WO2021232277A1

WO2021232277A1 - Multi-user packet data addressing techniques

Info

Publication number: WO2021232277A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/091229
Authority: WO
Inventors: Changlong Xu; Jing Sun; Xiaoxia Zhang; Tao Luo; Peter Gaal; Juan Montojo; Yisheng Xue; Chih-Hao Liu; Mostafa KHOSHNEVISAN; Ozcan Ozturk
Original assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
Priority date: 2020-05-20
Filing date: 2020-05-20
Publication date: 2021-11-25

Abstract

A wireless communication device in a wireless communication network receives a downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first slot, and determines whether a multi-user packet in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI and without decoding any portion of the multi-user packet. A base station in a wireless communication network generates at least one downlink control information (DCI) in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first slot, wherein the at least one DCI informs at least wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) includes data for the at least one wireless communication device without the at least one wireless communication device decoding any portion of the multi-user packet.

Description

MULTI-USER PACKET DATA ADDRESSING TECHNIQUES

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology discussed below relates generally to wireless communication, and more particularly but not exclusively, to wireless communication providing multi-user packet data addressing techniques.

INTRODUCTION

Next-generation wireless communication systems (e.g., 5GS) may include a 5G core network and a 5G radio access network (RAN) , such as a New Radio (NR) -RAN. The NR-RAN supports communication via one or more cells. For example, a wireless communication device such as a user equipment (UE) may access a first cell of a first base station (BS) such as a gNB and/or access a second cell of a second BS.

A BS may schedule access to a cell to support access by multiple UEs. For example, a BS may allocate different resources (e.g., time domain and frequency domain resources) for different UEs operating within a cell of the BS.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

The following presents a summary of one or more aspects of the present disclosure, in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one example, a wireless communication device is provided. The wireless communication device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to receive a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot using the transceiver, and determine whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.

Another example provides a method for wireless communication implemented at a wireless communication device. The method includes receiving a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, and determining whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.

Another example provides a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device includes means for receiving a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, and means for determining whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.

Another example provides an article of manufacture for use by a wireless communication device in a wireless communication network. The article including a computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors of the wireless communication device to receive a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, and determine whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.

Another example provides a base station. The base station includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to generate a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet, and transmit the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device using the transceiver.

Another example provides a method for wireless communication implemented at a base station. The method includes generating a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet, and transmitting the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device.

Another example provides a base station. The base station includes means for generating a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet, and means for transmitting the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device.

Another example provides an article of manufacture for use by a base station in a wireless communication network. The article including a computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors of the wireless communication device to generate a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet, and transmit the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device.

These and other aspects of the disclosure will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows. Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific, example embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features of the present disclosure may be discussed relative to certain embodiments and figures below, all embodiments of the present disclosure can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various embodiments of the disclosure discussed herein. In similar fashion, while example embodiments may be discussed below as device, system, or method embodiments it should be understood that such example embodiments can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless communication system according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a radio access network according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of wireless resources in an air interface utilizing orthogonal frequency divisional multiplexing (OFDM) according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless communication network in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an example group DCI and associated multi-user packet in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an example group DCI and an associated multi-user packet in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram of an example downlink (DL) transmission time slot “n” sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram of another example downlink (DL) transmission time slot “n” sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram of another example downlink (DL) transmission of a pair of consecutive time slots “n” and “n+1” sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a diagram of another example downlink (DL) transmission time slot “n” sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 includes a diagram of an example group DCI that includes explicit information indicating which member in the group has data in the associated multi-user packet in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 12A illustrates a diagram of an example bitmap or hash value in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 12B illustrates a diagram of another example bitmap or hash value in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates a diagram of an example group DCI including a bitmap or hash value for explicitly informing the wireless communication devices if an associated multi-user packet has data for each of them in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram of another example group DCI including a bitmap or hash value for explicitly informing the wireless communication devices if an associated multi-user packet has data for each of them in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a communication device employing a processing system according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an example wireless communication process for a multi-user payload according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a communication device employing a processing system according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an example wireless communication process for a multi-user payload according to some aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

While aspects and embodiments are described in this application by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases may come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Innovations described herein may be implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, packaging arrangements. For example, embodiments and/or uses may come about via integrated chip embodiments and other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail/purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc. ) . While some examples may or may not be specifically directed to use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicability of described innovations may occur. Implementations may range a spectrum from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to aggregate, distributed, or OEM devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical settings, devices incorporating described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described embodiments. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes a number of components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antenna, RF-chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffer, processor (s) , interleaver, adders/summers, etc. ) . It is intended that innovations described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc. of varying sizes, shapes and constitution.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be implemented across a broad variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Referring now to FIG. 1, as an illustrative example without limitation, various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated with reference to a wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interacting domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and at least one scheduled entity 106. The at least one scheduled entity 106 may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) 106 in the discussion that follows. The RAN 104 includes at least one scheduling entity 108. The at least one scheduling entity 108 may be referred to as a base station (BS) 108 in the discussion that follows. By virtue of the wireless communication system 100, the UE 106 may be enabled to carry out data communication with an external data network 110, such as (but not limited to) the Internet.

The RAN 104 may implement any suitable wireless communication technology or technologies to provide radio access to the UE 106. As one example, the RAN 104 may operate according to 3 ^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications, often referred to as 5G. As another example, the RAN 104 may operate under a hybrid of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards, often referred to as LTE. The 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as a next-generation RAN, or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated, the RAN 104 includes a plurality of base stations 108. Broadly, a base station is a network element in a radio access network responsible for radio transmission and reception in one or more cells to or from a UE. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, a base station may variously be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS) , a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS) , an extended service set (ESS) , an access point (AP) , a Node B (NB) , an eNode B (eNB) , a gNode B (gNB) , or some other suitable terminology.

The radio access network 104 is further illustrated supporting wireless communication for multiple mobile apparatuses. A mobile apparatus may be referred to as user equipment (UE) in 3GPP standards, but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS) , a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT) , a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE may be an apparatus that provides a user with access to network services.

Within the present document, a “mobile” apparatus need not necessarily have a capability to move, and may be stationary. The term mobile apparatus or mobile device broadly refers to a diverse array of devices and technologies. UEs may include a number of hardware structural components sized, shaped, and arranged to help in communication; such components can include antennas, antenna arrays, RF chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc. electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of a mobile apparatus include a mobile, a cellular (cell) phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal computer (PC) , a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , and a broad array of embedded systems, e.g., corresponding to an “Internet of Things” (IoT) . A mobile apparatus may additionally be an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotics device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a remote control device, a consumer and/or wearable device, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player) , a camera, a game console, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be a digital home or smart home device such as a home audio, video, and/or multimedia device, an appliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device controlling electric power (e.g., a smart grid) , lighting, water, etc.; an industrial automation and enterprise device; a logistics controller; agricultural equipment; military defense equipment, vehicles, aircraft, ships, and weaponry, etc. Still further, a mobile apparatus may provide for connected medicine or telemedicine support, i.e., health care at a distance. Telehealth devices may include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealth administration devices, whose communication may be given preferential treatment or prioritized access over other types of information, e.g., in terms of prioritized access for transport of critical service data, and/or relevant QoS for transport of critical service data.

Wireless communication between a RAN 104 and a UE 106 may be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface from a base station (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) may be referred to as downlink (DL) transmission. In accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink may refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission originating at a scheduling entity (described further below; e.g., base station 108) . Another way to describe this scheme may be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) may be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at a scheduled entity (described further below; e.g., UE 106) .

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station 108) allocates resources for communication among some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below, the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communication, UEs 106, which may be scheduled entities, may utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity 108.

Base stations 108 are not the only entities that may function as scheduling entities. That is, in some examples, a UE may function as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs) .

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a scheduling entity 108 may broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more scheduled entities 106. Broadly, the scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including the downlink traffic 112 and, in some examples, uplink traffic 116 from one or more scheduled entities 106 to the scheduling entity 108. On the other hand, the scheduled entity 106 is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114, including but not limited to scheduling information (e.g., a grant) , synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network such as the scheduling entity 108.

In addition, the uplink and/or downlink control information and/or traffic information may be time-divided into frames, subframes, slots, and/or symbols. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a unit of time that, in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) waveform, carries one resource element (RE) per sub-carrier. A slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of 1ms. Multiple subframes or slots may be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms may be utilized, and various time divisions of the waveform may have any suitable duration.

In general, base stations 108 may include a backhaul interface for communication with a backhaul portion 120 of the wireless communication system. The backhaul 120 may provide a link between a base station 108 and the core network 102. Further, in some examples, a backhaul network may provide interconnection between the respective base stations 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed, such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network.

The core network 102 may be a part of the wireless communication system 100, and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN 104. In some examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC) . In other examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to a 4G evolved packet core (EPC) , or any other suitable standard or configuration.

Referring now to FIG. 2, by way of example and without limitation, a schematic illustration of a RAN 200 is provided. In some examples, the RAN 200 may be the same as the RAN 104 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1. The geographic area covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted from one access point or base station. FIG. 2 illustrates

macrocells

202, 204, and 206, and a small cell 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown) . A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same base station. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.

Various base station arrangements can be utilized. For example, in FIG. 2, two base stations 210 and 212 are shown in

cells

202 and 204; and a third base station 214 is shown controlling a remote radio head (RRH) 216 in cell 206. That is, a base station can have an integrated antenna or can be connected to an antenna or RRH by feeder cables. In the illustrated example, the

cells

202, 204, and 206 may be referred to as macrocells, as the

base stations

210, 212, and 214 support cells having a large size. Further, a base station 218 is shown in the small cell 208 (e.g., a microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home Node B, home eNode B, etc. ) which may overlap with one or more macrocells. In this example, the cell 208 may be referred to as a small cell, as the base station 218 supports a cell having a relatively small size. Cell sizing can be done according to system design as well as component constraints.

It is to be understood that the radio access network 200 may include any number of wireless base stations and cells. Further, a relay node may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of a given cell. The

base stations

210, 212, 214, 218 provide wireless access points to a core network for any number of mobile apparatuses. In some examples, the

base stations

210, 212, 214, and/or 218 may be the same as the base station/scheduling entity 108 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1.

Within the RAN 200, the cells may include UEs that may be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. Further, each

base station

210, 212, 214, and 218 may be configured to provide an access point to a core network (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 1) for all the UEs in the respective cells. For example,

UEs

222 and 224 may be in communication with base station 210;

UEs

226 and 228 may be in communication with base station 212;

UEs

230 and 232 may be in communication with base station 214 by way of RRH 216; and UE 234 may be in communication with base station 218. In some examples, the

UEs

222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 238, 240, and/or 242 may be the same as the UE/scheduled entity 106 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1.

In some examples, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220, which may be a drone or quadcopter, can be a mobile network node and may be configured to function as a UE. For example, the UAV 220 may operate within cell 202 by communicating with base station 210.

In a further aspect of the RAN 200, sidelink signals may be used between UEs without necessarily relying on scheduling or control information from a base station. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 226 and 228) may communicate with each other using peer to peer (P2P) or sidelink signals 227 without relaying that communication through a base station (e.g., base station 212) . In a further example, UE 238 is illustrated communicating with

UEs

240 and 242. Here, the UE 238 may function as a scheduling entity or a primary sidelink device, and

UEs

240 and 242 may function as a scheduled entity or a non-primary (e.g., secondary) sidelink device. In still another example, a UE may function as a scheduling entity in a device-to-device (D2D) , peer-to-peer (P2P) , or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, and/or in a mesh network. In a mesh network example,

UEs

240 and 242 may optionally communicate directly with one another in addition to communicating with the UE 238 (e.g., functioning as a scheduling entity) . Thus, in a wireless communication system with scheduled access to time–frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2P configuration, or a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one or more scheduled entities may communicate utilizing the scheduled resources. In some examples, the sidelink signals 227 include sidelink traffic (e.g., a physical sidelink shared channel) and sidelink control (e.g., a physical sidelink control channel) .

In the radio access network 200, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving, independent of its location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the radio access network are generally set up, maintained, and released under the control of an access and mobility management function (AMF) . The AMF (not shown in FIG. 2) may include a security context management function (SCMF) that manages the security context for both the control plane and the user plane functionality, and a security anchor function (SEAF) that performs authentication.

A radio access network 200 may utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to enable mobility and handovers (i.e., the transfer of a UE’s connection from one radio channel to another) . In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell as well as various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds that from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may undertake a handoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE 224 (illustrated as a vehicle, although any suitable form of UE may be used) may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell 206. When the signal strength or quality from the neighbor cell 206 exceeds that of its serving cell 202 for a given amount of time, the UE 224 may transmit a reporting message to its serving base station 210 indicating this condition. In response, the UE 224 may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo a handover to the cell 206.

In a network configured for UL-based mobility, UL reference signals from each UE may be utilized by the network to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, the

base stations

210, 212, and 214/216 may broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., unified Primary Synchronization Signals (PSSs) , unified Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSSs) and unified Physical Broadcast Channels (PBCH) ) . The

UEs

222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 may receive the unified synchronization signals, derive the carrier frequency and slot timing from the synchronization signals, and in response to deriving timing, transmit an uplink pilot or reference signal. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 224) may be concurrently received by two or more cells (e.g., base stations 210 and 214/216) within the radio access network 200. Each of the cells may measure a strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of the base stations 210 and 214/216 and/or a central node within the core network) may determine a serving cell for the UE 224. As the UE 224 moves through the radio access network 200, the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmitted by the UE 224. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by a neighboring cell exceeds that of the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, the network 200 may handover the UE 224 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell, with or without informing the UE 224.

Although the synchronization signal transmitted by the

base stations

210, 212, and 214/216 may be unified, the synchronization signal may not identify a particular cell, but rather may identify a zone of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and/or with the same timing. The use of zones in 5G networks or other next generation communication networks enables the uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network, since the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network may be reduced.

In various implementations, the air interface in the radio access network 200 may utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum provides for exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum, generally by virtue of a mobile network operator purchasing a license from a government regulatory body. Unlicensed spectrum provides for shared use of a portion of the spectrum without need for a government-granted license. While compliance with some technical rules is generally still required to access unlicensed spectrum, generally, any operator or device may gain access. Shared spectrum may fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrum, wherein technical rules or limitations may be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum may still be shared by multiple operators and/or multiple RATs. For example, the holder of a license for a portion of licensed spectrum may provide licensed shared access (LSA) to share that spectrum with other parties, e.g., with suitable licensee-determined conditions to gain access.

The air interface in the radio access network 200 may utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of the various devices. For example, 5G NR specifications provide multiple access for UL transmissions from

UEs

222 and 224 to base station 210, and for multiplexing for DL transmissions from base station 210 to one or

more UEs

222 and 224, utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) . In addition, for UL transmissions, 5G NR specifications provide support for discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with a CP (also referred to as single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) ) . However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and may be provided utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA) , code division multiple access (CDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , sparse code multiple access (SCMA) , resource spread multiple access (RSMA) , or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further, multiplexing DL transmissions from the base station 210 to UEs 222 and 224 may be provided utilizing time division multiplexing (TDM) , code division multiplexing (CDM) , frequency division multiplexing (FDM) , orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) , sparse code multiplexing (SCM) , or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

The air interface in the radio access network 200 may further utilize one or more duplexing algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate with one another in both directions. Full duplex means both endpoints can simultaneously communicate with one another. Half duplex means only one endpoint can send information to the other at a time. In a wireless link, a full duplex channel generally relies on physical isolation of a transmitter and receiver, and suitable interference cancelation technologies. Full duplex emulation is frequently implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or time division duplex (TDD) . In FDD, transmissions in different directions operate at different carrier frequencies. In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from one another using time division multiplexing. That is, at some times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in one direction, while at other times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in the other direction, where the direction may change very rapidly, e.g., several times per slot.

Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to an OFDM waveform, an example of which is schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to an SC-FDMA waveform in substantially the same way as described herein below. That is, while some examples of the present disclosure may focus on an OFDM link for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles may be applied as well to SC-FDMA waveforms.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an expanded view of an example DL subframe (SF) 302A is illustrated, showing an OFDM resource grid. However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application may vary from the example described here, depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction with units of OFDM symbols; and frequency is in the vertical direction with units of subcarriers.

The resource grid 304 may be used to schematically represent time–frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple antenna ports available, a corresponding multiple number of resource grids 304 may be available for communication. The resource grid 304 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 306. An RE, which is 1 subcarrier × 1 symbol, is the smallest discrete part of the time–frequency grid, and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation utilized in a particular implementation, each RE may represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or more simply a resource block (RB) 308, which contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may include 12 subcarriers, a number independent of the numerology used. In some examples, depending on the numerology, an RB may include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB such as the RB 308 entirely corresponds to a single direction of communication (either transmission or reception for a given device) .

Scheduling of UEs (e.g., scheduled entities) for downlink or uplink transmissions typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 306 within one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) , where each BWP includes two or more contiguous or consecutive RBs. Thus, a UE generally utilizes only a subset of the resource grid 304. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest unit of resources that can be allocated to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE, and the higher the modulation scheme chosen for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE.

In this illustration, the RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of the subframe 302A, with some subcarriers illustrated above and below the RB 308. In a given implementation, the subframe 302A may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 308. Further, in this illustration, the RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire duration of the subframe 302A, although this is merely one possible example.

Each 1 ms subframe 302A may consist of one or multiple adjacent slots. In the example shown in FIG. 3, one subframe 302B includes four slots 310, as an illustrative example. In some examples, a slot may be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Additional examples may include mini-slots having a shorter duration (e.g., one or two OFDM symbols) . These mini-slots may in some cases be transmitted occupying resources scheduled for ongoing slot transmissions for the same or for different UEs.

An expanded view of one of the slots 310 illustrates the slot 310 including a control region 312 and a data region 314. In general, the control region 312 may carry control channels (e.g., PDCCH) , and the data region 314 may carry data channels (e.g., PDSCH or PUSCH) . Of course, a slot may contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. The simple structure illustrated in FIG. 3 is merely exemplary in nature, and different slot structures may be utilized, and may include one or more of each of the control region (s) and data region (s) .

Although not illustrated in FIG. 3, the various REs 306 within an RB 308 may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 306 within the RB 308 may also carry pilots or reference signals, including but not limited to a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) or a sounding reference signal (SRS) . These pilots or reference signals may provide for a receiving device to perform channel estimation of the corresponding channel, which may enable coherent demodulation/detection of the control and/or data channels within the RB 308.

In a DL transmission, the transmitting device (e.g., the scheduling entity) may allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., within a control region 312) to carry DL control information including one or more DL control channels, such as a PBCH; a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) ; a physical hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) indicator channel (PHICH) ; and/or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) , etc., to one or more scheduled entities. The transmitting device may further allocate one or more REs 306 to carry other DL signals, such as a DMRS; a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS) ; a channel state information –reference signal (CSI-RS) ; a primary synchronization signal (PSS) ; and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) .

The synchronization signals PSS and SSS, and in some examples, the PBCH and a PBCH DMRS, may be transmitted in a synchronization signal block (SSB) that includes 3 consecutive OFDM symbols, numbered via a time index in increasing order from 0 to 3. In the frequency domain, the SSB may extend over 240 contiguous subcarriers, with the subcarriers being numbered via a frequency index in increasing order from 0 to 239. Of course, the present disclosure is not limited to this specific SSB configuration. Other nonlimiting examples may utilize greater or fewer than two synchronization signals; may include one or more supplemental channels in addition to the PBCH; may omit a PBCH; and/or may utilize a different number of symbols and/or nonconsecutive symbols for an SSB, within the scope of the present disclosure.

The PCFICH provides information to assist a receiving device in receiving and decoding the PDCCH. The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) including but not limited to power control commands, scheduling information, a grant, and/or an assignment of REs for DL and UL transmissions. The PHICH carries HARQ feedback transmissions such as an acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK) . HARQ is a technique well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art, wherein the integrity of packet transmissions may be checked at the receiving side for accuracy, e.g., utilizing any suitable integrity checking mechanism, such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) . If the integrity of the transmission confirmed, an ACK may be transmitted, whereas if not confirmed, a NACK may be transmitted. In response to a NACK, the transmitting device may send a HARQ retransmission, which may implement chase combining, incremental redundancy, etc.

In an UL transmission, the transmitting device (e.g., the scheduled entity) may utilize one or more REs 306 to carry UL control information including one or more UL control channels, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) , to the scheduling entity. UL control information may include a variety of packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. For example, the UL control information may include a DMRS or SRS. In some examples, the control information may include a scheduling request (SR) , i.e., request for the scheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response to the SR transmitted on the control channel, the scheduling entity may transmit downlink control information that may schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. UL control information may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) , or any other suitable UL control information.

In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., within the data region 314) may be allocated for user data or traffic data. Such traffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels, such as, for a DL transmission, a PDSCH; or for an UL transmission, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) . In some examples, one or more REs 306 within the data region 314 may be configured to carry SIBs (e.g., SIB1) , carrying system information that may enable access to a given cell.

These physical channels described above are generally multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for handling at the medium access control (MAC) layer. Transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TB) . The transport block size (TBS) , which may correspond to a number of bits of information, may be a controlled parameter, based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission.

The channels or carriers described above with reference to FIGs. 1 -3 are not necessarily all of the channels or carriers that may be utilized between a scheduling entity and scheduled entities, and those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers may be utilized in addition to those illustrated, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels.

To obtain a low block error rate (BLER) for a wireless communication while still achieving a high data rate, channel coding may be used. In some examples, wireless communication may use a suitable error correcting block code. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is split up into code blocks (CBs) , and an encoder (e.g., a CODEC) at the transmitting device mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Exploitation of this redundancy in the encoded information message can improve the reliability of the message, enabling correction for any bit errors that may occur due to the noise.

In some examples, data is coded using a quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) with two different base graphs. One base graph is used for large code blocks and/or high code rates, while the other base graph is used otherwise. In some examples, control information and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) may be coded using Polar coding, based on nested sequences. For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition may be used for rate matching.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented utilizing any suitable channel code. Various implementations of base stations and UEs may include suitable hardware and capabilities (e.g., an encoder, a decoder, and/or a CODEC) to utilize one or more of these channel codes for wireless communication.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless communication network 400 in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. The wireless communication network 400 includes a base station (BS) 410 and a set of wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N. In this example, the base station 410 is transmitting a multi-user packet 430 to the set of wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N.

In some applications, where the size of the data or transport blocks (TBs) for the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N are relatively small, it may be more efficient from a power and resource perspective to combine the TBs for the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N into the multi-user packet 430 and transmit the multi-user packet to the devices. This reduces the number of transmissions performed by the base station 410 if otherwise the data is sent to the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N via separate unicast packets. One example of such application is where the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N are Internet of Things (IoT) devices, where, again, the TBs sent to these devices are often relatively small.

In the context of the multi-user packet 430, the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N may be part of the same group. Thus, there may be a multi-user packet DCI for the group identified by a group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) . Although, in this example, the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N belong to the same group identified by the group DCI (G-RNTI) , the multi-user packet 430 need not have data or TBs for all the members of the group. For example, the multi-user packet 430 may only have data for a subset of one or more wireless communication devices in the group.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an example group DCI 504 and associated multi-user packet 502 in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. The group DCI 504 is carried in a PDCCH of a slot, which includes a group identifier (G-RNTI) . Similar to a unicast DCI (targeting a single wireless communication device) , the group DCI 504 provides information (frequency domain resource assignment (FDRA) , time domain resource assignment (TDRA) , modulating coding scheme (MCS) , etc. ) for each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group to access and decode the multi-user packet 502 carried in a PDSCH of the slot.

The multi-user packet 504 includes a header 512 including a set of sub-headers h0, h1, h2, etc., and a set of

TBs

506, 508, 510, etc. The TBs include the data for the one or more wireless communication devices addressed in the multi-user packet 502. The sub-headers h0, h1, h2, etc. inform the corresponding one or more wireless communication devices addressed in the multi-user packet 502 the location and size of the TBs for the one or more wireless communication devices, respectively.

For example, the sub-header h0 may pertain to wireless communication device UE0 420-0, and includes a pointer 514 indicating the location/size of the TB 506 for wireless communication device UE0 420-0. Similarly, the sub-header h1may pertain to wireless communication device UE0 420-0, and includes a pointer indicating the location/size of the TB 508 for wireless communication device UE1 420-1. In a like manner, the sub-header h2 may pertain to wireless communication device UE2 420-2, and includes a pointer indicating the location/size of the TB 510 for wireless communication device UE2 420-2.

Each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group determines the location of the multi-user packet 502 by decoding the group DCI (G-RNTI) 504 in the PDCCH. Then, using the information in the group DCI 504, each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N locates and decodes the multi-user packet 502. Each the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N then determines whether the multi-user packet 502 includes data or a TB for the member. If it does, the corresponding wireless communication devices decodes their respective TBs to obtain the data from the multi-user packet 502.

A drawback of this approach is that all of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N need to decode the multi-user packet 502 to determine whether the multi-user packet 502 has data or a TB for the corresponding device. This is because the header 512 and the

data payload

506, 508, and 510 are jointly encoded, for example, by an NR-packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) processing component of a base station. For those wireless communication devices in the group for which the multi-user packet 502 did not include data, the decoding of the multi-user packet 502 is a waste of power, as the corresponding wireless communication devices could have been in a lower power consumption mode (e.g., a micro-sleep mode) during the time interval for decoding the multi-user packet 502. If, for example, a particular wireless communication device in the group receives a set of multi-user packets not including data for the device, the power efficiency of operating the wireless communication device drops significantly.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an example group DCI 604 and an associated multi-user packet 620 in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. An approach to improve the power efficiency of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N with regard to the multi-user packet 620 is to logically separate a header 606 from an aggregate data payload 602; the aggregate data payload 602 including

separate TBs

608, 610, 612, etc. of the multi-user packet 620. That is, the header 606 is not encoded together with the aggregate data payload 602. The header 606 may be encoded with the DCI 604 using, for example, polar codes, whereas the data payload 602 may be encoded by the NR-PDCP processing component. However, both the header 606 and the aggregate data payload 602 may still be carried in the PDSCH. This is sometimes referred to as the header 606 being a piggyback DCI as it is carried in the PDSCH.

In this regard, each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group decodes the group DCI 604 (G-RNTI) to obtain information for locating and decoding the multi-user packet 620. Each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group then decodes the header 606 to determine whether the multi-user packet 620 or, more specifically, the aggregate data payload 602 includes data for the device. If the header 606 indicates that the multi-user packet 620 or the aggregate data payload 602 includes data for the corresponding wireless communication device, the wireless communication device then decodes the aggregate data payload 602. Otherwise, if the header 606 indicates that the multi-user packet 620 or the aggregate data payload 602 does not include data for the corresponding wireless communication device, the wireless communication device then skips the decoding of the aggregate data payload 602, and enters a lower power consumption mode (e.g., micro-sleep mode) .

This approach improves the power efficiency operation of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N with respect to the multi-user packet 620 over the approach discussed with reference to multi-user packet 502 in FIG. 5. However, the approach discussed with reference to FIG. 6 still has power inefficiency attributes as some of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N still have to decode the header 606 to find out that the aggregate data payload 602 does not have data for the wireless communication devices. Thus, the following describes techniques for wireless communication devices belonging to a group to find out earlier (without decoding the header 606, the aggregate data payload, or the multi-user packet 620) whether the multi-user packet has data for the devices.

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram of an example downlink (DL) transmission time slot “n” 700 sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. The time slot 700 may be configured in accordance with the 3GPP NR specifications. Accordingly, the time slot 700 is organized into a set of consecutive time-domain symbol intervals 0-13. The time slot 700 further includes a frequency range or RBs 706 in which a PDCCH 710 and a PDSCH 720 are carried. For instance, in this example, the PDCCH 710 is carried in time-domain symbol intervals 0-1 (702) and RBs 706, and the PDSCH 720 is carried, at least in part, in time-domain symbol intervals 5-13 (704) and RBs 706. It shall be understood that the time slot 700 may include other information or fields, such as a primary synchronization signal (PSS) , a secondary synchronization signal (SSB) , a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) , cell reference signals (CRS) , etc.

To improve power efficiency of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in a multi-user packet group, the associated base station may implement a rule that the multi-user packet in the time slot 700 for a group will not contain data for a member device if the base station also schedules a unicast packet for that particular member device.

For example, the time slot 700 includes a unicast DCI 712 in the PDCCH 710 for wireless communication device UE2 420-2. The unicast DCI 712 includes information for locating and decoding a unicast packet 722 in the PDSCH 720 for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2. The time slot 700 also includes a group DCI 714 including information for locating and decoding a multi-user packet 724 in the PDSCH 720. The wireless communication device UE2 420-2 is a member of the group. By virtue of the fact that the time slot 700 includes a unicast DCI 712 and associated unicast packet 722, the wireless communication device UE2 420-2 determines that the multi-user packet 724 does not include data (TB) for the device UE2 420-2. Thus, the wireless communication device UE2 420-2 need not decode any portion of the multi-user packet 724; and thus, the device UE2 need not waste power in performing that operation.

An extension or variation of this approach is for the associated base station to implement a rule that the multi-user packet in the time slot 700 will not contain data for a member device if the base station schedules a unicast packet over a first set of time-domain symbol slots that overlaps with a second set of time-domain symbol slots in the time slot 700 over which the base station has scheduled the multi-user packet.

For example, the unicast DCI 712 in the time slot 700 identifies the unicast packet 722 located over a first set of time-domain symbol intervals 8-9 using, for example, the start and length indicator (SLIV) in the unicast DCI 712. Similarly, the group DCI 714 in the time slot 700 identifies the multi-user packet 724 located over a second set of time-domain symbol intervals 9-10 using, for example, the SLIV in the group DCI 714. By virtue of the fact that the first set of time-domain symbol intervals 8-9 overlaps with the second set of time-domain symbol intervals 9-10, the wireless communication device UE2 420-2 determines that the multi-user packet 724 does not include data (TB) for the device UE2 420-2. Thus, the wireless communication device UE2 420-2 need not decode any portion of the multi-user packet 724; and thus, the device UE2 need not waste power in performing that operation.

FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram of another example downlink (DL) transmission time slot “n” 800 sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. The time slot 800 may be configured similar to time slot 700 previously discussed, and in accordance with the 3GPP NR specifications.

That is, the time slot 800 includes a frequency range or RBs 806 in which a PDCCH 810 and a PDSCH 820 are carried. For instance, in this example, the PDCCH 810 is carried over time-domain symbol intervals 0-1 (802) and RBs 806, and the PDSCH 820 is carried, at least in part, over time-domain symbol intervals 5-13 (804) and RBs 806. Similarly, it shall be understood that the time slot 800 may include other information or fields, such as a primary synchronization signal (PSS) , a secondary synchronization signal (SSB) , a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) , cell reference signals (CRS) , etc.

To improve power efficiency of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in a multi-user packet group, the associated base station may include one or more unicast DCIs in the time slot 800, which identifies one or more unicast packets for a subset of one or more of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N. The one or more unicast DCIs informs the corresponding subset of the one or more wireless communication devices whether a multi-user packet in the time slot includes data for the subset of one or more of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N.

For example, the time slot 800 includes a unicast DCI 812 in the PDCCH 810 for wireless communication device UE2 420-2. The unicast DCI 812 includes information for locating and decoding a unicast packet 822 in the PDSCH 820 for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2. The time slot 800 also includes a group DCI 814 including information for locating and decoding a multi-user packet 824 in the PDSCH 820. The wireless communication device UE2 420-2 is a member of the group. The unicast DCI 812 includes information (e.g., a bit) as to whether the multi-user packet 824 (identified by the group DCI 814) includes data (TB) for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2.

Thus, if the information in the unicast DCI 812 indicates that the multi-user packet 824 includes data for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2, the device may decode the group DCI 814 and at least a portion of the multi-user packet 824 to obtain the data. Conversely, if the information in the unicast DCI 812 indicates that the multi-user packet 824 does not include data for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2, the wireless communication device UE2 420-2 need not decode the group DCI 814 and the multi-user packet 824; and thus, the device UE2 420-2 need not waste power in performing that operation.

FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram of another example downlink (DL) transmission of a pair of consecutive time slots ( “n” and “n+1” ) 900 sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. Each of the time slots (n and n+1) 900 may be configured similar to time slot 700 previously discussed, and in accordance with the 3GPP NR specification.

That is, the time slots (n and n+1) 900 include a frequency range or RBs 906 in which

PDCCHs

910 and 940 and

PDSCHs

920 and 950 are carried, respectively. For instance, in this example, the

PDCCHs

910 and 940 are carried over time-domain symbol intervals 0-1 (902 and 932) and RBs 906 in time slots n and n+1, respectively. The

PDSCHs

920 and 950 are carried, at least in part, over time-domain symbol intervals 5-13 (904 and 934) and RBs 906 in time slots n and n+1, respectively. Similarly, it shall be understood that each of the time slots n and n+1 may include other information or fields, such as a primary synchronization signal (PSS) , a secondary synchronization signal (SSB) , a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) , cell reference signals (CRS) , etc.

To improve power efficiency of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in a multi-user packet group, the associated base station may include one or more unicast DCIs transmitted in the earlier time slot n 900, which identifies one or more unicast packets for a subset of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the time slot n. The one or more unicast DCIs informs the corresponding subset of wireless communication devices whether a multi-user packet in the subsequent or next time slot n+1 900 includes data for the subset of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N.

For example, the time slot n 900 includes a unicast DCI 912 in the PDCCH 910 for wireless communication device UE2 420-2. The unicast DCI 912 includes information for locating and decoding a unicast packet 922 in the PDSCH 920 in time slot n for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2. The subsequent or next time slot n+1 900 includes a group DCI 944 including information for locating and decoding a multi-user packet 954 in the PDSCH 950 in time slot n+1. The wireless communication device UE2 420-2 is a member of the group. The unicast DCI 912 includes information (e.g., a bit) as to whether the multi-user packet 954 includes data (TB) for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2.

Thus, if the information in the unicast DCI 912 indicates that the multi-user packet 954 includes data for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2, the device may decode the group DCI 944 and at least a portion of the multi-user packet 954 to obtain the data. Conversely, if the information in the unicast DCI 912 indicates that the multi-user packet 954 does not include data for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2, the wireless communication device UE2 420-2 need not decode the group DCI 944 and the multi-user packet 954; and thus, the device UE2 420-2 may enter a lower power consumption mode (e.g., a micro-sleep mode) during time slot n+1 assuming it does not have a unicast packet in time slot n+1.

FIG. 10 illustrates a diagram of another example downlink (DL) transmission time slot “n” 1000 sent by a base station to wireless communication devices belonging to a multi-user packet group in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. The time slot 1000 may be configured similar to time slot 700 previously discussed, and in accordance with the 3GPP NR specifications.

That is, the time slot 1000 includes a frequency range or RBs 1006 over which a PDCCH 1010 and a PDSCH 1020 are carried. For instance, in this example, the PDCCH 1010 is carried over time-domain symbol intervals 0-1 (1002) and RBs 1006, and the PDSCH 1020 is carried, at least in part, over time-domain symbol intervals 5-13 (1004) and RBs 1006. Similarly, it shall be understood that the time slot 1000 may include other information or fields, such as a primary synchronization signal (PSS) , a secondary synchronization signal (SSB) , a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) , cell reference signals (CRS) , etc.

To improve power efficiency of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in a multi-user packet group, the associated base station may include a group DCI in the time slot 1000, which, in addition to including information for locating and decoding a multi-user packet in the time slot, the group DCI includes explicit information indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group. If the information indicates that it does not contain data for one or more devices in the group, these devices need not decode any portion of the multi-user packet.

For example, the time slot 1000 includes a group DCI 1014 in the PDCCH 1010 that includes information 1016 (e.g., a bitmap or hash value) for each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group to determine whether a multi-user packet 1024 in the PDSCH 1020 has data for each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group.

Thus, if the information 1016 in the group DCI 1014 indicates that the multi-user packet 1024 includes data for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2, the device may decode at least a portion of the multi-user packet 1024 to obtain the data. Conversely, if the information 1016 in the group DCI 1014 indicates that the multi-user packet 1024 does not include data for the wireless communication device UE2 420-2, the wireless communication device UE2 420-2 need not decode the multi-user packet 1024; and thus, the device UE2 420-2 may enter a lower power consumption mode (e.g., a micro-sleep mode) during the remaining duration of the time slot 1000.

FIG. 11 includes a diagram of an example group DCI 1110 that includes explicit information indicating which member in the group has data in an associated multi-user packet in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. The group DCI 1110 includes a payload 1112 including other DCI fields 1114 for identifying and decoding the multi-user packet (e.g., FDRA, TDRA, etc. ) , a bitmap or hash value field 1116 including information for explicitly indicating whether the multi-user packet has data for each of the wireless communication devices in the group, zero padding 1118 to reduce the number of blind decoding needed to decode the DCI 1110, and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) field 1120.

The group DCI 1110 may be based on a more compressed DCI format 1_2 as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications, but modified to have a length the same as a DCI format 1_1 as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications. For example, by including a specific number of zeros in the padding field 1118, the group DCI 1110 may be configured to have a length the same as a length of a DCI 1130 including a payload 1132, for example, in a DCI 1_1 format, and a CRC field 1134. If the group DCI 1110 has the same length as other DCIs the wireless communication devices are monitoring, the blind decoding performed by the wireless communication devices are not increased. On the other hand, if the group DCI 1110 has a different length as DCIs 1130 that the wireless communication devices are currently monitoring, the number of blind decoding may double. The group DCI 1110, being based on a DCI 1_2 format, may exclude one or more fields that may not be needed for multi-user packet decoding purposes. Alternatively, or in addition, the bitmap or hash value field 1116 may be carried at least partially in other fields, such as in a downlink assignment index (DAI) , PDCCH resource indicator (PRI) , transmit power control (TPC) , or sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger in the DCI.

FIG. 12A illustrates a diagram of an example bitmap or hash value 1200 in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. The bitmap or hash value 1200 is an example of the bitmap or hash value 1116 in group DCI 1110 previously discussed. In this example, the bitmap or hash value 1200 may have N+1 bits; e.g., a bit for each of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group. Accordingly, the bitmap or hash value 1200 includes bits b0 to bN, where bits b0 to bN correspond to wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N or in other arrangements according to a hash algorithm, respectively.

For example, a wireless communication device may run a UE identifier (UE ID) through the hash algorithm to determine which bit of the bitmap or hash value 1200 corresponds to the device. If the corresponding bit is asserted (e.g., a logic one (1) ) , then it indicates that the multi-user packet has data for the corresponding wireless communication device. If, on the other hand, the corresponding bit is not asserted (e.g., a logic zero (0) ) , then it indicates that the multi-user packet does not have data for the corresponding wireless communication device.

In this example, the size of the bitmap or hash value 1200 has a one-to-one correspondence with the number N+1 wireless communication devices in the group. Accordingly, the bitmap or hash value 1200 may be more suitable for small groups. If the group is large, another type of bitmap or hash value as described below may be used.

FIG. 12B illustrates a diagram of another example bitmap or hash value 1250 in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. Similarly, the bitmap or hash value 1250 is another example of the bitmap or hash value 1116 in group DCI 1110 previously discussed. In this example, the bitmap or hash value 1200 may have M+1 bits; e.g., a bit for each of distinct and non-overlapping sets of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N in the group. For example, wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UE2 420-2 may be assigned to set 0, wireless communication devices UE3 420-3 to UE5 420-5 may be assigned to set 1, UE6 420-6 to UR8 420-8 may be assigned to set 2, and so on (or arranged in non-sequential manners) . Accordingly, the bitmap or hash value 1250 includes bits b0 to bM, where bits b0 to bM correspond to wireless communication device sets 0 to M, respectively.

For example, a wireless communication device may run its UE ID through the hash algorithm to determine which bit of the bitmap or hash value 1250 corresponds to the device. If the corresponding bit is asserted (e.g., a logic one (1) ) , then it indicates that the multi-user packet has data for the corresponding wireless communication device. If, on the other hand, the corresponding bit is not asserted (e.g., a logic zero (0) ) , then it indicates that the multi-user packet does not have data for the corresponding wireless communication device. As, in this example, bitmap or hash value 1250 has a multiple-to-one correspondence with the number N+1 wireless communication devices in the group, the bitmap or hash value 1250 may be more suitable for larger groups.

The bits (b0-bN) or (b0-bM) in the bitmap or

hash value

1200 or 1250 corresponding to the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N or sets thereof may vary over different slots transmitted by a base station. For example, the base station may, on a time-basis (e.g., periodic) , transmit radio resource control (RRC) messages indicating a different bit arrangement or hash algorithm for mapping the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N to the bits of the bitmap or

hash value

1200 or 1250. As the identifiers of the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N may be processed by the current hash algorithm, the mapping of the bits to the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N may vary over different slots based on the identifiers of the devices.

In both bitmap or

hash values

1200 and 1250, each of the wireless communication devices may be mapped to more than one bit. For example, wireless communication device UE0 420-0 may be mapped to bit b0, b4, and b7. If collectively these bits are asserted, the bitmap or

hash values

1200 or 1250 indicates that the associated multi-user packet has data for the wireless communication device UE 420-0. If any of these bits are not asserted, the bitmap or

hash values

1200 or 1250 indicates that the associated multi-user packet does not have data for the wireless communication device UE 420-0.

FIG. 13 illustrates a diagram of an example group DCI 1340 including a bitmap or hash value 1330 for explicitly informing the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N if an associated multi-user packet has data for each of them in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. In this example, the group DCI 1340 includes a DCI payload 1312 and a modified CRC 1342 that carries the bitmap or hash value 1330. For instance, in the example group DCI 1110 shown in FIG. 11, the bitmap or hash value 1116 is carried in the payload 1112 of the DCI 1110. In the case of group DCI 1340, the bitmap or hash value 1330 is carried in the CRC 1342.

A manner of generating the group DCI 1340 is to first generate a group DCI 1310 that includes a DCI payload 1312 and a corresponding CRC 1314. The CRC is then scrambled (e.g., exclusive-ORed) with the group identifier (G-RNTI) 1320 to generate a first-level scrambled CRC. Then, the first-level scrambled CRC is scrambled (e.g., exclusive-ORed) again with the bitmap or hash value 1330 to generate the modified CRC 1342. In this example, the CRC 1314 may be 24 bits in length, and the G-RNTI 1320 and bitmap or hash value 1330 may each be 16 bits in length.

A wireless communication device in the group may receive the group DCI 1340 and descramble the modified CRC 1342 to recover the bitmap or hash value 1330, and determine therefrom whether the associated multi-user packet has data for the wireless communication device. For example, the wireless communication device may recover the CRC by processing the DCI payload 1312. The wireless communication device may then descramble (e.g., exclusive-OR) the recovered CRC with the group identifier (G-RNTI) 1320 to recover the bitmap 1330. The wireless communication device may check content of the DCI payload 1312 to determine whether the recovered CRC is a valid CRC or is a false alarm; such as, by determining whether the indicated HARQ range in the recovered CRC is within a valid range, or the indicated FDRA makes sense, etc.

FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram of another example group DCI 1440 including a bitmap or hash value 1430 for explicitly informing the wireless communication devices UE0 420-0 to UEN 420-N if an associated multi-user packet has data for each of them in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure. In this example, the group DCI 1440 includes a DCI payload 1412 and a modified CRC 1442 that carries the bitmap or hash value 1430.

In this example, a manner of generating the group DCI 1440 is to first generate a group DCI 1410 that includes a DCI payload 1412 and a corresponding CRC 1414. The CRC is then scrambled (e.g., exclusive-ORed) with the bitmap or hash value 1430 to generate a first-level scrambled CRC. Then, the first-level scrambled CRC is scrambled (e.g., exclusive-ORed) again with the group identifier (G-RNTI) 1420 to generate the modified CRC 1442. In this example, the CRC 1414 and the bitmap or hash value 1430 may each be 24 bits in length, and the G-RNTI 1420 may be 16 bits in length.

A wireless communication device in the group may receive the group DCI 1440 and descramble the modified CRC 1442 to recover the bitmap or hash value 1430, and determine therefrom whether the associated multi-user packet has data for the wireless communication device. For example, the wireless communication device may recover the CRC by processing the DCI payload 1412. The wireless communication device may then descramble (e.g., exclusive-OR) the recovered CRC with the group identifier (G-RNTI) 1420 to recover the bitmap 1430. The wireless communication device may check content of the DCI payload 1412 to determine whether the recovered CRC is a valid CRC or is a false alarm; such as, by determining whether the indicated HARQ range in the recovered CRC is within a valid range, or the indicated FDRA makes sense, etc.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a wireless communication device 1500 employing a processing system 1514. For example, the wireless communication device 1500 may be a user equipment (UE) or other device configured to wirelessly communicate with a base station, as discussed in any one or more of FIGs. 1 -14. In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented with a processing system 1514 that includes one or more processors 1504. In some implementations, the wireless communication device 1500 may correspond to one or more of the scheduled entity 106 (e.g., a UE, etc. ) of FIG. 1, the

UE

222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 238, 240, or 242 of FIG. 2, or the UE0 420-0 to UEN 402-N of FIG. 4.

As discussed, the wireless communication device 1500 may be implemented with a processing system 1514 that includes one or more processors 1504. Examples of processors 1504 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs) , field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) , programmable logic devices (PLDs) , state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the wireless communication device 1500 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1504, as utilized in a wireless communication device 1500, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes and procedures described below.

In this example, the processing system 1514 may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus 1502. The bus 1502 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 1514 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1502 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor 1504) , a memory 1512, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium 1506) . The bus 1502 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface 1508 provides an interface between the bus 1502 and a transceiver 1510 and between the bus 1502 and a user interface 1530.

The transceiver 1510 provides a communication interface or means for communicating with various other apparatus over a wireless transmission medium. In some examples, the wireless communication device may include two or more transceivers 1510, each configured to communicate with a respective network type (e.g., terrestrial or non-terrestrial) . The interface 1530 provides a communication interface or means of communicating with various other apparatuses and devices (e.g., other devices housed within the same apparatus as the wireless communication device or other external apparatuses) over an internal bus or external transmission medium, such as an Ethernet cable. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, the interface 1530 may include a user interface (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) . Of course, such a user interface is optional, and may be omitted in some examples, such as an IoT device.

The processor 1504 is responsible for managing the bus 1502 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 1506. The software, when executed by the processor 1504, causes the processing system 1514 to perform the various functions described below for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium 1506 and the memory 1512 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 1504 when executing software.

One or more processors 1504 in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium 1506.

The computer-readable medium 1506 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip) , an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD) ) , a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive) , a random access memory (RAM) , a read only memory (ROM) , a programmable ROM (PROM) , an erasable PROM (EPROM) , an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM) , a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium 1506 may reside in the processing system 1514, external to the processing system 1514, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 1514. The computer-readable medium 1506 may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

The wireless communication device 1500 may be configured to perform any one or more of the operations described herein (e.g., as described above in conjunction with FIGs. 1 -14 and as described below in conjunction with FIG. 16) . In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1504, as utilized in the wireless communication device 1500, may include circuitry configured for various functions.

The processor 1504 may include communication and processing circuitry 1540. The communication and processing circuitry 1540 may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs various processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and/or signal transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuitry 1540 may further include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs various processes related to signal processing (e.g., processing a received signal and/or processing a signal for transmission) as described herein. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may include two or more transmit/receive chains, each configured to process signals in a different RAT (or RAN) type. The communication and processing circuitry 1540 may further be configured to execute communication and processing software 1550 included on the computer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

In some implementations where the communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may obtain information from a component of the wireless communication device 1500 (e.g., from the transceiver 1510 that receives the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium) , process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may output the information to another component of the processor 1504, to the memory 1512, or to the bus interface 1508. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may receive one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may include functionality for a means for receiving.

In some implementations where the communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1504, the memory 1512, or the bus interface 1508) , process (e.g., encode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may output the information to the transceiver 1510 (e.g., that transmits the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium) . In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may send one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may send information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 may include functionality for a means for sending (e.g., means for transmitting) .

The processor 1504 may include DCI processing circuitry 1542 configured to perform DCI processing-related operations as discussed herein. The DCI processing circuitry 1542 may include functionality for a means for receiving a DCI. For example, the DCI processing circuitry 1542 may monitor a search space for a DCI (e.g., using a G-RNTI) and parse the DCI to determine whether the wireless communication device is addressed in a piggy-back DCI (e.g., a header) and a combo TB scheduled in a PDSCH, and to obtain information regarding the piggy-back DCI and/or the combo TB. The DCI processing circuitry 1542 may further be configured to execute DCI processing software 1552 included on the computer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

The processor 1504 may include multi-user payload processing circuitry 1544 configured to perform multi-user payload processing-related operations as discussed herein. The multi-user payload processing circuitry 1544 may include functionality for a means for determining that a sub-header identifies a payload is for a wireless communication device (e.g., by parsing the sub-header to determine the location and size of a TB) . The multi-user payload processing circuitry 1544 may include functionality for a means for processing a payload (e.g., decoding the payload and/or using the payload at an upper layer application) . The multi-user payload processing circuitry 1544 may include functionality for a means for decoding. In some examples, decoding may involve using CRC information to decode a payload and/or a header. In some examples, decoding may involve polar decoding on a header and/or control information. In some examples, decoding may involve LDPC decoding on a multi-user packet and/or other data. In some examples, decoding may involve decoding code blocks and de-segmenting the code blocks. The multi-user payload processing circuitry 1544 may further be configured to execute multi-user payload processing software 1554 included on the computer-readable medium 1506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 1600 for a wireless communication system in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all illustrated features may be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of the present disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be required for implementation of all embodiments. In some examples, the process 1600 may be carried out by the wireless communication device 1500 illustrated in FIG. 15. In some aspects, the wireless communication device may be a user equipment. In some examples, the process 1600 may be carried out by any suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithm described below.

At block 1602, the DCI processing circuitry 1542 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute the DCI processing software 1552 in the computer-readable medium 1506 to receive a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot using the transceiver 1510.

In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI for the wireless communication device 1500, which, by virtue of it being present in the first slot, informs the wireless communication device 1500 that a multi-user packet in the first slot does not include data for the wireless communication device 1500. In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI identifying a unicast packet located in a first set of time-domain symbol intervals which, by virtue of the first set of time-domain symbol intervals overlapping with a second set of time-domain symbol intervals in which the multi-user packet is located, informs the wireless communication device 1500 that the multi-user packet does not include data for the wireless communication device 1500.

In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI that identifies a unicast PDSCH including data for the wireless communication device 1500 in the first slot; the DCI including information indicating as to whether the multi-user packet in the first slot has data for the wireless communication device 1500. In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI that identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device 1500 in the first slot; the DCI including information indicating as to whether the multi-user packet in a second slot (e.g., subsequent or next slot) has data for the wireless communication device 1500.

In some examples, the DCI may be a multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI that identifies the multi-user packet in the first slot. In some examples, the multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device 1500. In some examples, the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a bit indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device 1500. In some examples, the bit further indicates whether the multi-user packet includes data for one or more other wireless communication devices. In some examples, the information comprises a bitmap or hash including a set of bits collectively indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device 1500.

In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1540 of the wireless communication device 1500 may execute the communication and processing software 1550 to receive a radio resource control (RRC) message identifying the bit in the bitmap or hash value. In some examples, a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other received DCIs. In some examples, a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other received DCIs based on an identity of the wireless communication device 1500.

In some examples, the DCI processing circuitry 1542 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute the DCI processing software 1552 to monitor one or more other DCIs received using the transceiver 1510, wherein the multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI has a length being the same as a length of the one or more other DCIs. In some examples, the multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI is based on a DCI 1_2 but modified to have a length being the same as a length of a DCI 1_1 format as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications. In some examples, the bitmap or hash value is at least partially carried in one or more downlink assignment index (DAI) , PDCCH resource indicator (PRI) , transmit power control (TPC) , or sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger in the DCI.

In some examples, the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with the bitmap or hash value, wherein the DCI processing circuitry 1542 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute the DCI processing software 1552 to descramble the scrambled CRC to recover the bitmap or hash value. In some examples, the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) twice scrambled with an identifier of the multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI and the bitmap or hash value, wherein the DCI processing circuitry 1542 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute the DCI processing software 1552 TO descramble the twice scrambled CRC to recover the bitmap or hash value. In some examples, the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) , and wherein the DCI processing circuitry 1542 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute the DCI processing software 1552 to check content of the DCI to determine whether the DCI is valid or a false alarm in response to the CRC indicating that the DCI is valid.

At block 1604, the DCI processing circuitry 1542 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute the DCI processing software 1552 in the computer-readable medium 1506 to determine whether a multi-user packet in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.

In some examples, the multi-user payload processing circuitry 1544 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute multi-user payload processing software 1554 to decode at least a portion of a header (e.g., sub-header) of the multi-user packet to determine a location of the data within the multi-user packet, and decode the data of the multi-user packet to obtain the data after determining the location of the data within the multi-user packet. In some examples, the multi-user payload processing circuitry 1544 in the wireless communication device 1500 may execute multi-user payload processing software 1554 to decode the multi-user packet to obtain the data.

FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for base station (BS) 1700 employing a processing system 1714. In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented with a processing system 1714 that includes one or more processors 1704. In some implementations, the BS 1700 may correspond to one or more of the scheduling entity 108 (e.g., a gNB, a transmit receive point, a UE, etc. ) of FIG. 1, the

base station

210, 212, 214, or 218 of FIG. 2, or the BS 410 of FIG. 4.

The processing system 1714 may be substantially the same as the processing system 1714 illustrated in FIG. 17, including a bus interface 1708, a bus 1702, memory 1712, a processor 1704, and a computer-readable medium 1706. Furthermore, the BS 1700 may include an interface 1730 (e.g., a network interface) that provides a means for communicating with at least one other apparatus within a core network and with at least one radio access network.

The BS 1700 may be configured to perform any one or more of the operations described herein (e.g., as described above in conjunction with FIGs. 1 -14 and as described below in conjunction with FIG. 18) . In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1704, as utilized in the BS 1700, may include circuitry configured for various functions.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1704 may include communication and processing circuitry 1740. The communication and processing circuitry 1740 may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs various processes related to communication (e.g., signal reception and/or signal transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuitry 1740 may further include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs various processes related to signal processing (e.g., processing a received signal and/or processing a signal for transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuitry 1740 may further be configured to execute communication and processing software 1750 included on the computer-readable medium 1706 to implement one or more functions described herein.

In some implementations where the communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may obtain information from a component of the BS 1700 (e.g., from the transceiver 1710 that receives the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium) , process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may output the information to another component of the processor 1704, to the memory 1712, or to the bus interface 1708. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may receive one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may include functionality for a means for receiving.

In some implementations where the communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1704, the memory 1712, or the bus interface 1708) , process (e.g., encode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may output the information to the transceiver 1710 (e.g., that transmits the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium) . In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may send one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may send information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 may include functionality for a means for sending (e.g., means for transmitting) .

The processor 1704 may include multi-user payload generation circuitry 1742 configured to perform multi-user payload generation-related operations as discussed herein. The multi-user payload generation circuitry 1742 may include functionality for a means for generating a payload (e.g., generating a first payload for a first user, a second payload for a second user, and so on) . The multi-user payload generation circuitry 1742 may include functionality for a means for generating a header (e.g., generating a first sub-header that identifies a first user and/or a location of a first payload, a second sub-header that identifies a second user and/or a location of a second payload, and so on) . The multi-user payload generation circuitry 1742 may include functionality for a means for generating CRC information (e.g., generating a first CRC information for a header, second CRC information for a first payload, third CRC information for a second payload, and so on) . The multi-user payload generation circuitry 1742 may include functionality for a means for generating a packet (e.g., aggregating payloads into a combo TB) . The multi-user payload generation circuitry 1742 may further be configured to execute multi-user payload generation software 1752 included on the computer-readable medium 1706 to implement one or more functions described herein.

The processor 1704 may include scheduling circuitry 1744 configured to perform scheduling-related operations as discussed herein (e.g., scheduling the transmission of a header and/or a combo TB) . The scheduling circuitry 1744 may include functionality for a means for transmitting a DCI. The scheduling circuitry 1744 may further be configured to execute scheduling software 1754 included on the computer-readable medium 1706 to implement one or more functions described herein.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating another example process 1800 for a wireless communication system in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all illustrated features may be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of the present disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be required for implementation of all embodiments. In some examples, the process 1800 may be carried out by the BS 1700 illustrated in FIG. 17. In some examples, the process 1800 may be carried out by any suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithm described below.

At block 1802, the scheduling circuitry 1744 of the BS 1700 may execute the scheduling software 1754 in the computer-readable medium 1706 to generate a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.

In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI for a wireless communication device, which, by virtue of being it present in the first slot, informs the wireless communication device that a multi-user packet also present in the first slot does not include data for the wireless communication device. In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI identifying a unicast packet located in a first set of time-domain symbol intervals which, by virtue of the first set of time-domain symbol intervals overlapping with a second set of time-domain symbol intervals in which the multi-user packet is located, informs the wireless communication device that the multi-user packet does not include data for the wireless communication device.

In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI that identifies a unicast PDSCH including data for a wireless communication device in the first slot; the DCI including information indicating as to whether the multi-user packet also in the first slot has data for the wireless communication device. In some examples, the DCI may be a unicast DCI that identifies a unicast packet including data for a wireless communication device in the first slot; the DCI including information indicating as to whether the multi-user packet in a second (e.g., subsequent or next) slot has data for the wireless communication device.

In some examples, the DCI may be a multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI that identifies the multi-user packet in the first slot. In some examples, the multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet includes data for a wireless communication device. In some examples, the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a bit indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device 1500. In some examples, the bit further indicates whether the multi-user packet includes data for one or more other wireless communication devices. In some examples, the information comprises a bitmap or hash including a set of bits collectively indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device 1500.

In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 of the BS 1700 may execute the communication and processing software 1750 to send a radio resource control (RRC) message to a wireless communication device identifying the bit in the bitmap or hash value. In some examples, a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other transmitted DCIs. In some examples, a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other transmitted DCIs based on an identity of a wireless communication device.

In some examples, the scheduling circuitry 1744 in the BS 1700 may execute the scheduling software 1752 to configure the DCI to have a length the same as a length of each of one or more other DCIs transmitted to the wireless communication device. In some examples, the multi-user (G-RNTI) DCI is based on a DCI 1_2 but modified to have a length the same as a length of a DCI 1_1 format as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications. In some examples, the bitmap or hash value is at least partially carried in one or more downlink assignment index (DAI) , PDCCH resource indicator (PRI) , transmit power control (TPC) , or sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger in the DCI.

In some examples, the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with the bitmap or hash value. In some examples, the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) twice scrambled with an identifier of the DCI and the bitmap or hash value.

At block 1804, the communication and processing circuitry 1740 in the BS 1700 may execute the communication and processing software 1750 in the computer-readable medium to transmit the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device.

Several aspects of a wireless communication network have been presented with reference to an example implementation. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards.

By way of example, various aspects may be implemented within other systems defined by 3GPP, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) , the Evolved Packet System (EPS) , the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) , and/or the Global System for Mobile (GSM) . Various aspects may also be extended to systems defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) , such as CDMA2000 and/or Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) . Other examples may be implemented within systems employing IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) , Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

Within the present disclosure, the word “exemplary” is used to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration. ” Any implementation or aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects of the disclosure. Likewise, the term “aspects” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. The term “coupled” is used herein to refer to the direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically touches object B, and object B touches object C, then objects A and C may still be considered coupled to one another-even if they do not directly physically touch each other. For instance, a first object may be coupled to a second object even though the first object is never directly physically in contact with the second object. The terms “circuit” and “circuitry” are used broadly, and intended to include both hardware implementations of electrical devices and conductors that, when connected and configured, enable the performance of the functions described in the present disclosure, without limitation as to the type of electronic circuits, as well as software implementations of information and instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable the performance of the functions described in the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “determining” may include, for example, ascertaining, resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or another data structure) , and the like. Also, “determining” may include receiving (e.g., receiving information) , accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) , and the like.

One or more of the components, steps, features and/or functions illustrated in FIGs. 1 -12 may be rearranged and/or combined into a single component, step, feature or function or embodied in several components, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and/or functions may also be added without departing from novel features disclosed herein. The apparatus, devices, and/or components illustrated in FIGs. 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, and 11 may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps escribed herein. The novel algorithms described herein may also be efficiently implemented in software and/or embedded in hardware.

It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed is an illustration of example processes. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods may be rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless specifically recited therein.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more. ” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. A phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b, and c. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.

Claims

A wireless communication device, comprising:

a transceiver;

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to:

receive a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot using the transceiver; and

determine whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.
The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to determine that the multi-user packet in the first slot does not have data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI.
The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in a first set of time-domain symbol intervals in the first slot, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to determine that the multi-user packet in the first slot does not have data for the wireless communication device based on the multi-user packet being in a second set of time-domain symbol intervals that overlaps with the first set of time-domain symbol intervals.
The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in the first slot includes data for the wireless communication device, and wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to determine whether the multi-user packet in the first slot includes data for the wireless communication device based on the information.
The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in a second slot includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI, and wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to determine whether the multi-user packet in the second slot includes data for the wireless communication device based on the information.
The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein DCI identifies the multi-user packet in the first slot.
The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device, and wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to determine whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the information.
The wireless communication device of claim 7, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a bit indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the bit further indicates whether the multi-user packet includes data for one or more other wireless communication devices.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to receive a radio resource control (RRC) message identifying the bit in the bitmap or hash value.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other received DCIs.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other received DCIs based on an identity of the wireless communication device.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to monitor one or more other DCIs received using the transceiver, wherein the DCI has a length the same as a length of each of the one or more other DCIs.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the DCI is based on a DCI 1_2 format as specified by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications but modified to have a length the same as a length of a DCI 1_1 format as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the bitmap or hash value is at least partially carried in one or more downlink assignment index (DAI) , PDCCH resource indicator (PRI) , transmit power control (TPC) , or sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger in the DCI.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with the bitmap or hash value, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to descramble the scrambled CRC to recover the bitmap or hash value.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) twice scrambled with an identifier of the DCI and the bitmap or hash value, and wherein the processor and the memory are configured to descramble the twice scrambled CRC to recover the bitmap or hash value.
The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) , and wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to check content of the DCI to determine whether the DCI is valid or a false alarm in response to the CRC indicating that the DCI is valid.
The wireless communication device of claim 7, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a set of bits collectively indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein, in response to determining that the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device, the processor and the memory are further configured to:

decode at least a portion of a header of the multi-user packet to determine a location of the data within the multi-user packet; and

decode the data of the multi-user packet after determining the location of the data within the multi-user packet.
The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein, in response to determining that the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device, the processor and the memory are further configured to decode the multi-user packet to obtain the data.
A method for wireless communication implemented at a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot; and

determining whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.
The method of claim 22, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, and further comprising determining that the multi-user packet in the first slot does not have data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI.
The method of claim 22, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in a first set of time-domain symbol intervals in the first slot, and further comprising determining that the multi-user packet in the first slot does not have data for the wireless communication device based on the multi-user packet being in a second set of time-domain symbol intervals that overlaps with the first set of time-domain symbol intervals.
The method of claim 22, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in the first slot includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI, and wherein determining whether the multi-user packet in the first slot includes data for the wireless communication device is based on the information.
The method of claim 22, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in a second slot includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI, and wherein determining whether the multi-user packet in the second slot includes data for the wireless communication device is based on the information.
The method of claim 22, wherein DCI identifies the multi-user packet in the first slot.
The method of claim 27, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device, and wherein determining whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device is based on the information.
The method of claim 28, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a bit indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 29, wherein the bit further indicates whether the multi-user packet includes data for one or more other wireless communication devices.
The method of claim 29, further comprising receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message identifying the bit in the bitmap or hash value.
The method of claim 29, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other received DCIs.
The method of claim 29, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other received DCIs based on an identity of the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 29, further comprising monitoring other DCIs received using the transceiver, wherein the DCI has a length the same as a length of each of the other DCIs.
The method of claim 29, wherein the DCI is based on a DCI 1_2 format as specified by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications but modified to have a length the same as a length of a DCI 1_1 format as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications.
The method of claim 29, wherein the bitmap or hash value is at least partially carried in one or more downlink assignment index (DAI) , PDCCH resource indicator (PRI) , transmit power control (TPC) , or sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger in the DCI.
The method of claim 29, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with the bitmap or hash value, further comprising descrambling the scrambled CRC to recover the bitmap or hash value.
The method of claim 29, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) twice scrambled with an identifier of the DCI and the bitmap or hash value, and further comprising descrambling the twice scrambled CRC to recover the bitmap or hash value.
The method of claim 29, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) , and further comprising checking content of the DCI to determine whether the DCI is valid or a false alarm in response to the CRC indicating that the DCI is valid.
The method of claim 28, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a set of bits collectively indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 22, further comprising:

decoding at least a portion of a header of the multi-user packet to determine a location of the data within the multi-user packet; and

decoding the data of the multi-user packet after determining the location of the data within the multi-user packet.
The method of claim 22, further comprising decoding the multi-user packet to obtain the data.
A wireless communication device, comprising:

means for receiving a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot; and

means for determining whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.
An article of manufacture for use by a wireless communication device in a wireless communication network, the article comprising:

a computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors of the wireless communication device to:

receive a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot; and

determine whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device based on the DCI without decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet.
A base station, comprising:

a transceiver;

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to:

generate a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet; and

transmit the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device using the transceiver.
The base station of claim 45, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot.
The base station of claim 45, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in a first set of time-domain symbol intervals in the first slot, and wherein the multi-user packet is in a second set of time-domain symbol intervals that overlaps with the first set of time-domain symbol intervals.
The base station of claim 45, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, and wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in the first slot includes data for the wireless communication device.
The base station of claim 45, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, and wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in a second slot includes data for the wireless communication device.
The base station of claim 45, wherein DCI identifies the multi-user packet in the first slot.
The base station of claim 50, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The base station of claim 51, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a bit indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The base station of claim 52, wherein the bit further indicates whether the multi-user packet includes data for one or more other wireless communication devices.
The base station of claim 52, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmit a radio resource control (RRC) message identifying the bit in the bitmap or hash value to the wireless communication device using the transceiver.
The base station of claim 52, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other DCIs, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmit the one or more other DCIs to the wireless communication device using the transceiver.
The base station of claim 52, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other DCIs based on an identity of the wireless communication device, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmit the one or more other DCIs to the wireless communication device using the transceiver.
The base station of claim 52, wherein the DCI has a length the same as a length of each of one or more other DCIs the wireless communication device is monitoring.
The base station of claim 52, wherein the DCI is based on a DCI 1_2 format as specified by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications but modified to have a length the same as a length of a DCI 1_1 format as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications.
The base station of claim 52, wherein the bitmap or hash value is at least partially carried in one or more downlink assignment index (DAI) , PDCCH resource indicator (PRI) , transmit power control (TPC) , or sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger in the DCI.
The base station of claim 52, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with the bitmap or hash value.
The base station of claim 52, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) twice scrambled with an identifier of the DCI and the bitmap or hash value.
The base station of claim 51, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a set of bits collectively indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
A method for wireless communication implemented at a base station, the method comprising:

generating a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet; and

transmitting the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 63, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot.
The method of claim 63, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in a first set of time-domain symbol intervals in the first slot, and wherein multi-user packet is in a second set of time-domain symbol intervals that overlaps with the first set of time-domain symbol intervals.
The method of claim 63, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, and wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in the first slot includes data for the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 63, wherein the DCI identifies a unicast packet including data for the wireless communication device in the first slot, and wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet in a second slot includes data for the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 63, wherein the DCI identifies the multi-user packet in the first slot.
The method of claim 68, wherein the DCI includes information as to whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 69, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash value including a bit indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 70, wherein the bit further indicates whether the multi-user packet includes data for one or more other wireless communication devices.
The method of claim 70, further comprising transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) message identifying the bit in the bitmap or hash value to the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 70, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other DCIs, and further comprising transmitting the one or more other DCIs to the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 70, wherein a location of the bit in the bitmap or hash value varies over one or more other DCIs based on an identity of the wireless communication device, further comprising transmitting the one or more other DCIs to the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 70, wherein the DCI has a length the same as a length of each of one or more other DCIs for which wireless communication device monitors.
The method of claim 70, wherein the DCI is based on a DCI 1_2 format as specified by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications but modified to have a length the same as a length of a DCI 1_1 format as specified by the 3GPP NR specifications.
The method of claim 70, wherein the bitmap or hash value is at least partially carried in one or more downlink assignment index (DAI) , PDCCH resource indicator (PRI) , transmit power control (TPC) , or sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger in the DCI.
The method of claim 70, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with the bitmap or hash value.
The method of claim 70, wherein the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) twice scrambled with an identifier of the DCI and the bitmap or hash value.
The method of claim 69, wherein the information comprises a bitmap or hash including a set of bits collectively indicating whether the multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device.
A base station, comprising:

means for generating a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet; and

means for transmitting the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device.
An article of manufacture for use by a base station in a wireless communication network, the article comprising:

a computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors of the base station to:

generate a downlink control information (DCI) in a first slot, wherein the DCI informs a wireless communication device whether a multi-user packet in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) includes data for the wireless communication device without the wireless communication device decoding at least a portion of the multi-user packet; and

transmit the DCI and the multi-user packet to the wireless communication device.