier aggregation in mobile communications, comprising:

the processor of the apparatus sending a capability report to a network node of the wireless network to indicate monitoring capabilities of a supported Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

the processor receiving a PDCCH monitoring configuration from the network node conforming to the supported PDCCH monitoring capability;

the processor determining a monitoring budget based on the PDCCH monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities;

the processor performs PDCCH monitoring according to the monitoring budget; and

dividing, by the processor, a plurality of configured units of the wireless network into a plurality of groups, such that a subset of the plurality of configured units in each of the plurality of groups share a same span pattern,

Wherein the supported PDCCH monitoring capability includes a supported span arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the supported span arrangement comprises only a synchronization span across component carriers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining step comprises: in case the synchronization span is configured, the monitoring budget is determined according to a first method.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the supported span arrangement comprises a synchronous span and an asynchronous span across component carriers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining step comprises: in case of configuring the unsynchronized span, the monitoring budget is determined according to a second method.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

the processor divides the monitoring budget among a plurality of component carriers having a synchronization span.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

the processor determines whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration conforms to the supported PDCCH monitoring capability; and

and if the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capability, the processor regards the PDCCH monitoring configuration as an error condition.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

and if the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capability, the processor ignores the PDCCH monitoring configuration.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the capability report includes an indication of whether only a synchronization span across carrier components is supported.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the capability report includes an indication of whether a synchronous span and an asynchronous span of a cross-carrier component are supported.

11. An apparatus for physical downlink control channel monitoring enhancement for carrier aggregation in mobile communications, comprising:

a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a network node of a wireless network during operation; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the transceiver for performing the following during operation:

transmitting, via the transceiver, a capability report to the network node to indicate monitoring capabilities of a supported Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

receiving, via the transceiver, a PDCCH monitoring configuration from the network node conforming to the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities;

Determining a monitoring budget based on the PDCCH monitoring configuration and the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities;

performing PDCCH monitoring according to the monitoring budget; and

dividing a plurality of configured units of the wireless network into a plurality of groups, such that subsets of the plurality of configured units in each of the plurality of groups share a same span pattern,

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the supported span arrangement comprises only spans spanning synchronization of component carriers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein in determining the monitoring budget, if a synchronization span is configured, the processor determines the monitoring budget according to a first method.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the supported span arrangement comprises a synchronous span and an asynchronous span across component carriers.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein in determining the monitoring budget, if an unsynchronized span is configured, the processor determines the monitoring budget according to a second method.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein during operation the processor further performs the following:

the monitoring budget is divided among a plurality of component carriers having a synchronization span.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein during operation the processor further performs the following:

determining whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration accords with the supported PDCCH monitoring capability; and

and if the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capability, treating the PDCCH monitoring configuration as an error condition.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein during operation the processor further performs the following:

and if the PDCCH monitoring configuration is different from the supported PDCCH monitoring capability, ignoring the PDCCH monitoring configuration.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the capability report comprises an indication of whether only a synchronization span across carrier components is supported.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the capability report comprises an indication of whether a synchronous span and an asynchronous span of a cross-carrier component are supported.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions and data that, when executed by a processor of an apparatus for physical downlink control channel monitoring enhancement for carrier aggregation in mobile communications, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a capability report to a network node of the wireless network to indicate monitoring capabilities of a supported Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

receiving a PDCCH monitoring configuration from the network node conforming to the supported PDCCH monitoring capabilities;

performing PDCCH monitoring according to the monitoring budget