PDCCH monitoring for single DCI to multi-cell scheduling

Abstract

Wireless communication systems and methods relate to joint carrier scheduling using a single downlink control information (DCI) signal. A user equipment (UE) receives downlink control information (DCI) indicating a joint carrier scheduling scheme from a base station (BS) of a first serving cell. Using the joint carrier scheduling scheme in the DCI, the UE schedules first data for communication on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell, and schedules second data for communication on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to scheduling data over multiple cells using a single downlink control information signal. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may otherwise be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0003] In order to meet the growing demand for extended mobile broadband connections, wireless communication technology is evolving from long-term evolution (LTE) technology to the next generation of new radio (NR) technology, which can be referred to as the fifth generation (5G). For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or higher throughput, and higher reliability than LTE. NR is designed to operate over a wide range of frequency bands, for example, from low-frequency bands below about 1 GHz, and mid-frequency bands from about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz, to high-frequency bands such as millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. NR is also designed to operate on different spectrum types from licensed spectrum to unlicensed and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to opportunistically aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high-bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the advantages of NR technology to operating entities that may not have access to licensed spectrum.

[0004] Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) allows LTE technology and NR technology to operate in the same frequency band and share the same spectrum. DSS also allows operators to dynamically allocate spectrum as needed. This means that the frequency band of an NR cell operating using DSS can be allocated to an LTE cell, and vice versa. One benefit of the following aspects is that these aspects allow non-DSS cells to schedule the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on an NR cell using a single DCI. The following aspects also allow DSS or non-DSS cells to use a single DCI to schedule PDSCH or PUSCH on multiple cells.

[0005] In general, the following aspects are also directed to joint carrier scheduling techniques, which describe how a primary-secondary (P(S) cell) or secondary cell (S cell) uses a single downlink control information (DCI) to schedule data on a PDSCH or PUSCH used by a P(S) cell and data on a PDSCH or PUSCH used by an S cell. The following aspects are directed to cross-carrier scheduling techniques, which describe how an S cell uses a single DCI signal of the S cell to schedule data on a PDSCH or PUSCH used by a P(S) cell. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to have a basic understanding of the technology discussed, some aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all expected features of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, or to describe the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a summarized form as a prelude to the detailed description that follows.

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes: receiving, by a user equipment (UE) from a base station (BS) of a first serving cell, downlink control information (DCI) indicating a joint carrier scheduling scheme, and using the joint carrier scheduling scheme in the DCI to schedule first data for communication on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell, and scheduling second data for communication on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell.

[0008] In additional aspects of the disclosure, the first data communication is a downlink transmission or an uplink reception.

[0009] In further aspects of the disclosure, the second data communication is a downlink transmission or an uplink reception.

[0010] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes: sending the first data using the first shared channel, and sending the second data using the second shared channel.

[0011] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a carrier indicator field (CIF) in the DCI indicates the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0012] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes receiving, at the UE, a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0013] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes receiving, at the UE, an RRC signal indicating a number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space including the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: determining the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI indicating the same-carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme.

[0015] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes: when the UE enables search space sharing for the DCI indicating the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, receiving the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0016] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: when the CIF field indicates the joint carrier scheduling scheme, at the UE, monitoring at least one PDCCH candidate in a search space set that carries the DCI up to a maximum configurable number of DCI format sizes; and at the UE, counting the number of the DCI format sizes based on the at least one monitored PDCCH candidate in the search space set.

[0017] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: determining the number of DCI format sizes used for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the first service cell, or the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the second service cell.

[0018] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes determining a DCI format size of the DCI to be one of the preconfigured DCI format sizes sent by the BS.

[0019] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: determining the number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets using the DCI scheduling; and at the UE, monitoring a maximum of the said number of PDCCH candidates on the active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

[0020] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: determining the number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets using the DCI scheduling; and monitoring, at the UE, a maximum of the number of CCEs on the active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

[0021] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes storing, at the UE, a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0022] In additional aspects of the disclosure, the configurable number of DCIs is associated with a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0023] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes: at a base station (BS) of a first service cell, using downlink control information (DCI) to configure a joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, first data is transmitted on a first shared channel associated with the first service cell, and second data is transmitted on a second shared channel associated with a second service cell; and the BS sends the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme to a user equipment (UE).

[0024] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: at the BS, configuring a radio resource control (RRC) signal for indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0025] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes configuring, at the BS, a radio resource control (RRC) signal for indicating the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space set that can include the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0026] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes configuring the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI indicating the same-carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme.

[0027] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: sending an RRC signal to the UE to enable search space sharing for a cross-carrier scheduling scheme or a same-carrier scheduling scheme; and when the RRC signal enables the search space sharing, configuring the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0028] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes: configuring a plurality of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme; and transmitting a PDCCH including the DCI in at least one of the DCI format sizes.

[0029] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: configuring the number of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the first service cell, or the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the second service cell.

[0030] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes determining a DCI format size of the DCI to be one of pre-configured DCI format sizes.

[0031] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: determining the number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets using the DCI scheduling; and sending a maximum of the said number of PDCCH candidates to the UE on the active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

[0032] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: determining the number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets using the DCI scheduling; and sending, at the BS, a maximum of the said number of CCEs on the active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

[0033] In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the method further includes transmitting, at the BS, a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0034] Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after understanding the following description of specific, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although features of the present invention are discussed with respect to certain embodiments and drawings below, all embodiments of the present invention may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more embodiments are discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of these features may also be used according to the various embodiments of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary embodiments are discussed below as device, system, or method embodiments, it should be understood that these exemplary embodiments may be implemented with a variety of devices, systems, and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 A wireless communication network in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 2A-2C Same-carrier, cross-carrier, and joint-carrier scheduling schemes are shown in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 3 According to some aspects of the present disclosure, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates for scheduling data using same-carrier, cross-carrier, and joint-carrier scheduling schemes are shown.

[0038] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a user device according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a base station according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 6-8 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended only to describe various configurations, rather than to represent that the concepts described herein can be implemented only in these configurations. In order to have a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include some specific details. However, it is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that these concepts can be implemented without using these specific details. In some instances, in order to avoid obscuring these concepts, known structures and components are shown in block diagram form.

[0042] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, which are also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various embodiments, these techniques and devices can be used for wireless communication networks such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global mobile communication systems (GSM) networks, fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As used herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0043] OFDMA network can realize radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash OFDMA, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and GSM are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and CDMA2000 is described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between a group of telecommunications associations that aims to define globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving UMTS mobile phone standards. 3GPP may specify specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure focuses on the evolution of wireless technology from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and beyond, which use a new and different set of radio access technologies, or radio air interfaces, to share access to the radio spectrum between networks.

[0044] Specifically, 5G networks envision a variety of deployments, a variety of spectrums, and a variety of services and devices that can be implemented using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to expand to provide coverage with the following characteristics: (1) Provide ultra-high density (e.g., ~1M nodes / km) for large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) 2), ultra-low complexity (e.g., ~10s of bits / second), ultra-low power consumption (e.g., ~10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage capable of reaching challenging locations; (2) provide mission-critical control with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., ~99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., ~1ms), and provide these features to users with a wide range of mobility or lack of mobility; (3) provide enhanced mobile broadband, including ultra-high capacity (e.g., ~10Tbps / km 2 ), ultra-high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep perception with improved discovery and optimization.

[0045] 5G NR can be implemented to use an optimized OFDM-based waveform with a scalable digital scheme and transmission time interval (TTI); a general flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and functions using dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) design schemes; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the digital scheme in 5G NR has an extension of the subcarrier spacing (SCS), which can efficiently address the operation of various services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3GHz FDD / TDD implementations, such as on 5, 10, 20MHz, etc. bandwidth (BW), SCS can occur at 15kHz. For various other outdoor and small cell coverage TDD deployments greater than 3GHz, SCS can occur at 30kHz on 80 / 100MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD in the unlicensed portion of the 5GHz band, SCS can occur at 60kHz over 160MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with mmWave components at 28GHz TDD, SCS can occur at 120kHz over 500MHz BW.

[0046] 5G NR's scalable digital scheme facilitates scalable TTI to meet various latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTI can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTI can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long TTI and short TTI allows transmission to start from symbol boundaries. 5G NR also envisions a self-contained integrated subframe design with UL / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive UL / downlink, which can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between UL and downlink to meet current business needs.

[0047] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. It is obvious that the teachings of this article can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function or both disclosed herein are only representative and non-restrictive. Based on the teachings of this article, any person of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or a method can be practiced. In addition, in addition to one or more aspects set forth herein or different from one or more aspects set forth herein, other structures, functions or structures and functions can be used to implement such a device or practice such a method. For example, the method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or implemented as an instruction stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect may include at least one element of a claim.

[0048] Various aspects of the present application describe mechanisms for scheduling data using cross-carrier scheduling schemes and joint (or multi-) carrier scheduling schemes. In a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, a scheduling cell uses the DCI of the scheduling cell to schedule data on the PDSCH or PUSCH used by the scheduled cell. The scheduling cell and the scheduled cell may be a primary cell (P cell), a primary secondary cell (P(S) cell) or a secondary cell (S cell). In a multi-carrier scheduling scheme, a scheduling cell uses a single DCI to schedule data transmitted by PDSCH or PUSCH on multiple scheduled cells, wherein the scheduling cell may be a P cell, a P(S) cell or an S cell, and each of the scheduled cells may be a P cell, a P(S) cell or an S cell.

[0049] Various aspects of the present disclosure may provide several benefits. Specifically, these aspects provide benefits in a DSS environment, where a non-DSS cell may use DCI to schedule data on a DSS cell when the DSS cell does not use carriers associated with the DSS cell because these carriers have been allocated to another DSS cell. However, embodiments are not limited to DSS, and a single DCI may be used to schedule PDSCH or PUSCH on multiple cells.

[0050] Figure 1 A wireless communication network 100 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. The BS 105 may be a station that communicates with the UE 115, and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, and the like. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, depending on the context in which the term "cell" is used, the term may refer to a particular geographic coverage area of ​​the BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area.

[0051] BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell or a small cell (e.g., a pico cell or a femto cell and / or other types of cells). A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs that have a service subscription with a network provider. Small cells such as pico cells may typically cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to UEs that have a service subscription with a network provider. Small cells such as femto cells may also typically cover a smaller geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may provide restricted access to UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in a home, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1In the example shown, BS105d and 105e can be conventional macro BSs, while BS 105a-105c can be macro BSs with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD) or massive MIMO capabilities. BS 105a-105c can use their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to increase coverage and capacity by using 3D beamforming in elevation and azimuth beamforming. BS 105f can be a small cell BS, which can be a home node or a portable access point. BS 105 can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0052] The network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be roughly aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0053] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. UE 115 can also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a user unit, a station, etc. UE 115 can be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, UE 115 can be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). In another aspect, UE can be a device that does not include UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include UICC can also be referred to as IoT device or Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a-115d is an example of a mobile smart phone type device that accesses the network 100. UE 115 can also be a machine that is specially configured for connecting communications, including machine type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e-115h are examples of various machines configured for communication to access network 100. UE 115i-115k are examples of vehicles configured with wireless communication devices configured for communication to access network 100. UE 115 is capable of communicating with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc. Figure 1 In the figure, lightning (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between UE 115 and serving BS 105 (the serving BS 105 is a BS designated to serve UE 115 on downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL)), desired transmission between BS 105, backhaul transmission between BSs, or sidelink transmission between UE 115.

[0054] In operation, BS 105a-105c can use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial technologies such as coordinated multi-point (CoMP) or multi-connectivity to serve UE 115a and UE 115b. Macro BS 105d can perform backhaul communications with BS 105a-105c and small cell BS 105f. Macro BS 105d can also send multicast services subscribed and received by UE 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts (e.g., amber alerts or gray alerts).

[0055] The BS 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 (e.g., which may be examples of gNBs or access node controllers (ANCs)) may interface with the core network via a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communicating with the UE 115. In various examples, the BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the core network) via a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired link or a wireless communication link.

[0056] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications through ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices such as UE 115e, which may be a drone. The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BS 105d and BS 105e, as well as links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine type devices (e.g., UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device)) may communicate directly with a BS (e.g., small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e) through the network 100, or in a multi-step size configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network (e.g., UE 115f transmits temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which then reports it to the network through small cell BS 105f). The network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications (e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications between UEs 115i-115k, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115, and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and BS 105). A network 100 that provides TDD communications may be referred to as a TDD network.

[0057] In some implementations, the network 100 communicates using an OFDM-based waveform. An OFDM-based system can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, where subcarriers are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, frequencies, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some instances, the SCS between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into some subbands. In other instances, the duration of the SCS and / or TTI can be scalable.

[0058] In some aspects, BS 105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, while UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. The communication may be in the form of a radio frame. A radio frame may be divided into a plurality of subframes or time slots (e.g., about 20). Each time slot may be further divided into micro time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL transmission and DL reception may occur in paired spectrum. For example, each time slot includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. A subframe may also be referred to as a time slot. In TDD mode, UL transmission and DL reception occur in different time periods using the same frequency (also referred to as unpaired spectrum). For example, a subset of the time slots in a radio frame (e.g., DL time slots) may be used for DL ​​transmission, and another subset of the time slots in a radio frame (e.g., UL time slots) may be used for UL transmission. In TDD mode, one or more time slots contain a period that can be used to switch from resources for DL ​​reception to resources for UL transmission. Resources that can be used to switch from DL reception to UL transmission may be referred to as special resources or flexible resources.

[0059] The DL time slot and the UL time slot may be further divided into several areas. For example, each DL or UL time slot may have a predefined area for transmitting reference signals, control information, and data. A reference signal is a predetermined signal that facilitates communication between BS 105 and UE 115. For example, a reference signal may have a specific pilot pattern or structure, wherein the pilot tone may span an operating BW or frequency band, each located at a predefined time and a predefined frequency. For example, BS 105 may send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate a DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS 105 to estimate an UL channel. Control information may include resource allocation and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operational data. In some aspects, BS 105 and UE 115 may communicate using self-contained time slots. A self-contained subframe may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. A self-contained time slot may be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe may include a longer DL communication duration than a UL communication. A UL-centric subframe may include a longer UL communication duration than a DL communication.

[0060] In some aspects, network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. BS 105 may send synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in network 100 to facilitate synchronization. BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), remaining system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some instances, BS 105 may broadcast PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast RMSI and / or OSI on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0061] In some aspects, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of periodic timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value, which may be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify a cell. The PSS and SSS may be located at a central portion of a carrier, respectively, or may be any suitable frequency within a carrier.

[0062] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB sent in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive RMSI, OSI and / or one or more system information blocks (SIBs). The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to the random access channel (RACH) process, paging, control resource set (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical UL control channel (PUCCH), physical UL shared channel (PUSCH), power control and SRS. In some aspects, SIB1 may contain cell access parameters and scheduling information for other SIBs.

[0063] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. For example, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble, and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL authorization, a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and / or a backoff indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105, and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, RAR, connection request, and connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG1), message 2 (MSG2), message 3 (MSG3), and message 4 (MSG4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, where the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and a connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 may respond by sending a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission.

[0064] After establishing the connection, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter normal operation phases, wherein during these phases, operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL ​​communications. The BS 105 may send UL and / or DL ​​scheduling grants to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The scheduling grant may be sent in the form of DL control information (DCI). The BS 105 may send a DL communication signal (e.g., which carries data) to the UE 115 via the PDSCH based on the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send an UL communication signal to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or PUCCH based on the UL scheduling grant.

[0065] In some aspects, BS 105 may communicate with UE 115 using HARQ technology to improve communication reliability, for example, to provide URLLC services. BS 105 may schedule UE 115 for PDSCH communication by sending DL grants in PDCCH. BS 105 may send DL data packets to UE 115 according to the scheduling in PDSCH. DL data packets may be sent in the form of transport blocks (TBs). If UE 115 successfully receives the DL data packet, UE 115 may send HARQ ACK to BS 105. Conversely, if UE 115 fails to successfully receive the DL transmission, UE 115 may send HARQ NACK to BS 105. Upon receiving HARQ NACK from UE 115, BS 105 may retransmit the DL data packet to UE 115. The retransmission may include a coded version of the DL data that is the same as the initial transmission. Alternatively, the retransmission may include a coded version of the DL data that is different from the initial transmission. The UE 115 may apply soft combining to combine the coded data received from the initial transmission and the retransmission for decoding. The BS 105 and the UE 115 may also apply HARQ to UL communications using a substantially similar mechanism to DL HARQ.

[0066] In some aspects, the network 100 may operate on a system bandwidth (BW) or a component carrier (CC) BW. The network 100 may divide the system BW into multiple BWPs (e.g., parts). The BS 105 may dynamically allocate the UE 115 to operate on a certain BWP (e.g., a certain part of the system BW). The allocated BWP may be referred to as an active BWP. The UE 115 may monitor the active BWP for signaling information from the BS 105. The BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 to perform UL or DL ​​communications in the active BWP. In some aspects, the BS 105 may allocate a pair of BWPs within a CC to the UE 115 for UL and DL communications. For example, the pair of BWPs may include: one BWP for UL communication and one BWP for DL ​​communication.

[0067] In some aspects, the network 100 may operate on a shared channel, which may include a shared spectrum and / or an unlicensed spectrum. For example, the network 100 may be an unlicensed NR (NR-U) network operating on an unlicensed spectrum.

[0068] In some aspects, the cell may be a primary serving cell P(S) cell or a serving cell (also referred to as an auxiliary cell), collectively referred to as an S cell. The P(S) cell may operate on a primary frequency, where the UE 115 performs an initial connection establishment process, initiates a connection reestablishment process with the BS 105, uses a HARQ-ACK feedback of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), radio link monitoring, or a combination thereof. The P(S) cell may also be indicated as a primary cell during a handover process. The S cell may operate on an auxiliary frequency and may provide additional radio resources for transmissions between the UE 115 and the BS 105.

[0069] In a conventional network, a cell such as a P(S) cell or an S cell may use DCI to schedule data on the PDSCH or PUSCH of a carrier used by each cell. This is referred to as a same-carrier scheduling scheme. In the same-carrier scheduling scheme, a P(S) cell may use a PDCCH for carrying DCI to schedule a PDSCH or PUSCH carrying data on a carrier associated with the P(S) cell. Similarly, an S cell may use a PDCCH to carry DCI in order to schedule a PDSCH or PUSCH on a carrier associated with the S cell. In some conventional networks, a P(S) cell may use a PDCCH for carrying DCI to schedule a PDSCH or PUSCH for an S cell, or an S cell may use a PDCCH for carrying DCI to schedule a PDSCH or PUSCH for another S cell. However, in a conventional network, an S cell cannot use DCI to schedule transmissions using a PDSCH or PUSCH on a P(S) cell.

[0070] Various aspects of the present disclosure describe a cross-carrier scheduling scheme that uses a PDCCH for carrying a single DCI for an S cell for cross-carrier scheduling of a PDSCH or PUSCH on a P(S) cell. Various aspects of the present disclosure also describe a joint carrier scheduling scheme that uses a PDCCH for carrying a single DCI for a P(S) cell or an S cell to schedule data transmission using PDSCH or PUSCH on a P(S) cell and an S cell. In some instances, the number of cells that can be scheduled may be limited by a cell threshold (e.g., two). In other instances, these aspects limit and / or constrain the increase in DCI size due to the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0071] In a network that implements dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology (e.g., an NR network), cross-carrier scheduling schemes and joint carrier scheduling schemes may be beneficial. In DSS technology, LTE cells and NR cells can share spectrum, which can be dynamically allocated to LTE cells or NR cells as needed. For example, assume that a spectrum is allocated to an LTE cell. However, the NR cell may also need the spectrum to schedule a PDCCH with a DCI, where the DCI schedules data on the PDSCH or PUSCH used by the NR cell. In this case, a non-DSS cell can use a cross-carrier scheduling scheme and send a DCI in the PDCCH to schedule PDSCH or PUSCH for the NR cell. In another example, a non-DSS cell can use a joint carrier scheduling scheme and send a DCI in the PDCCH of the non-DSS cell to schedule PDSCH or PUSCH for the NR cell and the non-DSS cell.

[0072] Figure 2A is a diagram 200A illustrating a same-carrier scheduling scheme in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 2A Spectra 205A and 205B are shown. Spectrum 205A is associated with S cell 210, and spectrum 205B is associated with P(S) cell 215. Spectrum 205A may include one or more carriers for transmitting control information and data associated with S cell 210. Spectrum 205B may include one or more carriers for transmitting control information and data associated with P(S) cell 215. According to aspects of the present disclosure, S cell 210 may be a non-DSS cell, and P(S) cell may be a DSS cell, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Figure 2A As shown in , when the SCell 210 is the scheduling cell, the PDCCH carries the DCI 220 in the spectrum 205A to schedule the PDSCH 225A or the PUSCH (not shown) in the spectrum 205A used by the SCell 210 .

[0073] Figure 2B FIG. 200B is a diagram illustrating a cross-carrier scheduling technique according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 2B Spectra 205A and 205B are shown. Figure 2A , spectrum 205A is associated with S cell 210, and spectrum 205B is associated with P(S) cell 215. Figure 2AIn the embodiment, spectrum 205A may include one or more carriers for transmitting control information and data associated with SCell 210, and spectrum 205B may include one or more carriers for transmitting control information and data associated with P(S)cell 215. According to non-limiting aspects of the present disclosure, SCell 210 may be a non-DSS cell, and P(S)cell may be a DSS cell. Figure 2B As shown in , the PDCCH of the S cell 210 carries DCI 220 in the spectrum 205A to perform cross-carrier scheduling of data transmitted using the PDSCH 225B or PUSCH (not shown) of the P(S) cell 215. It is worth noting that because the DCI 220 schedules the PDSCH 225B or PUSCH in the P(S) cell 215, the spectrum 205B is used to send the PDSCH 225B or PUSCH.

[0074] Figure 2C 200C is a diagram illustrating a joint carrier scheduling scheme according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 2A -B, Figure 2C Spectra 205A and 205B are also shown, where spectrum 205A is associated with S cell 210 and spectrum 205B is associated with P(S) cell 215. Spectrum 205A may include one or more carriers for transmitting control information and data associated with S cell 210, and spectrum 205B may include one or more carriers for transmitting control information and data associated with P(S) cell 215. According to non-limiting aspects of the present disclosure, S cell 210 may be a non-DSS cell and P(S) cell may be a DSS cell. Figure 2C As shown in , the PDCCH of the S cell 210 can use spectrum 205A to carry DCI 220 for joint carrier scheduling of PDSCH 225A on the S cell 210 and PDSCH 225B of the P(S) cell 215. It is worth noting that PDSCH 225A is transmitted using spectrum 205A, while PDSCH 225B is transmitted using spectrum 205B. In addition, these aspects are not limited to PDSCH 225A-B, and can also be used to schedule data using PUSCH on both the S cell 210 and the P(S) cell 215. Although not shown, the P(S) cell 215 can also use joint carrier scheduling techniques and use the PDCCH for carrying the DCI of the P(S) cell 215 to schedule data on PDSCH 225A and PDSCH 225B (or PUSCH).

[0075] In some aspects, in order to schedule data using DCI 220 to perform a same-carrier, cross-carrier, or joint-carrier scheduling scheme, the BS 105 of the S cell 210 may send a PDCCH including the DCI 220 to one or more UEs 115 operating in the S cell 210 or the P(S) cell 215. The DCI 220 may include a dedicated field and value indicating the following information: the DCI 220 schedules the PDSCH on the same cell, across cells 210, 215, or multiple cells 210, 215 (also referred to as a set of cells 210, 215). In some instances, for DCI 220 with a non-fallback DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_1, 0_2, 1_1, and / or 1_2), the value may be stored in a carrier indicator field (CIF). For DCI with a fallback DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_0 and / or 1_0), the value may be stored in another dedicated field. It is worth noting that the CIF in a conventional network may not be configured so that the DCI in the SCell schedules the PDSCH or PUSCH in the PScell ​​(e.g., Figure 2B In the cross-carrier scheduling scheme discussed in Figure 2C In some instances, CIF=0 corresponds to a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, where the S cell 210 schedules data on the P(S) cell 215, CIF=1 corresponds to a same-carrier scheduling scheme, where the S cell 210 schedules data on the S cell 210, and CIF=2 corresponds to joint carrier scheduling, where the S cell 210 schedules data on both the P(S) cell 215 and the S cell 210. It is worth noting that the following aspects discuss the S cell 210 as a scheduling cell for the joint carrier scheduling scheme, however, these aspects can also be applied to the P(S) cell 215 as a scheduling cell in the joint carrier scheduling scheme.

[0076] As described above, BS 105 may send a PDDCH carrying DCI 220 to UE 115. PDCCH may be sent in a PDCCH region in a DL frame of one or more carriers. The PDCCH region may have many places where a specific PDCCH is located, and UE 115 may search for possible positions in the PDCCH region. A possible set of positions for PDCCH may be referred to as a search space, and each possible position may be referred to as a PDCCH candidate. For optimization purposes, the search space may be further constrained by a set of control channel element (CCE) positions. CCE positions may include a subset of PDCCH candidates from which UE 115 can identify a PDCCH. One or more CCE positions may also be aggregated according to an aggregation level. An aggregation level (e.g., 1, 2, 4, or 8) may indicate the number of CCEs comprising a PDCCH.

[0077] In some aspects, dedicated RRC signaling may be used to configure the association between the CIF value and the same carrier, cross-carrier, or joint carrier scheduling scheme. The BS 105 may send an RRC signal including the values ​​of some / all variables in the following equation 1. Equation 1 determines the index of the CCE of the PDCCH candidate so that the UE 115 monitoring the PDCCH can identify where the PDCCH candidate including the PDCCH is:

[0078]

[0079] In Equation 1, L is the aggregation level (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16) of a given PDCCH candidate; index i is the index of a CCE in the aggregation level L CCEs for a given PDCCH candidate; is a hash function, wherein the value of the hash function for the common search space (CSS) is fixed to zero, and for the UE-specific search space (USS), the value of the hash function depends on the RNTI and the time slot index; N CCE，p is the number of CCEs used for a given CORESET p; is the number of PDCCH candidates for a given aggregation level L in the search space s; index m s yes The index of the PDCCH candidate among the PDCCH candidates; n CI Corresponds to the value in CIF. Since the CIF values ​​of the same carrier, cross-carrier and joint carrier scheduling schemes are different, n CI The value of is also different. CI The value of is different, the above formula 1 can generate different CCE indices for each of the same-carrier, cross-carrier and joint-carrier scheduling schemes, which means that formula 1 will also generate different PDCCH candidates, including PDCCHs associated with the same-carrier, cross-carrier and multi-carrier scheduling schemes.

[0080] In some aspects, the CIF values ​​correspond to different PDCCH candidates for a non-fallback DCI format. Figure 3 300 is a diagram illustrating different PDCCH candidates corresponding to different CIF values ​​according to some aspects of the present disclosure. For example, CIF=0 corresponds to a first PDCCH candidate set 305A, CIF=1 corresponds to a second PDCCH candidate set 305B, and CIF=2 corresponds to a third PDCCH candidate set 305C. The PDCCH candidates in sets 305A-C may belong to the same search space that UE 115 monitors. Although in Figure 3In the embodiment, the number of PDCCH candidates in each of the PDCCH candidate sets 305A-305C is shown as four, but the aspects are not limited to this embodiment, and there may be a different number of PDCCH candidates in each of the sets 305A-305C. In addition, the PDCCH candidates in the sets 305A, 305B, and 305C may be in different positions within the PDCCH region.

[0081] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the number of PDCCH candidates in sets 305A-305C can be configured using RRC signaling. For example, the number of PDCCH candidates per aggregation level for a non-fallback DCI format with a CIF value (CIF=2) corresponding to scheduling PDSCH on multiple service cells is configured by RRC signaling. For example, the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305C can be included as part of SearchSpace, PDCCH-Config, crossCarrierSchedulingConfig, or any other signal in RRC signaling. RRC signaling can also be used to independently configure the number of PDCCH candidates per aggregation level for a non-fallback DCI format with a CIF value corresponding to the same carrier and joint carrier scheduling schemes. In this case, the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305C can be configured independently of the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305A or 305C, and can be different from the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305A and / or 305B. The non-fallback DCI format may be DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 for scheduling PDSCH and DCI format 0_1 ​​or 0_2 for scheduling PUSCH, while the fallback DCI format may be DCI format 0_0 and DCI format 1_0. For the fallback DCI format, other signals or fields in RRC may be used to configure the number of PDCCH candidates.

[0082] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the number of PDCCH candidates per aggregation level for a non-fallback DCI format having a CIF value (CIF=2) corresponding to scheduling PDSCH on multiple service cells is the same as the number of candidates for a CIF value (CIF=0 or CIF=1) corresponding to scheduling PDSCH on one of the service cells. For example, the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305C corresponding to CIF=2 is the same as the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305A corresponding to CIF=0. Therefore, if the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305A is three, the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305C is also three. In another example, the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305C corresponding to CIF=2 is the same as the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305B corresponding to CIF=1. Therefore, if the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305A is five, the number of PDCCH candidates in set 305C is also five.

[0083] As described above, the number of PDCCH candidates that can be used for the same carrier, cross-carrier, and joint carrier scheduling schemes can be configured using RRC signaling. In this case, the BS 105 configures the RRC signaling and sends the RRC signaling to the UE 115. The UE 115 parses the RRC signaling and monitors the number of PDCCH candidates for the same carrier, cross-carrier, and joint carrier scheduling schemes as indicated in the RRC signaling.

[0084] As described above, the set of PDCCH candidates that UE 115 can monitor is defined based on a PDCCH search space set. The search space set can be a common search space set, or can be a UE-specific search space set. In some instances, PDCCH candidates carrying DCI for a joint carrier scheduling scheme can share a search space set with PDCCH candidates carrying DCI for a same-carrier scheduling scheme and a cross-carrier scheduling scheme. For example, UE 115 can be configured to operate with carrier aggregation, and search space sharing can be indicated by one or more parameters. Example parameters can be searchSpaceSharingCA-UL or searchSpaceSharingCA-DL in RRC. If UE 115 indicates support for search space sharing, UE 115 can also support support for multi-cell scheduling with n CI Search space sharing of associated PDCCH candidates. For example, assuming UE 115:

[0085] is configured to operate with carrier aggregation, and

[0086] indicating support for search space sharing via one or more parameters (e.g., searchSpaceSharingCA-UL or searchSpaceSharingCA-DL), and

[0087] For DCI format 0_1 ​​or DCI format 1_1, a PDCCH candidate with CCE aggregation level L in CORESET p, which has a first size and is associated with serving cell n CI,2 Associated.

[0088] Then, UE 115 may receive the corresponding PDCCH (for DCI format 0_1 ​​or DCI format 1_1, respectively) through the PDCCH candidate with CCE aggregation level L in CORESET p, which has the second size and is associated with serving cell n. CI,1 In addition, if the UE 115 satisfies the above conditions, the UE 115 may also receive the DCI for scheduling data on the P(S) cell 215 or the S cell 210 on the PDCCH candidate associated with CIF=2. In addition, if the UE 115 satisfies the above conditions, the UE 115 may receive the DCI for scheduling data on both the S cell 210 or the P(S) cell 215 on the PDCCH candidate associated with CIF=0 or CIF=1.

[0089] In a conventional network, UE 115 monitors PDCCH candidates up to a configurable number of DCI format sizes. Example sizes of DCI formats may be four. Some of these DCI format sizes (e.g., three DCI format sizes) may have a CRC scrambled by the C-RNTI of each serving cell. When UE 115 monitors PDCCH candidates, UE 115 may count the number of DCI format sizes for each serving cell based on the number of PDCCH candidates configured in the corresponding search space set of the corresponding active DL BWP.

[0090] As described above, in network 100, UE 115 may be configured with a joint carrier scheduling scheme, where a single DCI schedules data on multiple serving cells, e.g., a DCI for S cell 210 schedules data on S cell 210 and P(S) cell 215. As part of the joint carrier scheduling scheme, UE 115 may be configured to monitor and count the number of DCI format sizes.

[0091] In a first aspect, the UE 115 may monitor PDCCH candidates for up to a first configurable number of DCI format sizes (e.g., four sizes). Of these DCI format sizes, up to a second configurable number of sizes (e.g., three sizes) may be CRC-scrambled by the C-RNTI. The total number of DCI format sizes that the UE 115 may monitor for each serving cell may include the number of DCI formats for scheduling data on the serving cell, and the per-CIF value of the DCI format for scheduling data on multiple serving cells. The UE 115 may also count the number of DCI format sizes per serving cell for the DCI format for scheduling data on the serving cell and the per-CIF value of the DCI format for scheduling data on multiple serving cells based on the number of PDCCH candidates configured in the corresponding search space set for the corresponding active DL BWP. For example, for communications on a serving cell corresponding to CIF=0, the UE 115 may monitor and count PDCCH candidates for up to four DCI format sizes. In another example, for communications on a serving cell corresponding to CIF=1, UE 115 may monitor and count PDCCH candidates for up to four DCI format sizes. In another example, for communications on a serving cell corresponding to CIF=2, UE 115 may monitor and count PDCCH candidates for up to four DCI format sizes. In some aspects, there may be a dedicated number of DCI format sizes (e.g., three or four sizes) that may be used to schedule DCI for data on multiple serving cells. Thus, in an embodiment where CIF has three values ​​identifying a same-carrier scheduling scheme, a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, and a joint carrier scheduling scheme, and each scheme corresponds to four DCI format sizes, UE 115 may monitor up to 12 different sizes of DCI formats.

[0092] In a second aspect, the number of DCI format sizes that UE 115 may monitor may not increase with a joint carrier scheduling scheme. This is because the size of a DCI used to schedule data on multiple serving cells may be aligned with the size of a DCI that schedules data on one of the serving cells. For example, Figure 2C The number of DCI format sizes in the joint carrier scheduling scheme shown can be Figure 2A The number of DCI format sizes used by the same carrier scheduling scheme as shown is aligned with, or Figure 2A The number of DCI format sizes used by the cross-carrier scheduling scheme shown in B is aligned. In this case, if the same-carrier scheduling scheme uses up to four DCI format sizes, then the joint-carrier scheduling scheme can also use up to four DCI format sizes. Alternatively, if the cross-carrier scheduling scheme uses up to three DCI format sizes, then the joint-carrier scheduling scheme can also use up to three DCI format sizes.

[0093] In a third aspect, there may be a configurable number of DCI format sizes (e.g., four DCI format sizes) that may be used for same-carrier, cross-carrier, and joint-carrier scheduling schemes. In this case, when UE 115 is configured with DCI that schedules data on multiple serving cells, the size of the DCI format is independent of the value of the CIF. Instead, the size of each field in the DCI is determined based on the configuration of all CCs that may be scheduled individually or jointly by the scheduling cell. For example, if the number of DCI format sizes is limited to a configurable number (e.g., four DCI format sizes), then the same-carrier, cross-carrier, and joint-carrier scheduling schemes may use these four DCI format sizes.

[0094] In some aspects, the number of PDCCH candidates and the number of non-overlapping CCEs per time slot that a UE 115 may monitor are specified per scheduling cell. In network 100, a UE 115 is configured to monitor a DCI with an active DL BWP using SCS configuration u. downlink cells and downlink cell sets, where N includes the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets that can schedule data by one DCI. In other words, the downlink cell set scheduled using the joint carrier scheduling scheme can be regarded as UE 115 does not need to monitor more than 100 ms per time slot on the active DL BWP of the scheduling cell for each scheduled cell or each set of downlink cells scheduled by the DCI. PDCCH candidates or more non-overlapping CCEs.

[0095] In network 100, if UE 115 is configured with a DCI with an active DL BWP using SCS configuration u downlink cells and downlink cell sets (where Then, UE 115 does not need to monitor more than 100 active DLBWPs per time slot on the scheduling cell for each scheduled cell or each set of downlink cells scheduled by DCI. PDCCH candidates or more Therefore, the number of PDCCH candidates (M) and the number of non-overlapping CCEs (C) that UE 115 can monitor may depend on N, where N is the number of scheduled cells and downlink cell sets scheduled using the joint carrier scheduling scheme. For example, referring to Figure 2A-2C Same-carrier scheduling, cross-carrier scheduling and multi-carrier scheduling, N=3.

[0096] In some aspects of the present disclosure, UE 115 may be configured to store DL and UL DCI for scheduled cells. For example, when DCI is used to schedule a cell or a set of cells, UE 115 may receive up to a configurable number of PDCCHs (e.g., up to 16 PDCCHs) for DCI formats 1_0 and 1_1. For example, UE 115 may receive up to 16 PDCCHs for DCI formats 1_0 or 1_1 with a CRC scrambled by a C-RNTI, CS-RNTI, or MCS-RNTI. PDCCHs of DCI formats 1_0 and 1_1 may schedule up to a configurable number of PDSCHs, e.g., up to 16 PDSCH receptions for which UE 115 may not receive any corresponding PDSCH symbols. In another example, for DCI format 0_0 or 0_1 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI, CS-RNTI or MCS-RNTI, UE 115 may also receive up to 16 PDCCHs, where these 16 PDCCHs schedule 16 PUSCH transmissions for which the UE has not yet sent corresponding PUSCH symbols. The algorithm for UE 115 to receive and store multiple DCIs is as follows: If UE 115:

[0097] Not configured for NR-DC operation and the ability to monitor PDCCH candidates (for DCI scheduled) is indicated by pdcch-BlindDetectionCA downlink cell and downlink cell set), and UE 115 is configured with DCI scheduling Downlink cells and downlink cell sets or DCI scheduling uplink cells and uplink cell sets, or

[0098] A group of cells configured for NR-DC operation and configured with DCI scheduling Downlink cells and downlink cell sets or DCI scheduling and the uplink cell set,

[0099] Then for the following format, the maximum configurable number of packets that UE 115 may expect to receive is (For example, ):

[0100] DCI format 1_0, 1_1 or 1_2 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI, or CS-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI, which schedules all UEs 115 not already scheduled in the DCI Any corresponding PDSCH symbol is received on the downlink cell and the downlink cell set PDSCH reception, and

[0101] DCI format 0_0, 0_1 or 0_2 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI, or CS-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI, which schedules all UEs not yet scheduled by the DCI Any corresponding PUSCH symbol is sent on the uplink cell and the uplink cell set PUSCH transmissions.

[0102] Figure 4 400 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 1 1. As shown, UE 400 may include a processor 402, a memory 404, a DCI configuration module 408, a transceiver 410 (which includes a modem subsystem 412 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 414), and one or more antennas 416. These elements may communicate directly or indirectly with each other, for example, via one or more buses.

[0103] The processor 402 may include: a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 402 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such structure.

[0104] The memory 404 may include a cache memory (e.g., a cache memory of the processor 402), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, a solid-state memory device, a hard drive, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In one aspect, the memory 404 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 404 may store instructions 406 or have instructions 406 recorded thereon. The instructions 406 may include, when executed by the processor 402, causing the processor 402 to perform the operations described herein with respect to the UE 115 in conjunction with aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., Figure 6-8Instructions 406 may also be referred to as program code. The program code may be used to cause the wireless communication device to perform the operations, such as by causing one or more processors (e.g., processor 402) to control or command the wireless communication device to perform the operations. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, processes, and the like. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or multiple computer-readable statements.

[0105] The DCI configuration module 408 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The DCI configuration module 408 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 406 stored in the memory 404 and executed by the processor 402. In some instances, the DCI configuration module 408 may be integrated into the modem subsystem 512. The DCI configuration module 408 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 412.

[0106] The DCI configuration module 408 can identify the PDCCH carrying the DCI received by the UE 115, 400 from the BS 105. Based on the CIF value in the DCI, the DCI configuration module 408 can determine whether the DCI uses a same-carrier scheduling scheme, a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or a joint-carrier scheduling scheme to schedule the PDSCH. The DCI configuration module 408 can also identify parameters in the RRC signaling that the UE 115 can use to identify the location of PDCCH candidates, which can include PDCCHs carrying DCI for the same-carrier scheduling scheme, the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or the multi-carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 408 can also identify parameters in the RRC signaling for the following information that the UE 115, 400 can use to identify the number of PDCCH candidates that can be used for the same-carrier scheduling scheme, the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or the joint-carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 408 may also identify parameters in the RRC signaling indicating whether the UE 115, 400 supports search space sharing and is enabled to identify the number of PDCCH candidates that can be used for a same-carrier scheduling scheme, a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or a joint-carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 408 may also identify parameters in the RRC signaling indicating the number of DCI format sizes that can be used for a same-carrier scheduling scheme, a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or a multi-carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 408 may also identify parameters in the RRC signaling indicating the number of PDCCH candidates per time slot that the UE 115, 400 may be configured to monitor for each scheduling cell and the number of non-overlapping CCE candidates. The DCI configuration module 408 may also identify parameters in the RRC signaling indicating the number of DL or UL DCIs that the UE 115, 400 may store for each scheduled cell. The DCI configuration module 408 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., Figure 1-3 and Figure 6-8 aspects of the .

[0107] As shown, the transceiver 410 may include a modem subsystem 412 and an RF unit 414. The transceiver 410 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices (e.g., BS 105). The modem subsystem 412 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 404. The RF unit 414 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., PSSCH data and / or PSCCH control information) from the modem subsystem 412 (for outbound transmission) or a transmission originating from another source (e.g., UE 115 or BS 105). In addition, the RF unit 414 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated with the transceiver 410, the modem subsystem 412 and the RF unit 414 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the UE 115 to enable the UE 115 to communicate with other devices.

[0108] RF unit 414 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets (or, more specifically, data messages containing one or more data packets and other information)) to antenna 416 for transmission to one or more other devices. Antenna 416 may also receive data messages sent from other devices. Antenna 416 may provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at transceiver 410. Antenna 416 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links. RF unit 414 may configure antenna 416.

[0109] In some aspects, the UE 400 may include multiple transceivers 410 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the UE 400 may include a single transceiver 410 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 410 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0110] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a BS 500 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. BS 500 may be as described above in Figure 1 . As shown, BS 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a DCI configuration module 508, a transceiver 510 (which includes a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514), and one or more antennas 516. These elements may communicate directly or indirectly with each other, for example, via one or more buses.

[0111] The processor 502 may have various characteristics as a particular type of processor. For example, these may include: a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 502 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, several microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such structure.

[0112] The memory 504 may include a cache memory (e.g., a cache memory of the processor 502), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, a solid-state memory device, one or more hard disk drives, a memristor-based array, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some aspects, the memory 504 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 504 may store instructions 506. The instructions 506 may include: when executed by the processor 502, cause the processor 502 to perform the operations described herein (e.g., Figure 6-8 Instructions 506 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements, such as those described above with reference to Figure 4 discussed.

[0113] The DCI configuration module 508 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The DCI configuration module 508 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 506 stored in the memory 504 and executed by the processor 502. In some instances, the DCI configuration module 508 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 512. The DCI configuration module 508 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 512.

[0114] The DCI configuration module 508 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., Figure 1-3 and Figure 6-8). The DCI configuration module 508 may be configured to send a PDCCH carrying DCI for same-carrier, cross-carrier, and joint-carrier scheduling schemes to the UE 115. For example, the DCI configuration module 508 may include a CIF in the DCI, wherein CIF=0 indicates a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, CIF=1 indicates a same-carrier scheduling scheme, and CIF=2 indicates a joint-carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 508 may also configure parameters in the RRC signaling (or another signaling) that may identify the location of PDCCH candidates, wherein these PDCCH candidates may include PDCCHs carrying DCI for the same-carrier scheduling scheme, the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or the joint-carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 508 may also configure parameters in the RRC signaling that the UE 115, 400 may use to identify the number of PDCCH candidates, wherein these PDCCH candidates may be used for the same-carrier scheduling scheme, the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or the joint-carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 508 may also configure parameters in RRC signaling that enable the UE 115 to support search space sharing and identify the number of PDCCH candidates that can be used for the same carrier, cross-carrier, or joint carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 508 may also configure the RRC signaling with the number of DCI format sizes that can be used for the same carrier scheduling scheme, the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, or the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The DCI configuration module 508 may configure the parameters in RRC signaling with the number of PDCCH candidates per time slot that the UE 115, 400 can be configured to monitor for each scheduling cell and the number of non-overlapping CCE candidates. The DCI configuration module 508 may also configure parameters in RRC signaling for indicating the number of DL or UL DCIs that the UE 115, 400 can store per scheduled cell.

[0115] As shown, the transceiver 510 may include a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514. The transceiver 510 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices (e.g., UE 115 and / or 400 and / or another core network element). The modem subsystem 512 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 514 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data (e.g., grant, resource allocation) from the modem subsystem 512 (for outbound transmission) or a transmission originating from another source (e.g., UE 115 and / or UE 400). In addition, the RF unit 514 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated with the transceiver 510, the modem subsystem 512 and / or the RF unit 514 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the BS 105, 500 to enable the BS 105, 500 to communicate with other devices.

[0116] The RF unit 514 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets (or, more specifically, data messages containing one or more data packets and other information)) to the antenna 516 for transmission to one or more other devices. For example, this may include transmitting information to complete attachment to a network and communication with a resident UE 115 or 400 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The antenna 516 may also receive data messages sent from other devices and provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 510. The antenna 516 may include multiple antennas having similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0117] In one example, the transceiver 510 is configured to transmit the TDD configuration by coordinating with the DCI configuration module 508. In one aspect, the BS 500 may include multiple transceivers 510 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the BS 500 may include a single transceiver 510 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 510 may include various components, wherein different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0118] Figure 6600 is a flow chart of a communication method 600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 600 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other appropriate components) of a wireless communication device or other appropriate units for performing these steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as UE 115 or UE 400 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 402, a memory 404, a DCI configuration module 408, a transceiver 410, a modem 412, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 600. As shown, method 600 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 600 may include other steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0119] At step 610, the method 600 includes receiving, by the UE, a PDCCH including the DCI from the BS. For example, the UE 115 may receive the PDCCH by monitoring PDCCH candidates including the DCI 220. In some instances, the DCI 220 may include a cross-carrier scheduling scheme, such as when the BS 105 of the S cell 210 uses the DCI 220 to schedule a PUSCH or a PDSCH 225B on the P(S) cell 215.

[0120] At step 620, the method 600 includes: processing the DCI received in step 610. For example, the DCI configuration module 408 can identify the CIF in the DCI 220 and determine that CIF=0. When CIF=0, the DCI configuration module 408 can determine that the DCI includes a cross-carrier scheduling scheme. As described above, in the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, the BS 105 of the S cell 210 can schedule the PUSCH or PDSCH 225B of the UE 115 from / to the P(S) cell 215.

[0121] At step 630 , the method 600 includes: transmitting or receiving data by the UE using the PUSCH or PUDSCH. For example, the UE 115 may transmit or receive data on the PUSCH or PDSCH 225B using the spectrum 205B of the P(S) cell 215 .

[0122] Figure 7700 is a flow chart of a communication method 700 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 700 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other appropriate components) of a wireless communication device or other appropriate units for performing these steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as UE 115 or UE 400 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 402, a memory 404, a DCI configuration module 408, a transceiver 410, a modem 412, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 700. As shown, method 700 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 700 may include other steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0123] At step 710, the method 700 includes receiving, by the UE, a PDCCH including a DCI from the BS. For example, the UE 115 may receive the PDCCH by monitoring PDCCH candidates and identifying a PDCCH candidate including the DCI 220. In some instances, the DCI 220 may include a joint carrier scheduling scheme, such as when the BS 105 of the S cell 210 uses the DCI 220 to schedule a PDSCH 225B on the P(S) cell 215 and a PDSCH 225A on the S cell 210. Although not discussed, the DCI may also include a joint carrier scheduling scheme, such as when the BS 105 of the P(S) cell 215 uses the DCI 220 to schedule a PDSCH 225B on the P(S) cell 215 and a PDSCH 225A on the S cell 210.

[0124] At step 720, the method 700 includes: processing the DCI received in step 710. For example, the DCI configuration module 408 can identify the CIF in the DCI 220 and determine that CIF=2. When CIF=2, the DCI configuration module 408 can determine that the DCI includes a joint carrier scheduling scheme. As described above, in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, the BS 105 of the S cell 210 can schedule the PDSCH 225B on the P(S) cell 215 and the PDSCH 225A on the S cell 210.

[0125] At step 730, the method 700 includes: the UE uses the PUSCH or PDSCH to send or receive data. For example, the UE 115 can use the spectrum 205A of the S cell 210 to receive data on the PDSCH 225A, and use the spectrum 205B of the P(S) cell 215 to receive data on the PDSCH 225B. In another example, the UE 115 can use the spectrum 205A of the S cell 210 to send data on the PUSCH, and use the spectrum 205B of the P(S) cell 215 to send data on the PUSCH.

[0126] Figure 8 800 is a flow chart of a communication method 800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 800 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other appropriate components) of a wireless communication device or other appropriate units for performing these steps. For example, a base station such as BS 105 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 502, a memory 504, a DCI configuration module 508, a transceiver 510, a modem 512, and one or more antennas 516) to perform the steps of method 800. As shown, method 800 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but various aspects of method 800 may include other steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0127] At step 810, the method 800 includes: configuring the DCI by the BS. As described above, the DCI may include a CIF indicating a same-carrier scheduling scheme (CIF=1), a cross-carrier scheduling scheme (CIF=0), and a joint-carrier scheduling scheme (CIF=2). In the same-carrier scheduling scheme, the DCI 220 of the S cell 210 may schedule data on the PDSCH 225A (or PUSCH) on the UE 115 communicating using the S cell 210. In the cross-carrier scheduling scheme, the DCI 220 of the S cell 210 may schedule the PDSCH 225B (or PUSCH) on the UE 115 communicating using the P(S) cell 215. In the joint carrier scheduling scheme, the DCI 220 of the SCell 210 may schedule the PDSCH 225A (or PUSCH) on the UE 115 communicating within the SCell 210, and the same DCI may also schedule the PDSCH 225B (or PUSCH) on the UE 115 communicating using the P(S)cell 215. It is worth noting that these aspects are not only applicable to the SCell, as these aspects may also be applied to the P(S)cell 215.

[0128] At step 820, method 800 includes sending DCI from the BS to the UE in the PDCCH. For example, BS 105 of SCell 210 may send DCI with the CIF configured as described above to UE 115.

[0129] In some instances, an apparatus includes: a unit for receiving downlink control information (DCI) indicating a joint carrier scheduling scheme from a base station (BS) of a first serving cell; and a unit for scheduling first data for communication on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell and scheduling second data for communication on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell using the joint carrier scheduling scheme in the DCI. The apparatus may also include: a unit for sending the first data using the first shared channel and sending the second data using the second shared channel. The apparatus may also include: a unit for receiving the first data using the first shared channel and receiving the second data using the second shared channel. In some instances, a carrier indicator field (CIF) in the DCI indicates the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The apparatus may also include: a unit for receiving a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The apparatus may also include: a unit for receiving a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space including the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The apparatus may also include: a unit for determining the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI indicating the same carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme. The apparatus may also include: a unit for receiving the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme when the UE uses the DCI indicating the cross-carrier scheduling scheme to enable search space sharing. The apparatus may also include: a unit for monitoring at least one PDCCH candidate in a search space set of DCI format sizes carrying the DCI up to a configurable number of DCI format sizes when the CIF field indicates the joint carrier scheduling scheme; and a unit for counting the number of DCI format sizes based on the at least one monitored PDCCH candidate in the search space set. The apparatus may also include: a unit for determining the number of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the second serving cell. The apparatus may also include means for determining a DCI format size of the DCI to be one of the pre-configured DCI format sizes transmitted by the BS.The apparatus may also include: a unit for determining a number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and a unit for monitoring up to the number of PDCCH candidates on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of a first serving cell. The apparatus may also include: a unit for determining a number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and a unit for monitoring up to the number of CCEs on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The apparatus may also include: a unit for storing a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein the configurable number of DCIs is associated with at least one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0130] In some instances, an apparatus includes: a unit for configuring a joint carrier scheduling scheme using downlink control information (DCI), wherein in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, first data is transmitted on a first shared channel associated with a first serving cell and second data is transmitted on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell; and a unit for sending the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme to a user equipment (UE). The apparatus may also include: a unit for configuring a radio resource control (RRC) signal for indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The apparatus may also include: a unit for configuring an RRC signal for indicating the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space set that can include the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The apparatus may also include: a unit for configuring the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with a second DCI for indicating a same-carrier scheduling scheme or a cross-carrier scheduling scheme. The apparatus may also include: a unit for sending an RRC signal to the UE to implement search space sharing for a cross-carrier scheduling scheme or a same-carrier scheduling scheme; and a unit for configuring the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme when the RRC signal enables the search space sharing. The apparatus may also include: a unit for configuring multiple DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme; and a unit for sending a PDCCH including the DCI in at least one of the DCI format sizes. The apparatus may also include: a unit for configuring the number of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the second serving cell. The apparatus may also include a unit for determining the DCI format size of the DCI as one of the preconfigured DCI format sizes. The apparatus may also include a unit for determining a number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and a unit for sending a maximum of the number of PDCCH candidates to the UE on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The apparatus may also include a unit for determining a number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and a unit for sending a maximum of the number of CCEs on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.The apparatus may also include a unit for sending a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first service cell and the second service cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein the configurable number of DCIs is associated with at least one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0131] In some examples, an apparatus includes a transceiver and a processor in communication with the transceiver, the transceiver configured to receive downlink control information (DCI) indicating a joint carrier scheduling scheme from a base station (BS) of a first serving cell, the processor configured to schedule first data for communication on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell and to schedule second data for communication on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell using the joint carrier scheduling scheme in the DCI. The transceiver may be further configured to send the first data using the first shared channel and send the second data using the second shared channel. The transceiver may be further configured to receive the first data using the first shared channel and receive the second data using the second shared channel. The transceiver may be further configured to receive a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The transceiver may be further configured to receive a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating a number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space including the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The processor may be further configured to determine the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI indicating the same carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme. The transceiver may be further configured to receive the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme when the UE uses the DCI indicating the cross-carrier scheduling scheme to enable search space sharing. The transceiver may be further configured to monitor at least one PDCCH candidate in a search space set carrying the DCI up to a configurable number of DCI format sizes when the CIF field indicates the joint carrier scheduling scheme, and the processor may be further configured to determine the number of DCI format sizes based on the at least one monitored PDCCH candidate in the search space set. The processor may be further configured to determine the number of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the second serving cell. The processor may be further configured to determine a DCI format size of the DCI as one of preconfigured DCI format sizes sent by the BS.The processor may be further configured to determine a number of PDCCH candidates based on a number of downlink cells and a number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI, and the transceiver may be further configured to monitor a maximum of the number of PDCCH candidates on an active downlink bandwidth portion (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The processor may be further configured to determine a number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on a number of downlink cells and a number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI, and the transceiver may be further configured to monitor a maximum of the number of CCEs on an active downlink bandwidth portion (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The apparatus may also include a memory in communication with the processor, the memory being configured to store a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein the configurable number of DCIs is associated with at least one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0132] In some instances, an apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver in communication with the processor, the processor configured to use downlink control information (DCI) to configure a joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, first data is transmitted on a first shared channel associated with a first serving cell and second data is transmitted on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell, and the transceiver is configured to send the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme to a user equipment (UE). The processor may be further configured to: configure a radio resource control (RRC) signal for indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The processor may be further configured to: configure an RRC signal for indicating the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space set that can include the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The processor may be further configured to: configure the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI for indicating the same carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme. The transceiver may be further configured to send an RRC signal to the UE to enable search space sharing for a cross-carrier scheduling scheme or a same-carrier scheduling scheme, and the processor may be further configured to configure the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme when the RRC signal enables the search space sharing. The processor may be further configured to configure multiple DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme, and the transceiver may be further configured to send a PDCCH including the DCI in at least one of the DCI format sizes. The processor may be further configured to configure the number of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the second serving cell. The processor may be further configured to determine the DCI format size of the DCI as one of the pre-configured DCI format sizes. The processor may be further configured to determine a number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI, and the transceiver may be further configured to send a maximum of the number of PDCCH candidates to the UE on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.The processor may be further configured to determine a number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on a number of downlink cells and a number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI, and the transceiver may be further configured to transmit a maximum of the number of CCEs on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The processor may be further configured to transmit a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein the configurable number of DCIs is associated with at least one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0133] In some instances, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon is provided, the program code including: code for causing a user equipment (UE) to receive downlink control information (DCI) indicating a joint carrier scheduling scheme from a base station (BS) of a first serving cell; and code for causing the UE to schedule first data for communication on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell and to schedule second data for communication on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell using the joint carrier scheduling scheme in the DCI. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to send the first data using the first shared channel and send the second data using the second shared channel. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to receive the first data using the first shared channel and receive the second data using the second shared channel. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to receive a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The non-temporary computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to receive a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in the search space, including the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The non-temporary computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to determine the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with a second DCI indicating the same-carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme. The non-temporary computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to receive the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme when the UE uses the DCI indicating the cross-carrier scheduling scheme to enable search space sharing. The non-temporary computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to monitor at least one PDCCH candidate in a search space set that carries the DCI up to a configurable number of DCI format sizes when the CIF field indicates the joint carrier scheduling scheme; and code for causing the UE to determine the number of DCI format sizes based on the at least one monitored PDCCH candidate in the search space set. The non-temporary computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to determine the number of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes used to schedule data on the second serving cell.The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to determine the DCI format size of the DCI to be one of the pre-configured DCI format sizes sent by the BS. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to determine the number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and code for causing the UE to monitor a maximum of the number of PDCCH candidates on the active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to determine the number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and code for causing the UE to monitor a maximum of the number of CCEs on the active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The non-temporary computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the UE to store a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first service cell and the second service cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein the configurable number of DCIs is associated with at least one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0134] In some instances, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon is provided, the program code including: code for causing a base station (BS) of a first serving cell to configure a joint carrier scheduling scheme using downlink control information (DCI), wherein in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, first data is transmitted on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell and second data is transmitted on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell; and code for causing the BS to send the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme to a user equipment (UE). The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to configure a radio resource control (RRC) signal for indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to configure an RRC signal for indicating the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space set that can include the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to configure the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI indicating the same carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to send an RRC signal to the UE to enable search space sharing for the cross-carrier scheduling scheme or the same carrier scheduling scheme; and code for causing the BS to configure the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme when the RRC signal enables the search space sharing. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to configure multiple DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme; and code for causing the BS to send the PDCCH including the DCI in at least one of the DCI format sizes. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to configure the number of DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes for scheduling data on the second serving cell. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include code for causing the BS to determine a DCI format size of the DCI to be one of pre-configured DCI format sizes.The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to determine the number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and code for causing the BS to send the maximum number of PDCCH candidates to the UE on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of a first serving cell. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to determine the number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; and code for causing the BS to send the maximum number of CCEs on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include: code for causing the BS to send a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, wherein the configurable number of DCIs is associated with at least one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0135] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0136] A general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof for performing the functions described herein may be used to implement or execute the various exemplary blocks and modules described in conjunction with the contents disclosed herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such structure).

[0137] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, these functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations also fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure and the claims thereto. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardware wiring, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. The features used to implement the functions can be physically located in multiple locations, including distributed ones, so that a part of the functions is implemented in different physical locations. In addition, as used herein (including the claims), "or" as used in a list item (for example, "or" used in a list item ending with "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, the list [at least one of A, B, or C] means: A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0138] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, many improvements, substitutions and changes may be made to the materials, devices, structures and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure, depending on the specific application at the time, without departing from the spirit and scope of protection of the present disclosure. In view of this, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall not be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described herein, which are merely illustrative in nature, but shall be fully commensurate with the claims appended hereto and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a base station (BS) of a first serving cell, downlink control information (DCI) indicating a joint carrier scheduling scheme based on a carrier indicator field (CIF) in the DCI; as well as First data is scheduled for communication on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell and second data is scheduled for communication on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell using the joint carrier scheduling scheme in the DCI.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first data communication is a downlink transmission or an uplink reception.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The second data communication is a downlink transmission or an uplink reception.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first data is sent using the first shared channel, and the second data is sent using the second shared channel.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first data is received using the first shared channel, and the second data is received using the second shared channel.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme is received at the UE.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating a number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space including the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme is received at the UE.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme is determined based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI indicating the same-carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the UE uses the DCI indicating the cross-carrier scheduling scheme to enable search space sharing, the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme is received.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the CIF field indicates the joint carrier scheduling scheme, at the UE, monitoring at least one PDCCH candidate in a search space set of DCI format sizes carrying the DCI up to a configurable number; as well as At the UE, a number of the DCI format sizes is counted based on the at least one monitored PDCCH candidate in the search space set.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The number of DCI format sizes used for the joint carrier scheduling scheme is determined based on the number of DCI format sizes used for scheduling data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes used for scheduling data on the second serving cell.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A DCI format size of the DCI is determined to be one of preconfigured DCI format sizes sent by the BS.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determining the number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; as well as At the UE, up to the number of PDCCH candidates are monitored over an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; as well as At the UE, up to the number of CCEs are monitored over an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: At the UE, a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme is stored.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The configurable number of DCIs is associated with a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The configurable number of DCIs is associated with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

18. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station (BS) of a first serving cell, the method comprising: configuring a joint carrier scheduling scheme using downlink control information (DCI), wherein in the joint carrier scheduling scheme, first data is transmitted on a first shared channel associated with the first serving cell and second data is transmitted on a second shared channel associated with a second serving cell, wherein the joint carrier scheduling scheme is indicated by a carrier indicator field (CIF) in the DCI; and The DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme is sent to a user equipment (UE).

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The first data communication is a downlink transmission or an uplink reception.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The second data communication is a downlink transmission or an uplink reception.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising: A radio resource control (RRC) signal for indicating a correspondence between a CIF value and the joint carrier scheduling scheme is configured at the BS.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising: At the BS, an RRC signal for indicating the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in a search space set that can include the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme is configured.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising: The number of PDCCH candidates associated with the DCI indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme is configured based on the number of PDCCH candidates associated with the second DCI indicating the same-carrier scheduling scheme or the cross-carrier scheduling scheme.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising: Sending an RRC signal to the UE to implement search space sharing of a cross-carrier scheduling scheme or a same-carrier scheduling scheme; as well as When the RRC signal enables the search space sharing, the DCI for indicating the joint carrier scheduling scheme is configured.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising: Configuring multiple DCI format sizes for the joint carrier scheduling scheme; as well as A PDCCH including the DCI is transmitted in at least one of the DCI format sizes.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising: The number of DCI format sizes is configured for the joint carrier scheduling scheme based on the number of DCI format sizes used for scheduling data on the first serving cell or the number of DCI format sizes used for scheduling data on the second serving cell.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising: The DCI format size of the DCI is determined to be one of the preconfigured DCI format sizes.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising: Determining the number of PDCCH candidates based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; as well as A maximum of the number of PDCCH candidates are sent to the UE over an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising: determining a number of control channel elements (CCEs) based on the number of downlink cells and the number of downlink cell sets scheduled using the DCI; as well as At the BS, up to the number of CCEs are transmitted on an active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP) of the first serving cell.

30. The method of claim 18, further comprising: At the BS, a configurable number of DCIs associated with the first serving cell and the second serving cell included in the joint carrier scheduling scheme are transmitted.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein: The configurable number of DCIs is associated with a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein: The configurable number of DCIs is associated with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

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