Physical Downlink Control Channel Monitoring Scaling

Abstract

A User Equipment (UE) monitors Physical Downlink Control Channels (PDCCHs) in multiple Component Carriers (CCs). The UE determines whether the UE is operating in Carrier Aggregation (CA) mode with a first CC in a first band and a second CC in a second band. When the UE is operating in CA with a first CC in a first band and a second CC in a second band, the UE determines the span pattern of PDCCH symbols received on the first CC and the second CC, and selects a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on the span pattern. The UE also determines whether the first CC and the second CC of the CA combination are co-located, and selects a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on determining whether the first and second CCs are co-located.

Description

Background Art

[0001] A user equipment (UE) may establish a connection with at least one of a plurality of different networks or different types of networks. In order to establish and / or maintain a network connection, the UE may monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to receive downlink control information from the network. In some cases, the UE may be operating in a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration with the network. In CA, the UE may utilize multiple component carriers (CCs) to exchange information with the network. During CA operation, the UE may monitor the PDCCH on multiple CCs. Summary of the invention

[0002] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a user equipment (UE). The method includes: determining whether the UE is operating in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode with a first component carrier (CC) in a first frequency band and a second CC in a second frequency band; when the UE is operating in CA with a first CC in the first frequency band and a second CC in the second frequency band, determining a span pattern of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) symbols received on the first CC and the second CC and selecting a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on the span pattern.

[0003] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) having one or more processors and a transceiver communicatively connected to the one or more processors. The processor is configured to: determine whether the UE is operating in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode having a first component carrier (CC) in a first frequency band and a second CC in a second frequency band; when the UE is operating in CA having a first CC in the first frequency band and a second CC in the second frequency band, determine a span pattern of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) symbols received on the first CC and the second CC and select a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on the span pattern.

[0004] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a user equipment (UE). The method includes determining whether a first component carrier (CC) and a second CC of a carrier aggregation (CA) combination are co-located, and selecting a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on determining whether the first CC and the second CC are co-located.

[0005] Additional exemplary embodiments are directed to a user equipment (UE) having one or more processors and a transceiver communicatively connected to the one or more processors. The processor is configured to determine whether a first component carrier (CC) and a second CC of a carrier aggregation (CA) combination are co-located, and select a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on determining whether the first CC and the second CC are co-located. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0007] Figure 2 An exemplary user equipment (UE) is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0008] Figure 3 Exemplary network cells are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 4A and Figure 4B An exemplary timing diagram of two component carriers (CCs) carrying Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) symbols is shown.

[0010] Figure 5 Three exemplary span modes relative to one time slot are shown.

[0011] Figure 6 A timing diagram including two corresponding PDCCH symbol pairs on each of two CCs is shown.

[0012] Figure 7 A frequency band diagram including two exemplary frequency bands is shown.

[0013] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B A CA PDCCH timing diagram illustrating an example of MRTD differences between CCs is shown.

[0014] Fig. 9 An exemplary method for a UE to select a PDCCH monitoring type for URLLC according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0015] Fig.10 A second exemplary method for a UE to select a PDCCH monitoring type for URLLC according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the associated drawings, wherein similar elements have the same reference numerals.The exemplary embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) monitoring PDCCH symbols in a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario.

[0017] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to UE. However, reference to UE is provided for illustration purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, UE described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0018] In addition, the exemplary embodiments are described with reference to a 5G New Radio (NR) cellular network. However, reference to a 5G NR network is provided for illustration purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any network that implements the functionality described herein for UE capability reporting. Thus, a 5G NR network as described herein may represent any network that includes the functionality described herein for a 5G NR network.

[0019] Exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). It is envisioned that URLLC will support delay-sensitive use cases such as autonomous driving, robotic surgery, factory automation, etc. However, while exemplary embodiments are described with reference to URLLC, it should be understood that the principles described herein for monitoring PDCCH can be applied to any type of communication.

[0020] An exemplary implementation is also described with reference to PDCCH monitoring in a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that CA involves a UE configured with multiple component carriers (CCs). Each CC may represent a channel that facilitates communication between the UE and the network on a specific frequency band. Multiple CCs may correspond to the same frequency band, and each CC may correspond to a different frequency band or a combination of frequency bands. In addition, each CC has a specific bandwidth, and the more CCs the UE is configured with, the more bandwidth available for communication with the network. Example CA scenarios, such as intra-band continuous CA, intra-band non-continuous, and inter-band CA, are described in more detail below. However, it should be understood that CA is only an example of a UE receiving information on multiple frequency bands. The exemplary implementation may also be applied to other scenarios in which the UE receives information on multiple frequency bands, such as NR dual connectivity (DC).

[0021] Furthermore, the exemplary embodiments are described with reference to two CCs. It should be understood that CA may include more than two CCs. Those skilled in the art will understand how the principles described herein for two CCs may be extended to handle monitoring PDCCH symbols in more than two CCs.

[0022] The exemplary embodiment relates to a UE selecting a type of PDCCH monitoring. In a first aspect, the exemplary embodiment includes the UE selecting the type of PDCCH monitoring based on a span mode of the PDCCH. In a second aspect, the exemplary embodiment includes the UE selecting the type of PDCCH monitoring based on co-location information of a component carrier (CC) of a CA combination.

[0023] Figure 1A network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a tablet phone, an embedded device, a wearable device, a Cat-M device, a Cat-M1 device, an MTC device, an eMTC device, other types of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. A practical network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, the example of a single UE 110 is provided for illustration purposes only.

[0024] UE 110 may communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 100, the networks with which UE 110 may wirelessly communicate are 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR-RAN) 120, LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN) 122, and wireless local area network (WLAN) 124. However, UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks, and UE 110 may also communicate with a network via a wired connection. Thus, UE 110 may include a 5G NR chipset that communicates with 5G NR-RAN 120, an LTE chipset that communicates with LTE-RAN 122, and an ISM chipset that communicates with WLAN 124.

[0025] 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 may be parts of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks 120, 122 may include, for example, base stations (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base stations, microcell base stations, small cell base stations, femtocell base stations, etc.) configured to send and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets. WLAN 124 may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.). More details of 5G NR-RAN 120 will be provided below.

[0026] The base station (e.g., gNB 120A, gNB 120B, eNB 122A) may include one or more communication interfaces to exchange data and / or information with a camped UE, a corresponding RAN, a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, etc. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any association process may be performed for the UE 110 to connect to the 5G NR-RAN 120. For example, as described above, the 5G NR-RAN 120 may be associated with a specific cellular service provider, where the UE 110 and / or its user has a protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN 120, the UE 110 may transmit the corresponding credential information in order to associate with the 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a specific cell (e.g., gNB 120A of the 5G NR-RAN 120). As described above, the use of the 5G NR-RAN 120 is for illustration purposes, and any type of network may be used.

[0027] The use of separate 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 is provided for illustration purposes only. An actual network arrangement may include a RAN that includes an architecture capable of providing 5G NR RAT services and LTE RAT services. For example, a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) (not shown) may include a next generation Node B (gNB) providing 5G NR services and a next generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB) providing LTE services. The NG-RAN may be connected to at least one of an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC).

[0028] In addition to the networks 120, 122, and 124, the network arrangement 100 includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 can be viewed as an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of the cellular network. The cellular core network 130 also manages the traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 can be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 can communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 can be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0029] Figure 2An exemplary user equipment (UE) 110 is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 UE 110 is described with reference to a network arrangement 100 of FIG. UE 110 may represent any electronic device and may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. Other components 230 may include, for example, a SIM card, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery providing a limited power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting UE 110 to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0030] Processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of UE 110. For example, the engines may include PDCCH monitoring engine 235. PDCCH monitoring engine 235 may perform various operations related to monitoring PDCCH, including selecting a type of PDCCH monitoring to be performed by UE 110. As will be described in more detail below, UE 110 may select the type of PDCCH monitoring based on one or more different types of information including a span pattern of a received PDCCH and co-location information of CCs.

[0031] The above-described engine as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205 is merely exemplary. The functions associated with the engine may also be represented as an independent combined component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, for example, an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving a signal and a processing circuit for processing the signal and other information. The engine may also be embodied as an application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is shared between two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0032] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables user input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 1120 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen). The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120, LTE-RAN 122, WLAN 124, etc. Thus, the transceiver 225 may operate on multiple different frequencies or channels (e.g., a continuous set of frequencies).

[0033] Figure 32 shows an exemplary network cell according to various exemplary embodiments. In this example, the network cell may be considered to be Figure 1 gNB 120A. Figure 3 The network cell illustrated in FIG. 1 may also represent gNB 120B or any other gNB of 5G NR-RAN 120. gNB 120A may represent any access node belonging to the 5G NR network that UE 110 may use to establish a connection and manage network operations.

[0034] The gNB 120A may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, an input / output (I / O) device 320, a transceiver 325, and other components 330. The other components 330 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the gNB 120A to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0035] Processor 305 may be configured to execute multiple engines of gNB 120A. For example, the engines may include a CA co-location configuration engine 335 for providing configuration information to UE 110 for monitoring PDCCH in a CA scenario.

[0036] The engines described above are each represented as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 305 and are merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engines may also be represented as independently integrated components of the gNB 120A, or may be modular components coupled to the gNB 120A, such as integrated circuits with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuits for receiving signals and processing circuits for processing signals and other information. In addition, in some gNBs, the functionality described for the processor 305 is split between multiple processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an application processor, etc.). The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the gNB.

[0037] The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110, 112. The I / O device 320 may be a hardware component or port that enables a user to interact with the gNB 120A. The transceiver 325 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 110, 112 and any other UE in the system 100, for example, when the gNB 120A is used as a PCell or SCell for either or both of the UEs 110, 112. The transceiver 325 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). Thus, the transceiver 325 may include one or more components (e.g., radio components) to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs.

[0038] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Exemplary timing diagrams 400 and 450 are shown for two component carriers (CCs) carrying PDCCH symbols. Figure 4A Exemplary time slots 410 and 420 for URLLC corresponding to two CCs 405 and 415 are shown, wherein the corresponding PDCCH symbols are aligned. Time slots 410 and 420 are illustrated as having 7 pairs of symbols labeled AG, thereby obtaining a total of 14 symbols in each of time slots 410 and 420. In this example, time slots 410 and 420 have a span pattern of {2,2}. The span pattern will be described in more detail below. This is considered to be an alignment situation because the corresponding PDCCH symbols (e.g., symbol A of CC1 405 and symbol A of CC2 415) of each CC 405 and 410 arrive at UE 110 at the same time.

[0039] Figure 4B Exemplary time slots 460 and 470 for URLLC corresponding to two CCs 455 and 465 are shown, where the PDCCH is not aligned. In this example, time slots 460 and 470 also have a span pattern of {2,2}. This is considered to be an unaligned situation because the corresponding PDCCH symbols of each CC 455 and 465 (e.g., symbol B of CC1 455 and symbol B of CC2 465) do not arrive at UE 110 at the same time. As will be described in more detail below, the type of PDCCH monitoring can be selected based at least on whether the PDCCH is aligned or unaligned.

[0040] The span pattern may be defined by a pair of multiple symbols {X, Y}. X may represent the minimum number of consecutive symbols between the first symbols of two PDCCH monitoring opportunities in two corresponding consecutive span patterns. Y may represent the number of consecutive symbols of PDCCH monitoring opportunities within X symbols starting from the first symbol of X symbols. Figure 5 Three different span modes relative to one time slot are shown. These three span modes {2,2}, {4,3}, {7,3} may be defined in the specifications of various networks (eg, 3GPP standards).

[0041] UE 110 may be configured to find downlink control information related to UE 110 within a subframe by monitoring and blindly decoding a specific set of control channel elements (CCEs) including PDCCH candidates (e.g., CCEs to which PDCCH is mapped). For example, for an aligned scenario, UE 110 processing resources / power, including the number of blind decodings and channel estimation (non-overlapping CCEs), may be shared between different CCs. For an unaligned scenario, the worst span in each CC is used to count the number of blind decodings and the number of non-overlapping CCEs. Examples of the number of blind decodings for aligned and unaligned scenarios are provided below. Throughout the specification, the term PDCCH monitoring should be considered to include all associated operations for reception, blind decoding, and channel estimation of PDCCH candidates.

[0042] Figure 6 A timing diagram 600 is shown including two corresponding PDCCH symbol pairs 601a-601d on each of two CCs 610 and 620. Symbols 601a-601d may represent Figure 3 A to Figure 3 One of the symbol pairs shown in B (e.g., Figure 3 A to Figure 3 As will be described in more detail below, symbols 601a-601d may be considered aligned or unaligned. Figure 6 , the symbols are illustrated as being aligned, but this is for illustration purposes only.

[0043] The following will refer to Figure 6 Various types of PDCCH monitoring are described. Therefore, throughout the specification, when describing that UE 110 selects a type of PDCCH monitoring, examples of types of PDCCH monitoring that may be used by UE 110 are provided below. Exemplary types of PDCCH monitoring are described with reference to UE processing resource / power limitations. For example, the limitations may be the number of blind decodes performed per PDCCH symbol pair, the number of channel estimates for non-overlapping CCEs, etc.

[0044] In a first example, symbols 601a-601d may be considered aligned (e.g., symbols 601a and 601c are aligned in time, and symbols 601b and 601d are aligned in time). In a first example, PDCCH monitoring restrictions (e.g., the number of blind decodes per symbol pair, the number of channel estimates for non-overlapping CCEs, etc.) may be determined as follows:

[0045] 601a+601b+601c+601d<=threshold_1

[0046] Thus, in this example, a maximum number of blind decodes may be shared across all symbols 601a-d of the symbol pair. This PDCCH monitoring type may be referred to as a Rel.15 aligned monitoring type. Rel.15 refers to Release 15 of the 3GPP standard.

[0047] In the second example, the symbols 601a-601d may be considered aligned as in the first example. However, in the second example, the PDCCH monitoring restriction may be determined as follows:

[0048] 601a+601c<=threshold_2

[0049] 601b+601d<=threshold_2

[0050] Therefore, in this example, a maximum number of blind decodes may be shared for corresponding symbols of the symbol pair.This PDCCH monitoring type may be referred to as a Rel. 16 aligned monitoring type.

[0051] In the third example, the symbols 601a-601d may be considered misaligned. In the third example, the PDCCH monitoring restriction may be determined as follows:

[0052] max(601a,601b)+max(601c,601d)<=threshold_3

[0053] Thus, in this example, the maximum number of blind decodes may be based on the maximum number of blind decodes for PDCCH symbols per CC.This PDCCH monitoring type may be referred to as a Rel. 16 misaligned monitoring type.

[0054] It should be noted that in the above examples, the values ​​of the thresholds (eg, threshold_1, threshold_2, threshold_3) may be the same or different. In addition, the values ​​of the thresholds may vary according to any number of factors including the capabilities of individual UEs, the span mode configuration of the PDCCH, etc.

[0055] Figure 7 A frequency band diagram 700 including two exemplary frequency bands 710 and 720 is shown. In the frequency band diagram 700, it can be considered that the frequency band 710 corresponds to the frequency range 1 (FR1) and the frequency band 720 corresponds to the FR2 of the 5G NR-RAN 120. However, this is merely exemplary, and the frequency bands 710 and 720 may correspond to any frequency band. In the frequency band diagram 700, each frequency band includes ten (10) sub-bands. Again, this is merely exemplary, as those skilled in the art will appreciate that FR1 and FR2 include many more than 10 sub-bands.

[0056] The purpose of the frequency band diagram 700 is to describe various CA scenarios in which the UE 110 may operate. For the purpose of this description, it may be considered that there are three carriers 730-750 operating within the frequency bands 710 and 720. Each carrier is operating two (2) sub-band CA combinations. Thus, each carrier is using CC1 and CC2, such as Figure 3 A to Figure 3 As shown in B.

[0057] In a first example, carrier 730 is serving CC1 733 and CC2 737 in band 710. This is an example of intra-band contiguous CA, e.g., CCs 733 and 737 are served in the same band 710, and the subbands are adjacent to each other. In a second example, carrier 740 is serving CC1 743 and CC2 747 in band 710. This is an example of intra-band non-contiguous CA, e.g., CCs 743 and 747 are served in the same band 610, but the subbands are not adjacent to each other. In a third example, carrier 750 is serving CC1 753 in band 710 and CC2 777 in band 720. This is an example of inter-band CA, e.g., CCs 753 and 757 are served in different bands 710 and 720.

[0058] Consider an aligned inter-band CA scenario. In this scenario, the maximum receive time difference (MRTD) within FR1 of 5G NR is as high as 33 microseconds, and across the frequency range, the MRTD is as high as 25 microseconds. This MRTD may cause PDCCH symbols that are considered aligned to actually arrive in a pattern similar to the misaligned case.

[0059] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B CA PDCCH timing diagrams 800 and 850 are shown, illustrating examples of MRTD differences between CCs. Fig. 8A and Figure 8B In the example, for inter-band CA, the subcarrier spacing can be considered to be 30 kHz. If the MRTD is 33 microseconds (which is approximately the duration of one symbol), then for Fig. 8A and Figure 8B In both cases of nominal alignment shown for CC1 and CC2, UE 110 actually receives PDCCH timing that is misaligned.

[0060] Fig. 8A The nominally aligned PDCCH timing of CC1 810 and CC2 820a with span pattern {2,2} is shown. However, CC2 820b shows PDCCH timing when UE 110 actually receives PDCCH. The PDCCHs of CC1 810 and CC2 820b are similar to the unaligned case, rather than aligned.

[0061] Figure 8B The nominally aligned PDCCH timing of CC1 860 and CC2 870a with span pattern {4,3} is shown. However, CC2 870b shows PDCCH timing when UE 110 actually receives PDCCH. The PDCCHs of CC1 860 and CC2 870b are similar to the unaligned case, rather than aligned.

[0062] Fig. 9 An exemplary method 900 for UE 110 to select a PDCCH monitoring type for URLLC according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. In exemplary method 900, UE 110 may select a PDCCH monitoring type based on a span mode of the PDCCH and / or whether the PDCCH is aligned or unaligned. Exemplary method 900 may be used to address the problem of Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The problem described is that nominally aligned CCs are received by UE 110 as misaligned.

[0063] In 905, UE 110 determines whether inter-band CA is currently being used. If not, the method ends because method 900 applies to a scenario where inter-band CA is being used. If inter-band CA is being used, UE 110 determines a scenario for applying the PDCCH monitoring type with which UE 110 is configured. Configuring UE 110 to have one of scenarios 1-3 may be configured by the network (e.g., via radio resource control (RRC) signaling), may be configured by a standard (e.g., a 3GPP standard), or may depend on the specific implementation of UE 110.

[0064] In a first example, consider that UE 110 is configured with scenario 1 910. As shown in 915, all CCs with any spanning pattern across CCs (e.g., {7,3}, {4,3}, {2,2}) are considered to be misaligned. That is, even nominally aligned CCs are considered to be misaligned for inter-band CA. As described above, the reason for this assumption is that, although CCs may be nominally aligned, UE 110 may consider the PDCCH to be misaligned because there may be MRTD between the received CCs.

[0065] Therefore, UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on Rel.16 misaligned monitoring type as described above in 920. For example, all CCs will be considered misaligned, and the worst span in each CC is used to count the number of blind decodes and the number of non-overlapping CCEs.

[0066] In a second example, consider that UE 110 is configured with scenario 2 925. CCs with span patterns {4,3} and {2,2} are considered unaligned as shown in 930. CCs with span pattern {7,3} may be tested to determine if the CCs are aligned and processed accordingly.

[0067] Therefore, if it is determined in 935 that the CC has a span pattern of {4,3} or {2,2}, then in 920, the UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel.16 unaligned monitoring type as described above. If in 935, the span pattern is not {4,3} or {2,2} (e.g., the span pattern is {7,3}), the method 900 proceeds to 940, where the UE 110 determines whether the CC is aligned. If the CC is not aligned, then in 920, the UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel.16 unaligned monitoring type as described above. If the CC is aligned, then in 945, the UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel.16 aligned monitoring type as described above.

[0068] In a third example, consider that the UE 110 is configured with scenario 3 950. As shown in 955, a CC with a span pattern of {2,2} is considered to be unaligned. Therefore, if it is determined in 960 that the CC has a span pattern of {2,2}, then in 920, the UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel.16 unaligned monitoring type as described above. If in 960, the span pattern is not {2,2} (for example, the span pattern is {4,3} or {7,3}), the method proceeds to 940, where the UE 110 determines whether the CC is aligned. If the CC is unaligned, then in 920, the UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel.16 unaligned monitoring type as described above. If the CC is aligned, then in 945, the UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel.16 aligned monitoring type as described above.

[0069] Fig.10A second exemplary method 1000 for UE 110 to select a PDCCH monitoring type for URLLC according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Method 1000 is based on a gNB (e.g., gNB 120A or gNB 120B) providing a co-location flag for CC combination. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the co-location of a CC indicates that the cell serving the CC is physically located in the same location (e.g., on the same cell tower). The co-location information can be used to understand whether there will be a difference in the reception time of the CC. Since the two cells serving the CC are in the same relative position, it is unlikely that there will be a reception time difference at UE 110 because the signals will propagate from the same location through the same physical environment (e.g., atmospheric conditions, obstacles, etc.) at the same time. Therefore, when CCs are co-located, the above-mentioned MRTD difference is unlikely to occur, and the aligned PDCCH symbols should arrive at UE 110 relatively aligned. UE 110 can use this knowledge to select the type of PDCCH monitoring, as will be described in more detail below.

[0070] In 1010, UE 110 determines whether the CC combination has a co-location flag set. As described above, when configuring a CA combination for UE 110, gNB 120A or 120B may include a flag in the configuration information to inform UE 110 whether the CCs are co-located. If the CCs are not co-located, the method continues to 1030, where UE 110 considers the CCs to be misaligned regardless of whether the CCs are nominally aligned. As described above, when CCs are co-located, UE 110 may assume that aligned PDCCH symbols will arrive relatively aligned. However, when CCs are not co-located, PDCCH symbols in the CCs may experience MRTD differences as described above, and even nominally aligned PDCCH symbols may arrive misaligned. Therefore, in this case, in 940, UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel.16 misalignment monitoring type as described above.

[0071] However, if CC co-location is determined in 1010, UE 110 may determine whether the PDCCH is aligned or unaligned in 1020. For the unaligned PDCCH case, UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel. 16 unaligned monitoring type as described above in 1040. For the aligned PDCCH case, UE 110 will perform PDCCH monitoring based on the Rel. 15 aligned monitoring restriction or the Rel. 16 aligned monitoring restriction as described above in 1050.

[0072] In other exemplary embodiments, CCs may be divided into co-location groups across cell groups or within cell groups. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, cells may be divided into a primary cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) with respect to UE 110. Thus, UE 110 may understand whether a CC is co-located based on the cell group to which the CC belongs. The specific manner in which CCs are divided into cell groups is beyond the scope of this disclosure, as those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be many ways to divide CCs into cell groups. The purpose of the group is to signal co-location information to UE 110.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments, when CCs are divided into co-location groups within a cell group, UE 110 may report capability information to gNB 120A or 120B. For example, the capability information may include whether UE 110 supports Rel.15 alignment monitoring restrictions for MCG and / or SCG and whether UE 110 supports Rel.16 alignment and / or misalignment monitoring restrictions for MCG and / or SCG.

[0074] The gNB 120A or 120B may then configure the UE 110 regarding the type of PDCCH monitoring for each co-located group within the cell group based on the capability information received from the UE 110. The configuration may be sent to the UE 110 via RRC signaling.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0076] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments each having different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of an embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner not publicly denied or with features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or function of the device of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention.

[0077] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0078] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining whether the UE is operating in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode with a first component carrier (CC) in a first frequency band and a second CC in a second frequency band; when the UE is operating in CA with the first CC in the first frequency band and the second CC in the second frequency band, determining a span pattern of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) symbols received on the first CC and the second CC; and selecting a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on the span pattern, wherein the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that the number of blind decodings attempted on the first CC and the second CC is less than or equal to max(symbol(a), symbol(b)) + max(symbol(c), symbol(d)) of a determined maximum number of blind decodings, where symbol(a) and symbol(b) are decodings on the span on the first CC, and symbol(c) and symbol(d) are decodings on the span on the second CC.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the span pattern includes one of a {2,2} pattern, a {4,3} pattern, or a {7,3} pattern.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the span pattern.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} pattern or the {4,3} pattern.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} pattern.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the PDCCH symbols received on the first CC and the second CC are aligned or misaligned, wherein selecting the PDCCH monitoring type is further based on whether the PDCCH symbols received on the first CC and the second CC are aligned or misaligned.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.16 aligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that a first number of blind decodings attempted for a first span received on the first CC and a first span received on the second CC is less than or equal to a determined maximum number of blind decodings, and a second number of blind decodings attempted for a second PDCCH span received on the first CC and a second PDCCH span received on the second CC is less than or equal to the determined maximum number of blind decodings.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.15 aligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that the number of blind decodings attempted for PDCCH symbol pairs received on the first CC and the second CC is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum number of blind decodings.

9. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: Determine whether the UE is operating in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode with a first component carrier (CC) in a first frequency band and a second CC in a second frequency band; When the UE is operating in CA with the first CC in the first frequency band and the second CC in the second frequency band, determine the span pattern of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) symbols received on the first CC and the second CC; And Select a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on the span pattern, where the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that the number of non-overlapping CCEs attempted on the first CC and the second CC is less than or equal to max(symbol(a'), symbol(b')) + max(symbol(c'), symbol(d')) of the determined maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs, where symbol(a') and symbol(b') are non-overlapping CCEs received on the span on the first CC, and symbol(c') and symbol(d') are non-overlapping CCEs received on the span on the second CC.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the span pattern includes one of a {2,2} pattern, a {4,3} pattern, or a {7,3} pattern.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the span pattern.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} pattern or the {4,3} pattern.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} pattern.

14. The method according to claim 9, further including: Determine whether the PDCCH symbols received on the first CC and the second CC are aligned or misaligned, where the selection of the PDCCH monitoring type is further based on whether the PDCCH symbols received on the first CC and the second CC are aligned or misaligned.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.16 aligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that a first number of blind decodings attempted for a first span received on the first CC and a first span received on the second CC is less than or equal to the determined maximum number of blind decodings, and a second number of blind decodings attempted for a second PDCCH span received on the first CC and a second PDCCH span received on the second CC is less than or equal to the determined maximum number of blind decodings.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.15 aligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that the number of blind decodings attempted for PDCCH symbol pairs received on the first CC and the second CC is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum number of blind decodings.

17. A user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more processors configured to: determine whether the UE is operating in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode with a first component carrier (CC) in a first frequency band and a second CC in a second frequency band; when the UE is operating in CA with the first CC in the first frequency band and the second CC in the second frequency band, determine a span pattern of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) symbols received on the first CC and the second CC; and select a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on the span pattern, wherein the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that the number of blind decodings attempted on the first CC and the second CC is less than or equal to the determined maximum number of blind decodings of max(symbol(a), symbol(b)) + max(symbol(c), symbol(d)), where symbol(a) and symbol(b) are decodings on the span on the first CC, and symbol(c) and symbol(d) are decodings on the span on the second CC; and a transceiver communicatively connected to the one or more processors.

18. The UE according to claim 17, wherein the Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the span pattern.

19. The UE according to claim 17, wherein the Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} mode or the {4,3} mode.

20. The UE according to claim 17, wherein the Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} mode.

21. A user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more processors configured to: determine whether the UE is operating in a carrier aggregation (CA) mode with a first component carrier (CC) in a first frequency band and a second CC in a second frequency band; when the UE is operating in CA with the first CC in the first frequency band and the second CC in the second frequency band, determine a span pattern of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) symbols received on the first CC and the second CC; and select a PDCCH monitoring type based at least on the span pattern, wherein the PDCCH monitoring type includes a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type, including that the number of non - overlapping control channel elements (CCEs) received on the first CC and the second CC is less than or equal to the determined maximum number of non - overlapping CCEs of max(symbol(a'), symbol(b')) + max(symbol(c'), symbol(d')), where symbol(a') and symbol(b') are non - overlapping CCEs received on the span on the first CC, and symbol(c') and symbol(d') are non - overlapping CCEs received on the span on the second CC; and a transceiver communicatively connected to the one or more processors.

22. The UE according to claim 21, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the span pattern.

23. The UE according to claim 21, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} mode or the {4,3} mode.

24. The UE according to claim 21, wherein a Rel.16 misaligned PDCCH monitoring type is selected for the {2,2} mode.

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