Multi-cell uplink and downlink transmission scheduling method and apparatus using two segments of downlink control information

Abstract

Various solutions are described for improving multi-cell PUSCH / PDSCH transmission scheduling with two segments of DCI (Downlink Control Information). An apparatus may receive, from a network node in a wireless network, a two-segment DCI indicating a schedule for a plurality of cells. The two-segment DCI includes a first DCI and a second DCI, the first DCI including a common bit field and a first portion-specified bit field corresponding to at least one of the plurality of cells, and the second DCI including a second portion-specified bit field corresponding to at least one of the plurality of cells. The apparatus may perform PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one cell of the plurality of cells based on the two segments of DCI.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] The present invention claims the following priority: U.S. patent application No. 63 / 336,399 filed on April 29, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to mobile communications, and more particularly to improving multi-cell uplink (UL) / downlink (DL) transmission scheduling using two-segment downlink control information (DCI). Background Art

[0004] Unless otherwise indicated, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0005] For current network implementations, a base station (BS) can provide radio coverage to a specific geographic area using multiple cells forming a radio access network. The BS can support the operation of multiple cells, each of which can provide services to at least one user equipment (UE) within its radio coverage. Specifically, each cell can provide services based on at least one DCI to serve one or more UEs within its radio coverage, wherein the radio coverage of a cell may overlap with another radio coverage of other cells. In an example, each cell can schedule DL / UL resources to a UE within its radio coverage through a DCI to perform DL / UL transmission. If the UE can support multiple cells (for example, in dual connectivity / carrier aggregation), the UE can receive multiple DCIs to schedule DL / UL transmissions with multiple cells. Therefore, the network and the BS need to configure multiple DCIs corresponding to multiple cells for the UE respectively to schedule resources for DL / UL transmissions between the UE and the cells, which may lack transmission efficiency and waste available network resources. In addition, if the UE uses a specific decoding technology (for example, polar decoding technology), there is a limit on the number of bits used to decode the DCI. Accordingly, the number / size of fields of DCI should comply with the bit restriction rules / regulations.

[0006] Accordingly, how to improve multi-cell UL (e.g., physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) / DL (e.g., physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)) transmission scheduling using a single DCI becomes an important issue for newly developed wireless communication networks. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an appropriate DCI structure / segment design to improve scheduling efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following summary of the invention is merely illustrative and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary of the invention is provided to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and beneficial effects of the novel and non-obvious technologies described in the present invention. Selected embodiments are further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary of the invention is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0008] The present invention aims to propose a scheme and a solution to solve the aforementioned problem of improving multi-cell UL (eg, PUSCH) / DL (eg, PDSCH) transmission scheduling using two-segment DCI.

[0009] In one aspect, a method may include a processor of a device receiving two segments of DCI indicating scheduling of multiple cells from a network node of a wireless network. The two segments of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI. The first DCI includes a common bit field and a first portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells, and the second DCI includes a second portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The above method may also include the processor of the device performing PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one of the multiple cells based on the two segments of DCI.

[0010] In one aspect, a device may include a transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a network node of a wireless network during operation. The device may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor may perform operations including receiving two-segment DCI indicating scheduling of multiple cells from a network node of the wireless network during operation. The two-segment DCI includes a first DCI and a second DCI. The first DCI includes a common bit field and a first portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The second DCI includes a second portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. During operation, the processor may also perform operations including performing PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one of the multiple cells based on the two-segment DCI.

[0011] In one aspect, a method may include a processor of a network node configuring two segments of DCI indicating scheduling of multiple cells. The two segments of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI. The first DCI includes a common bit field and a first portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The second DCI includes a second portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The above method may also include the processor of the network node sending the two segments of DCI to a device in a wireless network to schedule PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one of the multiple cells based on the two segments of DCI.

[0012] Please note that although the description context provided in the present invention may be certain specific radio access technologies, networks and network topologies, such as long-term evolution (LTE), advanced LTE (LTE-advanced), advanced LTE upgraded version (LTE-advanced Pro), 5G, new radio (NR), Internet of things (IoT), narrow band Internet of things (NB-IoT), industrial Internet of things (IIoT) and 6G, the proposed concepts, schemes and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented on, used for or through any other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples described in the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of the present invention. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description are used to explain the principles of the present invention. It is understood that in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the present invention, the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some components shown may be shown in a scale that exceeds the size in the actual embodiment.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario corresponding to DCI reception of multiple cells according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of two-segment DCI according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5 is a flow chart of another exemplary process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present invention discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrations of the claimed subject matter that can be implemented in various forms. Moreover, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth in the present invention. On the contrary, providing these exemplary embodiments and implementations is to make the description of the present invention comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, the details of known features and technologies may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0020] Overview

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention relate to various technologies, methods, schemes and / or solutions related to improving multi-cell UL (e.g., PUSCH) / DL (e.g., PDSCH) transmission scheduling using two-segment DCI. According to the present invention, a variety of possible solutions may be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or in other combinations.

[0022] In 3GPP, a radio access network (e.g., a 5G NR access network) may include multiple BSs, such as next generation node-Bs (gNBs), to communicate with multiple mobile stations referred to as UEs. For current network implementations, one BS may provide radio coverage to a specific geographic area using multiple cells forming a radio access network. The BS may support the operation of multiple cells, each of which may provide services to at least one UE within its radio coverage. Specifically, each cell may provide services based on at least one DCI to serve one or more UEs within its radio coverage, wherein the radio coverage of one cell may overlap with another radio coverage of another cell. In an exemplary embodiment, each cell may schedule DL / UL resources to a UE within its radio coverage via a DCI for performing DL / UL transmission. If the UE may support multiple cells (e.g., for applications in dual connectivity / carrier aggregation), the UE may receive multiple DCIs for scheduling DL / UL transmissions with multiple cells.

[0023] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario 100 corresponding to DCI reception of multiple cells according to the present invention. As shown in scenario 100, at least one BS can provide services of four DCIs 102, 104, 106 and 108 for a UE. Specifically, DCI 102 is used to schedule a first cell and a UE, DCI 104 is used to schedule a second cell and a UE, DCI 106 is used to schedule a third cell and a UE, and DCI 108 is used to schedule a fourth cell and a UE. In an exemplary embodiment, each DCI is accompanied by a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) for error decoding, and includes at least one designated bit field (e.g., 60 bits) and a CRC field (e.g., 24 bits), wherein the designated bit field includes scheduling information of a cell. In this way, the UE can communicate with four cells (e.g., a first cell, a second cell, a third cell and a fourth cell), and perform PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission scheduled by the four DCIs 102, 104, 106 and 108, respectively.

[0024] Based on different transmission and UE capabilities, the network and the BS may respectively configure multiple DCIs corresponding to multiple cells for the UE to schedule relevant resources for DL / UL transmission between the UE and the cells. However, this may not be efficient if the network resources may not be sufficient to provide services to all UEs within the radio coverage area. In addition, if the UE uses a specific decoding technology (e.g., polarization decoding technology), there is a limit on the number of bits used to decode the DCI (e.g., less than 140 bits). Therefore, a two-segment DCI for multi-cell UL (e.g., PUSCH) / DL (e.g., PDSCH) transmission scheduling is proposed, which aggregates the four DCIs received in scenario 100.

[0025] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario 200 of two-segment DCI 202 according to the present invention. As shown in scenario 200, the implementation of scenario 200 is similar to scenario 100, and may include at least one BS, providing services to UEs through four cells (e.g., a first cell, a second cell, a third cell, and a fourth cell). The difference is that the BS in scenario 200 applying the two-segment DCI scheme may configure two-segment DCI 202 that aggregates four DCIs, and schedule transmission with four cells (e.g., a first cell, a second cell, a third cell, and a fourth cell). In an exemplary example, a UE may receive two-segment DCI 202 via one cell (e.g., the first cell), and other cells (e.g., the second cell, the third cell, and the fourth cell) are scheduled by the same two-segment DCI received in a previous cell (e.g., the first cell). Since the UE can decode the two-segment DCI 202 using a specific decoding technique (e.g., polarization decoding technique), the network and / or BS can adaptively configure the number / size of fields of the two-segment DCI 202 that complies with the bit restriction rule / regulation (e.g., less than 140 bits).

[0026] In some embodiments, based on the bit restriction rule / regulation, the two-segment DCI 202 may include two DCI segments (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022), and the UE may link the two DCI segments (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) when decoding the DCI for scheduling information. Specifically, the first DCI 2020 may include a common bit field, a first portion of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one of the four cells, and a CRC bit field, and the second DCI 2022 may include a second portion of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one of the four cells and a CRC bit field. In an exemplary example, the first DCI 2020 may have a designated bit field corresponding to one cell (e.g., the first cell), and the second DCI 2022 may have at least three designated bit fields corresponding to the other three cells (e.g., the second cell, the third cell, and the fourth cell).

[0027] In some embodiments, the UE may receive a predetermined field number (and / or specified in a predetermined rule) in a radio resource control (RRC), a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), another DCI different from the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022, or any signaling / indication from the BS to configure a certain (some) DCI field as a common bit field and a certain (some) DCI field as a designated bit field, that is, the UE may adaptively determine the field numbers of the common bit field and multiple designated bit fields in the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022. Specifically, for multi-cell PUSCH / PDSCH scheduling, the network and / or BS may use at least one of RRC, MAC CE, additional DCI, and a predetermined field number to determine which one or fields in the two segments of DCI 202 are used as the common bit field or the designated bit field. In addition, the network and / or the BS may independently allocate fields of the first DCI 2020 / second DCI 2022 for each scheduled cell (eg, the first cell, the second cell, the third cell, and the fourth cell).

[0028] In some implementations, based on the number of different transmission and scheduling cells, the network and / or BS may adaptively configure a certain (certain) DCI field as a common bit field / designated bit field, and / or the field number of the common bit field / designated bit field of the two segments of DCI 202 through any of the above signaling / indications. In one example, the common bit field may be configured as 2, and the designated bit field may be configured as 4 for each cell. In another example, the common bit field may have 24 bits, and the designated bit field may have 36 bits for each cell. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0029] In some embodiments, under the two-segment DCI scheme, the UE may receive the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022 respectively on the same cell (e.g., the first cell) for decoding. When decoding the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022, the UE may perform a link procedure to link the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022. Specifically, the common bit field in the first DCI 2020 may be linked with one or more of the multiple designated bit fields of the first DCI 2020 or the second DCI 2022 to decode / obtain scheduling information corresponding to a cell (e.g., the first cell) among the four cells. In this way, based on the scheduling information indicated by the first DCI 2020 and / or the second DCI 2022 corresponding to a cell (e.g., the first cell) among the multiple cells, the UE may perform PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with the above-mentioned cell (e.g., the first cell).

[0030] In some embodiments, under the two-segment DCI scheme, the UE may receive the scheduling type of the received DCI from the BS before performing the link process. Specifically, the scheduling type may include DL scheduling as a DL scheduling DCI or UL scheduling as a UL scheduling DCI, and if two of the received DCIs have the same scheduling type, the UE may perform a link process for the received DCI. In one exemplary embodiment, the UE may receive four DCIs, including a first UL scheduling DCI, a first DL scheduling DCI, a second UL scheduling DCI, and a second DL scheduling DCI. Based on the scheduling types of the four DCIs, the UE may classify the first UL scheduling DCI and the second UL scheduling DCI into a first group with the same UL scheduling, and classify the first DL scheduling DCI and the second DL scheduling DCI into a second group with the same DL scheduling. In this way, when performing the link process of the first group, the UE may link the common bit field of the first UL scheduling DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first UL scheduling DCI or the second UL scheduling DCI. In addition, when performing the linking process of the second group, the UE may link the common bit field of the first DL scheduling DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DL scheduling DCI or the second DL scheduling DCI, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0031] In some embodiments, under the two-segment DCI scheme, the UE may receive a DCI identification (ID) value or a carrier identification field (CIF) indicated in the received DCI from the BS before performing the linking process. In an example, if two received DCIs (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) have the same DCI ID value or have the same CIF, the UE may perform a linking process on the two received DCIs (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) to link a common bit field of one DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) with one or more designated bit fields from the above DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) or other DCI (e.g., the second DCI 2022).

[0032] In some embodiments, when a two-segment DCI scheme is used to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the UE may receive a scrambling sequence of a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) from a BS before performing a linking process, wherein the DMRS is used to scramble the PDCCH carrying one or more DCIs (e.g., a first DCI 2020 and a second DCI 2022). In an example, if two DCIs (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) have the same scrambling sequence, the UE may perform a linking process on the two DCIs (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) to link a common bit field of one DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) with one or more designated bit fields from the above DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) or other DCI (e.g., the second DCI 2022).

[0033] In some embodiments, under the two-segment DCI scheme, the BS may configure reception symbols and / or reception cycles (i.e., with the same starting symbol and the same symbol duration) for UEs monitoring DCI. In one exemplary embodiment, if two DCIs (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) are received in the same reception symbol and / or the same reception cycle, the UE may determine that the two DCIs to which the two-segment DCI scheme is applied are related and can be combined, and link the common bit field of one DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) with one or more designated bit fields from the above DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) or other DCI (e.g., the second DCI 2022). In another exemplary embodiment, under the two-segment DCI scheme, the BS may send two DCIs (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) in the same transmission symbol and / or in the same transmission cycle. In this way, in response to receiving two DCIs (e.g., the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) in the same transmission symbol / period, the UE can determine that the two DCIs applying the two-segment DCI scheme are related and can be combined, and link the common bit field of one DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) with one or more designated bit fields from the above DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020) or other DCI (e.g., the second DCI 2022).

[0034] Accordingly, the BS can send more DCI to the UE under the two-segment DCI scheme, and can configure at least one of the above mechanisms / operations for the UE to identify which type of DCI it is (for example, the first DCI 2020 having a common bit field and a designated bit field, or the second DCI 2022 having only a designated bit field), and determine how to adaptively perform a link process on the common bit field / designated bit field in the received DCI through different indications. The present invention is not limited to this.

[0035] In some embodiments, similar to the scenario 200 with a two-segment DCI scheme and complying with the bit restriction rules / regulations, if the UE is capable of supporting more cells (e.g., more than four cells), the UE may receive at least one additional DCI from the BS, wherein the at least one additional DCI different from the first DCI 2020 / the second DCI 2022 may include a similar field format, and the above field format may include at least one designated bit field and a CRC bit field corresponding to the at least one additional cell. In an example, after receiving the DCI (e.g., the first DCI 2020, the second DCI 2022, and the third DCI), the UE may perform a linking process to link the first DCI 2020 with the second DCI 2022 or with at least one additional DCI (e.g., the third DCI), thereby decoding / obtaining scheduling information from the received DCI for PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with more cells.

[0036] Therefore, based on the two-segment DCI scheme and the bit restriction rules / regulations, the BS and / or the network can adaptively send the minimum number of DCIs (e.g., two, including the first DCI 2020 and the second DCI 2022) to the UE, and the UE can link the received DCI accordingly for decoding scheduling information for UL / DL transmission (e.g., PUSCH and / or PDSCH) with multiple cells. Since the UL (e.g., PUSCH) / DL (e.g., PDSCH) transmission scheduling of multiple cells is improved by using two-segment DCI, more efficient transmission can be expected without wasting available resources of the network.

[0037] Illustrative Embodiments

[0038] Figure 33 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention, including an exemplary communication device 310 and an exemplary network device 320. Each of the communication device 310 and the network device 320 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein related to improving multi-cell UL (e.g., PUSCH) / DL (e.g., PDSCH) transmission scheduling using two-segment DCI, including the scenarios / schemes described above and the processes 400 and 500 described below.

[0039] The communication device 310 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a UE such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 310 may be implemented in a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet, a laptop, or a notebook computer. The communication device 310 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT device, such as a fixed or static device, a home device, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 310 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 310 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 310 may include Figure 3 At least a portion of the components shown in Figure 3 The communication device 310 may further include one or more other components (such as an internal power supply, a display device and / or a user interface device) that are not related to the solution proposed by the present invention. However, for simplicity and brevity, these components in the communication device 310 are not shown in the figure. Figure 3 is not described in the description below.

[0040] The network device 320 may be part of an electronic device, and may be a network node such as a base station, a small cell, a router, or a gateway. For example, the network device 320 may be implemented in an eNB in ​​an LTE, LTE-Advanced, or LTE-Advanced-Advanced network, or in a gNB in ​​a 5G, NR, IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT network. Alternatively, the network device 320 may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. The network device 320 may include Figure 3 At least a portion of the components shown in Figure 3 The network device 320 may further include one or more other components (such as an internal power supply, a display device and / or a user interface device) that are not related to the solution proposed by the present invention. However, for simplicity and brevity, these components in the network device 320 are not shown in FIG. Figure 3 is not described in the description below.

[0041] On the one hand, each of the processors 312 and 322 can be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even if the singular term "processor" is used in the present invention to refer to the processors 312 and 322, each of the processors 312 and 322 can include multiple processors in some embodiments and a single processor in other embodiments according to the present invention. On the other hand, each of the processors 312 and 322 can be implemented in the form of hardware (and optionally, firmware) having electronic components, and the above electronic components include but are not limited to one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and / or one or more varactor diodes configured and arranged according to the present invention for a specific purpose. In other words, at least in some embodiments, each of the processors 312 and 322 can be used as a dedicated machine specially designed, configured and arranged to perform specific tasks including autonomous reliability enhancement in devices (such as shown in the communication device 310) and wireless networks (such as shown in the network device 320) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] In some embodiments, the communication device 310 may further include a transceiver 316 coupled to the processor 312, the transceiver 316 being capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, the communication device 310 may further include a memory 314 coupled to the processor 312, which stores data and can be accessed by the processor 312. In some embodiments, the network device 320 may further include a transceiver 326 coupled to the processor 322, the transceiver 326 being capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, the network device 320 may further include a memory 324 coupled to the processor 322, which stores data and can be accessed by the processor 322. Accordingly, the communication device 310 and the network device 320 may communicate with each other wirelessly via the transceiver 316 and the transceiver 326, respectively. To facilitate better understanding, the following description of the operation, functionality, and capabilities of each of the communication device 310 and the network device 320 is provided in the context of a mobile communication environment, wherein the communication device 310 is implemented in or as a communication device or UE and the network device 320 is implemented in or as a network node of a wireless network.

[0043] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may receive two segments of DCI indicating scheduling of multiple cells from the network device 320 via the transceiver 316. The two segments of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI. The first DCI includes a common bit field and a first portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The second DCI includes a second portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. Subsequently, the processor 312 may perform PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one of the multiple cells based on the two segments of DCI.

[0044] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may receive an RRC, a MACCE, a third DCI, or a predetermined field number from the network device 320 via the transceiver 316 to configure a certain DCI field as a common bit field and configure certain DCI fields as multiple designated bit fields.

[0045] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may perform a linking process to link the first DCI with the second DCI into two segments of DCI for performing PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one of the multiple cells. Before performing the linking process, the first DCI and the second DCI are decoded on the same cell. The linking process is used to link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI into two segments of DCI.

[0046] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may receive the scheduling type of the first DCI or the second DCI from the network device 320 via the transceiver 316. Then, if the scheduling types of the first DCI and the second DCI are the same, the processor 312 may link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

[0047] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may receive a DCI ID value or a CIF of the first DCI or the second DCI from the network device 320 via the transceiver 316. Subsequently, if the first DCI and the second DCI have the same DCI ID value or the same CIF, the processor 312 may link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

[0048] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may receive a scrambling sequence of a DMRS-scrambled PDCCH carrying the first DCI or the second DCI from the network device 320 via the transceiver 316. Subsequently, if the first DCI and the second DCI have the same scrambling sequence, the processor 312 may link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

[0049] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may determine a received symbol or a received period of the first DCI or the second DCI. Subsequently, if the first DCI and the second DCI are received in the same received symbol or the same received period, the processor 312 may link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

[0050] In some embodiments, the processor 312 may receive at least one fourth DCI from the network device 320 via the transceiver 316. Subsequently, the processor 312 may perform a linking process to link the first DCI with the second DCI or the at least one fourth DCI for performing PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one cell of the plurality of cells.

[0051] In some embodiments, the processor 322 may configure two segments of DCI indicating scheduling of multiple cells. The two segments of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI. The two segments of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI. The first DCI includes a common bit field and a first portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The second DCI includes a second portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. Subsequently, the processor 322 may send the two segments of DCI to the communication device 310 via the transceiver 326 to schedule PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one of the multiple cells based on the two segments of DCI.

[0052] In some embodiments, the processor 322 may send the RRC, MAC CE, third DCI or a predetermined field number to the communication device 310 via the transceiver 326 to configure a certain DCI field as a common bit field and configure certain DCI fields as multiple designated bit fields.

[0053] In some embodiments, the two-segment DCI is formed by performing a linking process to link the first DCI with the second DCI. Before performing the linking process, the first DCI and the second DCI are decoded on the same cell. The linking process is used by the communication device 310 to link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI into two-segment DCI.

[0054] In some embodiments, the processor 322 may send the scheduling type of the first DCI or the second DCI to the communication device 310 via the transceiver 326. The processor 322 may send the DCI ID value or CIF of the first DCI or the second DCI to the communication device 310 via the transceiver 326. The processor 322 may send the scrambling sequence of the DMRS-scrambled PDCCH carrying the first DCI or the second DCI to the communication device 310 via the transceiver 326. The processor 322 may send at least one fourth DCI to the communication device 310 via the transceiver 326. The processor 322 may configure the transmission symbol or transmission period of the first DCI or the second DCI.

[0055] Illustrative Process

[0056] Figure 4is a flow chart of an exemplary process 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Process 400 may be an exemplary implementation of the above-mentioned scenario / scheme (whether partially or completely) for improving multi-cell UL (e.g., PUSCH) / DL (e.g., PDSCH) transmission scheduling using two-segment DCI. Process 400 may represent one aspect of an implementation of features of communication device 310. Process 400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in one or more of blocks 410 to 420. Although the various blocks shown are discrete, depending on the desired implementation, the various blocks in process 400 may be split into more blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or some blocks may be deleted. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 400 may be arranged as follows. Figure 4 The process 400 may be performed in the order shown or may be performed in a different order. The process 400 may be implemented by the communication device 310 or any suitable UE or machine type device. For illustrative purposes only and not limiting, the process 400 is described below in the context of the communication device 310. The process 400 may start at block 410.

[0057] At 410, the process 400 may include the processor 312 of the communication device 310 receiving two pieces of DCI indicating scheduling of multiple cells from a network node (e.g., the network device 320) in the wireless network, wherein the two pieces of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI, the first DCI includes a common bit field and a first part of the designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells, and the second DCI includes a second part of the designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The process 400 may proceed from 410 to 420.

[0058] At 420 , process 400 may include processor 312 performing PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one cell of the plurality of cells based on the two-segment DCI.

[0059] In some embodiments, process 400 may further include processor 312 receiving an RRC, MAC CE, a third DCI, or a predetermined field number from a network node (eg, network device 320) to configure a certain DCI field as a common bit field and configure certain DCI fields as multiple designated bit fields.

[0060] In some embodiments, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 executing a linking process to link the first DCI with the second DCI into two segments of DCI for performing PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one cell in the plurality of cells. Before executing the linking process, the first DCI and the second DCI are decoded on the same cell. The linking process is used to link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI into two segments of DCI.

[0061] In some embodiments, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 receiving a scheduling type of the first DCI or the second DCI from a network node (e.g., the network device 320). Subsequently, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 linking the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI if the scheduling types of the first DCI and the second DCI are the same.

[0062] In some embodiments, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 receiving a DCI ID value or a CIF of the first DCI or the second DCI from a network node (e.g., the network device 320). Subsequently, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 linking the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI if the first DCI and the second DCI have the same DCI ID value or the same CIF.

[0063] In some embodiments, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 receiving a scrambling sequence of a DMRS-scrambled PDCCH carrying the first DCI or the second DCI from a network node (e.g., the network device 320). Subsequently, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 linking a common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI if the first DCI and the second DCI have the same scrambling sequence.

[0064] In some embodiments, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 determining a received symbol or a received period of the first DCI or the second DCI. Subsequently, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 linking the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI if the first DCI and the second DCI are received in the same received symbol or the same received period.

[0065] In some embodiments, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 receiving at least one fourth DCI from a network node (e.g., the network device 320). Subsequently, the process 400 may further include the processor 312 executing a linking process to link the first DCI with the second DCI or the at least one fourth DCI for performing PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one cell in the plurality of cells.

[0066] Figure 55 is a flow chart of an exemplary process 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Process 500 may be an exemplary implementation of the above-mentioned scenario / scheme (whether partially or completely) for improving multi-cell UL (e.g., PUSCH) / DL (e.g., PDSCH) transmission scheduling using two-segment DCI. Process 500 may represent one aspect of an implementation of features of network device 320. Process 500 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in one or more of blocks 510 to 520. Although the various blocks shown are discrete, depending on the desired implementation, the various blocks in process 500 may be split into more blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or some blocks may be deleted. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 500 may be arranged as follows. Figure 5 The process 500 may be performed in a different order or in a different order. The process 500 may be implemented by the network device 320 or any suitable BS or network node. For illustrative purposes only and not limiting, the process 500 is described below in the context of the network device 320. The process 500 may start at block 510.

[0067] At 510, the process 500 may include the processor 322 of the network device 320 configuring two-segment DCI indicating scheduling of multiple cells for a device in the wireless network (e.g., the communication device 310), wherein the two-segment DCI includes a first DCI and a second DCI. The two-segment DCI includes a first DCI and a second DCI, the first DCI includes a common bit field and a first portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells, and the second DCI includes a second portion of a designated bit field corresponding to at least one of the multiple cells. The process 500 may proceed from 510 to 520.

[0068] At 520, the process 500 may include the processor 322 sending the two-segment DCI to a device (eg, the communication device 310) to schedule PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one of the plurality of cells based on the two-segment DCI.

[0069] In some embodiments, the process 500 may further include the processor 322 sending an RRC, MAC CE, a third DCI, or a predetermined field number to a device (e.g., the communication device 310) to configure a certain DCI field as a common bit field and configure certain DCI fields as multiple designated bit fields.

[0070] In some embodiments, the two-segment DCI is formed by performing a linking process to link the first DCI with the second DCI. Before performing the linking process, the first DCI and the second DCI are decoded on the same cell. The linking process is used by the device to link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI into two segments of DCI.

[0071] In some embodiments, the process 500 may further include the processor 322 sending the scheduling type of the first DCI or the second DCI to the device (e.g., the communication device 310). The process 500 may further include the processor 322 sending the DCI ID value or CIF of the first DCI or the second DCI to the device (e.g., the communication device 310). The process 500 may further include the processor 322 sending the scrambling sequence of the DMRS scrambled PDCCH carrying the first DCI or the second DCI to the device (e.g., the communication device 310). The process 500 may further include the processor 322 sending at least one fourth DCI to the device (e.g., the communication device 310). The process 500 may further include the processor 322 configuring the transmission symbol or transmission period of the first DCI or the second DCI.

[0072] Additional Notes

[0073] The subject matter described in the present invention sometimes shows different components included in or connected to different other components. But it should be understood that these depicted architectures are only examples, and in fact many other architectures that realize the same function can be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that realize the same function is effectively "associated", so that the desired function is realized. Therefore, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components, any two components that are combined to realize a specific function in the present invention can be regarded as "associated" to each other, so that the desired function is realized. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be regarded as "operationally connected" or "operationally coupled" to each other to realize the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be regarded as "operationally couplable" to each other to realize the desired function. Specific examples of coupling in operation include but are not limited to physically matching and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0074] Further, with respect to any plural and / or singular terms used in the present invention, those skilled in the art may convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural when appropriate for content and / or application. For the sake of clarity, various singular / plural interchangeability may be explicitly described in the present invention.

[0075] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in general, the terms used in the present invention and, in particular, in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended to be "open" terms, e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least", the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", etc. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such a recitation, such intent is absent. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more". However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as implying that a claim recitation, by the introduction of the indefinite article "a" or "an", will include any particular claim of such introduced claim recitation to embodiments that include only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an", for example, "a and / or an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more", and the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Furthermore, even if a specific number of an introduced claim enumeration is explicitly recited, one skilled in the art will recognize that such enumeration should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., an unmasked enumeration of "two enumerations" means at least two enumerations or two or more enumerations, without other modifiers. Furthermore, where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art will understand this convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art will understand this convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that any transitional words and / or phrases that actually represent two or more optional items, whether in the specification, claims or drawings, should be understood to consider the possibility of including one of these items, any one of these items, or both of these items. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0076] As can be seen from the above, it can be understood that various embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not meant to be restrictive, and the true scope and spirit are determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: Receiving, by a processor of the device, two pieces of downlink control information (DCI) indicating scheduling of a plurality of cells from a network node in a wireless network, wherein the two pieces of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI, the first DCI including a common bit field and a first part of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one cell among the plurality of cells, and the second DCI including a second part of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one cell among the plurality of cells; as well as The processor performs physical downlink shared channel PDSCH reception or physical uplink shared channel PUSCH transmission with at least one cell among the multiple cells based on the two segments of DCI.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Further including: The processor receives a radio resource control RRC, a medium access control MAC control element CE, a third DCI or a predetermined field number from the network node to configure a certain DCI field as the common bit field and configure some DCI fields as a plurality of designated bit fields.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Further including: The processor executes a linking process to link the first DCI and the second DCI into the two segments of DCI for performing the PDSCH reception or the PUSCH transmission with at least one cell among the multiple cells, Before executing the linking process, the first DCI and the second DCI are decoded on the same cell, and the linking process is used to link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI into the two segments of DCI.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Further including: Receiving, by the processor, a scheduling type of the first DCI or the second DCI from the network node; as well as If the scheduling types of the first DCI and the second DCI are the same, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Further including: The processor receives a DCI identifier ID value or a carrier identifier field CIF of the first DCI or the second DCI from the network node; as well as If the first DCI and the second DCI have the same DCI ID value or the same CIF, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Further including: Receiving, by the processor from the network node, a scrambling sequence of a demodulation reference signal DMRS scrambled physical downlink control channel PDCCH carrying the first DCI or the second DCI; as well as If the first DCI and the second DCI have the same scrambling sequence, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

7. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Further including: Determining, by the processor, a reception symbol or a reception period of the first DCI or the second DCI; as well as If the first DCI and the second DCI are received in the same reception symbol or the same reception cycle, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

8. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Further including: receiving, by the processor, at least a fourth DCI from the network node; as well as A linking process is executed by the processor to link the first DCI with the second DCI or the at least one fourth DCI for performing the PDSCH reception or the PUSCH transmission with at least one cell among the plurality of cells.

9. An apparatus comprising: a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with network nodes in the wireless network during operation; as well as A processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver such that during operation, the processor performs the following operations: receiving, from the network node in the wireless network, two pieces of DCI indicating scheduling of a plurality of cells, wherein the two pieces of DCI include a first DCI and a second DCI, the first DCI including a common bit field and a first portion of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one cell of the plurality of cells, and the second DCI including a second portion of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one cell of the plurality of cells; as well as The processor performs PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one cell among the multiple cells based on the two segments of DCI.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that Further including: The processor receives an RRC, a MAC CE, a third DCI or a predetermined field number from the network node to configure a certain DCI field as the common bit field and configure some DCI fields as a plurality of designated bit fields.

11. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that During operation, the processor performs the following operations: The processor executes a linking process to link the first DCI and the second DCI into the two segments of DCI for performing the PDSCH reception or the PUSCH transmission with at least one cell among the multiple cells, Before executing the linking process, the first DCI and the second DCI are decoded on the same cell, and the linking process is used to link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI into the two segments of DCI.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that During operation, the processor performs the following operations: receiving a scheduling type of the first DCI or the second DCI from the network node; and If the scheduling types of the first DCI and the second DCI are the same, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

13. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that During operation, the processor performs the following operations: receiving a DCI ID value or a CIF of the first DCI or the second DCI from the network node; as well as If the first DCI and the second DCI have the same DCI ID value or the same CIF, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

14. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that During operation, the processor performs the following operations: receiving, from the network node, a scrambling sequence of a DMRS-scrambled PDCCH carrying the first DCI or the second DCI; and If the first DCI and the second DCI have the same scrambling sequence, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

15. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that During operation, the processor performs the following operations: determining a reception symbol or a reception period of the first DCI or the second DCI; and If the first DCI and the second DCI are received in the same reception symbol or the same reception cycle, the processor links the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI.

16. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that During operation, the processor performs the following operations: receiving at least a fourth DCI from the network node; as well as A linking process is performed to link the first DCI with the second DCI or the at least one fourth DCI for performing the PDSCH reception or the PUSCH transmission with at least one cell among the plurality of cells.

17. A method comprising: configuring, by a processor of the network node, two-segment DCI indicating scheduling of a plurality of cells, wherein the two-segment DCI comprises a first DCI and a second DCI, the first DCI comprising a common bit field and a first portion of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one cell among the plurality of cells, the second DCI comprising a second portion of designated bit fields corresponding to at least one cell among the plurality of cells; as well as The processor sends the two pieces of DCI to a device in a wireless network, so as to schedule PDSCH reception or PUSCH transmission with at least one cell among the multiple cells based on the two pieces of DCI.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that Further including: The processor sends an RRC, a MAC CE, a third DCI or a predetermined field number to the device to configure a certain DCI field as the common bit field and configure some DCI fields as a plurality of designated bit fields.

19. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The two segments of DCI are formed by performing a linking process to link the first DCI with the second DCI. Before performing the linking process, the first DCI and the second DCI are decoded on the same cell, and the linking process is used by the device to link the common bit field of the first DCI with one or more designated bit fields from the first DCI or the second DCI into the two segments of DCI.

20. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that Further including: Sending, by the processor, the scheduling type of the first DCI or the second DCI to the device; Sending, by the processor, a DCI ID value or a CIF of the first DCI or the second DCI to the device; The processor sends, to the device, a scrambling sequence of a DMRS-scrambled PDCCH carrying the first DCI or the second DCI; sending, by the processor, at least a fourth DCI to the device; or The processor configures a transmission symbol or a transmission period of the first DCI or the second DCI.

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