CN113825150B

CN113825150B - Timer operation method and device for multi-TRP transmission

Info

Publication number: CN113825150B
Application number: CN202010559048.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐夏刚
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-18
Filing date: 2020-06-18
Publication date: 2023-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-18
Also published as: CN113825150A

Abstract

An object of an embodiment of the present application is to provide a timer operation method and apparatus for multi-TRP transmission. Determining corresponding timer configuration information according to the type of a communication backhaul line between a plurality of TRPs; performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the determined timer configuration information; transmitting the timer configuration information to a user equipment, so that the user equipment can execute related operation of a BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information; and the following steps performed by the user equipment: performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the determined timer configuration information; the timer configuration information is sent to the user equipment for the user equipment to perform related operations of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information. The application can guide the UE to execute the related behavior of the BWP inactivity timer, and reduce the delay in PDCCH scheduling events among TRPs.

Description

Timer operation method and device for multi-TRP transmission

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for timer operation for multi-TRP transmission.

Background

In a 5G New Radio (NR) system, downlink data may be transmitted to a User Equipment (UE) through an antenna Panel (Panel) of a transmission reception point (Transmitter Receiver Point, TRP). The concept of a small Bandwidth (BWP) is specified in the NR Rel-15 protocol specification. The terminal can only have one active BWP (active BWP) at a time. The specification defines an inactivity timer for each activated, non-default BWP to reduce problems that may occur with synchronization, such as possible downlink control information (Downlink Control information, DCI) errors between the UE and the gNB, etc. If the UE does not explicitly use BWP scheduling after the timer expires, the UE backs to the default BWP if the default BWP is configured for the UE, and the UE backs to the initial BWP if the default BWP is not configured.

In the NR Rel-16 protocol specification, for non-coherent joint transmission (non-coherent joint transmission, NCJT), multiple TRPs may transmit multiple physical downlink shared channels (Physical Downlink Shared Channel, PDSCH) over multiple physical downlink control channels (Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH), respectively. For multi-TRP or multi-antenna panel transmission based on multiple PDCCHs, the UE may be scheduled on the same activated BWP to receive multiple PDSCH simultaneously. However, the existing relevant specifications do not specify how to configure the inactivity timer for rollback (fallback) of BWP.

However, based on prior art schemes, in the case of non-ideal backhaul (non-ideal backhaul), coordination of PDCCH scheduling events between TRPs is generally not guaranteed with small delay. And, since BWP inactivity timer period settings on different TRPs are defined differently according to the existing protocol, the behavior of the UE will be plagued.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of an embodiment of the present application is to provide a timer operation method and apparatus for multi-TRP transmission.

The embodiment of the application provides a timer operation method for multi-TRP transmission, which is executed by a base station, wherein a plurality of TRPs (base stations) send downlink data to user equipment, the plurality of TRPs comprise a main TRP and at least one slave TRP, and the method comprises the following steps:

determining corresponding timer configuration information according to the types of communication backhaul lines among the plurality of TRPs;

performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the determined timer configuration information;

transmitting the timer configuration information to a user equipment, so that the user equipment can execute related operation of a BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information;

wherein the timer configuration information includes first configuration information applicable to an ideal backhaul such that only a master TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer or second configuration information applicable to a non-ideal backhaul such that the master TRP and at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers.

The embodiment of the application provides a timer operation method for multi-TRP transmission, which is executed by user equipment, wherein a plurality of TRPs (base stations) send downlink data to the user equipment, the plurality of TRPs comprise a main TRP and at least one slave TRP, and the method comprises the following steps:

receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information;

The embodiment of the application provides a base station, wherein a plurality of TRPs (base stations) transmit downlink data to user equipment, the plurality of TRPs comprise a master TRP and at least one slave TRP, and the base station comprises:

means for determining corresponding timer configuration information according to the type of the communication backhaul between the plurality of TRPs;

means for performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the determined timer configuration information;

Means for transmitting the timer configuration information to a user equipment for the user equipment to perform a related operation of a BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information;

The embodiment of the application provides user equipment, wherein a plurality of TRPs (base stations) send downlink data to the user equipment, the plurality of TRPs comprise a master TRP and at least one slave TRP, and the user equipment comprises:

means for receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

means for performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information;

The embodiment of the application provides a base station, which comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are implemented:

An embodiment of the present application provides a user equipment including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program which, when executed by the processor, performs the steps of:

Receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

The embodiment of the application provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer readable storage medium, the computer program is used for being executed by a base station, and the following steps are implemented:

The embodiment of the application provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer readable storage medium, the computer program is used for being executed by user equipment, and the following steps are implemented:

receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the application has the following advantages: by providing a configuration scheme of BWP inactivity timers respectively applicable to an ideal backhaul line or a non-ideal backhaul line according to the state of the multi-TRP communication backhaul line, it is possible to guide the UE to perform the behavior related to the BWP inactivity timers, thereby avoiding the trouble caused to the UE behavior due to the different timer period settings on different TRP specified by the protocol; in addition, the embodiment of the application can reduce the delay in the PDCCH scheduling event between TRPs under the condition that the data is transmitted to the UE by multiple TRPs, thereby improving the data transmission efficiency.

Drawings

Other features, objects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent upon reading of the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments, made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

fig. 1 illustrates a timer operation method for multi-TRP transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2a shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary BWP timer configuration scheme according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 2b shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary BWP timer configuration scheme according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a base station and a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present application.

The same or similar reference numbers in the drawings refer to the same or similar parts.

Detailed Description

Before discussing exemplary embodiments in more detail, it should be mentioned that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flowcharts. Although a flowchart depicts operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel, concurrently, or at the same time. Furthermore, the order of the operations may be rearranged. The process may be terminated when its operations are completed, but may have additional steps not included in the figures. The processes may correspond to methods, functions, procedures, subroutines, and the like.

The term "wireless device" or "device" as used herein may be considered synonymous with and may sometimes be referred to hereinafter as: a client, user equipment, mobile station, mobile user, mobile terminal, subscriber, user, remote station, access terminal, receiver, mobile unit, etc., and may describe a remote user of radio resources in a wireless communication network.

Similarly, the term "base station" as used herein may be considered synonymous with and may sometimes be referred to hereinafter as: node bs, evolved node bs, enodebs, gnbs, base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), RNCs, etc., and may describe transceivers that communicate with and provide radio resources for mobile terminals in a wireless communication network that may span multiple technology generations. The base stations discussed herein may have all of the functions associated with conventional well-known base stations, except for the ability to implement the methods discussed herein.

The methods discussed below (some of which are illustrated by flowcharts) may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine or computer readable medium such as a storage medium. The processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks.

Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative and are for purposes of describing exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe relationships between units (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent to" versus "directly adjacent to," etc.) should be interpreted in a similar manner.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the figures may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The application is described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates a timer operation method for multi-TRP transmission according to an embodiment of the present application. The method includes steps S101, S102 and S103 performed by the base station, and steps S201 and S202 performed by the user equipment.

Note that the base station referred to in the present application is equivalent to TRP. The timers mentioned in the present application are BWP inactivity timers.

Wherein the plurality of TRPs includes one master TRP (Master TRP) and at least one slave TRP (Slave TRP). The primary TRP is the TRP which is accessed by the UE first, and the secondary TRP is the TRP added later.

According to an embodiment of the present application, a base station transmits TRP configuration information to a user equipment to configure each TRP for the user equipment. The TRP configuration information includes a CORESET number or CORESET pool number (coresetpoolndex) of each TRP configured for the user equipment. And, the TRP with the smaller COREETPoolIndex is the master TRP, and the TRP with the larger COREETPoolIndex is the slave TRP.

For example, a maximum of 5 coresetpoolndexs can be defined for a Pool (Pool) of CORESET based on the relevant specifications of the Rel-16 specification. The belonging to the master TRP, CORESETPoolIndex of 3 and 4 belonging to the slave TRP of 0 to 2 can be set.

Referring to fig. 1, in step S101, a base station determines corresponding timer configuration information according to the type of a communication backhaul line between a plurality of TRPs.

Wherein the type of communication backhaul includes an ideal backhaul or a non-ideal backhaul.

For example, two TRPs are configured for the UE, denoted TRP_1 and TRP_2, where TRP_1 is the master and TRP_2 is the slave. Based on the first configuration information, only trp_1 is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, trp_2 is not configured with a BWP inactivity timer or is configured with a timer having an infinite period. Based on the second configuration information, respective BWP inactivity timers are configured for trp_1 and trp_2, respectively.

In step S102, the base station performs a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the determined timer configuration information.

Specifically, the manner in which the base station performs the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, respectively, includes:

scheme of first configuration information (only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer):

according to one embodiment of the present application, if either TRP transmits DCI, the master TRP restarts the BWP inactivity timer.

According to one embodiment of the present application, if the primary TRP transmits DCI, the primary TRP restarts the BWP inactivity timer.

According to one embodiment of the present application, if the BWP inactivity timer of the primary TRP expires, the primary TRP switches the activated BWP to a default BWP; the master TRP notification times out from the TRP timer for the slave TRP to switch the activated BWP to the default BWP in response to the notification. The slave TRP receives a notification from the master TRP that the BWP inactivity timer has expired and switches the activated BWP to the default BWP in response to the notification.

According to one embodiment of the present application, the slave TRP is not configured with a default BWP, and if the BWP inactivity timer of the master TRP expires, the master TRP notifies the slave TRP to enter the sleep state. The notification is received from the TRP and a dormant state is entered in response to the notification, and if the dormant state is entered from the TRP, the UE will not monitor DCI transmitted from the TRP.

Schemes of second configuration information (a master TRP and at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timings Organ):

if any TRP transmits DCI, the TRP restarts its BWP inactivity timer. At this point the TRP needs to immediately inform other TRPs to restart the BWP inactivity timer.

Wherein, the manner of informing other TRPs to restart the BWP inactivity timer includes any one of the following:

1) The TRP transmits indication information to other TRPs; wherein the indication information includes various messages or information that can be used to indicate other TRPs to restart the respective BWP inactivity timers. Specifically, if the TRP receives HARQ ACK/NACK, the TRP transmits indication information to other TRPs through a backhaul link between the TRPs to instruct the other TRPs to restart the respective BWP inactivity timers.

2) Transmitting, by the user equipment, indication information to other TRPs; specifically, the user equipment may transmit indication information to other TRPs through a dedicated UL channel. Alternatively, the user equipment transmits indication information to other TRPs by multiplexing PUCCH (PUSCH).

Preferably, for the ideal communication backhaul, the TRP transmits the indication information to the other TRP, and for the non-ideal communication backhaul, the user equipment transmits the indication information to the other TRP.

According to one embodiment of the application, the master TRP and the at least one TRP will be configured with the same BWP inactivity timer period, that is, the respective BWP inactivity timers of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP will timeout at the same time.

If the BWP inactivity timer of each of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP expires, the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP switch the activated BWP to a default BWP, respectively.

Similar to the embodiment corresponding to the first configuration information described above, if the default BWP is not configured in the slave TRP, the master TRP informs the slave TRP to enter the sleep state so that the UE no longer listens for DCI transmitted from the TRP.

In the scenario where multiple TRPs transmit data to user equipments, each user equipment typically communicates with two TRPs. Those skilled in the art will be familiar with the case where each user equipment can communicate with more than two TRPs (i.e., one master TRP and multiple slave TRPs), the method of the embodiments of the present application is equally applicable.

As will be described with continued reference to fig. 1, in step S103, the base station transmits the timer configuration information to the user equipment, so that the user equipment performs the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information.

In step S201, the user equipment receives timer configuration information from the base station;

in step S202, the user equipment performs a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information.

Specifically, the manner in which the user equipment performs the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information, respectively, includes:

scheme of first configuration information:

according to one embodiment of the present application, if DCI from any one TRP is successfully decoded, the user equipment restarts the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment.

According to one embodiment of the present application, if DCI from an autonomous TRP is successfully decoded, the user equipment restarts the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment.

According to one embodiment of the application, the user equipment switches the activated BWP to the default BWP if the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment expires.

Scheme of the second configuration information:

Preferably, after successfully decoding DCI from any TRP, the user equipment sends indication information to other TRPs for the other TRPs to restart the respective BWP inactivity timer based on the indication information.

If the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment expires, the user equipment switches the activated BWP to the default BWP.

Fig. 2a and 2b show schematic diagrams of exemplary BWP timer configuration schemes according to embodiments of the application, respectively.

As shown in fig. 2a and 2b, the communication system according to the present embodiment includes two TRPs (base stations) and one User Equipment (UE). Wherein the TRP on the left is the primary TRP (expressed as P-TRP), and the TRP on the right is the secondary TRP (expressed as S-TRP). The DCI transmitted by the P-TRP to the UE comprises PDCCH1 and PDSCH-1, and the DCI transmitted by the S-TRP to the UE comprises PDCCH2 and PDSCH-2.

In the system, configuration information of TRP is set based on specifications. Specifically, 5 core sets (CORESETs) are configured for TRP, with pool numbers (coreetpolindex) denoted CORESET #0, CORESET #1, CORESET #2, CORESET #3, and CORESET #4, respectively. Wherein the TRP corresponding to CORESET#0 is a master TRP, and the TRP corresponding to CORESET#3 is a slave TRP. And, the master TRP and the slave TRP configured for each BWP are the same.

As shown in fig. 2a and 2b, there are two configurations of BWP inactivity timers, including:

scheme one: as shown in fig. 2a, this scheme configures only one BWP inactivity Timer for the primary TRP, and the slave TRP is not configured with a BWP inactivity Timer or a local infinite period configured Timer, and the Timer corresponding to the primary TRP is denoted as a Common Timer.

Scheme II: as shown in fig. 2b, the BWP inactivity timers are configured for the master TRP and the slave TRP, respectively, the Timer corresponding to the master TRP is denoted as Timer1, the Timer corresponding to the slave TRP is denoted as Timer2, and the periods of both Timer1 and Timer2 are 20 ms.

If the communication backhaul is an ideal backhaul, the base station transmits configuration information corresponding to the scheme one to the user equipment. If the communication backhaul is a non-ideal backhaul, the base station transmits configuration information corresponding to the second scheme to the user equipment.

The flow of related operations of the master TRP, the slave TRP and the UE to perform the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information is as follows:

scheme one:

referring to fig. 2a, at the base station side, the manner in which the primary TRP restarts the BWP inactivity Timer (Common Timer) includes any one of the following:

-restarting the BWP inactivity timer if the DCI from any one TRP is successfully decoded; or (b)

-restarting the BWP inactivity timer if the primary TRP sends DCI.

Accordingly, at the UE side, the manner in which the UE restarts the BWP inactivity Timer (UE's Timer) includes any one of the following:

-restarting the BWP inactivity timer if the DCI from any TRP is successfully decoded, i.e. PDCCH1 or PDCCH2 is successfully decoded; or (b)

-restarting the BWP inactivity timer if the DCI from the primary TRP is successfully decoded, i.e. PDCCH1 is successfully decoded.

Assuming that the TRP and the activated BWP in the UE are denoted as BWP #1, on the base station side, if a BWP inactivity Timer (Common Timer) of the main TRP expires, the main TRP switches the activated BWP #1 to default BWP (Default BWP). And, the master TRP notification times out from the TRP timer. The notification is received from the TRP and the activated switch to the default BWP is made in response to the notification.

On the user equipment side, if the BWP inactivity timer of the UE expires, the user equipment switches the activated bwp#1 to the default BWP.

Scheme II:

referring to fig. 2b, at the base station side, if either TRP (P-TRP or S-TRP) transmits DCI, the TRP restarts its own BWP inactivity timer. On the user equipment side, if DCI from either TRP (i.e., PDCCH1 or PDCCH 2) is successfully decoded, the BWP inactivity timer (UE's timer) of the user equipment is restarted.

Assuming that the main TRP transmits DCI and restarts Timer1, the slave TRP needs to be immediately notified to restart Timer2. The manner of notifying the slave TRP includes any one of the following:

1) The master TRP sends indication information to the slave TRP so that the slave TRP can restart the Timer2 based on the indication information;

2) The UE successfully decodes PDCCH1 from the primary TRP, and the UE transmits indication information to the secondary TRP for the secondary TRP to restart Timer2 based on the indication information.

The master TRP and the slave TRP are configured with the same BWP inactivity Timer period, that is, timer1 and Timer2 will timeout at the same time.

Assuming that the activated BWP in TRP and UE is denoted as BWP #1, on the base station side, if Timer1 and Timer2 time out, the master TRP and the slave TRP switch the activated BWP #1 to the default BWP, respectively.

On the user side, if the BWP inactivity timer of the UE expires, the UE switches the activated bwp#1 to the default BWP.

According to the method of the embodiment of the application, by providing the configuration scheme of the BWP inactivity timer respectively applicable to the ideal backhaul line or the non-ideal backhaul line according to the state of the multi-TRP communication backhaul line, the behavior related to the BWP inactivity timer can be guided to the UE, so that the trouble caused by different timer period settings on different TRPs defined by a protocol to the behavior of the UE is avoided; in addition, the embodiment of the application can reduce the delay in the PDCCH scheduling event between TRPs under the condition that the data is transmitted to the UE by multiple TRPs, thereby improving the data transmission efficiency.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a base station and a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present application. The base station according to the present embodiment includes: means for determining corresponding timer configuration information (hereinafter referred to as "configuration determining means 101") according to the types of communication backhaul lines between the plurality of TRPs; means for performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer (hereinafter referred to as "first operation means 102") according to the determined timer configuration information; means for transmitting the timer configuration information to the user equipment for the user equipment to perform a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information (hereinafter referred to as "configuration transmitting means 103");

The user equipment according to the present embodiment includes: means for receiving timer configuration information from the base station (hereinafter referred to as "configuration receiving means 201"); means for performing a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information (hereinafter referred to as "second operation means 202").

Referring to fig. 3, the configuration determining means 101 determines corresponding timer configuration information according to the type of communication backhaul between the plurality of TRPs.

In step S102, the first operating device 102 performs a related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the determined timer configuration information.

according to one embodiment of the present application, if any TRP transmits DCI, the first operating device 102 of the primary TRP restarts the BWP inactivity timer.

According to one embodiment of the present application, if the primary TRP transmits DCI, the first operating device 102 of the primary TRP restarts the BWP inactivity timer.

According to one embodiment of the present application, the base station includes: means (not shown, hereinafter referred to as "first switching means") for switching the activated BWP to the default BWP if the BWP inactivity timer of the main TRP expires; means (not shown in the figure, hereinafter referred to as "first notification means") for notifying that the slave TRP timer times out for switching the activated BWP to the default BWP in response to the notification.

If the BWP inactivity timer of the primary TRP expires, the first switching means of the primary TRP switches the activated BWP to a default BWP; the notification means of the master TRP notifies the slave TRP timer to timeout for the slave TRP to switch the activated BWP to the default BWP in response to the notification. The slave TRP receives a notification from the master TRP that the BWP inactivity timer has expired and switches the activated BWP to the default BWP in response to the notification.

According to one embodiment of the present application, the default BWP is not configured from the TRPs, and the base station includes means (not shown, hereinafter referred to as "second notification means") for switching the activated BWP to the default BWP if the respective BWP inactivity timers of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP time out

If the BWP inactivity timer of the master TRP expires, the second notification means of the master TRP notifies the slave TRP to enter the sleep state. The notification is received from the TRP and a dormant state is entered in response to the notification, and if the dormant state is entered from the TRP, the UE will not monitor DCI transmitted from the TRP.

according to one embodiment of the present application, if any TRP transmits DCI, the TRP restarts its own BWP inactivity timer. At this point the TRP needs to immediately inform other TRPs to restart the BWP inactivity timer.

According to one embodiment, the master TRP and the at least one TRP will be configured with the same BWP inactivity timer period, that is, the respective BWP inactivity timers of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP will timeout at the same time. The base station includes: means (not shown, hereinafter referred to as "second switching means") for switching the activated BWP to the default BWP if the BWP inactivity timer of each of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP expires

If the BWP inactivity timer of each of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP expires, the second switching means in the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP respectively switch the activated BWP to the default BWP.

As will be described with continued reference to fig. 3, the configuration transmitting means 103 transmits the timer configuration information to the user equipment, so that the user equipment performs the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information.

The configuration receiving means 201 receives timer configuration information from the base station;

the second operation means 202 performs the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information.

Specifically, the manner in which the second operation device 202 performs the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information, respectively, includes:

scheme of first configuration information:

according to one embodiment of the present application, the second operation device 202 restarts the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment if the DCI from any one TRP is successfully decoded.

According to one embodiment of the present application, the second operation device 202 restarts the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment if the DCI from the main TRP is successfully decoded.

If the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment expires, the second operating means 202 switches the activated BWP to the default BWP.

Scheme of the second configuration information:

if the DCI from any one TRP is successfully decoded, the second operation means 202 restarts the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment.

Preferably, the user equipment includes means (not shown, hereinafter referred to as "feedback notification means") for transmitting indication information to other TRPs after successfully decoding DCI from any one TRP, so that the other TRPs restart respective BWP inactivity timers based on the indication information.

After successfully decoding DCI from any one TRP, the feedback notification device sends indication information to other TRPs for the other TRPs to restart the respective BWP inactivity timers based on the indication information.

According to the scheme of the embodiment of the application, by providing the configuration scheme of the BWP inactivity timer respectively applicable to the ideal backhaul line or the non-ideal backhaul line according to the state of the multi-TRP communication backhaul line, the UE can be guided to execute the related behavior of the BWP inactivity timer, so that the trouble caused by different time period settings on different TRPs defined by a protocol to the behavior of the UE is avoided; in addition, the embodiment of the application can reduce the delay in the PDCCH scheduling event between TRPs under the condition that the data is transmitted to the UE by multiple TRPs, thereby improving the data transmission efficiency.

The software program of the present invention may be executed by a processor to perform the steps or functions described above. Likewise, the software programs of the present invention (including associated data structures) may be stored on a computer readable recording medium, such as RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive or diskette and the like. In addition, some of the steps or functions of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, for example, as circuitry that cooperates with the processor to perform various functions or steps.

Furthermore, portions of the present invention may be implemented as a computer program product, such as computer program instructions, which when executed by a computer, may invoke or provide methods and/or techniques in accordance with the present invention by way of operation of the computer. Program instructions for invoking the inventive methods may be stored in fixed or removable recording media and/or transmitted via a data stream in a broadcast or other signal bearing medium and/or stored within a working memory of a computer device operating according to the program instructions. An embodiment according to the invention comprises an apparatus comprising a memory for storing computer program instructions and a processor for executing the program instructions, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by the processor, trigger the apparatus to operate a method and/or a solution according to the embodiments of the invention as described above.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim concerned. Furthermore, it is evident that the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and that the singular does not exclude a plurality. A plurality of units or means recited in the system claims can also be implemented by means of software or hardware by means of one unit or means. The terms first, second, etc. are used to denote a name, but not any particular order.

While the foregoing particularly illustrates and describes exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. The protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below. These and other aspects of the various embodiments are specified in the following numbered clauses:

1. A timer operation method for multi-TRP transmission performed by a base station, wherein a plurality of TRPs (base stations) including one master TRP and at least one slave TRP transmit downlink data to a user equipment, the method comprising:

2. The method of clause 1, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, the step of performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timer comprises:

If either TRP transmits DCI, the primary TRP restarts the BWP inactivity timer; or,

if the primary TRP transmits the DCI, the primary TRP restarts the BWP inactivity timer.

3. The method of clause 1, wherein if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers, the step of performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timers comprises:

if any TRP transmits DCI, the TRP restarts its BWP inactivity timer;

the TRP sends indication information to other TRPs for the other TRPs to restart the respective BWP inactivity timers based on the indication information.

4. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, the method comprises:

if the BWP inactivity timer of the primary TRP expires, the primary TRP switches the activated BWP to a default BWP; the master TRP notification times out from the TRP timer for the slave TRP to switch the activated BWP to the default BWP in response to the notification;

wherein if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers, the respective BWP inactivity timers of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP will timeout at the same time, the method comprising:

5. The method of clause 4, wherein the method comprises:

if the default BWP is not configured in the slave TRP, the master TRP informs the slave TRP to enter a sleep state so that the UE no longer listens for DCI transmitted from the TRP.

6. A method of timer operation performed by a user equipment for multi-TRP transmission, wherein a plurality of TRPs (base stations) including one master TRP and at least one slave TRP transmit downlink data to the user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

7. The method according to clause 6, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with a BWP inactivity timer, the step of performing the operation related to the BWP inactivity timer comprises:

Restarting a BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment if DCI from any one TRP is successfully decoded; or,

if the DCI from the primary TRP is successfully decoded, the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment is restarted.

8. The method of clause 6, wherein if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers, the step of performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timers comprises:

if the DCI from any TRP is successfully decoded, the BWP inactivity timer of the user equipment is restarted.

9. The method of clause 8, wherein the method comprises:

after successfully decoding DCI from any one TRP, an indication is sent to other TRPs for the other TRPs to restart their respective BWP inactivity timers based on the indication.

10. A base station, wherein a plurality of TRPs (base station) including one master TRP and at least one slave TRP transmit downlink data to a user equipment, the base station comprising:

11. The base station of clause 10, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, the means for performing the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the determined timer configuration information is for:

restarting the BWP inactivity timer if either TRP transmits DCI; or,

if the primary TRP transmits DCI, the BWP inactivity timer is restarted.

12. The base station of clause 10, wherein if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers, the means for performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timers according to the determined timer configuration information, are for:

Restarting its own BWP inactivity timer if either TRP transmits DCI;

the indication information is sent to the other TRP for the other TRP to restart the respective BWP inactivity timer based on the indication information.

13. The base station according to any of clauses 10 to 12, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, the base station comprises:

means for switching the activated BWP to the default BWP if the BWP inactivity timer of the main TRP expires; means for notifying a slave TRP timer timeout for the slave TRP to switch the activated BWP to a default BWP in response to the notification;

wherein if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers, the respective BWP inactivity timers of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP will timeout at the same time, the base station comprising:

means for switching the activated BWP to the default BWP if the respective BWP inactivity timer of the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP expires.

14. The base station of clause 13, wherein the base station comprises:

for informing the slave TRP to enter a sleep state if a default BWP is not configured in the slave TRP, so that the UE no longer listens for DCI transmitted from the TRP.

15. A user equipment, wherein a plurality of TRP (base station) transmits downlink data to the user equipment, the plurality of TRP including one master TRP and at least one slave TRP, the user equipment comprising:

means for receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

16. The user equipment of clause 15, if only the primary TRP is configured with a BWP inactivity timer, the means for performing the related operation of the BWP inactivity timer according to the timer configuration information is for:

17. The user equipment of clause 16, if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers, the means for performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timers according to the timer configuration information, for:

18. The user equipment of clause 17, wherein the user equipment comprises:

means for transmitting indication information to the other TRPs after successfully decoding the DCI from any one TRP, for the other TRPs to restart the respective BWP inactivity timer based on the indication information.

19. A base station comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program which, when executed by the processor, performs the steps of:

20. A user equipment comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program which, when executed by the processor, performs the steps of:

receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

21. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program for, when executed by a base station, performing the steps of:

performing a related operation of the BWP activity timer according to the determined timer configuration information;

22. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program for, when executed by a user device, performing the steps of:

receiving timer configuration information from a base station;

Claims

1. A method of timer operation performed by a base station for multi-TRP transmission, wherein a plurality of base stations TRP transmit downlink data to a user equipment, the plurality of TRP comprising one master TRP and at least one slave TRP, the method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, the step of performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timer comprises:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers, the step of performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timers comprises:

if any TRP transmits DCI, the TRP restarts its BWP inactivity timer;

4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, the method comprises:

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method comprises:

6. A method of timer operation performed by a user equipment for multi-TRP transmission, wherein a plurality of base stations TRP transmit downlink data to the user equipment, the plurality of TRPs comprising one master TRP and at least one slave TRP, the method comprising:

receiving timer configuration information from a base station TRP;

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if only the primary TRP is configured with one BWP inactivity timer, the step of performing the related operations of the BWP inactivity timer comprises:

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the performing the BWP inactivity timer related operation comprises, if the master TRP and the at least one slave TRP are respectively configured with respective BWP inactivity timers:

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method comprises:

10. A base station TRP, wherein a plurality of base stations TRP transmit downlink data to a user equipment, the plurality of TRP comprising one master TRP and at least one slave TRP, the base station comprising:

11. A user equipment, wherein a plurality of base stations TRP transmit downlink data to the user equipment, the plurality of TRPs comprising one master TRP and at least one slave TRP, the user equipment comprising:

means for receiving timer configuration information from a base station TRP;

12. A base station TRP comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program which, when executed by the processor, is implemented to:

13. A user equipment comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program which, when executed by the processor, performs the steps of:

Receiving timer configuration information from a base station TRP;

14. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program for, when the computer program is executed by a base station TRP, performing the steps of:

15. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program for, when executed by a user device, performing the steps of:

receiving timer configuration information from a base station TRP;