Method and apparatus for reducing operation of monitoring pdcch

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to methods and devices for reducing the operation of monitoring PDCCH. According to embodiments of the present application, a method can include receiving configuration information indicating a plurality of search space sets and an activation or deactivation status of each search space set of the plurality of search space sets; and receiving an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information (DCI) in a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in an activated status, wherein the activation-deactivation indication is configured to trigger a switching of at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated status to an activated status or a switching of the at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated status to a deactivated status. Embodiments of the present application can save power and enhance battery life for NR-Light UEs.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application generally relate to wireless communication technology, and in particular, to methods and apparatus for reducing the operation of monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). BACKGROUND

[0002] In 3GPP New Radio (NR) scenarios, a capability-reduced NR device is introduced. The capability-reduced NR device can also be referred to as a NR-Light user equipment (UE), which can refer to a UE that can perform signal transmission, such as downlink (DL) transmission, within a relatively narrow bandwidth (e.g., from a few Mbps to tens of Mbps), operate with low power consumption, operate with little resources, or operate with flexible latency requirements, etc.

[0003] Currently, a NR-Light UE can serve in three types of application scenarios, such as acting as an industrial wireless sensor, video surveillance, and wearable devices. One goal of the NR-Light UE, among other goals, is to achieve UE power saving and battery life enhancement. More specifically, PDCCH monitoring reduction for a NR-Light UE is one way to save power and enhance battery life in the NR scenario.

[0004] At least in view of the foregoing, there is a need in the industry for an improved technique to reduce monitoring of a PDCCH by a UE, particularly a NR-Light UE. SUMMARY

[0005] Some embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution for reducing monitoring of a PDCCH by a NR-Light UE.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present application, a method can include receiving configuration information indicating a plurality of search space sets and an activation or deactivation status of each search space set of the plurality of search space sets, and receiving an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information (DCI) in a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in an activated status. The activation-deactivation indication is configured to trigger a switch of at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated status to an activated status, or a switch of the at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated status to a deactivated status.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the first search space set of the plurality of search space sets in the activated state can be configured based on a first control resource set (CORESET), and the at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets in the deactivated state can be configured based on a second CORESET.

[0008] In another embodiment of the present application, the first DCI can be a fallback DCI received in the first search space set, and the fallback DCI can include at least one of: DCI format 0_0 and DCI format 1_0.

[0009] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the at least one second search space set can be associated with full capability DCI, and the full capability DCI can include at least one of: DCI format 0_1 and DCI format 1_1.

[0010] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the method can include switching the at least one second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state in response to receiving the activation-deactivation indication in the first search space set, the activation-deactivation indication configured to trigger switching at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from the deactivated state to the activated state; monitoring both the first search space set and the at least one second search space set after receiving the first DCI; and switching the first search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state in response to receiving a second DCI in any of the at least one second search space set.

[0011] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the method can include starting a timer for the second search space set in which the second DCI is received in response to receiving the second DCI; restarting the timer if a third DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires; and in the event that no DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires: switching the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state; and switching the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

[0012] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the method can include switching the at least one second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state in response to receiving the activation-deactivation indication in the first search space set, the activation-deactivation indication configured to trigger switching at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from the deactivated state to the activated state; and monitoring both the first search space set and the at least one second search space set after receiving the first DCI.

[0013] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the method can include starting a timer for each second search space set, respectively, in response to the at least one second search space set being switched to the activated state; restarting the timer in case of receiving a third DCI in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires; and switching the corresponding second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state in case of no DCI being received in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires.

[0014] According to some other embodiments of the present application, a method can include transmitting configuration information indicating a plurality of search space sets and an activation or deactivation state of each search space set of the plurality of search space sets; and transmitting an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information (DCI) in physical resources of a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets being in an activated state. The activation-deactivation indication is configured to trigger switching at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated state to an activated state; or trigger switching the at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from the activated state to the deactivated state.

[0015] Some embodiments of the present application also provide an apparatus including at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored therein, at least one receiver, at least one transmitter, and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiver, and the at least one transmitter. The computer-executable instructions are programmed to implement any of the methods described above with the at least one receiver, the at least one transmitter, and the at least one processor.

[0016] Embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution for reducing monitoring PDCCH for NR-Light UEs. Thus, embodiments of the present application can save power and enhance battery life for NR-Light UEs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the application can be obtained, a description of the application will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These figures are not drawn to scale, and are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the application.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the application;

[0019] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for reducing PDCCH monitoring operations in accordance with some embodiments of the application;

[0020] Figure 3 is a schematic timing diagram illustrating PDCCH monitoring operations in accordance with some embodiments of the application;

[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic timing diagram illustrating PDCCH monitoring operations in accordance with some other embodiments of the application;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic timing diagram illustrating PDCCH monitoring operations in accordance with some other embodiments of the application;

[0023] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for reducing PDCCH monitoring operations in accordance with some other embodiments of the application;

[0024] Figure 7 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus for reducing PDCCH monitoring operations in accordance with some embodiments of the application; and

[0025] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for reducing PDCCH monitoring operations in accordance with some other embodiments of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The detailed description of the drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present application can be practiced. It is understood that the same or equivalent functions can be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the application.

[0027] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0028] The detailed description of the drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present application can be practiced. It is understood that the same or equivalent functions can be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the application.

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to embodiments of the application.

[0031] As Figure 1 As shown in the Figure 1 Although a specific number of BSs 101 and UEs 103 are depicted in the Figure 1 Although a specific number of BSs 101 and UEs 103 are depicted in the

[0032] The BSs 101 can be distributed over a geographic region, and are often part of a radio access network that can include one or more controllers that can be communicably coupled to one or more corresponding BSs 101. In some embodiments of the application, each BS 101 can also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base station, a macrocell, a Node-B, an Evolved Node B (eNB), a gNB, a Home Node-B, a relay node, or a device, or be described using other terminology used in the art.

[0033] According to some embodiments of the application, the UE 103 can be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart television (e.g., a television connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including security cameras), a vehicle-mounted computer, a network device (e.g., a router, switch, and modem), or the like. According to some other embodiments of the application, the UE 103 can also be a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip-phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. According to some other embodiments of the application, the UE 103 can be a NR-Light UE. A NR-Light UE can have a smaller bandwidth to achieve a few Mbps to tens of Mbps of downlink (DL) throughput, lower power consumption to achieve longer UE battery life, reduced cost, relaxed latency requirements, etc. For example, the UE 103 can be an industrial sensor, a smart wearables device, a video surveillance device, or other devices with the characteristics of a NR-Light UE.

[0034] Additionally, the UE 103 can also be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a subscriber terminal, or a device, or by other terminology used in the art to describe such a device.

[0035] The BS 101 can configure at least one search space (SS) set for the UE 103 for a fallback DCI (e.g., DCI format 0 0 and DCI format 1 0) in order to support scheduling in unlicensed phases, e.g., when performing RRC reconfiguration. A search space is a set of candidate control channels (e.g., PDCCH) formed by CCEs at a given aggregation level that a UE should attempt to decode. A search space set is a set of search spaces, where each corresponds to an aggregation level. A search space set is associated with a control resource set (CORESET) and is configured by RRC signaling. The fallback DCI can have low overhead but with low capability, e.g., only supporting 1 -level single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU-MIMO) without supporting multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO).

[0036] The BS 101 can also configure at least another UE-specific search space set for the UE 103 for a full capability DCI in order to schedule advanced transmissions needed for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services, for example. However, the full capability DCI can have higher overhead than the fallback DCI.

[0037] The UE 103 needs to monitor all configured search space sets. To reduce power consumption on PDCCH monitoring, at least one of the following options can be used: the UE 103 is configured with few search space sets and control resource sets (CORESETs); the UE 103 is configured with few aggregation levels and / or few PDCCH candidates per aggregation level; and the UE 103 is configured with high monitoring periodicity.

[0038] For example, assuming that only one search space set with fallback DCI can be configured for the UE 103 for data scheduling, the power consumption on PDCCH monitoring can be reduced, e.g., during periods when no data packets are scheduled for the UE 103. However, due to the low capability of the fallback DCI, more DCIs and more data blocks for data scheduling need to be received when scheduling large packets due to the low capability of the fallback DCI. Correspondingly, the UE 103 needs to keep monitoring the DCI in only one configured search space set, perform more channel estimation operations and channel decoding than a search space set with full DCI. More power is consumed instead of more power saved, and the technical problem cannot be fully solved.

[0039] Embodiments of the disclosure provide a technical solution that can at least reduce unnecessary PDCCH monitoring (e.g., search space set monitoring performed in the UE side), which can at least solve the above technical problems. More details about the embodiments of the present application will be explained in the following in conjunction with the drawings.

[0040] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for reducing monitoring PDCCH according to some embodiments of the present application. The method can be performed by Figure 1 a UE 103 (e.g., NR-Light UE) shown in

[0041] As shown in Figure 2 shown in, in step 202, the UE 103 can receive configuration information from a base station (e.g., the base station 101 shown in Figure 1 The configuration information can indicate a plurality of search space sets and an activation or deactivation status of each search space set in the plurality of search space sets. Each search space set can be associated with a fall-back DCI or a full-capability DCI. The fall-back DCI can include at least one of the following: DCI format 0_0 and DCI format 1_0. The full-capability DCI can include at least one of the following: DCI format 01 and DCI format 11.

[0042] In the case where the configuration information indicates that a search space set is in an activated status, the UE 103 can monitor the search space set to detect DCI in the search space set at each PDCCH monitoring occasion for the search space set. In the case where the configuration information indicates that a search space set is in a deactivated status, the UE 103 can not monitor the search space set to detect downlink control information (DCI) in the search space set at each PDCCH monitoring occasion for the search space set. The PDCCH monitoring occasion for the search space set can be determined based on an offset parameter and a periodicity parameter configured by the BS 101 for the search space set.

[0043] In step 204, the UE 103 can receive an activation-deactivation indication in DCI in a search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in an activated status. The activation-deactivation indication can be configured to trigger a switch of at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated status to an activated status; or trigger a switch of at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated status to a deactivated status. According to some embodiments of the present application, one search space set can be configured to be associated with one or more other search space sets by the base station 101, such that the UE 103 can use the activation-deactivation indication received in one search space set to switch at least one of the associated search space sets between an activated status and a deactivated status.

[0044] For example, the BS 101 can configure a first search space set to be associated with one or more second search space sets. The UE 103 can receive an activation-deactivation indication in a first DCI in a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in an activated state. The UE 103 can use the activation-deactivation indication received in the first search space set to switch at least one of the associated search space sets between the activated state and a deactivated state. In some embodiments of the present application, the at least one second search space set is in the deactivated state.

[0045] According to some embodiments of the present application, a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in the activated state can be configured based on a first CORESET, and at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in the deactivated state can be configured based on a second CORESET. In other words, the first search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in the activated state can be associated with the first CORESET, and the at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in the deactivated state can be associated with the second CORESET. The association between a search space set and a CORESET can be configured by the BS 101 through radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0046] A CORESET can indicate a frequency band occupied by physical resources in a frequency domain and a number of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols occupied by physical resources in a time domain. According to some embodiments of the present application, the first CORESET is the same as the second CORESET. According to some other embodiments of the present application, the first CORESET is different from the second CORESET. For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the first CORESET and the second CORESET can be configured with different carrier frequencies. In another embodiment of the present application, the first CORESET and the second CORESET can be configured with different bandwidth parts (BWPs). In yet another embodiment of the present application, the first CORESET and the second CORESET can be configured with the same BWP but different CORESET configuration parameters. The CORESET configuration parameters can include parameters used to configure a CORESET in existing or future technologies, such as a number of OFDM symbols occupied by the CORESET in the time domain.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present application, the first search space set in the activated state can be associated with a fallback DCI. That is, the first DCI can be a fallback DCI. The fallback DCI can include at least one of the following: a DCI format 0_0; and a DCI format 1_0.

[0048] In another embodiment of the present application, at least one second search space set is associated with a full capability DCI. The full capability DCI includes at least one of: a DCI format 0_1; and a DCI format 1_1.

[0049] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the first DCI is one of: a DCI for scheduling a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission; a DCI for scheduling a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; and a DCI dedicated for search space set activation and deactivation.

[0050] According to some embodiments of the present application, upon receiving the activation-deactivation indication in the first DCI, the UE 103 can switch at least one second search space set from a deactivated state to an activated state if the activation-deactivation indication is configured to trigger switching the at least one second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state. The UE 103 can also monitor both the first search space set and the at least one second search space set. In response to receiving a second DCI in any of the at least one second search space set, the UE 103 can switch the first search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state. Thus, the UE 103 will not monitor the first search space set in the deactivated state and saves power monitoring the first search space set.

[0051] For the second search space set in which the second DCI is received, the UE 103 can start a timer in response to receiving the second DCI. In case another DCI (i.e., a third DCI) is received in the second search space set before the timer expires, the UE 103 can restart the timer. In case no DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires, the UE 103 can switch the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state and switch the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state. In embodiments of the present application, each second search space set of the at least one second search space set can be associated with a corresponding timer. The period of the timer can be configured by the BS 101. The timers for different second search space sets can be the same or different from each other.

[0052] Figure 3 An illustrative timing diagram for the operation of reducing monitoring PDCCH according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figure 3 Each slot shown in the middle illustrates a PDCCH monitoring occasion for monitoring by the UE 103 one or more search space sets in the activated state.

[0053] For simplicity, two exemplary search space sets (i.e., a first search space set in an activated state and a second search space set in a deactivated state) are configured for the UE 103 via configuration information. The first search space set can be configured with fallback DCI, and the second search space set can be configured with full capability DCI before slot #n to save overhead and power. The slot #n can be a PDCCH monitoring occasion for the first search space set, where n is an integer greater than 0.

[0054] When the UE 103 needs to transmit large data packets to the BS 101, the BS 101 can decide to activate the second search space set to schedule data transmission of the UE 103 by full capability DCI, thereby achieving efficient data transmission. Accordingly, the BS 103 can transmit an activation-deactivation indication 301 via DCI in the physical resources of the first search space set, such as a first DCI 301 to trigger the UE 103 to switch the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state at slot #n. When the UE 103 monitors the first search space set at slot #n, the UE 103 can detect the first DCI 301 in the first search space set and receive the activation-deactivation indication from the BS 101 to trigger the switch of the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state. In response to receiving the activation-deactivation indication, the UE 103 will switch the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

[0055] Accordingly, the UE 103 will monitor both the first search space set in the activated state and the second search space set in the activated state to detect DCI in the following PDCCH monitoring occasions, respectively. For example, after decoding the first DCI, the UE 103 can switch the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state and start monitoring the second search space set at slot #n+k, where n is an integer greater than 0, k is a periodicity of the PDCCH monitoring occasion and is an integer greater than 0.

[0056] To save power, the UE 103 can switch the first search space set into the deactivated state. In some embodiments of the present application, the UE 103 can switch the first search space set into the deactivated state after confirming that the BS 101 can transmit control information on the second search space set to avoid possible misalignment between the UE 103 and the BS 101.

[0057] For example, in one possible misalignment case, the UE 103 can detect a first DCI in the first search space set for PDSCH scheduling and feed back ACK / NACK to the BS 101. However, the BS 101 does not detect the ACK / NACK and keeps transmitting the DCI in the first search space set. If the UE 103 switches the first search space set to the deactivated state directly after receiving the first DCI in the first search space set, the UE 103 can not receive any DCI from the BS 101.

[0058] In another possible misalignment case, the UE 103 can detect a first DCI in the first search space set for PUSCH scheduling and transmit a PUSCH transmission to the BS 101. However, the BS 101 does not detect the PUSCH transmission and keeps transmitting the DCI in the first search space set. Similarly, if the UE 103 switches the first search space set to the deactivated state directly after receiving the first DCI in the first search space set, the UE 103 can not receive any DCI from the BS 101.

[0059] Therefore, monitoring the first search space set until it receives the second DCI in the second search space set can ensure that the UE receives the DCI from the BS 101 in time, thereby facilitating data transmission between the UE 103 and the BS 101.

[0060] In particular, according to some embodiments of the present application, at the next PDCCH monitoring occasion, e.g., slot #n+2k, the UE 103 can detect another DCI, i.e., a second DCI 302 in the second search space set. After receiving the second DCI 302 at slot #n+2k, the UE 103 will switch the first search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state. Although Figure 3 While the UE 103 is monitoring the first search space set and the second search space at the same PDCCH monitoring occasions, e.g., slot #n+k and slot #n+2k, one skilled in the art can understand that the PDCCH monitoring occasions for the first search space set and the second search space, respectively, can be different according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0061] When there is no large data packet to transmit, the BS 101 can instead schedule the UE 103 through fallback DCI to save overhead. The UE 103 can return to monitoring only the first search space set with fallback DCI. According to some embodiments of the present application, a timer can be configured to achieve this. Specifically, in response to receiving the second DCI 302 in slot #n+2k, the UE 103 can start a timer for the second search space set for a period (e.g., slot #n+2k to slot #n+8k). In case another DCI (i.e., the third DCI 303) is received in the second search space set at a PDCCH monitoring occasion (e.g., slot #n+4k) before the timer expires, the UE 103 can restart the timer. In case no DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires, the UE 103 can switch the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state and switch the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

[0062] Although Figure 3 The above example in the case of one second search space set is illustrative of a procedure for switching one second search space set based on the activated-deactivated indication, but one of skill in the art can appreciate that the above procedure can also be applied in the case of two or more second search space sets.

[0063] For example, in the case where the at least one second search space set comprises two or more second search space sets, after receiving the activated-deactivated indication in the first DCI in the first search space set, the UE 103 can switch all of the two or more second search space sets from the deactivated state to the activated state and monitor all of the two or more second search space sets for detecting DCI at their PDCCH monitoring occasions. In case the UE 103 receives a DCI in any of the two or more second search space sets, the UE 103 can switch the first search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state. Then, for the second search space set in which the second DCI is received, the UE 103 can start a corresponding timer for the second search space. For example, assuming the UE 103 receives a DCI from two second search space sets, for each second search space set, the UE 103 can start a corresponding timer and perform operations for each second search space set according to the above description.

[0064] According to embodiments of the present application, in a case where two or more search space sets are switched to the activated state, the UE 103 can switch the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state in response to any of the second search space sets having been switched from the deactivated state to the activated state. According to another embodiment of the present application, the UE 103 can switch the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state in response to all of the two or more second search space sets having been switched from the activated state to the deactivated state.

[0065] According to some other embodiments of the present application, after receiving the activation-deactivation indication in the first DCI, in a case where the activation-deactivation indication is configured to trigger switching at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from the deactivated state to the activated state, the UE 103 can also monitor both the first search space set and the at least one second search space set. The UE 103 keeps the first search space set in the activated state while waiting for the second search space set to be switched again to the deactivated state by the configured timer.

[0066] In embodiments of the present application, the UE 103 can start a timer for each second search space set, respectively, in response to the at least one second search space set being switched to the activated state. In a case where a third DCI is received in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires, the UE 103 can restart the timer. In a case where no DCI is received in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires, the UE 103 can switch the corresponding second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state.

[0067] For example, Figure 4 An illustrative timing diagram for the operation of reducing monitoring PDCCH according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figure 4 Each slot shown in FIG. 1 is a PDCCH monitoring occasion for the UE 103 to monitor one or more search space sets in the activated state.

[0068] As Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1, for simplicity, two exemplary search space sets, i.e., a first search space set in the activated state and a second search space set in the deactivated state, are configured for the UE 103 via configuration information. Before slot #n, the first search space set is in the activated state, while the second search space set is in the deactivated state. Slot #n can be a PDCCH monitoring occasion for the first search space set. The PDCCH monitoring occasions for the first search space set and the second search space set, respectively, can be determined based on the offset parameter and the periodicity parameter configured for the first search space set and the second search space set, respectively.

[0069] In time slot #n, UE 103 may receive an activation-deactivation indication from BS101 in the first DCI 401 to trigger a switch of the second search space set from a deactivated state to an active state. Upon receiving the activation-deactivation indication, UE 103 may switch the second search space set from a deactivated state to an active state. Therefore, UE 103 will monitor both the active first search space set and the active second search space set to detect DCIs in the subsequent PDCCH monitoring timings. Although Figure 4 It is explained that UE 103 monitors the first search space set and the second search space at the same PDCCH monitoring time. However, those skilled in the art will understand that, according to some embodiments of this application, the PDCCH monitoring times for the first search space set and the second search space may be different.

[0070] In response to the second search space set being switched to an active state, the UE can start a timer for the second search space set within one cycle (e.g., from time slot #n to time slot #n+6k). If another DCI (i.e., the third DCI 402) is received in the second search space set at a PDCCH monitoring time (e.g., time slot #n+4k) before the timer expires, the UE 103 can restart the timer. If no DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires, the UE 103 can switch the second search space set from an active state to a deactivated state.

[0071] although Figure 4 The above examples illustrate a procedure for switching a second search space set based on an activation-deactivation instruction, but those skilled in the art will understand that the above procedure can also be applied to situations where at least one second search space set may contain two or more second search space sets.

[0072] For example, if at least one second search space set contains two or more second search space sets, after receiving an activation-deactivation indication from the first DCI in the first search space set, the UE 103 can switch all two or more second search space sets from a deactivated state to an active state. Then, for each of the two or more second search space sets being switched to an active state, the UE 103 can start a corresponding timer for the second search space, and according to... Figure 4 The rules in the code perform operations on each second search space set.

[0073] According to another embodiment of the present application, the UE 103 can not start a timer to control the state switching of the second search space set for each of the at least one second search space set being switched to the activated state. Instead, the UE 103 can receive an activation-deactivation indication in the first DCI in the first search space set to trigger the switching of at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from the activated state to the deactivated state. In this embodiment, upon receiving the activation-deactivation indication, the UE 103 can switch each of the at least one second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state.

[0074] For example, Figure 5 An illustrative timing diagram for the operation of reducing monitoring PDCCH is illustrated according to some embodiments of the present application. Figure 5 Each slot shown in FIG. 3 is a PDCCH monitoring occasion for the UE 103 to monitor one or more search space sets in the activated state.

[0075] As Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 3, for simplicity, two exemplary search space sets (i.e., a first search space set in the activated state and a second search space set in the deactivated state) are configured for the UE 103 via configuration information. Prior to slot #n, the first search space set is in the activated state while the second search space set is in the deactivated state. Slot #n can be a PDCCH monitoring occasion for the first search space set. The PDCCH monitoring occasions for the first search space set and the second search space set, respectively, can be determined based on the offset parameter and the periodicity parameter configured for the first search space set and the second search space set, respectively.

[0076] At slot #n, the UE 103 can receive an activation-deactivation indication in the first DCI 501 from the BS 101 to trigger the switching of the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state. Upon receiving the activation-deactivation indication, the UE 103 can switch the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state. Thus, the UE 103 will monitor both the first search space set in the activated state and the second search space set in the activated state to detect DCI in the following PDCCH monitoring occasions, respectively. Although Figure 5 Although FIG. 3 illustrates the UE 103 monitoring the first search space set and the second search space set in the same PDCCH monitoring occasion, one skilled in the art can understand that the PDCCH monitoring occasions for the first search space set and the second search space, respectively, can be different according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0077] Thereafter, at slot #n+T (where T is an integer greater than 0), the UE 103 can receive an activation-deactivation indication in another DCI 502 in the first search space set to trigger switching the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state, and then the UE 103 can switch the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state. For the second search space set in the deactivated state, the UE 103 can not monitor the second search space set to detect a DCI at a PDCCH monitoring occasion for the second search space set.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the UE 103 needs to monitor the first search space set, no matter whether the at least one second search space set is in the activated state or in the deactivated state, which can also solve the possible misalignment between the UE 103 and the BS 101.

[0079] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for reducing operations of monitoring PDCCH according to some other embodiments of the present application. The method can be performed by Figure 1 the BS 101 shown in

[0080] As shown in Figure 6 shown in Figure 1 , in step 602, the BS 101 can transmit configuration information to a UE (e.g., the UE 103 shown in

[0081] In step 604, the BS 101 can transmit an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information (DCI) in a first search space set of a plurality of search space sets in a physical resource in an activated state. The activation-deactivation indication can be configured to trigger switching at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated state to an activated state; or trigger switching at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated state to a deactivated state. The physical resource can correspond to resources of control channel candidates of an aggregation level of the search space set. Therefore, the physical resource can be determined by the UE 103 based on the configuration information for the first search space set and a CORESET associated with the first search space set.

[0082] A search space can be a set of candidate control channels formed by control channel elements (CCEs) at a given aggregation level, which the apparatus should attempt to decode. A search space set is a set of search spaces, where each corresponds to an aggregation level. According to some embodiments of the present application, a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets in an activated state can be configured based on a first CORESET, and at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets in a deactivated state can be configured based on a second CORESET. In other words, the first search space set of the plurality of search space sets in an activated state can be associated with the first CORESET, and the at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets in a deactivated state can be associated with the second CORESET. The association between a search space set and a CORESET can be configured by the BS 101 through radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0083] A CORESET can indicate a frequency band occupied by physical resources in a frequency domain and a number of OFDM symbols occupied by physical resources in a time domain. According to some embodiments of the present application, the first CORESET is the same as the second CORESET. According to some other embodiments of the present application, the first CORESET is different from the second CORESET. For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the first CORESET and the second CORESET can be configured with different carrier frequencies. In another embodiment of the present application, the first CORESET and the second CORESET can be configured with different bandwidth parts (BWPs). In yet another embodiment of the present application, the first CORESET and the second CORESET can be configured with the same BWP but different CORESET configuration parameters. The CORESET configuration parameters can include parameters for a CORESET in existing technologies or future, such as a number of OFDM symbols occupied by the CORESET in a time domain.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present application, the first search space set in an activated state can be associated with a fallback DCI. That is, the first DCI can be a fallback DCI. The fallback DCI can include at least one of the following: a DCI format 0_0; and a DCI format 1_0.

[0085] In another embodiment of the present application, the at least one second search space set can be associated with a full capability DCI. The full capability DCI can include at least one of the following: a DCI format 0_1; and a DCI format 1_1.

[0086] In yet another embodiment of the present application, the first DCI is one of: a DCI for scheduling a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission; a DCI for scheduling a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; and a DCI dedicated for search space set activation and deactivation.

[0087] According to some embodiments of the present application, for efficient data transmission, the BS 101 can decide to activate at least one second search space. Accordingly, the BS 101 can switch the at least one second search space from a deactivated state to an activated state. For example, the BS 101 can flag the at least one second search space as being in the activated state. Then, the BS 101 can transmit an activation-deactivation indication in the first DCI in the physical resources of the first search space set in order to trigger the switching of at least one second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from the deactivated state to the activated state for the UE 103.

[0088] Thereafter, the BS 101 can switch the first search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state (e.g., flag the first search space set as being in the deactivated state). Meanwhile or thereafter, the BS 101 can transmit the second DCI in any of the at least one second search space set to the UE 103, such that the UE 103 can receive the DCI in the at least one second search space set, and thus the UE 103 can switch the first search space from the activated state to the deactivated state.

[0089] For each second search space set in which the second DCI is transmitted, the UE 103 can start a timer (e.g., a timer as shown in Figure 3 FIG. 2B) in response to the transmission of the second DCI. In the event that a third DCI is transmitted in the second search space set before the timer expires, the BS 101 can restart the timer. In the event that no DCI is transmitted in the second search space set before the timer expires, the BS 103 can switch the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state and switch the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state. In embodiments of the present application, each second search space set of the at least one second search space set can be associated with a corresponding timer having a period. The period can be configured by the BS 101. The timers for different second search space sets can be the same as or different from each other.

[0090] According to some other embodiments of the present application, for efficient data transmission, the BS 101 can decide to activate at least one second search space. Thus, the BS 101 can switch the at least one second search space from the deactivated state to the activated state. For example, the BS 101 can mark the at least one second search space as being in the activated state. In these embodiments, the BS 101 can not switch the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state, but keep the first search space set in the activated state, regardless of whether the at least one second search space is in the deactivated state or in the activated state.

[0091] In embodiments of the present application, the BS 101 can start a timer (e.g., the timer shown in Figure 4 ) for each second search space set, respectively, in response to the at least one second search space set being switched to the activated state. In the case that a third DCI is received in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires, the UE can restart the timer. In the case that no DCI is received in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires, the UE 103 can switch the corresponding second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state.

[0092] According to another embodiment of the present application, for each of the at least one second search space set being switched to the activated state, the BS 101 can not start a timer to control the state switching of the second search space set. Instead, the BS 101 itself can determine when to switch the at least one second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state. For example, the BS 101 itself can mark the at least one second search space set as being in the deactivated state from a time point (e.g., the slot #n+T shown in Figure 5 In this embodiment, the BS 101 can transmit another activation-deactivation indication in the first DCI in the first search space set to trigger the switching of the at least one second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state for the UE 103 at the time point, so that the UE 103 can switch each of the at least one second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state after receiving the activation-deactivation indication.

[0093] Figure 7 A schematic block diagram of a device 700 for reducing the operation of monitoring PDCCH according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. The device 700 can be the UE 103 shown in Figure 1 .

[0094] Reference is made to Figure 7, the device 700 can include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 702, at least one receiver 704, at least one transmitter 706, and at least one processor 708. In some embodiments of the application, the at least one receiver 704 and the at least one transmitter 706 can be integrated into at least one transceiver. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 702 can have computer-executable instructions stored therein. The at least one processor 708 can be coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer- readable medium 702, the at least one receiver 704, and the at least one transmitter 706. The computer-executable instructions can be programmed to implement a method with the at least one receiver 704, the at least one transmitter 706, and the at least one processor 708. The method can be a method according to embodiments of the application, such as the method shown in Figure 2 .

[0095] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a device 800 for reducing operations of monitoring PDCCH according to some other embodiments of the application is illustrated. The device 800 can be Figure 1 the base station 101 shown in

[0096] Referring to Figure 8 , the device 800 can include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 802, at least one receiver 804, at least one transmitter 806, and at least one processor 808. In some embodiments of the application, the at least one receiver 804 and the at least one transmitter 806 can be integrated into at least one transceiver. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 802 can have computer-executable instructions stored therein. The at least one processor 808 can be coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 802, the at least one receiver 804, and the at least one transmitter 806. The computer-executable instructions can be programmed to implement a method with the at least one receiver 804, the at least one transmitter 806, and the at least one processor 808. The method can be a method according to embodiments of the application, such as the method shown in Figure 6 .

[0097] Methods according to embodiments of the disclosure can also be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flow charts, and modules can also be implemented on a general purpose or specific computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device that can function according to the flow diagrams shown in the drawings can be used to implement the processor functions of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus for speech emotion recognition includes a processor and a memory. Computer programmable instructions for implementing a method of speech emotion recognition are stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to execute the computer programmable instructions to implement the method of speech emotion recognition. The method can be the method described above or other methods according to embodiments of the present application.

[0098] Alternative embodiments preferably implement methods according to embodiments of the present application in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores computer programmable instructions. The instructions are preferably executed by a computer executable component, preferably integrated with a network security system. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be stored on any suitable computer readable media such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EEPROM, optical storage (CD or DVD), hard disk, floppy disk, or any suitable device. The computer executable component is preferably a processor, but the instructions can alternatively or additionally be executed by any suitable special purpose hardware device. For example, an embodiment of the disclosure provides a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer programmable instructions stored therein. The computer programmable instructions are configured to implement the method of speech emotion recognition described above or other methods according to embodiments of the present application.

[0099] While this application has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications and variations can be employed therein and it is intended to include all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the application. For example, the various elements of the embodiments can be interchanged, added or removed in other embodiments. Also, not all of the elements of each figure need to be present in a disclosed embodiment. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art will be able to make and use the teachings of the present application by only employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the embodiments of the application as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the application.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: receive configuration information indicating a plurality of search space sets and an activated or deactivated state of each search space set of the plurality of search space sets; receive an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information (DCI) in a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in an activated state, wherein the activation-deactivation indication is configured to: trigger a switch of a second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated state to an activated state; or trigger a switch of the second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated state to a deactivated state; switch the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state in response to receiving the activation-deactivation indication in the first search space set; monitor both the first search space set and the second search space set after receiving the first DCI; and in response to receiving a second DCI in the second search space set, switch the first search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state; start a timer for the second search space set in which the second DCI is received in response to receiving the second DCI; restart the timer if a third DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires; and in the event that no DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires: switch the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state; and switch the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in the activated state is configured based on a first control resource set (CORESET), and the second search space set of the plurality of search space sets that is in the deactivated state is configured based on a second CORESET.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein the first CORESET is the same as the second CORESET.

4. The UE of claim 2, wherein the first CORESET and the second CORESET are configured with different carrier frequencies.

5. The UE of claim 2, wherein the first CORESET and the second CORESET are configured with different bandwidth parts (BWPs).

6. The UE of claim 2, wherein the first CORESET and the second CORESET are configured with the same BWP but different CORESET configuration parameters.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first DCI is a fallback DCI, and the fallback DCI comprises at least one of: a DCI format 0 0; or a DCI format 1 0.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the second search space set is associated with full capability DCI, and wherein the full capability DCI comprises at least one of: DCI format 0_1; or DCI format 1_1.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first DCI is one of: a DCI for scheduling a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission; a DCI for scheduling a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; and a DCI dedicated for search space set activation and deactivation.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to: switch the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state in response to receiving the activation-deactivation indication in the first search space set; and monitor both the first search space set and the second search space set after receiving the first DCI.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to: start a timer for each second search space set, respectively, in response to the second search space set being switched to the activated state; restart the timer in the event a third DCI is received in a corresponding second search space set before the timer expires; and switch the corresponding second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state in the event no DCI is received in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires.

12. A base station (BS) comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the BS to: transmit configuration information indicating a plurality of search space sets and an activated or deactivated state of each search space set of the plurality of search space sets; transmit an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information (DCI) in physical resources of a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets in an activated state, wherein the activation-deactivation indication is configured to: trigger a switch of a second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated state to an activated state, or trigger a switch of the second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated state to a deactivated state; wherein the second search space set is switched from the deactivated state to the activated state; wherein the first search space set is switched from the activated state to the deactivated state; transmit a second DCI in the second search space set; wherein in response to transmitting the second DCI, a timer is started for the second search space set in which the second DCI is transmitted; restart the timer in the event a third DCI is transmitted in the second search space set before the timer expires; and in the event no DCI is transmitted in the second search space set before the timer expires: switch the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state; and ​ switching the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

13. The BS of claim 12, wherein the first search space set of the plurality of search space sets in the activated state is configured based on a first control resource set (CORESET), and the second search space set of the plurality of search space sets in the deactivated state is configured based on a second CORESET.

14. The BS of claim 13, wherein the first CORESET is the same as the second CORESET.

15. The BS of claim 13, wherein the first CORESET and the second CORESET are configured with different carrier frequencies.

16. The BS of claim 13, wherein the first CORESET and the second CORESET are configured with different bandwidth parts (BWPs).

17. The BS of claim 13, wherein the first CORESET and the second CORESET are configured with the same BWP but different CORESET configuration parameters.

18. The BS of claim 12, wherein the first DCI is a fallback DCI, and the fallback DCI comprises at least one of: DCI format 0_0; or DCI format 1_0.

19. The BS of claim 12, wherein the second search space set is associated with a full capability DCI, and wherein the full capability DCI comprises at least one of: DCI format 0_1; or DCI format 1_1.

20. The BS of claim 12, wherein the first DCI is one of: a DCI for scheduling a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission; a DCI for scheduling a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; and a DCI dedicated for search space set activation and deactivation.

21. The BS of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the BS to: switch the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

22. The BS of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the BS to: start a timer for each second search space set, respectively, in response to the second search space set being switched to an activated state; restart the timer in the case of transmission of a third DCI in a corresponding second search space set before the timer expires; and switch the corresponding second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state in the case of no transmission of a DCI in the corresponding second search space set before the timer expires.

23. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving configuration information indicating a plurality of search space sets and an activated or deactivated state for each search space set of the plurality of search space sets; receiving an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information, DCI, in a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets in an activated state, wherein the activation-deactivation indication is configured to: trigger a switch of a second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated state to an activated state; or trigger a switch of the second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated state to a deactivated state; switching the second search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state in response to receiving the activation-deactivation indication in the first search space set; monitoring both the first search space set and the second search space set after receiving the first DCI; and in response to receiving a second DCI in the second search space set, switching the first search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state; starting a timer for the second search space set in which the second DCI is received in response to receiving the second DCI; restarting the timer if a third DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires; and in the event that no DCI is received in the second search space set before the timer expires: switching the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state; and switching the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

24. A method performed by a base station, BS, comprising: transmitting configuration information indicating a plurality of search space sets and an activated or deactivated state of each search space set of the plurality of search space sets; and transmitting an activation-deactivation indication in a first downlink control information, DCI, in a first search space set of the plurality of search space sets in an activated state, wherein the activation-deactivation indication is configured to: trigger a switch of a second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from a deactivated state to an activated state, or trigger a switch of the second search space set of the plurality of search space sets from an activated state to a deactivated state; wherein the second search space set is switched from the deactivated state to the activated state; wherein the first search space set is switched from the activated state to the deactivated state; transmitting a second DCI in the second search space set; wherein in response to transmitting the second DCI, a timer is started for the second search space set in which the second DCI is transmitted; restarting the timer if a third DCI is transmitted in the second search space set before the timer expires; and in the event that no DCI is transmitted in the second search space set before the timer expires: switching the second search space set from the activated state to the deactivated state; and switching the first search space set from the deactivated state to the activated state.

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