Blind decoding count for repeated physical downlink control channel candidates

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A user equipment (UE) may receive a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts of repeated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates. The UE may determine a blind decoding count mode from the configuration message, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts of repeated PDCCH candidates. The UE may monitor one or more repetitions of downlink control information by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 482,312, filed on September 22, 2021, by KHOSHNEVISAN et al. and entitled "BLIND DECODING COUNTING FOR REPETITION-BASED PHYSICAL DOWNLINK CONTROL CHANNEL CANDIDATES", and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 083,081, filed on September 24, 2020, by KHOSHNEVISAN et al. and entitled "BLIND DECODING COUNTING FOR REPETITION-BASED PHYSICAL DOWNLINK CONTROL CHANNEL CANDIDATES"; each of which is assigned to the assignee of the present application. Technical Field

[0003] The following relates to wireless communication, including blind decoding counting for repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multi-access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems (such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems), and fifth-generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as NR systems. These systems may employ various techniques such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multi-access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication of multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE).

[0005] Overview

[0006] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates. Generally, aspects of the described techniques support various mechanisms for a base station and / or user equipment (UE) to identify blind decoding rules to be applied by the UE to blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates. For example, a base station may configure a UE with a blind decoding count mode that indicates how the UE is to count blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCHs. The blind decoding count mode may include the UE counting soft combinations of different repetitions as a single blind decoding attempt, the UE counting each attempted decoding of an individual PDCCH candidate as a separate blind decoding event, and so on. Some blind decoding count modes may allow the UE to count attempted decodings and / or soft combinations of individual PDCCH candidates. In some cases, the UE may report its own blind decoding capabilities (e.g., in a UE capabilities message), and a configuration message provided by the base station may be based on the UE capabilities message. For example, the UE may include in the UE capabilities message a specific blind decoding count mode supported by the UE for blind decoding attempt counting. The UE may monitor repetitions of downlink control information (DCI) detected in repeated PDCCH candidates.

[0007] A method for wireless communication at a UE is described. The method may include: receiving, from a base station, a configuration message that includes one or more parameters related to the UE making blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; determining, from the configuration message, a blind decoding count mode that indicates a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blind decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0008] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor of the UE, a transceiver coupled to the processor, and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory and the processor configured to cause the apparatus: to receive, from a base station, a configuration message that includes one or more parameters related to the UE making blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; to determine, from the configuration message, a blind decoding count mode that indicates a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and to monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blind decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0009] Describes another device for wireless communication at a UE. The device may include means for: receiving a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; determining from the configuration message a blind decoding count mode, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0010] Describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; determine from the configuration message a blind decoding count mode, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0011] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for the following action: transmitting a UE capability message indicating information associated with the blind decoding operations supported by the UE when performing blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein the configuration message may be based on the UE capability message.

[0012] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the information associated with the blind decoding operations supported by the UE includes at least one of the following: a set of blind decoding count modes supported by the UE, the number of repetitions of DCI associated with the blind decoding operations, or both.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the repeated PDCCH candidates include a set of PDCCH candidates in the same search space associated with a common control resource set (CORESET) or a separate CORESET.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, where repeated PDCCH candidates include a first PDCCH candidate in a first search space set and a second PDCCH candidate in a second search space set, the first search space set and the second search space set are associated with separate CORESETs or a common CORESET (e.g., the same CORESET).

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving a configuration message may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: receiving a configuration message in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0016] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: identifying a blind decoding count mode including soft combining a first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI, and attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of PDCCH (e.g., the DCI(s) carried in the PDCCH) by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each soft combination, where the blind decoding count does not exceed a maximum blind decoding count.

[0017] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for: identifying a blind decoding count mode including attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI and a second repetition of DCI, and attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the first DCI carried in the PDDCH) and a second repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the second DCI carried in the PDCCH) by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding, where the blind decoding count does not exceed a maximum blind decoding count.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: identifying a blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI and soft combining the first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI, and attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the first DCI carried in the PDCCH) and soft combining the first repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the first DCI carried in the PDCCH) and a second repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the second DCI carried in the PDCCH) by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination, the blind decoding count not exceeding a maximum blind decoding count.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI may include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: identifying a blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the DCI carried in the PDCCH) and a second repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the DCI carried in the PDCCH) and soft combining the first repetition of DCI with the second repetition of DCI, and attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the first DCI carried in the PDCCH) and a second repetition of PDCCH and soft combining the first repetition of PDCCH (e.g., the first DCI carried in the PDCCH) and the second repetition of PDCCH by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination, the blind decoding count not exceeding a maximum blind decoding count.

[0020] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: transmitting an indication to a base station of the number of times to count in a blind decoding count for each blind decoding attempt for one or more repetitions of DCI, the blind decoding count mode being at least partially based on the indication.

[0021] A method for wireless communication at a base station is described. The method may include: determining a blind decoding count pattern for a UE, the blind decoding count pattern indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; transmitting a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count pattern, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; and transmitting one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using the repeated-based PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blind decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern.

[0022] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor of a base station, a transceiver coupled to the processor, and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory and the processor being configured to cause the apparatus: to determine a blind decoding count pattern for a UE, the blind decoding count pattern indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; to transmit a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count pattern, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; and to transmit one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using the repeated-based PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blind decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern.

[0023] Another device for wireless communication at a base station is described. The device may include means for: determining a blind decoding count pattern for a UE, the blind decoding count pattern indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; transmitting a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count pattern, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; and transmitting one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using the repeated-based PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blind decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern.

[0024] Describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: determining, for a UE, a blind decoding count mode that indicates a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; transmitting, to the UE and based on the blind decoding count mode, a configuration message that includes one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates; and transmitting one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using the repeated-based PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0025] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, apparatuses, or instructions for the following actions: receiving, from the UE, a UE capability message indicating information associated with blind decoding operations supported by the UE when performing blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates, wherein the configuration message may be based on the UE capability message.

[0026] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the information associated with the blind decoding operations supported by the UE includes at least one of the following: a set of blind decoding count modes supported by the UE, the number of repetitions of DCI associated with the blind decoding operations, or both.

[0027] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the repeated-based PDCCH candidates include a set of PDCCH candidates in the same search space set, and the same search space set is associated with a common CORESET or a separate CORESET (e.g., a different CORESET).

[0028] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the configuration message may be transmitted in RRC signaling. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] Figure 1 Illustrates an example of a system for wireless communication that supports blind decoding count for repeated-based physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 Illustrates an example of a wireless communication system that supports blind decoding count for repeated-based PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 3An example of a process for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is explained.

[0033] Figure 4 and 5 A block diagram of a device for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0034] Figure 6 A block diagram of a communication manager for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Figure 7 A diagram of a system including a device for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 8 and 9 A block diagram of a device for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0037] Figure 10 A block diagram of a communication manager for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] Figure 11 A diagram of a system including a device for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0039] Figures 12 to 15 A flowchart of a method for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0040] Detailed Description

[0041] Some wireless communication systems may support repeated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates, where the same downlink control information (DCI) may be sent from a base station to a user equipment (UE) among multiple PDCCH candidates. Repeated PDCCH candidates carrying DCI may be scheduled for the UE, but the UE may not actually monitor each PDCCH candidate. For example, successful decoding of DCI carried in an earlier PDCCH candidate may cause the UE not to monitor a later PDCCH candidate carrying the same DCI. However, the UE may attempt blind decoding of some or all of the repeated PDCCH candidates. However, the UE may be configured with a maximum blind decoding limit. If the UE attempts to decode a PDCCH candidate and is unsuccessful, the UE increments a blind decoding count and then attempts to decode the next PDCCH candidate. In a repeated PDCCH, this may cause the UE to reach its blind decoding limit faster than in a non-repeated PDSCH (e.g., if the UE counts each blind decoding attempt). This may cause the UE to prematurely abandon blind decoding attempts and thus be unable to recover the DCI. Since the DCI may be used to schedule downlink and / or uplink communication with the UE, the UE will miss the scheduled communication. This may result in significant waste of air resources, processing, battery usage, etc.

[0042] Aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Generally, the described techniques provide various mechanisms for supporting wireless communication in a wireless network. Broadly speaking, aspects of the described techniques support various mechanisms for a base station and / or UE to identify blind decoding rules to be applied by the UE to blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates. For example, the base station may configure the UE with a blind decoding count mode that indicates how the UE will count blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCHs. The blind decoding count mode may include the UE counting soft combinations of different repetitions as a single blind decoding attempt. Alternatively, the blind decoding count mode may allow the UE to count each attempted decoding of an individual PDCCH candidate as a separate blind decoding event. Some blind decoding count modes may allow the UE to count attempted decodings and / or soft combinations of individual PDCCH candidates. In some cases, the UE may report its own blind decoding capabilities (e.g., in a UE capabilities message), and the configuration message provided by the base station may be based on the UE capabilities message. For example, the UE may include in the UE capabilities message a specific blind decoding count mode supported by the UE for blind decoding attempt counting. The UE may monitor the repetitions of DCI detected in repeated PDCCH candidates.

[0043] Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described by and with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts related to blind decoding counting for repeated PDCCH candidates.

[0044] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 that supports blind decoding counting based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is described. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communication, low latency communication, communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0045] The base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communication system 100, and may be devices of different forms or having different capabilities. The base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110, and the UEs 115 and the base stations 105 may establish one or more communication links 125 over the coverage area 110. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which the base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0046] The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary or mobile, or stationary and mobile at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices of different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are described in Figure 1 . The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment), as Figure 1 shown.

[0047] Each base station 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with each other, or both. For example, the base stations 105 may interface with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105), or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or directly and indirectly over the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, the backhaul links 120 may be or include one or more wireless links.

[0048] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by those of ordinary skill in the art as a base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next generation Node B, or Gigabit Node B (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), home Node B, home evolved Node B, or other suitable terms.

[0049] The UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term, where "device" may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, etc. The UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or personal computer. In some examples, the UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine type communication (MTC) device, etc., which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, vehicles, meters, etc.

[0050] The UE 115 described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that may sometimes act as relays, as well as base stations 105 and network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, relay base stations, etc., as Figure 1 shown.

[0051] The UE 115 and the base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term "carrier" may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication link 125. For example, a carrier for the communication link 125 may include a portion (e.g., bandwidth part (BWP)) of a radio frequency spectrum band that operates according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling for coordinating carrier operation, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 may support communicating with the UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured to have multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used in conjunction with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0052] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates the operation of other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)), and may be positioned according to a channel raster for discovery by UE 115. A carrier may operate in a stand-alone mode in which initial acquisition and connection may be performed by UE 115 via the carrier, or a carrier may operate in a non-stand-alone mode in which the connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., different carriers of the same or different radio access technologies).

[0053] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include an uplink transmission from UE 115 to the base station 105, or a downlink transmission from the base station 105 to UE 115. A carrier may carry downlink or uplink communication (e.g., in an FDD mode), or may be configured to carry both downlink communication and uplink communication (e.g., in a TDD mode).

[0054] A carrier may be associated with a specific bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the "system bandwidth" of the carrier or the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of several determined bandwidths of a carrier of a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz)). Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., the base station 105, UE 115, or both) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a specific carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communication on one of the carrier bandwidths in a carrier bandwidth set. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a subband, a BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0055] The signal waveform transmitted on a carrier may include multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may include a symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulated symbol) and a subcarrier, where the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the code rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Thus, the more resource elements received by UE 115 and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate of UE 115 can be. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and using multiple spatial layers can further increase the data rate or data integrity of communication with UE 115.

[0056] One or more parameter sets for a carrier may be supported, where a parameter set may include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different parameter sets. In some examples, UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time, and communication for UE 115 may be limited to one or more active BWPs.

[0057] The time intervals of the base station 105 or UE 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit, which may refer to, for example, a sampling period T s = 1 / (Δf max ·Nf) seconds, where Δf max may represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and Nf may represent the maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. The time intervals of communication resources may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0058] Each frame may include a plurality of consecutively numbered sub - frames or time slots, and each sub - frame or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into sub - frames, and each sub - frame may be further divided into a number of time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the sub - carrier spacing. Each time slot may include a number of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix added before each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, a time slot may be further divided into multiple mini - time slots each containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., Nf) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the sub - carrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

[0059] A sub - frame, time slot, mini - time slot, or symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTI (sTTI)).

[0060] Physical channels may be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. The physical control channel and the physical data channel may be multiplexed on a downlink carrier using, for example, one or more of time - division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency - division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM - FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for the physical control channel may be defined by the number of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth of the carrier or a subset of the system bandwidth. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) may be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search a control region for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCE)) associated with the encoded information for a control information format with a given payload size. The search space set may include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE - specific search space set configured to send control information to a specific UE 115.

[0061] Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier), and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing adjacent cells (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCID), virtual cell identifier (VCID), or others). In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of the geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which the logical communication entity operates. The scope of such cells may vary depending on various factors (such as the capabilities of the base station 105) from a smaller area (e.g., a structure, a subset of a structure) to a larger area. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or an external space between or overlapping with the geographic coverage area 110, and other examples.

[0062] Macro cells generally cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unconstrained access by UEs 115 having a service subscription with the network provider supporting the macro cell. Small cells may be associated with lower power base stations 105 (compared to macro cells), and small cells may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may provide unconstrained access to UEs 115 having a service subscription with the network provider, or may provide constrained access to UEs 115 associated with the small cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs 115 associated with users in a home or office). A base station 105 may support one or more cells and may also support communication on one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0063] In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells and may be configured with different cells according to different protocol types that may provide access for different types of devices (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)).

[0064] In some examples, base station 105 may be movable and thus provide communication coverage for a mobile geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of base stations 105 use the same or different radio access technologies to provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110.

[0065] The wireless communication system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations 105 may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, base stations 105 may have different frame timings, and in some examples, transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for synchronous or asynchronous operation.

[0066] Some UEs 115 (such as MTC or IoT devices) may be low-cost or low-complexity devices and may provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with a base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from devices integrated with sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that utilizes the information or presents the information to a person interacting with the application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or implement automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include: smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wilderness survival monitoring, weather and geographic event monitoring, queue management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based commercial charging.

[0067] Some UEs 115 may be configured to operate in power-saving operation modes, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power-saving techniques for UEs 115 include entering a power-saving deep sleep mode when not participating in active communication, operating on a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type associated with a defined portion or range within a carrier, within a guard band of a carrier, or outside a carrier (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)).

[0068] The wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. The UE 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more mission-critical services such as mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission-critical video (MCVideo), or mission-critical data (MCData). Support for mission-critical functions may include prioritization of services, and mission-critical services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.

[0069] In some examples, the UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs 115 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol). One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographical coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographical coverage area 110 of the base station 105 or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station 105 for other reasons. In some examples, groups of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system where each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, the base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without involving the base station 105.

[0070] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 can be an example of a communication channel (such as a sidelink communication channel) between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, vehicles can communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination of these communications. Vehicles can signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system can communicate with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units), or with the network, or with both, using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105).

[0071] The core network 130 can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), and the EPC or 5GC can include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)), and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). The control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as the mobility, authentication, and bearer management of the UE 115 served by the base station 105 associated with the core network 130. User IP packets can be transmitted through the user plane entity, which can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity can be connected to the IP services 150 of one or more network operators. The IP services 150 can include access to the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or a packet-switched streaming service.

[0072] Some network devices (such as base station 105) can include sub-components, such as an access network entity 140, which can be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 can communicate with each UE 115 through one or more other access network transmission entities 145, which can be referred to as radio heads, intelligent radio heads, or transmit / receive points (TRPs). Each access network transmission entity 145 can include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 can be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0073] The wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Generally, the range from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band or the decimeter band because the wavelengths are in the range from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter in length. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but these waves can sufficiently penetrate various structures for macrocells to provide service to UEs 115 located indoors. Compared to transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz, UHF wave transmissions can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers).

[0074] The wireless communication system 100 can also operate in the super-high frequency (SHF) band using frequencies from 3 GHz to 30 GHz (also referred to as the centimeter band) or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) band of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) (also referred to as the millimeter band). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can support millimeter wave (mmW) communication between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the corresponding devices can be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this can facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the devices. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions can experience even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter ranges than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein can be employed across transmissions using one or more different frequency bands, and the use of frequency bands designated across these frequency bands can vary by country or regulatory body.

[0075] The wireless communication system 100 can utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can employ licensed-assisted access (LAA), Long-Term Evolution unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency band, devices such as the base station 105 and the UE 115 can employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in an unlicensed band can be based on a carrier aggregation configuration (e.g., LAA) in coordination with a component carrier operating in a licensed band. Operation in unlicensed spectrum can include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, peer-to-peer (P2P) transmissions, or device-to-device (D2D) transmissions, etc.

[0076] The base station 105 or the UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of the base station 105 or the UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that can support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly (such as an antenna tower). In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with the base station 105 may be located at different geographical locations. The base station 105 may have an antenna array that has several rows and columns of antenna ports for beamforming that the base station 105 can use to support communication with the UE 115. Similarly, the UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via the antenna ports.

[0077] The base station 105 or the UE 115 can use MIMO communication to utilize multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, the transmitting device may transmit multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, the receiving device may receive multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device; and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0078] Beamforming (which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., the base station 105, the UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming can be achieved by combining the signals communicated via the antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating in a particular orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference while other signals experience destructive interference. The adjustment of the signals communicated via the antenna elements may include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to the signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustment associated with each antenna element may be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting device or the receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0079] Base station 105 or UE 115 may use beam sweeping techniques as part of beamforming operations. For example, base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by base station 105 multiple times in different directions. For example, base station 105 may transmit signals according to different sets of beamforming weights associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used (e.g., by the transmitting device such as base station 105 or the receiving device such as UE 115) to identify the beam direction used by base station 105 for later transmission or reception.

[0080] Some signals (such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device) may be transmitted by base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with the receiving device such as UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission in a single beam direction may be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions and may report an indication of the signal received by UE 115 with the highest signal quality or other acceptable signal quality to base station 105.

[0081] In some examples, transmissions performed by a device (e.g., by base station 105 or UE 115) may use multiple beam directions and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from base station 105 to UE 115). UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. Base station 105 may transmit reference signals that may or may not be precoded (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)). UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel type codebook, linear combination type codebook, port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may use similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying the beam direction used by UE 115 for subsequent transmission or reception) or for transmitting signals in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

[0082] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from a base station 105. For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receive directions by: receiving via different antenna sub-arrays, processing received signals according to different antenna sub-arrays, receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or other acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0083] The wireless communication system 100 may be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. On the user plane, the communication of the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. The radio link control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly for communication on logical channels. The media access control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplex logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer may also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. On the control plane, the radio resource control (RRC) protocol layer may provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection for radio bearers supporting user plane data between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or the core network 130. On the physical layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

[0084] The UE 115 and the base station 105 may support retransmission of data to increase the likelihood that the data is successfully received. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback is a technique for increasing the likelihood of correctly receiving data on the communication link 125. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ may improve the throughput of the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some examples, the device may support simultaneous slot HARQ feedback, where the device may provide HARQ feedback for data received in previous symbols in a particular slot in that slot. In other cases, the device may provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot or according to some other time interval.

[0085] UE 115 can receive a configuration message from base station 105, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE 115's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. The UE can determine a blind decoding count mode from the configuration message, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. UE 115 can monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0086] Base station 105 can determine a blind decoding count mode for UE 115, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for UE 115 to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. Base station 105 transmits a configuration message to UE 115 and at least partially based on the blind decoding count mode, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE 115's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. Base station 105 can use repeated-based PDCCH candidates to transmit one or more repetitions of DCI to UE 115, where UE 115 attempts to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0087] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 that supports blind decoding counting for repeated-based PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some examples, wireless communication system 200 can implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. Wireless communication system 200 can include base station 205 and / or UE 210, which can be examples of the corresponding devices described herein. In some aspects, base station 205 can be the serving base station or cell of UE 210 and can support repeated-based PDCCH candidates configured for UE 210.

[0088] In some aspects, UE 210 can be configured to have one or more CORESETs in a BWP of a serving cell. For example, UE 210 can be configured to have three, five, or some other number of CORESETs in a BWP configured by base station 205. Generally, each CORESET can be associated with an active transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. For example, as part of base station 205 configuring the CORESET for UE 210, the number of resource blocks (RBs) of the CORESET in the frequency domain and the number of symbols of the CORESET in the time domain (e.g., one, two, or three OFDM symbols) can be RRC configured for UE 210.

[0089] In some aspects, each set of search spaces (SSs) may be associated with a CORESET. Up to ten sets of SSs may be present in the BWP of a component carrier. As part of the SS set configuration, RRC signaling may be used to configure the associated CORESET, the periodicity and offset of the monitored time slots, and the symbols within the time slot to be monitored in the time domain, the DCI formats to be monitored, the number of PDCCH candidates for a given aggregation level (AL), etc. The PDCCH candidates may be defined as part of the SS set configuration. For example, a PDCCH candidate with a given AL may be defined in a given PDCCH candidate index within a given SS set. DCI may be transmitted in a PDCCH candidate. For example, UE 210 may monitor the PDCCH candidates in the SS set and determine that a PDCCH candidate has passed the CRC check (e.g., UE 210 may attempt blind decoding for each PDCCH candidate, where there is a blind decoding attempt in which a PDCCH candidate has passed the CRC check corresponding to the successfully decoded DCI).

[0090] However, in some wireless communication systems, there may be a limit (e.g., a maximum number) of the monitored PDCCH candidates that UE 210 may attempt blind decoding for (e.g., a blind decoding limit, which may also be referred to as a maximum blind decoding count). The blind decoding limit (or BD limit) may be based on a given time slot or other span in the time domain. For example, depending on the SCS configuration, the maximum number of monitored PDCCH candidates per time slot in the downlink BWP of a single serving cell with different subcarrier spacing (SCS) configurations may correspond to 20 - 44. In another example, depending on the SCS configuration and other factors, the maximum number of monitored PDCCH candidates per span (e.g., a set including one or more symbols in the time domain) in the downlink BWP of a single serving cell with different SCS configurations may correspond to 12 - 44.

[0091] Some wireless communication systems may enable PDCCH transmissions with two active TCI states. Variations of this approach may include one CORESET with two active TCI states, one SS set associated with two different CORESETs, two SS sets associated with corresponding CORESETs, etc. In the case where one CORESET is associated with two active TCI states, the base station 205 may configure a PDCCH candidate (in a given SS set) to be associated with the two TCI states of the CORESET. In another approach where one CORESET may be associated with two active TCI states, the base station 205 may configure two sets of PDCCH candidates (in a given SS set) to be respectively associated with the two TCI states of the CORESET. In yet another approach where one CORESET may be associated with two active TCI states, the base station 205 may configure two sets of PDCCH candidates to be associated with two corresponding SS sets, where both SS sets are associated with the CORESET and each SS set is associated with only one TCI state of the CORESET. Generally, a set of PDCCH candidates may include a single or multiple PDCCH candidates, and the PDCCH candidates in the set correspond to the repetitions or opportunities of DCI that may be indicated to the UE 210.

[0092] A set of PDCCH candidates may provide repetition-based PDCCH candidates, where each PDCCH candidate is linked to other PDCCH candidates in the set. For example, two or more PDCCH candidates may be explicitly linked together (e.g., the base station 205 may configure the link to the UE 210 before the UE 210 attempts to perform blind decoding of the PDCCH candidate). In another example, two or more PDCCH candidates may not be explicitly linked together, and the UE 210 may identify or otherwise determine the link after decoding. However, some wireless communication systems do not provide a mechanism or other indication of how to count one or more PDCCH candidates when the monitoring is applied to the blind decoding limit configured for the UE 210.

[0093] Accordingly, the wireless communication system 200 may support PDCCH repetition, where each PDCCH repetition corresponds to a PDCCH candidate, and two or more PDCCH candidates may be linked together as possible repetitions of the same DCI. Aspects of the described techniques provide different approaches for how to count the number of "for monitoring" PDCCH candidates to which the blind decoding limit applied to the UE is applied. Generally, aspects of the described techniques provide various mechanisms where the base station 205 may configure the UE 210 with a blind decoding counting mode that identifies the process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repetition-based PDCCH candidates.

[0094] In some aspects, this may optionally include the UE 210 transmitting or otherwise providing (while the base station 205 receives or otherwise obtains) a UE capability message. In some aspects, the UE capability message may carry or otherwise convey an indication of information associated with blind decoding operations supported when the UE 210 performs blind decoding attempts on repetition-based PDCCH candidates. For example, the UE capability message may be transmitted during initial connection establishment and / or after the initial connection. The UE capability message may be updated based on various changes or other conditions observed by the UE 210 (e.g., a second UE capability message may be sent).

[0095] Accordingly, the UE 210 may indicate UE capabilities (e.g., via UE capability signaling) that include the number of blind decoding limit counts (e.g., the number of blind decoding attempts) that may be counted towards when monitoring blind decoding corresponding to two or more PDCCH repetitions. That is, the countable number may be based on the blind decoding count mode supported by the UE 210. For each blind decoding count mode, the countable number may correspond to when / how the UE 210 considers blind decoding attempts to be counted towards the blind decoding limit count (e.g., whether to count a blind decoding attempt on a single PDCCH repetition or a soft combined PDCCH repetition as one blind decoding attempt). The UE 210 may configure the UE capability message to carry or otherwise convey an indication of more than one number (e.g., when the UE 210 is capable of supporting more than one decoding count mode, where each of the more than one numbers may correspond to a different blind decoding count mode supported by the UE 210). In some aspects, the number may correspond to or otherwise vary depending on the number of repetitions to be counted (e.g., for more than two repetitions). Instead of indicating the number, in some examples, the UE 210 may configure the UE capability message to directly indicate the blind decoding count mode supported by the UE 210.

[0096] In some examples, the UE capability message is optional and thus may not be transmitted. In such a case, the base station 205 may simply select and indicate the parameter(s) related to the UE 210 performing blind decoding attempts on repetition-based PDCCH candidates.

[0097] In response to an optional UE capability message, the base station 205 may identify or otherwise select parameters related to the UE 210 making blind decoding attempts on repeated-based PDCCH candidates. For example, the base station 205 may select a blind decoding count mode to be applied by the UE 210 to count the number of blind decoding attempts on repeated-based PDCCH candidates. That is, the base station 205 may determine the countable number based on the blind decoding count mode supported by the UE 210. For each blind decoding count mode, the countable number may correspond to when / how the UE 210 considers the blind decoding attempts to be counted towards the blind decoding limit (e.g., whether to count a blind decoding attempt on a single PDCCH repetition or a soft-combined PDCCH repetition as one blind decoding attempt). The countable number may be determined based on UE capability signaling and / or otherwise determined / supported by the base station 205 and the UE 210. Accordingly, the base station 205 may transmit or otherwise convey (while the UE 210 may receive or otherwise obtain) a configuration message that carries or otherwise conveys the parameter(s) related to the UE 210 making blind decoding attempts on repeated-based PDCCH candidates. The configuration message may be transmitted in RRC signaling, MAC CE, DCI, etc.

[0098] Accordingly, the network may configure (e.g., via RRC signaling) the UE 210 to have a number (e.g., a blind decoding count mode) that the UE 210 counts towards a blind decoding limit (e.g., the number of blind decoding attempts) for monitoring corresponding to two PDCCH repetitions. Also, the countable number may be based on the blind decoding count mode supported by the UE 210. For each blind decoding count mode, the countable number may correspond to when / how the UE 210 considers the blind decoding attempts to be counted towards the blind decoding limit (e.g., whether to count a blind decoding attempt on a single PDCCH repetition or a soft-combined PDCCH repetition as one blind decoding attempt). The network may configure one of the blind decoding count modes discussed below (e.g., via a configuration message), and / or may include other information for conveying or otherwise indicating the parameter(s) to be used by the UE 210 when performing blind decoding operations.

[0099] As discussed above, in some aspects, this may be based on repeated PDCCH candidates being linked or otherwise associated with each other. That is, in repeated PDCCH candidates, a first PDCCH candidate 215 may be linked or otherwise associated with a second PDCCH candidate 220. Two or more PDCCH candidates may be linked together based on being associated or otherwise configured in the same SS set associated with a CORESET, in different SS sets associated with a CORESET, in the same SS set associated with two CORESETS, in different SS sets associated with corresponding CORESETS (e.g., different CORESETS), etc. Two or more PDCCH candidates may be linked together based on PDCCH candidates carrying DCI repetitions.

[0100] Based on this configuration message, the UE 210 may identify, select, or otherwise determine a blind decoding count mode that will be applied by the UE 210 to count the number of blind decoding attempts made on repeated PDCCH candidates. Various blind decoding count modes may be implemented.

[0101] An example of a blind decoding count mode may include soft combining a first repetition of DCI (e.g., carried in the first PDCCH candidate 215) with a second repetition of DCI (e.g., carried in the second PDCCH candidate 220). The UE 210 may attempt to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each soft combination. That is, the UE 210 may soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and attempt to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions (e.g., the soft combined PDCCH 225). In this example of the blind decoding count mode, this may count as one blind decoding attempt, and the blind decoding counter may be incremented by 1. Thus, the blind decoding count mode may include the first and second repetitions being soft combined and only counting one decoding attempt based on the combined repetitions.

[0102] Similar to the above example, another example of the blind decoding count mode may include soft combining a first repetition of the DCI (e.g., carried in the first PDCCH candidate 215) with a second repetition of the DCI (e.g., carried in the second PDCCH candidate 220). The UE 210 may attempt to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by a number for each soft combination. That is, the UE 210 may soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and attempt to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions (e.g., the soft combined PDCCH 225). In this example of the blind decoding count mode, this may be counted as a non-integer between one and two blind decoding attempts, and the blind decoding counter may be incremented by this non-integer. Accordingly, the blind decoding count mode may include the first repetition and the second repetition being soft combined and only one decoding attempt being made on the combined repetitions, where the blind decoding counter is incremented by a non-integer (e.g., 1.1, 1.25, 1.33, 1.5, 1.75, or any other non-integer between 1 and 2). It should be understood that according to the techniques described herein, other examples of non-integer count modes may be employed. Also, the blind decoding count mode may be known (e.g., configured in a relevant specification), indicated by the UE 210 to the base station 205, and / or configured by the base station 205 for the UE 210 (e.g., via RRC signaling, MAC CE, DCI, etc.). This blind decoding count mode may be supported because even if the UE 210 only performs one polarity decoding after soft combining the repetitions, the complexity involved may be greater than a normal single blind decoding attempt (e.g., the UE 210 may still need to perform two resource element (RE) demappings, two demodulations, etc.).

[0103] Another example of the blind decoding count mode may include attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the DCI (e.g., carried in the first PDCCH candidate 215) and a second repetition of the DCI (e.g., carried in the second PDCCH candidate 220). The UE 210 may attempt to blindly decode the first and second repetitions of the PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each blind decoding attempt. That is, instead of soft combining the first repetition with the second repetition, the UE 210 may attempt to blindly decode each repetition separately. In this example of the blind decoding count mode, each blind decoding attempt may be counted as one blind decoding. Accordingly, for each blind decoding attempt, the blind decoding counter may be incremented by 1, and in this example the blind decoding counter is 2. Thus, the blind decoding count mode may include the first repetition and the second repetition corresponding to two blind decoding attempts.

[0104] Another example of the blind decoding counting mode may include attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI (e.g., carried in the first PDCCH candidate 215, which corresponds to the first repetition received in time and / or frequency). Subsequently, the first repetition is soft combined with a second repetition of DCI (e.g., carried in the second PDCCH candidate 220), and then the UE 210 attempts to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions. The UE 210 may attempt to blindly decode the first repetition of the PDCCH and soft combine the first and second repetitions by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each blind decoding attempt and incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for the attempted blind decoding attempt of the soft combined repetitions.

[0105] That is, the UE 210 may first attempt to blindly decode the first repetition received in the time domain and / or frequency domain. The UE 210 may then soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and attempt to blindly decode the combined repetitions. In this example of the blind decoding counting mode, this may count each blind decoding attempt as one blind decoding and count the blind decoding attempt of the combined repetitions as one blind decoding. Accordingly, the blind decoding counter may be incremented by 1 for each blind decoding attempt and the blind decoding counter may be incremented by 1 for each blindly decoded attempt of the soft combined repetitions. In this example, the blind decoding counter is 2. Accordingly, the blind decoding counting mode may include that the first repetition corresponds to one blind decoding attempt and the soft combined repetitions correspond to another (e.g., one) blind decoding attempt.

[0106] Another example of the blind decoding counting mode may include attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI (e.g., carried in the first PDCCH candidate 215) and a second repetition of DCI (e.g., carried in the second PDCCH candidate 220). The UE 210 may then soft combine the first and second repetitions and attempt to blindly decode the combined repetitions (e.g., the soft combined PDCCH 225).

[0107] That is, the UE 210 may first attempt blind decoding of the first repetition received in the time domain and / or the frequency domain. The UE 210 may then attempt blind decoding of the second repetition received in the time domain and / or the frequency domain. The UE 210 may then perform soft combining of the first repetition and the second repetition and attempt blind decoding of the combined repetitions. In this blind decoding counting mode example, this may count each blind decoding attempt as one blind decoding and count the blind decoding attempt of the combined repetitions as one blind decoding. Accordingly, for each blind decoding attempt, the blind decoding counter may be incremented by 1 and for each blind decoding attempt of the soft combined repetitions, the blind decoding counter may be incremented by 1. In this example, the blind decoding counter is 3. Accordingly, the blind decoding counting mode may include that the first repetition corresponds to one blind decoding attempt, the second repetition corresponds to another (e.g., one) blind decoding attempt, and the blind decoding of the soft combined repetitions corresponds to yet another (e.g., one) blind decoding attempt.

[0108] Similar to the above example, another example of the blind decoding counting mode may include attempting blind decoding of the first repetition of the DCI (e.g., carried in the first PDCCH candidate 215) and the second repetition of the DCI (e.g., carried in the second PDCCH candidate 220). The UE 210 may then perform soft combining of the first and second repetitions and attempt blind decoding of the combined repetitions (e.g., the soft combined PDCCH 225).

[0109] That is, the UE 210 may first attempt blind decoding of the first repetition received in the time domain and / or frequency domain. The UE 210 may then attempt blind decoding of the second repetition received in the time domain and / or frequency domain. The UE 210 may then perform soft combining of the first repetition and the second repetition and attempt blind decoding of the combined repetitions. In this blind decoding counting mode example, this may count each blind decoding attempt as one blind decoding, and count the blind decoding attempt of the combined repetitions as a non-integer between zero and one (e.g., 0.1, 0.25, 0.33, 0.5, 0.75, or any other non-integer between 0 and 1). Accordingly, for each blind decoding attempt, the blind decoding counter may be incremented by 1 and for each soft combined blind decoding attempt, the blind decoding counter may be incremented by this non-integer, which in this example is between 2 and 3. Accordingly, the blind decoding counting mode may include that the first repetition corresponds to one blind decoding attempt, the second repetition corresponds to another (e.g., one) blind decoding attempt, and the blind decoding of the soft combined repetitions corresponds to an additional (e.g., non-integer) blind decoding attempt (e.g., 2.1, 2.25, 2.33, 2.5, 2.75, or any other non-integer between 2 and 3). This blind decoding counting mode may be supported because blind decoding represents the complexity of the UE 210 handling PDCCH decoding. In this example (e.g., decoding the first candidate, decoding the second candidate, decoding the soft combined repetitions), it is easier / less complex compared to attempting to blindly decode three independent PDCCH candidates. This may be because for decoding the soft combined repetitions, some operations have been completed (e.g., such as RE demapping, demodulation, etc.), and the UE 210 only needs to perform the last step of decoding (e.g., polar decoding). Accordingly, instead of counting this approach as three blind decoding attempts, it may be more appropriate to count the blind decoding attempts towards the blind decoding limit as a smaller number (e.g., any number between 2 and 3).

[0110] Accordingly, the UE 210 may determine the blind decoding counting mode based on a configuration message. When counting the number of blind decoding attempts for a repetition-based PDCCH candidate, the UE 210 may implement the decoding counting mode. The UE 210 may then monitor one or more repetitions of the DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidate according to the maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding counting mode. That is, for a repetition-based PDCCH candidate, the UE 210 may attempt to recover one or more repetitions of the DCI transmitted in the first PDCCH candidate 215, the second PDCCH candidate 220, etc. If the recovery attempt is successful (e.g., CRC passes), the UE 210 may recover the information indicated in the DCI. If the recovery attempt is not successful, the UE 210 may increment one or more blind decoding counts according to the blind decoding counting mode discussed above.

[0111] Figure 3 An example of process 300 that supports blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some examples, process 300 may implement aspects of wireless communication systems 100 and / or 200. Aspects of process 300 may be implemented at or by UE 305 and / or base station 310, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein.

[0112] At 315, UE 305 may optionally transmit or otherwise provide (and base station 310 may optionally receive or otherwise obtain) a UE capability message that indicates information associated with blind decoding operations supported by UE 305 when performing blind decoding attempts on repeated PDCCH candidates. The UE capability message may be transmitted initially (e.g., during initial connection establishment) and / or after the initial connection. UE 305 may update the UE capability by transmitting a second UE capability message that changes one or more capabilities supported by UE 305. In some aspects, the UE capability message may carry or otherwise convey an indication of a set of blind decoding count patterns supported by UE 305, the number of repetitions of DCI associated with the blind decoding operation, etc.

[0113] At 320, base station 310 may determine a blind decoding count pattern for UE 305. In some aspects, the blind decoding count pattern may indicate a process for UE 305 to count the number of blind decoding attempts on repeated PDCCH candidates. In examples where the UE capability message is received by base station 310, the blind decoding count pattern may be based at least in part on the UE capability message.

[0114] At 325, base station 310 may transmit or otherwise provide (and UE 305 may receive or otherwise obtain) a configuration message that includes one or more parameters related to UE 305 performing blind decoding attempts on repeated PDCCH candidates. The configuration message may be based at least in part on the blind decoding count pattern determined for UE 305. For example, the configuration message may be transmitted or otherwise provided in RRC signaling. The parameter(s) indicated in the configuration message may correspond to a number or some other indication of the blind decoding count pattern to be applied by UE 305.

[0115] At 330, UE 305 may determine or otherwise identify the blind decoding count pattern based on the configuration message from base station 310. As discussed, the blind decoding count pattern may indicate a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts on repeated PDCCH candidates.

[0116] At 335, the base station 310 may use repetition-based PDCCH candidates to transmit or otherwise provide (while the UE 305 may monitor to receive or otherwise obtain) one or more repetitions of DCI. The UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH according to a maximum blind decoding count (e.g., a blind decoding or BD limit configured for the UE 305) and a blind decoding count mode indicated by the base station 310.

[0117] For example, this may include the UE 305 identifying or otherwise determining that the blind decoding count mode includes soft combining a first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI. In this example, the UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each soft combination (e.g., where the UE 305 ensures that the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count configured for the UE 305). That is, the UE 305 may soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and then attempt to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions. In this example, according to the blind decoding count mode, this may be considered one blind decoding attempt, and the blind decoding count may be incremented by 1.

[0118] In another example (similar to the above example), this may include the UE 305 identifying or otherwise determining that the blind decoding count mode includes soft combining a first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI. In this example, the UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by a non-integer between 1 and 2 for each soft combination (e.g., 1.1, 1.25, 1.33, 1.5, 1.75, or any other non-integer between 1 and 2) (e.g., where the UE 305 ensures that the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count configured for the UE 305). That is, the UE 305 may soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and then attempt to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions. In this example, according to the blind decoding count mode, this may be considered a non-integer between one and two blind decoding attempts, and the blind decoding counter may be incremented by this non-integer.

[0119] In another example, this may include the UE 305 identifying or otherwise determining that the blind decoding count pattern includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the DCI and a second repetition of the DCI. In this example, the UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode the first repetition of the PDCCH and the second repetition of the PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding (e.g., where the UE 305 ensures that the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count configured for the UE 305). That is, the UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode each repetition of the PDCCH (e.g., the DCI transmitted in a PDCCH candidate). In an example where there are two PDCCH candidates, this may be considered one blind decoding attempt for each repetition according to the blind decoding count pattern (e.g., may be counted as one decoding attempt by the UE 305).

[0120] In another example, this may include the UE 305 identifying or otherwise determining that the blind decoding count pattern includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the DCI and soft combining the first repetition with a second repetition of the DCI. In this example, the UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode the first repetition of the PDCCH and soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition of the PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination (e.g., where the UE 305 ensures that the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count configured for the UE 305). That is, the UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode the first repetition of the DCI transmitted in the PDCCH corresponding to the first PDCCH candidate. The UE 305 may then soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and attempt to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions. In this example, the UE 305 may increment the blind decoding count by 1 based on the attempted blind decoding of the first repetition and increment the blind decoding count again based on the attempted blind decoding of the soft combined repetitions.

[0121] In another example, this can include the UE 305 identifying or otherwise determining that the blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the PDCCH and a second repetition of the PDCCH and soft combining the first repetition with the second repetition. The UE 305 can attempt to blindly decode the first repetition of the PDCCH and the second repetition of the PDCCH. The UE 305 can then soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and attempt to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions. Accordingly, the UE 305 can increment the blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination (e.g., where the UE 305 ensures that the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count configured for the UE 305). That is, the UE 305 can increment the blind decoding count based on the attempted blind decoding of the first repetition, increment the blind decoding count again based on the attempted blind decoding of the second repetition, and increment the blind decoding count again (e.g., a third time) based on the attempted blind decoding of the soft combined repetitions.

[0122] In another example (similar to the above example), this can include the UE 305 identifying or otherwise determining that the blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the PDCCH and a second repetition of the PDCCH and then soft combining the first repetition with the second repetition. The UE 305 can attempt to blindly decode the first repetition of the PDCCH and the second repetition of the PDCCH. The UE 305 can then soft combine the first repetition with the second repetition and attempt to blindly decode the soft combined repetitions. Accordingly, the UE 305 can increment the blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and increment the blind decoding count by a non-integer between 0 and 1 for each soft combination (e.g., where the UE 305 ensures that the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count configured for the UE 305). That is, the UE 305 can increment the blind decoding count by 1 based on the attempted blind decoding of the first repetition, increment the blind decoding count by 1 again based on the attempted blind decoding of the second repetition, and increment the blind decoding count by a non-integer between 0 and 1 (e.g., a third time) based on the attempted blind decoding of the soft combined repetitions.

[0123] In some aspects based on repeated PDCCH candidates, the UE 305 may increment a blind decoding count based on an indicated number (e.g., indicated by the base station 310 via configuration signaling and / or by the UE 305 via UE capability signaling), such as 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3, etc. according to any example discussed herein. That is, the increment of the blind decoding count may not necessarily be tied to how blind decoding is performed (whether and how soft combining is considered). Instead, the increment may be related only to how the UE 305 counts two or more repeated-based candidates (towards the blind decoding limit), and the remainder of the increment (e.g., how the UE 305 counts the soft-combined repetitions) may be based on the implementation at the UE 305.

[0124] Accordingly, the UE 305 may attempt to blindly decode repeated-based PDCCH candidates according to a blind decoding count pattern indicated in a configuration message provided by the base station 310.

[0125] Figure 4 Block diagram 400 illustrates a device 405 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure that supports blind decoding count for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. The device 405 may be an example of aspects of the UE 115 as described herein. The device 405 may include a receiver 410, a communication manager 415, and a transmitter 420. The device 405 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0126] The receiver 410 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to blind decoding count for repeated-based PDCCH candidates, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 405. The receiver 410 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described with reference to Figure 7 The receiver 410 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0127] The communication manager 415 may receive a configuration message from the base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's attempt to blindly decode repeated-based PDCCH candidates; determine a blind decoding count pattern from the configuration message, the blind decoding count pattern indicating a process for counting the number of attempts to blindly decode repeated-based PDCCH candidates; and monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern. The communication manager 415 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 710 described herein.

[0128] The communication manager 415 or its sub-components can be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 415 or its sub-components can be performed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0129] The communication manager 415 or its sub-components can be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 415 or its sub-components can be separate and distinct components. In some examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 415 or its sub-components can be combined with one or more other hardware components, the one or more other hardware components including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0130] The transmitter 420 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 405. In some examples, the transmitter 420 can be co-located with the receiver 410 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 420 can be an example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described with reference to Figure 7 The transmitter 420 can utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0131] Figure 5 Block diagram 500 of a device 505 supporting blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 505 can be an example of aspects of the device 405 or UE 115 described herein. The device 505 can include a receiver 510, a communication manager 515, and a transmitter 535. The device 505 can also include a processor. Each of these components can be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0132] The receiver 510 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates, etc.). The information can be passed to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 can be an example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described with reference to Figure 7 The receiver 510 can utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0133] The communication manager 515 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 415 as described herein. The communication manager 515 may include a configuration manager 520, a BD count mode manager 525, and a BD attempt manager 530. The communication manager 515 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 710 as described herein.

[0134] The configuration manager 520 may receive a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates.

[0135] The BD count mode manager 525 may determine a blind decoding count mode from the configuration message, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates.

[0136] The BD attempt manager 530 may monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and a blind decoding count mode.

[0137] The transmitter 535 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 505. In some examples, the transmitter 535 may be co-located with the receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 535 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described with reference to Figure 7 The transmitter 535 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0138] Figure 6 Block diagram 600 shows a communication manager 605 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure that supports blind decoding counting for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. The communication manager 605 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 415, the communication manager 515, or the communication manager 710 as described herein. The communication manager 605 may include a configuration manager 610, a BD count mode manager 615, a BD attempt manager 620, a UE capability manager 625, an RRC configuration manager 630, a soft combining manager 635, and a soft combining / BD attempt manager 640. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0139] The configuration manager 610 may receive a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. In some cases, the repeated-based PDCCH candidates include a set of PDCCH candidates in the same search space set, the same search space set being associated with a common CORESET or a separate CORESET.

[0140] The BD count mode manager 615 can determine a blind decoding count mode from a configuration message, which indicates a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated-based PDCCH candidates.

[0141] The BD attempt manager 620 can monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and a blind decoding count mode. In some examples, identifying the blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI and a second repetition of DCI. In some examples, the BD attempt manager 620 can attempt to blindly decode a first repetition of the PDCCH and a second repetition of the PDCCH by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding, where the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count.

[0142] The UE capability manager 625 can transmit a UE capability message indicating information associated with blind decoding operations supported by the UE when performing blind decoding attempts on repeated-based PDCCH candidates, where the configuration message is based on the UE capability message. In some cases, the information associated with the blind decoding operations supported by the UE includes at least one of the following: a set of blind decoding count modes supported by the UE, the number of repetitions of DCI associated with the blind decoding operations, or both.

[0143] The RRC configuration manager 630 can receive a configuration message in RRC signaling.

[0144] The soft combination manager 635 can identify the blind decoding count mode including soft combining a first repetition of DCI and a second repetition of DCI. In some examples, the soft combination manager 635 can attempt to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each soft combination, where the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count.

[0145] The soft combination / BD attempt manager 640 may identify a blind decoding count mode that includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI and soft combining the first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI. In some examples, the soft combination / BD attempt manager 640 may attempt to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH and soft combine the first repetition of PDCCH with a second repetition of PDCCH by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination, where the blind decoding count does not exceed a maximum blind decoding count. In some examples, the identified blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition and a second repetition of PDCCH and soft combining a first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI. In some examples, the soft combination / BD attempt manager 640 may attempt to blindly decode a first repetition and a second repetition of PDCCH and soft combine the first repetition of PDCCH with the second repetition of PDCCH by incrementing a blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination, where the blind decoding count does not exceed a maximum blind decoding count.

[0146] Figure 7 FIG. shows a diagram of a system 700 that includes a device 705 that supports a blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of the device 405, the device 505, or the UE 115 described herein or may include components of the foregoing devices. The device 705 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communication, which includes components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 710, an I / O controller 715, a transceiver 720, an antenna 725, a memory 730, and a processor 740. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 745).

[0147] The communication manager 710 may receive a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; determine a blind decoding count mode from the configuration message, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0148] The I / O controller 715 may manage input and output signals of the device 705. The I / O controller 715 may also manage peripheral devices not integrated into the device 705. In some instances, the I / O controller 715 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some instances, the I / O controller 715 may utilize an operating system, such as or another known operating system. In other cases, the I / O controller 715 may represent, or interact with, a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 715 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, the user may interact with the device 705 via the I / O controller 715 or via a hardware component controlled by the I / O controller 715.

[0149] The transceiver 720 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 720 may represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 720 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0150] In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 725. However, in some cases, the device may have more than one antenna 725, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0151] The memory 730 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). The memory 730 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 735 that includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 730 may particularly include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices.

[0152] The processor 740 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, microcontroller, ASIC, FPGA, programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 740 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 740. The processor 740 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 730) to cause the device 705 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates).

[0153] Code 735 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. The code 735 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code 735 may not be directly executed by the processor 740, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0154] Figure 8 FIG. 800 is a block diagram illustrating a device 805 that supports blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 805 may be an example of aspects of the base station 105 described herein. The device 805 may include a receiver 810, a communication manager 815, and a transmitter 820. The device 805 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0155] The receiver 810 may receive information, such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 805. The receiver 810 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0156] The communication manager 815 may determine a blind decoding count pattern for a UE, the blind decoding count pattern indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; transmit a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count pattern, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and transmit one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using the repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern. The communication manager 815 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1110 described herein.

[0157] The communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0158] The communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, according to various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, according to various aspects of the present disclosure, the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0159] The transmitter 820 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 805. In some examples, the transmitter 820 may be co-located with the receiver 810 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 820 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The transmitter 820 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0160] Figure 9 Block diagram 900 of a device 905 supporting blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 905 may be an example of aspects of the device 805 or the base station 105 described herein. The device 905 may include a receiver 910, a communication manager 915, and a transmitter 935. The device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0161] The receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 905. The receiver 910 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0162] The communication manager 915 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 815 described herein. The communication manager 915 may include a BD count mode manager 920, a configuration manager 925, and a BD attempt manager 930. The communication manager 915 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1110 described herein.

[0163] The BD count mode manager 920 may determine a blind decoding count mode for the UE, which indicates a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates.

[0164] The configuration manager 925 may transmit a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count mode, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts of repeated-based PDCCH candidates.

[0165] The BD attempt manager 930 may use repeated-based PDCCH candidates to transmit one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE, where the UE attempts to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to the maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0166] The transmitter 935 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 905. In some examples, the transmitter 935 may be co-located with the receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 935 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1120 described with reference to Figure 11 The transmitter 935 may utilize a single antenna or an antenna array.

[0167] Figure 10 Block diagram 1000 shows a communication manager 1005 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure supporting blind decoding count for repeated-based PDCCH candidates. The communication manager 1005 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 815, communication manager 915, or communication manager 1110 described herein. The communication manager 1005 may include a BD count mode manager 1010, a configuration manager 1015, a BD attempt manager 1020, a UE capability manager 1025, and an RRC configuration manager 1030. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0168] The BD count mode manager 1010 may determine a blind decoding count mode for the UE, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts of repeated-based PDCCH candidates.

[0169] The configuration manager 1015 may transmit a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count mode, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts of repeated-based PDCCH candidates.

[0170] In some cases, the repeated-based PDCCH candidates include a set of PDCCH candidates in the same search space set, the same search space set associated with a common CORESET or a separate CORESET.

[0171] The BD attempt manager 1020 may use repeated-based PDCCH candidates to transmit one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE, where the UE attempts to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to the maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0172] The UE capability manager 1025 may receive, from the UE, a UE capability message indicating information associated with blind decoding operations supported by the UE when performing blind decoding attempts on repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein a configuration message is based on the UE capability message. In some cases, the information associated with the blind decoding operations supported by the UE includes at least one of the following: a set of blind decoding count modes supported by the UE, the number of repetitions of DCI associated with the blind decoding operation, or both.

[0173] The RRC configuration manager 1030 may control, monitor, or otherwise manage aspects of transmitting the configuration message in RRC signaling.

[0174] Figure 11 FIG. shows a diagram of a system 1100 including a device 1105 that supports blind decoding counting for repeated PDCCH candidates, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1105 may be an example of or include components of the device 805, the device 905, or the base station 105 as described herein. The device 1105 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, which include components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1110, a network communication manager 1115, a transceiver 1120, an antenna 1125, a memory 1130, a processor 1140, and an inter-station communication manager 1145. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1150).

[0175] The communication manager 1110 may determine a blind decoding count mode for a UE, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts on repeated PDCCH candidates; transmit a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count mode, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts on repeated PDCCH candidates; and transmit one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using the repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blind decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates based on a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

[0176] The network communication manager 1115 may manage communication with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1115 may manage the delivery of data communication for client devices (such as one or more UEs 115).

[0177] The transceiver 1120 can perform two-way communication via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 1120 can represent a wireless transceiver and can perform two-way communication with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1120 can also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0178] In some cases, the wireless device can include a single antenna 1125. However, in some cases, the device can have more than one antenna 1125, and these antennas can be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0179] The memory 1130 can include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. The memory 1130 can store computer-readable code 1135 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1140), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1130 can particularly contain BIOS, which can control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices.

[0180] The processor 1140 can include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, microcontroller, ASIC, FPGA, programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 1140 can be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, the memory controller can be integrated into the processor 1140. The processor 1140 can be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1130) to cause the device 1105 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates).

[0181] The inter-station communication manager 1145 can manage communication with other base stations 105, and can include a controller or scheduler for collaboratively controlling communication with the UE 115 with other base stations 105. For example, the inter-station communication manager 1145 can coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to the UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques, such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-station communication manager 1145 can provide an X2 interface within the LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communication between base stations 105.

[0182] Code 1135 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. Code 1135 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1135 may not be directly executed by the processor 1140, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0183] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a method 1200 for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Operations of method 1200 may be implemented by the UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operations of method 1200 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Additional or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0184] At 1205, the UE may receive a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts of repeated PDCCH candidates. The operation at 1205 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at 1205 may be performed by a configuration manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Additional or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0185] At 1210, the UE may determine a blind decoding count mode from the configuration message, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts of repeated PDCCH candidates. The operation at 1210 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at 1210 may be performed by a BD count mode manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Additional or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0186] At 1215, the UE may monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode. The operation at 1215 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at 1215 may be performed by a BD attempt manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 Additional or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0187] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating a method 1300 for supporting blind decoding count based on repeated PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Operations of method 1300 may be implemented by the UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operations of method 1300 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference toFigures 4 to 7 The described communication manager performs. In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0188] At 1305, the UE may transmit a UE capability message indicating information associated with blind decoding operations supported by the UE when performing blind decoding attempts on repeated-based PDCCH candidates, wherein the configuration message is based on the UE capability message. The operation of 1305 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1305 may be performed by a UE capability manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 description.

[0189] At 1310, the UE may receive a configuration message from the base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts on repeated-based PDCCH candidates. The operation of 1310 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1310 may be performed by a configuration manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 description.

[0190] At 1315, the UE may determine a blind decoding count mode from the configuration message, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts on repeated-based PDCCH candidates. The operation of 1315 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1315 may be performed by a BD count mode manager as referenced Figures 4 to 7 description.

[0191] At 1320, the UE may monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and a blind decoding count mode. The operation of 1320 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1320 may be performed by a BD attempt manager as referenced Figures 4 to 7 description.

[0192] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for supporting blind decoding count for repeated-based PDCCH candidates in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of method 1400 may be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1400 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 description. In some examples, the UE may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0193] At 1405, the UE may receive a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates. The operations at 1405 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations at 1405 may be performed by a configuration manager as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 what is described.

[0194] At 1410, the UE may receive a configuration message in RRC signaling. The operations at 1410 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations at 1410 may be performed by an RRC configuration manager as referenced Figures 4 to 7 what is described.

[0195] At 1415, the UE may determine a blind decoding count mode from the configuration message, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates. The operations at 1415 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations at 1415 may be performed by a BD count mode manager as referenced Figures 4 to 7 what is described.

[0196] At 1420, the UE may monitor one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of a PDCCH candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and a blind decoding count mode. The operations at 1420 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations at 1420 may be performed by a BD attempt manager as referenced Figures 4 to 7 what is described.

[0197] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating a method 1500 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure for supporting blind decoding count for repeated PDCCH candidates is shown. The operations of method 1500 may be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1500 may be performed by a communication manager as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 what is described. In some examples, the base station may execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the base station to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0198] At 1505, the base station may determine a blind decoding count mode for the UE, the blind decoding count mode indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates. The operations at 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations at 1505 may be performed by a BD count mode manager as referenced Figures 8 to 11performed by the described BD count pattern manager.

[0199] At 1510, the base station may transmit a configuration message to the UE and based on the blind decoding count pattern, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates. The operation of 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1510 may be performed by a configuration manager as referred to Figures 8 to 11 as described.

[0200] At 1515, the base station may transmit one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and a blind decoding count pattern. The operation of 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1515 may be performed by a BD attempt manager as referred to Figures 8 to 11 as described.

[0201] An overview of aspects of the present disclosure is provided below:

[0202] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: receiving a configuration message from a base station, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; determining a blind decoding count pattern from the configuration message, the blind decoding count pattern indicating a process for counting the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern.

[0203] Aspect 2: The method of Aspect 1, further comprising: transmitting a UE capability message indicating information associated with blind decoding operations supported by the UE when performing blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein the configuration message is at least partially based on the UE capability message.

[0204] Aspect 3: The method of Aspect 2, wherein the information associated with the blind decoding operations supported by the UE includes at least one of the following: a set of blind decoding count patterns supported by the UE, the number of repetitions of DCI associated with the blind decoding operation, or both.

[0205] Aspect 4: The method of any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the repeated PDCCH candidates include a set of PDCCH candidates in the same search space set, the same search space set being associated with a common CORESET or a separate CORESET.

[0206] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the repeated PDCCH candidates are based on a first PDCCH candidate in a first search space set and a second PDCCH candidate in a second search space set, the first search space set and the second search space set being associated with a separate CORESET or a common CORESET.

[0207] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein receiving the configuration message includes: receiving the setting message in RRC signaling.

[0208] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI includes: identifying a blind decoding count pattern including soft combining a first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI, and attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each soft combination, the blind decoding count not exceeding a maximum blind decoding count.

[0209] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, wherein monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI includes: identifying a blind decoding count pattern including attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI and a second repetition of DCI; and attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH and a second repetition of PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding, the blind decoding count not exceeding a maximum blind decoding count.

[0210] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI includes: identifying a blind decoding count pattern including attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of DCI and soft combining a first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI; and attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH and soft combining a first repetition of PDCCH with a second repetition of PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination, the blind decoding count not exceeding a maximum blind decoding count.

[0211] Aspect 10: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein monitoring one or more repetitions of DCI includes: identifying a blind decoding count pattern including attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH and a second repetition of PDCCH and soft combining a first repetition of DCI with a second repetition of DCI; and attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of PDCCH and a second repetition of PDCCH and soft combining a first repetition of PDCCH with a second repetition of PDCCH by incrementing the blind decoding count by 1 for each attempted blind decoding and for each soft combination, the blind decoding count not exceeding a maximum blind decoding count.

[0212] Aspect 11: The method as in any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein the repeated PDCCH candidates are based on a first PDCCH candidate in a first search space set and a second PDCCH in a second search space.

[0213] Aspect 12: The method as in any one of Aspects 1 to 11, further comprising: transmitting to a base station an indication of a number to be counted in a blind decoding count for each blind decoding attempt of one or more repetitions for DCI, the blind decoding count pattern being at least partially based on the indication.

[0214] Aspect 13: A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: determining a blind decoding count pattern for a UE, the blind decoding count pattern indicating a process for the UE to count the number of blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; transmitting a configuration message to the UE and at least partially based on the blind decoding count pattern, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates; and transmitting one or more repetitions of DCI to the UE using the repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein the UE attempts to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the PDCCH candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern.

[0215] Aspect 14: The method as in Aspect 13, further comprising: receiving from the UE a UE capability message indicating information associated with a blind decoding operation supported by the UE when performing blind decoding attempts for repeated PDCCH candidates, wherein the configuration message is at least partially based on the UE capability message.

[0216] Aspect 15: The method as in Aspect 14, wherein the information associated with the blind decoding operation supported by the UE includes at least one of the following: a set of blind decoding count patterns supported by the UE, the number of repetitions of DCI associated with the blind decoding operation, or both.

[0217] Aspect 16: The method as in any one of Aspects 13 to 15, wherein the repeated PDCCH candidates include a set of PDCCH candidates in the same search space set, the same search space set being associated with a common CORESET or a separate CORESET.

[0218] Aspect 17: The method as in any one of Aspects 13 to 16, wherein the repeated PDCCH candidates include a first PDCCH candidate in a first search space set and a second PDCCH candidate in a second search space set, the first search space set and the second search space set being associated with a separate CORESET or a common CORESET.

[0219] Aspect 18: The method as in any one of Aspects 13 to 17, wherein the configuration message is transmitted in RRC signaling.

[0220] Aspect 19: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a processor of a UE; a transceiver coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory and the processor being configured to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of Aspects 1 to 12.

[0221] Aspect 20: An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising at least one means for performing the method of any one of Aspects 1 to 12.

[0222] Aspect 21: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of Aspects 1 to 12.

[0223] Aspect 22: An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: a processor of the base station; a transceiver coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory and the processor being configured to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of Aspects 13 to 18.

[0224] Aspect 23: An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising at least one means for performing the method of any one of Aspects 13 to 18.

[0225] Aspect 24: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any one of Aspects 13 to 18.

[0226] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and other implementations are possible. In addition, aspects from two or more methods may be combined.

[0227] Although aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for example purposes and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein may also be applied to networks other than LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applied to various other wireless communication systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0228] The information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a variety of different arts and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout this description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0229] The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0230] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations fall within the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. The features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0231] A computer-readable medium includes both a non-transitory computer storage medium and a communication medium including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc ROM (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer, or a general purpose or special purpose processor. Likewise, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a web site, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. As used herein, the terms “disk” and “disc” include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above media are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0232] As used herein, including in the claims, the term “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced with a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusive listing such that, for example, a listing of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Likewise, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be construed as limiting to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as “based on condition A” may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be construed in the same manner as the phrase “at least partially based on”.

[0233] In the figures, like components or features may have the same reference numerals. Additionally, each of the same type of components may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a dash and a second identifier that differentiates between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description may apply to any one of the similar components having the same first reference numeral regardless of the second reference numeral, or any other subsequent reference numerals.

[0234] The description set forth herein with reference to the drawings describes example configurations and does not represent all examples that may be implemented or that fall within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "superior to" or "better than" other examples. This detailed description includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, the techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0235] The description provided herein is to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: transmitting UE capability information, the UE capability information indicating the UE's support for blind decoding of repeated physical downlink control channel candidates, wherein the UE capability information indicates a blind decoding count mode, the blind decoding count mode indicating the amount by which the blind decoding count increments for each blind decoding attempt for the repeated physical downlink control channel candidates, the amount being selected between a first amount and a second amount of repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidate, the second amount being greater than the first amount; and monitoring one or more repetitions of downlink control information by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a configuration message, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repeated physical downlink control channel candidates.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE capability information indicates the amount of repetitions of the downlink control information associated with the blind decoding of the repeated physical downlink control channel candidate.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the repeated physical downlink control channel candidate comprises a set of physical downlink control channel candidates in the same search space set, the same search space set being associated with a common control resource set or a separate control resource set.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the repeated physical downlink control channel candidate comprises a first physical downlink control channel candidate in a first search space set and a second physical downlink control channel candidate in a second search space set, the first search space set and the second search space set being associated with a separate control resource set or a common control resource set.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein receiving the configuration message comprises: receiving the configuration message in radio resource control signaling.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control information comprises: identifying that the blind decoding count mode comprises soft combining a first repetition of the downlink control information with a second repetition of the downlink control information; and attempting to blindly decode the one or more repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidate, the amount being at least partially based on the soft combination, the blind decoding count not exceeding the maximum blind decoding count.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control information comprises: identifying that the blind decoding count mode comprises attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the downlink control information and a second repetition of the downlink control information; and Attempt blind decoding of the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and the second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate, where the quantity is the first quantity and the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control information comprises: identifying the blind decoding count pattern includes attempting blind decoding of the first repetition of the downlink control information and soft combining the first repetition of the downlink control information with the second repetition of the downlink control information; and attempting blind decoding of the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and soft combining the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate with the second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate, where the quantity is at least partially based on the attempted blind decoding and the soft combining, and the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control information comprises: identifying the blind decoding count pattern includes attempting blind decoding of the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and the second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and soft combining the first repetition of the downlink control information with the second repetition of the downlink control information; and attempting blind decoding of the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and the second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and soft combining the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate with the second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate, where the quantity is at least partially based on the attempted blind decoding and the soft combining, and the blind decoding count does not exceed the maximum blind decoding count.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprises: transmitting an indication of the quantity by which the blind decoding count increments for each blind decoding attempt of the one or more repetitions of the downlink control information to a base station, where the blind decoding count pattern is at least partially based on the indication.

12. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprises: a processor of a user equipment UE, a transceiver coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, where the memory and the processor are configured to cause the apparatus to: transmit UE capability information, where the UE capability information indicates the support of the UE for blind decoding of a repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidate, and where the UE capability information indicates a blind decoding count pattern that indicates the quantity by which the blind decoding count increments for each blind decoding attempt of a repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidate, and the quantity is selected between a first quantity and a second quantity of repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidate, and the second quantity is greater than the first quantity; and Monitoring one or more repetitions of downlink control information by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidates according to the maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count pattern.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to cause the apparatus to: Receive a configuration message, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts for repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the UE capability information indicates the amount of repetition of the downlink control information associated with the blind decoding of the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidate.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidate includes a set of physical downlink control channel candidates in the same search space set, the same search space set being associated with a common control resource set or a separate control resource set.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidate includes a first physical downlink control channel candidate in a first search space set and a second physical downlink control channel candidate in a second search space set, the first search space set and the second search space set being associated with a separate control resource set or a common control resource set.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the memory and the processor are configured to cause the apparatus to: Receive the configuration message in radio resource control signaling.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein for monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control channel, the memory and the processor are configured to cause the apparatus to: Identify that the blind decoding count pattern includes soft combining a first repetition of the downlink control information with a second repetition of the downlink control information; and Attempt to blindly decode the one or more repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidates, the amount being at least partially based on the soft combining, and the blind decoding count not exceeding the maximum blind decoding count.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein for monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control channel, the memory and the processor are configured to cause the apparatus to: Identify that the blind decoding count pattern includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the downlink control information and a second repetition of the downlink control information; and Attempt to blindly decode the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and the second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate, the amount being the first amount, and the blind decoding count not exceeding the maximum blind decoding count.

20. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein for monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control channel, the memory and the processor are configured to cause the apparatus to: Identifying the blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the downlink control information and soft combining the first repetition of the downlink control information with a second repetition of the downlink control information; and Attempting to blindly decode a first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and soft combining the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate with a second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate, the quantity being at least partially based on the attempted blind decoding and the soft combining, and the blind decoding count not exceeding the maximum blind decoding count.

21. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein for monitoring one or more repetitions of the downlink control channel, the memory and the processor are configured to cause the apparatus to: Identifying the blind decoding count mode includes attempting to blindly decode a first repetition and a second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and soft combining the first repetition of the downlink control information with the second repetition of the downlink control information; and Attempting to blindly decode a first repetition and a second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate and soft combining the first repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate with the second repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidate, the quantity being at least partially based on the attempted blind decoding and the soft combining, and the blind decoding count not exceeding the maximum blind decoding count.

22. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the memory and the processor are further configured to cause the apparatus to: Transmit an indication of the quantity by which the blind decoding count increments for each blind decoding attempt of the one or more repetitions of the downlink control information to the base station, and the blind decoding count mode is at least partially based on the indication.

23. A device for wireless communication at a user equipment UE, comprising: Means for transmitting UE capability information, the UE capability information indicating the UE's support for blind decoding of a repeated physical downlink control channel candidate, wherein the UE capability information indicates a blind decoding count mode, the blind decoding count mode indicating the quantity by which the blind decoding count increments for each blind decoding attempt of a repeated physical downlink control channel candidate, the quantity being selected between a first quantity and a second quantity of repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidate, and the second quantity being greater than the first quantity; and Means for monitoring one or more repetitions of the downlink control information by attempting to blindly decode one or more repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidate according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

24. The device according to claim 23, further comprising: Means for receiving a configuration message, the configuration message including one or more parameters related to the UE's attempt to blindly decode a repeated physical downlink control channel candidate.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the UE capability information indicates the amount of repetition of the downlink control information associated with the blind decoding of the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein: the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates include a set of physical downlink control channel candidates in the same search space set, the same search space set being associated with a common control resource set or a separate control resource set.

27. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein: the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates include a first physical downlink control channel candidate in a first search space set and a second physical downlink control channel candidate in a second search space set, the first search space set and the second search space set being associated with a separate control resource set or a common control resource set.

28. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the means for receiving the configuration message comprises: means for receiving the configuration message in radio resource control signaling.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the code comprising instructions executable by a processor for: transmitting UE capability information that indicates the UE's support for blind decoding of repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates, wherein the UE capability information indicates a blind decoding count mode that indicates the amount by which a blind decoding count is incremented for each blind decoding attempt of the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates, the amount being selected between a first amount and a second amount of repetition of the physical downlink control channel candidates, the second amount being greater than the first amount; and monitoring the one or more repetitions of the downlink control information by attempting to blind decode one or more repetitions of the physical downlink control channel candidates according to a maximum blind decoding count and the blind decoding count mode.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 29, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to: receive a configuration message that includes one or more parameters related to the UE's blind decoding attempts of the repetition-based physical downlink control channel candidates.

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