Apparatuses, devices, and non-transitory memory elements for wireless communication

Abstract

The present disclosure provides control signaling for enhanced physical control channel (e.g., PDCCH) transmission / reception. Multiple beam pairs can be used for transmission and reception of a physical control channel. The location of the physical control channel can be based on a search space (SS) and its associated control channel resource set (CORESET), where a specified number of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states are configured for a CORESET and / or one SS is mapped to a specified number of CORESETs. The TCI states can be selected from a configured TCI list in the corresponding CORESET via radio resource control (RRC) and / or can be activated by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). Via RRC signaling, a base station (e.g., gNB) can configure more than one CORESET-ID for each SS, apply the configuration to a device-specific SS, or apply the configuration to both a device-specific SS and a cell-specific SS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to providing control signaling for physical control channel reliability enhancement, such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reliability enhancement in 3GPP NR communications. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment devices or UEs) now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these capabilities. In addition, there are many different wireless communication technologies and wireless communication standards. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDS-CDMA), LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), BLUETOOTH TM The proposed next-generation telecommunications standard, which goes beyond the International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-Advanced) standard, is the fifth-generation mobile network or fifth-generation wireless system, known as 3GPP NR (also known as 5G-NR for 5G New Radio, or simply NR). NR provides higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users while supporting device-to-device, ultra-reliable, and massive machine communications, as well as lower latency and lower battery consumption than the LTE standard.

[0003] 3GPP LTE / NR defines multiple downlink (DL) physical channels, classified as transport or control channels, to carry information blocks received from MAC and higher layers. 3GPP LTE / NR also defines physical layer channels for the uplink (UL). The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is a DL transport channel and is the primary data-bearing channel allocated to users on a dynamic and opportunistic basis. The PDSCH carries data in transport blocks (TBs) corresponding to medium access control protocol data units (MAC PDUs), which are passed from the MAC layer to the physical (PHY) layer once per transmission time interval (TTI). The PDSCH is also used to transmit broadcast information such as system information blocks (SIBs) and paging messages.

[0004] The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is a DL control channel that carries the resource allocation of the UE contained in the Downlink Control Information (DCI) message. For example, the DCI may include a Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) related to beamforming, where the TCI includes configurations such as the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between the downlink reference signal (DL-RS) and the PDSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports in a channel state information RS (CSI-RS) set. Each TCI state can contain parameters for configuring the QCL relationship between one or two downlink reference signals and the DMRS ports of the PDSCH, the DMRS ports of the PDCCH, or the CSI-RS ports of the CSI-RS resources. Multiple PDCCHs can be transmitted in the same subframe using control channel elements (CCEs), each of which is a set of resource elements called a resource element group (REG). The PDCCH can be modulated using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), where a specific number (e.g., four) of QPSK symbols are mapped to each REG. Furthermore, depending on the channel conditions, the UE may use a specified number (eg, 1, 2, 4, or 8) of CCEs to ensure sufficient robustness.

[0005] The Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) is an UL channel shared by all devices (user equipment, UE) in a radio cell to transmit user data to the network. Scheduling for all UEs is under the control of the base station (e.g., eNB or gNB). The base station uses uplink scheduling grants (e.g., DCI format 0) to inform the UE about resource block (RB) allocations and the modulation and coding scheme to be used. The PUSCH typically supports QPSK and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). In addition to user data, the PUSCH also carries any control information required to decode the information, such as the transport format indicator and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) parameters. The control data is multiplexed with the information data before digital Fourier transform (DFT) expansion.

[0006] As mentioned above, downlink data transmission occurs on the physical channel PDSCH, while uplink data transmission occurs on the UL channel PUSCH. In addition, as mentioned above, in addition to some MAC control and system information, these two channels transmit transport blocks of data. In order to support the transmission of DL and UL transport channels, downlink shared channel (DLSCH) and uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) control signaling are used. Control information is sent in (or through) the PDCCH, and it contains DL resource allocation and UL authorization information. The PDCCH is usually transmitted at the beginning of each subframe in the first OFDM symbol. Therefore, support for efficient and effective transmission of the PDCCH is extremely important.

[0007] Other corresponding problems associated with the prior art will become apparent to those skilled in the art after comparing such prior art with the disclosed embodiments described herein. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In particular, embodiments of a method for implementing control signaling for physical control channel reliability enhancement in wireless communications, such as for PDCCH enhancement in 3GPP New Radio (NR) communications, are provided herein. Embodiments of a wireless communication system are further provided herein, including user equipment (UE) devices and / or base stations communicating with each other within the wireless communication system.

[0009] Based on the above, control signaling is introduced to enhance physical control channel (e.g., PDCCH) transmission / reception. Multiple beam pairs can be used to transmit and receive PDCCH. PDCCH locations can be based on a search space (SS) and its associated control channel resource set (CORESET), where up to a specified number (N) of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states are configured for a CORESET, and / or one SS is mapped to up to a specified number (N) of CORESETs.

[0010] Thus, a device may use multiple beam pairs to receive a physical control channel, wherein time and frequency resources are used to carry the physical control channel based on a search space and its associated one or more control channel resource CORESETs, wherein a specified first number of TCI states is configured for a corresponding CORESET in one or more associated CORESETs, and / or the search space is mapped to a specified second number of CORESETs in one or more associated CORESETs. The specified first number of TCI states may be selected from a TCI (state) list configured in the corresponding CORESET via radio resource control and / or may be activated via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). The MAC CE may activate the specified first number of TCI states for a corresponding CORESET with the same ID in each cell of a group of serving cells, or for all CORESETs in the group of serving cells. The group of serving cells may be configured via radio resource control signaling determined by device capabilities.

[0011] The apparatus for receiving a physical control channel according to a specified first number of TCI states may include an apparatus for receiving the physical control channel using a search space and time and frequency resources indicated by a corresponding CORESET based on the specified first number of TCI states, or receiving multiple instances of the physical control channel in the search space and time and frequency resources indicated by the corresponding CORESET, wherein each instance of the multiple instances is associated with a different TCI state in the specified first number of TCI states. The specified first number of TCI states may be multiplexed according to frequency division multiplexing (FDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), and / or space division multiplexing (SDM). Any one or more of FDM, TDM, or SDM may be configured via higher layer signaling and / or parameters configured in the corresponding CORESET. In some embodiments, these parameters may include precoder granularity and / or duration.

[0012] A specified number of TCI states can be multiplexed according to: FDM when the precoder granularity is commensurate with the resource element group (REG) level; TDM when the precoder granularity indicates a contiguous resource block (RB) configuration and the duration configuration is more than one symbol; and SDM when the precoder granularity indicates a contiguous RB configuration and the duration configuration is one symbol. When the precoder granularity is commensurate with the resource element group (REG) level, even-numbered REGs can be associated with the first TCI, and odd-numbered REGs can be associated with the second TCI. The granularity of the frequency resources mapped to the TCI can be configured via radio resource control parameters.

[0013] In some embodiments, a first TCI may be mapped to a first number of symbols of a time resource, and a second TCI may be mapped to the remaining symbols of the time resource. In some embodiments, the first TCI may be mapped to even symbols of the time resource, and the second TCI may be mapped to odd symbols of the time resource. In some embodiments, each TCI may be mapped to a corresponding demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port of a specified number of DMRS ports.

[0014] Through RRC signaling, a base station (e.g., a gNB) may configure more than one CORESET identifier for each SS. This configuration may be applied to a device-specific search space and / or a cell-specific search space. In some embodiments, in the search space, a start symbol of a time resource may be configured separately for each CORESET in a specified second number of CORESETs. In some embodiments, the start symbol index of the time resource may be determined by specifying a duration and a corresponding CORESET identifier for each CORESET in the specified second number of CORESETs.

[0015] It should be noted that the techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, cellular telephones, portable media players, tablets, wearable devices, and various other computing devices.

[0016] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter 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

[0017] Figure 1 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary base station in communication with an exemplary wireless user equipment (UE) device in accordance with some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 3 shows an exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments;

[0020] Figure 4 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments;

[0021] Figure 5 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of an example cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 6 An example diagram illustrating possible physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) locations based on a search space (SS) and its associated control resource set (CORESET) is shown;

[0023] Figure 7 An example diagram illustrating possible PDCCH locations based on an SS and its associated CORESET, where multiple transmission configuration indication (TCI) states are configured for the CORESET, according to some embodiments is shown;

[0024] Figure 8 shows an example diagram illustrating possible PDCCH locations based on an SS and its associated CORESETs, where one SS is mapped to multiple CORESETs, according to some embodiments; and

[0025] Figure 9An example diagram illustrating an example of multiple CORESETs configured for a single SS is shown, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0026] While features 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. It should be understood however that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular form disclosed but on the contrary this disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Acronyms

[0028] Various acronyms are used throughout this patent application. Definitions of the most prominent acronyms used throughout this patent application can appear as follows:

[0029] • APR: Application Processor

[0030] • BS: Base Station

[0031] • BSR: Buffer Size Report

[0032] • CMR: Change Mode Request

[0033] • CORESET: Control Channel Resource Set

[0034] • CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check

[0035] • CSI: Channel State Information

[0036] • DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0037] • DL: Downlink (from BS to UE)

[0038] • DYN: Dynamic

[0039] • FDM: Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0040] • FT: Frame Type

[0041] • GC-PDCCH: Group Common Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0042] • GPRS: General Packet Radio Service

[0043] • GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0044] • GTP: GPRS Tunneling Protocol

[0045] • IR: Initialization and Refresh State

[0046] LAN: Local Area Network

[0047] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0048] MAC: Media Access Control

[0049] MAC-CE: MAC control element

[0050] MIB: Master Information Block

[0051] MIMO: Multiple Input Multiple Output

[0052] OSI: Open Systems Interconnection

[0053] PBCH: Physical Broadcast Channel

[0054] ●PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0055] ●PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0056] PDN: Packet Data Network

[0057] ●PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0058] PDU: Protocol Data Unit

[0059] QCL: Quasi-co-site

[0060] RACH: Random access procedure

[0061] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0062] RB: Resource Block

[0063] RF: Radio Frequency

[0064] RMSI: Remaining Minimum System Information

[0065] ROHC: Robust Header Compression

[0066] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0067] RS: Reference signal (symbol)

[0068] RSI: Root Sequence Indicator

[0069] RTP: Real-time Transport Protocol

[0070] RX: Receive

[0071] SDM: Space Division Multiplexing

[0072] SID: System Identification Number

[0073] SGW: Serving Gateway

[0074] SRS: Sounding Reference Signal

[0075] SS: Search Space

[0076] SSB: Synchronous Signal Block

[0077] TBS: Transport Block Size

[0078] ●TCI: Transmission Configuration Indicator

[0079] TDM: Time Division Multiplexing

[0080] TRS: Tracking Reference Signal

[0081] TX: Transmit

[0082] UE: User Equipment

[0083] UL: Uplink (from UE to BS)

[0084] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0085] Wi-Fi: Wireless local area network (WLAN) based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

[0086] WLAN RAT

[0087] WLAN: Wireless LAN

[0088] the term

[0089] The following is a glossary of terms that will appear in this application:

[0090] Memory Medium—Any of various types of 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, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements; and the like. Memory media may also include other types of memory or a combination thereof. Furthermore, a memory medium may be located in a first computer system executing a program, or in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network, such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations, such as in different computer systems connected via a network. A memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., represented as a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0091] Carrier Media—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.

[0092] 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."

[0093] Computer system (or computer)—any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a network appliance, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0094] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") – Any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communications. Also known as wireless communication devices, many of which may be mobile and / or portable. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones). TM, based on Android TM phones) and tablets such as iPads TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM etc., gaming devices (such as Sony PlayStation TM , Microsoft XBox TM etc.), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM iPod TM ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., Apple Watch TM , Google Glass TM ), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices or other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (e.g., drones) and drone controllers, etc. Various other types of devices that include Wi-Fi communication capabilities or both cellular and Wi-Fi communication capabilities and / or other wireless communication capabilities (e.g., via short-range radio access technologies (SRAT) such as BLUETOOTH TM 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 devices) capable of wireless communication and which may also be portable / mobile.

[0095] Wireless device (or wireless communication device) – Any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communications using WLAN communications, SRAT communications, Wi-Fi communications, etc. As used herein, the term "wireless device" may refer to a UE device as defined above or a fixed device such as a fixed wireless client or a wireless base station. For example, a wireless device may be a wireless station of any type of 802.11 system, such as an access point (AP) or a client station (UE), or a wireless station of any type of cellular communication system that communicates according to a cellular radio access technology (e.g., LTE, CDMA, GSM), such as a base station or a cellular phone.

[0096] 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.

[0097] Base Station (BS) - The term "base station" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0098] Processor – refers to any element (e.g., circuitry) or combination of elements that is capable of performing functions in a device (e.g., in a user equipment device or in a cellular network device). Processors may include, for example, general-purpose processors and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, entire processor cores or processing circuit cores, arrays of processing circuits or processors, circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any combination of the foregoing.

[0099] Channel - the medium used to transmit information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since the characteristics of the term "channel" may vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used in the present invention may be considered to be used in a manner that is consistent with the standard of the type of device to which the term is used. In some standards, the channel width may be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths of 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel may be 22 MHz wide, while a Bluetooth channel may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0100] Band (or frequency band)—The term "band" has the full range of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a section of the spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose. Furthermore, "band" is used to refer to any interval in the frequency domain bounded by lower and upper frequencies. The term can refer to a radio frequency band or some other interval of spectrum. A radio communication signal can occupy a frequency range over which the signal is carried (or within which the signal is carried). This frequency range is also referred to as the bandwidth of the signal. Thus, bandwidth refers to the difference between the upper and lower frequencies in a continuous frequency band. A band can represent a single communication channel, or it can be subdivided into multiple communication channels. The allocation of radio frequency ranges for different uses is a primary function of radio spectrum allocation.

[0101] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and at least includes a wireless communication network or RAT that provides services using wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and connectivity through these access points to the Internet. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on IEEE 802.11 standards and marketed under the name "Wi-Fi." Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0102] Automatically - refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASIC, etc.) without user input directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thus the term "automatically" is in contrast to "manually," where the action or operation is performed by the user, and "automatically" is in contrast to "manually" where the user is involved in starting the action or operation but not in repeatedly performing the action or operation. An automatic process can be initiated by input or command from the user, but subsequent actions or operations are performed without user input. For example, a user can activate a notification procedure in a computer system, in which the computer system is to send to each of a certain set of recipients a notification message. Except for activating the notification procedure, the user does not have to specify each recipient or each message. The computer system can automatically determine each recipient and each message. The computer system performs the notification procedure automatically after the user, for example, has already set a

[0103] Approximately - refers to a value that is close to or nearly the correct or precise value. For example, approximately can refer to a value that is within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can depend on the application. For example, in some embodiments, "approximately" can mean within 0.1% of some specified or expected value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold can be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of the particular application.

[0104] Concurrent - refers to the performance or execution of tasks, processes or programs in an overlapping manner. For example, concurrency can be implemented using "strong" or strict parallelism, where tasks are performed in parallel on respective computing elements (at least in part); or using "weak parallelism," where tasks are performed in an interleaved manner (e.g., through time-multiplexing of execution threads).

[0105] Station (STA) - The term "station" herein refers to any device that has the capability to communicate wirelessly (e.g., by using the 802.11 protocol). A station can be a laptop, a desktop PC, a PDA, an access point, or a Wi-Fi phone or any type of device similar to a UE. A STA can be fixed, mobile, portable, or wearable. Generally, in wireless networking terminology, a station (STA) broadly encompasses any device that has wireless communication capability, and the terms station (STA), wireless client (UE), and node (BS) are thus often used interchangeably.

[0106] Configured to - Various components can be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured to" is a broad recitation generally meaning "having structure that" performs the one or more tasks during operation. Accordingly, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently on or connected. In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad recitation generally meaning "having circuitry that" performs the one or more tasks during operation. Accordingly, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently on or connected. Generally, the circuitry forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" can include hardware circuitry.

[0107] Transmission schedule - Refers to the scheduling of transmissions, such as wireless transmissions. In some implementations of cellular radio communications, signal and data transmissions can be organized according to specified time units of particular durations during which transmissions occur. As used herein, the term "slot" has the full range of its ordinary meaning and at least refers to the smallest (or shortest) scheduling time unit in wireless communications. For example, in 3GPP LTE, transmissions are divided into radio frames each having an equal (time) duration (e.g., 10 ms). Radio frames in 3GPP LTE can be further divided into a specified number (e.g., ten) of subframes each having an equal duration, the subframe being specified as the smallest (shortest) scheduling unit, or specified time unit for transmissions. Thus, in the 3GPP LTE example, a "subframe" can be considered an example of a "slot" as defined above. Similarly, the smallest (or shortest) scheduling time unit for 5G NR (or simply NR) transmissions is referred to as a "slot." The smallest (or shortest) scheduling time unit can be named differently in different communication protocols.

[0108] Resources—The term "resource" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and may refer to both frequency and time resources used during wireless communications. As used herein, a resource element (RE) refers to a specific quantity or number of resources. For example, in the context of time resources, a resource element may be a time period of a specific length. In the context of frequency resources, a resource element may be a specific frequency bandwidth or a specific amount of frequency bandwidth centered on a specific frequency. As a specific example, a resource element may refer to a unit of resources having one symbol (in reference to a time resource, e.g., a time period of a specific length) per one subcarrier (in reference to a frequency resource, e.g., a specific frequency bandwidth, which may be centered on a specific frequency). A resource element group (REG) has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and refers to at least a specified number of contiguous resource elements. In some implementations, a resource element group may not include resource elements reserved for reference signals. A control channel element (CCE) refers to a group of a specified number of contiguous REGs. A resource block (RB) refers to a specified number of resource elements consisting of a specified number of subcarriers per a specified number of symbols. Each RB may include a specified number of subcarriers. A resource block group (RBG) refers to a unit that includes multiple RBs. The number of RBs in one RBG may vary according to the system bandwidth.

[0109] 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.

[0110] Figure 1 and Figure 2 -Exemplary Communication System

[0111] Figure 1 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 1 The system is only one example of a possible system, and the embodiment may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

[0112] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes base stations 102A through 102N, also collectively referred to as a plurality of base stations 102 or base stations 102. Figure 1 As shown, base station 102A communicates with one or more user equipment 106A to 106N via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE) or a UE device. Therefore, user equipment 106A to 106N are referred to as UEs or UE devices, and are also collectively referred to as multiple UEs 106 or UEs 106. According to various embodiments disclosed herein, various UE devices may operate using control signaling that facilitates enhanced reliability of physical control channels (e.g., PDCCHs).

[0113] The base station 102A can be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site and can include hardware that enables wireless communication with the UEs 106A through 106N. The base station 102A can also be equipped to communicate with a network 100, such as a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and / or the Internet, a neutral host, or various CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) deployments, among various possibilities. Thus, the base station 102A can facilitate communication between and / or among user equipment and the network 100. In particular, the cellular base station 102A can provide UEs 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station can be referred to as a “cell.” It should also be noted that a “cell” can also refer to a logical, rather than a physical, area of coverage with respect to a given frequency. Generally, any individual cellular wireless coverage area can be referred to as a “cell.” In such a case, a base station can be located at the intersection of three cells. In such a uniform topology, the base station can serve three 120 degree beamwidth areas known as cells. Also, for carrier aggregation, small cells, relays, etc. can all represent cells. Thus, especially in carrier aggregation, there can be primary and secondary cells that can serve at least partially overlapping coverage areas but do so on different respective frequencies. For example, a base station can serve any number of cells, and the cells served by a base station can or can not be collocated (e.g., remote radio heads). Also as used herein, with respect to a UE, a base station can be considered to represent the network when it is considered that the uplink and downlink communications of the UE are with the network. Thus, a UE in communication with one or more base stations in a network can also be interpreted as a UE in communication with the network, and can also be considered as the UE communicating on or through the network at least in part.

[0114] Base station 102 and user equipment can be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G-NR (abbreviated as NR), 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and the like. It should be noted that if base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an 'eNodeB' or an 'eNB'. It should be noted that if base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a 'gNodeB' or a 'gNB'. In some embodiments, base station 102 may implement control signaling for enhancing the transmission and reception reliability of physical control channels (e.g., PDCCH), as described herein. Depending on a given application or specific considerations, some different RATs may be functionally grouped according to overall defining characteristics for convenience. For example, all cellular RATs may be collectively considered to represent a first (form / type) RAT, while Wi-Fi communications may be considered to represent a second RAT. In other cases, each cellular RAT may be individually considered a different RAT. For example, when distinguishing between cellular and Wi-Fi communications, "first RAT" may collectively refer to all cellular RATs under consideration, while "second RAT" may refer to Wi-Fi. Similarly, different forms of Wi-Fi communications (e.g., above 2.4 GHz versus above 5 GHz) may be considered to correspond to different RATs, where applicable. Furthermore, cellular communications performed according to a given RAT (e.g., LTE or NR) may be distinguished from one another based on the spectrum in which those communications occur. For example, LTE or NR communications may be performed on both primary licensed spectrum and secondary spectrum, such as unlicensed spectrum and / or spectrum assigned to Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). Overall, the use of various terms and expressions will always be clearly noted in relation to and within the context of the various applications / implementations under consideration.

[0115] As shown, base station 102A can also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Accordingly, base station 102A can facilitate communication between and among user equipment and the network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102A can provide UEs 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services. Base station 102A and other similar base stations, such as base stations 102B... 102N, operating according to the same or a different cellular communication standard can thus be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs 106A-106N and similar devices via one or more cellular communication standards over a geographic area.

[0116] Thus, although base station 102A can act as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A-106N as shown in Figure 1 each UE 106 can also be capable of receiving signals from one or more other cells (that can be provided by base stations 102B-102N and / or any other base stations) that can be referred to as "neighboring cells" (and can be within communication range thereof). Such cells can also be capable of facilitating communication between and among user equipment and the network 100. Such cells can include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or any of various other granularities of service area sizes. For example, base stations 102A-102B can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible. Figure 1

[0117] In some embodiments, base station 102A can be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or "gNB." In some embodiments, a gNB can connect to a traditional evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (NRC) network. Further, a gNB cell can include one or more transmission and reception points (TRPs). Moreover, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR can connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0118] ​As described above, the UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE may be configured to communicate using any or all of the 3GPP cellular communication standards (such as LTE or NR) or 3GPP2 cellular communication standards (such as a cellular communication standard in the CDMA2000 family of cellular communication standards). The base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus be provided as one or more cell networks that may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to the UE 106 and similar devices over a wide geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0119] UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to use WLAN, BLUETOOTH TM 、BLUETOOTH TM Low-Energy, 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 or DVB-H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible. In addition, the UE 106 may also communicate with the network 100 through one or more base stations or through other devices, stations, or any appliances not explicitly shown but considered to be part of the network 100. Therefore, the UE 106 communicating with the network can be interpreted as the UE 106 communicating with one or more network nodes that are considered to be part of the network, and can interact with the UE 106 to communicate with the UE 106, and in some cases affect at least some communication parameters and / or the use of communication resources of the UE 106.

[0120] In addition, Figure 1 As shown in FIG, at least some of the UEs 106 (e.g., UEs 106D and 106E) may represent vehicles communicating with each other and with base station 102A via cellular communications such as 3GPP LTE and / or 5G-NR. Additionally, UE 106F may similarly represent pedestrians communicating and / or interacting with the vehicles represented by UEs 106D and 106E. In the context of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 22.185 V 14.3.0), the disclosure in FIG. Figure 1 Other aspects of vehicles communicating in the network illustrated in FIG.

[0121] Figure 2An exemplary user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A through 106N) is shown communicating with a base station 102 and an access point 112 according to some embodiments. The UE 106 may be a device having cellular communication capabilities and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., BLUETOOTH TM , Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer or a tablet, or almost any type of wireless device. UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described in the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method embodiments described in the present invention or any part of any of the method embodiments described in the present invention. UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any one of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA 2000, LTE, LTE-A, NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0122] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards, such as those previously described above. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio components may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO). Alternatively, UE 106 may include an independent transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including independent antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another alternative, UE 106 may include one or more radio components or radio circuits shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using one of LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT or NR, and a shared radio component for communicating using Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH. TM Independent radio components for each of the communications. Other configurations are also possible.

[0123] Figure 3 -Block diagram of an exemplary UE

[0124] Figure 3A block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, the UE 106 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include components for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that can execute program instructions for the UE 106, and a display circuit 304 that can perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, and / or other circuits or devices (such as display circuit 304, radio circuit 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360). The MMU may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and convert those addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0125] As shown, the SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 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 display 360, and wireless communication circuitry (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH, etc.). TM , Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UE device 106 may include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., as shown by antennas 335a and 335b), for performing wireless communications with base stations and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and the UE device 106 may include fewer or more antennas. Generally speaking, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antennas 335. For example, the UE device 106 may use antennas 335 to perform wireless communications with the radio circuit 330. As described above, in some embodiments, the UE may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0126] As further described herein, the UE 106 (and / or the base station 102) may include hardware and software components for operating using control signaling transmitted and received using an enhanced physical control channel (e.g., a PDCCH), as described in further detail herein. The processor 302 of the UE device 106 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). 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 an ASIC such as a processor 102 or a processor 102. Figure 3 Other components shown and / or interoperable with other components as shown in this figure to operate using control signaling to enhance reliability of physical control channels (e.g., PDCCH) according to various embodiments disclosed herein. Processor 302 can also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on UE 106.

[0127] In some embodiments, the radio circuitry 330 may include separate controllers dedicated to controlling communications for various corresponding RAT standards. Figure 3 As shown, the radio circuit 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 356, a cellular controller (e.g., an LTE and / or NR controller) 352, and a Bluetooth controller. TM Controller 354, and in at least some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as respective integrated circuits (ICs or chips) that communicate with each other and with SOC 300 (more specifically, with processor 302). For example, Wi-Fi controller 356 may communicate with cellular controller 352 via a cell-ISM link or WCI interface, and / or BLUETOOTH TM The controller 354 may communicate with the cellular controller 352 via a cell-ISM link, etc. Although three separate controllers are shown within the radio circuit 330, other embodiments have fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs that may be implemented in the UE device 106. For example, in Figure 5 At least one exemplary block diagram illustrating some embodiments of the cellular controller 352 is shown in FIG. 1 and will be further described below.

[0128] Figure 4 - Block diagram of an exemplary base station

[0129] Figure 4 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 4The 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).

[0130] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to the telephone network as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a plurality of devices such as the UE device 106 to the telephone network described in the embodiment of the present invention. 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 device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0131] The base station 102 can include at least one antenna 434, and can include multiple antennas (e.g., illustrated by antennas 434a and 434b), for wireless communication with mobile devices and / or other devices. Antennas 434a and 434b are shown as examples. The base station 102 can include fewer or more antennas. In general, one or more of the antennas 434a and / or 434b are collectively referred to as antennas 434. The antennas 434 can be configured to operate as wireless transceivers and can be further configured to communicate with UE devices 106 via radio circuitry 430. The antennas 434 can communicate with the radio circuitry 430 via communication chains 432. The communication chains 432 can be receive chains, transmit chains, or both. The radio circuitry 430 can be designed to communicate via various radio signaling standards including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE-A, 5G-NR (or NR for short), WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc. The processor 404 of the base station 102 can be configured to implement parts or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium) to provide control signaling for enhanced physical control channel (e.g., PDCCH) reliability as disclosed herein. Alternatively, the processor 404 can be configured as a programmable hardware element(s), such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or combinations thereof. In the case of certain RATs, e.g., Wi-Fi, the base station 102 can be designed to be an access point (AP), in which case the network port 470 can be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or one or more local area networks, e.g., it can include at least one Ethernet port, and the radio 430 can be designed to communicate according to Wi-Fi standards. The base station 102 can operate according to various methods and embodiments disclosed herein to provide control signaling for enhanced physical control channel (e.g., PDCCH) reliability.

[0132] Figure 5 Block diagram of an exemplary cellular communication circuit

[0133] Figure 5 An exemplary simplified block diagram of an illustrative cellular controller 352 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Note that, Figure 5The block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry is only one example of possible cellular communication circuitry; other circuitry, such as circuitry that includes or is coupled to sufficient antennas for different RATs to perform uplink activities using separate antennas, or circuitry that includes or is coupled to fewer antennas, e.g., circuitry that can be shared between multiple RATs, is also possible. According to some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 352 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices, among other devices.

[0134] The cellular communication circuitry 352 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335a-b and 336 as shown. In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 352 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuitry 352 may include a first modem 510 and a second modem 520. The first modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the second modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0135] As shown, the first modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 in communication with the processor 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include receive circuitry (RX) 532 and transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0136] Similarly, the second modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 in communication with the processor 522. The modem 520 may communicate with an RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include receive circuitry 542 and transmit circuitry 544. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 542 may communicate with a DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335b.

[0137] In some embodiments, the switch 570 can couple the transmit circuitry 534 to an uplink (UL) front end 572. Furthermore, the switch 570 can couple the transmit circuitry 544 to the UL front end 572. The UL front end 572 can include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via the antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuitry 352 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 534 and the UL front end 572), the switch 570 can be switched to a first state that allows the first modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 534 and the UL front end 572). Similarly, when the cellular communication circuitry 352 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 544 and the UL front end 572), the switch 570 can be switched to a second state that allows the second modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 544 and the UL front end 572).

[0138] As described herein, the first modem 510 and / or the second modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processors 512, 522 may be configured as programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0139] Furthermore, as described herein, processors 512, 522 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors 512, 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processors 512, 522. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 512, 522.

[0140] In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 352 may include only one transmit / receive chain. For example, the cellular communication circuitry 352 may not include the modem 520, the RF front end 540, the DL front end 560, and / or the antenna 335b. As another example, the cellular communication circuitry 352 may not include the modem 510, the RF front end 530, the DL front end 550, and / or the antenna 335a. In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 352 may also not include the switch 570, and the RF front end 530 or the RF front end 540 may communicate with the UL front end 572, for example, directly.

[0141] PDCCH decoding

[0142] As previously mentioned, control information used to support the transmission of DL and UL transport channels is typically transmitted in (or via) the PDCCH and includes DL resource allocation and UL grant information. The UE can decode the PDCCH based on the configuration of the search space (SS) and the control channel resource set (CORESET). The PDCCH can be transmitted in the common search space and / or in the device-specific (or UE-specific) search space. Common control information for all UEs is typically transmitted in the PDCCH in the common search space. UE-specific control information is typically transmitted in the PDCCH in the UE-specific search space. A CORESET represents a set of physical resources (e.g., a specific area on the downlink resource grid) and a set of parameters used to carry PDCCH / DCI. It can be considered equivalent to the LTE PDCCH region (the first 1, 2, 3, and / or 4 OFDM symbols in a subframe), but while in the LTE PDCCH region the PDCCH extends across the entire channel bandwidth, the NR CORESET partition can be limited to a specific partition in the frequency domain. The use of bandwidth may include the use of subunits designated as carrier bandwidth parts (BWPs). A BWP is a contiguous set of physical resource blocks selected from a contiguous subset of common resource blocks on a given carrier and for a given numerology. For the downlink, a UE may be configured with up to a specified number of carrier BWPs (e.g., four BWPs), with only one BWP per carrier active at a given time. For the uplink, a UE may similarly be configured with up to a number (e.g., four) of carrier BWPs, with only one BWP per carrier active at a given time. If a UE is configured with a supplemental uplink, then in the supplemental uplink, the UE may additionally be configured with up to a specified number (e.g., four) of carrier BWPs, with only one BWP active at a given time.

[0143] Figure 6 An example diagram is shown that illustrates possible PDCCH locations based on an SS and its associated CORESET. The frequency location, number of symbols, and TCI state are all configured by the CORESET, while the time slot and starting symbol index are configured by the SS. The SS and CORESET are typically configured through radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Based on the SS and CORESET, the UE can determine the time and frequency resources and beams allocated to or designated for the PDCCH. The SS is used to determine the time slot, while the CORESET provides frequency resource information, symbol duration indication, and transmission and configuration indication (TCI). The TCI provides (or indicates) beam-related information and can be configured through RRC or the medium access control control element (MAC CE) of each CORESET.

[0144] Improving the reliability of PDCCH transmission and reception has always been a concern, and at least one enhancement considered is to utilize (or use) multiple beam pairs for PDCCH transmission and reception. Therefore, even if one beam pair is blocked, another beam pair can still provide reliable performance. However, utilizing multiple beam pairs for PDCCH reception also presents certain challenges. For example, it requires control signaling to support multi-beam-based PDCCH transmission and reception. In addition, the UE must identify the TCI state based on a certain mapping of the TCI state and the time / frequency resource of the PDCCH transmission to receive PDCCH from multiple beams.

[0145] Control signaling for enhancing PDCCH reliability

[0146] In some embodiments, up to a specified number N (N>1) of TCI states can be configured for a CORESET. It should be noted that the terms "TCI" and "TCI state" are used interchangeably to refer to a given set or group of parameters provided as TCI, for example to indicate a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between antenna ports used for downlink communication with a UE. In some embodiments, one SS can be mapped to up to a specified number N (N>1) of CORESETs. Figure 7 An example diagram is shown showing possible PDCCH locations based on an SS and its associated CORESET, where multiple Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) states are configured for a CORESET (702), and Figure 8 An example diagram is shown showing possible PDCCH locations based on an SS and its associated CORESETs, where one SS is mapped to multiple CORESETs (802). Figure 7 As shown, the PDCCH can be transmitted via the same BWP on multiple beams as defined by two TCI states (N=2). Figure 8 As shown, the PDCCH can be transmitted through the same BWP on multiple beams carried by different CORESETs, which are defined by one SS mapped to two CORESETs (N=2).

[0147] Figure 7

[0148] Reference Figure 7, MAC CE can activate up to a specified number N (in this example, N=2) of TCI states for a CORESET. The specified number (N) of TCI states can be selected from the TCI state list configured by RRC in the CORESET. As a further extension, MAC CE can activate up to a specified number (N) of TCI states for CORESETs with the same identifier (ID) in a group of serving cells. In other words, in multiple serving cells, TCI states can be activated for a CORESET with a specific ID, where in each serving cell, the TCI state is activated for the CORESET with the specific ID. For example, CORESETs with CORESET-IDs 1 and 2 can be configured in the first serving cell, while CORESETs with CORESET-IDs 1, 2, and 3 can be configured in the second serving cell. The base station (e.g., gNB) can then activate specific TCI states via MAC CE, such as activating TCI states 4 and 5 for all CORESETs with CORESET-ID 1 in the first serving cell and the second serving cell. Alternatively, the MAC CE may activate up to a specified number (N) of TCI states for all CORESETs in a set of serving cells. The set of serving cells may be configured by (or via) RRC signaling, as determined by or corresponding to UE capabilities. Thus, in some embodiments, based on a specified number (N) of TCI states, one PDCCH may be transmitted using the time and frequency resources indicated by the SS and its associated CORESET. In some embodiments, the PDCCH may be repeatedly transmitted using the time and frequency resources indicated by the SS and its associated CORESET, where each repetition or transmission of the PDCCH is associated with a TCI state. In other words, multiple instances of the PDCCH may be received using the time and frequency resources indicated by the SS and its associated CORESET, where each instance is associated with a different TCI state. In some embodiments, different beams may be used for transmitting a single instance of the PDCCH for different resource elements. For example, for a single PDCCH instance, different TCI states may be applied to the time and / or frequency resources indicated by the SS and its associated CORESET.

[0149] A specified number (N) of TCI states can be reused according to the following options:

[0150] ● Option 1: Multiplexing a specified number (N) of TCI states in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) manner (different beams correspond to different resource element groups; REGs);

[0151] • Option 2: Multiplexing a specified number (N) of TCI states in a time division multiplexing (TDM) manner; and

[0152] ● Option 3: Multiplex a specified number (N) of TCI states in a spatial division multiplexing (SDM) manner.

[0153] The multiplexing scheme may be configured by (or via) higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), or determined by some parameters configured in the CORESET, such as parameters configured in the precoder granularity and / or duration. If the precoder granularity is configured to be the same as (or commensurate with) the resource element group (REG) bundle (e.g., the granularity is the same as or commensurate with the REG level), an FDM scheme may be applied. If the precoder granularity is configured as all consecutive resource blocks (RBs), such as wideband, and the duration is configured for more than one symbol, a TDM scheme may be applied, where a different TCI state is applied for each different symbol. If the precoder granularity is configured as all consecutive RBs (e.g., wideband) and the duration is configured for only one symbol, one TCI state may be indicated, or an SDM scheme may be applied.

[0154] Referring to the first option (FDM solution) above, the following situations can be implemented to define the mapping of TCI to frequency resources (TCI to frequency resource mapping):

[0155] ● Case 1: The mapping may be determined by the value of the precoder granularity. If the precoder granularity is configured to be the same as the REG level, then the even-numbered REGs may be associated with the first TCI, and the odd-numbered REGs may be associated with the second TCI. If the precoder granularity is configured to be all contiguous RBs (e.g., wideband), then the first half of the REGs and / or RBs may be associated with the first TCI, and the second half of the REGs and / or RBs (or the remaining REGs and / or RBs) may be associated with the second TCI. Alternatively, this may be considered an error case; and

[0156] ● Case 2: The granularity of the frequency resources mapped to the TCI can be configured separately through another RRC parameter. That is, an RRC parameter can be introduced to configure the granularity of the TCI mapping.

[0157] Referring to the second option (TDM solution) above, the following situations can be implemented to define the mapping of TCI to time resources (TCI to time resource mapping):

[0158] Case 1: The first TCI may be mapped to the first half of the symbol, and the second TCI may be mapped to the second half of the symbol (or the remaining symbols). In some embodiments, based on the total number of available symbols, the first TCI may be mapped to a specified predetermined number of symbols, and the remaining symbols may be mapped to the second TCI.

[0159] • Case 2: Each TCI may be mapped to each symbol in turn. For example, in some embodiments, the first TCI may be mapped to even symbols, and the second TCI state may be mapped to odd symbols.

[0160] • Case 3: The mapping for Case 1 and Case 2 may be configured by (or via) RRC signaling; and

[0161] ● Case 4: The associated TCI for each symbol can be configured by (or via) RRC signaling. For example, if there are three symbols, a syntax mapping can be introduced, and the first value (e.g., 0) can indicate the first TCI state, and the second value (e.g., 1) can indicate the second TCI state.

[0162] Referring to the third option (SDM solution) above, when the precoder granularity is configured as all consecutive RBs (e.g., wideband) and the duration is configured with only one symbol, the following can be achieved:

[0163] ● Case 1: A specified number (N) of demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports can be supported,

[0164] Wherein each TCI is mapped to a DMRS port; and

[0165] ● Case 2: Different TCIs may be mapped to different scrambling IDs for generating DMRS sequences. The UE may be configured with up to a specified number (N) of scrambling IDs, and the mapping between TCI states and corresponding scrambling IDs may be configured through (or via) RRC signaling.

[0166] Figure 8

[0167] Reference Figure 8 , through (or via) RRC signaling, a base station (e.g., gNB) can configure more than one CORESET-ID for each SS. In some embodiments, this configuration can be applied to a UE-specific SS. In some embodiments, this configuration can be applied to both a UE-specific SS and a cell-specific SS. The associated CORESETs can be multiplexed in FDM, TDM, and / or SDM. For FDM, the frequency resources configured for a CORESET can be non-overlapping (e.g., different RBs can be associated with different CORESETs), and the CORESETs can share the same starting symbol index configured by the SS. For TDM, two cases can be implemented:

[0168] ● Case 1: The starting symbol index for each associated CORESET can be configured separately in SS, as shown in Figure 9 As shown in 902; and

[0169] • Case 2: The starting symbol index can be determined by the duration of each CORESET and the CORESET-ID, as shown in 904 in FIG. 9. For example, the first symbol is used for the first CORESET, the second symbol is used for the second CORESET, and so on. Figure 9

[0170] For SDM, different scrambling IDs can be configured for different CORESETs. Some other parameters that can result in different DCI formats can be configured to be the same for the associated CORESETs.

[0171] The multiplexing scheme for CORESETs can be configured by RRC signaling or determined by dedicated (e.g., exclusive) RRC parameters in the CORESET, such as the “frequency domain resources” parameter and / or the “duration” parameter. In some embodiments, if the frequency domain resources for CORESETs are orthogonal (the frequency resources are non-overlapping), the FDM scheme can be applied. Otherwise, for overlapping frequency resources, the TDM scheme can be applied. In some embodiments, if the frequency domain resources for CORESETs are not orthogonal (e.g., they are overlapping), if the sum of the durations from the associated CORESETs is below a specified duration, the TDM scheme can be applied, otherwise, this can be considered as an error case.

[0172] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risks it faces of being lost, accessed without authorization, or used in a manner inconsistent with the intended purpose.

[0173] Embodiments of the application can be realized in any of various forms. For example, in some embodiments, the application can be realized as a computer- implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the application can be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. In other embodiments, the application can be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0174] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) can be configured to have stored thereon program instructions and / or data that, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any 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.

[0175] ​In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium (or a memory element), 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 implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0176] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) or device in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station / network node, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station / network node, any of the methods described herein for operating a UE may form the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station or appropriate network node.

[0177] 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 device for wireless communication, the device comprising: a processor configured to cause the device to: A Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is received using multiple beams, where the PDCCH is carried on one or more Control Channel Resource Sets (CORESETs) and is received in the same bandwidth part (BWP) and the same time slot according to the following: repetitions of M PDCCHs respectively transmitted through a second number M>1 of the one or more CORESETs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PDCCH is further received according to a first number N>1 transmission configuration indication TCI state configured for a single CORESET of the one or more CORESETs, wherein: The single instance of the PDCCH is received from the single CORESET using one TCI state of the N TCI states.

3. The device according to claim 2, in, The N TCI states are selected from a TCI state list configured in the single CORESET via radio resource control, and The first number of TCI states specified are activated through a medium access control MAC control element CE.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the MAC CE activates the first number of TCI states specified for one of: said single CORESET having the same ID in each cell of a set of serving cells; or All CORESETs in the group of serving cells. 5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the set of serving cells is configured via radio resource control signaling as determined by capabilities of the device.

6. The device according to claim 1, in, The PDCCH is further received according to a first number N>1 transmission configuration indication TCI state configured for a single CORESET of the one or more CORESETs, Receiving the PDCCH according to the specified first number of TCI states includes one of the following: Based on the specified first number of TCI states, receiving the PDCCH using a search space and time and frequency resources indicated by the single CORESET; or Multiple instances of the PDCCH are received in the search space and the time and frequency resources indicated by the single CORESET, wherein each instance of the multiple instances is associated with a different TCI state of the first number of specified TCI states.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first number of designated TCI states is multiplexed according to one of: Frequency division multiplexing FDM; Time Division Multiplexing (TDM); or Space Division Multiplexing SDM.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein any one or more of FDM, TDM, or SDM is configured via one or more of: Higher layer signalling; or Parameters configured in the single CORESET.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the parameters include one or more of the following: Precoder granularity; or Duration.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the specified first number of TCI states is multiplexed according to one of: FDM when the precoder granularity is commensurate with the resource element group level; TDM when the precoder granularity represents a contiguous resource block (RB) configuration and the duration configuration has more than one symbol; or When the precoder granularity indicates a continuous RB configuration and the duration configuration has one symbol, SDM.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein when the precoder granularity is commensurate with a resource element group (REG) level, even-numbered REGs are associated with a first TCI state among the specified first number of TCI states, and odd-numbered REGs are associated with a second TCI state among the specified first number of TCI states.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the granularity of frequency resources mapped to the TCI is configured by a radio resource control parameter.

13. The device according to claim 1, The PDCCH is further received according to a first number N>1 transmission configuration indication TCI state configured for a single CORESET of the one or more CORESETs, A first TCI state among the specified first number of TCI states is mapped to a first number of symbols of the time resources of the PDCCH, and a second TCI state among the specified first number of TCI states is mapped to the remaining symbols of the time resources.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH is further received according to a first number N>1 transmission configuration indication TCI state configured for a single CORESET of the one or more CORESETs, A first TCI state among the specified first number of TCI states is mapped to even symbols of a time resource of the PDCCH, and a second TCI state among the specified first number of TCI states is mapped to odd symbols of the time resource.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH is further received according to a first number N>1 transmission configuration indication TCI state configured for a single CORESET of the one or more CORESETs, Each TCI state of the specified first number of TCI states is mapped to a corresponding DMRS port of a specified number of demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, wherein the specified number is the first number.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the search space is one or more of: a device-specific search space; or Cell-specific search space. 17 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a search space, a starting symbol of a time resource of the PDCCH is separately configured for each of the M CORESETs.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a starting symbol index of a time resource of the PDCCH is determined by a duration of each CORESET in the second number of CORESETs and a corresponding CORESET identifier.

19. A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: radio circuitry configured to facilitate wireless communications of the device; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the radio circuitry and configured to cause the device to: A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is received using multiple beams, wherein the PDCCH is carried on one or more control channel resource sets (CORESETs) and is received according to the following: repetitions of M PDCCHs respectively transmitted through a second number M>1 of the one or more CORESETs.

20. A non-transitory memory element storing programming instructions executable by a processor to cause a device to: A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is received using multiple beams, wherein the PDCCH is carried on one or more control channel resource sets (CORESETs) and is received according to the following: repetitions of M PDCCHs respectively transmitted through a second number M>1 of the one or more CORESETs.

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