Downlink Control Channel Monitoring Method, Apparatus and Communication Device

Abstract

The present application discloses a downlink control channel monitoring method, device and communication equipment, belonging to the field of communication technology. The downlink control channel monitoring method of the embodiment of the present application includes: the communication equipment determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of N service cells among M service cells of the terminal according to first information, the M service cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capability, the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration for the M service cells, or whether the M service cells include a main cell, M and N are both positive integers, and M≥N; wherein the PDCCH monitorable time slot is Y slots in a slot group including X slots, X and Y are both positive integers, and X≥Y.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of communication technologies, and particularly relates to a method, apparatus, and communication device for monitoring a downlink control channel. Background Art

[0002] When the new radio (NR) system operates in a high-frequency band (for example, a band greater than 52.6 GHz), due to the increase in the subcarrier spacing (SCS) in the high-frequency band, the granularity of symbols and slots is reduced. Therefore, if the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring capability is still defined according to the granularity of one slot (per slot) or multiple symbols (such as, per span), the complexity of PDCCH monitoring at the terminal will be greatly increased.

[0003] In the above case, a PDCCH monitoring capability based on multiple slots is derived at the terminal. Specifically, the PDCCH monitoring is restricted to a part of the slots in certain slot groups, thereby reducing the complexity of PDCCH monitoring at the terminal. However, how to determine the slots in the slot group where the terminal can perform PDCCH monitoring has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, and communication device for monitoring a downlink control channel, which can solve the problem of how to determine the slots in the slot group where the terminal can perform PDCCH monitoring.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for monitoring a downlink control channel is provided. The method includes: a communication device determines, according to first information, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among M serving cells of a terminal, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time-slot monitoring capabilities, the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration for the M serving cells, or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, both M and N are positive integers, and M≥N; where the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y slots in a slot group including X time slots (slots), both X and Y are positive integers, and X≥Y.

[0006] In a second aspect, a downlink control channel monitoring apparatus is provided, including: a determining module, configured to determine, according to first information, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among M serving cells of a terminal, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, both M and N are positive integers, and M ≥ N; wherein, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y slots in a slot group including X time slots (slots), both X and Y are positive integers, and X ≥ Y.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the method in the first aspect are implemented.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface. The processor is configured to determine, according to first information, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among M serving cells of a terminal, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, both M and N are positive integers, and M ≥ N; wherein, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y slots in a slot group including X time slots (slots), both X and Y are positive integers, and X ≥ Y.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the method in the first aspect are implemented.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to run a program or instruction to implement the steps of the method in the first aspect.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a computer program / program product is provided. The computer program / program product is stored in a non-volatile storage medium, and the program / program product is executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the downlink control channel monitoring method in the first aspect.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, a communication device determines the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among M serving cells of a terminal according to first information. The M serving cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, and the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration for the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell. Both M and N are positive integers, and M ≥ N. Among them, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y time slots (slots) in a slot group including X time slots (slots). Both X and Y are positive integers, and X ≥ Y. Through this solution, since the primary cell may have a common search space configuration, and the common search space configuration indicates that the common search space encapsulates PDCCH configuration information, the PDCCH monitorable time slots (PDCCH allowed monitoring slot) can be determined according to the above first information. In this way, the slots in the slot group that the terminal can use for PDCCH monitoring, that is, the Y slots in the slot group, can be determined. Description of the Drawings

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a downlink control channel monitoring method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 3A is one of the schematic diagrams of the application of the downlink control channel monitoring method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 3B is the second schematic diagram of the application of the downlink control channel monitoring method provided by an embodiment of the present application

[0017] Figure 4A is the third schematic diagram of the application of the downlink control channel monitoring method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4B is the fourth schematic diagram of the application of the downlink control channel monitoring method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5A is the fifth schematic diagram of the application of the downlink control channel monitoring method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 5B is the sixth schematic diagram of the application of the downlink control channel monitoring method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a downlink control channel monitoring device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 7It is a schematic diagram of the hardware of the communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the hardware of the terminal provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the hardware of the network-side device provided by the embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0025] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0026] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order different from those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are usually of the same category, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally means an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0027] It should be noted that the technology described in the embodiments of this application is not limited to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, and can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application are often used interchangeably. The described technology can be used in the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as in other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes the New Radio (NR) system for illustrative purposes, and the NR term is used in most of the following descriptions, but these technologies can also be applied to applications other than NR system applications, such as the 6-th Generation (6G) communication system.

[0028] Figure 1A block diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied is shown. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12. Among them, the terminal 11 can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE). The terminal 11 can be a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer or a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a netbook, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a mobile Internet device (MID), an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) device, a robot, a wearable device, a vehicle-mounted device (VUE), a pedestrian terminal (PUE), a smart home (home devices with wireless communication functions, such as refrigerators, TVs, washing machines or furniture, etc.). Wearable devices include: smart watches, smart bracelets, smart earphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart bracelets, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart ankle chains, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, game consoles, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of the terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The network-side device 12 can be a base station or a core network. Among them, the base station can be referred to as Node B, evolved Node B, access point, base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), B node, evolved B node (eNB), home B node, home evolved B node, WLAN access point, WiFi node, transmitting receiving point (TRP) or some other suitable term in the art. As long as the same technical effect is achieved, the base station is not limited to specific technical terms. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, only the base station in the NR system is taken as an example, but the specific type of the base station is not limited.

[0029] It should be noted that the communication device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be Figure 1 the terminal 11 in Figure 1 or the network-side device 12 in

[0030] The following will, with reference to the accompanying drawings, elaborate on the downlink control channel monitoring method provided by the embodiments of the present application through some embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0031] As Figure 2 shown, the embodiments of the present application provide a downlink control channel monitoring method, which can be applied to a wireless communication system as Figure 1 shown, and the method may include the following step 201.

[0032] Step 201: The communication device determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of N serving cells among the M serving cells of the terminal according to the first information.

[0033] Among them, the above-mentioned M serving cells may be cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, the above-mentioned first information may be whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells, or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, both M and N are positive integers, and M≥N; the above-mentioned PDCCH monitorable time slots may be Y slots in a slot group including X slots, both X and Y are positive integers, and X≥Y.

[0034] It can be understood that the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the above-mentioned N serving cells are the same. That is to say, for the above-mentioned N serving cells, PDCCH monitoring or PDCCH monitoring configuration can be performed on the Y slots in the slot group corresponding to the PDCCH monitorable time slots.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can determine the PDCCH monitorable time slots (hereinafter simply referred to as PDCCH monitorable time slots) of N serving cells among the M serving cells according to whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells, or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, so as to determine the PDCCH monitoring capabilities of the terminal on the N serving cells. That is to say, the PDCCH monitorable time slots indicate the PDCCH monitoring capabilities of the terminal.

[0036] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned N serving cells may be a part of the M serving cells (such as at least one of the serving cells), or the above-mentioned N serving cells may be all of the M serving cells (i.e., N = M), and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0037] It should be noted that since the primary cell can be configured with a common search space (i.e., the primary cell corresponds to a common search space configuration), when the serving cell is the primary cell, the communication device can determine the PDCCH configuration information encapsulated in the common search space corresponding to the common search space configuration according to the common search space configuration of the serving cell, and thus can determine the above-mentioned PDCCH monitorable time slots according to the PDCCH configuration information. Correspondingly, when there is a common search space configuration in the serving cell, the communication device can directly determine the PDCCH monitorable time slots according to the PDCCH configuration information encapsulated in the corresponding common search space indicated by the common search space configuration.

[0038] In addition, the network side device can configure other search spaces on the above-mentioned PDCCH monitorable time slots, such as the dedicated search space of the terminal (UE specific search space, USS), so that the dedicated search space is configured in the slot (part or all) corresponding to the common search space. In this way, the terminal does not need to monitor the PDCCH on all slots in the slot group, thereby further reducing the complexity of the terminal for PDCCH monitoring.

[0039] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be a terminal or a network side device.

[0040] In the embodiments of the present application, when the communication device is a terminal, after the terminal determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the above N serving cells according to the above first information, the terminal can determine whether the PDCCH monitorable time slots configured by the network side device on the above N serving cells meet the monitoring capabilities of the terminal, that is, it can determine whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration issued by the network side device is an error configuration.

[0041] When the communication device is a network side device, after the network side device determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the above N serving cells according to the above first information, the network side device can determine on which time slots the terminal can perform PDCCH monitoring, so that the network side device can determine how to configure the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the terminal on the above N serving cells.

[0042] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, when the above first information is different, the manner in which the communication device determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the above N serving cells may be different. The following takes two cases of the first information as an example to exemplarily illustrate the manner in which the communication device determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the N serving cells.

[0043] The first case: The first piece of information is that there is a common search space configuration in at least one of the above M serving cells, or at least one of the above M serving cells is the primary cell.

[0044] In the above first case, the above step 201 can be specifically implemented by the following step 201a.

[0045] Step 201a: The communication device determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of N serving cells among the M serving cells according to the PDCCH configuration information of the first search space set.

[0046] Among them, the above first search space set may include at least one type of common search space.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present application, when there is a common search space configuration in at least one of the above M serving cells or it is the primary cell, the communication device may determine the above PDCCH monitorable time slots according to the PDCCH configuration of the above first search space set.

[0048] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, when there is a common search space configuration in at least one serving cell, each of the at least one serving cell corresponds to a common search space. Among them, the common search space corresponding to each of the at least one serving cell may correspond to at least one type of common search space.

[0049] In the embodiments of the present application, the types of the common search space can be divided into: Type 0 PDCCH, Type 0A PDCCH, Type 1 PDCCH, Type 2 PDCCH, and Type 3 PDCCH.

[0050] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the first search space set includes at least one type of common search space, and the PDCCH configuration information is encapsulated in the common search space. Therefore, the above first search space set may correspond to PDCCH configuration information, so that the communication device can determine the above PDCCH monitorable time slots according to the PDCCH configuration information.

[0051] It can be understood that the above first search space set may correspond to at least one piece of PDCCH configuration information.

[0052] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, determining the above PDCCH monitorable time slots may include at least one of the following:

[0053] Determine the time domain position of the slot group;

[0054] Determine the time domain positions of Y slots in the slot group.

[0055] In the embodiments of the present application, when determining the time domain position of a slot group, the starting time domain position of the slot group (i.e., the starting slot) can be determined first, and then the time domain position of the entire slot group can be determined according to the value of X. Correspondingly, when determining the time domain position of Y slots in the slot group, the starting time domain position of the Y slots in the slot group (i.e., the starting slot) can be determined first, and then the time domain position of each slot in the Y slots can be determined according to the value of Y.

[0056] It can be understood that the above Y slots can be Y consecutive slots in the slot group. Of course, in actual implementation, the Y slots can also be Y non-consecutive slots in the slot group, which can be specifically determined according to actual usage requirements.

[0057] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the time domain position of the slot group is determined, there are two possible ways for the communication device to determine the time domain position of Y slots in the slot group, namely Method 1 and Method 2. The following will exemplarily describe these two methods respectively.

[0058] Method 1: In the first search space set, the slot in the slot group where PDCCH monitoring is first configured is determined as the starting slot of the Y slots.

[0059] Exemplarily, assume X = 4, Y = 2, and in the first search space set, as Figure 3A shown, the slots in the slot group where PDCCH monitoring is configured are slot 1 and slot 2. Then, as Figure 3B shown, the communication device can determine the second slot in each slot group as the starting slot of the Y slots, and determine the Y slots as the second slot and the third slot in the slot group.

[0060] Exemplarily, assume X = 4, Y = 2, and in the first search space set, as Figure 4A shown, the slot in the first slot group in the time domain resource where PDCCH monitoring is configured is slot 0, and the slot in the second slot group where PDCCH monitoring is configured is slot 1. Then, as Figure 4B shown, the communication device can determine that both slot 0 and slot 1 are slots in the Y slots, that is, determine the Y slots as the first slot and the second slot in the slot group.

[0061] Method 2: In the first search space set, the slot in each slot group in the time domain resource where PDCCH monitoring is first configured is determined as the starting slot of the Y slots.

[0062] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, when the time domain position of the slot group is determined, the time domain position of the slot group can be determined by at least one of the following:

[0063] Predefined by the protocol;

[0064] Configured by the network side device;

[0065] The time domain position of the serving cell with the smallest subcarrier spacing among other serving cells of the terminal, and the other serving cell can be a cell with slot monitoring capability.

[0066] Optionally, in some other embodiments, when the time domain position of Y slots in the slot group is determined, determining the time domain position of the slot group may include: determining the starting slot of the slot group as the slot in the first search space group where PDCCH monitoring is configured for the first time in each period.

[0067] Exemplarily, assume X = 4, Y = 2, the configuration period = 4, and the above Y slots are the first slot and the second slot in the slot group, and in the first search space group, as Figure 5A shown, the slot where PDCCH detection is configured for the first time in each period is slot 2, and the slots where PDCCH detection is configured for the first time in each period are slot 2 and slot 3, then as Figure 5B shown, the first slot group that the communication device can determine can be slot 2 to slot 5, the second slot group can be slot 6 to slot 9, ……, and so on. And the Y slots are the first slot and the second slot in the slot group.

[0068] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the above first search space group may satisfy a first condition, and the first condition may include at least one of the following:

[0069] The configuration period of the first search space group is an integer multiple of X;

[0070] The time domain position of the starting slot where PDCCH monitoring is configured in each slot group of the time domain resources of the first search space group is the same;

[0071] The number of slots where PDCCH monitoring is configured in each slot group of the time domain resources of the first search space group is less than or equal to Y.

[0072] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the PDCCH configuration information of the above first search space group can be determined according to the value of X and / or the value of Y.

[0073] It can be understood that when the network - side device configures the PDCCH configuration information of the common search space in the above - mentioned first search - space set for the terminal, the network - side device can configure the PDCCH configuration information of the first search - space set according to the values of X and Y.

[0074] Exemplarily, assume that the common search space included in the above - mentioned first search - space set is Type 0 PDCCH. Then, the PDCCH configuration information of this Type 0 PDCCH can be related to the value of X or / and the value of Y. For example, when Y = 1, Type 0 PDCCH has only 1 slot for monitoring PDCCH in each cycle; when Y = 2, Type 0 PDCCH has 2 slots for monitoring PDCCH in each cycle.

[0075] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the value of X is configured by the network - side device or pre - defined by the protocol, and the value of Y is configured by the network - side device or pre - defined by the protocol.

[0076] It can be understood that the values of X and Y can both be configured by the network - side device; or, the values of X and Y can both be pre - defined by the protocol; or, the value of X is configured by the network - side device and the value of Y is pre - defined by the protocol; or, the value of X is pre - defined by the protocol and the value of Y is configured by the network - side device. It can be specifically determined according to actual usage requirements, and the embodiments of the present application do not make limitations.

[0077] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, when the first search - space set changes, the PDCCH - monitorable time slots change synchronously.

[0078] Exemplarily, after the beam switching of the first search - space set, the above - mentioned PDCCH - monitorable time slots change synchronously. That is to say, the PDCCH - monitorable time slots change according to the change of the first search - space set.

[0079] Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, when the PDCCH - monitorable time slots change, other search spaces monitored by the terminal change synchronously.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, since other search spaces (such as the dedicated search space of the terminal) can be configured on the PDCCH - monitorable time slots in addition to the common search space, when the PDCCH - monitorable time slots change, other search spaces monitored by the terminal will also change.

[0081] The second case: The first information is that there is no common search - space configuration in all of the above - mentioned M serving cells, or none of the M serving cells is the primary cell.

[0082] In the above - mentioned second case, step 201 can be specifically implemented by the following step 201b.

[0083] Step 201b: The communication device determines the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the M serving cells according to the information predefined by the protocol.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, when there is no common search space configuration in all of the above M serving cells or none of them is the primary cell, the communication device can determine the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the above M serving cells according to the information predefined by the protocol, so as to determine how to perform PDCCH monitoring or configure PDCCH monitorable time slots on the M serving cells.

[0085] It can be understood that in the second case above, N = M.

[0086] Exemplarily, in the PDCCH monitorable time slots, the time domain start position of the above slot group can be the same as the start time slot of a subframe, and the above Y slots can be the first Y slots in the slot group.

[0087] In the embodiments of the present application, since the primary cell can correspond to a common search space configuration, and the PDCCH configuration information is encapsulated in the common search space indicated by the common search space configuration, the PDCCH monitorable time slots can be determined according to the above first information. In this way, the slots in the slot group that the terminal can use for PDCCH monitoring can be determined, that is, the Y slots in the slot group.

[0088] It should be noted that for the downlink control channel monitoring method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the execution subject can be a downlink control channel monitoring device, or a control module in the downlink control channel monitoring device for executing the downlink control channel monitoring method. In the embodiments of the present application, the downlink control channel monitoring method is executed by the downlink control channel monitoring device as an example to illustrate the downlink control channel monitoring device provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0089] As Figure 6 shown, the embodiments of the present application provide a downlink control channel monitoring device 300. The downlink control channel monitoring device 300 includes a determination module 301. The determination module is configured to determine the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among the M serving cells of the terminal according to the first information. The M serving cells are cells with multi-slot monitoring capabilities. The first information is whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell. Both M and N are positive integers, and M ≥ N. Among them, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y slots in a slot group including X time slots (slots), and both X and Y are positive integers, and X ≥ Y.

[0090] Optionally, when there is a common search space configuration in at least one of the M serving cells or the serving cell is the primary cell, the determining module 301 is specifically configured to determine the PDCCH monitorable time slots according to the PDCCH configuration information of the first search space group, where the first search space group includes at least one type of common search space.

[0091] Optionally, determining the PDCCH monitorable time slots includes at least one of the following:

[0092] Determining the time domain position of the slot group;

[0093] Determining the time domain positions of Y slots in the slot group.

[0094] Optionally, when the time domain position of the slot group is determined, determining the time domain positions of Y slots in the slot group includes: determining the starting slot of the Y slots as the first slot configured with PDCCH monitoring in the first search space group in the slot group; or determining the starting slot of the Y slots as the first slot configured with PDCCH monitoring in each slot group in the time domain resource in the first search space group.

[0095] Optionally, the time domain position of the slot group is determined by at least one of the following:

[0096] Predefined by the protocol;

[0097] Configured by the network side device;

[0098] The time domain position of the serving cell with the smallest subcarrier spacing among other serving cells of the terminal, where the other serving cells are cells with time slot monitoring capabilities.

[0099] Optionally, when the time domain positions of Y slots in the slot group are determined, determining the time domain position of the slot group includes: determining the starting slot of the slot group as the first slot configured with PDCCH monitoring in each configuration period in the first search space group.

[0100] Optionally, the first search space group satisfies a first condition, and the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0101] The configuration period of the first search space group is an integer multiple of X;

[0102] The time domain positions of the starting slots configured with PDCCH monitoring in each slot group of the first search space group in the time domain resource are the same;

[0103] The number of slots configured with PDCCH monitoring in each slot group of the first search space group in the time domain resource is less than or equal to Y.

[0104] Optionally, the PDCCH configuration information of the first search space set is determined according to the value of X and / or the value of Y.

[0105] Optionally, the value of X is configured by the network device or predefined by the protocol, and the value of Y is configured by the network device or predefined by the protocol.

[0106] Optionally, when the first search space set changes, the PDCCH can monitor the slot synchronization change.

[0107] Optionally, when the PDCCH can monitor the slot change, the terminal monitors the synchronization change of other search spaces.

[0108] Optionally, when there is no common search space configuration in all M serving cells or none of them is the primary cell, the determining module 301 is specifically configured to determine the PDCCH monitorable slots of the M serving cells according to the information predefined by the protocol.

[0109] In the downlink control channel monitoring device provided by the embodiments of the present application, since the primary cell can correspond to a common search space configuration, and the PDCCH configuration information is encapsulated in the common search space indicated by the common search space configuration, the PDCCH monitorable slots can be determined according to the above first information. In this way, the slots in the slot group that the terminal can use for PDCCH monitoring, that is, Y slots in the slot group, can be determined.

[0110] The downlink control channel monitoring device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device, a device with an operating system, or an electronic device, or can also be a component, an integrated circuit, or a chip in a terminal. The device or electronic device can be a mobile terminal or a non-mobile terminal. Exemplarily, the mobile terminal can include, but is not limited to, the types of the terminal 11 listed above. The non-mobile terminal can be a server, a Network Attached Storage (NAS), a personal computer (PC), a television (TV), a teller machine, or a self-service machine, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations.

[0111] The downlink control channel monitoring device provided by the embodiments of the present application can implement each process implemented by the above method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be elaborated here.

[0112] Optionally, as Figure 7As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 400, including a processor 401, a memory 402, and a program or instruction stored on the memory 402 and executable on the processor 401. For example, when the communication device 400 is a terminal, when the program or instruction is executed by the processor 401, each process of the above-mentioned embodiment of the downlink control channel monitoring method is implemented, and the same technical effect can be achieved. When the communication device 400 is a network-side device, when the program or instruction is executed by the processor 401, each process of the above-mentioned embodiment of the downlink control channel monitoring method is implemented, and the same technical effect can be achieved. To avoid repetition, details are not described here again.

[0113] An embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal, including a processor and a communication interface. The processor is configured to determine, according to first information, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N out of M serving cells of the terminal, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration for the M serving cells, or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, both M and N are positive integers, and M≥N; wherein, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y out of X time slots (slots) in a slot group, both X and Y are positive integers, and X≥Y. This terminal embodiment corresponds to the above method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation manner of the above method embodiment can be applied to this terminal embodiment, and the same technical effect can be achieved. Specifically, Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal for implementing an embodiment of the present application.

[0114] The terminal 100 includes, but is not limited to, at least some components such as a radio frequency unit 101, a network module 102, an audio output unit 103, an input unit 104, a sensor 105, a display unit 106, a user input unit 107, an interface unit 108, a memory 109, and a processor 110.

[0115] Those skilled in the art can understand that the terminal 100 may further include a power source (such as a battery) for supplying power to each component. The power source may be logically connected to the processor 110 through a power management system, so as to implement functions such as management of charging, discharging, and power consumption management through the power management system. Figure 8 The terminal structure shown in the figure does not limit the terminal. The terminal may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have different component arrangements, which will not be elaborated here.

[0116] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the input unit 104 may include a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) 1041 and a microphone 1042. The GPU 1041 processes the image data of static pictures or videos obtained by an image capture device (such as a camera) in the video capture mode or the image capture mode. The display unit 106 may include a display panel 1061, and the display panel 1061 may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, etc. The user input unit 107 includes a touch panel 1071 and other input devices 1072. The touch panel 1071 is also referred to as a touch screen. The touch panel 1071 may include two parts: a touch detection device and a touch controller. The other input devices 1072 may include, but are not limited to, a physical keyboard, function keys (such as volume control keys, switch keys, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, and a joystick, which will not be elaborated here.

[0117] In the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the downlink data from the network side device, the radio frequency unit 101 sends it to the processor 110 for processing; in addition, it sends the uplink data to the network side device. Generally, the radio frequency unit 101 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier, a duplexer, etc.

[0118] The memory 109 can be used to store software programs or instructions and various data. The memory 109 mainly includes a program or instruction storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program or instruction storage area can store an operating system, applications or instructions required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.). In addition, the memory 109 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), an Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. For example, at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices.

[0119] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units; optionally, the processor 110 may integrate an application processor and a modulation and demodulation processor. Among them, the application processor mainly processes an operating system, a user interface, and applications or instructions, etc., and the modulation and demodulation processor mainly processes wireless communications, such as a baseband processor. It can be understood that the above modulation and demodulation processor may not be integrated into the processor 110 either.

[0120] A processor 110, configured to determine, according to first information, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among M serving cells of a terminal, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, both M and N are positive integers, and M≥N; wherein, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y time slots (slots) among X time slots (slots) included in a slot group, both X and Y are positive integers, and X≥Y.

[0121] In the terminal provided in the embodiment of the present application, since the primary cell may correspond to a common search space configuration, and the PDCCH configuration information is encapsulated in the common search space indicated by the common search space configuration, the PDCCH monitorable time slots can be determined according to the above first information. In this way, the time slots (slots) in the slot group that the terminal can use for PDCCH monitoring, that is, the Y time slots (slots) in the slot group, can be determined.

[0122] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network-side device, including a processor and a communication interface. The processor is configured to determine, according to first information, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among M serving cells of a terminal, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, both M and N are positive integers, and M≥N; wherein, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y time slots (slots) among X time slots (slots) included in a slot group, both X and Y are positive integers, and X≥Y. This embodiment of the network-side device corresponds to the method embodiment of the above network-side device. Each implementation process and implementation manner of the above method embodiment can be applied to this embodiment of the network-side device and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0123] Specifically, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network-side device. As Figure 9 shown, the network-side device 700 includes: an antenna 71, a radio frequency device 72, and a baseband device 73. The antenna 71 is connected to the radio frequency device 72. In the uplink direction, the radio frequency device 72 receives information through the antenna 71 and sends the received information to the baseband device 73 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 73 processes the information to be sent and sends it to the radio frequency device 72. The radio frequency device 72 processes the received information and then sends it out through the antenna 71.

[0124] The above frequency band processing device may be located in the baseband device 73. The method executed by the network-side device in the above embodiments may be implemented in the baseband device 73. The baseband device 73 includes a processor 74 and a memory 75.

[0125] The baseband device 73 may, for example, include at least one baseband board, on which a plurality of chips are provided. As Figure 7 shown, one of the chips is, for example, a processor 74, which is connected to a memory 75 to call a program in the memory 75 and execute the operations of the network-side device shown in the above method embodiments.

[0126] The baseband device 73 may further include a network interface 76 for interacting with the radio frequency device 72. The interface is, for example, a common public radio interface (CPRI for short).

[0127] Specifically, the network-side device according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes: instructions or programs stored on the memory 75 and executable on the processor 74. The processor 74 calls the instructions or programs in the memory 75 to execute Figure 6 the methods executed by the respective modules shown, and achieves the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein.

[0128] The embodiment of the present application further provides a readable storage medium. A program or instructions are stored on the readable storage medium. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, each process of the above embodiment of the downlink control channel monitoring method is implemented, and the same technical effects can be achieved. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein.

[0129] Wherein, the processor is the processor in the terminal in the above embodiment. The readable storage medium includes a computer-readable storage medium, such as a computer read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disc, etc.

[0130] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip. The chip includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement each process of the above embodiment of the downlink control channel monitoring method, and the same technical effects can be achieved. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein.

[0131] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a system-on-chip, a system chip, a chip system, or a system-on-chip, etc.

[0132] It should be noted that in this text, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising that element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the reverse order according to the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0133] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-described example methods can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a computer software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disc) and includes several instructions for causing a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network-side device, etc.) to execute the methods of the various embodiments of the present application.

[0134] The embodiments of the present application have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the above specific embodiments. The above specific embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those of ordinary skill in the art, under the inspiration of the present application and without departing from the spirit and scope protected by the claims of the present application, can still make many forms, all of which fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a downlink control channel, characterized in that, the method includes: A communication device determines the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells among M serving cells of a terminal according to first information, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time-slot monitoring capabilities, and the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell. Both M and N are positive integers, and M ≥ N; wherein, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y slots among X slots in a slot group including X time slots (slots), and both X and Y are positive integers, and X ≥ Y.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, when there is a common search space configuration or the cell is a primary cell in at least one of the M serving cells, determining the PDCCH monitorable time slots of N serving cells among the M serving cells of the terminal includes: determining the PDCCH monitorable time slots according to the PDCCH configuration information of a first search space group; wherein, the first search space group includes at least one type of common search space.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, determining the PDCCH monitorable time slots includes at least one of the following: determining the time domain position of the slot group; determining the time domain positions of the Y slots in the slot group.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the time domain position of the slot group is determined, determining the time domain positions of the Y slots in the slot group includes: determining the starting slot of the Y slots as the slot in the first search space group where PDCCH monitoring is first configured in the slot group; or determining the starting slot of the Y slots as the slot in the first search space group where PDCCH monitoring is first configured in each slot group in the time domain resources.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, the time domain position of the slot group is determined by at least one of the following: protocol predefined; network side device configuration; the time domain position of the serving cell with the smallest subcarrier spacing among other serving cells of the terminal, where the other serving cells are cells with time slot monitoring capabilities.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the time domain positions of the Y slots in the slot group are determined, determining the time domain position of the slot group includes: determining the starting slot of the slot group as the slot in the first search space group where PDCCH monitoring is first configured in each configuration period.

7. The method according to claim 4 or 6, characterized in that, the first search space group satisfies a first condition, and the first condition includes at least one of the following: the configuration period of the first search space group is an integer multiple of X; The first search space set has the same time domain position of the starting slot for PDCCH monitoring configured in each slot group of the time domain resources; The number of slots for PDCCH monitoring configured by the first search space set in each slot group of the time domain resources is less than or equal to Y.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein, the PDCCH configuration information of the first search space set is determined according to the value of X and / or the value of Y.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the value of X is configured by the network side device or predefined by the protocol, and the value of Y is configured by the network side device or predefined by the protocol.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when the first search space set changes, the PDCCH monitorable time slots may change synchronously.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, when the PDCCH monitorable time slots change, other search spaces monitored by the terminal change synchronously.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when there is no common search space configuration in all of the M serving cells or none of them is the primary cell, determining the PDCCH monitorable time slots of N serving cells out of the M serving cells of the terminal includes: determining the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the M serving cells according to the information predefined by the protocol.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the communication device is the terminal or the network side device.

14. A downlink control channel monitoring device, wherein, comprising: a determination module, configured to determine, according to first information, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitorable time slots of N serving cells out of M serving cells of a terminal, where the M serving cells are cells with multi-time slot monitoring capabilities, and the first information is whether there is a common search space configuration in the M serving cells or whether the M serving cells include a primary cell, M and N are both positive integers, and M≥N; wherein, the PDCCH monitorable time slots are Y slots in a slot group including X time slots (slots), X and Y are both positive integers, and X≥Y.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein, when there is a common search space configuration in at least one of the M serving cells or the cell is the primary cell, the determination module is specifically configured to determine the PDCCH monitorable time slots according to the PDCCH configuration information of the first search space set; wherein, the first search space set includes at least one type of common search space.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein, determining the PDCCH monitorable time slots includes at least one of the following: determining the time domain position of the slot group; determining the time domain positions of the Y slots in the slot group.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein, when the time domain position of the slot group is determined, determining the time domain positions of the Y slots in the slot group includes: In the first search space set, determine the starting slot of the Y slots as the slot in the first slot group configured with PDCCH monitoring; or In the first search space set, determine the starting slot of the Y slots as the slot in each slot group in the time domain resource that is first configured with PDCCH monitoring.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17,[[]] wherein,[[]] the time domain position of the slot group is determined by at least one of the following:[[]] Predefined by the protocol;[[]] Configured by the network side device;[[]] The time domain position of the serving cell with the smallest subcarrier spacing among other serving cells of the terminal, where the other serving cells are cells with time slot monitoring capabilities.[[]] 19. The apparatus according to claim 16,[[]] wherein,[[]] When the time domain position of the Y slots in the slot group is determined, determining the time domain position of the slot group includes:[[]] In the first search space set, determine the starting slot of the slot group as the slot in each configuration period that is first configured with PDCCH monitoring.[[]] 20. The apparatus according to claim 17 or 19,[[]] wherein,[[]] The first search space set satisfies a first condition, and the first condition includes at least one of the following:[[]] The configuration period of the first search space set is an integer multiple of X;[[]] The time domain positions of the starting slots configured with PDCCH monitoring in each slot group of the time domain resource in the first search space set are the same;[[]] The number of slots configured with PDCCH monitoring in each slot group of the time domain resource in the first search space set is less than or equal to Y.[[]] 21. The apparatus according to claim 15,[[]] wherein,[[]] The PDCCH configuration information of the first search space set is determined according to the value of X and / or the value of Y.[[]] 22. The apparatus according to claim 21,[[]] wherein,[[]] The value of X is configured by the network side device or predefined by the protocol, and the value of Y is configured by the network side device or predefined by the protocol.[[]] 23. The apparatus according to claim 15,[[]] wherein,[[]] When the first search space set changes, the PDCCH monitorable time slots change synchronously.[[]] 24. The apparatus according to claim 23,[[]] wherein,[[]] When the PDCCH monitorable time slots change, other search spaces monitored by the terminal change synchronously.[[]] 25. The apparatus according to claim 14,[[]] wherein,[[]] When there is no common search space configuration or none of them is the primary cell among the M serving cells, the determining module is specifically configured to determine the PDCCH monitorable time slots of the M serving cells according to the information predefined by the protocol.[[]] 26. A communication device,[[]] wherein,[[]] It includes a processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored on the memory and executable on the processor. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the downlink control channel monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.[[]] 27. A readable storage medium,[[]] wherein,[[]] The program or instructions are stored on the readable storage medium, and when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the steps of the downlink control channel monitoring method described in any one of claims 1 to 13 are implemented.

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