Transmission and reception of PDCCH repetitions

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus, a method, and a computer readable storage medium for transmitting and receiving physical control channel (PDCCH) repetition. In a method, a user equipment determines a repetition pattern associated with repetition of a PDCCH transmission. The repetition pattern is configured in at least one slot in the one or more frames. The user equipment monitors for repetition of PDCCH transmissions based on the repetition pattern. The user equipment then decodes the control information based on at least one of the repetitions of the PDCCH transmission being monitored.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to apparatus, methods, and computer-readable storage media for transmission and / or reception of physical control channel (PDCCH) repetitions. Background Art

[0002] In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 18 (Rel-18), the solution developed by New Radio (NR) coverage enhancement was applied to NTN, considering the characteristics of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), including large propagation delays and satellite mobility, and potential issues and enhancements were identified for NTN. In the preliminary study phase, the coverage performance of different uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) channels was evaluated, and the bottleneck channels were identified. Such identification resulted in the following goals for NTN: specify physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) enhancements for message 4 (Msg4) hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) (e.g., repetition), and study demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) taking into account NTN details (e.g., time-frequency pre-compensation), and if necessary, specify enhancements to Release 17 (Rel-17) procedures. Some DL channels also need enhancements. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided. The user equipment includes at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the user equipment to at least: determine a repetition pattern associated with repetitions of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; based on the repetition pattern, monitor repetitions of the PDCCH transmission; and decode control information based on at least one monitored repetition of the repetition of the PDCCH transmission. The repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions when executed by the at least one processor, causing the network device to at least: determine a repetition pattern associated with repetitions of PDCCH transmissions; and send repetitions of PDCCH transmissions based on the repetition pattern. The repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining a repetition pattern associated with repetitions of PDCCH transmissions; monitoring the repetitions of PDCCH transmissions based on the repetition pattern; and decoding control information based on at least one monitored repetition of the repetitions of PDCCH transmissions. The repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method comprises: determining a repetition pattern associated with repetition of PDCCH transmission; and sending the repetition of PDCCH transmission based on the repetition pattern. The repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for determining a repetition pattern associated with a repetition of a PDCCH transmission, the repetition pattern being configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; a component for monitoring the repetition of the PDCCH transmission based on the repetition pattern; and a component for decoding control information based on at least one monitored repetition of the repetition of the PDCCH transmission.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes a component for determining a repetition pattern associated with repetitions of PDCCH transmissions, the repetition pattern being configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; and a component for sending repetitions of PDCCH transmissions based on the repetition pattern.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0010] It should be understood that the contents described in the Summary of the Invention are not intended to limit the key features or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

[0013] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating an example communication process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 3A illustrates an example configuration of a repeating pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3B illustrates example configurations of repeating patterns according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3C shows another example configuration of a repeating pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 3D shows yet another example configuration of a repeating pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3E shows an example deployment of a set of search spaces in a time slot according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4 shows an example grouping of PDCCH candidates with aggregation level (AL) 4 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 5 An example process for reception of PDCCH repetitions according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating an example method for reception of PDCCH repetitions according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 7 A flow chart illustrating another example method for reception of PDCCH repetitions according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 8 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0024] Fig. 9 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration, and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the embodiments described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0027] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0028] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that such feature, structure, or characteristic may be affected in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0029] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0030] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, refer to at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0031] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0032] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms. It will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "include" and / or "include" specify the presence of features, elements and / or parts, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, parts and / or combinations thereof.

[0033] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and (ii) a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor), any portion of software and memory, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions and (c) a hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, which requires software (e.g. firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not required for operation.

[0034] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0035] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0036] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to the following node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NRNB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node such as a femto station, a micro station, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment, such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves similarly to a UE toward a parent node, and a DU portion of an IAB node behaves similarly to a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0037] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback facility, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless user terminal equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automatic processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user device", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0038] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication, for example, communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as resources in the time domain, resources in the frequency domain, resources in the spatial domain, resources in the code domain, or any other resource supporting communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0039] As mentioned above, in Rel-18, coverage enhancement for NTN is mainly focused on UL enhancements, such as enhancements to Msg4 HARQ-ACK and enhancements to the DMRS bundling framework for PUSCH. However, some DL channels also need to be enhanced. When satellite power limitations are considered (due to, for example, regulatory requirements or power splitting between satellite beams), channels related to initial access need to be enhanced for downlink coverage enhancement. Such channels may include the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for Message 2 (Msg2), and the PDSCH for Msg4. For example, when considering power flux density (PFD) limitations or more generally limitations on satellite output power, coverage enhancement for PDCCH is needed to improve channel performance.

[0040] To improve coverage, the following approaches may be considered: (a) reducing interference and noise contributions, (b) increasing transmission power, and (c) increasing energy per bit (by reducing the payload or transmitting over a longer time). However, approach (a) is not relevant to PDCCH enhancement, and approach (b) is not feasible due to PFD limitations. Approach (c) may be achieved by introducing repetitions of the channel to be enhanced. For example, to improve the physical layer performance of the channel, a larger amount of resources may be allocated to data or control channel transmissions for a specific number of bits (in the case of data and / or control channels). This is achieved by repeating the transmission of the payload data multiple times so that the receiver has the possibility to combine the received signals and improve the reliability of the demodulated and decoded bits.

[0041] In Rel-17, repetition of UE-specific search space (USS) PDCCH has been specified for multiple transmission and reception point (TRP) features, and such a mechanism can be extended for NTN, at least for PDCCH in radio resource control (RRC) connected mode. However, the repetition feature does not apply to PDCCH in initial access, and in particular not to configured Type0-PDCCH. In an enhancement of the coverage of Type0-PDCCH, Type0-PDCCH can be repeated multiple times in the same or different time slots, allowing the UE to combine the received Type0-PDCCH transmissions.

[0042] However, to be able to combine multiple Type0-PDCCH repetitions, the UE needs to know at least whether the gNB is transmitting and how many repetitions the gNB has sent, and therefore the time span of the Type0-PDCCH repetitions. There is a need for a design for the reception and monitoring of Type0-PDCCH with repetitions.

[0043] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose a framework for receiving PDCCH repetitions. In the framework, a repetition pattern associated with multiple repetitions of PDCCH (such as Type 0-PDCCH) transmissions is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames. Based on such a repetition pattern, a user equipment monitors the repetitions of PDCCH transmissions (also referred to as PDCCH repetitions) and decodes control information based on the monitored repetitions.

[0044] In an example, monitoring and decoding can be performed based on one or more configurations related to PDCCH repetition, which can include a repetition number or repetition factor, or a trigger for a specified number of PDCCH repetitions. Based on the proposed framework, the user equipment can know how to operate when the PDCCH is configured with repetitions. In this way, PDCCH repetitions can be received in a more efficient manner, and thus PDCCH coverage enhancement can be effectively and efficiently achieved.

[0045] It should be noted that although the proposed scheme is derived from the NTN scenario, the scheme proposed in this article can be generally applied to any deployment scenario. In the following, some example embodiments will be described using Type0-PDCCH as an example implementation of PDCCH, while the example embodiments of this article can be generally applied to any other type of PDCCH. In addition, some example embodiments will be described using PDCCH repetition as an example implementation of PDCCH resource extension for PDCCH coverage enhancement, while the example embodiments of this article can be generally applied to any other type of PDCCH resource extension. For example, PDCCH resource extension can also refer to a PDCCH channel transmitted through multiple time slots, or a PDCCH channel transmitted through multiple OFDM symbols greater than 3 (where 3 symbols is the current maximum size of the CORESET for PDCCH transmission).

[0046] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0047] In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices including a user device 110 and a network device 120 may communicate with each other. The network device 120 may serve a coverage area, referred to as a cell 125. The user device 110 may access the communication network via the cell 125. In some example embodiments, both the user device 110 and the network device 120 may be configured to implement beamforming techniques and communicate with each other via multiple beams.

[0048] In some example embodiments, the link from network device 120 to user equipment 110 is referred to as DL, and the link from user equipment 110 to network device 120 is referred to as UL. In DL, network device 120 is a Tx device (or sender), and user equipment 110 is an Rx device (or receiver). In UL, user equipment 110 is a Tx device (or sender), and network device 120 is an Rx device (or receiver). The link between user equipment 110 and another user equipment (not shown) is referred to as a side link (SL). In SL, one of the user equipments is a Tx device (or sender), and another of the user equipments is an Rx device (or receiver).

[0049] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, communications may use any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0050] It should be understood that the number of devices and their connections are for illustration purposes only. Figure 1 Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] In some example embodiments, during a cell search, user equipment 110 may determine a control resource set (CORESET) and a search space (e.g., time domain location) for Type0-PDCCH from a master information block (MIB) message from network equipment 120. For example, user equipment 110 may determine from the MIB that a CORESET for a Type0-PDCCH common search space (CSS) set (also referred to as CORESET#0 or CORESET0) exists. User equipment 110 may also determine the number of consecutive resource blocks and the number of consecutive symbols of the CORESET of the Type0-PDCCH CSS set from controlResourceSetZero in pdcch-ConfigSIB1 included in the MIB for operation without shared spectrum channel access in frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2-1 (FR2-1), or for operation with shared spectrum channel access in FR1 and frequency range 2-2 (FR2-2), and determine a PDCCH monitoring opportunity (PMO) from searchSpaceZero in pdcch-ConfigSIBl.

[0052] The Type0-PDCCH CSS set may be defined by the control channel element (CCE) aggregation level and the number of PDCCH candidates per CCE aggregation level as given in Table 1, which may be configured by searchspaceSIB1. Table 1

[0053] Type0-PMO is specified in 3GPP standards such as TS 38.213. For operation without shared spectrum channel access and for synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (SSB or SS / PBCH blocks) and CORESET multiplexing mode 1, user equipment 110 may monitor the PDCCH in the Type0-PDCCH CSS set in two time slots. For the SS / PBCH block with index i, user equipment 110 may determine the time slot number of time slot n0 as modN slotframe，μ , time slot n0 is in a frame with the following system frame number (SFN), denoted by SFNc, if Satisfies SFNc mod 2 = 0, or if Slot n0 is in a frame with SFN satisfying SFNc mod2=1, where μ∈{0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6}, which is based on the SCS for PDCCH reception in CORESET. Here, mod is also called Modulo, which is an operation to find the remainder of dividing an integer by another integer.

[0054] For μ∈{0, 1, 2, 3} and for SS / PBCH block index i, the two slots that include the associated Type0-PMOs are slots n0 and n0+1. M, O, and the index of the first symbol of the CORESET in slots n0 and n0+1 may be provided in Table 2. Table 2

[0055] For μ∈{0,1} and for candidate SS / PBCH block index i, the two slots including the associated Type0-PMO are slots n0 and n0+1. For μ=3 and for candidate SS / PBCH block index i, the two time slots including the associated Type0-PMO are also time slots n0 and n0+1. For μ=5 and for candidate SS / PBCH block index i, the two time slots including the associated Type0-PMO are time slots n0 and n0+4. For μ=6 and for candidate SS / PBCH block index i, the two time slots including the associated Type0-PMO are time slots n0 and n0+8.

[0056] If the subcarrier spacing (SCS) is taken as 30 kHz for both PDCCH and SSB, the PMO associated with SSB index i can be calculated as shown in Table 3. Table 3 serial number O M <![CDATA[n0(i=0)]]> <![CDATA[n0(i=1)]]> <![CDATA[n0(i=2)]]> <![CDATA[n0(i=3)]]> <![CDATA[n0(i=4)]]> <![CDATA[n0(i=5)]]> <![CDATA[n0(i=7)]]> <![CDATA[n0(i=7)]]> 0 0 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 0 1 / 2 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 2 1 / 2 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 4 5 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 5 5 1 / 2 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 6 7 1 14 15 16 17 18 19 0 1 7 7 1 / 2 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 8 0 2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 9 5 2 10 12 14 16 18 0 2 4 10 0 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 1 0 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 2 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 2 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 14 5 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 5 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

[0057] In the configuration of PMO, the indexes are numbered from #0 to #15, as shown in Table 3. If the configuration with index #4 is taken as an example, since M=1, the time slot n0+1 of the previous beam (e.g., with SSB index 0) overlaps with the time slot n0 of the next beam (e.g., with SSB index 1). The overlapping time slots can carry at most one CORESET for one SSB index. PMO may include all possible PMOs.

[0058] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration associated with Type0-PDCCH repetition may be communicated from network device 120 to user equipment 110 via a MIB message. Based on the configuration, user equipment 110 may perform monitoring, reception, and blind decoding on Type0-PDCCH repetition. In various example embodiments, the monitoring, reception, and blind decoding are performed based on a repetition pattern that is configured in at least one time slot of one or more frames. Figure 2 Discuss some example implementations.

[0059] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating an example communication process 200 between a user equipment 110 and a network device 120 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] like Figure 2 As shown, the network device 120 may send (205) a MIB message to the user equipment 110. The MIB message may include a control resource set zero field and a search space zero field, both of which may be carried in the pdcch-ConfigSIB1 information element. Thus, the UE 310 may learn about frequency domain resources from the control resource set zero field and about time domain resources from the search space zero field. The MIB message may include a repetition factor or any other configuration information associated with PDCCH repetition. After receiving such a MIB, the user equipment 110 may know that PDCCH repetition is enabled and know the configuration of PDCCH repetition.

[0061] The user equipment 110 may then determine (210) a repetition pattern associated with the PDCCH repetition. The repetition pattern may focus on one PDCCH transmission and the corresponding repetition. The repetition pattern may be determined based on at least one of the following: a repetition factor, a starting symbol number, a starting time slot number, a starting frame number, a time slot offset value, a frame offset value, or an index of an SSB beam.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be determined (213) by network device 120 and / or configured to user equipment 110. For example, network device 120 may send at least one configuration associated with the repetition pattern to user equipment 110 to indicate what or which repetition pattern is used for PDCCH repetition. For example, network device 120 may configure one or more repetition patterns and then send configuration information configuring the repetition pattern to user equipment 110. In another example, one or more repetition patterns are fixed in the specification. Network device 120 may select one of the predetermined repetition patterns based on some conditions such as the configuration of the CORESET, the search space and / or the Type0-PDCCH repetition factor, and then network device 120 may send an indication indicating the specific repetition pattern to user equipment 110.

[0063] The repetition pattern may be configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames. At least one time slot may have at least one time slot number. At least one time slot number may include a time slot number (referred to as the first time slot number) indicating a plurality of repeated starting time slot numbers for PDCCH transmission, and / or a time slot number (referred to as the second time slot number) having an offset value with respect to the first time slot number. The repetition pattern is configured in a time slot having a first time slot number and / or a second time slot number in one or more frames. The frame and time slot structure may refer to the TS38.211 standard document. For example, a frame includes one or more time slots, and a time slot includes one or more symbols (e.g., 14 symbols). In this case, if the SCS value is the same, each frame has the same number of time slots, and the time slot numbering starts from 0 in each frame.

[0064] For example, if user equipment 110 supports Type0-PDCCH with repetition and receives a MIB message with a configured repetition factor or a selection with a repetition mode from network device 120, user equipment 110 may receive Type0-PDCCH in a repeated manner across multiple time slots. In some example embodiments, Type0-PDCCH repetition may occur in time slot n0 or in time slot n0+1 or time slot n0+x in multiple frames, where the multiple frames are represented by SFNc, where x represents a positive integer, and n0+x represents a time slot having a time slot offset value x with respect to time slot n0, where n0 may be determined as described above.

[0065] In some example embodiments, one or more frames of the repetition pattern may be configured with one or more frame numbers. The one or more frame numbers may include a first frame number indicating a repetition start frame number for PDCCH transmission, and / or a second frame number having a frame offset value with respect to the first frame number.

[0066] An example configuration for repeat mode is in Figure 3A In this example, in slot n0 (n0=10 in this case) in multiple frames SFNc, for SSB index 0, the repetition factor is 4. The PDCCH repetitions may be received in a repetitive manner over the SFN span.

[0067] In such Figure 3A In the configuration 300 shown, the repetition pattern is configured in time slots in four frames according to the repetition factor. In the example, the repetition occasions 302, 304, 306 and 308 can follow the time slot occasions corresponding to the SSB beam in the configuration index #4 of the PMO in Table 3, for example, n0, which is the starting time slot number for PDCCH repetition in each frame. n0 can be predefined or specified in the 3GPP standard. In this example, the repetition pattern can be configured in a group of frames with a frame offset value of 2, for example, (SFN start , SFN start +2,......,SFN start +N*2), and thus are configured in alternate SFNs (e.g., even SFNs or odd SFNs). N represents the repetition factor, or more generally, the spreading factor of the PDCCH in a number of slots. SFN start The system frame number of the frame in which the PDCCH repetition (or extended PDCCH) starts. In some embodiments, SFN start Indicated by configuration or determined by the user equipment 110 .

[0068] Repetitions may be sent in a repetitive pattern at a slot granularity, for example, in groups of slots in a frame candidate as follows: in Indicates SFN start The time slot n0 of the frame, Indicates SFN start +2*N frames of time slot n0, and so on.

[0069] In other example embodiments, the repetition occasion may follow the slot monitoring occasion n0+1 or n0+x, which may be the starting slot number for PDCCH repetition in each frame. For the slot granularity of the group of slots in the frame candidate, the repetition is sent in a repetition pattern as follows: in Indicates SFN start The time slot n0+x in the frame of Indicates SFN start+2*N frames, etc. For example, x may be 1, 4, or 8, depending on the subcarrier spacing (SCS) value μ as described above.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the starting frame number SFN start It can be determined as SFNc in a predetermined time window. The predetermined time window can have a predetermined duration and start from the system frame number SFN reference For the SSB index with PMO in even SFN, SFN reference It can be SFN0 (or SFN=0), or for SSB index with PMO in odd SFN, SFN reference It can be SFN1 (or SFN=1).

[0071] In some example embodiments, a starting frame number SFN of one or more frames may be determined based on a predetermined period and a reference frame. start . The predetermined period may be associated with the number of frames repeated for PDCCH transmission (or for PDCCH extension), and the number of frames may depend on the repetition factor. In an example, the number of frames used for PDCCH repetition may be equal to the configured number of repetitions or repetition factor. In another example, considering that PMO occurs at interval SFN values ​​(e.g., even SFN or odd SFN), the period may be equal to twice the configured number of repetitions or repetition factor. In some embodiments, the period is configured by the network and may be equal to a value less than or greater than twice the configured number of repetitions. The reference frame may be determined at the user equipment 110 as a specified value based at least on the SSB index selected by the user equipment 110. For example, the reference frame may be a frame with SFN=0 for an SSB index with PMO in an even SFN, or a frame with SFN=1 for an SSB index with PMO in an odd SFN.

[0072] In some exemplary embodiments, the period may be predefined in the 3GPP specification, or semi-statically or dynamically configured by the network device 120. In an example, the starting frame number or SFN start The user equipment 110 may periodically receive a frame number SFN from the system frame number SFN. reference For the SSB index with PMO in the even SFN, SFN reference It can be SFN0 (or SFN=0), or for SSB indexes with PMO in odd SFNs, SFN refetence It can be SFN1 (or SFN=1).

[0073] In some example embodiments, the starting frame number may be determined as SFN start , which satisfies: (SFN start -SFN refetence )mod(M×2)=0.

[0074] In the example, for SSB indices with PMO in even SFNs, SFN start Can meet SFN start mod(M×2)=0, or for SSB indices with PMO in odd SFNs, SFN start Can meet (SFN start -1)mod(M×2)=0, where Figure 3A In the configuration 300 shown, M=N, or in the Figure 3C In the configuration shown Wherein the repetition pattern is configured in two time slots in each frame in one or more frames, as will be described in the following paragraphs. For example, if N=5 and M=3, then SFN={0, 6, 9, ...}. If N=4 and M=2, then SFN={0, 4, 8, ...}.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern may be configured in multiple time slots in one or more frames starting from the time slot indicated by the starting time slot number. Figure 3B and Figure 3C An example of such a configuration of a repeating pattern is discussed.

[0076] Figure 3B An example configuration 310 of a repetition pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, a PDCCH repetition may be sent by the network device 120 and received by the user equipment 110 in monitoring occasions in time slots n0 and n0+1, and the repetition factor is 2.

[0077] like Figure 3B As shown, one SSB beam is associated with 2 PMOs in one frame. Thus, each PDCCH-associated SSB beam can be received in a repeated manner within the same frame. In configuration 310, two repetition opportunities 312 and 314 correspond to an SSB beam, and two repetition opportunities 316 and 318 correspond to another SSB beam. For example, in the case of configuration index #8 or #9 of the PMO in Table 3 where two consecutive time slots for Type0-PDCCH are associated with only one SSB beam, the two time slots including the associated PMO for different SSB beams do not overlap. In this case, the two consecutive time slots can be repetition candidates.

[0078] It should be understood that Figure 3BThe use of slot n0 and slot n0+1 shown is illustrative only and not limiting. Depending on the configuration of the applied PMO (e.g., as shown in Table 3), other slot combinations, such as slot n0 and slot n0+4 or slot n0+8, may be used as repetition opportunities.

[0079] Figure 3C Another example configuration 320 of a repeating pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3B The configuration in 310 is different, the repetition factor is 4 instead of 2.

[0080] exist Figure 3C In the illustrated configuration 320, four repetition occasions 322, 324, 326, and 328 corresponding to the SSB beam are configured in two frames. Therefore, the SSB beam associated with each PDCCH can be received in a repetitive manner within and across frames.

[0081] In case 2 time slots are used as repetition opportunities in a frame, the repetition pattern can be configured in groups of frames, for example, Where N is the configured repetition factor. In an example, the time slot of the PDCCH monitoring opportunity may be determined by n0, which is specified in a 3GPP standard such as TS38.213, and the repetition opportunity may follow the time slot opportunity corresponding to the SSB beam. For example, the starting time slot It is SFN start The repetition pattern at the time slot granularity can be the following group of time slots in the frame candidate: Wherein if time slot n0+x does not overlap with the time slot of the next SSB beam, time slot n0+x can be a repeated opportunity, then Indicated in Time slot n0 in the frame.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in a plurality of search space sets within a time slot having a first or second time slot number (e.g., n0 or n0+1) in each of one or more frames. A search space set defines a set of resource groups including time domain / frequency domain resources for monitoring PDCCH transmissions. A search space set may refer to a subset of a search space that identifies different time (symbol) resources in a search space for a Type0-PDCCH for an associated particular SSB. Reference will be made to Figure 3D and Figure 3E An example of such a configuration of a repeating pattern is discussed.

[0083] Figure 3DAn example configuration 330 of a repetition pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, the number of search space sets per time slot is 2, and the repetition factor is 2. The PMO of a Type0-PDCCH CSS set is identified by different time (symbol) resources in the search space set of the Type0-PDCCH for the associated specific SSB. In the example, such as Figure 3D , the number of search space sets is 2, and the Type0-PDCCHCSS set monitoring opportunities in different time slots and associated with the same specific SSB index belong to the same repetition pattern, for example, repetition opportunities 332 and 336 belong to a repetition pattern associated with one SSB, and repetition opportunities 334 and 338 belong to another repetition pattern associated with another SSB.

[0084] In an example, the Type0-PDCCH CSS set may be one of two search space sets in the same slot, which may follow the configuration index #7 of the PMO in Table 3, for example. The two search space sets may be associated with two SSB indices in the slot. In this case, the repetition opportunity may be configured in one of the search space sets corresponding to one SSB index. Figure 3D As shown, in configuration 330, repetition opportunities 332 and 334 are configured in a search space set corresponding to an SSB in a time slot (e.g., time slot #14) across two frames, and repetition opportunities 336 and 338 are configured in two other monitoring opportunities, which are in the same time slot across the same two frames, but in different OFDM symbols corresponding to another SSB in the time slot.

[0085] Figure 3E An example of multiple search space sets in a time slot according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3E As shown, in time slot 340 (e.g., time slot #14), first search space set 342 includes the first two symbols (e.g., symbols #0 and #1), and second search space set 344 includes the last two symbols (e.g., symbols #2 and #3). Search space set 342 corresponds to one SSB beam, and search space set 344 corresponds to another SSB beam.

[0086] Still reference Figure 2, based on the determined (210) repetition pattern, user equipment 110 may monitor (215) PDCCH repetitions. In some example embodiments, PDCCH repetitions may be monitored per group of PDCCH candidates. A group of PDCCH candidates may include PDCCH candidates associated with an aggregation level (AL) having the same candidate index in a plurality of PMOs, the plurality of PMOs being determined as described above and belonging to the repetition pattern. In this way, the number of blind decodings may be reduced, thereby reducing processing complexity and saving processing resources of user equipment 110.

[0087] For example, within a time slot, there may be one or two search space sets (as shown in Table 2). In each PMO of each search space set, there may be 4 PDCCH candidates for AL 4, 2 candidates for AL 8, and 1 candidate for AL 16. In an example, PDCCH candidates of ALs with the same index in the PMO in the repetition mode may be linked as a PDCCH group for repeated reception.

[0088] Figure 4 An example grouping of PDCCH candidates with AL 4 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, the repetition factor is 4. Figure 4 As shown, in the Type0-PDCCH CSS set monitoring opportunities (or CSS opportunities) of the same repetitive pattern, for example, labeled as CSS_Occasion 0, CSS_Occasion 1, CSS_Occasion 2 and CSS_Occasion 3, PDCCH candidates of AL 4 with the same index, for example, candidate_0, candidate_1, candidate_2 or candidate_3 are grouped into PDCCH groups. For example, PDCCH candidates with index candidate_0 in four CSS opportunities are grouped into PDCCH group 0. PDCCH candidates with index candidate_1 in four CSS opportunities are grouped into PDCCH group 1. PDCCH candidates with index candidate_2 in four CSS opportunities are grouped into PDCCH group 2. PDCCH candidates with index candidate_3 in four CSS opportunities are grouped into PDCCH group 3.

[0089] In the example, it is represented as {s j ,s j+1 ,s j+2 ,......,s j+N-1}PMO group and SFN (SFN start , SFN start +2,......,SFN start +N*2) in a repeating pattern, where s j Indicates the jth PMO. Type0-PDCCH candidate in Indicated in PMOs j The number of PDCCH candidates in the aggregation level L, where the user equipment 110 is configured to monitor the aggregation level L. In order to reduce the number of PDCCH candidates for each The number of blind decodings of all Type0-PDCCH candidates that the user equipment 110 can monitor simultaneously In other words, the user equipment 110 may simultaneously monitor PDCCH candidates with the same index across different PMOs constituting a repetitive pattern. These PDCCH candidates are grouped into PDCCH groups.

[0090] In another example, the same repetitive pattern of PMO{s j ,s j+1 ,s j+2 ,......,s j+N-1} in different time slots of the same or different frames. For example, PMO can be in time slot In, it may include Figure 3B Non-overlapping consecutive time slot opportunities within the same frame as shown or as Figure 3C The cross-frame opportunities shown. The PDCCH candidates of these PMOs can be grouped into different PDCCH groups.

[0091] Next, return Figure 2 , user equipment 110 may decode (220) control information based on at least one monitored PDCCH repetition. In some example embodiments, user equipment 110 may decode the repetitions one by one. For example, user equipment 110 may decode each Type0-PDCCH repetition individually until the Type0-PDCCH is successfully decoded, which is referred to as selective decoding (SD) and may utilize time diversity gain.

[0092] In some example embodiments, user equipment 110 may decode a PDCCH transmission based on multiple repetitions. In an example, user equipment 110 may combine all Type 0-PDCCH repetitions before decoding the Type 0-PDCCH, which is referred to as soft combining, and may therefore exploit combining gains with multiple receptions. To support soft combining (or catch-up combining), the content of each transmission of the PDCCH repetition may need to remain the same as the first transmission.

[0093] In some example embodiments, user equipment 110 may decode the PDCCH transmission based on the monitored repetition and at least one previously monitored repetition. For example, user equipment 110 may combine Type0-PDCCH repetitions one by one, and each combination is associated with one decoding until Type0-PDCCH is successfully decoded. In such a case, the content of each transmission of the PDCCH repetition also needs to remain the same as the first transmission.

[0094] The following will refer to Figure 5 Describes an example process of Type 0-PDCCH configuration, monitoring, and reception.

[0095] In such Figure 5 In the process 500 shown in FIG. 5 , the user equipment 110 may be configured (502) from the network device 120 via the MIB, which has a repetition factor for Type0-PDCCH (N repetitions in this example) and a ControlResourceSetZero field, a SearchSpaceZero field, etc. The user equipment 110 may then know that repetition is enabled and derive the repetition factor, e.g., 4, from the repurposed bits of the Idle and cellBarred fields in the MIB. In addition, the user equipment 110 may know the frequency domain resources from the ControlResourceSetZero field and the time domain resources from the SearchSpaceZero field in the MIB. The UE 305 may then start monitoring the repetitions.

[0096] like Figure 5 As shown, at 504, 508, 512, and 516, the user equipment 110 may begin monitoring each repetition opportunity belonging to the repetition pattern as configured by the network device 120. In the example, the repetition pattern spans a frame (SFN start , SFN start +2,......,SFN start +N*2), where N is the repetition factor, and within the corresponding SFN or In the time slot of It is SFN start +2*N frames, and N is the repetition factor. In some example embodiments, user equipment 110 may monitor repetitions for each group of repetition candidates, and the group of repetition candidates may include Type0-PDCCH candidates. in where {s j ,s j+1 ,s j+2 ,......,s j+N-1} is the PMO of the repetition pattern of the Type0-PDCCH CSS set in a given timeslot / SFN.

[0097] In an example, after the user equipment 110 monitors (504) Type0-PDCCH, the user equipment 110 may save the received PDCCH transmission in a buffer and not decode it until all repetitions are received at 516. In another example, after reception (504) of the PDCCH transmission, the user equipment 110 may attempt to decode the PDCCH transmission. If the user equipment 110 successfully decodes it, the user equipment 110 will discard the remaining repetitions. If the user equipment 110 fails to decode it, the user equipment 110 may save it in a buffer. In the case of applying selective decoding (SD), the user equipment 110 may monitor (506) SIB1 via PDSCH.

[0098] After the user equipment 110 monitors (508) Type0-PDCCH, the user equipment 110 may also store it in a buffer and not decode it. Alternatively, the user equipment 110 may combine the current PDCCH transmission with the PDCCH transmission previously received and stored in the buffer at 504, and start decoding with the combined PDCCH transmission. If the decoding is successful, the user equipment 110 may discard the remaining repetitions. If the user equipment 110 fails to decode, the user equipment 110 may be stored in the buffer. Similar to 506, if SD is applied, the user equipment 110 may receive (510) SIB1 via PDSCH. The operations of 512 to 516 are similar to the operations of 504 to 508, and their details will be omitted. After monitoring all repetitions (504, 508, 512 and 516), the user equipment 110 may receive (518) SIB1 via PDSCH based on the decoded control information.

[0099] It should be understood that the operations described in conjunction with the user equipment may be implemented at a network device or other devices, and the operations described in conjunction with the network device may be implemented at a user equipment or other devices. Example Method

[0100] Figure 6 6 is a flow chart showing an example method 600 for receiving PDCCH repetitions according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be performed in a Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to the user equipment 110. Figure 1 The method 600 is described from the perspective of the user equipment 110 .

[0101] At block 610, the user equipment 110 determines a repetition pattern associated with repetitions of a PDCCH transmission. The repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames. At block 620, the user equipment 110 monitors the repetitions of the PDCCH transmission based on the repetition pattern. At block 630, the user equipment 110 decodes control information based on at least one monitored repetition of the repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be determined based on at least one of: a repetition factor, a starting symbol number, a starting time slot number, a starting frame number, a time slot offset value, a frame offset value, or an index of an SSB beam.

[0103] In some example embodiments, at least one time slot may have at least one time slot number, wherein the at least one time slot number includes at least one of: a first time slot number indicating a repeated starting time slot number for PDCCH transmission; or a second time slot number having a time slot offset value relative to the first time slot number.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be configured in a time slot having at least one of the first time slot number or the second time slot number in one or more frames.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be configured in a time slot having a first time slot number or a second time slot number in each of the one or more frames.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be configured in at least one symbol of a slot having the first slot number or the second slot number.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the first time slot number may be predefined.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the one or more frames may have one or more frame numbers. The one or more frame numbers may include at least one of the following: a first frame number indicating a starting frame number for a repetition of PDCCH transmission; or a second frame number having a frame offset value with respect to the first frame number.

[0109] In some example embodiments, a starting frame number of one or more frames may be determined based on a predetermined period and a reference frame.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the reference frame may have SFN 0 or 1.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the predetermined period may be associated with a number of frames for repetition of PDCCH transmissions, and the number of frames may depend on the repetition factor.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the starting frame number may be determined based on: (SFN 起始 -SFN 参考 )mod(M×2)=0, SFN 起始 Indicates the starting frame number, SFN 参考 represents the system frame number of the reference frame, and M represents the frame number.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be configured in two time slots in each of one or more frames, and the number of frames is determined as: Where M represents the number of frames, and N represents the repetition factor.

[0114] In some example embodiments, user equipment 110 may receive at least one configuration associated with a repetitive pattern.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH may include a Type 0-PDCCH.

[0116] Figure 7 1 is a flow chart showing another exemplary method 700 for receiving PDCCH repetitions according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be performed in a manner such as Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to the network device 120. Figure 1 Method 700 is described from the perspective of network device 120 .

[0117] At block 710, network device 120 determines a repetition pattern associated with repetitions of a PDCCH transmission. The repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames. At block 720, network device 120 sends the repetitions of the PDCCH transmission based on the repetition pattern.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be determined based on at least one of: a repetition factor, a starting symbol number, a starting time slot number, a starting frame number, a time slot offset value, a frame offset value, or an index of an SSB beam.

[0119] In some example embodiments, at least one time slot may have at least one predetermined time slot number. The at least one predetermined time slot number may include at least one of the following: a first time slot number indicating a starting time slot number for repetition of PDCCH transmission; or a second time slot number having an offset value with respect to the first time slot number.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be configured in a time slot having at least one of the first time slot number or the second time slot number in one or more frames.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be configured in a time slot having a first time slot number or a second time slot number in each of the one or more frames.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern may be configured in at least one symbol of a slot having the first slot number or the second slot number.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the first time slot number may be predefined.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the one or more frames may have one or more frame numbers. The one or more frame numbers may include at least one of the following: a first frame number indicating a starting frame number for a repetition of PDCCH transmission; or a second frame number having a frame offset value with respect to the first frame number.

[0125] In some example embodiments, a starting frame number of one or more frames may be determined based on a predetermined period and a reference frame.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the reference frame may have SFN 0 or 1.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the predetermined period may be associated with a number of frames for repetition of PDCCH transmissions, and the number of frames may depend on the repetition factor.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the starting frame number may be determined based on: (SFN 起始 -SFN 参考 )mod(M×2)=0, SFN 起始 Indicates the starting frame number, SFN 参考 represents the system frame number of the reference frame, and M represents the frame number.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in two time slots in each of one or more frames, and the number of frames is determined as: Where M represents the number of frames, and N represents the repetition factor.

[0130] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may transmit at least one configuration associated with a repeating pattern.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH may include a Type 0-PDCCH.

[0132] References Figures 1 to 5 All operations and features described in relation to the user equipment 110 and the network equipment 120 are equally applicable to the methods 600 and 700 and have similar effects. For the purpose of simplicity, the details will be omitted. Example devices, equipment, and media

[0133] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The user equipment 110 in the embodiment may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 600. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the user device 110 in.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for determining a repetition pattern associated with a repetition of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; a component for monitoring the repetition of the PDCCH transmission based on the repetition pattern; and a component for decoding control information based on at least one monitored repetition of the PDCCH transmission.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern is determined based on at least one of a repetition factor, a starting symbol number, a starting time slot number, a starting frame number, a time slot offset value, a frame offset value, or an index of a synchronization signal block SSB beam.

[0136] In some example embodiments, at least one time slot has at least one time slot number, wherein the at least one time slot number includes at least one of: a first time slot number indicating a repeated starting time slot number for PDCCH transmission; or a second time slot number having a time slot offset value with respect to the first time slot number.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in a time slot having at least one of the first time slot number or the second time slot number in one or more frames.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in a time slot having a first time slot number or a second time slot number in each frame of the one or more frames.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in at least one symbol of a slot having a first slot number or a second slot number.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the first time slot number is predefined.

[0141] In some example embodiments, one or more frames have one or more frame numbers, wherein the one or more frame numbers include at least one of: a first frame number indicating a starting frame number for a repetition of PDCCH transmission, or a second frame number having a frame offset value with respect to the first frame number.

[0142] In some example embodiments, a starting frame number of one or more frames is determined based on a predetermined period and a reference frame.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the reference frame has a system frame number (SFN) 0 or 1.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the predetermined period is associated with a number of frames used for repetition of the PDCCH transmission, and the number of frames depends on the repetition factor.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the starting frame number is based on: (SFN 起始 -SFN 参考 )mod(M×2)=0, SFN 起始 Indicates the starting frame number, SFN 参考 represents the system frame number of the reference frame, and M represents the frame number.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in two time slots in each of one or more frames, and the number of frames is determined as: Where M represents the number of frames, and N represents the repetition factor.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for receiving at least one configuration associated with the repeating pattern.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH comprises a Type 0-PDCCH.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing method 600 or other operations in some example embodiments of user equipment 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the first apparatus.

[0150] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1The network device 120 in the embodiment may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 700. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the network device 120.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for determining a repetition pattern associated with repetitions of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; and a component for sending the repetitions of the PDCCH transmission based on the repetition pattern.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the repetition pattern is determined based on at least one of a repetition factor, a starting symbol number, a starting time slot number, a starting frame number, a time slot offset value, a frame offset value, or an index of a synchronization signal block SSB beam.

[0153] In some example embodiments, at least one time slot has at least one predetermined time slot number, wherein the at least one predetermined time slot number includes at least one of the following: a first time slot number indicating a repeated starting time slot number for PDCCH transmission; or a second time slot number having an offset value with respect to the first time slot number.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in a time slot having at least one of the first time slot number or the second time slot number in one or more frames.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in a time slot having a first time slot number or a second time slot number in each frame of the one or more frames.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in at least one symbol of a slot having the first or second slot number.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the first time slot number is predefined.

[0158] In some example embodiments, one or more frames have one or more frame numbers, wherein the one or more frame numbers include at least one of: a first frame number indicating a starting frame number for a repetition of PDCCH transmission, or a second frame number having a frame offset value with respect to the first frame number.

[0159] In some example embodiments, a starting frame number of one or more frames is determined based on a predetermined period and a reference frame.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the reference frame has a system frame number (SFN) 0 or 1.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the predetermined period is associated with a number of frames used for repetition of the PDCCH transmission, and the number of frames depends on the repetition factor.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the starting frame number is determined based on: (SFN 起始 -SFN 参考 )mod(M×2)=0, SFN 起始 Indicates the starting frame number, SFN 参考 represents the system frame number of the reference frame, and M represents the frame number.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the repetitive pattern is configured in two time slots in each of one or more frames, and the number of frames is determined as: Where M represents the number of frames, and N represents the repetition factor.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for transmitting at least one configuration associated with the repetitive pattern.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH comprises a Type 0-PDCCH.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 700 or other operations in some example embodiments of the network device 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the execution of the second apparatus.

[0167] Figure 8 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The user equipment 110 or the network equipment 120 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

[0168] The communication module 840 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 840 may include at least one antenna.

[0169] Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 800 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0170] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that will not persist during a power outage.

[0171] The computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 810. The instructions of the program 830 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 830 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 824. The processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

[0172] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 830 so that the device 800 may execute a reference Figures 1 to 7 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0174] Fig. 9 An example of a computer readable medium 900 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 900 has a program 830 stored thereon.

[0175] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or illustrated and described using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0176] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as, non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those computer executable instructions executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor included in a program module, to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local storage media and remote storage media.

[0177] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller in a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be realized. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0178] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0179] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0180] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or performing all illustrated operations, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specified in a particular embodiment. Unless expressly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless expressly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination. Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Instead, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user device to at least: determining a repetition pattern associated with repetition of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; Based on the repetition pattern, monitoring the repetition of the PDCCH transmission; as well as Control information is decoded based on at least one monitored repetition of the repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the repetition pattern is determined based on at least one of: Repetition factor, Starting symbol number, Starting timeslot number, The starting frame number, The time slot offset value, The frame offset value, or Index of the synchronization signal block SSB beam.

3. The user equipment according to claim 2, wherein the at least one time slot has at least one time slot number, wherein the at least one time slot number comprises at least one of the following: a first time slot number indicating the starting time slot number of the repetition for the PDCCH transmission, or A second time slot number has the time slot offset value with respect to the first time slot number. 4 . The user equipment according to claim 3 , wherein the repetition pattern is configured in a time slot having at least one of the first time slot number or the second time slot number in the one or more frames. 5 . The user equipment of claim 3 , wherein the repetition pattern is configured in a time slot having the first time slot number or the second time slot number in each of the one or more frames. 6 . The user equipment according to claim 5 , wherein the repetition pattern is configured in at least one symbol of the time slot having the first time slot number or the second time slot number.

7. The user equipment according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the first time slot number is predefined.

8. The user equipment according to claim 2, wherein the one or more frames have one or more frame numbers, wherein the one or more frame numbers include at least one of the following: a first frame number indicating the starting frame number of the repetition for the PDCCH transmission, or A second frame number has the frame offset value with respect to the first frame number.

9. The user equipment according to any one of claims 2 and 8, wherein the starting frame number of the one or more frames is determined based on a predetermined period and a reference frame. 10 . The user equipment of claim 9 , wherein the reference frame has a system frame number (SFN) 0 or 1.

11. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined period is associated with a number of frames used for the repetition of the PDCCH transmission, and the number of frames depends on the repetition factor.

12. The user equipment according to claim 11, wherein the starting frame number is determined based on: (SFN 起始 -SFn 参考 )mod(M×2)=0, SFN 起始 Indicates the starting frame number, SFN 参考 represents the system frame number of the reference frame, and M represents the frame number.

13. The user equipment according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in two time slots in each of the one or more frames, and the number of frames is determined as: Wherein M represents the number of frames, and N represents the repetition factor.

14. The user equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the user equipment to: At least one configuration associated with the repeating pattern is received.

15. The user equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the PDCCH comprises a Type 0-PDCCH.

16. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: determining a repetition pattern associated with repetition of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; as well as Based on the repetition pattern, the repetition of the PDCCH transmission is sent.

17. The network device of claim 16, wherein the repetition pattern is determined based on at least one of: Repetition factor, Starting symbol number, Starting timeslot number, The starting frame number, The time slot offset value, The frame offset value, or Index of the synchronization signal block SSB beam.

18. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the at least one time slot has at least one predetermined time slot number, wherein the at least one predetermined time slot number comprises at least one of the following: a first time slot number indicating a starting time slot number of the repetition for the PDCCH transmission, or A second time slot number has the offset value with respect to the first time slot number.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the repetitive pattern is configured in a time slot having at least one of the first time slot number or the second time slot number in the one or more frames.

20. The network device of claim 18, wherein the repetitive pattern is configured in a time slot having the first time slot number or the second time slot number in each of the one or more frames.

21. The network device of claim 18, wherein the repetitive pattern is configured in at least one symbol of the time slot having the first time slot number or the second time slot number.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the first time slot number is predefined.

23. The network device of claim 16, wherein the one or more frames have one or more frame numbers, wherein the one or more frame numbers include at least one of the following: a first frame number indicating the starting frame number of the repetition for the PDCCH transmission, or A second frame number has the frame offset value with respect to the first frame number.

24. The network device according to any one of claims 18 and 23, wherein the starting frame number of the one or more frames is determined based on a predetermined period and a reference frame.

25. The network device of claim 24, wherein the reference frame has a system frame number (SFN) 0 or 1.

26. The network device of claim 24, wherein the predetermined period is associated with a number of frames used for the repetition of the PDCCH transmission, and the number of frames depends on the repetition factor.

27. The network device of claim 26, wherein the starting frame number is determined based on: (SFN 起始 -SFN 参考 )mod(M×2)=0, SFN 起始 Indicates the starting frame number, SFN 参考 represents the system frame number of the reference frame, and M represents the frame number.

28. The user equipment according to any one of claims 26 to 27, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in two time slots in each of the one or more frames, and the number of frames is determined as: Wherein M represents the number of frames, and N represents the repetition factor.

29. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the network device to: At least one configuration associated with the repeating pattern is transmitted.

30. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the PDCCH comprises a Type 0-PDCCH.

31. A method for communication, comprising: determining a repetition pattern associated with repetition of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; monitoring the repetition of the PDCCH transmission based on the repetition pattern; as well as Control information is decoded based on at least one monitored repetition of the repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

32. A method for communication, comprising: determining a repetition pattern associated with repetition of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, wherein the repetition pattern is configured in at least one time slot in one or more frames; as well as Based on the repetition pattern, the repetition of the PDCCH transmission is sent.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method according to claim 31 or claim 32.

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