Control Channel Surveillance Enhancement

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system is described, which skips a specific number of control channel monitoring opportunities (MOs), such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) MO or the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) MO, according to a specific control channel (MO) skipping mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication systems or networks, and more specifically to enhanced control channel monitoring. Background Technology

[0002] Figure 1 This is a schematic representation of an example of a terrestrial wireless network 100, such as... Figure 1 As shown in (a), the terrestrial wireless network 100 includes a core network 102 and one or more radio access networks RAN1, RAN2, ... RAN N . Figure 1 (b) can be a radio access network (RAN) that may include one or more base stations gNB1 to gNB5. n The examples are illustrative representations, with each base station serving a specific area surrounding the base station illustratively represented by corresponding cells 1061 to 1065. Base stations are provided to serve users within the cell. One or more base stations may serve users in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency bands. The term base station (BS) refers to a gNB in ​​5G networks, an eNB in ​​UMTS / LTE / LTE-A / LTE-A Pro, or simply a BS in other mobile communication standards. Users can be fixed or mobile devices. Mobile or fixed IoT devices connected to a base station or user may also access the wireless communication system. Mobile or fixed devices can include physical devices, ground vehicles (such as robots or cars), air vehicles (such as manned or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, the latter also known as drones), buildings, and other items or devices embedded therein containing electronics, software, sensors, actuators, etc., and network connections enabling these devices to collect and exchange data across existing network infrastructure. Figure 1 (b) shows an exemplary view of five cells; however, RAN n It can include more or fewer such cells, and RAN n It can also include only one base station. Figure 1 (b) shows two users, UE1 and UE2, also referred to as user equipment or user gear, in cell 1062 and served by base station gNB2. Another user, UE3, is shown in cell 1064 served by base station gNB4. Arrows 1081, 1082, and 1083 schematically represent uplink connections for transmitting data from users UE1, UE2, and UE3 to base stations gNB2 and gNB4, or downlink connections for transmitting data from base stations gNB2 and gNB4 to users UE1, UE2, and UE3. This can be implemented on licensed or unlicensed frequency bands. Furthermore, Figure 1(b) shows two other devices 1101 and 1102 in cell 1064, such as IoT devices, which can be fixed or mobile devices. As illustrated by arrow 1121, device 1101 accesses the wireless communication system via base station gNB4 to receive and transmit data. As illustrated by arrow 1122, device 1102 accesses the wireless communication system via user UE3. The corresponding base stations gNB1 to gNB5 can be connected to the core network 102, for example, via the S1 interface and the corresponding backhaul links 1141 to 1145. Figure 1 In (b), the core network 102 is schematically represented by an arrow pointing to the "core". The core network 102 can be connected to one or more external networks. External networks can be the Internet or private networks, such as intranets or any other type of campus network, such as a dedicated WiFi communication system or a 4G or 5G mobile communication system. Furthermore, some or all of the corresponding base stations gNB1 to gNB5 can be connected to each other, for example via the S1 or X2 interface or XN interface in the NR, via corresponding backhaul links 1161 to 1165, which in... Figure 1 In (b), it is schematically represented by an arrow pointing to "gNB". The sidelink channel allows direct communication between UEs, also known as device-to-device (D2D) communication. The sidelink interface in 3GPP is named PC5.

[0003] For data transmission, a physical resource grid can be used. The physical resource grid can include a set of resource elements to which various physical channels and physical signals are mapped. For example, physical channels can include: Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), which carry user-specific data, also referred to as downlink payload data, uplink payload data, and sidelink payload data; Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), which carries, for example, a Master Information Block (MIB) and one or more System Information Blocks (SIBs) and one or more Sidelink Information Blocks (SLIBs); if supported, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSSCH), which carry, for example, downlink control information (DCI), uplink control information (UCI), and sidelink control information (SCI); and Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), which carries PC5 feedback responses. The sidelink interface can support two levels of SCI, referring to a first control region containing some parts of the SCI, also referred to as the first-level SCI, and optionally, a second control region containing a second part of the control information, also referred to as the second-level SCI.

[0004] For the uplink, the physical channel may also include a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) or RACH, which the UE uses to access the network once it is synchronized and has acquired the MIB and SIB. Physical signals may include reference signals or symbolic synchronization signals (RS). The resource grid may include frames or radio frames with a specific duration in the time domain and a given bandwidth in the frequency domain. The frame may have a specific number of subframes of a predetermined length (e.g., 1 millisecond). Depending on the length of the cyclic prefix (CP), each subframe may include one or more time slots of 12 or 14 OFDM symbols. For example, a frame may also have a smaller number of OFDM symbols when utilizing a shortened transmission time interval (sTTI) or a micro-slot-based / non-slot-based frame structure that includes only a few OFDM symbols.

[0005] The wireless communication system can be any single-tone or multi-carrier system using frequency division multiplexing, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or any other signal based on inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) with or without a cyclic prefix (CP), such as discrete Fourier transform-spread spectrum-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM). Other waveforms can be used, such as non-orthogonal waveforms for multiple access, such as filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), universal frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), or universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC). The wireless communication system can operate, for example, according to the Advanced LTE Pro standard, or the 5G or NR New Radio standard, or the NR-U New Radio Unlicensed standard.

[0006] Figure 1 The wireless network or communication system described herein can be a heterogeneous network with different coverage networks, such as a macro cell network, wherein each macro cell includes macro base stations, such as base stations gNB1 to gNB5, and Figure 1 Small cell base station networks, such as femtocells or picocells, are not shown in the diagram. In addition to the terrestrial wireless networks mentioned above, there are also non-terrestrial wireless communication networks (NTNs), including satellite transceivers and / or airborne transceivers such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems. Non-terrestrial wireless communication networks or systems can be referenced in the above-mentioned... Figure 1 The described terrestrial systems operate in a similar manner, for example, according to the Advanced LTE Pro standard or the new 5G or NR radio standards.

[0007] In mobile communication networks, for example, as referenced above Figure 1In the described network, such as an LTE or 5G / NR network, there may be UEs that communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink SL channels, for example, using PC5 / PC3 interfaces or WiFi Direct. UEs communicating directly with each other via sidelinks can include vehicles communicating directly with other vehicles (V2V communication) or vehicles communicating with other entities in the wireless communication network (e.g., Roadside Units (RSUs), roadside entities such as traffic lights, traffic signs, or pedestrians) (V2X communication). Depending on the specific network configuration, an RSU may function as either a BS or a UE. Other UEs may not be vehicle-related UEs and may include any of the aforementioned devices. Such devices may also communicate directly with each other using SL channels, i.e., D2D communication. When considering two UEs communicating directly with each other via sidelinks, for example using PC5 / PC3 interfaces, one UE may also be connected to a BS and can relay information from the BS to the other UE via the sidelink interface, and vice versa. Relay can be performed in the same frequency band (in-band relay) or in a different frequency band (out-of-band relay). In the first case, communication on Uu and the side link can be decoupled using different time slots, as is the case in a time-division duplex (TDD) system.

[0008] In wireless communication systems or networks, as referenced above Figure 1 In the described wireless communication system or network, each user equipment (UE) monitors the control channel in each subframe so that it can receive signals from the network and another UE, respectively.

[0009] Note that the information in the above sections is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present invention, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0010] Starting with the existing technology described above, it may be necessary to enhance or improve control channel monitoring. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0012] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 The conventional PDCCH skipping method is illustrated schematically;

[0014] Figure 3 (a) illustrates a conventional PDCCH skipping method implemented by skipping the PDCCH region of a frame;

[0015] Figure 3 (b) illustrates a conventional PDCCH skipping method achieved by switching the UE to an empty search space group;

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system, which includes a transmitter (such as a base station) and one or more receivers (such as user equipment or UE) capable of operating according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 An embodiment of the control channel MO skipping mode according to the present invention is shown;

[0018] Figure 6 Another embodiment of the control channel MO skipping mode according to the present invention is shown; and

[0019] Figure 7 An example of a computer system on which the units or modules and method steps described in the method according to the present invention can be executed is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar elements are assigned the same reference numerals.

[0021] In wireless communication systems or networks, as referenced above Figure 1 The described wireless communication system or network allows individual User Equipment (UEs) to communicate with RAN access points (such as base stations), or they can communicate with other UEs via sidelinks. Sidelink communication can be, for example, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-anything (V2X), or device-to-device (D2D). However, in NR-Uu operation or sidelink operation, such as PC5 operation, the UEs are always awake and monitor the control channel in each subframe to be able to receive data from the network and another UE separately. This increases power consumption at the UE, as the UE is always on even when there is no data to send or receive.

[0022] For stationary or vehicle-based use cases, such as NR V2X, power saving may not be a concern because the UE can be connected to a power source, such as the grid in the case of a stationary or immobile UE, or the vehicle's onboard battery in the case of a vehicle UE (V-UE). However, for other UEs with constrained or limited power sources, such as conventional user equipment that includes batteries that require periodic charging, power saving is a concern. Such UEs can include so-called vulnerable road user VUEs, such as pedestrian UEs (P-UEs), or first responder devices for public safety use cases, or IoT devices, such as general IoT UEs or industrial IoT UEs. For these types of UEs, power saving is important because they are not connected to a constant power source but rely on their batteries.

[0023] According to conventional methods, when communicating in a wireless communication network, as referenced above... Figure 1 The described wireless communication network can improve power savings by applying so-called control channel skipping, such as Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) skipping or Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) skipping. When considering communication between the UE and the RAN of the wireless communication network, the UE can skip one or more PDCCH monitoring opportunities (MOs). For example, the base station can send Downlink Control Information (DCI) to instruct the UE to perform PDCCH skipping, for example, when the base station has no data to send to the UE. In response to this instruction, the UE stops monitoring the PDCCH, thereby saving power.

[0024] Figure 2 A conventional PDCCH skipping method is illustrated schematically. Multiple time slots are schematically shown, and it is assumed that a UE communicating with the RAN or another UE via a sidelink monitors the PDCCH or PSCCH in each time slot. In time slots 1, 2, and 3, it is assumed that the UE performs conventional monitoring of the PDCCH monitoring timing. At time slot 3, the UE receives a skip indication 200, such as DCI-based or SCI-based signaling, to skip the next k PDCCH MOs. After indication 200, the UE stops monitoring the control channel for the next k time slots and resumes monitoring at time slot 3+k. As mentioned above, skip indication 200 can be DCI-based signaling. Skipped MOs are schematically represented as crossed-out MOs.

[0025] Figure 3 The PDCCH skipping example above is shown. Figure 3 In (a), a subframe or time slot is shown, for example, having a PDCCH region at the beginning, including one or more core sets with corresponding search spaces, such as in the case of NR, which define the PDCCH monitoring period or a portion thereof, in which the UE monitors control messages for that UE. For example, when a DCI-based skip signaling is received, the UE can simply stop monitoring the PDCCH region in the upcoming subframe or time slot. Figure 3 (a) shows the control area 202 n and 202 n+1 The time slots n and n+1. In response to a skip indication 200 in frame or time slot n, the UE may, in response to signaling 200, skip monitoring of the entire control area starting from the subsequent time slot n+1 within a specific number of time slots that the signaling can indicate (e.g., k PDCCH monitoring opportunities as described above). The skipped MO is schematically represented by a crossed-out MO in time slot n+1.

[0026] According to other examples, skipping can also be achieved by configuring an empty search space group (SSG) and, for example, by signaling the UE to switch to an empty SSG via a skip indication 200. After a specific time, such as the expiration of an inactivity timer, the UE can switch back to the default or previous SSG. Figure 3 (b) shows the UE switching to an empty SSG. Figure 3 (b) shows two time slots or subframes n and n+1, each time slot or subframe having a control resource set core set configured within the control region, which defines at least one search space group, also known as the default search space group SSG. D The UE monitors the search space group for control messages dedicated to that UE. Additionally, an empty search space group SSG is configured. E Initially, when no skip signaling is received, the UE monitors the default search space group (SSG). D In response to the skip instruction 200 received in time slot n, the UE searches from the default search space group SSG. D Switch to empty search space group SSG E .exist Figure 3 In (b), unused search space groups are schematically shown as those marked SSG. D or SSG E The crossed-out box. An SSG contains a search space, allowing the UE to apply a different search space associated with the currently active SSG during SSG handover. An empty SSG contains no search space, so the UE does not monitor any PDCCH when an empty SSG is active. The UE may, for example, use an empty search space group for a specific number of frames or slots, as indicated in signaling 200, and then switch back to the default search space group. According to other examples, in response to signaling 200, a timer may be started such that the UE switches back to the default search space group once the timer expires. For example, an inactivity timer similar to that used when operating in discontinuous reception DRX mode could be used.

[0027] The above-described conventional example for enabling a UE to skip PDCCH MOs can be implemented for any of the aforementioned UEs. The procedure can also be implemented for UEs already operating in DRX mode, such that, for example, during the on-duration of a DRX cycle, the UE can be signaled to skip a specific number of upcoming PDCCH MOs or PSSCH MOs during the on-duration of the DRX cycle.

[0028] Although the above reference Figure 2 and Figure 3The described method can allow for further power savings at the UE, but in some cases, skipping a certain number of MOs may result in suboptimal or undesirable UE behavior. For example, one or more skipped control channel MOs may include certain information that the UE will not miss, thus avoiding undesirable behavior during further UE operation once the UE restarts monitoring of control messages in the control channel. For instance, the UE may miss the Slot Format Indicator (SFI) transmitted during the skipped PDCCH MO and therefore may not be able to use certain slots with flexible symbols that can be relabeled as UL or DL ​​in the missed SFI. In another example, the UE may perform k repeated PUSCH transmissions, where it skips PDCCH MOs, in which it can receive the Downlink Feedback Indicator (DFI). Therefore, it may miss the ACK in the DFI for the k repeated transmissions and perform unnecessary retransmissions, resulting in wasted power.

[0029] Furthermore, according to the conventional method of saving power by skipping the control channel (MO), the UE applies the skip in response to, for example, an indication or signaling received from the base station. However, there may be situations where the UE wants to save power but may not receive any control signaling from the base station, for example, when the UE is communicating via a side link or using an unlicensed frequency band. Additionally, when considering communication over the Uu interface, the base station may not be aware of specific circumstances at the UE's location that require power saving (e.g., for IoT devices), such as a very low battery state.

[0030] This invention addresses the aforementioned drawbacks and provides enhancements and improvements to control channel monitoring. Embodiments of the method described herein illustrate different techniques for optimizing or improving the aforementioned conventional control channel skipping characteristics. Embodiments of the invention can be applied in, for example... Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 The wireless communication system shown includes a base station and users, such as mobile terminals or IoT devices. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system, which includes a transmitter 300, such as a base station, and one or more receivers 302, 304, such as user equipment (UE). The transmitter 300 and receivers 302, 304 can communicate via one or more wireless communication links or channels 306a, 306b, 308 (such as radio links). The transmitter 300 may include one or more antennas ANT. T Alternatively, an antenna array with multiple antenna elements, a signal processor 300a, and a transceiver 300b may be coupled to each other. Receivers 302 and 304 include one or more antennas (ANTs). UEAlternatively, an antenna array with multiple antennas, signal processors 302a, 304a, and transceivers 302b, 304b may be coupled to each other. Base station 300 and UEs 302, 304 can communicate via corresponding first wireless communication links 306a and 306b (e.g., radio links using the Uu interface), while UEs 302, 304 can communicate with each other via a second wireless communication link 308 (e.g., radio links using the PC5 or sidelink SL interface). When UEs are not served by the base station or are not connected to the base station—for example, when they are not in an RRC connection state—or more generally, when the base station does not provide SL resource allocation configuration or assistance, UEs can communicate with each other via a sidelink. Figure 4 Systems or networks Figure 4 One or more UEs 302, 304 and Figure 4 The base station 300 can be operated according to the teachings of the invention described herein.

[0031] Device

[0032] ---------------------------------

[0033] Skip mode

[0034] This invention provides a user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system, wherein the UE skips a specific number of control channel monitoring times (MOs), such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) MO or the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) MO, according to a specific control channel (MO) skipping mode.

[0035] According to an embodiment, the UE is configured or pre-configured, for example, via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, with multiple different control channel (MO) skipping modes and / or a number of control channels (MOs) to be skipped, and in response to a specific criterion, the UE selects which of the configured or pre-configured control channel (MO) skipping modes or subsets of skipping modes to apply.

[0036] According to an embodiment, specific standards include one or more of the following:

[0037] • The UE's battery status, such as the battery charging status being lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold.

[0038] • Equipment status

[0039] • Channel occupancy ratio or channel busy rate (CBR)

[0040] • The geographical location or region where the UE is located.

[0041] • The physical speed of the UE (e.g., a vehicle UE).

[0042] Is the UE located indoors or outdoors?

[0043] • Is the UE directly connected to the wireless communication system or connected via a relay?

[0044] • Path loss on the communication link, such as a specific SNR,

[0045] • The type or capability of the UE

[0046] • No control was detected being sent.

[0047] According to an embodiment, the UE is to respond to signaling to skip the control channel MO, the signaling indicating the control channel MO skipping mode to be applied by the UE.

[0048] According to an embodiment, the signaling (e.g., downlink control information DCI or sidelink control information SCI) includes the control channel MO skipping mode to be applied by the UE.

[0049] According to an embodiment, when a UE is configured or pre-configured with multiple different control channel MO skipping modes and / or a number of control channels MO to be skipped, for example via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, the signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI) or Sidelink Control Information (SCI)) includes an indication of which of the configured or pre-configured control channel MO skipping modes the UE should apply.

[0050] According to an embodiment, the control channel MO skip mode indicates one or more of the following:

[0051] • The number of control channels (MOs) to be skipped.

[0052] • Every nth control channel MO is either skipped or not skipped, n = 1, 2, 3, ...

[0053] • A vector or list of MOs to skip.

[0054] • Vectors or lists of MOs that are not skipped.

[0055] • To skip n elements from a vector or list of MO,

[0056] • A vector or list of MO in which n elements are not skipped.

[0057] • To apply the skipped search space,

[0058] • Do not apply the skipped search space.

[0059] • Specific DCI or SCI formats to skip

[0060] • Specific DCI or SCI formats that are not skipped.

[0061] The present invention provides a base station (BS) for a wireless communication system, wherein the base station serves one or more user equipment (UE) of the present invention, and wherein the BS configures or pre-configures the UE with a plurality of different control channel (MO) skipping modes and / or a number of control channels (MO) to be skipped.

[0062] ----------------------------------

[0063] Abnormal MO

[0064] The present invention provides a user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system, wherein the UE skips a specific number of control channel monitoring times (MOs), such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) MOs or physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) MOs, and wherein the UE identifies one or more abnormal control channels (MOs), and the UE does not skip one or more abnormal control channels (MOs).

[0065] According to an embodiment, the UE is configured or pre-configured, for example, via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, with one or more rules for identifying an MO as an anomalous MO, and / or wherein one or more rules for identifying an MO as an anomalous MO are fixed in the specification.

[0066] According to an embodiment, one or more rules may include one or more of the following:

[0067] • MO is associated with an ongoing transmission or retransmission.

[0068] • MO is associated with ongoing periodic transmissions (e.g., SPS).

[0069] • The MO is associated with a previous transmission of the packet, for which a response is expected.

[0070] For example, when multiple transmissions are planned, MO includes preemptive signaling.

[0071] For example, for SL, MO includes one or more CSI reports.

[0072] •MO uses specific resources for high-priority or urgent signaling.

[0073] •MO is associated with reserved transmissions,

[0074] MO includes a public search space.

[0075] According to an embodiment, in response to signaling or in response to a specific standard, the UE may skip the control channel MO.

[0076] According to an embodiment, specific standards include one or more of the following:

[0077] • The UE's battery state, for example, the battery charge state is below a configured or pre-configured threshold.

[0078] • Equipment status

[0079] • Channel occupancy ratio or channel busy rate (CBR)

[0080] • The geographical location or region where the UE is located.

[0081] • The physical speed of the UE (e.g., a vehicle UE).

[0082] Is the UE located indoors or outdoors?

[0083] • Is the UE directly connected to the wireless communication system or connected via a relay?

[0084] • Path loss on the communication link, such as a specific SNR,

[0085] • The type or capability of the UE

[0086] • No control was detected being sent.

[0087] According to the embodiment, when skipping k control channels MO, the UE

[0088] • Do not count one or more abnormal control channels (MOs), thus skipping k control channels (MOs), or

[0089] • Count one or more abnormal control channels (MOs) that are not skipped, thereby skipping fewer than k control channels (MOs).

[0090] According to an embodiment, the UE determines the control channel MO as an abnormal control channel MO based on the type or format of the downlink control information DCI associated with the search space that is part of the control channel MO, or based on the format type of the sidelink control information SCI.

[0091] According to an embodiment, one or more of the following types or formats of DCI cause the control channel MO to be identified as an abnormal control channel MO:

[0092] • Includes DCI for downlink feedback indicator (DFI),

[0093] • Includes DCI with Slot Format Indicator (SFI)

[0094] • Includes DCIs that preemptively issue or cancel orders.

[0095] • DCI including availability indicators,

[0096] • Awaken DCI,

[0097] • Used to activate or deactivate the configuration licensed CG DCI,

[0098] • Used to activate or deactivate the DCI for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS).

[0099] According to an embodiment, if the UE is to perform up to K repeated transmissions of a transport block TB, and if the MO includes a search space associated with a DCI including a DFI, the UE is to identify the MO as an abnormal MO so that the UE can stop the transmission of repeated TB before reaching K repetitions in response to receiving an ACK.

[0100] According to the embodiment, the UE skips the abnormal MO with DCI including DFI only when the current k-repeated transmission is being performed.

[0101] According to an embodiment, if an MO includes a search space associated with a DCI including an SFI, and if one or more of the following conditions are true, the UE determines the MO as an anomalous MO:

[0102] • Uplink UL authorization or downlink DL resource allocation is affected by SFI.

[0103] • The control channel MO is potentially affected by SFI.

[0104] • The configuration license CG is potentially affected by SFI.

[0105] According to the embodiment, when communication is in progress, such as Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) reception, Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission, or Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) reception or transmission, if the UE expects to receive a preemption indication or cancellation indication in a specific MO, the UE determines that specific MO as an abnormal MO.

[0106] According to an embodiment, one or more of the following types or formats of SCI cause the control channel MO to be identified as an anomalous control channel MO:

[0107] • Includes SCIs with a priority field, where the priority is higher or lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold.

[0108] • Includes SCIs with a β offset indicator, where the offset is higher or lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold.

[0109] • Includes SCI with HARQ feedback enable / disable indicators.

[0110] ----------------------------------

[0111] Full or limited monitoring of anomalies MO

[0112] ----------------------------------

[0113] According to the embodiment, the UE needs to monitor abnormal MOs.

[0114] • All search spaces, or

[0115] • Public search space only, or

[0116] • Only enable the UE to identify the MO as the search space, DCI type, SCI type, or format of the abnormal control channel MO.

[0117] ----------------------------------

[0118] Individual PDCCH skipping features for Uu and SL

[0119] ----------------------------------

[0120] According to an embodiment, the UE is to support communication with one or more other UEs in the wireless communication network via a side link SL, wherein the UE is to bypass...

[0121] • Only SL-related control channel MO, or

[0122] • Only Uu-related control channel MO, or

[0123] Both SL-related control channel MO and Uu-related control channel MO.

[0124] According to an embodiment, the UE needs to use one or more criteria to autonomously determine when to skip a specific number of control channel monitoring (MO) events.

[0125] ----------------------------------

[0126] UE makes its own decision regarding MO skipping

[0127] ---------------------------------This invention provides a user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system, wherein the UE autonomously determines, using one or more standards, the timing of skipping a specific number of control channel monitoring (MO), such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) MO or the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH).

[0128] According to an embodiment, one or more standards include one or more of the following:

[0129] • The UE's battery state, for example, the battery charge state is below a configured or pre-configured threshold.

[0130] • Equipment status

[0131] Channel occupancy rate (CBR) or channel busy rate

[0132] • The geographical location or region where the UE is located.

[0133] • The physical speed of the UE (e.g., a vehicle UE).

[0134] Is the UE located indoors or outdoors?

[0135] • Is the UE directly connected to the wireless communication system or connected via a relay?

[0136] • Path loss on the communication link, such as a specific SNR,

[0137] • The type or capability of the UE

[0138] • No control was detected being sent.

[0139] ---------------------------------

[0140] Individual PDCCH skipping features for Uu and SL - base station

[0141] This invention provides a base station (BS) for a wireless communication system, wherein the base station serves one or more user equipment (UEs) according to this invention, wherein the base station supports communication between the UEs via a Uu interface and a side link (SL), and wherein the BS is configured or pre-configured to allow the UEs to bypass...

[0142] • Only SL-related control channel MO, or

[0143] • Only Uu-related control channel MO, or

[0144] Both SL-related control channel MO and Uu-related control channel MO.

[0145] ---------------------------------

[0146] Overview

[0147] ---------------------------------

[0148] According to an embodiment, in order for the UE to skip one or more upcoming control channels (MOs), the UE needs to receive a control message, such as a DCI, from the base station, which indicates to skip the next k PDCCH MOs or PSCCH MOs.

[0149] According to an embodiment, the UE is configured with one or more default search space groups (SSGs) carrying control information and one or more empty SSGs, wherein, in order for the UE to skip one or more upcoming control channels (MOs), the UE receives signaling from the base station to switch to an empty SSG, and after a certain period of time, such as when an inactivity timer expires, the UE switches back to the default SSG.

[0150] system

[0151] This invention provides a wireless communication system, including multiple user equipment devices of this invention.

[0152] method

[0153] The present invention provides a method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, wherein the UE needs to skip a specific number of control channel monitoring moments (MOs), such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) MOs or physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) MOs. The method includes: skipping a specific number of control channel monitoring moments (MOs) according to a specific control channel MO skipping mode.

[0154] The present invention provides a method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, wherein the UE needs to skip a specific number of control channel monitoring moments (MOs), such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) MOs or physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) MOs. The method includes: identifying one or more abnormal control channels (MOs) and not skipping the one or more abnormal control channels (MOs).

[0155] The present invention provides a method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: the UE autonomously determining, using one or more standards, a specific number of control channel monitoring (MO) opportunities to be skipped, such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) MO or physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH).

[0156] Computer program products

[0157] Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more methods according to the present invention.

[0158] Skip mode

[0159] According to embodiments of the present invention, instead of simply skipping a specific number of upcoming PDCCH MOs or PSCCH MOs, the UE can apply a specific mode to skip MOs. Therefore, embodiments provide user equipment or UEs that can skip control channel MOs in response to signaling or commands or instructions, or independently (e.g., autonomously), using a specific mode. For example, the UE may be configured or pre-configured with multiple different control channel MO skipping modes and / or multiple different numbers of control channel MOs to be skipped, for example via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0160] According to an embodiment, in response to a specific standard, the UE autonomously or independently selects which of the configured or pre-configured control channel MO skipping modes or subsets of skipping modes to apply and / or how many MOs to skip. Therefore, the actual mode to be applied is selected by the UE, not signaled or selected by another network entity. For example, one or more standards may include one or more of the following:

[0161] • UE's battery status.

[0162] For example, the battery state of charge can be below a configured or pre-configured threshold, thereby achieving power savings by skipping the application control channel MO.

[0163] • Specific state of the UE.

[0164] For example, an IoT device (such as a thermostat) can be in summer mode, in which the device is less likely or less frequent to receive a request to send temperature data to the network compared to winter mode.

[0165] • Channel occupancy or channel busy rate (CBR).

[0166] For example, in latency-tolerant applications, devices can choose to save power by skipping periods of high channel occupancy, as using the channel during these times results in more retransmissions. This makes particular sense for battery-powered IoT devices, such as sensors that communicate with relays. Since relays are typically not power-limited, if a sensor is not currently responding, it will try again after a period of time. Furthermore, relays can sense channel occupancy and avoid periods of excessively high channel busy.

[0167] • The geographical location or region where the UE is located.

[0168] For example, operators can pre-configure appropriate skip settings for specific areas. This could be due to differences in backhaul quality between these areas or anticipated congestion at the base station. Increased monitoring allows for greater flexibility for base stations, making it preferable for areas with high traffic density. In areas with low traffic, skipping can be effectively applied to conserve power.

[0169] • The physical speed of the UE.

[0170] For example, a vehicle UE can use the control channel MO to skip. When traveling at high speeds (above a specific configuration or pre-configured threshold), it may need to receive some control messages from base stations in the coverage area (such as RSUs), which may require obtaining security-related information. When the UE travels at lower speeds, it does not need such frequent updates, so it can skip control information.

[0171] Is the UE located indoors or outdoors?

[0172] For example, because indoor channel quality can vary greatly depending on location within a building, more frequent adjustments to transmission parameters may be needed, and retransmissions or link failures are more likely. In these cases, fewer hops can be used to detect the situation more quickly, allowing for additional retransmission time for the network.

[0173] • Whether the UE is directly connected to the base station of the wireless communication system (such as a gNB) or connected to the base station via a relay (such as a Layer-2 relay or a Layer-3 relay, or an IAB node).

[0174] For example, when connected to a relay, communication incurs additional latency. To still achieve the same end-to-end latency, fewer skips can be used. This also applies to IAB nodes, due to the additional return latency. In these cases, the skip mode or k value can be reduced accordingly, or pre-tuned via one or more configurations used depending on the connection.

[0175] • Path loss on the communication link, such as a specific SNR.

[0176] For example, if the SNR of the communication link between the UE and the base station (such as gNB) via the Uu interface, or the communication link between the UE and another UE via the side link interface, is higher than the configured or pre-configured threshold, the number of retransmissions may increase, which is accompanied by increased power consumption and may require the UE to receive more control messages.

[0177] • The type or capability of the UE, such as a pedestrian UE (P-UE) or a vehicle UE.

[0178] For example, the P-UE may be required to receive specific security-related control messages that are not skipped.

[0179] • No control was detected being sent.

[0180] For example, when operating in an unlicensed frequency band, the entity transmitting control (such as the gNB) may be unable to acquire the channel and therefore may not transmit any control. If the UE detects that the gNB is not transmitting, it can decide to apply the control channel MO skip.

[0181] According to other embodiments, the UE selects a skip mode in response to signaling or an indication that tells the UE to apply a control channel (MO) skip mode. The signaling explicitly (e.g., by including the actual skip mode to be used in the signaling) or implicitly (e.g., by sending only an index, etc.) provides the UE with information about the skip mode to be applied to allow the UE to select from configured or pre-configured modes.

[0182] According to another embodiment, the UE can use the method described above to autonomously determine or determine the skip mode to be applied in response to signaling. Therefore, according to the embodiment, one or more of the following options can be used:

[0183] (a) The network (e.g., BS) determines the skip mode to apply.

[0184] (b) The UE decides which skip mode to apply.

[0185] Therefore, according to embodiments of the present invention, instead of simply signaling the UE to skip a specific number k PDCCH MOs or PSCCH MOs, a specific pattern for skipping MOs can be applied. For example, according to an embodiment, instead of skipping each of the k MOs after determining that MO skipping should be applied, every nth MO, such as every second, every third, every fourth MO, etc., can be skipped. Figure 5 An embodiment of the skip mode according to the present invention is shown. Figure 5 Similar to Figure 2 Multiple time slots or frames are shown, including corresponding control messages (MOs), such as PDCCH MO or PSCCH MO. Assume the UE receives skip signaling 200 in time slot 2. According to an embodiment of the invention, in response to skip indication 200, the UE applies a skip feature, and... Figure 5The skipping feature of skipping every second MO is shown. Therefore, in response to receiving signaling 200 in time slot 2, MOs in time slots 4, 6, 8, etc., are skipped. Skip signaling 200 may include an indication of the number of MOs to be skipped, such as k MOs. According to an embodiment, only the MOs that are actually skipped are counted, so that a total of k MOs signaled by skip signaling 200 are skipped. According to other embodiments, all MOs after skip signaling 200 can be counted, so that when the skipping mode of skipping only every nth MO is applied, this only applies to the k MOs after time slot 2, thus... Figure 5 In the embodiment, since only every second MO is skipped, the total number of MOs actually skipped is less than k. Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, it is k / 2, that is, when the skip mode is applied, only half of the MOs that are signaled to be skipped are actually skipped.

[0186] According to other embodiments of the present invention, the skip mode can indicate the actual MOs to be skipped. For example, signaling 200 can signal the UE to apply the skip mode indicating which MOs to skip and which MOs not to skip. For example, the skip mode can define one or more of the following:

[0187] • The number of control channels (MOs) to skip, e.g., how many MOs to skip.

[0188] • A vector or list of MOs to skip.

[0189] • Vectors or lists of MOs that are not skipped.

[0190] • A vector or list of MOs from which to skip n elements, for example by signaling the pattern m to be used for skipping and the number n of MOs to be skipped using pattern m.

[0191] • A vector or list of MO in which n elements are not skipped.

[0192] • To apply the skipped search space,

[0193] • Do not apply the skipped search space.

[0194] • Specific DCI or SCI formats to skip

[0195] • Specific DCI or SCI formats that are not skipped.

[0196] Figure 6An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, according to which, in response to skip signaling 200, the UE applies a skipping mode indicating that MOs in time slots 3, 5, and 6 should be skipped, while MOs in time slots 4, 7, and 8 should not be skipped. For example, time slots 4, 7, and 8 may include specific search spaces or carry specific DCI / SCI formats that are considered important for the correct and reliable operation of the UE, so that these MOs are not skipped. On the other hand, MOs in time slots 3, 5, and 6 are considered to include search spaces or control message formats that are not important or unnecessary for the correct operation of the UE, so that these MOs can be skipped.

[0197] about Figure 5 and Figure 6 Note that the method of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments; rather, when considering... Figure 5 At that time, it is also possible to skip every third or fourth MO, and regarding Figure 6 You can also skip more or less or other MOs, or not skip them.

[0198] According to one embodiment, skip signaling 200 may include the actual skip mode to be applied by the receiving UE, while according to other embodiments, the UE may be configured or pre-configured, for example, via RRC signaling, with one or more skip modes to be used. In response to skip signaling 200, if only a single skip mode is configured or pre-configured in the UE, the UE applies that skip mode. If two or more skip modes are configured or pre-configured in the UE, skip signaling 200 may include an indication of which of the configured or pre-configured skip modes in the UE should be applied.

[0199] Anomaly monitoring timing

[0200] According to another embodiment of the invention, instead of using the fixed skip mode described in the above embodiments, the UE can determine specific monitoring moments (MOs), which may include control information or control messages that may be critical or necessary for the UE to operate in a particular situation, and such control channel MOs are also referred to hereinafter as anomalous MOs. Anomalous MOs are not affected by skipping; for example, in response to receiving signaling 200, the UE can exclude those MOs that it determines to be anomalous from the skipping.

[0201] According to an embodiment, the UE is configured or pre-configured, for example, via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, with one or more rules for identifying an MO as an anomalous MO, and / or the one or more rules for identifying an MO as an anomalous MO are fixed in the specification. The rules may include one or more of the following:

[0202] • MO is associated with an ongoing transmission or retransmission.

[0203] • MO is associated with ongoing periodic transmissions (e.g., SPS).

[0204] • The MO is associated with a previous transmission of the packet, for which a response is expected.

[0205] For example, when multiple transmissions are planned, MO includes preemptive signaling.

[0206] For example, for SL, MO includes one or more CSI reports.

[0207] •MO uses specific resources for high-priority or urgent signaling.

[0208] •MO is associated with reserved transmissions,

[0209] •MO includes a public search space, such as a public search space monitored by multiple UEs.

[0210] According to another embodiment, the UE may, in response to signaling or by using one or more criteria, such as those described above for autonomously or automatically selecting the control channel MO skipping mode, decide whether to skip the control channel MO.

[0211] According to one embodiment, the UE may not count abnormal MOs, such that when determining, for example, k PDCCH MOs to be skipped, the UE skips a total of k MOs. According to another embodiment, abnormal MOs may also be considered when determining the total number of MOs to be skipped, such that when the method is applied, the UE considers the next k MOs, but does not skip those MOs identified as abnormal. Therefore, if the UE determines n abnormal MOs in response to signaling 200 indicating that k MOs should be skipped, where n = 1, 2, 3, ..., the UE actually skips only kn MOs.

[0212] According to an embodiment, anomaly MOs can be determined based on the type or format of control messages associated with the monitoring timing, such as DCIs or SCIs associated with the search space being part of a PDCCH MO or PSSCH MO.

[0213] According to an embodiment, when one or more of the following DCI types or formats are identified at a specific monitoring time, the MO can be regarded as an abnormal MO by the UE:

[0214] • Includes DCI for downlink feedback indicator (DFI),

[0215] • Includes DCI with Slot Format Indicator (SFI)

[0216] • DCI including preemptive or cancellation instructions,

[0217] • DCI including availability indicators

[0218] • Wake-up DCI, such as DCI that includes the wake-up signal WUS,

[0219] • Used to activate or deactivate the configuration licensed CG DCI,

[0220] • Used to activate or deactivate the DCI for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS).

[0221] According to another embodiment, when one or more of the following SCI types or formats are identified at a specific monitoring time, the MO can be regarded as an abnormal MO by the UE:

[0222] • Includes SCIs with a priority field, where the priority is higher or lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold.

[0223] • Includes SCIs with a β offset indicator, where the offset is higher or lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold.

[0224] • Includes SCI with HARQ feedback enable / disable indicators.

[0225] According to the embodiment, when the UE determines Figure 5 and Figure 6 The MOs to be skipped shown in the figure (i.e. Figure 5 MO at time slots 4, 6, and 8 in the middle Figure 6 The MOs in time slots 3, 5, and 6 contain critical control information. If a Ci or SCI of the type or format mentioned above is available, these MOs can be selected instead of the ones referenced above. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As described. Naturally, any other mode that skips or omits the MO is possible, depending on whether the specific MO following signaling 200 is considered an abnormal MO by the UE.

[0226] Downlink feedback indicator

[0227] When the DCI associated with the MO includes the DFI, the MO can be considered an anomalous MO by the UE when performing up to K repetitions of transport block TB (also known as the UL K-repetition feature). While performing up to K (K = 1, 2, 3, ...) repetitions of TB, the UE monitors the PDCCH of the DCI including the DFI field in parallel. The DFI field can indicate an ACK for the current repetition of up to K repetitions of TB, which causes the UE to stop repetitions earlier, i.e., before actually reaching K repetitions. However, if the UE receives the PDCCH skip signal 200, it can also skip monitoring the control messages for the DFI, so that in this case, although some energy savings are achieved by not monitoring all PDCCH monitoring times, all K repetitions of TB are still performed by the UE. However, this leads to unnecessary energy consumption because the repetition or retransmission of TB is unnecessary, as it has already been successfully received at the base station as confirmed by the DFI, while the DFI itself is not received at the UE.

[0228] Therefore, according to the embodiment, the MO associated with a DCI including DFI is considered an anomalous MO, and this anomalous MO is still monitored by the UE when the UE performs the aforementioned K uplink repetitions of TB. When checking a specific DCI format, the UE can know whether the DCI causes the MO carrying the DCI to be considered an anomalous MO, and regardless of the skip instruction 200, the anomalous MO is still monitored by the UE. According to the embodiment, other DCI formats can be skipped according to the skip signaling 200, more specifically, other monitoring opportunities associated with other DCI formats, so that the UE only monitors a reduced set of monitoring opportunities or search spaces, i.e., those including DCI formats with DFI. This ensures that, in addition to saving power by skipping multiple PDCCH monitoring opportunities, energy consumption is also reduced because unnecessary retransmissions associated with uplink transmissions from the UE to the base station are avoided upon receiving an acknowledgment of the initial transmission or a later retransmission.

[0229] Including SFI's DCI

[0230] According to other embodiments, as described above, the UE can continue to monitor PDCCH monitoring opportunities associated with DCI formats including the SFI field. For example, in a TDD system, the SFI field indicates whether a specific slot or symbol within a slot is considered a downlink DL or uplink UL slot / symbol. Depending on the signaling, a specific MO may or may not exist, which can affect the count of skipped MOs. Furthermore, depending on whether a specific number of slots or symbols are declared as UL or DL ​​slots / symbols, the configuration authorization CG may or may not be used. Therefore, for the UE to operate correctly, it must monitor PDCCH monitoring opportunities for DCI formats including the SFI even after receiving skip signaling 200. For example, monitoring of MOs associated with DCI formats including the SFI may depend on one or more of the following conditions:

[0231] • Uplink UL authorization or downlink DL resource allocation is affected by SFI.

[0232] • The control channel MO is potentially affected by SFI.

[0233] • The configuration license CG is potentially affected by SFI.

[0234] According to this embodiment, if at least one of the above conditions is satisfied or true, that is, if the SFI has some influence or effect on any of the above processes (i.e., uplink grant, downlink allocation, monitoring timing, configuration grant, or SPS), then the UE can monitor only the monitoring timing associated with the DCI format including the SFI.

[0235] When skipping monitoring opportunities associated with a DCI format including SFI, symbols indicated by the SFI as downlink or uplink symbols need to be considered flexible until the next monitoring opportunity associated with the DCI format including SFI. Therefore, these symbols may not be used, for example, for configuration authorization. Furthermore, due to changes in cell environment or channel, the gNB may want to rewrite previous SFIs, which is not possible once the UE is instructed to skip these MOs.

[0236] Preemptive Instruction / Cancellation Instruction

[0237] According to an embodiment, the UE may support preemption indications or cancellation indications that indicate that specific resources are no longer available, such as resources for PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission on the Uu interface, or resources for physical side link shared channel (PSSCH) reception / transmission. However, if the UE wants to skip the PDCCH MO associated with the DCI including the preemption indication or cancellation indication, the actual occurrence of the preemption or cancellation can no longer be handled by the UE.

[0238] Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, if the UE has PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission before or during the period when PDCCH MO is to be skipped according to signaling 200, the UE does not skip those PDCCH MOs for which preemptive indication or cancellation indication is expected, thereby maintaining the normal operation of the UE.

[0239] Full or limited monitoring of anomalies MO

[0240] According to another embodiment of the present invention, when considering the above-mentioned abnormal monitoring timing, the UE performs monitoring during abnormal MO.

[0241] Abnormal MO

[0242] • All search spaces, or

[0243] • Public search space only, or

[0244] • Only enables the UE to identify the MO as the search space of the abnormal control channel MO or the DCI / SCI type / format.

[0245] Therefore, the UE can perform full or limited monitoring of the search space associated with the anomalous MO, or only the common search space. The UE can be configured or pre-configured to use one of three methods. The UE can monitor one or more core sets including the search space carrying control messages for the UE, and when full monitoring is applied, the UE can monitor all search spaces in one or more core sets associated with the anomalous MO. According to an embodiment applying limited monitoring, the UE only monitors the search spaces in one or more core sets associated with the anomalous MO. Therefore, limited monitoring further reduces power consumption because, unlike full monitoring, not all search spaces are monitored; only those search spaces associated with, for example, the DCI format, are monitored, based on which the UE determines the search space to be an anomalous MO.

[0246] UE autonomously decides to skip control channel MO

[0247] In the embodiments described so far, it is assumed that the UE receives some signaling causing it to perform a conventional control channel (MO) skip and apply the improvements of the present invention. In other words, typically, the UE is placed into a control channel (MO) skip mode by another network entity (such as a base station). However, as mentioned above, there may be situations where the UE needs to conserve power but may not receive any control signaling from the base station, or the wireless communication network may not be aware of the specific situation at which power conservation is needed at the UE. For example, a UE communicating via a sidelink or using an unlicensed frequency band may not receive control signaling from the base station. Furthermore, when considering a UE (such as an IoT device for smart metering applications) communicating with a base station via a Uu interface, the base station may not be aware that the IoT device has a very low battery state and therefore needs to conserve power.

[0248] According to another aspect of the invention, these problems are addressed by allowing the UE to decide, either independently or autonomously, to apply control channel MO skipping. The UE can be configured or pre-configured with specific scenarios and / or rules, whereby it can apply MO skipping autonomously or independently of any signaling from the system. Therefore, instead of relying on signaling or indications from another network entity, the UE can decide for itself whether to enter control channel MO skipping mode to save power.

[0249] Embodiments of the present invention provide a user equipment (UE) that autonomously determines when to skip a specific number of control channel monitoring (MO) events using one or more criteria, such as the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) MO or the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). For example, the one or more criteria may include one or more of the following:

[0250] • UE's battery status.

[0251] For example, the battery state of charge can be lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold, thereby saving power by skipping the charge via the application control channel MO.

[0252] • Specific state of the UE.

[0253] For example, an IoT device (such as a thermostat) can be in summer mode, in which the device is less likely or less frequent to receive a request to send temperature data to the network compared to winter mode.

[0254] • Channel occupancy or channel busy rate (CBR).

[0255] For example, in latency-tolerant applications, a device can choose to save power by skipping periods of high channel occupancy, as using the channel during these times would result in more retransmissions. This makes particular sense for battery-powered IoT devices, such as sensors, that communicate with relays. Since relays are typically not power-limited, if a sensor is not currently responding, it will try again after a period of time. Furthermore, relays can sense channel occupancy and avoid periods of excessively high channel busy.

[0256] • The geographical location or region where the UE is located.

[0257] For example, operators can pre-configure appropriate skip settings for specific areas. This could be due to differences in backhaul quality between these areas or anticipated congestion at the base station. Increased monitoring allows for greater flexibility for base stations, making it preferable for areas with high traffic density. In areas with low traffic, skipping can be effectively applied to save power.

[0258] • The physical speed of the UE.

[0259] For example, a vehicle UE can use the control channel MO to skip. When traveling at high speeds (above a specific configuration or pre-configured threshold), it may need to receive some control messages from base stations (such as RSUs) within its coverage area, which may require obtaining security-related information. When the UE travels at lower speeds, it does not need such frequent updates and can therefore skip control information.

[0260] • Is the UE located indoors or outdoors?

[0261] For example, because indoor channel quality can vary greatly depending on location within a building, more frequent adjustments to transmission parameters may be needed, and retransmissions or link failures are more likely to occur. In these cases, fewer hops can be used to detect the situation more quickly, allowing for additional retransmission time for the network.

[0262] • Whether the UE connects directly to the base station of the wireless communication system (such as a gNB) or connects to the base station via a relay (such as a Layer-2 relay or a Layer-3 relay, or an IAB node).

[0263] For example, when connected to a relay, communication incurs additional latency. To still achieve the same end-to-end latency, fewer skips can be used. This also applies to IAB nodes, due to the additional return latency. In these cases, the skip mode or k value can be reduced accordingly, or pre-tuned via one or more configurations used depending on the connection.

[0264] • Path loss on the communication link, such as a specific SNR.

[0265] For example, if the SNR of the communication link between the UE and the base station (such as gNB) via the Uu interface, or the communication link between the UE and another UE via the side link interface, is higher than the configured or pre-configured threshold, the number of retransmissions may increase, which is accompanied by increased power consumption and may require the UE to receive more control messages.

[0266] • The type or capability of the UE, such as a pedestrian UE (P-UE) or a vehicle UE.

[0267] • No control was detected being sent.

[0268] For example, when operating in an unlicensed frequency band, the entity transmitting control (such as the gNB) may not be able to acquire the channel and therefore may not transmit any control. If the UE detects that the gNB is not transmitting, it can decide to apply the control channel MO skip.

[0269] According to another embodiment, once the UE decides to apply control channel MO skipping, it can do so in a conventional manner, i.e., simply skipping the next k upcoming control channels MO. In this case, the UE can be configured or pre-configured to skip k control channels MO. Furthermore, according to embodiments, the UE can apply any of the above embodiments to determine which of the upcoming control channels MO to skip, for example, the skipping mode according to the invention or by not skipping MOs determined to be abnormal.

[0270] Control message skipping for Uu and SL

[0271] The embodiments of the present invention are described primarily with reference to the Uu interface used to connect a UE to an access point (such as a base station) of the RAN. However, the method of the present invention can also be applied to sidelink communication. Therefore, when the control message skipping feature is applied, UEs that communicate with each other only on the sidelink and are not supported by the network's base station in terms of resource allocation, for example, can also use the method of the present invention to further save power while avoiding undesirable disadvantages or failures of the UE due to the loss of control messages.

[0272] According to an embodiment, when a UE provides a connection to both a base station and another UE, the skip feature can be applied to the Uu-related PDCCH MO and the SL-related PDCCH MO, respectively, so that power can be saved, for example, in one of the connections (such as in a Uu connection) without affecting other communication links (such as an SL link) or vice versa. For example, the base station can configure the UE accordingly.

[0273] Overview

[0274] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, and each embodiment and aspect can be implemented individually, or two or more embodiments or aspects can be combined.

[0275] According to embodiments, a wireless communication system may include a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network, or a network or network segment that uses a carrier or space-based vehicle as a receiver, or a combination thereof.

[0276] According to embodiments, the User Equipment (UE) described herein can be one or more of the following: a power-limited UE, or a handheld UE, such as a UE used by pedestrians, referred to as a Vulnerable Road User (VRU), or a pedestrian UE (P-UE), or a personal or handheld UE used by public safety personnel and first responders, referred to as a public safety UE (PS-UE), or an IoT UE, such as a sensor, actuator, or UE provided in a campus network that performs repetitive tasks and requests input from a gateway node at periodic intervals, or a mobile terminal, or a fixed terminal, or a cellular IoT-UE, or a vehicle UE, or a vehicle group leader (GL) UE, or an IoT or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) device, or a WiFi non-access point station (non-AP). STA), such as 802.11ax or 802.11be, or ground vehicles, or air vehicles, or drones, or mobile base stations, or roadside units, or buildings, or any other item or device (e.g., sensors or actuators) that provides a network connection that enables the item / device to communicate using a wireless communication network, or any other item or device (e.g., sensors or actuators) that provides a network connection that enables the item / device to communicate using a sidelink of a wireless communication network, or any network entity that supports a sidelink.

[0277] The base station (BS) described herein can be implemented as a mobile or non-mobile base station and can be one or more of the following: a macro cell base station, or a small cell base station, or a central unit of a base station, or a distributed unit of a base station, or an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or a roadside unit, or a UE, or a group leader (GL), or a relay, or a remote radio headend, or an AMF, or an SMF, or a core network entity, or a mobile edge computing entity, or a network slice in a core context such as NR or 5G, or a WiFi AP STA (e.g., 802.11ax or 802.11be), or any transmit / receive point (TRP) that enables an item or device to communicate using a wireless communication network, the item or device being provided with network connectivity to communicate using a wireless communication network.

[0278] Although some aspects of the described concept have been described in the context of the apparatus, it is clear that these aspects also represent a description of the corresponding method, where a block or device corresponds to a method step or feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method step also represent a description of a corresponding block, item, or feature of the corresponding apparatus.

[0279] The various elements and features of this invention can be implemented in hardware using analog and / or digital circuitry, in software, by executing instructions from one or more general-purpose or special-purpose processors, or as a combination of hardware and software. For example, embodiments of this invention can be implemented in the environment of a computer system or another processing system. Figure 7 An example of a computer system 600 is shown. Units or modules, and the steps of methods performed by these units, can be executed on one or more computer systems 600. Computer system 600 includes one or more processors 602, such as dedicated or general-purpose digital signal processors. Processor 602 is connected to communication infrastructure 604, such as a bus or network. Computer system 600 includes: main memory 606, such as random access memory (RAM); and secondary memory 608, such as hard disk drives and / or removable storage drives. Secondary memory 608 may allow computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 600. Computer system 600 may also include a communication interface 610 to allow software and data to be transferred between computer system 600 and external devices. This communication may be in the form of electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals that can be processed by the communication interface. This communication may use wires or cables, optical fibers, telephone lines, cellular telephone links, RF links, and other communication channels 612.

[0280] The terms "computer program medium" and "computer-readable medium" are used to generally refer to tangible storage media, such as removable storage units or hard disks installed in hard disk drives. These computer program products are means for providing software to computer system 600. The computer program (also referred to as computer control logic) is stored in main memory 606 and / or auxiliary memory 608. The computer program can also be received via communication interface 610. When executed, the computer program enables computer system 600 to implement the present invention. Specifically, when the computer program is executed, it enables processor 602 to implement the processes of the present invention, such as any of the methods described herein. Thus, such a computer program can represent a controller of computer system 600. In the case of implementing this disclosure using software, the software can be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 600 using a removable storage drive and an interface (such as communication interface 610).

[0281] The implementation in hardware or software can be executed using digital storage media, such as cloud storage, floppy disks, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, ROMs, PROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, or flash memory, which store electronically readable control signals that cooperate with or are capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system to execute corresponding methods. Therefore, the digital storage medium can be computer-readable.

[0282] Some embodiments of the invention include a data carrier having electronically readable control signals that are capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system to perform one of the methods described herein.

[0283] Typically, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as a computer program product having program code that, when run on a computer, is operable to perform one of these methods. The program code may, for example, be stored on a machine-readable medium.

[0284] Other embodiments include a computer program stored on a machine-readable medium for performing one of the methods described herein. In other words, therefore, embodiments of the methods of the present invention are computer programs having program code that, when run on a computer, performs one of the methods described herein.

[0285] Therefore, another embodiment of the method of the present invention is a data carrier or digital storage medium or computer-readable medium, including a computer program recorded thereon for performing one of the methods described herein. Therefore, another embodiment of the method of the present invention is a data stream or signal sequence representing a computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. The data stream or signal sequence may, for example, be configured to be transmitted via a data communication connection, such as via the Internet. Another embodiment includes a processing device, such as a computer or programmable logic device, configured or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein. Another embodiment includes a computer on which a computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is installed.

[0286] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field-programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, the field-programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described herein. Generally, the methods are preferably performed by any hardware device.

[0287] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It should be understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims and not by the specific details presented in the description and illustration of the embodiments herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system, comprising: One or more antennas, or an antenna array having multiple antenna elements. Signal processor, and transceiver The UE skips a specific number of control channel monitoring times (MO). Specifically, during the channel monitoring period to be skipped, the UE determines one or more abnormal control channels (MOs) that will not be skipped, and the UE does not skip the one or more abnormal control channels (MOs). Wherein, the UE is configured or pre-configured with one or more rules for identifying MO as an anomalous control channel MO, and / or wherein the one or more rules for identifying MO as an anomalous control channel MO are fixed in the specification, and The one or more rules include one or more of the following: The MO is associated with an ongoing transmission or retransmission. The MO is associated with the ongoing periodic transmission. The MO is associated with a previous transmission of the packet, for which a response is expected. The MO includes preemptive signaling. The MO includes one or more CSI reports. The MO uses specific resources for high-priority or urgent signaling. The MO is associated with reserved transmission. • The MO contains a public search space.

2. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, The UE skips the control channel MO in response to signaling or in response to a specific standard.

3. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 2, wherein, The specific criteria include one or more of the following: • The battery status of the UE, • Equipment status Channel occupancy rate (CBR) or channel busy rate • The geographical location or region where the UE is located. • UE's physical speed Is the UE located indoors or outdoors? • Whether the UE is directly connected to the wireless communication system or connected to the wireless communication system via a relay. • Path loss on the communication link • The type or capability of the UE, • No control was detected being sent.

4. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, When skipping k control channels (MO), the UE performs the following operations: • Do not count the one or more abnormal control channels MO, thereby skipping k control channels MO, or • Count the one or more abnormal control channels MO that are not skipped, thereby skipping fewer than k control channels MO.

5. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, The UE determines the control channel MO as an abnormal control channel MO based on the type or format of the downlink control information DCI or the format type of the sidelink control information SCI associated with the search space that is part of the control channel MO.

6. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 5, wherein, One or more of the following types or formats of DCI cause the control channel MO to be identified as an abnormal control channel MO: • Includes DCI for downlink feedback indicator (DFI), • Includes DCI with Slot Format Indicator (SFI) • Includes DCIs that preemptively issue or cancel orders. • DCI including availability indicators, • Awaken DCI, • Used to activate or deactivate the configuration licensed CG DCI, • Used to activate or deactivate the DCI of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS).

7. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 6, wherein, If the UE is to perform up to K repeated transmissions of a transport block TB, and if the MO includes a search space associated with a DCI including a DFI, the UE will identify the MO as an abnormal control channel MO to allow the UE to stop the repeated transmission of the TB before reaching the K repetitions in response to receiving an ACK.

8. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 7, wherein, The UE skips the abnormal control channel MO, which includes DFI, only when the current k-repeated transmission is being performed.

9. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 6, wherein, The UE identifies the MO as an abnormal control channel MO if the MO includes a search space associated with a DCI that includes the SFI, and if one or more of the following conditions are true: • Uplink UL granting or downlink DL resource allocation is affected by the SFI. The control channel MO is potentially affected by the SFI. • The configuration of the licensed CG is potentially affected by the SFI.

10. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 6, wherein, If the UE expects to receive a preemption indication or cancellation indication in a specific MO while communication is in progress, the UE will identify the specific MO as an abnormal control channel MO.

11. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 5, wherein, One or more of the following types or formats of SCI cause the control channel MO to be identified as an anomalous control channel MO: • Includes SCIs with a priority field, where the priority is higher or lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold. • Includes SCIs with a β offset indicator, where the offset is higher or lower than a configured or pre-configured threshold. • Includes SCI with HARQ feedback enable / disable indicators.

12. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, The UE monitors the abnormal control channel MO: • All search spaces, or • Public search space only, or • Only make the UE identify the MO as the search space, DCI type, SCI type, or format of the abnormal control channel MO.

13. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, The UE supports communication with one or more other UEs in the wireless communication network via a side link (SL), and Wherein, the UE skips: • Only SL-related control channel MO, or • Only Uu-related control channel MO, or Both SL-related control channel MO and Uu-related control channel MO.

14. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, In order for the UE to skip one or more upcoming control channels (MOs), the UE receives a control message.

15. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, The UE is configured with one or more default search space groups (SSGs) carrying control information and one or more empty SSGs, and In order for the UE to skip one or more upcoming control channels (MOs), the UE receives signaling to switch to an empty SSG, and after a specific period of time, switches back to the default SSG.

16. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein, The UE includes one or more of the following: a power-limited UE; or a handheld UE, including a UE used by pedestrians, and referred to as a vulnerable road user VRU or pedestrian UE "P-UE"; Or a personal or handheld UE used by public safety personnel and first responders, and referred to as a public safety UE "PS-UE"; or an IoT UE, including sensors, actuators, or UEs provided in a campus network that perform repetitive tasks and periodically request input from a gateway node; or a mobile terminal; or a fixed terminal; or a cellular IoT-UE; or a vehicle UE; or a vehicle group leader GL UE; or an IoT or narrowband IoT "NB-IoT" device; or a ground vehicle; or an airborne aircraft; or a drone; or a mobile base station; or a roadside unit (RSU); or a building; or any other item or device that provides a network connection that enables the item / device to communicate using a wireless communication network, including sensors or actuators; or any other item or device that provides a network connection that enables the item / device to communicate using a sidelink of a wireless communication network, including sensors or actuators; or any network entity that supports a sidelink.

17. A wireless communication system, comprising: One or more user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, and Base station (BS) is used to serve one or more UEs. The base station supports communication between the UE and the UE via the Uu interface and the side link SL. Wherein, the BS configures or pre-configures the UE to skip: • Only SL-related control channel MO, or • Only Uu-related control channel MO, or Both SL-related control channel MO and Uu-related control channel MO.

18. A method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, wherein, The method for the UE to skip a specific number of control channel monitoring (MO) moments includes: Identify one or more abnormal control channels (MOs) that will not be skipped, and Do not skip the one or more abnormal control channels MO. Wherein, the UE is configured or pre-configured with one or more rules for identifying MO as an anomalous control channel MO, and / or wherein the one or more rules for identifying MO as an anomalous control channel MO are fixed in the specification, and The one or more rules include one or more of the following: The MO is associated with an ongoing transmission or retransmission. The MO is associated with the ongoing periodic transmission. The MO is associated with a previous transmission of the packet, for which a response is expected. The MO includes preemptive signaling. The MO includes one or more CSI reports. The MO uses specific resources for high-priority or urgent signaling. The MO is associated with reserved transmission. • The MO contains a public search space.

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