Joint optimization of bandwidth part, search space and connected mode discontinuous reception operation in 5g new radio

Abstract

This disclosure relates to the joint optimization of bandwidth portions, search space, and connected-mode discontinuous reception (DRX) operations in 5G new radios. Apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform a method in which a state change of a timer associated with a connected-mode discontinuous reception (DRX) communication session with a base station triggers a switch for that DRX communication session from using a first bandwidth portion (BWP) as the active BWP to using a second BWP as the active BWP. The timer may be an on-duration timer, an inactive timer, or a retransmission timer. The UE may also modify the monitoring schedule of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in response to detecting a timer state change. Depending on the type of timer and the type of state change, the second BWP may have a wider or narrower bandwidth than the first BWP.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of invention patent application 201911278482.6, filed on December 13, 2019, entitled "Joint optimization of bandwidth portion, search space and connection mode discontinuous reception operation in 5G new radio".

[0002] Priority requirements

[0003] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 779,392, filed December 13, 2018, entitled “Joint Optimization of Bandwidth Part, Search Space and Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception Operation in 5G New Radio,” which, as fully and completely set forth herein, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0004] This patent application relates to wireless devices, and more specifically, to apparatus, systems, and methods for enabling wireless devices to dynamically switch active bandwidth portions and monitoring protocols based on timer activity. Background Technology

[0005] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices now offer access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and can operate complex applications that utilize these capabilities.

[0006] Long Term Evolution (LTE) has become the technology of choice for most wireless network operators worldwide, providing their user base with mobile broadband data and high-speed internet access. LTE defines multiple downlink (DL) physical channels, classified as transport or control channels, to carry blocks of information received from Media Access Control (MAC) and higher layers. LTE also defines the number of physical layer channels for the uplink (UL).

[0007] The next telecommunications standard proposed to surpass the current International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-Advanced) standard is called 5G mobile network or 5G radio system, or simply 5G (for 5G New Radio, it is also called 5G-NR, or simply NR). Compared to the current LTE standard, 5G-NR offers higher capacity for higher density mobile broadband users, while supporting ultra-reliable and massive machine-type communication between devices, as well as lower latency and lower battery consumption. Furthermore, the 5G-NR standard allows the available bandwidth for communication between the base station and the UE to be divided into multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs). Therefore, efforts are underway to continuously develop 5G-NR to leverage the flexibility of BWP allocation, thereby further utilizing power saving opportunities. Accordingly, improvements are expected in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The implementation scheme relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for configuring a dynamically hierarchical connection mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) sub-configuration for each of multiple bandwidth components (BWPs) and dynamically switching active BWPs based on timer activity.

[0009] In some implementations, the UE may dynamically switch active BWPs and / or monitor scheduling based on timer activity associated with the CDRX communication session.

[0010] The technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to any one of cellular phones, tablets, wearable computing devices, portable media players and various other computing devices.

[0011] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0012] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of the various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 Example wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0014] Figure 2 This illustrates a base station (BS) communicating with a user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes;

[0015] Figure 3 Example block diagrams of a UE according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0016] Figure 4 Example block diagrams of a BS according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0017] Figure 5 This is an example of how timer activities switch between different activity BWPs in response to certain implementation schemes;

[0018] Figure 6 This is a table showing two exemplary connection mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) configurations for two different types of communication according to some implementation schemes;

[0019] Figure 7 This is a table showing two exemplary BWP configurations with different BWP timer durations based on timer conditions according to some implementation schemes;

[0020] Figure 8 This is a table illustrating two exemplary BWP configurations with different search space configurations based on timer conditions according to some implementation schemes; and

[0021] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching active BWPs based on timer-based state changes, according to some implementation schemes.

[0022] While the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0023] the term

[0024] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0025] Memory media—any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory media" is intended to include mounting media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory media" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations on different computer systems connected via a network, for example. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., manifested as a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0026] Carrier media—memory media as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0027] Programmable hardware elements—including a variety of hardware devices comprising multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices). Programmable functional blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinational logic units or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as “configurable logic units.”

[0028] Computer system—any of all types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network devices, internet devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0029] A user device (UE) (or “UE equipment”) is any of a variety of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communications. Examples of UE equipment include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones). TM Based on Android TMTelephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) TM PlayStation Portable TM Gameboy Advance TM iPhone TM Laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transmitted and capable of wireless communication by a user.

[0030] Base station—The term “base station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0031] A processing element is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device such as a user device or a cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0032] A channel is a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standard manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, the channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0033] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0034] Automatic—refers to actions or operations performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware components, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform the actions or operations. Therefore, the term "automatic" contrasts with actions performed or specified manually by the user, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user manually fills out a form by selecting each field and providing input to specify information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, selecting a radio component, etc.), even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) which analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0035] Approximately—means a value close to the correct or precise value. For example, approximately can refer to a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can vary depending on the application. For example, in some implementations, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of some specified or expected value, while in various other implementations, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of the specific application.

[0036] Concurrency refers to the parallel execution or implementation of tasks, processes, or programs in a manner that at least partially overlaps. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0037] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having" a "structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can be a broad description generally meaning a structure that "has a circuit system that performs one or more tasks during operation." Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0038] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.SC §112(f) for that component.

[0039] Figure 1 and Figure 2 —Communication System

[0040] Figure 1 A simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described herein is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0041] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106N, etc., via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to as a "user device" (UE) in this invention. Therefore, device 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0042] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (cellular base station), and may include hardware for implementing wireless communication with UE 106A to UE 106N.

[0043] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station can be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in an LTE environment, its alternative location can be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, its alternative location can be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0044] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, base station 102A can facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0045] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0046] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1 The diagram shows the "serving cell" of UEs 106A-N, but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells may also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. These cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells, and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing service area size. For example, in Figure 1 Base stations 102A-B shown can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0047] In some implementations, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In some implementations, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a new radio communication core (NRC) network. Furthermore, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0048] It should be noted that UE 106 can communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD, etc.), UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0049] Figure 2 A user device 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 is shown according to some embodiments. UE 106 can be a device with cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0050] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may execute any of the method embodiments of the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to execute any of the method embodiments of the present invention or any portion thereof.

[0051] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Typically, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among various wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0052] In some implementations, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communication using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0053] Figure 3 —UE block diagram

[0054] Figure 3 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 3The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. According to the implementation, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE), a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. This set of components 300 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of the communication device 106.

[0055] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with or external to communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short- to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth). TM (and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0056] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 as shown. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 as shown. Alternatively, short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to antennas 337 and 338, or as an alternative, to antennas 335 and 336. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0057] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communication ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0058] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements may include any of a variety of components such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other components capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0059] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more general purpose integrated circuit cards) 345.

[0060] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor 302 executes program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuit 304 performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or coupled to other circuitry or devices (such as the display circuit 304, short-range wireless communication circuitry 229, cellular communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0061] As described above, the communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits. The communication device 106 can be configured to perform methods including: performing one or more of periodic beam quality measurements and / or event-based beam quality measurements; determining a recommended beam quality measurement configuration based at least in part on one or more of periodic beam quality measurements and / or event-based beam quality measurements; and transmitting the recommended beam quality measurement configuration to a base station serving the UE. Furthermore, the UE can execute instructions received from the base station regarding the beam quality measurement configuration. The instructions may include instructions to activate, deactivate, and / or modify at least one beam quality measurement configuration. Additionally, the instructions may be based at least in part on the recommended beam quality measurement configuration.

[0062] As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above for recommending beam quality measurement configurations. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 302 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or otherwise), processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or otherwise), in conjunction with one or more of other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, processor 302 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0063] Furthermore, as described in this invention, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 302.

[0064] Furthermore, as described herein, both the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Similarly, the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0065] Figure 4 —Block diagram of a base station

[0066] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include a processor 404 capable of executing program instructions specific to base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 (which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450)) or to other circuitry or devices.

[0067] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access rights as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The telephone network described herein includes multiple devices such as UE device 106.

[0068] Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may be further configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as user equipment 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0069] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0070] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. At least one antenna 434 may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0071] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0072] As further described below, base station 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting embodiments of the features described herein. Processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0073] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 404 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 404. Therefore, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 404.

[0074] Additionally, as described herein, the radio component 430 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the radio component 430. Therefore, the radio component 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 430.

[0075] Bandwidth component in 5G NR

[0076] 5G NR is expected to divide the available bandwidth for communication sessions between the UE and gNB into multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs). Each of these BWPs can occupy a different bandwidth, and each BWP can overlap or not overlap with other BWPs on frequencies. Furthermore, each BWP can operate according to specific digits, which can vary between BWPs, thus providing the UE with more diverse communication opportunities. At any given time, only one of the BWPs can be actively used at a time for each of the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL), and the BWP in use can be referred to as the active BWP (e.g., there can be a single active UL BWP and a single active DL BWP). The active BWP can switch over time, and the switching between active BWPs can be directed by downlink control information (DCI) messages and / or based on timers. For example, when the UE has data to transmit, the DCI received from the gNB can instruct the UE to use a specific BWP as the active BWP for that data transmission. In some implementations, the UE can switch back to the default active BWP when the timer expires. For example, the UE may start a timer when switching to the active BWP, and the timer may be reset after receiving / transmitting DL / UL data on that BWP. When the timer expires (e.g., if the timer expires but no data is received or transmitted on that BWP), the UE may switch to another BWP, such as the default BWP. Advantageously, misalignment can be prevented by using a timer to switch BWPs. In addition or alternatively, embodiments herein describe apparatus and methods for switching between active BWPs using RRC-based signaling and / or CDRX timers.

[0077] When performing PDCCH grant monitoring, it may be desirable for the UE to operate with the minimum bandwidth BWP capable of completing the PDCCH grant monitoring, in order to save power. Up to four BWPs are expected to be configured for 5G NR, and the specific selection of active BWPs may vary depending on the specific implementation.

[0078] The UE may provide feedback for active BWPs in its preference and beamforming reports, but may not provide feedback for inactive BWPs. For example, it may not be required / expected that the UE be able to measure / report the quality of configured but not yet activated BWPs. However, it is expected that the UE will perform channel state information (CSI) measurements within its active downlink (DL) BWPs.

[0079] In some implementations, the gNB can switch the UE to an active BWP for radio measurements, such as Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI RS) on the downlink (DL) and / or Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) on the uplink (UL). Typically, scheduling these measurements can require additional messaging and power consumption. Assuming that the UE can be notified of the CSI-RS scheduling on the specific BWP to be measured, autonomous measurements by the UE on other configured but inactive BWPs may be difficult and / or infeasible, thus enabling the network to coordinate these measurements may be advantageous.

[0080] In some implementations, Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) signaling can be supported through BWP transitions. For example, when switching the UE's active BWP, HARQ retransmissions may occur across BWPs. In other words, HARQ retransmissions may occur on a more recently switched active BWP based on an earlier transmission on a different active BWP.

[0081] Even if Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), beamforming, and SRS can be reported based on the current active BWP, such measurements can still be inaccurate if the active BWP is switched to another active BWP for data transmission and the measurements are not updated at a sufficiently high frequency (i.e., if no measurements have been performed since the active BWP was switched). Current implementations may use an outer-loop approach, where the gNB may not be aware of the CQI of a particular active BWP but can probe different transmission parameters (e.g., different frequencies or other parameters such as different modulation and coding schemes (MCS) and / or different transport block sizes (TBS)) to determine which parameters contribute higher throughput to the UE. However, these outer-loop methods can take a considerable amount of time to converge, thus increasing network latency.

[0082] Some implementations described in this paper present a systematic design for coordinating active BWP handover for data transmission and channel measurements, thereby reducing overhead on the network and at the UE and gNB.

[0083] Control resource set (CORESET) and search space

[0084] In 5G NR, a control resource set (CORESET) can be defined as a set of resource element groups (REGs) with one or more symbol durations, based on a given digitization. During the symbol duration, the UE can attempt to blindly decode downlink control information. In the time domain, a CORESET can have one, two, or three consecutive OFDM symbols, and in the frequency domain, a CORESET can be continuous or discontinuous.

[0085] It is anticipated that up to three CORESETs can be configured for a BWP within a cell for a UE under 5G NR. For a single UE, multiple CORESETs can overlap in frequency and time, and multiple search spaces can be associated with a single CORESET. Within a CORESET, different search spaces (e.g., common search space and UE-specific search space) can have different periodicities for the UE to monitor.

[0086] The set of candidate PDCCHs monitored by the UE can be defined according to a PDCCH search space set. The search space can define a set of aggregation levels (ALs), the number of candidate PDCCHs in each AL, the timing of PDCCH monitoring, and / or the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) or DCI format to be monitored. For example, PDCCHs of types 0 to 3 can be used in a common search space, and a UE-specific search space set can be configured via SearchSpace in PDCCH-Config, where searchSpaceType = UE-Specific for DCI formats with CRCs scrambled by the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) or one or more Configuration Scheduled Radio Network Temporary Identifiers (CS-RNTI).

[0087] Each configured DL BWP may include at least one CORESET, which has a UE-specific search space. As described in more detail below, the BWP configured as the active BWP, the CORESET, and the search space configured for the UE can be dynamically determined based on CDRX timer activity.

[0088] BWP Activation Based on Timer Activities

[0089] In LTE, the UE's operating bandwidth is typically cell-specific or can be configured by RRC. In addition, the UE may be required to continuously monitor the PDCCH or semi-statically configured by the CDRX according to the RRC protocol. Consequently, in LTE, the operating bandwidth and PDCCH monitoring periodicity / pattern may not be dynamically adjustable, potentially leading to suboptimal power efficiency under dynamic communication conditions.

[0090] In contrast, in 5G NR, each BWP is expected to be associated with different bandwidths and digitizations, and each CORESET / search space set is expected to be associated with different PDCCH monitoring periods. Therefore, by switching BWPs, the UE can dynamically adapt to changing communication conditions. However, switching active BWPs, CORESETs, and / or search space sets often incurs latency and may require additional control resources from the gNB.

[0091] To address these and other issues, the implementation described herein utilizes timer state changes associated with CDRX communication sessions as proxies to determine when to change the active BWP, CORESET, and / or search space set. CDRX is expected to be supported in 5G NR, and pre-existing timer activities associated with ongoing CDRX communication sessions can be used to time the handover between the active BWP and search monitoring configurations. For example, the gNB and UE can time-align based on the states of different timers in the CDRX, and the timers can capture communication dynamics to some extent and thus be used to trigger BWP / search space adaptation to reduce UE power consumption and latency.

[0092] In some implementations, the CDRX timer and BWP / CORESET / search space configurations can be jointly coordinated based on different configurations for different types of data communication. For example, depending on the type of data communication used in a CDRX communication session, different configurations can be implemented to change the BWP, CORESET, and / or search space set based on timer state changes.

[0093] Figure 5 —Activity switching activity BWP based on CDRX timer activity switching

[0094] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an autonomous method for switching active BWPs based on CDRX timer activity. Figure 5 This disclosure is intended to illustrate a particular example and not to limit the scope of the disclosure in general. In various implementations, the UE and gNB can autonomously switch between one or more of the active BWP, CORESET, and search space when different state changes occur in various CDRX timers. The triggered switching or adjustment can at least cause a change in bandwidth or the periodicity or duration of PDCCH monitoring. State changes in different CDRX timers can capture communication dynamics to some extent and can be used to adjust PDCCH monitoring behavior.

[0095] Figure 5Three types of timers associated with a CDRX communication session are illustrated. When a CDRX communication session is initiated, an enable duration timer can be started. When the enable duration timer expires, if no other timers are running at that time, the UE can be triggered to enter sleep (i.e., enter DRX sleep state). An inactive timer can be triggered to start each time a new grant is received and can be refreshed with each new grant. Therefore, the expiration of an inactive timer indicates that no new grants were received within the inactive timer's expiration period, suggesting that the UE may not expect to receive many new grants in the near future. Finally, a retransmission timer can be started when a DL grant is received but reception fails. The retransmission timer can be set to wait for the failed DL grant to be retransmitted for a specified period.

[0096] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the UE can be triggered to use the medium bandwidth BWP (BWP1) when the enable duration timer starts. In some implementations, the periodicity associated with PDCCH search space monitoring can be continuous when using BWP1 as the active BWP.

[0097] As shown in the figure, when the inactivity timer starts (for example, this can happen when the UE detects a new PDSCH / PUSCH grant or when the gNB sends a new grant), the UE can automatically switch the active BWP to BWP2, which has a wider bandwidth than BWP1 and can have similar or different periodicity to accommodate possible upcoming communications associated with the started inactivity timer.

[0098] When the inactive timer expires, the UE can autonomously switch to a third active BWP (BWP3) with narrow bandwidth and a similar or different PDCCH monitoring period. For example, the expiration of the inactive timer may be associated with a slowdown in data communication, thus the UE does not need to use the wide bandwidth of BWP2. The UE can further decide to switch to BWP3 as the active BWP based on determining that the only currently pending timer associated with the CDRX connection at the expiration of the inactive timer is a retransmission timer. For example, since only the retransmission timer is still running, the UE may expect only retransmission packets (e.g., with narrow bandwidth requirements), thus the UE and gNB can save energy resources by switching to the narrowband BWP3.

[0099] Finally, when the retransmission timer expires, if there is no active timer for the CDRX communication session, the UE can enter DRX sleep mode to save power, where the UE does not have an active BWP in DRX sleep mode.

[0100] It should be noted that Figure 5The diagram schematically illustrates each of BWP1, BWP2, and BWP3, where the height of each BWP indicates its bandwidth. However, according to various embodiments, each of the three BWPs may have the same or a separate center band frequency and may exist in overlapping or non-overlapping frequency ranges.

[0101] Figure 6 —Conditions for switching between CDRX configurations

[0102] Figure 6 This is a table illustrating two exemplary CDRX configurations for switching between different active BWPs and PDCCH monitoring protocols based on timer triggering conditions for two different types of data communication. For each CDRX configuration, at least one UE-specific search space can be attached to the CORESET in the preferred BWP.

[0103] The UE can autonomously switch between different active BWPs based on the state of various CDRX timers. The latency that may occur when switching between active BWPs can be offset by predefined values ​​known to both the gNB and the UE.

[0104] like Figure 6 As shown, a first CDRX configuration (CDRX configuration 1) can be used for video and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) data communication. For CDRX configuration 1, when the on-duration timer is running but no other CDRX timers are running, the UE can be triggered to use BWP1 as the active BWP, where BWP1 has a bandwidth of 10 MHz and continuously monitors the PDCCH. In CDRX configuration 1, when both the on-duration timer and the inactivity timer are running, the UE can switch to BWP2 with a wide bandwidth of 100 MHz, where the UE periodically monitors the PDCCH according to a first predetermined period. Finally, if neither the on-duration timer nor the inactivity timer is running (e.g., if they have both expired) and only the retransmission timer is running, the UE can use BWP3 with a very narrow bandwidth of 5 MHz as the active BWP, where the UE periodically monitors the PDCCH according to a second predetermined period.

[0105] like Figure 6 As further shown, the second CDRX configuration (CDRX configuration 2) can be used for LTE Voice (VoLTE) and / or other latency-sensitive communication types. As illustrated, the same timer trigger can be used to select different BWPs as the active BWP as needed, with different configurations employed for continuous and / or periodic PDCCH monitoring. Figure 6This is intended for illustrative purposes and not to limit the scope of the described implementation in any way. For example, additional types of data communication can be configured using additional CDRX configurations as needed, wherein different types of BWP and / or PDDCH monitoring scheduling can be employed for different timer state change triggers. Alternatively, in some implementations, the timer state change triggers may allow the UE to maintain the same BWP but autonomously switch search space and / or PDDCH monitoring scheduling.

[0106] Figure 7 —Conditions for switching the bandwidth portion of the timer

[0107] Figure 7 This is a table illustrating two exemplary BWPs configured with custom timers based on CDRX timer conditions according to some implementations. In some implementations, a timer can be configured for the first BWP, wherein when the timer expires after the first BWP has been configured as the active BWP, the UE can automatically switch from the first BWP to the default BWP as the active BWP. In other words, the BWP can be configured to remain active for a predetermined duration, and the default BWP can be reactivated when that duration expires. In some implementations, the default BWP can be a narrowband BWP preferred for low communication conditions.

[0108] In these implementations, different BWP timer durations can be configured for the first BWP based on the dominant CDRX timer trigger condition present when the first BWP is activated. Based on the CDRX timer condition, the UE can automatically select an appropriate BWP timer duration when activating the BWP. Advantageously, these implementations increase the flexibility of BWP activation to adapt to dynamic communication modes and conditions.

[0109] As shown in the figure, for the first BWP (BWP1), the presence of an active start duration timer (not an inactive timer or a retransmission timer) allows BWP1 to use a 10-slot BWP timer. Alternatively, if both the start duration timer and the inactive timer are actively running, the BWP can use an extended BWP timer with a 20-slot duration.

[0110] Figure 7The lower half of the table illustrates an alternative embodiment for configuring a second BWP (BWP2) with a set of three timer durations. In the illustrated embodiment, starting the enable duration timer while neither the inactivity timer nor the retransmission timer is running allows the device to configure BWP2 as the active BWP, employing a first timer duration of 4 time slots. The duration of 4 time slots is provided as an example, and more generally, the timer duration can be selected to be at least as long as the enable duration timer duration. For example, it might be desirable to keep BWP2 as the active BWP as long as the enable duration timer is still running, thus the first BWP timer can be set to be equal to or slightly longer than the enable duration timer duration. In other words, the first BWP timer duration can be selected based on the enable duration timer duration.

[0111] If the device detects that both the enable duration timer and the inactive timer have started while the retransmission timer is not running (e.g., if the enable duration timer is running and the device detects that the inactive timer has been additionally started), then the device may select a second BWP timer duration for BWP2 (e.g., a duration of 10 slots in the illustrated embodiment). While the 10-slot duration is only one example selection, more generally, the second BWP timer duration may be selected to be longer than the first BWP duration to accommodate upcoming communications and achieve scheduling flexibility.

[0112] Finally, if the device detects that neither the enable duration timer nor the inactivity timer is running, but the retransmission timer has started, a third BWP timer duration can be selected for BWP2 (e.g., a duration of 10 slots in the illustrated embodiment). While a duration of 10 slots is only one example selection, more generally, the third BWP timer duration can be selected to be equal to or slightly longer than the retransmission timer duration. In other words, the third BWP timer duration can be selected based on the retransmission timer duration.

[0113] It should be noted that these implementation schemes can coexist with other implementation schemes described herein. For example, in Figure 6 The table shown contains specific CDRX timer conditions (i.e., Figure 6 During a specific row in the table, the UE can, according to Figure 7 The timer duration indicated in the text is switched to the indicated BWP (e.g., BWP1, BWP2, or BWP3).

[0114] Figure 8 —Conditions for switching the search space set

[0115] Figure 8This is a table illustrating two exemplary BWPs that can be configured to employ different search space configurations (e.g., different search space sets) based on CDRX timer conditions according to some implementations. Different search space sets can implement one or more custom parameters to perform physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, such as monitoring periodicity, PDCCH monitoring mode (e.g., the number and / or location of monitoring symbols within a time slot), the number of candidate PDCCHs per control channel element (CCE) aggregation level L (e.g., in some implementations, the aggregation level can be 1, 2, 4, or 8), and / or search space type (e.g., whether the search space is a common search space or a UE-specific search space).

[0116] In some implementations, if CDRX timer activity indicates that the UE is experiencing lightweight communication (e.g., if neither the inactivity timer nor the retransmission timer is running), the UE may be able to save power by using a BWP with a search space set incorporating power-saving parameters. For example, in response to determining that neither the inactivity timer nor the retransmission timer is running, the UE may activate BWP1 with search space set 1, wherein search space set 1 employs one or more power-saving parameters, such as lower monitoring bandwidth, longer monitoring periodicity, sparser PDCCH monitoring patterns, a smaller number of candidate PDCCHs per CCE aggregation level, and / or a search space type with lower power consumption.

[0117] Alternatively, if CDRX timer activity indicates that the UE is experiencing heavy communication (e.g., if an inactive timer is running), the UE may activate a BWP with search space set 2 implementing enhanced monitoring parameters. For example, search space set 2 may utilize an expanded search space to enhance gNB scheduling flexibility. In addition, or alternatively, search space set 2 may utilize one or more of the following: shorter monitoring periodicity, denser PDCCH monitoring patterns, a larger number of candidate PDCCHs per CCE aggregation level, and / or a more powerful search space type with higher power consumption.

[0118] like Figure 8 As further illustrated, BWP2 can utilize three different types of search space sets depending on the CDRX timer state. As shown, when the enable duration timer and inactive timer are not running, but the retransmission timer is running, an additional search space set 3 can be utilized. In some implementations, search space set 3 can have a moderate power consumption, falling between search space set 1 and search space set 2.

[0119] Relationship between spatial domain and CDRX / BWP timers

[0120] In some implementations, CDRX and / or BWP timer conditions can be used to control the spatial antenna parameters of the UE device. For example, since the CDRX timer state can serve as a proxy for dynamic aspects of communication (e.g., heavy communication versus light communication), CDRX timer state information can be used to adapt the spatial domain operation of the UE, including one or more of the following: the number of antennas used for receiving, the number of beams used for performing scanning and / or monitoring (e.g., synchronization block (SSB) beams or channel state information (CSI-RS) beams along with other possibilities), and / or the frequencies used to report channel conditions (e.g., channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (CQI), and / or rank indicator (RI)) to the base station.

[0121] Advantageously, in some implementations, the measurement frequency, reporting frequency, and / or MIMO capability can be reduced when low traffic is inferred from the CDRX timer.

[0122] In some implementations, the user equipment (UE) includes an antenna, radio components coupled to the antenna, and processing elements coupled to the radio components. The UE may be configured to communicate with a base station using a first bandwidth portion (BWP) as the active BWP in a connected-mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) communication session, determine that a first timer associated with the CDRX communication session has undergone a state change, and switch the number of antennas used for receiving downlink messages in the CDRX communication session based at least in part on the determination that the first timer has undergone a state change.

[0123] In some implementations, the state change of the first timer is associated with lightweight communication of the CDRX communication session, and the UE is configured to reduce the number of antennas used when switching the number of antennas used.

[0124] In some implementations, the state change of the first timer is associated with heavy communication in the CDRX communication session, and the UE is configured to increase the number of antennas used when switching the number of antennas used.

[0125] In some implementations, the UE may be configured to use a first bandwidth portion (BWP) as the active BWP to communicate with the base station in a connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) communication session, determine that a first timer associated with the CDRX communication session has experienced a state change, and switch the number of beams used to monitor the channel conditions of the CDRX communication session based at least in part on the determination that the first timer has experienced a state change.

[0126] In some implementations, the beam used to monitor channel conditions includes one or both of a synchronization signal block (SSB) beam and a channel state information (CSI-RS) beam.

[0127] In some implementations, based at least in part on determining that a first timer has undergone a state change, the UE is further configured to switch one or more of the control resource set (CORESET) and search space associated with the CDRX communication session, wherein switching one or more of the CORESET and search space associated with the CDRX communication session includes switching one or more of the monitoring periodicity and duration of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0128] In some implementations, the UE is configured to use a first bandwidth portion (BWP) as the active BWP to communicate with the base station in a connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) communication session, determine that a first timer associated with the CDRX communication session has experienced a state change, and at least in part based on the determination that the first timer has experienced a state change, change the frequency of reporting channel conditions to the base station.

[0129] In some implementations, reporting channel conditions includes reporting one or more of a channel quality indicator, a precoding matrix indicator, and a rank indicator to the base station.

[0130] In some implementations, based at least in part on determining that a first timer has undergone a state change, the UE is further configured to switch one or more of the control resource set (CORESET) and search space associated with the CDRX communication session.

[0131] In some implementations, switching one or more of the CORESET and search space associated with a CDRX communication session includes switching one or more of the monitoring periodicity and duration of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0132] In some embodiments, the UE performs a method according to any of the paragraphs above. In some embodiments, a non-transitory memory medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by the UE's processor, they will cause the UE to perform any of the methods in the paragraphs above, or any combination of the method embodiments described above, or a subset of any method embodiments described above, or any combination of such subsets.

[0133] Autonomous handover in 5G NR UL HARQ monitoring

[0134] The following paragraphs describe an exemplary implementation in which using a CDRX timer state trigger to switch active BWPs and / or monitoring scheduling can improve HARQ monitoring performance in 5G NR communication systems.

[0135] In LTE, when a UE is configured with CDRX, it can enter DRX sleep mode when one or more of the following expires: for example, an enable duration timer, an inactivity timer, or a retransmission timer. If a pending PUSCH message is waiting for an acknowledgment message, the UE may only need to wake up during a specific subframe to monitor the Physical Channel Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Indicator Channel (PHICH) for acknowledgment messages, and these subframes can be periodically spaced at predetermined intervals (e.g., 8ms or another duration).

[0136] In contrast, in 5G NR, the PHICH is expected to be removed and UL HARQ message delivery can be asynchronous. Four bits of the HARQ procedure can appear in the downlink control information (DCI) formats 0_0 and 0_1 used for PUSCH scheduling to support asynchronous UL HARQ. Since the timeline for UL frequency division duplex (FDD) and / or time division duplex (TDD) communication can be dynamically configured in 5G NR, the synchronous HARQ protocol used in LTE may be ineffective for 5G NR. To accommodate the asynchronous UL HARQ protocol in 5G NR, in some implementations, a New Data Indicator (NDI) switch can be used to identify new UL data.

[0137] In a typical 5G NR scenario, when a UE participates in a DRX connection, it can wait for the next on-duration timer to start before receiving a PDCCH that carries UL HARQ information. However, this can lead to undesirable latency, as in a specific example, the DRX periodicity might be configured to 40ms, and the next on-duration timer might not start until approximately 30ms later. Alternatively, the UE can continuously monitor HARQ messages until the UL HARQ timer expires, but continuous monitoring consumes more power than the periodic synchronous monitoring typically used in LTE. Accordingly, the power consumption and / or latency incurred by monitoring UL HARQ in NR can be significantly higher than in LTE.

[0138] To address these and other issues, this document describes methods and apparatus in which a UE can save power by early termination of UL HARQ monitoring and / or reducing the amount of UL HARQ monitoring. This can be beneficial in CDRX scenarios by reducing UL HARQ monitoring between DRX wake-ups, allowing the UE to enter a low-power state during CDRX sleep. Utilizing a specific UL BWP configuration to monitor UL HARQ / licenses for a specific communication type (e.g., VoLTE) can reduce UE power consumption and extend battery life.

[0139] As a concrete example, a UE can be configured with a CDRX with dense periodicity for (e.g., continuous) monitoring of the PDCCH and / or a BWP with high bandwidth. The UE can transmit a PUSCH, and subsequently, an inactivity timer can expire (e.g., indicating that the wideband BWP is no longer needed because traffic has become sparse enough for the inactivity timer to expire). The expiration of the inactivity timer allows the UE to switch to a different active BWP. If the previously transmitted PUSCH has not received an acknowledgment (ACK) message by the timer expires, the UE can automatically switch to another BWP with a longer periodicity to reduce HARQ monitoring time. When an ACK is received on that particular BWP, the UE can then enter DRX sleep mode to conserve power and deactivate that particular BWP. Finally, when the next on-duration timer is started, the UE can resume communication using the default BWP as the active BWP.

[0140] Figure 9 —Timer-based active BWP switching

[0141] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method according to some embodiments, which utilizes state changes of one or more timers associated with a CDRX communication session to guide switching between active BWP, CORESET, and / or search space sets. (Aside from other devices,) Figure 9 The illustrated scheme can be used with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the accompanying drawings. In various embodiments, some components of the illustrated scheme may be performed simultaneously in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional elements may also be performed as needed. As shown, the scheme operates as follows.

[0142] At 902, the User Equipment (UE) uses the first Base Device (BWP) as the active BWP to communicate with the base station in a CDRX communication session. In some implementations, the use of the first BWP as the active BWP to communicate with the base station in a CDRX communication session is performed in response to the UE detecting the start of an enable duration timer. For example, the start of the enable duration timer may trigger the UE to establish a CDRX communication session with the base station using the first BWP as the active BWP.

[0143] At position 904, the UE can determine that the first timer associated with the CDRX communication session has undergone a state change. In various implementations, among other possibilities, the first timer can be an inactive timer, an on-duration timer, or a retransmission timer. In some implementations, the state change can be the start or expiration of the first timer.

[0144] At 906, the UE may switch the active BWP from the first BWP to the second BWP, at least in part, based on determining that a first timer has elapsed a state change, wherein the second BWP has a different bandwidth than the first BWP. In some embodiments, in addition to switching from the first active BWP to the second active BWP, or alternatively, the UE may switch the scheduling and / or duration for monitoring the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) when it is determined that a first timer has elapsed a state change. For example, the UE may continuously monitor the PDCCH when the first BWP is active, and may switch from continuous PDCCH monitoring to periodic PDCCH monitoring at least in part based on determining that a first timer has elapsed a state change. In addition, or alternatively, the UE may switch one or more of the control resource set (CORESET) and search space associated with the CDRX communication session, at least in part, based on determining that a first timer has elapsed a state change. In some embodiments, switching one or more of the CORESET and search space associated with the CDRX communication session includes switching one or more of the monitoring periodicity and duration of the PDCCH.

[0145] Advantageously, the UE and base station can synchronize their time through timer activity. For example, one or more timers running at the UE can also be synchronized at the base station, allowing the base station to detect changes in the timer's state. Accordingly, when the UE switches its active BWP from a first BWP to a second BWP, the base station can also switch from communicating with the UE via the first BWP to communicating with the UE via the second BWP. For example, such as Figures 6-8 The protocol tables shown may be known to both the base station and the UE, so both the base station and the UE may switch between active BWP and / or PDCCH monitoring schedules or durations in a coordinated manner based on timer state changes.

[0146] For an implementation where the first timer is an inactive timer and the state change is the activation of the inactive timer, the second BWP can have a larger bandwidth than the first BWP. For example, the activation of the inactive timer may indicate a high probability of more demanding data communication to come, thus allowing the UE to benefit from switching to a wider bandwidth BWP. Alternatively, the activation of the inactive timer may indicate that periodic monitoring of the PDCCH is more effective and power-efficient than continuous monitoring of the PDCCH, and the UE may therefore switch its PDCCH monitoring schedule.

[0147] For an implementation where the first timer is an inactive timer and the state change is the expiration of the inactive timer, the second BWP may have a smaller bandwidth than the first BWP. For example, the expiration of the inactive timer may indicate a high probability of a decrease in traffic for upcoming data communications, thus the UE can save power by switching to a narrower bandwidth BWP, as the wideband BWP may no longer be necessary. In these implementations, the UE may further determine that a retransmission timer is running when the inactive timer expires, and thus the switch of the active BWP from the first BWP to the second BWP is further based, at least in part, on the determination that the retransmission timer is running when the inactive timer expires. Alternatively, if the UE determines that the retransmission timer is not running when the inactive timer expires (e.g., if the UE determines that no timer is running when the inactive timer expires), the UE may enter a DRX sleep state, in which the active BWP is not configured and the UE enters a power-saving mode.

[0148] In some implementations, after switching the active BWP from the first BWP to the second BWP, the UE may determine that a second timer associated with the CDRX communication session has expired. In these implementations, the UE may enter a DRX sleep state at least in part based on the determination that the second timer has expired. For example, when the first timer expires, the second timer may still be running, meaning the UE may experience reduced data communication, and thus a narrowband active BWP may be sufficient (e.g., the UE may still be waiting for retransmissions). When the second timer expires, the UE may determine that no further data communication is expected and may enter a sleep state to conserve power.

[0149] In some implementations, the UE can continue the CDRX communication session after switching to a second BWP as the active BWP. For example, when communicating with a base station using the first BWP as the active BWP, the UE can transmit uplink messages to the base station and monitor Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) messages associated with the transmitted uplink messages. In this example, the UE may detect a state change of the first timer before receiving the HARQ message, so the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP occurs before the UE receives the HARQ message. In these implementations, after switching the active BWP from the first BWP to the second BWP, the UE can use the second BWP to monitor HARQ messages.

[0150] Alternative proposals for HARQ monitoring in NR

[0151] In some implementations, the gNB can support early termination of the UL HARQ process by sending a DCI message. For example, a special DCI or bit field in the DL / UL DCI can be used to notify the UE that a previous HARQ has been completed. In one example, such a DCI message could be a UL DCI with a switched NDI but zero resource allocation. For example, switching the NDI with zero resource allocation can be used to indicate that the HARQ process has been completed. In some implementations, the DCI can be triggered when the gNB identifies that the UE is in DRX state and is waiting during UL HARQ monitoring.

[0152] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0153] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0154] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system performs a method, such as any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset or combination of any such subset of any method embodiments described herein.

[0155] In some implementations, the device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0156] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. The present invention is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method comprising: User Equipment (UE): Uplink messages associated with the first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) procedure are sent to the base station via the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Downlink control information (DCI) messages with format 0_1 ​​and associated with the uplink messages are received via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The DCI message does not include resource allocation and includes a bit field indicating the completion of the HARQ process. The DCI message includes a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) scrambled by the Configuration Scheduling Radio Network Temporary Identifier (CS-RNTI).

2. The method according to claim 1, in, The bit field includes a New Data Indicator (NDI) for zero resource allocation cases, indicating that the HARQ process is complete.

3. The method according to claim 1, in, The DCI message is received from the base station.

4. The method according to claim 1, in, The base station includes a next-generation node B (gNB).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: The PDCCH is monitored based on a UE-specific search space set to receive the DCI message.

6. The method according to claim 5, in, The UE-specific search space set is configured using the searchSpaceType indicator in the PDCCH configuration message.

7. The method according to claim 1, in, The uplink messages and DCI messages are transmitted using 5G New Radio (5G NR) Radio Access Technology (RAT).

8. A user equipment (UE), comprising: antenna; A radio component, the radio component being coupled to the antenna; and A processing element coupled to the radio component; The UE is configured as follows: Uplink messages associated with the first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) procedure are sent to the base station via the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Downlink control information (DCI) messages with format 0_1 ​​and associated with the uplink messages are received via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The DCI message does not include resource allocation and includes a bit field indicating the completion of the HARQ process. The DCI message includes a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) scrambled by the Configuration Scheduling Radio Network Temporary Identifier (CS-RNTI).

9. The UE according to claim 8, in, The bit field includes a New Data Indicator (NDI) for zero resource allocation cases, indicating that the HARQ process is complete.

10. The UE according to claim 8, in, The base station includes a next-generation node B (gNB).

11. The UE according to claim 8, wherein, The UE is further configured as follows: The PDCCH is monitored based on a UE-specific search space set to receive the DCI message.

12. The UE according to claim 11, in, The UE-specific search space set is configured using the searchSpaceType indicator in the PDCCH configuration message.

13. The UE according to claim 8, in, The uplink messages and DCI messages are transmitted using 5G New Radio (5G NR) Radio Access Technology (RAT).

14. A non-transient storage medium comprising program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause a user device (UE) to: Uplink messages associated with the first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) procedure are sent to the base station via the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Downlink control information (DCI) messages with format 0_1 ​​and associated with the uplink messages are received via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The DCI message does not include resource allocation and includes a bit field indicating the completion of the HARQ process. in, The DCI message includes a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) scrambled by configuring the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (CS-RNTI).

15. The non-transient storage medium according to claim 14, in, The bit field includes a New Data Indicator (NDI) for zero resource allocation cases, indicating that the HARQ process is complete.

16. The non-transient storage medium according to claim 14, wherein, The program instructions can also be executed to cause the UE to: The PDCCH is monitored based on a UE-specific search space set to receive the DCI message.

17. The non-transient storage medium according to claim 16, in, The UE-specific search space set is configured using the searchSpaceType indicator in the PDCCH configuration message.

18. The non-transient storage medium according to claim 14, in, The uplink messages and DCI messages are transmitted using 5G New Radio (5G NR) Radio Access Technology (RAT).

Images