Multi-slot monitoring capability for high-frequency communications

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to techniques for improving capability signaling and performing search space set switching, particularly in scenarios with large subcarrier spacing, such as in high frequency ranges. In various scenarios, a user equipment (UE) device can signal its ability to perform, for example, multi-slot PDCCH monitoring and / or single-slot PDCCH monitoring at various subcarrier spacings, for various PDCCH / DCI types, etc. Various technical difficulties in this area have been addressed, including increasing flexibility and versatility in capability signaling, oversubscription, signaling and timing for search space set switching, and beam scanning transmissions for DCI format 2_0.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications, including improved capability signaling for high frequency communications. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In addition, wireless communication technology has evolved from only voice communication to also include the transmission of data such as the Internet and multimedia content.

[0003] Mobile electronic devices may take the form of smartphones or tablets that are commonly carried by users. Wearable devices (also known as accessory devices) are a newer form of mobile electronic device, an example of which is the smartwatch. In addition, low-cost, low-complexity wireless devices intended for static or dynamic deployment are also rapidly increasing as part of the development of the "Internet of Things". In other words, the complexity, capabilities, traffic patterns and other characteristics of the required devices are becoming increasingly broad. In general, it is desirable to recognize and provide improved support for a wide range of required wireless communication characteristics. One characteristic may be improved capability signaling for high-frequency communications. Improvements in this area are desired. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In particular, embodiments of systems, devices, and methods are provided herein for capability signaling for high frequency communications.

[0005] As described above, there are an increasing number of use cases for wireless network communications with different types of user equipment devices (UEs) having widely varying capabilities and usage expectations. Therefore, effective communication with a base station may require the UE to signal its capabilities to the base station. In particular, the expansion of cellular communications to higher frequency ranges, such as those above 52.6 GHz, results in the use of increased subcarrier spacing sizes, resulting in shortened symbol durations. The UE may require new mechanisms to handle such shortened symbol durations and signal such capabilities to the base station. Such mechanisms and various systems and apparatus for implementing such mechanisms are described herein.

[0006] For example, a method for performing search space set switching is disclosed. A wireless communication device may monitor a DCI format 2_0 message using a first search space set. The first search space set may use single-slot monitoring. The wireless communication device may receive a DCI format 2_0 message. The DCI format 2_0 message may include an indication for the wireless communication device to switch to monitoring a second search space set. The second search space set may use multi-slot monitoring. In response to the indication, the wireless communication device may switch to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set.

[0007] In some scenarios, a wireless communication device may monitor a third search space set group while monitoring a DCI format 2_0 message, where the third search space set group includes a user equipment (UE)-specific search space and uses single-slot monitoring. The DCI format 2_0 message may include an indication for the wireless communication device to switch to monitoring a fourth search space set group, where the fourth search space set group includes a UE-specific search space and uses multi-slot monitoring. In response to the indication, the wireless communication device may switch to monitoring the fourth search space set group instead of the third search space set group.

[0008] In some scenarios, the second search space set group may have a different slot group size than the slot group size of the fourth search space set group.

[0009] In some scenarios, the wireless communication device may transmit to the base station an indication of a first multi-slot monitoring capability of the wireless communication device for common search space monitoring, wherein the second search space set group is configured not to exceed the first multi-slot monitoring capability. The wireless communication device may transmit to the base station an indication of a second multi-slot monitoring capability of the wireless communication device for UE-specific search space monitoring, wherein the fourth search space set group is configured not to exceed the second multi-slot monitoring capability.

[0010] In some scenarios, the first multi-slot monitoring capability may include an indication that the wireless communication device can adapt to monitoring of non-contiguous symbols within a multi-slot span of a common search space. The second multi-slot monitoring capability may include an indication that the wireless communication device cannot adapt to monitoring of non-contiguous symbols within a multi-slot span of a UE-specific search space.

[0011] In some scenarios, a wireless communication device may transmit to a base station an indication of multi-slot monitoring capability for each of a plurality of PDCCH types, wherein the second search space set group and the fourth search space set group are configured not to exceed the indicated multi-slot monitoring capability. In some such scenarios, the indication of the multi-slot monitoring capability may further include, for each of the at least two different subcarrier spacings, a different capability for at least one of the plurality of PDCCH types.

[0012] In some scenarios, switching to monitoring the second search space set group instead of the first search space set group may include: determining the start time of the next time slot that starts at least the first predetermined processing time after the time slot in which the DCI format 2_0 message is received; and switching to monitoring the second search space set group instead of the first search space set group from the start time of the determined next time slot.

[0013] In some scenarios, switching to monitoring a second search space set group instead of a first search space set group may include: determining a start time of a next multi-slot time slot group of the second search space set group, where the time slot group of the second search space set group is fixed relative to the start of the subframe structure; and switching to monitoring the second search space set group instead of the first search space set group from the determined start time of the next multi-slot time slot group.

[0014] In some scenarios, the wireless communication device may receive an indication of multiple PDCCH categories configured for search space set switching from a base station. The wireless communication device may also receive an indication of multiple search space set groups configured for each of the PDCCH categories from a base station.

[0015] In some scenarios, the number of search space set groups configured for a first one of the PDCCH categories may be different from the number of search space set groups configured for a second one of the PDCCH categories.

[0016] In some scenarios, a DCI format 2_0 message may be received on one beam of a beam scanning sequence, where multiple beams of the beam scanning sequence carry corresponding copies of DCI format 2_0 within a single time slot.

[0017] Disclosed are apparatus and systems for implementing any of the foregoing methods, as well as other methods disclosed herein.

[0018] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones TM , based on Android TM phones), tablets (e.g., iPad TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, vehicles, cars, unmanned aerial vehicles (e.g., drones) and unmanned flight controllers, other cellular network infrastructure equipment, servers, and any of various other computing devices.

[0019] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, accompanying drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of the embodiments is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system including an accessory device according to some embodiments is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in which two wireless devices can perform direct device-to-device communication according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless device according to some embodiments;

[0024] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary base station according to some embodiments;

[0025] Figure 5a shows an example of multi-slot monitoring in a fixed pattern of N time slots according to some embodiments;

[0026] Figure 5b shows an example of multi-slot monitoring in a fixed pattern having spans of length Y separated by gaps of length X, according to some embodiments;

[0027] Figure 6 shows an example of multi-slot monitoring using two sliding windows according to some embodiments;

[0028] Figure 7a shows an example of multi-slot monitoring according to a fixed pattern having Z consecutive symbols within a span of length Y, according to some embodiments;

[0029] Figure 7b shows an example of multi-slot monitoring according to a fixed pattern having Z non-consecutive symbols within a span of length Y, according to some embodiments;

[0030] Figure 8 An example of multi-slot monitoring in a fixed pattern is shown, where two UEs monitor a shared common search space (CSS) and different UE-specific search spaces (USSs), according to some embodiments;

[0031] Figure 9 shows an example of two search space set groups (SSSGs) within a transmission burst occupying one transmission opportunity according to some embodiments;

[0032] Figure 10 An example of switching between two search space set groups defined to include CSSs and switching between two search space set groups defined to include USSs is shown according to some embodiments;

[0033] Figure 11a shows an example of PDCCH monitoring according to some embodiments, where a UE switches from monitoring a single-slot SSSG to monitoring a multi-slot SSSG with a PDCCH monitoring pattern fixed relative to the start of a channel occupancy time (COT);

[0034] Figure 11b shows an example of PDCCH monitoring according to some embodiments, where a UE switches from monitoring a single-slot SSSG to monitoring a multi-slot SSSG with a PDCCH monitoring pattern fixed relative to the start of a subframe structure;

[0035] Figure 12 shows a base station transmitting DCI format 2_0 via beam scanning employing a single beam COT according to some embodiments;

[0036] Figure 13 shows a base station transmitting DCI format 2_0 via beam scanning employing multi-beam COT according to some embodiments;

[0037] Figure 14 shows a base station transmitting DCI format 2_0 via beam scanning employing omnidirectional COT according to some embodiments; and

[0038] Figure 15 An example of switching between two different CSS SSSGs for inside and outside a COT is shown according to some embodiments.

[0039] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit this disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Acronyms and abbreviations

[0041] The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in this disclosure:

[0042] 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0043] CSS: Common Search Space

[0044] DCI: Downlink Control Indicator

[0045] DL: Downlink

[0046] GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0047] HARQ: Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0048] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0049] MAC: Media Access Control

[0050] MCS: Modulation and Coding Scheme

[0051] PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0052] PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0053] PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0054] PxSCH: refers to PDSCH or PUSCH

[0055] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0056] SCS: Subcarrier Spacing

[0057] SSS: Search Space Set

[0058] SSSG: Search Space Grouping

[0059] UL: Uplink

[0060] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0061] USS: UE-specific search space

[0062] the term

[0063] The following are definitions of terms used in this disclosure:

[0064] Memory medium—any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDRRAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, for example, hard drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of non-transitory memory or a combination thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in the first computer system executing the program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., represented as a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0065] Carrier Medium—storage media as described above and physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that carry signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0066] Programmable hardware elements—include various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPOAs (field programmable object arrays), and CPLDs (complex PLDs). Programmable function blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic units or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0067] Computer System—Any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combination of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0068] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones, TM , based on AndroidTM phones), tablets (e.g., iPad TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, vehicles, cars, unmanned aerial vehicles (e.g., drones) and unmanned flight controllers, etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device and / or telecommunication device (or combination of these devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0069] Wireless Device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communications. A wireless device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed in place. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0070] Communication Device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed in place. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0071] Base Station—The term “base station” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless communication system.

[0072] Link budget limited—includes the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a characteristic of a wireless device (e.g., UE) that exhibits limited communication capabilities or limited power relative to devices that are not link budget limited or relative to devices for which a radio access technology (RAT) standard has been developed. A link budget limited wireless device may experience relatively limited receive capability and / or transmit capability, which may be due to one or more factors, such as device design, device size, battery size, antenna size or design, transmit power, receive power, current transmission medium conditions, and / or other factors. Such devices may be referred to herein as “link budget limited” (or “link budget constrained”) devices. A device may be inherently link budget limited due to the size of the device, battery power, and / or transmit / receive power. For example, a smartwatch communicating with a base station via LTE or LTE-A may be inherently link budget limited due to its reduced transmit / receive power and / or antenna reduction. Wearable devices such as smartwatches are generally link budget limited devices. Alternatively, a device may not be inherently link budget limited, e.g., may have sufficient size, battery power, and / or transmit / receive power for normal communication over LTE or LTE-A, but may be temporarily link budget limited due to current communication conditions, e.g., a smartphone at a cell edge, etc. It is noted that the term "link budget limited" includes or encompasses power limitations, and thus a link-limited device may be considered a link budget limited device.

[0073] Processing element (or processor) – refers to any element or combination of elements capable of performing functions in a device (e.g., a user equipment device or a cellular network device). A processing element may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, individual processors, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the above combinations.

[0074] Automatic—refers to an action or operation being performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without requiring user input to directly specify or execute the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatic" is in contrast to manual execution or specification of an action by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process may be initiated by user-provided input, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without requiring any user input to specify the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user can invoke automatic filling of a form without participating in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields; they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.

[0075] Configured to—Various components may be described as being “configured to” perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad statement that generally means “having the structure” to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component may be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad statement that generally means “having the circuitry” to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, the component is configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently turned on. Typically, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuitry.

[0076] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to." Representing a component as being configured to perform one or more tasks expressly does not invoke the sixth paragraph of section 112 of title 35 of the United States Code for that component.

[0077] Figure 1-Figure 2 —Wireless communication system

[0078] Figure 1 An example of a wireless cellular communication system is illustrated. It should be noted that Figure 1This represents one possibility among many, and the features of the present disclosure may be implemented by any of a variety of systems as desired. For example, the embodiments described herein may be implemented in any type of wireless device.

[0079] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a cellular base station 102 that communicates over a transmission medium with one or more wireless devices 106A, 106B, etc., and an accessory device 107. Wireless devices 106A, 106B, and 107 may be user equipment, which may be referred to herein as "user equipment" (UE) or UE devices.

[0080] Base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site and may include hardware and / or software that enables wireless communications with UE device 106A, UE device 106B, and UE device 107. If base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB." If base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB." Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among various possible networks). Thus, base station 102 may facilitate communications between UE device 106 and UE device 107 and / or between UE device 106 / 107 and network 100. Also as used herein, with respect to a UE, a base station may sometimes be considered to represent the network when considering the UE's uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) communications. Therefore, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in a network may also be understood as a UE communicating with the network.

[0081] In other embodiments, the base station 102 may be configured to provide communications via one or more other wireless technologies, such as an access point supporting one or more WLAN protocols, such as 802.11a, b, g, n, ac, ad, and / or ax, or LTE in unlicensed bands (LAA).

[0082] The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station 102 may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station 102 and the UEs 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) or wireless communication technologies, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDS-CDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, etc.

[0083] Thus, base station 102 and other similar base stations (not shown) operating according to one or more cellular communication technologies can be provided as a cell network that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE devices 106A-106N and UE device 107 and similar devices within a geographic area via one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0084] Note that, at least in some cases, UE devices 106 / 107 may be capable of communicating using any of a variety of wireless communication technologies. For example, UE devices 106 / 107 may be configured to communicate using one or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, NR, WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication technologies (including more than two wireless communication technologies) are also possible. Similarly, in some cases, UE devices 106 / UE devices 107 may be configured to communicate using only a single wireless communication technology.

[0085] UE 106A and UE 106B may comprise handheld devices such as smartphones or tablets, and / or may comprise any of various types of devices with cellular communication capabilities. For example, one or more of UE 106A and UE 106B may be wireless devices intended for static or dynamic deployment, such as appliances, measurement devices, control devices, and the like. UE 106B may be configured to communicate with a UE device 107, which may be referred to as an accessory device 107. Accessory device 107 may be any of various types of wireless devices, typically wearable devices with a smaller form factor and limited battery, output power, and / or communication capabilities relative to UE 106. As a common example, UE 106B may be a smartphone carried by a user, and accessory device 107 may be a smartwatch worn by the same user. UE 106B and accessory device 107 may communicate using any of various short-range communication protocols, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. In some cases, UE 106B and accessory device 107 can utilize proximity services (ProSe) technology, for example, in a manner supported by a cellular base station, to perform direct peer-to-peer communications. For example, such ProSe communications can be performed as part of a relay link to support a radio resource control connection between accessory device 107 and BS 102, such as according to various embodiments described herein.

[0086] UE 106B may also be configured to communicate with UE 106A. For example, UE 106A and UE 106B may be able to perform direct device-to-device (D2D) communications. D2D communications may be supported by cellular base station 102 (e.g., BS 102 may facilitate discovery, as well as various possible forms of assistance), or may be performed in a manner not supported by BS 102. For example, it may be possible for UE 106A and UE 106B to arrange and perform D2D communications (e.g., including discovery communications) even when BS 102 and other cellular base stations have no coverage.

[0087] BS 102 may control one or more transmit and receive points (TRPs) and may use the TRPs to communicate with UEs. The TRPs may be collocated with the BS and / or at a separate physical location.

[0088] Figure 2 An exemplary BS 102 is shown communicating with a UE device 106, which in turn communicates with an accessory device 107. The UE device 106 and the accessory device 107 may be any of a mobile phone, a tablet or any other type of handheld device, a smartwatch or other wearable device, a media player, a computer, a laptop, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an unmanned flight controller, a vehicle, or virtually any type of wireless device. In some embodiments, the accessory device may be a wireless device designed to have low cost and / or low power consumption, and may benefit from a relay link with the UE device 106 (and / or another companion device) to support communications with the BS 102. For example, in Figure 2 In the exemplary scenario of FIG, a device that utilizes a relay link with another wireless device to communicate with a cellular base station may also be referred to herein as a remote wireless device, a remote device, or a remote UE apparatus, and a wireless device that provides such a relay link may also be referred to herein as a relay wireless device, a relay device, or a relay UE device. According to some embodiments, such BS 102, UE 106, and accessory device 107 may be configured to perform radio resource control procedures for the remote wireless device according to the various techniques described herein.

[0089] UE 106 and accessory device 107 may each include a device or integrated circuit known as a cellular modem for facilitating cellular communications. The cellular modem may include one or more processors (processing elements) configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory and / or various hardware components described herein. UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may each perform any of the method implementations described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an integrated circuit, and / or any of various other possible hardware components, configured to (e.g., individually or in combination) perform any of the method implementations described herein or any portion of any of the method implementations described herein. The cellular modem described herein may be used in a UE device as defined herein, a wireless device as defined herein, or a communication device as defined herein. The cellular modem described herein may also be used in a base station or other similar network-side device.

[0090] The UE 106 and / or the accessory device 107 may include one or more antennas for communicating in accordance with one or more RAT standards using one or more wireless communication protocols. In some embodiments, one or both of the UE 106 or the accessory device 107 may be configured to communicate using a single shared radio. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Generally, the radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware.

[0091] Alternatively, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include two or more radios. For example, in some embodiments, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radios) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, UE 106 and / or accessory device 107 may include one or more radios shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radios used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106A and / or accessory device 107 may include a shared radio for communicating using either LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or NR, or LTE or GSM), and a shared radio for communicating using Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH. TM Each of the two devices communicates with a separate radio component. Other configurations are also possible.

[0092] Figure 3 —Block diagram of UE equipment

[0093] Figure 3 A possible block diagram of a UE device, such as UE device 106 or 107, is shown. As shown, UE device 106 / 107 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include components for various purposes. For example, as shown, SOC 300 may include a processor 302, which may execute program instructions for UE device 106 / 107, and display circuitry 304, which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to display 360. SOC 300 may also include motion sensing circuitry 370, which may detect motion of UE 106, for example, using a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and / or any of various other motion sensing components. Processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, flash memory 310) and / or other circuits or devices, such as display circuit 304, radio 330, I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

[0094] As shown, SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of UE 106 / 107. For example, UE 106 / UE 107 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), a display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

[0095] The UE device 106 / 107 may include at least one antenna and, in some embodiments, may include multiple antennas 335a and 335b for performing wireless communications with a base station and / or other devices. For example, the UE device 106 / 107 may use antennas 335a and 335b to perform wireless communications. As described above, the UE device 106 / 107 may, in some embodiments, be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards or radio access technologies (RATs).

[0096] Wireless communication circuitry 330 may include Wi-Fi logic 332, a cellular modem 334, and Bluetooth logic 336. Wi-Fi logic 332 is configured to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform Wi-Fi communications over an 802.11 network. Bluetooth logic 336 is configured to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform Bluetooth communications. Cellular modem 334 may be a relatively low-power cellular modem capable of performing cellular communications according to one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0097] As described herein, UE 106 / 107 may include hardware components and software components for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 302 of the UE device 106 / UE device 107 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein. In other embodiments, the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). In addition, the processor 302 may be coupled to a processor such as a processor 106 / 107. Figure 3The other components shown are and / or may interoperate with other components to perform improved capability signaling for high frequency communications in accordance with various embodiments disclosed herein. The processor 302 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UE 106. Alternatively or in addition, one or more components of the wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., the cellular modem 334) of the UE device 106 / 107 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), a processor configured as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), and / or using dedicated hardware components that may include an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

[0098] Figure 4 —Block diagram of a base station

[0099] Figure 4 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 4 The base station 102 is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device that may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0100] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As described in , the network port 470 can be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide multiple devices, such as the UE devices 106 / 107 , with access to the telephone network.

[0101] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices, such as the UE devices 106 / 107. For example, the core network may include, for example, a mobility management entity (MME) for providing mobility management services, a serving gateway (SGW) and / or a packet data network gateway (PGW) for providing external data connections, such as to the Internet, and the like. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., between other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0102] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. One or more antennas 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices 106 / 107 via radio 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio 430 via communication chain 432. Communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. Radio 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to LTE, LTE-A, NR, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0103] Base station 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that may enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio for communicating according to LTE and a Wi-Fi radio for communicating according to Wi-Fi. In such a case, base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi access point. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio capable of communicating according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., LTE and NR, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0104] As further described subsequently herein, the base station 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementations of the features described herein. According to some embodiments, the processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement a portion or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of the BS 102 may be configured to implement or support implementation of any of the various other features of the improved signaling capabilities for high frequency communications according to the various embodiments disclosed herein, and / or the features described herein.

[0105] Multi-slot monitoring considerations

[0106] As cellular communication systems and protocols have transitioned to higher frequencies (e.g., above 52.6 GHz), increased phase noise has been observed. To address this, the subcarrier spacing (SCS) has been increased. For example, new SCS candidates have been introduced, such as 480 kHz and / or 960 kHz. Using a larger SCS shortens the symbol duration, resulting in a greater number of shorter symbols than transmitting the same amount of data with a smaller SCS (e.g., at a lower frequency).

[0107] A base station such as base station 102 may transmit a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) / downlink control indicator (DCI) defined as a control resource set (CORESET) during certain monitoring occasions. A UE such as UE 106 may perform blind decoding to detect the transmitted PDCCH / DCI.

[0108] Conventionally, a UE may signal to the base station, for example at startup, its capability for single-slot PDCCH monitoring (SSM), in which the UE monitors every slot for PDCCH / DCI. However, in the case of more frequent symbols due to a larger SCS, performing blind decoding to monitor PDCCH / DCI in every symbol may be an excessive burden on the UE. Therefore, the UE may signal to the base station its capability for multi-slot PDCCH monitoring (MSM). Such MSM capability signaling may provide an indication of the frequency with which the UE can monitor PDCCH / DCI in multiple slots.

[0109] Once the base station has been informed of the UE's capabilities, it can specify a PDCCH search space set (SSS) configuration for the UE. This search space set defines the set of resources in the downlink resource grid that can carry a certain type of PDCCH / DCI. A search space set group (SSSG) can be defined as a set of search spaces configured for different PDCCH / DCI types. The UE can restrict its blind decoding to the SSSG in an attempt to find the PDCCH / DCI.

[0110] There are two broad types of search spaces, which can be referred to as UE-specific search space (USS) and common search space (CSS). A USS can be dedicated to a specific UE, and DCI carrying information specific to that UE can be transmitted within the USS. The UE can be informed of the applicable USS by the base station, for example, via an RRC signaling message. However, this requires the UE to complete RRC establishment before it can receive information about the USS.

[0111] The CSS can be searched by multiple (e.g., all) UEs within range. A UE can search the CSS before completing RRC setup. For example, a PDCCH carrying information used during a RACH procedure can be located within the CSS. As a specific example, DCI carrying initial access information (e.g., DCI types 0, 0A, 1), DCI carrying paging information (e.g., DCI type 2), and / or type 3 DCI can be transmitted within the CSS.

[0112] In some implementations, greater flexibility is desired in signaling MSM capabilities and in defining dynamic search space set adaptations. Various improvements in these areas are discussed below.

[0113] Figure 5 to Figure 8 : Define multi-slot PDCCH monitoring capability

[0114] As mentioned above, in the case of high SCS, monitoring the PDCCH in every symbol may be an excessive burden on the UE. Therefore, the UE can signal its MSM capability to the base station. Such signaling can be performed in various ways.

[0115] As a first approach, the UE may signal that it is capable of MSM in a fixed pattern with a span of Y consecutive time windows (eg, symbols or slots) within a slot group of N slots. Figure 5a An example of monitoring according to such a fixed pattern is shown, where N=2. Figure 5a In the example of , the UE may monitor PDCCH / DCI during span Y within only a single (e.g., first) time slot of the time slot group. The base station may include only PDCCH / DCI within span Y within the single (e.g., first) time slot of the time slot group, and may not include PDCCH / DCI in other time slots of the time slot group.

[0116] The UE may signal its MSM capability to the base station in any appropriate manner. For example, the UE may provide a value of N (indicating the minimum number of time slots it can support in a time slot group) and / or a value of Y (indicating the maximum number of time windows (e.g., symbols or time slots) it can support in a span). Alternatively or in addition, the UE may provide the maximum number of blind decodings (BDs) and / or control channel entities (CCEs) that the UE can accommodate within a time slot group (i.e., within the span of a time slot group). As another example, the UE may provide an index value that may indicate the minimum value of N, the maximum value of Y, and / or the BD / CCE budget, for example, by indexing entries in a capability value table. In some scenarios, the MSM capability signaled by the UE may depend on configuration details of the base station, such as the subcarrier spacing. For example, with a subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz, the UE may be able to accommodate a minimum time slot group size of N=4, while with a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz, the UE may be able to accommodate a minimum time slot group size of N=8. These values ​​are examples only, and other values ​​are also contemplated.

[0117] In some implementations, the value of Y may be fixed, while in other implementations, the value of Y may be set by the base station, for example, based on the MSM capability signaled by the UE. In some implementations, the base station may be constrained to adapt to the capability signaled by the UE. Figure 5a Y is shown as being less than a time slot (e.g., shown as a number of symbols that is less than the total number of symbols in a time slot), but in other examples, Y may include a number of symbols greater than a time slot, or may include multiple time slots.

[0118] In response to receiving the indication of the UE's capabilities, the base station may determine appropriate values ​​for N and / or Y and may use the determined values ​​to generate one or more SSSs for the UE. The generated SSSs may be generated to accommodate the UE's MSM capabilities (e.g., not to exceed the UE's MSM capabilities).

[0119] In some implementations, the monitoring opportunities within a span defined by the base station may be limited to include a limited number of scheduled DCI payloads. For example, the span may be limited to include one unicast DCI scheduling DL PDSCH transmission (single PDSCH transmission or multiple PDSCH transmission) and one unicast DCI scheduling UL multiple PUSCH transmissions for each scheduled CC for FDD. For another example, the span may be limited to include one unicast DCI scheduling DL multiple PDSCH transmissions and two unicast DCIs scheduling UL multiple PUSCH transmissions for each scheduled CC for TDD. For another example, the span may be limited to include two unicast DCIs scheduling DL multiple PDSCH transmissions and one unicast DCI scheduling UL multiple PUSCH transmissions for each scheduled CC for TDD.

[0120] As a second approach, the UE may signal that it is capable of MSM in a fixed pattern with a span of Y consecutive time windows (e.g., symbols or time slots), where spans are separated by a minimum time gap of X time windows (e.g., symbols or time slots). For example, time gap X may indicate the time from the start of one span to the start of the next span. This may provide additional flexibility relative to the first approach, as in some scenarios, gap X may indicate a number of symbols that may cause spans to repeat at intervals that are not aligned with time slots. In some implementations, this may allow span Y to cross a time slot boundary. In other implementations, X and Y may be constrained so that Y does not cross a time slot boundary.

[0121] Figure 5b An example of monitoring according to such a fixed pattern is shown, where X = 35 symbols. Figure 5b In the example of , the UE may monitor PDCCH / DCI during each occurrence of span Y. The base station may include only the PDCCH / DCI within span Y and may not include PDCCH / DCI in other symbols.

[0122] The UE may signal its MSM capability to the base station in any appropriate manner, such as those described above. For example, the UE may provide: a value for X indicating the minimum time gap that can be supported between spans (e.g., expressed in symbols, slots, or other units); a maximum value for Y; a BD / CCE budget; an index value, etc. In some scenarios, the value of X (or an associated index, etc.) signaled by the UE may depend on configuration details of the base station, such as the subcarrier spacing, for example, in a manner similar to that described above in conjunction with the value of N.

[0123] In response to receiving the indication of the UE's capabilities, the base station may determine appropriate values ​​for X and / or Y and may use the determined values ​​to generate one or more SSSs for the UE. The generated SSSs may be generated to accommodate the UE's MSM capabilities.

[0124] As a third approach, the UE can signal that it is capable of MSM according to a sliding window of N time slots containing one or more spans. This gives the base station greater flexibility by allowing the sliding window to start at different times for various UEs while maintaining a fixed pattern for common search space transmissions.

[0125] Figure 6 An example of two sliding windows of N time slots allocated according to this arrangement is shown. As shown, the first sliding window is allocated to UE1, while the second sliding window is allocated to UE2. In this example, the CSS appears simultaneously for both UEs in every four time slots. This is because the CSS can carry PDCCH / DCI intended for all UEs. In contrast, the USS appears in the sliding window in every two time slots. Specifically, Figure 6 In the example of , the sliding windows include USSs that contain resources in the first and third time slots of each sliding window. However, since the first and second sliding windows start at different times, their respective search spaces are offset from each other. Figure 6 In the example shown in Figure 2, the second sliding window is also offset from the CSS so that UE2's USS does not appear in the same time slot as the CSS. The ability to offset the search space in this way provides the base station with greater flexibility when scheduling PDCCH / DCI for specific UEs. However, using a sliding window may introduce excessive complexity for the UE.

[0126] Given the limitations of these three solutions, it is desirable to further improve upon them to implement a fixed-mode solution that provides greater flexibility, including some of the flexibility introduced by the sliding window solution. Such improvements may introduce the need for further capability signaling by the UE.

[0127] As a first example, if the fixed pattern includes a span Y having a length specified as a number of time slots, the UE may further define its MSM capability with respect to the mapping of symbols within those time slots. Specifically, when span Y includes multiple time slots, the UE may be able to monitor only a subset Z of symbols within those time slots. When signaling its MSM capability to the base station, the UE may include an indication of its ability to monitor the subset Z of symbols.

[0128] Figure 7a and Figure 7b Two examples of fixed patterns are shown, each with a span of two slots and a gap of four slots (or 56 symbols). Figure 7a In the example of , a subset Z of symbols within a span constitutes a subset of consecutive symbols. This subset of consecutive symbols may be limited to the first Z symbols in the span in some implementations, or in other implementations may be a subset of Z consecutive symbols that appear elsewhere in the span. In contrast, Figure 7b An example is shown in which subset Z includes non-contiguous symbols within the span. In some scenarios, the UE may provide the base station with information on whether it can support non-contiguous subset Z (e.g., Figure 7b ) or whether it can only support a continuous subset Z (as shown in Figure 7a In some scenarios, the UE may additionally or alternatively indicate the number of symbols Z that it can support within the span. As described above, one or more of these capabilities may be explicitly indicated to the base station, and / or one or more capabilities may be indicated as an index into a capability value table.

[0129] In some implementations, due to the short duration of symbols, single-slot span monitoring when X is less than a slot may not be supported in high SCS situations. Single-slot monitoring (or per-slot monitoring) when X is equal to a slot may be supported. In such implementations, the BD / CCE budget may be carefully selected to avoid increasing UE complexity. Too small a value will prevent the use of larger PDCCH aggregation levels.

[0130] For 120kHz SCS, longer durations and / or MSM may not be supported.

[0131] In some implementations, the UE can indicate to the base station the number of unicast DCIs it can accommodate within a span as a capability.

[0132] As a second example, one fixed pattern may be configured for the CSS, and a separate fixed pattern may be configured for the USS. In some implementations, a separate fixed pattern may be configured for the USS for each UE. Figure 8 An example of this arrangement is shown. Figure 8 As shown, the CSS is defined according to a first fixed pattern having a slot group size (or gap size) of 4 slots, wherein the span Y1 occurs in the first slot of the slot group. The CSS is monitored by a first UE (UE1) and a second UE (UE2).

[0133] The first USS (USS1) is defined for UE1 according to a second fixed pattern, which also has a slot group size of 4 slots, but with span Y2 occurring in the second slot of the slot group. The second USS (USS2) is defined for UE2 according to a third fixed pattern, which also has a slot group size of 4 slots, but with span Y2 occurring in the third slot of the slot group. Thus, the base station has the flexibility to schedule the CSS separately from one or more USSs, and also has the flexibility to schedule multiple USSs independently for different UEs.

[0134] In some scenarios, Y2 may differ from Y1, for example, in terms of span length, applicable values ​​for subset Z, etc. In some scenarios, USS2 may be defined according to a fixed pattern with a span Y3 that differs from Y2 as used for USS1. In some scenarios, Y1, Y2, and / or Y3 may overlap in time. In some scenarios, CSS, USS1, and / or USS2 may have different slot group sizes.

[0135] In some implementations, when indicating its MSM capability to the base station, the UE, such as Figure 8UE1 may indicate its BD / CCE budget that can be accommodated within Y1 and Y2. For example, the UE may provide a first indication of its BD / CCE budget that can be accommodated within Y1 and a second indication of its BD / CCE budget that can be accommodated within Y2. For another example, the UE may provide a single indication of its BD / CCE budget that can be accommodated within both Y1 and Y2.

[0136] In some implementations, the UE may indicate the maximum Y1 value it can accommodate and the maximum Y2 value it can accommodate. In some implementations, the UE may indicate a single value for the maximum total span it can accommodate within Y1 and Y2. In some scenarios, the UE may indicate the maximum Y1 value it can accommodate and the maximum Y2 value it can accommodate, and may further indicate the maximum total span it can accommodate within Y1 and Y2, which may be less than the sum of the indicated maximum Y1 value and the indicated maximum Y2 value. In some implementations, the maximum values ​​may be set so that the sum of the values ​​of Y1 and Y2 may not exceed a constant. In some implementations, the CSS may be constrained so that Y1 cannot exceed Y2.

[0137] In some implementations, span Y2 may be constrained to occur at a fixed time offset relative to span Y1. For example, USS1 may occur in the time slot following CSS, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 In some implementations, the fixed time may be different for each UE, such that USS1 may occur at a different time than USS2, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 shown.

[0138] In some implementations, CSS may not be allowed on higher SCS values ​​so that the UE may indicate its capabilities only with respect to USS. In implementations where CSS is allowed, the UE may not monitor the C-RNTI on the SCELL, etc.

[0139] As mentioned above, in some configurations, the UE may monitor only a subset Z of symbols within span Y. In some scenarios, a span within a CSS fixed pattern (such as Y1) may be configured to include a subset Z containing non-contiguous symbols, e.g. Figure 7b As shown, a span within a USS fixed pattern (such as Y2) may be configured to include a subset Z containing only consecutive symbols, for example, Figure 7a This provides the base station with flexibility in transmitting the CSS while avoiding placing an excessive burden on the UE when monitoring the USS.

[0140] As a third example, in some scenarios, the base station may allocate a larger BD / CCE budget than the UE signals. For example, the base station may allocate one or more SSSs to the UE that include more resources than the UE is capable of monitoring. This may be referred to as "oversubscribing" the UE. This may introduce additional complications for MSM implementations compared to pure SSM implementations.

[0141] In some implementations, a base station may be prohibited from overbooking a CSS, but may be allowed to overbook a USS. For example, in various implementations, overbooking a base station may be allowed on all spans, or on a subset of spans in a predefined multi-slot duration, or on only the first span in a predefined multi-slot duration.

[0142] When a UE determines that it is oversubscribed, it may respond by eliminating at least a portion of the allocated search space. For example, in some implementations, if the UE determines that a span is oversubscribed, the UE may respond by eliminating all slots of the search space in the span. For example, the UE may abandon monitoring within the span. For another example, the UE may eliminate allocated resources one slot at a time (e.g., abandon monitoring those resources) until the total allocated resources fit within the UE budget. For another example, the UE may eliminate allocated resources one symbol at a time until the total allocated resources fit within the UE budget.

[0143] As a fourth example, MSM may introduce additional complications related to carrier aggregation (CA). For example, if multiple component carriers (CCs) have the same SCS but different span sizes or different timeslot group sizes, estimating the UE's budget may be more complex. In some implementations, it may therefore not be allowed to use different span / timeslot group sizes on multiple carriers with the same SCS. In other implementations, each carrier group with the same span size or timeslot group size may be treated as a separate group for estimating the UE budget. In various implementations, the UE may indicate the combined budget of these groups or a separate budget for each group to the base station. The base station may generate one or more SSSs to the UE, such as to allocate resources to each group proportionally.

[0144] In some implementations, oversubscription can be performed separately for each group.

[0145] In some implementations, if more than one unicast PDSCH is transmitted to a UE (per CC), it may be time division multiplexed (TDM).A UE cannot receive more than one unicast PDSCH at a time (per CC).

[0146] In some implementations, a base station may not be allowed to schedule out-of-order multiple PDSCH / PUSCH (PxSCH) transmissions. For example, if any additional PxSCH transmissions are already scheduled, the current multiple PDSCH transmission may be canceled. No new PxSCHs may be scheduled until all PDSCH transmissions are complete. In some implementations, a base station may not be allowed to schedule PxSCH transmissions that allow out-of-order HARQ, such as a single or multiple PDSCH transmission B occurring after a single or multiple PDSCH transmission A may be restricted to scheduling its HARQ-ACK after the HARQ-ACK for transmission A.

[0147] In cross-carrier scheduling, DCI on one CC can schedule PxSCH on another CC. Given the potential increase in bandwidth for different transmissions and the increase in data rates for high SCS, the number of carriers that can be scheduled simultaneously from a single carrier may be indicated as a UE capability in some implementations. For example, the base station may use the configurable carrier indicator of DCI format 0_2 / 1_2 to indicate the number of carriers that can be scheduled simultaneously. For DCI format 0_1 / 1_1, since it is fixed at bits 0 and 3, the base station may transmit 3 bits, but only use the configured number of carriers at most. The UE may indicate its capabilities regarding the maximum number of carriers that can be scheduled from a single carrier.

[0148] In some scenarios, MSM can also benefit from updates to the HARQ process. For example, in scenarios with different parameter sets between PDSCH and PUCCH, a larger difference between SCSs may result in an increase in the number of HARQ processes. In a simple example, if a transmission occurs such that HARQ is on FR1 and the SCS is set to 15 kHz (which is equivalent to 32 480 kHz slots), the frame structure of the DDDSU will require an aggregation of up to 96 slots. The maximum difference varies from 8 (120 kHz to 15 kHz) to 64 (960 kHz to 15 kHz).

[0149] There are various ways to address this issue. For example, the number of HARQ processes could be increased. Another example is that the difference ratio between the SCSs of the PDCCH and PUCCH could be limited. Another example is that the PUCCH could be restricted to FR2 at its maximum value and not allowed to be transmitted in FR1, which would result in a large SCS difference. Another example is that HARQ elements could be bundled.

[0150] Figure 9 to Figure 1 1—Multi-slot monitoring with multiple search space sets

[0151] In some scenarios, improvements are desirable to allow for better support of dynamic search space set adaptation. For example, in some configurations, such as in NRU, UEs may contend for channel access, for example, using a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure. Consequently, UEs may gain control of the channel at times other than slot boundaries. In some common implementations, the SSS assigned to a UE may be limited to resources within one fixed symbol (e.g., the first symbol) of a slot. Consequently, in gaining channel access, a UE may waste a significant portion of a slot while waiting for the first appearance of the SSS, e.g., at the beginning of the next slot.

[0152] To avoid such waste, the base station can assign multiple SSSGs to the UE, each SSSG having a different configuration. The UE can be configured to dynamically switch between these SSSGs.

[0153] Figure 9 An example of two SSSGs within a transmission burst occupying one transmission opportunity (TXOP) is shown. As shown, SSSG1 includes every second symbol within a time slot (e.g., within time slot N), while SSSG2 includes only the first symbol of a time slot (e.g., within time slot N+1 to time slot N+4). As shown, the UE can utilize SSSG1 during the remainder of the first time slot when gaining channel access to allow for rapid reception of PDCCH / DCI. The UE can then switch to SSSG2 at the next time slot boundary to reduce its monitoring burden. Other group arrangements are also contemplated. For example, SSSG1 can include every symbol. As another example, SSSG2 can include multiple symbols within a time slot. In some scenarios, the selection of an SSSG can be configured for each bandwidth part (BWP).

[0154] Traditionally, only two SSSGs may be assigned to a given UE. However, additional search space sets, such as a CSS set, may be outside the configured group and may be monitored by the UE regardless of which SSSG is currently selected.

[0155] In various implementations, switching between groups may be triggered explicitly or implicitly. For example, in a conventional scenario employing two SSSGs, a timer (e.g., searchSpaceSwitchTimer) may be configured as a plurality of time slots, which may be decremented once per time slot, for example, at the end of each time slot. The UE may monitor for the presence of a monitoring group flag, such as DCI format 2_0. The presence of the flag may constitute explicit signaling. If the flag is set to a first value (e.g., 1), the UE may switch to (or continue to) monitor SSSG2 at the next applicable time slot boundary relative to the detected DCI format 2_0. The UE may also start (or restart) a configurable timer. If the flag is set to a second value (e.g., 0), the UE may switch to (or continue to) monitor SSSG1 at the next applicable time slot boundary relative to the detected DCI format 2_0.

[0156] If there is no flag or if the UE is not monitoring DCI format 2_0, implicit switching may be used. When implicit switching is used, if any PDCCH in SSSG1 is successfully detected, the UE may switch from monitoring SSSG1 to monitoring SSSG2 at the next applicable slot boundary relative to the detected PDCCH. The UE may also start (or restart) a configurable timer. The UE may switch from SSSG2 to SSSG1 at the earliest slot boundary of at least P2 symbols after: (1) the end of the slot in which the timer expires, or (2) the indicated COT duration is exceeded.

[0157] The "next applicable slot boundary" may be defined as the earliest start of a slot that is at least P1 / P2 symbols later than the last symbol of the corresponding PDCCH. P1 may be a number of symbols no less than a predetermined processing time required for the UE to perform a switch from SSSG1 to SSSG2, and P2 may be a number of symbols no less than a predetermined processing time required for the UE to perform a switch from SSSG2 to SSSG1.

[0158] In some scenarios, the UE may perform a mix of SSM and MSM, which may introduce additional complications regarding search space set switching. For example, the UE may utilize SSM for a first set of one or more BWPs while simultaneously utilizing MSM for a second, different set of one or more BWPs. This may be referred to as BWP switching. For another example, the UE may utilize SSM for a first set of one or more search space sets while simultaneously utilizing MSM for a second, different set of one or more search space sets. This may be referred to as search space set switching.

[0159] One exemplary implementation includes utilizing SSM at the beginning of the channel occupancy time (COT) during unlicensed channel access (eg, during the initial one or more time slots after channel access), and then utilizing MSM in subsequent time slots.

[0160] As described above, utilizing both SSM and MSM may introduce increased complexity. For example, when utilizing MSM, different DCI types may utilize different slot granularity (e.g., different slot group sizes or gap X sizes), which may prevent those DCI types from being included in a single SSSG. Similarly, multiple search space set configurations may be allowed for different DCI types. As another example, additional mechanisms may be required to switch between different MSM configurations. As another example, additional mechanisms may be required to define the locations where COT switching can occur relative to a subframe. Various techniques will now be presented to address these and other technical difficulties.

[0161] As described above, a UE may need to support both SSM and MSM, for example, if they have different slot group sizes and / or spans according to any of the aforementioned examples. However, when operating with high SCS, SSM may impose an undue complexity burden on the UE. To address this issue, the UE may signal different SSM and MSM capabilities for different DCI types.

[0162] For example, as a first option, the UE may indicate to the base station that it does not support SSM (eg, where SCS is applicable) at all.

[0163] As a second option, the UE may indicate that it does support SSM for specific PDCCH / DCI types. For example, the UE may only indicate that it supports SSM for CSS PDCCH / DCI. This may include PDCCH types 0, 0A, 1, 2, and 3.

[0164] As a third option, the UE may indicate a specific monitoring level for a specific PDCCH / DCI type. For example, for a specific DCI type (or for each available DCI type), the UE may indicate that it supports a single slot, MSM over 2 slots, MSM over 4 slots, etc. As a specific example, a particular UE may indicate that it supports SSM for DCI types 0, 0A, 1, and 2; that it supports 2-slot MSM for DCI type 3; and that it supports 4-slot MSM for USS. This configuration is an example, and it should be understood that other configurations are also contemplated.

[0165] As a fourth option, the UE may indicate a specific level of PDCCH monitoring for a specific DCI type at a specific subcarrier spacing. As a specific example, for a subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz, a particular UE may indicate that it supports SSM for DCI types 0, 0A, 1, and 2; that it supports 2-slot MSM for DCI type 3; and that it supports 4-slot MSM for the UE-specific search space. In this example, for a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz, the UE may further indicate that it supports SSM for DCI types 0 and 0A; that it supports 2-slot MSM for DCI types 1 and 2; that it supports 4-slot MSM for DCI type 3; and that it supports 8-slot MSM for the USS. This configuration is an example, and it should be understood that other configurations are also contemplated.

[0166] Table 1 shows various examples of possible UE configurations for supporting SSM and MSM for various DCI types. These examples show different levels of trade-off between flexibility and complexity burden on the UE.

[0167]

[0168] Table 1

[0169] The specific configuration used by the UE for each DCI type may be indicated by the gNB, for example, through (a) BWP switching, (b) explicit search space set switching, or (c) implicit search space set switching.

[0170] As mentioned above, search space set switching is traditionally applied only to USS and CSS type 3, while other CSS types are monitored by all UEs and are therefore not included in the configuration set. However, utilizing the multi-slot monitoring capability in which the UE can switch to MSM within the COT, some types of PDCCH / DCI typically included in the CSS (such as DCI format 2_0) can also be configured to change the search space granularity, for example, based on whether the UE is inside or outside the COT.

[0171] For example, in order for the UE to obtain information about the COT, the UE must receive DCI format 2_0 before the start of the COT. However, once inside the COT, if the USS is set to MSM, the need for DCI format 2_0 may also decrease, for example, at intervals of the slot group size of the MSM used for the USS.

[0172] To provide such flexibility, the base station may define multiple SSSGs for each DCI type. For example, the base station may define two (or more) SSSGs for DCI format 2_0 and two (or more) different SSSGs for data transmission of DCI. In other specific implementations, this may be extended so that the base station may define multiple SSSGs for CSS and different multiple SSSGs for USS.

[0173] Figure 10 An example is shown of two SSSGs (SSSG1, SSSG2) defined to include a CSS (which may include DCI format 2_0) and two SSSGs (SSSG3, SSSG4) defined to include a USS (which may include data type DCI, such as C-RNTI). As shown, the UE may initially utilize SSM to monitor SSSG1 for DCI format 2_0. As shown, SSSG1 includes multiple symbols, but any SSM configuration may be possible. Similarly, the UE may initially utilize SSM to monitor SSSG3 for one or more DCI types in the USS. As shown, SSSG3 includes multiple symbols, but any SSM configuration may be possible.

[0174] Upon entering the COT, the UE may monitor one or more DCI formats 2_0 within one or more monitoring opportunities of SSSG1. In response, at the beginning of the next full multi-slot slot group, the UE may transition to monitoring SSSG2 for DCI format 2_0 using MSM. As shown, SSSG2 has a slot group size of four slots, which may reduce the monitoring burden on the UE. In other examples, any suitable slot group size may be used.

[0175] Similarly, upon entering the COT, the UE may also monitor one or more data types of DCI within one or more monitoring opportunities of SSSG3. In response, at the beginning of the next full multi-slot slot group, the UE may transition to SSSG4, which utilizes MSM to monitor one or more DCI types in the USS. As shown, SSSG4 has a slot group size of two slots, which may reduce the monitoring burden on the UE. In other examples, any suitable slot group size may be used.

[0176] A multi-slot SSSG such as SSSG2 and / or SSSG4 may be configured according to any of the aforementioned examples, including those of FIG. 7 and FIG. Figure 8 or other appropriate format.

[0177] More generally, the base station may define and communicate with the UE, for example, via RRC messages, multiple PDCCH / DCI categories configured for search space set switching. For example, a first category may be defined to include USS DCI, a second category may be defined to include DCI format 2_0, a third category may be defined to include paging DCI (e.g., PDCCH type 2), and so on.

[0178] The base station may further define and communicate to the UE, for example, via an RRC message, the number of SSSs defined for each DCI type. Figure 10 As shown, for a given DCI type, the base station may define a first SSSG for use outside the COT. This first SSSG may continue to be used within the COT, for example, until the start of the first full multi-slot group of slots, and may define a second SSSG for use within the COT after the start of the first full multi-slot group of slots. For another example, the base station may define a first SSSG for use outside the COT, a second SSSG for use from the start of the COT until the start of the first full multi-slot group of slots, and a third SSSG for use within the COT after the start of the first full multi-slot group of slots. Other numbers and uses of SSSGs are also possible for a given DCI type.

[0179] In some implementations, the number of defined SSSGs may be the same for all DCI types. In other implementations, the number of defined SSSGs may be different and / or remain independent for some or all of the DCI types.

[0180] In some implementations, the base station may use UE group signaling, such as using DCI format 2_0, to indicate a search space set switch for any / all SSSGs, for example, when explicit switching is supported. In some implementations, a new DCI format may be used. In various scenarios, monitoring of the first DCI type may be switched from SSM to MSM simultaneously with monitoring of the second DCI type or at different times.

[0181] Switching from SSM to MSM after channel access can be performed according to various configurations. For example, switching from SSM to MSM can be performed by switching from a first SSSG configured for SSM to a second SSSG configured for MSM. Such switching can be performed in the manner described above for switching between SSSGs, but can be modified in any of a variety of ways to accommodate multiple slot groups. For example, in various implementations, searchSpaceSwitchTimer can be set in units of slots or multiple slots. For example, with an SCS of 15 kHz, searchSpaceSwitchTimer can be set to multiple slots with values ​​in the range of {1..20}, while an SCS of 30 kHz can allow multiple slots in the range of {1..40}, and an SCS of 60 kHz can allow multiple slots in the range of {1..80}. Extending this pattern to higher SCS values ​​can result in multiple slots in the range of {1..1280} for an SCS of 960 kHz. To reduce this range, the value may instead be set in units of 8-slot multislots, resulting in a valid range of {1..160}.

[0182] Figure 11a An example is shown of a UE switching from an SSM SSSG (SSSG1) to an MSM SSSG (SSSG2) with a fixed pattern of PDCCH monitoring with respect to the start of the COT.

[0183] As shown, the UE may initially monitor SSSG1 using SSM. At the second timeslot shown, the base station may initiate COT and may immediately transmit DCI format 2_0, which may be received by the UE within SSSG1. Consequently, the UE may switch to SSSG2, which may include switching to MSM. The indicated timeline represents the time required for the UE to transition to SSSG2 following the timeslot containing the received DCI format 2_0. Therefore, this may be equivalent to the previously defined P1. The first MSM timeslot group may begin at the first timeslot boundary after completing the timeline. Therefore, the first MSM timeslot group may be fixed relative to the start of the COT, with a delay determined by P1.

[0184] Figure 11b An example is shown of a UE switching from an SSM SSSG (SSSG1) to an MSM SSSG (SSSG2) with a fixed pattern of PDCCH monitoring fixed with respect to the start of a known subframe structure.

[0185] As shown, the UE may initially monitor SSSG1 using SSM. At the second time slot shown, the base station may initiate COT and may immediately transmit DCI format 2_0 that may be received by the UE within SSSG1. As a result, the UE may switch to SSSG2, which may include switching to MSM. The indicated timeline again represents P1. However, at Figure 11b In the example shown, SSSG2 has a fixed monitoring pattern that is fixed relative to the start of a known subframe structure, with a slot group size of 4 slots. Therefore, the UE can delay switching to SSSG2 until the next slot group begins. Specifically, in this example, the subframe structure begins at the beginning of the first illustrated slot. Because SSSG2 has a slot group size of 4, the next slot group begins at the fifth slot. Therefore, the first MSM slot group monitored by the UE can be fixed relative to the start of the subframe structure, rather than the start of the COT.

[0186] Figures 12 to 14 : DCI using beam scanning 2-0 transmission

[0187] As previously described, DCI format 2_0 may include a flag or other indication for triggering a search space switch. In some scenarios as described above, such a switch may occur upon entering the COT. DCI format 2_0 may also include an indication of the COT duration. Because DCI format 2_0 carries these indications, it is important for the UE to receive DCI format 2_0 quickly after the start of the COT. For example, the reception of the COT duration may enable the UE to stop the LBT procedure in order to avoid collisions, and the reception of the search space switch flag may allow the UE to save power by switching to a less burdensome SSSG configuration. However, when beam scanning is utilized, DCI format 2_0 as defined previously may not be able to provide DCI format 2_0 to all applicable UEs quickly after the start of the COT.

[0188] In conventional implementations, the search space configuration is restricted so that each search space is configured in a separate symbol. DCI format 2_0 is specially processed so that it can only be located in the first 3 symbols of a slot.

[0189] Beam scanning transmissions are currently defined as being associated with CORESET 0. CORESET 0 is expressed with reference to SSBs such that CORESET 0 is transmitted across a set of S consecutive single-slot PDCCH monitoring opportunities, where S is the number of SSBs transmitted, as indicated in SIB1 (specifically indicated by ssb-PositionsInBurst). Each monitoring opportunity corresponds to a respective SSB and may carry a 2-symbol DCI format 2_0 within CORESET 0.

[0190] However, CORESET 0 is limited to a maximum of two PDCCHs per slot, so transmitting 64 beams would span at least 32 slots, requiring 4ms. By comparison, as defined in 3GPP EN302_567, the maximum COT size is limited to 5ms. Therefore, transmitting one DCI format 2_0 per slot could potentially result in the UE receiving DCI format 2_0 after approximately 80% of the COT has passed, which may be too late to be effective.

[0191] To resolve this dilemma, a base station may be allowed to schedule multiple DCI formats 2_0 within a single time slot, for example, at any position within the time slot, while performing beam scanning. In some implementations, the base station may schedule multiple DCI formats 2_0 within a single time slot only in response to determining that LBT is configured. The duration may be set to multiple transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states associated with the CORESET used for DCI format 2_0 transmission. For example, a 2-symbol DCI format 2_0 may be transmitted for each TCI (corresponding to each beam direction). This may allow the base station to complete beam scanning significantly faster.

[0192] In some implementations, the base station may provide the UE with an RRC parameter "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot" that may indicate to the UE which TCI to transmit. For example, monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot may represent a bitmap where if the corresponding bit within monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot is set to "1," the transmission will be sent on a given symbol in the slot.

[0193] A CORESET may be configured with a TCI state list. Each UE may monitor its active TCI state from one of the TCI states in the configured TCI list.

[0194] In some implementations, the base station may associate each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state in the CORESET configuration. For example, each monitoring opportunity may be transmitted in a specific known TCI state. For example, a first TCI state (first beam direction) may be used for a first monitoring opportunity, a second TCI state may be used for a second monitoring opportunity, and so on. Thus, the UE may monitor the monitoring opportunity corresponding to the active TCI state of the UE and may decode DCI format 2_0 received during the monitoring opportunity. The UE may abstain from monitoring (e.g., not monitor) during other monitoring opportunities. This may result in power savings for the UE by limiting the number of monitoring opportunities the UE has during a monitoring period. The active TCI state of the UE may be updated via the beam management procedure.

[0195] In other implementations, the base station may not explicitly associate each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state. Therefore, any TCI state may be transmitted within a given monitoring opportunity. In such an implementation, the UE may monitor each monitoring opportunity to determine which monitoring opportunity corresponds to the UE's active TCI state and may decode the DCI 2_0 that appears in that monitoring opportunity. Such an implementation may provide greater flexibility in base station scheduling due to the freedom to schedule any TCI state for a given monitoring opportunity. However, such an implementation may increase complexity and power consumption at the UE relative to an implementation in which each monitoring opportunity is associated with a TCI state.

[0196] Figure 12 A first example of beam scanning, as outlined above, is shown, where only a single UE (UE1) is present in the network. Therefore, only a single TCI state (TCI state 2) is transmitted. As shown in scenario 1202, base station 106 may first acquire the COT using directional sensing using a single LBT beam. Then, as shown in scenario 1204, the base station may transmit to UE1 within the COT using a single beam direction according to TCI state 2.

[0197] Scenario 1206 illustrates the transmission of a COT in a single TCI state 2, in a scenario where the base station has associated each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state. Therefore, as shown in scenario 1206, TCI state 2 is transmitted in the second monitoring opportunity.

[0198] Scenario 1208 illustrates the transmission of a COT in a single TCI state 2, in a scenario where the base station does not associate each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state. Therefore, TCI state 2 can be transmitted in any suitable monitoring opportunity. In the example of scenario 1208, TCI state 2 is transmitted in the first monitoring opportunity, for example, because it is the only TCI state transmitted in the time slot.

[0199] exist Figure 12 In the scenario, DCI format 2_0 can be transmitted to UE1 according to TCI state 2, for example, in the first time slot of COT, and the remaining part of COT can be used to transmit PDCCH / PDSCH to UE1.

[0200] For single-beam COT, if DCI 2_0 is not transmitted, unicast DCI can be used to schedule PDSCH and / or PUSCH with or without LBT indication for PUSCH.

[0201] Figure 13A second example of beam scanning as outlined above is shown, where two UEs (UE1 and UE2) are present in the network. Therefore, two TCI states (TCI states 2 and 5) are transmitted. As shown in scenario 1302, the base station 106 may first acquire a multi-directional COT using directional sensing using multiple LBT beams. Then, as shown in scenario 1304, the base station may transmit to UE1 within the COT with a first beam direction, e.g., according to TCI state 2, and may transmit to UE2 within the COT with a second beam direction, e.g., according to TCI state 5.

[0202] Scenario 1306 illustrates the transmission of a COT in a single TCI state 2 and TCI state 5, in a scenario where the base station has associated each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state. Therefore, as shown in scenario 1306, TCI state 2 is transmitted in the second monitoring opportunity, and TCI state 5 is transmitted in the fifth monitoring opportunity.

[0203] Scenario 1308 illustrates the transmission of a COT in a single TCI state 2 and TCI state 5, in a scenario where the base station does not associate each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state. Therefore, TCI state 2 and TCI state 5 can each be transmitted in any appropriate monitoring opportunity. In the example of scenario 1308, TCI state 2 and TCI state 5 are transmitted in the first two monitoring opportunities. UE1 and UE2 can each monitor these two occupied monitoring opportunities and decode the monitoring opportunity using the appropriate TCI state.

[0204] exist Figure 13 In the scenario, DCI format 2_0 may be transmitted to UE1 according to TCI state 2, and DCI format 2_0 may be transmitted to UE2 according to TCI state 5, for example, in the first time slot of the COT. At least a portion of the remaining resources of the COT may be used to transmit the PDCCH / PDSCH to UE1, and / or at least a portion of the remaining resources of the COT may be used to transmit the PDCCH / PDSCH to UE2.

[0205] Alternatively, if further enhanced multiple-input multiple-output (feMIMO) is provided, the base station can transmit two TCI states in two beams simultaneously. Figure 13 In the example of , TCI state 2 and TCI state 5 can be transmitted in a single monitoring opportunity, which can be monitored by both UE1 and UE2. This can further shorten the beam scanning time.

[0206] Figure 14A third example of beam scanning as outlined above is shown, where the COT is an omni-quasi-omni COT and DCI 2_0 is transmitted to all UEs within the cell. Thus, a larger number (e.g., 8) of TCI states are transmitted, for example, assuming that 8 beams are used to cover the entire cell coverage area. As shown in scenario 1402, the base station 106 may first use omni-directional sensing using an omni-directional LBT beam to acquire an omni-directional COT. Then, as shown in scenario 1404, for example, based on the corresponding TCI state, the base station may transmit to each UE within the COT with a corresponding beam direction, or may transmit to all UEs within the COT with an omni-directional beam. For simplicity, scenario 1404 shows only three UEs, but the base station 106 may similarly transmit to additional UEs.

[0207] Scenario 1406 illustrates the transmission of COT in all active states in a scenario where the base station has associated each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state. In such a scenario, each UE may only monitor the monitoring opportunities of its corresponding active TCI state.

[0208] Scenario 1408 illustrates the transmission of the COT in all active states, in a scenario where the base station does not associate each monitoring opportunity with a TCI state. Therefore, each active TCI state can be transmitted in any available monitoring opportunity. Each UE can monitor all occupied monitoring opportunities and decode the monitoring opportunity that carries the UE's active TCI state.

[0209] exist Figure 14 In this scenario, DCI format 2_0 can be transmitted for each active TCI state in the COT. At least a portion of the remaining resources of the COT can be used to transmit PDCCH / PDSCH to each UE. It may be noted that the transmission of eight or more two-symbol DCI format 2_0s will last for more than a single time slot. The same procedure can continue in subsequent time slots, where each monitoring opportunity contains one TCI state with one DCI format 2_0.

[0210] Alternatively, if feMIMO is provided, the base station may transmit using both TCI states simultaneously. Figure 14 In the example of , four monitoring opportunities may each carry two TCI states to achieve the transmission of 8 active TCI states.

[0211] Figure 15 The figure shows another use of signaling DCI format 2_0 at the beginning of COT. As mentioned above, the UE can monitor the first CSS SSSG (SSSG1) outside the COT to monitor DCI format 2_0. According to SSSG1, the UE can monitor frequently to ensure that DCI format 2_0 is not lost.

[0212] After entering the COT, the base station may transmit DCI format 2_0, for example, early in the COT. DCI format 2_0 may include a flag or other indication for the UE to switch from SSSG1 to a second SSSG (SSSG2) for the duration of the COT. SSSG2 may specify a monitoring opportunity with a lower frequency than SSSG1. In some scenarios, such as Figure 15 In the example of , SSSG2 may not include additional CSS monitoring opportunities until the end of the COT. SSSG2 may specify a monitoring opportunity at or near the end of the COT, at which time the UE may receive another DCI format 2_0 that may include a flag or other indication for the UE to switch back to SSSG1.

[0213] Alternatively, the base station may not provide an indication for the UE to switch to a different SSSG during the COT, but the UE may be configured to stop monitoring the monitoring opportunities for DCI format 2_0 for the remainder of the COT duration in response to receiving DCI format 2_0 indicating the COT duration. The UE may then resume monitoring DCI format 2_0 after the COT ends.

[0214] When the COT duration is specified within DCI format 2_0, the duration can be measured in various ways. Specifically, the traditional way is to measure the duration from the time slot in which the UE detects DCI format 2_0. However, this definition may lead to ambiguity if the number of TCI states is large enough so that DCI format 2_0 requires more than one time slot. For example, in some implementations, the DCI format 2_0 content may remain the same during the entire sweep sequence. The COT duration may be considered to start at the end of the last PDCCH monitoring opportunity in the current SSSG period. Alternatively, the COT duration may be considered to start at the end of the first PDCCH monitoring opportunity in the current SSSG period.

[0215] In other implementations, the DCI format 2_0 content can be updated during the beam sweep process. In such scenarios, the COT duration can be considered to begin after the last symbol of the monitoring opportunity. However, it may be desirable to specify the COT duration as a number of slots rather than a number of symbols. Specifically, in high SCS scenarios such as 960 kHz, the COT duration can include up to 4480 symbols, which would require 13 bits to convey.

[0216] In any of these implementations, the slot format indicator (SFI) index field defined in DCI format 2_0, if configured, may begin simultaneously with the COT duration.

[0217] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a base station (BS) in the UL as a message / signal X transmitted by the UE, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the BS in the DL as a message / signal Y received by the UE, any of the methods for operating the BS described herein can serve as a basis for the corresponding method for operating the UE. In addition, the methods described with respect to the UE can be interpreted as methods for the BS in a similar manner.

[0218] In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, further embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0219] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any one of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets.

[0220] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., BS 102 or UE 106 or 107) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0221] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0222] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for performing search space set switching, the method comprising: Via wireless communication devices: monitoring DCI format 2_0 messages using a first search space set group, wherein the first search space set group uses single slot monitoring; receiving the DCI format 2_0 message, wherein the DCI format 2_0 message includes an indication for the wireless communication device to switch to monitoring a second search space set group, wherein the second search space set group uses multi-slot monitoring; In response to the indication, switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set; as well as Transmitting to a base station an indication of a first multi-slot monitoring capability of the wireless communication device regarding common search space monitoring, wherein the second search space set group is configured to not exceed the first multi-slot monitoring capability, wherein the first multi-slot monitoring capability includes an indication that the wireless communication device can adapt to monitoring of non-contiguous symbols within a multi-slot span of the common search space.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: By means of the wireless communication device: monitoring a third search space set group while monitoring the DCI format 2_0 message, wherein the third search space set group includes a user equipment (UE)-specific search space and uses single-slot monitoring, wherein the DCI format 2_0 message includes an indication for the wireless communication device to switch to monitoring a fourth search space set group, wherein the fourth search space set group includes a UE-specific search space and uses multi-slot monitoring; as well as In response to the indication, switching to monitoring the fourth search space set instead of the third search space set. 3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second search space set group has a slot group size that is different from a slot group size of the fourth search space set group.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: By means of the wireless communication device: An indication of a second multi-slot monitoring capability of the wireless communication device for UE-specific search space monitoring is transmitted to the base station, wherein the fourth search space set is configured not to exceed the second multi-slot monitoring capability.

5. The method according to claim 4, The second multi-slot monitoring capability includes an indication that the wireless communication device cannot adapt to monitoring of non-contiguous symbols within a multi-slot span of a UE-specific search space.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: By means of the wireless communication device: An indication of a multi-slot monitoring capability for each of a plurality of PDCCH types is transmitted to a base station, wherein the second search space set group and the fourth search space set group are configured not to exceed the indicated multi-slot monitoring capability.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication of the multi-slot monitoring capability further comprises, for each of at least two different subcarrier spacings, a different capability for at least one of the plurality of PDCCH types.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set comprises: determining a start time of a next time slot that starts at least a first predetermined processing time after the time slot in which the DCI format 2_0 message is received; as well as Starting from the determined start time of the next time slot, switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set comprises: determining a start time of a next multi-slot slot group of the second search space set group, wherein the slot group of the second search space set group is fixed relative to a start of a subframe structure; as well as Starting from the determined start time of the next multi-slot time slot group, switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: By means of the wireless communication device: receiving, from a base station, an indication of a plurality of PDCCH categories configured for search space set switching; as well as An indication of a plurality of search space set groups configured for each of the PDCCH categories is received from the base station. 11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the number of search space set groups configured for a first one of the PDCCH categories is different from the number of search space set groups configured for a second one of the PDCCH categories.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the DCI format 2_0 message is received on one beam of a beam scanning sequence, wherein multiple beams of the beam scanning sequence carry respective copies of the DCI format 2_0 within a single time slot.

13. An apparatus for performing a communication function in a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a memory storing software instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the software instructions so that the UE: monitoring DCI format 2_0 messages using a first search space set group, wherein the first search space set group uses single slot monitoring; receiving the DCI format 2_0 message, wherein the DCI format 2_0 message includes an indication for the UE to switch to monitoring a second search space set group, wherein the second search space set group uses multi-slot monitoring; In response to the indication, switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set; as well as Transmitting to a base station an indication of a first multi-slot monitoring capability of the UE regarding common search space monitoring, wherein the second search space set group is configured to not exceed the first multi-slot monitoring capability, wherein the first multi-slot monitoring capability includes an indication that the UE can adapt to monitoring of non-contiguous symbols within a multi-slot span of the common search space.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the software instructions to further cause the UE to: monitoring a third search space set group while monitoring the DCI format 2_0 message, wherein the third search space set group includes a user equipment (UE)-specific search space and uses single-slot monitoring, wherein the DCI format 2_0 message includes an indication for the UE to switch to monitoring a fourth search space set group, wherein the fourth search space set group includes a UE-specific search space and uses multi-slot monitoring; and In response to the indication, switching to monitoring the fourth search space set instead of the third search space set.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the software instructions to further cause the UE to: An indication of a second multi-slot monitoring capability of the UE for UE-specific search space monitoring is transmitted to the base station, wherein the fourth search space set is configured not to exceed the second multi-slot monitoring capability.

16. The device according to claim 15, The second multi-slot monitoring capability includes an indication that the UE cannot adapt to monitoring of non-contiguous symbols within a multi-slot span of a UE-specific search space.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing software instructions that, when executed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) device, cause the UE to: monitoring DCI format 2_0 messages using a first search space set group, wherein the first search space set group uses single slot monitoring; receiving the DCI format 2_0 message, wherein the DCI format 2_0 message includes an indication for the UE to switch to monitoring a second search space set group, wherein the second search space set group uses multi-slot monitoring; In response to the indication, switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set; as well as Transmitting to a base station an indication of a first multi-slot monitoring capability of the UE regarding common search space monitoring, wherein the second search space set group is configured to not exceed the first multi-slot monitoring capability, wherein the first multi-slot monitoring capability includes an indication that the UE can adapt to monitoring of non-contiguous symbols within a multi-slot span of the common search space.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 17, wherein switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set comprises: determining a start time of a next time slot that starts at least a first predetermined processing time after the time slot in which the DCI format 2_0 message is received; as well as Starting from the determined start time of the next time slot, switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 17, wherein switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set comprises: determining a start time of a next multi-slot slot group of the second search space set group, wherein the slot group of the second search space set group is fixed relative to a start of a subframe structure; as well as Starting from the determined start time of the next multi-slot time slot group, switching to monitoring the second search space set instead of the first search space set.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 17, wherein the software instructions further cause the UE to: receiving, from a base station, an indication of a plurality of PDCCH categories configured for search space set switching; and An indication of a plurality of search space set groups configured for each of the PDCCH categories is received from the base station.

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