State transition for cell discontinuous operation

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to state transition of a cell. An apparatus receives a monitoring opportunity configuration for control information related to a discontinuous mode of operation of a cell, the monitoring opportunity configuration indicating at least one monitoring opportunity before activation of the discontinuous mode of operation or during a time when the discontinuous mode of operation is activated. The apparatus monitors control information from the device at at least one monitoring opportunity, the control information indicating at least a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state; and determining a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state from the control information based on receiving the control information from the device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for state transition of a cell in cell discontinuous reception (DRX) and / or cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) operations. Background Art

[0002] Network Energy Saving (NES) is a hot topic in the field of communications. For example, in order to save power, cell DTX / DRX is a technology proposed on the network device side. When there are no packets to transmit / receive, cell DTX / DRX allows the network device to sleep during the DTX / DRX cycle. Therefore, it is worth studying how to activate (deactivate) cell DTX / DRX. Public Content

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device at least performs: receiving a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell from a device, the discontinuous operation mode including a mode of at least one operation of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicating at least one monitoring timing before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; monitoring control information from the device at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state at at least one monitoring timing; and determining a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state from the control information based on the control information received from the device.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device at least performs: transmitting a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell to the device, the discontinuous operation mode includes a mode of at least one operation of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicates at least one monitoring timing before the discontinuous operation mode is activated or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; and transmitting control information to the device at at least one monitoring timing before the activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the activation of the discontinuous operation mode, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell from a device, the discontinuous operation mode including a mode of at least one operation of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicating at least one monitoring timing before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; monitoring control information from the device at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state at at least one monitoring timing; and determining the state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state from the control information based on the control information received from the device.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell to a device, the discontinuous operation mode including a mode of at least one of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicating at least one monitoring timing before the discontinuous operation mode is activated or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; and transmitting control information to the device at at least one monitoring timing before the activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the activation of the discontinuous operation mode, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for receiving a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell from a device, the discontinuous operation mode includes a mode of at least one operation of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicates at least one monitoring timing before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; a component for monitoring control information from the device at least at the at least one monitoring timing, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state; and a component for determining a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state from the control information based on the control information received from the device.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for transmitting a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell to the device, the discontinuous operation mode includes a mode of at least one operation of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicates at least one monitoring timing before the discontinuous operation mode is activated or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; and a component for transmitting control information to the device at at least one monitoring timing before the activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the activation of the discontinuous operation mode, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state.

[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 is 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 is used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the disclosure part 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 disclosure will become easy to understand 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 exemplary communication environment is shown in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0014] Figure 2 shows a (de)activation indication for a cell DTX / DRX mode;

[0015] Figure 3 A flow chart showing a signaling process for cell state transition according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 4 Examples of DCI monitoring opportunities during normal network operation and / or during an active period of a cell DTX / DRX mode according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0017] Figure 5 An example of a DCI monitoring opportunity during a cell DTX inactive period according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, wherein the MO is configured relative to an active-to-inactive switching boundary of an RRC-configured activated cell DTX / DRX mode;

[0018] Figure 6 shows an example of DCI monitoring opportunities during a cell DTX inactive period according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the MO is configured relative to the most recent active-to-inactive switching boundary triggered by a group common DCI;

[0019] Figure 7 An example of receiving a group-common DCI in a configured MO during an inactive period of a cell DTX / DRX mode according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 8 An example of the expiration of a timer configured for a temporary active time during a cell DTX inactive period according to certain example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Fig. 9 An example in which a timer overlaps with a next active period of a cell DTX configured by RRC according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0022] Fig.10 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Fig.11 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Fig.12 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0025] Fig.13 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The principle 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 to the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the embodiments described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, 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).

[0030] 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.

[0031] As used herein, “at least one of: «a list of two or more elements» and “a list of two or more elements» 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.

[0032] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not mean performing the step immediately after “A” occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0033] 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, 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 the 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.

[0034] 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 with software (including a digital signal processor), 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, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not needed for operation.

[0035] 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 merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also covers (for example, if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit of a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0036] 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.

[0037] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses a network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NRNB (also known 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-net, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment, such as satellite network equipment, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network equipment, 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.

[0038] 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 device, 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 customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and an application (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and an application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automatic processing chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, 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.

[0039] 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 time domain resources, frequency domain resources, space domain resources, code domain resources, or any other combination of time, frequency, space and / or code domain resources used for communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, frequency domain and time domain resources will be used as examples of transmission resources to describe 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.

[0040] As used herein, the term "radio resource control (RRC) connection state" or "RRC connection mode" may refer to a state in which a service radio bearer and a data radio bearer are allocated to a terminal device. The term "RRC idle state" or "RRC idle mode" used herein may refer to a state in which a terminal device is turned on but does not have any established RRC connection. The term "RRC inactive state" or "RRC inactive mode" used herein may refer to a state in which there is a suspended RRC connection.

[0041] As used herein, the term "cell discontinuous reception (DRX)" as used herein may refer to a technique that allows a network device to receive data during a period of time and sleep when there are no packets to receive during another period of time. The term "cell discontinuous transmission (DTX)" as used herein may refer to a technique that allows a network device to send data during a period of time and sleep when there are no packets to send during another period of time. Cell DRX / DTX may be used in mobile communications to save energy of network devices.

[0042] The term "wake-up duration" or "active period" for cell DTX refers to a time period during which a network device is able to monitor a channel (e.g., a physical control channel or a physical shared channel) and receive data or control information on the channel. The term "DTX period" or "DTX opportunity" or "sleep time" or "sleep duration" or "inactive / non-active period" for cell DRX refers to a time period during which a network device does not transmit data or control information on a channel. The term "DTX cycle" or "DTX period" used herein includes a wake-up duration during which a terminal device should monitor a channel and a DRX period during which a terminal device can skip reception of a channel.

[0043] The term "wake-up duration" or "active period" for cell DTX refers to a time period during which a network device is able to transmit data or control information on a channel (e.g., a physical control channel or a physical shared channel). As used herein, the term "DTX period" or "DTX opportunity" or "sleep time" or "sleep duration" or "inactive / non-active period" for cell DTX refers to a time period during which a network device does not transmit data or control information on a channel. The term "DTX cycle" or "DTX period" used herein includes a wake-up duration during which a terminal device should monitor a channel and a DRX period during which a terminal device can skip reception of a channel.

[0044] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, a first device 110 and a second device 120 may communicate with each other.

[0045] The first device 110 (or referred to as the first apparatus) may be a terminal device, such as a UE. The second device 120 (or referred to as the second apparatus) may be a network device, such as a gNB. The first device 110 may be in a cell 102, which is a serving cell in a service coverage area of ​​the second device 120.

[0046] Hereinafter, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described in which the first device 110 operates as a terminal device and the second device 120 operates as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in conjunction with the terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and the operations described in conjunction with the network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0047] In some example embodiments, if first device 110 is a terminal device and second device 120 is a network device, a link from second device 120 to first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and a link from first device 110 to second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In DL, second device 120 is a transmission (TX) device (or transmitter), and first device 110 is a reception (RX) device (or receiver). In UL, first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0048] The communication 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, the communication may use any suitable 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.

[0049] Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to Network Energy Saving (NES). Work items related to NES include the following objectives. The objective is to specify enhancements to the cell DTX / DRX mechanism, including alignment of cell DTX / DRX and UE DRX in RRC_CONNECTED mode, and inter-node information exchange on cell DTX / DRX.

[0050] It has been agreed to introduce a new group common DCI format 2_x into NES for activating and deactivating cell DTX / DRX mode. The design details of this new DCI format are still open.

[0051] For group common L1 signaling using the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for cell DTX / DRX activation and deactivation, there are the following options: Based on the new DCI format 2_X, no increase in the DCI size budget, no increase in the number of required blind decodings (BD). If the UE monitors these two DCI formats, it is necessary to further study whether the PDCCH monitoring configuration of the new DCI format is the same as the PDCCH monitoring configuration of DCI format 2_6.

[0052] Some agreements related to the design of new group-common DCI formats 2_x were reached. The agreements include the following. The periodic cell DTX / DRX configuration is explicitly signaled to the UE. The periodic cell DTX / DRX pattern is configured by UE-specific RRC signaling. The cell DTX / DRX configuration contains at least: period, start slot / offset, wake-up duration. As a baseline, cell DTX / DRX is implicitly activated / deactivated by RRC signaling, i.e. activated immediately once configured by RRC and deactivated once the RRC configuration is released. L1 signaling facilitates cell DTX / DRX activation / deactivation and design details are required. The understanding of the gNB scheduling behavior for new transmissions during cell DTX inactive periods is that the gNB does not schedule UE-specific dynamic grants / allocations even if the UE is in cell DRX active time. The UE does not monitor the PDCCH during cell DTX inactive periods for dynamic grants / allocations for new transmissions even if the UE is in cell DRX active time.

[0053] Some further protocols include: When the retransmission timer is running (if cell DRX is configured), the UE is expected to monitor PDCCH, similar to legacy. It is up to the network to decide whether to schedule retransmissions outside of the cell DTX active period, i.e. when the DRX retransmission timer is running, the UE should monitor PDCCH regardless of cell DTX. Once the gNB identifies the presence of an emergency call or public safety related service (e.g. Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) or Mission Critical Service (MCS)), the network should ensure that there is no impact on the emergency call (e.g., cell DTX / DRX can be deactivated).

[0054] Based on the RAN2 protocol cited above, it should be understood that a single cell DTX and DRX mode can be individually configured to the UE using UE-specific RRC signaling, where the cell DTX / DRX mode configuration contains at least the period, start time slot / offset, and wake-up duration. By default, the cell DTX / DRX mode can be activated or deactivated by UE-specific RRC signaling. And even if the UE is in the active time of C-DRX, it is not expected that the UE monitors the PDCCH during the cell DTX inactive period to obtain dynamic authorization / allocation of new TBs. At the same time, in order to handle emergency calls or public safety-related services, especially during the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode, the network should ensure that there is no impact on emergency calls, for example, the network can deactivate the cell DTX / DRX operation.

[0055] It is assumed that a new Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) nes-RNTI has to be introduced, i.e. for DCI format 2_x with a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) scrambled by nes-RNTI. Figure 2As shown, a method is provided for indicating activation and deactivation of a cell DTX / DRX configuration via a group common DCI format 2_x. For activation of a cell DTX / DRX mode, a start of a search time (act-Offset) of a DCI format 2_x with a CRC scrambled by a nes-RNTI may be introduced, similar to the ps-Offset in DCP-Config-r16, where the introduced act-Offset may be relative to the start of the configured cell DTX / DRX mode. In one example, Figure 2 As shown, act-Offset may be relative to the start of a subsequent inactive period of the configured cell DTX / DRX pattern. In another example, act-Offset may indicate the start of a subsequent active period of the configured cell DTX / DRX pattern.

[0056] For deactivation of the cell DTX / DRX mode, the group common DCI format 2_x can be monitored during the active time or inactive time of the cell DTX / DRX. Figure 2 As shown, another search time start (dact-Offset) for the UE to search for DCI format 2_x with CRC scrambled by nes-RNTI can be introduced, where the deact-Offset can be relative to an active to inactive switching boundary in an active period, or relative to an inactive to active switching boundary in an inactive period (i.e., returning to normal network (NW) operation and the cell DTX / DRX mode is deactivated).

[0057] For the above method, the network operation based on the configured act-Offset / deact-Offset relative to the cell DTX / DRX configuration can be quite semi-static. In addition, the more dynamic network operation based on the new DCI format 2_x is expected to provide better performance and flexibility, namely in terms of traffic load changes.

[0058] Furthermore, it is not clear how long the duration of the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode can be. In practice, it can be in the range of 100ms or 10s, for example, depending on the network sleep mode, i.e. light sleep or deep sleep. Furthermore, how to handle emergency calls and public safety related services, especially during long inactive periods, remains an open issue that needs to be further addressed.

[0059] As mentioned above, details on the new group common DCI design for cell DTX / DRX (deactivation) activation indication have not been discussed. Furthermore, so far it remains open how emergency calls and public safety related services are handled, especially during very long periods of inactivity.

[0060] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for cell state transition is provided. In this solution, a first device (e.g., a terminal device) is provided with a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell by a second device (e.g., a network device) to indicate at least one monitoring timing before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated. According to the configuration, the first device can additionally monitor the control information from the second device before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or after the discontinuous operation mode is activated. The second device can dynamically switch the cell between an active state and an inactive state according to actual needs. The solution provides a more dynamic network operation through activation / deactivation of cell DTX / DRX. In addition, emergency calls and public safety-related services can also be processed during the inactive period of cell DTX / DRX, especially during very long inactive periods.

[0061] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a signaling process 300 for cell state transition according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to FIG. Figure 1 The signaling flow 200 is discussed, for example, by using a first device 110 and a second device 120. For example, the first device 110 may be a user device or may be included in a user device, and the second device 120 may be a network device.

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown, the second device 120 transmits (305) a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to the discontinuous operation mode of the cell to the first device 110. The first device 110 receives (310) a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to the discontinuous operation mode of the cell from the second device 120.

[0064] The discontinuous operation mode includes a mode of at least one of DTX operation or / and DRX operation. Hereinafter, for the purpose of discussion, "cell DTX / DRX mode" and "discontinuous operation mode" are used interchangeably to refer to a mode of DTX operation, a mode of DRX operation, or a mode of both DTX and DRX operation. The discontinuous operation mode may include one or more periods of an active period and an inactive period, wherein during the active period, the cell is in an active state to transmit and / or receive, and during the inactive period, the cell is in an inactive state and does not transmit and / or receive.

[0065] The monitoring timing configuration of the control information transmitted from the second device 120 to the first device 110 indicates at least one monitoring timing (MO) before the activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated. MO can also be referred to as a PDCCH monitoring timing or a DCI monitoring timing, which is used to monitor the control information in the PDCCH. If the discontinuous operation mode has not been activated, it can be assumed that the cell is always in an active state (or awake state) or is deactivated (or dormant state). The time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated may include the active time of the discontinuous operation mode (the active period of the discontinuous operation mode) and the inactive time of the discontinuous operation mode (the inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode).

[0066] In some exemplary embodiments, the monitoring opportunity configuration is configured with a search space type of a common search space associated with a predetermined group common downlink control information format. In some exemplary embodiments, the control information to be monitored in the configured monitoring opportunity may include DCI, and may be transmitted in a predetermined DCI format (e.g., DCI format 2_x, or group common DCI format 2_x). In this example, the monitoring opportunity for DCI-Format2_x may be configured (in a common search space (CSS), for example using type 3 CSS) with a SearchSpace associated with searchSpaceType group common DCI format 2_x. By using the DCI format, the second device 120 can transmit control information related to the discontinuous operation mode of the cell to the first device group within the cell.

[0067] According to the monitoring opportunity configuration, before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated, the second device 120 transmits control information to the first device 110 at at least one monitoring opportunity (315). The control information at least indicates a state transition of the cell between an active state (e.g., an active DTX and / or DRX state, or sometimes simply referred to as an active state) and an inactive state (e.g., an inactive DTX and / or DRX state, or sometimes simply referred to as an inactive or inactive state). In some examples, the control information may include DCI in a predetermined DCI format, such as DCI format 2_x, or a group common DCI format 2_x. In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit the control information to the first device group, for example, via a group common DCI format.

[0068] According to the monitoring occasion configuration, the first device 110 monitors (320) control information from the second device 120 at at least one monitoring occasion. The control information at least indicates a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state, such as a transition from an active state to an inactive state or vice versa. The active state may include an always awake state when the discontinuous operation mode is not activated, and an activated discontinuous operation state when the discontinuous operation mode is activated. The inactive state may include a dormant state when the discontinuous operation mode is not activated, and an inactive discontinuous operation state when the discontinuous operation mode is activated.

[0069] According to the transmission of control information on the second device 120 side, the first device 110 can receive control information from the second device 120 at a specific monitoring opportunity. For example, the first device 110 can detect and successfully decode control information in, for example, a PDCCH from the second device 120.

[0070] Based on receiving the control information from the second device 120, the first device 110 determines (325) a state transition of the cell between the active state and the inactive state from the control information. In an example, the first device 110 determines the state transition of the cell from the active state to the inactive state based on the control information. In another example, the first device 110 determines the state transition of the cell from the inactive state to the active state based on the control information. The determination can be based on the control information and can be performed according to the control information (i.e., the content indicated by the control information).

[0071] For example, based on the cell being in or transitioning to an active state, if C-DRX is configured for the first device 110 and the first device 110 is in the active time of its own C-DRX cycle (i.e., C-DRX active time), the first device 110 can be configured to monitor the PDCCH and monitor the reference signal.

[0072] For example, based on the cell being in an inactive state or transitioning to an inactive state, the first device 110 may be configured to assume that all or at least most signals are not transmitted, such as no CSI-RS and no PRS. However, at least some signals may still be transmitted. Thus, in this example, the first device 110 may be configured not to monitor all or at least most signals. For example, the first device 110 may be configured not to monitor at least CSI-RS and / or PRS.

[0073] The second device 120 may control the state of the cell to switch between an active state and an inactive state to achieve energy saving and transmission and / or reception of information. By configuring a monitoring opportunity before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated, the second device 120 may dynamically control the state transition of the cell and indicate the state transition to the first device 110. Some exemplary embodiments will be discussed in detail below.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the monitoring timing configuration includes a first monitoring timing configuration of control information prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode, for example, to indicate one or more monitorings prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode. The first monitoring timing configuration may include at least one of: a first reference boundary, the first reference boundary including a boundary of a time domain resource unit, a first starting offset relative to the first reference boundary to indicate when the first monitoring timing configuration is applied, or a first period of monitoring timing. In some example embodiments, the first reference boundary may include a boundary of a system frame number (SFN), a time slot, or a symbol. Such a configuration may allow the first device 110 to determine a monitoring timing of control information related to the discontinuous operation mode of the cell prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, when the cell DTX / DRX mode is not activated, the (multiple) monitoring opportunities for DCI format 2_x may be configured (in a common search space, e.g. using type 3 CSS) with a SearchSpace associated with the searchSpaceType group common DCI format 2_x, having a starting offset (monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset) relative to a SFN, slot or symbol boundary.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the control information monitored and received by the first device 110 before activation of the discontinuous operation mode may include at least: a first indication of transitioning a cell from an active state to an inactive state before the configured discontinuous operation mode starts. In some exemplary embodiments, one of the content information elements (IEs) in the control information (e.g., in DCI format 2_x) indicates a network transition from cell DTX / DRX active (time) to inactive (time) (or generally a network transition from cell DTX / DRX wake-up to sleep), and the first indication may be transmitted by the second device 120 and monitored by the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the first indication in the control information may indicate that the network activates the DTX / DRX mode starting from the inactive period. Thus, the cell transitions from an active state to an inactive state. The first indication in the control information may also be referred to as a 'cell goes to sleep' or simply a 'go to sleep' indication. Based on receiving the control information before the configured discontinuous operation mode starts, the first device 110 may determine the state transition of the cell to the inactive state from the first indication.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the monitoring timing configuration includes a second monitoring timing configuration for control information during an active period of the discontinuous operation mode. The second monitoring timing configuration may include at least one of the following: a second reference boundary, the second reference boundary including a reference time within the active period of the discontinuous operation mode (e.g., the start of the active period or the end of the active period), a second starting offset relative to the second reference boundary to indicate when the second monitoring timing configuration is applied, or a second period of monitoring timing. Such a configuration may allow the first device 110 to determine a monitoring timing related to the discontinuous operation mode of the cell during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode for control information. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be configured (e.g., via RRC configuration information) with other monitoring timings to activate or deactivate the discontinuous operation mode (cell DTX / DRX mode).

[0078] In some example embodiments, during an active period of a configured and activated cell DTX / DRX mode, monitoring opportunities for DCI (e.g., in DCI format 2_x) may be configured (e.g., in a common search space, e.g., using type 3 CSS) with a search space type associated with a group common DCI format 2_x, with parameters monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset / duration / monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot relative to (i.e., after) the RRC-configured active period of the cell DTX / DRX.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the control information monitored and received by the first device 110 during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode may include at least a second indication of early termination of the active period or a third indication of deactivation of the discontinuous operation mode. In some example embodiments, the content of DCI-Format2_x indicates a state transition of a cell from an active state to an inactive state (which may also be referred to as a 'cell active period early termination indication') or a cell DTX / DRX deactivation (i.e., a cell transition to normal operation).

[0080] Based on receiving control information during an active period of the discontinuous operation mode, the first device 110 may determine from the second indication or the third indication that the cell is transitioned from an active state to an inactive state or that the discontinuous operation mode is deactivated. In some example embodiments, if the detected control information includes a second indication of early termination of the active period, the first device 110 may determine, in the discontinuous operation mode, the offset start of a new inactive-to-active period starting from the inactive period, or the start of an inactive period immediately followed by a new inactive-to-active period. For example, the transition indication from active to inactive may be interpreted as the offset start of a new cell DTX / DRX cycle starting from the inactive period, or as the inactive time immediately followed by a new cell DTX / DRX cycle.

[0081] In some exemplary embodiments, for the behavior of the first device upon receiving a "cell entering sleep indication" (i.e., a first indication) or a "cell early termination of activity period indication", the first device 110 may consider the cell to transition from wake-up to sleep or from active to inactive, and subsequently consider the cell to be in an inactive non-continuous operation (DTX / DRX) state.

[0082] Figure 4 An example 400 of DCI monitoring opportunities during normal network operation and / or during an active period of a cell DTX / DRX mode is shown. Figure 4 As shown, when the cell DTX / DRX mode is not activated (for example, when the network operates in an always-awake state), the second device 120 transmits an "enter sleep indication" 410 via a group common DCI at the configured monitoring opportunity, and the first device 110 receives the indication. Upon receiving the "enter sleep indication" 410, the first device 110 determines that the network activates the cell DTX / DRX mode starting in the inactive period, and the cell transitions from the active (awake) state to the inactive state. The monitoring opportunity of the indication 410 can be configured with an SFN, a time slot or a symbol boundary, and a starting offset relative to the SFN, the time slot or the symbol boundary.

[0083] In addition, if Figure 4As shown, the second device 120 transmits an "early termination indication of the active period" 420 of the configured cell DTX / DRX mode via the group common DCI during the active period of the configured and activated cell DTX / DRX at the configured monitoring opportunity, and the first device 110 receives the indication, indicating a cell state transition from active to inactive. The monitoring opportunity of the indication 420 can be configured with a boundary of a reference time within the active period of the cell DTX / DRX mode (e.g., the start of the active period or the end of the active period) and a second starting offset relative to the boundary of the reference time.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the monitoring opportunity configuration includes a third monitoring opportunity configuration for control information during an inactive period of the activated discontinuous operation mode, the third monitoring opportunity configuration including at least one of the following: a third reference boundary, or a third starting offset relative to the third reference boundary to indicate when the third monitoring opportunity configuration is applied. In some embodiments, the third monitoring opportunity configuration may also include a third periodic monitoring opportunity. Such a configuration may allow the first device 110 to determine a monitoring opportunity related to the discontinuous operation mode of the cell during an inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode for control information.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the third reference boundary may include a configured boundary for switching from an active period to an inactive period of a discontinuous operation mode. For example, the third reference boundary may be configured with a monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset relative to an RRC-configured active-to-inactive switching boundary of an activated cell DTX / DRX mode. In some example embodiments, the third reference boundary may include a nearest boundary for switching from an active period to an inactive period of a discontinuous operation mode triggered by control information from the second device 120 (e.g., by an "early termination indication of an active period" or a "enter sleep indication"). In this example, the third reference boundary may be configured with a monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset relative to a nearest active-to-inactive switching boundary triggered by a group common DCI format 2_x.

[0086] In some exemplary embodiments, during the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode, the monitoring timing of the first device 110 to monitor the reception of the group common DCI may be configured by the network, for example, to be able to handle emergency calls. Figure 5As shown in example 500 of , the monitoring opportunities within the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode can be configured, for example, using monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset relative to the active to inactive switching boundary of the activated cell DTX / DRX mode configured by RRC. In addition, a period of "Y time slots" can be configured for periodic monitoring opportunities, for example, for configuring MO 520-1, 520-2, 520-3, 520-4, etc. The first device 110 can perform monitoring 510 of the group common DCI format 2_x at MO 520-1, and other monitoring opportunities.

[0087] Alternatively, if Figure 6 As shown, the monitoring timing within the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode can also be configured using the monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset relative to the most recent active to inactive switching boundary triggered by the group common DCI format 2_x (e.g., by a "go to sleep indication" 610 received via the group common DCI). In addition, a period of "Y time slots" can be configured for periodic monitoring opportunities, for example, for configuring MO 640-1, 640-2, 640-3, 640-4, 640-5, etc. The first device 110 can perform monitoring 620, 630 of the group common DCI format 2_x at MO 640-1, MO 640-2 and other monitoring opportunities.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the third monitoring opportunity configuration configures a plurality of first monitoring opportunities for monitoring control information during an inactive period of an activated discontinuous operation mode. In this example, the first device 110 may skip monitoring control information at at least one monitoring opportunity among the plurality of first monitoring opportunities that occurs during an active period of the discontinuous operation mode; and monitor control information at at least one monitoring opportunity among the plurality of first monitoring opportunities that occurs during an inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode. In some exemplary embodiments, during an active period of a cell DTX / DRX mode, one or more configured MOs may be disabled, skipped, omitted, terminated, and enabled or reactivated again after a subsequent active-to-inactive switch and during a subsequent inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode. Figure 5 As shown in the example 500 of , MO 520-4 occurs during the active period and can be skipped. Figure 6 As shown in example 600, MO 640-5 occurs during the active period and can be skipped.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the control information may further include at least one of: a fourth indication of a transition from the inactive state to the active state, a fifth indication of no transition from the inactive state to the active state, or a temporary activity duration.

[0090] In some example embodiments, during an inactive period of the activated discontinuous operation mode, if control information is not detected according to the third monitoring opportunity configuration, the first device 110 may determine that the cell is in an inactive state. In some example embodiments, during an inactive period of the activated discontinuous operation mode, if the first device 110 receives control information in a configured monitoring opportunity, and the control information includes a fifth indication of not transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, the first device 110 may determine that the cell is in an inactive state. In some example embodiments, during an inactive period of the activated discontinuous operation mode, if the received control information includes a fourth indication of a transition from the inactive state to the active state, the first device 110 may determine a cell state transition from the inactive state to the active state when the control information is detected or after a predetermined time delay.

[0091] In some example embodiments, if during the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode, no DCI format 2_x is received, or DCI format 2_x is received and does not indicate switching to active time in the configured MO, the first device 110 may consider that the cell is still in inactive time (i.e., no inactive to active switching). Figure 7 As shown in example 700, based on receiving an "enter sleep indication" 710 via a group common DCI during an active period of the cell DTX / DRX mode, the first device 110 determines that the cell transitions to an inactive state. During the inactive time of the cell DTX / DRX mode, the first device 110 maintains monitoring of the group common DCI at the configured MOs 730-1, 730-2, and 730-3. Since no control information is received at MO 730-1 and MO730-3, the first device 110 determines that the cell is still in the inactive time.

[0092] In some exemplary embodiments, Figure 7 As shown in MO 730-2 in FIG. 1 , when a group-common DCI is received in a configured MO during an inactive period of a cell DTX / DRX mode, the first device 110 may determine an inactive-to-active switching of the cell.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the inactive to active switch may be assumed by the first device 110 immediately, or after a certain duration after receiving the DCI, which may be configured by the network (e.g., by indicating the temporary activation duration in the control information) or may be predefined to the first device 110. In some example embodiments, during an inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode, based on determining from the received control information that the cell transitions from the inactive state to the active state, the first device 110 may start a timer with a temporary active duration, and determine that the cell is in an active state for the duration that the timer is running. For example, the first device 110 may receive a fourth indication of a transition from the inactive state to the active state during the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode. Based on the fourth indication, the first device 110 may determine that the cell is temporarily in an active state. The first device 110 may therefore start a timer with a configured or predefined temporary active duration.

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, a configured timer may be started (wherein the configured timer duration determines a temporary active time triggered by a group common DCI during an inactive period of a cell DTX / DRX mode). Figure 7 As shown, group common DCI 720 is received at MO 730-2, indicating temporary activation of the cell during the inactive period of the DTX / DRX mode. Therefore, during the inactive period of the cell DTX / DRX mode, an active period is triggered or activated after MO 730-2. The timer can be set with a temporary activity duration.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the temporary activity duration may be determined based on the configured duration of the active period of the discontinuous operation mode. In some example embodiments, alternatively, after an inactive to active switch in the inactive period, a timer different from the active period timer of the cell DTX / DRX mode may be used. In some example embodiments, the temporary activity duration may be determined based on a duration that is determined based on a minimum delay associated with the services performed during the inactive period and / or any other requirements / configurations. In some example embodiments, the timer value is typically configured by the second device 120 to all first devices 110, which value can reflect, for example, the minimum delay in notifying the first device 110 of an emergency call and / or public safety-related services.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the operations allowed when the configured timer runs may be configured by the network. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive configuration information from the second device 120, the configuration information indicating the operations to be performed during the duration of the timer running. The configuration information may be included in the received control information (e.g., group common DCI), or may be configured separately.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the configured timer may be extended. The extended duration may be controlled by the second device 120. The first device 110 may receive an indication of the extended duration of operation of the timer from the second device 120 during the duration of the timer operation. Thus, the first device 110 may set the timer with the extended duration of operation.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the extended operation duration may be limited to x or x [e.g., duration of active time in ms]. In some example embodiments, if the extended operation duration is higher than x, cell DTX / DRX deactivation on the next MO is triggered (i.e., the network switches to normal operation).

[0099] In some example embodiments, the extended operation duration may be dynamically configured by the second device 120. In some example embodiments, in the case of an extension of the configured timer duration, the first device 110 may be configured with a monitoring opportunity within the timer duration. The monitoring opportunity configuration may include a fourth monitoring opportunity configuration for control information. A fourth monitoring opportunity configuration within the duration of the timer operation. According to the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration, the first device 110 may monitor the control information within the duration of the timer operation. The first device 110 may receive (e.g., detect and successfully decode) control information at the monitoring opportunity, the control information including at least an indication of the extended operation duration of the timer. The control information may be a group common DCI, for example in DCI format 2_x.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration includes at least one of: a fourth reference boundary, a fourth starting offset relative to the fourth reference boundary to indicate when the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration is applied, or a fourth period of monitoring opportunities. In some example embodiments, the fourth reference boundary may include a monitoring opportunity, wherein at the monitoring opportunity, control information including a fourth indication of a transition from an inactive state to an active state is detected, or expiration of a temporary activity duration of a timer.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the MO may be configured with a monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset relative to a triggering MO (e.g., a MO in which control information including a fourth indication of a transition from an inactive state to an active state is detected). In some example embodiments, the MO may also be configured with a start of a search time (ext-Offset) for an expiration slot relative to a timer duration.

[0102] In some example embodiments, if no control information is detected according to the fourth monitoring occasion configuration, or if the detected control information includes an indication not to transition to the active state, the first device 110 may determine that the cell transitions to the inactive state after the timer expires. Figure 8 As shown, if the group-common DCI format 2_x is not received in the configured ext-Offset opportunity, or if the group-common DCI format 2_x is received and the group-common DCI format 2_x does not indicate a switch to an active time, the first device 110 may consider an active-to-inactive switch after the timer expires, after the third timer expires.

[0103] exist Figure 8 In example 800, based on receiving a "enter sleep indication" 810 via a group-common DCI during an active period of the cell's DTX / DRX mode, the first device 110 determines that the cell transitions to an inactive state. Since no group-common DCI is received at MO 840-1, the first device 110 determines that the cell is still in an inactive state. At MO 840-2, the first device 110 receives a group-common DCI 820 indicating a temporary activation during an inactive period. The first device 110 starts a timer with a temporary active duration. If a group-common DCI format 2_x is received in the configured ext-Offset timing, the first device 110 may consider an extension of the timer duration (i.e., an extension of the active time) and restart the timer after the timer expires, such as Figure 8 As shown in , after the second timer. Since no group-common DCI format 2_x is received in the configured ext-Offset opportunity, or if the received group-common DCI indicates switching to active time, the first device 110 may consider active to inactive switching after the timer expires, such as Figure 8 As shown in , after the third timer expires.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration configures a plurality of second monitoring opportunities for monitoring control information. If at least one of the plurality of second monitoring opportunities occurs within an active period of the discontinuous operation mode, the first device 110 may skip monitoring the control information at the at least one monitoring opportunity occurring within the active period.

[0105] In some example embodiments, if the duration of the timer when running overlaps with an active period after an inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode, the first device 110 may terminate the timer at the beginning of the active period. In some example embodiments, if the running timer overlaps with an incoming / subsequent active period of an RRC configured cell DTX / DRX, the timer is terminated and UE monitoring of the timer duration extension is skipped at the configured opportunity.

[0106] like Fig. 9 As shown, the monitoring of the timer duration extension is skipped at the configuration opportunity. Fig. 9 In example 900, the first device 110 receives a group common DCI 910 indicating temporary activation at MO 920 during an inactive period. The timer is therefore set with a temporary activation duration. Because the duration of the timer overlaps with the active period of the cell DTX / DRX mode, the first device 110 can terminate the timer after overlapping with the configured active period and skip the configured monitoring opportunity for the extended duration indication.

[0107] It should be understood that the proposed solution can be applied to cell DTX and cell DRX activation / deactivation separately or jointly (when both cell DTX and cell DRX are configured).

[0108] Fig.10 1 shows a flowchart of an example method 1000 implemented at a device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 1000 may be Figure 1 The first device 110 executes.

[0109] At block 1010, the apparatus receives a signal from a device (e.g., Figure 1 The second device 120 in the cell receives a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of the cell, the discontinuous operation mode includes a mode of at least one operation of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, and the monitoring timing configuration indicates at least one monitoring timing before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated.

[0110] At block 1020, the apparatus monitors control information from a device at at least one monitoring occasion, the control information indicating at least a state transition of a cell between an active state and an inactive state.

[0111] At block 1030, based on receiving the control information from the device, the apparatus determines from the control information a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state.

[0112] In some example embodiments, method 1000 includes receiving downlink control information from a device indicating a monitoring opportunity configuration, and / or wherein the monitoring opportunity configuration is configured as a search space type having a common search space associated with a predetermined group common downlink control information format.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the monitoring opportunity configuration includes a first monitoring opportunity configuration for control information prior to activation of a discontinuous operation mode, the first monitoring opportunity configuration including at least one of: a first reference boundary, the first reference boundary including a boundary of a time domain resource unit, a first starting offset relative to the first reference boundary to indicate when the first monitoring opportunity configuration is applied or a first period of the monitoring opportunity.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the time domain resource unit comprises a system frame number, a time slot, or a symbol.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the control information detected prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode includes a first indication that the cell is transitioned from an active state to an inactive state prior to the start of the configured discontinuous operation mode. The method 1000 includes determining that the cell is transitioned to an inactive state based on receiving the control information prior to the start of the configured discontinuous operation mode.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the monitoring opportunity configuration includes a second monitoring opportunity configuration for the control information during an active period of the discontinuous operation mode, the second monitoring opportunity configuration including at least one of: a second reference boundary, the second reference boundary including a reference time within the active period of the discontinuous operation mode, a second starting offset relative to the second reference boundary to indicate when the second monitoring opportunity configuration is applied, or a second period of the monitoring opportunity.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the control information detected during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode includes: a second indication of early termination of the active period, or a third indication of deactivation of the discontinuous operation mode. The method 1000 also includes: based on receiving the control information during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode, determining that the cell transitions from the active state to the inactive state, or that the discontinuous operation mode is deactivated.

[0118] In some example embodiments, method 1000 further includes determining, in a discontinuous operation mode, the start of an offset of a new inactivity-to-activity period starting from the inactivity period, or the start of an inactivity period immediately followed by a new inactivity-to-activity period, based on determining that the detected control information includes a second indication of early termination of the activity period.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the monitoring timing configuration includes a third monitoring timing configuration for an inactive period of an activated discontinuous operation mode for control information, the third monitoring timing configuration including at least one of: a third reference boundary, the third reference boundary including a configuration boundary for switching from an active period of the discontinuous operation mode to an inactive period triggered by control information from the device, or a nearest boundary for switching from an active period of the discontinuous operation mode to an inactive period; a third starting offset relative to the third reference boundary to indicate when the third monitoring timing configuration is applied; or a third period of the monitoring timing.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the third monitoring opportunity configuration configures multiple first monitoring opportunities for monitoring control information, and the method 1000 further includes: skipping the monitoring of control information at at least one monitoring opportunity among the multiple first monitoring opportunities that occurs within an active period of a non-continuous operation mode; and monitoring control information at at least one monitoring opportunity among the multiple first monitoring opportunities that occurs within an inactive period of the non-continuous operation mode.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the control information comprises at least one of: a fourth indication of transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, a fifth indication of not transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, or a temporary activity duration.

[0122] In some example embodiments, method 1000 further includes: during an inactive period of a discontinuous operation mode, determining that the cell is in an inactive state based on determining that no control information is detected in a third monitoring opportunity configuration, or based on determining that the detected control information includes a fifth indication of not transitioning from an inactive state to an active state; and determining that the cell transitions from an inactive state to an active state when the control information is detected or after a predetermined time delay based on determining that the detected control information includes a fourth indication of transitioning from an inactive state to an active state.

[0123] In some example embodiments, method 1000 further includes: starting a timer having a temporary activity duration based on determining that the cell transitions from the inactive state to the active state; and determining that the cell is in the active state for the duration of the timer.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the temporary activity duration is determined based on at least one of: a configured duration of the activity period of the non-continuous operation mode, or a duration determined based on a minimum delay associated with a service to be performed during the inactive period.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: receiving configuration information from a device, the configuration information indicating operations allowed to be performed during the duration of the timer.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: receiving, during the duration of the timer's operation, from the device, an indication of an extended duration of operation of the timer; and setting the timer with the extended duration of operation.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the monitoring timing configuration includes a fourth monitoring timing configuration for control information within the duration of the timer operation, and wherein method 1000 further includes: monitoring control information within the duration of the timer operation according to the fourth monitoring timing configuration; and detecting, at the monitoring timing, control information including at least an indication of an extended operation duration of the timer.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration includes at least one of: a fourth reference boundary, the fourth reference boundary including a monitoring opportunity, at which control information including a fourth indication of a transition from an inactive state to an active state, or expiration of a temporary activity duration of a timer is detected; a fourth starting offset relative to the fourth reference boundary to indicate when the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration is applied; or a fourth period of the monitoring opportunity.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, method 1000 further comprises: determining that the cell transitions to the inactive state after expiration of the timer in response to determining that no control information is detected according to a fourth monitoring occasion configuration, or in response to determining that the detected control information includes an indication not to transition to the active state.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration configures multiple second monitoring opportunities for monitoring control information, and method 1000 also includes: based on determining that at least one of the multiple second monitoring opportunities occurs within an active period of a non-continuous operation mode, skipping the monitoring of control information at at least one monitoring opportunity occurring within the active period.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises terminating the timer at the beginning of the active period based on determining that the duration of the timer while running overlaps with the active period following the inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is or is comprised in a user device, and the device is a network device.

[0133] Fig.11 1 shows a flow chart of an example method 1100 implemented at a device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 1100 may be performed by Figure 1 The second device 120 in is executed.

[0134] At block 1110, a device (e.g., Figure 1 The second device 120 in the apparatus (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the cell transmits a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of the cell, the discontinuous operation mode including a mode of at least one operation of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicating at least one monitoring timing before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated.

[0135] At block 1120 , the device transmits control information to the device at at least one monitoring occasion prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated, the control information indicating at least a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state.

[0136] In some example embodiments, method 1100 includes transmitting downlink control information indicating a monitoring opportunity configuration to an apparatus, and / or wherein the monitoring opportunity configuration is configured as a search space type having a common search space associated with a predetermined group common downlink control information format.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is a user equipment and the device is or is comprised in a network device.

[0138] In some example embodiments, a device (e.g., Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 1000 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 1000. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The device may be implemented as Figure 1 The first device 110 or the first device 110 included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell from a device, the discontinuous operation mode including a mode of at least one of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicating at least one monitoring timing before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; a component for monitoring control information from the device at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state; and a component for determining, based on the control information received from the device, the state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state from the control information.

[0140] In some example embodiments, an apparatus for receiving a monitoring opportunity configuration includes components for receiving downlink control information indicating the monitoring opportunity configuration from a device, and / or wherein the monitoring opportunity configuration is configured as a search space type having a common search space associated with a predetermined group common downlink control information format.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the monitoring opportunity configuration includes a first monitoring opportunity configuration for control information prior to activation of a discontinuous operation mode, the first monitoring opportunity configuration including at least one of: a first reference boundary, the first reference boundary including a boundary of a time domain resource unit, a first starting offset relative to the first reference boundary to indicate when the first monitoring opportunity configuration is applied or a first period of the monitoring opportunity.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the time domain resource unit comprises a system frame number, a time slot, or a symbol.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the control information detected prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode includes: a first indication that the cell is transitioned from an active state to an inactive state prior to the start of the configured discontinuous operation mode. The apparatus is caused to perform: based on receiving the control information prior to the start of the configured discontinuous operation mode, determining that the cell is transitioned to the inactive state.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the monitoring opportunity configuration includes a second monitoring opportunity configuration for control information during an active period of a discontinuous operation mode, the second monitoring opportunity configuration including at least one of: a second reference boundary, the second reference boundary including a reference time within the active period of the discontinuous operation mode, a second starting offset relative to the second reference boundary to indicate when the second monitoring opportunity configuration is applied, or a second period of the monitoring opportunity.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the control information detected during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode includes: a second indication of early termination of the active period, or a third indication of deactivation of the discontinuous operation mode. And wherein the means for determining the state transition of the cell from the control information includes: means for determining that the cell transitions from the active state to the inactive state, or that the discontinuous operation mode is deactivated, based on receiving the control information during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the means for determining a state transition of a cell from control information further comprises means for determining that the detected control information includes a second indication of early termination of an active period, determining, in a discontinuous operation mode, an offset start of a new inactive-to-active period starting from the inactive period, or a start of an inactive period immediately followed by a new inactive-to-active period.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the monitoring timing configuration includes a third monitoring timing configuration for an inactive period of an activated discontinuous operation mode for control information, the third monitoring timing configuration including at least one of: a third reference boundary, the third reference boundary including a configuration boundary for switching from an active period of the discontinuous operation mode to an inactive period triggered by control information from the device, or a nearest boundary for switching from an active period of the discontinuous operation mode to an inactive period; a third starting offset relative to the third reference boundary to indicate when the third monitoring timing configuration is applied; or a third period of the monitoring timing.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the third monitoring opportunity configuration configures multiple first monitoring opportunities for monitoring control information, and the device also includes: a component for skipping the monitoring of control information at at least one monitoring opportunity among the multiple first monitoring opportunities that occurs within an active period of a non-continuous operation mode; and a component for monitoring control information at at least one monitoring opportunity among the multiple first monitoring opportunities that occurs within an inactive period of the non-continuous operation mode.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the control information comprises at least one of: a fourth indication of transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, a fifth indication of not transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, or a temporary activity duration.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the means for determining a state transition of a cell from control information includes: means for determining that the cell is in an inactive state during an inactive period of a discontinuous operation mode based on determining that no control information is detected in a third monitoring opportunity configuration, or based on determining that the detected control information includes a fifth indication of not transitioning from an inactive state to an active state; and means for determining that the cell transitions from an inactive state to an active state when the control information is detected or after a predetermined time delay based on determining that the detected control information includes a fourth indication of transitioning from an inactive state to an active state.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for starting a timer having a temporary activity duration based on determining that the cell transitions from an inactive state to an active state; and means for determining that the cell is in the active state for the duration of the timer.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the temporary activity duration is determined based on at least one of: a configured duration of the activity period of the non-continuous operation mode, or a duration determined based on a minimum delay associated with a service to be performed during the inactive period.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving configuration information from a device, the configuration information indicating operations permitted to be performed during a duration of the timer running.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, within the duration of the timer's operation, from the device an indication of an extended operating duration of the timer; and means for setting the timer with the extended operating duration.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the monitoring occasion configuration includes a fourth monitoring occasion configuration for the control information within the duration of the timer operation. In some example embodiments, the means for monitoring includes: means for monitoring the control information within the duration of the timer operation according to the fourth monitoring occasion configuration; and means for detecting, at the monitoring occasion, the control information including at least an indication of the extended operation duration of the timer.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration includes at least one of: a fourth reference boundary, the fourth reference boundary including a monitoring opportunity, at which control information including a fourth indication of a transition from an inactive state to an active state, or expiration of a temporary activity duration of a timer is detected; a fourth starting offset relative to the fourth reference boundary to indicate when the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration is applied; or a fourth period of the monitoring opportunity.

[0157] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for determining a state transition of a cell from control information includes: means for determining that no control information is detected according to a fourth monitoring opportunity configuration, or in response to determining that the detected control information includes an indication not to transition to an active state, determining that the cell transitions to an inactive state after expiration of a timer.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration configures multiple second monitoring opportunities for monitoring control information, and the device also includes: a component for skipping the monitoring of control information at at least one monitoring opportunity occurring within the active period based on determining that at least one of the multiple second monitoring opportunities occurs within the active period of the discontinuous operation mode.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for terminating the timer at the beginning of the active period based on determining that the duration of the timer while running overlaps with the active period following the inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is or is comprised in a user device, and the device is a network device.

[0161] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some exemplary embodiments of the method 1000 or the first device 110. In some exemplary embodiments, the means comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations.

[0162] In some example embodiments, a device (e.g., Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 1100 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 1100. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The device may be implemented as Figure 1 The second device 120 or the second device 120 included in Figure 1 In the second device 120 in.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for transmitting to the device a monitoring timing configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell, the discontinuous operation mode including a mode of at least one of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring timing configuration indicating at least one monitoring timing before the discontinuous operation mode is activated or during the time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; and a component for transmitting to the device control information at at least one monitoring timing before the activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during the activation of the discontinuous operation mode, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting includes means for transmitting downlink control information indicating a monitoring opportunity configuration to the device. In some example embodiments, the monitoring opportunity configuration is configured as a search space type having a common search space associated with a predetermined group common downlink control information format.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is a user equipment and the device is or is comprised in a network device.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the device further comprises means for performing the method 1100 or other operations in some example embodiments of the second 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 device to perform the operations.

[0167] Fig.12 1 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 1200 suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1200 may be provided to implement a communication apparatus, such as Figure 1 The first device 110 or the second device 120 is shown. As shown in the figure, the apparatus 1200 includes one or more processors 1210, one or more memories 1220 coupled to the processor 1210, and one or more communication modules 1240 coupled to the processor 1210.

[0168] The communication module 1240 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 1240 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 1240 may include at least one antenna.

[0169] Processor 1210 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 1200 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0170] The memory 1220 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) 1224, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic and / or optical memories. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1222 and other volatile memories that do not last for the duration of a power outage.

[0171] The computer program 1230 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 1210. The instructions of the program 1230 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 1230 may be stored in a memory (e.g., ROM 1224). The processor 1210 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 1230 into the RAM 1222.

[0172] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the program 1230 so that the apparatus 1200 may execute the Figures 3 to 11 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the program 1230 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 1200 (such as in the memory 1220) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 1200. The device 1200 may load the program 1230 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 1222 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), as opposed to limitations on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0174] Fig.13An example of a computer readable medium 1300 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 1300 has the program 1230 stored thereon.

[0175] 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, 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 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.

[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. The functionality of a program module can be combined or split between program modules as needed in different embodiments. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0177] The program code for performing the method of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of 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 implementation of the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely 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 the various processes and operations 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 devices, 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 the operations are shown in a particular order, it should not be understood that these operations are required to be performed in the particular order or sequence shown, or that all of the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, they should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of the features of specific embodiments. 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, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0181] Although the present disclosure has been described using language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A 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 apparatus to at least perform: receiving, from a device, a monitoring opportunity configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell, the discontinuous operation mode comprising a mode of at least one of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring opportunity configuration indicating at least one monitoring opportunity before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during a time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; monitoring the control information from the device at the at least one monitoring occasion, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state; as well as Based on receiving the control information from the device, the state transition of the cell between the active state and the inactive state is determined from the control information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is caused to: receive downlink control information indicating the monitoring opportunity configuration from the device, and / or The monitoring opportunity configuration is configured as a search space type having a common search space associated with a predetermined group common downlink control information format.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the monitoring opportunity configuration comprises a first monitoring opportunity configuration for the control information before activation of the discontinuous operation mode, the first monitoring opportunity configuration comprising at least one of the following: a first reference boundary, the first reference boundary comprising a boundary of a time domain resource unit, a first starting offset relative to the first reference boundary to indicate when the first monitoring opportunity configuration is to be applied, or The first cycle of monitoring opportunities. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the time domain resource unit comprises a system frame number, a time slot, or a symbol.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control information detected prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode comprises: a first indication to transition the cell from the active state to the inactive state before the configured discontinuous operation mode begins; as well as wherein the device is caused to execute: Based on receiving the control information before the configured discontinuous operation mode starts, determining that the cell is transitioned to the inactive state.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the monitoring opportunity configuration comprises a second monitoring opportunity configuration for the control information during an active period of the discontinuous operation mode, the second monitoring opportunity configuration comprising at least one of the following: a second reference boundary, the second reference boundary comprising a reference time within the active period of the discontinuous operating mode, a second starting offset relative to the second reference boundary to indicate when the second monitoring opportunity configuration is to be applied, or The second cycle of monitoring opportunities.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control information detected during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode comprises: a second indication of early termination of the activity period, or a third indication of deactivation of the discontinuous operation mode; as well as wherein the device is caused to execute: determining that the cell is transitioned from the active state to the inactive state, or that the discontinuous operation mode is deactivated, based on receiving the control information during the active period of the discontinuous operation mode, wherein the device is caused to execute: In response to determining that the detected control information includes the second indication of early termination of the active period, determining the offset start of a new inactive-to-active period from the inactive period, or the start of an inactive period immediately followed by a new inactive-to-active period, in the discontinuous operation mode.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring opportunity configuration comprises a third monitoring opportunity configuration for the control information during an inactive period in an activated discontinuous operation mode, the third monitoring opportunity configuration comprising at least one of the following: a third reference boundary, the third reference boundary comprising a configured boundary for switching from an active period to an inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode, triggered by the control information from the device, or a nearest boundary for switching from an active period to an inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode, a third starting offset relative to the third reference boundary to indicate when the third monitoring opportunity configuration is to be applied, or The third cycle of monitoring opportunities.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the third monitoring opportunity configuration configures a plurality of first monitoring opportunities for monitoring the control information, and wherein the apparatus is further caused to execute: skipping monitoring of the control information at at least one monitoring opportunity among the plurality of first monitoring opportunities that occurs within an active period of the discontinuous operation mode; and The control information is monitored at at least one monitoring occasion among the plurality of first monitoring occasions that occurs within an inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the control information comprises at least one of the following: a fourth indication of a transition from said inactive state to said active state, a fifth indication not to transition from said inactive state to said active state, or The duration of the temporary activity.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 or 9, wherein the apparatus is caused to perform: during the inactive period of the discontinuous operation mode, In response to determining that the third monitoring opportunity configuration does not detect the control information, or in response to determining that the detected control information includes the fifth indication of not transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, determining that the cell is in the inactive state; and In response to determining that the detected control information includes the fourth indication of transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, determining that the cell transitions from the inactive state to the active state upon detection of the control information or after a predetermined time delay, The device is further configured to execute: In response to determining that the cell transitions from the inactive state to the active state, Starting a timer with a temporary activity duration; and It is determined that the cell is in the active state during the duration of the timer running.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the temporary activity duration is determined based on at least one of: the configured duration of the active period of the discontinuous mode of operation, or The duration is determined based on a minimum delay associated with a service to be performed during the inactivity period.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device is further caused to perform: Configuration information is received from the device, the configuration information indicating operations that are permitted to be performed during a duration of the timer.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform: receiving, during the duration of the operation of the timer, from the device, an indication of an extended duration of operation of the timer; and The timer is set with the extended operating duration.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the monitoring opportunity configuration comprises a fourth monitoring opportunity configuration for control information within the duration of the timer running, and wherein the device is caused to execute: during the duration of the timer running, monitoring the control information during the duration of the timer running according to the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration; and detecting, at a monitoring occasion, control information comprising at least an indication of a prolonged running duration of said timer, The fourth monitoring opportunity configuration includes at least one of the following: a fourth reference boundary, the fourth reference boundary comprising a monitoring occasion at which the control information comprising the fourth indication of transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, or expiration of the temporary active duration of the timer, is detected, a fourth starting offset relative to the fourth reference boundary to indicate when the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration is to be applied, or The fourth cycle of monitoring opportunities.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is further caused to execute: In response to determining that no control information is detected according to the fourth monitoring occasion configuration, or in response to determining that the detected control information includes an indication not to transition to the active state, determining that the cell transitions to the inactive state after expiration of the timer.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the fourth monitoring opportunity configuration configures a plurality of second monitoring opportunities for monitoring the control information, and further causes the apparatus to execute: In response to determining that at least one monitoring opportunity of the plurality of second monitoring opportunities occurs within an active period of the discontinuous operation mode, monitoring of the control information is skipped at the at least one monitoring opportunity occurring within the active period.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device is further caused to perform: In response to determining that the duration of the timer when running overlaps with an active period following the inactive period of the discontinuous mode of operation, When the activity period begins, the timer is terminated.

19. A 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 device to at least perform: transmitting to a device a monitoring opportunity configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell, the discontinuous operation mode comprising a mode of at least one of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring opportunity configuration indicating at least one monitoring opportunity before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during a time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; as well as Prior to activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during activation of the discontinuous operation mode, control information is transmitted to the device at the at least one monitoring occasion, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state.

20. A method for communication, comprising: At the apparatus, receiving from a device a monitoring opportunity configuration for control information related to a discontinuous operation mode of a cell, the discontinuous operation mode comprising a mode of at least one of a discontinuous transmission operation or a discontinuous reception operation, the monitoring opportunity configuration indicating at least one monitoring opportunity before activation of the discontinuous operation mode or during a time when the discontinuous operation mode is activated; monitoring the control information from the device at the at least one monitoring occasion, the control information at least indicating a state transition of the cell between an active state and an inactive state; as well as Based on receiving the control information from the device, the state transition of the cell between the active state and the inactive state is determined from the control information.

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