Physical downlink control channel for low complexity operation

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may identify a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities regarding at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; select a span configuration or per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations; and receive communications on the carrier according to the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 958,246, filed on January 7, 2020, entitled “PHYSICAL DOWNLINK CONTROLCHANNEL FOR LOW COMPLEXITY OPERATION,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17 / 248,043, filed on January 6, 2021, entitled “PHYSICAL DOWNLINK CONTROL CHANNEL FOR LOW COMPLEXITY OPERATION,” which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Public domain

[0004] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications and to techniques and apparatus for a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for low complexity operations.

[0005] background

[0006] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and long term evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0007] A wireless communication network may include several base stations (BS) that can support communication of several user equipments (UEs). User equipments (UEs) may communicate with base stations (BSs) via downlinks and uplinks. Downlinks (or forward links) refer to the communication link from a BS to a UE, while uplinks (or reverse links) refer to the communication link from a UE to a BS. As will be described in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, a gNB, an Access Point (AP), a Radio Head, a Transmit Receive Point (TRP), a New Radio (NR) BS, a 5G Node B, and the like.

[0008] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide common protocols that enable different user equipment to communicate at city, country, region, and even global levels. New Radio (NR) (which may also be referred to as 5G) is an enhancement set to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) with cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL), using CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM (e.g., also referred to as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), and supporting beamforming, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology and carrier aggregation to improve spectrum efficiency, reduce costs, improve services, utilize new spectrum, and better integrate with other open standards. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, there is a need for further improvements in LTE and NR technologies. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

[0009] Overview

[0010] In some aspects, a method of performing wireless communications by a user equipment (UE) may include: identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; selecting a span configuration or a per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations; and receiving communications on the carrier based on the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability.

[0011] In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to identify a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities for at least one of a number of non-overlapping CCEs or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; select a span configuration or a per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations; and receive communications on the carrier according to the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability.

[0012] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. The one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, may cause the one or more processors to: identify a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities regarding at least one of a number of non-overlapping CCEs or a number of blind decodings to be performed for the carrier; select a span configuration or a per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations; and receive communications on the carrier based on the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability.

[0013] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communications may include: means for identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping CCEs or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; means for selecting a span configuration or a per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations; and means for receiving communications on the carrier based on the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability.

[0014] Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication devices, and / or processing systems as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying figures and specification.

[0015] The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of examples according to the present disclosure in an effort to make the following detailed description better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be easily used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for implementing the same purpose as the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both in terms of their organization and method of operation, and the associated advantages will be better understood by considering the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the accompanying drawings is provided for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended to define limitations on the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to understand the above-stated features of the present disclosure in detail, the above briefly summarized content may be described in more detail with reference to various aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only illustrate certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and should not be considered to limit its scope, as the description may allow for other equally effective aspects. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0018] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a UE in communication in a wireless communication network according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a span in a time slot for physical downlink control channel monitoring in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of resolving span configuration conflicts according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example process, performed, for example, by user equipment, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Detailed Description

[0024] The various aspects of the present disclosure are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to any specific structure or function given throughout the present disclosure. On the contrary, these aspects are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete, and it will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein, whether it is implemented independently or in combination with any other aspect of the present disclosure. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods practiced using supplements or other other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality as the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein can be implemented by one or more elements of the claims.

[0025] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various devices and techniques. These devices and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0026] It should be noted that while various aspects may be described herein using terminology generally associated with 5G or NR radio access technologies (RATs), various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to other RATs, such as 3G RATs, 4G RATs, and / or RATs after 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0027] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless network 100 in which various aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced. The wireless network 100 may be an LTE network or some other wireless network, such as a 5G or NR network. The wireless network 100 may include several BSs 110 (shown as BSs 110a, BSs 110b, BSs 110c, and BSs 110d) and other network entities. A BS is an entity that communicates with a user equipment (UE) and may also be referred to as a base station, NR BS, B node, gNB, 5G B node (NB), access point, transmit receive point (TRP), and the like. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to a coverage area of ​​a BS and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0028] A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and / or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residence) and may allow restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown in , BS 110a may be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, BS 110b may be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and BS 110c may be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. The BS may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "B node", "5G NB", and "cell" may be used interchangeably herein.

[0029] In some aspects, the cells may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cells may move depending on the location of the mobile BS. In some aspects, the BSs may be interconnected to each other and / or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces, such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, and / or the like using any suitable transport network.

[0030] The wireless network 100 may also include a relay station. A relay station is an entity that can receive transmissions of data from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send transmissions of the data to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. Figure 1 In the example shown in , relay BS 110d may communicate with macro BS 110a and UE 120d to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120d. A relay BS may also be referred to as a relay station, relay base station, relay, or the like.

[0031] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs (e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, etc.). These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, a macro BS may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while a pico BS, a femto BS, and a relay BS may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0032] A network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of BSs and may provide coordination and control of these BSs. The network controller 130 may communicate with each BS via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via a wireless or wired backhaul.

[0033] UEs 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. UEs may also be referred to as access terminals, terminals, mobile stations, subscriber units, stations, etc. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, a biometric sensor / device, a wearable device (smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, an industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

[0034] Some UEs may be considered as machine type communication (MTC) UEs, or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide connectivity to or to a network (e.g., a wide area network (such as the Internet) or a cellular network), for example, via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of Things) devices. Some UEs may be considered as client equipment (CPE). UE 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as a processor component, a memory component, and the like.

[0035] In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network may support a specific radio access technology (RAT) and may operate on one or more frequencies. RAT may also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency may also be referred to as carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0036] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly (e.g., without using base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with each other) using one or more sidelink channels. For example, UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, etc.), mesh networks, etc. In this case, UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by base station 110.

[0037] The devices of the wireless network 100 can communicate using an electromagnetic spectrum, which can be subdivided into various categories, frequency bands, channels, etc. based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the devices of the wireless network 100 can communicate using an operating band having a first frequency range (FR1) and / or can communicate using an operating band having a second frequency range (FR2), the first frequency range (FR1) can span from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and the second frequency range (FR2) can span from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are sometimes referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to as a "sub-6 GHz" band. Similarly, FR2 is often referred to as a "millimeter wave" band, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz) identified as a "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Thus, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term sub-"6 GHz", etc., if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., greater than 7.125 GHz). Similarly, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave", etc., if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies within the EHF band, frequencies within FR2, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., less than 24.25 GHz). It is contemplated that the frequencies included in FR1 and FR2 can be modified, and the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0038] As indicated above, Figure 1 are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from those described in Figure 1 Examples described.

[0039] Figure 2 A block diagram of a design 200 of a base station 110 and a UE 120 is shown, which may be Figure 1One for each base station and one for each UE in the base station 110. Base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general T≧1 and R≧1.

[0040] At the base station 110, the transmit processor 220 may receive data for one or more UEs from the data source 212, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on a channel quality indicator (CQI) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. The transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI), etc.) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signals (PSS) and secondary synchronization signals (SSS)). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MOD) 232a to 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from modulators 232a to 232t may be transmitted via T antennas 234a to 234t, respectively. According to various aspects described in more detail below, position coding may be used to generate synchronization signals to convey additional information.

[0041] At UE 120, antennas 252a to 252r may receive downlink signals from base station 110 and / or other base stations and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a to 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 280. The channel processor may determine reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator (CQI), etc. In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120 may be included in a housing.

[0042] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information from a controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266, if applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. At the base station 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 as well as other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236, if applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide decoded data to a data sink 239 and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 240. The base station 110 may include a communication unit 244 and communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292.

[0043] The controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 2Any other components of the UE 120 may perform one or more techniques associated with the PDCCH for low complexity operation, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 2 Any other component of the Figure 5 The operations of the process 500 and / or other processes as described herein. The memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for the base station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. In some aspects, the memory 242 and / or the memory 282 may include: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the base station 110 and / or the UE 120, may perform or direct, for example Figure 5 The scheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0044] In some aspects, UE 120 may include: means for identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities regarding at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; means for selecting a span configuration or per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations; means for receiving communications on the carrier in accordance with the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability; means for receiving information indicating a rule for selecting a span configuration or per-span capability, wherein selecting a span configuration is based at least in part on the rule; means for providing an indication of a capability regarding selecting the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability; and the like. In some aspects, such means may include in conjunction with Figure 2 One or more components of UE 120 are depicted, such as controller / processor 280, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, MOD 254, antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, and the like.

[0045] As indicated above, Figure 2 are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from those described in Figure 2 Examples described.

[0046] In some radio access technologies (RATs), two sets of scheduling downlink control information (DCI) formats are supported: fallback DCI for downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL) scheduling (e.g., DCI formats 1-0 and 0-0 in 5G / NR), and non-fallback DCI for DL / UL scheduling (e.g., DCI formats 1-1 and 0-1 in 5G / NR). In some deployments (such as enhanced ultra-reliable low latency communications (eURLLC) that support deployment), two additional DCI formats may be used: DCI format 2-0 for UL scheduling and DCI format 2-1 for DL ​​scheduling. The two additional DCI formats may have flexible sizes, meaning that the bit widths of many fields of the two additional DCI formats are configurable. Thus, the two additional DCI formats may be configured to have a small size to improve physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reliability or to have a larger size to improve scheduling flexibility and / or provide more functionality. The choice between these two approaches (e.g., small size or larger size) may be made by the scheduler.

[0047] In some RATs, such as 3GPP Release 15 for 5G / NR, different PDCCH monitoring capabilities are defined. As an example, Feature Group (FG) 3-1 (which may be mandatory for Release 15 UEs to support) may indicate that the UE is able to monitor all PDCCH candidates for scheduling data within the first few symbols of a slot. As another example, FG 3-5b (which may be optional for Release 15 UEs to support) may be defined at least in part based on the concept of span. A slot may include multiple spans, and a span may include one or more PDCCH candidates. Different span configurations may be supported. In combination Figure 3 Describes span configuration in more detail.

[0048] In a 5G / NR network, a base station transmits a PDCCH (e.g., including control information, such as DCI) based at least in part on a search space set. A given search space set defines candidates that can carry a PDCCH within the search space set, where each candidate is associated with one or more control channel elements (CCEs). A CCE may include multiple resource element groups (REGs). A REG may include a resource block and an OFDM symbol. One or more search space sets may be associated with a control resource set (CORESET). In a 5G / NR network, a base station may flexibly schedule and transmit a PDCCH. In other words, the transmission of a PDCCH in a 5G / NR network is not limited to a specific frequency resource set and / or time resource set in a given radio frame, as in the case of an LTE network, for example. PDCCH frequency domain and time domain resources are configured on a per-CORESET basis. Thus, once a UE is configured with a CORESET, the UE has information identifying which resource blocks in the frequency domain are assigned to the search space set associated with the CORESET and information identifying the number of consecutive symbols occupied by the search space set.

[0049] In order to receive a PDCCH associated with one or more candidates given a UE-specific search space set (i.e., a search space set that can carry control information specific to one or more specific UEs), the UE may attempt to decode the PDCCH in the candidate of the search space set. For example, the UE may determine one or more CCE indices associated with the candidate and may attempt to decode the PDCCH (e.g., using a blind decoding procedure). In some cases (e.g., 3GPP Release 15 for 5G / NR), restrictions on the number of non-overlapping CCEs and blind decodings (BDs) are defined on a per-slot basis. Thus, a large number of CCE / BDs (in extreme cases, all CCE / BDs) may be configured within a span. This significantly increases UE complexity, especially when trying to comply with a processing timeline suitable for supporting ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) applications. On the other hand, if the scheduler chooses to distribute CCE / BDs across different spans, the number of CCE / BDs per span may not be sufficient. For example, for a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of 30 kilohertz (kHz) and a span capability of (X, Y) = (2, 2), each span may have 8 CCEs. Therefore, only one candidate with aggregation level = 8 may be supported. Figure 3 Describe span capabilities in more detail.

[0050] To address the above problems, 3GPP Release 16 of 5G / NR introduces a PDCCH monitoring capability that is at least partially based on the span configuration of the UE. In order to improve scheduling flexibility, the number of non-overlapping CCEs and BDs per time slot is increased compared to 3GPP Release 15 of 5G / NR. In addition, in order to relax UE complexity, per-span CCE / BD restrictions (also referred to as per-span capabilities) may be specified. The PDCCH monitoring capability may be referred to herein as a span-based monitoring capability or a Release 16 monitoring capability, while the PDCCH monitoring capability defined on a per-slot basis may be referred to as a slot-based monitoring capability or a Release 15 monitoring capability.

[0051] In some standards, if a UE reports support for more than one span configuration for a given SCS, and if multiple span configurations are valid for a span pattern on a carrier associated with a given SCS (referred to as a span configuration conflict), the maximum span configuration among the valid span configurations can be used to determine the CCE or BD limit for that carrier. If a span pattern satisfies the span configuration in every slot (including at cross-slot boundaries), then the span configuration is considered valid for the span pattern. However, assuming a maximum span configuration can increase complexity and blind decoding counts, resulting in increased power consumption and use of computing resources. This can be particularly problematic for lower-end UEs (such as NR light UEs, reduced capability (RedCap) UEs, IoT UEs, etc.).

[0052] Some techniques and apparatus described herein provide signaling or selection of a span configuration to be used in the event of a span configuration conflict. For example, the UE may determine a CCE or BD limit per span based at least in part on a minimum span configuration, and / or may signal the UE to support such a determination. Some techniques and apparatus described herein provide an indication of the capabilities of the UE (e.g., a minimum span configuration in the form of a CCE / BD limit per span, a maximum span configuration in the form of a CCE / BD limit per span, etc.). In some aspects, the BS may configure the UE to use specific rules (e.g., a minimum span configuration in the form of a CCE / BD limit per span, a maximum span configuration in the form of a CCE / BD limit per span), use a specific span configuration, and the like. In this way, the complexity and the number of blind decodings are reduced, thereby reducing complexity and saving power and computing resources.

[0053] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example 300 of a span in a time slot for physical downlink control channel monitoring in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 3 A set of time slots associated with a corresponding span configuration is shown, indicated by reference numeral 310. A span configuration may identify a minimum gap X and a maximum span duration Y between start symbols of two spans.

[0054] The spans corresponding to span configurations (2, 2), (4, 3), and (7, 3) are shown by reference numerals 320, 330, and 340, respectively. The spans shown by reference numeral 320 are shown using alternating diagonal shading because the spans are adjacent to each other and would otherwise be difficult to distinguish. The spans shown by reference numerals 330 and 340 are separated by symbols that are not included in the spans, which are shown by white rectangles.

[0055] The minimum gap X for span configurations (2,2), (4,3), and (7,3) is shown by reference numerals 350, 360, and 370, respectively. It should be noted that X defines the minimum gap, so the starting symbols of a pair of spans associated with span configuration (2,2) can be two or more symbols apart from each other. In addition, the maximum span duration Y defines the maximum span duration, so span 330 can have a one-symbol or two-symbol span while still within the definition of span configuration (4,3).

[0056] The span configuration may be associated with a per-span capability regarding the number of BDs and / or the number of non-overlapping CCEs in the span. The per-span capability regarding the number of BDs may identify the maximum number of BDs that may be configured in the span 320 / 330 / 340, and the per-span capability regarding the number of non-overlapping CCEs may identify the maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs that may be configured in the span 320 / 330 / 340. These per-span capabilities may also be referred to as BD limits and CCE limits, respectively.

[0057] The UE may report capabilities regarding one or more span configurations supported by the UE. For example, the UE may report that the UE supports one or more of the span configurations (2, 2), (4, 3), and (7, 3). The UE may determine which span configuration is to be used for communication based at least in part on the search space configuration. For example, the search space configuration may indicate a search space candidate, and the UE may identify a span configuration aligned with the search space candidate. In the case where the search space configuration is aligned with two or more span configurations, the UE may assume the maximum CCE limit and / or BD limit among the CCE limits and / or BD limits corresponding to the two or more span configurations. However, this may increase complexity and consume computing resources. The techniques and apparatus described herein provide the UE with the ability to use a minimum span configuration (or a CCE limit and / or BD limit corresponding to the minimum span configuration), or signaling about a span configuration, thereby reducing complexity and saving computing resources.

[0058] As indicated above, Figure 3 are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from those described herein. Figure 3 Examples described.

[0059] Figure 4 1 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of resolving span configuration conflicts in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, example 400 includes UE 120 and BS 110.

[0060] As shown by reference numeral 410, UE 120 may provide an indication of the capabilities of UE 120 to BS 110. The indication may indicate one or more rules for selecting span configurations or per-span capabilities supported by UE 120. For example, in some aspects, the indication may indicate that UE 120 supports selecting a minimum span configuration or a minimum per-span capability to resolve span configuration conflicts. In some aspects, the indication may indicate that UE 120 supports selecting a maximum span configuration or a maximum per-span capability to resolve span configuration conflicts. In these situations, UE 120 may select a span configuration or per-span capability based on the capabilities signaled by UE 120. It should be noted that selecting per-span capabilities may refer to selecting BD restrictions and / or selecting CCE restrictions. In some aspects, UE 120 may not signal this capability, which may save radio interface resources of UE 120 and / or BS 110, while signaling this capability may enable BS 110 to determine whether to use a maximum span configuration or a minimum span configuration, thereby saving computational resources of BS 110.

[0061] As shown by reference numeral 420, BS 110 may provide information indicating a rule for selecting a span configuration or a per-span capability. For example, the rule may indicate whether to use a minimum span configuration or a per-span capability (e.g., in the form of a CCE / BD limit per span) or a maximum span configuration or a per-span capability (e.g., in the form of a CCE / BD limit per span), etc. For example, the rule may include a direct indication of the resolution of the conflict, or may indicate how UE 120 is to resolve the conflict. In some aspects, BS 110 may provide information indicating a specific span configuration to be used to resolve a span configuration conflict. For example, BS 110 may indicate a specific (X, Y) value to be used to resolve a span configuration conflict. In some aspects, this information may be provided together with information identifying one or more control resource sets and / or one or more search space configurations. In some aspects, this information may be provided separately from information identifying one or more control resource sets and / or one or more search space configurations. In some aspects, BS 110 may not provide information indicating a rule for selecting a span configuration or a per-span capability. For example, UE 120 may determine the rules without receiving such indications, thereby saving radio interface and computing resources of BS 110.

[0062] As used herein, a span configuration conflict is a configuration in which multiple span configurations are valid for a span mode on a carrier associated with a given SCS. Figure 3 , assuming that each of the 3 spans of the (4,3) span configuration has only 2 symbols (instead of 3 symbols). Then, if UE 120 supports both (2,2) and (4,3) span configurations, a configuration of the PDCCH similar to the (4,3) span configuration (but with 2 symbols per span) will result in a span configuration conflict because such a configuration is aligned with both the (2,2) and (4,3) span configurations.

[0063] In some aspects, the indication transmitted to the UE 120 may be transmitted using semi-static signaling or may be semi-static. For example, the indication may be transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, etc. In some aspects, the indication may be transmitted using dynamic signaling or may be dynamic. This may enable the indication to be adapted to the traffic conditions. For example, after configuring the control resource set (CORESET) and / or the search space, as described in accordance with reference numeral 430, the UE 120 may assume a per-span capability based at least in part on the maximum span configuration in the supported span configuration pair or at least in part on the value associated with the span configuration indicated to the UE 120 via RRC signaling. The indication may then be modified (e.g., using a media access control (MAC) control element (CE), downlink control information (DCI), or another form of signaling) for different action time adaptations, thereby informing the UE 120 of one or more points at which the modified span configuration or per-span capability is to be implemented.

[0064] As indicated by reference numeral 430, BS 110 may provide information identifying one or more CORE SETs and / or one or more search space configurations to UE 120. UE 120 may determine a span pattern based at least in part on the CORE SETs and the search space configurations, as indicated by reference numeral 440. For example, UE 120 may identify a span pattern based at least in part on the location of PDCCH candidates in a slot.

[0065] As shown by reference numeral 450, the UE 120 may identify a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations. For example, the UE 120 may determine that the two or more span configurations are valid for the span pattern derived by the UE 120 based at least in part on the CORESET and search space configurations. As shown by reference numeral 460, the UE 120 may select a span configuration and / or corresponding per-span capabilities (e.g., per-span CCE restrictions or capabilities and / or per-span BD restrictions or capabilities) based at least in part on identifying the span configuration conflict between the two or more span configurations. For example, the UE 120 may select the span configuration and / or per-span capabilities based on capabilities indicated by the UE 120, rules indicated by the BS 110, etc. In some aspects, the UE 120 may select the span configuration and / or per-span capabilities based at least in part on a UE type of the UE 120. For example, if UE 120 is a high-end UE, UE 120 may select a maximum span configuration or a per-span capability, and if UE 120 is a low-power UE or a low-end UE, UE 120 may select a minimum span configuration or a per-span capability. In some aspects, UE 120 may select a span configuration, and may use a per-span capability corresponding to the selected span configuration. In some aspects, UE 120 may select a per-span capability independently of the span configuration. As shown by reference numeral 470, UE 120 may communicate using the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability. In this way, UE 120 may resolve the ambiguity of which span configuration is to be used for the span mode, which may provide UE 120 with the flexibility to use a minimum span configuration or a per-span capability, thereby improving utilization of computing resources and reducing complexity.

[0066] As indicated above, Figure 4 are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from those described in Figure 4 Examples provided.

[0067] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example process 500, performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 500 is an example in which a UE (eg, UE 120, etc.) performs operations associated with a physical downlink control channel for low complexity operation.

[0068] like Figure 5As shown in , in some aspects, process 500 may include identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span pattern for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier (block 510). For example, a UE (e.g., using antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, controller / processor 280, etc.) may identify a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span pattern for a carrier, as described above. In some aspects, the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping CCEs or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier.

[0069] like Figure 5 As further shown in FIG. 5 , in some aspects, process 500 may include selecting a span configuration or per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations (block 520). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, controller / processor 280, etc.) may select a span configuration or per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations, as described above.

[0070] like Figure 5 As further shown in FIG. 5 , in some aspects, process 500 may include receiving communications on the carrier in accordance with the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability (block 530). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, controller / processor 280, etc.) may receive communications on the carrier in accordance with the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability, as described above.

[0071] Process 500 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0072] In a first aspect, selecting a span configuration or per-span capabilities is based at least in part on a UE type of the UE.

[0073] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the selected per-span capacity is a minimum per-span capacity among the respective per-span capacities.

[0074] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, process 500 includes providing an indication of a capability regarding selection of a selected span configuration or a selected per-span capability.

[0075] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the span configuration or the per-span capability is selected to be performed according to the capability.

[0076] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the capability indicates whether a maximum per span capability or a minimum per span capability is to be selected as the selected per span capability.

[0077] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, process 500 includes receiving information indicating a rule for selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability, wherein selecting the span configuration is based at least in part on the rule.

[0078] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the rule indicates that a maximum span configuration among the two or more span capabilities is to be selected or a maximum per span capability among the corresponding per span capabilities is to be selected.

[0079] In an eighth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the rule indicates that a minimum span configuration or per-span capability among the two or more span configurations or corresponding per-span capabilities is to be selected.

[0080] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, the rule identifies the span configuration to be selected.

[0081] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, the information indicative of the rule is received via semi-static signaling.

[0082] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to tenth aspects, information indicative of the rule is received via dynamic signaling.

[0083] although Figure 5 An example block diagram of process 500 is shown, but in some aspects, process 500 may include Figure 5 Additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in the process 500. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of the process 500 may be executed in parallel.

[0084] The following provides an overview of various aspects of the disclosure:

[0085] Aspect 1: A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with corresponding per-span capabilities regarding at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodings to be performed for the carrier; selecting a span configuration or a per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations; and receiving communications on the carrier based on the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability.

[0086] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is based at least in part on a UE type of the UE.

[0087] Aspect 3: The method of one or more of the previous aspects, wherein the selected per-span capability is the minimum per-span capability among the corresponding per-span capabilities.

[0088] Aspect 4: The method of one or more of the previous aspects, further comprising: providing an indication of a capability regarding selection of the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capability.

[0089] Aspect 5: The method of aspect 4, wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is performed according to the capability.

[0090] Aspect 6: The method of aspect 4, wherein the capability indicates whether to select a maximum per-span capability or a minimum per-span capability as the selected per-span capability.

[0091] Aspect 7: The method of one or more of the previous aspects, further comprising: receiving information indicating a rule for selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability, wherein selecting the span configuration is based at least in part on the rule.

[0092] Aspect 8: The method of aspect 7, wherein the rule indicates that a maximum span configuration among the two or more span capabilities is to be selected or a maximum per span capability among the corresponding per span capabilities is to be selected.

[0093] Aspect 9: The method of aspect 7, wherein the rule indicates that a minimum span configuration or per-span capability among the two or more span configurations or the corresponding per-span capabilities is to be selected.

[0094] Aspect 10: The method of Aspect 7, wherein the rule identifies the span configuration to be selected.

[0095] Aspect 11: The method of Aspect 7, wherein the information indicating the rule is received via semi-static signaling.

[0096] Aspect 12: The method of Aspect 7, wherein the information indicating the rule is received via dynamic signaling.

[0097] Aspect 13: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method as in one or more of Aspects 1-12.

[0098] Aspect 14: A device for wireless communication, comprising: a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

[0099] Aspect 15: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one device for performing the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

[0100] Aspect 16: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

[0101] Aspect 17: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

[0102] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired by practice of the various aspects.

[0103] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly interpreted as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, a processor is implemented with hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0104] As used herein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc., depending on the context.

[0105] It will be apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit the various aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of these systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software codes-it is understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement these systems and / or methods based at least in part on the description herein.

[0106] Although specific feature combinations are described in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many of these features can be combined in a manner not specifically described in the claims and / or not disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below can be directly subordinate to only one claim, the disclosure of various aspects includes that each dependent claim is combined with each other claim in this group of claims. The phrase quoting "at least one of" a column of items refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, "at least one of a, b or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, and any combination with multiple identical elements (for example, aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other sorting of a, b and c).

[0107] Elements, actions or instructions used herein should not be interpreted as critical or necessary unless explicitly described as such. Moreover, as used herein, the articles "one" and "a" are intended to include one or more items and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the terms "set" and "group" are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, non-related items, combinations of related and non-related items, etc.), and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In the case of intending to have only one item, the phrase "only one" or similar language is used. Moreover, as used herein, the terms "having", "containing", "including", etc. are intended to be open terms. In addition, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on", unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; receiving information indicating a rule for selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability; selecting a span configuration or per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations based at least in part on the rule; as well as Communications are received on the carrier according to the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capabilities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is based at least in part on a UE type of the UE. 3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the UE type of the UE comprises a low-end UE type or a low-power UE type. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected per-span capability is a minimum per-span capability among the corresponding per-span capabilities.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: An indication is provided regarding the ability to select a selected span configuration or a selected per-span capability. The method of claim 5 , wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is performed according to the capability. The method of claim 5 , wherein the capability indicates whether a maximum per-span capability or a minimum per-span capability is to be selected as the selected per-span capability. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rule indicates that a maximum span configuration among the two or more span configurations is to be selected or a maximum per-span capability among the corresponding per-span capabilities is to be selected.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule dictates that a minimum span configuration or per-span capability among the two or more span configurations or the corresponding per-span capabilities is to be selected.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule identifies the span configuration to be selected.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the rule is received via semi-static signaling.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the rule is received via dynamic signaling.

13. A user equipment UE for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to: identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; receiving information indicating a rule for selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability; selecting a span configuration or per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations based at least in part on the rule; as well as Communications are received on the carrier according to the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capabilities.

14. The UE of claim 13, wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is based at least in part on a UE type of the UE. 15 . The UE of claim 14 , wherein the UE type of the UE comprises a low-end UE type or a low-power UE type.

16. The UE of claim 13, wherein the selected per-span capability is a minimum per-span capability among the corresponding per-span capabilities.

17. The UE of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: An indication is provided regarding the ability to select a selected span configuration or a selected per-span capability.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is performed according to the capability.

19. The UE of claim 17, wherein the capability indicates whether a maximum per-span capability or a minimum per-span capability is to be selected as the selected per-span capability.

20. The UE of claim 13, wherein the rule indicates that a maximum span configuration among the two or more span configurations is to be selected or a maximum per-span capability among the corresponding per-span capabilities is to be selected.

21. The UE of claim 13, wherein the rule indicates that a minimum span configuration or per-span capability among the two or more span configurations or the corresponding per-span capabilities is to be selected.

22. The UE of claim 13, wherein the rule identifies the span configuration to be selected.

23. The UE according to claim 13, wherein: The information indicative of the rules is received via semi-static signaling.

24. The UE of claim 13, wherein the information indicating the rule is received via dynamic signaling.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising: One or more instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment UE causes the UE to: identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; receiving information indicating a rule for selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability; selecting a span configuration or per-span capability to be used for the span mode from the two or more span configurations based at least in part on the rule; as well as Communications are received on the carrier according to the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capabilities.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is based at least in part on a UE type of the UE.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the selected per-span capability is a minimum per-span capability among the corresponding per-span capabilities.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: An indication is provided regarding the ability to select a selected span configuration or a selected per-span capability.

29. A device for wireless communication, comprising: means for identifying a span configuration conflict between two or more span configurations associated with a span mode for a carrier, wherein the two or more span configurations are associated with respective per-span capabilities with respect to at least one of a number of non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) or a number of blind decodes to be performed for the carrier; means for receiving information indicative of rules for selecting said span configuration or said per-span capabilities; means for selecting a span configuration or a per-span capability to be used for the span mode from among the two or more span configurations based at least in part on the rule; as well as Means for receiving communications on the carrier in accordance with the selected span configuration or the selected per-span capabilities.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein selecting the span configuration or the per-span capability is based at least in part on a UE type of a user equipment (UE).

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