Method and product for bandwidth portion (BWP) for unicast / multicast and resource allocation for multicast

Abstract

Various aspects provide a method for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a 5G-NR base station. In some aspects, the method may be performed by a processor of a base station. Aspects include determining a multicast bandwidth portion (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, sending an indication of the multicast BWP to one or more user equipment (UE) computing devices in communication with a base station, and scheduling transmission of multicast data in the multicast BWP.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of application number 202080073311.4.

[0002] Related Applications

[0003] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 927,031, filed on October 28, 2019, entitled “Bandwidth Part (BWP) For Unicast / Multicast and Resource Allocation For Multicast,” and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0004] Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G New Radio (NR), and other recently developed communication technologies allow wireless devices to transmit information at data rates orders of magnitude higher (e.g., in gigabits per second, etc.) than was possible just a few years ago.

[0005] Today's communications networks are also more secure, resilient to multipath fading, allow for lower latency for network traffic, and provide better communications efficiency (e.g., in bits per second per unit of used bandwidth, etc.). These and other recent improvements have facilitated the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), massive machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, self-driving cars, and other technologies that depend on consistent and secure communications. Summary of the invention

[0006] Various aspects include methods for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a fifth generation (5G)-new radio (NR) (5G-NR) network.

[0007] Various aspects may provide a method for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a 5G-NR base station. In some aspects, the method may be performed by a processor of a base station. In various aspects, the method may include: determining a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth; sending an indication of the multicast BWP to one or more user equipment (UE) computing devices in communication with the base station; and scheduling transmission of multicast data in the multicast BWP.

[0008] In some aspects, the multicast BWP may be a UE-common BWP configured for use by at least a portion of the one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station. In some aspects, the indication of the UE-common BWP may indicate parameters related to resource allocation so that a receiving UE regards a lowest resource block (RB) index of the UE-common BWP as an initial physical resource block (PRB) of the UE-common BWP. In some aspects, the method may also include, for each of the one or more UE computing devices, determining whether the UE-common BWP has the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) length as a UE-specific BWP and whether the UE-common BWP is completely contained in the UE-specific BWP, and in response to determining that the UE-common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE-specific BWP and the UE-common BWP is completely contained in the UE-specific BWP, sending an indication of a multicast search space set to the corresponding UE computing device. In some aspects, the search space set for multicast may be a search space set for multicast or unicast.

[0009] In some aspects, the method may also include, for each of the one or more UE computing devices, in response to determining that the UE-common BWP has a different SCS or CP length than the UE-specific BWP, or that the UE-common BWP is not fully contained within the UE-specific BWP, determining a time switching mode for the corresponding UE computing device, and sending an indication of the time switching mode for the corresponding UE computing device to the corresponding UE computing device. In some aspects, sending the indication of the time switching mode includes sending the indication of the time switching mode in a radio resource control (RRC) message. In some aspects, sending the indication of the time switching mode may include sending the indication of the time switching mode in a downlink control information (DCI). In some aspects, the DCI in the UE-specific BWP indicating a BWP switch to the UE-common BWP indicates a BWP switch, and multicast data is scheduled in the UE-common BWP, and the DCI in the UE-common BWP indicating a BWP switch to the UE-common BWP indicates a BWP switch, and data is not scheduled in the UE-specific BWP.

[0010] In some aspects, the multicast BWP may be a virtual BWP. In some aspects, for each of the one or more UE computing devices, the virtual BWP may be completely contained within a UE-specific BWP having the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) length. In some aspects, each respective virtual BWP may be identified by a starting resource block and a resource block length within the UE-specific BWP for the respective UE computing device. In some aspects, each respective virtual BWP may be identified by one or more control resource set (CORESET) bandwidth configurations based on a configuration for the respective UE computing device. In some aspects, the respective UE computing device may have a single CORESET for multicast, and the lowest resource block index and the highest resource block index of the CORESET correspond to the virtual BWP. In some aspects, the respective UE computing device may have multiple CORESETs for multicast, and the lowest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs and the highest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP. In some aspects, the virtual BWP may have a lowest resource block index within the UE-specific BWP without any specified bandwidth for the virtual BWP. In some aspects, the one or more UE computing devices may be configured to interpret downlink control information (DCI) scheduling multicast data such that the lowest resource block index of the DCI frequency domain resource allocation field is an initial physical resource block of the virtual BWP.

[0011] Some aspects include a method that can be performed by a processor of a UE computing device, which can include: receiving an indication of a multicast BWP within a carrier bandwidth from a 5G-NR base station; and receiving multicast data from the 5G-NR base station in the multicast BWP. In some aspects, the multicast BWP can be a UE-common BWP configured to be used by at least a portion of the one or more UE computing devices communicating with the 5G-NR base station. In some aspects, the indication of the UE-common BWP can indicate parameters related to resource allocation such that the lowest RB index of the UE-common BWP is an initial PRB of the UE-common BWP.

[0012] Some aspects may also include receiving an indication of a multicast search space set. In some aspects, the multicast search space set may be a search space set for multicast or unicast.

[0013] Some aspects may also include receiving an indication of the time switching mode from the base station. In some aspects, receiving the indication of the time switching mode may include receiving the indication of the time switching mode in an RRC message. In some aspects, receiving the indication of the time switching mode may include receiving the indication of the time switching mode in a DCI.

[0014] In some aspects, the multicast BWP may be a virtual BWP. In some aspects, the virtual BWP may be identified by one or more CORESET bandwidth configurations. In some aspects, a single CORESET for multicast may be configured on the UE computing device, and a lowest resource block index and a highest resource block index of the CORESET correspond to the virtual BWP. In some aspects, multiple CORESETs for multicast may be configured on the UE computing device, and a lowest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs and a highest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP.

[0015] Additional aspects may include a wireless device having a processor configured to perform one or more operations of the method outlined above. Additional aspects may include a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of the wireless device to perform the operations of the method outlined above. Additional aspects include a wireless device having a unit for performing the functions of the method outlined above. Additional aspects include a system-on-chip for use in a wireless device including a processor configured to perform one or more operations of the method outlined above. Additional aspects include a packaged system including two systems-on-chip for use in a wireless device including a processor configured to perform one or more operations of the method outlined above.

[0016] Additional aspects may include a network computing device having a processor configured to perform any of the operations of the methods outlined above. Additional aspects may include a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor-executable instructions configured to cause the processor of the network computing device to perform any of the operations of the methods outlined above. Additional aspects include a network computing device having means for performing any of the functions of the methods outlined above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present specification and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 1 is a system block diagram illustrating an example communication system suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computing and wireless modem system suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

[0020] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example software architecture including a radio protocol stack for a user plane and a control plane in wireless communications according to various embodiments.

[0021] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram showing the allocation in the carrier bandwidth.

[0022] Figure 4 is a component block diagram illustrating a system configured for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) base station in accordance with various embodiments.

[0023] Figure 5A is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a 5G-NR base station according to various embodiments.

[0024] Figure 5B is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for radio resource allocation that may be performed in a UE computing device to receive multicast services from a 5G-NR base station in accordance with various embodiments.

[0025] Fig. 6A is a process flow diagram illustrating a method that may be executed in a UE computing device to receive radio resource allocations for supporting multicast services from a 5G-NR base station according to various embodiments.

[0026] Figure 6B is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a 5G-NR base station according to various embodiments.

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating UE common BWP allocation in a carrier bandwidth according to various embodiments.

[0028] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating UE common BWP allocation in a carrier bandwidth according to various embodiments.

[0029] Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating UE common BWP allocation in a carrier bandwidth according to various embodiments.

[0030] Fig. 9Bis a schematic diagram illustrating a time switching mode according to various embodiments.

[0031] Fig. 10A is a schematic diagram illustrating DCI for BWP switching according to various embodiments.

[0032] Fig. 10B is a schematic diagram illustrating DCI for BWP switching according to various embodiments.

[0033] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram illustrating virtual BWP allocation in a carrier bandwidth according to various embodiments.

[0034] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram illustrating virtual BWP allocation in a carrier bandwidth according to various embodiments.

[0035] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram illustrating virtual BWP allocation in a carrier bandwidth according to various embodiments.

[0036] Fig.14 is a network computing device suitable for supporting radio resource allocation according to various embodiments.

[0037] Fig.15 is a component block diagram of a wireless communication device suitable for supporting radio resource allocation in accordance with various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Various embodiments are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Where possible, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar components. References to specific examples and implementations are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0039] Various embodiments provide a method for radio resource allocation implemented by a base station and implemented by a user equipment (UE) computing device to support multicast services from a 5G-NR network, thereby supporting multicast services from a 5G-NR base station. Various embodiments may include: determining a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, sending an indication of the multicast BWP to one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station, and scheduling the transmission of multicast data in the multicast BWP. By scheduling the transmission of multicast data in the multicast BWP, various embodiments may enable multicast service delivery to wireless devices in a 5G-NR network.

[0040] The terms "wireless device" and "user equipment (UE) computing device" are used interchangeably herein to refer to any or all of the following: wireless router devices, wireless devices, cellular phones, smart phones, portable computing devices, personal or mobile multimedia players, laptop computers, tablet computers, smartbooks, ultrabooks, handheld computers, wireless email receivers, cellular phones with multimedia Internet capabilities, medical devices and equipment, biometric sensors / devices, wearable devices including smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristbands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart rings, smart bracelets, etc.), entertainment devices (e.g., wireless game controllers, music and video players, satellite radio units, etc.), wireless network-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices including smart meters / sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, large and small machinery and appliances used in homes or businesses, wireless communication elements within autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, wireless devices fixed to or incorporated into various mobile platforms, global positioning system devices, and similar electronic devices including memory, wireless communication components and programmable processors.

[0041] The term "system on chip" (SOC) is used herein to refer to a single integrated circuit (IC) chip that includes multiple resources and / or processors integrated on a single substrate. A single SOC may include circuits for digital, analog, mixed signal, and radio frequency functions. A single SOC may also include any number of general and / or special processors (digital signal processors, modem processors, video processors, etc.), storage blocks (e.g., ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), and resources (e.g., timers, voltage regulators, oscillators, etc.). The SOC may also include software for controlling the integrated resources and processors and for controlling peripheral devices.

[0042] The term "system in package" (SIP) is used herein to refer to a single module or package that contains multiple resources, computing units, cores and / or processors on two or more IC chips, substrates or SOCs. For example, a SIP may include a single substrate on which multiple IC chips or semiconductor dies are stacked in a vertical configuration. Similarly, a SIP may include one or more multi-chip modules (MCMs), wherein multiple ICs or semiconductor dies are packaged into a unified substrate on the MCM. A SIP may also include multiple independent SOCs (e.g., on a single motherboard or in a single wireless device) that are coupled together and tightly packaged via high-speed communication circuits. The proximity of SOCs facilitates high-speed communication and the sharing of memory and resources.

[0043] The term "multi-core processor" may be used herein to refer to a single integrated circuit (IC) chip or chip package that includes two or more independent processing cores (e.g., CPU cores, Internet Protocol (IP) cores, graphics processing unit (GPU) cores, etc.), which are configured to read and execute program instructions. A SOC may include multiple multi-core processors, and each processor in a SOC may be referred to as a core. The term "multiprocessor" may be used herein to refer to a system or device that includes two or more processing units that are configured to read and execute program instructions.

[0044] In 5G-NR, various parameters are associated with the bandwidth part (BWP) configuration. Such parameters may include subcarrier spacing (SCS), cyclic prefix (CP) length, resource block (RB) index, resource allocation (RA) type, and resource block group (RBG) size. In 5G-NR, the downlink control information (DCI) field size may depend on the active BWP configuration. As such, when a user equipment (UE) is configured with multiple BWPs, the DCI field size follows the current active BWP for the UE. For DCI-based BWP switching, each DCI field is interpreted based on the new active BWP. For a DCI field, if the number of bits required for the new active BWP (e.g., k1 bits) is less than the number of bits required for the previous active BWP (e.g., k2 bits), the (k2-k1) most significant bit (MSB) of the DCI field is set to zero. If the number of bits required for the new active BWP (eg, k1 bits) is greater than the number of bits required for the previous active BWP (eg, k2 bits), the UE considers that the (k1-k2) MSB bits of the DCI field are to be set to zero.

[0045] In 5G-NR, multicast transmissions should be able to be received by multiple UEs. In order for multicast transmissions to be received by multiple UEs, the SCS, CP length, RB index, RA type, and RBG size used for multicast transmissions must not be UE-specific and are directly associated with a specific BWP for each UE.

[0046] Various embodiments include methods for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a fifth generation (5G)-new radio (NR) network. Various embodiments provide a multicast BWP to support provisioning of multicast services from a 5G-NR base station to one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station.

[0047] In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP configured to be used by at least a portion of UE computing devices communicating with the base station. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP configured to be used by a specific UE computing device communicating with the base station, and the specific UE computing device is configured to monitor the UE common BWP (e.g., through high-level configuration signaling from the base station or other network computing devices). Such a specific UE computing device configured to monitor the UE common BWP may be all UE computing devices communicating with the base station, or less than all UE computing devices communicating with the base station (e.g., a subset of one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station). In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP configured to be used by all UE computing devices communicating with the base station. In various embodiments, parameters related to resource allocation may be provided in the UE common BWP configuration. A UE receiving the UE common BWP may activate the UE common BWP to receive a multicast service broadcast by the base station. In some embodiments, the indication of the UE common BWP may indicate parameters related to resource allocation, so that the receiving UE regards the lowest resource block (RB) index of the UE common BWP as the initial physical resource block (PRB) (e.g., PRB#0) of the UE common BWP.

[0048] In some embodiments, the UE-common BWP may have the same SCS and CP length as the active UE-specific BWP, and the UE-common BWP may be completely contained within the UE-specific BWP. In this case, the UE may monitor the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) search space set for unicast (C-RNTI) and multicast (G-RNTI) for the same serving cell, and the network (e.g., base station) may schedule unicast or multicast (or both) simultaneously. In some embodiments, the search space (SS) sets for unicast and multicast may be configured separately and separately in the UE-specific BWP and UE-common BWP configurations. In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to simultaneously monitor the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast in the SS set in both the UE-specific BWP and the UE-common BWP configurations for the same serving cell. Monitoring the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast in the SS set may reduce the possibility of PDCCH blocking.

[0049] In some embodiments, the UE-common BWP may have a different SCS or CP length from the active UE-specific BWP, or the UE-common BWP may not be fully contained within the UE-specific BWP. In this case, if the UE cannot activate more than one BWP at a time, the UE-specific BWP and the UE-common BWP may be time-switched. In some embodiments, an indication of the time switching mode may be sent in a radio resource control (RRC) message. In some embodiments, an indication of the time switching mode may be sent in a downlink control information (DCI). For BWP switching indicated by the DCI, the BWP indicator field in the DCI may be used to indicate which BWP (UE-specific BWP or UE-common BWP) is used. For example, when the DCI in the UE-specific BWP indicates that the BWP is switched to the UE-common BWP, the DCI may indicate the BWP switching, and the DCI may schedule multicast data in the UE-common BWP. For example, when the DCI in the UE-common BWP indicates that the BWP is switched to the UE-specific BWP, the DCI indicates that the BWP is switched to a specific UE-specific BWP, but does not schedule data in the UE-specific BWP. In Release 15 BWP switching, the UE assumes that the BWP switch indication of the DCI schedules the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) in the new active BWP. For a BWP switch from a UE-common BWP to a UE-specific BWP, the UE may not assume that the DCI indicating the BWP switch does not schedule PDSCH or PUSCH in the new active BWP. This avoids the situation where multiple UEs need to be scheduled at once due to a BWP switch.

[0050] In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may not be a defined actual BWP, but the virtual BWP may be a subset of the parameters of the BWP. The base station may configure the virtual BWP to be completely contained in a UE-specific BWP with the same SCS and CP length. In various embodiments, the network (e.g., a base station) may configure the virtual BWP so that a UE receiving the same multicast service may have an active BWP that completely contains the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be identified to the UE by configuration elements such as the starting RB and RB length elements. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the virtual BWP may be identified to the UE by a control resource set (CORESET) bandwidth configuration. For example, the UE may be configured with a specific CORESET for multicast. The virtual BWP bandwidth may be determined by the lowest and highest RB indexes of the CORESET for multicast. In some embodiments, if the UE is configured with multiple specific CORESETs for multicast, it may be determined that the virtual BWP bandwidth is in the union of the multiple CORESETs (e.g., the lowest RB index in the CORESET to the highest RB index in the CORESET). In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be transparent to the UE. For example, the UE may be configured with an offset value or a virtual PRB#0, but may not be configured with a specific bandwidth for the virtual BWP. For multicast data resource allocation, the UE may determine the configured RB index associated with the offset value or virtual PRB#0 as the lowest RB index, and may be configured to expect the scheduled multicast data to not exceed the active BWP bandwidth (e.g., the UE expects the network (e.g., the base station) not to send multicast data outside the UE-specific BWP). In such an example, the DCI field size may be the same for unicast and multicast. In such an example virtual BWP configuration, when the UE detects a downlink (DL) DCI, depending on whether the DL DCI schedules unicast data or multicast data, the UE interprets the DCI frequency domain resource allocation field so that PRB#0 or virtual PRB#0 is the lowest RB index for the resource allocation. Whether the DL DCI schedules unicast data or multicast data may be identified by the radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) scrambling (e.g., G-RNTI or C-RNTI / MCS-C-RNTI / CS-RNTI) of the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI, the DL DCI payload size, and / or the DL DCI format.

[0051] Figure 1 1 is a system block diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. The communication system 100 may be a 5G New Radio (NR) network or any other suitable network (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, etc.). Figure 1A 5G network is shown, but next generation networks may include the same or similar elements. Therefore, references to 5G networks and 5G network elements in the following description are for illustrative purposes only and not limiting.

[0052] The communication system 100 may include a heterogeneous network architecture including a core network 140 and various mobile UE computing devices (in Figure 1 120a-120e). The communication system 100 may also include multiple base stations (shown as BS110a, BS 110b, BS110c and BS110d) and other network entities. A base station is an entity that communicates with a wireless device, and may also be referred to as a Node B, an LTE evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an access point (AP), a wireless head, a transmit receive point (TRP), a new radio base station (NR BS), a 5G Node B (NB), a next generation Node B (gNodeB or gNB), and the like. Each base station may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to a coverage area of ​​a base station, a base station subsystem serving the coverage area, or a combination thereof, depending on the context in which the term "cell" is used. The core network 140 may be any type of core network, such as an LTE core network (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) network), a 5G core network, and the like.

[0053] Base stations 110a-110d may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, another type of cell, or a combination thereof. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) allowing unrestricted access to mobile devices with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area allowing unrestricted access to mobile devices with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residence) allowing restricted access to mobile devices associated with the femto cell (e.g., mobile devices in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A base station for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A base station for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A base station for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown, base station 110a may be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, base station 110b may be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and base station 110c may be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. Base stations 110a-110d may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "Node B", "5G NB", and "cell" may be used interchangeably herein.

[0054] In some examples, the cells may not be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cells may move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In some examples, the base stations 110a-110d may be interconnected with each other and with one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown) in the communication system 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces (e.g., direct physical interfaces), virtual networks, or combinations thereof using any suitable transport network.

[0055] The base stations 110a-110d may communicate with the core network 140 via a wired communication link or a wireless communication link 126. The wireless devices 120a-120e may communicate with the base stations 110a-110d via a wireless communication link 122.

[0056] The wired communication link 126 can use various wired networks (e.g., Ethernet, television cable, telephone, fiber optic, and other forms of physical network connections), where the wired network can use one or more wired communication protocols, such as Ethernet, Point-to-Point Protocol, High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), Advanced Data Communications Control Protocol (ADCCP), and Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP).

[0057] The communication system 100 may also include a relay station (e.g., relay BS 110d). A relay station is an entity that can receive data transmissions from an upstream station (e.g., a base station or a mobile device) and transmit the data to a downstream station (e.g., a wireless device or a base station). A relay station may also be a mobile device that can relay transmissions for other wireless devices. Figure 1 In the example shown, a relay station 110d may communicate with the macro base station 110a and the wireless device 120d to facilitate communication between the base station 110a and the wireless device 120d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay base station, a relay base station, a repeater, and the like.

[0058] The communication system 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of base stations, such as macro base stations, pico base stations, femto base stations, relay base stations, etc. These different types of base stations may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in the communication system 100. For example, a macro base station may have a higher transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while a pico base station, a femto base station, and a relay base station may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0059] A network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of base stations and may provide coordination and control for the base stations. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base stations via a backhaul. The base stations may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via a wireless backhaul or a wired backhaul.

[0060] Wireless devices 120a, 120b, 120c may be dispersed throughout communication system 100, and each wireless device may be fixed or mobile. A wireless device may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, user equipment (UE), and so on.

[0061] The macro base station 110a may communicate with the communication network 140 via a wired or wireless communication link 126. The wireless devices 120a, 120b, 120c may communicate with the base stations 110a-110d via a wireless communication link 122.

[0062] The wireless communication links 122, 124 may include multiple carrier signals, frequencies, or frequency bands, each of which may include multiple logical channels. The wireless communication links 122 and 124 may utilize one or more radio access technologies (RATs). Examples of RATs that may be used in the wireless communication links include 3GPP LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G (e.g., NR), GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and other mobile phone communication technology cellular RATs. Further examples of RATs that may be used in one or more of the various wireless communication links 122, 124 within the communication system 100 include medium-range protocols such as Wi-Fi, LTE-U, LTE-Direct, LAA, MuLTEfire, and relatively short-range RATs such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE).

[0063] Some wireless networks (e.g., LTE) utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, frequency bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Typically, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain using OFDM and in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers can be 15kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (which is called a "resource block") can be 12 subcarriers (or 180kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal fast Fourier transform (FFT) size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be divided into several subbands. For example, one subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0064] Although the description of some embodiments may use terms and examples associated with LTE technology, some embodiments may be applicable to other wireless communication systems, such as new radio (NR) or 5G networks. NR can utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL), and includes support for half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). A single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz can be supported. NR resource blocks can span 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier bandwidth of 75 kHz in a 0.1 millisecond (ms) duration. Each radio frame can consist of 50 subframes of 10 ms in length. Therefore, each subframe can have a length of 0.2 ms. Each subframe can indicate the link direction (ie, DL or UL) for data transmission, and the link direction of each subframe can be switched dynamically. Each subframe can include DL / UL data and DL / UL control data. Beamforming can be supported, and the beam direction can be dynamically configured. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission with precoding can also be supported. MIMO configurations in the DL can support up to eight transmit antennas with multi-layer DL transmissions of up to eight streams and up to two streams per wireless device. Multi-layer transmissions with up to 2 streams per wireless device can be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells up to eight serving cells can be supported. Alternatively, NR can support a different air interface instead of an OFDM-based air interface.

[0065] Some mobile devices may be considered machine type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) mobile devices. MTC and eMTC mobile devices include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. For example, a wireless node may provide connectivity to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired communication link or a wireless communication link. Some mobile devices may be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or some mobile devices may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of Things) devices. The wireless devices 120a-e may be included in a housing that houses components of the wireless device (such as a processor component, a memory component, a similar component, or a combination thereof).

[0066] Typically, any number of communication systems and any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each communication system and wireless network can support a specific radio access technology (RAT) and can operate on one or more frequencies. RAT can also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency can also be referred to as carrier, channel, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between communication systems of different RATs. In some cases, 4G / LTE and / or 5G / NR RAT networks can be deployed. For example, a 5G non-independent (NSA) network can utilize 4G / LTE RAT on the 4G / LTE RAN side of a 5G NSA network and utilize 5G / NRRAT on the 5G / NR RAN side of a 5G NSA network. 4G / LTE RAN and 5G / NR RAN can be interconnected and can be connected to a 4G / LTE core network (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) network) in a 5G NSA network. Other example network configurations may include a 5G independent (SA) network, in which a 5G / NR RAN is connected to a 5G core network.

[0067] In some embodiments, two or more wireless devices 120a-e (e.g., shown as wireless device 120a and wireless device 120e) may communicate directly (e.g., without using base stations 110a-110d as an intermediary for mutual communication) using one or more sidelink channels 124. For example, the wireless devices 120a-e may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, or similar protocols), mesh networks or similar networks, or combinations thereof. In this case, the wireless devices 120a-e may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and other operations performed by the base station 110a as described elsewhere herein.

[0068] Figure 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computing and wireless modem system 200 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. The various embodiments may be implemented on a number of single-processor and multi-processor computer systems including system-on-chip (SOC) or system-in-package (SIP).

[0069] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the illustrated example wireless device 200 (which may be a SIP in some embodiments) includes two SOCs 202, 204 coupled to a clock 206, a voltage regulator 208, at least one SIM 268 and / or a SIM interface, and a wireless transceiver 266 configured to send and receive wireless communications to or from a network wireless device (such as a base station 110a) via an antenna (not shown). In some embodiments, the first SOC 202 operates as a central processing unit (CPU) of the wireless device, which executes instructions of a software application by performing arithmetic, logic, control, and input / output (I / O) operations specified by the instructions. In some embodiments, the second SOC 204 may operate as a dedicated processing unit. For example, the second SOC 204 may operate as a dedicated 5G processing unit responsible for managing high-capacity, high-speed (e.g., 5 Gbps, etc.) and / or extremely high frequency short wavelength (e.g., 28 GHz millimeter wave spectrum, etc.) communications.

[0070] The first SOC 202 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) 210, a modem processor 212, a graphics processor 214, an application processor (AP) 216, one or more coprocessors 218 (e.g., vector coprocessors) connected to one or more of the following: a processor, a memory 220, a custom circuit 222, system components and resources 224, an interconnect / bus module 226, one or more temperature sensors 230, a thermal management unit 232, and a thermal power packaging (TPE) component 234. The second SOC 204 may include a 5G modem processor 252, a power management unit 254, an interconnect / bus module 264, a plurality of mmWave transceivers 256, a memory 258, and various additional processors 260 (e.g., an application processor, a packet processor, etc.).

[0071] Each processor 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may include one or more cores, and each processor / core may perform operations independently of other processors / cores. For example, the first SOC 202 may include a processor that executes a first type of operating system (e.g., FreeBSD, LINUX, OS X, etc.) and a processor that executes a second type of operating system (e.g., MICROSOFT WINDOWS 10). In addition, any one or all of the processors 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may be included as part of a processor cluster architecture (e.g., a synchronous processor cluster architecture, an asynchronous or heterogeneous processor cluster architecture, etc.).

[0072] The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 may include various system components, resources, and custom circuits for managing sensor data, analog-to-digital conversion, wireless data transmission, and for performing other specialized operations (e.g., decoding data packets, and processing encoded audio and video signals for presentation in a web browser). For example, the system components and resources 224 of the first SOC 202 may include power amplifiers, voltage regulators, oscillators, phase-locked loops, peripheral bridges, data controllers, memory controllers, system controllers, access ports, timers, and other similar components for supporting processors and software clients running on wireless devices. The system components and resources 224 and / or custom circuits 222 may also include circuits for interfacing with peripheral devices (e.g., cameras, electronic displays, wireless communication devices, external memory chips, etc.).

[0073] The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 can communicate via an interconnect / bus module 250. The various processors 210, 212, 214, 216, 218 can be interconnected to one or more memory elements 220, system components and resources 224 and custom circuits 222, and a thermal management unit 232 via an interconnect / bus module 226. Similarly, the processor 252 can be interconnected to a power management unit 254, a millimeter wave transceiver 256, a memory 258, and various additional processors 260 via an interconnect / bus module 264. The interconnect / bus modules 226, 250, 264 can include reconfigurable logic gate arrays, and / or implement a bus architecture (e.g., CoreConnect, AMBA, etc.). Communication can be provided through advanced interconnects such as high-performance on-chip networks (NoCs).

[0074] The first SOC 202 and / or the second SOC 204 may further include an input / output module (not shown) for communicating with resources external to the SOC, such as a clock 206, a voltage regulator 208, one or more wireless transceivers 266, and at least one SIM 268 and / or a SIM interface (i.e., an interface for receiving one or more SIM cards). Resources external to the SOC (e.g., clock 206, voltage regulator 208) may be shared by two or more of the internal SOC processors / cores. At least one SIM 268 (or one or more SIM cards coupled to one or more SIM interfaces) may store information supporting multiple subscriptions (including a first 5G NR subscription and a second 5G NR subscription, etc.).

[0075] In addition to the example SIP 200 discussed above, the various embodiments may be implemented in a wide variety of computing systems that may include a single processor, multiple processors, multi-core processors, or any combination thereof.

[0076] Figure 3A An example of a software architecture 300 is shown that includes a radio protocol stack suitable for a user plane and a control plane in wireless communications between a base station 350 (e.g., base station 110a) and a wireless device (UE computing device) 320 (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200). Figure 1-3A, the wireless device 320 may implement the software architecture 300 to communicate with a base station 350 of a communication system (e.g., 100). In various embodiments, the layers in the software architecture 300 may form a logical connection with corresponding layers in the software of the base station 350. The software architecture 300 may be distributed in one or more processors (e.g., processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260). Although described with respect to one radio protocol stack, in a multi-SIM (subscriber identity module) wireless device, the software architecture 300 may include multiple protocol stacks, each of which may be associated with a different SIM (e.g., two protocol stacks associated with two SIMs, respectively, in a dual SIM wireless communication device). Although described below with reference to LTE communication layers, the software architecture 300 may support any of a variety of standards and protocols for wireless communication, and / or may include additional protocol stacks that support any of a variety of standard and protocol wireless communications.

[0077] The software architecture 300 may include a non-access stratum (NAS) 302 and an access stratum (AS) 304. The NAS 302 may include functions and protocols that support packet filtering, security management, mobility control, session management, and services and signaling between a SIM of a wireless device (e.g., SIM 204) and its core network 140. The AS 304 may include functions and protocols that support communication between a SIM (e.g., SIM 204) and an entity (e.g., a base station) of a supported access network. Specifically, the AS 304 may include at least three layers (layer 1, layer 2, and layer 3), each of which may include various sublayers.

[0078] In the user plane and control plane, layer 1 (L1) of AS 304 may be a physical layer (PHY) 306, which may oversee functions that enable transmission and / or reception over an air interface. Examples of such physical layer 306 functions may include cyclic redundancy check (CRC) attachment, decoding blocks, scrambling and descrambling, modulation and demodulation, signal measurement, MIMO, etc. The physical layer may include various logical channels, including a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0079] In the user plane and control plane, Layer 2 (L2) of AS 304 may be responsible for the link between wireless device 320 and base station 350 through physical layer 306. In various embodiments, Layer 2 may include a medium access control (MAC) sublayer 308, a radio link control (RLC) sublayer 310, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) 312 sublayer, each of which forms a logical connection that terminates at base station 350.

[0080] In the control plane, layer 3 (L3) of AS 304 may include a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 3. Although not shown, the software architecture 300 may include additional layer 3 sublayers, as well as various upper layers above layer 3. In various embodiments, the RRC sublayer 313 may provide functionality including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing RRC signaling connections between wireless devices 320 and base stations 350.

[0081] In various embodiments, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provide uplink functions including multiplexing between different radio bearers and logical channels, sequence number addition, handover data handling, integrity protection, ciphering, and header compression. In the downlink, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provide functions including in-sequence delivery of data packets, duplicate data packet detection, integrity verification, decryption, and header decompression.

[0082] In the uplink, the RLC sublayer 310 may provide segmentation and concatenation of upper layer data packets, retransmission of lost data packets, and automatic repeat request (ARQ). In the downlink, the functions of the RLC sublayer 310 may include reordering data packets to compensate for out-of-order reception, reassembling upper layer data packets, and ARQ.

[0083] In the uplink, the MAC sublayer 308 can provide functions including multiplexing between logical channels and transport channels, random access procedures, logical channel priorities, and hybrid ARQ (HARQ) operations. In the downlink, MAC layer functions may include channel mapping within a cell, demultiplexing, discontinuous reception (DRX), and HARQ operations.

[0084] While the software architecture 300 may provide functionality for sending data over a physical medium, the software architecture 300 may also include at least one host layer 314 to provide data transfer services to various applications in the wireless device 320. In some embodiments, the application-specific functionality provided by the at least one host layer 314 may provide an interface between the software architecture and the general purpose processor 206.

[0085] In other embodiments, the software architecture 300 may include one or more higher logical layers (e.g., transport layer, session layer, presentation layer, application layer, etc.) that provide host layer functionality. For example, in some embodiments, the software architecture 300 may include a network layer (e.g., IP layer) where the logical connection terminates at a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW). In some embodiments, the software architecture 300 may include an application layer where the logical connection terminates at another device (e.g., an end-user device, a server, etc.). In some embodiments, the software architecture 300 may also include a hardware interface 316 between the physical layer 306 and communication hardware (e.g., one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers) in the AS 304.

[0086] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram showing the allocation in the carrier bandwidth 360. Figure 1-3B , a carrier bandwidth 360 may be defined relative to an initial carrier resource block (CRB) (e.g., CRB#0 at point A). Carrier bandwidth 360 may be a frequency band in which a 5G-NR base station (e.g., base station 110a, 330) provides services to UEs communicating with the base station. A BWP for a UE computing device (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200, 320) may be defined within carrier bandwidth 360 so that the UE may receive services in carrier bandwidth 360. In some embodiments, a UE may have one or more BWPs. In some embodiments, a UE may only activate one BWP at a time. In some embodiments, a UE may activate more than one BWP at a time. Figure 3B Four example BWPs are shown, BWP#1 361 for UE1, BWP#2 362 for UE1, BWP#1 363 for UE2, and BWP#1 364 for UE2. Each BWP 361-364 may have its own corresponding PRB index (eg, PRB#0) starting from zero. Figure 3B As shown in , the base station can send a multicast service 365 in a portion of the carrier bandwidth 360. Based on the overlap between the BWPs, if UE1 activates BWP#1 361 and UE2 activates BWP#2 363, UE1 and UE2 can receive the multicast service 365. However, if UE1 activates BWP#2 362 and UE2 activates BWP#2 364, UE1 and UE2 will not receive the multicast service 365. In addition, UE1's BWP#1 361 and UE2's BWP#1 363 have unaligned PRB indices, and the SCS, CP length, RA type, etc. configured for the BWPs may be different. Multiple different UE-specific BWPs for UEs communicating with the base station and the UE-specific BWPs fail to necessarily overlap multicast transmissions, complicating the allocation of radio resources for supporting multicast services from the 5G-NR base station to the UEs communicating with the base station.

[0087] Figure 4 1 is a component block diagram illustrating a system 400 configured for radio resource allocation to support multicast service 5G-NR according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, the system 400 may include one or more computing platforms 402 and / or one or more remote platforms 404. Referring to 1-4, the computing platform 402 may include a base station (e.g., base station 110, 350) and / or a wireless device (e.g., wireless device 120a-120e, 200, 320). The remote platform 404 may include a base station (e.g., base station 110, 350) and / or a wireless device (e.g., wireless device 120a-120e, 200, 320).

[0088] The computing platform 402 may be configured by machine-readable instructions 406. The machine-readable instructions 406 may include one or more instruction modules. The instruction modules may include computer program modules. These instruction modules may include one or more of a multicast BWP determination module 408, a multicast BWP sending module 410, a multicast scheduling module 412, and / or other instruction modules.

[0089] The multicast BWP determination module 408 may be configured to determine the multicast BWP within the carrier bandwidth. The base station may be a serving cell. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP configured to be used by at least a portion of the UE computing devices communicating with the base station. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by specific UE computing devices configured to communicate with the base station, which are configured to monitor the UE common BWP, for example, through higher layer configuration signaling from the base station or other network computing devices. Such specific UE computing devices configured to monitor the UE common BWP may be all UE computing devices communicating with the base station, or less than all UE computing devices communicating with the base station (e.g., a subset of one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station). In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by all UE computing devices configured to communicate with the base station. In various embodiments, parameters related to resource allocation may be provided in the UE common BWP configuration. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP determination module 408 may be configured to determine, for each of the one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station, whether the UE common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE specific BWP, and whether the UE common BWP is completely contained in the UE specific BWP. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP determination module 408 may be configured to, for each of the one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station, in response to determining that the UE common BWP has a different SCS and CP length from the UE specific BWP, or the UE common BWP is not completely contained in the UE specific BWP, determine the time switching mode of the corresponding UE computing device. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may not be a defined actual BWP, but the virtual BWP may be a subset of the parameters of the BWP. The base station may configure the virtual BWP to be completely contained in a UE specific BWP with the same SCS and CP length. In various embodiments, the network (e.g., a base station) may configure the virtual BWP so that a UE receiving the same multicast service may have an active BWP that completely contains the virtual BWP.

[0090] The multicast BWP sending module 410 may be configured to send an indication of the multicast BWP to one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station. A UE receiving the UE common BWP may activate the UE common BWP to receive the multicast service broadcast by the base station. In some embodiments, the indication of the UE common BWP may indicate parameters related to resource allocation, so that the receiving UE regards the lowest resource block (RB) index of the UE common BWP as the initial physical resource block (PRB) (e.g., PRB#0) of the UE common BWP. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP sending module 410 may be configured to, for each of the one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station, in response to determining that the UE common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE specific BWP, and the UE common BWP is completely contained in the UE specific BWP, send an indication of the search space set for multicast to the corresponding UE computing device. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP sending module 410 may be configured to, for each of the one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station, send an indication of the time switching mode for the corresponding UE computing device to the corresponding UE computing device.

[0091] The multicast scheduling module 412 may be configured to schedule transmission of multicast data in the multicast BWP.

[0092] Figure 5A A process flow diagram illustrating an example method 500 for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a fifth generation (5G) - New Radio (NR) base station in accordance with various embodiments. Figure 1-5A , the method 500 may be implemented by a processor of a base station (eg, base stations 110, 350).

[0093] In block 502, the processor may perform operations including determining a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth.

[0094] In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by at least a portion of the UE computing devices configured to communicate with the base station. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by a specific UE computing device configured to communicate with the base station, and the specific UE computing device is configured to monitor the UE common BWP, for example, through higher layer configuration signaling from the base station or other network computing devices. Such a specific UE computing device configured to monitor the UE common BWP may be all UE computing devices communicating with the base station, or less than all UE computing devices communicating with the base station (e.g., a subset of one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station). In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by all UE computing devices configured to communicate with the base station. In some embodiments, the indication of the UE common BWP may indicate parameters related to resource allocation, so that the receiving UE regards the lowest RB index of the UE common BWP as the initial PRB of the UE common BWP.

[0095] In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may not be a defined actual BWP, but the virtual BWP may be a subset of the parameters of the BWP. The base station may configure the virtual BWP to be completely contained in a UE-specific BWP with the same SCS and CP length. In various embodiments, the network (e.g., a base station) may configure the virtual BWP so that a UE receiving the same multicast service may have an active BWP that completely contains the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, for each UE computing device of one or more UE computing devices, the virtual BWP may be completely contained in a UE-specific BWP with the same SCS and CP length. In some embodiments, each corresponding virtual BWP may be identified by a starting resource block and a resource block length within a UE-specific BWP for the corresponding UE computing device. In some embodiments, each corresponding virtual BWP may be identified by one or more CORESET bandwidth configurations based on the configuration of the corresponding UE computing device. In some embodiments, the corresponding UE computing device may have a single CORESET for multicast, and the lowest resource block index and the highest resource block index of the CORESET correspond to the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, a corresponding UE computing device may have multiple CORESETs for multicast, and the lowest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs and the highest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may have the lowest resource block index within the UE-specific BWP without any specified bandwidth for the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, one or more UE computing devices may be configured to interpret downlink control information (DCI) scheduling multicast data such that the lowest resource block index of the DCI frequency domain resource allocation field is the initial physical resource block of the virtual BWP.

[0096] In block 504, the processor may perform operations including sending an indication of a multicast BWP to one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station. In some embodiments, the indication of the UE common BWP may indicate parameters related to resource allocation so that the receiving UE regards the lowest RB index of the UE common BWP as the initial PRB (e.g., PRB#0) of the UE common BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be identified to the UE by configuration elements such as the starting RB and RB length elements. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be identified to the UE by a control resource set (CORESET) bandwidth configuration. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be transparent to the UE. For example, the UE may be configured with an offset value or a virtual PRB#0, but may not be configured with a specific bandwidth for the virtual BWP.

[0097] In block 506, the processor may perform operations including scheduling transmission of multicast data in the multicast BWP. In some embodiments, a UE receiving a UE-common BWP may activate the UE-common BWP to receive a multicast service broadcast by a base station. In various embodiments, a network (e.g., a base station) may configure a virtual BWP so that a UE receiving the same multicast service may have an active BWP that fully includes the virtual BWP.

[0098] Figure 5B A process flow diagram illustrating an example method 550 for radio resource allocation that may be performed in a UE computing device to receive a multicast service from a 5G-NR base station in accordance with various embodiments. Figure 1-5B , method 550 may be implemented by a processor of a UE computing device (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200, 320). In various embodiments, the operations of method 550 may be performed by a processor of a 5G-NR base station (e.g., a 5G-NR base station configured to perform method 500 ( Figure 5A )'s operations are executed by a processor of a UE computing device that communicates with a 5G-NR base station).

[0099] In block 552, a processor of a UE computing device may perform operations including receiving an indication of a multicast BWP within a carrier bandwidth from a base station, such as a 5G-NR base station. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by at least a portion of the UE computing devices configured to communicate with the base station. In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by specific UE computing devices communicating with the base station, which are configured to monitor the UE common BWP, for example, through higher layer configuration signaling from the base station or other network computing devices. Such specific UE computing devices configured to monitor the UE common BWP may be all UE computing devices communicating with the base station, or less than all UE computing devices communicating with the base station (e.g., a subset of one or more UE computing devices communicating with the base station). In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a UE common BWP used by all UE computing devices configured to communicate with the base station. In some embodiments, the indication of the UE common BWP may indicate parameters related to resource allocation, such that the lowest RB index of the UE common BWP is the initial PRB of the UE common BWP.

[0100] In some embodiments, the multicast BWP may be a virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may not be a defined actual BWP, but the virtual BWP may be a subset of the parameters of the BWP. The base station may configure the virtual BWP to be completely contained in a UE-specific BWP with the same SCS and CP length. In various embodiments, the network (e.g., a base station) may configure the virtual BWP so that at least a portion of the UEs receiving the same multicast service (e.g., all UEs receiving the same multicast service, a subset of less than all UEs receiving the same multicast service, etc.) may have an active BWP that completely contains the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be completely contained in a UE-specific BWP with the same SCS and CP length for the UE computing device. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be identified by the starting resource block and resource block length within the UE-specific BWP for the UE computing device. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be identified by one or more CORESET bandwidth configurations. In some embodiments, the UE computing device may have a single CORESET for multicast, and the lowest resource block index and the highest resource block index of the CORESET may correspond to the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the UE computing device may have multiple CORESETs for multicast, and the lowest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs and the highest resource block index in the multiple CORESETs may correspond to the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may have the lowest resource block index within the UE-specific BWP without any specified bandwidth for the virtual BWP. In some embodiments, the UE computing device may be configured to interpret the DCI that schedules the multicast data such that the lowest resource block index of the DCI frequency domain resource allocation field is the initial physical resource block of the virtual BWP.

[0101] In some embodiments, the indication of the UE common BWP may indicate parameters related to resource allocation so that the lowest RB index of the UE common BWP is the initial PRB (e.g., PRB#0) of the UE common BWP. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be identified by configuration elements such as the starting RB and RB length elements. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be identified by the CORESET bandwidth configuration. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP may be transparent to the UE computing device. For example, the UE computing device may be configured with an offset value or a virtual PRB#0, but may not be configured with a specific bandwidth for the virtual BWP.

[0102] In block 554, the processor may perform operations including receiving multicast data in a multicast BWP. In some embodiments, the UE computing device may activate a UE common BWP to receive a multicast service broadcast by a base station. In some embodiments, the UE computing device may activate a virtual BWP to receive a multicast service broadcast by a base station.

[0103] Fig. 6A is a process flow diagram illustrating a method 600 for radio resource allocation to support multicast services from a 5G-NR base station according to various embodiments. Figure 1-6A , the method 600 may be implemented by a processor of a base station (eg, base station 110, 350). In various embodiments, the method 500 ( Figure 5A ) to perform method 600. For example, in response to the operation in block 504 ( Figure 5A ) to perform the operations of method 600. In various embodiments, the operations of method 600 may be performed for each of one or more UE computing devices communicating with a base station.

[0104] In determination block 602, the processor may perform operations including determining whether the UE-common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE-specific BWP, and whether the UE-common BWP is completely contained within the UE-specific BWP. In some embodiments, the UE-common BWP may have the same SCS and CP length as the active UE-specific BWP, and the UE-common BWP may be completely contained within the UE-specific BWP. In some embodiments, the UE-common BWP may have a different SCS or CP length than the active UE-specific BWP, or the UE-common BWP may not be completely contained within the UE-specific BWP.

[0105] In response to determining that the UE-common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE-specific BWP, and the UE-common BWP is completely contained within the UE-specific BWP (i.e., determination block 602 = "Yes"), the processor may perform operations including sending an indication of a search space set for multicast in block 604. The search space set for multicast may be sent to the corresponding UE. In some embodiments, the search space (SS) sets for unicast and multicast may be configured in the UE-specific BWP and UE-common BWP configurations, respectively. In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to simultaneously monitor the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast in the SS set in both the UE-specific BWP and the UE-common BWP configurations. Monitoring both the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast in the SS set may reduce the possibility of PDCCH blocking.

[0106] In response to determining that the UE-common BWP has a different SCS or CP length than the UE-specific BWP, or that the UE-common BWP is not fully contained within the UE-specific BWP (i.e., determination block 602 = "No"), the processor may perform operations including determining a time switching mode in block 606. The time switching mode may be unique to the corresponding UE computing device. If the UE cannot activate more than one BWP at a time, the UE-specific BWP and the UE-common BWP may be time-switched. For DCI-indicated BWP switching, a BWP indicator field in the DCI may be used to indicate which BWP (UE-specific BWP or UE-common BWP) is used. For example, when the DCI in the UE-specific BWP indicates that the BWP is switched to the UE-common BWP, the DCI may indicate the BWP switching, and the DCI may schedule multicast data in the UE-common BWP. For example, when the DCI in the UE-common BWP indicates that the BWP is switched to the UE-specific BWP, the DCI indicates that the BWP is switched to the specific BWP, but does not schedule data in the UE-specific BWP, where the specific BWP is RRC-configured.

[0107] In block 608, the processor may perform operations including sending an indication of the time switching mode. The indication of the time switching mode may be sent to a corresponding UE computing device. In some embodiments, the indication of the time switching mode may be sent in a radio resource control (RRC) message. In some embodiments, the indication of the time switching mode may be sent in a downlink control information (DCI).

[0108] Figure 6B 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method 650 for radio resource allocation that may be performed in a UE computing device for receiving a multicast service from a 5G-NR base station according to various embodiments. Figure 1-6B , method 650 may be implemented by a processor of a UE computing device (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200, 320). In various embodiments, method 550 ( Figure 5B ) to perform method 650. For example, in response to the operation in block 552 ( Figure 5B ) receives an indication of a multicast BWP to perform the operations of method 650. In various embodiments, the operations of method 650 may be performed by a 5G-NR base station (e.g., a 5G-NR base station configured to perform method 500 ( Figure 5A ) and / or 600( Fig. 6A )'s operating 5G-NR base station) communicating with a UE computing device that performs the operations of method 550.

[0109] In determination block 652, the processor may perform operations including determining whether the UE-common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE-specific BWP, and whether the UE-common BWP is completely contained within the UE-specific BWP. In some embodiments, the UE-common BWP may have the same SCS and CP length as the active UE-specific BWP, and the UE-common BWP may be completely contained within the UE-specific BWP. In some embodiments, the UE-common BWP may have a different SCS or CP length than the active UE-specific BWP, or the UE-common BWP may not be completely contained within the UE-specific BWP. The determination of whether the UE-common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE-specific BWP, and whether the UE-common BWP is completely contained within the UE-specific BWP may be based on an indication of a multicast BWP within the carrier bandwidth received from a 5G-NR base station.

[0110] In response to determining that the UE-common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE-specific BWP, and the UE-common BWP is completely contained within the UE-specific BWP (i.e., determination block 652 = "Yes"), the processor may perform operations including receiving an indication of a search space set for multicast in block 654. When the UE-common BWP has the same SCS and CP length as the UE-specific BWP, and the UE-common BWP is completely contained within the UE-specific BWP, the UE computing device may be configured to expect an indication of a multicast search space set to be sent by the base station. The search space set for multicast may be sent from the base station to the UE computing device. In some embodiments, the search space (SS) set for unicast and multicast may be configured in the UE-specific BWP and UE-common BWP configurations, respectively. In some embodiments, the UE computing device may be configured to simultaneously monitor the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast in the SS set in both the UE-specific BWP and the UE-common BWP configurations. Monitoring both the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast in the SS set may reduce the possibility of PDCCH blocking.

[0111] In response to determining that the UE-common BWP has a different SCS or CP length than the UE-specific BWP, or that the UE-common BWP is not fully contained within the UE-specific BWP (i.e., determination block 652 = "No"), the processor may perform operations including receiving a time switching pattern. When the UE-common BWP has a different SCS and CP length than the UE-specific BWP, or the UE-common BWP is not fully contained within the UE-specific BWP, the UE computing device may be configured to expect an indication of a time switching pattern sent by the base station. The time switching pattern may be unique to the UE computing device. If the UE cannot activate more than one BWP at a time, the UE-specific BWP and the UE-common BWP may be time-switched. For BWP switching indicated by a DCI, a BWP indication field in the DCI may be used to indicate which BWP (UE-specific BWP or UE-common BWP) is used. For example, when a DCI in a UE-specific BWP indicates that the BWP is switched to a UE-common BWP, the DCI may indicate a BWP switch, and the DCI may schedule multicast data in the UE-common BWP. For example, when a DCI in a UE-common BWP indicates that the BWP is switched to a UE-specific BWP, the DCI indicates that the BWP is switched to the specific BWP, but data is not scheduled in the UE-specific BWP, where the specific BWP is RRC configured. In some embodiments, an indication of the time switching mode may be received in a radio RRC message. In some embodiments, an indication of the time switching mode may be received in a DCI.

[0112] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing multicast BWPs allocated by UE common BWP 704 in carrier bandwidth 360 according to various embodiments. Figure 1-7 , UE1's specific BWP#1 702 and UE2's specific BWP#1 703 overlap the UE-common BWP 704. The UE-common BWP 704 may have the same SCS and CP length as the active UE-specific BWP (e.g., the BWP and the UE-common BWP may be completely contained in the UE-specific BWPs 702, 703). In this case, the UE may simultaneously monitor the PDCCH search space sets for unicast (C-RNTI) and multicast (G-RNTI), and the network (e.g., base station) may schedule unicast or multicast (or both) to provide multicast services 365 simultaneously.

[0113] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing multicast BWPs allocated by UE common BWP 704 in carrier bandwidth 360 according to various embodiments. Figure 1-8, the UE-common BWP 704 may have the same SCS and CP length as the active UE-specific BWP 702 of UE1, and the UE-common BWP 704 may be completely contained in the UE-specific BWP 702. Figure 8 SS sets 802 and 804 in the specific BWP #1 702 of UE1 and the UE-common BWP 704 are shown. In some embodiments, the SS set 802 for unicast and the SS set 804 for multicast can be configured separately in the UE-specific BWP 702 and UE-common BWP 704 configurations. As such, the SS set 802 can be dedicated to unicast, and the SS set 804 can be dedicated to multicast. In some embodiments, the UE can be configured to monitor the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast in the SS sets 802 and 804 in the UE-specific BWP 702 and UE-common BWP 704 configurations at the same time. As such, each SS set 802, 804 can be used to monitor both the PDCCH for unicast and the PDCCH for multicast.

[0114] Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram showing multicast BWPs allocated by UE common BWP 704 in carrier bandwidth 360 according to various embodiments. Figure 1-9A , the UE-common BWP 704 may have a different SCS and CP length than the active UE-specific BWP 702 of UE1, and the UE-common BWP 704 may not be fully contained within the UE-specific BWP 702. Fig. 9A In one example shown, if UE1 cannot activate more than one BWP at a time, the UE-specific BWP 702 and the UE-common BWP 704 may be time-switched. Fig. 9B is a schematic diagram showing a time switching mode according to various embodiments. Figure 1-9B , the time switching mode may indicate a UE common BWP activation period 902 and a UE specific BWP activation period 903. In some embodiments, the indication of the time switching mode may be sent in an RRC message. In some embodiments, the indication of the time switching mode may be sent in a DCI.

[0115] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B is a schematic diagram showing DCI for BWP switching according to various embodiments. Figure 1-10BFor a BWP switch indicated by the DCI, the BWP indicator field in the DCI 1002 may be used to indicate which BWP is used (the UE-specific BWP 702 or the UE-common BWP 704). For example, when the DCI 1002 in the UE-specific BWP 702 indicates that the BWP is switched to the UE-common BWP 704, the DCI 1002 may indicate the BWP switch and the DCI 1002 may schedule multicast data in the UE-common BWP 704. For example, when the DCI 1002 in the UE-common BWP 704 indicates that the BWP is switched to the UE-specific BWP 702, the DCI 1002 indicates that the BWP is switched to a specific BWP (e.g., the UE-specific BWP 702), but data is not scheduled in the UE-specific BWP 702, where the specific BWP is RRC configured.

[0116] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a multicast BWP of a virtual BWP allocation 1102 in a carrier bandwidth 360 according to various embodiments. Figure 1-11 , the virtual BWP allocation 1102 may not be the actual BWP defined, but the virtual BWP 1102 may be a subset of the parameters of the BWP. The base station may configure the virtual BWP 1102 to be completely contained in the specific BWP #1 702 of UE1 and the specific BWP #1 703 of UE2 with the same SCS and CP length. In various embodiments, the network (e.g., base station) may configure the virtual BWP 1102 so that UEs receiving the same multicast service 365 may have active BWPs 702, 703 that completely contain the virtual BWP 1102. In some embodiments, the virtual BWP 1102 may be identified to the UE through configuration elements (e.g., starting RB and RB length elements).

[0117] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a multicast BWP of a virtual BWP allocation 1102 in a carrier bandwidth 360 according to various embodiments. Figure 1-12 , the virtual BWP 1102 may be identified to the UE through the CORESET 1202 bandwidth configuration. As an example, the UE may be configured with a special CORESET 1202 for multicast. The virtual BWP 1102 bandwidth may be determined by the lowest and highest RB indexes of the CORESET 1202 for multicast. In some embodiments, if the UE is configured with multiple special CORESETs for multicast, the virtual BWP 1102 bandwidth may be determined to be at the union of the multiple CORESETs (e.g., the lowest RB index in the CORESET to the highest RB index in the CORESET).

[0118] Fig.13is a schematic diagram illustrating a multicast BWP of a virtual BWP allocation 1302 in a carrier bandwidth 360 according to various embodiments. Figure 1-13 , the virtual BWP 1302 may be transparent to the UE. For example, the UE may be configured with an offset value or virtual PRB#0, but may not be configured with a specific bandwidth for the virtual BWP 1302. For multicast data resource allocation, the UE may determine the configured RB index associated with the offset value or virtual PRB#0 as the lowest RB index, and may be configured to expect the scheduled multicast data to not exceed the active BWP bandwidth (e.g., the UE expects the network (e.g., base station) will not send multicast data outside the UE-specific BWP 702). As such, the virtual BWP 1302 may include a multicast schedulable portion 1304 and a multicast unschedulable portion 1306. In such an example, the DCI field size may be the same for unicast and multicast. In such an example virtual BWP 1302 configuration, when the UE detects a DL DCI, depending on whether the DL DCI schedules unicast data or multicast data, the UE interprets the DCI frequency domain resource allocation field such that PRB#0 or virtual PRB#0 is the lowest RB index for the resource allocation. Whether the DL DCI schedules unicast data or multicast data may be identified by RNTI scrambling of the CRC of the DCI (eg, G-RNTI or C-RNTI / MCS-C-RNTI / CS-RNTI), the DL DCI payload size, and / or the DL DCI format.

[0119] Various embodiments can be implemented on various wireless network devices. Fig.14 An example of this is shown in the form of a wireless network computing device 1400, which is used as a network element of a communication network, such as a base station (e.g., base station 110, 350). Such a network computing device may include at least Fig.14 Components shown in . Reference Figure 1-14, the network computing device 1400 may generally include a processor 1401 coupled to a volatile memory 1402 and a large capacity non-volatile memory (e.g., a disk drive 1403). The network computing device 1400 may also include a peripheral memory access device, such as a floppy disk drive, a compact disc (CD), or a digital video disc (DVD) drive 1406 coupled to the processor 1401. The network computing device 1400 may also include a network access port 1404 (or interface) coupled to the processor 1401 for establishing a data connection with a network (e.g., the Internet and / or a local area network coupled to other system computers and servers). The network computing device 1400 may include one or more antennas 1407 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation that may be connected to a wireless communication link. The network computing device 1400 may include additional access ports for coupling to peripheral devices, external memory, or other devices, such as USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, etc.

[0120] Various embodiments may be implemented on a variety of wireless devices 900 (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200, 320). Fig.15 An example of this is shown in the form of a smart phone 1500. Figure 1-15 , the smartphone 1500 may include a first SOC 202 (e.g., a SOC-CPU) coupled to a second SOC 204 (e.g., a 5G-capable SOC). The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 may be coupled to internal memory 220, 1516, a display 1512, and a speaker 1514. In addition, the smartphone 1500 may include an antenna 1504 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation, which may be connected to a wireless transceiver 266 coupled to one or more processors in the first SOC 202 and / or the second SOC 204. The smartphone 1500 may also typically include a menu selection button or rocker switch 1520 for receiving user input. The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 may also be coupled to at least one SIM 268 and / or a SIM interface, which may store information supporting a first 5G-NR subscription and a second 5G-NR subscription, which supports services on a 5G non-standalone (NSA) network.

[0121] The typical smart phone 1500 also includes a sound coding / decoding (CODEC) circuit 1510, which digitizes the sound received from the microphone into a data packet suitable for wireless transmission, and decodes the received sound data packet to generate an analog signal provided to the speaker to produce sound. In addition, the first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204, the wireless transceiver 266 and one or more processors in the CODEC 1510 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) circuit (not shown separately).

[0122] The processor of the wireless network computing device 1400 and the smart phone 1500 can be any programmable microprocessor, microcomputer or multi-processor chip or multiple chips, which can be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform various functions, including the functions of the various embodiments described below. In some mobile devices, multiple processors can be provided, for example, one processor within the SOC 204 is dedicated to wireless communication functions, and one processor within the SOC 202 is dedicated to running other applications. Generally, software applications can be stored in the memory 220, 1516 before being accessed and loaded into the processor. These processors may include internal memory sufficient to store application software instructions.

[0123] As used in this application, the terms "component", "module", "system", etc. are intended to include computer-related entities, such as but not limited to: hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software or running software, which is configured to perform specific operations or functions. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to: a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program and / or a computer. For example, an application running on a wireless device and the wireless device can both be referred to as a component. One or more components can exist in a process and / or an execution thread, and a component can be located in a computer or core and / or distributed between two or more computers or cores. In addition, these components can be executed from various non-temporary computer-readable media on which various instructions and / or data structures are stored. Components can communicate by means of local and / or remote processes, function or process calls, electronic signals, data packets, memory reads / writes, and other known networks, computers, processors and / or communication methods related to processing.

[0124] Many different cellular and mobile communication services and standards are available or expected in the future, all of which can be implemented and benefit from various embodiments. For example, these services and standards include the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, third generation wireless mobile communication technology (3G), fourth generation wireless mobile communication technology (4G), fifth generation wireless mobile communication technology (5G), global system for mobile communications (GSM), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), 3GSM, general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA) system (e.g., cdmaOne, CDMA1020TM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), digital AMPS (IS-136 / TDMA), evolution data optimized (EV-DO), digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT), world wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), wireless local area network (WLAN), Wi-Fi protected access I & II (WPA, WPA2) and integrated digital enhanced network (iDEN). For example, each of these technologies involves the transmission and reception of voice, data, signaling and / or content messages. It should be understood that any reference to terminology and / or technical details related to a single telecommunication standard or technology is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims to a particular communication system or technology unless specifically recited in the claims.

[0125] The various embodiments shown and described are provided merely as examples for illustrating the various features of the claims. However, the features shown and described with respect to any given embodiment are not necessarily limited to the associated embodiment, and may be used or combined with other embodiments shown and described. In addition, the claims are not intended to be limited by any one exemplary embodiment. For example, one or more of the operations of methods 500, 550, 600, and 650 may be replaced by or combined with one or more of the operations of these methods 500, 550, 600, and 650.

[0126] The above method description and process flow chart are only used as illustrative examples, and are not intended to require or imply that the operations of each embodiment must be performed in the order given. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the order of operations in the above embodiments can be performed in any order. Words such as "thereafter", "in turn", "next", etc. are not intended to limit the order of these operations; these words are merely used to guide the reader through the description of the method. In addition, any singular reference to a claim element (for example, using the article "a", "an", or "the") should not be interpreted as limiting the element to a singular form.

[0127] Various exemplary logic blocks, modules, components, circuits and algorithmic operations described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can all be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of the two. In order to clearly represent this interchangeability between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits and operations are generally described above around their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. A skilled person can implement the described functions in an alternative manner for each specific application, but such embodiment decisions should not be interpreted as departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0128] A general purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof for performing the functions described herein may be used to implement or execute the hardware for implementing various exemplary logics, logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein. A general purpose processor may be a multiprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of receiver intelligent objects, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such structure. Alternatively, some operations or methods may be performed by circuits specific to a given function.

[0129] In one or more embodiments, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium. The operation of the method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executable software module or a processor-executable instruction, which may be located on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or a processor-readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium may be any storage medium that a computer or processor can access. By way of example, but not limitation, such a non-transitory computer-readable medium or processor-readable storage medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage smart object, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. As used herein, disks and optical disks include compact disks (CDs), laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. The above combinations should also be included within the scope of non-transitory computer-readable media and processor-readable media. In addition, the operation of a method or algorithm can be located as a code and / or instruction set or any combination thereof on a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium and / or computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium and / or computer-readable storage medium can be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0130] To enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to implement or use the present invention, the above description is centered around the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may also be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is consistent with the widest scope of the appended claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A base station for supporting a multicast service in a wireless network, comprising: A processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations including: determining a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, wherein the multicast BWP is a common frequency bandwidth resource configured to be used by one or more user equipments (UEs) communicating with the base station; Sending an indication of the multicast BWP to one or more UEs communicating with the base station, wherein the indication of the multicast BWP is used to indicate parameters related to resource allocation as downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling multicast data, so that the receiving UE considers the lowest resource block (RB) index of the common frequency bandwidth resource as an initial physical resource block (PRB) of the common frequency bandwidth resource; and; The transmission of multicast data is scheduled in the multicast BWP.

2. A base station for supporting a multicast service in a wireless network, comprising: A processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations including: determining a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, wherein the multicast BWP is a virtual BWP for each of two or more UEs associated with the base station that is completely contained within a user equipment (UE) specific BWP having the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) length, wherein the multicast BWP has a different SCS or CP length than an active UE specific BWP; sending an indication of the multicast BWP to two or more UEs in communication with the base station; and The transmission of multicast data is scheduled in the multicast BWP.

3. The base station according to claim 2, wherein: Each respective virtual BWP is identified by a starting resource block and a resource block length within the UE-specific BWP for the respective UE.

4. The base station according to claim 2, wherein: Each respective virtual BWP is identified by one or more control resource set (CORESET) bandwidth configurations based on the configuration of the respective UE.

5. The base station according to claim 4, wherein: The corresponding UE has a single CORESET for multicast, and a lowest resource block index and a highest resource block index of the CORESET correspond to the virtual BWP.

6. The base station according to claim 4, wherein: The corresponding UE has a plurality of CORESETs for multicast, and a lowest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs and a highest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP.

7. The base station according to claim 2, wherein: The virtual BWP has the lowest resource block index within the UE-specific BWP without any designated bandwidth for the virtual BWP.

8. A method for supporting a multicast service at a base station in a wireless network, comprising: determining a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, wherein the multicast BWP is a common frequency bandwidth resource configured to be used by one or more user equipments (UEs) communicating with the base station; sending an indication of the multicast BWP to one or more UEs in communication with the base station, wherein the multicast BWP indicates parameters related to resource allocation as downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling multicast data, so that the receiving UE considers the lowest resource block (RB) index of the common frequency bandwidth resource as an initial physical resource block (PRB) of the common frequency bandwidth resource; and; The transmission of multicast data is scheduled in the multicast BWP.

9. A method for supporting a multicast service at a base station in a wireless network, comprising: determining a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, wherein the multicast BWP is a virtual BWP for each of two or more UEs associated with the base station that is completely contained within a user equipment (UE) specific BWP having the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) length, wherein the multicast BWP has a different SCS or CP length than an active UE specific BWP; sending an indication of the multicast BWP to one or more UEs in communication with the base station; and The transmission of multicast data is scheduled in the multicast BWP.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Each respective virtual BWP is identified by a starting resource block and a resource block length within the UE-specific BWP for the respective UE.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Each respective virtual BWP is identified by one or more control resource set (CORESET) bandwidth configurations based on the configuration of the respective UE.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The corresponding UE has a single CORESET for multicast, and a lowest resource block index and a highest resource block index of the CORESET correspond to the virtual BWP.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The corresponding UE has a plurality of CORESETs for multicast, and a lowest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs and a highest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The virtual BWP has the lowest resource block index within the UE-specific BWP without any designated bandwidth for the virtual BWP.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The one or more UEs are configured to interpret downlink control information (DCI) scheduling multicast data such that a lowest resource block index of a DCI frequency domain resource allocation field is an initial physical resource block of the virtual BWP.

16. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations including: receiving, from a base station, an indication of common frequency bandwidth resources within a carrier bandwidth forming a multicast bandwidth part (BWP), the multicast BWP being configured to be used by one or more UEs communicating with the base station, wherein the indication of the common frequency bandwidth resources is used to indicate parameters related to resource allocation as downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling multicast data such that a lowest resource block (RB) index of the common frequency bandwidth resources is an initial physical resource block (PRB) of the common frequency bandwidth resources; and Multicast data is received from the base station in the multicast BWP.

17. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations including: receiving, from a base station, an indication of a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, wherein the multicast BWP is a virtual BWP identified by one or more control resource set (CORESET) bandwidth configurations, wherein a lowest resource block index and a highest resource block index of the one or more CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP; and Multicast data is received from the base station in the multicast BWP.

18. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: A single CORESET for multicast is configured on the UE.

19. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: A plurality of CORESETs for multicast are configured on the UE, and the lowest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs and the highest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP.

20. A method for supporting a multicast service at a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, comprising: receiving, from a base station, an indication of common frequency bandwidth resources within a carrier bandwidth forming a multicast bandwidth part (BWP), the multicast BWP being configured to be used by one or more UEs communicating with the base station, wherein the indication of the common frequency bandwidth resources is used to indicate parameters related to resource allocation as downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling multicast data such that a lowest resource block (RB) index of the common frequency bandwidth resources is an initial physical resource block (PRB) of the common frequency bandwidth resources; and Multicast data is received from the base station in the multicast BWP.

21. A method for supporting a multicast service at a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, comprising: receiving, from a base station, an indication of a multicast bandwidth part (BWP) within a carrier bandwidth, wherein the multicast BWP is a virtual BWP identified by one or more control resource set (CORESET) bandwidth configurations, wherein a lowest resource block index and a highest resource block index of the one or more CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP; and Multicast data is received from the base station in the multicast BWP.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: A single CORESET for multicast is configured on the UE.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein: A plurality of CORESETs for multicast are configured on the UE, and the lowest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs and the highest resource block index among the plurality of CORESETs correspond to the virtual BWP.

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