Method and apparatus for efficient power saving in wireless networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for power saving in wireless networks are disclosed. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor. The processor may determine a processing state relating to the behavior of the WTRU and, based on the determined processing state, determine a minimum amount of resources to be processed for one or more sets of physical resources. Each set of corresponding physical resources may include temporal resources and resources in terms of frequency or space. For each set of corresponding physical resources, the temporal aspect may include a frame structure associated with a parameter configuration applicable to that set of corresponding physical resources, the frequency aspect may include any of frequency location, bandwidth, or parameter configuration, and the space aspect may include one or more beams. The processor may process the determined minimum amount of resources for the one or more sets of physical resources.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201780061542.1, filed on August 2, 2017, entitled "Method and apparatus for effective power saving in wireless networks," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 373,130, filed August 10, 2016; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 416,404, filed November 2, 2016; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 441,804, filed January 3, 2017; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 453,372, filed February 1, 2017; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 474,665, filed March 22, 2017, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference as fully set forth. Technical Field

[0004] This application relates to power-saving features in wireless communication.

[0005] Related technologies

[0006] Mobile communications are constantly evolving and are on the verge of their fifth incarnation, known as the fifth generation (“5G”). As with previous generations, new use cases have been proposed in conjunction with the requirements of the new systems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) device that performs power-saving features. In one embodiment, the WTRU device may be configured to determine a processing state relating to the behavior of the WTRU and, based on the determined processing state, determine a minimum amount of resources to process for one or more sets of physical resources. Each set of corresponding physical resources may include resources in terms of time and any of the following: frequency or space. For each set of corresponding physical resources, the time may include a frame structure associated with a parameter configuration (numerology) applicable to that set of physical resources. The frequency may include any of the following: frequency location (e.g., center frequency), bandwidth (e.g., number of physical resource blocks), or parameter configuration. The space may include one or more beams. The WTRU may also be configured to process the determined minimum amount of resources for the one or more sets of physical resources.

[0008] In another embodiment, the WTRU device can be configured to monitor one or more control channels in multiple Spectrum Operation Modes (SOMs). The WTRU can be configured to operate according to at least one power-saving mode in at least one SOM. Each SOM can be associated with a control channel carrying information for allocating a set of spectrum blocks for the WTRU.

[0009] In another embodiment, the method performed by the WTRU can be configured to determine a set of resources based on the processing state of the WTRU. The WTRU can also be configured to use the determined set of resources to monitor one or more control channels. The WTRU can also be configured to decode at least one control channel element on the control channels.

[0010] Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for a network entity to perform power-saving features. In one embodiment, the network entity may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor coupled to the transmitter and receiver. The network entity may be configured to allocate a set of control channel resources to be used by a WTRU for decoding at least one downlink control information (DCI). The resources used for the control channels may be organized into a control resource set (CORESET). The network entity may assign configuration information to the WTRU. This configuration information may indicate at least one identifier, each identifier assigned to the WTRU and other WTRUs, for example, to align the processing status of the WTRU and other WTRUs. The network entity may be configured to send a signal to the WTRU indicating the set of control channel resources and to send another signal including the configuration information to the WTRU.

[0011] Control of applicable resources in time / frequency / space of one or more control channels

[0012] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to monitor (e.g., minimally or at least monitor) and decode control channels (one or more) using the following variation sets (e.g., different combinations from the minimum set to the maximum set): CORESET, resources in time (e.g., microslots, slots, or subframes) (e.g., control channel elements (CCE), search space, aggregation level), resources in frequency (e.g., applicable bandwidth, frequency location, etc.), resources in space (e.g., control beams), and / or the type of signaling structure (e.g., DCI size, DCI format).

[0013] Control of decoding requirements with variable strength based on control signaling, etc.

[0014] In another embodiment, the UE may modify the strength of its control channel reception process based on: received control signaling, reported radio link quality (e.g., detection of beam blocking), configured service type (e.g., eMBB, URLLC), bearer configuration (e.g., configuration of data radio bearer (DRB) and / or signal radio bearer (SRB), and configured QoS parameters), beam characteristics, beam management characteristics (e.g., configured number of beams above or below a threshold and / or beam failure events), observed activities for a given service (e.g., intertransmission time, buffer fill / flush, applicable data rate), or any combination thereof.

[0015] The term "strength" can refer to the frequency of reception of multiple signaling (e.g., control channels, DCI, CCE, etc.), the amount of information set in the received signal, the scheduling strength (e.g., moving from one control channel surveillance state to another based on the number of licenses received in a given state, measurements taken in a time window or at a specific time, and / or based on some transition rules related to the number of licenses), or any combination thereof.

[0016] For example, TCP-like rate control can be used to control such monitoring activities for services like eMBB, where successful decoding of downlink control information used for transmission (e.g., on the PDCCH) can be considered an acknowledgment (ACK), and from the perspective of the rate control function, a certain amount of time elapsed since the last such decoding can be considered a negative acknowledgment (NACK). Further examples are provided in this paper, for instance, in the section on control channel decoding complexity.

[0017] Control the data channel reception according to the changing decoding requirements.

[0018] In other embodiments, the UE may be configured to receive a minimum number of data channels (one or more) by using a set of varying resources (e.g., PRBs, spectrum blocks) in time (e.g., microslots, slots, subframes), frequency (e.g., applicable bandwidth, frequency location), space (e.g., data channel beams), and / or transmission types with variable strength (e.g., applicable transmission modes). Further examples are described herein, such as in the data bandwidth configuration section.

[0019] Based on the changing control channel activity, control data channel reception

[0020] The UE can change the strength of the data channel reception (e.g., the amount of bandwidth processed by RF) based on the strength of the relevant control channel.

[0021] Adapt this control to suit mixed parameter configurations / transmission durations

[0022] In other embodiments, the UE may be configured to apply and control power-saving modes (e.g., conventional discontinuous reception (DRX) or a combination of the methods described herein) using different timing relationships (e.g., different clocks and / or counts when managing timers). For example, various timing relationships may be functions of frame durations associated with a given parameter configuration, and / or functions of associated scheduling opportunities / timings. Attached Figure Description

[0023] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following description, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are presented by way of example, wherein:

[0024] Figure 1A This is a system schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system that can implement one or more of the disclosed embodiments;

[0025] Figure 1B It is possible Figure 1A A schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) used within a communication system.

[0026] Figure 1C , 1D And 1E is possible Figure 1A A system schematic diagram of an exemplary radio access network and an exemplary core network used within the communication system shown;

[0027] Figure 2 A representative bandwidth allocation is shown, which includes the nominal system bandwidth and channel bandwidth allocated to each UE;

[0028] Figure 3 This illustrates a representative flexible spectrum allocation;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a representative chart about the DRX cycle;

[0030] Figure 5A This is a representative diagram illustrating how the UE monitors the control channel in two different activity states;

[0031] Figure 5B A representative monitoring period, including control channel monitoring behavior on the UE, is shown;

[0032] Figure 6A This is a representative diagram of the search space of a UE in active state A;

[0033] Figure 6B This is another representative diagram of the search space of a UE in active state B;

[0034] Figure 7AThis is a representative diagram showing a portion of the bandwidth reserved for the UE during time period T1;

[0035] Figure 7B This is another representative diagram showing the remaining portion of the bandwidth reserved for the UE during another time period T2;

[0036] Figure 7C This is another representative diagram showing the remaining portion of the bandwidth reserved for the UE during another time period T3;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a representative method for power saving;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating another representative method for power saving;

[0039] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating another representative method for power saving; and

[0040] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating another representative method for power saving. Detailed Implementation

[0041] Figure 1A This is an illustration of an exemplary communication system 100 that can implement one or more of the disclosed embodiments. The communication system 100 can be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, and broadcasting to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 allows multiple wireless users to access such content by sharing system resources, including wireless bandwidth. As an example, the communication system 100 can employ one or more channel access methods, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), etc.

[0042] like Figure 1AAs shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c and / or 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network components. Each WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), mobile stations, fixed or mobile subscriber units, pagers, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, netbooks, personal computers, wireless sensors, consumer electronic devices, and so on.

[0043] The communication system 100 may also include base stations 114a and 114b. Each base station 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to facilitate access to one or more communication networks by wirelessly interfacing with at least one of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, such as core network 106, Internet 110, and / or network 112. As an example, base stations 114a, 114b may be base transceiver stations (BTS), Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNode Bs), home Node Bs, home eNode Bs, site controllers, access points (APs), wireless routers, etc. Although each base station 114a, 114b is described as a single component, it should be understood that base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network components.

[0044] Base station 114a may be part of RAN 104, and the RAN may also include other base stations and / or network components (not shown), such as base station controllers (BSCs), radio network controllers (RNCs), relay nodes, etc. Base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals within a specific geographical area, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, base station 114a may include three transceivers, that is, each transceiver corresponds to one sector of the cell. In another embodiment, base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, and thereby utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell.

[0045] Base stations 114a and 114b can communicate with one or more WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d via air interface 116, which can be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). Air interface 116 can be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0046] More specifically, as described above, the communication system 100 can be a multiple access system and can employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, base station 114a in RAN 104 and WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can implement radio technologies such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), and this technology can use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 116. WCDMA can include communication protocols such as High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA can include High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0047] In another embodiment, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which can use Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or Advanced LTE (LTE-A) to establish air interface 116.

[0048] In other embodiments, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio access technologies such as IEEE 802.16 (e.g., Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Provisional Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Provisional Standard 95 (IS-95), Provisional Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Evolution for Enhanced Data Rates in GSM (EDGE), and GSM EDGE (GERAN).

[0049] As an example, Figure 1ABase station 114b can be a wireless router, home node B, home e node B, or access point, and can utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, residence, vehicle, campus, etc. In one embodiment, base station 114b and WTRUs 102c, 102d can establish a wireless local area network (WLAN) by implementing a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11. In another embodiment, base station 114b and WTRUs 102c, 102d can establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN) by implementing a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15. In yet another embodiment, base station 114b and WTRUs 102c, 102d can establish a picocell or femtocell by utilizing a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, etc.). Figure 1A As shown, base station 114b can be directly connected to the Internet 110. Therefore, base station 114b does not necessarily need to access the Internet 110 through core network 106.

[0050] RAN 104 can communicate with core network 106, which can be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, application, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. For example, core network 106 can provide call control, billing services, location-based services, prepaid calling, internet connectivity, video distribution, and / or perform advanced security functions such as user authentication. While in Figure 1A Although not shown, it should be understood that RAN 104 and / or core network 106 can communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs that use the same RAT or a different RAT as RAN 104. For example, in addition to connecting with RAN 104 which utilizes E-UTRA radio technology, core network 106 can also communicate with other RANs (not shown) that use GSM radio technology.

[0051] Core network 106 may also act as a gateway for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d to access PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network providing Simple Old-Style Telephone Service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a system of globally interconnected computer networks and devices using common communication protocols, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and Internet Protocol (IP) from the TCP / IP Internet Protocol suite. Network 112 may include wired or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, network 112 may include another core network connected to one or more RANs, which may use the same RAT or a different RAT as RAN 104.

[0052] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capability; in other words, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may include multiple transceivers communicating with different wireless networks on different wireless links. For example, Figure 1A The WTRU 102c shown can be configured to communicate with base station 114a which uses cellular-based radio technology, and with base station 114b which can use IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0053] Figure 1B This is a system schematic diagram of an exemplary WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive unit 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keyboard 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 106, removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and other peripheral devices 138. It should be understood that, while remaining consistent with the embodiments, WTRU 102 may also include any sub-combination of the foregoing components.

[0054] Processor 118 can be a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of IC, and / or a state machine, etc. Processor 118 can perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and any other functions that enable WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. Processor 118 can be coupled to transceiver 120, and transceiver 120 can be coupled to transmitting / receiving unit 122. Although Figure 1B While the processor 118 and transceiver 120 are described as separate components, it should be understood that the processor 118 and transceiver 120 can be integrated into a single electronic package or chip.

[0055] Transmit / receive component 122 can be configured to transmit or receive signals to or from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, transmit / receive component 122 can be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In another embodiment, as an example, transmit / receive component 122 can be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals. In yet another embodiment, transmit / receive component 122 can be configured to transmit and receive both RF and optical signals. It should be understood that transmit / receive component 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0056] In addition, although Figure 1B While the transmit / receive component 122 is described as a single component, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive components 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Therefore, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive components 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) that transmit and receive wireless signals via the air interface 116.

[0057] Transceiver 120 can be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by transmitter / receiver 122 and demodulate signals received by transmitter / receiver 122. As described above, WTRU 102 can have multimode capability. Therefore, as an example, transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers that allow WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs such as UTRA and IEEE 802.11.

[0058] The processor 118 of WTRU 102 can be coupled to a speaker / microphone 124, a keyboard 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) unit or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit), and can receive user input data from these components. The processor 118 can also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, keyboard 126, and / or display / touchpad 128. Furthermore, the processor 118 can access and store information from any suitable memory (e.g., non-removable memory 106 and / or removable memory 132). The non-removable memory 106 can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 can include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, and a secure digital card (SD card), etc. In other embodiments, processor 118 may access information from and store data in memories that are not actually located in WTRU 102, such as memories that may be located in a server or home computer (not shown).

[0059] The processor 118 can receive power from the power supply 134 and can be configured to distribute and / or control power for other components in the WTRU 102. The power supply 134 can be any suitable device that powers the WTRU 102. For example, the power supply 134 may include one or more dry cell battery packs (such as nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd), nickel-zinc (Ni-Zn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, and fuel cells, etc.

[0060] The processor 118 may also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) related to the current location of the WTRU 102. As a supplement or replacement to the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from base stations (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) via the air interface 116, and / or determine its location based on signal timing received from two or more nearby base stations. It should be understood that, while remaining consistent with the embodiments, the WTRU 102 may acquire location information using any suitable positioning method.

[0061] The processor 118 can also be coupled to other peripheral devices 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functions, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, peripheral devices 138 may include accelerometers, electronic compasses, satellite transceivers, digital cameras (for photos or videos), Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, vibration devices, television transceivers, hands-free headsets, etc. Modules, FM radio units, digital music players, media players, video game console modules, internet browsers, etc.

[0062] Figure 1C This is a system schematic diagram of RAN 104 and core network 106 according to an embodiment. As described above, RAN 104 can use UTRA radio technology to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via air interface 116. RAN 104 can also communicate with core network 106. Figure 1C As shown, RAN 104 may include nodes B 140a, 140b, and 140c, each of which may include one or more transceivers communicating with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via air interface 116. Each of nodes B 140a, 140b, and 140c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) within RAN 104. RAN 104 may also include RNCs 142a and 142b. It should be understood that RAN 104 may include any number of nodes B and RNCs while remaining consistent with the embodiments.

[0063] like Figure 1C As shown, nodes B 140a and 140b can communicate with RNC 142a. Additionally, node B 140c can also communicate with RNC 142b. Nodes B 140a, 140b, and 140c can communicate with their respective RNCs 142a and 142b via the Iub interface. RNCs 142a and 142b can communicate with each other via the Iur interface. Each RNC 142a and 142b can be configured to control its connected node B 140a, 140b, or 140c. Furthermore, each RNC 142a and 142b can be configured to perform or support other functions, such as outer-loop power control, load control, permission control, packet scheduling, handover control, macro diversity, security functions, data encryption, etc.

[0064] Figure 1CThe core network 106 shown may include a Media Gateway (MGW) 144, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 146, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 148, and / or a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 150. Although each of the foregoing components is described as part of the core network 106, it should be understood that entities other than the core network operator may also own and / or operate any of these components.

[0065] RNC 142a in RAN 104 can connect to MSC 146 in core network 106 via the IuCS interface. MSC 146 can then connect to MGW 144. MSC 146 and MGW 144 can provide WTRU 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to circuit-switched networks such as PSTN 108, facilitating communication between WTRU 102a, 102b, and 102c and traditional landline communication equipment.

[0066] RNC 142a in RAN 104 can also be connected to SGSN 148 in core network 106 via an IuPS interface. SGSN 148 can then be connected to GGSN 150. SGSN 148 and GGSN 150 can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet, facilitating communication between WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0067] As described above, core network 106 can also be connected to network 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0068] Figure 1D This is a system schematic diagram of RAN 104 and core network 106 according to another embodiment. As described above, RAN 104 can use E-UTRA radio technology and communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via air interface 116. Furthermore, RAN 104 can also communicate with core network 106.

[0069] RAN 104 may include eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c; however, it should be understood that RAN 104 may include any number of eNodeBs while remaining consistent with the embodiments. Each eNodeB 160a, 160b, and 160c may include one or more transceivers to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via air interface 116. In one embodiment, eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, eNodeB 160a may use multiple antennas to transmit radio signals to and receive radio signals from WTRU 102a.

[0070] Each eNodeB 160a, 160b, or 160c can be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and can be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in the uplink and / or downlink, etc. For example... Figure 1D As shown, nodes B160a, 160b, and 160c can communicate with each other via the X2 interface.

[0071] Figure 1D The core network 106 shown may include a mobility management gateway (MME) 162, a serving gateway 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 166. While each of the above components is described as part of the core network 106, it should be understood that entities other than the core network operator may also own and / or operate any of these components.

[0072] MME 162 can connect to each eNodeB 160a, 160b, and 160c in RAN 104 via the S1 interface and can act as a control node. For example, MME 162 can be responsible for authenticating users of WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, activating / deactivating bearers, selecting a specific serving gateway during the initial attach process of WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, etc. MME 162 can also provide control plane functions to perform handovers between RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) employing other radio technologies such as GSM or WCDMA.

[0073] Service gateway 164 can connect to each eNodeB 160a, 160b, 160c in RAN 104 via the S1 interface. Service gateway 164 typically routes and forwards user data packets to / from WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. Service gateway 164 can also perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during handover between eNodeBs, triggering paging when downlink data is available to WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc.

[0074] Service gateway 164 can also be connected to PDN gateway 166, which can provide WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet 110, in order to facilitate communication between WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0075] Core network 106 can facilitate communication with other networks. For example, core network 106 can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to circuit-switched networks such as PSTN 108 to facilitate communication between WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and traditional landline communication equipment. As an example, core network 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server), wherein the IP gateway acts as an interface between core network 106 and PSTN 108. Furthermore, core network 106 can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to network 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0076] Figure 1E This is a system schematic diagram of RAN 104 and core network 106 according to another embodiment. RAN 104 may be an access service network (ASN) that communicates with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via air interface 116 using IEEE 802.16 radio technology. As discussed further below, communication links between different functional entities of WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, RAN 104, and core network 106 can be defined as reference points.

[0077] like Figure 1EAs shown, RAN 104 may include base stations 170a, 170b, 170c and ASN gateway 172. However, it should be understood that RAN 104 may include any number of base stations and ASN gateways while remaining consistent with the embodiments. Each base station 170a, 170b, 170c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) in RAN 104, and each base station may include one or more transceivers to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via air interface 116. In one embodiment, base stations 170a, 170b, 170c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, base station 170a may use multiple antennas to transmit radio signals to and receive radio signals from WTRU 102a. Base stations 170a, 170b, 170c may also provide mobility management functions such as handover triggering, tunnel establishment, radio resource management, traffic classification, Quality of Service (QoS) policy enforcement, etc. ASN Gateway 172 can act as a traffic aggregation point and can be responsible for implementing paging, subscriber profile caching, routing to the core network 106, etc.

[0078] The air interface 116 between WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and RAN 104 can be defined as an R1 reference point implementing the IEEE 802.16 standard. Additionally, each WTRU 102a, 102b, and 102c can establish a logical interface (not shown) with the core network 106. This logical interface between WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and the core network 106 can be defined as an R2 reference point, which can be used for authentication, licensing, IP host configuration management, and / or mobility management.

[0079] The communication link between each base station 170a, 170b, and 170c can be defined as an R8 reference point, which includes protocols for facilitating WTRU handover and data transmission between base stations. The communication link between base stations 170a, 170b, and 170c and ASN gateway 172 can be defined as an R6 reference point. The R6 reference point may include protocols for facilitating mobility management based on mobility events associated with each WTRU 102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0080] like Figure 1EAs shown, RAN 104 can be connected to core network 106. The communication link between RAN 104 and core network 106 can be defined as an R3 reference point, which, as an example, includes protocols for facilitating data transfer and mobility management capabilities. Core network 106 may include a Mobile IP Home Agent (MIP-HA) 174, an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server 176, and a gateway 178. While each of the aforementioned components is described as part of core network 106, it should be understood that entities other than the core network operator may also own and / or operate any of these components.

[0081] MIP-HA 174 can implement IP address management and allow WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c to roam between different ASNs and / or different core networks. MIP-HA 174 can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet 110, facilitating communication between WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and IP-enabled devices. AAA Server 176 can handle user authentication and support user services. Gateway 178 can facilitate interoperability with other networks. For example, Gateway 178 can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to circuit-switched networks such as PSTN 108, facilitating communication between WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and legacy terrestrial communication equipment. Additionally, gateway 178 can also provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to network 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0082] Although Figure 1E Although not shown, it should be understood that RAN 104 can connect to other ASNs, and core network 106 can connect to other core networks. The communication link between RAN 104 and other ASNs can be defined as an R4 reference point, which may include protocols for coordinating the mobility of WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c between RAN 104 and other ASNs. The communication link between core network 106 and other core networks can be defined as an R5 reference point, which may include protocols for facilitating interoperability between the home core network and the visited core network.

[0083] The following paragraphs provide a general description of possible approaches for designing 5G systems, which may correspond at least in part to the new radio access technology (“NR”), without limiting the adaptability of the various embodiments further described herein to this approach, apparatus and / or system.

[0084] It is anticipated that the 5G air interface will enable at least the following use cases: improved broadband performance (“IBB”), industrial control and communication (“ICC”) and vehicle applications (“V2X”), as well as massive machine-type communication (“mMTC”).

[0085] The above use cases can support ultra-low transmission latency (low-latency communication, "LLC"). Air interface latency as low as 1 ms round-trip time ("RTT") can support transmission time intervals ("TTI") between 100 μs and (no greater than) 250 μs. Support for ultra-low access latency (e.g., the time from initial system access to completion of the first user plane data unit transmission) can be achieved. At least ICC and V2X can support end-to-end (e2e) latency of less than 10 ms.

[0086] The use cases described can support ultra-reliable communication (“URC”). In some representative embodiments, transmission reliability that is better than that of traditional LTE systems (e.g., much better than, for example, exceeding threshold levels) can be achieved. For example, a possible target could be a transmission success rate approaching or approximately 99.999% and service availability.

[0087] Another consideration could be the ability to support speeds ranging from 0 to 500 km / h.

[0088] Furthermore, at least ICC and V2X will have (e.g., may have) less than 10e -6 Packet loss rate (“PLR”).

[0089] Use cases can support machine-type communication (“MTC”) operations (including narrowband operations). The air interface can effectively support narrowband operations (e.g., using less than 200 kHz), extended battery life (e.g., autonomy up to 15 years), and minimal communication overhead for small and infrequent data transmissions (e.g., low data rates ranging from 1 to 100 kbps with access latency of a few seconds to a few hours).

[0090] The principles of next-generation radio access - "5G" or "5G FLEX"

[0091] Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (“OFDM”) can be used as a signal format for data transmission in Long Term Evolution (“LTE”, e.g., from 3GPP LTE R8 and later) and / or IEEE 802.11. OFDM essentially divides the spectrum into multiple parallel orthogonal subbands (or subcarriers). Each subcarrier (e.g., each subcarrier) can be shaped using a rectangular window in the time domain, resulting in a sinusoidal subcarrier in the frequency domain. OFDM uses frequency synchronization (e.g., perfect frequency synchronization) and tight management of uplink (“UL”) timing alignment over the duration of the cyclic prefix to maintain orthogonality between signals and minimize inter-carrier interference. This tight synchronization may not be suitable for systems where a User Equipment (“UE”) is simultaneously connected to multiple access points. For example, in the presence of aggregation of segmented spectrum for UE transmissions, additional power reduction may be applied to uplink transmission applications (e.g., typical applications) that meet the spectrum transmission requirements of adjacent frequency bands.

[0092] It should be acknowledged that, for example, when operating with large amounts of continuous spectrum that do not require aggregation, some of the drawbacks of conventional (or cyclic prefix) OFDM (“CP-OFDM”) can be addressed by implementing more stringent radio front-end (“RF”) requirements. Cyclic prefix (“CP”)-based OFDM transmission schemes can result in a 5G downlink (“DL”) physical layer that is similar to the physical layer of conventional systems, for example, primarily through modifications to pilot signal density and location.

[0093] Although CP-OFDM remains a possible candidate for 5G systems (at least for downlink transmission schemes), other waveform candidates can be implemented for 5G Flexible Radio Access Technology (“5gFLEX”).

[0094] Several principles for implementing flexible radio access, such as that applicable to 5G, are described here.

[0095] Such description is for representative purposes and is not intended to limit the applicability of the embodiments further described herein in any way, which may be applied to other wireless technologies and / or wireless technologies using different principles, where applicable.

[0096] Principle A - Spectrum Flexibility

[0097] The 5gFLEX radio access is characterized by very high spectrum flexibility, enabling deployment in different frequency bands with different characteristics, including different duplex arrangements, and different and / or variable sizes of available spectrum (including contiguous and non-contiguous spectrum allocations within the same or different frequency bands). The 5gFLEX radio access can support variable timing aspects, including multiple TTI lengths and asynchronous transmissions.

[0098] Principle A.1 - Flexibility of duplex layout

[0099] Time division duplex (“TDD”) and / or frequency division duplex (“FDD”) schemes can be implemented. For FDD operation, spectrum aggregation can be used to implement supplementary downlink operation. FDD operation can be implemented as full-duplex FDD and / or half-duplex FDD operation. For TDD operation, DL / UL allocation can be dynamic; for example, DL / UL allocation may not be based on a fixed DL / UL frame configuration, for example, the length of the DL and / or UL transmission interval can be set on a per-transmission-op.

[0100] Principle A.2 - Bandwidth Flexibility

[0101] One possible feature of 5G air interface implementation could be, for example, that the possible range of different transmission bandwidths on the uplink and downlink is any value between the nominal system bandwidth and the maximum value corresponding to the system bandwidth.

[0102] For single-carrier operation, the system bandwidth can include, for example, at least 5, 10, 20, 40, and / or 80 MHz. The system bandwidth can be any bandwidth within a given range, for example, from a few MHz to 160 MHz. The nominal bandwidth can have one or more fixed values. For example, for MTC devices, narrowband transmission up to 200 kHz can be supported within the operating bandwidth.

[0103] Figure 2 A representative bandwidth allocation is shown, which includes the nominal system bandwidth and the channel bandwidth allocated per UE. Here, system bandwidth 201 can refer to the maximum spectral portion that can be managed by the network for a given carrier. For a given carrier, the portion that the UE minimally supports for cell acquisition, measurement, and initial access to the network can correspond to the nominal system bandwidth 202. UEs can be configured with channel bandwidth that can span the entire system bandwidth. For example, channel bandwidth 203 (e.g., 10 MHz), including nominal system bandwidth 202, can be allocated to UEx, and another channel bandwidth 204 (e.g., 20 MHz), including nominal system bandwidth 202, can be allocated to UEy. Channel bandwidth may or may not include the nominal portion of the system bandwidth. For example, channel bandwidth 205 allocated to UEz does not include nominal system bandwidth 202, as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0104] Baseband filtering of frequency domain waveforms can be used to achieve bandwidth flexibility. For example, the baseband filtering can avoid using additional allowed channel bandwidth within the UE's operating frequency band and the associated RF requirements for such additional allowed channel bandwidth.

[0105] Methods for configuring, reconfiguring, and / or dynamically changing the channel bandwidth of a UE for single-carrier operation can be implemented, and / or methods for allocating spectrum for narrowband transmission within the nominal system bandwidth, system bandwidth, and / or configured channel bandwidth.

[0106] The physical layer of the 5G air interface can be band-agnostic and can support operation in licensed frequency bands below 5 GHz and / or in unlicensed frequency bands in the 5-6 GHz range. For operation in unlicensed frequency bands, a channel access framework based on LTE Licensed Assisted Access (“LAA”) Cat4, similar to LTE Licensed Assisted Access (“LAA”), can be implemented.

[0107] Methods can be implemented for scaling and managing (e.g., scheduling, addressing resources, broadcast signals, measurements) cell-specific and / or UE-specific channel bandwidths for arbitrary spectrum block sizes.

[0108] Principle A.3 - Flexible spectrum allocation

[0109] Downlink control channels and signals can support frequency division multiplexing (“FDM”) operation. A UE can acquire a downlink carrier by receiving transmissions using a nominal portion of the system bandwidth (e.g., nominal only), for example, where the UE may not initially be configured and / or may need to receive transmissions covering the entire bandwidth managed by the network for the relevant carrier.

[0110] Downlink data channels can be allocated on bandwidths that may or may not correspond to the nominal system bandwidth; for example, there are no other restrictions besides being within the UE's configured channel bandwidth. For instance, the network can operate a carrier with a 12MHz system bandwidth, which can use a 5MHz nominal bandwidth to allow devices supporting a maximum RF bandwidth of up to 5MHz to acquire and access the system, and can, for example, allocate a carrier frequency of +10 to -10MHz to other UEs supporting channel bandwidths up to 20MHz.

[0111] Figure 3 An example of flexible spectrum allocation including a nominal bandwidth of 307 (e.g., which allows devices to acquire and access the system) is shown. Flexible spectrum allocation with different subcarrier groups (e.g., 305 and 306) can be assigned to different operating modes (hereinafter referred to as Spectrum Operating Modes, SOMs). Different SOMs can be used to meet different requirements of different transmissions, for example, such as... Figure 3The spectrum allocation with variable transmission characteristics 303 and 304 disclosed herein. The SOM may be related to a specific parameter configuration. The parameter configuration may be, for example, a set of resource allocations having transmission bandwidth configured in the uplink and / or downlink of the cell. The parameter configuration can be used as a reference for the transmitter and receiver radio frequency requirements. The SOM may consist of and / or include at least one of the following: subcarrier spacing, TTI length, and / or one or more reliability aspects, such as Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (“HARQ”) processing aspects and / or auxiliary control channels. The SOM may be used to refer to a specific waveform or may be related to processing aspects (e.g., supporting the coexistence of different waveforms on the same carrier using Frequency Division Multiplexing (“FDM”) and / or Time Division Multiplexing (“TDM”). Resource blocks in time and frequency may be associated with the SOM.

[0112] Principle A.4 - Spectrum Operation Mode ("SOM")

[0113] The UE can be configured to perform transmissions based on one or more SOMs. SOMs can be associated with specific parameter configurations. For example, an SOM can correspond to a transmission using at least one of the following: a specific TTI duration, a specific initial power level, a specific HARQ processing type, a specific upper limit for successful HARQ reception / transmission, a specific transmission mode, a specific physical channel (e.g., uplink or downlink), a specific waveform type, and / or a transmission based on a specific RAT (e.g., legacy LTE or 5G transmission method).

[0114] The System Memory Address (SOM) can include a Quality of Service (“QoS”, from a physical layer perspective) level and / or related aspects, such as maximum / target latency, maximum / target block error rate (“BLER”), or something similar. The SOM can include a spectrum region and / or its specific control channel or aspects (including search space, downlink control information (“DCI”) type, etc.). For example, a UE can be configured with an SOM for each or any of the following: URC type service, LLC type service, and / or Massive Broadband (“MBB”) type service. For example, a UE can have an SOM configured for system access and / or for transmission / reception of L3 control signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control “RRC”) (e.g., within a portion of the spectrum associated with the system, such as in the nominal system bandwidth). Resource blocks in time and frequency can be associated with an SOM. Each SOM can be associated with a control channel, such as different control channels on different resource blocks.

[0115] Principle A.5 - Spectrum Aggregation

[0116] For single-carrier operation, spectrum aggregation can be implemented, allowing the UE to support the transmission and reception of multiple transport blocks on contiguous or non-contiguous physical resource block (PRB) groups within the same operating band. Mapping individual transport blocks to separate PRB groups can be implemented. Support for simultaneous transmissions associated with different SOM requirements can be implemented.

[0117] For example, multi-carrier operation can be implemented using contiguous or discontinuous spectrum blocks within the same or two or more operating frequency bands. Aggregation of spectrum blocks using different modes (e.g., FDD and TDD) and different channel access methods (e.g., licensed and / or unlicensed band operation below 6 GHz) can be implemented. Support for methods of configuring, reconfiguring, and / or dynamically changing multi-carrier aggregation of the UE can be implemented.

[0118] Principle A.6 - Scheduling and Rate Control

[0119] Scheduling functionality can be supported at the Media Access Control (“MAC”) layer. Two scheduling modes can be considered: network-based scheduling for tight scheduling of resources, timing, and transmission parameters for downlink and / or uplink transmissions, and UE-based scheduling for greater flexibility in timing and transmission parameters. For both modes, scheduling information can be valid for single or multiple TTIs.

[0120] Principle A.6.1 - Network-based scheduling

[0121] Network-based scheduling enables the network to manage (e.g., tightly manage) the available radio resources assigned to different UEs, for example, to optimize resource sharing. Dynamic scheduling can be implemented.

[0122] Principle A.6.2 - UE-based scheduling

[0123] UE-based scheduling enables UEs to access uplink resources on demand with minimal latency, such as within a set of shared or dedicated uplink resources assigned by the network (e.g., dynamically or non-dynamically). Synchronous and asynchronous opportunistic transmissions can be implemented. Contention-based and contention-free transmissions can be implemented.

[0124] Support for opportunistic transmission (scheduled or unscheduled) can be implemented, for example, to meet the ultra-low latency requirements of 5G and the power-saving requirements of mMTC use cases.

[0125] Principle A.7 - Logical Channel Prioritization

[0126] 5gFLEX can support some form of association between data available for transmission and available resources for uplink transmission. For example, multiplexing of data with different QoS requirements can be supported within the same transport block, provided that multiplexing does not negatively impact services with the most stringent QoS requirements and / or introduces unnecessary waste of system resources.

[0127] Principle B - Logical Channel ("LCH")

[0128] Principle B.1-LCH

[0129] Here, LCH stands for Logical Association between data packets and / or Protocol Data Units (“PDUs”). This logical association can be based on data units associated with the same bearer and / or with the same SOM and / or slice (e.g., a processing path using a set of physical resources), and thus, for example, the association can be characterized by at least one of the following: a chain of processing functions, an applicable physical data (and / or control) channel (or an instance thereof), and / or an instantiation of a protocol stack (which includes a centralized portion (e.g., PDCP only, or anything beyond the physical layer processing portion (e.g., the radio front-end (“RF”))) and another portion closer to the edge (e.g., the MAC / physical (“PHY”, or RF only) in the transmit / receive point (“TRP”), the two portions being separated, for example, by a front-hauling interface). The term LCH may have a different and / or broader meaning than similar terms in LTE systems.

[0130] Principle B.2 - Stream-based methods, tuples

[0131] The UE can be configured to determine relationships between different data units. For example, this relationship can be based on a matching function, such as a configuration of one or more field values ​​common to data units that are part of the same logical association. These fields can correspond to fields in a protocol header associated with the data unit(s). For example, the matching function can use parameter tuples of fields from the Internet Protocol (“IP”) header of the data unit, such as IP source / destination address(s), transport protocol source / destination port(s), and / or transport protocol type (e.g., including IP version, such as IPv4 or IPv6).

[0132] For example, data units that are part of the same logical association may share common radio bearers, processing functions, SOMs and / or may correspond to the same LCH and / or logical channel group (“LCG”).

[0133] Principle C-LCG

[0134] Here, an LCG may consist of and / or include the following: a group of LCHs (one or more) (or equivalents as defined above), wherein the group division is based on one or more criteria. This criterion may be that one or more LCHs have similar priorities applicable to all LCHs of the same LCG, or may be associated with the same SOM (or its type), the same slice (or its type), whereby, for example, this association can be characterized by at least one of the following: a processing function chain, an applicable physical data (and / or control) channel (or an instance thereof), or an instantiation of a protocol stack comprising specific parts (the protocol stack comprising a centralized portion (e.g., PDCP only and / or anything other than RF) and another portion closer to the edge (e.g., MAC / PHY in TRP, and / or RF only), the two portions being separated, for example, by a fronthaul interface). The term LCG may have a different and / or broader meaning than similar terms used in LTE systems.

[0135] Principle D - Transmission Channel ("TrCH")

[0136] Principle D.1-TrCH

[0137] Here, TrCH may consist of and / or include the following: a specific set of processing operations and / or a specific set of functions applied to data information that may affect one or more transmission characteristics on the radio interface.

[0138] Principle D.2 - TrCH in LTE

[0139] Traditional LTE defines several types of TrCHs, including, for example, Broadcast Channel (BCH), Paging Channel (PCH), Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH), Multicast Channel (MCH), and Uplink Shared Channel (UL-SCH) excluding the Random Access Channel (which typically does not carry any user plane data). The primary transport channels used to carry user plane data are DL-SCH for downlink and UL-SCH for uplink.

[0140] Principle D.3–5G System TrCH

[0141] For 5G systems, the enhanced set of requirements supported by the air interface may lead to the implementation of multiple transport channels (e.g., for user and / or control plane data) for a single UE (e.g., even for a single UE device). The term TrCH may have different and / or broader meanings than similar terms used in LTE systems. For example, transport channels for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (“URLLC”) (e.g., URLCH), transport channels for mobile broadband (MBBCH), and / or transport channels for machine-type communication (“MTCCH”) may be defined for downlink transmission (e.g., DL-URLLCH, DL-MBBCH, and DL-MTCCH) and for uplink transmission (e.g., UL-URLLCH, UL-MBBCH, and UL-MTCCH).

[0142] In one example, multiple TrCHs can be mapped to different groups of physical resources (e.g., PhCH) belonging to the same SOM. This allows for the simultaneous transmission of traffic with different required volumes on the same SOM. For example, when the UE is configured with a single SOM, the URLLCH can be transmitted simultaneously with the MTCCH.

[0143] In LTE, there are two power-saving modes called DRX: connected mode DRX and idle mode DRX.

[0144] When a UE is configured with Connected Mode DRX, Connected Mode DRX can specify the minimum Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) decoding requirements. This Connected Mode DRX can define the activity time for decoding DCIs with (Semi-Persistent Scheduling "SPS"-) Cell-Radio Network Identifier (RNTI), Transmit Power Control-Physical Uplink (Shared / Control) Channel "TPC-PU(S / C)CH" RNTI, Enhanced Interference Mitigation Traffic Adaptation "eIMTA"-RNTI, and Sidelink (SL)-RNTI, and can be based on a fixed periodic "On-Duration" (which occurs once per DRX cycle).

[0145] Figure 4 This is a representative diagram of a DRX cycle. A DRX cycle 401 (e.g., each DRX cycle) may consist of or include the following: an on-duration interval 402 and a DRX opportunity interval 403. A UE in connected mode DRX can be configured to monitor PDCCH 404 during the on-duration interval 402.

[0146] The DRX operation can be controlled by the following timers: (1) an onDurationTimer, which indicates the number of consecutive PDCCH subframes (one or more) at the start of the DRX cycle; (2) a drx-InactivityTimer, which indicates the number of consecutive PDCCH subframes after the PDCCH represents the subframe of the initial UL, DL, or SL user data transmission of the MAC entity; (3) a long DRX-Cycle, which indicates the number of subframes in a long DRX cycle configured by the upper layer; (4) a short DRX-Cycle, which indicates the number of subframes in a long DRX cycle configured by the upper layer; and (5) a drxShortCycleTimer, which indicates the number of consecutive subframes (one or more) that the MAC entity will follow or will follow in a short DRX cycle.

[0147] Idle Mode DRX allows a UE in idle mode to monitor the PDCCH discontinuously in response to paging on the P-RNTI. Two types of paging opportunities can be defined, including: (1) UE-specific paging opportunities defined in the MME Non-Access Stratum (NAS); and / or (2) cell-specific paging opportunities defined by the eNode-B, for example, in System Information Block 2 (SIB2).

[0148] In idle mode DRX, P-RNTI can be used to page the UE for DL ​​data arrival, to signal changes in system information within the cell, and for Earthquake or Tsunami Warning Systems (ETWS). The paging frame and paging timing can be derived based on the UE_ID, as defined in Tables A and B below.

[0149]

[0150] Table A

[0151]

[0152] Table B

[0153] One challenge of next-generation radio access (often referred to as new radio or NR) is related to UE processing complexity and power consumption. Traditional LTE UEs typically use time-based algorithms to determine when they are minimally required and / or used to monitor any applicable control channels (one or more) (e.g., PDCCH) and / or network control activation / deactivation mechanisms (which can be used by the UE to retune the radio front end for further power savings).

[0154] Traditional LTE allows for UE power conservation through Connected Mode DRX and Idle Mode DRX procedures. In Connected Mode DRX, the UE monitors the PDCCH at defined time intervals defined by the on-time period. In Idle Mode DRX, the UE periodically monitors the PDCCH for potential paging messages received from the network at specific time instances. The corresponding algorithms ensure that the UE and the network have the same understanding of subframes, during which the UE is minimally required and / or used to monitor the corresponding control channel.

[0155] In traditional LTE, the UE can support the activation / deactivation of network-controlled secondary cells (SCells), for example, this support is based on each component carrier.

[0156] These processes have several disadvantages when considered for use in the 5G air interface due to the following new features or characteristics unique to NR, including: (1) support for low latency from data availability (DL / UL) to assigned / authorized transmission; (2) support for multiple parameter configurations (which may result in support for multiple control channels) and different timings than those currently used in LTE (and different timings within NR due to different parameter configurations); and (3) support for flexible spectrum allocation.

[0157] The following represent new challenges for UE power consumption. One challenge may be supporting different parameter configurations, including symbol duration, subcarrier spacing, and different TTIs (and possibly variable durations). NR can support a new set of services / QoS, including some services / QoS with high throughput (“eMBB”) and services / QoS with very low latency requirements (1ms RTT). Traditional DRX mechanisms may not be flexible enough to optimally handle the same UE transmissions at different time intervals (e.g., 1ms vs 125μs). Furthermore, traditional DRX mechanisms may be insufficient to achieve power usage targets. For example, supporting low-latency services can be challenging when DRX is configured, as measures may and / or must be taken to avoid introducing unwanted latency and / or creating situations where data might arrive at the UE while it is in DRX mode. UEs can benefit from effective power-saving mechanisms.

[0158] Another challenge may be supporting multiple control channels, which involves dependencies between channels. In LTE, a single control channel (e.g., PDCCH) exists across the entire bandwidth for a given cell. This control channel typically lasts for 2 or 3 symbols. For NR, the UE can use multiple localized (to a specific bandwidth) control channels to support the reception of control information. This architecture can be used to scale control channel resources as load increases, and / or facilitate the addition of new control channels tailored to specific features / services for easier backward compatibility.

[0159] Another challenge may be supporting flexible / variable channel bandwidth (BW). NR's channel BW can be increased to values ​​exceeding those of traditional LTE (e.g., greater than 20 MHz) and can be UE-specific. UE power consumption can increase with the amount of bandwidth required and / or used for processing in its baseband. The control channel monitoring process can explicitly or implicitly control the applicable channel bandwidth for a given UE.

[0160] Another challenge may be supporting lean carriers. Control channel decoding in LTE relies on the presence of a reference signal. For NR, the amount of "always-on" signal can be minimized, primarily to reduce inter-cell interference and / or support improved network power saving (Network DTX). NR's power-saving mode can consider using less of the reference signal.

[0161] While new control channel monitoring functions, operations, and / or procedures can be used for NR, additional power-saving mechanisms, functions, operations, and / or procedures beyond control channel monitoring may be required and / or used to support URLLC and / or eMTC devices (e.g., which may have more stringent battery requirements than LTE).

[0162] Representative UE processing status

[0163] Definition of UE processing state

[0164] The term "state" or "processing state" is used hereinafter to refer to one or more states relating to the behavior of the UE. A processing state may include one or more active states, which may be associated with certain actions taken by the UE when a condition becomes true. This is not intended to limit the applicability of the methods further described herein. An active state(s) may be equivalent to a processing state(s) or a subset thereof.

[0165] Representative UE autonomous decision-making and network control transition

[0166] In some methods, operations, and / or processes, the UE may be configured to autonomously determine that a condition has become true and that the UE should or will perform one or more such actions (e.g., autonomous UE behavior). As an alternative to or supplement to the UE's autonomous determination, the UE may be configured to determine that a condition has become true and that the UE should or will perform one or more such actions based on explicit indications received from transmissions of signals from the network (e.g., network-controlled behavior).

[0167] Other representative characteristics of UE processing status

[0168] The UE can be configured to operate in one or more processing states that define and / or manage the behavior of the UE. For example, a processing state may provide a set of minimum requirements for UE behavior, such as behavior related to at least one of the following:

[0169] - Control channel processing, such as monitoring, receiving, decoding and / or configuration management;

[0170] - Spectrum bandwidth processing, such as system / channel bandwidth tuning, frequency position adjustment (e.g., center frequency), baseband processing, and / or configuration management. In some embodiments, spectrum bandwidth processing may be applied together and / or separately to control channel regions and data channel regions, for example, for a bandwidth portion consisting of a set of consecutive physical resource blocks and / or for a portion of the system / channel bandwidth for a carrier;

[0171] - Beam management and processing, such as the establishment, maintenance, and / or reception / transmission of control and / or data beams; and / or

[0172] - Reference signal processing, such as measurement processing and configuration management.

[0173] Other representative aspects / operations may include at least one of the following:

[0174] -HARQ timing-related aspects / operations;

[0175] - The processing or activity level can control the UE's behavior (one or more) related to framing, such as the use of subframes vs. slots vs. microslots;

[0176] - Framing and / or timing-related aspects / operations, such as different parameter configurations, transmission duration, scheduling timing, subframe and / or time slot and / or micro-time slot operations and / or HARQ timelines, can be associated with different processing states (e.g., active).

[0177] In some embodiments using subframe-based DRX activity time, the UE may be configured to monitor the control channel at a first (e.g., low) timing granularity when in a first processing state (e.g., low processing state) for the control channel, for example to enable: (1) a first specific parameter configuration (e.g., 1ms transmission duration); (2) a specific set of scheduling timings (e.g., 1ms subframes) and / or HARQ timelines (e.g., specific values ​​x between scheduling and UL transmissions, between UL / DL transmissions and their respective associated DL / UL feedbacks, HARQ RTT, etc.).

[0178] For example, the UE can be in a low-processing state, where a 1ms transmission duration, a 1ms scheduling timing, and a x1ms UE / eNB processing delay (e.g., x=3) result in an 8ms RTT for the HARQ process.

[0179] In an OFDM system, the smallest unit of time is typically called a "symbol." A symbol has a symbol duration. In LTE, there can be 14 symbols per 1ms subframe, so the symbol duration is 1 / 14ms. This symbol duration can be a function of the parameters configured for the carrier, and it can be the same as in LTE.

[0180] - In another embodiment using slot-based DRX activity time (e.g., based on slot duration and / or microslot duration), the UE can be configured to monitor (e.g., additionally monitor) the control channel with a second (e.g., high) timing granularity when in a second processing state (e.g., high processing state) for the control channel, for example, to enable a second parameter configuration (e.g., microslots with one or more symbols, e.g., or a transmission duration of approximately 125 μs), a specific set of scheduling opportunities (e.g., scheduling opportunities with one or more symbols or one or more microslots), and / or HARQ timelines (e.g., a specific value x2 between scheduling and UL transmission, between transmission and feedback, HARQ RTT, etc.). For example, a microslot may refer to a duration equal to one or more symbols, a slot may refer to a duration equal to several symbols (e.g., 7 symbols), and a subframe may refer to multiple slots (e.g., two slots per subframe). Depending on the parameter configuration, the duration may vary for any of the following: microslots, slots, and / or subframes. For parameter configurations that are equivalent to those in LTE, the same duration can be applied (e.g., always applied). In some representative embodiments, the parameter configuration of the default carrier can support LTE parameter configurations.

[0181] For example, the UE can be in a high-processing state (where there is a 1ms slot transmission duration and a 125μs microslot transmission duration, and corresponding control signaling reception at the microslot boundaries), for example, to enable different HARQ timelines based on the received control signaling. The transmission duration, control signaling, and HARQ timeline can affect the type of DCI decoded in the first and / or second processing states, for example:

[0182] -Logical channel attributes and / or configuration; and / or

[0183] - Low-cost signal monitoring configurations and / or behaviors as described herein (e.g., in the section on control channel decoding complexity).

[0184] In some embodiments, patterns within a predefined time period can be used to organize and / or construct any of the aforementioned aspects, operations, procedures, functions, and / or characteristics of the UE processing state. The start of the pattern can be configured using well-defined and / or well-known time references. For example, the UE can be configured with references relating to system frame numbers, system timing, frame timing, and / or the reception of specific signals. Such signals may have reference signals and / or include those reference signals, for example, those associated with the channel to which the pattern applies. The pattern can be configured and / or well-defined between the UE and the network. For example, the UE can be configured to determine the applicable pattern from the reception of a standardized value table and / or from signaling that includes pattern information, for example, such that the UE's behavior is time-synchronized and predictable from the network's perspective.

[0185] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to adjust control channel processing and / or spectrum bandwidth processing according to a pattern-based configuration for a given processing state, and the UE may be configured to adjust other aspects including spectrum bandwidth processing, such as beam processing as a function of changes in the processing state of the UE, for example, according to other methods, operations and / or procedures described herein.

[0186] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured with a first mode for receiving and blind decoding of one or more control channels. In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to determine (e.g., and perform) blind decoding attempts using different control channels (e.g., one or more control channels) based on the mode, from one control channel scheduling opportunity / opportunity to another. For example, for a first processing level, the UE may be configured to decode the first control channel in scheduling opportunities 3 and 6 of a sequence containing 10 opportunities (e.g., numbered 0 to 9), while the UE may be configured to decode the second control channel during other opportunities. For a second processing level, the UE may not be configured to decode any control channels for opportunities 0, 1, 2, 8, and 9.

[0187] In other representative embodiments, for a given control channel, the UE can be configured to determine (e.g., and perform) blind decoding attempts by using different sets of control channel resources (e.g., CORESET), CCE, and / or search space, based on a pattern from one control channel scheduling opportunity / opportunity to another.

[0188] In other representative embodiments, the UE can be configured to determine (e.g., and / or receive) a specific frequency location and / or bandwidth configured with given parameters, such as a bandwidth portion of a given control channel, based on a mode from one control channel scheduling opportunity / opportunity to another. For example, for a first processing level, the UE can be configured to receive on a single (e.g., default) bandwidth portion and / or CORESET. For a second processing level, the UE can be configured to receive on all configured bandwidth portions and / or CORESETs.

[0189] In some representative embodiments, the UE can be configured to determine (e.g., perform) blind decoding attempts using different aggregation levels (ALs) based on a pattern, moving from one control channel scheduling opportunity / opportunity to another. For a first processing level, the UE can be configured to decode the control channel using only, for example, AL=16, in scheduling opportunities 3 and 6 of a sequence containing 10 opportunities (e.g., numbered 0 to 9), and using AL=4 and 8 in scheduling opportunities 4 and 5, and can be configured to otherwise not perform decoding. For a second processing level, the UE can be configured to decode in all opportunities based on AL=16. The ALs can be configured based on control channel load, UE geometry, etc.

[0190] In some representative embodiments, the UE can be configured to determine (e.g., and perform) blind decoding attempts using one or more DCIs from different groups, based on a pattern from one control channel scheduling opportunity / opportunity to another.

[0191] In some representative embodiments, the UE can be configured to determine (e.g., and perform) reception and / or bandwidth processing, such as system / channel bandwidth tuning, using different sets of physical resource blocks based on a pattern from one control channel scheduling opportunity / opportunity to another.

[0192] The pattern may correspond to a specific amount of time (e.g., in symbols, milliseconds, and / or scheduling opportunities / timings) that can be reproduced periodically in time.

[0193] The start of the mode may correspond to a specific moment (e.g., the first symbol of a micro-slot, slot, and / or subframe), such as relative to the system frame number, relative to the first subframe of a frame, relative to a received signal that may repeat periodically in time (e.g., a reference signal), or relative to a successfully decoded transmission (e.g., DCI or MAC CE).

[0194] In some embodiments, the UE processing state may be associated with a mode for one or more such aspects, operations, processes, and / or characteristics. The UE may be configured to change the applicable mode for one or more related aspects, operations, processes, and / or characteristics when the applicable processing level is changed.

[0195] The UE can be configured to receive control signaling, which configures the UE's operational processing state, for example, based on one of a plurality of processing states. The processing state can be associated with a set of defined attributes related to one or more of the above configurations. For example, the processing state can be associated with a specific control channel configuration, data bandwidth and / or usage configuration, etc. The attributes associated with the processing state (e.g., each processing state) can be predefined (e.g., predefined by specifications, lookup tables, rules) and / or can be dynamically signaled and / or set. In some representative embodiments, the UE can configure the attributes of the processing state based on signaling received via broadcast or dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). Such signaling can be associated with a specific control channel monitoring configuration, data bandwidth configuration and / or usage, HARQ timing configuration, etc., for a specific processing state.

[0196] Processing states can be associated with an index or identifier to identify a particular processing state and referenced for signaling, for example, between the UE and the network.

[0197] Triggers used to change between processing states

[0198] Network control conversion

[0199] The UE can be configured to determine, based on the reception of signaling from the network, that the UE should or will transition to different processing states, such as at least one of the following: RRC messages, MAC CE, DCI messages (e.g. on the control channel), “low-cost” signals as described herein (e.g., as described in the data bandwidth configuration section), and timer-based operations controlled by the reception and / or configuration of control signaling.

[0200] Timer-based operations can be controlled via signaling from the network. For example, in one representative embodiment, when a timer is used to control the behavior of the UE, the UE can execute one or more process / logic operations (A) A while the timer is running; otherwise, the UE can execute one or more process / logic operations (B). In another representative embodiment, the timer itself can be controlled by receiving signaling (e.g., if a control message X is received, the timer can be stopped, and if a control message Y is received, the timer can be restarted, etc.).

[0201] In some embodiments, a timer can be configured to control the behavior of the UE. For example, while the timer is running, the UE can execute a set of procedural / logical operations (one or more). Otherwise, for example, when the timer itself can be controlled by signaling (e.g., the timer can be stopped if a control message X is received from the network, and the timer can be restarted if a control message Y is received from the network, etc.), the UE can execute another set of procedural / logical operations (one or more).

[0202] This signaling can identify the index of the processing state to be configured, as well as the potential time (at which the change in processing state should take effect). Alternatively, the change in processing state can occur at a predefined or statically defined time difference between the time the transition message is received and the time when the configuration change associated with the new processing state should occur.

[0203] UE-determined conversion

[0204] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to transition between one processing state and another based on one or more defined triggers associated with UE operation, such triggers being at least one of the following: 1) an increase or decrease in scheduling activity, or scheduling activity of one or more control channels; 2) the arrival of a new service at the UE, such as its initiation and / or configuration; 3) the availability of transmission and / or successful reception / transmission of data at a UE with specific attributes (e.g., low latency requirements); 4) data in the UE buffer exceeding or falling below a threshold, for example, for at least one of the following: a specific bearer (one or more), a bearer type (one or more), a service (one or more), or a type based on, for example, a QoS profile. 5) Expiration of timers related to UE activity or scheduling activity; 6) UE speed exceeding or falling below a specific value; 7) Current battery life reaching a specific value; 8) Triggering and / or initiating scheduling requests and / or access procedures; 9) UE-initiated initiation and / or transmission, such as contention-based uplink transmissions, unlicensed transmissions, scheduling requests on the uplink control channel, or preambles on the PRACH; 10) The status of the HARQ process, such as exceeding certain delay criteria / thresholds in time and / or the number of retransmissions of the HARQ process; 11) The status of beam management, such as beam changes, changes in beam configuration, occurrence of beam failure events, and / or successful transmission of beam recovery requests.

[0205] In some embodiments, the UE can be configured to determine the aforementioned events for transitioning between one processing state and another processing state based on timer configuration and operation, such as when the timer is (re)started upon receiving corresponding control information and when the timer expires.

[0206] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine the aforementioned events (e.g., based on the timing of receiving control signaling or based on the transmission performed) for transitioning between one processing state and another based on a counter.

[0207] In this context, transitions between processing states can be well defined based on certain rules. For example, a specific trigger coupled to a source (e.g., existing or initial) processing state may be used or required to transition to a specific destination state.

[0208] The UE can also be configured to request a change in processing state using RRC messages, MAC CE, or PHY layer signaling. A request for a change in processing state may include at least one of the following: a state index (or possibly a list of desired state indices) to which the UE wishes to transition, and parameters associated with triggering the state transition, such as a specific triggering event that triggers the processing state change, buffer usage, possibly a specific logical channel or a specific type of data, channel measurements, beam measurements, beam management events (e.g., beam switching, change of optimal beam), beam recovery, and the duration of the requested target state.

[0209] A UE can be configured to request a change in processing state due to at least one of the following triggers: scheduling activity, increase or decrease of scheduling activity on one or more control channels, arrival of a new service at the UE (e.g., its initiation and / or its configuration), availability of data transmission and / or successful transmission / reception at a UE with specific attributes (e.g., low latency requirements), data in the UE buffer exceeding or falling below a threshold, timer expiration associated with UE activity or scheduling activity, UE speed exceeding or falling below a certain value, beam failure, and current battery life reaching a certain value.

[0210] The following sections describe specific scenarios involving changes in processing status based on specific UE configuration aspects, operations, procedures, and / or functions. The specific triggers mentioned above, as well as more detailed triggers defined for each and / or certain specific configuration aspects, are possible.

[0211] Control channel decoding complexity

[0212] Unless otherwise expressly stated, the embodiments described herein are equally applicable to any data channel resources (e.g., PRB, bandwidth, beam selection, framing aspects (e.g., time slots and hour slots), if applicable). Possibly, such applicable data channel resources may be determined alternatively or additionally as a function of the UE's state. The UE's state can be used to determine control channel resources, particularly when different control channel resources are used to control different spectrum blocks for data transmission.

[0213] The UE uses a varying number of CCEs to monitor the control channel.

[0214] In one embodiment, as part of a UE power-saving mode, the UE can be configured to monitor different groups of CORESET and / or CCE based on its operating mode (e.g., its processing state or activity state), and can be configured to autonomously change its operating mode over time.

[0215] The UE's current processing state can be configured to define the UE's control channel monitoring configuration. The UE can be configured to utilize varying numbers and / or multiple sets of CCEs for processing (e.g., monitoring, receiving, blind decoding, or similar actions) of the control channel. For example, the number of CCEs that can be changed and / or the actual CCEs to be used for processing can be altered. For example, the UE can be configured to operate in different processing states with varying complexity, and the UE can monitor the control channel on different numbers of CCEs and / or different sets of CCEs. For example, the UE can be configured to perform a power-saving mode that changes the number of CCEs. The UE may need, will need, and / or requires monitoring based on certain factors, which may include scheduled processing and / or the UE's buffer state. The buffer state on the UE can be flexibly coordinated with the scheduling between the UE and the eNode-B.

[0216] The UE can be configured to perform control channel monitoring by considering multiple processing states, each with a different number of CCEs to be decoded. One potential benefit is a possible reduction in the complexity of control channel monitoring.

[0217] For example, the UE can be configured to proactively determine different groups of control channel resources to be monitored based on at least one of the following.

[0218] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to monitor a subband, multiple subbands, a subset of frequency bands, a subset of system bandwidth, a frequency location (e.g., the center frequency), or a subset of control channel resources. This may include aggregation levels.

[0219] When in a first state (e.g., according to a first activity level), the UE can be configured to monitor, for example, control channels defined on a first group of resource elements, a first group of applicable aggregation levels (one or more), or resource blocks, for example, one or more control channels in a first group. The UE can then be configured to use a second group of resources (which may include a potentially different number of control channels) when operating in a second state (e.g., according to a second activity level).

[0220] For example, in such a first state, the UE can be configured to monitor downlink control information (e.g., DCI) on a first operating frequency band. This could include, for example, a first channel bandwidth. In a second state, the UE can be configured to monitor DCI for a subset of resource elements that may occupy a different subset than the first operating channel bandwidth.

[0221] For example, in this first state, the UE can be configured to monitor DCIs on a first set of control channels. Such a first set can provide scheduling up to a first user plane data rate. In the second state, the UE can be configured to monitor DCIs on a second set of control channels. Such a second set can provide scheduling up to a second user plane data rate. The UE can be configured to determine such a set based on one or more aspects related to the UE's transmission, as further described below.

[0222] The UE can also be configured to operate on the first and second subbands (or groups of subbands) of the operating band when it is in the first and second states, respectively. A possible advantage of this operation in terms of power consumption is that the receiver can utilize at least one of the following across the subbands of the entire band: a reduced Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size for decoding the control channel, and front-end tuning (e.g., tuning only).

[0223] Figure 5A This is a representative diagram showing the control channels monitored by the UE in active state A (shown at 511) and active state B (shown at 512), respectively. As shown at 511, a UE in active state A can be configured to monitor a specific number of control channel elements, such as CCE1-CCE7 (531-537), on the operating system bandwidth 521. These control channel elements (e.g., CCE1-CCE7 (531-537)) represent the UE's active control channel 522. The UE can be configured to be in active state B at other times. However, when in a different active state (e.g., active state B), the UE can be configured to monitor the entire control channel element, such as CCE1-CCEn (541-5xy), which represents the active control channel 523 on the operating system bandwidth 521, as shown at 512.

[0224] Figure 5B A representative monitoring period including control channel monitoring behavior on the UE is shown. The UE can be configured to monitor the control channel during the active state duration 504 and not monitor the control channel at other times. The active state duration 504 can be configured according to the UE's active state and transmitted via RRC signaling.

[0225] Reduce the number of blind decodes

[0226] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to perform up to a first number of blind decoding attempts in a first state. In a second state, the UE can be configured to perform up to a second number of blind decoding attempts. The determination of the UE's state can be based on an associated set of control channel resources. For example, for the first and second states, the UE can be configured to process first and second numbers of search spaces (or subsets of search spaces), first and second sets of search spaces, or search space aggregation levels, respectively. The search space can be equivalent to the search space of conventional LTE, or more generally, it can be a set of any control channel resources that the UE uses to perform blind decoding of downlink control channel messages. For NR, if beamforming is applicable to the control channels, such a search space can be defined in time, frequency, and / or space.

[0227] A potential advantage of altering (e.g., dynamically) the blind decoding complexity of a UE could be that it allows for less frequently scheduled UEs (or those with less stringent scheduling time requirements) to reduce power consumption associated with blind decoding during those periods, while simultaneously increasing power under the control of the network scheduler during periods when the UE may need, will need, and / or requires active scheduling and / or during periods of high scheduling load in the system, in order to maintain the scheduler's flexibility.

[0228] Therefore, a state where the UE performs decoding with fewer control channel resources is more suitable for periods of low scheduling activity and / or periods of scheduling activity related to best-effort, delay-tolerant services. A state where the UE needs and / or dedicates time to decoding a large number of control channels will be a state with greater scheduling flexibility.

[0229] Figure 6A This is a representative diagram of the search space for a UE in a representative activity state A. The UE can be configured to search for a space with multiple control channel elements in activity state A. For example, the UE can be configured to search a space consisting of the first three aggregation levels 8 (e.g., 611-613), where aggregation level 8 includes eight control channel elements. The UE can also be configured with another search space having the first two aggregation levels 4 (e.g., 621 and 622), where aggregation level 4 includes four control channel elements. The UE can also be configured with another search space having aggregation levels 4 through 9 (e.g., 631-636), where aggregation level 2 includes two control channel elements, or having aggregation levels 12 through 21 (e.g., 641-650), where aggregation level 1 includes one control channel element.

[0230] Figure 6B This is a representative diagram of the search space for a UE in active state B. However, the UE can be configured to... Figure 6ADifferent methods minimize the search space, resulting in different numbers of control channel elements in active state B. For example, the UE can be configured with a search space of aggregation level 3 (e.g., 651). The UE can also be configured with another search space of aggregation level 2 (e.g., 661). The UE can also be configured with another search space of aggregation levels 7 through 9 (e.g., 671-673) or aggregation levels 5 through 21 (e.g., 681-687).

[0231] UE monitors control channels with varying numbers of control channel messages.

[0232] In another embodiment, as part of a UE power-saving mode, the UE can be configured to search for different numbers of control channel messages based on its operating mode, and can be configured to autonomously change its operating mode.

[0233] The UE can be configured or intended to monitor control channels with varying numbers of possible control channel messages that can be received by the UE. For example, the UE can be configured to operate in different complex states, and the UE can monitor control channels with varying numbers of control channel messages that can be received. For example, the UE can be configured to execute a power-saving mode that varies the number of different control channel messages that the UE may need, will need, and / or needs to monitor based on one or more factors such as scheduling activity, buffer state, and eNode-B scheduling flexibility requirements.

[0234] The UE can be configured to perform control channel monitoring by considering multiple states, each state having a varying number of control channel messages to be decoded in that state (e.g., each state having a varying number of control channel messages). Within that state (e.g., each state), the UE can be configured to require and / or be used to decode different numbers of control channel messages. As part of the decoding, this can include at least one of the following: different numbers of DCI messages, different unique DCI message sizes, different numbers of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) patterns to use, and different numbers of matching sequences (e.g., correlation sequences).

[0235] For example, an operating mode associated with low power (e.g., having a smaller number of DCI message sizes compared to other modes) can be associated with control channel messages that allow UE operation, such as, but not limited to, paging, power control, system information, low-latency data transmission, and initial data transmission.

[0236] The advantage of reducing the number of unique control channel messages can be improved performance of the UE in less blind decoding, thus saving power during these time instances. A state where the UE performs decoding of fewer control channels can be a lower power state, while a state where the UE needs and / or uses a larger number of control channels for decoding will be a state of greater scheduling flexibility.

[0237] Transitions between states

[0238] In one embodiment, determining when to transition between two active states can use behavior similar to traditional LTE DRX active time.

[0239] In another embodiment, the power-saving mode at the UE can be based on the UE transitioning between different states. The UE can be configured to transition between two control channel monitoring states based on certain triggers. For example, the UE can be configured to move from a first active state to a second active state that can have different decoding complexities. The UE can also be configured to periodically (such as at each TTI, at each N subframe, or at a periodicity of some configuration) further evaluate such triggers.

[0240] For example, such transitions between states can be based on one or more of the following triggers: 1) scheduling intensity, 2) resources or messages used for scheduling, 3) time triggers, 4) UE requests, 5) the presence or absence of reference signals, and 6) explicit indications from the eNode-B.

[0241] 1) Scheduling intensity

[0242] The UE can be configured to move between one control channel surveillance state and another based on the number of grants received in a given state, measured within a time window, or at a specific time, and according to some transition rules related to the number of grants. These rules can take different forms or combinations thereof:

[0243] In one embodiment, the rule may be based on the number of authorizations received in time period T.

[0244] In the second embodiment, the rule can be based on the number of consecutive grants received. For example, the UE can be configured to move from a lower power state to a state with greater scheduling flexibility when it receives N consecutive grants while in a lower power state, or when it receives N grants during a time period T while in a lower power state.

[0245] In a third embodiment, the rule can be based on the number of consecutive control channel opportunities (within which the UE is scheduled or not scheduled). For example, the UE can be configured to move from a state with high control channel monitoring complexity to a lower power state after N subframes in which no UE has been scheduled on the control channel.

[0246] In the fourth embodiment, the rule can be based on the type of control channel message sent in a state. For example, the UE can be configured to move from one state to another when receiving a specific DCI message type, or when receiving a control channel message in a specific search space or at a specific aggregation level. Therefore, such DCI message type or search space usage can be retained to implicitly signal the change of state.

[0247] In the fifth embodiment, the rule can be based on the beam or beam group that the UE receives messages in a state. For example, the UE can be configured to move from one state to another when, for example, it is receiving DCI messages using a specific subset of monitored beams.

[0248] 2) Resources or messages used for scheduling

[0249] The UE can be configured to transition between states when it receives N consecutive grants using a specific search space, search space size, or specific DCI message.

[0250] 3) Triggering time

[0251] The UE can be configured to transition between states at specific times (e.g., at a specific subframe or frame number), which may be known to the UE or can be configured by the network. For example, the UE can be configured to periodically transition between one mode and another at a specific frame / subframe number. As another example, the UE can be configured to operate in one mode for a period of time (based on a timer) and transition to another mode when the timer expires.

[0252] 4) UE's request

[0253] The UE can request to move between states by using SR, Buffered State Report (BSR), MAC CE, or RRC messages.

[0254] - The UE may trigger a request to move between two states as a result of at least one of the following:

[0255] - Initiating or terminating a new service at the UE. For example, a UE with an active eMTC service operating in low-power mode can request to move out of low-power mode when initiating eMBB service.

[0256] - The arrival of data associated with a specific service, logical channel, or stream.

[0257] - The UE determines that the data to be transmitted is time-critical, or that timing requirements may not be met without exiting low-power mode.

[0258] - The buffer state of one or more logical channels or streams at the UE exceeds a certain threshold.

[0259] - The time-criticality (e.g., lifetime) of data in the UE's cache, or the ongoing transmissions at the UE below a threshold (e.g., the UE has completed transmissions of any or most of the time-critical data in its cache), and

[0260] - Beam management procedures or events (e.g., beam fault detection at the UE). These procedures or events may include the UE determining that the radio link quality associated with a set of beams is below a specific threshold. For example, the UE may determine this radio link quality based on one or more measurements of a reference signal associated with that set of beams.

[0261] The UE can be configured to implicitly indicate its request to move between states by sending information in SRs (e.g., via transmissions on PRACH and / or on the physical link control channel (PUCCH), BSRs, MAC CEs, and / or RRC messages (e.g., using transmissions on PUSCH). For example, the UE may assume that sending a BSR with the following information will cause the UE to move out of or into a low-power mode: the buffer state of data in a particular logical channel or the timing requirement is higher than a threshold.

[0262] 5) The presence or absence of a reference signal

[0263] The UE can be configured to determine which subbands of the control channel space the UE may need, will, and / or needs to monitor because no reference signal is present in other parts of the frequency band. For example, the operating frequency band can be divided into several subbands in which a set of reference signals can be transmitted. If the UE detects that the power of the reference signal in a particular subband is below a threshold, the UE can be configured to ignore the decoding of the control channel for that particular subband and decode the control channel on subbands where the power of the reference signal is above the threshold (e.g., only on these subbands).

[0264] 6) Explicit indication of eNode-B

[0265] The UE can be configured to move between different states if the DCI explicitly or implicitly indicates movement between different states. For example, if the DCI indicates authorization for resources located outside the reduced bandwidth defined by the initial low-power state of the receiving UE, the UE can be configured to move from a low-power state to a normal state, or from a low-power state to another low-power state (with greater complexity).

[0266] The UE can be configured to move between states when it receives a MAC control element (MAC CE) or an RRC configuration message.

[0267] The UE can be configured to determine its state and / or a set of resources (control and / or data) based on a function of at least one of the following:

[0268] A function is the average transmission rate over a period of time. This rate can correspond to L1 transmission rate, L2 transmission rate, user plane data transmission rate, etc. This rate can be based on successful transmissions during this period. For each successful transmission, HARQ feedback must have been received (for downlink scheduling), sent (for uplink scheduling), or both (for combined scheduling). A configured offset or threshold can be used to modify scheduling flexibility.

[0269] Another function is average inter-packet transmission (uplink or downlink, or both). This transmission can be described as above.

[0270] Another function is rate control algorithms, such as multiplicative increase / decrease type algorithms. For example, TCP-like rate control can be applied to determine the (e.g., activity) state of control channel processing (and, for example, data channel processing), whereby the management of a TCP “window” corresponds to the UE’s minimum processing requirements, and thus, such a window increases multiplicatively and decreases subtractively (the opposite of TCP rate control). For example, successful detection of a DCI (or a certain number of DCIs within a given period) would correspond to the reception of a TCP ACK in terms of window management (multiplicative increase), while periods without such detection (or periods where the number of DCIs within a given period is less than a certain value) would correspond to TCP NACK (subtractive decrease). This can be averaged using windows to minimize rate changes. One advantage of this approach is that UE processing activity can be matched to the observed transmission rate of a given UE. These methods can be applied individually to the uplink (e.g., for resources associated with uplink data channels (e.g., uplink data channels only), downlink (e.g., for resources associated only with downlink control and / or data channels (one or more)) or (otherwise) a combination of both.

[0271] One advantage of enabling the UE to autonomously modify the control channel configuration is that the UE can reduce the signaling overhead from the network to enable such transitions between one active state and another, thereby allowing transitions to occur more frequently without overhead, and thus improving power efficiency gains through such transitions.

[0272] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to decode a set of search spaces (potentially a complete set) in normal mode and a second set of search spaces (potentially a reduced set) in low-complexity mode. The set of search spaces to be decoded in each mode (e.g., each mode) can be known prior to the UE or provided by configuration from the network. The network configuration can be further provided as an index of known or standardized search space configurations (one for normal mode, one for low-complexity mode). In low-complexity mode, the reduced set of search spaces can be further limited to a reduced set of CCEs, resources, beams, and / or control channel bandwidth, for example, enabling the UE to process the reduced set of resources (e.g., only the reduced set). The UE can be configured to receive a MAC CE to indicate that the UE should move from one decoding mode to another. Upon successful reception of the MAC CE, the UE will begin performing control channel decoding according to the new mode at the next control channel time (e.g., the next subframe) or at a specific known time (e.g., subframe 0 or x subframes after receiving the MAC CE).

[0273] In another example embodiment, the UE can be configured with two different control channel decoding modes, where the first mode requires decoding a small subset of DCI formats, and the second mode requires decoding a full set of supported DCI formats. A UE operating in the first mode can be configured to switch to the second mode upon receiving a scheduling request in N consecutive control channel timings / TTIs / subframes, etc. Alternatively, a UE operating in the first mode can be configured to switch to the second mode upon receiving a specific type of DCI message (DCI messages supported in the first mode) N times within the last T subframes, where N and T can be configured by the network. Once in the second operating mode, the UE can be configured to switch back to the first operating mode after a timer set when entering the second mode expires. The timer can be further reset (e.g., each time the UE receives a scheduling request).

[0274] In another representative embodiment, the UE can be configured to follow any rules associated with the previous example embodiments, and can also be configured to periodically and temporarily (e.g., for one or more subframes / TTI / scheduling opportunities) transition to a second operating mode every T subframes, at time instances known to both the UE and the network (e.g., the UE can be configured by the network). The advantage of this periodic fallback is that it can ensure the UE and the network remain synchronized in transitioning between operating modes. At the subframe where the UE falls back to the second operating mode, the UE can further receive a message from the network to resynchronize itself with the network; this message may include resetting all timers, counters, and state variables associated with the transition between the two modes.

[0275] Although the above representative embodiments have been shown for two states, those skilled in the art will understand that examples and rules for switching are possible for more than two control channel monitoring states.

[0276] UE L2 processing complexity

[0277] HARQ Configuration

[0278] In one embodiment, as part of a UE power-saving mode, the UE can be configured to autonomously change its HARQ configuration and notify the network of this change.

[0279] The current activity state of the UE can define the HARQ configuration under which the UE operates. The UE can be configured to proactively change its HARQ configuration based on specific triggers occurring at the UE. The HARQ configuration can define the values, rules, or configurations of the following attributes or parameters related to HARQ:

[0280] 1) The number of HARQ processes for DL, UL, and SL. For example, in activity states associated with lower UE processing complexity, the UE can be configured with a smaller number of HARQ processes. One advantage is that it allows for memory savings in the UE, as the cache can be dynamically adjusted based on the UE's activity;

[0281] 2) Applicable transmission modes. For example, in the first and second states, the UE can be configured to use the configurations associated with the first and second transmission modes, respectively. This can be useful for enabling less intensive physical layer processing during periods of lower activity;

[0282] 3) Mapping between logical channels and HARQ processes. For example, in a specific activity state, there may be specific rules for associating one or more logical channels with a specific HARQ process;

[0283] 4) Timing of HARQ operations, such as grant transfer timing or retransmission timing;

[0284] 5) Whether to use automatic or scheduled retransmission;

[0285] 6) The maximum number of HARQ retransmissions; and

[0286] 7) Configuration of redundant versions for HARQ transports / retransmissions (e.g., per HARQ transport / retransmission).

[0287] In another embodiment, the power-saving mode may depend on the UE state, UE state transitions, or both, a state with a specific set of HARQ parameters or HARQ configuration (e.g., each state). The UE may be configured to transition between HARQ configuration states based on certain triggers. The UE may also be configured to periodically evaluate such triggers, such as at each TTI, at each N subframe, or periodically according to a certain configuration. Transitions between states may be based on one or more of the following triggers described herein (e.g., in the Control Channel Decoding Complexity section).

[0288] Additional conversions that can be considered include the reception of high-priority or low-latency data. For example, the UE can be configured to receive packets or PDUs that contain or include any current priority data that has a higher priority than the data the UE is currently transmitting. As another example, the UE can be configured to receive packets or PDUs with timing requirements or TTLs associated with the packets, which may use or require different HARQ configurations.

[0289] The transition rules between HARQ processing states can also be defined based on at least one of the following: the number of such packets received over a configurable amount of time, the size of the received packets, and the priority or delay level associated with the packets.

[0290] Regarding the priority or latency level associated with the group, low-latency data can be associated, for example, with different levels of latency (e.g., required latency) (e.g., L1, L2, ...) that have reduced latency requirements, and this level can provide data from the upper layer.

[0291] Cascading, segmentation, multiplexing and / or retransmission

[0292] In another embodiment, as part of a UE power-saving mode, the UE can autonomously change its L2 segmentation, concatenation, and retransmission configurations and notify the network of such changes.

[0293] The UE's activity state can define its behavior when performing concatenation, segmentation, and multiplexing of logical channels to transport blocks. The UE can be configured to transition from one activity state to another, where the activity state can be characterized by different defined values ​​of the following parameters:

[0294] 1) The minimum or maximum segment size for segmentation and / or re-segmentation;

[0295] 2) Whether segmentation should be performed, and if so, on which logical channels. For example, the UE can be configured in one active state to perform segmentation on all logical channels, not to perform any segmentation in another active state, and to perform segmentation on specific types of logical channels (e.g., only segmentation) in another active state;

[0296] 3) Whether concatenation should be performed, and if so, on which logical channels. For example, the UE can be configured in one active state to perform concatenation on all logical channels, not to perform any concatenation in another active state, and to perform concatenation on specific types of logical channels (e.g., only concatenation) in another active state;

[0297] 4) The size of the window at TX or RX for operations such as ARQ, reordering, retransmission, or similar operations, which can be for all logical channels or for a specific group of specific logical channels;

[0298] 5) Whether segmented retransmission is performed, or whether upper layer retransmission of the complete PDU is performed (e.g., only upper layer retransmission); and

[0299] 6) Whether re-segmentation is performed for retransmission, or whether the retransmission requires and / or uses the transmission of the same segments as the initial transmission.

[0300] In a representative embodiment of the UE L2 processing complexity, the UE can be configured in a first mode, which has a HARQ configuration consisting of N1 parallel HARQ processes and x1 subframes between data transmission and ACK. When starting a service that uses or requires low latency, the UE can be configured to receive packets from the upper layer, which indicate (e.g., require) to send data with low latency. If the number of such packets received by the UE from the upper layer within a configurable time T exceeds a specific threshold, the UE can be configured to move to a second operating mode.

[0301] The UE can be configured to additionally notify the network of the conversion through the transmission of a MAC CE (such as BSR, etc.). The UE can be configured to operate in a second mode, which consists of or includes the following: N2 parallel HARQ processes (where N2 > N1) and x2 subframes between data transmission and ACK (where x2 < x1). The UE can be configured to remain in the second mode when receiving packets of a low latency service. When the number of packets associated with low latency received within a similar time interval T is below the threshold, the UE can be configured to switch to the first mode and similarly notify the network of such a conversion.

[0302] Data bandwidth configuration

[0303] Modification of Data Bandwidth Configuration

[0304] In one embodiment of the modification of data bandwidth configuration, as part of the UE power saving mode, the UE can be configured with different sets of operating bandwidths according to its processing state and can be configured to autonomously change the processing state.

[0305] A set of triggers for processing state changes for determining control channel processing disclosed herein can be applicable to data channels and data bandwidth configuration.

[0306] The active state of the UE can be defined according to its operating data bandwidth. In one solution, the UE can be configured to operate on different data bandwidths and dynamically change its operating data bandwidth during operation. The UE can further operate under different data bandwidth configurations for UL and DL. For example, the UE can be configured with an operating bandwidth B1 on carrier C (where the overall system BW of the carrier is B > B1). At a certain time, the UE can be reconfigured to change its operating bandwidth from B1 to B2 (B1 < B2 < B) to allow the UE to be scheduled with a larger amount of resources. This reconfiguration can consist of or include: adding resource blocks to the total bandwidth (BW) that the UE can be scheduled for data and / or can be used for UL transmission. It can consist of or include: the UE processing the entire B2 (which includes the additional resource blocks).

[0307] The UE can be configured to additionally change the position of the data bandwidth in frequency according to the bandwidth configuration. For example, in addition to power consumption considerations, the UE can be configured to possibly move the center frequency of its operating bandwidth from one position to another based on a trigger related to the channel quality of a specific resource. The UE can be configured to additionally change the available time resources for DL reception and UL transmission based on certain triggers.

[0308] The UE can also be configured to make such dynamic changes in the bandwidth configuration during its operation to adapt to the instantaneous scheduling load (uplink or downlink) of that specific UE. The UE can be configured to make such changes in response to specific triggers related to scheduling, load, etc., as described in more detail below.

[0309] The advantage of this dynamic data bandwidth configuration change is that a UE configured with a smaller bandwidth can be configured to limit its reception, data processing, and measurement to that segment. For example, a change in bandwidth configuration can lead to UE retuning. The UE can be configured to use a front-end, FFT / IFFT, or baseband processing limited to that segment. For example, a UE configured with bandwidth B1 can use an FFT size F1 to receive the data channel. When bandwidth B2 > B1 is configured, the UE can use an FFT size F2 > F1 to receive the data channel. Such a configuration allows for power savings when the UE's load requirements are insufficient to guarantee that the UE's receiver circuitry / HW / SW operates across the entire bandwidth of a given carrier.

[0310] Identify UE operating bandwidth using index.

[0311] In another embodiment of identifying UE operating bandwidth via indexing, the bandwidth or segment (including resource blocks and their configuration) can be predefined or based on system information broadcast by the cell. The UE can be configured to receive a set of indices corresponding to one of the possible segments or bandwidths that can be used as a UE-specific BW for a given time period, and the network will reference the segment based on the corresponding index. Such indices can be sent by the network to the UE during configuration, or the UE can signal to the network if it autonomously changes its operating bandwidth.

[0312] Modification of addressable / allocatable PRBs

[0313] In another embodiment of the addressable / allocable PRB modification, as part of the UE power saving mode, the UE can configure different groups of addressable / allocable PRBs within its system bandwidth according to its operating mode, and can autonomously change its operating mode.

[0314] The UE's activity state can be characterized by addressable PRBs, which can be used by the UE in the UL or scheduled by the network for that specific UE in the DL. In another solution, the UE can be configured to change its addressable PRB group in the UL or DL. The UE can also be configured to make such changes to the addressable PRB group based on scheduling load, data to be transmitted, operational characteristics, and other UE-specific characteristics. In doing so, the UE can be configured to obtain power savings associated with simplified control channel decoding, since the addressable space required and / or used by the control channel can be limited to the data used and / or needed by the UE (e.g., data only). When modifying the group of addressable PRBs, the UE can be configured to continue operating on the same data bandwidth and can consider (e.g., only consider) certain PRBs as PRBs of interest that can be addressed by the control channel.

[0315] State transitions and / or modifications of addressable / allocable PRBs may consist of and / or include the following: adding or removing one or more PRBs for multiple addressable / allocable PRBs of the UE. Alternatively, the state transitions and / or modifications of addressable / allocable PRBs may consist of and / or include the following: changing from one predefined PRB configuration to another PRB configuration. A PRB configuration may consist of and / or include at least one of the following: 1) a specific set of PRBs; 2) the size of the PRBs (e.g., each PRB) in the specific set of PRBs; 3) the permitted modulation and coding schemes (MCS) that can be used in the PRBs (e.g., each PRB); 4) parameter configurations and / or TTIs that can be used in a specific PRB; 5) permitted logical channels or services that are allowed to be used on a specific PRB in the set of PRBs; and 6) a beam group for receiving the set of addressable PRBs thereon.

[0316] PRB excluded in data channel configuration

[0317] The UE can also be configured to receive from the network a set of PRBs or data blocks that cannot be used in the UE's data channel configuration. For example, the UE can be configured to exclude such PRBs from its data channel configuration. Furthermore, the frequency position of such excluded data blocks can change over time based on some predefined or configured hopping patterns.

[0318] Frequency jump operation

[0319] The UE can be configured to determine its data block location based on frequency hopping rules (e.g., resource blocks in the frequency band that can constitute a specific data block), which may include at least one of the following: UE ID and frame or subframe number.

[0320] In this way, a specific data block can occupy different portions of the bandwidth at a specific time.

[0321] Figures 7A-7C This is a representative block diagram showing different numbers of addressable or addressable PRBs within the system bandwidth during different time periods on the UE. There are two reserved PRBs, for example, Figures 7A-7C The numbers 713, 723, and 733 are mentioned.

[0322] Figure 7A This is a representative diagram showing the portion of bandwidth reserved for the UE during time period T1 (e.g., 701). In this embodiment, in Figure 7A In the example, the UE can be identified in active state A, and there is no addressable PRB during the time period T1.

[0323] Figure 7BThis is another representative diagram illustrating a portion of the bandwidth reserved for the UE during another time period T2 (e.g., 702). In some embodiments, Figure 7B The diagram illustrates that the UE can be identified in active state B and configured to transition from active state A to active state B. In active state B, there are three addressable PRBs (e.g., 720-722), and the UE is configured to decode these three PRBs during time period T2 (e.g., 702).

[0324] Figure 7C This is another representative diagram illustrating a portion of the bandwidth reserved for the UE during another time period T3 (e.g., 703). In some embodiments, Figure 7C The diagram shows that the UE can be identified in active state C and can be configured to transition from active state B to active state C. In active state C, there are seven addressable PRBs (e.g., 730-736), and the UE is configured to decode these seven PRBs during time period T3 (e.g., 703).

[0325] Transitions between states used for data channel configuration

[0326] In another embodiment of the transitions between states for data channel configuration, the power-saving mode at the UE can be based on the transitions between different states of the UE, where each state is associated with (e.g., each state is associated with) a specific data bandwidth configuration. The UE can be configured to transition between data bandwidth configuration states based on certain triggers.

[0327] The UE can further periodically evaluate such triggers, such as every TTI, every N subframes, or with a certain configuration periodicity. The time period used for evaluation can also be defined as the number of past subframes starting from the current subframe, and this evaluation can be performed continuously by the UE in every subframe, or on explicitly configured subframes.

[0328] Such transitions between states can be based on one or more, or a combination of, the following triggers:

[0329] 1) Scheduling intensity

[0330] The UE can be configured to move between one data channel configuration and another based on the amount of resources scheduled by the network. The rules for switching between one control channel configuration and another can be based on the amount of resources scheduled in the most recent time period T.

[0331] For example, the UE receives a resource assignment with a size greater than a specific threshold, or the amount of resources assigned within a defined time period exceeds the threshold. Such a threshold can also be defined by the number and / or size of data regions currently configured in the UE. For example, the threshold for assigning resources to move from resource block x1 to resource block x2 will increase as the amount x2 increases.

[0332] For another example, if the UE is scheduled with a total resource amount exceeding / below a certain threshold, the UE can be configured to reconfigure its data channels to increase / decrease the number of PRBs.

[0333] The UE can be configured to move between one data channel configuration and another if the UE receives a single resource assignment (UL or DL). For example, the UE can be configured to initially operate on a single minimum number of PRBs, and can be configured to immediately move to operation utilizing a larger number of PRBs in its data configuration after receiving a resource assignment.

[0334] The UE can be configured to move between one data channel configuration and another based on scheduling amounts on the control channel. The triggering can be the same as or similar to the control channel scheduling triggers described herein.

[0335] The UE can be configured to move between one data channel configuration and another based on a combination of the rules given above. For example, the number of assignments received by the UE within a specific time period (e.g., resource size greater than a first threshold) exceeds a second threshold.

[0336] 2) The quality of one or a specific set of PRBs

[0337] The UE can be configured to move between one data channel configuration and another based on measurements made by the UE to the same or other PRBs. For example, the UE can be configured to move from one data channel configuration to another if the measured or reported value associated with a particular PRB is higher or lower than a threshold (e.g., to add / remove a PRB from a configured PRB list).

[0338] The UE can be configured to move between one data channel configuration and another based on the HARQ processing results associated with transmissions on one or a set of PRBs. For example, the UE can be configured to increase / decrease the number of PRBs in its configuration, or it can be configured to increase / decrease its system bandwidth based on the HARQ success rate on one or a set of PRBs.

[0339] In another example, the UE can be configured to remove the specific PRB or the group of PRBs from its configuration if the number of HARQ faults associated with the transmission of a transport block on a specific PRB or PRB group exceeds a specific fault rate.

[0340] 3) RLC / PDCP / Upper L2 error rate, retransmission rate and / or data drop rate

[0341] The UE can be configured to move between one data channel configuration and another based on the overall upper-layer L2 error rate or retransmission rate over a configurable time period. For example, the number of consecutive RLC / PDCP retransmissions or a set of errors exceeding a certain threshold may cause a configuration change to increase the total number of PRBs.

[0342] The UE can also be configured to trigger such a change (increase or decrease) based on the receipt of a status report at, for example, an association layer (e.g., RLC or PDCP).

[0343] The UE can be configured to detect PDU-based drops (e.g., PDCP drops) and / or move between one data channel configuration and another based on a period of time during which no drops occur.

[0344] 4) Triggering time

[0345] The UE can be configured to transition between states at specific times (e.g., at specific subframes and / or frame numbers), which may be known to the UE or can be configured by the network. For example, the UE can be configured to periodically transition between one mode and another at specific frame / subframe numbers. As another example, the UE can be configured to operate in one mode for a period of time (based on a timer) and transition to another mode when the timer expires.

[0346] 5) UE's request

[0347] The UE can be configured to request movement between states by issuing a request using SR, BSR, MAC CE, or RRC messages.

[0348] The UE can be configured to trigger a request to move between two states due to at least one of the following:

[0349] - Start or terminate a new service at the UE. For example, a UE with an active eMTC service operating in low power mode can request to move out of low power mode when starting eMBB service;

[0350] - The arrival of data associated with a specific service, logical channel, or stream;

[0351] - The UE determines that the data to be transmitted is time-critical, or may not meet time requirements without exiting low-power mode;

[0352] - The buffer state of one or more logical channels or streams at the UE exceeds a specific threshold;

[0353] - The time-criticality of data in the UE's cache (e.g., time to live), or the ongoing transmissions at the UE are below a threshold (e.g., the UE has completed the transmission of any or most of the time-critical data in its cache); and

[0354] - Receive packets with high priority or low latency requirements at the UE.

[0355] The UE can also be configured to implicitly indicate its request to move between states by sending information in SR, BSR, MAC CE, or RRC messages.

[0356] For example, a UE may assume that sending a BSR with the following information will result in a change in the data channel configuration: the buffer state or timing requirement of data in a particular logical channel is higher than a threshold.

[0357] The UE can also be configured to determine such rules based on each logical channel. For example, the UE can be configured to increase the number of data blocks applicable to a particular logical channel based on a BSR (where the total buffer state of a particular category of logical channels exceeds a threshold).

[0358] 6) Presence or absence of a reference signal

[0359] The UE can be configured to determine whether it should change its data bandwidth configuration based on the presence or absence of a reference signal in a specific PRB or PRB group. For example, the operating frequency band can be divided into several sub-bands, in which a set of reference signals can be transmitted. If the UE detects that the power of the reference signal in a specific sub-band is below a threshold, the UE can be configured to change its data channel configuration accordingly.

[0360] 7) Explicit indication of eNode-B

[0361] The UE can be configured to move between data channel configurations based on eNode-B-based display indications (RRC, MAC CE, or signaling in the control channel).

[0362] For example, such messaging in a network can include new data channel configurations and can potentially be signaled using an index to detailed control channel configurations.

[0363] For another example, the UE can be configured to receive data channel configuration (e.g., the desired data channel configuration) explicitly (using an index) or implicitly (based on the DCI format detected by the UE) within the control channel itself.

[0364] 8) Movement between UE states or during mobility events

[0365] The UE can be configured to move between data channel configurations at distinct UE state transitions and / or mobility events, such as, but not limited to:

[0366] - After a handover or UE autonomous mobility event;

[0367] - Move from one TRP to another; and / or

[0368] - When initiating a connection to the network, for example, moving to the RRC connected state, or moving between the lightly connected state and the RRC connected state.

[0369] Timing for transitions between states in data channel configuration

[0370] In another embodiment of the timing for transitions between states used for data channel configuration, the UE can also be configured to change the data channel configuration at specific time instances or boundaries. Such boundaries can be defined based on frame or subframe numbers, for example (frame number mod x = y). Parameters for such boundaries can be defined statically for a specific UE, for example, based on the UE identifier, or can be signaled by the network. The UE can also be configured to determine triggers for increasing / decreasing the number of data blocks used at these specific time boundaries, and can perform any relevant calculations for the increase / decrease conditions based on information since the previous boundary.

[0371] In one example embodiment of data bandwidth configuration, the UE can be configured to operate on a subset of data blocks, where each data block (e.g., each data block) may contain and / or include multiple resource blocks that can be allocated to a UE. Data blocks may be entirely self-sufficient, as they may consist of and / or include a unique control channel on which data resources are scheduled. Alternatively, separate control channels may be assumed for the configured group of data blocks. For example, the system bandwidth may be divided into multiple non-overlapping data blocks that cover the entire system bandwidth (e.g., an 80 MHz system may be divided into eight unique 10 MHz data blocks). The UE can also be configured to utilize, for example, a subset of the system's data blocks (e.g., only a subset) for a finite time period, whether contiguous or non-contiguous.

[0372] The data block can also be associated with the use of a specific type of service or logical channel or service / logical channel group. If (e.g., only if) the UE is configured with a specific service(s), the UE can assume and / or determine that the UE can use a specific data block.

[0373] The UE can also be configured to determine the amount of data blocks that the UE is configured to use at periodic opportunities and / or time instances that can be configured by the network. During the power saving mode of the UE, the UE can be configured to determine its data block configuration from one of a set of data block configurations of indices provided by the network. In a periodic opportunity defined by a period P (e.g., some or each periodic opportunity), the UE can be configured to send the desired data block configuration together with other data related to the buffer state of the UE in a MAC CE (e.g., in the BSR) to the network.

[0374] The UE can be configured to determine the data block configuration as follows: based on a set of possible data block configurations, select the configuration in which the total number of the UE's PRBs falls within the range thesh1*X < #PRB < thesh2*X, where thresh1 and thresh2 can be thresholds configured by the network, and / or X can be the total number of PRBs assigned to the UE over the last n*P cycle opportunities; and / or the UE can be configured to select a set of data block configurations that meet the above conditions as the data block configuration with the best measurement determined by the UE.

[0375] In another exemplary embodiment, a minimum-sized data block (a few resource blocks) can be configured for a relatively inactive UE. Such a data block can be common to the UE (e.g., all UEs), or the data block can be specific to one or a few UEs.

[0376] The UE can be configured to determine its base data block based on the identity of the UE, which can be assigned by the network or by the UE itself. For example, based on the UE identity, the UE can be configured to determine the frequency position of its base block. For example, such a base data block can be used by a UE that does not have an active connection with the network and thus does not have any data channel configuration for active data communication.

[0377] In another exemplary embodiment, the UE can be configured to use one or a combination of the following methods to determine the PRBs active in its data configuration:

[0378] - The UE can be configured to move from one PRB configuration to another based on the data cache size reported in the BSR. The UE can be configured to calculate the number of PRBs to be activated as a multiple of the total cache size reported in the BSR, where the multiple can be configured by the UE. The UE can be configured to perform PRB configuration decisions when the BSR is triggered, or each time the BSR is triggered, or based on certain specific triggers of the BSR (e.g., only certain specific triggers).

[0379] - In addition, the UE may assume that a fixed and predefined data channel configuration (e.g., configuring all PRBs, or using a statically defined data channel configuration) occurs on a specific subframe, which may occur periodically (e.g., for one subframe every N radio frames).

[0380] In another example embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine its data bandwidth using one or a combination of the following methods:

[0381] The UE can be configured with an initial data bandwidth configuration, which may include a center frequency (e.g., the location of the data bandwidth). This initial configuration can be initiated due to the UE's connection to the network.

[0382] The UE can be configured to increase its data bandwidth by a fixed amount for configurable time periods during which no PDCP drop is detected (e.g., each configurable time period). If PDCP drop is detected during the configurable time period, the UE can be configured to decrease its bandwidth by a fixed amount; and

[0383] - The UE can also be configured to reduce its bandwidth to the initial data bandwidth if the amount of data allocated to the UE in the last configurable time period is less than a threshold.

[0384] In another representative embodiment, the UE can be configured to add or remove a specific number of PRBs from a set of active PRBs, and may also modify the UE's active data bandwidth due to the creation of new logical channels. When a logical channel is initiated, the UE can be configured to add a specific set of PRBs to the active data channel configuration. Such PRBs can be predefined based on the UE's configuration, as those specific PRBs can be associated with a specific logical channel or logical channel type.

[0385] Power efficiency signaling

[0386] Low-cost signal

[0387] As part of the UE power saving mode, the UE can be configured to monitor low-cost signals, which can define the behavior, parameters and transitions between the UE's active states.

[0388] The UE can be configured to monitor low-cost signals, which can alter the UE's activity state, change the UE's behavior within an activity state, provide further information about parameters to be used in a specific activity, or a combination of the above. One advantage of such low-cost signals is that the UE can decode them in a power-efficient manner.

[0389] Examples of low-cost signals

[0390] In one embodiment, the low-cost signal can constitute any simplified signaling from the network to the UE, which may or may not require limited decoding from the UE side. The low-cost signal may be a signal whose detection or decoding does not use or requires significant processing at the UE's receiver. Examples are provided to illustrate possible implementations, but such examples should not be limited to other examples of low-cost signals.

[0391] In one example, the UE can be configured to monitor low-cost signals in the time domain, enabling the UE to detect the presence of the signal without (e.g., requiring and / or using) performing FFT, decoding, etc. In this case, the low-cost signal may consist of or include known time-domain sequences, which can be detected by the UE using correlation and then energy detection. The time-domain sequences can be further transmitted in a specific frequency band or channel within the UE's operating bandwidth, and / or at specific time instances known to the UE, allowing the UE to further reduce the power consumption of monitoring the low-cost signal.

[0392] In another example, a low-cost signal may consist of or include one or more unique resource elements associated with the UE's data or control space. This low-cost signal may be UE-specific, cell-specific, TRP-specific, or associated with a group of UEs.

[0393] Another example of low-cost signaling is the random access channel (RACH) preamble transmitted by the eNode-B.

[0394] In some embodiments, the low-cost signal may be a synchronization signal transmitted by the network, such as a special form of primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or secondary synchronization signal (SSS) and / or synchronization signal block (SS-block).

[0395] Depending on its form, one advantage of low-cost signaling is that the UE can perform any of the following while monitoring the low-cost signal: disable all baseband (frequency domain) processing, and / or perform monitoring of the signal or a specific sequence using a limited receiver bandwidth. For example, the UE can be configured to receive low-cost signals over a defined bandwidth, which may be less than the entire cell bandwidth or the normal UE operating bandwidth.

[0396] Possible behavior defined by low-cost signals

[0397] When a low-cost signal is detected, the UE can be configured to perform one or a combination of the following operations:

[0398] 1) Turn on / off monitoring of one or more control channels

[0399] Receiving a low-cost signal can trigger or deactivate monitoring of one or more control channels within the UE. For example, the UE can be configured to monitor a low-cost signal (e.g., possibly only a low-cost signal), and upon detecting a low-cost signal, the UE can be configured to monitor one or more specific or signaled control channels. In another example, the UE can be configured to detect the presence of a low-cost signal during control channel monitoring, which disables or turns off monitoring of said control channel or other control channels within the UE.

[0400] The UE can also be configured to begin monitoring the control channel when the UE is currently in a specific activity state and the UE receives a low-cost signal. For example, the UE can be configured to receive a low-cost signal indicating the presence of additional UE-specific control information, which resides in one or more PRBs or in a set of CCEs residing in the currently configured data bandwidth, while having a specific data configuration.

[0401] 2) Transitions between active states in the UE

[0402] Receiving a low-cost signal can cause the UE to transition from one active state to another. For example, the UE can be configured to receive a low-cost signal that causes a change from one control channel surveillance state to another. As another example, the UE can be configured to receive a low-cost signal that causes a change from one data channel configuration to another.

[0403] 3) Change the configuration of the activity status

[0404] The UE can be configured to receive a low-cost signal that modifies triggering conditions, enabling or disabling triggering for movement between states. For example, the low-cost signal could prompt a change in scheduling-based triggering to move from one data channel configuration to another within the UE.

[0405] 4) Trigger the UE to update or read its activity state configuration from another signal. For example, the UE can be configured to receive a low-cost signal indicating that the activity state information has changed, and the UE should read such information from system information.

[0406] Configuration aspects related to low-cost signals

[0407] In some embodiments regarding configurations related to low-cost signaling, the UE can be configured with certain parameters related to decoding low-cost signals. This configuration can be received or determined by any or a combination of the following:

[0408] -System information;

[0409] - Fixed and cell-based system signature; and

[0410] - Fixed and based on a specific UE ID, UE group ID, or cell ID.

[0411] The UE can also be configured to monitor low-cost signals in one or more specific active states (e.g., only low-cost signals in one or more specific active states), for example, if such low-cost signals will be used to trigger a transition from that state.

[0412] The UE can also be configured to monitor low-cost signals (e.g., low-cost signals only in the subset of UE states) in a subset of UE states (e.g., idle, connected, lightly connected, and / or deep sleep (deep idle) states) that can characterize different interactions with the network in terms of whether data can be transmitted, how much data can be transmitted, and how it is transmitted.

[0413] The UE can also be configured to monitor low-cost signals when a service, logical channel, or similar feature is activated.

[0414] In some embodiments, configuration parameters may include at least one of the following: time and / or frequency resources that can decode or detect low-cost signals, attributes (e.g., indexes) for generating sequences, and signal characteristics as described below. For example, a UE may be assigned at least one identifier (or group ID) and monitor low-cost signals in specific resources (e.g., a set of physical resource blocks in certain time symbols) associated with the identifier (e.g., each such identifier). The UE may determine the activity state as the activity state corresponding to the highest activity level among the activity states indicated by at least one low-cost signal associated with the identifier (e.g., each identifier).

[0415] Information provided by low-cost sequences

[0416] The low-cost sequence can provide additional information to the UE by using its signal characteristics, which are, for example, any or a combination of the following:

[0417] - Duration of the sequence;

[0418] - Timing of the sequence (e.g., in which subframe or frame the sequence is transmitted);

[0419] - A specific sequence sent when the UE is configured to monitor multiple sequences;

[0420] - Temporal properties of the sequence (e.g., ZC sequence);

[0421] -A frequency band or subband on which the sequence is transmitted;

[0422] - A beam that transmits the sequence thereon;

[0423] - As part of the payload for decoding in low-cost signals;

[0424] - The resources occupied by the sequence in terms of frequency, time, or both; and

[0425] - Subcarrier spacing for the sequence.

[0426] The UE can be configured to determine at least any of the following information by determining the characteristics of the low-cost signal:

[0427] - The current DL timing of the cell, including, for example, any of the following: frame number, subframe offset, start of the D2D scheduling period, and start of the LBT sensing period;

[0428] - A time instance (within which the UE should transition between active states) or a time length (the UE should remain in a specific active state for that time length);

[0429] - A specific frequency band, sub-band, or channel on which the UE should wake up, monitor and control channels, operate its data channels, etc. For example, this sequence can signal the UE to wake up on a specific sub-band or channel (e.g., only one specific sub-band or channel) to receive further scheduling instructions;

[0430] - A specific beam or beam group on which the UE can receive control channels;

[0431] - Configuration aspects related to the activity state in the UE. This may consist of or include the following: decoding attributes used on control or data channels, which may include: a specific set of control channel messages or search space that can be used to address the UE immediately after deep sleep; specific resources or resource elements to be initially used when addressing the UE; beam angle, beamwidth, or beam scan period used for beamforming; and decoding algorithms (convolution, block, etc.); and

[0432] - The UE or UE group that should and / or will be required to be addressable in the case of D2D communication.

[0433] In one embodiment, the UE may be configured with multiple low-cost signals for monitoring. In addition to a set of control messages and / or a search space that the UE should use to decode the control channel after detecting a low-cost signal, a sequence (e.g., each sequence) may be associated with a bandwidth on which the UE should or will operate upon detection of that sequence. Once the UE successfully decodes the initial message on the control channel using parameters indicated by the specific low-cost sequence used during wake-up, the UE may be configured to automatically resume using the entire bandwidth, the control message set, or the search space. The conversion from one bandwidth to another can be performed using the mechanisms specified here (e.g., in the Control Channel Decoding Complexity section).

[0434] In another embodiment, a UE in sleep mode (e.g., deep sleep) can be configured to monitor low-cost signals on a continuous basis. Alternatively, to ensure further power savings, the UE can be configured to monitor the low-cost signal network at specific time intervals and / or time windows (e.g., only during specific time intervals or time windows) configurable by the network. Upon detecting any signal being monitored by the UE, the UE can be configured to transition to an active state. The time when the UE needs and / or will wake up can be:

[0435] - Immediately following the detection of a low-cost signal;

[0436] - Time offset of fixed or network configuration after low-cost signal is detected;

[0437] - The next frame / subframe that meets certain criteria after a wake-up signal is detected, for example, subframe (mod) N = k, where k can be determined based on UE ID, cell ID, or system signature, etc.; and / or

[0438] - Signal duration, a specific sequence, or the time-domain characteristics of a sequence. For example, a UE can be configured to monitor multiple sequences, each representing a different time period.

[0439] The UE can be configured to decode the control channel during a defined time period or during N potential instances of the control channel after detecting a low-cost signal. If the UE does not receive any messages within the specified time period after detecting a low-cost signal, the UE can be configured to continue / resume operation in a low-power state. Conversely, once a message is successfully decoded on the control channel, the UE can be configured to move to an active state.

[0440] The UE can be configured to transition between an active state and a low-power state based on any of the following (decoding low-cost signals to wake up):

[0441] - A dedicated message (such as via MAC CE or PHY layer control signal) instructs the UE on the switching settings;

[0442] - During the transition from a low-power to an active state, or at any time during the active state, the UE can be configured to receive an indication to remain in the active state. Upon receiving the indication, the UE can be configured to remain in the active state for the duration of a timer. The UE can then be configured to transition to a low-power state if the indication is not received within a specified time period. The indication to reset the timer can be further incorporated into other control information (e.g., timing advance) authorized by the UL and / or DL ​​or sent to the UE.

[0443] - The UE can be configured to transition from an active state to a low-power state based on decoding the low-cost signal itself; that is, failure to decode the low-cost signal within a specified time period may cause the UE to transition. Alternatively, receiving a (potentially different) low-cost signal may force the UE to transition to a low-power state; and

[0444] - After multiple DRX cycles, the UE did not schedule data on the downlink or uplink.

[0445] In another embodiment, the UE may be configured for DRX operation or idle-like operation (periodic monitoring of the control channel) and configured to monitor low-cost signals during inactive periods between wake-up times (e.g., when the UE is not monitoring the control channel). In this case, detection of low-cost signals may cause the UE to perform any of the following actions: shifting the active time of the DRX cycle so that the UE begins detecting low-cost signals; resetting the drx-inactive timer used for DRX operation; and canceling or disabling the UE's DRX operation.

[0446] Figure 8 This is a representative flowchart illustrating a method for saving power by determining and processing a minimum amount of resources based on the UE's processing state. Although the method is shown to be performed by a UE or WTRU, it can be performed by any device or system.

[0447] The UE may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor coupled to the transmitter and receiver. The UE may be configured, in operation 801, to determine a processing state relating to the UE's behavior. The processing state may include one or more states relating to the UE's behavior. The processing state may indicate the UE's active state. The UE may determine the processing state based on scheduling activities. The scheduling activities may include one or more scheduling events based on any of the following: (1) receiving dynamic scheduling information as part of downlink control information (DCI), (2) semi-statically configured scheduling information, (3) autonomous transmission of the WTRU, (4) new data becoming available for transmission, or (5) a rate change of one or more scheduling events (e.g., possibly reaching a specific threshold). The UE may use a timer-based function to determine the processing state. Determining the processing state based on a timer-based function may include establishing any of the following as the result of the establishment: (1) a certain amount of time elapsed after the last scheduling activity or after the last scheduling event, or (2) a time-based pattern. The UE may further process at least a determined minimum amount of resources from one or more sets of physical resources. The processing state can be a wake-up signal or a function of the reception of such wake-up signal, which can be used to determine changes in processing on the UE. The processing state can relate to, but is not limited to, at least one of the following UE actions: (1) control channel processing, (2) spectrum bandwidth processing, (3) beam management and processing, (4) reference signal processing, (5) hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) timing operation, (6) framing operation, (7) timing operation, or (8) logical channel attributes and configuration.

[0448] The processing state can determine that the UE is in a first processing state. The UE can determine to transition from the first processing state to a second processing state based on at least one condition. The at least one condition can include receiving a message from a network entity such that the message can indicate at least one of the following: an index associated with the second processing state to be configured, a predefined time for transitioning to the second processing state, and / or the time difference between the time the message is received and the time when the transition associated with the second processing state occurs. The message can also include configurations used by the UE to further define the behavior or action to be performed in the second processing state (e.g., on the control channel, data channel, and / or other previously disclosed aspects). The at least one condition can include receiving a message from a network entity such that the message can be signaled via at least one of the following: (1) a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, (2) a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), (3) Downlink Control Information (DCI) on the control channel, or (4) a wake-up signal. The at least one condition may be based on at least one of the following: timer expiration, change of scheduling activity on the control channel, arrival of new service at the WTRU, availability of transmission, successful transmission / reception of data at the WTRU, data in the WTRU buffer exceeding or falling below a threshold, timer expiration associated with an active state or scheduling activity, WTRU speed exceeding or falling below a specific value, battery life reaching a specific value, triggering a scheduling request, initiating a scheduling request, executing an access procedure, the state of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process, presence or absence of a signal (e.g., a reference signal), change of one or more monitored beams, beam switching / change, and / or beam management events (e.g., beam failure). The UE may send a request message to the network indicating a change in the first processing state. The request message may also include at least one of the following: a state index of the target state to which the WTRU is attempting to transition, a list of desired state indices, one or more parameters associated with the state transition condition, buffer occupancy, a specific logical channel, a type of data, channel measurement, or duration in the target state.

[0449] The UE can associate a first processing state with a first configuration of a data channel and a second processing state with a second different configuration of the data channel. The UE can receive resource assignments for the second processing state from a network entity, transition to the second processing state, and decode the received resource assignments in the second processing state.

[0450] In operation 802, the UE can determine the minimum amount of resources to process for one or more sets of physical resources based on the determined processing state. Each set of corresponding physical resources can include resources in terms of time and any of the following: frequency or space. For each set of corresponding physical resources, the time can correspond to a frame structure associated with a parameter configuration applicable to the corresponding set of physical resources. The frequency can correspond to any of the following: frequency location (e.g., center frequency), bandwidth, or parameter configuration, which can further correspond to the bandwidth portion of a carrier. The space can correspond to one or more beams.

[0451] The UE may use either of the following to monitor the control channel: (1) at least a determined minimum resource quantity of one or more sets of physical resources, or (2) a type of signaling structure. The determined minimum resource quantity of one or more sets of physical resources may include one or more control channel elements and one or more aggregation levels. The type of signaling structure may include: (1) the received strength of a signal including downlink control information (DCI), and (2) the size, format, and / or type of each received signal including DCI. The received strength of the signal may include the received strength of any of the following: reported radio link quality, a type of configured service, or activity observed for a given service. In operation 803, the UE may process the determined minimum resource quantity of one or more sets of physical resources.

[0452] Power savings under multiple SOMs

[0453] By using different groups of DCIs, the UE can be configured with multiple SOMs, spectrum blocks, bandwidth portions, parameter configurations, and / or control channels (or equivalent structures). The UE can be configured to operate more than one SOM in TDM, FDM, or a combination of both. Each SOM (e.g., each SOM) can be associated with a control channel carrying information for allocating a set of spectrum blocks to the UE. Resources can be allocated on that specific SOM and / or spectrum block.

[0454] 1) TDM

[0455] In one embodiment, under TDM, the UE can be configured to have a period of time during which scheduling opportunities for resource allocation can occur every first duration (e.g., 1 ms), which alternates with a period of time during which scheduling opportunities for resource allocation occur every second duration (e.g., 125 μs).

[0456] 2) FDM

[0457] In one embodiment, in the FDM case, the UE can be configured with spectrum blocks (where scheduling opportunities for resource allocation can occur every first duration (e.g., 1 ms)) and other spectrum blocks (where scheduling opportunities for resource allocation occur every second duration (e.g., 125 μs)).

[0458] 3) Combination of TDM and FDM

[0459] In one embodiment, in the case of a combination of TDM and FDM, the UE can be configured with time periods (where scheduling opportunities for resource allocation can occur in accordance with TDM as described above) and other time periods (where scheduling opportunities for resource allocation can occur in accordance with FDM as described above).

[0460] The UE can be configured to monitor control channels according to a time-based algorithm. One embodiment may include a conventional LTE DRX procedure. Another embodiment may include any of the methods and procedures described herein. This time-based algorithm may be represented by a timer and / or a counter. In this case, the UE can be configured to determine an active time consisting of the minimum time required by the UE to monitor control channels. The UE can then be configured to sleep (e.g., by reconfiguring its radio front end), and / or perform DRX (e.g., to monitor one or more control channels discontinuously) for all other time instances where the UE is not required or not used to monitor control channels.

[0461] This time-based control channel monitoring algorithm can be applied in unique configurable or combined ways with other methods described in this paper.

[0462] General principles

[0463] The UE can be configured to determine different power-saving levels over time using methods based on traditional DRX and / or methods such as those described herein. The UE can be configured to perform different power-saving modes at different times and / or in combination with different SOMs. A UE configured with multiple parameter configurations, multiple spectrum blocks (or SOMs), and / or multiple control channels (e.g., one control channel per parameter configuration, spectrum block, or set thereof) can be configured to perform such determination using timing references and relationships. These timing references and relationships can correspond to clocks, time-based triggers to modify (e.g., decrement / increment by 1 unit) one or more timers, and / or any counting method (hereinafter “clock”) used to manage the time-related aspects of such an algorithm. Typically, a set of one or more timers is used for a given instance of a power-saving mode, such as traditional LTE DRX. Clocks can be based on TTI duration, the shortest time between two scheduling opportunities, or other framing aspects. Therefore, clocks typically refer to downlink timing aspects.

[0464] 1) Traditional LTE Parameterization of the DRX Algorithm

[0465] In one embodiment, conventional timers and related parameters controlling conventional LTE DRX operation include an onDurationTimer, a drx-InactivityTimer, a drx-RetransmissionTimer (one for each DL HARQ process except the broadcast process), a long DRX-Cycle, a drxStartOffset value, and optional drxShortCycleTimer and shortDRX-Cycle. A HARQ RTT timer is also defined for each DL HARQ process (excluding the broadcast process). The timers (e.g., each timer) can be clocked based on LTE subframes in which downlink control signaling can be received (e.g., 1ms PDCCH subframes).

[0466] 2) Method A - At least some timing aspects are timed based on reference parameter configuration.

[0467] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to control some timing aspects of the power-saving function based on the frame duration associated with a given parameter configuration and / or based on scheduling opportunities / timings associated with the SOM (more generally referred to as clock / timing). This behavior can be the default behavior configured for the UE.

[0468] 3) Method B - At least some timing aspects are timed based on reference parameter configuration.

[0469] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to control at least a first set of timing aspects based on timing associated with a reference parameter configuration / SOM / spectrum block. Such a reference parameter configuration can be a UE configuration aspect (e.g., a Layer 3 / RRC configuration received via dedicated signaling or broadcast, UE-specific, or “cell / spectrum” specific), or it can correspond to the default parameter configuration for the cell and / or spectrum block, such as a parameter configuration associated with resources (e.g., 1 ms) used by the UE for its first access to the system and / or a parameter configuration indicated in the system information. In some embodiments, such a first set of timing aspects can correspond to a time period configured for the UE to reach after a period of inactivity (e.g., an on-duration timer, drxStartOffset, longDRX-Cycle, and optionally drxShortCycleTimer and shortDRX-Cycle for traditional DRX). This behavior can be the default behavior configured for the UE.

[0470] 4) Method C - At least some timing aspects are timed based on reference parameter configuration.

[0471] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to control at least a second set of timing aspects based on timing associated with specific parameter configurations / SOM / spectrum blocks. This may correspond to a specific control channel, TTI duration, and / or may vary from one another based on the UE's configuration. In some embodiments, such a second set of timing aspects may correspond to periods dynamically controlled by the network and / or related to the UE's transmission activity (e.g., active time outside the on-duration period parameterized by the Inactivity Timer, drx-Retransmission Timer, and the HARQ RTT timer of conventional DRX). This behavior may be the default behavior configured for the UE.

[0472] 5) Combination of methods A / B / C

[0473] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to use a combination of the methods described above to control one or more power-saving aspects (e.g., control channel monitoring, bandwidth adaptation, beam management, etc.). In a representative embodiment, the UE may be configured to use a timing / clock configured with reference parameters for "reachability" periods (e.g., on-duration periods (and their associated parameterizations)) to control blind decoding activity on all control channels, while using the timing / clock configured with parameters for which the UE is scheduled for other aspects when the UE becomes active in transmissions on applicable control channels (one or more), such as channels where the UE is actively receiving downlink control signaling.

[0474] 6) Method - Representative Implementation of FDM

[0475] The above embodiments are particularly suitable for situations where resources are configured in an FDM manner with different parameter configurations. In one embodiment, some timers associated with the on-duration (and start offset) may be functions of the default TTI duration and / or scheduling opportunity (e.g., 1 ms), while other timers (inactive timers, HARQ-related timers, long / short period DRX, etc.) may be functions of parameter configurations associated with the UE's transmission activity at scheduling time (e.g., 125 μs if scheduled with a second parameter configuration, otherwise 1 ms). Additionally, all (or each) control channels associated with a given parameter configuration may have a set of timers that conform to timing aspects associated with said parameter configuration (e.g., 1 ms clock vs. 125 μs clock, and timer start values). In another embodiment, a common set of timers may exist for all control channels, independent of parameter configurations for, for example, the on-duration and the common start offset.

[0476] 7) Methodology - Representative Implementations for TDM

[0477] In one embodiment, a UE configured with different digital / SOM / spectrum blocks using TDM can be configured to use a specific DRX instance (parameter configuration / SOM / spectrum block) to control one or more power-saving aspects (e.g., control channel monitoring, bandwidth adaptation, beam management, etc.). In this case, for periods when no resources of the parameter configuration / SOM / spectrum block are applicable (e.g., there may be no associated physical control channel available and / or no corresponding physical data channel that can be scheduled), the associated DRX instance can simply stop and wait. Otherwise, the associated DRX instance can be timed according to the timing applicable to the relevant digital / SOM / spectrum block.

[0478] In another embodiment, the clock can be a function of the scheduling opportunity, independent of the TTI / frame duration of the corresponding digital / SOM / spectrum block. In this case, a single DRX instance can be used.

[0479] UE-specific DRX

[0480] The UE can be configured to have a single power-saving mode across all SOMs (e.g., including control channel monitoring algorithms such as conventional DRX). For example, the UE can be configured to monitor control channels in different SOMs and can be configured to make its control channel monitoring algorithm common across all SOMs.

[0481] In this scenario, the UE can be configured to apply DRX across all SOMs or control channels (CCs) associated with such SOMs. Since each SOM (e.g., each SOM) can have different control channel timings (e.g., how often the UE can receive a schedule), a method is needed and / or used to determine the UE's control channel monitoring behavior using a time-based algorithm, and this method is described below.

[0482] 1) The UE operates within a parameter configuration by defining its DRX behavior from the timing of the default SOM.

[0483] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine the periods during which it monitors its control channels and the periods during which DRX is permitted, based on specific parameter configurations or the number of control channel scheduling opportunities for a specific SOM (which can be configured by the network). When the UE is configured to perform DRX based on a timed default SOM, the UE may or may not monitor the control channel on such a default SOM.

[0484] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to perform DRX based on the subframe count in the default parameter configuration. The UE can also be configured to monitor the control channel in a parameter configuration other than the default one. Before the UE can perform DRX, it may need and / or use an on-duration period of x subframes for monitoring the control channel in the default parameter configuration. Depending on the parameter configuration or SOM configured at the UE, the number of time slots or control channel scheduling opportunities during this on-duration period can vary.

[0485] The UE can be configured to start one or more timers during the on-duration period, such that the UE is required and / or used to monitor the control channel for a period of time that is longer than the on-duration period. Such timers can be timed based on default parameter configurations. For example, while monitoring the control channel in its configured parameter configuration, the UE can be configured to receive DL or UL authorization to start an inactive timer. The UE can be configured to increment such inactive timers based on the timing of the default parameter configuration (e.g., incrementing once for a subframe in the default parameter configuration, e.g., every subframe). The UE can be configured to determine that the UE can perform DRX (e.g., the UE does not monitor or does not need to monitor the control channel) when any timer started during the on-duration period expires.

[0486] The UE can be configured to begin monitoring the control channel during a specific subframe in the default parameter configuration, where such subframes can occur periodically according to a configured time period. The UE can also be configured to calculate time slots or control channel opportunities as follows:

[0487] - The first control channel opportunity in the configured SOM, which occurs after the start of a subframe in the default parameter configuration; or

[0488] - The control channel opportunity that occurs closest to the subframe start time (before or after) in the default parameter configuration.

[0489] 2) DRX timing based on scheduling opportunities

[0490] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine the period of time for its control channel monitoring and to base its timers on the total number of scheduled opportunities in a configured parameter configuration. For example, the UE can be configured with an on duration and a set of timers that the UE can be configured to remain active after the on duration, the set of timers being defined based on the number of scheduled opportunities in the UE's configured SOM.

[0491] A UE configured with multiple SOMs can be configured to determine the number of scheduling opportunities based on the total number of scheduling opportunities in each configured SOM (e.g., each configured SOM).

[0492] 3) Combine timings of different SOMs to derive a single DRX behavior.

[0493] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to combine the timing of its different configured SOMs with that of an unconfigured SOM (such as a default parameter configuration) to define overall DRX behavior. For example, the timing of one or more DRX parameters or DRX-related timers can be controlled by a first parameter configuration or SOM, while the timing of a set or different sets of DRX parameters or DRX-related timers can be controlled by a second parameter configuration. The selection of the SOM and / or the selection of the timers calculated from the associated SOM can be determined by one of the following:

[0494] - Network Configuration: In one embodiment, if the UE is configured with multiple SOMs, the UE can be configured by the network with SOM timings to determine associated timers (e.g., each associated timer); and

[0495] - Logical Channel Configuration: In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine the SOM to use based on the priority or delay requirements of logical channels that can be mapped to SOMs (e.g., each SOM), such as by using logical channels with the highest / lowest priority.

[0496] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to use a first parameter configuration or a SOM to determine its DRX period and / or its on-time duration. This first parameter configuration can be a default parameter configuration or a SOM. In other words, the UE can be configured to determine the on-time duration and wake-up time (e.g., DRX period length) based on the number of subframes in the default parameter configuration. The UE can also be configured to use the timing of its configured parameter configuration to increment timers associated with maintaining the UE's activity time, such as any of inactivityTimer, retransmissionTimer, UL retransmission timer (ULRetransmissionTimer), short-cycle timer, etc. In some embodiments, when the UE is configured with multiple non-default SOMs, the UE can be configured to determine a non-default SOM for which the aforementioned timers are calculated, and which is the SOM that has mapped the highest priority logical channel at any given time.

[0497] 4) Definition of DRX behavior as a function of multiple DRX-related timers for different SOMs

[0498] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to maintain different instances of various DRX-related timers, such as InactivityTimer, retransmissionTimer, ULRetransmissionTimer, shortCycleTimer, etc. For example, the values ​​of these timers can be configured differently. The UE can be configured to determine whether to continue monitoring its control channel based on a function or relationship of one or more of these timers, in addition to properties of the SOM itself, such as, but not limited to:

[0499] - Logical channels mapped to SOMs (e.g., each SOM): e.g., selection based on the presence of a specific logical channel mapped to an SOM (e.g., selection of a control channel);

[0500] - The network configuration includes / excludes certain SOMs within the function: for example, mapping rules can be mapped based on functions of certain SOMs (e.g., functions of only certain SOMs), and the list of SOMs under consideration can be changed statically and / or dynamically by the network at any time via network signaling.

[0501] - QoS attributes associated with the SOM, or logical channels mapped to the SOM: For example, the rule can be based on the highest priority logical channel mapped to the SOM at any given time, or SOMs with a priority higher than a certain threshold.

[0502] - The number of services or logical channels mapped to a SOM (e.g., each SOM): For example, the rule could be based on a minimum number of logical channels mapped to an SOM, or the UE-specific activity time could be a weighted combination of timers associated with an SOM (e.g., each SOM), where the number of logical channels determines the applied weights; and

[0503] - The amount of bandwidth or resources available for a SOM (e.g., each SOM): For example, the rule may be based on having a minimum amount of bandwidth configured for the SOM, and / or the UE-specific activity time may be a weighted combination of timers associated with the SOM (e.g., each SOM), where the bandwidth can determine the applied weight.

[0504] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine its activity time as the time required and / or used for the expiration of timers for each SOM (e.g., each SOM expiration). The UE can be configured to monitor the control channel of all active SOMs as long as the timers (inactivityTimer, RetransmissionTimer, etc.) for all active SOMs are still running.

[0505] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine the active time as the time required and / or used for the expiration of a timer for a specific SOM, wherein the SOM can be configured semi-statically or dynamically by the network (e.g., via RRC signaling or control channel signaling), or can be selected based on the SOM of the logical channel with the highest priority compared to other logical channels without any network configuration.

[0506] The above embodiments are applicable to SOMs in both TDM and FDM. In the TDM case, the UE can be configured to determine which SOM is currently being scheduled at a given scheduling time. This determination can be made based on at least one of the following:

[0507] - Configure control channel parameters for a given time slot, micro-time slot, or subframe;

[0508] - Fixed multiplexing modes with different parameter configurations; and

[0509] - The structure of SOM multiplexing determined by signaling from the network (e.g., by dynamic signaling from another control channel, or via RRC signaling).

[0510] 5) Select the timer based on the nature of the data received during the activity period.

[0511] The UE can be configured to select from a set of DRX or DRX timer values ​​based on the type of data multiplexed in a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) or a transmitted transport block. In a first operation, the UE can be configured to determine the nature of the data multiplexed into a MAC PDU received during the active period and, based on the data type, determine one or more applicable DRX timers. This determination can be based on one or more of the following attributes of the data received in the MAC PDU:

[0512] - One or more logical channels or services associated with the MAC PDU;

[0513] - QoS attributes of the data in the MAC PDU, or QoS attributes associated with a logical channel, service, or flow within a logical channel (e.g., each logical channel), such as priority, latency requirements, reliability requirements, or rate requirements, etc.; and

[0514] - The number of logical channels or services multiplexed into the MAC PDU.

[0515] In one embodiment, the UE may be configured with a unique set of inactivity timers for logical channels (e.g., each logical channel) or for logical channel groups (e.g., each logical channel group). During an active period, the UE may be configured to determine when to start an inactivity timer upon receiving an authorization from the network. The UE may be configured to select an inactivity timer corresponding to the logical channel group transmitted in a MAC PDU received along with the authorization. Additionally, if multiple logical channel groups are transmitted within the same MAC PDU, the UE may be configured to select an inactivity timer associated with one of the logical channel groups (based on rules such as network configuration, using highest / lowest priority, etc.).

[0516] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine the DRX time based on the selection of a timer specific to a logical channel or logical channel group (e.g., at which the UE does not need to monitor the control channel). The UE can be configured to determine such a logical channel or logical channel group for selecting the timer as the highest / lowest / majority logical channel transmitted in the first / last / majority MAC PDU received during the active time.

[0517] 6) The UE monitors the CC based on the interval of scheduling opportunities.

[0518] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to monitor the control channel of a specific SOM over discontinuous scheduling opportunity intervals. For example, the UE can be configured to monitor the control channel of a specific SOM (or possibly, the UE can be configured to use a single SOM (e.g., a single SOM only), where CC opportunities can occur in each time slot within a specific parameter configuration).

[0519] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to monitor every Nth time slot of the control channel within a power-saving mode, i.e., time slot 0, N-1, 2*(N-1), etc. The UE can be configured to determine the value of N based on network configuration or dynamic signaling. For example, the UE can be configured to receive indications via the control channel itself to dynamically change the value of N. In some embodiments, the UE can be configured to determine the value of N from a set of predefined values ​​based on the UE state, which may represent a level of activity and / or power-saving state. For example, the UE may initially be configured with a set of values ​​{2, 4, 8, 16, ..., M}, where M is an integer power of 2. The UE can be configured to autonomously determine the value of N based on the state of the DRX timer. For example, during the highest activity state, the UE can be configured to select the lowest N value (e.g., 2) from the predefined group. During the highest power-saving state, the UE can be configured to select the highest value, e.g., 16, from the predefined group. This configuration regarding predefined values ​​allows the UE to be reached by the network, for example, via the highest value in the predefined group, regardless of their understanding of the UE's activity state.

[0520] The UE can be configured to use the above methods in combination with other methods described herein, or in combination with conventional DRX. For example, the UE can be configured to decrement a DRX-related timer, such as an inactivity timer, every N control channel scheduling opportunities (e.g., only every N control channel scheduling opportunities (e.g., based on the UE's own surveillance scheduling)).

[0521] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine certain DRX-related timers based on control channel scheduling opportunities and other timers based on its own monitoring opportunities (e.g., every N control channel scheduling opportunities).

[0522] SOM-specific DRX

[0523] The UE can be configured to apply an independent DRX or control channel surveillance algorithm to a SOM (e.g., per SOM). Within a control channel surveillance algorithm specific to an SOM (e.g., per SOM), the UE can also be configured to apply arbitrary control channel surveillance functions based on the methods described herein. The UE can also be configured by the network to specify which algorithm to apply to a given SOM. The methods described herein provide additional aspects, operations, procedures, and functions related to the interaction with SOM-specific control channel surveillance algorithms.

[0524] One advantage of independent DRX is that it allows the UE to independently shut down parts of its front-end or digital control channel processing based on the expected activity of each SOM (in the case of FDM SOM).

[0525] 1) Monitor the main control channel for SOM power-saving configuration.

[0526] UEs performing independent DRX on different SOMs can also be configured to monitor the master control channel associated with a specific SOM (which may or may not be configured for the UE) to receive SOM configuration information (e.g., resource blocks associated with each SOM, parameter configurations, duration of parameter configuration blocks, etc.). Such a master control channel can span a subset of the channel or the entire bandwidth, and can be monitored using or required by the UE with a default parameter configuration. The UE can be configured to monitor the master channel for a limited time period (e.g., a fixed number of subframes in the reference parameter configuration).

[0527] The UE can be configured to receive the configuration of the master control channel from RRC configuration, system information, or access table, for example, to provide system-related information.

[0528] 2) Receive on / off time period information from the main control channel

[0529] The UE can be configured to perform control channel monitoring or DRX based on the reception of dynamic information provided on the master control channel. This dynamic information can be used in conjunction with a semi-static or pre-configured configuration used by the UE. For example, the UE can be configured to receive indications for a period of time for monitoring a specific CC on a particular SOM, or to receive indications for one or more periods of time regarding DRX on a particular SOM based on signaling received from the master control channel, as at least one of the following:

[0530] - DRX time to be applied to a specific SOM: The UE can be configured to receive an indication on the main control channel to perform DRX on a specific SOM (e.g., in the absence of CC monitoring) for a period of time (which can be pre-configured or indicated);

[0531] - Instructions for continuous control channel monitoring: The UE can be configured to receive instructions on the main control channel to perform continuous monitoring of CC on a specific SOM until further notification from additional signaling on the main control channel;

[0532] - To apply to the activity time of a specific SOM: The UE can be configured to receive an indication on the main control channel to begin monitoring the CC of a specific SOM, and to do so within a specific time period or activity period;

[0533] -DRX timer configuration / reconfiguration: The UE can be configured to receive an indication on the main control channel to reconfigure a timer associated with a similar conventional DRX to be applied to that particular SOM; and

[0534] - Control Channel Surveillance Algorithm: The UE can be configured to receive an indication on the main control channel that is configured to apply the control channel surveillance algorithm (according to the method described herein) to a specific SOM, as well as the associated parameters of the algorithm.

[0535] A UE that receives such information from the main control channel about the on and off periods of SOMs (e.g., each SOM) can be configured to monitor the main control channel (e.g., main control channel only) unless instructed to do so via dynamic signaling on the main control channel.

[0536] 3) Receive wake-up or DRX modification from one SOM to another SOM.

[0537] In one embodiment, when the UE operates with independent DRX according to each SOM, and when the UE monitors a specific CC of the SOM based on independent DRX, the UE can be configured to receive changes to the DRX configuration of the first SOM from signaling received from the second SOM (e.g., PDCCH or similar dynamic signaling). Such changes to the DRX configuration or behavior may include at least one of the following:

[0538] - Changes in the DRX cycle;

[0539] - Any change to DRX-related timer values, such as inactivityTime, retransmissionTime, short DRXCycle, etc.;

[0540] - Changes to the DRX period offset (e.g., defining the frame / subframe / slot index at the start of the active period); and

[0541] - Wake up or start monitoring the control channel at a predetermined time (e.g., immediately or within x subframes) for an indication of a configurable or predefined time period.

[0542] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to use an independent control channel surveillance algorithm to monitor the control channel (CC) of two different SOMs. Such a control channel surveillance algorithm may consist of or include conventional DRX-like operation, or may be defined based on the methods described herein. The first SOM may be associated with low-latency related data transmission and may consist of or include a shorter DRX time compared to a second SOM that may be associated with the eMBB. The UE can be configured to receive an indication from the first SOM to immediately wake up to monitor the control channel on the second SOM. This immediate wake-up or indicated wake-up may also be associated with a change in the DRX cycle offset such that the active time on the second SOM will begin at the UE's indicated time. In another embodiment, the indication may create a new active time with a configurable duration within an existing DRX cycle. The UE can be configured to receive at least one of the following information from the indication:

[0543] - The SOM or SOM index that the UE will wake up (for SOM2);

[0544] - The scheduling time when the UE will be woken up;

[0545] - New DRX parameters or timers associated with the reconfiguration, such as a new DRX offset to be applied, to achieve the indicated wake-up;

[0546] - The UE is configured to monitor the amount of time the control channel on the SOM in question is for;

[0547] - Specific control channel elements, on which decoding is performed, for example, a specific CCE or search space group that the UE is configured to receive;

[0548] -A specific DCI, the UE is configured to monitor for that specific DCI when it wakes up immediately on SOM2;

[0549] - Sub-intervals of the control channel monitoring frequency applied to SOM2; and

[0550] - Instructions to turn DRX or power-saving algorithms on / off on SOM2.

[0551] In another embodiment, as part of the DRX configuration, some or all of the above information can be configured semi-statically in the UE.

[0552] The advantage of such an implementation is that it increases the reachability of the UE when operating under different SOMs. That is, if the UE has control channel activity in the first SOM, the UE can become reachable in the second SOM (e.g., the network does not need to wait for the UE to be active in that SOM).

[0553] 4) Export SOM-specific DRX-related parameters from the default configuration based on parameter configuration changes.

[0554] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured with a set of DRX-related parameters, such as, but not limited to, inactive time, drx cycle, retransmission timer, shortDRX cycle, etc., applied to a specific parameter configuration or SOM. The UE can be configured to derive associated parameters to be used on different SOMs based on a function of default parameters and one or more scaling relationships, wherein the scaling relationship can be at least one of the following functions:

[0555] - Differences in parameter configuration between SOMs (e.g., measured by differences in subcarrier spacing, etc.);

[0556] - The nature and / or number of logical channels mapped to a specific SOM;

[0557] - A logical channel identifier (LCID), logical channel group identifier (LCG ID), or priority identifier associated with a logical channel(s) mapped to a specific SOM;

[0558] - A weighted average of multiple logical channels mapped to a specific SOM, where the weights can be provided by the network; and

[0559] - A scaling factor specific to the network configuration parameters, which can be provided by RRC signaling or dynamically (e.g., on the master control channel).

[0560] The UE can also be configured to apply different scaling factors or functions to different DRX parameters.

[0561] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to derive the DRX period for a specific SOM by multiplying the default DRX period by a scaling factor determined based on the logical channels mapped to that SOM. This scaling factor can be provided by the network (e.g., the UE can be configured to receive a specific scaling factor associated with each logical channel). In cases where multiple logical channels are mapped to the same SOM, the UE can also be configured to perform a weighted average of the scaling factors across the logical channels mapped to the SOM (e.g., each logical channel). The UE can be configured to derive the scaling factor directly from an LCID, LCG ID, or priority parameter / level associated with the logical channel.

[0562] DRX operation after UL / DL transmission - DRX operation after SR transmission

[0563] The UE can be configured to perform a DRX-like operation after sending a scheduling request (SR) to the network. For example, this DRX-like operation is characterized by monitoring a certain number (e.g., a fixed number) of scheduling opportunities (N) on the control channel every M scheduling opportunities. The value of M (called the SR-DRX period) and the value of N (called the activity period) can be configured by the network.

[0564] The UE can be configured to determine the values ​​of M and / or N based on at least one of the following:

[0565] -Configured directly by the network;

[0566] - Fixed or pre-configured values ​​(e.g., N=1);

[0567] - Determined based on the logical channel (one or more) that triggered the SR upon data arrival;

[0568] - Based on time-related requirements (e.g., survival time) associated with the arrival of new data that triggers the SR; and

[0569] -Based on the SOM used to send the SR.

[0570] The UE, which further determines the values ​​of M and / or N, can be configured to provide this determination or some implicit information related to this determination to the gNB as part of the SR. Such information can be provided explicitly in the SR or based on some attributes associated with the transmission of the SR, such as resources, power, spread spectrum, MA scheme, preamble sequence, or other attributes associated with the transmission of the SR.

[0571] The UE can be configured to continue the DRX behavior described above until one or more of the following occur:

[0572] - The UE receives the authorization associated with the triggered SR;

[0573] - The timer expires (which can trigger a new SR);

[0574] - The UE is scheduled on another SOM that can satisfy the request; and

[0575] The UE receives the following instruction from the network: continuously monitor the control channel in response to authorization.

[0576] The UE can be configured to retransmit the SR according to the DRX scheduling described above (for example, the UE can be configured to retransmit the SR after control channel monitoring every k wake-up periods of M scheduling opportunities).

[0577] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine the value of M based on the logical channel that triggers the SR, and can assume N=1. For example, the UE can be configured (via the network) or pre-configured with a value M to be used for the logical channel and / or logical channel type (e.g., each logical channel or logical channel type). The UE can also be configured to send LCID, etc., as part of the SR. Once the SR is sent, the UE can be configured to monitor the CC every N scheduling opportunities in a specific SOM parameter configuration or in some reference parameter configuration.

[0578] Multi-level activity control

[0579] The UE can be configured to decode downlink control information (e.g., at least one DCI) on a first set of control channel resources (e.g., a common search space, such as a common control channel like PDCCH). This configuration may include one or more identifiers (or index values). This configuration may include a specific RNTI for decoding this DCI. This DCI may consist of or include the following: a specific DCI type. This specific DCI type may carry information such as one or more identifiers (or indexes). Such information may be organized as at least one of the following: values ​​of one or more fields, or one or more bitmaps, etc.

[0580] In some embodiments, at least one parameter for decoding at least one DCI may be a function of an identifier (e.g., a group ID) used for activity control. For example, such a parameter may include an RNTI for decoding at least one DCI, or a parameter indicating a resource on which decoding of at least one DCI is attempted, such as a time symbol, a set of time slots or micro-time slots, a set of physical resource blocks, a resource element group, and / or a control channel element. In one embodiment, where the UE is configured with more than one identifier, the UE may be configured to attempt to decode the DCI using one or more related parameters to obtain the identifier (e.g., each such identifier).

[0581] From a first state (e.g., a lower activity state) to a second state (e.g., a higher activity state)

[0582] In one embodiment, the UE can be configured to decode a specific DCI in a common search space. The UE can decode the specific DCI using a specific RNTI. It is anticipated that this decoding activity is a function of an activity state. It is anticipated that this decoding activity corresponds to a first timescale (e.g., a time slot or subframe, etc.). The UE can be configured to determine from successful decoding of this specific DCI that the DCI includes one or more identifiers (or indices). The UE can be configured to determine that one or more such identifiers (or indices) match one or more of the UE's configurations. In a representative embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine from such a match (e.g., at least one identifier) ​​that it should move to a second activity state. It is anticipated that this activity state corresponds to a second timescale (e.g., a micro-time slot or time slot, etc.).

[0583] In a representative embodiment, an activity state (e.g., each activity state) may be associated with a certain number of blind decoding attempts. For example, the UE may be configured to perform a low number of blind decoding attempts in a low activity state and a high number of blind decoding attempts in a high activity state. Blind decoding is part of the control channel processing. The dependency between activity states and blind decoding is described herein, for example, in the “Reducing the Number of Blind Decodings” section above.

[0584] From higher activity level to lower activity level

[0585] In another embodiment, the UE can be configured to determine, based on received signaling, that a change in activity state can be performed from a first activity state corresponding to a higher activity level to a second activity state corresponding to a lower activity level. These levels can be consistent with the activity states described above.

[0586] In some embodiments, when the UE decodes more than one DCI or control signal associated with its configured identifier, the UE can be configured to determine the appropriate activity state based on predetermined rules. For example, the UE can select the highest state from the indicated activity states.

[0587] Network perspective and potential benefits for scheduling functions

[0588] From a network perspective, one or more UEs can be configured using the same set of control channel resources, search space, specific RNTIs, etc. The network can be configured to assign the same identifier to a group of one or more UEs, thus aligning the activity state of that group of UEs. The network can also be configured to assign one or more identifiers (or indices) to a given UE, increasing the flexibility in identifying a subset of one or more UEs that share similar scheduling activities within a given time period.

[0589] In some embodiments, such control signaling may correspond to a low-cost signal. It is contemplated that one or more attributes of the control signaling or the low-cost signal can be configured. These attributes may correspond to (e.g., each corresponds to) a specific identifier (or index).

[0590] Activity levels can be further generalized to any number. For example, multiple activity levels can be implemented based on any combination of the following: specific DCI, RNTI, control resource groups, low-cost signaling characteristics, and specific identifiers (or indexes) with specific levels.

[0591] In a representative embodiment, the UE can be configured to monitor the PDCCH (or public PDCCH) using a specific RNTI in each time slot. When the UE successfully decodes the DCI from such a PDCCH (or public PDCCH), the UE can be configured to determine whether at least one identifier configured therein matches at least one identifier included in the DCI. If a match is detected, the UE can be configured to determine that a blind decoding attempt can be performed, for example, based on (e.g., only based on) a low activity state (e.g., no blind decoding at all) for the remaining time slots (and / or, for example, multiple time slots determined by a higher layer). If no DCI is decoded or no match exists, the UE can be configured to perform a blind decoding attempt based on the highest activity state.

[0592] In another representative embodiment, the UE can be configured to perform a blind decoding attempt based on a high activity state if (e.g., only if) the DCI is not successfully decoded on the PDCCH (or public PDCCH), or if the DCI is successfully decoded and a matching identifier as described above exists. Otherwise, the UE can be configured to perform a blind decoding attempt based on a low activity state.

[0593] In another representative embodiment, if (e.g., only if) the DCI is successfully decoded and a matching identifier as described above exists, the UE can perform a blind decoding attempt based on the high activity state.

[0594] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating another representative method for power saving. This representative method can be performed by any device including a Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU). The WTRU may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor coupled to the transmitter and receiver. The processor may be configured in operation 901 to monitor one or more control channels among multiple Spectrum Operating Modes (SOMs). The processor may be configured in operation 902 to control the WTRU to operate according to at least one power saving mode among at least one SOM. Each SOM may be associated with a control channel carrying information for allocating a set of spectrum blocks for the WTRU.

[0595] The processor can also be configured to execute different power-saving modes at different times. The power-saving mode can be determined based on timing references and relationships. These timing references and relationships can correspond to either a time-based triggering method or a count-based method. The count-based method can manage time-related aspects of the power-saving mode based on either the TTI duration, the shortest time between two scheduling opportunities, or other framing aspects.

[0596] The processor can be configured to control the timing aspect of the power-saving mode based on the frame duration associated with a given SOM.

[0597] The processor can be configured to control the timing aspect of the power-saving mode based on scheduling opportunities or timings associated with a given SOM.

[0598] The processor can be configured to perform power-saving operations in at least one SOM and apply a single power-saving mode to multiple SOMs (e.g., all SOMs).

[0599] A processor that monitors one or more control channels among multiple System Memory Objects (SOMs) can be configured to monitor a master control channel associated with a specific SOM. The processor can also be configured to receive SOM configuration information on the monitored master control channel. This SOM configuration information may include any of the following: resource blocks associated with the SOM (e.g., each SOM), parameter configurations, and / or the duration of parameter configuration blocks.

[0600] The receiver may receive SOM configuration information via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling from the network. The receiver may also receive indications regarding time periods for monitoring one or more SOM-specific control channels on the main control channel. The receiver may also receive indications regarding discontinuous reception periods (DRX) associated with a specific SOM on the main control channel. The main control channel may include information indicating or disclosing any of the following: (1) DRX time to be applied to a specific SOM, (2) indications for continuous control channel monitoring, (3) active time to be applied to a specific SOM, (4) configuration / reconfiguration of the DRX timer, and / or control channel monitoring algorithms.

[0601] The processor can be configured to monitor the main channel for a period of time. The processor can be configured to perform independent DRX for each SOM. The processor can be configured to monitor the SOM-specific control channel based on independent DRX. The receiver can receive changes to the DRX configuration of the first SOM from signaling received from the second SOM. The changes to the DRX configuration may include any of the following: (1) a change in the DRX period, (2) a change in any DRX-related timer value, (3) a change in the offset of the DRX period, (4) a wake-up indication, or (5) an indication to start monitoring the control channel at a predetermined time.

[0602] The processor monitoring the one or more control channels may also be configured to monitor one or more control channels for every M scheduling opportunities to obtain N scheduling opportunities. The processor may also be configured to determine the values ​​of M and N based on any of the following: (1) network configuration, (2) pre-configured values, (3) logical channels where data arrival triggers a scheduling request (SR), (4) time-dependent requirements associated with the arrival of new data that triggered the SR, and / or (5) the SOM for transmitting the SR. The transmitter may be configured to transmit the SR.

[0603] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating another representative method for power saving. This representative method can be performed by any device including a Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU). The WTRU may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor coupled to the transmitter and receiver. The processor may be configured to determine a set of resources based on the processing state of the WTRU in operation 1001. The processor may also be configured to monitor one or more control channels using the determined set of resources. The processor may also be configured to decode at least one control channel element on the control channel in operation 1002. The processor may be configured to monitor one or more control channels with a first timing granularity when in a first processing state. The processor may be configured to enable at least one of the following on the control channel when in the first processing state: a first specific parameter configuration, a specific set of scheduling opportunities, or a HARQ timeline.

[0604] In operation 1003, the processor can be configured to determine that the WTRU is in a first processing state, decode downlink control information (DCI) on a set of control channel resources using at least one parameter in the first processing state, determine DCI-based decoding, and transition from the first processing state to a second processing state. The set of control channel resources may include at least one of the following: a common search space, a common control channel, or a physical downlink control channel. The at least one parameter may be a function of at least one identifier used for processing control. The at least one parameter may indicate at least one of the following: RNTI, time symbols, a set of time slots or micro-time slots, a set of physical resource blocks, a set of resource element groups, or a set of control channel elements.

[0605] The processor may also be configured to determine configuration information about the WTRU such that the configuration information indicates at least one of the following: at least one identifier, at least one index value, or a radio network identifier (RNTI) to decode one or more DCIs.

[0606] The processor can also be configured to determine that the DCI includes at least one identifier based on successful decoding of the DCI. The processor can also be configured to determine that the at least one identifier included in the DCI matches at least one identifier indicated in the configuration information on the WTRU. The determination of transition from a first processing state to a second processing state can also be based on determining that at least one identifier included in the DCI matches at least one identifier indicated in the configuration information on the WTRU.

[0607] The processor can be configured to decode the DCI in a first processing state on the set of control channel resources using at least one associated parameter to obtain identifiers (e.g., each identifier). The first processing state may correspond to a lower processing level, and the second processing state may correspond to a higher processing level. The first and second processing states may be associated with the number of decoding attempts of the DCI.

[0608] The processor can be configured to attempt to decode one or more DCIs based on the processing level associated with the transformed processing state.

[0609] The receiver can be configured to receive signals from the network that include configuration information of the WTRU.

[0610] The processor can be configured to determine a mode. The processor can also be configured to decode at least one control channel element on the control channel based on the determined mode. The processor can also be configured to decode at least one control channel element on the control channel using scheduling opportunities and / or timings based on the determined mode. The processor can also be configured to decode at least one control channel element on the control channel using control channel resources, CCEs, and / or search spaces from different groups of scheduling opportunities and / or timings based on the determined mode. The processor can also be configured to decode at least one control channel element on the control channel using different aggregation levels from scheduling opportunities and / or timings based on the determined mode. The processor can also be configured to decode at least one control channel element on the control channel using one or more downlink control information (DCIs) from different groups of scheduling opportunities and / or timings based on the determined mode. The mode can be associated with the processing state of the WTRU. The processor can also be configured to change to another mode when changing to another processing state of the WTRU.

[0611] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating another representative method for power saving. This representative method can be performed by any device including network entities, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNode-Bs), etc. The evolved Node B (eNode-B) may include a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor coupled to the transmitter and receiver. The processor may be configured in operation 1101 to allocate a set of control channel resources to be used by a Radio Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU) for decoding at least one downlink control information (DCI). The processor may be configured in operation 1102 to allocate configuration information. This configuration information may indicate at least one identifier, each identifier assigned to the WTRU and other WTRUs to align the processing status of the WTRUs and other WTRUs. The transmitter may be configured in operation 1103 to send a signal indicating the set of control channel resources to the WTRU, and in operation 1104 to send another signal including the configuration information to the WTRU. The configuration information may also indicate at least one of the following: at least one index value or Radio Network Identifier (RNTI) for use by the WTRU to decode one or more DCIs. The set of control channel resources may include at least one of the following: a common search space, a common control channel, and / or a physical downlink control channel.

[0612] Although the features and elements are described above in specific combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. Furthermore, the methods described herein can be implemented in computer programs, software, or firmware embedded in a computer-readable medium and executed by a computer or processor. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, buffer memory, semiconductor storage devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM discs and digital multipurpose discs (DVDs). The processor associated with the software can be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver used in a WTRU 102, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0613] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, references are made to processing platforms, computing systems, controllers, and other devices including processors. These devices may include at least one central processing unit (“CPU”) and memory. According to the practice of those skilled in the art of computer programming, references to symbolic descriptions of actions and operations or instructions can be executed by various CPUs and memories. These actions and operations or instructions may be referred to as “executed,” “computer-executed,” or “CPU-executed.”

[0614] Those skilled in the art will understand that the operations or instructions described by the actions and symbols include the CPU's manipulation of electrical signals. The electrical system represents the identification of data bits, causing electrical signals to be transformed or restored, and maintaining the storage location of data bits in the memory system, thereby reconfiguring or otherwise altering the CPU's operation and other signal processing. Maintaining the storage location of data bits involves having specific electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to or representing the data bits. It should be understood that representative embodiments are not limited to the platforms or CPUs described above, and other platforms and CPUs may support the provided methods.

[0615] Data bits can also be stored on computer-readable media, including disks, optical disks, and any other large CPU-readable storage system, whether volatile (e.g., random access memory (“RAM”)) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (“ROM”)). The computer-readable media can include cooperative or interconnected computer-readable media that reside exclusively on the processor system or are distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems, which may be local to the processing system or remote. It is understood that representative implementations are not limited to the memories described above, and other platforms and memories may support the described methods.

[0616] In the illustrated embodiments, any of the operations, processes, etc., described herein can be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. These computer-readable instructions can be executed by a processor of a mobile unit, network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0617] There is a distinction between hardware and software implementations in a system. The use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, as the choice between hardware and software can be critical in certain environments) a design choice that considers a trade-off between cost and efficiency. Various tools (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) can influence the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies described herein, and the preferred tools can vary depending on the context of the deployed processes and / or systems and / or other technologies. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, they may choose primarily hardware and / or firmware tools. If flexibility is paramount, they may choose primarily software implementation. Alternatively, the implementer may choose some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0618] The foregoing detailed description has presented various implementations of the apparatus and / or process using block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. Within the scope of one or more functions and / or operations contained in these block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples, those skilled in the art will understand that each function and / or operation within these block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented individually and / or together in a wide range of hardware, software, or firmware, or substantially any combination thereof. Suitable processors include, for example, general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, conventional processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, controllers, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs); field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), and / or state machines.

[0619] While features and elements are provided above in specific combinations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. This disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, which are intended as examples of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from their essence and scope, as is known to those skilled in the art. Elements, actions, or instructions used in the description of this application should not be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly stated otherwise. In addition to the methods and apparatuses listed herein, those skilled in the art will recognize functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of this disclosure based on the above description. These modifications and variations should also fall within the scope of the appended claims. This disclosure is defined solely by the appended claims, including their full equivalents. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to specific methods or systems.

[0620] It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for describing particular implementations only and is not restrictive. The terms “station” and its abbreviation “STA”, “user equipment” and its abbreviation “UE” as used herein may refer to (i) a radio transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU), as described below; (ii) an implementation of any number of WTRUs, as described below; (iii) a device with wireless and / or wired capabilities (e.g., wired), configured with some or all of the structure and functions of a WTRU (e.g., as described above); (iii) a device with wireless and / or wired capabilities, configured with fewer than all the structure and functions of a WTRU, as described below; and / or (iv) others. Details of example WTRUs that may represent any UE described herein are provided below with reference to Figures 1 through 5.

[0621] In some representative embodiments, portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will understand that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, may be equivalently implemented by integrated circuits as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), firmware, or substantially any combination of these, and that designing circuitry and / or writing code for such software and / or firmware according to this disclosure is known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as various forms of program products, and that exemplary embodiments of the subject matter described herein are applicable regardless of the specific type of signal-bearing medium used to actually perform that distribution. Examples of signal-bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable media, such as floppy disks, hard disks, CDs, DVDs, digital tapes, computer memory, etc., and transmission media, such as digital and / or analog communication media (e.g., optical fibers, waveguides, wired communication links, wireless communication links, etc.).

[0622] The topics described herein sometimes show different components that are contained in or connected to different other components. It is understood that the architectures depicted are merely examples, and many other architectures that implement the same functionality can be implemented in practice. Conceptually, any arrangement of components that implement the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired functionality. Therefore, any two components combined here to achieve a particular function can be considered “associated” with each other to achieve the desired functionality, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two associated components can also be considered “operationally connected” or “operationally coupled” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be associated in this way can also be considered “operationally coupled” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operationally coupled components include, but are not limited to, physically pairable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0623] Regarding the use of virtually any plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art can escape from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as appropriate in context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural substitutions may be explicitly proposed herein.

[0624] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terminology used herein, and especially in the claims (e.g., the body of the claims), is generally “open-ended” (e.g., the term “comprising” should be understood as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be understood as “at least having,” the term “comprising” should be understood as “including but not limited to,” etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a claim describes a particular quantity, it will be explicitly stated in the claim, and without such a description, there is no such meaning. For example, the term “single” or similar language may be used to indicate only one item. To aid understanding, the following claims and / or the description herein may contain the use of the prepositional phrases “at least one” or “one or more” to introduce the claim description. However, the use of these phrases should not be construed as implying that a claim description introduced by the indefinite article “a” limits any particular claim containing such an introduced claim description to an embodiment containing only one such description, even if the same claim includes the prepositional phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and the indefinite article (e.g., “a”) (e.g., “a” should be understood as meaning “at least one” or “one or more”). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce the claim description. Furthermore, even if a specific quantity described in the derived claims is explicitly stated, those skilled in the art will understand that such a description should be interpreted as indicating at least the quantity described (e.g., simply stating "two descriptions" without any other modifiers indicates at least two descriptions, or two or more descriptions). Additionally, in these instances where the convention of "at least one of A, B, and C" is used, this convention is generally understood by those skilled in the art (e.g., "the system has at least one of A, B, and C" can include, but is not limited to, the system having only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A, B, and C, etc.). In these instances where the convention of "at least one of A, B, or C" is used, this convention is generally understood by those skilled in the art (e.g., "the system has at least one of A, B, or C" can include, but is not limited to, the system having only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A, B, and C, etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that any substantially separating word and / or phrase indicating two or more alternatives, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of including one of the two items, either one or both. For example, the phrase "A or B" is understood to include the possibility of including "A" or "B" or "A" and "B". Furthermore, the term "any" as used herein, followed by a plurality of items and / or multiple items, is intended to include "any", "any combination", "any number", and / or "any combination of a plurality of items", either alone or in combination with other items and / or other kinds of items.Furthermore, the term "group" or "cluster" as used herein is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, the term "quantity" as used herein is intended to include any number, including zero.

[0625] Furthermore, if the features or aspects of this disclosure are described in accordance with the Markush Group, those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure is also described in accordance with any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush Group.

[0626] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for any and all purposes, such as for providing a written description, all scopes disclosed herein also include any and all possible subscopes and combinations thereof. Any scope listed herein can be readily understood as sufficient to describe and implement the same scope divided into at least two, three, four, five, ten, etc., equal parts. As a non-limiting example, each scope described herein can be readily divided into a lower third, a middle third, and an upper third, etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that all language such as “more than,” “at least,” “greater than,” “less than,” etc., includes the described numbers and scopes that can subsequently be divided into the aforementioned subscopes. Finally, those skilled in the art will understand that a scope includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group and / or set with 1-3 cells refers to a group / set with 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group / set with 1-5 cells refers to a group / set with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so on.

[0627] Furthermore, the claims should not be construed as limiting to the provided order or elements unless the description has such an effect. Additionally, the use of the term "means for..." in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.SC §112. The claim format is either device + function, and any claim without the term "device for..." does not have this intention.

[0628] The software-associated processor can be used to implement radio frequency transceivers in a Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU), User Equipment (UE), terminal, base station, Mobility Management Entity (MME), or Evolved Packet Core (EPC), or any host computer. The WTRU can incorporate hardware and / or software-implemented modules (including Software Defined Radio (SDR)) and other components, such as cameras, video camera modules, video phones, walkie-talkies, vibration devices, speakers, microphones, television transceivers, hands-free headsets, keyboards, etc. Modules, FM radio units, Near Field Communication (NFC) modules, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) units, Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) units, digital music players, media players, video game console modules, Internet browsers and / or any Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or Ultra Wideband (UWB) modules.

[0629] Although the invention has been described in relation to a communication system, it will be understood that the system can be implemented in software on a microprocessor / general-purpose computer (not shown). In some embodiments, the functionality of one or more of the various components can be implemented in software that controls the general-purpose computer.

[0630] Furthermore, although the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications to the details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the invention.

[0631] Throughout the disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that certain representative embodiments may be used in place of or in combination with other representative embodiments.

[0632] Although the features and elements have been described above in specific combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. Furthermore, the methods described herein can be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital universal disks (DVDs). A processor associated with the software can be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for a WRTU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0633] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, note the processing platform, computing system, controller, and other devices including a processor. These devices may include at least one central processing unit (“CPU”) and memory. According to the practice of those skilled in the art of computer programming, various CPUs and memories can be used to perform actions and symbolic representations of operations or instructions. These actions and operations or instructions may be referred to as being “executed,” “executed by a computer,” or “executed by a CPU.”

[0634] Those skilled in the art will understand that actions and symbols representing operations or instructions include the CPU's manipulation of electrical signals. Electrical systems represent data bits, which can result in the eventual transformation or reduction of electrical signals and the retention of data bits at memory locations in a memory system, thereby reconfiguring or otherwise altering the CPU's operations and other signal processing. A memory location that retains data bits is a physical location having specific electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to or representing the data bits.

[0635] The data bits can also be stored on a computer-readable medium, including disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., random access memory (“RAM”)) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (“ROM”)) mass storage systems readable by a CPU. The computer-readable medium can include cooperative or interconnected computer-readable media that reside exclusively on a processing system or are distributed across multiple interconnected processing systems, which can be local or remote. It should be understood that the representative embodiments described are not limited to the aforementioned memories, and other platforms and memories can also support the described methods.

[0636] Unless explicitly described herein, elements, actions, or instructions used in the description of this application should not be construed as critical or necessary to the invention. Additionally, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is referred to, the term “a” or similar language is used. Furthermore, the term “any” as used herein, followed by a list of multiple items and / or multiple categories of items, is intended to include “any one,” “any combination,” “any number,” and / or “any combination of multiple” of these items and / or multiple categories of items, which may be used individually or in conjunction with other items and / or items of other categories. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “quantity” is intended to include any quantity, including zero.

[0637] Furthermore, the claims should not be construed as limited to the described order or elements unless otherwise stated. Additionally, the use of the term "apparatus" in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.SC §112. This is not the case for any claim that does not contain the word "device".

[0638] As examples, suitable processors include general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, traditional processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, controllers, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC) and / or state machine.

[0639] Although the invention has been described in relation to a communication system, it will be understood that the system can be implemented in software on a microprocessor / general-purpose computer (not shown). In some embodiments, the functionality of one or more of the various components can be implemented in software that controls the general-purpose computer.

[0640] Furthermore, although the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications to the details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising: a processor and a transceiver configured to: receive configuration information identifying a group of search spaces associated with a control resource set (CORESET); monitor, according to the configuration information, a first set of search spaces in the search spaces using the CORESET for a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; receive the first PDCCH transmission, the first PDCCH transmission comprising a particular type of downlink control information (DCI) and the particular type of DCI comprising information indicating a second set of search spaces in the search spaces for monitoring by the WTRU; monitor, according to the DCI, the second set of search spaces using the CORESET; and receive a second PDCCH transmission, wherein the transceiver and the processor are configured to monitor only one of the first set of search spaces and the second set of search spaces at a time.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the information indicating the second set of search spaces is a field value or an index indicating the second set of search spaces.

3. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the configuration information identifying the group of search spaces associated with the CORESET is included in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

4. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the transceiver and the processor are configured to monitor the first set of search spaces for the first PDCCH transmission using a type of signaling structure.

5. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the CORESET comprises a plurality of control channel elements, wherein each search space in the search spaces comprises one or more of the control channel elements, and wherein a first set of search spaces is associated with a first index and a second set of search spaces is associated with a second index.

6. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the transceiver and the processor are configured to switch to monitoring the second set of search spaces according to a time of receiving the first PDCCH.

7. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein each search space in the search spaces comprises one or more aggregation levels of control channel elements, and one or more aggregation levels of the first set of search spaces is different from one or more aggregation levels of the second set of search spaces.

8. A method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving configuration information identifying a group of search spaces associated with a control resource set (CORESET); monitoring, according to the configuration information, a first set of search spaces in the search spaces using the CORESET for a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; ​ receiving the first PDCCH transmission, the first PDCCH transmission comprising a particular type of downlink control information (DCI), and the particular type of the DCI comprising information indicating a second group of search spaces of the search spaces for monitoring by the WTRU; monitoring the second group of search spaces using a CORESET in accordance with the DCI; and receiving a second PDCCH transmission, wherein the WTRU monitors only one of the first group of search spaces and the second group of search spaces at a time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The information indicating the second group of search spaces is a field value or index indicating the second group of search spaces.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, The CORESET comprises a plurality of control channel elements, wherein each search space of the search spaces comprises one or more of the control channel elements, and wherein a first group of search spaces is associated with a first index and a second group of search spaces is associated with a second index.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, The configuration information identifying the group of the search spaces associated with the CORESET is included in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising: transitioning to the monitoring of the second group of search spaces in accordance with a time of receiving the first PDCCH.

13. The method of claim 8, each search space of the search spaces comprising one or more aggregation levels of control channel elements, and one or more aggregation levels of the first group of search spaces being different than one or more aggregation levels of the second group of search spaces.

14. A method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving configuration information identifying a group of search spaces associated with a control resource set (CORESET) and configuration information indicating a duration; monitoring, in accordance with the configuration information, a first group of search spaces of the search spaces using the CORESET for a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; receiving the first PDCCH transmission, the first PDCCH transmission comprising a particular type of downlink control information (DCI), and the particular type of the DCI comprising information indicating a second group of search spaces of the search spaces for monitoring by the WTRU; monitoring the second group of search spaces using a CORESET in accordance with the DCI; and monitoring the first group of search spaces using the CORESET in the event that the duration has elapsed from a start of the monitoring of the second group of search spaces without receiving a second PDCCH transmission via the monitored second group of search spaces; wherein the WTRU monitors only one of the first group of search spaces and the second group of search spaces at a time.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving the second PDCCH transmission in the event that the duration has not elapsed from the start of the monitoring of the second group of search spaces.

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