Transmission of control information

Abstract

The transmission of control information is described. This disclosure, as one aspect, includes an integrated circuit for controlling a communication device, comprising: a receiving circuit capable of receiving control signals from a base station in a first control resource set and a second control resource set; a transmitting circuit capable of transmitting control signals and data; and a control circuit that controls: the transmitting circuit to transmit a random access message associated with the first control resource set, and to transmit a communication device capability indication; the receiving circuit to monitor control resources in the first control resource set after transmitting the random access message, and to receive an indication of the configuration of the second control resource set within the first control resource set; and the receiving circuit to monitor control resources in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set after receiving the configuration of the second control resource set.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application filed on January 6, 2017, with application number 201780082464.3, entitled "Transmission of Control Information", and filed by Panasonic Corporation (USA). Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the configuration of a set of control resources in a network with a hybrid set of parameter numbers and communication device capabilities, and to corresponding methods and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is working on the technical specifications for the next version (Release 15) of the next-generation cellular technology, also known as fifth-generation (5G). At the 3GPP Technical Specification Group (TSG) Radio Access Network (RAN) meeting #71 (Gothenburg, March 2016), the first 5G research project, “Study on New Radio Access Technology,” covering RAN1, RAN2, RAN3, and RAN4, was approved and is expected to become the first 5G standard-defining Release 15 work project.

[0004] The aim of this research project is to develop a “new radio (NR)” access technology that operates in the frequency range up to 100 GHz and supports a wide range of use cases, as defined during the RAN requirements study (see, for example, 3GPP TR 38.913 “Study on Scenarios and Requirements for Next Generation Access Technologies”, current version 14.0.0, available at [link to document]. www.3gpp.org (Obtained and incorporated into this article in its entirety via citation).

[0005] One objective is to provide a single technology framework for addressing all use cases, requirements, and deployment scenarios defined in TR 38.913, including at least Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), and Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC). For example, eMBB deployment scenarios could include indoor hotspots, dense urban areas, rural areas, urban macroscopic environments, and highways; URLLC deployment scenarios could include industrial control systems, mobile healthcare (remote monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment), real-time vehicle control, and wide-area monitoring and control systems for smart grids; while mMTC could include scenarios with a large number of devices transmitting non-time-critical data, such as smart wearables and sensor networks.

[0006] The second objective is forward compatibility. Backward compatibility with LTE is not required, which facilitates a completely new system design and / or the introduction of novel features.

[0007] The basic physical layer signal waveforms will be based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), with possible support for non-orthogonal waveforms and multiple access. For example, additional features on top of OFDM are considered, such as Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) Extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM), and / or variants of DFT-S-OFDM, and / or filtering / windowing. In LTE, Cyclic Prefix (CP)-based OFDM and DFT-S-OFDM are used as waveforms for downlink and uplink transmissions, respectively. One of the design goals in NR is to seek as many common waveforms as possible for downlink, uplink, and sidelink. It has been considered that some cases for uplink transmission may not require the introduction of DFT extension. The term "downlink" refers to communication from a higher node to a lower node (e.g., from a base station to a relay node or to a UE, from a relay node to a UE, etc.). The term "uplink" refers to communication from a lower node to a higher node (e.g., from a UE to a relay node or to a base station, or from a relay node to a base station). The term "sidelink" refers to communication between peer nodes (e.g., between two UEs, or between two relay nodes, or between two base stations).

[0008] In addition to waveforms, some basic framework structures and channel coding schemes are being developed to achieve the aforementioned goals. As identified in TR 38.913, various use cases / deployment scenarios for NR have different requirements in terms of data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20Gbps downlink and 10Gbps uplink) and user experience data rates three times higher than those offered by International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (Advanced IMT). On the other hand, in the case of URLLC, there are more stringent requirements for ultra-low latency (0.5ms each for UL and DL for user plane latency) and high reliability. Finally, mMTC requires high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km² in urban environments), large coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long-life batteries (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0009] Therefore, the OFDM parameter set (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, CP duration), and the number of symbols per scheduling interval suitable for one use case may not be suitable for another. For example, low-latency applications may require shorter OFDM symbol durations (larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also known as transmission time interval, TTI) than mMTC applications. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spread require longer CP durations than scenarios with short delay spread. Subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly to maintain similar CP overhead.

[0010] At the 3GPP RAN1#84bis meeting (Busan, April 2016), it was agreed that NR needs to support more than one subcarrier spacing value. The subcarrier spacing value is derived by multiplying a specific value of the subcarrier spacing by N, where N is an integer scaling factor. At the 3GPP RAN1#85 meeting (Nanjing, May 2016), it was concluded that an LTE-based parameter set including a 15kHz subcarrier spacing is the baseline design for the NR parameter set as a working concept. For the scaling factor N, the conclusion was that N=2. n (Where n is an integer, such as 0, 1, 2, -1, -2, ...) is used as a baseline design assumption. Accordingly, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, etc., are considered.

[0011] Figure 1 Three different subcarrier spacing settings (15kHz, 30kHz, and 60kHz) and their corresponding symbol durations are shown. The symbol duration Tu and the subcarrier spacing Δf are directly related by the formula Δf = 1 / Tu. In a similar manner to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote the smallest resource unit, which consists of a subcarrier of length one OFDM or single-carrier (SC) frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA, used in the LTE uplink and possibly also in the NR uplink) symbol.

[0012] To support the reuse of different services with varying requirements, it has been agreed at the 3GPP RAN1#85 meeting that NR can support the reuse of different parameter sets within the same NR carrier bandwidth (from the network perspective). On the other hand, from the UE's perspective, a UE can support one or more use cases (e.g., an eMBB UE or a UE supporting both eMBB and URLLC). However, supporting more than one parameter set can complicate UE processing.

[0013] It has also been recognized that NR should support flexible network and user equipment (UE) channel bandwidth for several reasons: First, NR is expected to support operation over a wide spectrum range from sub-GHz to tens of GHz, with very different configurations of available spectrum and therefore different possible transmission bandwidths. Second, many frequency bands to be used for NR have not yet been fully identified, meaning the size of spectrum allocations is still unknown. Third, NR is expected to support a wide range of applications and use cases, some requiring wide UE transmit / receive bandwidth and others requiring much lower UE transmit / receive bandwidth and very low UE complexity. Therefore, it was agreed at the 3GPP RAN1#85 meeting that the NR physical layer design should enable devices with different bandwidth capabilities to efficiently access the same NR carrier regardless of the NR carrier bandwidth. Summary of the Invention

[0014] A non-limiting and exemplary embodiment is advantageous for providing an efficient set of control resources(s) for systems with mixed parameter sets.

[0015] In one general aspect, the technology disclosed herein is characterized by a communication device comprising: a receiving unit capable of receiving control signals from a base station in a first control resource set and a second control resource set; a transmitting unit capable of transmitting control signals and data; and circuitry controlling the transmitting unit to transmit a random access message associated with the first control resource set and to transmit a communication device capability indication; controlling the receiving unit to monitor control resources in the first control resource set after transmitting the random access message, and to receive a configuration of the second control resource set within the first control resource set; and controlling the receiving unit to monitor control resources in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set after receiving the configuration of the second control resource set.

[0016] In another general aspect, the technology disclosed herein is characterized by an integrated circuit for controlling a communication device, the integrated circuit comprising: a receiving circuit capable of receiving control signals from a base station in a first control resource set and a second control resource set; a transmitting circuit capable of transmitting control signals and data; and a control circuit that controls: the transmitting circuit to transmit a random access message associated with the first control resource set, and to transmit a communication device capability indication; the receiving circuit to monitor control resources in the first control resource set after transmitting the random access message, and to receive an indication of the configuration of the second control resource set within the first control resource set; and the receiving circuit to monitor control resources in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set after receiving the configuration of the second control resource set.

[0017] In another general aspect, the technology disclosed herein is characterized by an integrated circuit for controlling a scheduling node process, the integrated circuit comprising: a transmitting circuit capable of transmitting control signals to a communication device in a first control resource set and a second control resource set; a receiving circuit capable of receiving control signals and data; and a control circuit that controls: the receiving circuit to receive a random access message associated with the first control resource set, and to receive a capability indication of the communication device; the transmitting circuit to transmit control information in the first control resource set after receiving the random access message, and to transmit an indication of the configuration of the second control resource set in the first control resource set; and the transmitting circuit to transmit control information in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set after transmitting the configuration of the second control resource set.

[0018] It should be noted that general or specific embodiments can be implemented as systems, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, storage media, or any selective combination thereof.

[0019] Additional benefits and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure will become apparent from the description and accompanying drawings. Benefits and / or advantages may be individually obtained from the various embodiments and features in the description and drawings, and it is not necessary to provide all of the various embodiments and features to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating different parameter sets;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of two control resource sets;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of two control resource sets;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process performed by a communication device to obtain first and second sets of control resources after power-on;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of the first set of control resources in a time-frequency resource grid;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a second set of control resources in a time-frequency resource grid;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of first and second control resource sets that are centered in the frequency range;

[0027] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of first and second control resource sets that are not centered in frequency;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration with disjoint first and second sets of control resources;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating frequency hopping for the first control resource set;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating frequency hopping for the first and second control resource sets;

[0031] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how different scheduling units align with subframe boundaries (every 1ms) in time;

[0032] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how to indicate and control the resource set in the frequency domain;

[0033] Figure 14 It is a block diagram showing the structure of communication equipment and base stations;

[0034] Figure 15 It is a block diagram showing the architecture of the communication system;

[0035] Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring set 1 and set 2 at communication equipment and base stations;

[0036] Figure 17 This diagram illustrates how radio resources are divided into corresponding resource scheduling units based on three different parameter set schemes; and

[0037] Figure 18 This is a message diagram illustrating an exemplary random access procedure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] A "mobile station," "mobile node," "user terminal," "user equipment (UE)," or "communication device" is a physical entity within a communication network. A node may have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that implements a predetermined set of functions and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to other functional entities of the node or network. A node may have one or more interfaces that attach the node to a communication facility or a medium through which the node can communicate. Similarly, a network entity may have logical interfaces that attach functional entities to a communication facility or a medium through which the node can communicate with other functional entities or peer nodes.

[0039] The term "base station" here refers to a physical entity within a communication network. This physical entity performs control tasks relative to the communication equipment, including one or more of scheduling and configuration. Note that base station functionality and the functionality of communication equipment can also be integrated within a single device. For example, a mobile terminal can also implement base station functionality for other terminals.

[0040] The term “radio resources” or “resources” as used in the claims and in this application shall be broadly understood to refer to physical radio resources, such as physical time-frequency radio resources.

[0041] The term "parameter set scheme" (and other similar terms such as "OFDM parameter set") used herein will be broadly understood to refer to how physical time-frequency radio resources are processed in a mobile communication system, specifically, how these resources are divided into resource scheduling units to be allocated by a scheduler (e.g., at a radio base station). In other words, the parameter set scheme can also be considered as being defined by parameters used to divide the aforementioned physical time-frequency radio resources into resource scheduling units, such as subcarrier spacing and corresponding symbol durations, TTI length, the number of subcarriers and symbols per resource scheduling unit, cyclic prefix length, etc.; these parameters may be referred to as L1 (Layer 1) parameters because they are primarily used to perform uplink transmission and receive downlink transmission in the physical layer.

[0042] The term "resource scheduling unit" should be understood as a set of physical time-frequency radio resources that can be allocated by the scheduler as the smallest unit. Therefore, depending on the specific characteristics of the parameter set scheme, a resource scheduling unit comprises time-frequency radio resources consisting of one or more consecutive subcarriers for a duration of one or more symbols.

[0043] The term "data transmission use case" or simply "use case" as used in the claims and this application can be broadly understood as a range of use cases for mobile / fixed terminals. For example, a use case for researching new 5G research projects could be, as described in the background section, eMBB, mMTC, or URLLC.

[0044] The term "control resource" refers to resources used to carry control information rather than user data (payload). This control information may include, but is not limited to, resource allocation for downlink, uplink, or sidelink.

[0045] This disclosure provides configuration of control resource sets in networks with mixed parameter sets (such as OFDM parameter sets) and UE capabilities.

[0046] An example of a system to which this disclosure can be applied is NR. For example, eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC can have different sets of OFDM parameters. For example, URLLC can achieve low latency, such as less than or equal to 0.5 ms, using large subcarrier spacing (e.g., greater than 15 kHz) and short scheduling intervals. On the other hand, eMBB can use large subcarrier spacing and long scheduling intervals to reduce control overhead, while the latency requirement is slightly relaxed to, for example, up to 4 ms. Furthermore, it is assumed that mMTC requires small carrier spacing (e.g., equal to or less than 15 kHz) for a large number of connections over narrow bandwidth and large coverage areas. These, and possibly further use cases, can be adopted using the configuration of the control resource set disclosed herein.

[0047] To provide efficient access to NR carriers for devices with varying bandwidth capabilities, regardless of the actual NR carrier bandwidth, the control channel should not span the entire system bandwidth in all use cases as it does in a conventional UE in LTE systems. Specifically, in traditional LTE, the base station (called the eNB) sends downlink control information (DCI) to the conventional UE using the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The DCI includes downlink scheduling assignment, uplink scheduling clearance, uplink power control information, and further configuration parameters. In the frequency domain, the PDCCH is mapped to resource elements distributed across the entire system bandwidth. In the time domain, the number of symbols occupied by the PDCCH is indicated by the Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH).

[0048] Generally, similar mechanisms exist in NR for sending control information (i.e., downlink control information) from base stations to communication devices. Control information can be specifically used for resource scheduling, and can be further used for control information or payloads. For example, a base station sends a DCI in a set of control resources that must be monitored by the communication device. Here, the term "monitoring" refers to the communication device receiving signals carried in the control resource set and determining whether the control information is addressed to the communication device (exclusively or to a group to which the communication device is a member). Such monitoring can include blind detection similar to that performed in LTE. In other words, the communication device detects and decodes signals in the control resources using its own identifier. The identifier can be used for scrambling CRC or otherwise. Blind detection can also be attempted with various group identifiers to monitor (group) public DCIs. If monitoring reveals a DCI addressed to the communication device, the communication device decodes the DCI and uses the information received therein (such as resource grants / allocations) to access the resources allocated as signaled in the DCI. In conventional LTE, DCIs can be addressed to UE groups. Such DCIs are called group or public DCIs. On the other hand, DCI can also address individual UEs and is then referred to as UE-specific DCI. PDCCHs carrying different DCIs for different UEs / groups are distinguished by a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) embedded in the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC). For example, for ordinary unicast data transmission, a UE-specific C-RNTI (cell RNTI) is used. After checking the CRC of the PDCCH using its own C-RNTI, the UE can decide whether the PDCCH addresses itself. Regarding (group) common DCIs, other types of common RNTIs are used, such as SI-RNTI, P-RNTI, RA-RNTI, and TPC-PUCCH / PUSCH-RNTI, respectively, for system information, paging, random access responses, and PUCCH / PUSCH uplink power control commands.

[0049] In addition to PDCCH, conventional UEs in traditional LTE can be configured to monitor Enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH) spanning a subset of the system bandwidth. However, EPDCCH configuration is typically provided to the UE via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling that schedules its transmissions by the PDCCH. Therefore, UEs monitoring EPDCCH are generally capable of receiving PDCCH. In general, even with PDCCH, conventional UEs in LTE require full system bandwidth capability to receive control information.

[0050] In NR, considering that the system aims to enable wide-bandwidth operation and that various UEs with different services are housed within the same network, the bandwidth capacity of a UE is typically smaller than the system bandwidth. As a result, at least for common DCI, a control channel spanning the entire system bandwidth is detrimental to efficient system design. To facilitate more efficient system design, in this disclosure, the (group) common control channel is transmitted with a limited bandwidth, allowing all UEs (within the group) with different capabilities to decode it. Therefore, it is unnecessary to send duplicate messages (which would significantly increase signaling overhead) to each individual UE matching its capabilities.

[0051] On the other hand, even if an NR UE can support the full system bandwidth, it may not need to operate at full bandwidth capability all the time. A larger operating radio frequency (RF) bandwidth means greater power consumption for the UE. If the control channel is transmitted using a subset of the system bandwidth, the UE's monitoring workload can be reduced. This can further enable lower UE power consumption.

[0052] Therefore, a control subband or control resource set to be monitored by all UEs can be defined. A control resource set is a set of time-frequency resources within which the UE attempts to blindly decode DCI (or, in general, control information). It is advantageous to define the control resource set on a control subband that is narrower than the system bandwidth. In this disclosure, examples of control resource set configurations are provided, which are beneficial for NR (where multiple parameter sets coexist in the system and the UEs have different bandwidth capabilities). For efficient system design, it is desirable to obtain at least one search space (the control resource set to be monitored) from system information (e.g., via cell broadcast) or implicitly derive it from the initial access information. This at least one search space can then be configured with additional search spaces (control resource sets that can be monitored) for the UE to receive control messages that enable the UE to receive higher-layer signaling (such as RRC).

[0053] One issue with NR carriers that support multiplexing of different parameter sets is that a single configuration of the control resource set used for one parameter set may not be suitable for another. Furthermore, there are general design goals to maintain low signaling overhead and UE power consumption. As the number of control resource sets allocated to a UE increases, the amount of signaling related to control information also increases. This can also lead to congestion when the network serves too many UEs and many UEs share the same control resource set. Additionally, configuring multiple control resource sets for a UE may increase the UE's monitoring workload, potentially leading to increased UE power consumption.

[0054] Furthermore, it is necessary to consider how the configuration of the control resource set enables frequency diversity for UEs with varying bandwidth capabilities. Frequency diversity is crucial for the reliable transmission of control information. The configuration of the control resource set should support frequency diversity. However, a single configuration for the control resource set does not work well within an NR carrier that accommodates UEs with different (bandwidth) capabilities.

[0055] According to the embodiment, there are therefore two sets of control resources for the UE:

[0056] - Obtained by the UE from the random access procedure First control resource set (Set 1), and

[0057] - Configured by the base station after obtaining UE capability indication. Second control resource set (Set 2)

[0058] Each set is associated with an RF bandwidth: set 1 implicitly indicates a first RF bandwidth (BW), and a second RF BW is configured by the base station together with set 2. The first and second RF bandwidths are bandwidths in which any resource resides, which can be allocated by control messages carried in the respective first and second control resource sets. In other words, the first and second RF bandwidths are the UE's operating bandwidth. However, these RF BWs are recommendations from the scheduler's (e.g., the base station's) perspective, meaning that resources scheduled by the DCI will be limited to these RF BWs. The UE can set its RF operating BW according to this recommendation or in an alternative manner, as long as it can receive the DCI and the corresponding data transmission.

[0059] One reason for configuring a UE with more than one control resource set is for power saving purposes. The RF bandwidth associated with different control resource sets can be different. The UE's operating RF bandwidth can then be set intelligently. As a result, when the UE is idle or inactive, it can be instructed to use the associated smaller RF operating bandwidth to monitor the control resource set (e.g., set 1) to save power consumption. When the UE is not inactive, it can be instructed to use the associated larger RF operating bandwidth to monitor the control resource set (e.g., set 2) to enable greater allocation and therefore higher data rates.

[0060] The base station can be a gNB, which is currently the name used in 3GPP to refer to an NR base station. However, this disclosure is not limited to NR and therefore not limited to gNB. Any other communication system can adopt the configuration disclosed herein.

[0061] In the frequency domain, the first control resource set can be a subset of the second control resource set. In other words, the bandwidth of the first control resource set is included in the bandwidth of the second control resource set. Furthermore, in the time domain, the first control resource set can be a subset of the second control resource set. In other words, the number of OFDM symbols in the first control resource set can be less than or equal to the number of symbols in the second control resource set. Therefore, the UE continues to use the first control resource set even after configuring the second control resource set. However, it should be noted that this disclosure is not limited to this example. It may be advantageous in certain situations or systems if the UE stops monitoring the first resource set after obtaining the second control resource set.

[0062] As described above, the frequency range (bandwidth) of the first control resource set can be narrower than the frequency range (bandwidth) of the second control resource set, enabling UEs with different capabilities to access the first control resource set, reducing UE power consumption, and so on. Specifically, the frequency range of the first control resource set can overlap with or be completely included in the bandwidth of the second control resource set.

[0063] According to the exemplary configuration, only the overlapping portion of Set 1 and Set 2 carries control information common to two or more UEs. In other words, the Group Common Search Space (CSS) is carried only in resources included in both the first and second control resource sets. Conversely, the User Specific Search Space (USS) can be carried by the remainder of the second control resource set. Figure 2 The illustration shows this exemplary configuration. The term "UE-specific / group / public search space" refers to a subset of control resources carrying specific / group / public control information to be monitored by blind decoding.

[0064] Specifically, Figure 2 The diagram illustrates an example of the relationship between control resource sets and the types of control information (DCI) carried within them. Set 1 carries common control information to be read by all UEs, possible group control information to be read by a specific group of UEs, and UE-specific control information addressed only to a specific UE. The portion of Set 2 that does not overlap with Set 1 carries only UE-specific control information and non-common / group control information. Set 1 is a part of Set 2. When instructing a UE to monitor only Set 2 for UE-specific DCI, there are additional resources available for DCI transmission (with...). Figure 3 Compared to the previous situation, this could result in potentially greater diversity gain.

[0065] Figure 3 This illustration shows another example of the relationship between the control resource set and the DCI. Specifically, it shows another exemplary configuration of set 1 and set 2. In this configuration, similar to... Figure 2In this configuration, set 1 carries common control information, group common control information, and UE-specific control information, while set 2 carries only UE-specific but not common / group control information. In this example, set 1 and set 2 are disjoint (mutually exclusive). The monitoring workload is also reduced when the UE is instructed to monitor only set 2 for UE-specific DCI.

[0066] Note, reference Figure 2 and 3 The described examples are merely illustrative, and in general, set 1 and set 2 may consist of overlapping resources. Furthermore, in the examples above, set 1 carries all public search spaces, including common search spaces related to all communication devices, as well as group search spaces. However, this disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. Specifically, set 2 may also carry one or more group search spaces.

[0067] In LTE, the UE has two different RRC states: RRC_idle and RRC_connected.

[0068] In the idle state, no data transmission occurs because the UE sleeps most of the time to conserve power. The UE is periodically woken up to receive messages such as paging messages. In the connected state, an established RRC context exists—that is, the parameters required for communication between the UE and the radio access network are known to both entities. The connected state is used for data transmission with the terminal.

[0069] In NR, the design of these two states may still exist, although the need to introduce another new state (e.g., an inactive state) is being discussed to provide a better trade-off between UE power saving and wake-up time. Currently, the behavior of the new state has not been defined.

[0070] Typically, signaling traffic is expected to be lower during idle and inactive states than during connected states. Therefore, in some exemplary operations, a communication device can be configured to monitor only set 1 when in an idle or inactive state, and additionally, for example, monitor set 2 and / or set 1 during a connected state. Furthermore, if the communication device is in a connected state, it can be configured to monitor only set 1 if traffic is low (e.g., below a certain threshold), and monitor set 2 in addition to set 1, or alternatively monitor set 2, if traffic exceeds a certain threshold. Thus, a "power-saving" mode can include RRC_idle, RRC_connected, or a potential new state.

[0071] Figure 4 The illustration provides an overview of an exemplary UE process for obtaining the configuration of control resource sets 1 and 2 after power-on. Specifically, in step 410, the communication device (UE) is activated.

[0072] In step 420, the communication device performs a synchronization task and reads system information. Specifically, step 420 may include actions similar to those performed by the UE after power-on in an LTE system. Such actions may include detecting the primary synchronization sequence (PSS) and secondary synchronization sequence (SSS) and performing frame and symbol synchronization accordingly.

[0073] Furthermore, after synchronization, the communication equipment can read the system information broadcast by the base station. In LTE, the system information specifically includes the Master Information Block (MIB) and the Supplementary System Information Block (SIB). The Master Information Block contains a limited number of parameters that are most frequently transmitted, required to perform initial access to the cell. While the detailed parameters in the MIB of NR are still under discussion, they can be designed similarly to those in LTE, i.e., reused to some extent. The first SIB, such as SIB1, can then include a list of candidates for a first control resource set, each candidate associated with a specific random access channel resource set (in the LTE Physical Random Access Channel PRACH). The association between each candidate set and a unique random access channel resource set provides the advantage that, based on the random access channel resources, the base station is positioned to identify the first control resource set, whereby the base station then sends control information to the specific communication equipment. Furthermore, each candidate can be associated with other additional parameters such as parameter sets, operating bandwidth (first bandwidth), frequency location, etc.

[0074] The parameter set and time-frequency resources used for transmitting PSS / SSS / MIB can be defined in the standard, enabling all UEs to decode this information. The parameter set used to transmit an additional SIB (e.g., SIB1) to perform random access can be the same as the MIB, or alternatively indicated by the MIB. The time-frequency resources used to transmit the additional SIB (e.g., SIB1) are known to the UE from the MIB, or optionally defined in the standard. The reason for placing the configuration of Set 1 in an additional SIB (e.g., SIB1) is to avoid significantly increasing the MIB size, but still to be able to utilize Set 1 to schedule the remaining SIBs as early as possible. However, this disclosure is not limited to the configuration of Set 1 being included in SIB1. The configuration of Set 1 can be broadcast by the base station in any form or structure that enables the UE to receive and decode the configuration of Set 1. For example, it can be included in the MIB. Furthermore, NR can apply a different structure than the MIB / SIB hierarchy used in LTE.

[0075] The above description is based on the LTE initial access procedure. However, the synchronization and system information acquisition process in NR may differ from the process known from LTE. In any case, after power-on, the communication device synchronizes with the base station to be able to at least read system information. System information may include, for example, indications of resources carrying additional control (system) information and / or parameter sets for the control (system) information. For example, system information may indicate a first control resource set or point to a resource carrying an indication of the first control resource set. In one exemplary implementation, the system information indicates multiple candidate control resource sets from which the communication device may select one to monitor. The selection of a first control resource set from the candidate set is shown in step 430. The communication device may also select one from the candidate set based on its supported parameter sets and bandwidth capabilities. For example, in the system information, there may be different candidate sets associated with their respective different parameter sets and bandwidth capabilities, as well as different random access channel resources. To initiate the random access procedure, the communication device transmits a preamble using a pseudo-random sequence and uplink resources associated with the selected set.

[0076] In step 440, a random access procedure is performed. The random access procedure can also be used to notify the base station of the first set of control resources selected in step 430. Specifically, during the random access procedure, the communication device uses resources associated with the selected set of control resources to send a random access message. For example, this association can be given by associating certain sets of control resources with corresponding random access signatures from which the communication device selects one to be included in the random access preamble.

[0077] In step 450, following a successful random access procedure, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is established. In other words, a signaling bearer is established to facilitate further information exchange between the control communication equipment and the base station. Specifically, the base station may transmit a UE-specific DCI within set 1, which includes scheduling information for RRC signaling in the downlink to configure the UE.

[0078] In step 460, the communication device notifies the base station of its capabilities. UE capabilities may include, for example, operational bandwidth capabilities and / or use cases.

[0079] After notifying the base station of its capabilities, the communication device continues to monitor the first control resource set in step 470 for control information. In response to receiving the UE capability notification, the base station may send the configuration of the second control resource set to be monitored to the communication device within the first control resource set. For example, the gNB determines the configuration of set 2 and the second RF bandwidth based on the UE parameter set, bandwidth capabilities, and network conditions, and signals the configuration to the UE via an RRC reconfiguration message scheduled by DCI carried in the first control resource set.

[0080] The communication device receives the configuration of the second control resource set, and upon receipt, begins monitoring the second control resource set in step 480. As described above, in some examples, the communication device also continues to monitor the first control resource set, while in other examples, it only monitors the second control resource set.

[0081] Figure 5 The illustration shows an example of a first control resource set and a first operational RF bandwidth (also referred to as a first bandwidth) for a UE in a network, where the bandwidth of set 1 is equal to the first UE operational RF bandwidth. Specifically, Figure 5 An OFDM grid is shown, having a vertical dimension extending on both sides of the center frequency of the NR carrier, given by the system bandwidth (SYS BW), and a horizontal dimension given by a (1 ms) subframe comprising two exemplary time slots, each time slot including 7 OFDM symbols. Prior to transmitting UE capabilities, as described above, set 1 is used to carry both (group) common control information and UE-specific control information. Furthermore, set 1 only has control resources located within a first bandwidth (UE1 first RF BW), which is a subset of the system bandwidth. Additionally, as... Figure 5 As can be seen, the first control resource set resides only in some OFDM symbols. Specifically, in this example, the first control resource set resides in the first two OFDM symbols of each time slot. However, this disclosure is not limited to this configuration, and the first control resource set can typically be defined over any subset of the system bandwidth and (sub)frame. Note that in this case, the symbols are OFDM symbols. However, this disclosure is not limited to OFDM. Any other time-frequency system, such as SC-FDMA, can also be used. Typically, other resources besides time-frequency resources can also be configured.

[0082] In other words, after decoding the initial system information required to perform random access (e.g., SIB1), the UE selects an entry from the first control resource set candidate list and returns its center frequency (i.e., Figure 5 (The center frequency of the UE1 receiving unit). The first RF BW of the UE can be set to the minimum requirement of this list entry, that is, the minimum bandwidth configuration associated with the selected candidate set. In other words, this entry can define a range of RB BWs to be supported, from which the UE can be configured to apply the minimum value.

[0083] Figure 6 The illustration shows an example of a second control resource set and a second operational RF bandwidth for a UE in a network, where the bandwidth of set 2 is less than the second UE operational RF bandwidth. Specifically, Figure 6 It shows Figure 5The same OFDM resource grid is shown, and it is given by the system bandwidth (SYS BW) in the frequency domain and a subframe consisting of two time slots in the time domain. The second control resource set lies within the second bandwidth (represented in the figure as UE1 second RB BW). The second bandwidth is a subset of the system bandwidth, i.e., the second bandwidth is less than or equal to the system bandwidth. Figure 6 In the time domain, the second control resource set is defined only in a subset of OFDM symbols (the first three symbols in each time slot).

[0084] As mentioned above, the second bandwidth can typically overlap with the first bandwidth. However, this disclosure is not limited to this configuration, and the first and second bandwidths do not necessarily overlap. Figure 7 The diagram illustrates a specific example where the first bandwidth forms part of the second bandwidth. Specifically, Figure 7 It shows the relationship with Figure 5 and Figure 6 The same OFDM mesh is used, where the first bandwidth (UE1 first RF BW) is completely contained within the second bandwidth (UE1 second RF BW). In this example, the center frequencies of both the first and second bandwidths are the same (the center frequency of the UE1 receiving unit). As in... Figure 7 As can be seen in this example, the first control resource set is also fully included in the second control resource set (and overlaps with the second control resource set).

[0085] In other words, after the UE capability is transmitted, the gNB is ready to configure a second set of control resources and a second bandwidth for the UE. Figure 7 The first and second bandwidths used for the UE are center-aligned, meaning the center frequency of the first bandwidth is the same as the center frequency of the second bandwidth. This alignment offers the advantage that when the UE switches between monitoring sets 1 and 2, no readjustment is required, resulting in less switching time between the two monitoring sets. Furthermore, since no bandwidth center indication is needed, the message size for configuring the second control resource set can be reduced.

[0086] Figure 8 Another example of sets 1 and 2 is illustrated, where sets 1 and 2 are non-overlapping, and set 2 contains only UE-specific DCIs. A connected UE can be configured to monitor both sets 1 and 2. Specifically, Figure 8 Another example is illustrated where the first and second bandwidths are not centered relative to each other. In this example, still, the first and second bandwidths completely overlap, with the first bandwidth forming part of the second bandwidth. However, the first control resource set is not a subset of the second control resource set.

[0087] Figure 9The illustration shows an example configuration where the first bandwidth is a portion of the second bandwidth. However, the first and second control resource sets are disjoint and non-contiguous. In other words, set 1 and set 2 are not contiguous, and set 2 contains only UE-specific DCIs. A connected UE can be configured to monitor both set 1 and set 2. This provides greater flexibility for gNB configuration of control resource sets. However, in Figure 9 In the middle, the second UE operation BW ratio Figure 7 and 8 The size of the set is much larger, so that non-overlapping parts can be taken into account, and specifically, it enables the UE to monitor set 1 and set 2.

[0088] Note that either (or both) of Set 1 and Set 2 in any of the examples shown above can be shared by multiple UEs.

[0089] refer to Figures 5 to 9 The examples described all illustrate consecutive UE operation BWs (the first and second UE operation BWs), i.e., the RFBW is formed by N adjacent subcarriers. For UEs with relatively large bandwidth capabilities, frequency diversity can be achieved by mapping the control channel to a distributed physical resource block (PRB) in the frequency domain within a control resource set, while still remaining within the bandwidth supported by the UE. This distributed mapping in the frequency domain improves frequency diversity. A physical resource block is a scheduling unit, each with a size of multiple subcarriers and multiple symbols.

[0090] Frequency diversity can be further improved through frequency hopping, where both the control resource set and the associated RF BW consist of discontinuous frequency portions, and the UE's receive window hops between these portions (i.e., one portion at a time). This can provide the desired frequency diversity improvement, especially for UEs with low bandwidth capabilities, such as mMTC UEs. Frequency diversity may be difficult to achieve in other ways for such narrowband UEs.

[0091] exist Figure 10 An example of this frequency hopping can be seen in the diagram. In this configuration, the communication device follows a frequency hopping pattern defined for the control resource set. The term "frequency hopping pattern" here refers to the position of the control resource set instance within the time-frequency grid. Specifically, in the case of frequency hopping, the frequency hopping pattern specifies how the frequency position of the control resource set instance changes over time.

[0092] Between different modes, the UE may need to perform retuning. Therefore, to provide some transition time for retuning, it may be desirable to skip one or more OFDM symbols, i.e., not assign these symbols to the control resource set mode. Specifically, Figure 10The system bandwidth (SYS BW) and frequency hopping between the two modes, as well as the corresponding subbands, are shown. The first frequency section 1010 includes a first instance 1015 of the first control resource set, while the second frequency section 1020 includes a second instance 1025 of the first control resource set. As can be seen from the figure, the first instance is separated from the second instance in the time domain by one OFDM symbol (the seventh symbol), which does not carry the first control resource set. When this mode of the first and second instances is repeated for each time slot, it can be seen that there is also an empty OFDM symbol between the second instance and the subsequent repetition of the first instance. The term "empty" here means that the OFDM symbol does not carry any data (control or payload).

[0093] In the current example, the time slot length is 14 OFDM symbols. Frequency hopping is performed between two instances of every 7 OFDM symbols, and the length of one instance is 6 OFDM symbols.

[0094] Note that this disclosure is not limited to any specific number of OFDM symbols per time slot or per subframe, or any specific number of time slots per subframe. Typically, frequency hopping can occur every K symbols or every arbitrary time unit. To facilitate less complex UE implementations, it may be advantageous if the length of the instance of the control resource set is less than or equal to the length of K symbols.

[0095] Figure 11 The diagram illustrates the relationship between set 1 and set 2 with frequency hopping, where set 1 is a subset of set 2. In this example, set 1 and set 2 have the same frequency hopping interval, and switching between two instances in two corresponding different bandwidths is performed every 7 OFDM symbols. In this example, Group Common Message / Control Information (DCI) is transmitted in the overlapping portion of set 1 and set 2. The first and second bandwidths are not centered. Note that the frequency hopping mode typically specifies the variation of the operating bandwidth over a unit of time. The example above only shows frequency hopping between two instances. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and longer chains of instances with switching bandwidths can exist. For example, unlike the example above, frequency hopping modes can also be defined on multiple subframes or time slots.

[0096] However, set 1 and set 2 do not necessarily have to have the same frequency hopping mode. The advantage of having the same frequency hopping mode for both sets is that it reduces the monitoring workload of the communication equipment (UE).

[0097] As described above, the control resource set configuration can include various parameters whose values ​​can be optimized for different use cases (such as eMBB or URLLC). Specifically, the communication device receives system information from the base station, such as system information necessary for performing random access procedures and including a list of entries for different corresponding configurations of the first control resource set.

[0098] For example, an entry can have the following parameters for the first control resource set candidate:

[0099] - Subcarrier spacing (SCS) is defined as the frequency domain spacing between two adjacent subcarriers.

[0100] - Define the set bandwidth (BW) that controls the bandwidth of the resource set.

[0101] - The frequency location of the control resource set, which defines the center frequency of the control resource set.

[0102] - As an alternative to signaling the center frequency and bandwidth, the set BW and its frequency location can be indicated by the PRB (Physical Resource Block) index included in the set.

[0103] - It can be assumed that the first RF BW (operating bandwidth, i.e., the bandwidth of any resource within it, which can be scheduled by the control information carried by the set) is equal to the set BW. In this case, no additional parameters are needed. However, if the set's bandwidth differs from the operating bandwidth, a separate parameter can be included.

[0104] -Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) resources (including preamble and PRACH time-frequency resources)

[0105] An exemplary list of candidate control resource sets may have entries such as the following:

[0106] - Item 1: SCS = 15kHz, set BW = 5MHz, set center frequency, PRACH time-frequency resource, preamble sequence

[0107] - Item 2: SCS = 60kHz, set BW = 20MHz, set center frequency, PRACH time-frequency resource, preamble sequence

[0108] In other words, entry 1 has a carrier spacing of 15 kHz, and the set bandwidth is 5 MHz, which is assumed here to be the same as the operating bandwidth (e.g., Figure 5 (As shown in the example). The center frequency indicates the location of the frequency band within the system bandwidth. PRACH resources may include the location of the corresponding PRACH resources in the mesh and a preamble sequence that can be used with this set.

[0109] For example, entry 1 can be selected by the eMBB UE, while entry 2 can be selected by the URLLC UE. Typically, if the UE supports multiple services and / or parameter sets, it can randomly select one of the entries that matches one of its parameter sets. Alternatively, there can be a predefined default parameter set based on the UE's selection of entries.

[0110] As an alternative, the UE can select entries based on its UE ID. For example, entries can be selected by applying the following exemplary rules:

[0111] selected_entry_index=UE_ID mod number_of_numerologies_it_supports,

[0112] Where mod is the modulo operation, selected_entry_index is the result of the selection (the index of the entry in the optional entries within the set), and number_of_numerologies_it_supports is the number of parameter sets supported by the UE with UE_ID.

[0113] As another alternative, the UE can select entries based on its channel conditions. For example, if the channel is good, a PRACH resource with low diversity is selected; otherwise, a PRACH resource with high diversity is selected (e.g., a high repetition level that occupies more uplink time-frequency resources).

[0114] The selection of entries from the list of control resource candidates offers the advantage of associating the random access procedure with a specific set of parameters and bandwidth, eliminating the need for explicit signaling between the communication equipment and the base station. Instead, by performing the random access procedure, the base station is implicitly notified of the selected set of control resources, which will be monitored by the communication equipment and can be used by the base station to send control information to the communication equipment.

[0115] The same configuration parameters as those in the example above for set 1 can also be used for set 2. However, if the entries in the second set are configured with only a subset of the parameters configured in the first set, and assuming the remaining parameters are the same as those in the first set, the signaling overhead in terms of system information can be further reduced. For example, set 2 can be configured using only the second bandwidth. The remaining parameters can be considered the same as those in set 1 previously selected by the UE.

[0116] An example of a configuration parameter list for set 2 can be shown below:

[0117] - Set 2BW defines the bandwidth for controlling resource set 2.

[0118] - The second RF BW (second bandwidth) defines the frequency resources allocated for scheduling in the application DCI.

[0119] Set 2 does not require PRACH resources.

[0120] In the set 2 configuration example above, sets 1 and 2 are centered in the frequency domain (e.g., ...). Figure 7As shown, this eliminates the need for explicit signaling to indicate the location of set 2. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and set 2 can also be configured using a separate parameter for the bandwidth of set 2.

[0121] In some of the examples above, the first control resource set carries both public (group) DCI and UE-specific DCI. Therefore, serving too many terminals can lead to congestion. In other words, if DCI needs to be provided to many UEs, it may be difficult to receive user-specific DCI. This can be especially relevant if many UEs choose the same control resource set. To reduce the probability of congestion, additional selection criteria besides the parameter set can be applied.

[0122] Another example of an entry in the candidate set list can be shown below:

[0123] - Item 1: SCS = 15kHz, BW = 5MHz, 5MHz <= UE capability <=

[0124] 20MHz (selection standard), center frequency of the set, preamble sequence, PRACH time-frequency

[0125] resource

[0126] - Item 2: SCS = 15kHz, BW = 5MHz, 20MHz <= UE capability <=

[0127] 80MHz (selection standard), center frequency of the set, preamble sequence, PRACH time-frequency

[0128] resource

[0129] - Item 3: SCS = 60kHz, BW = 20MHz, 20MHz <= UE capability <=

[0130] 80MHz (selection standard), center frequency of the set, preamble sequence, PRACH time-frequency

[0131] resource

[0132] For example, entry 1 is characterized by an SCS of 15 kHz and a set bandwidth of 5 MHz, which is assumed to be the same as the operating bandwidth. Furthermore, the UE bandwidth capability comes from the UE capability bandwidth range between 5 MHz and 20 MHz. The remaining parameters are as shown in the example above.

[0133] The communication device then selects a set based on its parameter set and selection criteria. For example, in the list above, items 1 and 2 have the same subcarrier spacing and bandwidth, so both are well-suited for and targeted at the same use case (such as eMBB operation). However, they differ in terms of UE capabilities, which are additional selection criteria here. Specifically, item 1 is for UEs with bandwidth capabilities between 5MHz and 20MHz, while item 2 is for UEs with bandwidth capabilities between 20MHz and 80MHz. Therefore, UEs with bandwidth capabilities between 20MHz and 80MHz (such as 40MHz) can choose item 2, while UEs with bandwidth capabilities below 20MHz (such as 10MHz) can choose item 1. For example, item 3 is suitable for and targeted at URLLC use cases.

[0134] Specifically, the communication device can set its first operating bandwidth to the minimum requirement for the capabilities of UEs with the same parameter set. According to the example list of items 1-3 shown above, if a UE supporting a 15kHz SCS has an 80MHz bandwidth capability, then item 2 will be selected, and the first RF UE operating bandwidth (BW) can be set to 20MHz (corresponding to the minimum requirement of the selection criteria in item 2, or in other words, the lowest value of the UE capability range parameter). The advantage of this setting is that, since the gNB (or scheduler) knows that all UEs in the set monitored for item 2 have at least a 20MHz BW capability, the DCI transmitted by that set can be scheduled with resources matching that 20MHz BW without worrying about any UE detection failures. On the other hand, selecting a 20MHz operating bandwidth for UEs with an 80MHz capability can save monitoring power consumption.

[0135] In the example above, entry 3 is the only entry for the parameter set with SCS = 60kHz. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. Typically, there may be one or more additional entries with different values ​​for the same SCS and BW, as well as additional selection parameters.

[0136] When the set BW is less than the UE's first RF operation BW (first bandwidth):

[0137] - The control resource set can be centrally located within the first bandwidth in the frequency domain, eliminating the need for signaling at the center frequency. The size relationship between the control resource set BW and the first BW can be specified in the standard or signaled, or...

[0138] - Alternatively, the offset between the center of the set and the center of the first bandwidth can also be included as a parameter, or

[0139] - Alternatively, the UE can perform blind decoding within the first bandwidth.

[0140] Therefore, congestion can be reduced by appropriately grouping communication devices according to additional selection criteria or conditions. One possible selection criterion is the UE's bandwidth capability range, as described in the example above. Using this selection criterion, the gNB implicitly knows the range of the UE's bandwidth capability during the random access procedure. Therefore, the gNB can provide a DCI with resource allocation within a first control resource set, scheduling resources that match the UE's capabilities, i.e., resources located within the bandwidth included in the UE's capabilities (e.g., the minimum UE capability range value). Note that the example above only shows two different UE capability ranges. However, more than two such capability ranges can typically be used as selection criteria.

[0141] The candidate list may also include additional parameters indicating whether frequency hopping is enabled or disabled, and may also include signaling for the frequency hopping mode. An example of such a list is provided below:

[0142] - Item 1: SCS = 15kHz, BW = 5MHz, 5MHz <= UE capability <= 20MHz (selection criteria), center frequency of the set, frequency hopping = false, PRACH sequence, PRACH time and frequency resources

[0143] - Item 2: SCS = 15kHz, BW = 5MHz, 20MHz <= UE capability <= 80MHz (selection criteria), center frequency of the set, frequency hopping = false, PRACH sequence, PRACH time and frequency resources

[0144] - Item 3: SCS = 60kHz, BW = 20MHz, 20MHz <= UE capability <= 80MHz (selection criteria), center frequency of the set, frequency hopping = false, PRACH sequence, PRACH time and frequency resources

[0145] - Item 4: SCS = 15kHz, BW = 180kHz, 1.4MHz <= UE capability <= 5MHz (selection criteria), center frequency of the set, frequency hopping = true, frequency hopping mode, PRACH sequence, PRACH time-frequency resources

[0146] Therefore, different frequency hopping options exist for different entries in the list. Frequency hopping can be turned on (in the example, the value is frequency hopping = true) or off (in the example, the value is frequency hopping = false). If frequency hopping is true, a predefined or pre-configured frequency hopping mode can be applied.

[0147] In the examples above, items 1 and 2 are suitable for eMBB use cases, while item 3 is suitable for URLLC use cases. Items 1-3 disable frequency hopping. Furthermore, for item 4, which has the lowest bandwidth, frequency hopping is enabled and an additional parameter frequency hopping mode is configured. The parameter frequency hopping mode indicates the frequency hopping mode. This can be done by referring to one of several specific modes that can be defined in the standard or configured by system information, etc. Item 4 may be particularly effective for low-bandwidth use cases such as mMTC, as it can provide frequency diversity even for UEs with very low BW capabilities.

[0148] Multiple entries may also exist, which differ (only) in the frequency hopping mode that can be specified as an additional parameter.

[0149] The list of entries above is merely an example. A list of more entries with different parameter combinations can be provided. Providing more degrees of freedom in selection can help reduce the probability of congestion.

[0150] To gain more configuration flexibility, other parameters from the basic parameters mentioned above can also be configured for the second control resource set.

[0151] For the first eMBB UE, the following first and second control resource sets can be defined:

[0152] - Set 1: SCS = 15kHz, Set BW = 5MHz, 5MHz <= UE capability <= 20MHz (selection criteria), Set center frequency, Frequency hopping = False, PRACH sequence, PRACH time and frequency resources

[0153] Set 2: SCS = 15kHz Set BW = 20MHz, second RFBW = 20MHz The center frequency of the set, frequency hopping = false

[0154] Specifically, in this example, set 1 has a set BW that is assumed to be the same as the first bandwidth, while set 2 allows for separate configuration of the set bandwidth and the second bandwidth. Furthermore, set 2 can be located at a different center frequency than set 1. However, in the aforementioned entries for set 2, the operating (second RF BW) bandwidth is still set to be the same as the set bandwidth.

[0155] For the second eMBB UE, the following first and second control resource sets can be defined.

[0156] - Set 1: SCS = 15kHz, Set BW = 5MHz, 20MHz <= UE capability <= 80MHz (selection criteria), Set center frequency, Frequency hopping = False, PRACH sequence, PRACH time and frequency resources

[0157] Set 2: SCS = 15kHz The first RF band has a base frequency (BW) of 40MHz, and the second RF band has a base frequency (BW) of 40MHz. The center frequency of the set, frequency hopping = false

[0158] Furthermore, for a possible URLLC UE, these two sets can be defined as follows:

[0159] - Set 1: SCS = 60kHz, Set BW = 20MHz, 20MHz <= UE capability <= 80MHz (selection criteria), Set center frequency, Frequency hopping = False, PRACH sequence, PRACH time and frequency resources

[0160] Set 2: SCS = 60kHz The first RF band has a base frequency (BW) of 40MHz, and the second RF band has a base frequency (BW) of 80MHz. The center frequency of the set, the offset between the center of the set and the center of the second BW, frequency hopping = assuming that in the above entries for set 2, the set bandwidth is less than the second bandwidth, and the offset is defined.

[0161] For possible mMTC UEs, the following set can be defined:

[0162] - Set 1: SCS = 15kHz, Set BW = 180kHz, 1.4MHz <= UE capability <= 5MHz (selection standard), Frequency hopping = True, Frequency hopping mode, PRACH sequence, PRACH time-frequency resources - Set 2: SCS = 15kHz, BW = 360kHz Second RF BW = 1.4MHz Frequency hopping = true, frequency hopping mode

[0163] Specifically, in this example, the center frequencies for set 1 and set 2 are not provided in the configuration parameters. The default positions are used in this case. For example, the control resource set is always located at the edge of the system bandwidth, such as... Figure 10 and 11 The example shown.

[0164] In the examples above, the focus is on the configuration of the control resource set in the frequency domain. However, it is also useful to consider the location of the control resource set in the time domain.

[0165] Figure 12 The illustration shows an exemplary alignment of different time units within a subframe. In this example, the subframe is a time unit with a length of 1 ms. However, it should be noted that the 1 ms subframe length is merely an example, and this disclosure is not limited to any particular time unit length. Subframes are further subdivided into slots or mini-slots. To support multiple parameter sets, each parameter set may have its own scheduling interval in terms of slot or mini-slot length. (See also...) Figure 12 As can be seen, scheduling intervals for time slots and micro-time slots used for different parameter sets are aligned within the subframe boundaries. Furthermore, in Figure 12 The following scheduling interval lengths are shown in the figure:

[0166] - Two 0.5ms time slots in the subframe. This configuration is associated with a 15kHz SCS and 7 symbols per TTI (scheduling interval).

[0167] - Seven mini-slots in the subframe. This configuration is associated with a 15kHz SCS and two symbols per TTI.

[0168] - 16 mini-slots in the subframe. This configuration is associated with a 30kHz SCS and 2 symbols via the mini-slots.

[0169] - Eight time slots in a subframe. This configuration is associated with 60 kHz and 7 symbols per TTI.

[0170] Figure 17 An exemplary parameter set scheme is shown. Specifically, Figure 17 This is a simplified diagram illustrating the allocation of radio resources according to three different parameter set schemes. The resulting resource scheduling units are represented in bold for each parameter set scheme.

[0171] Figure 17 The parameter set scheme 1 is characterized by a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz (resulting in a symbol duration of 66.7 μs; see [link]). Figure 1 Each resource scheduling unit has 12 subcarriers and 6 symbols. The resulting resource scheduling unit has a frequency bandwidth of 180 kHz and a length of 0.5 ms (when considering, for example, an example of a 16.7 μs cyclic prefix, as known from LTE systems). Accordingly, in the frequency domain, the bandwidth of the frequency band will be divided into 24 resource scheduling units (each with a bandwidth of 180 kHz). Utilizing these parameter set characteristics, parameter set scheme 1 can be considered for data transmission in mMTC services. Therefore, a UE following this parameter set scheme can theoretically be scheduled by the scheduler every TTI (i.e., 0.5 ms).

[0172] Parameter set scheme 2 is characterized by a subcarrier spacing of (2 × 15 kHz =) 30 kHz (resulting in a symbol duration of 33.3 μs; see [link]). Figure 1 Each resource scheduling unit has 12 subcarriers and 6 symbols. Therefore, the resulting resource scheduling unit has a frequency bandwidth of 360 kHz and a length of 0.25 ms (when considering each 16.7 μs / 2 scaling cyclic prefix as an example). Accordingly, in the frequency domain, the bandwidth of the frequency band will be divided into 12 resource scheduling units (each with a 360 kHz bandwidth). Utilizing these parameter set characteristics, parameter set scheme 2 can be considered for data transmission in eMBB services. Therefore, a UE following this parameter set scheme can theoretically be scheduled by the scheduler every TTI (i.e., 0.25 ms).

[0173] Parameter set scheme 3 is characterized by a subcarrier spacing of (4 × 15 kHz =) 60 kHz (resulting in a symbol duration of 16.7 μs; see [link]). Figure 1 Each resource scheduling unit has 12 subcarriers and 4 symbols. Therefore, the resulting resource scheduling unit has a frequency bandwidth of 720 kHz and a length of 0.0833 ms (when considering each 16.7 μs / 4 scaling cyclic prefix as an example). Accordingly, in the frequency domain, the bandwidth of the frequency band will be divided into 6 resource scheduling units (each with a 720 kHz bandwidth). Utilizing these parameter set characteristics, parameter set scheme 3 can be considered for data transmission in URLLC services. Therefore, a UE following this parameter set scheme can theoretically be scheduled by the scheduler every TTI (i.e., 0.0833 ms).

[0174] Different parameter set schemes should coexist in the mobile network, and the radio resources of different parameter set schemes should be available for allocation to user terminals as needed. Several possibilities exist regarding how to multiplex different parameter sets and their radio resources within a frequency band in the frequency and / or time domains. Typically, in order to allocate radio resources for data transmission according to each parameter set scheme, the available time-frequency radio resources of the frequency band should be appropriately divided among the different parameter set schemes coexisting in the system. Accordingly, each parameter set scheme is associated with a specific set of radio resources in the available radio resources of the frequency band, which is then used by the scheduler (such as a radio base station) to allocate according to that parameter set scheme, i.e., to allocate radio resources for transmitting data for the corresponding service (here, URLLC, mMTC, mMBB) in accordance with the parameter set characteristics of the specific parameter set scheme. Given that the traffic volume of each service varies over time, this multiplexing of different coexisting parameter set schemes for services can also be flexible.

[0175] Then, the communication equipment monitors the control resources at most once per scheduling interval. To reduce the monitoring workload, the lower the frequency of monitoring, the greater the power savings can be achieved.

[0176] The UE can be configured with RRC, or typically with higher-level protocols, regarding which slots / mini-slots within a subframe it expects DCI. This configuration can depend on the DCI type (e.g., RA-RNTI, SI-RNTI, UE-specific DCI, etc.). For example, the first slot in a subframe can be configured to carry common control information, while the second slot in the same subframe can be configured to carry UE-specific control information without carrying common control information. Additionally, slots carrying group information can be specified, either differently from or the same as the first and second slots. This segmentation also allows for reduced monitoring workload, as it is possible to attempt to decode control information using only a specific type of RNTI (or RNTI) within a single slot.

[0177] The temporal sizes of the first and second control resource sets can be implicitly determined by the communication device based on another configurable parameter, or configured by the base station via explicit signaling. Specifically, the number of symbols in the control resource set within a scheduling interval can be a fixed value, depending on the length of the time slot / mini-time slot. In other words, the communication device determines the number of symbols in the control resource set based on the time slot size (or scheduling interval size). The determination method can be given in the standard, for example, as a table of the number of symbols for a control resource set for a specific configurable time slot size and / or scheduling interval.

[0178] Alternatively, the size of the resource control set is configurable. Specifically, the size of the resource control set (first or second) can be signaled in the first symbol of the resource control set (first and second, respectively), i.e., in the Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH). However, this disclosure is not limited to such signaling. Alternatively, the size of the resource control set in the time domain can constitute parameters of the respective resource control set and can be selected by the communication device and indicated by a random process as indicated above for the parameter set and / or operating bandwidth range.

[0179] Furthermore, the configurability of the size of the resource control set in the time domain can be configurable. For example, the parameter "PCFICH configuration possibility" can be included in the configuration parameters of set 1 and set 2. If the value of the parameter "PCFICH configuration possibility" is false, a fixed value is used for the number of symbols in the corresponding set 1 and / or set 2. As mentioned above, the fixed value is a default value or a value determined by the communication device. On the other hand, if the value of the parameter "PCFICH configuration possibility" is true, the number of symbols is signaled by the PCFICH located in the first symbol of the control set.

[0180] Communication devices can use different sets of control resources in various ways. For example, depending on the first option (Option 1), different sets can be configured for different parameter sets. The UE should perform blind decoding within all configured control resource sets. Specifically, the base station can control the communication device to monitor one or more configured control resource sets, such as a first control resource set, a second control resource set, and / or another, a third, a fourth, etc., control resource set. For example, there can be control resource sets transmitted on parameter sets that are similar to the parameter sets of resources scheduled by control information (DCI) carried in that set. However, the monitoring workload increases with each new monitoring set.

[0181] To further reduce monitoring workload, according to option 2, a set is configured to carry a DCI for data transmission using other parameter set schemes. In other words, the parameter set of the control resource set can be different from the parameter set of the resources scheduled by the control resources of that control resource set. One advantage of this method is that the UE only needs to monitor one parameter set scheme to obtain control information. The control information (DCI) can then also indicate the parameter set used for data transmission allocated (scheduled) by that DCI.

[0182] The frequency resources used to control the resource set and associated RF BW can be indicated by their absolute values ​​or by an index, for example, a specific value assigned to them in a standard. Alternatively, to provide sufficient signaling flexibility while conserving signaling resources, the frequency resources of the control resource set (first and / or second) can be indicated relative to the resource grid in the same parameter set scheme to which the set is intended.

[0183] For example, the resource grid is defined according to a parameter set scheme and is known to both the gNB and the UE. The grid does not change in terms of resource allocation. This is in... Figure 13 shown in . Specifically, Figure 13 Three corresponding grids are shown in three rows for three different parameter sets with subcarrier spacings of 60, 30, and 15 kHz. A 15 kHz SCS notification can be utilized. Figure 13 In the UE1 example, its first RF BW is {RB#-13 to RB#-10}. In other words, the first bandwidth and / or the second bandwidth can be indicated by the indexes of the lowest and highest resource blocks (RBs) belonging to the corresponding bandwidth. A resource block can be the smallest allocatable unit in the frequency domain and can include multiple subcarriers, for example, 12 subcarriers.

[0184] Therefore, control information carrying control resource sets (e.g., higher-level signaling such as dedicated RRC signaling or broadcast system information, as well as physical layer signaling) can be signaled with improved efficiency.

[0185] However, it should be noted that this disclosure is not limited to this signaling. Typically, the operating bandwidth can be signaled by its center frequency and width, or in any other way, such as the minimum RB and bandwidth.

[0186] Furthermore, the aforementioned signaling can be used to indicate any sub-band of the system frequency band via the lowest and highest frequencies (indicated by the resource block index). In other words, this signaling method is not limited to signaling the operating bandwidth and can be used to indicate any frequency band or range (e.g., the capability bandwidth range described above regarding the candidate set configuration).

[0187] This disclosure can be implemented in software, hardware, or software cooperating with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each of the above embodiments can be implemented partially or entirely by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be controlled partially or entirely by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. An LSI can be formed as a single chip, or it can be formed as a chip to include some or all of the functional blocks. An LSI can include data inputs and outputs coupled thereto. The LSI here can be referred to as an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra-LSI, depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for implementing integrated circuits is not limited to LSIs and can be implemented using dedicated circuitry, or general-purpose or dedicated processors. Additionally, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after LSI fabrication or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of the circuit cells arranged within the LSI can be used. This disclosure can be implemented as digital or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technology replaces LSIs due to advancements in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, future integrated circuit technology can be used to integrate functional blocks. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0188] Figure 14 The diagram illustrates a system comprising a communication device 1410 and a scheduling device 1460 communicating with each other via a (wireless) physical channel 1450. The communication device 1410 includes a transceiver unit 1420 and circuitry 1430. 1420 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. Circuitry 1430 may be one or more pieces of hardware, such as one or more processors or any of the aforementioned LSIs. An input / output point 1425 is provided between the transceiver unit 1420 and the circuitry 1430, on which the circuitry controls the transceiver unit 1420 (i.e., controls the receiving unit and / or the transmitting unit) and exchanges received / transmitted data. The transceiver unit 1420 may include an RF front-end comprising one or more antennas, amplifiers, RF modulators / demodulators, etc. The circuitry 1430 may specifically implement control tasks, such as controlling the transceiver unit 1420 to transmit user data and control data provided by the circuitry and / or to receive user data and control data further processed by the circuitry.

[0189] exist Figure 15 The diagram illustrates a simple and exemplary scenario with a radio base station and several user terminals. The three UEs shown support different services, namely mMTC, eMBB, and URLLC services, which have already been introduced in the background section. As shown, it is assumed that a UE should support and be configured for two different services, exemplarily URLLC and eMBB services.

[0190] Figure 15 The radio base station can correspond to Figure 14 The scheduling equipment is 1460. Figure 15 Any of the three UEs can correspond to Figure 14 Communication equipment 1410.

[0191] According to an embodiment, a communication device 1410 is provided, which includes a receiving unit 1420 capable of receiving control signals from a scheduling device 1460 in a first control resource set and a second control resource set. The communication device 1410 also includes a transmitting unit 1420 and a circuit 1430 capable of transmitting control signals and data, the circuit 1430 controlling:

[0192] - The sending unit sends a random access message associated with the first control resource set and sends a communication...

[0193] Information device capability indication;

[0194] - After sending a random access message, the receiving unit monitors the control resources in the first control resource set and receives instructions on the configuration of the second control resource set within the first control resource set;

[0195] - After receiving the configuration of the second control resource set, the receiving unit monitors the control resources in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set.

[0196] The indication of the configuration of the second control resource set can be, for example, a resource allocation for carrying higher-layer signaling for the configuration of the second control resource set for a communication device. However, this disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, the indication can also be a direct reference to the second control resource set.

[0197] The first control resource set is located within a first bandwidth, and the second control resource set is located within a second bandwidth. Here, the first bandwidth is the bandwidth containing any resources allocated by the control information carried in the first control resource set, and the second bandwidth is the bandwidth containing any resources allocated by the control information carried in the second control resource set.

[0198] The first and second bandwidths can be the same. In other words, allocations received within the first resource set can span the same operating bandwidth as allocations received within the second resource set. However, if the first bandwidth is a subset of the second bandwidth, monitoring workload and power consumption can be reduced.

[0199] In one example, the first and second bandwidths are centered relative to each other in the frequency domain. Accordingly, the bandwidths of the corresponding first and second control resource sets can also be aligned relative to each other.

[0200] Regarding the relationship between the two sets, in one example, the bandwidth of the first control resource set is included in the bandwidth of the second control resource set. Furthermore, the first control resource set can be a subset of the second control resource set. For example, if resources are defined in a time-frequency grid of symbols in time and subcarriers in frequency, then additionally, symbols carrying the first control resource set can be included in symbols carrying the second set. However, this disclosure is not limited to the relationship between set 1 and set 2 in the time domain.

[0201] According to another example, the first control resource set and the second control resource set do not intersect or only partially overlap in the frequency domain.

[0202] Note that the bandwidth of the first control resource set can be equal to or less than the first bandwidth. Similarly, the bandwidth of the second control resource set can be less than or equal to the second bandwidth.

[0203] In any of the above examples, the first control resource set advantageously includes common control information for decoding by multiple communication devices and user-specific control information for decoding only by a specific communication device, and the second control resource set includes user-specific control information.

[0204] Note that the second set of control resources may also include (groups of) common control information, especially when set 1 is a subset of set 2. On the other hand, if set 1 and set 2 do not intersect (or partially overlap), then set 2 need not include any (groups of) common control information.

[0205] If the communication equipment is in a power-saving operating mode, the circuit can control the receiving unit to monitor the first control resource set.

[0206] A power-saving mode could be, for example, where the communication equipment has no active data connection or has only a low-activity data connection (e.g., below a certain traffic threshold). For instance, a power-saving mode could correspond to the idle mode (no data bearer established) defined in LTE.

[0207] Furthermore, if the communication equipment is not in a power-saving mode, the circuit can control the receiving unit to monitor a second set of control resources. In addition to monitoring the second set, the receiving unit can also be controlled to continue monitoring the first set.

[0208] Alternatively, the circuit can be configured to control the receiving unit to monitor a first control resource set if the traffic volume of the communication equipment does not exceed a threshold, and to control the receiving unit to monitor a second control resource set if the traffic volume of the communication equipment exceeds the threshold. The threshold can be configured by the base station and provided to the communication equipment via higher-layer signaling. Alternatively, it can be specified by a standard. Alternatively, the threshold can be used only at the base station, and the base station indicates whether communication is to monitor the first or second control resource set based on the threshold.

[0209] To further improve frequency diversity, the first control resource set is distributed in the frequency domain, and the circuit-controlled receiving unit performs frequency hopping every first predetermined time interval to monitor the first control resource set.

[0210] In one example, the second control resource set is distributed in the frequency domain, and the circuit-controlled receiving unit performs frequency hopping every second predetermined time interval to monitor the second control resource set, and the frequency hopping mode used for the first control resource set is similar to that used for the second resource set.

[0211] The first and second predetermined time intervals can be a certain number of K symbols, time slots, or subframes, etc. They can be the same as or different from each other. Note that frequency hopping can typically be applied only to the first set, only to the second set, not to either set, or to both.

[0212] In the example, the second control resource set is distributed in the frequency domain, the circuit control receiving unit performs frequency hopping every second predetermined time interval to monitor the second control resource set, and the frequency hopping mode for the first control resource set is different from the frequency hopping mode for the second resource set at least in the frequency band during at least one time interval.

[0213] The frequency hopping pattern for the first control resource set defines a sequence of temporal variations in the bandwidth (and corresponding operating bandwidth) of the first set. This pattern can be applied repeatedly and periodically.

[0214] According to an example that can be combined with any of the above examples, the circuit is also configured such that the control receiving unit receives system information including a list of entries and selects a first control resource set configuration, wherein an entry represents a corresponding candidate for the first control resource set configuration.

[0215] Selection can be performed, for example, based on the supported set of parameters.

[0216] Specifically, the configuration parameters of the first control resource set include at least one of the subcarrier spacing and bandwidth for the first control resource set, and at least one of the preamble sequence and resources for the random access channel.

[0217] In one example, the circuit selects the first control resource set based on at least one of the subcarrier spacing and bandwidth of the first control resource set supported by the communication device.

[0218] Note that the configuration of the second control resource set can also be given by the second control resource set configuration parameters, which at least include the bandwidth for the second control resource set or the second bandwidth (the operational bandwidth for receiving data scheduled by the control information carried in the second set). However, the second control resource set configuration parameters may also include a parameter set.

[0219] In one example, the first control resource set configuration parameters also include the range of bandwidth capabilities of the communication device, and the circuit also selects the first control resource set based on its own bandwidth capabilities.

[0220] Furthermore, if the communication device supports more than one configuration, the circuit can select the first control resource set configuration according to any of the following:

[0221] - Randomly select one of the supported configurations;

[0222] - Select a configuration with default subcarrier spacing and / or bandwidth for the first control resource set;

[0223] - Selection based on the identifier of the communication device;

[0224] - Selection based on the current channel conditions of the communication equipment.

[0225] The configuration parameters for the first control resource set and / or the configuration parameters for the second control resource set may also include a frequency hopping indication indicating whether frequency hopping should be applied to the corresponding control resource set.

[0226] Furthermore, when the frequency hopping indication indicates that frequency hopping should be applied to the corresponding control resource set, the first control resource set configuration parameters and / or the second control resource set configuration parameters may also include a frequency hopping mode indication.

[0227] Frequency hopping mode carries a sequence of frequencies (bandwidths) of control resource sets according to time indication.

[0228] The configuration of the second control resource set may include the bandwidth of the second control resource set or a second bandwidth, or a subset of configuration parameters, and the circuit applies the remaining parameters of the first control resource set to the second control resource set.

[0229] In one exemplary embodiment, the circuit-controlled receiving unit:

[0230] - Monitor the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set, and

[0231] - Receive control information within the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set, indicating the allocation of resources for data transmission to the communication device.

[0232] -The resource allocation also indicates a set of time-frequency parameters, which includes at least one of subcarrier spacing, bandwidth, number of symbols, or cyclic prefix length.

[0233] This disclosure also relates to a scheduling device 1460, which includes a transmitting unit 1470 capable of transmitting control signals to a communication device from a first control resource set and a second control resource set, a receiving unit 1470 capable of receiving control signals and data, and a circuit 1480, which controls:

[0234] - The receiving unit receives a random access message associated with the first control resource set, and receives the communication...

[0235] Information device capability indication;

[0236] - After receiving the random access message, the sending unit sends control information in the first control resource set and sends an indication of the configuration of the second control resource set within the first control resource set;

[0237] - After sending the configuration of the second control resource set, the sending unit sends control information in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set.

[0238] from Figure 14 As can be seen, there is also an input / output node 1475 located between the transceiver unit 1470 and the circuit 1480, the transceiver unit including a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The input / output node 1475 is used for the input / output of data and control commands between the transceiver unit 1470 and the circuit 1480. The scheduling device 1460 may be, for example, a base station. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the scheduling node may be a relay node or a communication device operating as a base station or a relay node for other communication devices.

[0239] from Figure 14 It can also be seen that both the communication device and the base station use the same configuration as set 1 and set 2, and exchange configuration information as described above with reference to the communication device. Therefore, the embodiments and examples described above with regard to the communication device are also applicable to the scheduling node (base station).

[0240] This disclosure also provides corresponding methods that can be executed by circuit 1430 of communication device 1410 and / or circuit 1480 of scheduling device 1460. Specifically, the circuits can control the corresponding receiving / transmitting units of the communication device and the base station to perform the receiving / transmitting tasks as shown below.

[0241] Specifically, for example Figure 16 As shown, a method for a communication device is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0242] - Send 1620 random access message associated with the first control resource set;

[0243] -After sending the random access message, monitor the control resources in the first control resource set of 1630;

[0244] - Send 1640 communication device capability indication;

[0245] - After sending the 1640 communication device capability indication, receive the 1650 indication of the configuration of the second control resource set within the first control resource set;

[0246] - After receiving the configuration of the second control resource set, monitor the control resources in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set.

[0247] Furthermore, before sending the random access message, the method may also include receiving control information 1610, the control information including the configuration of a candidate first set of control resources. This control information may be received within a system broadcast.

[0248] In addition, a method for scheduling nodes is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0249] - Receive 1625 random access messages associated with the first control resource set;

[0250] - Receive 1645 Communication Device Capability Indication (after receiving 1625 Random Access Message);

[0251] - After receiving the 1625 random access message, send the 1635 control information in the first control resource set;

[0252] - Send an instruction for the configuration of the second control resource set within the first control resource set;

[0253] - After sending the configuration of the second control resource set, send the 1665 control information in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set.

[0254] Note that the above steps can be performed as disclosed above regarding the actions performed by the corresponding equipment.

[0255] Furthermore, the examples above refer to "communication equipment," "UE," "base station," "gNB," or "scheduling equipment." However, it should be noted that the corresponding circuitry for these devices (see [link to relevant documentation]) is different. Figure 14 The improvements described above have been provided separately for circuits 1430 and 1480. The circuit controls the transmitting and receiving units of the device, wherein the transmitting and receiving units of the device can be standard wireless transmitting and receiving units, including, for example, one or more antennas, amplifiers, and modulators. Control is performed by outputting control commands to input / output nodes (1425, 1475) and by inputting received data (control and / or user data) from the input / output nodes for further processing by the circuit.

[0256] Figure 18An exemplary random access procedure is illustrated.

[0257] In step 1810, the UE (communication device) uses a sequence and transmits a random access preamble (i.e., a random access message) on the uplink time-frequency resources associated with the control resource set 1 selected from the candidate set.

[0258] In step 1820, the BS (base station, scheduling device) detects a random access attempt and then sends a message via the downlink data channel, including:

[0259] - An index of random access preamble sequences that are detected by the network and effective in response to it.

[0260] - Timing correction calculated by the random access preamble receiver unit

[0261] - Scheduling permission, instructing the terminal to allocate resources for transmission in step 1830.

[0262] - Temporary identifier, TC-RNTI, used for further communication between the UE and the network.

[0263] Since each set 1 candidate has a different sequence (and / or associated uplink resources for transmitting the preamble), the BS knows which set 1 the UE has selected after decoding the preamble sequence. Therefore, a DCI indicating the resources carrying the aforementioned message is transmitted in the set 1 selected by the UE.

[0264] The UE that has already sent the preamble monitors the corresponding set 1 to receive the DCI and thus receive the message.

[0265] In step 1830, following step 1820, the UE's uplink time is synchronized with the network time. In step 1830, the UE sends its identifier to the BS via the normal uplink data channel and executes an RRC connection request. (No modification compared to the LTE procedure)

[0266] In step 1840, contention resolution is performed. If multiple UEs happen to select the same random access resources (preamble sequence and associated uplink resources), these UEs that performed simultaneous random access attempts in step 1820, using the same preamble resources in the first step 1810, listen for the same response message in step 1820, and therefore have the same temporary identifier. Therefore, in step 1840, each terminal receiving the downlink message will compare the identifier in the message with the identifier sent in step 1830. Only terminals that notice a match between the identifier received in step 1840 and the identifier sent as part of step 1830 will declare the random access procedure successful.

[0267] Note that step 1840 of the exemplary random access procedure described above is similar to the LTE procedure, except that in step 1840 the DCI of the scheduling message is again sent from set 1 selected by the UE. It should also be noted that, referring to... Figure 18 The described random access procedure is merely exemplary. This disclosure is not limited to this random access procedure, and random access can be performed in different ways. Generally, any access involving the random selection of resources (by the random access message sending unit) can be applied.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit for controlling a process of a communication device, the integrated circuit comprising: The receiving circuit is capable of receiving control signals from the base station from the first control resource set and the second control resource set. The transmitting circuit is capable of sending control signals and data. The control circuit controls: The transmitting circuit transmits a random access message associated with the first control resource set, and transmits a communication device capability indication, wherein the communication device capability indication includes the bandwidth capability of the communication device; After sending the random access message, the receiving circuit monitors the control resources in the first control resource set and receives the configuration instructions of the second control resource set within the first control resource set. After receiving the configuration of the second control resource set, the receiving circuit monitors the control resources in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set.

2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The first control resource set is located within a first bandwidth, and the second control resource set is located within a second bandwidth. The first bandwidth is the bandwidth of any resource allocated by the control information carried in the first control resource set. The second bandwidth is the bandwidth of any resource allocated by the control information carried in the second control resource set.

3. The integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein, The first bandwidth and the second bandwidth are centered and aligned with each other in the frequency domain.

4. The integrated circuit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The bandwidth of the first control resource set is included in the bandwidth of the second control resource set, or The first control resource set is a subset of the second control resource set.

5. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The first control resource set includes common control information for decoding by multiple communication devices and user-specific control information for decoding only by a specific communication device. The second control resource set includes the user-specific control information.

6. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The control circuit is configured to control the receiving circuit to monitor the first control resource set if the communication device is in a power-saving operating mode.

7. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The first control resource set is distributed in the frequency domain, and The control circuit controls the receiving circuit to perform frequency hopping every first predetermined time interval in order to monitor the first control resource set.

8. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 or 7, wherein, The second set of control resources is distributed in the frequency domain. The control circuit controls the receiving circuit to perform frequency hopping every second predetermined time interval to monitor the second control resource set, and The frequency hopping mode used for the first control resource set is similar to the frequency hopping mode used for the second control resource set.

9. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 or 7, wherein, The second set of control resources is distributed in the frequency domain. The control circuit controls the receiving circuit to perform frequency hopping every second predetermined time interval to monitor the second control resource set, and The frequency hopping mode used for the first control resource set and the frequency hopping mode used for the second control resource set have different frequency bands in at least one time interval.

10. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The control circuit is further configured to: The receiving circuit is controlled to receive system information including a list of entries, where each entry represents a corresponding candidate for configuring the first control resource set. Select the first control resource set configuration.

11. The integrated circuit according to claim 10, wherein, The first control resource set configuration parameters and / or the second control resource set configuration parameters include at least one of subcarrier spacing and bandwidth for the corresponding control resource set, and at least one of preamble sequence and resources for the random access channel for the first control resource set. The control circuit selects the first control resource set based on at least one of the subcarrier spacing and bandwidth of the first control resource set supported by the communication device.

12. The integrated circuit according to claim 11, wherein, The first control resource set configuration parameters also include the range of bandwidth capabilities of the communication equipment, and The control circuit also selects the first control resource set based on its own bandwidth capability.

13. The integrated circuit according to claim 11, wherein, When the communication device supports more than one configuration, the control circuit performs the selection of the first control resource set configuration according to any of the following: - Random selection of one of the supported configurations; - The option to configure the default subcarrier spacing and / or bandwidth of the first control resource set; -Based on the selection of the identifier of the communication device; as well as - Selection based on the current channel conditions of the communication device.

14. The integrated circuit according to claim 11, wherein, The first control resource set configuration parameters and / or the second control resource set configuration parameters also include a frequency hopping indication specifying whether frequency hopping should be applied to the corresponding control resource set.

15. The integrated circuit according to claim 14, wherein, When the frequency hopping indication indicates that frequency hopping is applied to the corresponding control resource set, the first control resource set configuration parameters and / or the second control resource set configuration parameters further include a frequency hopping mode indication.

16. The integrated circuit according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, The configuration of the second control resource set includes: -The bandwidth of the second control resource set, or - The second bandwidth, where any resources allocated by the control information carried by the second control resource set are located in the second bandwidth, or - A subset of configuration parameters, and The control circuit applies the remaining parameters of the first control resource set to the second control resource set.

17. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The control circuit controls the receiving circuit: Monitor the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set, and Within the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set, receive control information indicating resource allocation for data transmission to the communication device. The resource allocation further indicates a set of parameters including at least one of subcarrier spacing or cyclic prefix length.

18. An integrated circuit for controlling a scheduling node process, the integrated circuit comprising: The transmitting circuit is capable of sending control signals to the communication device from the first control resource set and the second control resource set. The receiving circuit is capable of receiving control signals and data. The control circuit, which includes: The receiving circuit is controlled to receive random access messages associated with the first control resource set, and to receive communication device capability indications, wherein the communication device capability indications include the bandwidth capability of the communication device; After receiving the communication device capability indication, configure the second control resource set according to the communication device capability indication; The transmitting circuit is controlled to transmit control information in the first control resource set after receiving the random access message, and to transmit an indication of the configuration of the second control resource set in the first control resource set; and The control circuit transmits control information in the first control resource set and / or the second control resource set after transmitting the configuration of the second control resource set.

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