WO2022151062A1

WO2022151062A1 - Systems and methods for managing multicast and unicast communications

Info

Publication number: WO2022151062A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/071533
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xing Liu; Peng Hao; Xingguang WEI; Wei Gou
Original assignee: Zte Corporation
Priority date: 2021-01-13
Filing date: 2021-01-13
Publication date: 2022-07-21
Also published as: CN116783852A

Abstract

A wireless communication method includes transmitting, by a network to a wireless communication device, downlink control information within a time interval, the downlink control information schedules one or more transmissions (e.g., Multicast or Broadcast Service (MBS) ), and receiving, by the network from the wireless communication device, feedback corresponding to the downlink control information.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING MULTICAST AND UNICAST COMMUNICATIONS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to systems and methods for simultaneous unicast and multicast transmission.

BACKGROUND

Under multicast mode, the same transmission mechanism is used by the network node (e.g., base station) for transmitting the same information to a group of User Equipment (UEs) . The multicast transmission can be carried on a Physical Data Shared Channel (PDSCH) , which is received by the group of UEs. This PDSCH carrying the multicast Transport Block (TB) can be referred to as group common PDSCH or multicast PDSCH. Specifically, there are various network environments (e.g., channel conditions) for different UEs. In order to improve the efficiency of multicast transmission, UEs with similar network environments are expected to be classified into one UE group. Then, the transmission mechanism selected is better matched to the network environment of each UE in the UE group.

There are different ways for scheduling the PDSCH for a group of UEs receiving the same PDSCH for a multicast TB. One way is to use a group common Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) , such that all UEs in the group will detect the same PDCCH, and the PDSCH will be scheduled by the PDCCH. Another way is to use a UE-specific PDCCH for each of the UEs in the group, such that each of the UEs will detect its own PDCCH, and the different PDCCHs will schedule the same PDSCH.

For multicast TB/PDSCH scheduled by a Downlink Control Information (DCI) carried on UE-specific PDCCH, there will be different configuration parameters for unicast transmission and multicast transmission. Therefore, it is important to distinguish a unicast or multicast transmission scheduled by a DCI carried on UE-specific PDCCH, which rule should be followed on the DCI size determination, and how to descramble the group common PDSCH, among other issues.

SUMMARY

The example embodiments disclosed herein are directed to solving the issues relating to one or more of the problems presented in the prior art, as well as providing additional features that will become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings. In accordance with various embodiments, example systems, methods, devices and computer program products are disclosed herein. It is understood, however, that these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not limiting, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who read the present disclosure that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be made while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

In some embodiments, a wireless communication method includes transmitting, by a network to a wireless communication device, downlink control information within a time interval, the downlink control information schedules one or more transmissions (such as but not limited to, Multicast or Broadcast Service (MBS) transmissions) , and receiving, by the network from the wireless communication device, feedback corresponding to the downlink control information.

In other embodiments, a wireless communication method includes receiving, by a wireless communication device from a network, downlink control information within a time interval, the downlink control information schedules one or more Multicast or Broadcast Service (MBS) transmissions, and sending, by the wireless communication device to the network, feedback corresponding to the downlink control information.

The above and other aspects and their implementations are described in greater detail in the drawings, the descriptions, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various example embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following figures or drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict example embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 100 of PDCCH monitoring occasions, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration of MBS windows for System Frame Numbers, according to a various arrangements.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a DL BWP pair for simultaneous unicast and multicast transmissions, according to various embodiments

FIG. 4 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example method for determining BWP switching and BWP switching delay, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example method 400 for determining a size of the DCI, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example method for aligning unicast and multicast resources in DCI, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example method for scheduling multiple TBs, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a table for DL BWP pairs of unicast BWPs and multicast BWPs, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example method for determining BWP switching, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a table for values of scheduling DCI relative to multicast services indexes, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a table for values of scheduling DCI relative to service type, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a table for values of scheduling DCI relative to multicast services index, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 13A is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example wireless communication method for managing simultaneous unicast and multicast transmissions, according to various arrangements.

FIG. 13B is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example wireless communication method for managing simultaneous unicast and multicast transmissions, according to various arrangements.

FIG. 14A illustrates a block diagram of an example base station, according to various arrangements.

FIG. 14B illustrates a block diagram of an example user equipment, according to various arrangements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various example embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying figures to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present solution. As would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, after reading the present disclosure, various changes or modifications to the examples described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the present solution. Thus, the present solution is not limited to the example embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Additionally, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely example approaches. Based upon design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes can be re-arranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Thus, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or acts in a sample order, and the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless expressly stated otherwise.

Developments in 5G wireless communication systems are directed to achieving higher data communicate rate (e.g., in Gbps) , massive number of communication links (e.g., 1 M/Km ²) , ultra-low latency (e.g., under 1 ms) , higher reliability, and improved energy efficiency (e.g., at least 100 times more efficient than previous systems) . To achieve such improvements, multicast TB can be carried on a group common PDSCH scheduled by a DCI carried on a PDCCH. There are multiple ways for multicast TB scheduling.

One way to schedule multicast TB is to use a DCI carried on a group common PDCCH, such that all UEs in a group will detect the same PDCCH for receiving the PDSCH. The group common PDCCH is scrambled by corresponding group common Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The PDSCH can also be scrambled by the same group common RNTI or another group common RNTI similarly configured by RRC signaling. Another way to schedule multicast TB is to use a DCI carried on a UE-specific PDCCH for each of the UEs in the group. Specifically, each of the UEs will detect its own PDCCH, and the different DCI carried on different PDCCHs will schedule the same PDSCH. The DCI carried on UE-specific PDCCH can also be used for scheduling PDSCH carrying a unicast TB. The monitoring information of “group common PDCCH” or “UE-specific PDCCH, ” such as the search space set configuration and Control Resource Set (CORESET) configuration can be indicated in system information or in UE-specific RRC signaling.

In wireless communication system, a control resource set (CORESET) includes one or more resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain and one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the time domain. One or more PDCCH candidates are transmitted in a CORESET. The configuration parameters of CORESET are configured by the network for a UE, including CORESET index, frequency domain resource, CORESET duration, etc. One or more CORESETs may be configured for a UE for monitoring PDCCH.

The gNB can configure Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state identity for a CORESET through RRC signaling or a combination of RRC signaling and MAC signaling. The TCI state contains Quasi Co-Location (QCL) information, and the QCL information further contains at least one of: Reference Signal (RS) configuration information, QCL type, etc. The RS can be a Channel State Indication (CSI) -RS, or a Synchronizing Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) , and the RS configuration information contains CSI-RS resource identity or SSB index.

For example, a list of TCI states can be configured by RRC signaling, and specific TCI states in the list can be further indicated by Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling (e.g., MAC Control Element (CE) ) for the CORESET. Then, the Dedicated Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS) antenna port for PDCCH reception in the CORESET and the RS resource indicated in the TCI state is quasi co-located with indicated QCL type. Two antenna ports are said to be ‘quasi co-located’ if the large-scale properties of the channel over which a symbol on one antenna port is conveyed can be inferred from the channel over which a symbol on the other antenna port is conveyed. These large-scale properties include one or more of delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, average delay, and spatial Rx parameters.

In a wireless communication system, one or more search space sets are configured by the network for a UE. The configuration parameters of a search space set include search space index, associated CORESET index, PDCCH monitoring periodicity and offset, search space duration, PDCCH monitoring pattern within a slot, search space type, etc. In general, there are two types of search space: UE-specific search space (USS) and common search space (CSS) . A search space type also indicates the downlink control information (DCI) formats that a UE monitors. A search space set is associated with a CORESET. PDCCH monitoring periodicity and offset indicate the slots on which a UE needs to monitor PDCCH. According to a search space set configuration and the associated CORESET configuration, a UE is configured to monitor corresponding PDCCH with DCI formats indicated by the search space type on the resources indicated by the CORESET in the slots indicated by the PDCCH monitoring periodicity and offset.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 100 of PDCCH Monitoring Occasions (MOs) , according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration 100 has eight slots, denoted as

slots

102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f, 102g, and 102h (collectively the slots 102a-102h) . In FIG. 1, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . A PDCCH monitoring periodicity is a periodicity by which a UE monitors PDCCH. In the configuration 100, the PDCCH monitoring periodicity is 4 slots. That is, the slots 102a-102d are in a PDCCH monitoring periodicity 106a, and the slots 102e-102h are in a PDCCH monitoring periodicity 106b. The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 100 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 100 is 2 slots. As shown, within the PDCCH monitoring periodicity 106a, a search space duration 104a includes

slots

102a and 102b. Within the PDCCH monitoring periodicity 106b, a search space duration 104b includes slots 102e and 102f. In the

configuration

100, 2 PDCCH Monitoring Occasions (MOs) are configured in a given slot within the

search duration

104a or 104b. For example, the slot 102a includes 44

OFDM symbols

110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j, 110k, 110l, 110m, and 110n (collectively symbols 110a-110n) . Symbols 110a and 110h are configured as first symbols of MOs. Therefore, there are 4 total MOs within each PDCCH monitoring period. For instance, the symbols 110a and 110h as well as two additional first symbols of MOs in the slot 102b are within PDCCH monitoring periodicity 106a. Two first symbols of MOs in each of slots 102e and 102f are within PDCCH monitoring periodicity 106b. In each of MO, the UE monitors PDCCH within one resource configured via CORESET.

In a wireless communication system, there are one or more PDCCH candidates in one search space. Each PDCCH candidate has a PDCCH candidate index. A PDCCH consists of one or more Control-Channel Elements (CCEs) , each of which have a CCE index.

Typically, a unicast TB carried on PDSCH is scheduled within an active Downlink (DL) Bandwidth Part (BWP) (e.g., with BWP index #1) , such that an active BWP is a part of carrier bandwidth used for service transmitting. A UE can be configured for more than one DL BWP, but only one DL BWP can be active at a certain moment. The scheduling PDCCH is also located within the active DL BWP.

For improving the efficiency of Multicast or Broadcast Service (MBS) transmission, UEs with similar network environments are expected to be classified in one UE group. As a result, the transmission mechanism selected can be better matched to the network environment of each UE in the UE group. Furthermore, the network environment of each UE changes dynamically, which creates problems for adjusting transmission parameters in order to adapt to the dynamic changes. To address these problems, different PDCCH MOs can be used to transmit different groups of UEs, according to various embodiments.

In a first embodiment for MBS transmission, a time interval corresponds to one or more MBS TB transmissions or a PDCCH monitoring time duration for one or more MBS TBs. The number of MBS TBs within the time interval can be defined in the specification or configured by the network (e.g., via RRC signaling, MAC-CE or DCI, etc. ) . The length of the time interval can be defined as one or more PDCCH monitoring periods. Alternatively, the time interval can be defined as an absolute time (e.g., 5 milliseconds, 5 slots, 1 half frame, 1 radio frame, etc. ) . If defined as a slot, the slot is determined according to subcarrier spacing of the downlink control information. In the time interval, one or more MOs can be configured for MBS scheduling PDCCH, such that the time interval can also be referred to as “MBS window. ” As such, each of the MOs carry PDCCH corresponding the MBS transmissions, and all of the MOs can be configured to be received by the UE for scheduling MBS transmissions.

More specifically, an MBS window can be defined as a time interval for PDCCH transmission corresponding to an MBS service or an MBS TB transmitted in different beams. Following this way, different MBS services can share a same search space set and CORESET configuration for PDCCH monitoring, and different MBS services will be distinguished in accordance with their MBS windows. The ID resource of search space set and CORESET can be saved. From the UE’s perspective, it only needs to monitor PDCCH within the MBS window corresponding with MBS service interested, which is helpful for power saving of the UEs. The MBS windows corresponding to the same MBS service appear periodically to match the period of the MBS service.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 200 of MBS windows for System Frame Numbers (SFNs) , according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the configuration 200 has 8 SFNs, denoted as SFNs 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d, 202e, 202f, 202g, and 202h. As shown in FIG. 2, the MBS window is configured in terms of frame, and the MBS window period is 5 slots, the offset is 1, and the slot length is 1. The MBS window can be configured by the RRC parameters, period, offset and length, and is given in terms of slots, sub-frames, etc. The value for offset is used for indicating the starting point of a MBS window.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 300 of PDCCH MOs, according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the configuration 300 has 8 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 302a, 302b, 302c, 302d, 302e, 302f, 302g, and 302h (collectively the MOs 302a-302h) within one MBS window 304, and the duration of the MBS window 304 is twice that of the PDCCH monitoring period (i.e., 10 slots, as shown in FIG. 3) . PDCCHs in different MOs within a ‘MBS window’ are used for scheduling PDSCHs (e.g., carrying MBS TB) for different groups of UEs. In FIG. 3, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 300 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 300 is 3 slots. The number of MBS TB within one MBS window (e.g., MBS window 304) can be defined in the specification or configured by the network (e.g., via RRC signaling, MAC-CE or DCI, etc. )

In some of these embodiments, the PDSCHs carry the same MBS TB, and some of the MOs may not be used for PDCCH transmission. For example, there may be only two groups of UEs, such that only two MOs are required for MBS transmission (i.e., one MO for each group of UEs) . From there, the gNB can select either two MOs from all MOs within the MBS window or the first two MOs within the MBS window for the MBS PDCCH transmission.

In other of these embodiments, all the MOs are used despite there being only two groups of UEs, meaning that more than one MO corresponds with a group of UEs (i.e., more than one PDCCH will be transmitted to the same group of UEs) . The different PDCCHs corresponding with the same group of UEs can schedule the same MBS TB or different MBS TBs. In this case, a same MBS TB with repetition transmission can be transmitted within one MBS window, or, more than one MBS TBs can be transmitted within one MBS window.

The UE monitors all the MOs within the MBS window, and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback information is generated based on the reception PDSCHs scheduled by PDCCHs in all MOs. The HARQ-ACK feedback may be one of two types. For a first type in ACK/NACK feedback mode, the UE will feedback ‘ACK’ to the network as long as the UE has successfully received a MBS TB scheduled by PDCCH in any MOs (i.e., receives both PDCCH and PDSCH correctly) . On the other hand, the UE will feedback ‘NACK’ to the network in response to determining that the UE fails to receive the MBS TB scheduled by PDCCHs in all MOs (e.g., the UE has received at least one of the PDCCHs but fails to decode all of the corresponding PDSCHs, or the UE fails to receive PDCCH in all MOs within the MBS window. ) . The above ACK/NACK feedback information is transmitted in an indicated resource (i.e., a PUCCH or piggybacked on a PUSCH) . The feedback resource is typically a UE-specific resource, such that for the same MBS TB, different UEs are indicated/configured with independent resources.

For a second type in NACK-only feedback mode, the UE will feedback ‘NACK’ only in response to determining that the UE has failed to receive the MBS TB scheduled by PDCCHs in all MOs (e.g., the UE has received at least one of the PDCCHs but fails to decode all of the corresponding PDSCHs, or the UE fails to receive PDCCH in all MOs within the MBS window. ) The feedback resource here is typically a group common resource, such that the same feedback resource is shared among a group of UEs receiving the same PDSCH carrying MBS TB.

The number of feedback is determined according to the number of MBS TBs within the MBS window. For example, in response to determining that there is only one MBS TB transmitted within a single MBS window, then there is only one bit of ACK/NACK feedback information under ACK/NACK feedback mode, or (at most) only one NACK-only feedback information under NACK-only feedback mode. In response to determining that there are N MBS TBs transmitted within one MBS window, there are only N bits of ACK/NACK feedback information under ACK/NACK feedback mode, and (at most) only N NACK-only feedback information under NACK-only feedback mode.

In a second embodiment for MBS transmission, Code Block Group (CBG) -based feedback and re-transmission for MBS is defined. For a NACK-only feedback mode, CBG-specific NACK-only feedback resources are defined, such that, for one CBG, a NACK-only feedback resource is defined, and the UEs receiving the same CBG shares the same NACK-only feedback resource. If there are UEs without the capability of CBG-based feedback within the MBS group, both CBG-specific NACK-only feedback resources and TB-specific NACK-only feedback resources will be configured. For UEs without the capability of CBG-based feedback, the UEs will feed back using TB-specific NACK-only feedback resource in response to determining that the UE fails to receive the MBS TB. For UEs with the capability of CBG-based feedback, the UEs will feed back using CBG-specific NACK-only feedback resource corresponding to the CBG that the UE fails to receive.

For ACK/NACK feedback mode, both TB-based (TB level) feedback and CBG-based feedback can be configured. For TB-based feedback, the UE will feedback 1 bit for the TB. For CBG-based feedback, a UE with the capability for CBG-based feedback is configured with whether to execute CBG-based feedback and with the number of CBGs contained in a TB. From there, the UE uses equal bits to feedback for each of the CBG. For example, in response to determining that a UE is configured with 4 CBGs within a TB, the UE will feedback for each CBG within the TB with 4 bits (e.g., 1110, where ‘1’ represents ‘ACK’ and ‘0’ represents ‘NACK’ ) . Then, the last CBG of the TB is received incorrectly, and the network can decide to re-transmit the NACK CBG only according to the CBG-based feedback. Alternatively, the network can also decide to re-transmit all the CBG or a part of the CBG.

For MBS, more than one UEs receive the same MBS TB and the same group common PDCCH for scheduling the MBS TB. Some UEs may not have the capability for CBG-based feedback, with other UEs have the capability for CBG-based feedback. The size of CBG-based feedback related field (i.e., CBG Transmission Information (CBGTI) and CBG Flushing-out Information (CBGFI) ) in the DCI carried on the group common PDCCH is determined according to a higher layer parameter configuration. The higher layer parameter configuration may be one or more of codeBlockGroupTransmission (indicating whether to enable CBG based feedback) , maxCodeBlockGroupsPerTransportBlock (indicating the maximum number of CBGs within one TB) , maxNrofCodeWordsScheduledByDCI (indicating the maximum number of code words) , and codeBlockGroupFlushIndicator (indicating whether combine reception is enabled or whether current buffer can be released) .

The size of CBGTI is 0 bit in response to determining that the higher layer parameter codeBlockGroupTransmission for PDSCH is not configured. Otherwise, the size is 2, 4, 6, or 8 bits, as defined in Clause 5.1.7 of [6, TS38.214] , determined by the higher layer parameters MaxCodeBlockGroupsPerTransportBlock and maxNrofCodeWordsScheduledByDCI for the PDSCH. The size of CBGFI is 1 bit in response to determining that the higher layer parameter codeBlockGroupFlushIndicator is configured as "TRUE, " and the size is 0 bit otherwise.

In response to determining that the network configures CBG-based feedback for MBS transmission, the understanding for the size of CBG-related fields should keep unified for UEs both with and without CBG-based feedback capability. This is accomplished according to one of two methods. In a first method, for UEs both with and without CBG-based feedback capability, the size of CBG-related fields are set to the maximum value. For example, no matter how the high-level parameters are set, the size of CBGTI is fixed to 8 bits and the size of the CBGFI is fixed to 1 bit. In a second method, the higher layer parameter configures codeBlockGroupTransmission for the UEs without CBG capability, and this configuration is used only for indicating whether the CBG-related fields exist in the DCI and for determining the size of CBG-related fields in the DCI. UEs without the capability for CBG transmission and feedback still execute according to TB (i.e., TB-based transmission and feedback) .

In a third embodiment for MBS transmission, a NARQ-ACK feedback timing reference slot of the MBS window is defined. In this embodiment, one or more MBS TBs can be transmitted within a MBS window, and only one feedback resource is indicated/configured to a UE for one MBS window. From there, the same value of PUCCH Resource Indicator (PRI) is configured in PDCCH of all MOs within a MBS window. The PRI field is used for indicating the PUCCH resource from a PUCCH resource set, which is configured via RRC signaling. Further, the same value of ‘PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator’ field is configured in PDCCH of all MOs within a MBS window, and can be marked as ‘K1. ’ The PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field is a time offset between a timing reference slot and the feedback slot. From there, the slot for the feedback can be determined according to the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator, and the specific PUCCH resource within the feedback slot can be determined according to PRI field.

For the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator, the timing reference slot can be defined according to various methods. In a first method, the timing reference slot is set as the last slot within an MBS window, and the values of PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field in PDCCH of all MOs within the MBS window are set to the same value (e.g., ‘1’ ) . From there, the feedback is transmitted in the lot equal to ‘timing reference slot + 1’ (i.e., the next slot following the timing reference slot) . As such, no matter in which MO the UE receives the PDCCH, a feedback slot can be determined. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 400 of PDCCH MOs, according to according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 4, the configuration 400 has 8 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f, 402g, and 402h (collectively the MOs 402a-402h) within one MBS window 404, and the duration of the MBS window 404 is twice that of the PDCCH monitoring period (i.e., 10 slots, as shown in FIG. 4) . PDCCHs in different MOs within a ‘MBS window’ are used for scheduling PDSCHs (e.g., carrying MBS TB) for different groups of UEs. In FIG. 4, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 400 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 400 is 2 slots. As shown in FIG. 4, a timing reference slot 406 is given as the end of MBS window 404, with the value of the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field (i.e., K1) is equal to 1.

In a second method, the timing reference slot is set as the slot containing the last MO within an MBS window, and the values of PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field in PDCCH of all MOs within the MBS window are set to a same value (e.g., ‘2’ ) . From there, the feedback is transmitted in the slot equal to ‘timing reference slot + 2’ (i.e., the slot that is two slots after the timing reference slot) . As such, a feedback slot can be determined regardless of through which MO the UE receiving the PDCCH. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 500 of PDCCH MOs, according to according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 5, the configuration 500 has 8 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 502a, 502b, 502c, 502d, 502e, 502f, 502g, and 502h (collectively the MOs 502a-502h) within one MBS window 504, and the duration of the MBS window 504 is twice that of the PDCCH monitoring period (i.e., 10 slots, as shown in FIG. 5) . PDCCHs in different MOs within a ‘MBS window’ are used for scheduling PDSCHs (e.g., carrying MBS TB) for different groups of UEs. In FIG. 5, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 500 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 500 is 2 slots. As shown in FIG. 5, a timing reference slot 506 is given as the end of the slot containing MO 502h, which is the last of the MOs 502a-502h with the MBS window 504, with the value of the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field (i.e., K1) is equal to 1.

In a third method, the timing reference slot is defined as the slot at a time offset (e.g., T) after the slot containing the last MO within a MBS window, with T being either defined by the specification or configured by the network (e.g., via RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI, etc. ) , and the values of PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field in PDCCH of all MOs within the MBS window are set to a same value (e.g., ‘1’ ) . From there, the feedback is transmitted in the slot equal to ‘timing reference slot + 1’ (i.e., the next slot after the timing reference slot) . As such, a feedback slot can be determined regardless of through which MO the UE receiving the PDCCH. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 600 of PDCCH MOs, according to according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 6, the configuration 600 has 8 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 602a, 602b, 602c, 602d, 602e, 602f, 602g, and 602h (collectively the MOs 602a-602h) within one MBS window 604, and the duration of the MBS window 604 is twice that of the PDCCH monitoring period (i.e., 10 slots, as shown in FIG. 6) . PDCCHs in different MOs within a ‘MBS window’ are used for scheduling PDSCHs (e.g., carrying MBS TB) for different groups of UEs. In FIG. 6, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 600 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 600 is 2 slots. As shown in FIG. 6, a timing reference slot 606 is given as T slots after the end of the slot containing MO 602h, which is the last of the MOs 602a-402h with the MBS window 604, with the value of the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field (i.e., K1) is equal to 1. The value of T in FIG. 6 is given as 2.

In a fourth embodiment, a NARQ-ACK feedback timing reference is defined for the MBS window. One or more MBS TBs can be transmitted within the MBS window, and one or more feedback resources can be indicated/configured to a UE for a single MBS window. According to various embodiments, the first 4 MOs within the MBS window correspond to a first MBS TB and the last 4 MOs within the MBS window correspond to a second MBS TB. From there, a value of PRI is indicated in PDCCH that corresponds with a MBS TB, such that a first value of PRI is indicated in PDCCH of the first 4 MOs and a second value of PRI is indicated in PDCCH of the second 4 MOs. A value of PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field is indicated in PDCCH corresponding with a MBS TB, and is referred to as ‘K1. ’ Similarly to the value of PRI, a first value for K1 is indicated in PDCCH of the first 4 MOs, and a second K1 value is indicated in PDCCH of the last 4 MOs. A time offset between a timing reference slot and the feedback slot is set, and the feedback slot can then be determined according to the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator. The specific PUCCH resource within the feedback slot can be determined according to the PRI field.

The timing reference slot can be defined according to various methods. In a first method, the timing reference slot is set as the last slot within of the MBS window, such that the timing reference slot for both the first MBS TB and the second MBS TB is the same. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 700 of PDCCH MOs, according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 7, the configuration 700 has 8 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 702a, 702b, 702c, 702d, 702e, 702f, 702g, and 702h (collectively the MOs 702a-702h) within one MBS window 704, and the duration of the MBS window 704 is twice that of the PDCCH monitoring period (i.e., 10 slots, as shown in FIG. 7) . MOs 702a-702d correspond with a first MBS TB, and MOs 702e-702h correspond with a second MBS TB, as indicated by the dashed ellipsis. PDCCHs in different MOs within a ‘MBS window’ (e.g., MBS window 704) are used for scheduling PDSCHs (e.g., carrying MBS TB) for different groups of UEs. In FIG. 7, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 700 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 700 is 2 slots. As shown in FIG. 7, the timing reference slot 706 is set as the end of the MBS window 704, the first K1 value in PDCCHs (that corresponds with the first MBS TB) is set to a first value (e.g., ‘1’ ) , and the second K1 value in PDCCHs (that corresponds with the second MBS TB) is set to a second value (e.g., ‘2’ ) . The first and second values may be the same or different. As such, a feedback slot that corresponds with a MBS TB can be determined regardless of in which MO the UE receives the PDCCH.

In a second method, the timing reference slot is set as the slot containing the last MO corresponding with a MBS TB in the MBS window, such that the timing reference slot for the first MBS TB is the slot containing the fourth MO within the MBS window and the timing reference slot for second MBS TB is the slot containing the last MO within the MBS window. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 800 of PDCCH MOs, according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 8, the configuration 800 has 8 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 802a, 802b, 802c, 802d, 802e, 802f, 802g, and 802h (collectively the MOs 802a-802h) within one MBS window 804, and the duration of the MBS window 804 is twice that of the PDCCH monitoring period (i.e., 10 slots, as shown in FIG. 8) . MOs 802a-802d correspond with a first MBS TB, and MOs 802e-802h correspond with a second MBS TB, as indicated by the dashed ellipsis. PDCCHs in different MOs within a ‘MBS window’ are used for scheduling PDSCHs (e.g., carrying MBS TB) for different groups of UEs. In FIG. 8, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 800 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 800 is 2 slots. As shown in FIG. 8, a first timing reference slot 806a is set as the slot containing MO 802d (which is the last MO corresponding to the first MBS TB) , and a second timing reference slot 806b is set as the slot containing MO 802h (which is the last MO corresponding to the second MBS TB) . Further, the first K1 value in PDCCHs (that corresponds with the first MBS TB) is set to a first value (e.g., ‘2’ ) , and the second K1 value in PDCCHs (that corresponds with the second MBS TB) is set to a second value (e.g., ‘1’ ) . The first and second values may be the same or different. As such, a feedback slot that corresponds with a MBS TB can be determined regardless of in which MO the UE receives the PDCCH.

In a third method, the timing reference slot is defined, for each of the one or more MBS TBs, as a slot based on a time offset (referred to as T) after the slot containing the last MO corresponding with a MBS TB in the MBS window, such that the timing reference slot for the first MBS TB is T slots after the slot containing the fourth MO within the MBS window and the timing reference slot for second MBS TB is T slots after the slot containing the last MO within the MBS window. The value for T can be defined in the specification or configured by the network (e.g., via RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI, etc. ) , and the value of T can be the same or different for each MBS TB. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a slot structure corresponding to an example configuration 900 of PDCCH MOs, according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 9, the configuration 900 has 9 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 902a, 902b, 902c, 902d, 902e, 902f, 902g, and 902h (collectively the MOs 902a-902h) within one MBS window 904, and the duration of the MBS window 904 is twice that of the PDCCH monitoring period (i.e., 10 slots, as shown in FIG. 9) . MOs 902a-902d correspond with a first MBS TB, and MOs 902e-902h correspond with a second MBS TB, as indicated by the dashed ellipsis. PDCCHs in different MOs within a ‘MBS window’ are used for scheduling PDSCHs (e.g., carrying MBS TB) for different groups of UEs. In FIG. 9, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . The PDCCH monitoring offset in the configuration 900 is 0 (e.g., no offset) . A search space duration in the configuration 900 is 2 slots. As shown in FIG. 9, a first timing reference slot 906a is set as T slots from an end of the slot containing MO 902d (which is the last MO corresponding to the first MBS TB) , and a second timing reference slot 906b is set as T slots from an end of the slot containing MO 902h (which is the last MO corresponding to the second MBS TB) . For both the first timing reference slot 906a and the second timing reference slot 906b, the value of T is 2. Further, the first K1 value in PDCCHs (that corresponds with the first MBS TB) is set to a first value (e.g., ‘1’ ) , and the second K1 value in PDCCHs (that corresponds with the second MBS TB) is set to a second value (e.g., ‘1’ ) . The first and second values may be the same or different. As such, a feedback slot that corresponds with a MBS TB can be determined regardless of in which MO the UE receives the PDCCH.

In a fifth embodiment for MBS transmission, a Downlink Assignment Index (DAI) field in the PDCCH is defined. The DAI fields in the PDCCH of all MOs within a MBS window have the same value, or the DAI fields in the PDCCH of MOs corresponding to a MBS TB have the same values. The value of a DAI field is determined according to a ‘virtual PDCCH. ’ which can, in some embodiments, be the PDCCH in the first MO within the MBS window or the PDCCH in the first MO corresponding to the same MBS TB, or, in other embodiments, be the PDCCH in the last MO within the MBS window or the PDCCH in the last MO corresponding to the same MBS TB.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating MOs for MBS traffic in an example configuration 1000, according to various embodiments. In FIG. 10, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . Referring to FIG. 10, the configuration 1000 has 8 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 1002a, 1002b, 1002c, 1002d, 1002e, 1002f, 1002g, and 1002h (collectively the MOs 1002a-1002h) . The UE receives MBS traffic 1 and MBS traffic 2. As shown in FIG. 10, the PDCCH for a first MBS traffic (i.e., MBS traffic 1) can be received on any of MOs 1002a-1002h, and the PDCCH for a second MBS traffic (i.e., MBS traffic 2) can be received on any of MOs 1002e-1002h. For determining the dynamic codebook, DAI field is included in the DCI carried on the PDCCH of each MO, and the UE may receive the PDCCH in any MO. In response to determining that MBS traffic 1 and MBS traffic 2 are indicated to be fed back in a same codebook, it is ambiguous whether MBS traffic 1 or MBS traffic 2 is to be fed back first (i.e., occupying a former bit in the codebook) . For example, in response to determining that the UE receives PDCCH for MBS traffic 1 in MO 1002f and receives PDCCH for MBS traffic 2 in MO 1002e, then MBS traffic 2 should be fed back first, such that the feedback information to the MBS traffic 2 occupies a first bit in the dynamic codebook, and the feedback information to the MBS traffic 1 occupies a second bit in the same dynamic codebook. As such, there is a different understanding between the UE and the network on the bit order within the codebook.

In this fifth embodiment, the virtual PDCCH is defined as the PDCCH in the first or last MO. From there, any ambiguity can be eliminated. For example, in response to determining that PDCCH is taken in the first MO as the virtual PDCCH, then no matter in which MO the UE receives the MBS traffic, the DAI is determined according to the location of the virtual PDCCH. The DAI value (e.g., 1) is set in PDCCHs of all MOs corresponding with MBS traffic 1, and another DAI value (e.g., 2) is set in PDCCHs of all MOs corresponding with MBS traffic 2. As such, the MBS traffic 1 is fed back first, such that feedback to MBS traffic 1 occupies a first bit in the dynamic codebook, and feedback to MBS traffic 2 occupies a second bit in the dynamic codebook.

In a sixth embodiment for MBS transmission, the association between RSs and MOs within an MBS window is defined. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating MOs within an MBS window, according to various embodiments. In FIG. 11, the x-axis corresponds to time, and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . Referring to FIG. 11, the configuration 1100 has 4 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 1102a, 1102b, 1102c, and 1102d (collectively the MOs 1102a-1102d) . As shown in FIG. 11, the monitoring period is 5 slots, the PDCCH monitoring offset for configuration 1100 is 0 (e.g., no offset) , a search space duration for configuration 1100 is 2 slots, and the offset between two adjacent slots containing MO is 2. The MBS window is the length of two monitoring periods (i.e., 11 slots) . For supporting PDCCH or PDSCH repetition, the offset between two adjacent slots containing MO is configured by the parameter offset. From there, the slot between two adjacent slots containing MO can be used for PDCCH repetition or PDSCH repetition. The number of MOs within a monitoring period is configured by parameter ‘duration. ’

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating MOs within an MBS window, according to various embodiments. In FIG. 12, the x-axis corresponds to time (e.g., in terms of slot) and the y-axis corresponds to frequency (e.g., carrier or BWP) . Referring to FIG. 12, the configuration 1200 has 4 PDCCH MOs, denoted as MOs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, and 1202d (collectively the MOs 1202a-1202d) . As shown in FIG. 12, the monitoring period is 5 slots, the PDCCH monitoring offset for configuration 1200 is 0 (e.g., no offset) , a search space duration for configuration 1200 is 4 (i.e., the continuous 4 slots containing MO) , and the repetition number is 2. The MBS window is the length of two monitoring periods (i.e., 10 slots) . For supporting PDCCH or PDSCH repetition, the adjacent MOs correspond to a same reference signal (RS) (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) , and the number of adjacent MOs corresponding to a same RS is configured by parameter ‘repetition number. ’ For example, in response to determining that the repetition number is 2, then MO 1202a and MO 1202b corresponds to the same RS and is used for scheduling a TB in the same beam direction.

More specifically, taking SSB as RS for example, the [x× (K-1) +1] ^th MO (s) for MBS PDCCH in MBS window corresponds to the K ^th transmitted SSB , where x is the number of repetition, x=1, …M, M is the configured maximum number of PDCCH or PDSCH repetition, and K = 1, 2, …N, N is the number of actual transmitted SSBs determined according to ssb-PositionsInBurst in SIB1. The actual transmitted SSBs are sequentially numbered from one in ascending order of their SSB indexes.

FIG. 13A is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example wireless communication method 1300a, according to various arrangements. The method 1300 can be performed by a BS. Method 1300 begins at 1310 where the BS receives, by a network from a UE, DCI within a time interval. The DCI schedules one or more MBS transmissions. At 1320, the BS receives, by the network from the UE, feedback corresponding to the DCI.

In some embodiments of method 1300a, the length of the time interval is either a multiple of a monitoring period used to monitor downlink control information or is configured/defined based on at least one of slots, subframes, half frames, radio frames, or milliseconds. The slot is determined according to subcarrier spacing of the DCI. In other embodiments, the DCI is transmitted at one or more MOs within the time interval. Each of the MOs carries the DCI corresponding to one of the one or more MBS transmissions, and receiving the feedback at step 1320 further includes either receiving feedback for all MOs within the time interval or receiving feedback for MOs that correspond to one of the MBS transmissions within the time interval.

In some embodiments of method 1300a, the DCI is transmitted at one or more MOs within the time interval, and all of the MOs are configured to be received by the UE. In other embodiments, the DCI is transmitted at one or more MOs within the time interval, the feedback is received according to a timing reference slot, which is one of the last slot of the time interval, the slot containing a last MO of the MOs within the time interval, or the slot that is a time offset after the slot containing the last MO of the MOs within the time interval. In other of these embodiments, the timing reference slot is the last slot of the time interval for all of the MBS transmissions, is the slot containing the last MO in the time interval for each of the MBS transmissions, or is the slot after the slot containing the last MO by a time offset for each of the MBS transmissions.

In some embodiments of method 1300a, the DCI includes a DAI field. The values of the DAI fields in the DCI schedule a same one of the MBS transmissions. In some of these embodiments, the values in the DAI fields are determined according to a virtual PDCCH, which is transmitted either at a first MO within the time interval, at a first MO of the MOs that correspond to a same one of the MBS transmissions, at a last MO within the time interval, or at a last MO of the MOs that correspond to the same one of the MBS transmissions.

In some embodiments of method 1300a, the DCI is transmitted at one or more MOs within the time interval, and each MO is associated with an RS. In some of these embodiments, the offset between two adjacent MOs is configured by an offset parameter, and at least one of the DCI or the MBS transmissions are repeated according to the offset parameter. In other of these embodiments, a plurality of adjacent MOs correspond to a same RS, some of these plurality are configured by a repetition number, and at least one of the DCI or the MBS transmissions are repeated according to this repetition number.

FIG. 13B is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example wireless communication method 1300b, according to various arrangements. The method 1300b can be performed by a UE. The method 1300b begins at 1330, where the UE receives, from a network, DCI within a time interval. The DCI schedules one or more MBS transmissions. At 1340, the UE sends, to the network, feedback corresponding to the DCI.

In some embodiments of method 1300b, the length of the time interval is either a multiple of a monitoring period used to monitor downlink control information or is configured/defined based on at least one of slots, subframes, half frames, radio frames, or milliseconds. The slot is determined according to subcarrier spacing of the DCI. In other embodiments, the DCI is transmitted at one or more MOs within the time interval. Each of the MOs carries the DCI corresponding to one of the one or more MBS transmissions, and sending the feedback at step 1340 further includes either sending feedback for all MOs within the time interval or sending feedback for MOs that correspond to one of the MBS transmissions within the time interval.

In some embodiments of method 1300b, the DCI is transmitted at one or more MOs within the time interval, and all of the MOs are configured to be received by the UE. In other embodiments, the DCI is received at one or more MOs within the time interval, and the feedback is sent according to a timing reference slot, which is one of the last slot of the time interval, the slot containing a last MO of the MOs within the time interval, or the slot that is a time offset after the slot containing the last MO of the MOs within the time interval. In other of these embodiments, the timing reference slot is the last slot of the time interval for all of the MBS transmissions, is the slot containing the last MO in the time interval for each of the MBS transmissions, or is the slot after the slot containing the last MO by a time offset for each of the MBS transmissions.

In some embodiments of method 1300b, the DCI includes a DAI field. The values of the DAI fields in the DCI schedule a same one of the MBS transmissions. In some of these embodiments, the values in the DAI fields are determined according to a virtual PDCCH, which is transmitted either at a first MO within the time interval, at a first MO of the MOs that correspond to a same one of the MBS transmissions, at a last MO within the time interval, or at a last MO of the MOs that correspond to the same one of the MBS transmissions.

In some embodiments of method 1300b, the DCI is transmitted at one or more MOs within the time interval, and each MO is associated with an RS. In some of these embodiments, the offset between two adjacent MOs is configured by an offset parameter, and at least one of the DCI or the MBS transmissions are repeated according to the offset parameter. In other of these embodiments, a plurality of adjacent MOs correspond to a same RS, some of these plurality are configured by a repetition number, and at least one of the DCI or the MBS transmissions are repeated according to this repetition number.

FIG. 14A illustrates a block diagram of an example BS 1402, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 14B illustrates a block diagram of an example UE 1401, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 1-12B, the UE 1401 (e.g., a wireless communication device, a terminal, a mobile device, a mobile user, and so on) is an example implementation of the UEs described herein, and the BS 1402 is an example implementation of the BS described herein.

The BS 1402 and the UE 1401 can include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail herein. In one illustrative embodiment, the BS 1402 and the UE 1401 can be used to communicate (e.g., transmit and receive) data symbols in a wireless communication environment, as described above. For instance, the BS 1402 can be a BS (e.g., gNB, eNB, and so on) , a server, a node, or any suitable computing device used to implement various network functions.

The BS 1402 includes a transceiver module 1410, an antenna 1412, a processor module 1414, a memory module 1416, and a network communication module 1418. The

module

1410, 1412, 1414, 1416, and 1418 are operatively coupled to and interconnected with one another via a data communication bus 1420. The UE 1401 includes a UE transceiver module 1430, a UE antenna 1432, a UE memory module 1434, and a UE processor module 1436. The

modules

1430, 1432, 1434, and 1436 are operatively coupled to and interconnected with one another via a data communication bus 1440. The BS 1402 communicates with the UE 1401 or another BS via a communication channel, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for transmission of data as described herein.

As would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, the BS 1402 and the UE 1401 can further include any number of modules other than the modules shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B. The various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software can depend upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in a suitable manner for each particular application, but any implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

In accordance with some embodiments, the UE transceiver 1430 includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a RF receiver each including circuitry that is coupled to the antenna 1432. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the RF transmitter or receiver to the antenna in time duplex fashion. Similarly, in accordance with some embodiments, the transceiver 1410 includes an RF transmitter and a RF receiver each having circuity that is coupled to the antenna 1412 or the antenna of another BS. A duplex switch may alternatively couple the RF transmitter or receiver to the antenna 1412 in time duplex fashion. The operations of the two-

transceiver modules

1410 and 1430 can be coordinated in time such that the receiver circuitry is coupled to the antenna 1432 for reception of transmissions over a wireless transmission link at the same time that the transmitter is coupled to the antenna 1412. In some embodiments, there is close time synchronization with a minimal guard time between changes in duplex direction.

The UE transceiver 1430 and the transceiver 1410 are configured to communicate via the wireless data communication link, and cooperate with a suitably configured RF antenna arrangement 1412/1432 that can support a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the UE transceiver 1430 and the transceiver 1410 are configured to support industry standards such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards, and the like. It is understood, however, that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited in application to a particular standard and associated protocols. Rather, the UE transceiver 1430 and the BS transceiver 1410 may be configured to support alternate, or additional, wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

The transceiver 1410 and the transceiver of another BS (such as but not limited to, the transceiver 1410) are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link, and cooperate with a suitably configured RF antenna arrangement that can support a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the transceiver 1410 and the transceiver of another BS are configured to support industry standards such as the LTE and emerging 5G standards, and the like. It is understood, however, that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited in application to a particular standard and associated protocols. Rather, the transceiver 1410 and the transceiver of another BS may be configured to support alternate, or additional, wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

In accordance with various embodiments, the BS 1402 may be a BS such as but not limited to, an eNB, a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station, or a pico station, for example. The BS 1402 can be an RN, a DeNB, or a gNB. In some embodiments, the UE 1401 may be embodied in various types of user devices such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , tablet, laptop computer, wearable computing device, etc. The

processor modules

1414 and 1436 may be implemented, or realized, with a general purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. In this manner, a processor may be realized as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, or the like. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

Furthermore, the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in a software module executed by

processor modules

1414 and 1436, respectively, or in any practical combination thereof. The

memory modules

1416 and 1434 may be realized as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard,

memory modules

1416 and 1434 may be coupled to the

processor modules

1414 and 1436, respectively, such that the

processors modules

1414 and 1436 can read information from, and write information to,

memory modules

1416 and 1434, respectively. The

memory modules

1416 and 1434 may also be integrated into their

respective processor modules

1414 and 1436. In some embodiments, the

memory modules

1416 and 1434 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by

processor modules

1414 and 1436, respectively.

Memory modules

1416 and 1434 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by the

processor modules

1414 and 1436, respectively.

The network communication module 1418 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and/or other components of the BS 1402 that enable bi-directional communication between the transceiver 1410 and other network components and communication nodes in communication with the BS 1402. For example, the network communication module 1418 may be configured to support internet or WiMAX traffic. In a deployment, without limitation, the network communication module 1418 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface such that the transceiver 1410 can communicate with a conventional Ethernet based computer network. In this manner, the network communication module 1418 may include a physical interface for connection to the computer network (e.g., Mobile Switching Center (MSC) ) . In some embodiments, the network communication module 1418 includes a fiber transport connection configured to connect the BS 1402 to a core network. The terms “configured for, ” “configured to” and conjugations thereof, as used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc., that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted and/or arranged to perform the specified operation or function.

While various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or configuration, which are provided to enable persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand example features and functions of the present solution. Such persons would understand, however, that the solution is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Additionally, as would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described illustrative embodiments.

It is also understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first, " "second, " and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations can be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements can be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits and symbols, for example, which may be referenced in the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, methods and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., a digital implementation, an analog implementation, or a combination of the two) , firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which can be referred to herein, for convenience, as "software" or a "software module) , or any combination of these techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions do not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that various illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components and circuits described herein can be implemented within or performed by an integrated circuit (IC) that can include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, modules, and circuits can further include antennas and/or transceivers to communicate with various components within the network or within the device. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein.

If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Thus, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. A storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

In this document, the term "module" as used herein, refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purpose of discussion, the various modules are described as discrete modules; however, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions according embodiments of the present solution.

Additionally, memory or other storage, as well as communication components, may be employed in embodiments of the present solution. It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above description has described embodiments of the present solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains may be used without detracting from the present solution. For example, functionality illustrated to be performed by separate processing logic elements, or controllers, may be performed by the same processing logic element, or controller. Hence, references to specific functional units are only references to a suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather than indicative of a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other implementations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as recited in the claims below.

Claims

A wireless communication method, comprising:

transmitting, by a network to a wireless communication device, downlink control information within a time interval, the downlink control information schedules one or more transmissions; and

receiving, by the network from the wireless communication device, feedback corresponding to the downlink control information.
The method of claim 1, wherein

a length of the time interval is a multiple of a monitoring period used to monitor downlink control information; or

the length of the time interval is configured or defined based on at least one of slots, subframes, half frames, radio frames, or milliseconds, wherein, the slot is determined according to subcarrier spacing of the downlink control information.
The method of claim 1, wherein

the downlink control information is transmitted at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval;

each of the MOs carries the downlink control information corresponding to one of the one or more transmissions; and

receiving the feedback comprises:

receiving feedback for all MOs within the time interval; or

receiving feedback for MOs that correspond to one of the transmissions within the time interval.
The method of claim 1, wherein

the downlink control information is transmitted at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval;

all of the MOs within the time interval are configured to be received by the wireless communication device.
The method of claim 1, wherein

the downlink control information for the one or more transmission is transmitted at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval;

the feedback is received according to a timing reference slot; and

the timing reference slot is one of:

a last slot of the time interval;

a slot containing a last MO of the MOs within the time interval; or

a slot that is a time offset after the slot containing the last MO of the MOs within the time interval.
The method of claim 1, wherein

the downlink control information for the one or more transmissions is transmitted at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval, the downlink control information for each of the one or more transmissions is transmitted at at least one of the MOs;

the feedback is received according to a timing reference slot; and

the timing reference slot is one of:

for all of the one or more transmissions, a last slot of the time interval;

for each of the one or more transmissions, a slot containing a last MO of the at least one of the MOs within the time interval; or

for each of the one or more transmissions, a slot after the slot containing the last MO of the at least one of the MOs within the time interval by a time offset.
The method of claim 1, wherein

the downlink control information for the one or more transmissions is transmitted at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval, the downlink control information for each of the one or more transmissions is transmitted using at least one of the MOs;

the downlink control information in each of the MOs comprises a Downlink Assignment Index (DAI) field; and

values of the DAI fields in the downlink control information scheduling a same one of the one or more transmissions are the same.
The method of claim 7, wherein

the value in the DAI field is determined according to a virtual Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carrying the downlink control information;

the virtual PDCCH is one of:

transmitted at a first MO of the MOs within the time interval;

transmitted at a first MO of at least one of the MOs that correspond to a same one of the one or more transmissions;

transmitted at a last MO of the MOs within the time interval; or

transmitted at a last MO of the at least one of the MOs that correspond to the same one of the one or more transmissions.
The method of claim 1, wherein

the downlink control information is transmitted at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval; and

Each of the MOs is associated with a Reference Signal (RS) .
The method of claim 9, wherein

an offset between two adjacent ones of the MOs is configured by an offset parameter; and

at least one of the downlink control information or the transmissions are repeated according to the offset parameter.
The method of claim 9, wherein

a plurality of adjacent MOs of the MOs correspond to a same one of the RSs;

a number of the plurality of adjacent MOs is configured by a repetition number; and

at least one of the downlink control information or the transmissions are repeated according to the repetition number.
A wireless communication apparatus comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement the method recited in claim 1.
A computer program product comprising a computer-readable program medium code stored thereupon, the code, when executed by at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to implement the method recited in claim 1.
A wireless communication method, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless communication device from a network, downlink control information within a time interval, the downlink control information schedules one or more transmissions ; and

sending, by the wireless communication device to the network, feedback corresponding to the downlink control information.
The method of claim 14, wherein

a length of the time interval is a multiple of a monitoring period used to monitor downlink control information; or

the length of the time interval is configured or defined based on at least one of slots, subframes, half frames, radio frames, or milliseconds, wherein the slot is determined according to subcarrier spacing of the downlink control information.
The method of claim 14, wherein

the downlink control information is received at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval;

each of the MOs carries the downlink control information corresponding to one of the one or more transmissions; and

sending the feedback comprises:

sending feedback for all MOs within the time interval; or

sending feedback for MOs that correspond to one of the transmission within the time interval.
The method of claim 14, wherein

the downlink control information is transmitted at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval;

the wireless communication device is configured to receive all of the MOs in within the time interval.
The method of claim 14, wherein

the downlink control information for the one transmission is received at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval;

the feedback is sent according to a timing reference slot; and

the timing reference slot is one of:

a last slot of the time interval;

a slot containing a last MO of the MOs within the time interval; or

a slot that is a time offset after the slot containing the last MO of the MOs within the time interval.
The method of claim 14, wherein

the downlink control information for the one or more transmissions is received at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval, the downlink control information for each of the one or more transmissions is received at at least one of the MOs;

the feedback is sent according to a timing reference slot; and

the timing reference slot is one of:

for all of the one or more transmissions, a last slot of the time interval;

for each of the one or more transmissions, a slot containing a last MO of the at least one of the MOs within the time interval; or

for each of the one or more transmissions, a slot that is a time offset after the slot containing the last MO of the at least one of the MOs within the time interval.
The method of claim 14, wherein

the downlink control information for the one or more transmissions is received at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval, the downlink control information for each of the one or more transmissions is received using at least one of the MOs;

the downlink control information in each of the MOs comprises a Downlink Assignment Index (DAI) field; and

values of the DAI fields in the downlink control information scheduling a same one of the one or more transmissions are the same.
The method of claim 20, wherein

the value in the DAI field is determined according to a virtual Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carrying the downlink control information;

the virtual PDCCH is one of:

transmitted at a first MO of the MOs within the time interval;

transmitted at a first MO of at least one of the MOs that correspond to a same one of the one or more transmissions;

transmitted at a last MO of the MOs within the time interval; or

transmitted at a last MO of the at least one of the MOs that correspond to the same one of the one or more transmissions.
The method of claim 14, wherein

the downlink control information is received at one or more Monitoring Occasions (MOs) within the time interval; and

each of the MOs is associated with a Reference Signal (RS) .
The method of claim 22, wherein

an offset between two adjacent ones of the MOs is configured by an offset parameter; a plurality of adjacent MOs of the MOs correspond to a same one of the RSs; and

at least one of the downlink control information or the transmissions are repeated according to the offset parameter.

.
The method of claim 22, wherein

a plurality of adjacent MOs of the MOs correspond to a same one of the RSs;

a number of the plurality of adjacent MOs is configured by a repetition number; and

at least one of the downlink control information or the transmissions are repeated according to the repetition number.
A wireless communication apparatus comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement the method recited in claim 14.
A computer program product comprising a computer-readable program medium code stored thereupon, the code, when executed by at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to implement the method recited in claim 14.