Enhanced PDCCH reliability with multiple TRP operations

Abstract

A method for a user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE obtains first control information from a network device. The first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set. The first search space set and the second search space set are linked. The first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set. The first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are linked. The UE monitors the PDCCH candidates based on the first control information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent application relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to enhanced reliability of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in multi-TRP (multiple transmit and receive points) operations. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE); the 5th Generation (5G) 3GPP New Radio (NR) standard; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, commonly referred to by the industry organization as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), commonly referred to by the industry organization as Wi-Fi. In the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station may include RAN nodes such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as an Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicates with wireless communication equipment called User Equipment (UE). In a fifth-generation (5G) wireless RAN, RAN nodes may include 5G nodes, New Radio (NR) nodes, or g node B (gNB), which communicate with wireless communication equipment (also known as user equipment (UE)). Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to aspects of this disclosure, a method for a user equipment (UE) is provided, the method comprising: obtaining first control information from a network device, wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated; and monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information.

[0004] According to an aspect of this disclosure, a method for a network device is provided, the method comprising: generating first control information for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated; and generating PDCCH candidates based on the first control information for transmission to the UE.

[0005] According to aspects of this disclosure, an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) is provided, the apparatus including one or more processors configured to perform steps of the method according to this disclosure.

[0006] According to aspects of this disclosure, an apparatus for a network device is provided, the apparatus including one or more processors configured to perform steps of the method according to this disclosure.

[0007] According to an aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided that stores computer programs thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of a method according to the steps of performing the method according to this disclosure.

[0008] According to an aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for a communication device is provided, the apparatus including components for performing steps of a method according to the steps of performing a method according to this disclosure.

[0009] According to an aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer programs that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of the method according to this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the features of this disclosure by way of example.

[0011] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a system including base stations and user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes.

[0012] Figure 2 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a user device according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0013] Figure 3A An exemplary diagram is shown of an exemplary search space in a first search space set and a second search space set having the same period, according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 3B An exemplary diagram is shown of an exemplary search space in a first search space set with different periods and a second search space set, according to some implementation schemes.

[0015] Figure 4A An exemplary diagram is shown illustrating the illustrative relationship between an aperiodic signal and two connected PDCCH candidates in the time domain.

[0016] Figure 4B An exemplary diagram is shown illustrating the illustrative relationship between an aperiodic signal and two connected PDCCH candidates in the time domain.

[0017] Figure 4C An exemplary diagram is shown illustrating the illustrative relationship between an aperiodic signal and two connected PDCCH candidates in the time domain.

[0018] Figure 5 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0019] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for enhancing PDCCH reliability according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0020] Figure 7 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0021] Figure 8 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0022] Figure 9 Exemplary components of a device according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0023] Figure 10 An exemplary interface of a baseband circuit according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0024] Figure 11 The components are shown according to some implementation schemes.

[0025] Figure 12 The architecture of a wireless network according to some implementation schemes is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0026] In this disclosure, a "base station" may include RAN nodes such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) node B (also commonly referred to as an evolved node B, enhanced node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and / or a 5G node, New Radio (NR) node, or g node B (gNB), which communicates with wireless communication equipment also referred to as a User Equipment (UE). Although some examples may be described with reference to any of E-UTRAN node B, eNB, RNC, and / or gNB, such equipment can be replaced by any type of base station.

[0027] In wireless communication, the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is used to transmit control information. When determining the PDCCH for a UE, the base station can transmit multiple PDCCH candidates. One or more of these PDCCH candidates can be used by the UE as its PDCCH based on the downlink control information (DCI) that can be included in the one or more PDCCH candidates.

[0028] In related technologies, the duration of a PDCCH can be one, two, or three symbols. In other words, the maximum duration of a PDCCH is only three symbols. Therefore, the reliability of the PDCCH is limited, especially in situations involving multiple transmit and receive points (multiple TRP) operations.

[0029] Figure 1 A wireless network 100 according to some embodiments is shown. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 101 and a base station 150 connected via an air interface 190.

[0030] UE 101 and any other UE in the system can be, for example, a laptop computer, smartphone, tablet computer, printer, machine-type device, such as a smart meter or dedicated device for healthcare monitoring, remote security monitoring, intelligent transportation systems, or any other wireless device with or without a user interface. Base station 150 provides UE 101 with network connectivity to a wider network (not shown) via air interface 190 within the base station service area provided by base station 150. In some embodiments, such a wider network can be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or it can be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with base station 150 is supported by an antenna integrated with base station 150. The service area is divided into multiple sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors can be physically associated with fixed antennas, or can be assigned to physical areas with tunable antennas or antenna configurations that can be adjusted during beamforming to direct signals to a particular sector. For example, one implementation of base station 150 includes three sectors, each covering a 120-degree area, wherein the antenna array is pointed at each sector to provide 360-degree coverage around base station 150.

[0031] UE 101 includes control circuitry 105 coupled to transmission circuitry 110 and reception circuitry 115. Transmission circuitry 110 and reception circuitry 115 may each be coupled to one or more antennas. Control circuitry 105 may be adapted to perform operations associated with MTC. In some embodiments, control circuitry 105 of UE 101 may perform calculations or initiate measurements associated with air interface 190 to determine the channel quality of an available connection to base station 150. These calculations may be performed in conjunction with control circuitry 155 of base station 150. Transmission circuitry 110 and reception circuitry 115 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively. Control circuitry 105 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as those associated with the UE described elsewhere in this disclosure. Transmission circuitry 110 may transmit multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. These multiple uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM). Transmission circuitry 110 may be configured to receive block data from control circuitry 105 for transmission across air interface 190. Similarly, receiving circuitry 115 can receive multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels from air interface 190 and relay these physical channels to control circuitry 105. Uplink and downlink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Transmitting circuitry 110 and receiving circuitry 115 can transmit and receive structured control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) within data blocks carried by the physical channels.

[0032] Figure 1Base station 150 according to various embodiments is also shown. Base station 150 circuitry may include control circuitry 155 coupled to transmission circuitry 160 and receiving circuitry 165. Transmission circuitry 160 and receiving circuitry 165 may each be coupled to one or more antennas, which may be used for communication via air interface 190.

[0033] Control circuitry 155 can be adapted to perform operations associated with the MTC. Transmit circuitry 160 and receive circuitry 165 can be adapted to transmit and receive data respectively within a narrow system bandwidth, which is narrower than the standard bandwidth used for personal communications. In some embodiments, for example, the transmission bandwidth can be set to or close to 1.4 MHz. In other embodiments, other bandwidths can be used. Control circuitry 155 can perform various operations, such as those associated with the base station described elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0034] Within a narrow system bandwidth, transmission circuit 160 can transmit multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels. These multiple downlink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Transmission circuit 160 can transmit these multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels in a downlink superframe composed of multiple downlink subframes.

[0035] Within a narrow system bandwidth, receiver circuit 165 can receive multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. These multiple uplink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Receiver circuit 165 can receive these multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels in an uplink superframe composed of multiple uplink subframes.

[0036] As further described below, control circuits 105 and 155 may be involved in measuring the channel quality of air interface 190. Channel quality may be based, for example, on physical barriers between UE 101 and base station 150, electromagnetic interference from other sources, reflections, or indirect paths between UE 101 and base station 150, or other such signal noise sources. Based on channel quality, multiple retransmissions of data blocks can be scheduled, allowing transmission circuit 110 to transmit multiple copies of the same data, and receiving circuit 115 to receive multiple copies of the same data.

[0037] The UE and network device described in the following implementation scheme can be provided by Figure 1 This is implemented using UE 101 and base station 150 as described in the document.

[0038] Figure 2 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a user device according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 2 The method 200 shown can be derived from Figure 1 Implemented using UE 101 as described in the document.

[0039] In some implementations, the method 200 for the UE may include the following steps: S202, obtaining first control information from a network device, wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated; and S204, monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information.

[0040] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by receiving first control information from the network device indicating the connection between the first search space set and the second search space set, and the connection between the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, the repetition of PDCCH for the UE is allowed due to the aforementioned connections, and thus the maximum duration of PDCCH is increased. That is, the number of symbols used for PDCCH is increased, which means increased time and energy accumulated for PDCCH transmission, thereby enhancing the reliability of PDCCH in multi-TRP operations.

[0041] Each step of method 200 will be described in detail below.

[0042] In step S202, the UE obtains first control information from the network device, wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are connected, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are connected.

[0043] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the first control information may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signal, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. It should be noted that the first control information may also be any other type of control information.

[0044] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the search space set is used to configure the time-domain mode for monitoring PDCCH candidates.

[0045] In some implementations, the time-domain pattern of monitoring PDCCH candidates may include the period of PDCCH candidates transmitted from the network device to the UE. For example, the first control information may be configured to transmit PDCCH candidates every 20 time slots, every 10 time slots, every 5 time slots, every 1 time slot, or any suitable period for transmitting PDCCH candidates.

[0046] In some implementations, monitoring the time-domain pattern of a PDCCH candidate may include the position (e.g., offset) of the starting symbol of the PDCCH candidate in the time domain. For example, the search space set may be configured to transmit the PDCCH candidate in the first symbol of the first time slot, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the PDCCH candidate may start at any suitable position.

[0047] In the relevant domain, different search space sets are, of course, unconnected. A search space set may include one or more PDCCH candidates, but there is no connection between any two PDCCH candidates in that search space set.

[0048] However, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, multiple search space sets are configured. In other words, two or more search space sets are configured by the network device. The multiple search space sets include a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein a connection is established between the first search space set and the second search space set. That is, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, at least one connection is established between two search space sets in the multiple search space sets. In some embodiments, other connections may be established between any two or more search space sets in the multiple search space sets.

[0049] In some implementations, each search space set may include one or more PDCCH candidates. For example, a search space set may include 44 PDCCH candidates, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the search space set may include any suitable number of PDCCH candidates.

[0050] In the following sections, we will discuss the meaning of a “link” between two search space sets. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a first search space set is considered to be linked to a second search space set if at least one PDCCH candidate of a first search space set is linked to at least one PDCCH candidate of a second search space set.

[0051] It should be noted that a “link” between two PDCCH candidates means that the payload of one of the two PDCCH candidates is the same as the payload of the other PDCCH candidate. In other words, the two PDCCH candidates linked from two different search space sets include the same payload (e.g., the same control information). Differences between the two linked PDCCH candidates may include that they are transmitted to the UE at different times and that they can be transmitted via different beams.

[0052] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a connection is established between the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set. It should be noted that the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set can be any PDCCH candidate in the first search space set, and the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set can be any PDCCH candidate in the second search space set, as long as a connection exists between the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set.

[0053] In other words, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set have the same payload, but the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are transmitted to the UE at different times and / or through different beams.

[0054] However, it should be noted that, according to this disclosure, "links" can be established between more than two PDCCH candidates. In some embodiments, a first PDCCH candidate of a first search space set can be simultaneously linked to a first PDCCH candidate of a second search space set and a first PDCCH candidate of another search space set among multiple search space sets. In some embodiments, a first PDCCH candidate of a first search space set can be linked to a first PDCCH candidate of a second search space set and another PDCCH candidate. This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments listed above.

[0055] According to this disclosure, there may be some limitations to the connection of two or more PDCCH candidates in the corresponding search space set.

[0056] According to some implementation schemes, a first search space set includes a first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set, and a second search space set includes a second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set, and each PDCCH candidate in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set is associated with at least one PDCCH candidate in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set.

[0057] In this disclosure, "first plurality" does not necessarily mean different from "second plurality". According to some embodiments, the number of PDCCH candidates in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set may be the same as the number of PDCCH candidates in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set. According to some embodiments, the number of PDCCH candidates in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set may be different from the number of PDCCH candidates in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set.

[0058] According to some implementation schemes, for two linked search space sets, each PDCCH candidate in one search space set must be linked to another PDCCH candidate in the linked search space set, and it is allowed for one PDCCH candidate in one search space set to be linked to more than one PDCCH candidate in the linked search space set.

[0059] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, each PDCCH candidate in a search space set has at least one connection with other PDCCH candidates, such that each PDCCH candidate can be repeated. That is, further increasing the maximum duration of the PDCCH and the symbols used for the PDCCH means further increasing the time and energy accumulated for transmitting the PDCCH, thereby further enhancing the PDCCH reliability of multi-TRP operations.

[0060] According to some implementation schemes, each PDCCH candidate in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set is linked one-to-one to each PDCCH candidate in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set.

[0061] According to some implementation schemes, for two linked search space sets, each PDCCH candidate in one search space set must be linked to another PDCCH candidate in the linked search space set, and a PDCCH candidate in one search space set is not allowed to be linked to more than one PDCCH candidate in the linked search space set.

[0062] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, on the one hand, each PDCCH candidate in a search space set has a connection with other PDCCH candidates, allowing each PDCCH candidate to be repeated, thereby enhancing the PDCCH reliability of multi-TRP operations as discussed above. On the other hand, the one-to-one connection between PDCCH candidates in a search space set and connected PDCCH candidates in the linked search space set simplifies the connections, thereby reducing the complexity of decoding (e.g., blind decoding) these PDCCH candidates.

[0063] According to some implementation schemes, the first search space set includes a first plurality of PDCCH candidates in the first search space set, and one or more PDCCH candidates in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates in the first search space set are not linked to any PDCCH candidate in the second search space set.

[0064] According to some implementation schemes, for two linked search space sets, not every PDCCH candidate in one search space set must be linked to another PDCCH candidate in the linked search space set. Instead, one or more PDCCH candidates in one search space set are linked to other PDCCH candidates in the linked search space set, but one or more other PDCCH candidates in one search space set are not linked to any PDCCH candidate in the linked search space set.

[0065] According to this disclosure, there may be some restrictions on the connection between two or more search space sets in a plurality of search space sets, and there may be some restrictions on the connection between two or more PDCCH candidates in the corresponding search space sets.

[0066] According to some implementation schemes, the first search space set is only linked to the second search space set.

[0067] In some implementations, a search space set is associated with only one other search space set, and a search space set is not allowed to be associated with more than one search space set.

[0068] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a search space set is joined to only one join search space set, which simplifies the join and thus reduces the complexity of decoding (e.g., blind decoding) these PDCCH candidates.

[0069] According to some implementation schemes, a first search space set is connected to a second search space set and one or more search space sets that are different from the first and second search space sets in the plurality of search space sets.

[0070] In some implementations, a search space set is allowed to be linked to more than one search space set. For example, the first control information indicates search space set 1, search space set 2, search space set 3, etc., wherein a search space set can be linked to both search space set 2 and search space set 3.

[0071] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a search space set is joined to more than one join search space set, which expands the join and further increases the repetition of PDCCH candidates, thereby further enhancing the PDCCH reliability of multi-TRP operations.

[0072] According to some implementation schemes, the first search space set includes a first plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a first period in the time domain, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a second period in the time domain, and the first period is the same as the second period.

[0073] As discussed above, in this disclosure, "first plurality of" does not necessarily mean different from "second plurality of". According to some embodiments, the number of search spaces in the first plurality of search spaces may be the same as the number of search spaces in the second plurality of search spaces. According to some embodiments, the number of search spaces in the first plurality of search spaces may be different from the number of search spaces in the second plurality of search spaces.

[0074] According to some implementations, a search space set may include multiple search spaces, and these search spaces may be periodically transmitted by the network device and received by the UE. In some implementations, a search space set may have the same periodicity as an associated search space set, meaning that the search spaces in one search space set and the search spaces in the associated search space set are transmitted by the network device and received by the UE within the same period.

[0075] Figure 3A An exemplary diagram is shown of an exemplary search space in a first search space set and a second search space set having the same period, according to some embodiments.

[0076] exist Figure 3A The diagram shows the first search space of the first search space set (search space 1 in search space set 1) and the second search space of the first search space set (search space 2 in search space set 1). From... Figure 3A It can be seen that the period of the search space of the first search space set is T1. Although Figure 3A While the other search spaces of the first search space set are not explicitly shown, it is understood that the search space of the first search space set repeats once every T1 period. Additionally, the first search space of the second search space set (search space 1 in search space set 2) and the second search space of the second search space set (search space 2 in search space set 2) are shown. Figure 3A It can be seen that the period of the search space of the second search space set is T2. Although Figure 3A While the other search spaces of the second search space set are not explicitly shown, it can be understood that the search space of the second search space set repeats once every T2 period. For example, the two periods T1 and T2 are the same, i.e., T1 = T2. For example, T1 = T2 = 20 time slots.

[0077] Regarding the connections, it can be seen that search space 1 in search space set 1 is connected to search space 1 in search space set 2, and search space 2 in search space set 1 is connected to search space 2 in search space set 2. Furthermore, it can be deduced that search space X in search space set 1 is connected to search space X in search space set 2, where X is a positive integer.

[0078] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the fact that the search spaces in the first search space set and the search spaces in the second search space set have the same period simplifies the configuration of the connections between search spaces in the time domain, thereby further reducing complexity.

[0079] According to some implementation schemes, the connection between the first search space of the first search space set and the first search space of the second search space set in the time domain is configured by the network device.

[0080] In some implementations, the network device explicitly configures the connections between search spaces and join search spaces. In this case, the network device configures which search space in the first search space set joins to which search space in the second search space set. In some examples, the network device may use RRC signaling to configure the connections between search spaces, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the network device may use any suitable signaling to configure such connections.

[0081] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the network device explicitly configures how the search space is connected in the time domain, so that the UE can directly know the connections in the time domain without further calculation.

[0082] According to some implementation schemes, the connection between the search space and the linked search space is not explicitly configured by the network device, but is implicitly configured.

[0083] According to some implementation schemes, the connection between the first search space of the first search space set and the first search space of the second search space set in the time domain is determined based on their proximity to absolute timing.

[0084] In some implementations, given an absolute timing, the search space of a first search space set closest to the absolute timing within a first plurality of search spaces is linked to the search space of a second search space set closest to the absolute timing within a second plurality of search spaces. In this case, a first link is established. Then, since both the first and second search space sets repeat periodically with the same period, the remaining first search spaces can be linked one by one to the remaining second search spaces.

[0085] According to some implementations, absolute timing can be a fixed timing within the system (e.g., a system for UEs and network devices). In some implementations, absolute timing may include a system frame number. In some implementations, absolute timing may be the first timeslot in SFN 0 (system frame number). However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and absolute timing can be any suitable time fixed within the system.

[0086] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by setting absolute timing as the standard to implicitly configure the connection of the search space in the time domain, network devices do not need to pair the search space in the time domain, thereby reducing the burden on network devices.

[0087] According to some implementation schemes, a search space set may have a different periodicity than the linked search space set, which means that the search space in a search space set and the search space in the linked search space set are transmitted by the network device and received by the UE in different periods.

[0088] According to some implementation schemes, the first search space set includes a first plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a first period in the time domain, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a second period in the time domain, wherein the first period is shorter than the second period.

[0089] According to some implementation schemes, the second cycle can be N times the first cycle, where N>1 (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.).

[0090] Figure 3B An exemplary diagram is shown of an exemplary search space in a first search space set with different periods and a second search space set, according to some implementation schemes.

[0091] exist Figure 3B In this context, the first search space of the first search space set (search space 1 in search space set 1), the second search space of the first search space set (search space 2 in search space set 1), and the third search space of the first search space set (search space 3 in search space set 1). Although Figure 3B While the other search spaces of the first search space set are not explicitly shown, it is understood that the search space of the first search space set repeats once every T1 period. Additionally, the first search space of the second search space set (search space 1 in search space set 2) and the second search space of the second search space set (search space 2 in search space set 2) are shown. Figure 3A It can be seen that the period of the search space of the second search space set is T2. Although Figure 3BWhile the other search spaces of the second search space set are not explicitly shown, it can be understood that the search space of the second search space set repeats once every T1 period. These two periods are different. Specifically, as... Figure 3B As shown, 2T1 = T2. For example, T1 can be 10 time slots, and T2 can be 20 time slots.

[0092] Regarding the connections, it can be seen that search space 1 in search space set 1 is connected to search space 1 in search space set 2, and search space 3 in search space set 1 is connected to search space 2 in search space set 2, while search space 2 in search space set 1 is not connected to any search space in search space set 2. Furthermore, it can be deduced that search space Y in search space set 1 is connected to search space (Y+1) / 2 in search space set 2, while search space Y+1 in search space set 1 is not connected to any search space in search space set 2, where Y is a positive odd number.

[0093] According to some implementation schemes, the first time period may be longer than the second time period. For example, N may be less than 1 but greater than 0 (e.g., 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 4, 1 / 5, etc.). However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and N may be any suitable positive real number.

[0094] For ease of explanation, it is assumed that the first period is shorter than the second period in the following text.

[0095] According to some implementation schemes, the search space of the first search space set is not connected to any search space of the second search space set, and monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information also includes not monitoring PDCCH candidates in the search spaces of the first search space set that are not connected to any search space of the second search space set.

[0096] According to some implementation schemes, since the first period is shorter than the second period, there may be one or more search spaces in the first search space that are not connected to any search space in the second search space set. For example, according to Figure 3B In the example shown, the search space Y+1 of search space set 1 is not connected to any search space of search space set 2, where Y is a positive odd number.

[0097] According to some implementation schemes, in this case, the UE may not monitor PDCCH candidates in search spaces of the first search space set that are not connected to any search space of the second search space set.

[0098] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, through the above configuration, even if the period of the search space in one search space set is different from that of the search space in the linked search space set, a connection between the search spaces in the time domain can still be established. Furthermore, the UE can only monitor search spaces with connections, thereby saving energy.

[0099] According to some implementation schemes, the search space of the first search space set is not connected to any search space of the second search space set, and monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information also includes monitoring PDCCH candidates in the search spaces of the first search space set that are not connected to any search space of the second search space set.

[0100] According to some implementations, the UE can still monitor PDCCH candidates in search spaces of the first search space set that are not connected to any search space of the second search space set. In some implementations, the count of blind decoding (BD) can be reduced during monitoring. In other implementations, the count of blind decoding (BD) can remain unchanged during monitoring. The definition of the count of BD and step S204 will be discussed later.

[0101] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, through the above configuration, even if the period of the search space in a search space set is different from that of the search space in the linked search space set, a connection between the search spaces in the time domain can still be established. Furthermore, the UE can monitor both linked search spaces and search spaces without any connections, thereby achieving more comprehensive monitoring of the search space in the time domain.

[0102] In step S204, the UE monitors PDCCH candidates based on the first control information.

[0103] After receiving first control information indicating connections between search space sets and connections between PDCCH candidates, the UE typically knows the time-domain pattern of the PDCCH candidates transmitted by the network device. The network device can then continue transmitting multiple PDCCH candidates. The UE monitors these PDCCH candidates to determine, based on the first control information, whether one or more PDCCH candidates exist for the UE.

[0104] According to this disclosure, during wireless transmission, PDCCH candidates may collide with other signals.

[0105] In some implementations, the PDCCH may conflict with a synchronization signal (e.g., an SSB) having a higher priority than the PDCCH candidate. In some implementations, the PDCCH may conflict with an uplink (UL) symbol having a higher priority than the PDCCH candidate. In some implementations, the PDCCH may conflict with a configured LTE cell reference signal (CRS) having a higher priority than the PDCCH candidate. In some implementations, the PDCCH may conflict with rate matching resources of a semi-statically configured PDSCH having a higher priority than the PDCCH candidate. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto; a PDCCH candidate may conflict with any signal having a higher priority than itself.

[0106] In the following sections, we will discuss the discarding of PDCCH candidates and their associated PDCCH candidates when the aforementioned conflicts occur, as well as whether to monitor PDCCH candidates and / or their associated PDCCH candidates.

[0107] According to some implementation schemes, if a PDCCH candidate in the first search space set conflicts with other high-priority signals, and a connected PDCCH candidate in the second search space set does not conflict with other high-priority signals, then a PDCCH candidate and its connected PDCCH candidates can be discarded. In some implementation schemes, the UE may still monitor a PDCCH candidate and its connected PDCCH candidates. In some implementation schemes, the UE may not monitor a PDCCH candidate and its connected PDCCH candidates. In some implementation schemes, the UE may monitor a PDCCH candidate and any one of its connected PDCCH candidates.

[0108] According to some implementation schemes, discarding the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and monitoring the PDCCH candidate based on the first control information further includes: monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, but not monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set that is connected to the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set.

[0109] According to some implementation schemes, if a PDCCH candidate is discarded but the connection PDCCH candidate is not discarded, the UE can monitor the connection PDCCH candidate that has not been discarded but not the discarded PDCCH candidate.

[0110] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by monitoring non-dropped (connected) PDCCH candidates instead of dropped PDCCHs, the UE can reduce monitoring and save energy compared to monitoring both a PDCCH candidate and its associated PDCCH candidates. On the other hand, by still monitoring associated PDCCH candidates, the possibility of skipping the target PDCCH candidate is reduced, thereby further enhancing PDCCH reliability.

[0111] According to some implementation schemes, discarding the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and monitoring the PDCCH candidate based on the first control information also includes: neither monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set nor monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set that is connected to the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set.

[0112] According to some implementation schemes, monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information includes blind decoding (BD) of the PDCCH candidates based on the first control information.

[0113] According to some implementation schemes, when multiple PDCCH candidates are received from the network device, the UE does not know which PDCCH candidate is for itself, and the UE performs blind decoding on each PDCCH candidate. In some implementation schemes, after blind decoding of the PDCCH candidates, the UE can know the PDCCH candidate for this UE, and then use the decoding result of the PDCCH candidate for control information.

[0114] In some implementations, blind decoding may include verification (e.g., cyclic redundancy check (CRC)) and polarity decoding, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0115] According to some implementations, the UE can record the count of blind decoding (BD). In some implementations, the UE can report the count of BD to the network device. It should be noted that the count of BD does not necessarily mean the actual number of BDs performed by the UE.

[0116] According to some implementation schemes, the count of the number of BDs is not equal to the actual number of BDs executed by the UE.

[0117] According to some implementation schemes, monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information also includes counting the blind decoding of both the first PDCCH candidates in the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidates in the second search space set, and counting the number of blind decodings based on the UE's capabilities.

[0118] According to some implementation schemes, when the UE does not monitor the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set, assuming that the UE performs blind decoding for both the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, the UE still counts the number of blind decodes and counts the number of blind decodes based on the UE's capabilities.

[0119] According to some implementation schemes, since the UE performs blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set but not on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set, the UE performs blind decoding only once for the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set. However, the number of blind decodings is counted based on the UE's capabilities.

[0120] According to some implementations, the UE's capabilities include whether the UE supports joint blind decoding. According to some implementations, joint blind decoding may include blind decoding of a combination of PDCCH candidates and concatenated PDCCH candidates.

[0121] According to some implementation schemes, the UE's capability indicates that the UE supports joint blind decoding, and the number of blind decodings is counted as 3, even though the UE performs blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set but not on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set.

[0122] According to some implementation schemes, in the actual operation of blind decoding, the UE receives a PDCCH candidate and a concatenated PDCCH candidate, but the UE only performs blind decoding on the concatenated PDCCH candidate, not on the PDCCH candidate itself. However, since the UE supports joint blind decoding, the blind decoding count is 3; that is, blind decoding is counted as 1 for each PDCCH candidate (even though it is not performed), blind decoding is counted as 1 for each concatenated PDCCH candidate, and blind decoding is counted as 1 for each combination of a PDCCH candidate and its concatenated PDCCH candidate. In some implementation schemes, blind decoding of a PDCCH candidate and its concatenated PDCCH candidate combination is not performed. In other implementation schemes, blind decoding of a PDCCH candidate and its concatenated PDCCH candidate combination is performed.

[0123] According to some implementation schemes, the UE's capability indicates that the UE does not support joint blind decoding, and the number of blind decodings is counted as 2, even though the UE performs blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set but not on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set.

[0124] According to some implementation schemes, in the actual operation of blind decoding, the UE receives a PDCCH candidate and a concatenated PDCCH candidate, but the UE only performs blind decoding on the concatenated PDCCH candidate and not on the PDCCH candidate. However, since the UE does not support joint blind decoding, the number of blind decodings is counted as 2, that is, blind decoding is counted as 1 for blind decoding of the PDCCH candidate (although the blind decoding is not performed), and blind decoding is counted as 1 for blind decoding of the concatenated PDCCH candidate.

[0125] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the counting of the number of BDs depends on the capabilities of the UE (e.g., whether joint blind decoding is supported), regardless of the actual BD operation. This simplifies the counting of the number of BDs and makes it easier to determine whether there is any ignoring of PDCCH candidates.

[0126] According to some implementation schemes, the count of the number of BDs is equal to the actual number of BDs executed by the UE.

[0127] According to some implementation schemes, monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set without monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set also includes blind decoding the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set without blind decoding the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set; and for blind decoding of the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set without blind decoding the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set, the number of blind decodes is counted as 1.

[0128] According to some implementation schemes, in the actual operation of blind decoding, the UE receives a PDCCH candidate and a concatenated PDCCH candidate, but the UE only performs blind decoding on the concatenated PDCCH candidate and not on the PDCCH candidate. Simultaneously, the number of blind decodings is counted as 1; that is, blind decoding of the concatenated PDCCH candidate is counted as 1.

[0129] According to some implementation schemes, not monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and not monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set also includes not performing blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and not performing blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set; and for the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and not performing blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, the number of blind decodings is counted as 0.

[0130] According to some implementation schemes, in the actual operation of blind decoding, the UE receives a PDCCH candidate and its associated PDCCH candidate, but the UE does not perform blind decoding on the associated PDCCH candidate or the PDCCH candidate. Simultaneously, the number of blind decodes is counted as 0, that is, no blind decodes are counted.

[0131] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by counting the number of BDs as actual BD operations, the count is closer to the actual situation, making the determination of ignoring PDCCH candidates more accurate.

[0132] According to some implementations, oversubscription of PDCCH candidates is permitted as discussed above. In some implementations, oversubscription of PDCCH candidates means that the network device configures a count greater than the number of UE BDs (e.g., BD / CCEs) that the UE can monitor. The counting of BDs has been discussed above. In some implementations, oversubscription is permitted only on the primary cell. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and oversubscription may be permitted on one or more secondary cells.

[0133] According to some implementation schemes, when oversubscription of PDCCH candidates occurs, the UE may discard one or more search space sets from multiple search space sets.

[0134] According to some implementation schemes, oversubscription of PDCCH candidates is detected based on first control information; and in response to the detection of oversubscription of PDCCH candidates, one or more search space sets in multiple search space sets are discarded.

[0135] According to some implementations, the first control information may indicate the number of business operations (BDs) performed by the UE. According to some implementations, the UE may compare the number of BDs performed by the UE configured by the network device with its ability to monitor PDCCH candidates. In some implementations, if the UE determines that the number of BDs performed by the UE configured by the network device exceeds its ability to monitor PDCCH candidates, the UE detects the ignoring of PDCCH candidates. In some implementations, if the UE determines that the number of BDs performed by the UE configured by the network device does not exceed its ability to monitor PDCCH candidates, the UE does not detect the ignoring of PDCCH candidates.

[0136] According to some implementation schemes, when over-subscription of PDCCH candidates is detected, the UE may, for example, discard one or more search space sets from multiple search space sets until the count of the number of BDs in the remaining search space sets does not exceed the UE's ability to monitor PDCCH candidates.

[0137] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, when oversubscription of PDCCH candidates is detected, the UE is able to monitor the remaining search space set by discarding one or more search space sets.

[0138] According to some implementation schemes, the UE may discard one or more search space sets in a predetermined order.

[0139] According to some implementation schemes, discarding one or more search space sets also includes discarding one or more search space sets based on the connections between search space sets.

[0140] According to some implementation schemes, the order in which search space sets are discarded is determined based on whether there are connections between them.

[0141] According to some implementation schemes, the multiple search space sets also include a third search space set, wherein the third search space set is not linked to any search space set in the multiple search space sets, and discarding one or more search space sets based on the links between search space sets also includes preferentially discarding the third search space.

[0142] According to some implementation schemes, when it is determined to discard a search space set, a search space set that has no connection with one or more other search space sets is preferentially discarded compared to a search space set that has at least one connection with one or more other search space sets.

[0143] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by assigning a higher retention priority to search space sets that have at least one connection with one or more other search space sets, the search space sets with connections remain as unchanged as possible. This relatively increases the duplication of PDCCH candidates, thereby relatively enhancing the PDCCH reliability of multi-TRP operations.

[0144] According to some implementation schemes, the multiple search space sets also include a third search space set, wherein the third search space set is not linked to any search space set in the multiple search space sets, and discarding one or more search space sets based on the links between search space sets also includes preferentially discarding the first search space set or the second search space set.

[0145] According to some implementation schemes, when it is determined to discard a search space set, a search space set that has at least one connection with one or more other search space sets is preferentially discarded compared to a search space set that has no connection with one or more other search space sets.

[0146] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by giving a higher retention priority to search space sets that have no connection with one or more other search space sets, the search space sets that have no connection remain as unchanged as possible. This simplifies the connection of search space sets and thus simplifies the connection of PDCCH candidates, thereby relatively reducing complexity.

[0147] According to some implementation schemes, discarding one or more search space sets also includes discarding one or more search space sets based on the index of the search space set and the link between the search space sets.

[0148] According to some implementation schemes, if the ability to monitor PDCCH candidates is still not satisfied after discarding all search space sets that are not connected to one or more other search space sets, the UE may begin to discard the remaining one or more search space sets that are connected to other search space sets, in order to preferentially discard search space sets that are not connected to one or more other search space sets compared to search space sets that are connected to one or more other search space sets.

[0149] According to some implementations, for example, the UE may perform indexing on one or more remaining search space sets that are connected to other search space sets according to time order. In some implementations, the UE may preferentially discard search space sets with larger indexes. In some implementations, the UE may preferentially discard search space sets with smaller indexes.

[0150] According to some implementations, a search space set and its joined search space set can be considered a pair of search space sets, and the pair of search space sets can have unique indices for both search space sets. In some implementations, the index of the pair of search space sets can be equal to the larger of the index of the search space set and the index of the joined search space set. In some implementations, the index of the pair of search space sets can be equal to the smaller of the index of the search space set and the index of the joined search space set.

[0151] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by considering both the connections between search space sets and the indexes of search space sets as discussed above, the UE can first discard search space sets that have no connections, and then discard search space sets with higher indexes. This maximizes the reliability of the PDCCH and simplifies the discarding process.

[0152] According to some implementation schemes, discarding one or more search space sets also includes discarding one or more search space sets based solely on the index of the search space set.

[0153] According to some implementations, regardless of whether a search space set is linked to other search space sets, the UE discards one or more search space sets based solely on their indexes. In some implementations, the UE may prioritize discarding search space sets with larger indexes. In some implementations, the UE may prioritize discarding search space sets with smaller indexes.

[0154] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the discarding of search space sets is simplified by discarding one or more search space sets based solely on the index of the search space set without considering the connections between the search space sets, thereby reducing complexity.

[0155] According to some implementation schemes, discarding one or more search space sets further includes: in response to discarding the first search space set, discarding a second search space set connected to the first search space set.

[0156] According to some implementation schemes, when the ignoring of PDCCH candidates is detected, if a search space set is discarded, the UE may also discard its association search space set.

[0157] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, both discarding the search space set and joining the search space set simplify the joining and reduce the actual BD operations.

[0158] According to some implementation schemes, discarding one or more search space sets further includes: in response to discarding the first search space set, determining whether to discard a second search space set linked to the first search space set based on the ranking of the remaining search space sets.

[0159] According to some implementations, when the ignoring of PDCCH candidates is detected, if a search space set is discarded, the UE may not discard its associated search space set. In some implementations, the UE determines whether to discard a second search space set associated with the first search space set based on the ranking of the remaining search space sets. In some implementations, the ranking may be determined based on the index of the search space sets and / or the links between search space sets.

[0160] In some implementations, for blind decoding of a PDCCH candidate in the discarded search space set and a PDCCH candidate in the undiscarded join search space set, the count of the number of BDs can be equal to 1.

[0161] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, when a search space set is discarded, the use of the received search space set is increased by still considering the connection of search space sets.

[0162] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, when determining the PDCCH from multiple PDCCH candidates, the UE may receive aperiodic signals or information from the network device. For example, aperiodic signals or information may include aperiodic channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), PDSCH, etc.

[0163] In some implementations, the UE may need some time to decode the downlink control information (DCI) to determine the PDCCH candidate as the PDCCH. In some implementations, the DCI is used to schedule aperiodic signals or information, including AP-CSI-RS, PDSCH, etc. For example, the UE may use 5 symbols to decode the DCI, but this disclosure is not limited to this, and the UE may use any suitable number of symbols to decode the DCI. In some implementations, the UE does not know whether any aperiodic signals or information, including AP-CSI-RS, PDSCH, etc., exist until the decoding of the DCI is complete, and therefore the UE needs to buffer some symbols.

[0164] According to some implementation schemes, the timing of receiving AP-CSI-RS and PDSCH can be limited based on the time of receiving PDCCH candidates.

[0165] Figure 4A Figure 4c illustrates three different relationships in the time domain between aperiodic signals (e.g., AP-CSI-RS and PDSCH) and concatenated PDCCH candidates.

[0166] Specifically, Figure 4AAn exemplary diagram is shown illustrating the time-domain relationship between an aperiodic signal and two concatenated PDCCH candidates, wherein the aperiodic signal is received after the UE has received both the earlier and later PDCCH candidates (the earlier and later PDCCH candidates are concatenated).

[0167] Figure 4B An exemplary diagram is shown illustrating the time-domain relationship between an aperiodic signal and two concatenated PDCCH candidates, wherein the aperiodic signal is received after the UE receives the earlier PDCCH candidate but before the UE receives the later PDCCH candidate (the earlier and later PDCCH candidates are concatenated).

[0168] Figure 4C An exemplary diagram is shown illustrating the illustrative relationship in the time domain between an aperiodic signal and two concatenated PDCCH candidates, wherein the aperiodic signal (which is concatenated) is received before the UE receives the earlier and later PDCCH candidates.

[0169] According to some implementation schemes, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set in the time domain, and the method further includes: obtaining an aperiodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from a network device, wherein the aperiodic CSI-RS is not earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set in the time domain.

[0170] According to some implementations, AP-CSI-RS cannot be received before an earlier PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set) or a concatenated later PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set). In some implementations, both the earlier PDCCH candidate and the concatenated later PDCCH candidate can trigger the corresponding AP-CSI-RS.

[0171] It should be noted that, in the above implementation plan, it is permitted to Figure 4A The illustrated AP-CSI-RS and the two concatenated PDCCH candidates represent an exemplary relationship in the time domain, but do not allow... Figure 4B and Figure 4C The example relationship in the time domain between the AP-CSI-RS and the two connected PDCCH candidates is shown.

[0172] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE receives two PDCCH candidates that trigger the AP-CSI-RS connection before receiving the corresponding AP-CSI-RS, which enhances PDCCH reliability and provides predictable time for UE buffering.

[0173] According to some implementation schemes, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set in the time domain, and the method further includes: obtaining an aperiodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from a network device, the aperiodic CSI-RS being no earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set in the time domain.

[0174] According to some implementations, AP-CSI-RS cannot be received before an earlier PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set) but can be received before a later PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set). In some implementations, both the earlier PDCCH candidate and the later PDCCH candidate can trigger the corresponding AP-CSI-RS.

[0175] It should be noted that, according to the above implementation plan, it is permitted to Figure 4A and Figure 4B The illustrated AP-CSI-RS and the two concatenated PDCCH candidates represent an exemplary relationship in the time domain, but do not allow... Figure 4C The example relationship in the time domain between the AP-CSI-RS and the two connected PDCCH candidates is shown.

[0176] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE receives the AP-CSI-RS after receiving the earlier of the two concatenated PDCCH candidates, which advances the reception of the AP-CSI-RS as much as possible and provides predictable time for UE buffering.

[0177] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the PDSCH may include a PDSCH having mapping type A and a PDSCH having mapping type B.

[0178] According to some implementation schemes, if the PDCCH that schedules the PDSCH is received in the same time slot and is not included in the first three symbols of the time slot, it may not be expected that the UE will receive the PDSCH with mapping type A in that time slot.

[0179] According to some implementation schemes, in order to schedule a PDSCH with mapping type A, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set must be received within a first predetermined number of symbols in the first time slot, and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set must be received within a first predetermined number of symbols in the second time slot.

[0180] According to some implementation schemes, when a first PDCCH candidate of a first search space set is concatenated to a first PDCCH candidate of a second search space set, wherein the concatenated PDCCH candidate is used to schedule a PDSCH with mapping type a, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the concatenated first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set must be received within a predetermined number of symbols at the start of their corresponding time slot. An example of the predetermined number of symbols is 3.

[0181] According to some implementations, both the earlier PDCCH candidate and the concatenated later PDCCH candidate are received within a predetermined number of symbols (e.g., 3 symbols) at the start of the corresponding time slot. Additionally, a PDSCH with mapping type A cannot be received before either the earlier PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set) or the concatenated later PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set). In some implementations, both the earlier PDCCH candidate and the concatenated later PDCCH candidate can trigger a corresponding PDSCH with mapping type A.

[0182] It should be noted that, according to the above implementation plan, it is permitted to Figure 4A The example shown illustrates the temporal relationship between a PDSCH of mapping type A and two concatenated PDCCH candidates, but does not allow... Figure 4B and Figure 4C The time-domain illustrative relationship between a PDSCH with mapping type A and two concatenated PDCCH candidates is shown.

[0183] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE receives two PDCCH candidates that trigger a connection of PDSCH with mapping type A before receiving the corresponding PDSCH with mapping type A. This enhances PDCCH reliability and provides predictable timing for UE buffering.

[0184] According to some implementation schemes, in order to schedule a PDSCH with mapping type A, only the first PDCCH candidate of the second search set must be received within a first predetermined number of symbols in the second time slot.

[0185] According to some implementations, when a first PDCCH candidate from a first search space set is concatenated to a first PDCCH candidate from a second search space set, where the first time slot is earlier than the second time slot in the time domain, the later PDCCH candidate from the second search space set must be received within a predetermined number of symbols at the start of the time slot when concatenating PDCCH candidates is used to schedule PDSCHs with mapping type A. An example of the predetermined number of symbols is 3.

[0186] According to some implementations, the later PDCCH candidate in a concatenation is received within a predetermined number of symbols (e.g., 3 symbols) at the start of its time slot, but there is no restriction on the start symbol of the earlier PDCCH candidate. Furthermore, a PDSCH with mapping type A cannot be received before either the earlier PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set) or the later PDCCH candidate in a concatenation (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set). In some implementations, both the earlier PDCCH candidate and the later PDCCH candidate in a concatenation can trigger a corresponding PDSCH with mapping type A.

[0187] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE receives a PDSCH with mapping type A after receiving the earlier of two concatenated PDCCH candidates, which advances the reception of the PDSCH with mapping type A as much as possible and provides predictable time for UE buffering.

[0188] According to some implementations, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is within a predetermined number of symbols at the start of the first time slot, and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set is within a predetermined number of symbols at the start of the second time slot, wherein the first time slot is earlier than the second time slot in the time domain, and the method further includes: obtaining a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device, the PDSCH being no earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set in the time domain, wherein the PDSCH is a PDSCH having mapping type A.

[0189] According to some implementations, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is within the first time slot, and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set is within a predetermined number of symbols at the beginning of the second time slot, wherein the first time slot is earlier than the second time slot in the time domain, and the method further includes: obtaining a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device, wherein the PDSCH is no earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set in the time domain, wherein the PDSCH is a PDSCH with mapping type A.

[0190] According to some implementation schemes, if the first symbol of the PDCCH that schedules the PDSCH is received in a later symbol than the first symbol indicated in the PDSCH time-domain resource allocation, it may not be expected that the UE will receive the PDSCH with mapping type B in the time slot.

[0191] According to some implementation schemes, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and the method further includes: obtaining a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device, the PDSCH being no earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, wherein the PDSCH is a PDSCH with mapping type B.

[0192] According to some implementations, a PDSCH with mapping type B cannot be received before an earlier PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set) or a concatenated later PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set). In some implementations, both the earlier PDCCH candidate and the concatenated later PDCCH candidate can trigger a corresponding PDSCH with mapping type B.

[0193] It should be noted that, according to the above implementation plan, it is permitted to Figure 4A The time-domain indicative relationship between the PDSCH with mapping type B and the two concatenated PDCCH candidates is shown, but it is not allowed to... Figure 4B and Figure 4C The time-domain illustrative relationship between a PDSCH with mapping type B and two concatenated PDCCH candidates is shown.

[0194] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE receives two PDCCH candidates that trigger a connection of PDSCH with mapping type B before receiving the corresponding PDSCH with mapping type B. This enhances PDCCH reliability and provides predictable timing for UE buffering.

[0195] According to some implementation schemes, the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and the method further includes: obtaining a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device, the PDSCH being no earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set, wherein the PDSCH is a PDSCH with mapping type B.

[0196] According to some implementations, a PDSCH with mapping type B cannot be received before an earlier PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set) but can be received before a later PDCCH candidate (i.e., the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set). In some implementations, both the earlier PDCCH candidate and the later PDCCH candidate can trigger a corresponding PDSCH with mapping type B.

[0197] It should be noted that, according to the above implementation plan, it is permitted to Figure 4A and Figure 4B The time-domain indicative relationship between the PDSCH with mapping type B and the two concatenated PDCCH candidates is shown, but it is not allowed to... Figure 4C The time-domain illustrative relationship between a PDSCH with mapping type B and two concatenated PDCCH candidates is shown.

[0198] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE receives a PDSCH with mapping type B after receiving the earlier of two concatenated PDCCH candidates. This advances the reception of the PDSCH with mapping type B as much as possible and provides predictable time for UE buffering.

[0199] Figure 5 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 5 The method 500 shown can be derived from Figure 1 This is implemented using the base station 150 described herein. For example, the network device can be the network device of the base station 150.

[0200] In some implementations, the method 500 for a network device may include the following steps: S502, generating first control information from the network device for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated; and S504, generating PDCCH candidates based on the first control information for transmission to the UE.

[0201] The following sections will describe each step of method 500. Note that, for clarity, references to other methods have been omitted. Figure 2 The components, expressions, features, etc., described, and their corresponding descriptions (regarding the UE).

[0202] In step S502, the network device generates first control information to the user equipment (UE), wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated.

[0203] In step S504, the network device generates a PDCCH candidate based on the first control information to be transmitted to the UE.

[0204] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by transmitting first control information from the network device indicating the connection between the first search space set and the second search space set, and the connection between the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, the network device configuration attributes the repetition of the PDCCH for the UE to the aforementioned connections, and thus increases the maximum duration of the PDCCH. That is, the number of symbols used for the PDCCH is increased, which means increased time and energy accumulated for transmitting the PDCCH, thereby enhancing the PDCCH reliability of multi-TRP operations.

[0205] It should be noted that, for clarity, references have been omitted from this article. Figures 3A-3B as well as Figures 4A-4C The components, expressions, features, etc., described, and their corresponding descriptions (regarding the UE).

[0206] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for enhancing PDCCH reliability according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0207] exist Figure 6 The document illustrates the steps of a method for enhancing the reliability of PDCCH in multi-TRP operations for a UE and a method for enhancing the reliability of PDCCH in network devices.

[0208] In step 602, the UE may transmit first control information to the network device. The first control information indicates connections between search space sets and connections between PDCCH candidates. Specifically, the first control information indicates multiple search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are connected, wherein the first search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of that first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of that second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are connected. Step 602 can be implemented according to the description of steps S202 and / or S502.

[0209] In step 604, the network device may periodically transmit multiple PDCCH candidates to the UE within a predetermined time period. Only one or some of the PDCCH candidates may become the PDCCH used by the UE. Step 604 may be implemented according to the description with reference to step S504.

[0210] In step 606, the UE may monitor multiple PDCCH candidates transmitted from the network device. Monitoring multiple PDCCH candidates includes blind decoding of the multiple PDCCH candidates. During blind decoding, if the UE discovers that one or more PDCCH candidates carry DCI, then one or more PDCCH candidates may become PDCCHs. Step 606 can be implemented according to the description with reference to step S204.

[0211] Note that steps 604 and 606 are executed simultaneously.

[0212] Figure 7 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 7 The device 700 shown can be used to achieve, for example, a combination Figure 2 Method 200 is shown.

[0213] like Figure 7 As shown, the device 700 includes an acquisition unit 710 and a monitoring unit 720.

[0214] The obtaining unit 710 can be configured to obtain first control information from a network device, wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are connected, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are connected, and the PDCCH candidate is monitored based on the first control information.

[0215] The monitoring unit 720 can be configured to monitor PDCCH candidates based on the first control information.

[0216] According to some embodiments of this application, by receiving first control information from the network device indicating the connection between the first search space set and the second search space set, and the connection between the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, the repetition of PDCCH for the UE is allowed due to the aforementioned connections, and thus the maximum duration of PDCCH is increased. That is, the number of symbols used for PDCCH is increased, which means increased time and energy accumulated for PDCCH transmission, thereby enhancing the reliability of PDCCH in multi-TRP operations.

[0217] Figure 8 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 8 The device 800 shown can be used to achieve, for example, a combination Figure 5 Method 500 is shown.

[0218] like Figure 8 As shown, the device 800 includes a first generation unit 810 and a second generation unit 820.

[0219] The first generation unit 810 can be configured to generate first control information for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated.

[0220] The second generation unit 820 can be configured to generate PDCCH candidates based on the first control information to be transmitted to the UE.

[0221] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by transmitting first control information from the network device indicating the connection between the first search space set and the second search space set, and the connection between the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, the network device configuration attributes the repetition of the PDCCH for the UE to the aforementioned connections, and thus increases the maximum duration of the PDCCH. That is, the number of symbols used for the PDCCH is increased, which means increased time and energy accumulated for transmitting the PDCCH, thereby enhancing the PDCCH reliability of multi-TRP operations.

[0222] Figure 9 Example components of a device 900 according to some embodiments are shown. In some embodiments, device 900 may include at least application circuitry 902, baseband circuitry 904, radio frequency (RF) circuitry (shown as RF circuitry 920), front-end module (FEM) circuitry (shown as FEM circuitry 930), one or more antennas 932, and power management circuitry (PMC) (shown as PMC 934) coupled together as shown. Components of the illustrated device 900 may be included in a UE or RAN node. In some embodiments, device 900 may include fewer components (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 902, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 900 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) specific implementation).

[0223] Application circuitry 902 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 902 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 900. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 902 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0224] Baseband circuitry 904 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 904 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 920 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 920. Baseband circuitry 904 may interact with application circuitry 902 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 920. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 904 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor (3G baseband processor 906), a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor (4G baseband processor 908), a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor (5G baseband processor 910), or other existing, under development, or future generations of baseband processors 912 (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 904 (e.g., one or more baseband processors) can handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 920. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the illustrated baseband processor may be included in modules stored in memory 918 and executed via a central processing unit ETnit (CPET 914). Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, RF shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 904 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 904 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Implementations of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

[0225] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 904 may include a digital signal processor (DSP), such as one or more audio DSPs 916. The one or more audio DSPs 916 may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 904 and the application circuitry 902 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0226] In some implementations, baseband circuit 904 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 904 can support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Implementations in which baseband circuit 904 is configured to support radio communication with more than one radio protocol are referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0227] RF circuit 920 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 920 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 920 may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 930 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 904. RF circuit 920 may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 904 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 930.

[0228] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 920 may include mixer circuit 922, amplifier circuit 924, and filter circuit 926. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 920 may include filter circuit 926 and mixer circuit 922. RF circuit 920 may also include synthesizer circuit 928 for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 922 for both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 930 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 928. Amplifier circuit 924 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 926 may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 904 for further processing. In some embodiments, although not required, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 922 for receiving the signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0229] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 922 of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 928 to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 930. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 904 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 926.

[0230] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0231] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuit 920 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuit 904 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuit 920.

[0232] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0233] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 928 may be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 928 may be a Δ-Σ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0234] Synthesizer circuit 928 can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 922 of RF circuit 920. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 928 may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0235] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not mandatory. The divider control input may be provided by baseband circuitry 904 or application circuitry 902 (such as an application processor) according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by application circuitry 902.

[0236] The synthesizer circuit 928 of the RF circuit 920 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0237] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 928 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 920 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0238] FEM circuit 930 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 932, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 920 for further processing. FEM circuit 930 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 920 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 932. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 920, only in FEM circuit 930, or in both RF circuit 920 and FEM circuit 930.

[0239] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 930 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 930 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 930 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 920). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 930 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify the input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 920), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas in one or more antennas 932).

[0240] In some implementations, the PMC 934 manages the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 904. Specifically, the PMC 934 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 934 is typically included when the device 900 is capable of being battery powered, for example, when the device 900 is included in an EGE. The PMC 934 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0241] Figure 9 The PMC 934 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 904. However, in other embodiments, the PMC 934 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 902, the RF circuit 920, or the FEM circuit 930) and perform similar power management operations for those components.

[0242] In some implementations, the PMC 934 can control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of the device 900. For example, if the device 900 is in an RRC connected state, where it remains connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive communication soon, the device can enter a state called Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after an inactive period. During this state, the device 900 can be powered down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0243] If there is no data service activity during the extended period, device 900 can transition to RRC Idle state. In RRC Idle state, the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 900 enters a very low power state and performs paging. In this very low power state, the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then powers off again. Device 900 cannot receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, the device transitions back to RRC Connected state.

[0244] An additional power-saving mode allows the device to be unavailable from the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (ranging from seconds to hours). During this time, the device is completely unconnected to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this period will incur significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0245] The processors of application circuitry 902 and baseband circuitry 904 are elements that can be used to execute one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuitry 904 can be used alone or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of application circuitry 902 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0246] Figure 10 An exemplary interface 1000 of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments is shown. As discussed above, Figure 9 The baseband circuitry 904 may include a 3G baseband processor 906, a 4G baseband processor 908, a 5G baseband processor 910, other baseband processors 912, a CPU 914, and a memory 918 utilized by the processors. As shown, each of these processors may include a corresponding memory interface 1002 to send data to / receive data from the memory 918.

[0247] The baseband circuit 904 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 1004 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 904) or an application circuit interface 1006 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 904). Figure 9 Application circuit 902 (interface for sending / receiving data), RF circuit interface 1008 (e.g., for sending / receiving data to / from...). Figure 9 The RF circuit 920 is an interface for transmitting / receiving data, and the wireless hardware connection interface 1010 is used for transmitting / receiving data to / from near field communication (NFC) components. Components (e.g.) (low power consumption) Interfaces for sending / receiving data to / from components and other communication components) and power management interface 1012 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from PMC 934).

[0248] Figure 11 This is a block diagram illustrating a component 1100, according to some exemplary embodiments, capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and capable of executing any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Specifically, Figure 11 A schematic representation of hardware resources 1102 is shown, including one or more processors 1112 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 1118, and one or more communication resources 1120, each of which is communicatively coupled via bus 1122. For implementations utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), an executable hypervisor 1104 provides an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resources 1102.

[0249] Processor 1112 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1114 and processor 1116.

[0250] The memory / storage device 1118 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 1118 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0251] Communication resource 1120 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 1106 or one or more databases 1108 via network 1110. For example, communication resource 1120 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via Universal Serial Bus (USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, etc. Components (e.g.) (low power consumption) Components and other communication components.

[0252] Instructions 1124 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least any of processors 1112 to perform one or more of the methods discussed herein. Instructions 1124 may reside wholly or partially within processor 1112 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), memory / storage device 1118, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instructions 1124 may be transferred from any combination of peripheral device 1106 or database 1108 to hardware resource 1102. Therefore, the memory of processor 1112, memory / storage device 1118, peripheral device 1106, and database 1108 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0253] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0254] Figure 12 The architecture of a system 1200 of a network according to some embodiments is shown. System 1200 includes one or more user equipments (UEs), shown in this example as UE 1202 and UE 1204. UE 1202 and UE 1204 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), pager, laptop computer, desktop computer, wireless handheld terminal, or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0255] In some implementations, either UE 1202 or UE 1204 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed to utilize low-power IoT applications with short-lived UE connectivity. The IoT UE may exchange data with an MTC server or device via technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communication (MTC), through a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or an IoT network. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connectivity. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keeping track of activity messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0256] UE 1202 and UE 1204 can be configured to connect (e.g., communicatively coupled) to a radio access network (RAN) (shown as RAN 1206). RAN 1206 can be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a Next Generation RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. UE 1202 and UE 1204 utilize connection 1208 and connection 1210, respectively, where each connection includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, connection 1208 and connection 1210 are shown as air interfaces for communicative coupling and can be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network protocol, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, Cellular PTT protocol (POC), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, 5G protocol, New Radio (NR) protocol, etc.

[0257] In this implementation, UE 1202 and UE 1204 can also directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 1212. ProSe interface 1212 may alternatively be referred to as a sideline interface including one or more logical channels, including but not limited to the physical sideline control channel (PSCCH), physical sideline shared channel (PSSCH), physical sideline discovery channel (PSDCH), and physical sideline broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0258] UE 1204 is shown configured to access an access point (AP) (shown as AP 1214) via connection 1216. Connection 1216 may include local wireless connectivity, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 1214 will include Wireless Fidelity (WF). Router. In this example, AP 1214 can connect to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

[0259] RAN 1206 may include one or more access nodes that enable connections 1208 and 1210. These access nodes (ANs) may be referred to as base stations (BS), node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), next-generation Node Bs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). RAN 1206 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, such as macro RAN node 1218, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells with smaller coverage, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), such as low-power (LP) RAN nodes (e.g., LP RAN node 1220).

[0260] Either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for UE 1202 and UE 1204. In some implementations, either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 can fulfill various logical functions of RAN 1206, including but not limited to the functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0261] According to some implementations, UE 1202 and UE 1204 can be configured to communicate with each other or with either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 on a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals based on various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication)). However, the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0262] In some implementations, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from either RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 to UE 1202 and UE 1204, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which represents the physical resources in the downlink within each time slot. This time-frequency plane representation is common practice for OFDM systems, making radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises multiple resource blocks that describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a set of resource elements. In the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources currently available for allocation. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0263] The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) can carry user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 1202 and UE 1204. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) can carry information such as the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. The PDCCH can also inform UE 1202 and UE 1204 of the transmission format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 1204 within the cell) can be performed at either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 based on channel quality information fed back from either UE 1202 or UE 1204. Downlink resource allocation information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used for (e.g., allocated to) each of UE 1202 and UE 1204.

[0264] PDCCH can use Control Channel Elements (CCEs) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the complex-valued symbols of the PDCCH are first organized into quadruplets, which are then arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to a set of four physical resource elements (REGs) of nine. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. In LTE, four or more different PDCCH formats with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L = 1, 2, 4, or 8) can exist.

[0265] Some implementations may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some implementations may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). Similarly, each ECCE may correspond to a set of nine physical resource elements, referred to as an enhanced resource element group (EREG). In some cases, an ECCE may have a different number of EREGs.

[0266] RAN 1206 is communicatively coupled to the core network (CN) (shown as CN 1228) via S1 interface 1222. In this implementation, CN 1228 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a next-generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this implementation, S1 interface 1222 is divided into two parts: S1-U interface 1224, which carries service data between macro RAN node 1218 and LP RAN node 1220 and the serving gateway (S-GW) (shown as S-GW 1132); and S1-Mobility Management Entity (MME) interface (shown as S1-MME interface 1226), which is the signaling interface between macro RAN node 1218 and LP RAN node 1220 and MME 1230.

[0267] In this implementation, CN 1228 includes an MME 1230, an S-GW 1232, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) (shown as P-GW 1234), and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) (shown as HSS 1236). The MME 1230 can functionally resemble the control plane of a legacy General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN). The MME 1230 can manage access-related mobility aspects such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 1236 can include a database for network users, containing subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions. Depending on the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, etc., CN 1228 may include one or more HSS 1236s. For example, the HSS 1236 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

[0268] The S-GW 1232 can terminate the S1 interface 1222 toward RAN 1206 and route data packets between RAN 1206 and CN 1228. Additionally, the S-GW 1232 can serve as a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handover and can also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, billing, and enforcement of certain policies.

[0269] P-GW 1234 can terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN. P-GW 1234 can route data packets between CN 1228 (e.g., an EPC network) and external networks (such as a network including application server 1242 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface (shown as IP communication interface 1238). Generally, application server 1242 can be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., ETMTS Packet Service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). In this embodiment, P-GW 1234 is shown communicatively coupled to application server 1242 via IP communication interface 1238. Application server 1242 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UE 1202 and UE 1204 via CN 1228.

[0270] P-GW 1234 can also be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) (shown as PCRF 1240) is the policy and charging control element of CN 1228. In non-roaming scenarios, a single PCRF may exist in the domestic public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with the ETE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In roaming scenarios with local traffic breaches, two PCRFs may exist associated with the UE's IP-CAN session: a domestic PCRF within the HPLMN (H-PCRF) and a visited PCRF within the visited public land mobile network (VPLMN) (V-PCRF). PCRF 1240 can be communicatively coupled to application server 1242 via P-GW 1234. Application server 1242 can signal PCRF 1240 to indicate new service flows and select appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. PCRF 1240 can provide this rule to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with an appropriate Flow Template (TFT) and QoS Category Identifier (QCI), which begins with QoS and charging specified by application server 1242.

[0271] Additional Examples

[0272] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0273] The following examples relate to other implementation schemes.

[0274] Example 1 is a method for a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: obtaining first control information from a network device, wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated; and monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information.

[0275] Example 2 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is discarded, and wherein monitoring the PDCCH candidate based on the first control information further includes: monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, but not monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set that is connected to the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set.

[0276] Example 3 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is discarded, and wherein monitoring the PDCCH candidate based on the first control information further includes: neither monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set nor monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set that is connected to the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set.

[0277] Example 4 is the method according to Example 2, wherein monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information further includes counting the blind decoding of both the first PDCCH candidates in the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidates in the second search space set, and wherein the number of blind decodings is counted based on the UE's capabilities.

[0278] Example 5 is the method according to Example 4, wherein the UE's capability indicates that the UE supports joint blind decoding; and wherein the number of blind decodings is counted as 3, even though the UE performs blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set but not on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set.

[0279] Example 6 is the method according to Example 4, wherein the UE's capability indicates that the UE does not support joint blind decoding; and wherein the number of blind decodings is counted as 2, even though the UE performs blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set but not on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set.

[0280] Example 7 is the method according to Example 2, wherein monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set without monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set further includes blind decoding of the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set without blind decoding of the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set; and wherein the number of blind decodes for blind decoding of the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set without blind decoding of the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is counted as 1.

[0281] Example 8 is the method according to Example 3, wherein neither monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set nor monitoring the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set further includes neither performing blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set nor performing blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set; and wherein for the case where neither performing blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set nor performing blind decoding on the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, the number of blind decodes is counted as 0.

[0282] Example 9 is the method according to Example 1, the method further comprising: detecting oversubscription of PDCCH candidates based on first control information; and in response to detecting oversubscription of PDCCH candidates, discarding one or more search space sets in a plurality of search space sets.

[0283] Example 10 is the method according to Example 9, wherein discarding one or more search space sets further includes: discarding one or more search space sets based on the connections between search space sets.

[0284] Example 11 is the method according to Example 10, wherein the plurality of search space sets further includes a third search space set, wherein the third search space set is not linked to any search space set in the plurality of search space sets; and wherein discarding one or more search space sets based on the links between search space sets further includes preferentially discarding the third search space set.

[0285] Example 12 is the method according to Example 10, wherein the plurality of search space sets further includes a third search space set, wherein the third search space set is not linked to any search space set in the plurality of search space sets; and wherein discarding one or more search space sets based on the links between search space sets further includes preferentially discarding the first search space set or the second search space set.

[0286] Example 13 is the method according to Example 10, wherein discarding one or more search space sets further includes: discarding one or more search space sets based on the index of the search space set and the link between the search space sets.

[0287] Example 14 is the method according to Example 9, wherein discarding one or more search space sets further includes: discarding one or more search space sets based solely on the index of the search space set.

[0288] Example 15 is the method according to Example 9, wherein discarding one or more search space sets further includes: in response to discarding the first search space set, discarding a second search space set associated with the first search space set.

[0289] Example 16 is the method according to Example 9, wherein discarding one or more search space sets further includes: in response to discarding the first search space set, determining whether to discard a second search space set linked to the first search space set based on the ranking of the remaining search space sets.

[0290] Example 17 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first search space set includes a first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set; and wherein each PDCCH candidate in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set is associated with at least one PDCCH candidate in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set.

[0291] Example 18 is the method according to Example 17, wherein each PDCCH candidate in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set is linked one-to-one to each PDCCH candidate in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set.

[0292] Example 19 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first search space set includes a first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set; and wherein one or more PDCCH candidates of the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set are not linked to any PDCCH candidate in the second search space set.

[0293] Example 20 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first search space set is only linked to the second search space set.

[0294] Example 21 is the method according to Example 1, wherein a first search space set is connected to a second search space set and one or more search space sets that are different from the first and second search space sets in a plurality of search space sets.

[0295] Example 22 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first search space set includes a first plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a first period in the time domain, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a second period in the time domain; and wherein the first period and the second period are the same.

[0296] Example 23 is the method according to Example 22, wherein the connection between the first search space of the first search space set and the first search space of the second search space set in the time domain is configured by the network device.

[0297] Example 24 is the method according to Example 22, wherein the connection between the first search space of the first search space set and the first search space of the second search space set in the time domain is determined based on the degree of proximity to absolute timing.

[0298] Example 25 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first search space set includes a first plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a first period in the time domain, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a second period in the time domain; and wherein the first period is shorter than the second period.

[0299] Example 26 is the method according to Example 25, wherein the search space of the first search space set is not connected to any search space of the second search space set; and wherein monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information further includes: not monitoring PDCCH candidates in the search spaces of the first search space set that are not connected to any search space of the second search space set.

[0300] Example 27 is the method according to Example 25, wherein the search space of the first search space set is not connected to any search space of the second search space set; and wherein monitoring PDCCH candidates based on the first control information further includes: monitoring PDCCH candidates in the search spaces of the first search space set that are not connected to any search space of the second search space set.

[0301] Example 28 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set in the time domain; and wherein the method further includes: obtaining an aperiodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from a network device, wherein the aperiodic CSI-RS is not earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set in the time domain.

[0302] Example 29 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set in the time domain; and wherein the method further includes: obtaining an aperiodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from a network device, wherein the aperiodic CSI-RS is not earlier than the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set in the time domain.

[0303] Example 30 is the method according to Example 1, wherein in order to schedule a PDSCH with mapping type A, a first PDCCH candidate of a first search space set must be received within a first predetermined number of symbols in a first time slot, and a first PDCCH candidate of a second search space set must be received within a first predetermined number of symbols in a second time slot.

[0304] Example 31 is the method according to Example 1, wherein in order to schedule a PDSCH with mapping type A, only the first PDCCH candidate of the second search set must be received within a first predetermined number of symbols of 3 in the second time slot.

[0305] Example 32 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set; and wherein the method further includes: obtaining a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device, wherein the PDSCH is not earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, wherein the PDSCH is a PDSCH with mapping type B.

[0306] Example 33 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set; and wherein the method further includes: obtaining a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device, wherein the PDSCH is not earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set, wherein the PDSCH is a PDSCH with mapping type B.

[0307] Example 34 is a method for a network device, the method comprising: generating first control information for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated; and generating PDCCH candidates based on the first control information for transmission to the UE.

[0308] Example 35 is an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 33.

[0309] Example 36 is an apparatus for a network device, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to Example 34.

[0310] Example 37 is a computer-readable medium having computer programs stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 34.

[0311] Example 38 is an apparatus for a communication device, the apparatus including means for performing the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 34.

[0312] Example 39 is a computer program product comprising computer programs that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 34.

[0313] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0314] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., of one implementation in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., may be combined with or replace parameters / attributes, etc., of another implementation.

[0315] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0316] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) having circuitry for: First control information is obtained from a network device, wherein the first control information is used to indicate a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are connected, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are connected; as well as Based on the first control information, monitor one or more PDCCH candidates. The first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set is discarded, and in order to monitor the one or more PDCCH candidates based on the first control information, the following operations are performed: Monitor the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set but not the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set; as well as The number of blind decodes is determined by counting the blind decodes of both the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the circuit is used for: The number of blind decodings recorded.

3. The UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuit is further configured to: Overbooking of PDCCH candidates is detected based on the first control information; and In response to the detection of oversubscription of the PDCCH candidates, one or more search space sets are discarded.

4. The UE according to claim 3, wherein the circuit is further configured to: The ranking of the multiple search space sets is further generated based on the search space set index.

5. The UE according to claim 4, wherein the ranking of all connected search space sets is higher than the ranking of all unconnected search space sets, and the one or more search space sets are the lowest-ranked search space sets among the plurality of search space sets.

6. The UE of claim 3, wherein the ranking of all connected search space sets is lower than the ranking of all unconnected search space sets, and the one or more search space sets are the lowest-ranked search space sets among the plurality of search space sets.

7. The UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first search space set includes a first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set, and Each PDCCH candidate in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set is associated with at least one PDCCH candidate in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set.

8. The UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first search space set is only linked to the second search space set.

9. The UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first search space set includes a first plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a first period in the time domain, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a second period in the time domain, and wherein the first period is equal to the second period.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the concatenation of the second search space set, and the circuitry is further configured to: Identify an aperiodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from the network device, wherein the aperiodic CSI-RS is triggered in the time domain by the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set; and CSI measurements are performed based on the aforementioned non-periodic CSI-RS.

11. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the concatenation of the second search space set, and the circuitry is further configured to: Aperiodic Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) is obtained from the network device, wherein the aperiodic CSI-RS is no earlier than the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set in the time domain.

12. The UE of claim 1, wherein at least one PDCCH candidate in one or more PDCCH candidates is used to schedule a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) with mapping type A, and the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set is restricted to the first three symbols of a first time slot, and the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set is restricted to the first three symbols of a second time slot.

13. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and the circuitry is further configured to: The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is obtained from the network device, wherein the PDSCH is no earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the PDSCH has a mapping type B.

14. A method for a network device, the method comprising: Generate first control information for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first control information indicates a plurality of search space sets including a first search space set and a second search space set, wherein the first search space set and the second search space set are concatenated, wherein the first search space set includes a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and wherein the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set are concatenated; as well as A PDCCH to be transmitted to the UE is generated based on the first control information, wherein the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set is discarded, and when the UE monitors one or more PDCCH candidates based on the first control information, the UE will perform the following operations: Monitor the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set but not the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set; as well as The number of blind decodes is determined by counting the blind decodes of both the first PDCCH candidate in the first search space set and the first PDCCH candidate in the second search space set.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first search space set includes a first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set, and the second search space set includes a second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set, and Each PDCCH candidate in the first plurality of PDCCH candidates of the first search space set is associated with at least one PDCCH candidate in the second plurality of PDCCH candidates of the second search space set.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the first search space set is only linked to the second search space set.

17. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the first search space set comprises a first plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a first period in the time domain, and the second search space set comprises a second plurality of search spaces that repeat periodically with a second period in the time domain, and wherein the first period is equal to the second period.

18. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the PDCCH is used to schedule a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) having mapping type A, and the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is restricted to the first three symbols of the first time slot, and the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set is restricted to the first three symbols of the second time slot.

19. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the PDCCH is used to schedule a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) having mapping type B, and the first PDCCH candidate of the first search space set is earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set, and the method further comprises: The PDSCH is transmitted, and the PDSCH is no earlier in the time domain than the first PDCCH candidate of the second search space set.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The number of blind decodings recorded.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the UE does not support joint blind decoding and the number of blind decodes is 2, or the UE supports joint blind decoding and the number of blind decodes is 3.

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