Power reduction method and apparatus

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, systems for wireless communication are described, and include wireless communication methods. A method of wireless communication includes receiving, by a communication device, an indication of discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation by a network node; and operating the communication device according to the indication of DTX operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This document relates to systems, devices, and techniques for wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] In 5G NR, there are some always-on signals that consume power, even if these signals are sent with long periods (e.g., a maximum period of 160 milliseconds (ms)) during micro-sleep TX (transmit, transmit, or transmitter) in low traffic load scenarios. In actual implementation, most transmissions are unnecessary. Therefore, a signal transmission enhancement solution is needed to achieve lower power consumption.

[0003] Currently, 5G devices have been deployed in large numbers, so 5G carrier frequencies can only provide coverage for both DL (downlink) and UL (uplink). It is observed that the UL coverage of 5G is not as good as that of 4G systems because the UL carrier frequency of 5G is different from that of 4G. Efficient UL transmission enhancement can also achieve potential energy saving effects, so solutions for UL coverage enhancement are also needed. Summary of the invention

[0004] This document describes, among other things, techniques that provide solutions for signal transmission enhancement to achieve lower power consumption.

[0005] A wireless communication method includes: receiving, by a communication device, an indication of a discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation of a network node; and operating the communication device according to the indication of the DTX operation.

[0006] In some embodiments, the indication of DTX operation includes identifying one or more activities that the network node turned off during the DTX operation or during a pattern of on-durations and off-durations of DTX operation.

[0007] In some embodiments, the activity may be periodic or aperiodic.

[0008] In some embodiments, when the pattern is an on-duration, the communication device is allowed to perform at least one of the following activities: DL signal / channel transmission, UL signal / channel transmission, or cell-specific activity.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the pattern is an off-duration, the communications device is restricted from performing at least one of the following activities: SSB, SIB, paging, periodic, semi-persistent CSI-RS, SRS, SR, or UL grant, HARQ-ACK feedback, or DRX operation.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the pattern is an off-duration, the communication device is allowed to perform at least one of the following activities: an action triggered by a timer; an action associated with DRX, or an action including a message or feedback received by the communication device.

[0011] In some embodiments, actions triggered by a timer may be performed during the duration that the ra-ContentionResolutionTimer or msgB-ResponseWindow is running.

[0012] In some embodiments, the activity associated with DRX can be the running of drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, or drx-RetransmissionTimerSL.

[0013] In some embodiments, the indication of DTX operation includes at least one of: an OFF duration or an availability of an OFF duration, an ON duration or a validity of an ON duration, a cycle or an availability of a cycle, offset information, or delay information.

[0014] In some embodiments, the indication of the DTX operation is transmitted through signaling, wherein the signaling includes at least one of the following: DCI, MAC CE, RRC signaling, SIB, interaction information from another communication device, or an event.

[0015] In some embodiments, the DCI may be at least one of the following: cell-specific signaling, group-common signaling, or UE-specific DCI information.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the DCI indication information is cell-specific signaling or group common signaling, the DCI indication information can be generated in at least one of the following methods: by an information block configured to indicate a cell within a cell group or a device within a device group, by an information block configured to indicate a cell group or a device group, or by a bit in a bitmap configured to indicate a cell or a cell group, or a device or a device group.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the DCI is group common signaling or UE-specific DCI, the information field associated with the DTX operation in the DCI can be at least one of the following items: an existing field in the indication of the DTX operation, where the reuse is triggered by another existing field in the DCI, or by a higher-layer parameter associated with the DTX operation; or a new field in the indication of the DTX operation.

[0018] In another exemplary aspect, the above method is embodied in the form of processor executable code and stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. When the code included in the computer readable storage medium is executed by a processor, the processor implements the method described in this patent document.

[0019] In another exemplary embodiment, a device is disclosed, the device being configured or operable to perform the above method.

[0020] The above and other aspects and implementations thereof are described in more detail in the drawings, the description and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is an example of a flow chart of DTX operation.

[0022] Figure 2 Examples of DTX OFF durations are shown.

[0023] Figure 3 An example of DTX on-duration is shown.

[0024] Figure 4 is an example of a DTX pattern with a DTX on duration and a DTX off duration.

[0025] Figure 5 is an example of a DTX cycle.

[0026] Figure 6 is an example of a DTX cycle.

[0027] Figure 7 Examples of possible relationships between DTX cycles and DRX cycles are shown.

[0028] Figure 8 An example of using a "wake-up" indication to perform DTX operation is shown.

[0029] Fig. 9 Another example of using a "wake-up" indication to perform DTX operation is shown.

[0030] Fig.10 An exemplary block diagram of a hardware device graphics platform that may be part of a network device or communication device is shown.

[0031] Fig.11 An example of wireless communication is shown, which includes a base station (BS) and a user equipment (UE) based on some implementations of the disclosed technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The section headings used in this document are intended only to improve readability and do not limit the scope of the embodiments and techniques disclosed in each section to only that section. In addition, for ease of understanding, some embodiments are described with reference to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) standard ("5G"), and the described techniques may be implemented in different wireless systems that implement protocols other than the 5G protocol.

[0033] Preliminary comments

[0034] Switching to a sleep pattern or shutting down some RF components when not needed is an effective way to reduce network power consumption. For example, if there is no UE access, the carrier can be deactivated. When the traffic load is low, the number of Tx / Rx antennas can be reduced.

[0035] However, there are some problems with this energy-saving method. First, there are some common signals and necessary transmissions in NR, such as SSB (synchronization signal block), SIB1 (system information block), paging, and PRACH (physical random access channel) reception. Secondly, even if the UE is configured with DRX, the DRX activity times of different UEs are difficult to align with each other. Therefore, the network cannot easily enter a low-power state, such as sleep mode. Third, even if the device can enter a sleep state, waking up the device is also a problem. If a semi-static configuration is used, the device can only wake up after sleeping for a period of time. If there is a service requirement in the sleep state, the requirement cannot be met, which will cause a large delay and thus affect the user experience.

[0036] Therefore, in order to reduce the power consumption of the communication system, the network should be able to enter a low power consumption state for as long as possible. In addition, a more dynamic energy-saving stop mechanism should be introduced to meet flexible service requirements and minimize the impact on user experience. Therefore, the UE can participate in the process to obtain better results.

[0037] Example Introduction

[0038] This document discloses at least one DTX operation to achieve power saving without increasing UE power and degrading UE experience.

[0039] In the present disclosure, a base station (BS) may refer to a communication node, or a BTS (base transceiver station) in 2G, or a NodeB in 3G, or an eNB (E-UTRAN NodeB / enhanced NodeB) in 4G, or a gNB in ​​5G, or a base station of LTE (Long Term Evolution) or NR (New Radio Access Technology), or a base station of a next generation communication system, or a cell having a normal state, an activated state, a deactivated state, or a dormant state, or a cell providing basic coverage or cell enhanced capacity, or a small cell, or a primary cell, or a secondary cell.

[0040] Figure 1 A flowchart of an example of DTX operation is disclosed. Figure 1 , the network node sends a signaling carrying one or more indication information to one or more communication devices. In some embodiments, the indication information is associated with a DTX operation. Then, the communication device detects the signaling and determines whether to perform a DTX operation based on the one or more indication information.

[0041] 1)DTX operation diagram

[0042] The pattern of DTX operation includes at least one of the following:

[0043] A) DTX off duration. Figure 2 As shown, the UE assumes that the configuration / activity is not available during the DTX off duration. Unavailable or available configuration / activity is introduced in the embodiment section as shown below.

[0044] B) DTX on duration. Figure 3 As shown, the UE assumes that the configuration / activity is available during the DTX on duration. The available configuration / activity is introduced in the embodiment section as shown below.

[0045] C) DTX cycle. Figure 4 As shown, the UE assumes that the DTX operation is performed periodically during each DTX cycle (ie, the length of the DTX cycle is determined by the DTX cycle). During a DTX cycle, one or more DTX off durations or DTX on durations may be present. Figure 5 and Figure 6 Two examples of DTX cycle patterns are disclosed.

[0046] D) The starting position of the DTX off duration, the DTX on duration or the DTX cycle. The UE determines the starting position based on the offset or delay or the DTX cycle or the DRX cycle and the offset.

[0047] Example 1: The starting position is after the offset from the start of the subframe satisfying [(SFN×10)+subframe number] modulo (DTX cycle)=offset.

[0048] Example 2: The starting position is after a delay of the OFDM symbol / slot / subframe from when the indication or configuration of the DTX operation was received.

[0049] Example 3: The starting position is after the DRX offset from the start of a subframe satisfying [(SFN×10)+subframe number] modulo (DRX cycle)=DRX offset.

[0050] E) The effective time of the DTX operation. The effective time of the DTX operation is associated with the DTX on duration, the DTX off duration, or the DTX cycle. The effective time of the DTX operation may also be the starting position or the ending position of the DTX off duration, the starting position or the ending position of the DTX on duration, the starting position or the ending position of the DTX cycle, or the DRX cycle and offset.

[0051] The starting position of the effective time of the DTX operation is set to the starting position or the ending position of the DTX off duration, the starting position or the ending position of the DTX on duration, the starting position or the ending position of the DTX cycle, or the starting position of the DRX cycle.

[0052] Example 1: The UE assumes that one or more DTX On-Durations are set as the effective time of DTX.

[0053] Example 2: The UE assumes that one or more DTX off durations are set as the effective time of DTX.

[0054] Example 3: The UE assumes that a combination of one or more DTX on-durations and one or more DTX off-durations is set as the effective time of DTX.

[0055] Example 4: The UE assumes that one or more DTX cycles are set as the effective time of DTX.

[0056] F) Configuration of DTX operation If the UE is provided with configuration of the DTX operation, the UE performs the DTX operation from the start position of the DTX off duration, the DTX on duration, or the DTX cycle.

[0057] G) Modification period: The UE detects an indication of DTX operation or a configuration of DTX operation during the modification period.

[0058] H) DRX offset. The UE is indicated with an offset via L1 signaling. The offset is used to adjust or determine the starting position of the subsequent DRX cycle.

[0059] I) Number of DRX cycles: The UE assumes that a certain number of DRX cycles are used for DTX operation.

[0060] Example 1: The length of the DTX cycle, DTX on duration or DTX off duration is a multiple of the DRX cycle.

[0061] Example 2: The length of the DTX on-duration or the DTX off-duration is equal to, greater than or a multiple of the DRX on-duration timer, or the sum of drx-onDurationTimer or drx-InactivityTimer or drx-RetransmissionTimerDL or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL or drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL or drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL.

[0062] Example 3: The length of the DTX off duration is equal to or greater than or a multiple of the DRX cycle minus the DRX on duration timer, or minus the sum of drx-onDurationTimer or drx-InactivityTimer or drx-RetransmissionTimerDL or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL or drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL or drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL.

[0063] Example 4: When the UE is provided with a DTX configuration, the UE assumes that DRX operation is not available during a certain number of DRX cycles.

[0064] 2) Instruction information

[0065] The indication information of the DTX operation includes at least one of the following:

[0066] -DTX OFF duration, or availability / unavailability of DTX OFF duration.

[0067] -DTX On Duration, or availability / unavailability of DTX On Duration.

[0068] -DTX period, or availability / unavailability of DTX period.

[0069] -DTX offset or delay.

[0070] -Changes in DTX operation.

[0071] -Configuration for DTX operation.

[0072] - Valid time of DTX operation.

[0073] -The starting position of the DTX off duration, the starting position of the DTX on duration, the starting position of the DTX cycle, or the effective time of the DTX operation.

[0074] - Activation / deactivation of DTX operation / DTX on duration / DTX off duration / DTX cycle.

[0075] -DRX offset.

[0076] - Number of DRX cycles used for DTX.

[0077] - Unavailability of DRX operation during one or more DRX cycles.

[0078] 3) Signaling of indication information

[0079] In some examples, the DTX operation includes a DTX off duration or a DTX on duration or a DTX cycle.

[0080] The signaling for indicating information associated with the DTX operation includes at least one of the following:

[0081] A) Cell-specific signaling. The DCI carrying information of the UEs in the cell is used to indicate indication information related to the DTX operation. The CRC of the cell-specific DCI is scrambled by P-RNTI, SI-RNTI, TC-RNTI or RA-RNTI.

[0082] Information fields can be designed in one of the following ways.

[0083] i) One information block in the DCI is configured for DTX indication of a cell or cell group, where the number of blocks is either not greater than the number of cells or cell groups configured by higher layer parameters, or equal to 1. The starting position of the block is determined by the parameters configured by the upper layer for one or more cells or cell groups.

[0084] ii) The bits in the bitmap field in the DCI are configured for DL ​​signal transmission indication of a cell or cell group. If the higher layer parameters associated with the DTX operation are not configured, the bit width of the bitmap field is 0 bits. Otherwise, the N bits of the bitmap are determined according to the number of cells or cell groups provided by the higher layer parameters.

[0085] iii) An indication field in the DCI is configured for DTX indication in the cell.

[0086] The cell group is configured by the BS. Cells that support the same eDRX parameters, default paging cycle, or DRX cycle are configured in the cell group. The cell can be an SCell, an activated SCell, a dormant SCell, or a PCell.

[0087] B) Group common signaling. A new DCI format of DCI format 2_7 with CRC scrambled by RNTI, or DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by P-RNTI, or DCI format 2_6 with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI, or DCI format 2-0, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, or Rel-17 DCI format is used to carry indication information of DTX operation. The indication information field is designed as follows:

[0088] If the existing Rel-17 DCI format is used to indicate indication information associated with DTX operation, or a higher layer parameter associated with DTX operation is configured for a UE group, then (one or more) existing information fields or new information fields are used to indicate information associated with DL signal transmission. The existing fields include at least one of the following:

[0089] a) 'Wake Up Indication' or 'SCell Sleep Indication' field in a block of DCI format 2_6 with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI.

[0090] Example 1: Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the 'wake-up indication' is reinterpreted to indicate that the UE group performs DTX operation. If the UE is provided with a configuration for DTX operation, the 'wake-up indication' field indicates that the UE should perform DTX operation from the beginning of the next DRX cycle, such as Figure 8 As shown, or performing a DTX operation after a delay from detecting the DCI to the end of the current DRX cycle, as shown Fig. 9 As shown, either the UE should set the current DRX cycle or the next one or more DRX cycles as a DTX cycle, or the UE assumes that DRX operation is unavailable during the current DRX cycle or the next one or more DRX cycles.

[0091] Example 2: Each bit of 'SCell Sleep Indication' is reinterpreted to indicate that the UE or UE group performs DTX operation. If the UE is provided with a configuration for DTX operation, the bits in the bitmap of 'SCell Sleep Indication' indicate that the UE or UE group should perform DTX operation from the start of the next DRX cycle, or set the next one or more DRX cycles to DTX on / off duration or DTX cycle.

[0092] b) 'Paging Indication' field or 'TRS Availability Indication' in DCI format 2_7 with CRC scrambled by PEI-RNTI.

[0093] Example 1: 'TRS availability indication' is reinterpreted to indicate that the UE performs DTX operation. If the UE is provided with a configuration for DTX operation, the information of this field indicates that the UE or UE group should perform DTX operation from the start of the available valid duration, or set the next one or more available valid durations as DTX on / off duration or DTX cycle.

[0094] c) 'Slot format indicator', or 'Available RB set indicator', or 'COT duration indicator', or 'Search space set group switching flag' in DCI format 2_0 with CRC scrambled by SFI-RNTI.

[0095] d) 'Preemption indication' in DCI format 2_1 with CRC scrambled by INT-RNTI.

[0096] e) A field in DCI format 2_2 with a CRC scrambled by TPC-PUSCH-RNTI or TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, or a field in DCI format 2_3 with a CRC scrambled by TPC-SRS-RNTI, or a field in DCI format 2_4 with a CRC scrambled by CI-RNTI, or a field in DCI format 2_5 with a CRC scrambled by AI-RNTI.

[0097] UE groups are based on at least one of the following:

[0098] - The UE identities of the UEs in the group are configured for DCI format 2-6 or DCI format 2-7;

[0099] -The number of UE groups is configured by higher layer parameters;

[0100] -UEs with valid PO in the same PF or a certain number of consecutive PFs during an eDRX cycle or a default paging cycle are configured as a UE group.

[0101] The information field in the DCI indicates one or more UEs according to the following method:

[0102] - One information block in the DCI is configured for the UEs in the UE group.

[0103] - One information block in the DCI is configured for a UE group.

[0104] - The bits in the bitmap in the DCI are configured for a UE or a group of UEs.

[0105] C) UE-specific DCI: The existing DCI format 0-1 or DCI format 0-2, or DCI format 1-1 or DCI format 1-2, or new DCI is used to carry the indication information of the DTX operation.

[0106] In one scenario, an indication field in the DCI is configured for DTX indication of the UE. The indication field may be a bitmap that indicates the availability of DTX operation, or one or more DTX on durations, or DTX off durations, or DTX cycles. If the UE is configured with DRX and is provided with the configuration of DTX, some examples are provided below.

[0107] Example 1: Fig. 9 As shown, the information in this field indicates that the UE performs a DTX operation after a delay from detecting the DCI to the end of the current DRX cycle.

[0108] Example 2: Figure 8 As shown, the information in this field instructs the UE to perform a DTX operation during the next DRX cycle.

[0109] In another scenario, an existing information field is used to indicate indication information related to DTX operation. The existing information field may include:

[0110] - 'Frequency domain resource allocation', 'Time domain resource allocation', 'Modulation and coding scheme', 'New data indicator', 'Redundancy version', 'HARQ process number' or 'UL / SUL indicator' field in DCI format 0_0 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0111] - 'HARQ-ACK bitmap' or 'all remaining bits' in DCI format 0_1 ​​with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or SP-CSI-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI for indicating CG-DFI, 'frequency domain resource allocation', 'time domain resource allocation', 'modulation and coding scheme', 'new data indicator', 'redundancy version', 'HARQ process number' or 'UL / SUL indicator'.

[0112] - 'Frequency domain resource allocation', 'Time domain resource allocation', 'Modulation and coding scheme', 'New data indicator', 'Redundancy version', 'HARQ process number' or 'UL / SUL indicator' in DCI format 0_2 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or SP-CSI-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0113] - 'Random access preamble index' in DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI, 'UL / SUL indicator',

[0114] 'SS / PBCH index', 'PRACH mask index', 'Reserved bits', 'Time domain resource allocation', 'Modulation and coding scheme', 'New data indicator', 'Redundancy version', 'HARQ process number', 'Downlink allocation index', 'PUCCH resource indicator', 'Short message' or 'TRS availability indication'.

[0115] - 'Frequency domain resource allocation', 'Time domain resource allocation', 'Modulation and coding scheme' for transport block 1, 'New data indicator' for transport block 1, 'Redundancy version' for transport block 1, 'HARQ process number', 'PDSCH group index' or 'HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator', or 'SCell sleep indication' in DCI format 1_1 or DCI format 1_2 with CRC scrambled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI.

[0116] D) MAC CE: MAC CE is used to indicate indication information, for example, information including activation / start of DTX operation, deactivation / stop of DTX operation, or change of DTX operation.

[0117] E) RRC signaling. The parameters of the DTX operation include at least one of the following:

[0118] -Indication information of the above DTX operation.

[0119] -Parameters of DTX operation configured for a cell or group of cells.

[0120] -Parameters of DTX operation configured for a UE or UE group.

[0121] F) SIB. If the UE is configured to support DTX operation, the UE shall acquire SIB information during a valid modification period. The UE assumes that the modification period used for SIB acquisition is the modification period n after the modification period n-1 in which the indication of SI change is received, or the modification period according to the mechanism specified in NR Rel-17. If the information carried by the SIB indicates the start or availability of DTX operation, the DTX operation during the modification period n+1 is available to the UE. If the SIB acquired by the UE does not carry the indication information of DTX operation, the UE considers that the DTX operation is stopped, not started or not available.

[0122] G) BS interaction. If the UE is configured to support DTX operation, the information associated with the DTX operation is exchanged between the BS and other peer BSs or neighboring BSs. The interaction information includes at least one of the following:

[0123] -Whether the serving cell supports DTX operation can be exchanged between wireless communication nodes through the Xn interface.

[0124] -Whether the UE group supports DTX operation can be exchanged between wireless communication nodes through the Xn interface.

[0125] - The Xn interface supports the exchange of signalling information between two NG-RAN nodes and the forwarding of PDUs to the corresponding tunnel endpoints.

[0126] H) Event. If the UE is configured with DTX operation, the DTX operation is triggered by an event. The event includes at least one of the following:

[0127] i) The event that triggers the DTX operation on the BS side includes at least one of the following:

[0128] - The BS receives a request for DTX operation issued by the UE.

[0129] - The BS receives confirmation information of the DTX operation configuration through a certain number of UEs, wherein the number of UEs is not less than 1 or greater than a threshold; the threshold is equal to a multiple of the number of idle mode UEs or connected mode UEs in the cell; wherein the multiple is a fraction and greater than 0.

[0130] - The value of RSRP / RSRQ reported by one or more UEs is below a threshold.

[0131] -Load percentage is less than the threshold.

[0132] - The DL or UL data amount is less than the threshold.

[0133] ii) The event triggering the DTX operation on the UE side includes at least one of the following:

[0134] - UE reports confirmation of DTX operation configuration.

[0135] - DL transmission of the UE is restricted on the serving cell.

[0136] - Only (one or more) UL or DL ​​CCs are configured for the UE.

[0137] - The UE is configured with DRX operation.

[0138] - The UE does not need to perform PDCCH monitoring for a certain duration.

[0139] -The measurement result based on SSB or CSI-RS or TRS or PTRS or PRS resources is less than the threshold.

[0140] -The measurement result of RSRP / RSRQ is less than the threshold;

[0141] - The associated SSB and CSI-RS resources configured by higher layer parameters are quasi-collocated for the UE.

[0142] -RRC configuration or reconfiguration including indication information associated with DTX operation includes

[0143] At least one of the following:

[0144] -indication information of the above DL signal transmission;

[0145] - Modify the time period;

[0146] - A serving cell ID or a serving cell group ID used to support DL signal transmission.

[0147] - A timer is introduced for DTX operation. When the timer expires, the DTX operation or DTX on duration or DTX off duration is stopped or started.

[0148] iii) A timer is introduced for DTX operation. When the timer expires, the DTX operation or the DTX on duration or the DTX off duration is stopped or started.

[0149] In some embodiments, for the indication method for indicating DTX operation as described above, for a UE with DRX configuration, if the UE is provided by the configuration of DTX, or if the UE detects an indication associated with the DTX operation, the UE assumes that the DTX operation is performed during the next DRX cycle, such as Figure 8 As shown, or the UE assumes that the DTX operation is performed after a delay from the detection of the indication associated with the DTX operation to the end of the current DRX cycle, as shown Fig. 9 shown.

[0150] 4) Backoff mechanism.

[0151] If the UE is provided with a configuration for DTX operation, or an ACK in which the UE reports the configuration for DTX operation, and the UEs or all UEs in the cell do not detect signalling carrying indication information of DTX operation on predefined resources, the UE shall:

[0152] - Assuming DTX operation or DTX-on duration or DTX-off duration is not

[0153] Available;

[0154] - do not perform DTX operation; or

[0155] -Determining whether to perform DTX operation based on the configuration of higher layer parameters associated with DTX operation.

[0156] If the UE is provided with a configuration of DTX operation and DRX operation, or an ACK of the configuration of DTX operation reported by the UE, and the UEs or all UEs in the cell do not detect signalling carrying indication information of DTX operation on predefined resources, the UE shall:

[0157] - performing a DTX operation from the start of the next DRX cycle or after a delay from the end of the monitoring opportunity for detection signaling to the end of the current DRX cycle or from the start of the next / current DRX cycle n to the end of DRX cycle n+N-1; or

[0158] -where N is the number of consecutive DRX cycles available for DTX operation.

[0159] - Setting the current DRX cycle or the next one or more DRX cycles as DTX cycles; or

[0160] - not performing DTX operation during the DTX-on duration or DTX-off duration in the current DRX cycle or a certain number of DRX cycles; or

[0161] -Determining whether to perform DTX operation based on the configuration of higher layer parameters associated with DTX operation.

[0162] If the UE is provided with a configuration for DTX operation, or the UE reports an ACK for the configuration of DTX operation, and the UE or all UEs in the cell do not detect signaling carrying indication information of the DTX operation on the predefined resources, the UE shall continue to monitor the signaling on the next predefined resources, or the UE shall perform the DTX operation during the default DRX cycle or during the default DTX on duration or the default DTX off duration or the default DTX cycle.

[0163] 5)UE characteristics.

[0164] UE features may include at least the following:

[0165] -Support DTX operation for UE or UE group or cell or cell group;

[0166] -Support cell specific DTX operation.

[0167] -Support for a DRX cycle configured as DTX operation, or support for DTX operation applied to a DRX cycle.

[0168] -Support DTX operation triggered by DCI.

[0169] -Support DTX operation triggered by timer.

[0170] -Supports DTX for PCell, SCell or CA scenarios.

[0171] Embodiment: Introduction of DTX and DRX functions.

[0172] DTX Features

[0173] 1) DTX is a function of controlling DL signal / channel transmission or UL signal / channel transmission, or cell-specific activity or UE-specific activity, or periodic or aperiodic activity, or UL grant or semi-persistent scheduling or dynamic scheduling.

[0174] 2) During the DTX On Duration, at least one of the following activities is available:

[0175] A) DL signal / channel transmission includes at least one of the following: SSB, or SIB, or DL ​​transmission associated with RACH process, or paging, or periodic or semi-persistent CSI-RS, or periodic PTRS, or DRS, or TRS, or DL ​​semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), or PDCCH with CRC scrambled by a specific RNTI, or PDSCH; wherein the specific RNTI includes at least one of the following: C-RNTI, or CS-RNTI, or CI-RNTI, or INT-RNTI, or SFI-RNTI, or S P-CSI-RNTI, or TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, or TPC-PUSCH-RNTI, or TPC-SRS-RNTI, or AI-RNTI, SL-RNTI, or SLCS-RNTI or SL semi-persistent scheduling V-RNTI, or SI-RNTI or MCCH-RNTI or G-RNTI or RA-RNTI or MsgB-RNTI or TC-RNTI or P-RNTI or PS-RNTI or RNTI; or, wherein the specific RNTI belongs to Type0-PDCCH CSS set, Type0A-PDCCH CSS set, Type0B-PDCCH CSS set, Type1A-PDCCH CSS set, Type2-PDCCH CSS set, Type2A-PDCCH CSS set, Type3-PDCCH CSS set, and UE-specific SS set. or

[0176] B) UL signal / channel transmission includes at least one of the following: SRS, or UL transmission associated with RACH process, or RSRP / RSRQ report, or CSI report, or HARQ-ACK feedback, or scheduling request (SR), or UL grant.

[0177] C) The cell-specific activity includes at least one of the following: cell-specific PUSCH, CG-PUSCH, cell-specific PUCCH, SSB, cell-specific SIB, PDCCH with CRC scrambled by a group-common RNTI, cell-specific PDSCH, cell-specific antenna port configuration, or cell-specific TDD UL / DL configuration.

[0178] Example 1: The cell-specific PUSCH is, for example, a PUSCH scheduled by a RAR UL grant, or a cell-specific MsgAPUSCH.

[0179] Example 2: The cell-specific PUCCH is, for example, PUCCH formats 0 and 1.

[0180] Example 3: The cell-specific SIB is, for example, SIB1.

[0181] Example 4: The group common RNTI is, for example, INT-RNTI, or SFI-RNTI, or SP-CSI-RNTI, or TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, or TPC-PUSCH-RNTI, or TPC-SRS-RNTI, or SI-RNTI, or MCCH-RNTI, or G-RNTI, or RA-RNTI, or P-RNTI, or PS-RNTI, or RNTI.

[0182] D) UE-specific activities include at least one of the following: UE-specific PUSCH, UE-specific PUCCH, PDCCH with CRC scrambled by UE-specific RNTI, UE-specific PDSCH, DL SPS, UE-specific RS transmission, UE-specific measurement, UE-specific reporting.

[0183] E) Periodic activities include periodic RS transmission, SSB, SIB, periodic CSI / RSRP / RSRQ reporting, periodic scheduling request, PDCCH monitoring, periodic data scheduling, semi-persistent scheduling, UL grant or DRX. or

[0184] Example 1: Periodic RS transmission is, for example, periodic CSI-RS, periodic ZP-CSI-RS, semi-persistent CSI-RS, periodic PTRS.

[0185] F) Aperiodic activities include aperiodic CSI-RS, aperiodic ZP-CSI-RS, dynamic data scheduling, and dynamic scheduling requests.

[0186] G) UL authorization; or

[0187] H) SPS; or

[0188] I) Dynamic scheduling.

[0189] 3) During the DTX off duration, at least one of the following activities is unavailable or restricted,

[0190] -A) PDCCH with CRC scrambled by at least one of the following RNTIs: C-RNTI, CS-RNTI, CI-RNTI, INT-RNTI, SFI-RNTI, SP-CSI-RNTI, TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, TPC-PUSCH-RNTI, TPC-SRS-RNTI, AI-RNTI, SL-RNTI, SLCS-RNTI or SL Semi-Persistent Scheduling V-RNTI.

[0191] -B) SSB, or SIB, or paging, or periodic or semi-persistent CSI-RS.

[0192] -C) SRS, or SR, or UL grant or HARQ-ACK feedback.

[0193] -D) Periodic or semi-persistent CSI-RS measurement reporting.

[0194] -E) drx-onDurationTimer or drx-InactivityTimer starts running after the start of the DTX off duration.

[0195] -F) drx-RetransmissionTimerDL or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL starts running after the start of the DTX-off duration.

[0196] -G) Periodic activities include periodic RS transmission, SSB, SIB, periodic CSI / RSRP / RSRQ reporting, periodic scheduling request, PDCCH monitoring, periodic data scheduling, semi-persistent scheduling, UL grant or DRX.

[0197] 4) During the DTX off duration, at least one of the following activities is available:

[0198] A) Actions triggered by timers, including BWP switching, SCell deactivation / activation, RA procedure, search space set group switching, or PDCCH skipping. Example: Actions performed during the duration of the ra-ContentionResolutionTimer or msgB-ResponseWindow running.

[0199] B) The activities associated with DRX include at least one of the following:

[0200] The running of drx-onDurationTimer or drx-InactivityTimer, which starts before the start of the DTX off duration.

[0201] - the running of drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL or drx-RetransmissionTimerSL, which starts before the start of the DTX-off duration; or

[0202] - A Scheduling Request is sent on PUCCH and is pending. If the serving cell is part of a non-terrestrial network, the DRX Active Time or DTX On Duration starts after the first Scheduling Request transmission plus the UE-gNB RTT.

[0203] C) Behaviors including BWP switching during delay, or SCell deactivation / activation during delay, or 4-step RA type msg1 / 2 / 3 / 4, or 2-step RA type msgA and msgB, or HARQ-ACK feedback of scheduling data received by the UE, or the operation of timers, including timers associated with BWP switching, or timers triggering SCell deactivation / activation, or timers associated with DRX operation, timers associated with search space set group switching or PDCCH skipping.

[0204] Example 1: The UE assumes that a RACH procedure during the backoff time or a RACH procedure triggered by a PDCCH order, or an ongoing RACH procedure occurring before the start of the DTX Off duration is available during the DTX Off duration.

[0205] Example 2: The UE assumes that a RACH procedure configured as SSB-based RA is available during the DTX-off duration.

[0206] Example 3: The UE assumes that during the DTX OFF duration, a RACH procedure setting the preamble index corresponding to the selected SSB is available.

[0207] Example 4: After successful reception of a random access response of a random access preamble not selected by the MAC entity among contention-based random access preambles, a PDCCH indicating a new transmission addressed to the C-RNTI of the MAC entity is not received.

[0208] D)SR or UL authorization.

[0209] E) Periodic reporting of RSRP / RSRQ, or reporting of CSI during the DTX off duration (if configured by higher layers).

[0210] F) Aperiodic CSI / RSRP / RSRQ measurements or periodic / semi-persistent CSI / RSRP / RSRQ measurements during the DTX OFF duration (if configured by higher layers).

[0211] 5) In some examples, if the UE is provided with DTX, only the DTX On Duration is defined or configured for the UE. The UE assumes that activities or configurations allowed / available during the DTX On Duration are not available or restricted during the DTX Off Duration, and vice versa.

[0212] 6) In some examples, if the UE is provided with DTX or the UE starts to perform DTX operation, the UE should ignore the DRX configuration or should not perform DRX operation.

[0213] DRX function.

[0214] DRX is a function that:

[0215] -1) Control the UE's PDCCH monitoring activities for the MAC entity's C-RNTI, CI-RNTI, CS-RNTI, INT-RNTI, SFI-RNTI, SP-CSI-RNTI, TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, TPC-PUSCH-RNTI, TPC-SRS-RNTI, AI-RNTI, SL-RNTI, SLCS-RNTI and SL semi-persistent scheduling V-RNTI. When using DRX operation, the MAC entity shall also monitor the PDCCH according to the requirements in NR Rel-17. When in RRC_CONNECTED, if DRX is configured, the MAC entity may use DRX operation to monitor the PDCCH discontinuously for all activated serving cells; otherwise, the MAC entity shall monitor the PDCCH as specified in NR Rel-17.

[0216] -2) The serving cells of the MAC entity can be configured by RRC in two DRX groups with separate DRX parameters. When RRC does not configure a secondary DRX group, there is only one DRX group and all serving cells belong to that one DRX group. When two DRX groups are configured, each serving cell is uniquely assigned to either of the two groups. The DRX parameters configured separately for each DRX group are:

[0217] drx-onDurationTimer, drx-InactivityTimer. The DRX parameters common to the DRX group are: drx-SlotOffset, drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, drx-LongCycleStartOffset, drx-ShortCycle (optional), drx-ShortCycleTimer (optional), drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL, and uplinkHARQ-Mode (optional).

[0218] A DRX group refers to a group of serving cells configured by RRC and having the same DRX active time.

[0219] When DRX is configured, the active time of the serving cells in the DRX group includes the following times:

[0220] - The drx-onDurationTimer or drx-InactivityTimer configured for the DRX group is running;

[0221] -drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, or drx-RetransmissionTimerSL is running on any serving cell in the DRX group;

[0223] -ra-ContentionResolutionTimer or msgB-ResponseWindow is running;

[0225] - a Scheduling Request is issued on PUCCH and is pending. If the serving cell is part of a non-terrestrial network, the Active Time starts after the first Scheduling Request transmission plus the UE-gNB RTT; or

[0226] - After successful reception of a random access response of a random access preamble not selected by the MAC entity among the contention-based random access preambles, a PDCCH indicating a new transmission addressed to the C-RNTI of the MAC entity is not received.

[0227] In some examples, the DTX operation indicated by signaling as described above is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) performed by a network node. In some examples, the DTX operation indicated by signaling as described above is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) performed by a UE. In some examples, the DTX operation indicated by signaling as described above is a discontinuous reception (DRX) performed by a UE.

[0228] Fig.10 An exemplary block diagram of a hardware platform 1000 is shown, which may be part of a network device (e.g., a base station) or a communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)). The hardware platform 1000 includes at least one processor 1010 and a memory 1005, on which instructions are stored. When the instructions are executed by the processor 1010, the hardware platform 1000 is configured to perform Figures 1 to 9 and Fig.11 The operations described in the various embodiments described in and in this patent document. Transmitter 1015 sends or issues information or data to another device. For example, a network device transmitter can issue a message to a user device. Receiver 1020 receives information or data sent or issued by another device. For example, a user device can receive a message from a network device.

[0229] The implementation described above will be applied to wireless communications. Fig.11 An example of a wireless communication system (e.g., a 5G or NR cellular network) including a base station 1120 and one or more user equipments (UEs) 1111, 1112, and 1113 is shown. In some embodiments, the UE uses a communication link to the network (sometimes referred to as an uplink direction, as shown by dashed arrows 1131, 1132, 1133) to access the BS (e.g., the network), which then enables subsequent communication from the BS to the UE (e.g., shown in the direction from the network to the UE, sometimes referred to as a downlink direction, as shown by arrows 1141, 1142, 1143). In some embodiments, the BS sends information to the UE (sometimes referred to as a downlink direction, as shown by arrows 1141, 1142, 1143), which then enables subsequent communication from the UE to the BS (e.g., shown in the direction from the UE to the BS, sometimes referred to as an uplink direction, as shown by dashed arrows 1131, 1132, 1133). The UE can be, for example, a smart phone, a tablet, a mobile computer, a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.

[0230] The disclosed and other embodiments, modules and functional operations described in this document may be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, or in computer software, firmware or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this document and their structural equivalents, or in a combination of one or more of them. The disclosed and other embodiments may be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer-readable medium, which are used to be executed by a data processing device or control the operation of the data processing device. The computer-readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of things that affect machine-readable propagation signals, or a combination of one or more of them. The term "data processing device" includes all devices, equipment and machines for processing data, including, for example, a programmable processor, a computer or multiple processors or computers. In addition to hardware, the device may also include code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, for example, code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, such as a machine-generated electrical, optical or electromagnetic signal, which is generated to encode information for transmission to a suitable receiver device.

[0231] The present application discloses an energy saving method, which includes: receiving, by a communication device, an indication of a discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation of a network node; and operating the communication device according to the indication of the DTX operation.

[0232] In some embodiments, the indication of DTX operation includes identifying one or more activities that the network node turned off during the DTX operation or during a pattern of on-durations and off-durations of DTX operation.

[0233] In some embodiments, the activity may be periodic or aperiodic.

[0234] In some embodiments, when the pattern is an on-duration, the communication device is allowed to perform at least one of the following activities: DL signal / channel transmission, UL signal / channel transmission, or cell-specific activity.

[0235] In some embodiments, when the pattern is an off-duration, the communications device is restricted from performing at least one of the following activities: SSB, SIB, paging, periodic, semi-persistent CSI-RS, SRS, SR, or UL grant, HARQ-ACK feedback, or DRX operation.

[0236] In some embodiments, when the pattern is an off-duration, the communication device is allowed to perform at least one of the following activities: an action triggered by a timer; an action associated with DRX, or an action including a message or feedback received by the communication device.

[0237] In some embodiments, actions triggered by a timer may be performed during the duration that the ra-ContentionResolutionTimer or msgB-ResponseWindow is running.

[0238] In some embodiments, the activity associated with DRX can be the running of drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, or drx-RetransmissionTimerSL.

[0239] In some embodiments, the indication of DTX operation includes at least one of: an OFF duration or an availability of an OFF duration, an ON duration or a validity of an ON duration, a cycle or an availability of a cycle, offset information, or delay information.

[0240] In some embodiments, the indication of the DTX operation is transmitted via signaling, wherein the signaling comprises at least one of: DCI, MAC CE, RRC signaling, SIB, interaction information from another communication device, or an event.

[0241] In some embodiments, the DCI may be at least one of: cell-specific signaling, group-common signaling, or UE-specific DCI information.

[0242] In some embodiments, the DCI indication information is cell-specific signaling or group common signaling, and the DCI indication information can be generated by at least one of the following methods: by an information block configured to indicate a cell within a cell group or a device within a device group, by an information block configured to indicate a cell group or a device group, or by a bit in a bitmap configured to indicate a cell or a cell group, or a device or a device group.

[0243] In some embodiments, when the DCI is group common signaling or UE-specific DCI, the information field associated with the DTX operation in the DCI can be at least one of the following: an existing field in the indication of the DTX operation, where the reuse is triggered by another existing field in the DCI, or by a higher-layer parameter associated with the DTX operation, or a new field in the indication of the DTX operation.

[0244] In another exemplary aspect, the above method is embodied in the form of processor executable code and stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The code included in the computer readable storage medium causes the processor to implement the method described in this patent document when executed by the processor.

[0245] In another exemplary embodiment, a device is disclosed, the device being configured or operable to perform the above method.

[0246] A computer program (also referred to as a program, software, software application, script, or code) may be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and may be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files storing one or more modules, subroutines, or code portions). A computer program may be deployed to execute on a single computer, or on multiple computers located at a site or distributed between multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0247] The processes and logic flows described in this document can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

[0248] For example, processors suitable for executing computer programs include both general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Typically, the processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The basic elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer will also include one or more mass storage devices (e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks) for storing data, or be operably coupled to receive data from one or more mass storage devices or to transmit data to them or both. However, a computer does not need to have such a device. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and memory devices, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM optical disks. The processor and memory can be supplemented or incorporated in them by a dedicated logic circuit system.

[0249] Although this document contains a lot of details, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the claimed invention or the content that can be claimed, but rather descriptions of the features of a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment in this document may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. In addition, although features may be described above as working with certain combinations, and even initially claimed as such, in some cases, one or more features from the claimed combination may be deleted from the combination, and the claimed combination may relate to a variant of a sub-combination or a sub-combination. Similarly, although operations are described in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in order, or requiring all operations shown to be performed to obtain desired results.

[0250] Only a few examples and implementations are disclosed. Variations, modifications, and enhancements may be made to the described examples and implementations and other implementations based on what is disclosed.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: receiving, by a communications device, an indication of discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation of a network node; as well as The communications device is operated in accordance with the indication of the DTX operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the DTX operation comprises identifying one or more activities that the network node is turned off during the DTX operation or during a pattern of on-durations and off-durations of the DTX operation. The method of claim 2 , wherein the activity is periodic or aperiodic. 4 . The method of claim 2 , when the pattern is an on-duration, the communication device is allowed to perform at least one of the following activities: DL signal / channel transmission, UL signal / channel transmission, or cell-specific activity.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the pattern is an off-duration, the communication device is restricted from performing at least one of the following activities: SSB, SIB, paging, periodic, semi-persistent CSI-RS, SRS, SR, or UL grant, HARQ-ACK feedback, or DRX operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when the pattern is an off-duration, the communication device is allowed to perform at least one of the following activities: an action triggered by a timer; an action associated with DRX, or an action including a message or feedback received by the communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the action triggered by the timer can be performed during the duration that ra-ContentionResolutionTimer or msgB-ResponseWindow is running.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the activity associated with DRX can be the running of drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, or drx-RetransmissionTimerSL.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of DTX operation comprises at least one of: an off-duration or the availability of the off-duration, an on-duration or the validity of the on-duration, a cycle or the availability of the cycle, offset information, or delay information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the DTX operation is transmitted through signaling, wherein the signaling comprises at least one of the following: DCI, MAC CE, RRC signaling, SIB, interaction information from another communication device, or an event.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the DCI can be at least one of the following: cell-specific signaling, group common signaling, or UE-specific DCI information.

12. The method according to claim 10, when the DCI indication information is cell-specific signaling or group-common signaling, the DCI indication information can be generated in at least one of the following methods: By means of an information block configured to indicate a cell within a cell group or a device within a device group, By an information block configured to indicate a cell group or a device group, or Through the bits in the bitmap, the bits are configured to indicate a cell or a cell group, or a device or a device group.

13. The method according to claim 10, when the DCI is group common signaling or UE-specific DCI, the information field associated with the DTX operation in the DCI can be at least one of the following items: an existing field in the indication of the DTX operation, wherein the reuse is triggered by another existing field in the DCI, or by a higher layer parameter associated with the DTX operation, or A new field in the indication of the DTX operation.

14. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A processor configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having codes stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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