Configuration of repetition of downlink control information

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable storage media for repetitive configuration of downlink control information (DCI). The method includes receiving a configuration of a random access (RA) search space from a second device; determining an additional RA search space, the additional RA search space comprising a repetition of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate for at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space; and monitoring downlink control information based on at least the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for configuration of repetition of downlink control information (DCI). Background Art

[0002] Research on non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) focuses on the applicability of solutions developed by general new radio (NR) coverage enhancement to NTNs, and identifies potential issues and enhancements considering NTN characteristics including large propagation delays and satellite mobility. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: receive a configuration of a random access (RA) search space from a second device; determine an additional RA search space, the additional RA search space including a repetition of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate for at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space; and monitor downlink control information based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: transmit a configuration of an RA search space to a first device; and transmit downlink control information to the first device based on at least the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition of PDCCH candidates of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space included in the additional RA search space.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a configuration of an RA search space from a second device; determining an additional RA search space, the additional RA search space including a repetition of a PDCCH candidate for at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space; and monitoring downlink control information based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting a configuration of an RA search space to a first device; and transmitting downlink control information to the first device based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and repetition of PDCCH candidates for at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space included in an additional RA search space.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for receiving a configuration of an RA search space from a second device; a component for determining an additional RA search space, the additional RA search space including a repetition of a PDCCH candidate for at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space; and a component for monitoring downlink control information based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for transmitting a configuration of an RA search space to a first device; and a component for transmitting downlink control information to the first device based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and a repetition of PDCCH candidates of at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space included in the additional RA search space. .

[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.

[0010] In an eighth 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 fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present invention will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0014] Figure 2A-2D Schematic diagrams of monitoring timing (MO) are shown respectively;

[0015] Figure 3 shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E A schematic diagram showing a MO for PDCCH repetition according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 6 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 7 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0020] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] 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 methods described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0025] It should be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. in front of nouns etc. may be used in this article 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, and they do not limit the order of the nouns. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0026] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein 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.

[0027] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not mean performing the step immediately after “A” occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0028] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" 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.

[0029] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., 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 circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software and memory that 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 that requires software (eg, firmware) for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0030] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this 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.

[0031] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, for example, 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.

[0032] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a 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), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (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, a micro), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device (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 like a UE toward a parent node, and a DU portion of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0033] 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 device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless user 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 equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0034] 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 (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other combination of time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain and / or code domain resources to achieve 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.

[0035] As used herein, the term "common search space (CSS)" may refer to a search space (i.e., a set of channel elements) that each UE needs to search for a signal for each UE or a signaling message applied to each UE before establishing a dedicated channel for a particular UE. The term "repetition factor" used herein may refer to the number of repetitions. The term "bitmap" used herein may refer to a string of binary numbers. The term "monitoring opportunity (MO)" used herein may refer to a set of resources used for monitoring.

[0036] As mentioned above, the NTN work item focuses on the applicability of the solution developed through general NR coverage enhancement to NTN. This work item may consist of a preliminary study phase in which the coverage performance of different UL and DL channels is evaluated and bottleneck channels are identified.

[0037] Such identification ultimately leads to detailed objectives, including: specifying PUCCH enhancements for Message 4 (Msg4) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)-Acknowledgement (ACK) (e.g., repetition), and studying demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) taking into account NTN details (e.g., time-frequency precompensation).

[0038] Furthermore, for the purpose of UL enhancements, i.e. enhancements regarding Msg4 HARQ-ACK and enhancements to the DMRS bundling framework for PUSCH, during the work item phase, it has been discussed that the scope of Msg4 HARQ-ACK should be extended to also cover the case of PUCCH transmission for HARQ-ACK when dedicated PUCCH resources are not configured (of course only for UEs supporting PUCCH repetition).

[0039] However, it is also observed that some DL channels also need boosting, which leads to the conclusion that when considering satellite power limitations (due to e.g. management requirements or power splitting between satellite beams), channels related to initial access may need boosting.

[0040] Based on this, the simulation results of PDCCH channel performance are generated and the following conclusions are drawn: Table 1

[0041] When satellite power limitations are taken into account (due to, for example, regulatory requirements or power splitting between satellite beams), channels associated with initial access need to be enhanced. In some solutions, coverage enhancement for PDCCH channels is necessary when power flux density (PFD) limitations or more generally limitations on satellite output power are taken into account.

[0042] In general, three basic approaches can be considered to improve coverage. These are: (a) reducing interference and noise contributions (not relevant for this use case), (b) increasing the transmit power (not possible for this use case due to PFD limitations), and (c) increasing the energy per bit (either by reducing the payload or by transmitting over a longer time). The latter is typically achieved by introducing repetitions of the channels to be enhanced. Repetition of Type0A / 1 / 2 / 3 CSS (common search space) and USS (UE-specific search space) PDCCHs has been specified for the multi-TRP feature and its mechanism can be extended for NTN, at least for PDCCH channels in RRC connected mode. However, the repetition feature does not apply to PDCCH in initial access and specifically does not apply to configured Type1-PDCCHs.

[0043] To improve the physical layer performance of physical layer control channels, a typically used approach is to assign a larger number of resources for the transmission of a specific number of bits. One way to achieve this is to repeat the transmitted data (i.e., a given data or control channel) multiple times to make it possible for the receiver to combine the received signals and improve the reliability of the demodulated and decoded bits.

[0044] Based on this, one of the approaches that may be followed in the enhancement of Type 1-PDCCH coverage would be to repeat Type 1-PDCCH multiple times in the same or different time slots, thereby allowing the UE receiver to combine the received Type 1-PDCCH single transmission and improve the reliability of the received information.

[0045] However, in order to be able to combine multiple Type1-PDCCH repetitions, the UE needs to know at least whether the gNB is transmitting repetitions and how many repetitions are transmitted, and thus know the time span of the Type1-PDCCH repetitions. To this end, a method for configuring Type1-PDCCH with repetitions is necessary.

[0046] Therefore, some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution for repeated configuration of DCI. Specifically, the network device transmits the configuration of the RA search space to the terminal device. The terminal device determines an additional RA search space including repeated PDCCH candidates for at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space. The terminal device 110 also monitors downlink control information based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

[0047] Figure 1 1 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As shown, the communication network 100 may include a first device 110. Hereinafter, the first device 110 may also be referred to as UE or terminal equipment.

[0048] The communication network 100 may further include a second device 120. Hereinafter, the second device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB or a network device. The first device 110 may communicate with the second device 120.

[0049] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0050] In some example embodiments, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0051] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable 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, etc., and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, communications may utilize 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.

[0052] The second device 120 may transmit the PDCCH using resource elements (REs) belonging to a control resource set (CORESET). In particular, the frequency allocation of the PDCCH and the length of the PDCCH (1 to 3 symbols) may be determined based on the corresponding configuration of the CORESET (ControlResourceSet Information Element (IE)), which is shown in Table 2 below. Table 2 Although the frequency position of the PDCCH and the length of the PDCCH are configured by the CORESET, the potential time instances at which the first device 110 expects to monitor the PDCCH and blindly perform multiple decoding attempts of the PDCCH per monitoring opportunity (MO) may be determined by the search space (SS) set. In general, the SS set may be classified into a common search space (CSS) set common to a group of UEs and a UE-specific search space (USS) set specific to the UE. Type1-PDCCH may be transmitted in a CSS set used by the UE to blindly decode DCI format 1_0 scheduling message 2 (MSG2) and message 4 (MSG4) during a random access procedure. As described above, The SearchSpace IE is shown in Table 3. Table 3

[0053] Each SS set may be associated with a certain ControlResourceSetID. In addition, the parameter “monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset” may determine the periodicity of time slots (with a certain start offset) where the first device 110 desires to monitor the PDCCH within the SS set, ie, where the PDCCH may be transmitted by the second device 120.

[0054] In an example embodiment (referred to as Example 1), as Figure 2A As shown, assuming that the subcarrier spacing (SCS) is equal to 30kHz (20 time slots per frame) and the parameter "monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset" is set to S110 with offset 5, the first device 110 can expect to monitor PDCCH in MO with time slot numbers 5 and 15.

[0055] In addition, the parameter "duration" in the search space IE may provide information about the consecutive number of time slots in which the synchronization signal (SS) exists / continues in each opportunity given by the period and offset. Specifically, if the field of the parameter "duration" does not exist, the first device 110 may apply a value of 1 time slot, except for DCI format 2_0. The first device 110 may ignore this field for DCI format 2_0. The maximum valid duration may be a period -1 (as given in the parameter "monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset").

[0056] For SCS 480kHz and SCS 960kHz, duration-r17 is used, and the configured duration may be limited to an integer multiple of L slots and less than the period, where L is the configured length of the bitmap monitoringSlotsWithinSlotGroup-r17. If duration-r17 is not present, the first device 110 may assume that the duration in the slot is equal to L. The maximum valid duration is period-L.

[0057] In another example embodiment (referred to as Example 2), as Figure 2B As shown, assuming that the subcarrier spacing (SCS) is equal to 30kHz (20 time slots per frame), the parameter "monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset" is set to S110 with an offset of 5, and the parameter "duration" is set to 3, the first device 110 can expect each opportunity to exist / last 3 time slots, and the corresponding MO can be time slots 5, 6, 7, 15, 16 and 17.

[0058] In addition, the parameter "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot" configured by the second device 120, which is a bit string of size 14, can determine the PDCCH position within the MO time slot (at the OFDM symbol level). For example, the parameter "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot" can define the first symbol used for PDCCH monitoring in a time slot configured for (multi-slot) PDCCH monitoring (see monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset and duration). The most significant (left) bit may represent the first OFDM in the time slot, and the second most significant (left) bit may represent the second OFDM symbol in the time slot, and so on. The bit set to one identifies the first OFDM symbol of the control resource set within the time slot.

[0059] In the first two examples, MO on slot level granularity is depicted for simplicity, while within each MO slot, the actual MO starts from the OFDM symbol indicated by the bitmap "monitoringSymbolsWithinsSlot" and has a duration equal to the duration of the CORESET. Let us consider an example showing MO on OFDM symbol level.

[0060] In another example embodiment, based on the assumptions of Example 1, Figure 2CAs shown, where "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot" is set to the bitmap [10000000000000], with a CORESET duration of 1 OFDM symbol. Then, the first device 110 expects to start monitoring the PDCCH in MO at the 1st OFDM symbol of slot numbers 5 and 15.

[0061] In a further exemplary embodiment, based on the assumptions of Example 1, Figure 2D As shown, where "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot" is set to a bitmap with a CORESET duration of 2 OFDM symbols. Then, the first device 110 expects to start monitoring the PDCCH in MO at the 1st and 5th OFDM symbols of time slot numbers 5 and 15.

[0062] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Reference now Figure 3 , which shows a signaling diagram 300 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the signaling diagram 300 involves the first device 110 and the second device 120. For the purpose of discussion, reference is made to Figure 1 A signaling diagram 300 is described.

[0064] The second device 120 sends (305) a synchronization signal block (SSB) to the first device 110. The first device 110 may perform a band search, read the SSB, and obtain a master information block (MIB). The first device 110 may then obtain resources required for reading a system information block 1 (SIB1) from the MIB.

[0065] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may configure the RA search space (which may also be referred to as the original RA search space) and the additional search space. For example, the additional RA search space may be configured only for Rel-19 enhanced UEs. In this case, the parameters of the additional RA search space may be directly configured by the second device 120.

[0066] In some other embodiments, the additional RA search space may be autonomously determined based on the original RA search space by the first device 110. For example, the parameters of the additional RA search space may be derived from the parameters of the original RA search space based on the scaling factor.

[0067] For example, the scaling factor may be specified or configured by the second device 120 , ie, the second device 120 may not configure the additional RA search space, but may configure the scaling factor that the first device 110 may use to determine the additional RA search space from the original RA search space.

[0068] Furthermore, the scaling factor may depend on the satellite architecture, such as altitude, orbit, etc., and the first device 110 may select a scaling factor from a set of configured or specified scaling factors.

[0069] The first device 110 may then determine (310) an additional RA search space that contains repetitions of PDCCH candidates for monitoring occasions of the (i.e., original) RA search space for enhanced detection of DCI1_0 having a CRC scrambled by a RA radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI) or a temporary cell-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and monitor (315) the DCI based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetitions in the additional RA search space.

[0070] In the case where both the RA search space and the additional RA search space are configured by the second device 120, the second device 120 transmits SIB1 having a "PDCCH-ConfigCommon" IE that configures two Type1-PDCCH CSS sets, each set may have a parameter "ra-SearchSpace" for specifying an identification number of a corresponding Type1-PDCCH CSS set, and each corresponding CSS set may be configured with a "SearchSpace" IE having corresponding configuration parameters, such as SCS, "monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset", duration, "monitoringSymbolsWithinsSlot", etc.

[0071] In some embodiments, the number and location (eg, time slots) of monitoring opportunities (MOs) of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and location of MOs of the original RA search space.

[0072] In this case, each MO in the original RA search space has a repeated MO in the additional RA search space, and each PDCCH candidate within the MO in the original RA search space has a repeated PDCCH candidate in the additional RA search space.

[0073] In some other embodiments, the number and position (e.g., time slot) of the MOs of the additional RA search space may be different from (e.g., smaller than) the number and position of the MOs of the original RA search space. In such a case, a subset of the MOs in the original RA search space (and all PDCCH candidates of the subset of MOs) are repeated, i.e., the additional RA search space includes repeated MOs for the subset of MOs in the original RA search space. The subset of MOs in the original RA search space may be considered as one or more specific MOs in the original RA search space.

[0074] For example, a subset of MOs in the original RA search space to be repeated is determined at the first device 110 via a specification or via a network configuration.

[0075] In some embodiments, where configured by the network, a bitmap may be used for the monitoring occasions of the original RA search space to indicate which specific monitoring occasions are repeated. The bitmap may have a slot level granularity and may have a size equal to the value of the configured duration parameter for the original RA search space, or a size equal to the number of slots in a frame. The bitmap may have a symbol level granularity and may have a size equal to the value of the configured duration parameter of the original RA search space scaled by the number of symbols per slot, or a size equal to the number of symbols in a frame.

[0076] In some embodiments, in case of network configuration, additional RA search spaces may be configured by the second device, and the first device will monitor PDCCH repetitions in the corresponding MO.

[0077] In some embodiments, a bitmap may be used to indicate which monitoring opportunities within a time slot are repeated, and the bitmap is applied to the MO of the original search space.

[0078] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit an enhanced PDCCH in a subset of MOs in the original RA search space and in repeated MOs in the additional RA search space. For example, a specific RA-RNTI value is used to address an enhanced UE (i.e., a UE capable of receiving PDCCH repetitions). The second device 120 may transmit DCI scrambled with such a RA-RNTI value in a specific monitoring opportunity in the original RA search space and in repeated monitoring opportunities in the additional RA search space. The second device 120 may use the remaining MOs in the original RA search space for transmission of non-enhanced PDCCH.

[0079] For the case where the number and positions of MOs of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and positions of MOs of the original RA search space, Figure 4A An example of MO (at slot level in a frame of 30kHz SCS) for a UE with repetition capability is shown. Figure 4A In the example, only one MO is shown per MO slot, but the example is equally applicable to the case where multiple MOs are present in one MO slot, where an MO slot is defined as a slot in which one or more MOs can be found. The parameters of the additional RA search space configured by the device 120 can be assumed to be: "monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset" = S110 with offset 5, "duration" is set to 2.

[0080] The first device 110 with repetition capability may obtain a repetition factor of 2, and consider the additional RA search space (ie, Figure 4A Repeated MO in the SS set 2).

[0081] like Figure 4A As shown in , each MO in the MO time slot (in this example, time slots 5, 6, 15 and 16 have one MO) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) has a repeated MO in the same time slot in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), and each PDCCH candidate within the MO in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) has a PDCCH repeated candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2).

[0082] Then, the first device 110 with repetition capability may receive the PDCCH and the PDCCH repetition in one of the MOs in the original RA search space and the additional RA search space, respectively.

[0083] For the case where the number and position of MOs in the additional RA search space are smaller than the number and position of MOs in the original RA search space, Figure 4B An example of MO (at slot level in a frame of 30kHz SCS) for a UE with repetition capability is shown. Figure 4A In , only one MO is shown per MO slot, but the example is equally applicable to the case where multiple MOs are present in one MO slot, where an MO slot is defined as a slot in which one or more MOs can be found. Figure 4B In the example shown, the number of MOs in the additional RA search space (ie, SS set 2) is smaller than the number of MOs in the original RA search space (ie, SS set 1).

[0084] In this example, the first device 110 may indicate with a parameter of the additional RA search space, i.e., monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset=S110 with offset 6, and "duration" is set to 1. In this example, additionally or alternatively, the second device 120 may indicate via a bitmap which of the MOs in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is repeated in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), with a time slot level granularity, i.e., any bit set to "1" within the bitmap indicates that all MOs in the corresponding time slot in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) are repeated in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2).

[0085] For example, the second device 120 may use the bitmap 1 rep Indicates repeated MO, where l rephas a length equal to the number of MO slots within a frame or more generally within a reference time period, and bit "1" indicates that the MO within the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is repeated in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2). Figure 4B The parameters considered in the example shown in , within a frame, the MO time slots are time slots 5, 6, 15 and 16. Therefore, l rep has length 4. Here, we assume that l rep =

[0101] . In another example, when the reference time period is a duration, Figure 4B The parameters considered in the example shown in , have 2 MO time slots (i.e., {5,6} or {15,16}) within a duration (set to 2 time slots). Therefore, l rep has length 2. Here, we assume that l rep =

[01] , and the same applies to all durations.

[0086] As shown, the first device 110 may consider all MOs in slot 6 and all MOs in slot 16 in the original RA search space (ie, SS set 1) to have their corresponding repeated MOs in the additional RA search space (ie, SS set 2).

[0087] exist Figure 4B In the example of , the bitmap specifying the repeated MO has a slot level granularity. The bitmap may also have a symbol level granularity. In other words, for each MO slot determined by the period and offset, the corresponding MO within that slot (determined by the parameter "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot") can be configured to have their repeated MO in the additional RA search space. Here, the bitmap l rep It may have a length equal to the number of "1"s in "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot" or a length equal to the number of symbols in one or more slots.

[0088] Figure 4C Another example of MO for a UE with repeat capability is shown. In this example, the example is Figure 4B The parameter difference between the examples shown in is that now "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot" is set to [10001000000000], i.e., there are two MOs per MO slot and the CORESET has a duration of two OFDM symbols.

[0089] In addition, the second device 120 can rep Indicates repeated MO, where l rephas a length equal to the number of 1s in the parameter "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot", which is set to [10001000000000], i.e., in this example, l rep has length 2. Here, we assume that l rep =

[01] , i.e., starting from two MOs in each MO slot, only the second MO has a corresponding repeated MO in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2).

[0090] In some embodiments, the number and location (eg, time slot) of MOs of the additional RA search space are smaller than the number and location of MOs of the original RA search space, and the MOs of the additional RA search space include PDCCH candidates of one or more MOs of the original RA search space.

[0091] In other words, since only specific PDCCH candidates (e.g., carrying DCI encrypted with a specific RA-RNTI) need to be repeated, the PDCCH candidates that need to be repeated from the same or different MOs of the original RA search space can be grouped together and repeated in one MO of the additional RA search space.

[0092] In this case, the group of PDCCH candidates that need to be repeated from the same or different MO of the original RA search space may be referred to as a PDCCH candidate group.

[0093] The PDCCH candidate group may include PDCCH candidates of multiple MOs from the original RA search space, which may be determined at the first device 110 via specification or configuration.

[0094] Figure 4D and Figure 4E Yet another example of MO (on slot level) for UE with repetition capability. In both examples, consider a MO in the additional RA search space having repetition candidates of the PDCCH candidate group of one or more MOs in the original RA search space.

[0095] Specifically, the time domain position of the MO in the additional RA search space may be determined by a hard-coded rule in the specification or configured by the NW (eg, the second device 120). Here, it is assumed that the second device 120 configures the MO in the additional RA search space.

[0096] In both examples, the parameters for the additional RA search space may be similar to Figure 4AIn addition, the second device 120 may configure / instruct an MO in an additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2) that carries repeated PDCCH candidates of a PDCCH candidate group in multiple MOs in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1), such as the PDCCH candidate groups in MO time slots 5, 6, 15, and 16.

[0097] In this case, one sample configuration may be a relative configuration relative to the original RA search space. For example, the second device 120 may indicate that the MO in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2) corresponds to the last MO in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) within each frame. Another sample configuration may be based on a period and an offset, for example, the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2) may be configured with a period S120 and an offset 16. The above two sample configurations may result in the same MO in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2).

[0098] Figure 4D An example is shown, considering that a MO in the additional RA search space contains PDCCH candidates that are repetitions of a group of PDCCH candidates of multiple MOs in the original RA search space (i.e., of the PDCCH candidate group). In this example, the PDCCH candidate group is formed by PDCCH candidates with the same index for all MOs within the frame. Figure 4D In the example, it is assumed that an MO slot contains only one MO, but the same example can be extended to the case of multiple MOs within one MO slot. The group of first PDCCH candidates within all MOs (e.g., the first MO in time slots 5, 6, 15, and 16) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the third candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), the group of second PDCCH candidates within all MOs (e.g., the second MO in time slots 5, 6, 15, and 16) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the fourth candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), the group of third PDCCH candidates within all MOs (e.g., the third MO in time slots 5, 6, 15, and 16) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the second candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), and the group of fourth PDCCH candidates within all MOs (i.e., the fourth MO in time slots 5, 6, 15, and 16) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the first candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2).

[0099] It should be understood that only one PDCCH candidate in the PDCCH candidate group may actually be repeated in one PDCCH candidate in the additional RA search space by the second device 120, but the first device 110 may blindly try all of these combinations until something is detected. For example, if the first PDCCH candidate group is mapped to the first PDCCH candidate in the additional RA search space, and the first PDCCH candidate group has four PDCCH candidates, the UE may blindly try to combine all PDCCH candidates within the first PDCCH candidate group with the first candidate in the additional RA search space until something is detected.

[0100] exist Figure 4E In the example of , the mapping pattern may be based on the MO index in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1): the first MO (time slot 5) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the third candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), the second MO (time slot 6) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the fourth candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), the third MO (time slot 15) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the second candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2), and the fourth MO (time slot 16) in the original RA search space (i.e., SS set 1) is mapped to the first candidate in the additional RA search space (i.e., SS set 2). It should be understood that if each MO in the original RA search space contains multiple PDCCH candidates, then only one PDCCH candidate in one PDCCH candidate in the additional RA search space may actually be repeated by the second device, but the first device may blindly try all of these combinations until something is detected. For example, if the first MO in time slot 5 in the original RA search space is mapped to the third candidate in the additional RA search space, and the first MO in time slot 5 in the original RA search space has two PDCCH candidates, the UE can blindly try to combine the first and second PDCCH candidates of the first MO in the original RA search space with the third candidate in the additional RA search space until something is detected.

[0101] With this example, the number of blind decoding attempts at the first device 110 may be reduced because there is a one-to-one mapping between the MOs in the original RA search space and the repeated candidates in the additional RA search space.

[0102] Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, multiple Type1-PDCCH repetitions can be combined, and the UE will know whether the NW is transmitting repetitions and how many repetitions are transmitted. In this way, the coverage of Type1-PDCCH can be enhanced.

[0103] Figure 5A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from Figure 1 10 is described from the perspective of the first device 110.

[0104] At block 510 , the first device 110 receives a configuration of a RA search space from a second device.

[0105] At block 520 , the first device 110 determines an additional RA search space including repetitions of PDCCH candidates for at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space.

[0106] At block 530 , the first device 110 monitors downlink control information based on at least the configuration of the RA search space and the repetitions in the additional RA search space.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further includes: receiving a configuration of an additional RA search space from the second device; and determining the additional RA search space based on the configuration of the additional RA search space.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises determining parameters of an additional RA search space based on the configuration of the parameters of the RA search space and the scaling factor.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the scaling factor is configured by the second device or determined by the first device based on parameters associated with the satellite architecture.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0111] In some example embodiments, each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space is linked to a monitoring opportunity in an additional RA search space, and wherein each PDCCH candidate in each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space has a duplicate PDCCH candidate in the linked monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is different from the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0113] In some example embodiments, a subset of monitoring occasions in at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space may be repeated.

[0114] In some example embodiments, some or all of the PDCCH candidates in some or all of the monitoring occasions of the RA search space belong to the PDCCH candidate group.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH candidate set will be repeated in at least one monitoring occasion of the additional RA search space.

[0116] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that do not overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space.

[0117] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity for the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that at least partially overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space, and wherein the time-frequency resources associated with the additional RA search space in the overlapping time slots are different from the time-frequency resources associated with the RA search space.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises determining at least one overlapping time slot based on at least one of: an offset and a period of the additional RA search space, and a configuration of the RA search space.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0120] Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described from Figure 1 1. The perspective description of the second device 120 in FIG.

[0121] At block 610 , the second device 120 transmits a configuration of the RA search space to the first device.

[0122] At block 620 , the second device 120 transmits downlink control information to the first device based on at least the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition of the PDCCH candidates of at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space included in the additional RA search space.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes: determining a configuration of an additional RA search space; and transmitting the configuration of the additional RA search space to the first apparatus.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes transmitting, to the first apparatus, a scaling factor for the first apparatus to determine the additional RA search space based on the RA search space.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0126] In some example embodiments, each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space is linked to a monitoring opportunity in an additional RA search space, and wherein each PDCCH candidate in each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space has a duplicate PDCCH candidate in the linked monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is different from the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0128] In some example embodiments, a subset of monitoring occasions in at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space may be repeated.

[0129] In some example embodiments, some or all of the PDCCH candidates in some or all of the monitoring occasions of the RA search space belong to the PDCCH candidate group.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH candidate set will be repeated in at least one monitoring occasion of the additional RA search space.

[0131] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that do not overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space.

[0132] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity for the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that at least partially overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space, and wherein the time-frequency resources associated with the additional RA search space in the overlapping time slots are different from the time-frequency resources associated with the RA search space.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0134] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 500 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 500. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus includes: means for receiving a configuration of an RA search space from a second apparatus; means for determining an additional RA search space, the additional RA search space comprising a repetition of a PDCCH candidate for at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space; and means for monitoring downlink control information based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes: means for receiving a configuration of an additional RA search space from the second apparatus; and means for determining the additional RA search space based on the configuration of the additional RA search space.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining parameters of an additional RA search space based on the configuration of the parameters of the RA search space and the scaling factor.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the scaling factor is configured by the second device or determined by the first device based on parameters associated with the satellite architecture.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0140] In some example embodiments, each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space is linked to a monitoring opportunity in an additional RA search space, and wherein each PDCCH candidate in each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space has a duplicate PDCCH candidate in the linked monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is different from the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0142] In some example embodiments, a subset of monitoring occasions in at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space may be repeated.

[0143] In some example embodiments, some or all of the PDCCH candidates in some or all of the monitoring occasions of the RA search space belong to the PDCCH candidate group.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH candidate set will be repeated in at least one monitoring occasion of the additional RA search space.

[0145] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that do not overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space.

[0146] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity for the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that at least partially overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space, and wherein the time-frequency resources associated with the additional RA search space in the overlapping time slots are different from the time-frequency resources associated with the RA search space.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining at least one overlapping time slot based on at least one of: an offset and a period of an additional RA search space, and a configuration of the RA search space.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 500 or other operations in some example embodiments of the first apparatus 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 the execution of the first apparatus.

[0150] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 600 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 600. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for transmitting a configuration of an RA search space to the first device; and a component for transmitting downlink control information to the first device based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and a repetition of PDCCH candidates for at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space included in the additional RA search space.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for determining a configuration of an additional RA search space; and means for transmitting the configuration of the additional RA search space to the first apparatus.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for transmitting the scaling factor to the first apparatus for the first apparatus to determine the additional RA search space based on the RA search space.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0155] In some example embodiments, each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space is linked to a monitoring opportunity in an additional RA search space, and wherein each PDCCH candidate in each monitoring opportunity of at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space has a duplicate PDCCH candidate in the linked monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is different from the number and location of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

[0157] In some example embodiments, a subset of monitoring occasions in at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space may be repeated.

[0158] In some example embodiments, some or all of the PDCCH candidates in some or all of the monitoring occasions of the RA search space belong to the PDCCH candidate group.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH candidate set will be repeated in at least one monitoring occasion of the additional RA search space.

[0160] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that do not overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space.

[0161] In some example embodiments, at least one monitoring opportunity for the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that at least partially overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space, and wherein the time-frequency resources associated with the additional RA search space in the overlapping time slots are different from the time-frequency resources associated with the RA search space.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 600 or other operations in some example embodiments of the second apparatus 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.

[0164] Figure 7700 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[0165] The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 740 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 to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 740 may include at least one antenna.

[0166] Processor 710 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 700 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0167] The memory 720 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) 724, 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) 722 and other volatile memories that will not persist until power is removed.

[0168] The computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 710. The instructions of the program 730 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 730 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 724. The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[0169] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 730 so that the device 700 may execute the Figures 2A to 6 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0170] In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 722 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).

[0171] Figure 8 An example of a computer readable medium 800 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 800 has a program 730 stored thereon.

[0172] Generally, 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 that 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 using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, 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.

[0173] 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. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine executable instructions for the program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0174] 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, causes the realization of the function / operation specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram. The program code can be executed completely 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.

[0175] 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.

[0176] 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 thereof. A more specific example of a computer readable storage medium may 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 component, a magnetic storage component, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0177] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring the specific order shown or in a sequential order to perform these operations, or to perform all described 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 should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a specific embodiment. Unless explicitly 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 explicitly 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.

[0178] 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. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: receiving a configuration of a random access RA search space from a second device; determining an additional RA search space, the additional RA search space comprising repetitions of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) candidates for at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space; and Downlink control information is monitored based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: receiving, from the second apparatus, a configuration of the additional RA search space; and The additional RA search space is determined based on the configuration of the additional RA search space.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: Parameters of the additional RA search space are determined based on the configuration of the parameters of the RA search space and a scaling factor. 4 . The first device of claim 3 , wherein the scaling factor is configured by the second device or determined by the first device based on parameters associated with a satellite architecture. 5 . The first apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the number and position of at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

6. The first device of claim 5 , wherein each of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space is linked to a monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space, and wherein each PDCCH candidate in each of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space has a repeated PDCCH candidate in the linked monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space. 7 . The first apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the number and position of at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are different from the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space. 8 . The first apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a subset of monitoring opportunities in the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space is to be repeated. 9 . The first apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein some or all of the PDCCH candidates in some or all of the monitoring occasions in the RA search space belong to one PDCCH candidate group. 10 . The first apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the PDCCH candidate group is to be repeated in at least one monitoring occasion of the additional RA search space.

11. The first apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that do not overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space.

12. The first apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that at least partially overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space, and wherein time-frequency resources associated with the additional RA search space in the overlapping time slots are different from time-frequency resources associated with the RA search space.

13. The first device according to claim 12, wherein the first device is caused to: At least one overlapping time slot is determined based on at least one of the following: the offset and period of the additional RA search space, and The configuration of the RA search space.

14. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first apparatus comprises a terminal device, and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

15. A second device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: transmitting a configuration of a random access RA search space to the first device; as well as Downlink control information is transmitted to the first apparatus based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and repetition of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) candidates of at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space included in an additional RA search space.

16. The second device according to claim 15, wherein the second device is caused to: determining a configuration of the additional RA search space; and The configuration of the additional RA search space is transmitted to the first apparatus.

17. The second device according to claim 15, wherein the second device is caused to: A scaling factor is transmitted to the first apparatus for use by the first apparatus in determining the additional RA search space based on the RA search space. 18 . The second apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the number and position of at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are the same as the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

19. The second apparatus of claim 18, wherein each of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space is linked to a monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space, and wherein each PDCCH candidate in each of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space has a repeated PDCCH candidate in the linked monitoring opportunity in the additional RA search space.

20. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the number and position of at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space are different from the number and position of the at least one monitoring opportunity of the RA search space.

21. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein a subset of monitoring occasions in the at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space is to be repeated. 22 . The second apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein some or all of the PDCCH candidates in some or all of the monitoring occasions in the RA search space belong to a PDCCH candidate group.

23. The second apparatus of claim 21, wherein the PDCCH candidate group is to be repeated in at least one monitoring occasion of the additional RA search space.

24. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that do not overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space.

25. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one monitoring opportunity of the additional RA search space is located in one or more time slots that at least partially overlap with one or more time slots of the RA search space, and wherein time-frequency resources associated with the additional RA search space in the overlapping time slots are different from time-frequency resources associated with the RA search space.

26. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the first apparatus comprises a terminal device, and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

27. A method for communication, comprising: receiving, at the first device, a configuration of the RA search space from the second device; determining an additional RA search space, the additional RA search space comprising a repetition of PDCCH candidates for at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space; and Downlink control information is monitored based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition in the additional RA search space.

28. A method for communication, comprising: transmitting, from the second device to the first device, a configuration of the RA search space; as well as Based at least on the configuration of the RA search space and the repetition of PDCCH candidates for at least one monitoring occasion of the RA search space included in an additional RA search space, downlink control information is transmitted to the first apparatus.

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