Apparatus, method, apparatus and computer readable medium for cell discontinuous transmission and reception

Abstract

Various example embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for cell discontinuous transmission or reception. A terminal device may receive a discontinuous transmission or received cell configuration from a network device. The configuration may define a discontinuous transmission or reception mode including an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period. When discontinuous transmission or reception is activated, the terminal device may perform reception or transmission of a signal or channel at a first periodicity during an active period, and perform reception or transmission of a signal or channel at a second periodicity during an inactive period.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments described herein relate generally to communication technology, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) and discontinuous reception (DRX). Background Art

[0002] Certain abbreviations that may appear in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0003] CSI-RS: Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0004] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0005] DRX: Discontinuous Reception

[0006] DTX: Discontinuous Transmission

[0007] MAC: Media Access Control

[0008] NES: Network Energy Saving

[0009] RLM: Radio Link Management

[0010] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0011] SFN: System Frame Number

[0012] TRS: Tracking Reference Signal

[0013] UE: User Equipment

[0014] 5G New Radio (NR) aims to enable denser network deployments to achieve higher capacity and performance, which means increased energy consumption, which accounts for a large part of operators' expenses and also has an impact on the environment. Network Energy Saving (NES) is becoming one of the top priorities in the telecommunications industry. Summary of the invention

[0015] A brief summary of example embodiments is provided below to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify the key features of the basic elements of the embodiments or to define the scope of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

[0016] In a first aspect, an example embodiment of a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least receive a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network device from a network device. The configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defines a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode including an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period. The terminal device is also caused to receive an indication from the network device for activating discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell, perform reception or transmission of a signal or channel with a first periodicity during the active period, and perform reception or transmission of a signal or channel with a second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0017] In a second aspect, an example embodiment of a network device is provided. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the network device to at least send a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network device to a terminal device. The configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defines a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode including an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period. The network device is also caused to send an indication of activating discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell to the terminal device, perform transmission or reception of a signal or channel with a first periodicity during the active period, and perform transmission or reception of a signal or channel with a second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0018] In some embodiments, the discontinuous transmission or reception configuration further defines at least one of: one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the active period; and one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the inactive period.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first periodicity and the second periodicity are configured to have a common offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, so that the transmission or reception timing of the second periodicity overlaps with the transmission or reception timing of the first periodicity.

[0020] In some embodiments, when the time difference between the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is less than or equal to a first threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, or when the time difference between the switching boundary and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is greater than the first threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period.

[0021] In some embodiments, when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period is less than or equal to a second threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period, or when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary is greater than the second threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the first opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0022] In some embodiments, the network device applies the second periodicity starting from one of the following two that is closer to the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period: the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0023] In some embodiments, the second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period is indicated by one or more occasions of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period.

[0024] In some embodiments, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception further indicates a starting point, or further defines a rule for determining a starting point from which the second periodicity is applied.

[0025] In some embodiments, the network device applies the second periodicity starting from a first occasion of the first periodicity in the inactive period, starting from a last occasion of the first periodicity in the active period, or starting from a switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period.

[0026] In some embodiments, the second periodicity is configured to have a separate offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is greater than or equal to the first periodicity.

[0027] In a third aspect, a method implemented at a terminal device is provided, comprising: receiving a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network device from a network device, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defining a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; receiving an indication from the network device for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell; performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the first periodicity during the active period; and performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0028] In some embodiments, the discontinuous transmission or reception configuration further defines at least one of: one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the active period, and one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the inactive period.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first periodicity and the second periodicity are configured to have a common offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, so that the transmission or reception timing of the second periodicity overlaps with the transmission or reception timing of the first periodicity.

[0030] In some embodiments, when the time difference between the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is less than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, or when the time difference between the switching boundary and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is greater than the first threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period.

[0031] In some embodiments, when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period is less than or equal to a second threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period, or when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary is greater than the second threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the first opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0032] In some embodiments, the terminal device applies the second periodicity starting from one of the following two that is closer to the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period: the last time of the first periodicity in the active period, and the first time of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0033] In some embodiments, the second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period is indicated by one or more occasions of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period.

[0034] In some embodiments, the discontinuous transmission or reception configuration further indicates a starting point, or further defines a rule for determining a starting point from which the second periodicity is applied, or the starting point or the rule for determining the starting point is predefined at the terminal device.

[0035] In some embodiments, the terminal device applies the second periodicity starting from a first opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period, starting from a last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period, or starting from a switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period.

[0036] In some embodiments, the second periodicity is configured to have a separate offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is greater than or equal to the first periodicity.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a network device is provided, comprising: sending a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network device to a terminal device, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defining a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; sending an indication for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell to the terminal device; performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with the first periodicity during the active period; and performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with the second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0038] In some embodiments, the discontinuous transmission or reception configuration further defines at least one of: one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the active period; and one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the inactive period.

[0039] In some embodiments, the first periodicity and the second periodicity are configured to have a common offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, so that the transmission or reception timing of the second periodicity overlaps with the transmission or reception timing of the first periodicity.

[0040] In some embodiments, when the time difference between the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is less than or equal to a first threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, or when the time difference between the switching boundary and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is greater than the first threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period.

[0041] In some embodiments, when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period is less than or equal to a second threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period, or when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary is greater than the second threshold, the network device applies the second periodicity from the first opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0042] In some embodiments, the network device applies the second periodicity starting from one of the following two that is closer to the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period: the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0043] In some embodiments, the second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period is indicated by one or more occasions of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period.

[0044] In some embodiments, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception further indicates a starting point, or further defines a rule for determining a starting point from which the second periodicity is applied.

[0045] In some embodiments, the network device applies the second periodicity starting from a first occasion of the first periodicity in the inactive period, starting from a last occasion of the first periodicity in the active period, or starting from a switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period.

[0046] In some embodiments, the second periodicity is configured to have a separate offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is greater than or equal to the first periodicity.

[0047] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network device from a network device, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defining a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; a component for receiving an indication for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell from the network device; a component for performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the first periodicity during the active period; and a component for performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for sending a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by a network device to a terminal device, the discontinuous transmission or reception configuration defining a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; a component for sending an indication for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell to the terminal device; a component for performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with the first periodicity during the active period; and a component for performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with the second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network apparatus from a network apparatus, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defining a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; receiving an indication from the network apparatus for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell; performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the first periodicity during the active period; and performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0050] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: sending a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by a network device to a terminal device, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defining a discontinuous transmission or reception mode, the discontinuous transmission or reception mode comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; sending an indication for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell to the terminal device; performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with the first periodicity during the active period; and performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with the second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0051] Other features and advantages of example embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of example embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0054] Figure 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating a process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 3Bis a schematic diagram illustrating another example of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0060] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a device in a communication system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, and repeated description of the same elements will be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Below, some example embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details intended to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known circuits, techniques, and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts and features described.

[0063] As used herein, the term "network equipment" refers to any suitable entity or device that can provide a cell or coverage, through which a terminal device can access a network or receive a service. Network equipment may generally be referred to as a base station. The term "base station" used herein may represent a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), or a gNB or ng-eNB. A base station may be embodied as a macro base station, a relay node, or a low-power node, such as a micro base station or a femto base station. A base station may be composed of several distributed network units, such as a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more remote radio heads (RRHs), or remote radio units (RRUs). The number and functionality of these distributed units depends on the selected split RAN architecture.

[0064] As used herein, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment" (UE) refers to any entity or device that can communicate wirelessly with network devices or each other. Examples of terminal devices may include mobile phones, mobile terminals, mobile stations, subscriber stations, portable subscriber stations, access terminals, computers, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted communication devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, device-to-device (D2D) communication devices, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication devices and sensors, etc. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, user terminal, mobile terminal, mobile station or wireless device.

[0065] The power consumption of 5G NR base stations is much higher than that of 4G LTE base stations, and considering the higher density, the overall power consumption of 5G networks can be several times that of 4G networks. Therefore, network energy saving (NES) has become a top priority for mobile communication systems. A solution to reduce network power consumption is to configure discontinuous transmission (DTX) and discontinuous reception (DRX) for the serving cell. The base station can perform transmission or reception normally during the active period of cell DTX or DRX, and in order to save power, it can omit transmission or reception during the inactive period of cell DTV or DRX. The inactive period can be short or long, depending on the network energy saving strategy implemented at the network. If the inactive period is short, the non-transmission and non-reception during the inactive period will not significantly affect the performance of the UE residing on the cell. However, if the inactive period is long and there is no transmission and reception during the inactive period, the UE performance may be severely impaired. For example, if the UE does not receive the periodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) (also known as the tracking reference signal TRS) configured for tracking from the network during a long period of inactivity, the UE's transmission and reception performance will be severely affected due to the time and frequency offset between the UE and the network.

[0066] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose a flexible mechanism for cell DTX and DRX, in which transmission and reception can be configured for inactive periods, and optionally, signals and / or channels expected to be sent or received during inactive periods can also be configured. For example, the network can configure sparse transmission or reception with longer periodicity (periodicity) for inactive periods than for active periods. The network can also configure certain signals and / or channels to be sent or received during inactive periods to ensure UE performance. Therefore, an ideal active / inactive mode can be applied for cell DTX or DRX to achieve the required energy saving level, and the UE can align its behavior with the network based on the cell DTX or DRX configuration.

[0067] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a communication network 100 is illustrated in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication network 100, which may be part of a larger network or system, may include one or more user equipment (UE) 110 and one or more base stations (BS) 120 (also known as base transceiver stations BTS). Figure 1 One base station 120 and one UE 110 are shown as examples. Base station 120 may serve multiple cells (not shown), and UE 110 may camp in a cell supported by base station 120. UE 110 may establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with base station 120 to communicate with base station 120. For example, UE 110 may receive transmissions from base station 120 on a downlink (DL) channel and / or send transmissions to base station 120 on an uplink (UL) channel.

[0068] As described above, discontinuous transmission (DTX) and / or discontinuous reception (DRX) may be configured for a cell to reduce network power consumption. Figure 2 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating a process 200 for cell DTX or DRX according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The process 200 may be performed at Figure 1 The process is performed at the UE 110 and the base station 120 in the communication network 100 shown.

[0069] refer to Figure 2 At 210, the base station 120 may send a DTX or DRX configuration of the cell to the UE 110 camping on the cell. The DTX or DRX configuration may be sent via RRC signaling, and it may at least define a DTX or DRX mode, which includes active periods and inactive periods arranged alternately in the time domain. The base station 120 may determine the duration of the active period and the duration of the inactive period based on a network energy saving (NES) strategy implemented at the base station 120. For example, the inactive period may be configured to have a longer duration to achieve a higher level of energy saving. The DTX or DRX configuration may also define a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period. In an example embodiment, the DTX or DRX configuration may define only the first periodicity, and the second periodicity may be indicated by specifying one or more opportunities of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period. The second periodicity may be greater than or at least equal to the first periodicity. In an example embodiment, the second periodicity may be N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Some examples of the first periodicity and the second periodicity may be discussed in detail below.In an example embodiment, a DTX or DRX configuration may define multiple DTX or DRX modes, but only one of these modes may be activated at a time, as described below.

[0070] In an example embodiment, the DTX or DRX configuration may also define one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the active period, and / or one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the inactive period. In one example, the signal or channel to be sent or received during the inactive period may be selected from the one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the active period. In an example embodiment, the one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the active period may be preconfigured / predefined at the base station 120 and the UE 110, and the cell DTX or DRX configuration may only indicate the one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the inactive period. For example, in the case of cell DTX, the one or more signals or channels to be sent or received during the inactive period may include at least one of the following:

[0071] Periodic or semi-persistent CSI-RS configured for CSI reporting;

[0072] CSI-RS configured for: radio resource management (RRM), radio link management (RLM), beam failure detection (BFD), beamforming (BF), or tracking;

[0073] Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in the UE-specific search space (USS);

[0074] PDCCH in Type-3 Common Search Space (CSS); and

[0075] Positioning Reference Signal (PRS).

[0076] In the case of cell DRX, the one or more signals or channels to be transmitted or received during the inactive period may include at least one of the following:

[0077] Periodic or semi-persistent CSI reporting;

[0078] Periodic or semi-persistent sounding reference signal (SRS); and

[0079] • Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for Semi-Persistent Scheduling (SPS) Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0080] After sending the cell DTX or DRX configuration to UE 110, when base station 120 decides to enter the DTX or DRX mode to save power, base station 120 may instruct UE 110 to activate the cell DTX or DRX at 220. In an example embodiment, base station 120 may send an indication of activating the cell DTX or DRX to UE 110 via downlink control information (DCI) or media access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling. In response to the indication received from base station 120, UE 110 may activate the cell DTX or DRX mode.

[0081] Then, the base station 120 and the UE 110 may operate in a cell DTX or DRX mode. For example, in the cell DTX mode, the UE 110 may receive a downlink (DL) transmission sent from the base station 120 with a first periodicity during an active period at 230, and receive a DL transmission sent from the base station 120 with a second periodicity during an inactive period at 240. In the cell DRX mode, the UE 110 may send an uplink (UL) transmission to the base station 120 with a first periodicity during an active period at 230, and send an UL transmission to the base station 120 with a second periodicity during an inactive period at 240.

[0082] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Some examples of transmission or reception opportunities during cell DTX or DRX according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated, wherein multiple DL RS transmission opportunities for cell DTX or multiple UL RS transmission opportunities for cell DRX are configured during an active period and an inactive period. For ease of description, the following will be described in the context of cell DTX with DL RS transmission opportunities configured. Figure 3A-3C The examples shown are for UL RS transmission opportunities, but it should be understood that these examples are also applicable to cell DRX configured with UL RS transmission opportunities.

[0083] First reference Figure 3A , which shows the active period and the inactive period for cell DTX or DRX, and the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period. As described above, the pattern of the active period and the inactive period can be configured in the cell DTX or DRX configuration and sent to the UE 110 via RRC signaling. In an example embodiment, the base station 120 can indicate the switching boundary to the UE 110 in the cell DTX or DRX configuration or via L1 signaling (e.g., a dedicated DCI for cell DTX or DRX activation).

[0084] like Figure 3AAs shown, a reference signal (RS) may be sent with a first periodicity during an active period and with a second periodicity during an inactive period. In the example shown, the RS transmission timing of the second period overlaps with the RS transmission timing of the first period, so that the UE 110 can determine the RS transmission timing of the second period by simply skipping some RS transmission timings of the first periodicity. For example, the first periodicity and the second periodicity may be configured to have a common offset relative to a reference time point. The reference time point may be, for example, a system frame number (SFN), a subframe number, or a symbol number. In one example, a time reference of a UE connected DRX (C-DRX) may be used as a reference time point for the first periodicity and the second periodicity. The second periodicity may be configured as N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the second periodicity may be applied starting from a certain RS transmission timing of the first periodicity, so that the RS transmission timing of the second periodicity overlaps with the RS transmission timing of the first periodicity. In the example shown, the first periodicity has a period of x time slots, and the second periodicity has a period of 2x time slots (N=2), and the second periodicity is applied during the inactive period starting from the first RS transmission opportunity of the first periodicity, which is also referred to as the starting point of the second periodicity. The UE 110 monitors the RS transmission opportunity in the active period and the first RS transmission in the inactive period based on the first periodicity, but thereafter, the UE 110 will skip monitoring of each second RS transmission opportunity during the inactive period. On the network side, the base station 120 sends RS transmission based on the first periodicity until the first RS transmission opportunity in the inactive period, and thereafter, the base station 120 will skip each second RS transmission opportunity during the inactive period.

[0085] Figure 3B Another example of cell DTX or DRX according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 3B In the example shown, the second periodicity is applied starting from the last RS transmission opportunity of the first periodicity during the active period. The UE 110 and the base station 120 will skip every second transmission opportunity starting from the last RS transmission opportunity during the active period. Figure 3B Other aspects of the examples shown are similar to Figure 3A The examples shown are similar, and for convenience, their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0086] Figure 3CAnother example of cell DTX or DRX according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated, wherein the RS transmission timing of the second period during the inactive period may not overlap with the RS transmission timing of the first period. For example, the second periodicity may be configured to have a separate offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity may be arbitrarily configured, typically greater than or equal to the first periodicity, but not limited to N times the first periodicity described above. In addition, the second periodicity may be applied starting from a different time point than the transmission timing of the first periodicity. Figure 3C In the example shown, the second periodicity is twice the first periodicity, and the second periodicity is applied starting from the switching boundary between the active period and the inactive period. The RS transmission timing of the second periodicity can be determined independently of the RS transmission timing of the first periodicity, or if the second periodicity is N times the first periodicity, the RS transmission timing of the second periodicity can be determined by skipping some transmission timings of the first periodicity. Figure 3C The skipped RS transmission opportunities of the first periodicity during the inactive period are shown. It should be understood that the skipped and reserved RS transmission opportunities of the first periodicity during the inactive period are determined based on the separate offset and starting point configured for the second periodicity.

[0087] exist Figure 3A-3C In the above examples shown, the first periodicity and the second periodicity can be defined separately in the cell DTX or DRX configuration, or the second periodicity can be defined relative to the first periodicity. For example, the second periodicity can be defined as N times the first periodicity. In an example embodiment, the cell DTX or DRX configuration can define the second periodicity by explicitly or implicitly indicating that one or more transmission opportunities of the first periodicity are to be skipped during the inactive period. In one example, the one or more transmission opportunities of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period can depend on the time length of the inactive period, the RS type, or the monitoring requirements of the UE 110.

[0088] exist Figure 3A-3C In the above example shown in FIG. 1 , the second periodicity is applied from different starting points. For example, in Figure 3A The second periodicity starts from the first RS transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period, Figure 3B Starting from the last RS transmission opportunity of the first period in the active period, and Figure 3C The switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period in the second periodicity is applied. The starting point of the second periodicity may be defined in the above-mentioned cell DTX or DRX configuration, or the cell DTX or DRX configuration may define a rule for determining the starting point of the second periodicity. In another example embodiment, the starting point or the rule for determining the starting point may be preconfigured / predefined at the UE 110 and the base station 120 to reduce the signaling overhead between them.

[0089] Some examples of rules for determining the starting point of the second periodicity are discussed herein. In one example, the time difference between the switching boundary and the first transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period can be compared to a threshold. If the time difference is less than or equal to the threshold, the first transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period is close enough to the switching boundary and can be used as the starting point from which the second periodicity is applied, such as Figure 3A If the time difference is greater than the threshold, the first transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period is far away from the switching boundary, and its previous adjacent transmission opportunity (i.e., the last transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period) can be used as the starting point from which the second periodicity is applied, as shown in FIG. Figure 3B shown.

[0090] In another example, the time difference between the last transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary can be compared with a threshold. If the time difference is less than or equal to the threshold, the last transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period is close enough to the switching boundary and can be used as the starting point from which the second periodicity is applied, such as Figure 3B If the time difference is greater than the threshold, the last transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period is far from the switching boundary, and the transmission opportunity immediately thereafter (i.e., the first transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period) can be used as the starting point from which the second periodicity is applied, as shown in FIG. Figure 3A The situation shown.

[0091] In another example, one of the last transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the first transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period, which is closer to the switching boundary, can be used as the starting point from which the second periodicity is applied. For example, UE 110 and base station 120 can compare the time difference from the last transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period to the switching boundary with the time difference from the switching boundary to the first transmission opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period, and select one of the two transmission opportunities that is closer to the switching boundary as the starting point of the second periodicity.

[0092] In another example, the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period can be used as the starting point of the second periodicity, such as Figure 3C The situation shown.

[0093] Figure 4 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 300 may be implemented to include or form at least a portion of the above-mentioned UE 110 to perform at least a portion of the operations related to the UE 110. Figure 1-3CThe operations related to the UE 110 are discussed, so the blocks of the apparatus 300 will be briefly described here, and the details thereof may refer to the above description.

[0094] refer to Figure 4 , the apparatus 300 may include a first component 310 for receiving a cell configuration of discontinuous transmission (DTX) or reception (DRX) from a network device. The cell configuration of DTX or DRX may define a DTX or DRX mode, the mode including an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period. The apparatus 300 may also include a second component 320 for receiving an indication for activating DTX or DRX in a cell from the network device, a third component 330 for performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with a first periodicity during the active period, and a fourth component 340 for performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with a second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0095] In an example embodiment, the cell configuration of DTX or DRX may further define at least one of: one or more signals or channels to be transmitted or received during an active period, and one or more signals or channels to be transmitted or received during an inactive period.

[0096] In an example embodiment, the first periodicity and the second periodicity may be configured to have a common offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity may be N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, so that the transmission or reception timing of the second periodicity overlaps with the transmission or reception timing of the first periodicity.

[0097] In an exemplary embodiment, when the time difference between the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is less than or equal to a first threshold, the fourth component 340 of the device 300 may apply the second periodicity from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, or when the time difference between the switching boundary and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is greater than the first threshold, the fourth component 340 of the device 300 may apply the second periodicity from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period.

[0098] In an exemplary embodiment, when the time difference between the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period is less than or equal to a second threshold, the fourth component 340 of the device 300 may apply the second periodicity starting from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period, or when the time difference between the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary is greater than the second threshold, the fourth component 340 of the device 300 may apply the second periodicity starting from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0099] In an example embodiment, the fourth component 340 of the apparatus 300 may apply the second periodicity starting from one of the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, whichever is closer to the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period.

[0100] In an example embodiment, the second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period may be indicated by specifying one or more occasions of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period.

[0101] In an example embodiment, the cell configuration of DTX or DRX may also indicate a starting point or may also define a rule for determining a starting point from which the second periodicity is applied. In another example embodiment, the starting point or a rule for determining the starting point may be preconfigured / predefined at the apparatus 300.

[0102] In an example embodiment, the fourth component 340 of the apparatus 300 may apply the second periodicity starting from a first occasion of the first periodicity in an inactive period, starting from a last occasion of the first periodicity in an active period, or starting from a switching boundary from an active period to an inactive period.

[0103] In example embodiments, the second periodicity may be configured to have a separate offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity may be greater than or equal to the first periodicity.

[0104] In an example embodiment, the second periodicity is applied starting from a switching boundary of the active period to the inactive period.

[0105] Figure 5 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus 400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 400 may be implemented to include or form at least a portion of the above-mentioned base station 120 to perform at least a portion of the operations related to the base station 120. Figure 1-3C The operations related to the base station 120 are discussed, so the blocks of the apparatus 400 will be briefly described here, and the details thereof may refer to the above description.

[0106] refer to Figure 5, the apparatus 400 may include a first component 410 for sending a cell configuration of discontinuous transmission (DTX) or reception (DRX) to a terminal device. The cell configuration of DTX or DRX may define a DTX or DRX mode, the mode including an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period. The apparatus 400 may also include a second component 420 for sending an indication for activating cell DTX or DRX to the terminal device, a third component 430 for performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with a first periodicity during the active period, and a fourth component 440 for performing transmission or reception of a signal or channel with a second periodicity during the inactive period.

[0107] In an example embodiment, the cell configuration of DTX or DRX may further define at least one of: one or more signals or channels to be transmitted or received during an active period, and one or more signals or channels to be transmitted or received during an inactive period.

[0108] In an example embodiment, the first periodicity and the second periodicity may be configured to have a common offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity may be N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, so that the transmission or reception timing of the second periodicity overlaps with the transmission or reception timing of the first periodicity.

[0109] In an exemplary embodiment, when the time difference between the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is less than or equal to the first threshold, the fourth component 440 of the device 400 may apply the second periodicity from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, or when the time difference between the switching boundary and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is greater than the first threshold, the fourth component 440 of the device 400 may apply the second periodicity from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period.

[0110] In an exemplary embodiment, when the time difference between the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period is less than or equal to the second threshold, the fourth component 440 of the device 400 may apply the second periodicity from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period, or when the time difference between the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary is greater than the second threshold, the fourth component 440 of the device 400 may apply the second periodicity from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

[0111] In an example embodiment, the fourth component 440 of the apparatus 400 may apply the second periodicity starting from one of the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, whichever is closer to the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period.

[0112] In an example embodiment, the second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period may be indicated by specifying one or more occasions of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period.

[0113] In an example embodiment, the cell configuration of DTX or DRX may also indicate a starting point or may also define a rule for determining a starting point from which the second periodicity is applied.

[0114] In an example embodiment, the fourth component 440 of the apparatus 400 may apply the second periodicity starting from a first occasion of the first periodicity in an inactive period, starting from a last occasion of the first periodicity in an active period, or starting from a switching boundary from an active period to an inactive period.

[0115] In example embodiments, the second periodicity may be configured to have a separate offset with respect to a reference time point, and the second periodicity may be greater than or equal to the first periodicity.

[0116] In an example embodiment, the second periodicity may be applied starting from a switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period.

[0117] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating devices in a communication system 500 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, the communication system 500 may include a terminal device 510 and a network device 520 serving the terminal device 510. The terminal device 510 may be implemented as the UE 110 described above, and the network device 120 may be implemented as the base station 120 described above.

[0118] refer to Figure 6, the terminal device 510 may include one or more processors 511, one or more memories 512, and one or more transceivers 513 interconnected by one or more buses 514. The one or more buses 514 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, optical or other optical communication devices, etc. Each of the one or more transceivers 513 may include a receiver and a transmitter connected to one or more antennas 516. The terminal device 510 may communicate wirelessly with the radio access network device 520 via the one or more antennas 516. The one or more memories 512 may include instructions 515, which when executed by the one or more processors 511 may cause the terminal device 510 to perform operations and processes related to the UE 110 as described above.

[0119] The network device 520 may include one or more processors 521, one or more memories 522, one or more transceivers 523, and one or more network interfaces 527 interconnected by one or more buses 524. The one or more buses 524 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, optical or other optical communication devices, etc. Each of the one or more transceivers 523 may include a receiver and a transmitter connected to one or more antennas 526. The network device 520 may operate as a base station for the terminal device 510 and wirelessly communicate with the terminal device 510 through one or more antennas 526. One or more network interfaces 527 may provide a wired or wireless communication link through which the network device 520 may communicate with other network devices, entities, elements, or functions. For example, the network device 520 may communicate with a core network device (not shown) via a backhaul connection. The one or more memories 522 may include instructions 525, which, when executed by one or more processors 521, may cause the network device 520 to perform operations and processes related to the base station 120.

[0120] The one or more processors 511, 521 may be any suitable type suitable for the local technical network, and may include one or more of the following: a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), one or more processors in a processor-based multi-core processor architecture, and a special-purpose processor, such as a processor developed based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The one or more processors 511, 521 may be configured to control other elements of the terminal / network device and operate in conjunction with them to implement the above process.

[0121] One or more memories 512, 522 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as transient memory and / or non-transient memory. Transient memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM) or cache. Non-transient memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-transient" used herein is a restriction on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a restriction on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM). In addition, one or more memories 512, 522 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any combination of the above.

[0122] Some example embodiments also provide one or more computer program instructions, which when executed by one or more processors can cause the device or apparatus to perform the above process. The program instructions for executing the process of the example embodiment can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program instructions can be provided to one or more processors or controllers of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that the program instructions are executed by the processor or controller so that the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram are implemented. The program instructions can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the computer and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0123] Some example embodiments also provide a computer program product or computer readable medium in which program instructions are stored. Computer readable medium can be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by an instruction execution system, device or equipment or used in combination with it. Machine readable medium can be a machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. Machine readable medium can include but is not limited to electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples of machine readable storage medium will include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memories (RAM), read-only memories (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0124] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refer to at least any one of these elements, or at least any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0125] It should be understood that the blocks in the drawings can be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more blocks can be implemented using software and / or firmware, such as machine executable instructions stored in a storage medium. In addition to or in place of machine executable instructions, some or all of the blocks in the drawings can be implemented at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, illustrative types of hardware logic components that can be used include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc.

[0126] In addition, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring to perform these operations in the specific order shown or in order, or requiring to perform all the operations shown, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes several specific implementation details, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather descriptions of features that can be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0127] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device at least executes: receiving, from a network device, a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network device, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defining a discontinuous transmission or reception pattern, the discontinuous transmission or reception pattern comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; receiving, from the network device, an indication for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell; During the activity period, performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the first periodicity; as well as During the inactive period, reception or transmission of a signal or a channel is performed with the second periodicity.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration of the discontinuous transmission or reception further defines at least one of the following: one or more signals or channels to be transmitted or received during the activity period, and One or more signals or channels to be transmitted or received during the inactive period.

3. A terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the first periodicity and the second periodicity are configured to have a common offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is N times the first periodicity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, so that the transmission or reception timing of the second periodicity overlaps with the transmission or reception timing of the first periodicity.

4. A terminal device according to claim 3, wherein when the time difference between the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is less than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period, or when the time difference between the switching boundary and the first timing of the first periodicity in the inactive period is greater than the first threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the last timing of the first periodicity in the active period.

5. A terminal device according to claim 3, wherein when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period is less than or equal to a second threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period, or when the time difference between the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period and the switching boundary is greater than the second threshold, the terminal device applies the second periodicity from the first opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

6. A terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the terminal device starts applying the second periodicity from one of the following two that is closer to the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period: the last time of the first periodicity in the active period, and the first time of the first periodicity in the inactive period.

7. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: the second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period is indicated by one or more occasions of the first periodicity to be skipped during the inactive period; or The second periodicity is configured to have a separate offset relative to a reference time point, and the second periodicity is greater than or equal to the first periodicity.

8. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception also indicates a starting point, or further defines a rule for determining a starting point from which the second periodicity is applied, or the starting point or the rule for determining the starting point is predefined at the terminal device.

9. A terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device applies the second periodicity starting from the first opportunity of the first periodicity in the inactive period, starting from the last opportunity of the first periodicity in the active period, or starting from the switching boundary from the active period to the inactive period.

10. A method implemented at a terminal device, comprising: receiving, from a network device, a configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception of a cell supported by the network device, the configuration of discontinuous transmission or reception defining a discontinuous transmission or reception pattern, the discontinuous transmission or reception pattern comprising an active period and an inactive period, a first periodicity for transmission or reception during the active period, and a second periodicity for transmission or reception during the inactive period; receiving, from the network device, an indication for activating the discontinuous transmission or reception in the cell; During the activity period, performing reception or transmission of a signal or channel with the first periodicity; as well as During the inactive period, reception or transmission of a signal or a channel is performed with the second periodicity.

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